The Great Graduation Cap Idea

It is that time of the year again: graduation. The time when you go wild and nuts about "yes I did it" moment. The time when you think about traveling the world over, learn about other cultures, perhaps move to a new city and make new friends. It is graduation, the right of passage of I am on my own now, welcome to adulthood. It is graduation, the time you line up in formation with all your classmates, walk across the podium to get that coveted piece of paper, your diploma and hear the roar in the audience. It is graduation, the time to say goodbye to roommates and friends, be excited about your new stage of your life, begin anew and say, let the party begin.

And then there is the cap. I never understood the fascination with cap decoration. Perhaps, it is to explore and share your inner creativity, a competition of sorts between the graduates to see who comes up with the best cap idea; whatever it is, it is fun, entertaining. Mine was plain and boring.

A friend of mine forwarded me a picture of her niece's graduation cap and I thought I would share. She did a pretty good job, a meticulous one I may add. It conveys a story. It doesn't take a genius to know what her major was, teaching is a work of heart. Yes indeed. I love it!

A Bag In Colors

I am always looking and finding beautiful things, interesting works of art, inspirations. I ran into this lady a few days ago, carrying a bag that immediately caught my eyes. Perhaps, I should have taken her picture since she was so gracious allowing to photograph her bag but I mean, this bag was calling my name, it had me at hello and that's all she wrote. I was mostly fascinated not only by its intricate work of art, color but especially by the hours it must have taken the artist to make this piece but who is counting?

It was purchased in South Africa, a gift from her husband three years ago. She so treasures it that she rarely uses it, afraid she might damage it. Trust me, I touched it and let's just say it was worth all its $150.00 and more. That's Art!

Flea Market Findings

I don't always hit the flea market but when I do, I try to find items that speak to me. I rarely find a think but check out what I was able to grab on Saturday and all for just seven bucks.

A vintage jacket that may or may not have a different journey once I totally lay my hands on it. I just like to change things and give me signature. I grabbed it just for its design and color, it is blue after all. Who would think a fabric used to adorn a home, could also be used for a jacket, how cool is that?

Not that I really needed a make-up bag. I am a minimalist in that regard but bought it to serve as a storage for my world of bracelets once they are completed and also as a added decor on many future projects. Art direction in motion.  

I am a scarf person. I live for scarf. I have an assortment of them and just found a little corner on the drawer for it. I am pretty sure I will wear it sometimes but bought it mostly for what you will see below, 

Voila, Eiffel Tower, Paris. 

Call me crazy!

My Art, My Creation, My Work

I am a woman show. I live in a schizophrenic world, no pun intended but my hands are like tentacles extending everywhere.  They move around faster then birds migrating south. I am just creative so they say.

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a fashion designer so I began sewing, to the point I had my own clients, high school friends, a skill I learned from my mother at tender age of 16. I was riding high, I loved it but it all stopped when I moved to the States where you live and breathe ready to wear, and college took over. 

I was creating and it felt great to see my work on others. Undone, I moved on, dreaming on becoming a fabric designer. So, I began sketching while innocently searching for factories with no way of knowing it would come to fulfillment.

As fait would have it, I ended up in the same city the factories were to be located but as it has happened with many factories, they moved to China. However, the world today is our oyster. We live in the digital age where anything and everything is possible as long as you try.

I thought about combining my two loves, well one of many, designing and sewing and create beautiful pieces for a long, long time but kept putting it in the back burner. I had ideas, may ideas and they were that, ideas until now.

It is without further ado that I present you my first installment of my two loves. The fabric you see, it is mine and the bags, I made them from head to toe.  They are ©Ampablue Creations. Hope you love them as much as I loved making them. 

Le Petit Pie

As the story goes, Jenny was always interested in beekeeping because as she puts it, “it is really good for the environment and I think bees are fascinating!” Well, who am I to argue with that? 

The first Christmas she and boyfriend Ben spent together, he bought her an apiary (bee hive) and all the tools she would need to bee keep. Courageous. In my little world, I run to Timbuktu when I see a bee but there she was, taking care of the environment.  

By spring, she had it up and running, and the bees were producing tons of honey but by then, LePetitpie and nothing of the kind even crossed her mind. She had just found a hobby and was not thinking about turning it into a business. She enjoyed and was having fun. 

She decided to join the beekeeping club for knowledge and experience.

By summer of that year, she was using honey in everything that for her friend Shannon's birthday picnic, she decided to make a pie. 

Since it was a picnic, she thought a large pie would be hard to cut and share so, she made small pies in muffin tins, using her own honey to sweeten the crust and a concept was born. It was a hit. Her friends loved them. They thought the pies were cute. 

Voila! Cuteness is always a prelude to something magnificent. Who better testers then your friends? They will always tell you the truth. 

Her beekeeping club was having a festival for National Honey Bee Day so, she decided to bring out her pies to test the water and see what would happened… Drumroll please, touchdown. She sold out!

In the fall of last year, she started bringing the pies out to farmers markets and the rest is history. 

You can find Jenny and Le Petit Pie in Winter Garden and Lake Eola, FL farmer’s markets but she will be taking a break soon, changing the scenery a bit by heading out to Denver, CO for the summer. If you around the area, check her out. Trust me, the tiny all American Apple, Strawberry and Stripes, Yankee Doodle Cherry and Red, White Blueberry Honey Baked into the crust from scratch with love are delicious and I am not even a pie connoisseur.  They are made with love, individually for you!