Popcorn Catching Video

Ahhhhhhh, Vacation

No explanation needed.

I Think I'll Stick With Sewing From Now On....

Do you ever read about those crafts and activities that are so easy and fun to do with your kids? And then you go out and buy the supplies, which you will never need again after you finish the craft or activity. You then make the time to have some "quality time" with your kids doing said crafty activity only to realize you need 4 assistants and a set up person and a clean up person to make it work and then to clean up the disaster afterwards.
When you read about making Jolly Rancher stained glass candy ornaments, heed my warning. Don't do it! These are impossible! Of course I should have realized this when the directions said "line the cookie cutter with tin foil". Who can line a cookie cutter with tin foil?
Well, I'm off! To clean up the sticky mess that is now my kitchen.
Merry Christmas!

Tis the Season

For school parties!

Doesn't everyone who has school age kids have a table full of cupcakes and teacher presents this time of year?

I found this idea for reindeer cupcakes last year on the Martha Stewart website, they were all so cute and perfect with their little pretzel antlers. Mine didn't look so perfect, but the kids loved the anyways. At the second party I attended yesterday they were even preferred over the storebought ones with fluffly little dollops of icing and sprinkles.
I did have a panic moment when the store was all out of white pipecleaners for our snowflake project and I thought, "what do we get ourselves into this time year?" But I found a pack someone had stashed on the next aisle, so all is well.
And now with the school parties over, let's officially bring on Christmas!

More Before and After: Cranberry Red Ski Sweater

I've been working on more before and after pictures to show you.

This ski sweater was one of my absolute favorite sweaters that I have worked with and I can't explain why. Maybe just the richness of the colors or the dense and smooth way it felted up, but it shows you how powerful inspiration is, because I think the purses are some of the better ones I have made.

I have a few little pieces left to work with, maybe I'll do that today!

Monday Morning Cleanup

I've been procrastinating getting back in my sewing room this morning and I just thought it was a little case of burn out after the past two weeks of high production, but check out what a mess it is in there. No wonder I can't think straight.

I've been rifling through my whole supply of felted sweaters looking for little inspiring tid bits to work on and then of course, never putting them back in their bins. Then I had to empty out all the bags and baskets I had stuff stored in so I cart my purses from show to show, and never finding a new home for the old contents of those bags and boxes. There is barely even a path to follow through the mess.

I think I'll put on my favorite CD "The Best of Funk from the 70's" and go get some cleaning done. I'll holler when I dig my way out.

It's That Time of Year Again

Can you smell the pine from your computer?

It's Been a Busy Week

I've had such a great and busy week making bags for a show tomorrow. It has been such a busy week that I forgot to buy milk and this morning I had to put peppermint ice cream in my coffee. It was actually pretty good!

Here are a few highlights from my week., I finally got to use some of the beautiful watermelon colored wool I bought from Mood last time I was in NY. And I used up the last piece of orange wool from Poncho Mary.

It's been a good week. I have the best job in the world.

An Etsy First

I finished up my "Large Apple Green Bag" yesterday and knew the colors would photograph well so I hurried and got it listed on Etsy about lunchtime.

I've had the plaid skirt pieces for about a year, I bought that skirt in Philadelphia when visiting my friend Melanie last November. The green boiled wool was from a thrift store here in Buford and I can't remember where I got the corduroy, but it is my favorite and I am running out!

Anyways, when I went online last night before going to bed, I saw it had sold! That is a first for me, selling something on the day it is listed.

Alex suggested we celebrate by going out to dinner for his birthday. Hmmm....

Thanksgiving

Highlights from the very few pictures that I took at Thanksgiving. I was too busy having fun and making gravy and drinking with my cousins to really be a photographer.

My Mom put together dinner for 22 and she colored and played dress up before, during and after dinner. She is the ultimate multi tasker, thanks Mom!

(and Dad, even though you didn't play dress up)

Carrot Ginger Soup Purse

All week my cyber friend Kim over at Cape Bags has been showing pictures of the carrot ginger soup that Au Bon Pain sent to her after she blogged about how good the soup was on her trip to Washington DC. It does look good, and now that she has been using her Canon Rebel you can really see the glorious orange color.

I do love orange.

And lucky me, this week my friend Mary from Felted Heart called me from the thrift store and asked "Do you want a gorgeous men's cabled orange sweater?"

Of course I wanted it!

So with all the orangeness, I couldn't resist, I had to dig into that sweater and make something right away. This is just the first of 3 Carrot Ginger Soup bags. When I took it to the gift shop today and set it out on my display, someone walked by and bought it practically out of my hand.

Woo hoo for orange!

Can't get enough orange? Check out this blog.

Aren't You Glad I Got My Camera Back?

So I can treat you to more pictures of my family watching TV.

I Melted a Lego This Week

Legos melt very nicely in case you were wondering, but you might not want to try it because I'm sure the fumes are very toxic.
Its been a little cold around here lately, so Eric and I decided to light a nice cozy fire the other day. We forgot he had the Lego ship perched on top of the wood burning stove. It's actually not a Lego, but a "Tente", the Spanish version of Lego. The one that Alex bought for Eric several years ago and was a replica of some famous ship that they lovingly put together and strung all the sails and left in the living room for display.
I suppose it was a classic case of not seeing what is right in front of you, because we lit the fire and even fiddled with it a few times and didn't notice the ship starting to sort of sink down on itself until we noticed the smell.
I walked past the stove and saw the ship, melting and still stuck to the stove, but dangling down in front. We had to scrape it off with a spatula, it was very distressing. And the smell of melting Lego/Tente was awful, it took forever to go away.
No pictures because my camera is still in Atlanta with Poncho Mary.
From now on, we're going to stick with pottery for display, less fumes.

Best Laid Plans

My friend Poncho Mary and I did a show together this past weekend. My first Jr. League show.
It was interesting, not really my "target market" but since it was in my hometown I saw my old dentist, dental assistant, hair dresser and someone I went to college with, who stopped by while I went to the bathroom, and I still can't figure out who it was. Supposedly she is going to call me, I'm still waiting.
I sold some purses, Mary sold some ponchos and I took some pictures of the booth to post here, but I left my camera with Mary and I can't get to it until the end of the week. I can't believe I won't have my camera until the end of the week! Ugh.
Eric clumb (what is the past tense of climb?) this tree last week when there were still a few leaves on the trees. They are going fast and I am going to miss them.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My Moo cards finally arrived! They are every bit as wonderful as I hoped. I love how you get to crop the photos to get a little hint of the purse, and then hopefully want to see more. Everybody needs a little Moo.

If a Bad Day at the Thrift Store is Better Than a Good Day at the Office, Then What is Better Then a Good Day at the Thrift Store?

Wait, don't answer that! That would be, as my good friend Nancy Martin says, TMI. Too much information.

Today was a great day at the thrift store. I found 5 sweaters, all different with unique possibilities. Not too many sweaters to put me into overload, just enough to inspire.

Here they are post felting. And please don't ask if I felted them in my machine, I will have to take the 5th ammendment on that.

This is the one I really can't wait to dig into, it has the most wonderful embroidery on it. I always get amazed thinking, "how did you get bored of that sweater?" and wishing I could see what replaced it in the closet. Oh well, it works for me!

Purses are Starting to Grow on Trees

I couldn't resist any longer, I had to photograph these new bags amidst all the gorgeous Fall color in my yard. I just can't look at the trees enough this time of year, and this year they are especially amazing. I wish they would last a little longer, at least until I get another batch of purses made!

A Few Weekend Pictures

Oh, it's Friday and I'm just getting around to posting some of the pictures from last weekend. Time does fly, doesn't it?
We had a great bonfire of the beach, and Jordi graced us with his presence (aka we held him hostage for 3 days). And for some reason, he let me take his picture.

happyhappyhappyhappyhappy

I'm:
happy
happy
ecstatic
relieved
happy
happy again
really really happy
kind of at a loss for words

Hilarious Halloween (Modern Day)

ooooooo ooooooooo ooooooooo oooo stayin alive. stayin alive.

Hilarious Halloween

I asked my Mom and Dad to send me some Halloween pictures from when I was a kid so I could blog about the joy of Halloween costumes for another blog I participate in. (The Beeblog) I sure did laugh my head off when I saw them!

Did my mother let me eat that apple?

Wow I was really scary! And I don't think I was trying!

How I wish I still had this mask!

We we're probably the only kids who spent Halloween reading! That is what you get when your Mom is a librarian!

Happy Halloween!

I've Got Another Little Felting Problem

I really want to felt the sweater you see in the picture above.
My friend Mary gave it to me because it is too thick to use in a poncho or any of her other creative endeavors, but it is perfect for me. I can tell the wool will felt up really nicely, it's going to be the perfect weight for a purse, I love the colors, I couldn't ask for any more potential.
But you see, I've clogged up my washing machine drain again by felting too many mohair sweaters this summer. Each time I said, just this one little batch of sweaters, it can't hurt. Then I got bolder and felted lambswool and even some angora blends because it seemed to be doing OK, until last week when the washer stopped draining properly.
I thought it might be a good idea to try and fix it before Alex found out, since I promised him the last time he dug out the line that I would never felt in the washer again! Alas, he did some laundry and noticed. I guess I better get the shovel out myself.
Felting is an addiction. You do it regardless of the consequences. Do they 12 steps for felters? They should.

How to Stay Really Really Skinny

Request a bowl of Lettuce for lunch.