Great Day!

First thing today I got to take my dogs to the vet - woohoooo! Then they got baths - grrrrr . . . Bugsy eventually got sick on the carpet . . . something always happens to him after he gets shots. He either blows up like a balloon or gets a tender tummy. Poor Baby!

Then I lovingly made pasta from scratch for dinner (I say lovingly because I made some last night and couldn't stop fantasizing about having it again . . . stored some in the freezer for next week too). Sooooo good with fresh herbs from the garden!!!!

I also got to take some great close-up photos in my garden . . . perfect overcast day! There are so many cool pics that I can't decide which ones to post . . .

This isn't even half of them . . .

I did get back to my bags - before and after eating the pasta. Tonight's creation is all pink and will have beautiful pink embellishments that I purchased recently at my "honey hole" - some things must be kept secret . . .

Head Cold - UGH!

Why is it that getting sick slows everything down? My mind and my hands want to create but the rest of my body is saying - woah! I've been taking this down time to 'collect" research instead. I'm buying a book today on the history of handbags - what better resource to have in my arsenal? I'm also cruising through magazines and organizing the research material that I already have for inspiration. Notice I'm not writing that I'm reading - my brains feel like scrambled eggs and I can't seem to hold any thoughts still in my head. So, I just prepare because when I come out the other end of this thing, I'll be ready to roll . . .

Happy Father's Day!

I hope that everyone enjoys today!!! I thought that I lost my camera this morning and became frantic when it seemed that I was losing other things as well - it always seems to happen when we go away. I get distracted when putting things back where they belong (usually because my husband is trying to get me to do something else). Rushing just to get the job done, I never seem to have time to even register a memory to help me when I need to find those things again. I know that it's me but why can't my husband think for himself. It seems that if I am in the building, he loses his ability to function or even think independently . . . Happy Father's Day!

Back from the getaway . . .

What a creative getaway - I didn't expect it at all. We were in Chestertown, Maryland and I was able to purchase some nice wool at their Farmer's Market on Saturday . . . now to reconnect with that farmer to buy more. I was able to crochet this bag on the front porch of the bed and breakfast (Brampton B&B) where we stayed - their cat Slipper layed by my side, just checking out the yarn as I worked; and, yes, he did pounce on it when I was close to finished . . . a slice of heaven that day . . . And, all of the towns we visited had Main Streets with crafty stores, charging my batteries . . .

I have made 3 bags since and totally forgot to take pictures before making my deliveries for their sale/gifting - arrrrgh! I was given an antique wool winder and 3 skeins of very oily wool by someone who knows of my penchant for felting bags . . . with that wool, I felted a bag for her and embellished it with pearls and mother of pearl buttons - good karma, right?!

Exhausted!

Why is getting ready for a vacation more tiring than everything that leads up to it that made you decide to take one in the first place . . . ? We just dropped one of our dogs off to spend time with family while we are away - he's a yellow lab named Jake. The other two, Bugsy and Casey, our pugs, are taking the trip with us - they are much more portable. It's getting late and I'm just finished with their baths and washing all of their bedding, etc. I think that I'm packed - not sure about my husband at this point though. We're leaving tomorrow as soon as I'm done at work - no time for me to do much of anything to get ready for the trip tomorrow, so it all must be done tonight - grrrrr!!!!

Booboos?

Yep, they happen! So, I have finally figured out how to deal with them . . . move on quickly to the next project. The further I distance myself from the thoughts of time and materials lost, the better I am able to stay positive and continue to create. Mistakes are speed bumps but the fear of mistakes is paralyzing. Another perspective is that mistakes are great lessons. If you don't have the time or resources to learn from someone else, learn from yourself - through mistakes. Those booboos can be the best teacher of all and sometimes the mother of necessity and brainstorms.

This photo shows what happens after needle felting a design using loose wool onto bags that I crocheted but forgetting to set the washer cycle to Hot. Attachment wasn't complete when I pullled them out of the machine. I pulled off what I could of the mostly detached swirl pattern and let the bags dry a bit overnight, planning to resolve the problem the next day. I decided to needle felt the swirl design back onto the bags using more loose wool. I then put the two bags into a zippered pillow case and back into the washing machine filled with HOT water. You can see on the bags the migration/shrinking of the loose wool - kind of like bleeding lipstick or working wet on wet with watercolors. The attachment was not as complete as I would like. Not a good process and it won't be repeated by me any time soon. I WILL CHECK THE WASHING MACHINE SETTINGS, I WILL CHECK THE WASHING MACHINE SETTINGS . . . They are cute little bunnies though . . . examples of my very small, children's bags . . .

And so it began . . .

Familiar with the fiber arts since childhood, I explore and experiment for short bursts just about every year . . . some new idea, some new project. I know that I am not alone! Something happened in January of 2009. It hit my passion and stuck with it. Always a fan and collector of handbags, I wanted something just right for myself. My husband also likes to watch TV at night and falls asleep in the middle of shows with our two pugs laying on top of him . . . he needs someone nearby when he wakes up occasionally to explain what he has missed. It's just easier for me to go with the flow and do a project right from a chair next to him while listening to the TV. Next, I found a pattern (had it in my stash of projects from a few years back) and began. Now six months have passed and most of my friends have a bag. They nag me constantly about selling the bags in stores because they are tired of people asking them how to get one. I prefer to work with my own creative spirit and produce a final product. Custom orders stifle me a little bit and I fear that I may disappoint someone. Just allowing me to do what needs to come out of my hands makes me happiest and from that point, I begin this blog . . .