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Hard to believe that a whole summer has whooshed by since my last visit to the Burlington Antiques Show, which I wrote about in April, right here. My sister, Laura, and I (along with Max, and my niece, Rachel) hit the Lawrenceburg, Indiana show a few weeks ago, but it was pouring rain, so was sort of a bust. Luckily, the weather held out for the show yesterday.
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I’ve been bringing Max to flea markets this summer, and he’s become quite the little shopper. Yesterday, he had the task (for a few minutes) of pulling the cart. He’s already a vintage market pro! (I bought that wooden basket that’s in the cart, which I’m going to plant with mums.)

He took some time off his cart-pulling duties to try on this old helmet (this is his mean face—and notice the fists!)
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And time to take a little rest on the ground.
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I was in that “I just don’t need any more stuff in my tiny house!” mode yesterday, so I was more looking than anything. I just let myself get drawn to the most interesting tables. For me, that means linens! Burlington always has so many fantastic linens, from hankies to quilts to tablecloths! But, for the moment, it’s more fun to dream than do (or buy).
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I also love retro glassware, and anything the color aqua (retro glassware that is aqua is the ultimate). I love the aqua of that old trunk too.
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I’ve written about this before, but something is happening with vintage orphan glassware. People are making the most inspiring, cool creations out of it. I’ll leave you with these awesome glass creations . . .
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First day of school: is there a sweeter concept than that? Especially after a long, hot summer. And an even longer Labor Day weekend.

I’ve accepted that I’m in a phase in my life where weekends just aren’t the leisure and loveliness they used to be. For example, 3-day weekends that alternate between so hot you can’t even go outside to freezing and raining, and involve a very busy 1-year-old, and a 3-year-old who still hasn’t quite gotten the hang of pooping in the toilet, really aren’t very fun.

So I was thrilled to go to bed last night, and know that today, we could start over! It did feel like a fresh start this morning, as Max headed off to preschool with daddy, with his backpack strapped on his back like he knew exactly what he was doing.
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Was I thinking: “ooh, my sweet little boy! I will miss him so much! How has he gotten so big, so fast?”

Um . . . no. I was thinking: “I am so glad I get to head upstairs and get back to work. And damn, that’s a good-looking backpack!”

It’s a pattern from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. I am digging this book sooo much, and I’ve already got about 6 other projects dog-eared. Max zeroed in on this backpack immediately. There was no “hmm, well, maybe, but can you make it out of Scooby-Doo fabric?” It was: “I want THAT backpack, mommy!”
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I pretty much matched the colors of the pattern: I picked out a grey corduroy for the body, a blue with a subtle diagonal plaid for the front pocket, and a yellow with a small white dot for the beak and feet. I lined the whole thing with basic light blue cotton broadcloth. I had a hard time finding the right-size strap adjusters at Jo-Ann’s, so I ordered some from Hardware Elf (they came within just a few days).


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Overall, it’s really a fantastic pattern. There are a LOT of pieces (more than a dozen). As I was tracing the pieces and cutting them out, I began to wonder if I was in for something way more complicated than I anticipated. But it’s actually a very simple pattern, with very, very clear and smart directions. In fact, I learned a new way to make an outside pocket even cleaner at the top. The whole backpack is constructed beautifully—lined and reinforced in the right places. The directions for the zipper are good, although I sort of followed my own method (but don’t be intimidated if you’ve never done a big zipper—it’s super easy, I promise).

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I wish it were just slightly bigger (the preschool instructed us to make sure the kids’ backpacks were big enough for their “homework” folder—and this one is, but just barely).

Overall, I can’t recommend this pattern enough for a kid's backpack, whether you want to do the penguin, or leave off the beak and feet and pick out a snazzy fabric.

And now, I’m going to enjoy the remaining hours of peace before I hear little feet scampering back inside . . .


 
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My sister-in-law, Bobbie Jo, took this picture. Isn't she amazing?
Thanks to everyone who put up with my incessant Twitter posts about my Sew Retro Facebook “like” contest (I was trying to get up 300 people in the last week of August to give away a free book). I made it—340! The last 50 came last night after my writer friend, Kris Bordessa (thanks, Kris!) posted something on Attainable Sustainable’s page (you can also check out their site here—it’s pretty great).

The winner is Rachel Heiser, who I emailed through Facebook to let her know that she won. Congrats, Rachel!

It’s sort of obnoxious to ask people to “like” your page over and over again—I know this. But I set it as a challenge because I’ve been in a mini-funk these last few weeks, as I get ready for the next phase of my copywriting business. My coach, Darla LeDoux, is always taking about the power of setting an intention: specifically, when you state something clearly and boldly (without all of the qualifying language, like “well, maybe I might . . .” or “I mean, I might try . . .”), that energy becomes real and that thing becomes real and you find a way to make it happen.

I believe this, but I often don’t remember it. So, my little Facebook contest (“I WILL get 300 fans by August 31st!”) was one of a series of intention exercises for me.

Of course, you should have a purpose behind your intentions. So, for this one, my purpose is to share Sew Retro with readers, because I think it’s a fun book and I love the idea of people having a place to connect and comment on the book, or to comment on their own history of sewing. It goes to my larger mission of helping people connect through stories, which is what my copywriting business is about.

Intentions also help you stay on track. When I was struggling to get to my 300 fans, I clicked around on some other sewing Facebook pages. I saw, for example, Amy Butler’s page  had more than 12,000 “likes!” I mean, she is fabulous. Of course 12,000+ people like her on Facebook. But why don’t they like me? What’s wrong with me? And so begins the spiraling-down/comparison thinking. But, because I had set a specific intention, I could remind myself: I set an intention to get 300 likes, not 12,000. I set an intention to move from A to B, not A to W.

Putting an intention out there in the universe also gets good mojo on your side. People—random people or people you know—help you get there. For example, my friend Kris posting something is what got me those last 10 likes I needed (plus 40 more). I don’t even know Kris that well; we’ve met at writers' conferences. She doesn’t have any ulterior motive, other than just helping another writer because she can relate. It’s just about an energy exchange. That happens all of the time—if you just let it (and aren’t suspicious of it).

I think intention-setting can be a very powerful tool for anyone—whether you’re setting intentions around your parenting skills, your fabric business, your fitness, or just about anything. But—and this is important--your intentions can’t be vague, half-believed, or unstated.

For example, I have an income goal for this year, and I started to freak out that I wouldn’t reach it because I’ve been slow for a few weeks. So instead of being stressed and just saying things like “I need to be busier,” I added everything up that I’ve made (or is contracted) this year, and came up with the specific amount (literally, to the dollar) that I need to make for the remainder of the year. I wrote it down, said it aloud, and shared it with my accountability group. Most importantly, I believe it.

Do you have an intention for yourself or your business? Set one today!