Greeting friends! Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. I find myself sitting down to write this post shortly after midnight. Yes, we are still on a night schedule at our house - and yes, it is still challenging. Really (if I am being honest), life as a whole is extremely challenging right now. These late nights have been hard on me mentally, but good for my productivity - no interruptions in the middle of the night is definitely good for getting things done. In fact, I have been so productive, that I finally made the tough decision to start selling many of my one-of-a-kind sewing creations and models. I have been slowly adding single pieces to my Etsy shop...this will give me room to create more! I have a few favorite items that I am holding on to, and I have gifted MANY pieces over the years, but my pile has been steadily growing...and in this difficult economic climate (running a small business isn't always the best financial decision, as my husband has been reminding me), I decided it was time to part with some of my special pieces. Many of the totes and zipper bags have sold (but there are still a few, as of this writing) and I have now started posting my one-of-a-kind pincushions. I am still thinking on my pillows and quilts. I just know I can't use them all...and the joy is in the creating, not the storing...so it is time to do a little spring summer cleaning...and I am hoping I can find good and loving homes for my creative works. If you are interested in any of my special "made with love" pieces, keep an eye on my Etsy Shop: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com - I am adding pieces as time allows.
I have also been working on and listing more Stitch Starter Ruler and Sleeve Sets and I have some patchwork project bags in progress that will be listed later this week.
On the designing front - for quilters and sewists, I am putting the finishing touches on several new quilt patterns (including my Halloween Star Quilt)...and for my cross stitch fans, I have three new cross stitch models in the works. It has been harder to balance it all lately - I find myself working on projects that pay the bills and not the creative endeavors/new designs I want to explore...which is another reason life feels so challenging right now. It is all making me a bit emotional and frustrated.
I do have new Poppie Cotton pieces to share a week from Friday (July 5th) for the Cottage Charm Fabric Tour...here is a peek at this new fabric collection I snapped before I cut into it...
...and I do have a new Therm O Web project tutorial in thought progress for July. I just got the schedule and themes for next month, and my post will be on the Therm O Web Blog on July 17th...
I will finish up this post on a happy note...here is a fun, short video/Reel I created with some of my special pincushions...this is the version I have on my YouTube channel, but for the best version (because of the music and video timing), view my Reel on Instagram. I have to change music for YouTube to follow copyright guidelines.
Greetings friends - happy Wednesday! If you follow me on social media, then chances are, you have seen some of my recent creations for the Poppie Cotton Christmas Countdown Challenge. Poppie Cotton created a very fun word prompt list beginning on December 1st - each day, you can use the word as a prompt to create something and post an image(s), tagging them for a chance to win prizes - you can participate as little or as often as you like. You can visit their Instagram page post for all the details...and visit their website for a downloadable list, a coloring page and Santa templates! I have been participating on most days and have enjoyed my time creating projects for some of the words...
I have posted on multiple days, and here are some of my photos and creations....
Day 1 - Christmas Pincushion
I created two cube pincushions, using the Poppie Cotton Snuggle Up Buttercup fabric Collection.
Day 3 - Hot Cocoa
I created a whimsical mug rug with a tea cup of hot cocoa, using mini buttons for marshmallows. I was just playing around...but will create a pattern, if there is interest (let me know in the comments!).
Day 4 - Peppermint
For peppermint, I created a small project bag - appliquéing the word JOY and using wool for the peppermint appliqué. I used red, white and green baker's twine for the zipper pull. This was a lot of fun to make and was (again) just me playing around in my studio...
For cookie exchange, I made my favorite molasses cookies and photographed them on my Alphabet House Mug Rugs (pattern available in my Etsy Shop in both paper format and digital format). I also provided my molasses cookie recipe, so you can make a batch yourself!!
I hope these creative ideas will get you in the holiday mood and provide some inspiration and Christmas cheer! I have more posts up my sleeve for future days, so look for those on my social media pages...
For now, it is back to work - I am feeling quite stressed with client orders after my time away in New Zealand and recovering from a terrible case of the flu (I am much better, but still have a nasty cough!)....so I am busy from morning until night in the studio. I will share some of those pieces soon. Also, I have some very exciting news to share in the coming days - I am a brand ambassador/designer for a favorite company and will be posting fun projects and tutorials for them soon...stay tuned for that announcement...
Hi friends - happy Wednesday! Thank you for visiting...and you are here on a great day...I'm going to share a handful of finishes that have come out of the studio recently...well, maybe a few more than a handful...I have been creating daily! We all know that I like to work in quite a few mediums...and I wear numerous creative hats. Today's photos include a plethora of project bags, quilted pillows, needlework finishing, an embroidered pin pillow, an appliqued wall hanging, stitch starter ruler sleeves, mug rugs, tote bags, needle and scissor keeps, and even a tomato and a pumpkin!...and that is just a selection of projects. Some of you may be wondering why there isn't much cross stitch...well, the truth is, I am stitching a couple new design models in the evenings and you will get to see those soon (well, as soon as I get them complete - there are only so many hours in a day!). So get ready for loads of eye candy and I'll be back at the end for a few final notes...
How was that for a variety? I hope you saw something that inspired you to finish your next project!
I want to take a moment and thank everyone that sent me lovely comments and messages regarding my new website, my new quilt patterns and my class schedule. While it is hard to make time to reply to each and every message, I want you to know how much I appreciate the uplifting messages and comments. In a world that can often be negative, your kind words of support and encouragement mean so much to me. Thank you!
I am headed back to my mile long to-do list today - I will be busy in the studio. I am working hard before we take our vacation in a few days! I am very excited to take a road trip with my husband and refresh my my creative spirit. We have some wonderful things planned while we are in Fredericksburg, TX...and a good friend reminded me that I will be VERY close to The Tinsmith's Wife (how could I forget that?) in Comfort, TX (where another dear friend told me we must visit!), so that may be happening. As always, I will take TONS of photos and share a few with you.
Until my next post - create something that brings you joy! 💗
