Sneak Preview - Bunting

Hello there! I'm excited about my new felty creation, my own take on the bunting trend. Also known as garland, banners, and even pennants, there are so many ways to string up something irresitibly cheerful.

There are two versions right now; one in cool colors:

And one in colors that remind me of a lemonade stand: 

Once I figure out some better photographs, these will be going up for sale in the Dear Reader shop. I've been really into scalloping details lately, so it was fun to find a way to work that in with some felt.

The Origins of the Modern Family Crest

This post is much overdue, but I believe an explanation is in order for the origins of the Modern Family Crest. Part of the explanation lies in my deep appreciation for all things Harry Potter, with the style firmly lodged in my mind as being very special. Perhaps also having just watched both Monster Camp and Role Models is a factor, but at some point last spring the idea popped in my head that heraldry was quite interesting. I liked the basic aesthetic and the fact that bearers of these symbols shared a sense of  "these are my people and this is what we are all about". I knew the symbols and their placement had specific meanings, but only a serious expert would be able to decipher the intricacies and message behind family crests and shields. It was time for an update, not only for modern interests such as baking and photography instead of swords and archery. But an update that even people who are not experts can quickly piece together and realize "Oh yeah, you are into music and canoeing and dogs - I like that!".

Still with me?

I also happen to like silhouettes. We stamped silhouettes of our dogs on bags for the candy buffet at our wedding (shout out to S&H Confectioners!). We also printed silhouettes on votive covers for the tables. Felt is another favorite; the texture and the richness of the colors makes it irresistible to me. Clearly my love of felt and silhouettes were meant to be united, and they joined forces with the heraldry idea to become the Modern Family Crest.

So the quest began, as all of my plans do, with a list. A massive brainstorming ensued, where I thought of the various things that people like to do and I would like to cut out of felt. Then Eric helped me figure out what would translate into a silhouette design that still looked recognizable. Some ideas didn't work and were discarded after earnest efforts: a typewriter and a computer ended up not working. The animals are the most appealing to me. After a bit of research, we decided two shield shapes and several color options would give the flexibility to really customize each Modern Family Crest. Believe me, there are many more variations in actual heraldry but that can get overwhelming.
                                                                             
So after much drawing on Eric's part, we ended up with our two shield shapes and over 40 symbols. The Butterfield shape is shown here in blue:

And the Cavendish shape is shown here in red:

Because I wanted to offer a variety of options to customize the Modern Family Crest, there are five shield colors available to put on the totes: red, blue, yellow, gray, and green. Are you ready for a list of the 40 symbols to choose from? Here it is:

Acorn - Airplane - Bicycle - Bear - Book - Camera - Campfire - Candy - Canoe - Cat - Cupcake - Dog - Elephant - Fall Leaves - Fork + Spoon - Fox - Gears - Horseshoe - Hot Air Balloon - House - Ice Cream Cone - Lotus Flower - Mountains - Mushroom - Octopus - Owl - Paper + Inkwell + Quill - Pint of Beer - Pipe - Rabbit - Robot - Rocket Ship - Scissors - Skeleton Key - Squirrel - Submarine - Suitcase - Teapot - Trees - Top Hat + Mustache - Victrola Record Player

A List: Some Favorite Words

Do most people have certain words that make them feel supremely happy when they say them? I sure do; here are a few that provide verbal satisfaction for me:

Spectacle
Marmalade
Haberdashery
Fancy
Yodel

This list is all about stalling until I have some photos of my recent craft endeavors - in the form of felt wall hangings. Intriguing, no?

Fun Time Dog Time

Introducing Sophie D. Chillingshead III, the chihuahua mascot of the Dear Reader headquarters. Yesterday was the annual Doggie Carnival in Savannah, so naturally we took Sophie to check it out. It was the first truly hot weekend of the long Savannah summer, so we didn't stay too long. Just long enough for Sophie to make the social rounds and abscond with two unauthorized treats.