Blossom Sugar Wafers

Life has been slowly coming back to some semblance of normal. Our computer has suffered a few glitches in the rebuild, then a few days with our U-verse lines down. My work schedule is becoming routine, and I finally feel like my creative soul can peek out once again. While I know I have a few projects planned out (still hoping to do a matching line for Dear Lizzy) I'm mostly starting with whatever moves me, just to get back into the swing of creating. I have a few new Button Blossoms in the shoppe tonight.

Bits and Bobs

Finally, a few more pretties. This time inspired by the Christmas favorite "Raindrops on Roses". I've started with two colorways for my collection "Brown Paper Packages". They aren't tied up with strings, though! The first colorway is Whiskers on Kittens.

I also wanted to invoke the feeling of the fleeting autumn in "With the Moon on Their Wings"
I also did "Whiskers" in specialty ribbons- velvets and curls! and an embellishment set. I couldn't resist the red shoes in the backdrop. But, alas, the Princess Royale still needs to wear these through the holidays, so I'm not sharing those!

Velvet Ribbon

Hmmff! I've been waiting for about 2 weeks since I placed a wholesale order for more velvet ribbon that I've needed for some upcoming etsy or other projects. Finally called them today to ask about said order and it's backordered til next week! Thanks for letting me know, Mr. Company.

I'm hoping to add more painted velvets and some more made-to-match lines soon, just waiting on the supplies!

Etsy front page!

Yep, I'm just a smidge excited- my first front page item. I just finished wrapping my last bits of this ribbon up today. Looks like I'll have to make another lot of it now. Oh, darn.

Just a Little Something Sweet

Not much news, just some more fun handmade embellishments and ribbon sets. I absolutely adored the colors in Cosmo Cricket's "Jolly by Golly" Christmas line: and while it took several mixings to get the pink, it definitely is the piece de resistance for the ribbon set.

Lastly, I knew that I would eventually bow down to the makers of Basic Grey, and created ribbons and felt/button embellishments for their line "Lemonade".

All are in my etsy shoppe!

Ribbons and bits, and a few Swap Sneaks

Well, summer does seem to be coming to a close, not that Michigan had much warm weather. I don't think we had our air conditioning on for a total of 10 days. Still, the anticipation of new school clothes, changing leaves, and steaming bowls of soup has me ready for autumn.

I'll be debuting some new ribbons, ala grungy style, soon. Here are two of the completed colorways: Blackberry Jam and Bonfire.

Also trying to keep on top of my Silver Bella Swaps (so no peeking for those of you in the Vintage Winter Banner or Paper Dolls Swaps)

Winter Banner base is some lovely flocked wallpaper, topped with all sorts of my favorite bits, crepe, poms, glitter, flowers, more glitter....

More crepe used for the paper doll swap, and a fun new use for cupcake liners :)

So much done, yet still so far behind!

Madness&Mayhem, and Harvest Moon

I was inspired to do two major ribbon sets for Halloween. The third happened by accident, but a very happy accident as I believe it will lead to even more in the future. Harvest Moon is an altered seam binding ribbon set, with colors reminiscent of ghosts, pumpkins, golden moons, and eerie black nights. This particular set I will continue to make through the season.

Madness is entirely black and white, with hand painted velvets and laces, marbled silk and semi-striped seam binding.

Mayhem uses the most basic of Halloween pallettes, with two striped seam bindings, a bicolored marbled silk, a dipped black-edged ruffle ribbon, and a velvet ricrac dyed to look like orange tarantula legs.

Madness & Mayhem will be very limited. I will list these when I have a chance, but the shoppe will be closed a few days next week for vacation, so it may not be til after that. Bonjour!

Little Charlottes

Wow, two posts in one day, after such a dry spell. Hope you aren't fainting. This post is mostly just for pretty pictures...

... Little Charlottes will make their way soon to the shoppe!

Inspiration (Un)Board

I'm so excited that Jenni Bowlin's Re-Purpose, Re-Think, Re-Invent Class has started over at Big Picture Scrapbooking
One of the first things she sent us off doing is creating an Inspiration Board. Now, I am in the process of creating a True Inspiration Board, but it set me off thinking as to how I do surround my work area with my favorite and inspiring objects. Little bits and bobs of texture, color, designs, and simple whimsy fill nooks and crannies in my studio space. Notice many of my favorite etsy artists creations peeking out at you? The little banner (by CariKraft) reads "follow your bliss" (egads I am so disorganized, I promise my kitchen looks a little better)

See all that inspiration couldn't possible fit into ONE inspiration board.

Gotta love those craft cubes. Wonder how many more I can get in the room. You should see the other side of the set. Stuff, um, I mean, Inspiration ALL over the floor.

Currently the paint is drying on my real board. Hope to show it off soon!

Summer UnVacation

Now that the royal heirs to our throne are celebrating their freedom from all things scholastic, the King and Queen (dearest husband and myself) have been finding ourselves dropping into bed almost the same time of the late evening as they do. (Cause those dishes don't wash themselves). Which, of course, does not leave much time for creating. Still, I'll try to keep a few things new things in the shoppe, and share pictures when I can. I did order some pretty new ribbons and laces to dye, and some new types of dyes that may be more colorfast. Also experimenting with ribbons flowers I hope to show off soon.

I did enjoy dyeing a few silks and velvets for the shoppe- hope to make these a permanent fixture in my creativity. Actually, I will dunk anything that is not moving into a dye bath just to experiment lately. Will show off what I find out!

Sugared Songbirds

Just wanted to give a little peep about a new item in Heidi's etsy shop. She and I had exchanged a few crepes and ribbons earlier this year, and she sent along a few of her Sugar Peeps, which the Crown Princess immediately stole. But how could I resist these sweeties, something with my name all over it?

Don't forget to check out her crepe ruffles and her hand-dyed doves, too pretty!

100th Sale!

I reached my first goal of 100 sales! Since the purchaser had a fondness for earthtones, I created this special ribbon, in the new silk!, just for her. Two yards of "Mink Marble Luxe" coming your way, enjoy and thank you so much Kendra!

Collect like a Magpie

Every now and then we all need a little destash. My ribbon box was filling up too fast with extra cuts from sets, colors that didn't quite match particular ideas, or maybe a small run in the wrong place. Going up in the shop this weekend. "Just the Ribbons" from sets such as Pompeii and Strawberry Sundae. Magpie lots featuring the mismatched, extras, and not-quite perfect ribbons.

and a pretty set, again with the pretty scrunch-ribbon, Sea Whisper.

We've had thunderstorms all day, but it caused all the trees to bud overnight! Such a beautiful green world! We have very few spring days here before summer rears its heat. I'm enjoying it, are you?

Memories of Pompeii Spun Sugar Twist

In those short days before children, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Italy. I was reminded of the trip recently while talking with my friend Lu, as we both longed for a taste of Limoncello (or Venetian Lemonade, as she puts it). I was inspired to create several lengths of ribbons while reminscing.
Since five ribbons were created, it didn't work for me to put them on the usual trifold card, so I put the "pages" together like a book. Pompeii sky and Lemon Grove ribbons

From the top: Lemon Grove, Italian Pink Grapefruit, Olive Leaf, Limoncello, and Pompeii Sky

I collaged each page before adding the ribbon: Limoncello

(Back of Limoncello) Pompeii Sky

Olive Leaf

Italian Pink Grapefruit

Lemon Grove. This one has a warm spot of yellow fading into white, then green with touches of brown

I have more lengths of the ribbons, but I'm not sure yet if I'll offer more than one card.

Reds and Pinks

Raspberry Lemonade, Pink Flamingo, Cameo and Ivory Each of them uses a different hand dye/paint technique, but they are so pretty together!

Valentines Spun Sugar Twists

I added another Spun Sugar Twist to my shoppe- this one in a Valentine's theme. This pretty set has two stripe hand dyes (one multi-hued!) and two commercially dyed seam bindings. I twisted the two commercially dyed (red and pink) together for interest.

Here's a shot of just the red/white stripe. I love the softness of the color blending to the white.

And the red/white/pink stripe.

Blue and White

Blue and white, white and blue. So are the colors in January's theme on Artsymama's A Year of Color blog. With her permission, I've added a line in my shoppe to feature A Year of Color. I'm very excited to work with this theme- although there are some challenges ahead! (I'm really trying to start thinking of what to do when the month's theme is polka-dots!). The first thing I want to share is something I'm happy to present- Spun Sugar Twists! I wanted a way to present seam binding that is different from what I've seen. I've used a double sided piece of paper and folded it into a three partioned card. Each partition will have seam binding on it- this set only the hand-dyeds are "twisted".

I labeled each ribbon color by stapling a piece of vintage bird book text (being careful, of course, not to staple the ribbon) and a pretty blue punch with the name on it.

I also added a few inexpensive items to my shoppe just for fun, like Giggle Twinkle Wings button ticket set. These small treats will go to the "Sugar Wafers" section, although the blue and white ones are currently in the Year of Color section.

And I did put together one Sugar and Spice Tin set for Year of Color. Loads of pretty blue images for crafting here.

I'm also lucky enough to be able to participate in the swaps available to a Year of Color blog participants. Our first theme is Valentines, and that should be so much fun to prepare a box for my Swap Sister! I'll be sure to post what I'm up to soon!

From one Holiday to the Next

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We were snowed in most of the week here at the North Pole, I mean, Michigan. We were not plowed out until Christmas Eve at 9PM! The kiddos got loads of toys and sweets. Santa must've thought me good this year- I got Starbucks and Michaels giftcards and a whole box of Martha Stewart glitter in every color! He also left a Wii here, which Dearest is hooking up as I type. We've also watched many of our favorite Christmas movies, and a new one highly recommended by sweetie Candice Carpenter, Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I had never seen it before, but it's now my favorite Christmas movie (move over Elf!).
I've been working on some new Valentine's goodies for the shoppe. I must give a standing ovation to Lisa's Altered Art. Her collage sheets are lovely and may show up in a few art treats later on. Meanwhile I've been busy keeping my fingertips pink and red with dye inks. Here's a beauty from one of my kits at etsy. I'm still working on techniques that will minimize the tearing in separating layers of wet crepe streamer. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Also have many ribbons soon to be added to the sale block. I've placed a few on vintage flashcards or these lovely mini-cards from Jenni Bowlin. They are hand-dyed, as well, with lovely subtle shadings. Scrumptious!

Here's the full Spun Sugar set, with dyed ribbon and matching crepe. This crepe streamer was originally ivory, although that side is down in the picture so you only see the dipped pink end. I have several larger kits I'm putting the finishing touches on. Hopefully will be up soon!