Sunny Saturday and Stuff!!!!

It's a sunny Saturday! What will you do today? Me - that's another question. Yesterday I participated in an hour long zoom 'Tea / Coffee Break" with a group from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was great to see and speak with this small group. A couple of new faces but the rest were familiar from craft fairs and elsewhere. This type of get together is hoping to continue on a monthly basis.

This weekend will be taken up with getting more things up on my website - especially the Shimmer Decorations. I'm registering to participate in the on-line Wholesale Show in Newfoundland & Labrador so items in that category will be shown on the NEW web site. We have been photographing Shimmers and hoping to get them posted this weekend.The Christmas ones will come later. Here's a sample of what will be posted.

Winner!!

Look what came for me in the mail from Cast On Cast Off, St. John's, NL. Cast On Cast Off  had a draw last month and my name was picked. How lucky!! Thanks bunches for picking me. The yarn is Bergy Blue Heritage 2ply from Briggs and Little. Of course, the knitting book, Saltwater Gifts by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott, is fabulous! It is filled with lots of colourful photos and easy to follow NL knitting patterns. A must have book for knitters.

Enjoy!!

• Newfoundland knitters rescue trigger mitts from extinction
• Saltwater Mittens    
• Saltwater Classics
  

The Monster Blizzard!!!

The snowstorm in Newfoundland beat all the previous records for snow accumulation and wind speed! If you are on social media, you have probably seen scads of photos and videos taken during and after the storm.

My friend sent me a photo from her house and looking across the road at the other properties. Zero visibility! She gave me permission to post it. Thanks, Marilyn.

January 17th  snowstorm, Paradise, NL

The big job now is for the city and surrounding areas to dig out!

I hope things get back to normal soon on the island.


Check out CBC coverage of the storm HERE. More photos HERE & HERE.

Here in Pine Grove, NS, we had about 3 inches of snow overnight which is slowly turning to rain. Nothing to complain about as it is winter.

Enjoy your day wherever you are.

New Fibre Lace Scarves

Nova Scotia is in the middle of another heat wave. Apparently the record high for yesterday was 26C a few years back. It hit 38C (39C in my back yard)!! Way too hot BUT we just got a new heat pump installed so it's cool inside our house. The extreme heat was sucking the good out of me. Now, I can work in comfort again.

Yesterday I completed my first reversible Fibre Lace Scarve in about two years. I usually try to create 25 for the Christmas season. With house renos back in NL last year, and then moving here to Nova Scotia, most of my creating was at a halt.  Making scarves needs lots of space which I now have in my new studio. Speaking of studio: when all of the storage is built, windows trimmed, door hung, baseboards in place etc., I will give you a tour of the room.

side 1

side 2

You can find more scarves HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Flash Back!!

Today I'm posting a few images of work I've done in the past. Since I don't have a studio space yet, I have no where to do any large pieces. Hopefully, plaster and painting will begin next week. I've been told there are fiddly things to be done. My husband is working on it as I write.

Enjoy!

Red Fish, owned by the City of St. John's, NL

Calm, private collector, California, USA

Flow, part of the Art Collection, Province of Newfoundland Labrador

New Shimmer Ornaments

Working, working, working! I have just finished a large Shimmer's Ornament order that's headed to St. John's, NL.

Here's a couple of new ornaments that just got stitched out. Thankfully, the 4 needle machine is working but is beginning to complain. I think a service call is in its future. It hasn't worked as well as it should in awhile even though it had been sent back to the factory for repairs twice.

Cabot Tower, St. John's, NL

Map outline of Nova Scotia

Sperm Whale

Still working out some kinks on a killer whale shimmer. The dragon fly design is gorgeous but hasn't been stitched out on the transparent fabric yet.

Enjoy!

Working!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I'm working steadily on my Shimmer Ornaments to get them ready for the tourist season. It's been difficult getting focused on new items since the big move here to Nova Scotia. Studio is in the works so I'm working out of a bedroom, kitchen, living room . . . you get the idea. As a result, I can't put my fingers on things quickly. Not an efficient way to work at all! But, the new studio will be big and have lots of work surfaces and storage.

We have two more new Shimmer Ornaments, a grouper (I've nicked named it the 'grumpy grouper') and a map outline of Labrador. An interest was expressed in creating the map so it's done and ready for the general market. If there are any businesses on the Labrador Coast or in Newfoundland interested in purchasing these, please contact me.

I've also included a couple of older Shimmers that I'm working on.

Linked to The Needle and Thread Network!

 

On the table to be finished!

Craft East Buyers EXPO

Yesterday, my daughter, Jill and I attended the Craft East Buyers EXPO in Halifax. This show was formally known as ACTS, Atlantic Canada Trade Show. I've attended this show twice as part of the Newfoundland and Labrador wholesalers. Since the format has changed considerably, I decided to check it out. This event, which was held in a downtown hotel, wasn't open to the public as it was a wholesale show for buyers.

We visited just about every booth and chatted with the makers. Some had their displays in a suite at the hotel while others opted to set up in several large rooms with other vendors. Four floors of the hotel were taken over for this event.

There was lots of interesting art and craft to see. Many of the vendors were new this year, but I did speak with many people I've met over the years.

Here's the vendors from Newfoundland & Labrador:

• Michael Harlick from Black Hen Studio
• East Coast Glow - Wild Island Apothecary  
• Elizabeth Burry Design 
• Ewe Design 
• Molly Made Fibre Art Studio 
• Natalie Jewellery  

I do have to share one vendor from Nova Scotia as their business cards for this event was very innovative.  Have a look:

          
I've bought several pieces from this company, Hand-made Fused Glass Products.
Enjoy!

New Shimmer Ornaments

We have new Shimmer Ornaments created and working on a few others. Have a look!

The Caribou and Forget-Me-Not were requested by The Rooms Gift Shop to be exclusive to them.  More on that at a later time.

Enjoy!

Sea Horse

Shell

Salt Cod Fish

Caribou

Forget-Me-Not

Sunrise / Sunset

My brother took this photo a couple days ago. It's somewhere between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. He said it was a smooth crossing on the ferry and NO ice to be seen.

Eye Candy with the sun as a focus:

• Sunset Frolic wall hanging
• Sunset 
• Sunrise and Sunset in the City 
• Sunrise - Sunset on Pinterest HERE 
• Sunset on the Mountain Pillow 

Enjoy!            

Iceberg Shimmers

My newest Shimmer is an iceberg. At the moment, I have one view stitched with a possible two more in the works. This one is based on a real iceberg.

 A few facts about Icebergs:

• Icebergs are large pieces of freshwater ice that have broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and floats freely in open water
• Iceberg facts are also found HERE
• Newfoundland is one of the best places in the world to view Icebergs 

Lelli Jewellery

Today I'm highlighting Lelli Jewellery from St. John's, Newfoundland. What started as a hobby for Lesley Collins, has turned into a full time business. She designs and creates affordable jewellery that can be found throughout Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada.

Here's Lesley's space at the Newfoundland Labrador booth (ACTS) in Halifax last month.

Work, Work, Work!

For the last two weeks, I've been busy working in my studio. I expect to be burning the midnight oil a few times this fall because I signed up awhile ago to have a booth at the Christmas Craft Fair. I haven't done this fair for a few years and I wanted to do it again. For this fair, you have to be a member of the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, which means your work has to be juried before it can be displayed.

I opted to have a slightly smaller booth this year (4 x 8). One of the products I will have on display will be my Fibre Lace Scarves. I'm also hoping to have a few new shimmer ornaments for the Christmas Tree. It's nothing like working under pressure to get things done! I still have to get my fibre art pendants juried in October. I do have a few other things in mind but that's for another time. Enjoy!

Busy Times!

My latest Felted Art Cards are going to Point Amour, Labrador, NL, as are other pieces of my art work. I received an order yesterday so I've been busy getting it ready. Lots of glittery threads in these cards!






















Other places carrying my work:

Devon House, Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador, Duckworth Street, St. John's
Newfoundland Weavery, Water Street, St. John's
Nonia, Water Street, St. John's
Mumbo Jungle, 318 Water Street, St. John's
Herbie's Olde Shoppe, Petty Harbour
Gros Morne Co-operating Association, Rocky Harbour,
Historic Sites Shops
Johnson Geo Centre, Signal Hill,
Norton's Cove Studio, Wesleyville, NL
Dark Tickle, Griquet, NL
King's Point Pottery, King's Point, NL
Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station, New Brunswick
The Ice House Giftshop, Westport, Brier Island, Nova Scotia
Forte Framing & Art Gallery, Chicago, IL
Tour Labrador, Forteau, NL