valentine's treats

After a busy week, Valentine's treats are finished and will be going into my shop this weekend!
A limited edition of 7 sets will be available by Monday, February 2nd for $35 each + postage here.
Each unique set contains one zip bag, one lavender pillow, and one bookmark.
Fabrics are a mix of vintage French, English, and American fabric: linen, cotton, and canvas.
Each set comes wrapped in white tissue, tied with red twine and a little vintage fabric square, and includes its own blank gift tag for you to write a special message on.
It's the perfect gift for someone you love and it will last longer than flowers or chocolate!
Happy weekend, folks!

these two

I found these photos taken last June as I was going through my photo files. I'm so thankful for my camera for capturing these two in the moment. They grow so quickly! Almost 9 and 7 now. How did that happen?

daily candy

Today, Jill Bent Bags and Pillows is featured on Daily Candy! I'm very excited to have this little bit of press! Here's a sneak peak of some fabric I'm working with for the spring. It's snowing here again, so spring feels a long way off. I'm planning a Valentine's Day shop update for next week. There will be some adorable little limited edition goodies, just perfect for someone special.

quick

Quick shots, little details catching my eye, brightening my days. Off to work today to sew some springy things. I'll be doing a shop update early February and there's lots of work to be done. Thanks for all the wonderful comments recently! I've been slow to reply, but I'm reading and enjoying them all.

cold weekend

Saturday we went ice skating, Sunday we just stayed inside. We played Chinese checkers, built with Legos, drew by the fire, and ate things like grilled cheese sandwiches and apple pancakes. It's cold today too, 12 degrees F, but I'm going out to get some fresh air!

it's too cold to wear this

I bought this dress in Antigua last year. It's much too cold to wear it right now, but the colors are so cheery! I've been slowly organizing my photos from this past year and uploading some of them onto flickr. It's been fun revisiting them. I hope you all have a nice weekend.

from the sea

Still dreaming of tropical water and air. And some things the sea washed ashore.

tropical

Antigua: that's where we went last winter. No trips planned for winter '09, so I'm just going to enjoy the memories. Today: snow on the ground, drinking chai, sewing.

Today is filled with hope!

and the winners are...

Thanks to all of you who left such sweet comments for the postcard giveaway!

The winners are:

Stylemaedchen

Michelle Y

Sarah

Happy Monday and please take a moment today to think about the great Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday. His life, his work and his sacrifice have paved the way for tomorrow's inauguration of our President Barack Obama.

grey

On a grey day this week, it's not suprising my camera found grey. It's incredibly cold here today and I will be wearing this sweater and cowl neck all day, perhaps all weekend. It's the sweater that makes me feel like I've raided the costume department on a Jane Austen movie set. I promised Esti I would show her.

Thank you for your wonderful comments this week in the anniversary post. I treasure each one and it's so nice to hear from you all. I'm extending the postcard giveaway deadline until Sunday, because why not? I'll let you know Monday when I draw the winners!

And lastly, this blog is brightening my days. Kim also has a lovely shop too, but perhaps you already know that!

Have a great weekend.

on the menu

Before I get to explaining the vegetables, I have to say a huge thank you to this kind lady who posted about me and my shop sale! Bliss is a spot I go to every day for a dose of beauty and I feel really honored that Traci was kind enough to mention me.

Now for the vegetables:

I haven't been posting too much about food lately, but believe me, I have been thinking about it! This winter we bought a share from Enterprise Farm, an organic farm out in western MA that comes to our city farmer's market every week, spring through late fall. Now we get a big box of assorted organic vegetables each week from Enterprise and are no longer slaves to Whole Foods for our veggies. I like Whole Foods, but it's really nice to be able to buy vegetables and fruit from a small organic farm that's local, although they partner with other small farms farther south to bring us some of the produce. Anyway, long story short, cooking with vegetables like kale, turnips, cabbage (things I normally wouldn't seek out to cook with) has inspired me to try new things, and these veggies we're getting taste so fresh...I swear I can tell the difference from the grocery store produce. Plus it's less expensive. So, the blackboard menu tells what we've been eating this week. It's not easy to get the kids to eat some of this stuff, just so you know, but they try it. When the box arrived yesterday, both kids separately asked me if there was any kale. And rejoiced when I said no. Oh, and my bible to cook with these days: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

anniversary sale

To celebrate my blog turning one, I'm having a sale in my shop! Through Sunday, January 18th, all bags are 20% off! Happy shopping, and don't forget to leave a comment in the previous post to enter the postcard giveaway.

anniversary

A year ago I started this blog, not knowing where it might take me. It has turned out to be an incredible experience and I am thankful for your kind words of encouragement and support and for the friendships that have been forged here. Thanks to all of you who have left comments and to those of you who just come here to read and look, thank you for taking the time to view this space. I am grateful!

In appreciation, I wanted to offer you a little something...if you leave a comment on this post between now and Friday, I will draw three names out of a hat and announce the winners next Monday. Each of the three winners will receive a set of my postcards in the mail.

Also, starting tomorrow, for this week only, I am going to be having an anniversary sale in my shop. Check back tomorrow for details!
xoxo Jill

10 things

10 things I like about today (because I couldn't get motivated to do any sewing)

1) knitting this scarf

2) the pattern of the living room rug

3) ice cream in the winter

4) jasmine green tea

5) sunshine

6) reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

7) the Anthropologie catalog came in the mail

8) my cozy empire waist sweater that looks like it came off the costume rack from Sense and Sensibility

9) a square of chocolate after lunch

10) it's Friday

Have a great weekend!

power out

We lost our electricity for about eight hours yesterday. Nothing to do at night but read by candlelight and knit until bedtime. Not such a bad thing.

art

I've been meaning to make an inspiration wall with all the beautiful photos and prints I collected in 2008. I finally did it!

Top photo, clockwise from lower left corner: Sharon Montrose, Yu-i, Traci French, Abby Powell, Jennifer Altman, Traci French, Abby Powell, Traci French

white

I'm missing my kids these past few days, but their absence has given me a chance to go through the house and change things around. I've repainted, rearranged, and recycled, and now our house feels fresh. I haven't added anything new, I've just pared down and simplified and the results are making me happy!

After five years of gray-green, our living room is now white. It took me two days of painting all day, but it was worth it. After looking at Mrs. French's white posts from Skona Hem, I decided it was time for a change. Thanks, Traci for the inspiration!

For more white interiors, have a look at Pure Style . Happy weekend!

two thousand and nine

Happy New Year! Frost on the window this morning, and bright blue skies. A great way to begin 2009. A breakfast of oranges, strawberries, oatmeal, and hot chocolate. And I really did paint my living room white yesterday! One more coat goes on today, and I will show you pictures tomorrow. Cheers, all.