Grateful for Gifted Friends...

So many of you know and adore Paulette of Beedeebabee. She is a very gifted artist with felt, beads, needle and thread. Please visit her blog to see some of her newest offerings.

I was so fortunate to open my mail one day recently and this is the fabulous treasure I received. I am truly grateful as I cherish her handwork. Now I am able to also cherish her friendship. Once again blogland has brought the best people and their creative talents to my circle of inspiration. Thank you so very dearly Paulette. I am very grateful.

Today is the beginning of a new week of opportunity and I shall try to rise to meet the challenge. I have lots of things in mind and now all I need to do is get to them...NOW!

Happy February Hearts to each of you.

Gifts Given & Time to Relax...

I love using wool felt and sewing with it. This is the back side of a tote bag I made.

Here is the front. I have added one of my wool flower pins that can be removed and worn on a lapel or such. The buttons add a nice touch to the handles I think.

The back side of another one I made for gift giving.

Here is the front with it's wool flower. I am thinking I really need to make some of these for my girls as they turned out so nicely. Maybe I shall start on Valentine gifts next.

Christmas was wonderful. Lots of family, friends, food, fun and gift exchanging.

Today is a day to relax and reflect. Mr. C took me out to a wonderful breakfast at one of our favorite local restaurants in town. Then we took the scenic route home and saw lots of very sleepy and rainy wet homes and businesses. Maybe they too are relaxing and catching a breath after the Christmas rush.

Enjoy your week and do what you really like doing.

Happy end of December to all...

Quick Christmas Doily...

This is a quick and easy Christmas doily.

Size is approximately 14 inches in diameter.

I used a fun Christmas fabric, felt for the backing, fusible fleece interfacing to give it substance and a fun flirty ribbon ruffle.

You can machine stitch all layers together.

I choose to handstitch the ruffle on just so the back stayed smooth.

This makes a nice protector for any holiday table.

This could be used for a centerpiece with a lovely clear glass vase or candlestick.

How would you use something like this?

Happy Holiday Creating...

Fun Fall Flowers...

I love making these fun flowers. This time I have used wool felt, lace and ribbons. Usually I stack the three different sizes for one flower. This time I stacked each of three layers in only one size. This is the small size and I added a button to the center of this one. With a pin back I am able to wear it on a lapel.

Same materials in the middle size and this time I used a "wad" of threads gathered from some torn muslin. I stacked three coordinating buttons for the center. This flower is pinned to the center of my Halloween witch hat that I shall be wearing this weekend.

This is the large sized petals and I used ribbons for the center. This fall flower took a ride through the mail service and surprised a blog pal of mine.

Here is the trio of Fall Flowers. I never get tired of making these fun floral pins.

Ideas are in the works for the next generation of my favorite flowers. Stay tuned...

Happy Halloweekend to each of you. May you have lots of treats and no tricks.

Oops almost forgot...

Yes, I raised my hand once again. Mr. C has told me to just sit on my hands but I never listen and I am always volunteering no matter how little time I have to squeeze in more things that take time.
I usually do not share this on my blog, however, it is important to me and that is what counts. I attend a weekly Weight Watchers meeting and like it very much. Through the years I have become quite fond of food and therefore eat way too much and guess what has happened to me?!! Oh yeah...the scale does not lie. My weight has gone up and up as I age. Now I know all about the hormones and how our bodies really do change shape and even that we gain weight for the sake of aging. However, I also know when my clothes stop fitting and my joints begin to ache and I just am ought of sorts that I need to eat less and eat healthier. So that is what I am doing.

Meanwhile I keep track in a little booklet so that I can really be certain I am not overeating. This brings me to how I came to raise my hand. My group is doing a "traveling journal" for the next 90 days and I brought it home to keep track for the week. Yes, it will be shared with the entire group. Am I worried? No! We are all in the same need and it is a really great group of folks. So I just had to get some felt and make a simple cover for the little journal. Then I thought a nice felt heart would be cheery. And a place to put a pencil for ease of keeping track. And this is what I have to turn in and share with the others. I kept it simple and basic since it will work for women and men.

I love working with wool felt as it needs no hemming or lining. It is durable and easy to work with. The grey I used will not show handling dirt as quickly. And the heathered red heart...well that represents the goal we all have of being healthy!

Happy Heart to each of you...

I Felt Love...

I recently received this wonderful package in the mail. Surprises are the best don't you think?!
Pat Winter is a truly kind and generous artistic soul. I met Pat through blogging and the Comfort Doll project she began and ran for many years.

Since I cannot seem to figure out how to link a site with my text I shall give you Pat's blog address http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/ so you can visit and discover her many talents unless you already follow this amazing woman.

So back to my surprise package. I love opening mail and find cleverness inside. Wrapped in pattern tissue and stamped and stitched is the most beautiful handmade brooch. Pat felted it and embellished it with her signature fabric ciggy and beads and ribbon embroidery. This brooch is truly a tiny work of art and I shall cherish owning it.

Thank you so very much dear Pat.

Isn't this beautiful with it's greens and purples, lace, ribbons, beads and the special heart attached? I am thrilled with this piece of felted love.

Happy creating...

Fabric Envelopes...

Here are some fabric envelopes I have been sewing. I began making these as birthday gifts which contained one of my handmade bracelets or pair of earrings. Then I thought how fun it would be to make these and list them since not everyone sews.
This soft feminine cinnamon colored one has tan felt lining so it will not scratch anything you might put inside.

This dusty blue one is my favorite since I am partial to blues. This one is slightly larger than the cinnamon one pictured above. It has white felt lining and is very soft. You might even put a special piece of lingerie in this envelope. Wouldn't this be a great unique gift for a wedding shower? No two alike with a gift like this.

This mauve and beige envelope is very muted and soft. The felt lining is a very pale pink. Wouldn't it be super fun to store love letters in these?

For more information such as dimensions and photos of inside please refer to my etsy shop located here http://createology.etsy.com

What would you use a fabric envelope for?

Thank you for visiting and I really enjoy all of your comments and critiques.

Happy creating...

Great day for accomplishing...

Good Morning Studio! Wait...who made this mess? Did I leave my workspace in this condition yesterday? I know I didn't finish all my projects but did I leave this mess? Let me check it out from the other end to be certain how it looks...

Oh my! It looks even worse from this view. What was I thinking? Oh well let's just begin and see what we get done today muse. What will we be making today?

Do you ever have something you know you need and can make for yourself but you never do it. You think you can always make it another day. Hmmm...

Let's see we need some wool felt.

No pattern? Okay we can just eyeball it.

Small piece of velcro and ribbon.
Sewing machine and away we go.

It's not very big as it doesn't need to be. Scraps will make it just fine.

This is the finished project. It is sort of rough. Not my best finishing job. Oh yes, it is for me and it is merely for practicality.

What is it for?

Here it is. It is for my Walkman and earbuds. I used to keep them in a small coin purse but this will be much softer for keeping it nice. It is durable and light weight.

I am just so thrilled that I finally accomplished making it. I will be using this and see how I like it.

I also completed another item that I am very pleased with but shall wait to show it another day.

Oh, the worktable in the studio? I did clean it off and it is ready for another day of being creative.

Does being productive give you energy? Does it make you feel more confident?

Happy creating...

Happy Hearts to all...

Happy Hearts to everyone. May you feel special. May you do something special. This is a day to enjoy being loved.

These are felt hearts I stitched together and filled with lavender. Felt heart with fabric heart yo-yo and a heart button just screams Valentine. The feathers were just for whimsy.

My DH and I went for a walk and I found a small piece of wood shaped like a heart and a pretty white rock shaped like a heart. Now that is in the spirit of the day. I feel very blessed to have my loving husband, daughter, granddaughters, family and friends.

Have a wonderful heart filled day.

Valentine makings...

Hello bloggers. I am completely aware that January is almost coming to an end and next is February with Valentine's Day. So I have gathered a few supplies for Valentine makings.
Felt, ribbon, thread, feathers, pearl cotton, needle, heart shape pattern, Clover heart shape yo-yo maker, fabric and of course scissors.
These supplies are spread all over my table as I decide what I am going to actually make with them. I have a couple of ideas but if you have any ideas I would love to hear what you would make.
I really like working with all of these supplies. I will be hand sewing as opposed to machine sewing. Maybe I will include wonderful lavender buds that I have picked and dried from the lavender plants. I really love the smell of lavender and it has a relaxing and calming effect. Unfortunately my sister is allergic to lavender so none for her. Maybe another scent that she likes. Or...maybe no scent at all. I will figure out just what is right.
I always like the colors of red, pink and white for Valentines. I might surprise the standard colors and use some non-traditional colors such as blue or purple for example. Hmmm...
After I get something made I will post another photo.
Let me know what you would make with these Valentine supplies.