Third Shabby CQ nightlight finished.

The first two nightlights flew out the door , so I have been working on a few others. This purple one was just finished moments ago.
She is deep in thought with Spring on her mind, and the millions of violets that will be covering the yard soon. Well, at least that is what I was thinking while stitching :-).
It was gorgeous today, warm, sunny, a bit windy, but so much better than earlier this week. It will go in my etsy shop tomorrow. I used a few of my coveted vintage velvet violets on this one as well as a vintage dyed chiffon two layer applique which I left the top layer free. Laces,silk ribbon embroidery, beads, and a sweet little girl image dressed in purple make up the embellishing.
It is hard for me not to use my favorite things on my work. I admit I create for myself in mind because I have to make something that suits me, not just throw something together just to be creating or to get rid of unwanted stash. I weed that out to Goodwill and the church resale shop.

Unfortunately, as I have said before, I can't keep everything and yet I can't stop creating. This is when etsy comes in handy!!!

Tomorrow evening I will try to finish the Aqua shade. I must stop by Ellen's in the morning, and I have a play date with two ladies tomorrow afternoon. We are playing in Sue's studio!!!!!! I can't wait!
Have a great evening and beautiful tomorrow.

Second Shabby CQ night light finished!!

Ok, I want to go into the nightlight business,LOL. Although these take more time than I thought they would, they are incredibly fun to make, and to have something so useful as a finished product is pretty neat too.I'm just excited because they look so pretty when lit, and when off. Not because I did them, I just thought when lit they would lose their charm....they don't. Speaking of charm, I had to add a dragonfly to this one !!!!!

So, here is the other one I finished last night. I had to add the beaded fringe this morning as it was getting late and my yawning was getting on my nerves :-). Have you ever tried to keep your eyes open when you yawn? It isn't easy!!! I'm glad DH didn't walk in while I was trying, LOL.

This Shabby CQ light has this flawless beauty with blush cheeks and the palest yellow dress and hair ribbon. I thought she should have a vintage yellow swarovski and pearl necklace. I just found those crystals in Watervliet MI when I met Beth....the jewelry extraordinaire. I can't wait to get together with her for whatever we decide to create with. She has great energy and her smile is contagious.

I am off to whip up the mini CQ pendant so I will be ready to ship it off when a winner is announced. I do hope you all try to answer the question on the 10th.

I may pop in later to share the pendant if I finish. I was supposed to meet up with Laney and Nancy today, but I'm afraid the snow has squished that outing so I will be studio bound today!
Have a good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finished Shabby night light

I just listed my first Shabby Cottage item in my etsy shop. I finished the little pink,mint,and cream night light. I want to keep it,LOL. I love how the little girl image glows when lit. Such a soft detailed image. What a sweet photo. I have no idea what the little girl was holding, but I thought she should have a bouquet of pale pink silk ribbon roses.

I'm off to finish up the other night light. It looks a bit more vintage.....having fun on this snowy day. All the snow blowing DH did this morning and you can't even tell! By the way.....he stayed home today :-)

See ya later...tater!

Loads of snow!!!!!!!

It snowed all day yesterday, much of the time causing a "white out". Yes, Zero visibility. I loved it! I had a crazy morning and after I had a relaxing phone conversation with my pre-sis Brenda,(one day I'll figure out what to call her..she is my ex sis in law, and I still consider her family...any suggestions?) Anyway , I stayed in and watched the snow pile up. It devoured the garden, and any statuary remaining.

Speaking of garden, I am so envious of my bud Terri....she has signs of life in her Connecticut garden. When I read her blog yesterday and saw the little foxglove burrowing through to sunlight, my heart ached for Spring. I am so happy she had such a delightful surprise, and am anticipating photos of future garden discoveries. Yeah Terri!!!!!! Terri also shares some of her beautiful creations she is adding to her etsy shop. I am fortunate to own several of her hand made items, and I can vouch for their professional construction. She pays attention to detail and uses the most wonderful fabric prints. Terri has an awesome family, and I think one reason we connected a few years ago was our similarities, which have become almost spooky in how much we are alike. It doesn't happen often, but I'm sure each of you have someone who could be your double.

DH ate his pancakes and headed out the door to this~~~~~~
Poor guy!He has to shovel to the garden shed where he keeps the snowblower. He thinks he is heading off to work when he gets the driveway cleared, but I think he will throw in the towel. We shall see. I will have a mug of hot cocoa waiting for him.

I will be stitching on the night lights today. I should have been finished with them. I then need to make a bracelet for a freind. That will be fun. I also need to whip together a mini CQ pendant for the Quilting Gallery interview prize. The Quilting Gallery site is featuring various interviews by quilter's and I am the one for Feb 10th. I am offering a prize to answer a question. It's always fun to play along, especially when a prize is offered right? SO, if you aren't doing anything on the 10th, check it out. While you are there, read the history of the many quilters and see their work.

I am in need of some pretty red fancy fabrics for a purse that has me flustered. As many of you know, red is not a color I work with often, so naturally I do not own a lot of red fabrics. I need to contact Karen South and shop her stash. She offers awesome fabric collections and is always willing to put together a custom color pack. I really need to get this purse finished. It is for a kind woman I met at the quilt show who gave me a huge load of CQ supplies. She loves red and I just haven't been able to construct a purse to my liking. I am not one to take things apart, but so far I have destroyed two and a half purses. I think the problem is the fabrics...hence then need to give Karen a visit. I was hoping to get to Lemon Creek or Vogue, but this Winter has been a true Winter with the freezing temps and snowfall. When there is a nicer day, other plans are made. Oh well, such is life!

I cannot believe the responses from the OWOH giveaway. I really need to visit the blogs and put my name in for the neat prizes....hopefully this week I will get to that. Thanks to all of you who entered mine. I can't wait to send out the three gifties to winners!!!!

Have a great day and stay warm if you are in my area of the world!!!!

New altered child pins

Playing around and just finished these three pins for etsy. I'm adding new smaller items until the big projects are ready. This way I can mix up my play which keep boredom away!

Tea pin~~~~~~~~~~little lady enjoys her tea and carries her own pot and cup!

Sea fairy~~~~~~~~~glass beads and a painted fish charm.

Attitude~~~~~~~simple because the words and facial expression says it all!

See you all later..have a wonderful evening.

Fun!!! INspiring!!!!Pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Studio tour......

Friday a friend emailed me about Gail Schmidt's studio tour video. I briefly watched it because I was on the phone while checking email, and the volume wasn't on, so I wasn't sure what I was seeing. I just now took some time to watch it in it's entirety and was very honored to see the little pouch I made her was among the artwork from admirers on her wall. WOW! That is so cool. Gail, as you know is multi talented. Not only does she encourage and inspire with her monthly challenge, "Mind Wide Open", but she taught me a lot in her digital workshop last month. She has a very giving spirit and it shows in everything she does. I'd love to be a fly on her studio wall when she is creating.

You have to check out her beautiful studio.She has been working on it for a while, and I know she is loving her new space...who wouldn't? It is refreshing! I love the color and also the way she organizes her stash...neat yet out in the open...for easy access. I used to cringe when my studio visitors would comment about how it looked like a store in there. I immediately thought they meant I was showing off what I had, and of course that is not what they meant. Those darn compliments....always making me uncomfortable. Anyway, I am now even more comfortable with my stash on display because honestly, if I can't see it, I won't use it. I know it looks cluttered, way too colorful at times, but it is a studio. As Gail states, "It is a working studio" things must be handy when needed. I don't have the fancy storage furniture, or a vintage armoire to store things away. I use the inexpensive plastic clear drawers on wheels and keep on stacking!
If I can figure out how to upload my video from my camera, I will share a tour as well. I just learned to take videos with it a week or so ago, so I'm still learning.

Thanks Gail for allowing us to visit your studio. It is a perfect place to create!

Ramblings

Yesterday morning my friend Laney and her sis Nancy picked me up to attend services for our friend Karen's mother. It was good to see Karen was doing ok. She sat with us for a bit and we spoke of girl stuff, which always lightens any load. Laney, Nancy and I have some plans for something special on Thursday and I can't wait!!!!

Afterward we took off to browse a few favorite spots, one being Goodwill. We lucked out and it was 50% off day!!! It was so crowded!!!!
As soon as I walked in the door I found an old dovetailed ,two compartment, wooden tray with a handle(photos soon) in the display case. It was only $2 so I nabbed it. I could see old beautiful silverware in one side and nests in another, or perhaps I'll use it in my studio for current project stash???? It is neat. I also found two new men's dress shirts for when I "play" with messy projects. Which reminds me, I was invited by Wendy,a sweet gal who took my CQ class to join her and Sue, another student and very nice gal to play on Tuesdays evenings in her studio. They do all kinds of projects. My cup of tea!!! I am so excited...it is like being asked to play on the playground when you've been standing alone for hours. Yes, it is that thrilling and I am that pathetic!

We then checked out Kohl's and Barnes. Nothing I needed or wanted however I did need to be home by 4:00 to bid on a cute jean jacket I saw earlier on eBay. Ever since I bought those wrist warmers from Bella McBride, I have been loving ruffled cuffs and collars. I am happy to announce I did win the auction. I felt bad for the gal who kept bidding, but I really wanted that jacket too. Sorry. Isn't it cute? I just love it. Laney got me hooked on shorter tops, so I must blame her for my new interest in clothing. Shame, shame Laney! Then I won this one in light blue......... ........and this teal one. It looks turquoise in the photo, but either color will be fine. I went a little crazy, but they sold out at my local Coldwater Creek. They only had one black size sm left. Mom bought a lime green one for my birthday and a pretty melon one at Christmas. On a whim I checked eBay, and BINGO!

When I returned home there was something special I had ordered from Laurie. My sweet easel arrived. It is so much prettier in person, and such a treasure to own. Thank you Laurie, I love it!!!!

There was also a box filled with comfort dolls from Nancy Collins. I will post them on the Comfort Doll blog today as well as one I received from Barbara Chatterton-Luuring of The Netherlands last week. This means I will be finding a home for the 39th dozen this week. WOW! Thanks everyone!!!!

It is still dark out so I think I will grab my camera, go make a cup of echinachea tea and toast and curl up in my comfy chair to wait and see if the sunrise is a pretty one this morning.
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!