The Happiest of New Years!

Well, at least that's what I'm wishing for, aren't you?

It's been a bad year for me healthwise. I had colds that lingered, allergies that hung around for months, and strains & pains besides the ever present agoraphobia.

At least I'm back to making things again! No pics of what I'm working on but will post some next time after the holidays. I'm having so much fun tatting rings that I stopped working on anything else. I did get out all the stuff I bought to make art charms about 4 years ago. I never did them because I couldn't decide what to put inside. Now I just want to have a go at soldering. I put a few sequin snowflakes between the slides so I have something to practice on. I'll post about it next time.

Happy Holidays!

Thought I'd pop in to wish you all a Merry Christmas and if you celebrate another holiday I hope it's happy, too. I finally got the tree up this afternoon and decorated the house on Monday. Just didn't feel like spending time doing it so I kept putting it off. Speaking of putting things off. I finally started gift shopping yesterday. I know, could I have waited any longer! I don't have many to buy so it was pretty easy. I just have a few more things to get either tomorrow or Christmas eve. I used to do all of my shopping on Christmas eve but stopped when people would stop by and I couldn't get out.

These are 2 more totes I made for Tapas in Sewickley. You can see others in my last post if you missed it. Janet, the owner, sent this great vintage fabric for me to sew whatever I wanted so I lined a jean purse and made the water bottle tote to match. I'm not a huge fan of the jeans purses so these will be my last. I'm going to use old skirts from now on.

Here are 2 more made from the same pair of kid's jeans. I lined the purse with star print. I love the water bottle tote. I found this great cat print for the top of it.

On Monday I literally stayed up all night going thru all the inventory lists I had for Tapas and the sold receipts Janet sends when she pays me. I haven't done this since 2003 so had quite a few to go thru even though she now only pays me about 2 times a year. I was amazed when I realized just how much stuff I have at that shop and how old some of it is (from the 90's!). If I can get my panic attacks under some sort of control I hope to get there sometime in the next few months and pick up a bunch of the older stuff that's not selling and is probably looking more than a little worn.

This pic is of the fall tatting patterns I'm finishing up on top of a pile of holiday fabric. I've gotten side tracked by tatting rings for the new etsy store I want to open just for tatted and beaded jewelry. I'd like to have about 10 things to put in it when I open it next month. Tonight I'll be making earrings.

*Merry Christmas * Happy Hanuka *

*Happy Kwanzaa * Happy New Year*

Pics of totes and more!

These are a few of the totes I made and sent to tapas in Sewickley. The denim ones with the embroidered flowers are from the bottom of a pair of girls jeans I got at the local Salvation Army store. Great place to look for things to re/upcycle. In fact I bought the strawberry fabric I used to make the next totes there, too. There were 3, 1 yard matching pieces with strawberries. Couldn't resist as they are my favorite fruit. I thought these totes would be great to carry a water bottle and few other small things.

This bear waas a special order for a Tapas customer. She provided a shirt and I cut it up to make this bear. I used the cuff for the collar. My husband had a hard time letting this one go. He's a Steeler fan and loved the face on this one. I have more pics of the totes I made that I'll post next time.

I have talked to the most lovely person last week. Tamalyn is from Washington and has now bought 4 of my Christmas dolls. It's so nice to talk to customers and get their feedback. It's the one thing I miss about not doing craft shows. What I don't miss is the early mornings of getting everything ready and setting up. As I've posted before, I'm NOT a morning person.

So what am I doing now? I'm still working on the fall and winter tatting patterns and I started a winter fairy pattern. She is so cute! I just hope everything will go alright with the design.

I should be decorating but I just can't get in the mood to drag everything out. I don't even have the outside wreathes and bows out. Jack took the metal box I always stored them in up to his camp and I had to put everything in a few cardboard boxes. Now it's not as easy to find them.

Ok, I've embarrassed myself enough that I'm off to the basement to find the wreathes!

Sold the Winter Witch!

This is so amazing, I guess I have a new fan! I just sold the Christmas wynter witch I posted at ebay. The same customer also bought 2 of my elves. It's so great when someone likes your work so much they buy more than one thing. I was so happy I included one of the small bears I've been making in her package. I wasn't happy about the postage costs. I offered free postage thinking it would go for $5.80 but it was $8.30! I hate how postage has gone up so much. I guess I need to either stop offering free postage on things that have to be boxed or up the price to help cover the cost.

I finished the bears I made for Tapas but haven't mailed them. I need a bigger box! I would like to try for a trip to Sewickley but I haven't been that far from home in over 4 years. In case you readers don't know I have agoraphobia. I can travel close to home but anything further than 15 minutes away and I start to have panic attacks. I've had this trouble since I was a small child.

We had a new furnace installed the past 2 days so while all that was going on I sewed and tidied up my sewing room (it needed it!). I'm not a morning person and getting up at 7 am was very hard. I think I slept 3 hours Sunday/Monday and 4 Monday/Tuesday morning. I'm not a napper either. I was such a zombie but I did get a lot done. I had a stack of purses to make so I've been sewing them. Need to get some pics taken. They'll go to Tapas when they're done. It feels so good to go into the sewing room now that it's tidy. I'm really in the mood for sewing and not sitting here at the computer so I'm off to sew ;)

Bear Pics!

Couldn't get the good Nikon camera to work so I pulled out the Canon sureshot and YAY! got some pics to post. Guess the Nikon needs the battery pack charged.

The pic above is a bad shot of the bears and chenille dog I made to sent to Tapas. Really don't like these and can't understand why anyone would so I admit it took me almost 2 months to make these. They are so boring!

This one and the next are of the mini bears I making from an old jacket. I ran out of polyfil so I'm using the bag to hold the unstuffed pieces and the heads that need to be finished. I'll add the button eyes, embroider the nose & mouth, and sew on the ears before I sew the heads to the bodies. I had enough polyfil for 4 and a half so I have to hit the store to get more. The basket is holding the stuffed pieces.

This is a close-up of the label from the Jacket. When I used to make bears from clothes I always added the labels to them but with so many bears I don't think I'll be using them. Tonight I plan on getting the ones I have stuffed put together and hopefully I'll get out this weekend to get more polyfil. I do use the brand Polyfil. I've tried others but always come back to it.

Can you believe it, I'm back again!

I know, what a shock! I'm back again to add another pic. This one is of the skinny snowman I made. He's another put together last Dec. but never finished. My husband dislikes him because he's so thin but I think he's funny. One thing I did learn while adding the finishing touches, he would have made a great skeleton! I've got to remember that for next Halloween.

Finished the Tapas bears but when I went to package them I found I had gotten rid of the box I needed to mail them in. Took ages but found one I can use.

Got 9 bears out of the old jacket I've been writing about. They're all machine sewn, now for all the hand work. I think 4 will go in prim totes, 2 in each. Then I'll put 2 in metal sleds and the other 3 in stockings (I have to make). Was going to take pics but need to figure out how to use the flash on my camera. I always take pics outside so I never use it and didn't bother to learn how to turn it on.

Today's been another bad day. I'm out of black ink for my printer. I thought for sure there was one more in the box I store all the extras in but no. I did manage to print a pattern to go out today but I don't think I'd even be able to get a label printed. I'm trying to buy ink from the person I get it at at ebay but she's not answering my email so I tried a message thru ebay today. If I don't hear from her tomorrow I'll buy it elsewhere.

With all this trouble I thought I'd fire up the old win98 computer and use it's old epson printer for a few things I need printed but that didn't work out either. The printer turns on ok but when I send files to be printed it just sits there. Guess I'll have to uninstall the software and reinstall it tomorrow. I removed a usb hub I didn't need anymore so I guess it's confused as to where the printer is.

It's been like this for a month now. My small spaniel ended up in hospital after having a bowel obstruction. I've had a cold that one minute seems like it's going away and then it slams me so I can't do anything but sneeze, cough, and blow my nose. I broke one pair of my glasses and lost another in a huge pile of leaves. I'm scared to color my hair for fear it will all break off. Just hope it all ends soon as I'm having a new furnace installed on Monday. I know, stupid to do it in the the cold weather but try to tell that to my husband. Maybe that the thing this time. The furnace will be fine but after 2 days and no real heat I'll be sicker. Guess I'll be sitting in front of both electric heater blasting!

Ill try to get some pics of all these bears up once I figure out the flash!

Surprise! I'm back again!

I've been perusing some of my favorite blogs and realized I should be writing instead of reading! The pic above is of the Christmas Witch I made. It's over at the ebay store and remember all my dolls have free shipping all the time, not just for the holidays. The great thing about this doll is that the hat is removeable and the broom and basket at not sewn to the hands. If you like her but don't want a witch you can remove them. In fact if you say you read it here in I'll make her a different hat and instead of the broom I'll add another basket! Now you can have a Christmas Granny instead of a witch. If you're still looking for Halloween dollies, mine are still up at ebay. I find I tend to sell more of them at Christmas than at Halloween!

I thought I finished the bears for Tapas last night but as I was showing them to my husband I noticed I had forgot to stitch two sections in one bear's legs. At least I noticed it before packing them for the PO. Oh well, I'll do that tonight while I stuff some of the small teddy's I sewed up this afternoon. I still have a few to cut out. I found I got 8 out of the jacket I cut them from. There's a bit left so I may do a rabbit or pig out of it. Also planning on finally getting a snow fairy or 2 cut out if I can decided on the fabric.

WooHoo, I'm finaly in the mood to sew again! Now if my cold would just go away so I'd have more energy.

Things Selling at eBay

This is one of the elf dolls I actually made but didn't quite finish last year. She just sold at ebay this past week along with one of the boy elves. I still have one more boy, a skinny snowman, a Christmas witch, and some snowladies over at ebay. At etsy I have a tree top angel and some snowmen ornies. Here's a pic of the boy elf at ebay.

I'm busy sewing bears for a local shop called Tapas. I have 2 more to finish and then I'm starting on 4 small bears I'm making from an old cotton fleece jacket. I plan on tea staining them and using old buttons for the eyes and joints. I want them to look real primmie.

Oh, and I'm finishing up the fall series of tatting patterns. The tatting is done, I just have to decide how I want to display them. Like putting them on cards or on totes. Then I have to write the directions and take pictures. Guess the fall and winter series won't be out anytime soon ;) I'm working on a few tatted projects I needed for the winter series and I'm beginning to think I should just skip to the spring series. I've been doing a lot of research on tatting patterns, sites, and blogs online. I was surprised to see a person selling just one downloadable pattern for earrings for $2.95. I was worried my patterns were too high but I guess I'm still ok.

I'll post more pics next time!