Poetic Peonies

Amelia Kay Photography

My favourite month of the year has always been May: the fresh green of the trees, the air fragrant with the scent of spring flowers, mild temperatures plus a handful of public holidays to look forward to. Peonies, one of my favourite flowers will be in full bloom at the end of this month. Perhaps that's why I insisted on getting married in May nine years ago!

Studio Wed by Mirela

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises, 
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers
and they open ---
pools of lace, 
white and pink...

 (excerpt from Mary Oliver's poem Peonies) 

Soap Rhapsody

I hope you get some time off to enjoy and soak up nature's beauty this month...

PJ Set in Paradise

I was so, so lucky when I received yet another of the missing parcels the other day! There was a huge gaping hole on one side of this one, but someone somewhere in the postal service had been nice enough to saran wrap it, so the fabric was undamaged. I was finally able to finish this new pajama set. What's so special about this one? Well, first of all, the fabric is gorgeous! It's light-weight and thinner than regular cotton, more like a cotton voile - perfect for summertime! The large-scale modern print depicts lush flowers on an off-white background. I made this set in large (US 14). That's why the top hangs a bit loosely on my mannequin and the armhole is too big, because she's a standard size. As soon as I get round to it I will be making a similar set in a medium, and if there's some fabric left a pair of lace-edged shorts. Also, I took heed of all the previous comments regarding the wig and will use the blonde one for my product images, but will replace it with my personal favourite (the brunette) the rest of the time. Amazingly enough -- according to my Etsy stats the views went up when I changed the images to the ones with the blonde wig! Btw, I'm tickled pink whenever people initially think it's a real model. Here's the 'secret' to making her look more real -- in Photoshop I cover all the lines with the make-up tool where the limbs are attached :)

Work in progress - Pajama Set

Many a customer asks me how long it will take to have a custom pajama set made. Well, excluding ordering, pre-washing, ironing and cutting the fabric (and not working on anything else) it will take an entire weekend.

Also, all seams are professionally finished or serged as we say in the sewing biz. All of my handmade items take time, and before I list anything the pieces are scrutinized before being put up for sale. That is probably the reason why I'm hesitating to outsource, although I could really use some help at this point.

Currently, I am offering sizes small, medium and large per style. I would love to have three sets of each size. At the beginning of this year one of my goals had been to have 50 items listed in my shop by the end of April. Didn't make it. Anyhow, unless I outsource, it will take weeks, if not months. But isn't that distinctive of handmade products?

Btw, which wig do you prefer? Brunette or Blonde?