My Etsy

Hello, just checking in. If you look to your right and scroll down, you will see in tiny gray type "My Etsy" but it is blank below. I do have an Etsy site if you are wondering. I have decided to "re-vamp" it so I have temporarily closed it. I think I was trying to put to many different types of hand crafted things on there. So, to narrow my focus and after my redecorating extravaganza, I am going to focus on my Etsy site to include handspun yarn and hand knitted items. A fiber art store so to speak. So stay tuned but it will be a few months coming!

My Shop

I added some new things to the shop! I am going to start getting geared up for Halloween and over the next month will start to add some fallish and Halloweenie items! Oh, my favorite seasons are just right around the corner. I just need to get past this humid heat!

Happy Weekend!

Well, It Is Not Really What I Had Expected....

...but, I guess that is what happens when you don't do your research first. My hibiscus, chili, and curry yarn.....turned out a pale yellow. I guess if you can even call it a "yellow". But I love it just the same. It was a fun experiment and I learned a lot. I just gotta chalk it up to trial and error. We never learn if we don't make mistakes. I will be well prepared for the next time. I can't wait for this weekend. I have lots of crafting projects in mind. I hoped to add more to the Etsy too! I see oil cloth in my Etsy's future. Oh, and of course, hand spun yarn!! If you are somewhat interested in the chalkboard quote of the week, stay tuned. Will post that soon! I have completely fallen down on the job but plan to hop back on the wagon!

Cheers!

First Skien For Sale....

...is almost ready for the shop! It is hanging to dry now. I tried a different way of finishing it (which involved a plunger, but a very very clean plunger) so the fibers would fuse together better. So far it looks nice and fluffy. I can't wait to see how it turns out after it is dry. I think it will make a fantastic scarf.























I have been working on house projects today. I even busted out the painting overalls. It has been over a year since I have done that! And, I am only just getting started. I will be posting my progress. I am working on a small project in the kitchen that required an Internet order from Ikea, chalkboard paint, and red spray paint. Spray paint is the bomb!

Jeff and I went shopping today. I love shopping with him. He is funny and shopping with 2 people is so much better than shopping alone! Last week Jeff told me about a new Bissell vacuum that we could not live without. Having 5, yes 5, animals (including an antique chihuahua) and absolutely no carpet in the house requires a good sturdy vacuum with maximum suction (ha, I said maximum suction). Now, you know it is time to purchase a new vacuum when you have to continuously pop the left wheel back on your vacuum during the vacuuming process. I have to admit, bending down every 30 seconds while vacuuming is a pretty good workout, but...I have my elliptical machine and Pilate's video for that. So, needless to say, today we went on the hunt for the irresistible Bissell vacuum. Target was sold out, Lowe's didn't carry it, but Best Buy, as usual did not disappoint! I am getting way too excited about this. I need therapy. So, anyhoo, It is fantastic and has the ultimate maximum suction. You can watch the video here. OK, I should sooooo get therapy AND compensated for my promotion of the Bissell product.


While I was oh so busy fluttering about in the house working on projects, Cedella lazily gazed out the window, as she usually does on a nice sunny day.


Cheers!

Texas Freaks Out!

So we are under an ice storm warning. I guess it is a reason to freak out because ice is bad and way different than snow. Here in Texas this happens about once a year. Apparently it is a big enough deal to have news coverage about the weather 24-7. It is also big enough to interrupt all regular programing about every 10 minutes with updates. Right now it is super chilly and I am very lucky to be all warm and cozy in my little house. I am hoping, however, that I can go into work late tomorrow. That would be fantastic because like the rest of my fellow born and bred Texans, I am terrified to drive in the ice, and I will look for any excuse to go to work late or not at all! Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but everyone deserves a little break. I talked to my sister a few hours ago. She lives in Arkansas in the Ozarks. I am very lucky to not be there right now because the ice storm they are having is enough for power lines to snap. They are completely without any power and it is going to be like 15 degrees there tonight!! Even though ice storms bring so much destruction, they are very pretty because everything is sparkling like a little winter fairy land.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the weather but, I posted something new in the shop.

I gotta get this shop updated and up and running!! Stay tuned for more new and improved items in the shop! I know I keep saying this but I mean it this time :-).

Happy Tuesday and stay warm!

Ah, The Smell Of Pinon

On Friday, Jeff and I had a party on the patio. We got the chimnea crankin' and threw a few steaks on the barbie. I also threw on the barbie rosemary and red pepper sweet potato wedges and a mix of onions and green bell peppers seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin. The cumin was a nice touch. It was mighty chilly out Friday night but, that chimnea kept us awfully warm. It was fun to sit by the fire outside. Oh, and that wonderful smell of pinon. I am a bit jealous to be quite frank, my parents are in Santa Fe right now. Maybe on Friday I was channeling the Santa Fe Gods. Who knows. But boy, do I wish I were there. Oh, the beauty and calmness of it all. Someday, I will be snuggled up all cozy in my adobe house, next to my pinon burning fire. One can dream right?

I realized today that I forgot the mention the cutest Christmas accessory ever! I purchased it over here a few weeks ago. I can't wait to wear it. I will probably wear it on Christmas Eve at work. I imagine it will brighten up the patients day. They always comment on my rings, so I think this one will be a hit.

I got alot done working on various projects today. I spent most of the day cutting fabric. I forgot how time consuming it is! But, since I prepped today, I can spend the next several days making my Christmas cookie ornaments.

I also worked on a a felt clutch for my Etsy site. I love the colors, I think it looks a bit Vintage, even though it is not. I used some 100% wool felt that I had and fabric from Anna Maria Horner's line.

I was busy but still did not get enough done! It is full speed ahead in order to get everything done by deadline!

Cheers!

Halloween Crafting

I thought it might be fun to make Halloween earrings out of shrinky dinks. I started working on 2 different designs yesterday. I think I may also make a necklace too. So, in the spirit of Halloween, I am selling these on Etsy.

Cheers!

Annual Herb Fest, My Favorite Fabric Store, and Stephen Marley

Yesterday was the annual Botanic Gardens Herb Festival If you click on the herb festival link you can see my sister and I in the photo on their website! We are on the right hand side of the picture checking out the herbs. I buy herbs from that booth every year. They have lovely herbs. I also love to stop by "Our Thyme Garden". I have been going to the Herb Fest with my mom for several years and "Our Thyme Garden" is always our first stop. They have wonderful herbs. They also sell other things including the most fantastic herb oil. They also sell delicious lemon herb tea bread. Last year my sister and nice went and it was so much fun. Unfortunately, they had car problems on the way here from Arkansas and were a little delayed so they were not able to make it.

After the herb fest my mom and I went to have lunch at Blue Bonnet Bakery. I had their famous chicken salad and it was so tasty!

After that we went to the Cabbage Rose, my favorite fabric store! It is hard to go in there and not purchase anything. Fabric can certainly be an addiction.

A little sneak peak at some of my new purchases. I have many ideas on what to make with the fabric! I am going to Santa Fe in a few weeks so, when I return, I am going to get to work and start sewing up a storm. My Etsy needs a little boost as I am ashamed to say, I have been a bit neglectful.

To top the night off, some friends and I went to see Stephen Marley at House of Blues in Dallas. It was a fantastic show. I finally got smart after all of these years of concert going and brought my camera. I got some great shots and even took a little video footage. I have seen him in concert before. He has this guy that waves a flag the entire time but this year he also brought out a child that appeared to be his, not too sure about that though. This had to have been the cutest kid I have ever seen, well...aside from my niece Violet. He was waiving that flag like a champ but...he poked himself in the eye and started to cry. Someone behind the stage consoled him and he got back out there and finished waiving that flag until the very end. Too cute!! If you are ever in Dallas, House of Blues is a great place to see a show. It is very spacious. Just beware, you will pay about $6.00 for a beer!

Until next time, Cheers!

So Exciting!!

Well folks, I had another purchase. Such a kind and sweet customer purchased 3 of my zipper bags. We worked out a deal since she was purchasing so many that the 4th bag was free. Here are the bags she picked out:

I am so happy to see this one go so quickly. I really love that fabric, too cute! I am going to make a simple little Velcro wallet next, think I may work on that today.

This bag really is pretty. I love the fabric used in it. Those little cherries are cute too!

More little cherries!

Who doesn't like cupcakes? :-)

A big thanks to the purchaser!

Also, I am going to be visiting my sister soon in Arkansas. She lives close to Mountain View, I believe I had mentioned that in an earlier post. It is so pretty up there. It is nice to get away from the city and breath in the fresh mountain air. A big plus is that they live so deep in the mountains that it is hard to get a cell phone signal so literally I can escape everything! Anyhoo, she has been going to the farmer's market in Mountain View on Saturday and is selling things like fresh baked bread and the most adorable aprons for children. I am going to make a few pouches and such to take up there to sell when I visit. It is going to be so much fun!

I am going with my parents and we are going to stay in the most wonderful little cabin.
I am starting to get really excited!

Cheers!

Bye Bye Birdie!

I had my first official sale in my Etsy shop! It was this little baby birdie zipper pouch:

I actually had a sale before this one but she never paid. So, this purchase was awfully redeeming and lifted my spirits again! Thanks to the purchaser who will also get a little gift with purchase. This has been my favorite of the series of zipper bags I have made. Although, I had to replace it with another bag and this one I adore!

I found the fabric hidden on a bottom shelf at Jo Ann's. Had I not looked down I would have never seen it. It makes me happy to look at it. Nothing like strawberries in the summer!

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The other day when we came home after a fish fry with some friends we found this little guy on our front porch. Wonder if it was a sign to not eat any water related creatures anymore? I ate so much that day I was not right the rest of the week. Oh, my.

He is terribly cute and he has decide to take my garden over as his home. I have seen him hopping around in there over this past week. He seems to like us so we named him Nevil.

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I have been working on the shop this week trying to put a few more things up for sale. I made this little felt wristlet. It looks very similar to the felt clutch I made last week. Funny though, I am a lefty and did not even think of that when I was making this wristlet so, turns out it is more functional for a left handed person. I am going to advertise it that way too! It may turn out to be something special for one of my fellow left handers.

Then I started thinking, I should make more things for left handed people. That would be pretty cool. Us little lefties can be left out sometimes. I am always having to get Jeff to work the darn can opener for me and such. Scissors can be a pain too, literally. It hurts to use right handed scissors. Fortunately my mom was a school teacher and learned that pretty quickly so, she would always order me special scissors. My first pair of big girl sewing scissors were left handed ginghers she gave to me for Christmas several years back. I love love love them. My sister and I loved her pair and would always steal them to use them when we were younger and boy did she ever get mad at us. Something about the silver and shininess to them I suppose that we liked so much. So, needless to say it was special when she gave me my own pair and they turned out to be left handed.

This is another pouch I worked on last night. I love the colors in this fabric. I used the fabric to make a few zipper bags for mother's day and they all turned out really well. Since I had enough of the fabric left over I thought I would make another to put in the shop.

I am going to start working on another weekend market bag this weekend. This time I am going to make the zipper bag to go with it and use a swivel hook to attach it to the bag. I will post pictures when I am done!

Happy Weekend!

Cheers ;-)

Short and Sweet

Hello! These past few days I have been working on getting things going in my Etsy shop. I have so much more work to do. It is not any where near what I want it to be. It has been a lot of fun working on things this week. I have already sold one item. I figured it would be weeks before I would sell anything at all. There are so many talented and creative people on Etsy. Such wonderful things handcrafted! I am really inspired and have new ideas everyday. Here is a little something I have been working on...

It is an appliqued zipper bag. My darning foot is missing so I used my regular old foot, would have been easier to use the darning foot. I may go on a hunt for a new one this weekend. My little Bearnie has been getting a work out. Next I will be hitting the sticks, knitting needles that is! It will probably be at least another month until I get the shop up to where I would like it to be but it has been soooo much fun so far! It is almost as addicting as Craftster! But I think tomorrow I will work on making some soaps to put in the shop. Time to crack out the soap mold!

A Little Crafting And A Super Quick Post

I recently made some earrings for a craftster swap. I really liked them so I whipped up a few for myself and my sister. I love jewelry and especially making it myself. They take no time at all to make, so I thought I would make a few for myself to match a few of my outfits. I am obsessive compulsive like that ;-) . I think that I may sell them in my Etsy shop once I get that up and going. My friend and I met this Saturday to discuss getting things going for our Etsy shops, hopefully soon we will have everything worked out and our very own shops! I am very excited about this! Now it is time to get going on crafting for mothers day. There are sooooo many mothers to craft for!

Cheers!