Happy New Year!

I hope that Christmas was as wonderful for you as it was for me.  It is always a treat to come together as a family and enjoy each other.  This season has been oh, so busy for me.  In addition to the dozen shows that I did and taking a booth at a local artisan market, we also celebrated two granddaughters' birthdays, a Christmas program, and a college graduation.  My daughter Heidi, received her Bachelors in Psychology from Colorado State University.  We are very proud of her.  She currently holds an additional Bachelor of Arts, Associates Degree, and a Masters in Human Resources.  She begins her work on her doctorate this next year.

Heidi's oldest, Brooklynne turned 9 on the 12th of December.  What a joy!

 Skylar, my son, Scott's daughter, turned 15 on Christmas day.  She is such a beauty!

All three of the grand girls spent the day with me baking cookies.  What fun we had!  They are posing with the aprons that I made them.

I must have been a very good girl this year, because Santa brought me a new sewing machine.  And I love it.  This thing does it all.

It has over 600 stitches, self'-threading, all digital, and it even cuts the threads for you.  I am already getting so spoiled!Already this week I have made two pillows and three new dolls.

All three dolls are already at my booth at a Borgata and will be listed the first of the week in my Etsy shop,  They will sell for $20 ea, so email me if you are interested.

Well, I had better get busy.  Happy New Year, my bloggie friends!  See ya next year!

Feeling pretty festive.....

Believe it, or not, I did get that mess of a craft room cleaned, organized and purged.  It was like getting an early Christmas gift.  Some of the items I found while purging my hoard became gifts....like the pillow covers with Transformers on them.....gift for my 5 year old step-grandson.  Both of the youngest granddaughters are getting frilly little aprons that I made from the fabric in Christmas prints (I have an  entire tote of this!)  I think I will have a few more gifts that I can finish up before the big day arrives.

So the decorations are up and I thought I would give you a peek:

 This is the tree that we cut from the forest.  When we got it home, it was 13 1/2 feet tall.  My ceiling is only 7 feet....

 This Hoosier is my pride and joy.  Each Christmas I fill it full of Santas.

 These little guys are everywhere......

 Hubby does the exterior...

My vintage Santa greets everyone....

So I am nearly done shopping and will do the baking with the grand girls next week.  I am off to do laundry, take the dogs to the vet, vacuum, and sneak into my studio once more........

Crafter Confessional

My shows are finished and other that a small booth in a local artisan's market, a Borgata, I have no sewing, gluing, stocking, set ups and tear downs to do.  I am happy to say that this was my most successful season yet.  I learned alot, made new friends and witnessed delight in the faces of some of my customers.  My inventory and energy are depleted and now I can get down to the task at hand:  Christmas.

But, alas, I must confess......I am a hoarder.  I collect broken doo dads, worn shirts, rusty nails, and off season floral.  But that's not the worst of it......yes, I confess, I collect fabric.  I have had this obsession for as long as I can remember but when my kids were young and still at home, household space was at a premium.  As the kids grew and moved out, my stash grew and moved in.  Today with shows done and the tree up, I decided to attempt fabric organization.  I may have taken too big a bite........

I took this out of the closet:

And this:

        This is piled on the treadmill:

         And near my sewing machine:

    And full bolts of fabric tucked into hiding places:

This is not counting the four drawer cabinet full of scraps and the bolt of fabric that is MIA but I know I will find sooner.......or most likely later...........

So I am off to organize and clean, and perhaps a bit of purging.  Gotta get busy so I can start on my Spring Crafts!

Busy season

Fall is the busiest time of year for me.  I have booked a dozen shows, and have started showing my products in a local shop.  I know that I have been negligent in posting, and thanks to the follower who voiced her concern for me.....

September I did two shows.  They were good shows, but fall is never as busy as the holiday ones.  One show was a last minute thing where the promoter had a cancellation.  I was happy to do it but at the same time, it entailed remarking my inventory and packing my van.  My niece also got married in September.  It was a beautiful ceremony and I felt honored to be invited.

October 4 is my daughter Brandi's birthday.  We lost her December 10, 2009 to cancer.  For a few years, it was unbearable for me when that date came around.  My daughter Heidi and I now celebrate her birthday each year by writing birthday letters and sending them via balloons to Heaven. We were lucky enough to have the two grands with us this year.  We went to the park, released balloons, and threw sunflowers (Brandi's favorite flower) into the lake.  We ate at Brandi's favorite restaurant and told funny stories about her.  It was a wonderful day.

)

After lunch, Addyson my three year old granddaughter came home with me and spent the week.  She is such a joy!  We had a great time thrifting, playing Barbies and doing crafts.  The next weekend, we met her parents and siblings at a punkin patch for her third birthday celebration.

The following week I had a five day show at Wings over the Rockies museum.  I set up on Tuesday and the show went from Wednesday thru Sunday.  It was my highest sales ever!  But.....need more inventory!

In addition, I have moved my booth at a Borgata the local shop that features antiques and artisan items.  I also drove to Cheyenne Monday to set up for a 10 day show, Christmas in the Country.    My inventory is getting so low.  I have made several of these ornament wreaths:

These have been a great seller for me this year.

And the covered candy canes have already sold out.  I bought twenty more to work on for my next show.

Other "best sellers" have been my large pumpkins, all my snowmen, and any ornaments. Well, my friends, I am back to the studio for more creativity!  I vow to be better at posting......

New Raggedy and Snowman

Still a busy bee, I have finished up a bunch of melted snowmen.....

They are already packaged and in a box.  I also finished another snowman from the Seymore pattern, but I varied his hat a bit:

I love him!

And a new raggedy.  This is from my own pattern, and at some time in the future, I will get the pattern finished and put in my Etsy store.

This new raggedy is approximately 18 inches tall, with bright red hair, painted on Mary Janes, and a red and white striped bow in her hair.  She wears white eyelet loons and her cotton dress is a print of cherries on black and white check with a ruffled trim of red and white stripe.  She has an old metal measuring cup full of cherries in her hands and wears her name "Cherry" on a distressed tag.

In addition, I made up some fruit jam yesterday.  My hubby brought home some crab apples, and I added cherries and some other frozen fruit and made jam.   MMMMMMMM-MM

 And I dug up some of my potatoes.....

Well, back at it my friends.......

Been really busy.....

I know you have heard that all before, but I really have been busy.  I bought a space in a local artisan market and moved my things in the first of September.  I have mainly placed fall items in there, so since folks are kind of holding on to the last bits of summer, sales have not really taken off.  In addition to that, I have been to the eye doc and got new glasses, been to my niece's wedding, went to dinner with my nephew and his wife, had a small dinner party for my son's birthday, got the dogs groomed, mowed the grass and made two new dolls.......sorry, I forgot to take pics.....they are in a Borgata (my new space)

And I made a ton of Santa paintbrushes:

I bought a box of 36 brushes for less than $12 at Harbor Freight.

I made a bunch of wrapped and packaged candles:

 I got the candles at Dollar Tree: 6/$1
I made two lighted swags:

 Halloween

Fall.

 I don't have them lit for the picture but you get the idea.  These are a great seller at shows, as long asyou have power to display them.  They look great over a window, cupboard, or fireplace mantle.  I hang them over the front of my hoosier cabinet.  All it takes is about a yard of fabric and a strand of mini christmas lights.  

Well, I have a list a mile long to get completed.  I was gone everyday last week so it is time to get busy....my first show is right around the corner.  If you are up in the foothills, (Conifer) stop by a Borgata in the Safeway shopping center.  There are approximately 120 artisans and antique dealers.  You are bound to find just what you are looking for!

Happy Tuesday!

Mornin' my peeps!  Busy weekend as always.  On Friday, I went to Brighton and purchased some veggies, 'cause, you know, its that canning time of year.  Up here, tomatoes, peppers and squash don't grow very well because of our short season.  And I do love some homemade canned goods.....

I canned jalapenos, hot salsa, and corn relish.  My new item this year is candied jalapenos.  We will see how they go over.  The corn relish is my mom's recipe and I love it.  It has a sweet and sour brine with corn, peppers, onions and celery.  Type the word corn in the search bar at the top for the recipe.

I got a request for a bobble-head pattern.  It is now listed in my Etsy shop.  I will be working on another pattern for a bobble-head scarecrow later this week.

I have listed the rusty bed springs for sale on my Etsy shop as well.

I also finished a couple of bears.  I like to make them out of unexpected fabrics and colors:

 These are also for sale for only $10 each.  They come complete with a little tag that says I love you, an organza bow, and eyeglasses.

I finally got around to working with one of the cutter quilts that my friend gave me.  I made the following four ornies.  I love the Victorian feel to them.

I will make more of the stocking and mitten.  I have to revisit the star and the heart.  Since it is a double thickness of quilted fabric, it was impossible to turn.  I think I will simply back it with muslin so the edges can be turned.
I have two raggedies cut out but still incomplete as well as some ornies that need to be finished.  I try to get all the painting and machine work completed during the day so that during the evenings I can do the hand stitching.

Today is my son, Scott's birthday.  I am treating him to lunch.  Actually, it is a treat for me as well.  Love you Scott!

What Cha Workin' on Wednesday????

Still workin' on witches.....Wanda is from a pattern form Sparkles n Spirit.  I have two of these cuties and will be listing in my Etsy shop today.

Wanda is about 20 inches tall and holds a bottle of witchy potion and a broom.  She stands on dowel legs.  She was quite an undertaking but I love how she turned out.

I also made another ornament wreath.  These are so easy to make.  And they are a great way to use some of the "extra" ornies that you no longer put on your tree.

To make, buy one of those foam circles for flower arranging.  I get mine at Dollar Tree.  Wrap in the ribbon or fabric of your choice.  Then wrap some wire around the top for a hanger.  Then decorate.  I lay on a flat surface and do the outer, bottom layer first.  I use the bigger balls for this and simply hot glue in place.  I try to mix up the colors somewhat.  Then just build it to the center.  When all the balls are on, add a little whimsy by adding foliage and other odds and ends.  I get some of the balls at the dollar store or I buy after the holidays and save big bucks that way.   You can also check out garage sales.  Add some lights and use as a centerpiece.   Have fun with this!

Well off to finish up my Wanda #2.  Have a good day!