Working on Wool

I made myself a promise at the start of the summer that I would work hard on my wool all through the summer so I wouldn't have such a panic-rush to finish up things for my fall commitments. Huh, I wonder where the summer has gone?

Now, of course,  I have been working on some wool through June and July - but you see, there's a big difference between laa-dee-da-I'm-relaxing-and-working-on-wool and it's-time-to-kick-toosh-and-produce-wool. Needless to say - I do believe I've been working pretty exclusively in the first mode.

I have managed to kick up the heat (little pun intended!) in the past week and have gotten a little more focused on what needs to be done.  So here's a little glimpse of what I've been working on.

Getting owl key chains ready...

Cutting leaves...

Cutting and sewing for coasters...

Cutting for scarves...

It's a good start - but it's only the beginning!  Gotta love that wool!

I'm in love with Mollie

During my visit to Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago (LOVE that store!!), I found a new magazine called Mollie Makes.

It's brand new, published in the UK, and I am head over heels about it! There's even a cute, small envelope attached to the front cover with a kit to make a felt flower. Wow - what a fun idea!

There is such a fresh, playful, yet sophisticated feel to it. I fear that I am going to have to run to B&N to catch the next issue (just out) and am really struggling to keep myself from subscribing to this lovely, monthly magazine!  (It's isn't the cheapest magazine - but I'm feeling sorrow just thinking about having to miss an issue!)

Check it out yourself!  And check out their great mission statement.  Yup, I'm in love with Mollie.

Breathing Again

Whew. Our crazy heat wave is finally gone and I'm finally back to working on wool.

I'm being kind of lazy these days - guess I'm still getting my energy back after being hit with a little heat exhaustion - but I'll try to share some photos of what I'm working on soon.

One thing that I'm starting to cut for is scarf pieces. Yuck - it's kind of hard to imagine wrapping wool around my neck right now - but I know the time that we'll want to, will be here waaay too soon!

Taken from Jeezbean.wordpress.com.

Dream On

I made a treasury on Etsy earlier today. A treasury is a gathering of items for sale on Etsy that you like - and have some sort of theme, whether it be by color, feeling, texture, etc.

This one I created felt like I could float away in a wonderful dream world in any of these visions. Check it out. Dreamy, huh?

The Tin Study

Remember some time ago I mentioned a little wool project that I was working on?  Well, I haven't made great strides with it - but I did finish a few of the items.

I was lucky enough to find a small collections of tins in the thrift store, cleaned and spray painted them, and made them into pin cushions. I wanted to make them similar - but with each one being embellished in a different way. Thus - my little "Study in Tin".

I really am not thrilled by how they are turning out - but I guess every project isn't always a wild success. But....I'll show you anyway and I thought I'd given them a whirl on Etsy as well.

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3

Study 4

And, all together now...

I still have a few more that I have to finish - we'll see if they have more pizazz!

 

Help Me, I'm Melting...

"Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!"
 
Oh ya - I feel just like that nasty wicked witch that Dorothy and her companions so cleverly destroyed while skipping through Oz.

We're having a heck of a heat wave here in the midwest, and - by George, I think I'm saying this for the first time ever - but.....it's too hot to work on wool! Yikes!

I can't wait for the heat to pass - but apparently, we still have a few more days to survive.  Until then, my little pretties....

Borrowed from Wikipedia.com.



I Don't Sew

Ok.

I do sew.

A lot.

But I definitely don't sew clothing.

That, my friends, is a whole other ball game.

A few weeks ago, the zipper on one of my favorite-most-comfortable zip-up sweatshirts broke. Big bummer.

I decided that it was foolish for me to even think about replacing the zipper in the normal seamstress fashion. So I needed to figure out some way to fix it - or trash my old buddy.

I dug in my stash of thrift-store-find-zippers and found a huge zipper. I laid it next to the failed one - and wa la - it was darn near the same length! It just might work.

But instead of taking out the previous zipper and replacing it - I took the lazy-woman's way out - and sewed the new zipper under the old one...and it worked! Have you ever heard of such a thing?

I'll be darned - I can again wear my sweatshirt and it didn't cost a thing!

My Package from Greece

It's heeeeeere!

I decided to splurge on something from another Etsy artist that I really, really didn't need. But I wanted.

I've been impatiently waiting for my package to arrive all the way from Greece.

Last Friday I got a note from my mail carrier that I had a "foreign" package and it would be at the post office waiting for me, or I could request that they deliver it.

Deliver it, please.

I waited. Saturday....Monday....no package.

Yesterday I stopped at the post office. Can I have my package, please?

It was delivered today.

Ok, fine.  :-)

I get home and plant myself in my grandma's rocker on the back porch.  I anxiously prepare to open my first package from Greece.

 

Oh my, such a fun little package inside.

What could it be?

Can you stand the suspense?  OMG, just open the darn thing!

TaDa!  Fancy little "barefoot sandals" - beautifully crocheted in the softest lavendar thread!  (Oh please, don't look at my scruffy old feet - people, keep your eyes on the purple!)

I think they are so cute and I wore them all evening. Bet you want a pair now too!  Step right up...you can get your own right here!  Lasunka.

It's Planting Time

I got some beautiful new perennials at one of our local Farmer's Market last Wednesday - for only $3 each! I was gone all weekend, so I do really need to get outside this evening to get some things planted, but in the meantime, they look awful sweet waiting patiently in front of my shed...

Strawberry Jam

Whew. I made it through yesterday. It was a struggle of a day - but I managed to get some fresh strawberries picked and made into jam. Take a peek...

Breaking Down

You know how sometimes it's just a tough day. No reason. No event. No excuse. Just a tough day.

I'm struggling today trying to keep my head above my drowning mind and soul. I hope tomorrow is a better day.

I in the meantime, I'm still working wool - but not at a very fast pace. But I fear that the fall, and my fall-show-sale commitments are going to sneak up on me quite quickly! I best start working at more than a sluggish snails pace.

Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, I'll be able to show you a few more things I've been working on. Here's a glance.

In My Sisters Garden

Oops!  My computer was acting goofy - so this post went out without being complete!

Well, here goes the real post...........

This weekend I was at my sister's house for our family/friend party. I gave my sister and her husband their anniversary blanket. I think they liked it.

It's always such great fun visiting my sister's - I thought I'd take you for a little stroll through her garden/yard. Come on....you'll like it. The first few photos are of the cutest flower basket on their barn and the rest are from flowers throughout the yard.