Tara Miller Designs

The New Amy Butler Home Decor Line!

As i have said before and will probably repeat in the future, i have the best job in the world and an awesome boss. let me set the mood. I was sitting in my office learning new tasks, as a person who has just started a job tends to do, when my boss popped into my office. I was a little surprised because i had seen her earlier just starting a meeting. Then this glow appeared around her and i swear i heard the angels singing "would you like to come see the new Amy Butler Home Decor line?"
this was obviously a rhetorical question because i immediately jumped up and followed her into the conference room. It is all a happy, bubbly blur. I am sure there was jumping and scream (in my head thank goodness and i am still employed, so i didn't take it and run either). It was beautiful. It was a perfect compliment to the Amy Butler Lotus Line. There was a lot of gray and the gray playing with blues and greens, like in lotus. But, true to form, her pinks and reds were just the right hue and the shades worked so well together. If i had to pick a style, i could not pick one. There was some Indian influence, Asian (Thai?) and maybe British colonial. It was great. The line is called Nigella and it will debut in July. I will be first in line.

On another note, i was not missing but rather on vacation last week. I had a great time. it was a pseudo- honeymoon/family vacation/cruise. Garrett, his parents, me and my parents, brother, his lovely girlfriend, Gretchen, sister and her boyfriend. It was pretty uneventful unless you count my sister arriving at the port just as the ship (with the rest of us) on board. But she caught up with us in Nassau. We went to Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Haiti. I love cruises but you eat way too much and you miss the little things. I was missing my brown house (which is coming along very well, with multi projects at various levels of complete), commercials (you have to watch RCTV with stupid royal caribbean commercials and CNN commercials were the weather for cities all over the world. image 2- 3 min of weather every 5 min of news), i missed umm not having cheese cake everywhere i looked. I missed the mall and side walks. I did love sitting out on the deck and listening to the waves and knitting.
I go alot of knitting done. I went through a whole ball for glee (over 100 yards), i made 3/4 of pair of hand warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts with 1 ball of KP SportShine, one Flora from Knitty with part of some Cascade 220 in Green tea (blocking). it was great!orhignsdolhtogtordsgnodjfrngodngotyontoynlbkfnjldfksgnjldfkjgldkjhlkjdfghlkjdhjdlfjhdlkfghj;ljjlkjidjgdslksjgtirtjdkfgj

ksfbjkjfhgjdfgjdhfg;ljhdfghghs;lfjghl;jfgh;lfghjhjfglhjlgg;hj;lfgshl;ghlhfghsghjdfjhgdjhfg;jhgshjgfdhjgjhs;js Before i left, i was working on my simplicity 4112 out of the fresh cut, when i noticed the fine print (1 zipper). i put it aside and made myself an office pet. One Pointy Kitty from Wee Wonderfuls made from Alexander Henry's pears and apples.

My Husband is such a jerk

So i have been waking up at 6/6:30ish for over 1 year now. This started shortly after we got Maggie (american bulldog) and i learned that when i hear her whine in the morning, she needs to go. So i now wake up at that time whether or not i hear her whine because we are all used to it. on the weekends, i come back to bed most of the time. Garrett, on the other hand, is not a morning person and so has never woken up to 'help with the kids'. I don't mind because he walks them at night and other dog stuff, so it is fair. Well, he is starting a new job as well, only he doesn't start until after we get back from vacation next week. So this whole week, he has been at home (doing alot of helpful stuff, i might add), and i have been at MY NEW JOB! well this morning, i wake, let the dogs out back, start my coffee and let the dogs back in. I am drinking my coffee and walk into the bedroom to pick out my clothes. I see Garrett, asleep, on my side of the bed. Now it is not unusual for him to spread out then i get up but it is weird for him to switch sides. So i go up to him and i asked him what he was doing. He relied "huh?"
"you are on my side of the bed" i pointed out
"i am keeping it warm for you" he mumbled
"Garrett, it is Thursday, i am not coming back to bed" i said
"oh, OK"
Not only is it funny because he was so in sleep that he thought it was the weekend (that and not working) but it was so sweet. Whenever he is sweet, i call him a jerk because i have always meant the opposite. I tell him i hate him and that he is too tall and good looking. I think even the first time i said that he knew what i meant. What a jerk!
So, down to business. the progress on Glee is slow, but if you need a picture you can squint at the last one and pretend there is 2 more inches in length. I started a Pointy Kitty last night when i realized i needed a zipper for my dress. I am making the Kitty out of this apple and pear print from Alexander Henry. Super cute.
The dress is Simplicity 4116 view b with Freshcut Clover watermelon. It is going to be awesome. 

Where to Begin!

Well, I started my new job on Monday and awesome doesn't begin to describe it. You know Heather and Anna Maria can talk about how fun designing their fabric is all day long and i have no doubt that it is but they only play with theirs. I am surrounded by practically all fabric all day long. If i don't have enough in my office, i can walk down the hall into the warehouse (for all intensive purposes it will now be referred to as Heaven) and gawk...i mean work.
Yes, I work at Fabric.com as the asst. merchandiser or as i like to say in my head all day long the asst. player with fabric and make it look good so people like me will buy it. I love it.
for instance, today i processed the new Moda Uptown line by Erin Michael. Awesome, gorgeous, fun. Sure you can use any of those words to describe it.
i have no idea what i will see tomorrow but i love it. Everyone here is so nice. i love to see how this whole industry works and i am always asking questions like: how do you know when to buy such and such, how do you know what to buy and what will sell? the answers are never what you expect because buyers are so fickle and surprising. But my boss really knows the industry and the buyers and you can tell that the customers are her number 1 concern. Don't get her started about returns and her never ending battle to prevent them.
yesterday i sat in on a buying meeting. It was so interesting. and we stocked up on alot of quilting fabrics. One really caught my eye, Knitting Kitties. I immediately thought of Laurie and if i ever get her address she is getting some of that fabric.
did i mention i love my new job!

Behold Sleeves and Faux Swell

I have FINALLY gotten the sleeves off on my Glee. I am so happy. Knitting it is now so much faster. In no time i complete row after row. Watch how fast i am (zoom). they are the most beautiful sleeves yet.

I am also blocking my Anthro capelet today. it turned out nice. I can't wait to finally write up the pattern and post it. I will have pictures soon.

I also have finished a hat of a pal named Ricky. He sometimes helps us with our pool so when i saw the Swell pattern from Knitty, I knew i would use it on his hat. The rest i winged. Since the pattern uses repeats of 11, i cast on 88 and went from there. The yarn is WOTA in dark grey and light grey. I love it. It is so soft. He and his intended (see center square) are big snowboarders and this is part of the their wedding present.
I also whipped off an Amy Butler Velma last weekend and am in love with it. I used fabric from the Amy Butler Belle line.
the only thing i would change would be to use stiffer interfacing and thick interfacing on the casing for the handle. the bag is a little floppy but i have been getting    compliments left and right.

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I also made one of Blair Peter's fabric flowers and love it as well but my pin back pin fell off. But that won't stop me. SpaceSpaceSpace

More later. We are considering moving and i have to go meet my Realtor now but i will have pictures of the house we hope to get. it is soooo lovely and green (you'll like it)

Window Shopping

I went window shopping and put aside a few links and pictures to post about today.
1) Green Chandelier. Hello! I love green and i love this.
2) Lion Brand Yarn Diva Stole In Organic Cotton (I immediately thought of Kris and her love of the organic) picture to the right.
3)These Fabric Flowers. I have made one but not taken a picture yet.
4)Interweave Spring! (Sigh) I can't wait to find you in my mail box. This is the Swan Lake Cardi to the left. I am tempted to print out the picture and paste my head there instead.
5) Pointy Kitty Pattern by Wee Wonderfuls. I have a pal (i don't even know if she reads my blog yet) who lives in Australia and is comvinced that she is having a girl. Well girl or boy she is getting at least one of these. Maybe 2 if I am willing to have one rejected by her 2 year old (Hi Hunter)
6) The Amy Butler Gray Lotus Dress. I LOVE THIS DRESS. and I don't care how I get it. I am more than half tempted (well I have already been shopping for similar patterns) to make my own. I am tired of waiting for promises of patterns and then months later nothing (sorry Heather, but that is mostly aimed at you. I want my pear pinchshion!)
That is it for now but I am sure I will window shop some this weekend and update.