My idea was to spend mornings trolling for gorgeous Balinese batiks and sumptious hand-dyed fabrics. Afternoons would be spent in a hammock, genlty rocked by tropical breezes, comforted by gentle sounds, the swish of palms and the sigh of small waves dying on the shore. And evenings, would be split between starlit walks at the water’s edge, or lazy strolls through town, a meal, and a languid walk back to my beachside cottage.

Eash day would have some time for meditiation in the rainforest, near a crystal spring.

cafe writing...Bali meditation

It was the red batik that did me in. Soft and supple, a smoldering, hot,sexy, red. A piece long enough to wrap my body twice and knot at my bust. It skimmed my hips, just touching here, swinging loosely there, with tiny shells knotted into the fringe, they tinkled as I walked. “I’ll wear this to town tonight, and have a meal, and sit and watch as the locals gather to sing and socialize.” I snipped a red hibiscus and pinned it behind my ear.

Cafe writingthe red dress and Balines nights

A silvery, cloudy day on the Bay of La Paz in front of the Honeymoon Hut

This is what I asked my new friend Melanie when she and her husband Gunter seduced us into buying land near them, south of Todos Santos.

I say seduced…we were willing participants. But in the eight years I have known M &G; I have called them the shameless pushers of paradise. When we were still in the old country just dreaming of our land, Melanie told me how she had to wash dishes in her outdoor kitchen ( she lives right on the beach on the Pacific side of southern Baja.) because the granite counters had not yet arrived for the kitchen in the main house. You know, I tried hard to have sympathy, couldn’t work up an ounce.
So we finally pulled the plug on our Silicon Valley lives, bought a house 2 blocks from the beach and proceeded to rehab it.

After about a year of home remodeling, and adding a pool, and outfitting the house, we woke up one day and said; “Now what do we do?”

We live in a predominantly ex-pat community, although many Mexicans live here as well. The Mexicans have jobs and real world lives. The Ex-pats are playing in paradise. But for us, well, we are not fisher people, we don’t drink until we are stumbling, we don’t own a dune buggy or ATV, and sitting around gossiping or playing board games just isn’t enough stimulation.

We also came down here with our hair on fire, we were able to get out in 2000 five minutes before the dotcom crash, and 5 minutes after the real estate boom. Money was going to be a real issue for us. The house and its quality were grossly misrepresented to us. We spent our cash cushion on making repairs like a working septic system, re-wiring and replacing all of the used and old appliances. The house was only four years old when we bought it, but the sellers had furnished it with second hand everything, even the toilets! So we turned the house into an art piece. So the house is finished, we are looking at a dwindling nest egg, and we are bored out of our minds…

When I left California I told everyone I was going to make gorgeous quilts, write and do nothing. My daughter started a pool among my friends and clients to see who thought I would go crazy and when. Well I outlasted all of their guesses, but not by much!

We found jobs, and we have great jobs. We have an international set of friends that work and travel and like to cook gourmet meals and enjoy movies, and discuss politics. I work from home, my beloved walks to work along our beach. He walks home for lunch every day.

And I write, not as much as I expected, but I write. And I sew. Sewing for me is life. There are certain things I must have to consider life good: Living on the beach (and our new house that we built is on the beach), a well equipped studio, good coffee.

This is a long introduction to a series of posts I am planning to showcase the beautiful pillows I design and make for myself and friends.

Every year at Christmas I make themed gifts. Last year it was his and her aprons for those who cook, and travel pillows and eyes masks for those who travel.

This year it is going to be gorgeous tote bags, and some small surprises I’ll post closer to Christmas.
From the beach in La Paz in Southern Baja, my latest designs.
Here is a peek:

My first paid, published writing was for Threads a Taunton Press magazine devoted to sewing enthusiasts.I wrote about my addiction to sewing, fabric and anything related. It was for their back cover humor page. The letters to the editor ranged from applause, to self recognition “I could have written that.” to nutty remarks from the Christian right being oh so offended that their hobby was being likened to drug activity. The letters raged back and forth for six months!

So if you have the affliction, or if you have any passionate hobby, you know the feeling when a project takes hold. It consumes you, you think about it all day and all night, you talk about it to anyone that will listen, usually only the dog will stick around after the first telling.

So, back to the Summer Tote. My daughter the writer sent a two liner email, asking if I would make a tote for her laptop that would be easy to carry for her upcoming writing workshop. Over the years I have designed dozens of purses and totes. They were denim, lined with some wild fabric. I would choose the recipient’s theme, whether that was an iris, a fish, moons and stars, and embellish the outside. My totes are treasured gifts.

I live in Baja California Sur; we are long on palm trees and sand, short on good textiles and the supplies that go along.

I wanted something special for this special woman. I Googled online patterns for totes. I kept coming back to Lazy Girl Designs. Don’t you love that name? Joan Hawley’s designs are original, smart, sassy and easy, if you have the instructions. Which I did not have. And to purchase the patterns is the easy part delivery by burro to my house on the beach is near impossible, and add to that the deadline, I was desperate.

I called the lead Lazy Girl herself. And offered to pay a premium if she would fax or email the pattern.
She tried, because of the special paper it is printed on, she could not. Joan was so concerned that I could not get her product, she asked me to call a particular online distributor, and see what they could do about shipping, and she would tell them to add some free gifts.

I called Quilter’s Warehouse, spoke to Heather, and made a new friend, but we could not figure away to expedite delivery for under $100. The pattern only costs $9.00!

So I ordered the pattern and a lot of other stuff for later delivery by my son when he comes to visit in July. But I still needed the Summer Tote construction and cutting guides.
Don’t you love the Internet? You can find so much.

Joan has videos of the construction of most of the Summer Tote on her website. I watched that video, closely repeatedly for hours. I watched her other videos, and read her blog and the back of the pattern envelopes (online). I followed links from people that posted on her blog, and I figured it out.

It was not easy, I ripped, and sewed and ripped again, and cried, and stomped away from the machine many times. But oh my goodness, the Summer Tote is gorgeous. I love it. When the patterns arrive, I am going to make several for myself and friends. And if you are on my Christmas List…
I wrote to Joan and described my painful journey. And I asked her not to expel me from the Lazy Girl Club, for working so hard to make the tote. Her entire approach to sewing is to find the easy, lazy way to do a job!

Take a look at the tote, and drool!

I am jealous of their freedom, thrilled by their aerial dance.

See other Sunday Scribbles here: http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/

A few minutes before the sun crests the mountains. Taken from the front deck of the Honeymoon Hut.

When my son and daughter -in-law came for a brief visit, we made the casita in our old house a romantic haven. Including chocolate on their pillows, some lovley, perfectly chilled white wine and miniature cookies in a gilded box.
I added my mother’s hand embroidered pillowcases that were in her trousseau.
We dubbed it the “Honey Moon Hut”.
The name stuck and carried over to our new home and guesthouse on the beach in La Paz. One sweet couple gifted us with the guestbook, and entitled it, “The Honey Moon Hut Diary” And they inscribed it: “To all that enter this casa, may your life and love be joyful and prosperous.”

And here are some excerpts from it’s pages:

Thank you for allowing me to share the honeymoon hut with my new love, Michael. We shared many wonderful moments, Casey
And from Michael
Your honeymoon casa is a very warm and loving spot in the desert where you can grow very close to someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Star crossed lovers re-united after 20 years said this:
As we move along the road of our lives we will remember the special times we spent in the warmth of the Baja sun with you. Memories will include starry nights, sea breezes, the color of the sunrises and our shared love. May we meet again.

Norm and Joyce:
Your hospitality has been warm like the Mexican sun.

Marina our Italian friend stayed and cared for our royal Chihuahua Abigail Maria Sanchez, she said : Your casita as I said, is wonderful and comfortable.Thank you for letting me stay( and she was dog-sitting).

Ad Joyce an Norm who are building a house nearby came again and said: It’s good to be home, well almost!

My sister-in-law Eileen came a few months after a radical mastectomy: My time here was relaxing, enjoyable, and definitely different, which leaves me with lasting memories, especially the beach combing. Your casita is great and your home and surroundings are great for R & R with lots of beauty.

Only three more comments.
The next one is from my daughter MissMeliss that inspired me to write a blog ( and she desgined it) and it was her idea to share the contents of the guestbook with the blogosphere.

I am touched by the lovely words of everyone.
So here are more words from our guests:
MissMeliss:
I am sorry it took us nearly an eternity to visit you in your dreamed of beachfront home.As always you have made your home as warm and loving as it would have been if I’d actually grown up here.

Louise the flight attendant and her new husband Bob the retired pilot:
We are honored to be your first guests of 2008. Thank you for offering your paradise to us, and what a paradise it is. La Casita was perfect we wish we could have stayed longer. But we’ll be back!

And Barabara and Boyd : Our 2 1/2 year anniversary was spent in your Honeymoon cottage on the beach. You are very gracious hosts and made us feel extremely welcome and at home.

So when will you come and have a chance to write words in the guest book of te Honeymoon Hut?

And thank you all for your kind comments and following this blog even though I have been remiss in writing.

It is the end of another gorgeous Baja Sunday.
My beloved is brewing some coffee and we will sip it on our private terrace as we watch the sky turn dark and the lights of La Paz come on across the bay.