March ~ Hodgepodge

Hello my lovely friends!
I just had a ‘meh’ – moment – I hope you don’t mind me telling you about it real quick!
Last week I heard that Garth Brooks is coming to Des Moines! 😍 EEEEK – that’s only 3 hours away! Now there is someone I’ve been waiting to see for…well, let’s say a looooong time, and leave it at that!  😉 Tickets went on sale at 10 am. At 8:45 I go to the website, click on ‘get tickets’ – just to check out the seating chart, prices etc. …so I thought. I landed in a ‘virtual waiting room’! So I waited…I set my alarm for 9:55, not that I went back to sleep, but I didn’t wanna sit there for over an hour, staring at the same page (they warned me not to leave the page, I’d go to the back of the line) uh-oh – can’t have that. 10 o’clock came and went, still waiting. At 10:10 they added another show  – still waiting – at 10:25 they added yet another show – you guessed it, I’m still waiting. Now it’s 1:30, another show was added, and all that’s left are tickets on the 3rd level, way in the back. In the rafters? About a mile away from the stage? Eh – no! Long story short – there was my ‘meh’ moment – I didn’t get the tickets. MEH 😕   Next stop is in Fargo, ND…about 10 hours away! Tickets go on sale next Friday. I’ll let you know! 🤘

Sitting there I had some time to think about my next project! It’s going to be a
1. Double Dreamcatcher   💖  I’ve made a sketch so we know what it’s supposed to look like…

1. 
   When I gave up on Garth I gathered the supplies…

   
   Now in theory I know how this works (should work!) But somehow I see a lot of doing and undoing in my nearest future 😂      I’ll let you know!

   2.  I’m planning a longer blog-post (hopefully with an interview) about my visit to the National Silk Art Museum in Weston, MO. I visited Mr. John and his museum last Saturday (it’s just a skip and a hop up the street from my shop) What an amazing place! I didn’t know what to expect – for some reason I pictured silk panels, and -paintings. Boy, was I wrong. There you can find the most amazing collection of antique silk weavings. Until then I didn’t even though these pieces (and artform) exist(s).
   Mr. John is the founder and curator, he finds, cleans, and frames these beautiful pieces. He doesn’t charge admission, but accepts donations.
   I decided to help out a little. I designed a necklace – with silk fringe, of course – and a large portion of the sale of each necklace I will donate to the museum.

   

   3.   What’s new in the shop? you ask…Bracelets! I’ve really neglected that part of my jewelry line for a while. Here are some new designs Inspirational Quotes and Leather Bracelets with interchangeable focals
   Please take a look…
   

   

   

   Speaking of Bracelets…do you play ‘Ring-around-the-Rosie’ when you try to put yours on? I know I do – so I was very happy to find this little tip…
   *you can use a safety pin or a paper clip

   

   

   How nifty is that?

   Alrighty then – time to plan dinner! Or maybe we’ll go out! Even better! 😋

   Have a lovely weekend! 😘 I hope to see you next time❣
   ’til then
   ~Tina xoxo

 

~Hodgepodge~

Hello, Hello, Hello – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? 23 days to be exact (as the friendly WordPress stats page just reminded me 😉) You’re probably thinking ‘Well, so much for that ‘New Year’s resolution’, right?! Well, it was a case of great intentions, but then life, the universe throwing me a curveball…or, in my case a (very fast) outward swinging door,  abruptly stopped by my face which resulted in the first black eye of my life!  Thankfully, no concussion, no pain, just a lot of swelling (my left eyebrow is still in a constant state of surprise…hehehe), purple and black coloring – didn’t need eye make-up for the last 10 days! Long story short – the swelling pretty much shut my eye, so computer gazing was not in the cards…hence, no blog writing. But, I thought a lot about it, so now I have a nice list of things to tell/show you! Ready? Here it goes….

1. Cups – I love cups in all shapes and sizes. I do have a matching set somewhere, but mismatched…eh, eclectic….is more my style. I look for (and buy) them everywhere. It’s especially satisfying when I find pretty ones, only to discover later, that they come from far away, and have an interesting background. Like the ones I found in a Thrift Store in Kansas City a few weeks ago.
Here’s one of them, in a deserving setting….

Lavender Tea, Chocolates, a good book, and a pretty cup ~ what more does a girl need! 😍

But, not only are they gorgous, they do have an interesting background, a story…
The marking reads ‘Crown Lynn Earthstone New Zealand’ (!) – pretty nifty, huh?!
I had to investigate – it turns out that these beauties really made the  long journey from New Zealand to Kansas City! Crown Lynn pottery was a very popular household item in the 1960s in New Zealand. The company started in the 1920s as a brick and pipe manufacturer, before it expanded into the domestic market. It quickly grew into the largest pottery company in the Southern Hemisphere. Sadly the success didn’t last – the pottery closed it’s doors in 1989.
So – that makes these cups and saucers (and 3 dessert plates) extra special. I will keep one here to add to my collection, the other ones I will share with you in the store.
It looks pretty good among the others, don’t you think…

One more (quick) cup story….see the little grey one with the tree? Third from the left?
Yep – you got it! That one has an extra special meaning to me. Let me tell you why…
Many moons ago, when I was a little girl (in Germany) my Mom brought home a little gift for me – a cup. It must have been around Easter or Christmas, because I remember that it contained a little cellophane bag with candy. From then one that cup held my daily hot chocolate, sometimes tea, later on coffee.
Well – you know how it goes! I moved, Mom moved – the cup got lost somewhere along the way. But – what do you know – last year I found this one here in a small Thrift-Store in Leavenworth, Kansas! Ha – what are the odds!

2. Now off to a completely different subject
Before my little accident I designed and made some extra-warm scarves, ’cause… you know …Winter in Kansas! 😨 They’re made of a double layer of felted wool. One layer is made of (washing) machine felted knits, the top layer is needle-felted wool ‘fluff’. I named them ‘Paradise~Scarves’, because they are so colorful, and do look like you’re wearing an abundance of flowers. Here are some pictures…

-I have no idea why the one is sideways…but by now you’re probably ready to stretch your neck anyway, right?
As you can see, I knitted a border out of fur-like yarn and added some (looooong) fringe, to give it extra width and length (and provide a little calm among the craziness)

3. Before I made jewelry, I was constantly knitting, crocheting, quilting something. You might remember from my first post this year, that I want to expand my horizon, learn new things. Keeping at least that resolution, I bought a spinning (spindle) wheel. It arrived last week …

Good thing I’m very acquainted with Ikea furniture 😜
But it wasn’t difficult – even with one eye (well, one-and-a-half by then)
Here it its…

Here you actually get 2-in-1 – in the background you can see the weaving I’m working on. Eventually it will be a partition I need in the store.

4. Speaking of the store – the new year brought with it a new feature – a ‘Little Free Library’
You heard of those, I’m sure. They are popping up all over the place – most of the time they look like oversize bird-feeders, and are in people’s front yards, in parks, shopping areas.
Well, mine is just a bookshelf in a store – but the idea is the same. Take a book, enjoy, bring it back (or pass it on), and if you have extra ones laying around, bring ’em by!

5. …now last, but not least – a few jewelry creations – Enjoy!

 

  
Alrighty….that’s it for now – rest your eyes (I know I will!)
I hope you enjoyed the ‘Hodgepodge’ of little stories and pictures.
Until next time
~Tina xoxo

‘Happy Fall’ Newsletter

Hello, Hello, Hello, my lovely friends! I hope this first day of my favorite season finds you in good health and spirits!
I took the photo above this morning to wish all my friends and followers a ‘HAPPY FALL’ and to showcase my latest
‘Pendant of the Loom’ Necklace. While exploring the photo editor on my new phone, I came across the ‘Art’ option, and had to try that one… of course! Here’s what happened…

Pretty cool, huh? 😍
What is your favorite part of Fall? The colors, everything pumpkin, sweater weather, the crisp mornings, apple picking… or, like me, all of the above?

Ahhh…the colors! While our trees here (Missouri/Kansas State Line) haven’t turned yet, last week I did find this leaf in the yard…

A bit odd, since all the other leaves are still green…but who am I to question Mother Nature, right?! 😇

I also love the luscious yarns that now fill the shelves. One of the first ones I picked up this year was a fake fur yarn, called ‘Just Fur Kicks’. I haven’t knitted with it yet (but I do see it’s future as a collar on my poncho in progress!) I did, however make tassels. I love tassels …I have them on my jewelry, my curtains, my purse, and also on my poncho in progress! 😁 Like I said, one tassel is never enough, so I made a ‘Tassel-Trio’! Take a peek…

Pretty nifty, don’t you think?
They remind me of the cute feather duster/french maid in ‘Beauty and the beast’! ☺

Now you heard so much about my Poncho in progress…wanna see?

In case you want to make your own ~ let me tell you how…
Simply knit 2 rectangles (appr. 30″ x 38″) Either get your favorite yarn in your color, or use, like I did, all the leftover yarn from previous projects.
Assembly is easy-peasy! Stitch, knit, crochet the panels together like so…

Then add embellishments to your hearts content. Fringe, Tassels, PomPoms, a collar… I’m sure you’ll give it your own personal, fabulous touch! 😍
…and, eh, Pictures please!

Thanks for sticking with me ’til the end. I appreciate it! 💟
But, before I let you go I’d like to show you the woven pendant (from the picture on🔝). I adorned it with a (mock)scissors-pendant, a yarn spool, and safety pins, because I’m making a sewing-theme necklace.

Alrighty… that’s really it for today!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it ~ let me know! 🙂

Love
Tina xoxo