MaxsonCreations Etsy Treasury

I am so totally thrilled to be included in MaxsonCreations Etsy Treasury. I am honored to be in the midst of such adorable treasures. Thank you Jeni.
Jeni has some beautiful handmade items at her Etsy shop, Maxson Creations. I am sure you will find something you like for your little one. Go check it out.

Happy Holidays

I would like to extend my wishes to all of you for a very wonderful and blessed holiday season. I hope we all see the true meaning of this season and welcome it into our everyday lives.

Early Holiday Greetings

Well I don't know how many of you are aware of my recent 3 month long job search which amounted to much worry, depression, loss of self esteem, panic, and desperation. I have been out of work for about a year and apparently local employers were not too keen on that idea. I had very few call backs and even fewer interviews. And as time went on those interviews seemed brutal and I found myself falling on my face, totally bombing. 

I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to go beyond what my local communities had to offer. I was going to have to move and uproot my high school daughter who threatened mutiny if I did. I didn't know what I was going to do. I needed a job very badly, the reason for which I have not publicly stated but it has to do with my marriage falling apart. So now I guess I have said it publicly. I cried myself to sleep with desperation. And I prayed. I knew deep down that God would not abandon me and I trusted Him. 


I am so happy to announce that as of last Monday I am now a productive member of society, I finally got a job. And even better is that I think I am really going to like it. It is a small hospital, I don't think I have even been in a smaller one. Everyone is very friendly and helpful.  I will be working on the med/surg floor, which is the only floor they have, and I will be working in the ER and will take my turn being charge nurse. I am so excited. 


So to make a long story short, I will be working on Thanksgiving day and want to tell everyone who is reading to have a very special Thanksgiving day. I have so much to be thankful for. I always take time to reflect these things so I can be sure to include everything in my thanks.  And I thank you all for reading.

Meet Catherine

This week for my artist feature I would like to introduce Catherine. Catherine has 2 Etsy shops: Bridal Jewelry For You and Catherine's Handcrafted Jewelry Designs. Catherine says, "I sell jewelry, but also sew, make soap, knit, and crochet. I do have a blog although I a lot of times forget about in the busyness of life http://jewelryforever.blogspot.com . I started crafting when I got started in jewelry when a friend got a jewelry kit. I loved it so much that I had my mom get me one for Christmas. That is how I got started I was around 11 at the time. Right now my favorite pieces are my bridal pieces because they are all sparkly and shinny from all the sterling and swarovski crystals. Because my bridal shop has just opened I am doing a sale! The first three brides to purchase there bridal parties jewelry, minimum of $150, gets a free pair of bridal earrings!"

Sterling silver cluster bridal bracelet with swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls

Sterling bridal earrings with Swarovski clusters

Turquoise chunk and copper necklace

Turquoise and copper earrings

Check out both of Catherine's shops for gorgeous handmade and unique jewelry. Here are a few examples of her work, beautiful aren't they?

Another Surprise!

Today must be my lucky day! One of my fat quarter combos was chosen to be included in the "Color Feature of the Week" on Charan's blog, Creative With Clay. I also want to give you the link the Charan's Etsy shop of the same name. She has some gorgeous creations there.

Thanks again Charan.

Susie's Etsy Treasury

Yesterday I made the long trip to see my daughter, Shelley, and 2 of my grandchildren, Edward and Patience. It was Patience's last soccer game and I just had to watch her play at least once, even if it meant driving 4 hours each way all in one day. And it was so worth it.

When I got home last night I discovered that my Autumn Leaves Embroidered Coasters were included in someone's Etsy treasury. Wow! I am truly honored and I appreciate Susie so much. You can view the treasury here. There are several beautiful items, I'm sure you'll find something you like. Also, please go check out Susie's shop, SilverNGold, she has some wonderful things there as well.

Thanks again Susie!

Autumn Leaves

I have finished a set of freehand embroidered felt coasters yesterday and have them listed at my Etsy shop. These are about 4" square with rounded corners. I made them using ECOSPUN®. ECOSPUN® is made from 100% Certified Recycled PET bottles, saving landfill space, natural resources and reducing harmful air emmissions.

I chose some wonderful fall colors like camel, sandstone, gold, orange, cranberry, and grape. There are some colorful fallen leaves and tiny flowers winding around on a vine.

I love working with felt. I love doing this freehand embroidery. I love having a project that I can work on in the evening, sitting in a recliner in the living room. That way I can watch a movie or talk with my family and work on a project at the same time.

New Fabric Coming Soon!!

Who doesn't love fabric? I can't think of anyone, well anyone in their right mind. For me it is a passion, I can't get enough. So to appease my insatiable appetite for fabric I have made a couple rather large orders recently. I will be getting new fabric over the next weeks and months and will be listing it in my Etsy shop. And let me tell you there are some gorgeous fabrics coming out.

Here is a preview of one line from Sheri Berry called Chinese Takeout. This is new to my shop and I will be listing it as soon as it gets here. I just love it! Take a look.

Aren't these great? Look for them in my shop soon.

I'd Like to Introduce Teresa from Digicute

I have wanted to get to know some of the wonderful crafters out there and introduce them to you as well, so I am starting a new feature on my blog. I am going to be featuring a new artist about once a week.

Today I would like you to introduce Teresa. Teresa is the owner of Digicute, a sweet Etsy shop.
Here are a few words from Teresa, "I majorly use Illustrator and Photoshop to create clip arts, digital collage sheets, and anything that's printable. I enjoy crafts even when I was just a little kid! Art classes were always my favorite :D; they helped develop my interest in crafts. I got my inspirations from everywhere. Every time I see a wonderful work, I always ask myself how I would create it differently. And when I have an idea in my mind, I can't wait to make it a reality! I hope you enjoy my work :)!"

Here are a few of Teresa's favorite pieces that she has created.

This is called Christmas Bear Three-Fold Note Cards and can be found here.

This one is called Tropical Paradise and can be found here.

And these sweeties are called A Jolly Christmas. You can find them here.

Go on over and visit Teresa, I'm sure you will enjoy her shop!

My Birthday

We celebrated my birthday this past weekend. My birthday was actually Friday, but we had a party yesterday. On Friday I did go out to lunch at Casa Gallardo, a fabulous Mexican restaurant, where I ate entirely too many enchiladas. Yummy! And that sweet Mexican cornbread...to die for!! I love that stuff so much that I came home and looked up a copycat recipe for it. I found 2 that I am going to try. I'll post those later if they come out good. After lunch I went to see the new movie "Amelia". It was entertaining I guess. I think Hillary Swank is a superb actress, I guess it is Amelia herself that I don't really care for. I enjoyed it though.

On Sunday we had a small party with cake and ice cream. We had some chips and dip too. Almost everyone who could be there was there. I really missed my oldest daughter, Shelley and her 2 children, not being there. They live just a little too far away and her daughter, Patience, had 2 soccer games to play. My other 2 daughters, Crystal and Emily, made me a 3 tier birthday cake, it was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The candles spelled out "Happy Birthday". I loved it, they did a fantastic job. We also had Butter Pecan ice cream and Mint 'n Chip ice cream. I actually had some of both, :)

Crystal and Emily also decorated my house for Halloween. I have pumpkins and ghosts and scary monsters all over the place now. I bought a pumpkin to carve a couple days ago, we will probably carve that tonight.

My little grandson, Ty, is sick. He has been sick for 1 week now. He has been to the ER twice with it. It is a GI virus that is improving but he has such pain with it. He has missed school all week last week and probably won't go in today either. And to top it off, he was recovering from flu about 3 weeks ago and missed a whole week of school with that. I hope that don't try to hold him back because of these absences. But the doctor told him to stay home in both cases. We'll see. I just want him to get better. It is so scary when young kids are sick. :(

Spontaneous Sale Time

I am having a 2 day only sale, Oct 10 & 11. Spend $50 and get 10% off your next order at my shop.

This is the first of a series of upcoming sales I will be having, so keep watching.

At Long Last

After what seems like an eternity, I am finally getting my studio back. Like a lot of parents out there, I gave up something near and dear to me for someone much more nearer and dearer to me, my daughter. She needed to come back home for a while (which is happening so much these days) and so I gave her my studio. I am very happy that I could help, but things are better now, so studio here I come.

I have been working the last couple days getting things back in order. I have added a new work table, which I helped build. It is tremendous, I love it. It isn't fancy, but it certainly serves the purpose, and so much work surface. I will add a picture of it and the rest of my studio in my next post. My studio is kinda plain, white walls, no fancies, no pretties, but I've been too busy to do that kind of thing. I'll get to that though, for sure.

There are 2 more new things going on. The first is that I have a Bumbleberries Boutique fan page on Facebook. There is a link on the right sidebar if you'd like to become a fan. Secondly, I have a newsletter sign up also on the right sidebar. Please add your email there so that you can be informed of sales and other special events.

So until next time, get crafty!

July Sale at my Etsy Shop

I am having a free shipping sale on all my fat quarter bundles at my Etsy shop for the entire month of July. Sorry that this applies to the U.S. only, but for my international friends I will take $10 off a flat rate box.

And a really really good bonus is that if you buy a fat quarter bundle that is shipping in a flat rate box, whatever I can fit into that box will ship for free too. So now is your chance to really save on shipping. Visit my shop, purchase a fat quarter bundle, and fill up the box with more goodies and the shipping is on me.

Here are a few of my fat quarter bundles.

Tuesday Tutorial: Potpourri Tray

Those of you who read my other blog have seen this project already, but I thought I would include it here as well for those who haven't seen it.

What to do with an old picture frame: make a potpourri tray

Acquire an old frame. Take the backing off and remove glass. Wash entire frame and glass.

Prepare the frame surface for painting, you might have to do some sanding . Paint surface with 2 coats paint, I used acrylic paint. Let dry completely between coats. Spray with a sealer if desired.

When completely dry put frame back together. In place of old picture, pick a new one or use a nice piece of scrapbook paper like I did, or fabric. I added a nice and simple ribbon bow, but you can add all sorts of things to make it as done-up as you want.

It is no longer a picture frame, it’s on it’s way to being a tray. So turn your soon-to-be tray over. Use E-6000 glue or hot glue to attach simple drawer knobs at the corners. Make sure it sits well and is not wobbly.

Then add your potpourri. All done!

Buttercup Bag

Here is a little bag I made using Rae Hoekstra's buttercup bag pattern. I think it turned out pretty good.

I used Joel Dewberry's aviary fabric to make it. It is the perfect size, about 12x7 or so. I made one of my fabric flower brooches to put on the front.

It is currently for sale at my Etsy shop.

Monsters in the Closet

I want to give you a preview of a couple of adorable fabrics I will soon be adding to my Etsy shop. They are from the Monsters in the Closet collection by Sue Marsh for RJR Fabrics. I will be listing them within the next couple weeks, so keep an eye out for them.

I have only two to offer. The first has a yellow background with the "scariest" little monsters all over it. Actually they're not scary at all, they are the cutest monsters I think I've seen. The second fabric is a coordinating blue and purple.

With Halloween not too far off, these would make a terrific trick or treat bag for your "little monster".

Finally Finished

I have been working on this cute little bag for about a week now. I finally finished it. I had to revamp the handles and little loops a couple times, but I think I got it just the way I want it at last. That's the beauty part of being the designer, I get the final word, lol.

Anyway, I thought I might list this prototype on my Etsy shop for a low price and ask that whomever buys it will be so kind as to put it to use and give me some constructive criticism, some feedback on how it can be improved. But before I do that I would like some feedback on how the bag looks overall. Does it seem like a bag that people would like? You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and get a better look at this bag, if you want.

I have used the Swanky fabric collection by Chez Moi for Moda to construct the outside of the bag. There is prequilted white fabric for the inside. There is one pocket inside. There is a magnetic snap closure.

What I need now for this purse is a name. Got any ideas? As soon as I get this puppy named I will be listing it at my Etsy shop.

Quilt 'n' Stitch Marketplace

I would like to introduce a wonderful new marketplace that will have all your crafting needs in one place. It is just starting up and already has many beautiful shops for you to browse. It is called Quilt 'n' Stitch Marketplace.

It was founded by Joyce Lucas, who many of you may already know from Make Mine Pink. There will be some giveaways coming up so be sure to go check out all the fun. And for the shop owners out there, there is still time to open a shop at the marketplace.

Twice the Charm

Brand new to my Etsy shop are these wonderful Twice the Charm packs by Thimbleberries for RJR Fabrics. I have 8 gorgeous collections to choose from, and coming from Thimbleberries and RJR you know these are high quality fabrics.

Each one of these has anywhere from 19 to 33 fabric strips. Each strip measures 5.5"x22". That's equivalent to 4 regular 5" charm pack squares plus some. I have them listed for a great low price. Check them out!!

This is October Glow

This is Harvest Reflections

This is Christmas Punch

My Jelly Roll Tote

Here is a design I have been working on for a little while using jelly rolls strips. I have made several of these and gave them away as testers, this is the first one I have offered for sale. It is a sweet tote bag I constructed using Mary Engelbreit's Baskets of Flowers Jelly Roll from Moda.

I also made a little scrappy rag style flower brooch and pinned it on. It is removable. There is a magnetic snap closure, quilted lining and 2 inside pockets to match the outside. It measures 11"x13" with a 2" gusset, handle drop is 9.5".

I had a lot of fun designing and making this bag and will be making more Jelly Roll totes in the near future, so keep an eye out for those.

This tote is listed for sale at my Etsy shop, please go take a look.

Magnetic Board

Here is my beautiful custom order magnetic board handcrafted by Luthien from Pimp & Paint. She is a very talented artist as you can see. I have been following her blog for some little while and have been amazed at the wonderul works of art she produces. I encourage you to take a look. She recently opened a shop on etsy and has some of her work for sale there. And she does custom orders as well, like my magnetic board.

This magnetic board has handpainted roses, which I just love. It has gorgeous decoupage victorian ladies and sheet music. It has been given an aged look which is perfect. The lower part of the board is magnetic and it came with these cute little tile magnets. The whole thing is too sweet.

Another of Luthien's artworks is this coaster, made in a similar way with an aged look and decoupage. And as I told Luthien, I will be using this for my tea when I'm crafting. Thanks Luthien these are truly beautiful.

Folded Fabric Flower Brooches

Well, I have finally completed some of these folded fabric flower brooches. They are lots of fun to create. So many combinations and different ways to use them. I have a few listed on my Etsy shop.

They are really cute on lapels, hats, tote bags, belts, scarves, or anything really. Could even use one instead of a bow on a package.

I had fun naming each one too. I named a couple after some pretty important people in my life. One for my only granddaughter, my beautiful and sweet Patience. The other for my very dear friend, Mary, who passed away last year.

I used a Baskets of Flowers charm pack by Mary Engelbreit to make my Mary brooch. I also added some cute little ribbon accents to it.

I would love to take some custom orders for these. The choices for colors, sizes, and accents are endless. And I make them into hair clips, headbands, ponytail holders, even refrigerator magnets.

Mary

Patience

Patience Baby

Sunburst

Giveaway at the Cloth Diaper Report

I would like to introduce you to Emi's rather interesting, informative and fun blog called, The Cloth Diaper Report. There are product reviews, guest entries, interviews with WAHMs and giveaways.

Emi is having her first giveaway right now. She has a Swaddlebees wetbag to giveaway to one lucky person. So hurry on over. Plus there is so much more there to check out.

Come On Over For Dessert

You are all cordially invited to dessert at my Etsy shop. I have added these delectable goodies today and they look good enough to eat, you must agree. There are layer cakes, jelly rolls, and honey buns, plenty to choose from.

Guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth and guess what...NO calories! Yummy!