Smile

I have been on the computer a lot the past couple of days updating my website and my etsy shop. Check them out- there are some fun, new Halloween treats to make you smile.

That is what I love most about being a crafter. Not only does it make me happy to see my customers get a tickle out of seeing my work but I, too, get a laugh out of these little faces! What fun to make these treats! And it's even more fun to uncover them for a show after they've been packed away for a while.

My hope is to, at the very least, make you smile and make your heart feel glad when you look at my creations. And it fuels my creativity when I hear your giggles!

Enjoy your day!

What a show!

What a great weekend! I had so much fun at the Uncle John's Cider Mill Arts and Crafts Show. The weather was perfect, our location was wonderful and sales were record-breaking! We always get to meet such great people- and this weekend was no exception. The other crafters are always so nice and helpful. They give great advice and much-needed encouragement. The customers are wonderful, too. I love to hear their laughter and joy at seeing my work. Their appreciation means a lot to me. And, I got to spend two days with my best friend, Susan, talking and laughing (sometimes 'til we cried). It's a lot of hard work- I'm exhausted and suffering from a whopper of a head cold- but it was so much fun and very inspiring.

That's all for now. I've got lots to do to get ready for Haslett. Enjoy your day!

Show Time

Well, time to get ready for the Uncle John's Cider Mill craft show this weekend. Actually, I'm doing pretty good. I've done these shows enough now that I've got a good routine going- basically price, inventory and pack as I go. This evening I'll get together with Susan, my partner-in-craft, to load the minivan and head out to the cider mill to set-up our tent and merchandise. Last year, it rained non-stop and hard, the wind blew, the ground was a soupy mess- I'll never forget it! Praise God, the sun is shining and it looks like it will be a beautiful weekend! I'm really looking forward to experiencing this show the way it is meant to be.

In the mean time, to keep my fingers busy, I'm whipping up a autumn-themed jacket to show off this weekend. I took a dark green sweatshirt, cut off the cuffs and band around the bottom, and cut open the front so that I can wear it like a jacket. Now, I'm blanket-stitching pumpkins and sunflowers to the front and back. Later, I'll roll the bottom of both sleeves, the bottom of the jacket and both sides of the opening and blanket-stitch them in place with a coordinating floss.
Voila! A quick, cute, pumpkin-y jacket to wear at my shows and keep me warm this fall.

I won't blog anymore this weekend because of the show but I'll check in on Monday to fill you in on all the details. Have a beautiful weekend and, if you happen to be in St. John's, Michigan, come and see me!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I love fall! I know I've said this before but I can't stress it enough- I love fall!!! I'm an October baby, after all!


And I love pumpkins, especially jack-o-lanterns. Which came first, the love of fall or the love of pumpkins? Don't know, don't care, just looove 'em!

I love to look at pumpkins, buy pumpkins, eat pumpkin pie and, someday I'd like to try and grow some pumpkins in my little back yard. Then there are those wonderful jack-o-lantern faces. So fun, even when they're scary. And then there's Asher. He's not a pumpkin, he's my 20 month old son- complete with a head full of pumpkin-red hair!

How's about you get your pumpkin on?! Grab some orange fabric, 2 layers, cut out a free-hand pumpkin shape. Take the top layer and give it some personality with black buttons, bits of black and gold wool. Blanket stitch the two layers together, stuff, stick on the end of a piece of grapevine or a twig from your yard and pop it into a plant or pitcher or vase or... anywhere!

Enjoy your day!

Best Friends, Witches Boots and Tags

What a great day! I spent the morning crafting with my best friend Susan, made a 'bouquet' of autumn witches boots and baked some yummy smelling tags.

Susan and I have been friends for eight years now and we've been crafting together for the past three. Together, began our crafting business, Fabric Confections (check out the link to our website below). We craft together, laugh together, put on craft shows together, laugh some more, shop for crafts together-while laughing. You get the idea. We are a great source of inspiration and support to each other, for which I am very thankful. Crafting is fun but it's even better when you have someone to craft, and laugh, with! That's Susan. (check out her blog- the link is below.)

Now for my witches boots. I just love those! There is a bit more work to them than some of the other things I make so I tend to put them off. But when I do make them I always love the way they turn out. The three that I completed today aren't so overtly Halloween. You could keep them out for the whole season and add some spookier elements as you get closer to Halloween.

Which leads me to the tags. I felt that my Autumn Witches Boots needed a little something extra- like a tag saying 'Welcome'. Unfortunately, new tags are just too new. What to do? Make a little extra coffee in the morning and set aside the extra in a small bowl. Add a splash of vanilla extract and a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon. Turn your oven on to 250 and line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Dip each tag into the mixture and lay the tag on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15- 20 mins. until dry. Smells yummy! When they are dry you can write a little message on it and use it to spruce up your decorations- they also make fun and creative gift tags.

That's all for now. I have to start prepping for our craft show this weekend. More on that to come!

Welcome to my blog! My artsy-crafty blog. Here goes....

Let's discuss fall. I know- technically it is still summer- at least for a few days. But fall is coming. You can feel it in the air first thing in the morning, you can see it in the trees and sprinkled on the ground in shades of gold. It's time to start bringing out your autumn decorations, your pumpkins and mums and, if you are like me, usher in the Halloween.

And, for those of us who like to create-artsy-crafty if you will- it's time to freshen-up our fall decorations with some hand-made fun. Pull out your pumpkin, moss, amber and garnet shades of wool and roving. Wash up some homespun plaids and earthy wovens that remind you of the colors of fall. Keep it simple: a pretty, little, blanket-stitched, wool pumpkin on a thin dowel, with a strip of homespun tied underneath, stuck into a pot of fresh mums will do the trick.

Keep creating and hang in there with me while I create a place for us to discuss all things artsy-crafty.