Gumball Lamp

To those who know me, it's no secret I love candy. I believe one of the major perks of adulthood is being able to buy and eat candy whenever you want; it almost makes up for the stress, bills, and lame jobs that come with growing up. (I said almost). I do try to exercise some restraint when it comes to candy, but it's just so good and so pretty (witness: my candy button quilt).

I'm sure my love of candy started very early on in life, probably sometime in toddlerhood, but it was definitely spurred on in elementary school by the gift of a gumball machine one Christmas. The machine was awesome, it looked just like this one, except it was aqua instead of black. I loved it, even toted it off to college with me. The summer between freshman and sophomore year I stored a bunch of stuff on campus; upon returning in the fall I was told there had been a freak fire that had hit only one room in the whole dorm--the room where my stuff was stored. My easily replaceable box of desk supplies somehow survived. The gumball machine? Melted beyond use :(

Despite better intentions, I never got around to replacing it until last year, when my trusty aunt (a fellow candy lover) saw a gumball machine at a garage sale for $5. A *classic* red one with a stand. It sits at the top of my stairs, the first thing you see when you enter my apartment. As my mom says "It sets a good tone -- let's people know: 'This is a fun place!'" (Actually, no one ever visits...but if anyone ever did, it would set that tone!)

So when I recently found yet another classic red gumball machine at a garage sale (this time for just $2), I had to buy it, but I needed to come up with a different way of using it. Thus was born: the gumball machine lamp. My mom came up with the adorable idea of making it "healthy" by filling it with fake berries. We used a retro cherry-print fabric for the shade, and edged it with some vintage green rickrack. The result is adorable. And delectable. But I'm not sure what I'll do if I happen upon another bargain gumball machine at a garage sale...

Urban Threads

dirtsa, the little online business I share with my mom, really got started a couple of years ago when madre decided to invest in a new sewing machine. She went for the grand-daddy of machines and got one with a USB port, so you can download stuff off the internet and the machine will embroider it up for you.

But we've discovered a problem. A big problem. A lot of the embroidery designs out there seem to cater to old ladies with bad bad taste. Here are some prime examples:

The one on the top is really a goldmine of cliched embroidery motifs...angel + heart + american flag + statue of liberty + rosey-cheeked doll face. If only she had a flower between her toes and a cheesy quote about "home" floating overhead, then she'd be the queen bee of embroidery designs. Underneath is the perennial teddy bear who, in this instance, appears to be embroidering his own head. Hmm, I'll have to keep that neat and not at all creepy idea in mind for myself...

With such ridiculous designs out there, you can understand why we were so psyched when we recently discovered Urban Threads, a website offering funky and modern embroidery designs. One of our absolute favorites was this one, of peanut butter & jelly falling in love:

Can you even stand how cute they are? I mean, seriously, they are a match made in heaven. We decided they would be perfect to include in our new line of lunch bags. I myself am a grape jelly girl, but my mom likes to mix it up, so in the shop you can personalize your bag by choosing grape jelly, strawberry jelly, or even fluffernutter (if jelly ain't yo' thang). We've also got a couple of different color options for the bag itself. Click on the pic below and check it out; what sandwich would *you* choose?

We're blogging!

So we're taking the plunge and entering the blogworld! Stay tuned for fun & funky posts about our shop, our lives, and random things that strike our fancy.