Christmas Vintage Giveaway!

To say thank you, Sweet Friends~

My Christmas Giveaway!

I drew two cardinals... perched on Holly branches.

One of dearest hand made vintage dresses!

~Found at an antique store in Canandaigua, NY~

17" long from neck to hem...

approx. 5.25" at waist from seam to seam...

10.5" wide at base hem...

A beautiful long gown for the sweetest of friends!

  

I drew a sprig of holly on the chest...

Close ups of the stitching details...

You can see my pen lines bleed through...

The doll dress has wear, light stains...

There is LOADS of love hugged into this collectible!

Please comment on this post if you would like to have

your name put in the basket for a chance to win!

My Sweet Girl will pull the name on December 10th!

That way I can have it to you before Christmas~

If you do not have a blog where I can leave a message for you...

Please leave an email with your comment~

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... hmmmmm...

The lack of snow has me itching to draw, paint and design snow friends!

Once I shovel inches, feet... heavy stuff~

I'll be ready to draw fuzzy, cuddly teddy loves!

I just listed eight new canvas totes in my Etsy store...

I'm shipping Christmas treasures the same day~

Or first thing next morning through December!

My mom would build snowmen with our son.

They would stand at the window and holler when they finished...

I took pictures every time!

We would tell stories all evening~

About what our new snow friends were doing outside...

When no one was looking!

I was very sure they kept our songbirds cozy and shared hugs~

Thank you for your friendship, comments, purchases & laughs!

Hope you like the giveaway~

Bold Fabric Sketches...

We have been taking advantage of our mild December weather!

I planted more fall bulbs~

Pruned all of our pines, shrubs etc. and made Christmas swags...

The greens, inexpensive and abundant, add the perfect touch outside!

Winter cozy... while we wait for our blanket of white~

My hands are a bit shaky after garden work...

I decided to try some darker sketches~

I like the look!

Not sure if they're more masculine or if the free style is more hip?

...I will always make the more detailed pieces!

Every line a softer, warmer friend~

I'm keeping the prices extra low throughout December...

Want to thank you for making 2011 so wonderful for us!

Tomorrow... I'll post a new a giveaway!

Wishing you joy, Kind Friends~

Needle Felted Birds...

A batch of wool songbirds to share with you~

We have had very mild weather...

I was walking my pup yesterday morning and a bird

perched in our hedgerow and sang a large song to me!

It actually hurt my ears!

I took visual notes... had never seen this beautifully LOUD friend!

She turned to the left for the perfect profile...

Tilted her tail up...

Flew up high so I could check out her tummy colors...

My new friend is a female Orchard Oriole!

I wonder what she was telling me all about...

A male & female Cardinal perched nearby to hear her story~

She chased them off and then came forward in the tree

to share more with my pup and I!

Perhaps she likes the new suet flavor?

I keep notes of my feathered friends visits...

Especially new birds!

How fun it would be to translate her story!

Such a beautiful girl~

I'm off to list my new felted birds in my Etsy store~

Hope your holiday was wonderful and that your

new week is off to a great start!

Vintage Enamelware ...

 Children's enamelware set...

Treasured, weathered and worn!

I collect pieces with character to use as snowman hats...

...vintage treasures and wool compliment each other nicely~

Blue will look so hip on my felted friends heads!

These are very heavy...

My wool friends will need a shore stone in their bottoms!

Hope your Friday is wonderful~

Needle Felted Crow...

Sugarplum danced in my head!

I made her hat and collar out of wool felt...

Then tacked her tail feather to the vintage letter!

S is for SugarPLUM...

Our daughter has wanted me to paint our front door

or fireplace deep plum~ She is amazing at selecting colors...

I was able to get my plum fix from this felt stitching!

No purple for me~

Look at these fun colors!!!

"They're so FLUFFY!!!" (love that movie....)

Wool felt sews so neatly...

It also "feathers" nicely...

Sugarplum's collar has a soft edge~ just a few easy steps!

Snip the edge...

Stretch it out a little... pull, push... but not too hard~

Little by little pull the the loose snips off...

TaDa! Feathered edge... 

Some of these needle felts will be in my Etsy store soon~

For now they're my studio friends...

Hope you have a wonderful evening!

Teacher gifts...

This sweet little wren is from a collection of 12!

I could paint wrens all day~

They're so very chipper and have a colorful song!

Fabric transfer from one of my original watercolors...

on a very old piece of sage colored linen~

Fun cotton fabric...

Wool felt...

Plain muslin...

Before I started my super skilled stitch work

my tool of choice was the hot glue gun!

(giggle)

One dress-up day I took a mint green bridesmaid gown...

Cut it into several pieces (with an evil laugh and joy!)

Then hot glued it to Alaina!

Well... she had a footie-pajama on~

I didn't want it to be toooo permanent! ha! ha!

Back to our project...

Wool felt is so much fun! I love to make little outfits for

my needle felted friends. I felt them together~ or a few stitches.

It is a nice way to add a bit of strength to these patches.

I hand sign each treasure~

Stitch a pin back, so they can be easily removed.

I stitched one of these to a blue jean tote bag...

It looked so sweet!

These make wonderful teacher gifts~

A friend stitched one to her laptop case!

Another gal shared that she stitched it to a blazer pocket!

Hope  you have a wonderful evening~

Thank you for so many fun comments, Friends!

Christmas gift ideas...

My daughter and I have started our Christmas projects~

Handmade guarantees one of a kind for us...

Some have shared that they love my little Etsy treasures,
but are never quite sure what to do with them.
Over the next several posts I will share what we do!

The color transfers that I began making from my original

watercolor paintings have so many possibilities!
You can make transfers from your own art or photos
by purchasing the transfer materials from sewing & quilting stores.

I've made several framed pieces for a local gift store~

They sell very quickly... which is perfect, but I can't keep up!

I purchase empty (glass-free) frames from a local frame shop.

They often make tiny frames~ sometimes in odd sizes,

from left over moldings. Most of these frames were $5. or less.

My primitive stitch-ability! (eh-em... or lack of...)

Thankfully, my simple sewing talent adds character!

(giggle!)

I keep little totes of fabric scraps...

They make perfect backgrounds~

After I size them to fit a frame

I add buttons to dress up the empty areas.
We have also added vintage keys, charms, pieces of
worn, fabric measuring tape... feathers, shells etc.~
That way your frame doesn't have to be the perfect fit.

Alaina and I LOVED this chunky little frame~

Have had it in our stock for a few years...

This little owl is a perfect fit!
He's stitched to an upholstery fabric sample~

Made some new tags yesterday~

I love to add a little thank you tag to my Etsy orders!

Red and pale blue are so fun together... touch of vintage.

Hope your weekend is wonderful and filled with creative things!

Thank you, Veteran's!

No matter where I see~ Red, White & Blue...

I ALWAYS think of you!

THANK YOU!

 I've been working on new art!

I've dusted off the shelves filled with my sketch books...

They've waited patiently for my return~

Discovered fun tidbits inside that will lead to exciting programs!

A small addiction to antique & vintage pens...

I began collecting these pointy treasures while in college.

Everything looks MUCH "arty-er" when I draw with them...

Perhaps like a man driving a vintage car.

The landscape changes from skyscrapers to small towns...

High tech fades to simple and relaxed...

A step back in time~

Hope your Friday is wonderful, Sweet Friends!

Original Fabric Sketches...

Little friends getting all ready for holiday parties!

Little winter caps...

Party mice!

Adding these to my Etsy store... more to come soon!

Hope your day is sunny~

Quilt Labels...

Our feathered friends have winter hats for these

chilly, chilly nights...

They dug out their winter woolens to prepare

for the fall snow storm...

We dug ours out, too!

Wondering what kind of winter we will have...

The lake is ready to serve up a few extra inches!

I have not started my Christmas shopping...

Summer road trips are typically good for a few treasures...

This year we found more scenic trips to take.

I added these quilt labels to my Etsy store~

I have mounds of original gift ideas/treasures to share...

Hope to add a few new pieces to my shop each day!

Hope your day is wonderful~