briones+co.

new blog

2010-07-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

i now have a new blog over at http://smbriones.wordpress.com/. come say hello! i wont be updating here anymore, so if you'd like to be updated on new posts, go over and subscribe to my wordpress blog. have a great week!

after the storm

2010-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

last night's storm left behind some of the coolest clouds i've ever seen. that, and i wanted to test out this new blogger template.

latest sewing projects

2010-06-02T19:20:00.001-07:00

my sailing dress based on: http://tinyurl.com/2euu4eq

black cotton pencil skirt

drawstring mini made from vintage mccall's pattern #9658

see all of my sewing projects here: my burdastyle studio.

free sewing patterns: burdastyle

2010-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

lately i've been obsessed with burdastyle and the free patterns available there. here are a few to reel you in...

marie #9177 by burdastyle. pattern + instructions.

obi apron by prudencerabbit. pattern + instructions.

the kasia skirt by burdastyle. pattern + instructions.

i had one more photo/pattern link to post, but for some reason blogger wouldn't let me add another photo, but you can take a look at all the available free patterns at http://www.burdastyle.com. I love to look at the "finished projects" and see all the different variations and fabrics that people use. it's very inspiring.

another place that's been a huge inspiration for me lately is the craftster.org forums. I love to look through the reconstruction posts. it's amazing what people are making from, well.. everything! old clothes, curtains, tea towels/napkins, pillowcases, sheets.. it's just too awesome. i recommend taking a look through those posts before getting rid of the stuff you don't like, doesn't fit you, out of style, and will never wear. you might find a ton of things you can do with the things you already have, so that you have something new and amazing to wear. good luck!

SALE at briones+co.

2010-05-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

SALE NOW THROUGH SATURDAY, MAY 22ND.

brionesandco.etsy.com

weekend projects

2010-05-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

after spending most of our weekend relaxing in this awesome hotel and doing some shopping, we came home and started working on the projects we've been wanting to tackle for a while now. we finally bought the things we needed to pretty up our tv area, some herbs for our empty pots and chairs for the patio.

here's the tv before. cords everywhere:

and after. much better:

patio before:

patio after:

we now have cilantro, cherry tomato, thyme, parsley, lavender, and mint.

both chairs and pots are from ikea.

etsy favorites

2010-05-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

some of my current etsy favorites.

a new dress

2010-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

here is my first handmade dress! it's made from some of the fabric i ordered and posted about last week. it's not perfect, but i like it. i learned so much making it and can't wait to get started on my next one.

i downloaded this free pattern from burdastyle -- a really great sewing community website with lots of free patterns and projects. the one i chose was the "coffee date dress".

links:

my burdastyle submission

http://www.burdastyle.com/

coffee date dress pattern || instructions

coffee date dress multi-size || instructions

fabric dot com.

2010-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

my new favorite place to spend money.

i recently purchased some great vintage patterns on ebay and etsy and set out trying to find some fabrics i like to make some dresses and stuff out of. i am very picky, but i also haven't sewn much in the way of clothing, so it wasn't easy to pick something. i wasn't sure exactly how things would feel, so i stuck mostly with the basics, what i know.

(my selections, but bottom left should actually be dark gray.)

i ended up with cotton, linen, jersey, and seersucker and then some interfacing and lining and i love every bit of what i received from fabric.com. just thought i'd let you know that in case you weren't sure if you should give them a try. i got free shipping and found a 20% off coupon code. so, i'm happy.

can't wait to make something i can wear. hopefully it wont be something i get lazy about. i know i love buying the fabric, let's hope i know how to use it. i'll keep you posted. :)

oh, my.. mini scrap packs!

2010-04-20T19:44:00.001-07:00

i was actually going to list these tomorrow, but i just couldn't wait. i had so much fun putting together the scrap packs a couple of days ago, that i wanted to make more! though this time, i wanted to make some smaller ones. i think these are great. you can do so much with them and i love mixed patterns and textures. i only have six of these right now, so if there's one you like, beware! there's only one of each. no two are the same. hope you enjoy them!

http://brionesandco.etsy.com

http://brionesandco.bigcartel.com

scrap packs!

2010-04-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

now available, color coordinated scrap packs for your art and crafts projects! get them while supplies last. i have 9 packs right now and no two are the same. see what's available in the etsy listing!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45052844/scrap-pack

http://brionesandco.etsy.com

http://brionesandco.bigcartel.com

new business cards

2010-04-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

my business cards came in yesterday from overnight prints in basically record time. i'm pretty happy with them, and i might just order another batch using different photos in the design.

weekly planning page - free PDF download!

2010-04-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

happy wednesday!

here is a weekly planning page that i designed to help keep myself on top of things. mostly because i have so many things i need to do right now that it's pretty much overwhelming unless i write it all down. so i thought i'd share it with you!

so, this is a simple form that has space for your daily to-do's, but also a place for you to keep track of which of your tv shows are on which night, (because that's extremely important!). if you watch as many as we do, it's really easy to accidently miss one.. like we did with lost a couple of weeks ago! :o plus, i think it's important to have a little fun after you've completed all of your tasks, relax and watch your favorite shows!

i also have a place to write down the things i need to order online, like supplies for my shops. sometimes it can be bad if i forget to order something because it usually takes a little longer than i hoped to receive things that i need ... yesterday. like business cards! i wish i had made this handy form long ago, but now i have a reliable place to jot down things i need to order instead of keeping them in my head until all that's left is, "i know there was something i needed..".

there's also a place for bills due that week. something that i could always use a reminder for.

i hope you enjoy this download. i know it's going to help keep me straight, and i hope you'll find it useful as well! I printed mine on white cardstock. now get to work! :)

download here.

http://brionesandco.bigcartel.com

have a great day!

sneak peek: new items at briones+co.

2010-04-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

happy easter, everyone!

tomorrow i open up shop again selling my freshly re-designed meal planners and other paper goods. i hope to provide you with simple and enjoyable products to keep yourself organized. here is a sneak peek of a few of the new items that will be available for purchase tomorrow!

what's new

2010-03-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the lag between new posts. I've been busy creating new products for my shop! Yes, finally! I've got some new things in the works and can't wait to show you, but it will have to wait just a little bit longer. :)

We also just had a nice trip to Florida to visit family and go to the 75th Anniversary of the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. We had a great time despite getting sick.

Stay tuned!

2010-02-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

craigslist finds: mid-century modern

2010-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have been looking at craigslist a lot this week just to see what I could find. Specifically mid-century modern or Eames era chairs, desks and side tables. I would love to have a vintage Herman Miller shell chair in orange, gray, or white. So here are some nice things I've come across on craigslist lately.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fuo/1558560389.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/atq/1553711441.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/fuo/1559829627.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fuo/1564162612.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fuo/1556139635.html

we're working on it.

2010-01-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I've only been in Chicago for 4 days, but I have to say, so far I love it. I love the location of our apartment. I really like our apartment and the building. So far everyone has been really nice. It already feels like home here. I can't wait for spring. If I can enjoy walking around our neighborhood in 20 degree weather, spring is going to be fantastic.

Here are a couple of shots taken in the apartment. Not too many so far. There are just boxes everywhere, so not much to see, but just to show what we've been up to.

Stay warm.

hello, chicago!

2009-11-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

image: http://www.gallagher.com/chicago_photos.htm

So, we're moving to Chicago! Ryan starts his new job at the end of this month, right after our SFO trip. We're not officially moving until sometime in January, but that's going to fly by of course with all of the traveling that we're doing. We can't wait to explore our new city! Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. I'll try to do better!

san francisco

2009-09-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

hmm... so it's been a while. i guess i've been too busy reading. it's also been hot out, so not many pictures taken outside for me to share, it's like winter, but the opposite. you want to stay inside to keep out of the heat, and stay nice and cool in the expensive air conditioning. so, not much to tell here, yet.

we're going to be doing a good bit of traveling at the end of the year. spending a week in san francisco, well I'll be there for 4 days. ryan will be at a conference for a few days before i arrive. it'll be my first time flying alone, and i'm trying to imagine that it will go flawlessly. kids do it all the time, right? right? but i think it'll be a really awesome trip and our first real, by ourselves, with nothing to do but be tourists, trip since our honeymoon. we're considering renting an apartment for the days we're there. it's actually a better deal than a hotel room. then in december, we'll be visiting our families in florida for christmas. just for a few days, but it's better than not seeing them at all.

hope everyone is getting that wonderful feeling that fall is creeping up. i cannot wait.

fun find: vintage panda pens

2009-08-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

I'm really excited about these. I found them yesterday at a thrift store. They are vintage (60's) panda fountain pens, made in China. One of the best things about them was the fact that they're in their original packaging.

Each one is in it's own little plastic container. After researching, I found that you dip the pen in your ink, and squeeze the clear plastic sac until it fills with ink. Pretty awesome.

I'm so glad I found these. I will probably put them up for sale in my etsy supply shop soon, but I just couldn't wait to share. I've still got to decide how much to sell them for, since they're kind of valuable. I found one here with a starting bid of $15.00. Crazy! I think these could make some really unique gifts or favors.

our weekend

2009-08-02T20:24:00.001-07:00

we had a really fun weekend. more photos on our flickr page.

2009-07-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

free shipping in my etsy supply shop through saturday, august 1st! please enjoy!

nature in the morning

2009-07-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brionesphotos/

my heart

2009-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brionesphotos/3739824829/

I used to draw a lot more than I do now, but every once in a while something will pop into my head that I think needs to be put on paper.

Last night as I was struggling to go drift off, (because I couldn't turn off my brain, which is a regular occurrence) I was thinking about being young and care-free. I tried to calculate all of the things that had changed since those days, and it's just so much. It's hard to figure out how I got from having almost no worries, at least no big ones, to feeling like all these things were wrapped around my heart, strangling it. That may sound a little graphic, but I know you know that feeling. You're just sitting there thinking about all of these things you need to do, can't do, want to do, didn't do and it rushes in, one thing after the other, and suddenly you're overwhelmed. It happens to everyone.

Then I pictured this heart with this string wrapped around it with all these things written on it representing everything that overwhelms. Then these scissors are there, ready to cut that string away. For me, the scissors represent love. My husband is that pair of scissors to me. He knows how great I am at worrying and stressing over so many things, usually money, and he's always so calm and is able to ease my nerves and make my worried heart feel light again.

I apologize if this is one of those TMI type blog posts, but I just thought I'd share my heart, and this illustration with you.

( oh, and moms, don't worry, we're fine and we love you. :) )