Collage...Flowers

1. Pale Grey Blossom Corsage by AAliciaAccessories
2. Doin' the Numbers by HappyFind
3. Lychee Flower Corsage by SisilyLove
4. Leather Poppy Brooch by tmStudioDesigns

Photo of the Week...Happy Thanksgiving!

Big Orders this Week

Just working away in my sewing room this weekend. Lots of big orders! Yay!

Collage...Aqua and Coral

1. Necklace Pendant Turquoise Lampwork Heart by WildWomanJewelry
2. Girlie Girl 11 x 14 Painting by lauratrevey
3. Set of 6 Small Cotton Star Ornaments by sosorosey
4. Scooter Bag by retrofied

Photo of the Week...Turkey Cupcakes

How cute are these!!!

Crochet Obsession

If you've been keeping tabs on this blog, you might have guessed that I'm a little preoccupied with crochet. Here is my latest project...cotton dish cloths.



I have seen so many cute things on Etsy by talented fiber artists who crochet. So, I've been teaching myself. YouTube video tutorials are very helpful and there are a lot of them out there. I've also found two books that are very simple to follow. They both have great pictures and instructions. The first is "Teach Yourself Visually-Crocheting" by Kim P. Werker and Cecily Keim.



The second one is called "Crochet Adorned" by Linda Permann.



I knew the very basics going into it...chaining and single crochet. I've taught myself double and triple crochet and how to do granny squares and flowers. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I can't wait to try some of the things in the Linda Permann book.

Craft of the Week...Christy's Italian Bean and Sausage Soup

Okay, I know cooking isn't the kind of craft you are expecting in this feature, but it is really a craft of sorts. Anyway, my sister gave me this recipe and I just love it. It's perfect for a cool autumn day like today. And, it's so easy.

Ingredients:
1 lb of mild sausage
1 small onion diced
1/2 cup celery diced
1 carrot diced
1 46 oz can of beef stock
1 28 oz can of diced tomato
1 15 oz can of lima beans
1 15 oz can of kidney beans
1 15 oz can of butter beans
1 tbsp Italian spice


Brown the sausage with the diced onion and Italian seasoning. Then put the meat mixture in a large stock pot. To get all the bits of sausage from your skillet, de-glaze using some of the beef stock. Pour that into the stock pot with the meat. Add the rest of the beef stock, the tomatoes, carrot, celery and kidney beans (drained). Simmer on low heat for 1 hr. Add the lima and butter beans (drained) about 1/2 hour before serving. They are delicate and will cook down to nothing if added too early. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese and a crusty Italian bread. So yummy!

Photo of the Week...Veteran's Day Poppies

Thanks to all the men and women who defend and protect our country.

Craft of the Week...Granny Square Ornaments

We have a holiday tradition in our family of giving Christmas ornaments at Thanksgiving. After turkey and pumpkin pie, we sit around the table and open packages. There are 19 in my family, which includes Mom and Dad, two brothers and one sister and their spouses, and 9 grandchildren. I prefer to make my ornaments because, as you can imagine, it gets costly to buy 19 ornaments. And, it's so much more personal to make them. I try to find something that isn't extremely time intensive...mostly because I usually procrastinate and have very little time to make anything. I also try to make an ornament that isn't too big because after years and years of exchanging ornaments, we either need 2 trees or very small ornaments.

This year I took my idea from a fellow Etsian, namolio, whose work I have lately admired. Her work is much more detailed and beautiful than mine, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. First, I went to YouTube to look for a tutorial for granny squares and was amazed at how many videos there are out there. This tutorial in particular was very easy to follow.

I used lace making cotton and a #4 crochet hook to make these 2" x 2" granny squares.


Than I made little 2" x 2" pillows using red and natural colored linen.


I attached the granny squares to the pillows with the red side up.


Now, all I have to do is attach a ribbon to hang them. Cute, huh?

Collage...Moths

1. Moth Queen Card by artspell
2. Moth Burnout Shirt by vital
3. Moths Original Mixed Media by potatobirdstudio
4. Brooch-Art Deco by redwhisper

Photo of the Week...Autumn Frost