New Additions To The Shop & Quick Newsbrief

As much as I love blogging and love to blog everyday, there are days when I just can't squeeze one more thing in!  I'm in the process of getting caught up on adding our newest Christmas items to the shop.  I expect to have everything we have at the moment in there by the end of the weekend.  It's an extremely time consuming and tedious process.  Anyway, I'll start by sharing our latest additions.

These are mom's Gift Card Or Money Pockets:

Are these beautiful or what!  I can't believe how awesome my mom is at Mixed Media art.  She's always been so traditional but she really has a knack for this!

And here are Mom's Mixed Media Art Gift Tags:

Again, I'm so taken with how great Mom is at Mixed Media art.  These are so beautiful in person and seeing them, makes me want to make some!

This is my newest addition to the shop:

I have 2 of these little Gingerbread Man brooches in the shop.

I doubt I have to give anyone the link to our shop as I'm always shoving it down everyone's throat but just in case, here it is again:  Kitty & Me Designs.

I certainly hope I don't bore anyone with my "shop talk" but it's a huge part of what I do and I really, really enjoy it so much.  It's given my mom a sense of purpose and over all, I can see where it's helped keep her Bi Polar Disorder at a tolerable level.  For the most part, I can see that the ups & downs are not as extreme as they were.

For Kathi, it gives her an outlet for her creativity.  She has a stressful job as an insurance agent and making things for the shop helps to relieve her stress.

For me, it keeps my ADD mind occupied.  I always say, when the hands are occupied, the mind is occupied.  It helps to take my mind off the depression which I know is still there although I have noticed another twinge of improvement but the Seasonal Affective Disorder is loud and clear at the moment and may I say that hormone changes do not help!!!  I can really live without the night sweats!

Ok, so enough of all that.  I plug my shop constantly and I don't care.  I love making things and I love being able to give my mom and my sister an outlet for their creativity.

And speaking of my sister Kathi, I have a treat coming for you all!  She shared an original recipe with me and she wrote up a nice blog post to go with it.  I'll be making her recipe either later today or tomorrow, taking photos and sharing Kathi's post with you here.

In other news, I've been stitching on block #2 of my Marie Antoinette quilt.  I made some changes to the lace that I chose.  Just decided to go with something else.  I'll share an update on that in the next day or so.

For now, I'll leave you with a sneak peek of what's coming to the shop next:

Yes, Mom and I made some Putz style Glitter Houses!  These are not the actual houses that I'll be listing.  These photos are of the ones that Mom and I made last year.  I'll be adding 6 traditional glitter houses and 4 gingerbread glitter houses to the shop this weekend.  I'd like to get them all in the shop today but that's quite a bit of work so I may have to break it down and do some today and some tomorrow.

I don't think mom and I will be able to do anymore this season if any one wants them, keep your eye on the shop.  I've been asked several times if we'll be doing some this year so get them while you can.

On a final note, I am still planning on writing more Crazy Quilt tutorials and my article on Creatively Coping with the Holidays.  Lots of new things coming to the blog so please stop by often!

Little Things

What is it about "little things" that we women just love?  Beads & buttons, bits of lace & trim, cookies & cupcakes and anything that sparkles.  We love them, we gather them and we hunt them down!

Several years ago, Scott went to a wedding.  I couldn't go because our windows were being replaced that weekend.  Anyway, a poem was recited at the wedding and Scott asked for a copy because it reminded him of me and all the little things that I love.

LITTLE THINGS

It's the little things

that let you know

Not the words or fancy show

It's the little things

Lovers do

That say so much

With words so few.

A gesture of warmth

A moment of care

The little things 

Lovers share

An intimate glance

Encompassing two

The way you touch me

The way I touch you.

The smiling eyes

That trust and know

These little things

Set hearts aglow.

Watch for them

Look for them

With Open heart greet

The gestures of Love

That flavor life sweet!

So if seeds of Love

You want to sew

Start with the little things

And watch them grow!

I was so taken with this poem.  Not because of the poem itself, but because it made my husband think of me.  It's just one of those little things.  I guess I'm sort of funny that way.  I get all excited when he brings home a piece of bubble wrap or a couple of small boxes for me for shipping.  It's not what he does, it's the thought.

I really love little things.  Tiny seashells, old keys, kittens and puppies, flowers and even certain bugs.  Nothing that bites or stings!  I even like spiders.  I'm fascinated with them!  I don't want them on me, but I like to look at them.

As as you know, I like to make little things.  After doing those last 3 crazy quilt ornaments, I decided to sew up a few blocks to make more.  Here is the next one I'll be stitching on:

When I finish up here on the computer, I'm going to relax and stitch on this and watch me some Food Channel!

Here's another little thing I loved making:

My little "Altered Art Cherub".  I saw this in the thrift store uptown and it reminded me of a friend of mine.  Someone whom I haven't sent anything to in quite awhile.  I like to send out little surprise gifts or cards now and then.  People will always remember how you made them feel.  I like to make people feel special.

Anyway, this little angel was all white.  As you can see, I painted him, set him up in a small wire basket (also from the thrift store) and created a garden around him.  Of course I added glitter.

I so enjoy taking little odds & ends of what most people would call "junk" and turning it into a lovely treasure.

Here is another of my "trash to treasure" pieces:

This was a tea-light holder.  Another thrift shop find.  Now it's Two Doves On A Birdbath.  It was white so again, I painted it and added a glass lid from a perfume bottle.  Then I grew the garden!

Another little thing I like to play with is paper.  I made these 5 little Violet Gift Tags at mom's the other day:

I had some tiny little vintage greeting cards with violets on them.  I thought they would be nice for Spring birthdays!

Mom likes to make little things too.  Here is her latest Mother's Day Tussy Mussy:

Just look at those sweet little kitties!

Well, I'm off to stitch.  At least until the dryer shuts off.  Speaking of little things, my husband just ran uptown for a car part.  He stopped at McDonald's and bought me a small fry.  Love those little things!

Peach Fluff - Low Carb Sweet Treat And More

I have a nice Low Carb Sweet Treat Recipe to share with you today.  But first, I thought you'd like to see a few of our latest finishes.

First, mom made some pretty little Straw Hat Ornament/Gift Tags:



These are just too cute and would be so pretty tied on to a Mother's Day gift!

Next, I finished up my little Crazy Quilt Hanging Pillows/Ornaments:







Each one has a vintage brooch on it as a focal point!  I sewed up several new blocks the other day so I can make a few more of these.  They are fun and I really enjoy choosing buttons for them!

Well, onto my recipe.  Actually, it isn't my recipe, it's my sister's recipe for Peach Fluff:



PEACH FLUFF RECIPE

1 package Sugar Free Peach Jello
3/4 cup Cottage Cheese
1 medium can of Peaches in pear juice (chopped into small pieces)
1 small carton of Whipping Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Drain peaches and reserve juice.  Pour into measuring cup and add enough hot water to equal 1 cup.  Mix with Jello and let it dissolve.  Next, add peaches to jello.  Refrigerate until set.
Whip the whipping cream and vanilla.  Fold cottage cheese and whipped cream into Jello and refrigerate.

This recipe is so good and it's light and low carb!  My sister came up with it.  You can use any flavor of jello and any fruit that you like but we prefer the peach.

Well, I'm ready to stitch for a bit now.  I need my husband to tear himself away from the Model A and start the grill!  I have chicken marinating for salad.  Men!

I'll leave you with a photo of my little Lucy:



Is she just the sweetest little thing?  She only weighs 7 pounds!  One pound of body and 6 pounds of hair!

Finishes

I finished up on my 3 CQ ATC's:







I've agreed to trade 2 of these and I would like to keep one for a gift.

I also started another button block:



If you would like to see the other blocks for my button quilt, you can find them here at my Flickr site.

Finally for today, I worked up another tag:



Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large version.

Linda B. asked me what software I use to make my fractal designs. I use Coral Photopaint 12 with the special filter add-on. It has all sorts of cool filters which I combine with the Fractal images.

Goody's To Share Today!

Scott and I went to our favorite flea market this morning and I found a few neat things. First, a bagful of vintage embroidery patterns, none of which I have! They are odd things, most of them hand drawn or perhaps copied from commercial vintage patterns. Anyway, I thought I would share one with you:



I also found some vintage millinery flowers, some glass buttons which the dealer tried to pass off on me as antique but thankfully, I know the difference and a sweet little vintage embroidered towel:



I didn't get it on the scanner straight! Anyway, I need to wash and press it. I don't know what I liked about it. I see vintage embroidered linens all the time but this just called to me. It's a bit different than what I normally see. I may not use it as a towel but rather sew it into something. I'm not sure yet. I just liked it.

I also have a few more Fractal tags to share with you. I worked these up last week:





You can print these on cardstock and use them on handmade cards or as gift tags. Add glitter to them like I do!

Click on any of the images to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large versions.

Finally for today, I'm going to put my first 3 CQ ATC's together on the cards tomorrow. I'll post a photo when I have them ready.

A Few More Tags

Scott and I just got back from driving around and looking for property for sale. We want some acreage. We want peace & quiet, privacy & seclusion. The subdivision we live in now has become extremely noisy in the past few years. It was quiet when we bought our house, but now it's nothing but screaming kids, barking dogs, dirtbikes, motorcycles, loud radios and any other noise you can think of. I don't even open my windows anymore. I just keep the A/C on. We don't spend much time out on the deck anymore either. Anyway, we kind of think that we have to start somewhere so the best place to start is to look for property. We found a nice piece that we're going to go and check out again after breakfast tomorrow.

In the meantime, I know my blog hasn't been all that exciting lately but I try to offer something interesting as often as I can. I haven't stitched yet today but I'll be turning into a pumpkin (shorts & tee shirt) in a few moments and parking myself in front of my television with my June Take It Further block.

For now, I thought I would offer you two more tags for gifts or cards:





No, I'm not in the mood for Halloween yet but this one came out in oranges and reds and Halloween was the first thing I thought of! These are Fractal images with a few other cool filters.

Click on the images to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large version.

To thank me for helping them, my mom bought me an ATC (Artist Trading Card) kit. I've been talking about ATC's for years now! Anyway, the kit includes precut ready to embellish cards, envelopes and a rubber stamp for signing the back. I am itching to play! I can see all kinds of them including tiny CQ's! I expect you'll be seeing a few here in the near future.

Ok, I'm off to turn into a pumpkin and stitch!

June Take It Further Challenge - Day 3

Well, I didn't get too far on this yesterday and I'm a little tired today so I haven't stitched but I thought you'd like to see the beading I've done so far:



I did work up a couple of tags for the handmade cards that I do so I thought I would share those with you as well:





Click on the images to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large version. Just print them on cardstock, then cut them out and use them on packages or cards. Of course, you add glitter to the edges like I do!

Yesterday, I mentioned our Victorian dream house. I know I've shared this photo before but I thought you would like to see it again:



I've dreamed of having a Victorian style house since I was 8 years old. Back then, I didn't know the style was called "Victorian", I just know that was what I liked. Anyway, this is our house. It's the most beautiful house I've ever seen!

Another Tag

Not much new to share at the moment so I worked up another tag to share with you:

Card Tags & Gift Tags

Things are a bit slow on the stitching front here. I'll admit, I'm a bit tired and I'm still working on clearing out my closets when I'm not helping out my parents.

I have no intention of turning my blog into a paper-crafts blog but I do like to make my own cards and at the moment, that's where my little bit of creative energy is ending up. I think it's just because I make one 15 minutes or so and that's all I have the time and energy for right now.

Anyway, after reading my favorite blogs last night, I decided to make a few of my own original tags using some of the fancy filters in my graphic software:









Since many of my readers are needleworkers who make their own gifts, I thought I would share these with you. You can use them as package tags or if you're a card maker, you could use them for that.

Print them on cardstock, cut them out, punch a hole at the top and add a pretty ribbon. You probably already know that I'll be adding glitter to the edges of mine!