A Handmade Giveaway January 26, 2009

This Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Here it is! This is my handmade giveaway. I love to share with the world in many different ways. And I thought it would be a lot of fun to participate in this giveaway with a few things that I have made.

 

 

 First is this Shopping Bag. I loved this fabric from the moment I saw it. I have been wanting to make re-usable shopping bags for a while now, so I finally broke down and bought a pattern and some fabric and went for it. I have been very pleased with the results. I have only made a few so far, but plan on making many more in the future. This bag comes with its own little pouch to store it in when not in use. When you are using the bag, the pouch clips onto the side of the bag so you don’t loose it!

 

 

 Second is the little Bluebird of Love. This cute little guy is one of the many needle felted creatures I have created. He is only a couple inches long, so he makes a great little pocket pet, or would be a great company sitting in a special spot.

 

 

 Third is a hat that I recently made. I love the color of this yarn, the gentle shading effect. This one should be hand washed and laid flat to dry. I hope it can bring warmth to you or someone you love. There is nothing better than a handmade hat on a chilly winter day! Well maybe accompanied by a cup of warm coco.

 

 

 And last but not least is a set of five cards. Each card has a different image of a bird in flight. These beautiful photographs were taken by my significant other, Bernie. The humming bird you see in this photo is one of the cards, but I will leave the identity of the other four a surprise for who ever wins this package! They are all stunning, and capture the personality of the bird. These are blank greeting cards, so that you can fill them with your loving thoughts and best wishes to family and friends.

I hope who ever wins this little package is filled with as much joy receiving it as I will have by giving it! To enter please leave a comment on this post telling me something that you love to do. Please enter only once, so that everyone has an equal chance. The deadline for entering this giveaway will be at 12:00am PST Saturday January 31st. I will pick the winner at random and contact them that weekend. This giveaway is open to everyone. Please be sure to include your e-mail in your entry so that I am able to reach you if you are the winner. If I can not get a hold of the winner by February 7th, I have the right to randomly pick another winner.

To see MANY other wonderful giveaways visit:

Felting Photo Shoot January 13, 2009

Here are my latest needle felting projects. I am really enjoying making little creatures out of felt, and I hope to get more creative as time goes by. Don’t they make fine models? They enjoyed their outing to a park in Lynden to get photographed. They were hamming it up in front of the camera, quite the characters.

I did this Bluebird of Love first. I saw other people online that were doing different birds and such, so that sparked the idea for me. I thought about some of my favorite birds, and I just love the colors of the blue birds. It’s probably my favorite out of these three, I think its too cute.

Then I went to a local class and did the penguin. I didn’t want to do the traditional black and white, so I got a little creative with my colors. I think she is quite cute in purple and blue.

The last one is my rooster I finished the other evening. He was an original idea, which I am quite proud of, because there are many times that I feel like I am not being creative, and just copying other peoples ideas. The more I can come up with my own designs the more unique and cute they will be I think.

I am signed up for another class in a couple of weeks, at which we will be making sheep. That should be a lot of fun, because I have a big soft spot for sheep. These little guys are a great project to do in the evening while sitting in front of the tv, or just relaxing listening to some good music.

A New Craft January 4, 2009

I have to confess, I am a Martha Stewart groupie. I watch most of her shows, and while I zone out once in a while at what she is saying, I learn new stuff pretty often. I record her shows on my DVR, and currently I am a little behind, still on the pre Christmas shows. So this project I just accomplished was one of her ‘make it yourself gifts’. She did a cloth pin cushion on top, but since I have been playing around with needle felting I thought I would play around with some ideas. So this is a little sewing kit made out of a canning jar. It’s a wonderful idea because all your little sewing supplies are in one spot. You wouldn’t believe how often I end up searching all over the house for each little piece. I made this one for my mom, because her items are never in one place. I plan on adding to the sewing kit. What I have in it so far is some thread, a measuring tape, and one of my felted acorns to hold the sewing needle. I am pretty pleased with this one as a first time try, but I think I could make the felted part a little more refined.

The Art of Package Wrapping December 14, 2008

 

Tonights project was wrapping presents. Moms friend Stephanie came over with her gifts for family members, and we wrapped them. Mom and I love wrapping, and she has taught me how to be extremely artistic with the process. She does a BEAUTIFUL job, and I am slowly learning. Its so much fun to make the outside of the package as much of a present as what is hidden within.

This weekend kept me busy with the craft show. Last night it decided to snow here. I really do enjoy snow when it is fluffy, no wind, and you don’t have anywhere to go. But last night we had high winds, so the snow didn’t really stay in one place too well, and then I had to drive into the show this morning. It really was not a pretty snowy day. It also really cut down on the traffic at the show, which makes it a little frustrating, its not really worth the vendors time to be there if no one is shopping. But I have started doing some trading with the other vendors for some of my presents, I hope to do some more next weekend, because I still have a decent amount of things I want to get.

I have also been playing around with my needle felting. I created this cute little guy the other day, and I really like how he turned out (its hard to see in this picture, but he has a dark green top hat). I am sending him off as a present, and hope to make another one or two to send to other people. I really cant believe how fast Christmas is coming this year, it seems like it should still be October or something…… But I do have to say that I am starting to really get into the Christmas spirit, even if I do feel behind on gift shopping. I am proud to say I am buying a lot of local gifts this year. I still will be visiting some of those dreaded mega stores and the mall for a couple of gifts that local people just aren’t making yet, but a good portion of the gifts I have gotten so far are from other local artisans.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. The whole process should be one of joy, and never dread. If you are anxious about any part of the holidays you aren’t doing it right. Slow down, relax, spend some time loving yourself and your family, and make it all one joyous process!

Catching Up December 1, 2008

Wow, I fell way behind on my blog this weekend. Two of the main reasons being I did my first weekend of the Pacific Arts craft show, and my family ended up getting the flu. About half the people we know around town ended up getting the same flu bug, not pleasant during the holidays.

Pacific Arts was fun. Its always fun for me to see who is showing, and what they make. There are a good hand full of the same people as last year. It becomes a little social group by the end of the show because it runs for so long. I am really happy with my spot this year, I am surrounded by people that I met last year, and they all seem to be good souls. Christie is across the isle from me, and her booth is filled with so many wonderful body products she gets lots of traffic. If the people around me are getting good traffic it means I am getting good traffic.

All day I get to visit with the customers that come through my booth, and when it gets a little slower, I get to visit with the other great vendors around me. Bernie’s photography gets high praise from almost everyone that comes through our booth. It’s great to see peoples reactions to the wildlife. Bernie is so good at capturing the unique personalities of each animal he comes across. I think some people miss the wild world around them, and so each picture shows them a glimpse of that world. Some people just get ecstatic about the pictures, it’s great to see. We have a few particular shots that are our best sellers, and I love to watch people looking through the cards and come upon them. The reactions are all slightly different, but all along the same lines. “Oh isn’t that funny!” “Oh isn’t that so cute!” “Oh my gosh, look at him, isn’t he adorable!” It cracks me up some times; I can almost guess what picture they are looking at.

I also have up some stained glass snow flakes, and a little display of my felted acorns. I really underestimated how popular the acorns were going to be, people think they are so clever. So that’s great for me, I just need to get myself into gear and make some more of them this week! I am thinking of coming up with some other felted crafts to possibly sell, since it seems to be an enjoyed medium.

So over all I am pretty excited, other than the family sickness I had a good weekend. I am enjoying a day off today, because I do feel a bit drained. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, and a relaxing weekend.

A Good Day to Reflect November 7, 2008

We have finally hit typical western Washington fall weather. The last couple of days have just been steady rain. Its great for all the plants, but it doesn’t make for enjoyable outdoor trips. So I have been enjoying the time for reading, and doing some crafting. I have been working on my needle felting.

We put an add on craigslist to sell some of our chickens, and we have gotten a couple of calls. I always get nervous about selling our animals to other people. Our chickens have it so good here, I can only hope that they will end up in homes that treat them well and let them roam around. We had a couple come last night to get 4 hens and a rooster as a birthday present for their 7 year old daughter, who wants chickens. Hopefully their girl will love them.

I have been reading a book called Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I really love their books. Their books The Law of Attraction, and Ask and it is given, are both really good ones for changing your perspective on the world. All of their books teach you how to release the negativity in your life, and focus on what you want. If you have never heard of any of these books I highly recommend going to the library or book store and checking one of them out, you might be surprised at what you learn.

www.abraham-hicks.com

Enjoy each moment, and always follow your dreams.

Crafting Season October 24, 2008

I have entered into my crafting season. I am slowly getting ready for the craft shows coming up. I have quite a ways to go, but the process has started. A friend of Bernie’s sister has just ordered a print from us, matted and framed (pictured below), which is good motivation for me to go drag out my matting/framing stuff. Its currently all buried in the attic. It will be good to pull everything out to see what I already have, and what I need.

 

Then I have been working on my stained glass a little bit. I made 2 snowflakes so far. I need to get many more going, but it’s a start. One of them isn’t my favorite design, but the other one is cute. And one thing I have learned about selling items, everyone likes something different, so sometimes its good to have things that aren’t on the top of your list, because they will be spectacular to someone else.

I have been playing around with the needle felting, and got a little project almost finished, I just need some ribbon to get it done. Its felted acorns, with a felted oak leaf. I am going to attach it to ribbon so that it could be used on a package, or anything else you could dream up. In my quest to be inspired in needle felting I have been looking at other peoples sites, and there are some very creative people out there!

 

Alright, I am getting emotionally ready for the crafting season. It’s always a lot of work for me at first, but once I get into the flow of it, it’s pretty fun. And its always fun trying new things. The other aspect of crafting season is, I make most of my Christmas presents. So I need to start figuring out what to make for each person on my list. Its much easier if I start now on that stuff, than waiting until half way through December. Well if any of you are crafters, or getting ready for holiday shows, I wish you all the best of luck in that journey!

Late night update October 23, 2008

Today was an enjoyable one. Bernie headed out this morning to go to Semiahmoo Spit, and he ended up getting some nice shots today. Keep an eye on his blog for some of those to pop up. There are some fun ones of a grebe eating a fish that does not look like it would fit.

I went to work, and had an enjoyable time out in the sunshine. I did some cutting back in one of the mint beds, and then watered one of the beds while weeding. My mom was in the neighborhood, so she stopped by to see where I have been working. She got an enthusiastic greeting from Christies dogs, and then I gave her the tour.

My new thing in the last couple of days has been playing around with needle felting. I did a couple of little pumpkins the other day, and then started another little project this evening. I will post pictures when I get a little farther. I find it very interesting, and highly entertaining. Christies daughter Jessica does these extremely adorable felted fairies, and witches (for Halloween). Very creative and talented!

I finally got my mint chocolate chip ice cream made. I have been meaning to do it for a couple of weeks now. I used mint from Christies garden, and local cream and milk. It was very yummy. The mint flavor was wonderful. And homemade icecream has so much more flavor, and creamyness.

So, nothing huge happened today, but it was an enjoyable day of simple pleasures. And now I am off to bed to enjoy dream land.