He Lost His Ring

Actually, he lost it last spring.

We thought for certain it had fallen into the depths of his piano, during a tuning session. We looked into the bowels of that complicated instrument. No ring.

We thought for sure it was in his workshop, having fallen into a pile of wood shavings after he removed it for tool-gripping comfort. We swept and sifted. No ring.

We figured it must be in our bedroom, dropped down behind the nightstand or his dresser. We searched and rummaged. No ring.

I decided I'd make him a new one, and quick, lest some unknowing lady try to catch his eye, believing him to be single. Still no ring.

Nearly two seasons have passed by sans ring. Next week, we will celebrate 11 years since the first time I put a ring on his finger, and I didn't want our anniversary to sneak by without a replacement. So last night, I finished his new wedding band and slipped it on his finger. Finally, a ring.

"The A Ring" is now listed in my shop.

Quality

This back to school season was different from the ones before, because it featured very few new items for the big day. No shopping excursions were necessary because, well, we have so much already. Our closets and dressers are stuffed full and need no supplements. The girls did design and help sew a new skirt each (look for those soon!) and other than that, the only thing they lacked were backpacks.

This was going to be a challenge for us, as we have made a commitment to start buying more responsibly. It didn't feel right to run out to some big store to buy the latest and greatest cheap import. I considered homemade but, given my sewing skills, I imagined the girls lunches falling right through the bottom on their way to school. With making backpacks myself ruled out, I was off on an adventure to source handmade, quality ones.

After a lengthy Internet search (a time span, "A" reminded me, that was about equal to the time I would have spent on a trip to the store), I found the perfect backpacks.
Handmade by DCR Creations, these backpacks were custom made for the girls in prints/designs they got to choose themselves. When they arrived in the mail, we pulled them out and immediately started exploring them. We marveled at the quality handwork, we were thrilled with the cute theme-matching fabrics used for the linings of all the compartments, we found the water-bottle pocket, and then the girls noticed something else: the smell! They were lightly scented with just a hint of fruity aroma. This was their favorite feature of all and if they had the chance, I'm am sure they would ask you to smell those new backpacks, too.

We considered it a small victory to have sourced some great backpacks that served as an alternative to the inferior mass-produced ones. This gives us hope that we will be able find quality, affordable handmade products whenever the need arises.

DCR Creations is a mother-and-daughter run business that sews backpacks, wallets, aprons, totes, lunch bags, and so much more. Most products they offer can be custom-made in any fabric you see on their website.