Out with the old / In with the new

Christmas was a quiet one shared with family. Presents were opened on Christmas Day with our granddaughter exclaiming "Oh, my goodness" when she opened up the giant Lego set that she was hoping for.

We started bathroom renovations on Boxing Day!!! I'm the designated helper / cleaner-upper. You get the idea. Today, the old cabinet and sink went out the door. It will probably be a few days before the new one gets installed. I figure it will take awhile before everything gets finished.

The studio has been cleaned up after a very busy craft fair season. I won't be working at anything in particular for awhile.

Last week was one of semi relaxing. I did put this puzzle together and started another one. This one did not include a picture of the piece which made it a bit harder to do. It was one of those mysteries that you are suppose to solve by doing the puzzle. There was a short story and the answer to the mystery. I didn't bother with that part.

The stained glass poinsettias were a gift from my brother and sister-in-law in Newfoundland. Some of his work is at King's Point Pottery.

I am not one for making New Year's Resolutions but I am hoping to blog a bit more frequently in 2020. Happy New Year everyone!!!!

The Tree is Done!!

The Christmas Shows / Markets are finished for me this year! It's been a hectic fall. Thank you to everyone who commented on my art work and to those who purchased something from me. You are all awesome!

Well, the tree is up and decorated! Big job!!! I wasn't going to put tinsel on the tree this year but it was bare to me as I love lots of glitter. In any case, why break with tradition as I've always put it on my trees. Even as a child, I put it on one strand at a time.

Please note my gorgeous tree skirt. Made for me by my wonderful sister, Joan. This was a birthday gift a few years ago before we left Newfoundland.

I received a pre-christmas gift in the mail this week. What do you think of these!!! Apparently, my sister measured my cushions this summer with Christmas ones in mind.

Here are a few closeups of ornaments on the tree - before the tinsel was added.

Hand made by my friend, Marilyn in NL. Love this one!!

The stained glass ornament is one of three, made by my brother, Don, in NL. Gale made the snowman when she was living in Chicago (about 4 years ago).

 This cat is ancient. It must be at least 45 years old.

This one was made during a textile tour to England in 2008. We visited a local artist and did these.

I received this Temari Ball during an ornament exchange at the St. John's Guild of Embroiderers, years ago.

Enjoy! Hopefully I get back into the routine of posting more to the blog. Thanks for visiting.

Count Down to Christmas

Saturday, I delivered a filled 'Wonky' Houses (my name for this pattern) Advent Calendar, to my granddaughter, Gale. Needless to say, most of the gifts didn't fit into the house pockets but that didn't matter. I wrote notes for those and put them in the pockets. A bag full of numbered presents to match the house numbers accompanied the wall hanging. Of course, the gift bag was put in her mom's studio to prevent peeking!!! Gale was very excited.



See more posts of this pattern HERE, HERE, & HERE



Enjoy!!

Dalplex Christmas Market

At Dalplex, Jill and I shared a 15' x 8' booth (you can see her in the 2nd. photo). Lots of glorious space for both of us !!!

My table layout is basically the same with a few minor changes. You can see scarves hanging on the rack behind the table as well as in front. Well, that's not going to happen at the next show as I sold four lovely pieces at this one. I have 8 Fibre Lace Scarves left for this year.

Art cards / envelopes made an appearance this time as I had forgotten about them. I finished stitching the embroidered flowers just before the show. Each background was hand painted and the stems / leaves were free-motion machine stitched to the background. The flowers came last.

See other posts of art cards HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Enjoy!!

Up Date on Shows - Craft Nova Scotia

Since the show at White Point, I've exhibited at Craft Nova Scotia and Dalplex. On December 7 - 8, I'll be at the Lunenburg Christmas Event at the Bluenose Academy (one of three venues within walking distance of each other).

Here are several photos from Craft Nova Scotia, Cunard Center, Halifax.

I have a new grid system for displaying framed art. On top is one of my large textile pieces, View From The Rooms.

A new Shimmer Display spinner, made by my husband, is perfect and doesn't take up lots of space.

The trees have samples of all my Shimmer Ornaments. Visitors can see them at a glance. If they aren't on the table, they are easy for me to get.

  Wearable Art Pins were very popular at all the shows!

The three Fibre Lace Scarves in front were off to happy customers early in the show. I still have a few left for next weekend at Lunenburg. I design and make a limited number each year. I have taken requests for certain colour combinations.

Work on display by members of Craft Nova Scotia.

Artists at White Point Show & Sale

Last Sunday I attended Artists at White Point Show & Sale. 43 vendors from around Queens County and beyond, gathered at the Beach Resort to be part of the 7th annual show. Apparently, the number of visitors was way up from previous years. In fact, the tally of sales for the participating artists and creators, for this one day event, was an incredible $25,000.00.

A big thank you to the staff, especially Cathie Pincombe, of White Point Beach Resort, for hosting this magnificent event. Did I mention that it was free for vendors and visitors?

Also, thank you to those who stopped to say hello and to those who purchased something special for themselves or for someone else. It was a great day! Shimmer Ornaments were a hit.

Here's a few shots taken mostly from my table space. It was a busy day with lots of folks and I didn't get a chance to see other vendors until almost closing time.

Jill and I shared a backdrop. My scarves, her wall art

My table

My beautiful daughter hiding behind her necklaces. Each piece is a miniature of an original oil painting

Looking across the room from my table

Directly across from me

Side view of Jill's table

Christmas at the Forum

Thanksgiving has come and gone! Next weekend the clocks fall back an hour. Are you ready for that?

Jill and I will be in Halifax for the weekend attending (for the first time), Christmas at the Forum. This is the longest running Christmas Craft Fair in Atlantic Canada. Last year they had over 25,000 visitors.

We will be at booth # 495, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will be a very long three days but looking forward to meeting lots of people and showing them our creations.

I'm in the process of framing some of my art pieces. This one will have a white (looks gray in the photo) double mat and a 8" x 8" black metal frame.

I also  have several landscapes (8" x 8") that have my dyed skies and water as well as computer printed rocks on silk and hand appliqued to the background. Here's a larger sample from a previous post as I haven't photographed the new ones yet. I love the sky in this piece!  I copied it from my blog post and will not center on this page! Oh well, not much I can do about that at the moment.



Hopefully, I'll have photos to share from the show this weekend!
Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy

Windfall Fine Art & Handcraft Market, Antigonish, NS

Yikes!!!! It's been awhile since I posted here. Where does the time go.
Two weekends ago, my daughter and I attended Windfall Fine Art and Handcraft Market (a juried show) in Antigonish. Lots of lovely art and craft on display. This two day event was well attended. The set-up reminded me of the Craft Council of Nl Christmas Craft Fairs that I attended over the years.

New display and banner

Jill setting up her part of the 15 x 5 foot booth

New Shimmer display spinner

On that note, this weekend will be the 2nd anniversary of our move to Nova Scotia!  The trees are putting on quite a display of colours. Of all the photos I've taken yesterday and today, I think this one is my favorite:

•  Autumn Quilts on Pinterest HERE,  HERE,
• Free patterns for Fall 
• More free Autumn patterns HERE    
• Autumn Inspiration  

 Enjoy!!

Studio Storage Solutions

Well, September has started out with a bang! Hurricane Dorian reached the South Shore of Nova Scotia yesterday. There were high winds and lots of rain. We were among the lucky few who had power so I spent the day in my studio.

The studio is still in transition. However, I will eventually share lots of photos of my 'Happy Place'. Today, I'm sharing a few inexpensive storage solutions that I am using.

Baskets

Cloth bin with rope handle from the Dollar Shop

Rope Baskets (also from the Dollar Shop)
Burlap Shopping Bag

A bucket from my sewing machine. Easy and quick to make! I do need more of these.

This rope basket sits behind my machine. It holds a single spool of Sulky Sliver Metallic thread that is threaded to the sewing machine. Having metallic threads further away from the machine allows it to unwind easily with less tangling.    

Ice cube tray with cover holds bobbins. Snap on lids is a way to transport bobbins for workshops.

Vinyl tote bag holds large plastic rulers on the side of my large cutting table.

3M hooks under my cutting table holds embroidery hoops

I have 3 of these owl Christmas Stocking holders that cost me $2.00 each at the Superstore last January. They sit on the half wall next to my sewing machine stations. They are metal so magnets can be used on them.

Woven wire basket

The blue paper recycling bin is extra tall and holds lots of stuff on rolls.

Stacking drawers hold lots of small things such as threads, floss . . .

I like visiting the Dollar shops, Value Village etc. It's not necessary to spend an arm and a leg on storage for your special space.

Did I mention the plastic scrap board boxes from Michael's. More about these later.

• For an earlier post about storage solutions, check HERE
• Pinterest Boards of Keile Haley -  lots of interesting things Also check out her web site Do You Sew
• Free patterns for armchair caddy and sewing organizers 

Check out my Instagram page for photos 

Enjoy!!

Quilted Gifts

My sister, Joan, is visiting from Tennessee. At the moment, she is in Newfoundland but will be back here again on her way south. She always has a surprise birthday gift for me. This year, I have three new quilted pillows to match our 50th anniversary quilt which she made and gifted us two summers ago.

These three below were delivered last summer and belong in the guest bedroom.

Thanks Joan for your thoughtful gifts! Love them all and don't stop (GRIN).

Enjoy!!