I received these antique wood blocks, originally from Uzbekistan – by way of Laney, who has the great shop Sahaba Imports, on ebay. She travels to Uzbekistan several times a year and brings back a bevy of beautiful treasures. My Marcel has a funny song that he and his Papi made up called This Stan Is Your Stan, This Stan Is My Stan. They sing about the "Stan countries." I’ll ask them for the lyrics so I can share them. Anyway, be sure to check out Laney’s great goodies.

Yippee! I can’t wait to start printing on fabric with these. I think I’ll use linen. I’ll share the process as I go, so stay tuned!

There are actually people who can do those embroidery projects like you see in Marie Claire Idées magazine! Witness French blogger Adèle’s handywork:

If you like embroidery, you might like to check out the French link Des Histoires à Broder.

Also, I just love this long apron design of Adèle’s:

And what a great idea to use the tree as a model!

I have a real soft spot for aprons and have been collecting them since I was a little girl (that doesn’t mean that I’ve saved them all; darn). Here is a view of just a smattering of mine:

I like them so much that I’ve been wearing the femmy floral ones to the Farmers Market, and a sturdy vintage denim one when I go to the hardware store — which can sometimes be a couple of times a day. My dream home would be sandwiched inbetween a hardware store and a plant nursery!

Check out the blog of apron diva Selena. Here are some of her lovelies:

Here is a photo from an apron post on my beautiful friend Aurora’s blog:

Happily, through reading Design*Sponge, I've discovered ReproDepot; fabrics, ribbons, buttons, and more. My fabrics arrived just one week after I placed the order (Massachusetts to California), and I was given a refund on part of the shipping, as it was cheaper than the original estimate. Efficiency, honesty, and great quality!! Now the only dilema is what to make and where to begin!

The print of the states is called "This Land Is Your Land", and the pink and blue paisley is called "Cornell Small Paisley"; each $6.95/yard. The fabric in the background is called "Looped-film"; it's a substantial weight, 56" wide, cotton canvas, and is a bargain at $9.95/yard.

I think I'll make Marcel some long shorts out of the "states" fabric. And some nice bed-pillows for me out of the paisley.

They also threw in these little extra assorted pieces as a "thank you." I can't recommend them enough.