Still working on setting up my templates for sale on my Free Webs website. Now that I have a forum to continue selling my designs, I find I prefer to work on new ones rather than go back and load up the old ones! Here's a new one I did today ~ the cutest little fairy image! Just click on the image to see the entire template.
Till next time,
How this really nice lady found me is still not clear, but she purchased 2 templates from me this week, one of which was a custom exclusive (for her use only). I was really pleased with the way it turned out! (you can click on the image below to see it).
Announcing "Sew Dear To Me" website on Free Webs! I'm just getting it up and running, so bear with me, please. There's a ton for me to figure out including how to add PayPal. For now, if you see something you're interest in here (there's a portfolio of my past work at the bottom of the page), or on the new website, you can email me and we can work out the details. Once we've corresponded about what you'd like, and a mockup sent and approved, I can invoice you via Paypal, then send you all the information including your template document and template instructions via email.
Since eBay banned listing digital products, I've quit listing my templates with them. Now I have a place where I can continue to offer my graphics to past customers and maybe some new ones!
Check it out! (Just click on the little logo below)
I'm at http:/www.freewebs.com/sewdeartome/
(Sorry...Link expired).
Thanks for looking, and hope to see you there, even if to leave a comment!
P.S. Apparently there is a 7 day provisional hold on new websites with Free Webs, so the "Buy Now" Paypal link will not work until May 1st, I believe. That will give me lots of time to upload all my templates so that there will be a good selection of all kinds of styles.
On American Idol last night, David Cook has proven he can sing ANYTHING! Music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber was the theme for the evening, and David did a beautiful job on this piece from Phantom of the Opera (one of my favorites!). Beyond the many gritty, rocker performances, this guy actually has a great voice! Not a big fan of rock ~ I like to actually hear the words ~ this guy blew me away last night. I do hope he wins it all!
And then, poor Brooke, one of my personal favorites, had a pretty damaging evening, forgetting the lyrics at the beginning of the song. I chose to share the longer video with you because of Andrew Lloyd Webber's comments about Brooke at the beginning. So sad, because he is right about her talent. She just had a bad night. I hope America will give her another chance and she doesn't get sent home tonight.
Till next time,
I love to alter my photographs ~ the ones that capture the beauty of nature ~ and most particularly flowers and trees. Some only need a word to convey a feeling or aid in quicker recognition (for anyone who doesn't know their flowers).
A couple of weeks ago I stopped at an antique shop just down the road from the house. The two owners were on site, as well as a sweet older, retired gentleman who was just hanging out. He told me he'd retired from Sears as the Assistant Manager. The guys seemed to just be getting the shop set up and were anxious to make a sale. They offered to make me a "really good deal" on everything I touched, (and my sister will attest that I am quite the toucher, our having gone on quite a few antique hunts together in the past!) I ended up spending $10 on a vintage watering can and a small china doll in a high chair. The doll and chair offer was one I couldn't refuse at $3.00, although they were both kinda dirty and dingy looking. I ran the doll's clothes through the wash, disinfected her, and sprayed the cloth part of her body with Fabreeze, even though it wasn't dirty. Then I scrubbed down her chair with some Soft Scrub. The back of her neck is marked "ArtMark," and after doing a little research, I don't think she's much more than 10 years old. With her little bunny outfit, I just couldn't resist her!
What am I going to do with her? Well I don't really know just yet. I just love looking at the innocence of her sweet face.
Till next time,
I´m tagged by my friend Mithua of Crafts With Care
Here's a fun "MEME" ~ You have to pick six (6) words that sum up your life. Ernest Hemingway was bet $10 that he couldn't sum up his life in six words. He won that bet when he wrote, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." You can go to Bookbabie's blog and read about the book that was inspired by his quote and how it influenced her to start this meme.
Okay here are the Rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir...
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like...
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere...
4. Tag Four more blogs with links ...
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!
I'm inviting the following blogger friends to give it a whirl ~ They have really wonderful blogs, so be sure to visit!
1. Rosanne of Ro's Cluttered Attic
2. Deb of Willow Tree Treasures
3. Lex of Northwind Star Primitives
4. Linda of Linda Pinda Designs
The sum of my life in six words?
It seems I waited my whole life to find the man of my dreams. At 43, after kissing many toads, I finally found him. At first, the 20 year age difference seemed an insurmountable obstacle to a life long commitment. The more time we spent together, I knew no one other than the Lord could have paired up this unlikely couple. More than 9 years later, I am so grateful to still experience wedded bliss. He is my beginning and my end. He is my friend, my rock, my forever love, and my only disappointment is the realization that we will never celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary ~ I really don't think I'll live to be 93!
Till next time,
My Virginia sister is still at it, undeterred by all the maddening eBay changes ("Best Match", yeah right!). She's getting very creative at showcasing her very well executed embroidery pieces ~ This week she's got a flicker candle mounted into a wooden base with the punch needle mounted to the front of it ~ very cool. Another piece is actually rug hooking (or I guess you'd call it punching because of the punch tool she used). She mounted that into the bottom of an old graniteware colander. Would look soooo cute in my laundry room! She also has a sheep punch needle piece mounted onto a tote bag, and I didn't feature it here, but she's also done a necklace piece. Wouldn't that make a great fashion statement if you wore it to a craft show? You'll have to check it out here:
Magpie1217
So without further ado, here's a peek:
(Sorry...Link expired).
Need to run now, DH is home from work ~ gotta pay him some attention. I'll leave you with a little taste of our Spring today ...
There's a new tag going 'round ~ "Girls in my Circle". I believe the original author was Phyllis at http://scrappynhappy.blogspot.com/, but I received it from my friend Kimmie
Here's Phyliss' original post:
When I was little,I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, And then I started to become a woman. And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man. Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom. Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities. Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be. One friend will say, "Let's cry together," Another, "Let's fight together,"Another, "Let's walk away together."
One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself...
Those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman,
But for many, it's wrapped up in several..
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.
I have lots of girls in my circle and decided that they all needed to know that someone cares about them and appreciate the difference they make in my life. If you are here it may be because I tagged you as one of the girls in my circle! If I didn't tag you , no offense intended. Tag! You're it! Consider yourself tagged.
I tag:
Chris
Kim
Mithua
Kelly
Sooz
Now tag your friends to let them know you love them and appreciate the difference they make in your life!
As with any new creative pursuit, you survey your "stash" of supplies and find you just have NOTHING to work with! I really do, but wanted some new things to express the vintage feel of these little art pieces. About a month ago, I happened upon some miniature playing cards with bird images on the back of them on the Etsy website. They finally arrived and are soooo cute! And, after digging in my craft closet, I discovered I actually DO have a "Cropadile." That, and hubby's wire cutters came in handy when creating the "BABY" ATC. I'm trying out some new adhesive called "Yes" ~ If anyone has any experience with it, I'd appreciate your comments.
It's back off to the craft room for me ~ I have some gorgoeus papers I'm dying to cut up!
Okay, I've been playing. Threw the first one away, but decided to list this one on eBay today, just to see if there's any interest. Looking through my scrapbooking embellishments ~ charms, flowers, brads, eyelets and the like ~ I kept running into roadblocks. The chipboard was too thick to punch...the charms, flowers and rubber stamps were too large for the tiny 2.5" x 3.5" layout....I couldn't find any "words" in the cigar box that holds my Tim Holtz altered art supplies to "fit" my layout. Then I spied the lovely hand-dyed silk ribbon from La Papiere and Joggles. And German glass glitter kinda looks like "rain", doesn't it? Had to ask dear husband to get his drill out to make the holes for lacing my silk ribbon (ya gotta "make do", right?!!!). Sister told me today what I really "need" is a Cropadile. Yes, I know, I'm rambling on and on.
...so here's my first Artist Trading Card (ATC) or ACEO, mixed media altered art collage. I'm sure there are more adjectives for them, but that about covers it! It's titled "April Showers Bring May Flowers."
Now back to the regularly scheduled program for today ~ housework! They say it causes warts you know. I only have a few warts, so you can tell how seriously I take housework. :<)
As some of you may know, my baby sister, "Magpie1217", sells her beautiful punch needle embroidery creations on eBay.
This week she had company visiting ~ our Sister and Sister-in-Law from Atlanta flew in for a 5-day visit, and they did a little creative collaborating! The weather was rainy and dreary, so they only got out to Olde Town in downtown Petersburg once, where baby sister haggled with one of the shop owners for a gorgeous Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. When he started his blah-blah-blah about how many stitches per inch had been hand quilted, and he didn't even know how to count them, sissy started getting aggravated. When she commented that the quilt didn't have any border (playing dumb), and told him she didn't know if she could find someone to add one, other sissy piped up "Oh, you know how to do that!" We were laughing on the phone last night over that one ~ I'm not a very good bargainer-haggler, but know enough to play along!
SIL managed to snag a quilt top (Faded Memories by Moda) from baby sister that hadn't sold on eBay, and found it the perfect size to turn into a shower curtain. Commandeering some 90" wide muslin for the backing, she managed to whip up that baby while she was there visiting! Sounds like her buttonholes turned out much better than mine!
Wish I could have been there, sisters!
So here's this week's featured items...
It was so great to have hubby home with me for a week's vacation. Poor guy hasn't had one in about 3 years! Over the past week he decided to tackle a couple of HUGE home improvement projects. One of the things he's been wanting to do is move our palm tree from one corner of the house where it was growing into the gutters, to the opposite side. You can just barely see the overgrown palm at the far right hand side of the house in the photo above.
Our other project was to install a French drain to keep water out of our crawl space. The previous owner had a sump pump installed under there at one point according to our neighbor, but when we purchased the house, it was no longer there. Hubby didn't like the concept of water getting under there at all, and then capturing it after the fact, and pumping it out. We'd been discussing the French drain alternative, and he decided it would be a much better approach. Googling how to do it was the easy part!
He got to borrow the mini excavator from work, so that helped keep the cost well within our "sweat equity" budget. The palm tree relocate wasn't bad at all. Let's just hope now it survives the trauma. I'd Googled that also, and found if you removed 2/3 of the palm leaves, the survival rate is higher.
Here hubby is rigging the palm...
...Taking it for a little ride...
And then setting it at its new location...
"Sweat equity" is the perfect phrase to describe the French drain project. I shot some pictures of the side of the house and how the drain runs out to the lower elevation of the back yard. It's also installed across the right hand side of the front of our house. Even with the excavator, there was plenty of hand work to be done shaping and tamping the bottom of the trench, before filling it with 2" of stone, laying the perforated pipe and then covering it to within a couple of inches to the top with more stone.
Over two days, dodging the rain, we finally covered the top of the stone with landscape fabric, and then hubby started to regrade until the red clay became impossible to work with.
Last night it rained cats and dogs! Hubby was out in the yard in his rain gear, checking to see if our hard work was going to pay off. Sure enough, the French drain was working just the way it was supposed to! Checking under the house this morning, we're high and dry!
Over the next couple of months we'll have to repair the damage to the flower beds and lawn, but overall, I'd say it was so worth all the effort. It's a huge relief to finally get the water problem under the house under control.
Hubby's earned the next few days off. He did have a "honey-do" list from me. Simple things like hanging a plate rack and curtain rod, cleaning the HVAC filter, and going to the dump with some yard clean-up trash. Although we did get to the dump, I'm not even gonna ask about the other stuff that didn't get done!
I'm taking a break today too! Playing on the computer with PSP. With Spring here, I'm visually planning and looking foward to the gardening year. Don't you just love lilies of the valley! I will have to find some for my shade bed.
