New Toy and New Work

After many times thinking "I should get one of these" I finally got my grommet/eyelet setter tool - big stuff in the Pea Soup studio! (Almost as big of a deal as when I got my desktop tape dispenser.) And oh man! I want to grommet everything. Ed is truly concerned for his belongings (and rightly he should be.)

So what was my first test drive with the ol' eyelet setter? This little number:

My first felt necklace! I am not sure what is in store for this baby, I am definitely planning on making more - I loved how this one turned out - the ideas are churning . . . .

New Banner

Making a new banner for my Etsy shop was no easy feat.

Was it because I am not very skilled in the art of photo editing software? Perhaps that had something to do with. Was it hard to wrangle a half-dozen fairies armed with spools of thread and tiny fabric scraps?

You betcha.

Two of Us

Isn't that such a sweet song? One of my favorites and I had never heard it until I started dated Ed - then it became a special song for us as we would hear it quite randomly at just the right times. So it seems like an appropriate title for these two - they are pretty in love - just crazy for each other . . .

Can' you tell?

I made them for the special holiday that is quickly approaching. The gentleman has a little red rose on his lapel. I made them as a set, I don't think they could stand not staying together. They are soon to be in the Etsy shop.

Happy February and I think I speak for everyone in this neck of the woods when I say -

GO STEELERS!!!!!!

Fabric, Stamps and Felt

In the midst of gathering up and organizing all of my receipts for tax purposes (yawn!) I have finished up a little set of pins that are a little different than my normal style of work. These were originally going to be pendants, but I just couldn't get behind the pendant idea and so they are all pins and I think they turned out sweet and simple (in a good way.)

The inspiration for the designs was this - if you have ever inherited a treasured sewing box or button tin from your grandmother or great aunt, you know how special it is to sift through the bits and threads and buttons and cards of needles and snippets of fabric saved. It's quite magical for sure, especially if it comes from a loved one. It's even quite magical when you find a sewing box at a yard sale and can create your own story about the person who owned it. These pins remind me of all those little saved bits of fabric at the bottom of the sewing box - worn, wrinkled, frayed at the edges and smelling of antique-y things.

To go along with this idea, I used my beloved set of stamps from my Great Aunt Sade (the rabbit, bird and tree) in a pretty sepia ink. I also used colored pencil to give it a blush and tint of color. There are a couple of these pretties here and here and more on the way!

WOW!

Happy New Year! (Oh, and Happy Holidays and Happy Thanksgiving is in order too!) I think that about covers all of the events that I have missed in my blog absence. Wow! Is the title of this post because I am amazed that it has been so very long!

I will get right to it then, since if anyone has checked in here lately they have been looking at those three little gift ornaments for almost 2 months - I have a few new things that I have been working on. I have been enjoying every minute of working on new designs. I do feel, for the last half of '08, that I had been playing catch up, making custom pieces, filling orders, stocking for shows and haven't had a minute to play and create and try out new ideas. Let me tell you (and for those of you that make things - you know this) when I get to sit down and just leisurely make and sew and paint - ahhh . . . so relaxing and rewarding!

Okay, so I have a few new designs that I was in the progress of photographing when my batteries went kaput, so I have half of my new card set ready to show and tell. (One is the first picture of this post.) This set is just in time for the holiday of love and sweetness that is up-and-coming and that is of course Valentines Day and what better way to celebrate with your sweetheart than a"Bugs in Love" card! Yep, that's right, along with the butterflies theres . . .

Worms

Ladybugs

I have covered many bases with my card sets - there's "Breakfast in Love"

"Produce in Love"

"Sweets in Love"

"Crafts in Love"

The first three designs are up in both shops here and here.

More to come as soon as my batteries are back in working order - and really, though I breezed through my well wishes at the beginning of this post - I truly hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and I am wishing you a very joyous and peaceful 2009!!!

New Holiday Goodies

Slowly but surely things are starting to get finished, photographed, tagged and in the shops! One of the first things is a new design for the holiday season. When wrapping a Christmas present, I usually tie one of my ornaments on for added cheer - I came up with the idea this year of making the ornaments look like actual gift tags, so it's a tag/ornament/present-topper combo. Perfect! They are in the shops here and here.

There is so much to do and finish but the BIG news is something that I have been working on for a couple of weeks and that is hosting my very own art and craft show for Christmas. The idea came to me late one night a couple of weeks ago and it has sorta "snowballed" (get it!?) ever since. So, for anyone out in Blog Land that happens to live in or around this little town in Western PA, you are cordially invited to . . .

HANDMADE HOLIDAY

ART & CRAFT SHOW

Saturday, December 6th

10 am to 5 pm

@ the Greater Latrobe High School's

Center for Student Creativity

So far, I have 20 lovely vendors selling everything from gorgeous jewelry to photographs to felted goodies to handbags to soaps to sauces and jams and even some fudge. I am very excited very nervous and all around wondering what I have gotten myself into! Okay, back to the to do list. Hope to see some of you at the show!!!

Two Months Later . . .

Well, I am fairly certain that I have indeed been nesting under a rock for the past couple of months. Yes, it really has been two months. I am not sure what happened from then until now. Just lots of to-dos to do. It had been so long since I uploaded pictures onto my computer, that for a split second, I almost forgot how!!! Anyway, even though the computer-y, blogging type work has been at a very minimum, the sewing, crafting work has been very much happening - can you tell from this crummy tinted photo what I have been busy with?

Let's see . . . we have green felt, red french knots, tiny candy canes and red pom poms! That's right, lots of Christmas sewing! In fact, I have posted my first couple of Christmas items in the shops. To start with - a little snowman, and these guys.

I hope you all have been having a wonderful fall and I will leave you with a picture from my parent's farm - beautiful!