A Closer Look at Ottoman

Moss + Gray

By request, I made some Moss for your Wall pieces with the gray fabric....I hadn't realized that I had completely sold out! Oh! and this piece with the linen fabric. So, more in the shop!

No. 21

No. 22

No. 23

No. 24

No. 25

No. 26 (sold)

Shop Update Live

Abstract Fragment Necklace 1

Abstract Fragment Necklace 2

The shop update is live! I wanted to share these pictures of the Abstract Fragment Necklaces. The for your Wall pieces are up as well!

Wee Lichen and Moss

above - Moss for your Wall 18 (3 inch)

above - Moss for your Wall 19 (6 inch)

above - Lichen for your Wall 22 (4 inch)

above - Moss for your Wall (V2) 4 (5 inch)

above - Moss for your Wall 20 (4 inch)

This is the first Moss for your Wall with Linen fabric (notice the writing on the hoop....I love the history that comes with vintage hoops...and the quality).

above - Special Limited Edition Lichen for your Wall 8 (3 inch)

This limited edition is an edition of 10 (includes: vintage hoop, linen fabric, cashmere embroidery floss, and a dusting of gold mica powder - just like the granite rocks around my parents' home where the lichen grows - a lovely combination of colors and textures).

above - Special Limited Edition Lichen for your Wall 9 (3x5 inch)

These will be included in the shop update on Saturday.

Off to go check on my feverish boy....

Shop Update Scheduled

I'm planning on a shop update on Saturday, November 19, 2011. I can't reliably give a time because I'm currently nursing a feverish Boo. I'm attempting to keep positive that I will be well on Saturday and will have not caught the bug that Boo has (poor little pumpkin). Items to expect: Abstract Fragment Necklaces, Moss for your Wall, Lichen for your Wall, and some more Special Limited Edition Lichen for your Wall pieces. There may be more and I'll try to post images of what will be posted if I am able.

Speaking of visuals...I hate to have this post lack one. I know how popular Ojo de Dios have become...and I understand why...

Jenny and I tried our hands at making Ojo de Dios (the above is mine) a few weeks ago because I have a huge stash of yarn. I think it turned out nicely for a first try and the colors worked so well with the gourds that Boo picked out for decorating at Halloween. Here's the tutorial I used for the attempt (the sticks are bamboo from Jenny's yard).

Abstract Fragment

So, this is what I've been up to (if you're just now dropping by, you can catch up here and here).

They are necklaces...Abstract Fragment Necklaces...to be exact. As I've mentioned briefly, I wanted a pattern to work from, so I made my own from an image in popular culture (it doesn't matter what), which was very much abstracted, then blown-up in size and fragmented.

The necklaces are made from reclaimed leather that I have had stored for years...and knowing that someday I would find the right application. Each piece of leather is cut by hand into what ever shape seems right. Then, the leather is cross-stitched according to a fragment of the pattern...resulting in an abstract fragment of the whole. I have several necklaces in the works, each unique.

I hope to have these in the shop soon...after I photograph them better and get a few angles of each...and finish the ones in the middle of production.

I'm happy with these. They're a combination of many loves: reclaiming, natural materials, stitching, bold jewelry, handmade, grids, and they are rather conceptual in nature.

I'll let you know when they're in the shop!

Abstract

 

Hello hello! It's been awhile. We went on a quick trip to visit family...then school started for Boo. It's been a bit exhausting.

But, now that things are (sort of) settling down, I have a bit of time to myself to work. What you see above is a pattern I made from an image that exists in popular culture. It doesn't matter what the image is, and this is just a wee portion of it. What matters is that I wanted to make my own pattern...of what, it didn't matter. But, in order for me to make what I want to make, a pattern needed to be made. It therefore is an abstraction of the original (very much so) and gives me a basis for further abstraction. I've said it before, I need a method to the madness. I'll share more soon. Oh, but I must add that I've also mentioned in the past (maybe a few times) that I love working with grids...here it shows.

On a different note, I've been thinking that it's that odd, yet wonderful time of year when I can get both cantaloupe and apples from the farmers' market, and the blackberries are ripening while the acorns and leaves start to fall. I didn't see the apple cider I've been anticipating at the farmers' market yet, but I may have missed it...anytime now. It's the only time I buy something sweet to drink for the house....I just can't deny fresh-pressed apples...especially when the farmer has a pot of it warmed-up with whole spices mulling about at the market. Maybe it's because the weather is still hot. I bet when we get a cold snap that apple cider will be calling my name.

I usually smell autumn in the air in August...not this year. It's September now, but that familiar autumnal smell isn't in the air yet. I think that this year, I may actually be ready for the fall when it arrives.

 

 

Just Listed

I just listed a few handmade items in the shop:

2D Paper Wasp Nest

It's a 3 inch version of the one I made for myself...and I might list the large 9 inch one, I think I prefer the small one where I want to hang it. I have enough of the paper nest to make several of these small ones. If I list the big one, there will only be one that size, so keep an eye out.

One BIG Pompom 2

Another festive pompom...really, these have fun written all over them.

Moss Jar 10

Moss Jar 10 is a re-work of this jar because I just haven't kept up with the seasonal curation. So, I decided to pare it down to a simple jar.

So there you have it...some more handmade goodness for the shop!

 

One Big Pompom - 1

Now in the shop: One BIG Pompom - 1

Oh yes, and my Gift Tags were recently mentioned on the Please Note blog...thank you, Elizabeth!

A Couple More...

And, a couple more things have been listed in the shop.

4 Melmac Cups in Cream

Dozen Pompoms - 1

You can also read about the yarn I used in these pompoms here.

Meanwhile, the sun continues to show it's face on a pretty continual basis - so wonderful. I rescued an old organ bench from my church that was kicking around and taking up space....I'm going to use it as a spot for my succulents under a window. I'll start looking out for small sheet pans at thrift stores to put on the bench and then place the succulents on them. My poor succulents have been relegated to a small counter spot in the laundry room. It will be nice to have them part of the living space again. I may even be able to add to them slowly.

I'll try to get a picture of my wee plants as soon as I can. I hope your week is going well!

 

Some New Things

I listed a few things in my shop over the weekend. The first two are vintage.

Millinery Flowers (yellow)

Red and White Potholders

I often find things that I love and then they just don't work for my home or I don't use them, which is the case with these flowers and potholders. I just love the scalloped edge on the latter.

And, in case you were wondering if my shop is going wholly vintage, here's a listing for something handmade (I just haven't had as much time to make things lately)....

Half Dozen Pompoms - 1

These pompoms are upcycled and here's the listing info explaining how I get the yarn:

"I know a little group of ladies that make prayer shawls in the event that someone we know becomes ill, injured, or is in crisis. The shawls are crocheted and knitted with love and prayers. One of these ladies recently mentioned to me that the group was overflowing with remnant yarn and they didn't know what to do with it all. I told her I had the perfect application.

If you aren't interested in the tedium of pompom-making (personally, I find it meditative), here's half a dozen made from the leftover yarn of sweet, caring women. This set ranges from 1 1/2" - 2 1/4" in diameter. The wee pompoms can be used in numerous ways including: made into a garland, piled in a bowl as a centerpiece, or clustered and pinned to the wall...do however take care, pompoms are rather fragile.

As I receive more yarn and run out of the yarn I am using now, the colorway of the pompoms will evolve with each listing."

I hope your week is going well....We've had some sun which is always a nice break with the gray this time of year in the western-half of Oregon.