Now this is what I call fun...and work.

That last art post I made of the bunnies is a good example of my kind of artist's block. I liked the way the second set of bunnies that I sewed turned out but not the first set and both sets were too much work. Truth be told, I'd have to charge $200 for each one if I was factoring in my hours and they aren't worth that. (I could never factor in my time anyway; I figure my time as therapy!) I was looking for a new project having gotten bored with what I had been doing the last couple of months and needed a change. Then I saw these pieces, raw and unembellished, on Pinterest and facebook being sold by Paper Whimsy where I love to buy supplies. Their website shows some inspiring photos but it didn't take me long to put my own spin them with items that I already had hoarded. They will hit Doojies at The Pink Cabbage this weekend and we will see how they are received. Thanks, as always, for stopping in.

What happened over time?

I was looking back over this blog the other day and it made me a little sad when I noticed that the first year I had it I made 159 posts and every year the number has declined. Last year I was only in double digits, and low ones. The dawning of facebook changed everything in some ways for the worse but, more so, for the better. Sure a lot of people post every time they fart or burp but I'm happy to know where they are and that I can contact them again after, for some, almost a lifetime ago. This gives me great comfort. I grew up in a small close-knit town in Texas under unique circumstances. We were a small town but with a great addition...a major university next to us. It made for an idyllic upbringing; both sheltered and exposed to worldly people and things. And as I grew into a teenager, it made for lots of excitement. I knew most everyone in town yet there were new people enrolling in the college every year; new friends to be made. And those of us who grew up there in those grand days have a wonderful, shared experience like brothers and sisters. I want to be connected with them just as I do with my own sister. I know that especially since facebook became popular blogs have become passe, even a clique but I'll never regret it. Even though lots of time goes by when people don't read it, it doesn't matter; it's really for me anyway. Just because it's public doesn't mean that I need the public to approve of it. My mother gave me such a hard time when I started it telling me that it was very self-indulgent. Okay, whatever. Now my niece with her young family has started one. So have several of her friends who have started having kids. I had to bully Miz Juney into starting one and I don't think she regrets it either. Now her pregnant daughter has started one. Julia and I have said many times that we wish there would have been blogs back when our kids were little. Even if no one reads it, it's an online history of my life. "Online" presumes that others will read it but not necessarily to those of us who have one. It's the creativity of it that is appealing; adding photos and trying to string sentences together that make ordinary things seem lovely. I post about my life; my family and my art. I waver back and forth because sometimes I want to use it to attract business but I also want to share my personal life and have this to look back on as my history. I'm going to try to do more posting this year. I hope you will stop in from time to time (I know some of you gave up on me for a while when I wasn't posting much) and let me know you were here. 

New bunnies

Okay, I made a few of these a couple of weeks ago and wasn't thrilled with the outcome. A couple of them turned out well but the others...not so much. This is hard sewing for me, a lot of small turns and pieces. I forget from time to time that my sewing skills are really limited. But this is the project I chose for the suposed big snowstorm that we didn't get. When I make a commitment to myself about work I try my best to follow through. Plus I spent way more than I could ever make on these; I didn't want to waste more money. These turned out really well. We'll see how they are received at the shop...

I just keep on makin'

Debrina Pratt's Tea Party

Way back in October or so I signed up and paid for the tutorial and materials with Debrina Pratt of The Land of Enchantment fame to make this sweet little shadow box.  I wasn't really creating much at the time then I had to start thinking about the holidays at the shop and with family so this kept getting set aside.  The tutorial was online but when I finally grabbed that box o' fun last week to make this the tutorial was no longer there.  Fortunately, I still had a photo of what is was generally supposed to look like and, with a few pieces left over (guessing all the way), voila!  Her things are just so adorable and it was fun to do. I have really been cranking up the creativity level and it's helping me feel a lot more productive and "up".   I'll have more to show and tell again soon.  Thanks for stopping in!