Being In Galena

Hi Everyone!  Well, I didn't take any pictures today.  To be honest, I haven't felt great today.  Maybe it's too much excitement or stress from the drive or over stimulation.  I don't know but I can feel the cloud of depression still hanging over me here.  I guess I don't notice it as much at home because of my routine.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.  Until then, have a good night all.

Heading Up To Galena Illinois For The Weekend!

Good Morning everyone!  Scott and I are getting ready to head up to our favorite get-away place for the weekend.  Galena, Illinois!  Home of President Ulysses S. Grant.

I'm taking my camera and my laptop so I'll be posting photos, blogging and Facebooking as I can.  I need to take a bit of my routine with me!  LOL!!!!

Stop by again later for an undate!

And The Winner Is.......

The winner of Debi's giveaway is:

Francie of The Scented Cottage Studio!!!!

Francie, please send me an email with your snail mail address and I will forward it to Debi!  She told me that she will ship your package on the 7th when she returns from her cabin.

Congratulations!!!

Lady With Roses Framed Crazy Quilt

First, I would like to say a special thank you to Debi Huntsman for being my Guest Blogger yesterday.  And I'd like to thank everyone who left comments for us and who entered Debi's drawing.  I will continue to accept entries until tomorrow morning (Sept. 3).  I'll do the drawing before I go to mom's and post the winner's name here.

I emailed everyone who left a comment to let them know that their entry for Debi's drawing is in.  If you didn't receive an email confirmation from me, it's only because I don't have your email address.  Please know that if you left a comment your entry is in!

I'm having some trouble's with my blog button.  Is there anyone out there who can help me get it straightened out?  I've done pretty good with my blog on my own but I can't figure out what the problem is with my button.

In other news, my Lady With Roses Framed Crazy Quilt piece is done and available in my Etsy shop:

Please hop over and take a peek!  We have so many beautiful things in the shop and I'll be adding more of Kathi's work and mom's work as I can.

Finally, for now, I'm working on my next Creatively Coping with Depression & Anxiety article.  This one is about dealing with specific symptoms.  I confess, it's hard for me to write these articles because I have to go back to the depths of hell to remember what I did to get myself through it.  I so much want to help others cope so I just take my time and write as I can.  I'll have it available soon.

Guest Blogger - Debi Huntsman

Hello everyone!  It's the 1st of the month and that means that I have another guest blogger to introduce to you!

 

I met Debi earlier this year.  While surfing around, reading blogs, I came upon Debi's "Life In My Studio" blog and I was blown away!!!   Debi was working on some Marie Antoinette projects and ya'll know I have this thing for Marie Antoinette.   I kept reading Debi's blog and drooling all over her gorgeous photos.  So much pink!  So much charm!  So much sparkle!

I quickly became a follower of Debi's blog and a huge fan of her work.  Please welcome today's guest blogger, Debi Huntsman!

Hi everybody! First, I would like to thank Pam for inviting me to be a guest on her beautiful blog today. I'm both excited and honored to be here.

 

I thought I would share three things with you today. My obsession,

a tutorial, and a giveaway.

 

I am passionate about creating, and try to do something in that area

everyday. I also love blogging. Whether posting on my own blog,

or reading the blogs I follow, I am doing it all the time. And it is through blogging that I became obsessed with swapping.

 

Photos shown in this post, are swap gifts I have made for other bloggers.

 

 

I belong to the Marie Antoinette Mail Art group which offers a large

variety of swaps. I also love to join swaps that are being hosted by

individual bloggers. I am usually involved in half a dozen or more swaps

at any given time. I love visiting bloggers who are new to me, and learning different art forms.

 

 

For those of you who have never joined a swap, it is easy and fun. When you find a swap you are interested in, just follow the hostess' instructions for joining. You will be given a date by which your swap gift should be mailed, and your partner's information. When I'm in a partner swap, I like to visit her blog and find out what her favorite colors, style, etc. are. That way, I can make her gift more personal to her. When my swap gift is finished, I like to wrap everything in pretty papers and ribbons, and add a fun embellishment. It’s always exciting to open a pretty package!

 

 

In some swaps, such as ATC's, you may not

have a partner, but will be asked to create a specific number

of cards and mail them to the hostess. She then swaps them out and sends

you the same number of cards you sent in.

 

 

 

 

 

I am currently involved in a Victorian Cuff swap, so I thought I would

show you how I like to make my cuffs. This is the one I will be showing.

 

 

One of my favorite parts of creating anything, is going through my stash

and choosing the pieces I want to use in my project.

 

 

 

Once I have done that, I cut my pieces to the length and width I want

to use. For this particular cuff, my pieces are 6 1/2" x 2". I cut the

piece of lace about 4" wide. Some people like to finish their edges,

but I actually fray mine a bit because I love that shabby look of the raw edges.

 

 

 

Because my fabrics are lightweight, I'm including an extra piece to thicken it up a little. So, I will stitch three pieces together and save the fourth piece for my finished back.

I have also looped my lace piece through a pretty mother of pearl buckle.

 

 

Now that my cuff is stitched, I will add my bow by hand stitching the center of it and machine stitching the ends.

 

I like to use a button and loop to hook the cuff closed, so now I add a

pretty piece of lace for my loop.

 

I chose some pretty vintage laces, and machine stitched them around the outside edge of the cuff.

 

 

Next, I add my button and begin arranging my embellishments and hand

stitching them in place.

 

 

The last step is hand stitching a pretty piece of fabric to the back side of the cuff. This covers up all of my stitches and just gives the back a nice finished look.

 

 

And Voila! We've created a cuff. These are fun to wear with just about

anything, and they're a great way to add a little bling with your jeans.

 

 

Now, I have a little giveaway gift. I've put together a few

of my favorite things for crafting, as well as the cuff, and will be giving them to one of you.

 

Just leave a comment on this post, and on Friday, a winner will be drawn.

 

Hey, I've had a good time and hope that you have too. Thanks again for inviting me Pam.

Stop by for a visit anytime....www.lifeinmystudio.blogspot.com. I’d love to see you!

Hugs!

 

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Debi and seeing her gorgeous work!  I will be doing the drawing and announcing the winner on Friday.  Debi will be away from her computer for a few days .  She will be shipping her prize to the lucky winner on September 7th.  Please do hop over to Debi's blog and say hello.  She's sweet as can be, just like her work!!!  

Thank you so much Debi, for being my guest today and thank you for your lovely tutorial and drawing prize!!!