Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bella's here!!

Such a sweet name for a little girl due to make her appearance in July 2009. But, Bella's came early!



Bella lives in her very own, very special Glass Castle where she is cared for around the clock. She is loved and nurtured and assisted. Now we can help too with a Raffle being hosted by JunkSistas

I'll be donating a few Roses Mouse Pads designed from my hand painted Roses...how much more perfect than Roses for Bella?

Now scoot on over to JunkSistas!

Melissa

Saturday, April 25, 2009

A Blustery Day in North Texas

It's Windy here at the Cottage! Humid and Warm...so I'm playing indoors.

Just finished my Camera Case with quilt fabric from a crazy quilt vest so I cut the 5 inch squares into strips to weave. It turned out so cute and little, like my new camera...Pinkie.



Pinkie, more formally known as Sony Cybershot, was on sale and Office Max matched Office Depot's ad for a 4 Gig Mem stick (saved $20 woot!) and Pinkie is the most delicate shade of PINK!!

AND

takes videos! I had NO idea. My son discovered it and made a video while petting our little adopted abused Siamese mix.

Here it is with the flap open up the little camera case. Woven in one piece, no sewing!



I added a skirt of pink fiber...



Made the loom one night, then began weaving while listening to my favorite radio show. Then finished it while watching TV after dinner. It's amazing how quickly small items get finished.

Pinkie loves her new home. She is joining the Cell Phone in my Pink Purse. I may have an addiction to weaving. But that's ok, I am using up the smallest of fabrics in my craft chest as well as items cut from clothing I couldn't part with.

I have one kink to work out this weekend, then the How-To will be available.

Till then, Here is our little Jordie...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Garage Sale Fun and Flea Markets

Staring off, lost in other thoughts, my mind slowly recognized this little jewel hanging from the bedroom ceiling.



And I remembered the day I found it. It was already hot as blazes, about 10am on a Saturday morning. Walking up a driveway, I had to step in front of a box to let a lady piled high with her goods get around me. Without thinking I looked down in the box and there is was. NO one was looking at it. I bent over to see the price tag, $25. Thought I'd faint! At the bottom of the box was all the Vintage prisms.

Suddenly I was a guard dog, trying to get hubby's attention and not look like I had found a pile of GOLD. He rushed over, saw the goods and began orchestrating the process. I would go to the owner and stand while he picked the box and followed me with $$.

$25 lighter, it was loaded in my car and I was hyperventilating and talking non-stop, making NO sense. Got it home cleaned years in an attic off it and Hubby hung it up for me.

I still love it!

Enjoy this gorgeous spring we are having,
Melissa

Monday, April 20, 2009

Flash Back and Fun

Have you ever run across something on the internet that was just totally gorgeous, totally YOU and then you find out your live 1200 miles from where the classes on how to make them are being taught?

Happens to me frequently or the cost of the item is too high and I am thankful not to have the temptation. Couple weeks ago I was looking at lovely woven purses with dangles and photos, jewelry and handmade tags, they were gorgeous! Made from ribbons, somewhat loosely woven with fabrics and fibers that were just to die 4! AND, I could actually take the class half and hour from my home.

I'd love to show the photos but that wouldn't be right as I am sure they are copyrighted.

Of course I wanted to learn how to make them, really bad I wanted to learn. So I checked to see how much the class was...$60. Hmm.... Now I am a tightwad from 2001 and no way was I parting with that sum of cash...so I began wondering why they looked so familiar and yet obviously an art form with a twist for Today.

Then it hit me!

A Flash Back from 6th grade. We made things with the same basic format. Now to figure out the weaving loom and pull out all those fabrics from the thrift store, pretty doilies and other items I had saved for years cause I couldn't bring myself to throw them away.

I was thinking of all sorts of things shapes, usefulness-es, and after a few hours of trial and error with the first loom and a few more hours of enjoyment, I had made my first bag!



A beautiful crochet dresser scarf provided the covering and a wooden bead from on of my mom's purses (from WAY back) provided the perfect closure!



Now, I am NOT a crochet person. I know enough to get by with no one looking. But, I managed to link up the edges of the dresser scarf and chain stitch it to the woven area on the back. Look hard and you can see it isn't even, but doesn't bother me one bit.



I've pulled some beaded embroidery work to go on it and will add a hook for my keys. I want to add a few other items and fibers but for now a handle...



I wove it pretty tight so nothing could possibly fall out. Also I'll plan to leave more dangling fabrics on my next purse...here is a look at the inside



Before I could add other items I wanted to make a cell phone carrier which morphed into a Mini-Bag and then another idea I just had to try out and now I am working on a camera case. Oh, and I made my mom a cell phone carrier as she is always leaving it in her robe or in the other room. Hers has a hook for her keys and a long strap allowing her to carry it everywhere. It took a couple hours to make that, the longest time was putting the blanket stitch over the strap as she likes a more finished look.

Well more to show later, I've been dying to start on the cell phone case!

I'll make complete instructions on how to make the loom, drawings to go by, how to get your loom ready for weaving and the tools you may want to make or purchase to help you along the way. I'll place them in a PDF file and make them available for a nominal fee so you can Get Your Weave On! FAR less than $60 bucks!

So go through your craft drawers and cabinets, pull out those bits of fabric you couldn't bare to throw away cause you can use them to Get Your Weave On!

Details coming soon,
Melissa

Lessons Learned

Don't delete your blog thinking you are just going to start over with a few new things.

NOPE...you won't.

When you hit that Delete button, everything disappears.

EVERYTHING!

Your Header, Sidebar Pics, Everything you ever put on your blog goes totally Bye-Bye.

As you can see the settings for Fonts go away too...

Thinking back...I can see it...hope the Males don't find out, they'll have more ammunition for teasing me.

BRB,
Melissa