"Hey, if I had somewhere to go, I certainly wouldn't be in Cleve-Land." -Howard the Duck

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cyber Monday

So did you shop this weekend?  We avoid the malls & big box stores...and only did some grocery shopping...we had to get a turkey for ourselves as the one I made earlier in the week was taken to our out-of-town celebration. We returned home Friday evening to relax for the rest of the long weekend.

I was busy packaging up my hand dyed ribbons to send to a dear friend who will offer them for sale with her handcrafted items at a Christmas Craft Sale.  I just listed some more in my Etsy shop, too...I dyed up about 200 yards of ribbon!  I just never get tired of those pretty colors.

The charms above were the ones I made for a Christmas Ornament Charm swap in the ArtCharms group.  I got THREE sets of charms returned to me on Friday & Saturday...the ornaments as well as a Christmas swap with red, green & gold charms...and an Autumn Charms swap, too.  Lots of eye candy to make me very happy.

I haven't gotten into the shopping frenzy of Cyber Monday, either...most of the gifts I give are handmade, and I'll get them finished soon.  I think the tree will go up next weekend...so I'll focus on my Etsy shop until then.  I'd love to have you visit me there if you get a chance. Thanks!



Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day to all of you! 

Monday, November 21, 2011

Santa's workshop?

I feel a bit like I've been working in Santa's workshop this weekend...and shopping for all the Thanksgiving necessities, too.  The little ornaments above are SEW cute on the tree.  They're for sale in sets of 3 in my Etsy shop.  
I've made more altered matchbox gift boxes & calico wreath ornaments, too...and since Hanukkah Harry helps Santa when he needs help, I made this pretty Star of David bracelet.  The blue beaded chain is vintage & I think it's gorgeous with a single Star of David adorning it.

I'll be doing a lot of cooking over the next few days to prepare for our Thanksgiving feast...then I can enjoy the day...and watch some football, too!





Saturday, November 19, 2011

WHOO's got owls?

Who's got owls?  My friend Kimber has owls...and you can have them, too...all you have to do is visit her Etsy shop...Kimberiginal.  I was the lucky recipient of one of these cuties one Christmas & they are so adorable.  You'll definitely want one or more on your tree.  They make great gifts & are fabulous to tie onto a gift as a special trim.
I've been busy making more ornaments & altered matchbox gift boxes to sell...of course, as I get them done, they will be listed in my Etsy shop, KittenCreates.  I found some vintage Christmas Seals from 1984...and the one sheet I have from that year actually had Hanukkah images in addition to the usual Christmas ones.  I have not seen that in any other year.  I have created a couple sets of Altered Matchboxes using reproductions of these stamps & they are also available in my shop. 

Back to the studio...to see if the paint is dry so I can make more gift boxes...I sold 5 sets yesterday alone...so y'all know what I'll be doing this weekend.  I hope you're doing something creative, too.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

We return to our getting ready for Christmas programming...

Back in the 1970s-1990s, I used to sew a lot.  I've done some sewing here & there since then, and when I was looking through some of my stash, I found a basket with a bunch of little circles already cut out.  The prints are some of my favorite 1980s calicos...the colors are a bit deeper than the vibrant Christmas reds & greens...and the accents are ivory & a bit of metallic gold...even touches of blue.  They are gorgeous fabrics & I still have some yardage...I bought enough to make a Christmas quilt...but never got around to that. 
It's still on my to do list.

I decided to sew up these little wreaths from those vintage fabric circles...and they are currently for sale in my Etsy shop...Kitten Creates.  Each one is lovingly hand sewn...there is no machine stitching here...just handmade ornaments for a bit of Christmas nostalgia on your tree.

Now if I can get the tension working right on my sewing machine...I'm hoping to make some more of those kitty ornaments I donated to the Humane Society sale...so I guess y'all know what I'll be working on for awhile.  I wonder how much tension I'll have while trying to fix the machine tension??? 



Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Birthday Girl c.1957

This little Birthday Girl is me...back in 1957, I guess.  The folder with this pic in it doesn't have any notes on it, but I think I see 5 candles on my cake.  The party scene is in the basement of the house we live in now...and it is still unfinished to this day.  It's only used for storage these days, but back when the house was new, it was our playroom & party room.  Check out that dress I'm wearing...good grief!  My favorite part of the table is those aluminum tumblers...wish I had found those in the basement here, but they are long gone.

Then...a couple years ago, my favorite stamping/scrapbook/altered art/fun stuff store, Red Lead Paperworks, came out with this birthday girl image...see any similarities?  I hadn't even found the pic of me when I made this tag to send to them as a sample for their shop.  Interesting coincidence, no? 

I do love this image...and I've used it many times.  The text stamp is from Red Lead, too. 

So...it's my birthday...and we have wild jumbo snow crab legs & clusters waiting in the freezer...it will be a good dinner tonight!  I'd rather cook my own dinner than go to any of the restaurants around here.  We have a bottle of Prosecco chilling, too...let the celebration begin...after I get some more sleep!

BTW...Mother Nature is cooperating as much as she can in OH...she doesn't have much to work with in this pathetic state.  The snow is gone & the sun is shining...and it should get into the 50s.  Still too cold for me, but better than it could be.  Thanks, Mother Nature.



Friday, November 11, 2011

I thought 11-11-11 was supposed to be LUCKY!

Looking out the back window this morning...CRAP!!!

This certainly is NOT my idea of a lucky day...guess I'll go back to bed..."at least it's not worse" is the best thing I can think of.  I absolutely HATE HATE HATE snow...even one little flake is too much for me.  Thankfully, Phil has today off...so he didn't have to scrape off the car before leaving for work.

I hope it's warm & sunny wherever you are.  This crap had better not be here tomorrow is all I can say.

Monday, November 7, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Luckily, that does NOT mean snow is falling here...but it IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my Etsy shop... Kitten Creates.  I've been busy with paper, paint, embellishments & beads...making some pretty things for the holidays ahead.  I'm still busy in my studio...and have decided to part with some vintage treasures, too...so please check back from time to time to see what's new.

I hope you'll take a look at what I've added into my shop & perhaps you'll find an interesting bauble or two for someone special...or for yourself.  And if you have a friend who is shopping for handcrafted gifts, please feel free to share the link to my shop.  Many thanks!

You'll find ornaments:


...and gift boxes...


...and jewelry...


...and pretty ribbons, of course...

...to help make your season merry & bright. 

Friday, November 4, 2011

A Charming Autumn

I must confess...I'm not a big fan of the colors associated with Autumn...the oranges, browns and golds.  But this year I challenged myself to work with them a bit & I'm sharing the results so far with you.  They're still not my favorite colors, but for now they're playing well with others.