Tuesday Ten #3

Really cute birds nests with map eggs, music eggs and dictionary eggs. 

Yup, it is a gorilla chasing a girl dressed all in yellow with a crate full of bananas…not sure why, but that is what it is!  This was at a craft show!

I found this picture of my Dad when he was two or so…such a handsome little fellow!

The view from the outside looking into my house at dusk…very cozy and comforting.

My first attempt at crocheting wool balls!  Thought they turned out really nice!

I loved this sticker on the booth next to me!

Purple coneflower…just goes to show, not all things beautiful are perfect!

The sun shining through the corkscrew willow.  After several years of trying to get one to grow, now I have it!!

It’s the daylily time of the year!

Beautiful soft pink wild roses…Giant thick bushes full of them…farmers hate ‘em but I love ‘em!

Paint Chip Gift Tags

Call me cheap if you will, but I hate to buy cards to go with gifts…oh, I might buy a wedding card for a really fancy gift, but for everyday gifts, I just don’t like to buy cards.  I guess I would rather spend the money on the gift.  Sooo….

I have been making gift tags from paint chips…they come in all colors and you can cut them to any shape!  I used a large heart craft punch to make these to put on my baby shower gifts.  I punched a tiny hole in the hearts and strung them onto blue and white bakers twine. 

And then you just tie them on.  Very cute, many colors, and thrifty too!

There are lots of different punch shapes you can get, even tag-shaped punches!  I have a giant star punch too and it is great too. 

I am linking  up to these wonderful parties!

Ellen

With Heart~~A Handmade Market

I had a great chance to participate in Columbia’s first (but hopefully not last!) With heart Handmade market.  I think there were 12 crafters with booths set up in the street behind Shakespeare's, a pizza place, downtown. We had a great turnout, especially considering that the weather was not cooperating with us.

The forecast was for 50% thunderstorms, but we had several banks of dark clouds push through, and we had some wind, but really no rain until about 11:40.  Since it was over at 12 noon, I thought that wasn’t so bad!

Laura from Along for the Ride snapped this pic of me and my booth.  Remind me to start working out! 

The lady in the yellow sweater below had the highest heels on…my feet hurt just watching her walk!

I think my table is too full…makes things harder to see. I have to say that my organization and set up is much more streamlined than it was at my last show in November.   I didn’t sell one wreath so I was kinda bummed about that.  But I sold other things, like a ton (OK, maybe not a ton, but at least 12) of potholders.  If I do say so myself, my potholders are the best and they are very popular.  I also give them for wedding gifts pretty much all the time!

Pretty much immediately after I put that circular table cloth on the top of that black sheet, I didn’t like it…Oh well, next time, make a note!

Chris from MamaRoots had the booth beside me…she had the cutest wooden toys which are kid safe, painted with non toxic water colors.  I had to buy some of them for baby shower gifts!

And she had the cutest sticker on her suitcase in her booth! And she was so kind to help me pack my car up when it started raining on us!  She just closed up her suitcase and was pretty much done!

We had a slow stream of people (do those two words go together?) meandering through.  I was pleased with the turnout.

This is Stephanie from The Shirt Off His Back who makes aprons from men’s shirts.  They were soooo cute!!  Her etsy store is new and she hasn’t gotten any thing listed yet, but she is one to watch!

These two pics are from Pale Horse Studios and she had some awesome wool purses that were woven.  I loved them!  She also had woven plarn bags which were very cute!  And she had crocheted candle/drink/whatever holders from a jute looking yarn.  She also had some impressive butterflies made from plarn too!

Love that red wool purse…did I mention that already??

Sarah from Whimsy Vintage had the most beautiful purses made from imported fabrics and vintage fabrics. 

I have a major crush on the floral vintage bag in the middle

The sky continued to look rough, several large banks of dark clouds went over us with just winds, but really given the forecast, we were blessed with great weather!

I didn’t take pics in her booth, but Brittany from Brittany’s Buttons had the cutest baby and kid hats…sock monkeys, owls, chicks, really cute stuff.  I debated on buying some of her hats for my baby gifts I needed to fix up…

Here are a few from my iPhone Hipstamatic camera!  Love these kind of prints!

Hope you haven’t fall asleep after this post…if you have then wake up now!

There were lots of wonderful crafters here…I didn’t get pics and/or didn’t get to talk to the other crafters. 

Baby Boy Shower Gifts

I am going to a shower for three ladies soon to be new moms tomorrow.  I usually give blankets or a little quilt and some burp cloths for baby shower gifts.  All the babies who are getting showered tomorrow are boys, so I didn’t have anything already made for boys.  I have three girl blankets and a girl quilt made up…just the luck!!

I went to JoAnns when their flannel was 50% off and bought enough to make three large blankets and nine burp cloths.  I serged the edges on the blankets and burp cloths with a contrasting thread. 

I put together a nice soft blankey with a satin binding with burp cloths, felted wool play balls and a large reversible flannel blanket and a bug in a jar!  Yep, that is right a bug in a jar…I participated in a craft show today and set up beside this really nice lady who had really cute baby and kid friendly wood cut out toys.  They are painted with non toxic kid watercolors so they are safe. 

I noticed she had glass 1/2 pint jars on her table, so I went over to investigate….they were bugs in a jar!  How much more boy can you get??  I loved the idea!  So I bought three of them to put in with the felted ball and the blankets. 

The caterpillar is really cute…

and so is the bee…

and the snail is darling!  The little heart in the picture above is actually her business card, her website can be found here!  You can see more of her work here on etsy.

I wrapped the gifts in the large reversible blanket and tied them up with ribbon that I already had. 

I am linking to these great parties!

Ellen

Felted Play Balls

I have had a pattern for a crocheted felted wool ball for a long time.  I am going to a baby shower tomorrow for three ladies, so I thought this would be a good time to try this pattern out. 

These guys are really soft and fuzzy and I hope the new moms will like them!  I got even more creative with the yellow one to make polka dots with the blue wool yarn.  It turned out OK, but not as good as I had envisioned!  Hmmm, kinda sounds like life in general, huh?

I bought the pattern (along with several others) from KnotSewCute on etsy.  You can buy this pattern here.  If you buy five patterns you get a sixth one free.  Her patterns are inexpensive too…this one was only $2.99! 

I am linking to these great parties!

Ellen

Tuesday Ten

This beautiful red flower comes back every year…just one of them…I have no idea what kind of flower it is.

Can’t believe how the plants in the water garden are growing…the fish are getting really big too! Added some new oxygenator plants last week and I think everything is happier.  The feathery plant to the right of the fish is one of them…called parrot’s feather.

I slept right through this storm…note the umbrella rods are bent upwards…I found the cloth of the umbrella on the other side of the house!  Luckily I had just bought another umbrella at an auction for $2!  It is green, not my favorite color, but $2!!  I couldn’t resist!!

You would think that I would have heard this since it is right outside my window!

Angel wing begonias…love em so much!  I always have one or two both inside and outside!  And there are so many varieties of them too!

This butterfly loves the lizards tail plant…and I must say, it does have unique beautiful spiky blooms!

Ruth and Charlie (niece and nephew) horsing around…at the auction barn, helping their dad helping set up for a Monday auction on Father’s Day.  Getting along like true siblings!  Such great kids, or young adults I guess I should say!

Breakfast Sunday morning…mmm good!

Strange Father’s Day…I missed my Dad no less than the first Father’s Day without him a year ago.  Seems strange not to get him a card, not to call him on this day!

My dad and mom at my sister Susan’s wedding. 

Ellen