March is in Like a Lion

I love snow days! They give me an excuse to put off errands and get things done around the house.  I am very blessed that my “job” is right here at home, so I can just hunker down and enjoy. I’ve cleaned, done the laundry, finished up some inventory sheets and now I’m working on my newest elephant pillow.

Adding baby pink beads to Elephant.

Soon the mailboxes will be covered!



The trees in the backyard are so pretty.

Art by Golders ~ Complete with Beading

The last bead was sewn onto this beautiful wreath recently and it was returned to artist Golders DeWitt. What a beautiful project! I enjoyed working on it very much. Do you have art-on-fabric you'd like to have embellished with beading?

From Cardinals to Peacocks

I have been working on Christmas items for my Etsy shop since September. Now the fabric is gone. Yay! Happily, sales are going well. I feel I can sit back for a few moments and enjoy the fruits of my labor. The other day I received a request to elaborately bead another peacock pillow. Because I bead all the feathers, these pillows are very time consuming...but...this wonderful customer has given me no deadline. I can work on this extravagant pillow at my leisure. Ahhhh.

 

A belated Happy Thanksgiving...and best of luck as you head into the hectic Christmas season.

Autumn Inspiration

Remember me? I have been away too long with no good excuse other than I have been in the craft room and back and forth (and back and forth) from the lake. This is such a beautiful time of the year in SE MN and NW WI. The leaves are changing and the “tourists” have gone home. The drive to the lake is a blessing and I do not mind traveling the 140 or so miles there and back as often as my life allows.

 

On my way down Salem Road.

Giant pumpkins in Wabasha, MN.

Beautiful sumac along Highway 53 in WI near New Auburn.

No, I do not have enough pictures of the moon rising over the point at the lake!

Bountiful fields of corn near Plainview, MN.

These road trips have inspired me to create a new beaded pillow: Pumpkin pillows! Some are already available in my Etsy shop and others have been created for a local boutique (look below). These pumpkin/gourd pillows are another excellent way for me to upcycle my fabric scraps.

News from My Craft Room

Thank you to everyone who said such wonderful things about my post over on Kim’s Snug Harbor Bay blog. Kim's blog  And a huge thank you to Kim for the great opportunity!

I have finished another little pillow pendant and will have it available in my Etsy shop soon. my shop


I’ve also just begun another pillow; this one is from a panel of 6 sewing notions and kittens. It’s a very detailed print; and check out the coordinating button print fabric on the back!

Queen for a Day

I sure feel like a Queen today. I'm a Guest Blogger and that's very cool. My sincere thanks to Kim for allowing me such a wonderful opportunity!



Opportunity

Now where's that crown......

Pillow Pendants

What to do with those tiny scraps of material left-over from creating lovely beaded pillows? Create tiny beaded pillows, of course! And attach a ribbon. And call them pendants. So this is what has kept me out of trouble the past couple of days. The little owl and the butterfly are available in my Etsy shop. The shell will be completed and listed there soon.

Speaking of shells, I must thank Della of Del's Shells her blog for the short but productive brainstorming session at the Cracker Barrel!

An Update from the Craft Room

Row Row Row Your Boat is almost finished…

 And plans for my next project are taking shape. After a visit to my mom’s House of Fabric (you have to see to believe how much material is in her sewing room!), I came across a wonderful panel of quotations. I only had to ask once and she gave me a wonderful saying by Anonymous.

 I haven’t made a postcard pillow in a while and thought this would make an excellent one.

Row Row Row Your Boat WIP

My latest work-in-progress is another design by illustrator Julie Paschkis. julie's site  I love her work! This little pillow features a man in a boat calmly drifting along. The green swirls of the river have been quilted. I’ve trimmed the pillow and started on the center lantern. Many more beads will have to be hand sewn onto this treasure before it’s completed; the journey continues.

Lots of little yellow and crystal seed beads with a few small faux pearls will make this lantern shine.



Grass green seed beads trim this lovely pillow.

Friends

Thanks to Etsy and Blogger I've met some pretty cool people over the past 3 years, but Della (Del's Shells) is the first I've met in person. She has been such a wonderful support to me, my Etsy shop and my blog that it truly was a privilege to actually sit down and share brunch with her this past Sunday in Ocala, FL. Although we spent only about an hour together I think we could've used up the entire day chatting away and not run out of topics! She is a beautiful person and talented crafter. She is my friend.

Please take a moment and check out Della's wonderful shop and blog I promise you'll find some lovely things!

Della and me.

My beautiful shell/bead necklace hand-crafted by Della.

Miniature Art Close to My Heart

Recently my friend, artist Melody Lea Lamb www.miniatureanimalart.com/ put her talents to work and delighted me with an ACEO of my sweet dog, Nikky. For those who may not know what an ACEO is, here is the definition from Melody's blog:

In 2004 the unique little art form known as ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) was born on eBay. ATC (Art Trading Cards) have been around for centuries and are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold. In contrast, artists primarily create ACEOs with the intention of selling them. ACEOs came to be as a result of the public's interest in acquiring and collecting these tiny works of art that were (up until the ACEO) strictly traded between artists.

My family adopted Nikky when he was just 8 weeks old from a breeder in Wisconsin. St. Nicholas of Crocus (his official name by which he was never ever called) was a Maltese and spent the next 14 years as a much-loved member of my immediate and extended family. Nick passed away 5 years ago. But he will never be forgotten. And, thanks to Melody, I have this beautiful ACEO to keep with me always.

Melody also had Nick's portrait transferred to fabric by www.spoonflower.com/welcome so I could create and bead pillows for family and my Etsy shop.
I have begun the process and, through my blog, will share it with you.

The backing has been chosen and the first pillow sewn and stuffed. Next step: choosing the beads....and that will be another day, another post...

Take a Peep at These Chicks

On this chilly, windy, the-rain-may-turn-to-snow day, it's been my pleasure to work with some of Melody Lea Lamb's warm & fuzzy art fabric http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/melody_lea_lamb

The Yellow Easter Chicks print was just the right size for creating some little beaded art Easter ornaments.

I work mainly with seed beads which can be a very slow process. At this time I have completed four ornaments. Here you see three ornaments that will be sold as a set in my Etsy shop.

Easter is April 24th ~ my goal is to have several more of these sweet Chicks available in time for the Holiday.