Rug Progress

I worked on my rug some more and got the bird and my hand done the other day and tonight I worked on the other horse. I got an idea for a new project to make as a gift, so I cannot show you that now;) It is hard to believe it takes hours to get what seems, so little, but it adds up and it will be finished in no time, lol. I was planning on going with a black background, but thinking along the lines of a light prim green instead, so we shall see.



I took a close up of the bird and the wool that I used in it. I thought you might like to see how this wool works up. It is fun to use multi-colored plaids in a project like this, it gives you variation with one wool. I think the hand will look better when it gets some background around it, but the lettering seems too large. I always wait until I put in the background before I change things, sometimes they look better when it is all put together and if not, then I can change them.

I also started a new project today, a crazy type quilt with cat and dog appliques, so I will show you that when I get working on them. I like to cut out and make my own little kits for projects, so I always have something to work on. I work by mood, so sometimes I take a hooking break and sew or punch. It is nice to have a project ready, so I don't have to think or get something ready when I just want to work on it.

Dora wants you to help!

Dora is my newest Kitty. She fills my life with laughter and love. I adopted her from our local pound when she was seven months old. She was scrawny and scrappy and didn't seem to interested in being taken, but something about her made me want to take her home. Well, it didn't take long for her to fit right in, she loved having a home and loves the freedom of playing without having to worry about outdoor predators.

Dora does not seem to understand water in a bowl, they only way she drinks is from a faucet. I was finally able to get a shot of her strange habit. Today we played with the infrared light on the wall. Izzy, my son's cat was jumping up a few feet to get it, but of course Dora has to show her skills and flew over Izzy in an attempt to grab the light. If only I could take a photo while playing with them, they are too funny for words.

Today Dora is asking you to help others who have pets. Amanda Atkins, daugher of Donna Atkin, a wonderful folk artist is auctioning off a beautiful print on ebay. The proceeds will go to "The Bunky Walton Fund". The fund is set up to help pet owners with the expenses of veterinarian care. In this economy, so many pet owners cannot afford to take their pets to the vet and a lot have had to give them up to shelters, so I think it is a great cause. If you love folk art, Amanda's print is a great way to get a beautiful piece of art and help a great cause.

You can see Amanda's auction here: Amanda Atkins Auction
It would also make a great present for an animal lover. I just wish I could have bid higher myself.

You asked for it!

Well, some of you said you wanted to see my ugly slippers and jammies, so here they are. Did I mention my husband is color blind? They may be ugly, but they are comfy and the PJ's are really warm and soft.



I worked a bit on my rug today and got the horse finished and I did do the cherry. Not a great shot, but my husband fell asleep on the couch, so I couldn't drap it, to get a better front shot. Then Dora decided it was snuggle time, so I had to sit and let her cuddle in my lap for awhie. She still needs to learn how to cuddle and relax with me, but she is getting there.

The specks are bits of the wool showing through, not the backing. I am actually a packer and I am going slower and making sure I skip and not pack this time, so the rug lays nice and flat. I threw in the gold eye, but will redo that later. I tend to fill in small spots and decide later what I want there.

"All is Calm"

The Holidays are over and today I stayed home and rested, well some what. For me resting means doing a hundred things instead of a million, lol. I had a wonderful Christmas with my kids, DIL and future SIL. Because of my allergies, I do most of the cooking, but my son made a few special dishes to add to the feast.

My husband did his usual last minute shopping and I got a pair of polka dot pj's and slippers that are just butt ugly, lol. They are comfy though. We got a tv this year for our present, so we just got some silly gifts to open.

Today I got to do something for me finally. I have been wanting to do some new projects and had put them aside while I made presents for friends and family. I decided to start a runner for behind the couch area and later I will make one of the other end of the hallway.

I have no idea how long it will take me, but it is big. It is 85" x 26". I took designs from old rugs and put them all over. This way I can use scrap wools and not worry about having enough of one color. I plan on doing the background in black. I still haven't decided on the border, I may just go with a simple hit or miss type coloring, we shall see. Here is the pattern. There are a few spots that I will add items to later, but I wanted to start hooking and then I can decide if and what it needs.

I will share my progress as I go along. Tonight I worked on one of the horses, but it is slow going.

Izzy gets into the act, a fun find and presents

I finally finished my daughter's quilt and Dora gave me a break, but Izzy, my son's cat decided to help instead.
She gave it the comfort test and then nagged me about my sloppy sewing and gave me pointers;)





I hit a couple of stores today and since it was in the area, I had to hit the salvation. They had a sale on all of the christmas items and I found this quilted angel, digging through the stuffed animal bins. Just love her, and only 50 cents, great bargain.



To top my day off, I got some wonderful gifts from Kimmie (Cabin Creek Farm). She sent me a cookie cutter ornament and one of her handmade wax ornies, love them. Plus some beautiful wool that I can use in my next project. The neat kitty ornament was made by my friend Kelley (Kanknchester).

Quilting with Dora

I got the brilliant idea to make a quilt for my daughter and started it last week, not the smartest move;)
I did fine on the applique, but then I needed to quilt the top and of course put it off till yesterday. Then people stopped by and people call and machine acts up, but I finally finished it today. I made a mess of it, never again will I make a quilt in a rush. The quilt is wonky, so all the bad stitching blends in;)

Of course Dora decided to help by testing out it's comfort level. She loved winding bobbins and playing with the empty ones.
Now I need to bind it and see if a wash and dry makes it look better, hehe.

Just finished a punch I am making for my DIL, just need to finish the edge and put it on a basket tomorrow. Then Maybe I can slip out for some last minute shopping and on wednesday, it is cooking and more cleaning. Then maybe I can rest, but doubt it;)

The Trouble Makers

Today as usual, I was trying to clean house and get things done and the kitties were tearing through the house and knocking every thing over. Dora is full of energy and tears through the house and Izzy is enjoying following her and getting into trouble herself. Never a dull moment around here.

Of course when I come in with the camera, they play the sweet and innocent act and the moment I put the camera away, the are rolling around on the floor, play fighting.

Cats on the Prowl

This week I am making the mad dash to finish up one last present to be mailed and a couple for my kids. I am making a wonky quilt for my daughter and a punched piece for my DIL. I will share photos when I finish.

Today the cats were in their bug mom mode. First Dora decided that 6 am was late enough to sleep in and proceeded to irritate me for an hour until she got bored. Of course I had no intention of getting up, so I ended up over sleeping. Then the two of them spent most of the day tearing through the house, knocking over whatever was in the way. They do not just run, the leap, slide and fly around, so it can be quite a circus at times. I think I should have asked Santa for a video camera, no way will I ever get a shot of them at that speed;)

Dora loves to help with laundry and she was in her stealth mode, hiding in the mesh basket. She makes the cutest face when she is in attack mode, but she always closes her eyes when I take a shot. I thought it was the flash, but realized that Izzy didn't shut her eyes, so it is Dora. She is just being a smart alec and closing them on purpose, haha.

(Dora had too much eggnog;)


This is what we usually call Psycho kitty. She is my son's cat and whenever she comes over she goes into a hissy fit and scares the heck out of anyone who goes near her. He moved and they cannot keep her, so I seem to have gotten stuck with her. She is finally coming upstairs more, and stopped hissing at me. She loves Dora and playing, and dora loves having someone new to harass. I asked my husband to give her a name and he said Isabelle, so she is now Izzy.

( Cat with attitude problem;)

More decorations and free designs

It was a rainy and windy day today, so i decided to clean and see what new decorations I could make with what I had.
I made some paper cuttings and finally hung them. I had an old wreath and I put that to cover up the big hole in the wall;)
I love the hanging ornaments and if you would like to make your own, you can now get the patterns free on papercutters.info
Look for the link to back street designs. They have the books scanned in and lots of other patterns too, even stitchery patterns.



On the kitchen side, I added some greenery and a poinsettia swag, along with my red candle holders. A nice simple gathering.



I decided not to put out my ceramic nativity, it is a larger set, and I am running out of space, lol. I always put my first nativity up, it is just plastic, but I love it. Sometimes I get lucky and find pieces for it, at the thrift stores. Someday, I would like to make a creche to go with it.

Candy canes and paper trees

Yesterday I hit AC moores and found some fat red and white pipe cleaners.
I grunged them up with walnut and tea and cinnamon and cut them to make mini canes for my feather tree.
My friend joanne made me the tree and tree skirt and I think the prim canes fit perfect with it.



I tried an experiment today with my paper tree and deer. I used a heavier stock and then used antique ink, a tea stain and the green one, to color the paper. It gives a nice look with the color and I have put it on a top shelf so it shows up nicely. I love the antique inks, you can get them in all different colors and they are perfect to antique items. I had to dampen the sponge, I was using, so it blotched a bit. I need to find something better to apply the ink with.

More paper cuttings and a bird ornie

I spent most of my night cutting paper again. These ornaments are usually hung with a string, but I put them in the tree for display. Plus it is late and I am too tired and lazy to string them tonight;) These are from a book by backstreet designs. I hang them from archways and windows, they are great decorations since they are light and can go anywhere.

I also made candy canes. I used red and white pipe cleaners that had a glitter in them. I twisted the two stems together, then folded it and twisted again to get the look that you see. Then I put them in some tea and a bit of java spray which blackens them a bit. Love how they came out and so simple to make.

The wonderful prim snowman ornie was made by my friend, Kelly (Kanknchester).





I made this bird last year, looks great on the tree. It is from a pattern by RK Creations. I used ticking and sewing around the outside edges to give it that frayed look. I buy real ticking and then tea stain it before I use it.

More Holiday Decorations

One of the things I am doing this year, is using what I have with little outside expenses for decorating.
I am actually enjoying making items and being creative with what I have. One of the things I have collected is red glass. It is perfect for holiday decorations. I do have to limit it though, to high places, away from kitties. I made this little arrangement with just a few new pieces of red glass and a candle and it really warms up the spot.



I loved making the trees so much, that I had to make a more elaborate one, lol. Today I made this one from an old pattern book I have. I love how it has little items on the branches. I haven't glued it together yet since I am thinking watercoloring the tree and objects, might make a beautiful colored piece. I will use my watercolor pencils and less water so the paper doesn't get too saturated. For the cuttings I have used laid paper. Check out your local library, they usually have paper crafts and they are great projects to do with the kids too.

Christmas cuttings and carvings

I thought I would show you something new and something old. The first are two santas that I made years ago. One was a cast santa that I painted and the one on the right is one I carved and painted. I am not the worlds best carver, but I do enjoy creating things out of wood. I haven't carved in years, not sure my hands can handle it anymore.



Today I was tired from running around so much and working on gifts, so I took a me day. I made paper trees and reindeer. It is amazing how long it takes to cut paper, but maybe I am just slow and easily distracted;) I made these to go on top of the tv unit, but i had to put down lower to get a picture of them. The glue is still tacky, so once it dries better, I can pull out the trees a bit better. If you would like to make paper snowflakes that are unusual and artistic, check out Daves paper snowflakes. A search will bring his site up. Lots of great snowflakes to copy and ideas on making your own. The trees I made from an old pattern in Better Homes and gardens. I think the old issues had the best patterns in them. If you check out your local thrifts or library, you may find hard copies of their christmas issues.