robinpich (thirtyone13)

Owl Wall.

2012-02-05T12:47:00.000-06:00

I guess I have a collection since I have "more than 1" of something....................
I didn't plan this; it just kind of evolved.
But I couldn't be happier with it. This first picture was done by my DD. She's 20, in her 2nd yr of college so I was glad to have some of her artwork to remind me of her while she's not home. I framed in a plain white, rustic frame and hung it up with my other 3 Owlies. But I didn't like it for some reason. It was kind of "lost" on the white walls.

So, I distressed it with my black ink pad (rubber stamp pad) and then sanded the heck out of it. The result is MUCH BETTER. Now the Owl shows up better and the frame doesn't blend in so much with the walls.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my Owlies!

Felted wool Letters............

2012-02-01T20:47:00.000-06:00

I just have to show ya'll the latest Felted Letters I have created and shipped off to Fargo, ND!
I sold these thru my Etsy shop and the customer that purchased them is an Interior Decorator. I was FLATTERED!!! She is going to use these in an Assisted Living Facility.

All of these were hand stitched and stretched over artist canvas.

Framed Cross stitch

2012-01-24T20:32:00.002-06:00

Framed Cross stitch Jan 24, 2012, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

I didn't stitch these 2 small pictures; they were given to me as a gift. But I never could find a good way to display them as a stand alone. I decided to combine them into one picture. I took an old frame, painted it white, sanded it down. I then mounted burlap fabric onto a piece of matboard. I glue a thumb tack into the burlap board to hang each small picture. Now they function as one piece of art. I just love how it turned out.

Doodling inspired by Zentangles...........SWAP-BOT spoiler if you are my partner!

2012-01-21T12:24:00.003-06:00

Over the last year, I've tried more arts and crafting ideas that I've found in blogland.
I never thought I'd like making Inchies, but I love those little 1" wonders. Also, I'd never heard of ATCs or Zentangles until a few months ago. Now, in addition to my stitching and embroidery, I've been drawing and doodling like crazy.

I joined a swap on Swap-bot.com to make 5 pages in a Zentangle Journal and send to a partner. It's kind of like a "round robin" but this you just draw 5 pages and send it on and then in the next round that person draws 5 pages and sends it on. You keep going until the book is filled up. If you get a full journal, you keep it! You can join at any time you want at the beginning of a new round or you can skip or drop out. Either way, you get a journal with Zentangles on at least 5 pages or maybe more if the journal has been swapped several times. I decided to join this round (round 6) and this is the journal I've created:

The cover was created using sewn magazine pages that I found Here. I didn't take pictures of the "in process". I followed Alma's instructions but after I had the gesso painted, I ventured out to this:

I took a black sharpie and went over the "sewn" lines. That created different "sections" that I colored in with different markers (highlighters worked best). Then I doodled and tangled in each section until I got results I liked. I did this over several days of working a little at a time. Once I got the whole page complete, I cut it down to the size that would fit the front of the journal.

I zig zagged the edges to help hold it all together and I like the way sewn pages look too.

I did give this a very light coat of matte Mod Podge to help "seal" it. The markers and shading could rub off some so I wanted to protect it somewhat. But be VERY careful with the Mod Podge, you'll have a big 'ole smeared mess if you don't put it on lightly and wipe your brush off in between strokes. TRUST ME on this one!

I signed the cover, dated it and then glued to the journal.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I really, really wanna keep it, but it's for a swap partner. I just hope she likes it but then if she stays in each round, it will move on to another partner until it's full. I would love to know where it ends up when it's completely filled in.

New to me Etsy shops

2012-01-09T13:31:00.000-06:00

Hi all!!! I joined a swap on Swap-bot where we each promote the other's ETSY stores. Check these out if you have time:

Jessie and JessJess - my favorite is the musical button!
Pookledo - Egypts Golden Sands - Freeform Peyote Bracelet
ThatNatsCrafty - Oreo Bobby Pin

All 3 have some really cute items for sale.

New Hoop for the Hoopla wall..............

2012-01-08T00:22:00.000-06:00

I have added another new Hoop! and I have to update this every once in a while, especially when I get a new hoop up on the wall.
Hope you enjoy.................I can't wait til it's FULL!!! Of course, it's never really "full", but this shows the symmetry that I want on this wall. If I receive more or make more, then I'll just start a new wall heheee...

I stitched this Eagle about 15 yrs ago for DH; it's on (or was) a denim work shirt. He wore it (and one other I stitched) for years until it just about fell apart. I couldn't throw the stitching out, so I hooped it! I decided I would hang it up and enjoy it for lots more years.

And I'd love to add more.............anyway want to do a personal exchange? You make me a hoop that will fit into one of these areas and I can make you ??? (a hoop also, inchies, Zentangle pages, ATCs, felted wool items? like ornaments, pillows, picture on canvase, monograms - check out my flickr for more items I've made)

Treasuries...................EVERYWHERE!!

2012-01-06T20:17:00.000-06:00

OK, a little SELF PROMOTING HERE:

I'm featured in all 4 of these ETSY TReasuries.........................
They are BNSs, which means if you buy from any shop in the treasury, your shops will be featured in the next round. I've been an Etsy seller for a year and this has been THE BEST WAY TO PROMOTE my shop and get sales.

If you have a few minutes, please stop by each one and click the "heart" at the top right corner..............and buy something too (please!) :-)

Typography Wall Art - hand embroidered:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTYzNDAyN3wxNzExODMxNjgw/open-uniques-new-years-bns-no-minimum?index=0&page=3#comments

Tshirt Yarn:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/ODI3NzI0OXwxNzE3MjE4ODk5/open-bns-2-1-buy-in-gets-you-3-sales-to?page=3#comments

Felted Wool Storage Container:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU3MDY3OTN8MTY2NDQ2NDkzOA/open-bnsone-sweet-world-round-8total

Tshirt yarn:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTg5MDA2MDh8MTcxMzk0MDg3OA/open-etsy-gems-cleanin-up-for-the-new?page=6#comments

Thanks for visiting my blog and my shop!

INCHIEs

2012-01-04T21:43:00.002-06:00

Jan 4, 2012, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

Has anyone else gotten addicted to these little 1" squares? When I first saw them, I thought, "now what the heck would I do with 1" squares"? But now that I've made them and swapped them, they are so stinking cute!
Here's just random ones I've started............

Tshirt yarn

2012-01-03T20:45:00.002-06:00

Tshirt yarn Jan 3, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

Lots of colors - yarn from tshirts.

swirly embroidery

2012-01-02T21:39:00.002-06:00

swirly embroidery 4 inch hoopla (6), a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

Day 2 of Creative Everyday!
Embroidered on upcycled tie dyed tshirt fabric.

Jan 1, 2012 - Be Creative Every Day

2012-01-01T22:51:00.002-06:00

I've always wanted to try a "365" project but have never taken the time. This year I joined http://creativeeveryday.com/" rel="nofollow">creativeeveryday.com/ and will "try" to upload photos daily of whatever I've "created" on that day. I've always wanted to try a "365" project but was never sure what I wanted but this seems appropriate.......................to just Be Creative Daily. It might be zentangle drawing, making ATCs, making inchies, embroidering, cross stitching, or sewing wool felt. Just random arts and crafts that I'm working on or interested in trying. Some things may be for me, some may go to swap partners and some may be total flops and end up in the trash. But follow with me..............or try it yourself. It's going to be fun!

First item is already a start for THIS coming Christmas, which I know is 11+ months, but you can never start too early on making ornaments :-)

This is my adaptation of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Sewn ATC

2011-12-27T07:06:00.001-06:00

made for Craftster swap, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

If you know what an ATC is, you know they can be VERY ADDICTING!!! especially if you love to embroider or stitch and you combine the 2!
I made this for a swap on Craftster and I really wanted to keep it :-)
My partner was lucky that I didn't, hahaaa.....I'll have to make another one to keep. But it was fun to see it evolve.

New ornaments.........

2011-12-04T20:57:00.000-06:00

Now that the Christmas season has officially kicked off (I have my tree up, so I declare it, LOL), here's a few new ornaments that DH and I both worked on. I'm quite proud of these, but especially that DH got in there in helped me out :-) DH cut all of the wood and put the wire hangers on; he even painted the tree, snowman and star. I think he did a very good job.

The are "penny rug" style using felted wool sweaters and buttons from my stash. They were super fun to make and look fabulous on the tree!!!

These were made from wood I purchased from this ETSY shop , felted wool and scrabble tiles. I just love using old scrabble games for crafting.

DD made these from the wood that DH cut out. She made one for her aunt and uncle (my brother and his "new" wife - can ya believe it's been almost a year since he remarried after losing his first wife to cancer?-time goes by so fast these days) and one for her boyfriend's parents.

Then DD made one for each cousin - this is just a sampling - there are 9 altogether for the cousins

Just some random embroidery that I made - one of my nieces loves owls, so this will probably be part of her Christmas gift.

2 ATC's that I made: water color paper, hand embroidery and then stitched to the watercolor ATC background.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-24T17:28:00.000-06:00

I almost missed wishing you all a Happy Day! We've been eating most of the day, so I've not been on the computer, LOL!!!!

Now is everyone ready for BLACK FRIDAY???????? and the CRAZY holiday buying time????????? I love to shop on Black Friday but this year, we'll be traveling, so I'll miss all the hoopla.
For those of you shopping, be careful!!!!!!!!!!!! and be safe!!!!!!!!!!!

atc made for madhatteh (2)

2011-11-16T21:11:00.001-06:00

atc made for madhatteh (2), a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

Machine stitched on linen, mounted to ATC card stock. The background is colored with a blue colored pencil and then I zig-zag stitched around the edges. I made this for a swap on Craftster for MadHatteh. She's military and it was an Honor to make this for her.

Where has this month gone....

2011-11-14T07:17:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe this month is half over.............is it really only about 6 weeks til Christmas? Oh my. I am NOT READY!
Been stitching some, working on Etsy shop orders.
Wanted to share this treasury I'm in. Please check out these shops for your gifts this year. Handmade is a great way to go!

Have a great Monday. I hope to show you all the new stuff I've been working on sometime this week......stay tuned.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

2011-11-05T11:19:00.001-05:00

HUGE GAME TODAY! GOOD LUCK BAMA..................Let's Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(of course, these hoops are for sale in my ETSY Shop-see link at sidebar) - shameless plug, I know, heehee. :)

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-31T07:50:00.001-05:00

I love making these pumpkins! They are so fun. I made a few last year that were alot larger; This year, I stuck to smaller just cuz they're so cute! (ok, shameless plug for myself I know, heheheeee). You can use them as fall decorations OR PINCUSHIONS! They are stuffed with wool scraps, so they are quite heavy.

Have a safe, Happy Halloween!

bloglovin............and posting comments on blogs

2011-10-26T06:39:00.010-05:00

Bloglovin reader......................
anyone using this as your blog reader? I can't decide if I like this or Google reader better. I had about 7000 new blog posts when I first signed up at Bloglovin. I didn't read them all (of course, not sure I'd be done reading in this lifetime, hahah), but usually when I log in, my "new posts" is a totally different number than what it was the day before. And there's no consistency. Yesterday I had 1200+ new posts, today I only have 800 and I haven't read any of them. I just cannot decide if I am going to continue reading thru Bloglovin. or go back to Google reader.

Any thoughts or comments from any of you...................????

Also, I just read this on Google's site about posting comments on BLOGS. If you are having trouble or CAN'T leave comments on other's Blogs because you are working in IE 8/9, this is what GOOGLE has to say.................... "We're investigating reports of users not being able to comment on IE8/9 from the embedded form. We hope to have a fix out shortly, but in the meantime we encourage admins to switch to either the full-page or pop-up forms which should be working without issue. Thanks for your patience, and we'll make sure to update this post as soon as we have more info. Thanks"

I just went and made the changes to my blog, so hopefully others can leave comments. I've noticed alot lately that I have no comments and just wondered if it was because no one was reading this blog. Maybe it's because you couldn't leave a comment. I hope this is FIXED now. :-)

Have a great day!

Pincushions....and STASH FOR SALE!

2011-10-18T12:39:00.001-05:00

Will you enter this contest? Pieceworks Pincushion contest

This picture was taken from their website of the 2008 pincushion contest. I wish the picture was larger. Looks like there might be some really great stitching/beading/knitting/crocheting/tatting going on. I may enter. Thankfully, we have until April 2012.......maybe I can get something together by then. :-)
You can get all of the details from their site (click the link above).

**Not affiliated with this publication in anyway, just passing along a great contest I ran across**

I would love to have a pincushion collection. I have the "perfect" spot to display, but it's something I've never collected. Of course, Hubs would probably say the ONLY thing I haven't collected over the last 26 1/2 yrs!hahahaa.....
Anyway, looks like fun.

Also, Please take a look at my Stash for Sale - I wanna clean this out. Make me an offer on the whole lot if you are interested.

Thanks!

New creations........... wool felt embroidery

2011-10-10T21:46:00.002-05:00

Anyone still out there reading this ole' blog? I haven't posted much lately..........I've been hanging out in my Etsy shop and also, swapping ATCs on Craftster.
and I've been embroidering like a crazy woman. (I have 7 custom orders, yay!!!!)

I have to show you my lastest custom order. The customer has already paid, so it's not a surprise or anything. I made a wall art canvas similar to this awhile back but she needed 2 babies on her tree branch. I think it turned out so cute............

Help with Witch pattern.............anyone know?

2011-10-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know this Witch? I bought a HUGE box of cross stitch "stuff" at a church yard sale about 2 months ago. This partially stitched witch was among the goodies in this box. But I don't know the pattern name, designer name, etc. I don't know if she was featured in a magazine or if she was in a leaflet all to herself. I would love to finish it, but I have had no luck with my search. If anyone has any info, knows who she is, please send me info. I'd love to buy/trade/borrow the pattern if anyone has it. She needs to be finished and then she needs to be on display..............she's such a cute witchy witch.

Jumping on the band wagon..............

2011-10-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else seen all the latest with "bleach pens" on tshirts????????? Well, if not, you are going to be amazed at what's out there in blog land. I decided to jump on this band wagon and give it a shot.
Check out this mini-tutorial and the end results...............

First thing, get some kind of mat board, cardboard, etc (or if you still have your t shirt shaped board from wayyyyyyyyyyy back in the 90's when we all decorated tshirts, lucky you, go dig it out!) A few regular tshirts that were either too small, too big, too something, but they were in the box to go to the thrift store. I figured if I ruined them, no big loss..............
The only difference in the black tshirt is it's got cotton and spandex; the rest are 100% cotton.

Next, Clorox Bleach Pen (don't get the bleach pens from dollar tree - I speak from experience............they will NOT bleach out colors, or they didn't for me anyway) Clorox brand is priceier but it works.........just watch..............below...............

I just free handed this little owl onto this grey tshirt.................wait for about 5 minutes and you'll see the color start to "fade" out. Depending on how "bleached" out you want your design, just keep watching it and waiting. I think I waited about 20 min for this one.

You can see, it's beginning to turn an orangey color. Just keep watching...................

and watching............................

and here he his all bleached out.........................(sorry it's blurry, I cannot take good pictures no matter what camera I use for some reason!) After this got to the color I wanted, I CAREFULLY moved it to the sink and CAREFULLY slid the cardboard out. If you are not careful, and you get bleach on other spots of the tshirt, it will take out the color. and it might not be in a spot you want "highlighted". Rinse out the bleach pen residue and then just throw this in the regular wash and dry.
But I think this little guy turned out so cute! and for some reason, this shirt fits now! :-) So I'm keeping him! (mabye cuz I've lost 25 lbs, yay me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but that's another blog post for another day)

This tshirt is sort of a greenish-grayish color...............the leaves turned yellowish on this one.

Next up.............navy blue t shirt. See how orange-ish it's turning. It finally got to an orange-y-pink that I liked so I washed it out then.

This shirt, it has the spandex. It was one of the first ones I tried. I got my bleach pen gel WAY too thick on this one. But look below..................the pumpkin turned out ORANGE. Not a little Orange, but WAY orange, which for Halloween is GREAT. But the bad thing, this shirt had stains on it that I cropped out of the picture. So it was just for practice.

But look after I rinsed............IT's ORANGE, like a pumpkin should be! Not sure if the spandex made it change to orange, or if I would have left it say an hour or more, would it have been more "white" bleached out??? I'm going to try a different black shirt soon. I'll see what happens with 100% cotton black. But if this had not been a practice shirt, I would have kept this one for sure.

And of course, being from the South and Alabama, I HAD to try a Roll Tide one. I got it WAY off center. I decided to just make it alabama football graffiti ALL OVER the shirt, so that's when I got a dollar tree bleach pen. I doodled all over this shirt with stuff like Go Bama, Football, #1 and I even drew a pic of a football. I let it sit...........and sit.........and sit. About 3 hrs later, the dollar tree's bleach pen had not removed ONE ounce of color. but it left the shirt feeling slimy. (gross). Even after rinsing and machine washing, it still felt weird, so this one went into the rag box.

I will get another crimson color shirt and try again.

I would assume this would work of fleece sweatshirts, hoodies, scarves, etc. I like the "hippie" tie dye look it gives.

For other bleach pen ideas, just google it; there's TONS of stuff out in cyber land.

Happy Crafting everyone. Be back soon with more crafty goodness.

Halloween tree

2011-09-24T22:13:00.003-05:00

I made this Halloween tree from upcycled wool sweaters and a scrabble game tiles pieces. Love how it turned out. Look for these items in my ETSY Shop.

And made these 2 necklaces from the same upcycled wool sweater scraps and pumpkin charms.

Hoopla Wall...............updated.............

2011-09-18T13:46:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share my Hoopla wall with you. I am quite proud of all the hooplas I've received. All but one were done with swap partners on Craftster.............

"Keep Calm and Embroidery On"

I had to add a new picture since I received one more hoop from my Round 6 partner.........it's the Blue anchor on the top right side. It's GORGEOUS!!!! I love the "fish net" fabric Perla used for the background. and her stitching is AMAZING!!!! I also added empty hoops so I could see what size hoops would fit where to keep it semi-balanced. I posted on Craftster that we need at least 11 more round so I could fill up all of these empty hoops, LOL!!!
I would love to have those 11 empties full by the end of the year................we'll see. But I'm very happy and proud of this wall art. So many talented new friends I've met thru the internet/blogging/craftster-ing, etc. I thank each of you that generously traded with me to create this work of art!

Fabric ATCs

2011-09-12T13:17:00.001-05:00

Fabric ATCs, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

These are my newest projects........ATCs. I'm hooked on making these cute little works of art. Now I'm trying fabric ones. Can't wait til they are all done. Hope they turn out as cute as my brain thinks they will, LOL

Very cool Article From Guardian.co.uk - Gentleman who stitches

2011-09-08T21:54:00.000-05:00

I read this article today from a link on the CRAFT: blog. I think this is so very cool; just thought I'd share...................

"copied from this link"

Nazis, needlework and my dad

Not many men belong to a stitching group, but Tony Casdagli picked up his enthusiasm for the craft from his father, who kept himself sane by fashioning subversive messages as a PoW

- Patrick Barkham
- The Guardian, Saturday 3 September 2011
- Article history

Tony Casdagli, above, with his father’s work depicting his cell. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

After six months held by the Nazis in a prisoner of war camp, Major Alexis Casdagli was handed a piece of canvas by a fellow inmate. Pinching red and blue thread from a disintegrating pullover belonging to an elderly Cretan general, Casdagli passed the long hours in captivity by painstakingly creating a sampler in cross-stitch. Around decorative swastikas and a banal inscription saying he completed his work in December 1941, the British officer stitched a border of irregular dots and dashes. Over the next four years his work was displayed at the four camps in Germany where he was imprisoned, and his Nazi captors never once deciphered the messages threaded in Morse code: "God Save the King" and "Fuck Hitler".
This subversive needling of the Nazis was a form of defiance that Casdagli, who was not freed from prison until 1945, believed was the duty of every PoW. "It used to give him pleasure when the Germans were doing their rounds," says his son, Tony, of his father's rebellious stitching. It also stopped him going mad. "He would say after the war that the Red Cross saved his life but his embroidery saved his sanity," says Tony. "If you sit down and stitch you can forget about other things, and it's very calming."
Tony should know. The 79-year-old picked up his father's stitching habit after a lifetime at sea serving in the Royal Navy, and from 6 September two of his pieces will feature in a new exhibition opening at the Victoria and Albert Museum called Power of Making. Tony is thrilled, but the relationship between father, son, needlework and suffering is complex and occasionally ambiguous.
The son of a family of Greek cotton merchants with operations in Manchester and Egypt, Tony and his mother, Joyce, were separated from his father when war broke out. During the disastrous allied campaign in Crete, Casdagli was captured. For a month, Joyce had no idea whether he was alive or dead; for a year, Casdagli did not receive any letters or parcels.
Most of Casdagli's confinement was spent in a German castle. Life for a British officer was not as brutal as it was in Japanese camps but it still involved terror, hunger and deprivation. Casdagli scrupulously wrote down and crossed out every day in pencil in a small black notebook. "He was very meticulous," recalls Tony, more than once. Casdagli made lists of everything – every window pane broken in bombing raids, every letter sent and received. He recorded "Improvisations", such as making a "watch stand" from a "broom handle & incendiary bomb" and "Reflections" on hunger: "Unable to remember in which hand to use knife and fork on arrival of first Red Cross parcel."
Most of all, though, Casdagli recorded his anger and frustration in cross-stitch. He had picked up sewing skills from elderly relatives and, when Red Cross parcels began arriving (containing hairbrushes with secret compartments that concealed maps, which the prisoners annotated with intelligence and smuggled out), he acquired materials. He also borrowed more threads from his old Cretan general friend – this time from his pyjamas.
When Tony was 11, he received a stitched letter through the post. "It is 1,581 days since I saw you last but it will not be long now. Do you remember when I fell down the well? Look after Mummy till I get home again," Casdagli laboriously spelled out with finely stitched letters.
In a bleak, claustrophobic part-map and part-diagram, his father created a needlework of "Room 13, Spangenberg castle". The stitching depicted inmates' cells, a few lumps of coal, a sign saying "bath every 14 days", and a menu: "soup, potatoes, wurst, bread, semolina". At the bottom was a Union flag. National flags were forbidden in the camp, so Casdagli sewed a canvas flap over it with "do not open" written on it in German. "Each week the same officer would open the flap and say, 'This is illegal,' and Pa said, 'You're showing it, I'm not showing it.'"
Captured officers played cricket and other games to pass the time, but needlework proved surprisingly popular: Casdagli ran a class for 40 officers. Was his "Fuck Hitler" gesture a great risk? "It would certainly have been torn down and he would've been put in solitary confinement or worse," says Tony. But he does not believe his father would have been executed. Despite seeing a fellow inmate shot in the back for accidentally tripping an alarm, Casdagli stuck to his policy of being unrelentingly unco-operative. One Christmas, a senior British officer struck a deal with his German counterpart that no one would try to escape, in exchange for a comfortable Christmas. Casdagli stayed in bed and refused to eat. "Pa was very cross about that. One of the few duties a PoW had was to make life as uncomfortable as possible for his captors by trying to escape," says Tony.
Among his father's works hanging above the stairs in the London home that Tony shares with his second wife, Sally, is a small, sad piece. It lists the years 1939 to 1943 alongside Joyce's initials and the words: "Any day now." It was to be another two years before Casdagli saw his wife and son again. In April 1945, in an "absolute daze", he was flown back to Britain, given a cursory medical and £10. Then he caught two buses to find his way home. Joyce had gone to pick up Tony from school. "At 12 noon, they arrived, and my cup of happiness was FULL," wrote Casdagli in his diaries.
Sadly, his joy could not so simply erase four traumatic years in captivity. Tony describes his father as "very frustrated" when he returned. His time in prison unsettled him, and soon afterwards he went to Greece to fight in the civil war. He met his second wife there.
Meanwhile, Tony entered the navy, and hardly saw his father. He "half-heartedly" stitched as a teenager, but at sea he was always too busy to do it. When he retired from the navy, however, he and Sally, with their daughter Lucy, moved to Highgate, north London near where his father kept a flat.
Then on holiday in Cornwall, the retired son and his elderly father began stitching together. "We used to sit alongside each other doing it. Pa didn't talk very much, but we would sit and talk a bit while we did it. There were so many questions I should've asked and didn't," says Tony. "I never asked him why he pinched the old general's wool."
Stitching requires discipline and patience, two qualities Tony must have inherited from his father, but the two men developed unique styles. Tony's father created intricate symmetrical patterns. "He didn't have an enormous imagination, Pa. He liked doing things rather than inventing things," says Tony. In contrast, Tony enjoys designing his needlework. Six years ago, the wife of an old naval friend introduced Tony to the Chelsea Women's Cross-stitch group. Tony became the only male member, mentored by Joyce Conwy Evans, whose work is displayed in Canterbury cathedral and the V&A.
Tony is self-deprecating about his work, but not self-conscious. He used to enjoy stitching while waiting at airports, but cannot any longer because his needles are banned airside. "I'd sit and do my needlework after going through the gate, and people would gradually move away from me," he jokes. Now he tends to stitch in the evenings, when Sally is reading. Most of his works get sent to his five children, who live all around the world. Each grandchild receives a special piece; sons get the poem If by Rudyard Kipling. He is currently stitching one for his latest grandchild, Griffin, which depicts the mythical creature with the body of a lion and an eagle's head and wings.
Major Casdagli died in 1996, aged 90. Did he approve of his son taking on his passion? "Towards the end of his life not quite so much, because he thought we were in competition," says Tony. Having said that, Tony and Sally agree he "would be so thrilled" that Tony's work is to be exhibited alongside the creations of professional craftsmen and women in the V&A. Major Casdagli's stitching was born out of suffering, but later it became a particularly fiercely pursued habit. "He did it for defiance to start with, then he did it because he did it," says Tony. "He hated finishing them because it meant he had to do something else. He loved doing something slavishly. He was a great slave."
Power of Making is at the V&A from Tuesday until 2 January 2012, www.vam.ac.uk. A Stitch in Time: God Save the King – Fu*k Hitler! by Captain A Casdagli, available from lulu.com. Tony Casdagli is participating in a free workshop at the V&A. Crafting the Collection: Power of Making, 17 September, 11am-4pm.

Part 3.

2011-09-04T00:14:00.000-05:00

For those of you that follow regularly, you'll remember about a month or so ago I went to a church yard sale and hit PAY DIRT on a box of JUMBLED up cross stitch mess. This mess turned out to be a wonderful hidden treasure and I've enjoyed pawing thru it and organizing it. I have FINALLY gotten the last of it sorted and have some things for sale. Please go here Robinpich Stash for Sale to see what I have for sale. I am sorry, but at this time, I am not interested in trading.
Thanks! Hope you find something you cannot live without! :-)

Happy Shopping!

Owlie all done.....

2011-09-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

I posted this the other day but wanted to show him all finished in his little hoop.

Also, I made this for my hoopla partner on Craftster. I hope she likes it. She's a college student and she had vintage polaroid on her wish list. Of course, this doesn't seem vintage to me since this was the only camera that my parents had while I was growing up, LOL

Everyone have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend!

New items in the works.................

2011-08-28T22:47:00.001-05:00

I didn't have any Friday Finds this week - Moved DD back to college on Friday so we spent ALL DAY going up and down flights of stairs. Her dorm has NO ELEVATOR! DH had to work, so it was just DD and I (and her roommate helping). WE got her all moved in and unpacked. I was so tired when I got home. Thankfully DD is only about an hour's drive from home. She has her independence but when she wants "mom" (or dad) (or we want to see her), she can meet us about 1/2 way at her favorite Mexican restaurant. It's a good thing for all; she gets to be on her own (some) and we get our house cleaned out (some) for a few months, LOL!!!

Ok, enough about college, moving, etc.................on to the good stuff. I've been stitching and I'm finally able to show what I've actually gotten accomplished.
I'm still hooked on "hooplas" and still swapping on Craftster. I made this for one of my partners in Round 3 on the Ongoing Hoopla Swap. DD drew the pattern for me. I love the "nerdy" glasses!

I have a couple more things I'm stitching but can't show yet as they are gifts. Hopefully they'll be finished by the end of this week and I can get them mailed before the Holiday weekend!

Have a great Monday all...........and a good week.

Friday Finds...........

2011-08-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

Well, today's finds will be short and sweet. We are looking for shells and dolphins :-)
No thrifty treasures, no stitching treasures, just fun in the sand and sun..............................be back soon.

2011-08-17T23:32:00.000-05:00

I was featured in this CUTE Treasury......................
'Making up for mistakes with LOVE' by twicecreations

If you know what I mean.

I Love Him, I Love Him ... EcoImbiber $10.00	So in Love greeting car... PeruLilyCrafts $2.50	Shakespeare poetry brac... NaturallyHeart... $28.00	be loved fabric single ... PendropsCoutur... $4.00
Keepsake Box - Heart XO... WalterSilva $16.00	Upcycled Coasters, Repu... PurpleCloverEc... $10.00	My little wool heart pi... kmj165 $6.00	OOAK Recycled Magazine ... LynnsMix $36.00
Love to Sew 12x12 fram... date2remember $17.95	Classic Horror Movie Lo... bibliobags $9.00	Souplantation LOVE Gif... AlmondWorks $5.00	Heart Recycled Paper No... sparklytrash $5.00
Anne of Green Gables Ra... aboundingtreas... $35.00	Necklace Hearts on a Wi... popcultureprin... $27.00	Hand beaded door knob h... thirtyone13 $3.00	Heart Necklace Handmade... heavensentcraf... $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

1 yr ago........................

2011-08-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

My mom posted this on Facebook this morning: A year ago we lost our precious daughter-in-law to cancer. She was an amazing person and left a wonderful legacy. She is now in her new heavenly home free of pain and suffering. God has blessed us with another amazing daughter-in-law to love and take care of my son and his family. Only God can make such miracles happen. We are so blessed!!
My Comment: ok, I had not cried all day until I just read this! :-) but it's so true. Bev was a wonderful person and she left 8 beautiful children to carry on what God taught her. God has also blessed us with Shelia and we are so thankful for her. We love them both..........

Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago and then sometimes I can't believe it's been a year since my sister-in-law died. God has blessed our family so much. Beverly was an absolutely wonderful, Godly woman. She and my brother instilled Christian values in all 8 children. They are growing up and Beverly would be so proud. God also blessed our family with Shelia. God brought her into my brother's life because He knew my brother and the kids needed her. Shelia has 1 precious daughter of her own so together, they have 9 kids! (all under age 20)

This is a pic of my brother and his new bride; wish I had one of all 11 of them........will have to search my computer because I know I have it.

Friday Finds.............(late again) :-)

2011-08-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

I think I need to call this "STuff I found on friday but didn't get around to blogging about til Saturday" hahaaa...but either way, here are a few treasures I found at the thrift store on Friday.

I found 1 other, but for some reason, it didn't make it into the pictures.

Cool kids book. Love the graphics in this book. Will either frame some or use in mixed media art projects.

Two "stone look" wall art tiles. Not sure how I'll alter these, probably with some type of typography or monogram??? Just thought they were cool!

Not a whole lot to show today. I actually had a epidural pain block on Friday and we just ran in the thrift store for a few minutes because I had some clothes to take back. We're very lucky that our local thrift stores will let you exchange clothing items for a store credit.

Happy Weekend (or what's left of it).......gonna be an early night for me.

Hope and Help...................

2011-08-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

REPOSTED FROM CRAFT HOPE:

There is no better time than the present to start thinking about cooler weather. With record setting temperatures all across the nation, many of us have taken to hibernating with curtains drawn behind the safety and security of our own homes. Many of us are gearing up for back-to-school, shopping for fall clothes, thinking about what we have, and what we need. There are families that need us. Families who lost everything to tornadoes this past fall. Neighborhoods were leveled, homes destroyed, lives were shattered.

Stay steadfast my friends, cooler weather is right around the corner and we have already collected blankets for the survivors of the tornado ravaged areas. Now we are going to bring Christmas cheer to those who need a little more love. For Project 14 :: Christmas in Dixie we have partnered with Christmas in Dixie for Tornado Survivors to provide handmade stockings for the 12,000 families that lost everything to the tornadoes. Yes, 12,000 families that will not be pulling the Christmas ornaments and decorations out of their attic. 12,000 families that have to build their lives again. We know we cannot do everything, but we can do little things. And these little things make a BIG difference.
In addition to having nothing, these families will face new needs that this season will bring, such as winter clothing, funds for heating, and gifts for their family members or in addition to the everyday needs they now face. There are groups helping supply toys for tots, churches help with clothing and food, even the Government will help somewhat. But no one will be concerned with these items that help form the traditions, and memories that we all remember as we grow up. We can only imagine how worry will begin to creep into the back of many moms’ minds, realizing Christmas is just around the corner and once again they will be reminded of those items that mean so much, like ornaments handmade through the years, pictures with Santa, and their own personal stocking being lost and gone for ever.
Their plan is to distribute a storage box filled with ornaments, lights, and stockings the first weekend in November to each family. This is where we Craft Hope comes in with the stockings. We are asking you to make handmade stockings to help Christmas in Dixie fulfill their dreams of holiday boxes for the families.

Stocking requirements:

handmade
loop on the top to hang the stocking
a blank space to be able to monogram a name (if possible)
a standard stocking size
can be sewn/knitted/crocheted

The possibilities are endless as to the creations you can come up with. The most basic way to create a stocking is to trace an old stocking onto fabric, cut it out, and sew it together. We will be posting stocking patterns on the Craft Hope site soon.
The deadline for Project 14 :: Christmas in Dixie is September 23rd, 2011. Please arrange to have your stockings delivered by this date so that they can get them sorted and repackaged to deliver to families in November.
Please mail your handmade stockings to:

Christmas in Dixie for Tornado Survivors Project

c/o Brenda Belcher

1581 Balmoral Drive

Hoover, Alabama 35244

Christmas in Dixie also has a Facebook page. Go on over and ‘like’ them!
Please leave a comment on this post if you are going to participate in Project 14 and/or are leading a group to participate. Thanks for all you do!

Spread hope.

Check out this giveaway

2011-08-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

Terri, from Dixie Sampler Designs, had some major issues with her blog. She's back and her blog is better than ever. She's having a super giveaway.......go check it out.

Part 2..........finally

2011-08-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

I finally got thru all of the stuff in those 2 boxes............and WOW, I am blown away at the goodies.
Several different cuts of fabrics, some linens, some evenweaves and some aida.

Buttons galore!

Bobbin case.........I will be getting rid of this as they don't fit my sewing machine (stay tuned for part 3 which will feature the items I'm selling)

Twedie 18 floss and 2 bobbins of Kreinik metallics

Lots of straight pins.......who can have enough of these?

Pearl Cotton floss - 10 different colors. 6 are full skeins, the other 4 are partial but look to be mostly there.

Parts of a scroll bar set.........I know there are parts missing, but this is all that what's there. Anyone know what is missing? Maybe another wood piece like the one on the left with the 2 holes? and the wing nuts? But I love the little blue hoop. :-)

DMC floss already on bobbins. This bag is HUGE!

DMC Floss full skeins; I need to wind these on to bobbins.......look at how many are there!!!

Needles and more needles..............miscellaneous sewing needles.............

The BEST part of this post: The Gentle Arts Sampler Threads.............some are full skeins still on the original hang card, some in floss-away bags. Some are partial skeins or even just a single strand of a color, but this alone is worth more than the $20 I spent..................

I love pawing thru this stuff............but I really, really need to stitch something!
STay tuned for part 3.............................coming in a few days.

Part 1 - charts and patterns (in the jumbled up mess) from the Church yard sale

2011-07-31T19:07:00.000-05:00

This is just part of the charts that were in the yard sale goodies. These are the ones that I will be keeping. I have at least this many more that I will be listing for sale/trade.

I know it's Saturday, but this is Friday Finds post...............

2011-07-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's a day late, but yesterday I got home too late to post any pictures. I found a wonderful treasure at a church yard sale. 2 huge tote containers of nothing but CROSS STITCH GOODNESS! The fabric and the GA Sampler Threads alone are worth MORE than the $20 I paid for ALL OF IT! It looks like a jumbled up mess and for the most part, it was. But I sorted and pawed and cleaned last night. Here are the before pictures:
Tons of DMC floss, buttons, and fabrics

GA Sampler Threads in baggies...................Whoever owned all of this bought the sampler threads several years ago. Most are priced at $1.40 or $1.50. But there's probably 15-20 full skeins of Sampler Threads!!! WOOHOO!

Several small cuts of linen fabrics

Charts and more charts

There were several projects started. Some had patterns, some didn't. This one is FABULOUS and I will definitely finish it (some day).....................

This cute witch was in the box of the jumbled up mess. It's on huge count fabric, probably 11count but it's neatly stitched so I'd like to finish it. Does anyone know the pattern of this? AFter going thru all of the stuff in both boxes, there wasn't a pattern for this witch. I'd love to know so I could purchase it or find it on ebay, or if someone has it they want to sell. Thanks!!!

As I sort all of it out and organize it, I will post more photos. I had big plans to clean my house today, but somehow I don't think that's gonna get done, LOL.............I feel like it's Christmas! :-)

For Sale Blog.........

2011-07-24T07:49:00.000-05:00

I'm listing a few things in my For Sale Blog if anyone is interested..................
email me! :-) Happy Sunday!

Friday finds..........and SALE STARTS SATURDAY!

2011-07-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already friday. Well, if you get technical, it's Saturday in the Eastern time zone where I'm visiting family for the weekend. I will keep this brief and let the photos do the talking.
Wire egg basket...not old, but I really like this.

The Letter G - painted wood. I have decided to complete an alphabet wall somewhere in my house and it is the first letter I've purchased I want it to be silmilar to this.

Cool glass containers that look very apothecary jars.

Wood base; I'm assuming for candles, but I plan on making it into something else..............

4 inch embroidery hoops

Oval embroidery hoop............poor Sam, he's in such poor condition; it's time for him to go.

another hoop.....the xs will be discarded unless someone wants it.....................

Teresa Wentzler fruit bell pull kit, complete with fabric, floss, etc......very cool!

Painted Tin Plaque. I just like the fleur de lis in the corners. I will definetly be repainting thise.

REMEMBER OUR CHIRSTMAS IN JULY SALE ON ETSY . PLEASE COME BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS NOW AND BEAT THE CROWDS :-)

Christmas in July

2011-07-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Jenn, our wonderful leader of Alaccents Team on ETSY, posted about our Christmas in July Sales: I was featured today along with 3 other wonderful shops on our team. Go check out these goodies: JennP1751: CIJ Preview: Day 2

Below is just a few items in my shop for sale...................10% off EVERYTHING IN MY SHOP BEGINNING SATURDAY, JULY 23. (and if you buy something today (thurs) or tomorrow (friday), if you'll let me know you saw it on my blog or Jenn's blog, I'll give you the discount early! - just convo me BEFORE you purchase and I'll make the coupon active for your discount!)

T shirt yarn

2011-07-17T15:57:00.003-05:00

052, a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

Making Tshirt yarn today...............Lots of fun colors. I wished I could learn to knit really well. I REALLY want a tshirt yarn rug. Maybe some day, but until then, check out my ETSY shop in a few days for new listings.

Also, check out alaccents cij (Christmas in July) on ETSY. Type in alaccents cij and everyone on our team that is participating will have some super special deals! Also, please read this post by our Team Captain -The Fantastic Jenn - she is posting about our SALE on her blog also!

Friday Finds..........................

2011-07-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up to "Frugalicious Friday". I am off on fridays now (yay for 4 10's!!!!) so I spent my day hitting up a couple of thrift stores. I love it when I find stuff I really "NEED" (haha, who really needs anything) and then I love when I find stuff that I just "LIKE" :-)
I love making embroidery hoop art (for swaps, for myself and also for my ETSY shop) so when I find hoops, I love that. I also LOVE vintage embroidery or needlework. and for some strange reason, I love Scrabble Games and picture frames. They always seem to jump in my shopping cart and ride home with me :-)
Here are just a few of my "treasures" from today's thrifting expedition.........Enjoy!

Wood puzzle:
I want to do some altered art with this puzzle. It's all wood and it appears handmade (sorry to the artists becasue it's really a pretty cool puzzle for a child) but I"m going to sand it down, paint each piece and then alter the pieces with different papers and embellishments. If you've ever seen one of these, they are very cool. The pieces to this puzzle are nice and BIG. Maybe it won't take me forever to get it done.
Here are a few links - Flickr, Altered puzzle, Oops, I Craft My Pants.

Titanic Jigsaw Puzzle:
This puzzle I WON'T alter. I actually love jig saw puzzles also. They are a favorite winter-time project that I spread out on the dining room table ( you know that dining room that some of us have, that has the "good china" in it and we NEVER use it, yep, got one in my house.).....ok, sorry, didn't mean to get off subject................but we spread the puzzle out and just work on it whenever. Just by chance last Christmas, I found out my neice and her boyfriend also work puzzles. This one has never been opened and I'm sending this in a care package to them.

Vintage Owl Embroidery:
I found this AWESOME vintage owl embroidery kit (minus yarn). The owl is kinda scary looking to me, but I think he'll be pretty cool all stitched up. The linen he's printed on is really a nice linen and this piece is a pretty substantial size. Add this to my to-do list (man that list gets longer by the minute)

Embroidery Hoops:

Embroidery hoops with the "lovely" (ugh, not really), filigree lace with country blue backing fabric. NOw I remember in the early 80's, these were all the rage, but today's "hoop" art is MUCH DIFFERENT. Check out these links: Embroidery Hoop art, Embroidery hoops, Hoopla Wall, Hoops

This hoop was a whopping $.29! Of course I feel guilty taking out the needlework already there, but I normally donate it back to the thrift stores. Sometimes, I toss what's there, just because it's so tattered or dirty, but that is a last resort.

Miscellaneous Items:
This frame reminds me of weathered wood, like this Frame or this Frame

Bulletin Board - probably paint this white? or aqua? who knows...............

If you've ever shopped anywhere that carries "Life is Good" merchandise, you know how pricey it can be. This frame originally was $19.99 (sticker is on the back), but it had been marked down to $9.99. Thriftt store price - $.99! (this was my bargain of the day). and DD is a Life is Good fan; she'll swipe this one from me I'm sure :-)

And lastly, my obsession with Scrabble Games. I just love the Scrabble Tiles.......(I know, call me weird!)

Hope you enjoyed my "Friday Finds". I'm going to try and make this a regular feature on friday's............we'll see how it goes (ha!) :-) Happy Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and check back tomorrow for a "Christmas in July" post for the ETSY team I belong to................gonna have lots of great items on sale and lots of discounts from some very talented ETSY sellers!

What would you do with this?

2011-07-06T21:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am back to something stitchy with this post. However, I didn't stitch it..............I was lucky enough to find this at the local thrift store. I paid a whopping $.59 for it!
This looks like a Bent Creek pattern. It's stitched on grey evenweave and as you can see, it's tied around this gold wire basket. While it's ok to me as a basket tie-on, I'd rather do something else with it. The trim is blue white twist and a gold twist. It's very neatly stitched. It was pretty dusty/dirty/dingy looking so I untied it and threw the tie-ribbon away (it was very dirty). I have it soaking in cold water with a small amount of detergent to see if it will come clean. I am not sure what I'll do with it once it's clean. I think I'd like to cut the gold and blue/white trim off and frame the long "band". Not sure though....but I had to bring it home. It's stitching, it's really pretty and it was $.59. What more can you ask for in a day of thrifting? :-)

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

I found all of the Patriotic Stitching pictures that I have :-)

Hope everyone had a wonderful, safe holiday. Thank you to our Service Men and Women (and their families) for making our wonderful country a place to Worship God and live Freely! I appreciate your sacrifice!

Vacation is over :-(

2011-06-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

Boy what a week.................I had major plans to read and stitch and NEVER once opened my stitching bag. I did manage to read 2 magazines in 8 days but I had about 8 magazines with me. I also had 2 new books, never opened them either, LOL....
AFter spending all day on the boat (where it was way too wet for my stitching so it got left in the condo during the day), we came back in about 8pm every night, sunburned, worn out, and hungry. Cool showers and a bite to eat and we were in bed sacked out early. IT was lots of fun...but it ended with a not so good BANG. DD called last night, she'd had a wreck on the interstate right south of the city we live in. Thank you Jesus she is ok. She hit a puddle, hydroplaned across 3 lanes of traffic, hitting an SUV, spinning at least one complete turn and coming to rest on the guardrail heading in the opposite direction. She was scared to death but just shaken up. No one was injured and cars can be fixed or replaced. Our wonderful neighbors went to the scene to pick her up because we couldn't make it home for at least 7 hours and pulling the boat, it takes alot longer. WE are so blessed to have such good friends and neighbors. DD is fine today, just sore from the jolt and getting slung around in the car.
I didn't sleep much last night; was up early, packed and we got an early start towards home.
I'll leave you with few pics of our vacation, which by the way, was WONDERFUL and very relaxing!

Our condo for the week

Hubby's New boat

I thought he was so cool, just sitting on the bouy checking out the scenery

This little guy hitched a ride with us for about 15 miles on the bay. He was not scared at all. I got within about 1 foot of him and we were moving at the time in the boat. He just hitched a ride for the day.

Hubby caught a catfish in the ocean....he was so excited!

Dolphins were EVERYWHERE!

Our sunset view.

New treasure. and it's VACATION TIME!

2011-06-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

I found this cool basket at the thrift store the other day for $4.99. I rarely pay that much but this basket just spoke to me. WE are lovers of boats and all things nautical in this house, so I thought this was cool. I researched a little about it and it seems it's pretty collectible and worth considerably more than my $5 investment. I think I saw it sells for about $300 new!!! Not for sale, but I guess I'd say I got a bargain :-)

Hubby and I are headed out on our boat for a week in the Gulf of Mexico! I have my stitching; he's got his fishing rods. Gonna be a fun trip...............see ya'll in a week or so!

Thrift Store shopping.

2011-06-09T23:26:00.000-05:00

I have been SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) I didn't get these all at one time, just aquired them over a period of about 2 weeks from different thrift stores. Some I had been looking for, some I didn't know I was looking for until I found it, LOL. Enjoy the pictures!

I know these stocking patterns are out of print. I'd love to have them all, but probably won't ever find them.

My friend has a new Scottie terrier dog. I need to stitch this for her.

Old Sampler pattern

CUTE dinosaurs and I'm not ever a dinosaur fan. Look at the next one driving the car. Too cute

These next 2 are from Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks. These are some of her earlier patterns that I didn't know existed.

I love most anything nautical.

This Just Nan still had the original bead packet with it.

This hardback book is HUGE!!!!
PRobably has 300 pages. I haven't even had time to look thru it real good, but it's got tons of good projects.

Random Kitchen stitching. (sorry the pic is so bad, don't know what happened to this one)

Random samplers. I would def change the colors if I stitched this today. Way too much Blue and Mauve (hello 80's).......

and probably my favorite. I almost didn't buy this one from just looking at the front cover. It was
"jungle" animals. Then I flipped it over and saw the Sail fish and I was "hooked" ( hahaaa, sorry I know that was corny). DH wants a stitched sailfish and this will be the one I use. Probably stitch on a denim shirt for him for Christmas. Maybe I can stitch it by then :-)

Thanks for looking. Have a great weekend!!!

Alien invasion

2011-06-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

Now that my partner has received her hoop, I can post pics of it. I am not a huge alien fan, but my hoopla partner requested one. When I saw this, I just love it though. He's shooting a "peace" sign to all. I think he's GREAT!

Also, I received this GORGEOUS hoop from my partner! I can't imagine how long it took her to stitch the quilts over 1. It's STUNNING and I am so PROUD to display this on my hoopla wall!

TWICE in one treasury!

2011-05-25T22:07:00.001-05:00

I am so flattered..............I was mentioned on Ela's Idea: Reincarnated sweaters blog. Go check it out....pretty cool stuff!
and also, this treasury she created with upcycled wool sweaters. I just love old wool sweater stuff! :-)

Owls!

2011-05-22T22:10:00.001-05:00

Look at this cool treasury. I just love owls. Of course, since my felted owl wall art is included, I really love it! :-)

New Stitchy hoop

2011-05-17T08:05:00.000-05:00

I made this for Jemimah in a swap on Craftster Ongoing Hoopla Swap board. I love how it turned out (even if I did stitch it, LOL). It's made from an upcycled wool sweater on linen fabric background. The swirlies are embroidered with pearl cotton floss. Look for similar ones in my ETSY shop soon!

HEARTSY.ME

2011-05-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

Has anyone heard of this site heartsy.me? If you've ever heard of Groupon or Groupdeelz, it's similar. But this site is for Handmade Artisans to offer a discount for any item in their ETSY shop. I have submitted my shop to be featured. I am asking for "likes" at this link.

It's pretty cool to go and see all of the handmade items that people make and are offering for sale. Even if you don't plan to buy, I would appreciate a "LIKE" :-)

If I get enough "likes", then I move to the next round and get evaluated by the websites team members. I think there are 5 rounds you have to move thru before they'll offer your shop on their site. So far, I'm on round 2.

These are the photos I submitted, along with a couple of my embroideries and 2 felted wool items.

New Hoop!

2011-05-13T20:57:00.001-05:00

Look at my BEAUTIFUL new hoop I received! I did a personal swap with a Craftster member and this is what I received in exchange. It's so pretty! Look at the detail.

I've been featured!

2011-05-11T11:04:00.001-05:00

I am so EXCITED!!!! I am featured on the Etsy NEAT Blog (Needlearts). I'd love for you to check it out if you have the time. Also, this little bird can be found in my ETSY shop. Thanks!!!

Thanks to the ETSY NEAT team!

New Hoop!

2011-05-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Just had to share what I received today from my Hoopla partner. I joined the "Ongoing Hoopla Swap" on Craftster and this is my "doodle" stitching hoop that Sheepblue made. It's WONDERFUL!!!

And here is my "HOOPLA" wall in my craft room. I just love all of the different hoops I've received. The only one that wasn't given to me in a swap or as a gift is the oval one on the bottom. I bought this one at the thrift store. It was framed but the frame was falling apart. I decided to "hoop it up" and add it to my wall. I have 2 more hoops coming from swap partners. I'll be posting an update of this wall again soon.

I wish I could show you the hoop I made for my partner, Jemimah. It's so cute (even if I did make it). As soon as it flies itself to Aussie, I'll post. But I don't want to spoil the surprise in case Jemimah reads my blog.....stay tuned.............

Winner...............

2011-05-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

Julie M is the pincushion winner. I will be emailing Julie for her address. I hope you like it! and thank you for all that entered. I would love to be able to send one to each of you. :-)

SAFE!

2011-04-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

For all of you that have emailed or inquired, we are safe!!! The tornadoes were VERY SCARY! I live about 15 miles from the hardest hit area outside of Birmingham. The devastation is unreal. So many lives have been lost; so much suffering. We were without power for a couple of days but that is a MINOR inconveneince compared to what some are going thru.
Thank you for all the prayers and donations to the victims of this horrible disaster.

I am still going to have my pincushion giveaway....so just leave a comment on this post if you'd like a chance to win it!! and thank you to all of my readers, followers, viewers and friends. I am truly thankful for all that God has blessed me with!

I've been BUSY!!!!!!!!! and a GIVEAWAY.................

2011-04-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been away from blogging for so long but it's only been 2 weeks........But I've been super busy!
My supervisor is participating in a craft show today and she didn't have quiet enough "stuff" made to fill up her table, so she asked me if I had any pincushions made that she could take with her. Of course, I said, "yes" (really quick). Here are a few that I made........

See those gorgeous wood buttons. They are from OruAka (and don't jump ahead but there's a surprise at the end of this post !!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

These are made from upcycled wool sweaters. Their bases are aerosol can lids and some are embellished with scrabble game tiles!

and of course, since I live in Alabama, we "HAVE" to have some kind of Alabama Football Items for sale. It's "required", LOL!!! I made these houndstooth bottlecap necklaces from a recycled skirt and hand embroidery.

All of the above items that didn't sell at the craft show will be listed in my Etsy shop next week.

AND NOW FOR THE GOOD PART!!!!!!!!

Would you like to WIN this pincushion?????????????????

HAND MADE from NEW fabrics mounted onto a sweater cuff for a wrist cuff. This would be so convenient and easy to use for any needleworker. The center button is HANDMADE by OruAka.

Please leave me a comment on this post only if you'd like to be entered and I'll draw a winner at the end of April.

You just NEVER know........

2011-04-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I mentioned about featuring OruAka (he makes wood buttons) but first I have to tell you how I met him.

(and BTW, his name is William). I was standing in Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago in the jewelry findings/accessories isle and there was a guy next to me just shopping away. My first thought was, "wonder how his wife talked him into shopping at Hobby Lobby for stuff she needed". Well, we both stood there looking at charms, findings, clasps, jump rings, etc. If you've ever shopped in that dept, you know it takes a LONG time to look at every tiny little baggy they have of all that STUFF!. Well, William spoke to me and asked if I made jewelry. I just kinda replied, "not really, just looking for something I thought might be in this dept". I noticed his accent was DEFINITELY NOT southern, like from Alabama (where we all talk really flat and say ya'll). And of course, if you are not from Alabama or the south, "everyone" has an accent to us, LOL!!! But Williams's was different. So I politely (I hope I was polite) asked where he was from. He said, "Nigeria". WOW!!!!!! That was pretty cool!
We chatted for a few minutes and he finally told me that he had an Etsy shop. And he was shopping for HIMSELF! He told me that he'd worked for a company for a while and their business was up and down and he'd gotten laid off a couple of times. In his "down" time, he began making wooden buttons. We exchanged Etsy business names/sites, etc and went on our merry ways. When I got home, I looked up his shop and WOW!!!!!!!!!! He is a very talented wood carver. I added him to my circle and he very kindly sent me a bag of buttons he'd made. I was so excited!!!!!! He told me that in his country, this wasn't "manly" work (meaning making stuff) but I think he's found his calling. WE exchanged a couple of convos (like emails) thru Etsy and I like what he said in our last convo. He said, "Wood working comes easy and since Jesus was a carpenter, maybe I have found my calling" :-)

Now take a look at these GORGEOUS buttons I got in the mail

IT's so hard to pick a favorite, but I think this one is it!

Aren't they just gorgeous! I can't wait to use them in a project!
and speaking of just that - one of the projects I make with these buttons will be a GIVEAWAY on my blog!!!!!!

Stay tuned for that goody!!!!

Thank you William for your generosity. I wish you much success in your "calling".

BNR from Alabama Accents Team

2011-04-01T06:53:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of a BNR Treasury on ETSY? Yes, then you can skip this part and head straight to the pic to check out all the goodies for sale. If not, then this is how it works.

16 shops are featured, if you purchase from one of the shops (any item), YOUR shop will replace that one and you get the treasury spot. This BNR will be open the whole month of April........go check it out.

BNR Treasury from Alabama Accents Team

T Shirt into yarn

2011-03-29T23:07:00.000-05:00

Have any of you ever seen T shirt yarn? If you shop on ETSY, chances are you've seen it all coiled up nice and neat. I've always wondered how it got that way. I just assumed a machine did it, but guess what? You can make your own. My cousin sent me this LINK and it's GREAT. I had to try it out:
I followed her tutorial exactly and she gives GREAT instructions.
Basic T shirt with NO SIDE SEAMS (won't work if the sides are seamed together)

Cut off the part just under the wording/arm pit level.

Fold over leaving about a 1" allowance at the top. (notice that mine is NOT even and that won't matter)

She said scissors, I used a rotary cutter. MUCH faster...........

You cut UP TO the allowance but not INTO it as I have done here (it is VERY IMPORTANT not to cut any further than the folded edge). If you do, your yarn will likely break once the tug of war begins.

Once all of your strips are cut, you get this.

Then open it up. It sorta looks like a rib cage at this point :-)
Now see my first strip, that is kind of both side folded up towards me, you are going to cut from the right DIAGONALLY to the next strip on the left.

You see, you'll kind of have an "elbow" where you made that diagonal cut.

Once you get all of the sections cut, you should have one VERYYYYYYYY LONGGGGGGGGGG continuous t shirt strip. Now the fun part:

Start tugging and stretching..........and stretch............

I even got creative and held it under my foot as it pulled itself into a "YARN"

That ladies size SMALL tshirt bottom half went to this pile: 16 YARDS of t shirt yarn

Thank you to Craft Passion for your wonderful Tute!

Easter......

2011-03-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

I know Easter is not for a few weeks, but I usually decorate my piano for each season. I thought I'd share my Easter with you. Sure makes me feel like it's spring!

Look at this cool beaded bag. I just happen to stumble upon it at the thrift store. It was $4.99. That's not normally something I would buy and I'm sure it's made in a factory somewhere but it's still beautifully done. Not ONE bead was missing either.

Look at that butterfly detail....so gorgeous!

My upcycled cashmere sweater eggs :-) I made these last year and found the "nest" basket at where else but my wonderful thrift store.

These next few pics are from my Hoopla Round 4 partner at Craftster. She did an AMAZING JOB. They are SO ADORABLE and so ME!!!! When I opened them, my jaw dropped because they are WONDERFUL!!!! Thank you again Sabrina.....I just LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend. It's pouring buckets of rain today where I am (on our boat, but it's a houseboat so it's all dry inside, hahahahaaa). I may sit and stitch all day :-)

Birthday Present

2011-03-22T22:39:00.001-05:00

a photo by thirtyone13 on Flickr.

I signed up for Craftster's March Birthday swap and this is what my partner made for me. Isn't is GORGEOUS!!!! I love penny rugs and wanted one made into wall art. She did a FABuLOUS job and I LOVE IT!!!
Thanks Colleen....it'll always be a special piece!

OH MY!!!!!

2011-03-21T22:10:00.000-05:00

If you have never been to the Fairhope Arts/Crafts festival, you are indeed missing a TREAT!!!! Even DH liked it. We walked and walked and walked and still didn't see it all. I needed to stay for the entire 3 days to see it all. Here is the list of vendors. I was going to list a few, but I can't decide on a a few favorites so you'll just have to go google them yourself. But beware, you'll find LOTS of treasures to buy!

and I have to share this treasury: I was featured and I'm just so excited!!! I love when someone picks my "stuff" to think it's good enough to include in their "favorites".

Have a good week; I'll be back with stitchy goodness in a day or so!

New stash and goodies

2011-03-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

Awesome new finds while thrifting:

New Fat quarters; love the colors. they are so '70s! I think I'm going to try making a pear pincushion from these. Here's the link in Crafts 'N Things magazine to the pattern.

And this little diddy is my NEW CREATION! I just LOVE IT, even it I did make it.
The bottle cap was already a necklace with the jump ring attached and the black organza ribbon necklace. It had some weird design on it, but I made it into a "penny rug" style necklace. A bit of thrifted, felted wool sweater cut into a circle, a button sewn onto it. I used the "blanket stitch" around the edging and then glued it all to the center of the bottle cap. It's very light weight (this bottle cap is not a "real" cap, like from a beer bottle, but a crafting bottle cap that's been made specifically for crafting). I would love to find a source for these as I'd like to make more.......like I need another project, LOL!!!

We are going to the Fairhope Alabama Arts and Crafts show this weekend. I cannot wait; weather is BEAUTIFUL in ALABAMA!

Stash.........for sale or trade UPDATED(3/17/11)

2011-03-16T07:04:00.002-05:00

*******UPDATED************ (3/17/11)
If you are interested in any of this, please email me. I am willing to sell it or trade it, either is ok with me.........

40ct silk gauze kit, all items included with this kit, never opened. $5.00

Roses kit, never opened. Aida fabric in this one $2.00

Cades Cove Kit - aida fabric, pattern and needle, no floss/fibers $3.00

Family tree pattern only $2.00

If you want to buy all of them, I'll take $9.00 or trade for the equivalent..........
Thanks, have a great day! Gotta do some work, so I get paid, so I can buy more stash, LOL!!!

Love 2 Upcycle: Team Gallery

2011-03-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

New team that I've joined on ETSY. Lots of great ways to upcycle treasures that might otherwise be discarded.

Love 2 Upcycle: Team Gallery: "Upcyclers is an Etsy team whose members Love 2 Upcycle and create new uses from potential waste or existing materials reducing the consumption of raw materials and thereby energy and resources that must be conserved for the environmental health of the planet. Think green, be creative and save the planet! Be an Upcycler!

A significant effort is made by members to reuse, reduce, recycle, repurpose and relove the products they create. This can be applied to new handmade goods as well by practicing green standards in their production, for example, minimizing waste and donating unwanted materials. A communal spirit of sharing support, resources, ideas and advice to further the upcycling movement is the foundation of the team and its primary mission. Any Etsy seller who shares these values and goals is welcome to join the team!

Take a Peek At What We Are Upcycling!

..."

Twice in one day!

2011-03-11T22:35:00.000-06:00

ok, I know ya'll are getting tired of my ETSY talk, but I'm just so giddy when one of my creations turns up in a TREASURY list. Look at my little birdie in the bottom right corner. Isn't he just too cute? :-)

Felted wool monogram FEATURED

2011-03-11T22:09:00.001-06:00

Look at this great treasury. It's all from felted wool. Who knew you could do so much with old sweaters?? and look...my monogram is right at the top!! woohoo. I feel so honored!!!
I just love ETSY!

New thrifty finds coming soon (as soon as I get my lazy butt up and take the pictures, LOL)
Have a great weekend!!!

20% off in my ETSY shop.......

2011-03-05T22:24:00.000-06:00

20% discount in my ETSY shop if you purchase from this treasury. Just convo me when checking out and let me know you saw my items in the BNR treasury. I will recalculate and send you a corrected total. and if you have not done so, please go "like" my ETSY shop (link is to the right). Thanks!

Hi all!!!!!

2011-03-03T21:00:00.000-06:00

Where has the time gone? I feel like February went by in a HUGE wintery blur LOL.
I have a favor to ask: will each of you that is on facebook, please go "like" my ETSY page on FB? I am trying to get to over 25 "likes". Here is the link:
thirtyone13etsy

Now on to some goodies that I've made or worked on or thrifted:
I started on this wool covered styrofoam ball several months ago; I finally got it all finished. I would LOVE to have a whole bowl full of these. They are sorta a temari style ball with each piece cut to fit, stitched together and then the circle on each "end" to cover the joint. Or I guess you might call them kind of a crazy quilt style also. I tried some new stitches on each joint; some look good, some not so good, but I am loving it. I have eggs for Easter but who knows if I'll get them done for THIS Easter, LOL!!!!

February Ornament done!

Bookmarks I made for a swap on Craftster Board. I had 4 partners and we each sent 1 bookmark. So far, I've received all of mine but one of my partners is still waiting. She's in Australia and I know it will take awhile but it's been since Feb 18; sure hope it shows up soon.

These next 3 are the bookmarks I received:
(wait there's supposed to be 4) - hummmmmmmm gotta go look at my iphoto to see where that little baby is hiding. I'll post a pic of it as soon as I find it!

Coffee mug (or in my case, water) sleeve. These are SUPER easy. They are made from the "sleeve" or "cuff" of a real wool sweater. I just stitched my monogram on and then stitched a seam up the back to make it tighter around the cup. I plan to make more if you want one with your initial on it, check out my ETSY shop soon.

This next embroidered piece was a February stitch along at Feeling Stitchy. It was a vintage embroidery pattern and we could stitch it however we pleased. I chose to use only part of the pattern and then I sewed that onto wool felt and then the wool felt square onto a pillow cover. I need a pillow form to make it a finished pillow. I can't find the size I need ready made so I may just have to stuff it with poly-fil.

More monograms! (can you tell I like monograms??) A wool "R" stitched to gray wool and then stitched onto the striped wool mounted onto canvas. See the sides are wrapped for that professional finish, LOL!!

of course, I can't wait to make more.

I have great, ambitious plans, but when you work full time, you just don't have enough hours in the day!

ETSY treasury

2011-03-02T21:53:00.001-06:00

I just love buttons. I decided to play around on ETSY a little and I created this treasury. Please take a look at these artists and their shops. They are WONDERFUL!!!

Poll: Pieced Pillows

2011-03-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

Poll: Pieced Pillows

Go check out these wonderful pillows and vote for your favorite. My supervisor entered but hers didn't get chosen; it was still cute though.

I'm having a hard time deciding which I like best...........

Spring.....

2011-02-20T00:16:00.000-06:00

Is it Spring yet? or has this wonderful weather just been a tease? It's been in the 60's during the day here and it's been BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
I am so ready for warm weather to stay put for awhile. I don't do cold or winter AT ALL! In fact, I HATE it!
I've always been cold-natured but just recently I've found out why: I have Dysautonomia. I have low blood volume (which means I don't have enough blood running thru my veins). My dr described it as this, "if I were to cut off your head and turn you upside down and pour out your blood, you'd be about a quart low". I always knew I was "about a quart low", LOL!!! The symptoms are vast and they differ for each person with this. Some have heat intolerance, but I'm one of the few with cold intolerance.
So winter (even in the south) is hard on me. As I get older, it's harder and harder to tolerate the cold weather. This picture of the snow was in January. WE've had 2 more snows since then. One was just a small amount that had more ice than anything. It was crazy because within 15 min, things in downtown where I work were one thin sheet of ice. Normal drive home for me is about 25 min. That day, it took over 2 hrs! The last "weather event" was about 2 weeks ago. We had 4 inches of snow! That is almost unheard of in the south. Thankfully the roads were all ok, since it was snow only, no ice layer underneath. So you see, I'm so OVER winter! :-)

I have found a few treasures thrifting lately. This really cute doily/table runner had pink cross stitch but it's extremely faded. So I bought it with intentions of ripping out the stitching since it's all wonky. So far, I've gotten half of it ripped. I hope when it's all out, I can wash it and the stamped design will wash out. If not, I may restitch it.

Also, I found this quilt kit. It's a table runner kit with lots of really cute black and white fabrics. I bought it mainly for the fabrics. My supervisor at work is a quilter. I think she'll get the pattern. I know she'll use it someday.

The Felt Home Dec book has some really cute felting projects. Some are a little too "country" for my taste but I think using up to date wools, this will be a fun book to craft from.

Also, this vintage Stamped cross stitch was just so lonely so it came to live with me. I took the frame apart and washed this baby up and it's crispy clean now. I need to iron it. It might go in my ETSY shop...not sure yet.

I participated in a Mug Rug swap on Craftster and this is what I made for my partner. It's the cutest bird fabric that I quilted and also, quilted a patchwork of wool with a yellow birdie in the corner. The back is "pieced" wool sweater scraps. My partner said she liked it so I was glad.

This is the AdorABLE Mug Rug she made for me. I just LOVE IT!!!! and she got it just right with the Palm Tree and I love monograms. It's so cute! I can't bring myself to use it for snacks; I've got it hanging in my craft room so I can see it while I sew.

And look at this cool shower curtain I saw at Target. I didn't buy it but I really like the trees printed on this fabric. I snapped a photo with my Iphone since I intend to use this as inspiration for future embroidery and projects. I won't "copy" it, but it will def. be "inspiration" :-)

That's if for me tonight folks. Thanks for hanging in and visiting my blog. I hope to get more bloggy in the coming weeks! :-)

A Stitchy Finish

2011-02-07T16:11:00.000-06:00

I am participating in a the 2011 Monthly ornament challenge (again). Last year, I only got about 4 ornaments stitched and finished, so this year, I shall try again.

Janaury ornament all stitched AND finished (are you impressed? LOL)

February's ornament in the midst of being stitched.

These are from LHN last year when Diane put out 12 different ornaments for the year. I hope to get them all done this year.....stay tuned!

I was featured in a Treasury on ETSY

2011-02-05T22:33:00.011-06:00

I think this is the first time my "goods" have been in a treasury on Etsy. I'm so excited!!! But the funny thing is, my cousin (WendyAmarie) was featured in the same treasury. Now what are the chances of that?!?!?!.

Thanks Wendy, for sending me the link and thanks to Wishbone77 for including both of us!

New stitchy stuff but not xs stitchy stuff LOL

2011-01-24T21:51:00.000-06:00

I made this for my super, wonderful cousin (who obviously is a photographer):

She saw the ones I made for my mom and brother and said she loved it, so she got a custom one with her logo on it. She's a great photographer; you'll have to check out her blog. She sells DVDs of her photos when she shoots your "mug shot", hahaha......
We both hope this will be a great selling tool :-)

Maybe soon I'll have cross stitch pics. I have been stitching, I promise :-)
Have a great week; stay warm!

Does anyone use this or have this???

2011-01-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

Good Sunday morning everyone. The snow if FINALLY almost gone here; still a few spots lingering in the shade but the temps are going to 50 today with sun!!!!!! Yay!!! For those of you that deal with snow/winter weather all season, our few inches was nothing, but to us southerners that have NO CLUE how to drive on that stuff, this has been a NIGHTMARE! But hopefully things are getting back to normal winter time weather for us............

Anyway, my first order of business today is: does anyone use Ebates when ordering/shopping online? I am a member (was a little skeptical at first) but decided to try it and wow, so far, I've gotten about $30 in rebates. I joined ebates, and when you go to their site, they have tabs to different stores you click on (target, walmart, jcpenneys, old navy, gap, sears, ebay, and tons of others) and it opens a "ticket", then it directs you to that website, you order as normal and ebates puts a certain percentage into your account. You set your profile to receive your rebates at a certain time, like quarterly. You can get an actual 'check' or have it deposited into an account. I chose my paypal account. To me, if I was going to order something online anyway, why not use ebates and get a rebate. If you have that put into a paypal account, it's like free money, woohoo!!! anyway, this is a solicitation for referrals. If you join ebates by this link, you get a $5 sign up bonus and I get a $5 referral bonus. Go check it out.............

and my second request: Does anyone have this kit by Lizzie Kate they'd like to sell or trade

I have the other 3 seasons, and had this one at one time but for some reason, I got rid of it. Why I don't have a clue, but now I'd like to have it again. The kit comes with the fabric and a leaf button. I probably could order from an online store, but if anyone wants to trade this, I'd be willing to work something out.

Everyone stay warm, and if you are off work tomorrow (US holiday), enjoy a long weekend!!! I know I am!

WINNERS! Yes, I picked 2 :-)

2011-01-14T07:27:00.000-06:00

I decided 2 winners would be in order for my 2 yrs Blogoversary. :-)

Kristi from Stitchy Stitcherson and Patty C from Hanging on by a Thread.

I will email both today for addresses and THANK YOU for all of my followers/readers and friends!

Robin

New hoop

2011-01-12T21:20:00.000-06:00

I received my 2nd hoop from my other swap partner on Craftster. It is SOOO adorable!!! I will update my header pic with this added as soon as the sun comes out! WE've had snow for 3 days - unheard of in Alabama!

Remember, drawing will be held after midnight tonight (prob tomorrow evening) - become a follower and you're entered! :-)

Happy 19th Birthday to my sweet DD; she's at college and not able to spend the day with us, but that's ok...she's having fun (or so facebook shows she is, LOL)

'night.

Wow.......I have so much to share!

2011-01-10T12:41:00.001-06:00

Let's see, where do I begin???? I guess with today. We're SNOWED in in Alabama. Can you believe that???

Almost all roads are closed; my work is closed so I got a "free" day, yay!! I don't like cold weather but this is pretty.

I have so many new projects to share:

I received this TINY 3" hoop from my swap partner at Craftster. She did a great job; it's soooo cute!

My tiny heart hoop hanging amongst my quilting hoops.

This is the top shelf of my crafting table/desk.

I made this hoop for one of my partners on Craftster; she said I "nailed" her personality and that she's a "hippie" at heart. She actually drives a VW Bug. I'm so glad she likes it!

This was for my other hoopla partner on Craftster; she specifically asked for a "red monogram" She said it was "perfect" :-)

I made this for DD for Christmas; for anyone in music, you'll know it's a "fermata"; it means "hold". She said she loved it and it's hanging on her doorknob to her room :-)

I had my hooplas hanging like this but then changed my mind; see blog header photo :-)

felted wool "cuffs" covering a soup can and a glass "salsa" jar. This is a great way to use up the cuffs from old sweaters. I just add several randomly. I think I may go do a few stitches of some kind at each "joint" just so it looks all finished; we'll see.....stay tuned for more on this project.

felted wool sweater turned pin cushion - going in my etsy shop

pin cushions in the makings.

more pincushions in the makings - all for my Etsy shop

does this look like anything at all????? :-)

Pure 100% cashmere Scarf. I'll post pics of it all stitched up and ready to wear.

or this??? this is also a scarf in the works. Stay tuned...............

Not sure what I'm going to call this; a clutch purse maybe or a project bag???? I need to stitch the sides up and put a button closure or velcro for closure..........stay tuned for this one also.

the next few are scrabble tiles and felted wool; they will be ornaments........check back for the final product.

Have you ever seen such YUMMY colors of floss? I found all of these at Hancock Fabrics. A few are DMC but the pearl cottons on the left side are a different brand that I'd never heard of. I just loved them so I bought one of each color.

New Stash

more new stash

and more new stash :-)

I found this at the thrift store in a frame that was wet and molded all across the bottom. I took it apart, washed this and it came CLEAN!!!! I will prob frame in the hoop shown below and hang for Halloween.

See all the small "dots" at the edges (click to make larger), those were STAPLES! Someone had STAPLED this thing to a board with at least 100000000000 staples and they were rusted. That didn't come clean but once I "hoop" it, it'll be fine.

If you are still with me, thank you for much for following along. It seems I have alot of unfinished projects I need to get done. I plan on getting a case of numb butt today while I look at all the pretty snow. Enjoy if you have the day off!!!

and don't forget my give away on the 12th (see post below)....Become a follower and you'll be entered.......that's all there is to it!

I'm going to be a "FEATURED" blogger ANDDDDDDDDD my new ETSY SHOP

2011-01-04T10:36:00.001-06:00

I got an email yesterday form WeAllSew.com and they want to feature my blog on their site!!! Now how exciting is that????????? I was super surprised, but EXTREMELY flattered. Please check out their site THIS FRIDAY (January 7). My blog will be on their home page for a week.

And my other update: I have a new ETSY shop. I had tried Etsy before, but never really kept up with it. Now that DD is off at college, I do seem to have a smidgen of free time, so hopefully I can keep it up.
I have named it "thirtyone13". If you look at Proverbs 31:13 in the Bible, it says, "She seeks wool, and flax, and works willingly with her hands." Both of my grandmothers were excellent seamstresses. I am not an expert by any means but I love to stitch and sew. Please visit my shop when you have a few minutes. (link on the right side of my blog). If you are an Etsy-er, please "heart" my shop :-)

I have new items I've been working on, but the are for 3 swaps on Craftster.org so I can't show the pics just yet. I am sending them out this week, so as soon as they are received, I will reveal them.

Everyone have a great week!
Robin

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T09:34:00.001-06:00

Just want to wish all of my friends a very Happy New Year. Mom did great with her surgery. She had 2 disc repaired in her lower back. It was a minor incision and she is doing really great. No pain at all, just sore where the incision is. Thanks for all the prayers. I am looking forward to 2011 being a GREAT year.
I hope God blesses you and your family with health, happiness and LOTS of crafting/stitching time :-)

Don't forget my giveaway in the post below. All you need to do it become a follower to be entered. Drawing is January 12..........

These are 2 projects I just completed for Christmas gifts. Since my brother got remarried, I wanted something to give them with their wedding date on it but not something framed. This is what I came up with. I took several photos at the wedding (nothing professional by any means since they had a photographer that took 600 photos!) but these were pretty good pics and I wanted them to have a different view of the wedding than just from a professional photographer. I also made one for mom since all of the grandkids pics were on there too. These were made from upcycled/recycled men's suit jacket and red sweater - 100% wool, lined with various cottons. I put a layer of interfacing in between the lining and outside to give it some "body" so it wouldn't be "floppy". It's not stiff, but it's just enough so the CD is protected. Hope you enjoy...........

Giveaway time........

2010-12-27T22:44:00.000-06:00

I just realized I've been blogging for 2 years on Dec 31....doesn't seem like it's been that long. It's been alot of fun; I've met alot of wonderful new friends so I think I need to give something away, LOL!!!

If you want to enter, just become a follower (or if you are already a follower, you are already entered) and on January 12 (DD's Birthday), I'll draw a winner. Not sure what I'm going to send the winner yet but it'll have to do with stitching, I promise. :-)

Happy New Year's - blogging will be hit/miss for me in the next week. My mom's having back surgery on the 30th, so I'll be helping to take care of her for a few days.

Have a great week!!!

and thank you so much for being my friend! :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2010-12-25T00:49:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!!! Santa was EXTREMELY generous to me.

My gifts:

LK Snowman 10 Snippet

LHN Snow White

Jenny Bean Friendship Sampler

LHN The North Wind

LHN Simple Joys

Shakespeare Peddler Sampler Roundy

LK Autumn Fob kit

LK Winter Fob Kit

Woolie Stocking kit

With Thy Needle's Snow Day

With Thy Needle's Oh Tannenbaum

Needleworks by Caryn Proverbs 31:13 Sampler

The Needle's Notion Snowball Garland

Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching bookUltra Sharp Scissor pack (look at the tiny stork scissors too)

A Brother CSi6000 sewing machine!!!!!!!!!!!!

But that's not all................

This was the BIGGEST SURPRISE..............

A 2011 CHEVY EQUINOX

I guess I was a pretty good girl to get all of this! I told DH that I really loved the new car but when Feb 6th rolls around and that first payment is due, I might not like it so much, LOL!!! I haven't had a car payment in about 4 years.

48 hrs ago, a new car was NOT in our plans AT ALL! But my poor old Honda CRV was on it's very last mile, so DH and I just decided it was time to replace it. This SUV is SWEET and I'm an SUV-girl all the way!

Thanks Santa! :-)

Finally.....

2010-12-10T23:21:00.001-06:00

I finally got my blog all Christmas-y. and it's only Dec 10....I have 15 whole days to enjoy it. Yikes, it's only 15 days til the BIG DAY. When I typed that I didn't realize it was that close. I really really need to finish my shopping............But tomorrow is a VERY big day for our family. You know several months ago, my sweet SIL passed away from breast cancer. She and my brother have 8 children. My brother and the kids grieved for her LONG before she ever passed away as they watched her literally die for almost 4 years. He put his children in school for the first time in August (they've always home schooled) and his youngest met a sweet little girl that quickly became her best friend. This best friend just happened to have a very sweet, and very single Mom :-). I'm sure you all can guess where this is going. They crossed paths quiet often over the last couple of months and of course, we were all praying for him a helper/wife/partner/companion. He was alone with the kids, and had grieved so much. Well this young, single mom and my almost 50 yr old brother fell in love. I know it seems quick, but God works in mysterious ways. My brother was extremely worried how his late wife's parents would react to this so he went to visit. Her parents were a little shocked at first but then they got to know her too. My brother, his new "friend" and all 9 kids (yep 9) spent Thanksgiving with his late wife's parents. They told my brother that they could see how much he loved her and how his children loved her and they told him they would learn to love her too. They knew he was faithful to their daughter for the 23 years they were together. That he loved his first wife with all of his heart and they knew this must be straight from God. I joked and said, "He's almost 50, almost bald, ok looking but not a "stud" by any means, he's pretty broke with 8 kids and 2 of those in college, she would have to have fallen straight out of heaven because what woman in her right mind would want to step into that crazy house, LOL".....of course, I was joking. She is a beautiful, wonderful woman. My neices and nephews just fell in love with her as did my brother..............Tomorrow is their wedding day. We of course will miss his late wife always and she'll always be a part of our family but now we're adding to our family with this wonderful lady and her precious daughter. We are so very thankful and so very Blessed!!!

ok, whew....take a deep breath and wipe away any tears (I still cry when I talk about all of it) and let's get on with some crafty-stitchy goodies.........

I bought 8 red cloth napkins after Christmas last year and embroidered just simple words on the front of four. I took the other 4 and used as the backs to these and made these easy pillows. I used old throw pillows I had that I was no longer using to stuff these with. I love how they turned out.

Next up is Lizzie Kate's Be Merry Be Jolly Blocks. I stitched these in the spring but just got them all cubed up. DD said they look like tiny little presents! yippee! :-)

LHN first ornament of this year. I only stitched 3 of these completely. One is not finished finished yet but it's in the final stages. Just waiting on the glue to dry and then to embellish it. I will continue to stitch on these as I just love them, just didn't get around to finishing very many in 2010

Next is a WONDERFUL book I won at THE GIFT OF STITCHING MAGAZINE. Kirsten emailed me that I was the Oct winner. It's a fabulous book with all kinds of embroidery stitches and illustrations. I had one small reference book but this one is MUCH better. Thanks Kirsten!!! I will enjoy this for years.

My new scissors from The Sampler Girl. I just had to order these when Tanya got them in stock. I was so into Halloween this year so this was a must have! I have a pumpkin fob that will go so cute with these. and the tiny bag they came in is going to get something embroidered on it, just not sure what yet :-)

and lastly, the trees that inspired my sweater felting obsession. DD and I found these at Target the day after Christmas. I think I paid $1.00 each. I knew I could reproduce something similar and DD really wanted these in her room. The pic is a little dark (lack of sunshine that day) but they are reds/greys and creamy white wool.

If you're still reading, thank you so much for stopping by. I know the next couple of weeks will be scattered blog reading and/or posting for many of us. Enjoy the holiday season. I'll be back soon............

Giveaway......

2010-12-06T12:05:00.000-06:00

Fantastic giveaway http://feathersinthenest.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-giveaway-2010-begins.html

.............update soon on what I've been working/stitching on.

robinpich (thirtyone13)

Owl Wall.

Felted wool Letters............

Framed Cross stitch

Doodling inspired by Zentangles...........SWAP-BOT spoiler if you are my partner!

New to me Etsy shops

New Hoop for the Hoopla wall..............

Treasuries...................EVERYWHERE!!

INCHIEs

Tshirt yarn

swirly embroidery

Jan 1, 2012 - Be Creative Every Day

Sewn ATC

New ornaments.........

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!

atc made for madhatteh (2)

Where has this month gone....

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

bloglovin............and posting comments on blogs

Pincushions....and STASH FOR SALE!

New creations........... wool felt embroidery

Help with Witch pattern.............anyone know?

Jumping on the band wagon..............

Halloween tree

Hoopla Wall...............updated.............

Fabric ATCs

Very cool Article From Guardian.co.uk - Gentleman who stitches

I read this article today from a link on the CRAFT: blog. I think this is so very cool; just thought I'd share...................

"copied from this link"

Nazis, needlework and my dad

Part 3.

Owlie all done.....

New items in the works.................

Friday Finds...........

If you know what I mean.

1 yr ago........................

Friday Finds.............(late again) :-)

Hope and Help...................

Check out this giveaway

Part 2..........finally

Part 1 - charts and patterns (in the jumbled up mess) from the Church yard sale

I know it's Saturday, but this is Friday Finds post...............

For Sale Blog.........

Friday finds..........and SALE STARTS SATURDAY!

Christmas in July

T shirt yarn

Friday Finds..........................

What would you do with this?

Happy Independence Day!

Vacation is over :-(

New treasure. and it's VACATION TIME!

Thrift Store shopping.

Alien invasion

TWICE in one treasury!

Owls!

New Stitchy hoop

HEARTSY.ME

New Hoop!

I've been featured!

New Hoop!

Winner...............

SAFE!

I've been BUSY!!!!!!!!! and a GIVEAWAY.................

You just NEVER know........

BNR from Alabama Accents Team

T Shirt into yarn

Easter......

Birthday Present

OH MY!!!!!

New stash and goodies

Stash.........for sale or trade ***UPDATED***(3/17/11)

Love 2 Upcycle: Team Gallery

Twice in one day!

Felted wool monogram FEATURED

20% off in my ETSY shop.......

Hi all!!!!!

ETSY treasury

Poll: Pieced Pillows

Spring.....

Stash.........for sale or trade UPDATED(3/17/11)