Contest Winner- My Stitchery

I was so excited to win Valerie's contest over at The Wooden Acorn. I actually won something. Yay! She was so sweet to add a few goodies to the package as well. Thanks Valerie! : )

I got right to work on this project...something I usually don't do. I'm a big hoarder of craft projects. I'm trying not to do that anymore. I finished it within a week of getting the package in the mail, but it took me forever to actually finish it by getting it in a frame.

Well here is my interpretation of the pattern by Buttermilk Basin. I used 100% wool for this project.



I actually have plans to stitch another one of these for by my front door. I rearranged furniture in that room a bit and now need a few things on the wall that you see when first entering, and I think it will look great there.

~Michelle

This week's thrift store finds

I have to pass the thrift store when I go grocery shopping (that's another reason why hubs is the grocery shopper in this family!) and of course couldn't help myself!

Not too many finds this time. A Pfaltzgraff milk bottle that is a soft yellow color and a Yorktowne creamer for $.50 each! No chips on either one. The creamer will probably be saved for after we paint our living room blue. Strange place for a creamer, but it will probably hold something else or just decorate a shelf. I can't find anything about the milk bottle online, but it is marked 'Pfaltzgraff Mexico' on the bottom so maybe it's not a popular thing here in the US.  Looking up the pattern name on the creamer, I fell in love with Village. I will be keeping an eye out for this pattern in the store from now on!

I also grabbed four small dessert-size wooden bowls (3 the same, 1 different) for $.90 that I can't wait to paint.

Since it was 50 cent day (on Mondays, a particular colored tag is only 50 cents), I checked out the wool sweaters as well. Two really nice men's sweater vests for - you guessed it - $.50 each. They felted/fulled up beautifully and will be the base of a few penny rugs in the near future.

I wanted to pass on this tip to anyone who felts/fulls sweaters. I ran them through the washer and dryer, and one of them didn't seem to budge. Hmph. 100% Merino Wool on the tag. I remembered something I read somewhere to cut the seams, so that's what I did. I cut up the sides on the seam and threw that sweater back in for round two. Ta-Da! It shrunk up nice!

It's been a good day.

We decided after 48 hours of tummy troubles to take the doggy to the vet. We went to a new place as our last vet used to charge an arm and a leg, but we thought we were doing the best thing for our pup by going to the "expensive" vet. Silliness. Exam, shot, 3 pills....$50! Our old vet would charge us that just to walk in the door! Hopefully we will all get some sleep tonight as we are all tired and getting a bit cranky from taking him out every few hours around the clock. I'm sure the doggy doesn't enjoy it much either.

I ordered a small amount of wool from Ram in the Thicket to make another penny rug and more green for shamrocks. That's the beauty of Ram in the Thicket, you can just buy a small amount (3x18 inches) or as much as you need. I got my package today! I love getting mail!

You can see from this next picture how well the 'burnt sugar' and 'barnboard' go together. I have sunflowers planned for those two. The 'barnboard' is a new addition all the way from across the pond! It has a tweedy look to it with shades of golds, greys, and brown. Burnt sugar is the gold and vergennes is the green. Love that green!

Maybe I will do a little stitching tonight if all goes well with the pup. I think he is ready for a nice long nap after his trip to the vet! Me too, and I didn't even have to take him. Thank you hubby!

I hope you are all having a nice Saturday as well. Stay warm!

Updated website: *items for sale*

I finally got around to changing my website a bit to offer items for sale directly instead of through etsy. I love etsy, but I'd like to have a little bit more control of things.

So far there is just one item for sale, but I still have that itch to stitch and have a few more items in different stages of completion. Having a sick kiddo at home for the past few days and headaches on my end have slowed me down a bit. And that darn job keeps getting in the way.  : ) 

Using Diana Klaassen's snowflake candle mat pattern from Create and Decorate February 2006 as a guide, I added hearts for a bit of Valentine's Day fun. I just love 100% wool. The way the stitches blend into the thickness of it, the feel, the ease of stitching......

Good news/Bad news

The good news is I've got the itch to stitch. The bad news is I've got the itch to stitch.  : )

I guess it depends on how you look at things. There are dishes and clothes to wash, toilets to be scrubbed, and meals to plan, but this morning I'm spending a little time stitching. I go through moods where I will really feel like creating a mess in my craft room (I like to call that productivity) and then other days where I feel guilty about the other things in life that need taken care of and will put off stitching for weeks. One day I will figure out how to get it all done without feeling guilty about neglecting one or the other. Until then it's a roller coaster.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so I'm creating a few 100% wool candle mats with hearts. This is the only time of the year I really get into hearts. Hopefully I will have something to show you in the next few days.

What are you working on today?

Happy stitching!

Latest crafty creations

Wow, two days in a row of no school for the kiddo. Needless to say he is in heaven, though his basketball game and the school band concert were cancelled as a result which he is disappointed about (the game more than the concert of course).

I finally found some wax at the craft store and dipped a batch of salt dough bowl fillers. I need to work on my technique a bit, but I love the way it ages them even more!

I also stitched up a little pincushion for my middle sister's birthday. My stitcheries always start out bigger and then end up smaller than expected just by stitching. One of these days I will remember that when I'm cutting out my material and not after I'm done. : )   This is 100% wool and then I used scraps of 100% wool to stuff it. An upcycled button topped it off. I think next time I will add leaves to make it look like a flower.

Unfortunately I took a bunch of pictures and then shipped it off to Colorado before looking at the final pictures. It's a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Now I'm going to bake sugar cookies for a memorial service on Thursday. A a dear member of our community passed way too early in his life. Take care everyone.

UPDATE: I've added a set of these salt dough bowl fillers to my etsy shop. As Christmas is too close to ship for, if you would like a set of snowflakes please let me know. I will also be making them for future holidays/seasons as they are just too much fun!

I think I need a support group

Bloggers Anonymous. No really. I visit one blog and add one or two from their list to mine, and on and on. I've read on a few blogs that I am not alone. It's a problem. Now there are worse things I could be doing with my time, but there are better things I could be doing as well. I do love looking at everyone's holiday decorations and crafty goodness. We have lived in our first home for about three years and other than painting one room, we have yet to make it our own. We do have plans, but we all know what that takes. I'm going to start setting a timer and when it goes off that's it, no more blog time!

I added a few items to my etsy shop. I have plans for more, and plans for adding 100% wool items in the new year as well.

To keep the holiday spirit going (I tend to be a Scrooge around the holidays), I made up a small batch of salt dough bowl fillers. I will bake them tonight when I get home from work and paint them tomorrow. That's the plan anyway. : )

Stay warm everyone. It's definitely winter in Ohio!

Wool

I think about wool a lot. Probably too much. It's even stretched over to sheep. They are so cute. I even have a few sheep home decor items that I've picked up at various places. I don't like the cutesy sheep with the faces painted or stitched on, more prim looking without a face. I like my dolls the same way, like Amish style or the Willow Tree Angels. Anyway, back to wool.

Purists will say only 100% wool will do. I do like it, though of course it is more expensive. I've found wool blend felt to be a nice compromise. Definitely a huge improvement from the craft store felt. It's not an acrylic blend either; I believe it's rayon. Of course you don't get the wonderful mottling and textures with wool blend felt though that you get with 100% wool. How I do love a beautifully mottled piece of wool!

I'm playing around today. It's rainy and gray out, so what else is a girl to do. I took some of my wool blend felt and, well, felted it some more. It made it much thicker and gave it a slightly nubby texture. I'm going to stitch up a small candle mat and see what happens. I already like the texture. It's thicker and almost gives the appearance of 100% wool. Of course it shrinks quite a bit, but still a more economical alternative to 100% wool.

I do think that one day I will switch over to 100% wool, but I'm curious to see what my crafting friends think.

I know for rug hooking only 100% wool will do, but what is your preference? Does it matter to you what the material is made out of when purchasing an item?