Lots of new goodies!

Tonight I am brain dead, so if I make any mistakes writing, I am not editing;)
I finished a new punch today and started on a new project. I am doing a test punch for a quilter who will be making some of her designs into punch needle patterns, so stay tuned for news in the future.

Last week I got some wonderful goodies in the mail. My good friend Kelley was a bit behind on my birthday and Christmas this year, but as they say, good things come to those that wait.

The first surprise was not one, but three of her punched kitties. I love them all and each has a special place in the house now.



Then she sent me plaid and tan wools that I can dye and use in my other big rug. I love new wool:)
Then there is the beautiful prim basket that I can hang in my sewing room and if that was not enough, she filled it with prim homespuns. I am going to make a prim pieced quilt with them.



As if that was not enough, she sent me more fabrics to make quilts with. I am going to have to get moving on my quilting. To top it off, she sent me an Arnold's print works cat, I love them and this one is the large one, still in the package. I feel like I won the lottery. I think the cat fabric would make a neat tote bag for my supplies.



I also belong to a great group called USAPRIM on ebay. We did a swap this month, to chase the winter blues away. The theme was blue and these are the wonderful gifts that I received. More fabrics and wool, I am in heaven. I love the bluebird, it is now with my textile setting.

New Punch Pieces: Kitty and angels

Today I finished up two pieces that I had made. The first one is one I made a few months ago and wasn't sure what to do with it.
I made it into a pillow. I think Pillows are nice because you can hang them anywhere or put them in a group setting, so they are more versatile pieces. This one was based on an antique postcard, I love the design and am thinking of doing another someday in lighter colors.



The second is one I made this week. It is based on a design I found in an old sampler. It was a test sample, I like to see how they work up and what I do and don't like about a design before I make it into a pattern. I will probably rework this one differently and try another punch with it. This one I made into a thinner pillow, so that it can hang flatter on a cupboard or wall. Hopefully this coming week, I can get to work on the patterns some of you have requested and have them done by next weekend.

Contest Winners!

So, what was Izzy doing in the window?
Dora was in the window, checking out the birds and hogging the window sill. So, Izzy hopped to the side and went under the window and just as I grabbed the camera, Dora left. So, Izzy is looking at Dora, saying hey, there is room for both of us, haha.

I got the names on folded paper, a box and some catnip and it was already for the picks, lol.
Dora of course jumped in, she is a catnip addict. She looked through the entries while Izzy urged her on.



Then Dora made her decision and marked it with her paw. The winner is JoJo. Congratulations JoJo.



She was having so much fun, that I had to let her play again. After rooting around, she lay down and put the second name in front of her. Oh, the things we do to amuse ourselves;) The second winner is Christine, from Sticks, Stitches N Boards. Congratulations Christine.



You can view the booklet choices at my ecrater site, link at the upper left of page. Please send me your email address and your choice of booklet. I almost forgot, for all of you who left a message, if you would like to try my patterns, if you buy one pattern booklet, you will get a free one of your choice.

Dora and one more day till contest ends

I am so so tired tonight. I was working on a new punch, but decided to stop for the night before I mess it up.
The other day Dora was in the right light, so I was able to get a picture without the flash and she actually has her eyes open. She has such beautiful eyes and her fur is really coming in now, way too much;)



One of Dora's favorite games is jump in the laundry basket, even if I am carrying it. She will let me carry her up from or down to the laundry room, she likes the ride. She is way too heavy to keep this up and still growing. She is getting ready to draw the name from the basket tomorrow, so don't forget to leave a comment in the contest blog.

New Bunny punch and Sampler

This piece was inspired by an old cross stitch sampler. It looked like a rabbit or an odd deer, but the shape made me think rabbit and I redid it into my own pattern. I used the original rabbit head and designed around that. I really love how it came out. It has a primitive old world look to it.



This weekend we had an ornie retreat, so I decided to make the design into a cross stitch as well. I still have to work at making my designs into cross stitches, but not bad for a newbie;) I am offering both of them on ebay this week, though if the bids do not start by the end of the week, I may have to take them down. I put way too much work into them, to let them go at a last minute low bid. I am sure you fellow crafters can understand that.

Name that picture Contest!

I thought I would have some fun with this picture.
Izzy is in the window, saying something, thinking something or something was happening before I took the picture?
Tell me what is going on in this picture and I will draw a name from all the entries to this blog.
The winner will receive their choice of one of my pattern ebooks.

I Will draw a name next Friday night, so give me your best guess or just a caption, have fun.
I will tell you what is or was going on at the end;)

More decorating from old items

I have been in a mood lately to clean and organize, so one way I do that, is to rearrange things.
I hate cleaning, but it has to be done and by changing things out, I get the cleaning done too;)

I decided since i have some old books, I would make a book and toy display. Of course, I had to use what I have, at least until I can find or make some items to add to it. I think some small samplers would look nice and have some ideas floating about.

My favorite book is the Aunties poems. My grandmother gave that to me. She won it in a spelling bee when she was in school.
It is dated 1892, so it is special to me. Unfortunately it has worm holes in the pages but is still in good condition. The Easter story was my dads. It is signed inside, giving as a gift from Sunday school, in 1938.

The stuffed kitties were my first ever cat dolls, as you can see;) The chalkboard in the back is one I painted years ago, who knew my bad painting would be called prim some day, lol.

The tins are repros, a TJ Maxx find. Kitty cucumber is not prim looking, but she is a school one, so thought it was good enough for now.

So, that is it for now. I do love the idea of finding an antique noah's ark, but that is doubtful. Maybe I can get my husband to make me one and then I can do the animals.

Antique reproduction punch needle

I made this punched piece a while back, but couldn't decide what to do with it.
It is a adaptation of an antique rug and I liked it the way it was, so today I decided to just leave it be.
I put two layers of cotton batting behind it and covered that with a blanket weight piece of wool.
I sewed it on with a blanket stitch and added the jute cord for hanging.
I looks great in every spot I hung it. I really need to do something with my twig wreath.

This will be another piece for sale and will be up, later tonight, on ebay.
I have been braiding and braiding, the never ending snake, lol. I am at the point where I will start sewing it together to see how much I have and how much more I need to go, to fill the hallway.

Today I hit Jo anns and got a few supplies, I just love coupons. Did you know that you can use online and mailed coupons on the same visit? As long the coupons have different numbers, you can use as many as you like. I was able to discount all my items, just love saving money.

New Kitty Punch Needle

I finally decided on a mounting for my newest piece, Kitty Pull Toy. The board was a little bigger than the piece, so it left just enough room to add a small stitchery. I love how this piece turned out, has the old toy look to it and of course my favorite subject.

The sampler is another, create as I go. That animal is a dog, was supposed to be a cat, but looked like a monkey, lol. So, I took out the long tail and added a face and now it is a dog. Yes, I could look at a pattern and make an actual stitched cat, but what is the fun in that;)

It will be up for sale, tonight or if I don't make it, tomorrow, so if you are interested you can find it on my ebay.
Since ebay is no longer taking money orders and checks, I will put some items up on my blog for those of you, who have wanted to buy some of the pieces. If you see something you like and catch me before I list, make me a reasonable offer and it could be yours. I do not do special orders and I do not make the same item twice, so if you like something, let me know and I may be able to make a similar item for sale. I take requests and then when an item is finished, I give those who are interested, first option to buy.

I am also working on a braided rug. It is a long snake right now. Since it will be a long runner, I am braiding first, then I will stitch when I get the size I want. For the chair pads and smaller items, I braid a bit and sew as I go, to break up the monotony.

100th Post! Freebie and New Chairpads

I decided in honor of my 100th post, to offer my new bunny pattern that I made up. You can see the finished piece if you scroll down. I thought it was better to give away one item that everyone can enjoy, instead of one person winning a prize. You can punch it, hook it or make a penny out of it. Whatever medium that you like to do, you can use it for. You can also sell the item you make, as long as you do not mass produce it.



I have been sick with the horrible cold going around. Luckily I saw it coming and took cillin in time, so I avoided the bronchitis my husband got, but it does knock you down a bit. Since I have been sitting on my butt resting, I had to have something easy to do, lol. I cannot just sit;) So, I decided it was time to make some chair pads.

I have lots of scrap wool and this is a great way to use it up. I made three pads for the chairs at the table and the two against the wall, I will leave hooked pieces on. I have one braided rug, I did years ago and I have to admit, that has held up the longest. I think I might make one braided runner for my hallways. The first one I did was rag style and it was too bumpy and thin to work as a rug. My border collie needs rugs he can run across, so one braid and the long runner I am hooking, should help his slipping problem.

Izzy loves to watch

It has been a slow week, I have been busy and then sick.
I have been working on several projects, but they still need to be finished.
Tonight, I made a braided chair pad, but the picture came out whacky, so I need to take a picture of it tomorrow without flash.
As soon as I finish the rest of the projects, I will post pictures.

Izzy seems to like my sewing room. Whenever I go in there she comes running to get in. I really don't like the cats in there, I do like to have some things hair free;) But, they do like to watch me as I cut and sew items, so who can say no. Izzy likes the high spots, so this is one of her favorite spots to keep watch over me.

And this is the cat that we nicknamed Psycho kitty, she sure has calmed down. She and Dora love to play and now when my son visits, Izzy growls at him. Guess I am stuck with her;)

Primitive Hen and Eggs

I finally made something for myself, something simple and took no thought, whatsoever.
I bought a prim wire basket and twiggy stuff and this week I made a Hen and eggs to go in it.
I used tan ticking for the Hen and red,blue and green for the eggs.
I used a pattern I found in an old library book and redid a few things, made us some egg shapes, sewed them, stuffed them and voila, easy decoration;)

"Can you imagine if that chicken actually laid eggs that big"
And that is Dora's butt.

I grunged them up with walnut and a bit of java spray. I buy the sprays from the scrapbooking supply area and mix it with a bit of water, it is dark, as is. Plus, by wetting the items first, it helps the stain to go into the material and soak into areas to get the blotchy look. Most antiques have water damage, so if you want to get a good prim look, water will give a more natural aged look.

This weekend I was lazy, I am working on a little cross stitch. I did start out with a pattern, then went crazy as usual and added my own things;) All I had was 18 count and my eyes are blurry. Today I hit Jo anns and found some nice linen/aida on sale, so that will be better to work on for projects.

Today we got snow, tonight we are getting more snow. Anywhere between 10 and 12 inches. I am not going to shovel, I am not going to shovel........