2015 December
Ringing the Bell...
12/29/2015
Photo 1 - Jason is, on the other hand, enjoying the mirror that I created for "HIS" room (man cave) in the new house. It should look good hanging on the wall with his Red couch and Black and White chairs.
Photo 2 - Bo, our sweet old dog, is laid out for the day and staying close to Mike. We were lucky that Mike was able to come to spend the day with us. He has his presents opened and is taking it all in. The remote control car and the key board were big hits!
Photo 3 - The Sour Cream & Onion flavored Crickets were the most unusual gift... besides the worms that were gone before I had a chance to take a picture of them. I wasn't brave enough to try them since I wanted my breakfast to stay down, but the others were much more adventurous and chowed down on them!
I am definitely not known for getting gifts to people on time. I was able to finish this little Tooth Fairy Pillow while were on break. The best part was that I did manage to get Ryn's pillow to her before she reached a year... or at least before she needed it! Now I have two more to finish and I will be caught up... I think :)
Thanks for checking in to see what is going on in my creative world. Please feel free to share any fun gifts that you made for gift giving. I would love to see what you all are up to. And if any of you made gift bags from the instructions in last week's blog, I would love to see them too... send pics! I hope you were all able to enjoy your celebrations in whatever form they took. Happy New Year to each and every one of you.
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Swimming Upstream...
12/22/2015
It can't be a year since last Christmas already!! It has really felt important to me this year to simplify all the Christmas happenings, and because of that, I have been able to spend time on things I enjoy. I think that, as you get older, you begin to realize what really is important and what 'has' to be done! The family is all home, so we are ready whether the gifts are wrapped or the house is cleaned. That's what is important!
Here, Fishy Fishy Fishy!
This is the start of the next checkerboard ottoman I'm designing. It's sitting here in the Studio just swimming upstream (kind of like how I feel lots of times).
I'm looking forward to a little bit of time after the holidays to see how the design develops, finish the ottoman and have it ready for sale.
2. Cut a lining piece 10" x 22"
3. Cut two pieces of fabric 1" x 10" for straps.
4. Fold both lining and quilted piece individually in half so that it is still 10" wide and
5. Fold the bottom of the bags so that the seam runs down the middle of a triangle shape.
6. Put the two bags together with the wrong sides together and the quilted piece on the
7. Fold the lining over the top and evenly and stitch around on the machine.
8. Turn the bag inside out and stitch along the side seams about
10.This same pattern can be made in any size you
My First Custom Order Delivered!
12/15/2015
The Quirky Bird chair is probably the first piece of furniture I've designed that is really 'me'. I love color - as if you haven't figured that out by now. One of the things I loved to do in the early years of MEM, was to put lots of pattern and color together in my pillow designs. It was like painting on a canvas with just the right balance, but the beautiful fabrics were the paint. Now I'm doing the same thing again, but with furniture!
I'm in the process of putting a portfolio together and trying to figure out how to market these conversation pieces. Each of my chairs and ottomans are like a piece of artwork to me and I'm having so much fun creating them... now to sell them!!
This fun set of furniture was my first custom order. I have sold all of my one-of-a-kind pieces but have never had the opportunity to design specifically for a client and not just for the store.
Here's another playful pillow that matches my new great room design. This is a dropped fiber pillow that I made. Have you ever tried this technique? It's really very simple and gives a very fun and artsy look to the finished product. Let me know if you would like instructions on how to make this.
I hope you are able to take a little time to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays. See if you can find that little bit of time to slow down and "smell the roses" or watch for frosty cobwebs!!
Old Traditions & Fruffled Pillows...
12/1/2015
The beginning of the holiday hustle and bustle always starts with Thanksgiving for me. I love the time spent with family and the fact that I don't have to leave the house. And I love the challenge of getting the meal to come out, all ready at the same time. This coming from someone who is definitely cooking challenged- so, why cook when your husband is so good at it!?
The table was set and ready except for a centerpiece, and in walked my cute daughter in law with this beautiful arrangement that she had put together. It pulled the whole festive look together and we were ready to go!!
Remember, I'd rearranged everything to paint the house, so the dining room looked half way put together while the rest of the house was still in straightening up mode.
What family traditions do you have that you look forward to for the holidays?
So here are some of the bars of soap we worked on felting last week. This was so much fun and easy, and it smelled so much better than most of the projects we do in the Studio!! As you make this the wool actually 'felts' around the soap bars. And the wool has natural anti-fungal properties that will cause it to stay fresh as it is used. Washcloth and soap all in one!
Start by pulling your wool apart (do not cut) and spreading in thin sheets on the table. Spread another thin layer going in the crosswise direction. Wrap neatly around the bar of soap.
I wrapped the felt and soap in some 6" netting and then put it inside the end of an old panty hose.
Get a tub of hot water ready and dip the soap. Now start rubbing the soap as if you are getting ready to wash with it, making sure to rub the ends too. I spent a lot of time rubbing the felt while it was in the hot water and found that about 10 minutes was just the right amount of time to get it felted nicely.
The netting will start to work its way off as you rub. That's ok. Just pull it out and continue with the soap in the stocking. Unwrap the soap and let it dry. embellish with pretty ribbons and your gift tag. What a great stocking stuffer!!
I have so much ice dyed fabric laying around the house (in the middle of my other mess) and hadn't decided what to do with any of it until an idea hit me the other day.
12/29/2015
Ringing the Bell, I have to tell
was rewarded with kindness and care
But Ringing the Bell, with a son so swell
was a joy and a blessed time to share!!
... just a little attempt at poetry because it felt like fun!
Ringing the Salvation Army Bell on Christmas Eve is one of my favorite things to do. But who would have thought that we would be ringing the bell when it was in the high 60's and we really needed sunglasses?!
Christmas was such a wonderful day. Jeff and I were blessed enough to have all the kids home for the day, and having family around is what I enjoy most about the holidays.
Here are just a few pictures of our Christmas morning I'd like to share with you. Lydia loves her new chairs to go with the bedroom.... and Jason is thrilled too... can't you tell?! LOL
Here are just a few pictures of our Christmas morning I'd like to share with you. Lydia loves her new chairs to go with the bedroom.... and Jason is thrilled too... can't you tell?! LOL
Photo 2 - Bo, our sweet old dog, is laid out for the day and staying close to Mike. We were lucky that Mike was able to come to spend the day with us. He has his presents opened and is taking it all in. The remote control car and the key board were big hits!
Photo 3 - The Sour Cream & Onion flavored Crickets were the most unusual gift... besides the worms that were gone before I had a chance to take a picture of them. I wasn't brave enough to try them since I wanted my breakfast to stay down, but the others were much more adventurous and chowed down on them!
Thanks for checking in to see what is going on in my creative world. Please feel free to share any fun gifts that you made for gift giving. I would love to see what you all are up to. And if any of you made gift bags from the instructions in last week's blog, I would love to see them too... send pics! I hope you were all able to enjoy your celebrations in whatever form they took. Happy New Year to each and every one of you.
Swimming Upstream...
12/22/2015
It can't be a year since last Christmas already!! It has really felt important to me this year to simplify all the Christmas happenings, and because of that, I have been able to spend time on things I enjoy. I think that, as you get older, you begin to realize what really is important and what 'has' to be done! The family is all home, so we are ready whether the gifts are wrapped or the house is cleaned. That's what is important!
This is the start of the next checkerboard ottoman I'm designing. It's sitting here in the Studio just swimming upstream (kind of like how I feel lots of times).
I'm looking forward to a little bit of time after the holidays to see how the design develops, finish the ottoman and have it ready for sale.
O.K. so here's my confession. You know cooking is not my favorite thing to do.... and at age 59, this is my first year to make Christmas cookies.
My mom has always made and sent them to me. The last few years she has been traveling and not been able to send cookies.
So in order to have my cookies for breakfast I actually had to try to make some myself!
My mom has always made and sent them to me. The last few years she has been traveling and not been able to send cookies.
So in order to have my cookies for breakfast I actually had to try to make some myself!
And they are good ! :)
Check out the new door to the Studio!
The mess I have in the back doesn't feel near as overwhelming as it does when you look down that long hallway. I can clean one room at a time now and feel like I'm getting something accomplished. Now to get the door painted and the back Studio cleaned up!!
I think I keep adding more to my list than I'm taking off! LOL
I think I keep adding more to my list than I'm taking off! LOL
So, I decided to do some gift cards for the ladies at the store this year for their Christmas gifts. I wanted a fun gift bag for better presentation. I enjoyed making them and I think they turned out very pretty. And it was all out of scraps laying around the Studio.
Here is a quick way to make a gift bag if you all have a little bit of extra time before Christmas,
1. Cut a quilted piece of fabric 10" x 18"
1. Cut a quilted piece of fabric 10" x 18"
2. Cut a lining piece 10" x 22"
3. Cut two pieces of fabric 1" x 10" for straps.
4. Fold both lining and quilted piece individually in half so that it is still 10" wide and
either 9" or 11" tall. Sew the side seams.
5. Fold the bottom of the bags so that the seam runs down the middle of a triangle shape.
From the point, measure in 1" and stitch perpendicular to the seam... this forms the
bottom gusset of the bag.
6. Put the two bags together with the wrong sides together and the quilted piece on the
outside.
7. Fold the lining over the top and evenly and stitch around on the machine.
1/4" in and about 1" down. This helps the bag keep its shape
when it is tied.
9. Fold the tie strips in half and and then each side in
half again. (measures 1/4" x 10") Stitch the edge.
Attach the strips to the middle center of the bag.
10.This same pattern can be made in any size you
desire for any gift you may want to give.
I hope you enjoy this little gift bag project.... Merry Christmas from me! And find time to be creative... it is good for the soul!
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I hope you enjoy this little gift bag project.... Merry Christmas from me! And find time to be creative... it is good for the soul!
0 Comments
My First Custom Order Delivered!
12/15/2015
I'm in the process of putting a portfolio together and trying to figure out how to market these conversation pieces. Each of my chairs and ottomans are like a piece of artwork to me and I'm having so much fun creating them... now to sell them!!
Liz sent me paint chips and pictures of her room. We sent pictures back and forth of fabrics until we settled on the fabric pieces that we thought would look the best in her room. We talked design, her likes and dislikes and then I began putting it all together.
I suppose I should have sent pictures and ideas to her as I went along, but no... I just started playing. The only thing I did was send her a random text to see if she had cats because I needed to make sure it was okay to put trim on the bottom without giving away my design. I knew when the furniture was going to be delivered and, needless to say, I held my breath until I received a text from her saying that she loved them! Shewwww.... Just in time for the holiday!
I'm spending lots of time working on special projects for Christmas. Can you guess what I am working on?? My left thumb is Black.... Two things to know about me. I don't cook and I don't have a green thumb!
Judy took this picture to show off my sweat shirt. This is one of those favorite sweat shirts that you could wear every day and never tire of, and it used to be beige until I got a stain on it that wouldn't come out. So what else do you do to salvage that favorite piece of clothing? You ice dye it and hope for the best. Fortunately I love the way it turned out!!
This closet in my sister-in-law's house shows one of the things I admire most about her. Now, it's not the fact that she has every shoebox labeled as to what is in the box, and has a pair of shoes to match anything she could possible want to wear... No... since I really don't care much about shoes other than for comfort, it's not that...
I suppose I should have sent pictures and ideas to her as I went along, but no... I just started playing. The only thing I did was send her a random text to see if she had cats because I needed to make sure it was okay to put trim on the bottom without giving away my design. I knew when the furniture was going to be delivered and, needless to say, I held my breath until I received a text from her saying that she loved them! Shewwww.... Just in time for the holiday!
Judy took this picture to show off my sweat shirt. This is one of those favorite sweat shirts that you could wear every day and never tire of, and it used to be beige until I got a stain on it that wouldn't come out. So what else do you do to salvage that favorite piece of clothing? You ice dye it and hope for the best. Fortunately I love the way it turned out!!
It is the fact that she could be that organized in life, period!
So, guess who I've asked to come help me get the warehouse organized?! :)
So, guess who I've asked to come help me get the warehouse organized?! :)
We have a date for January!! Thanks Kim!!
Just a fun little cartoon on the inside of Kim's closet door. I would just substitute the word 'shoes' for 'fabric'! What word would you substitute with??
Hope you are taking time to enjoy the holidays. This weather could not be better for doing a little Christmas shopping. I am off to check my list twice!!
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Blue Flamingos for a Florida Winter...
12/8/2015
Another busy week in the Studio. I have several projects going on that I can't talk about due to Santa's elves trying to prepare Christmas, but I promise to share them with you after the holidays!
I spent the last few days trying to get this ottoman 'just right' before it makes its way to Florida. The flamingos were appliquéd on the natural colored panels and then the other fabrics were pieced around.
Hope you are taking time to enjoy the holidays. This weather could not be better for doing a little Christmas shopping. I am off to check my list twice!!
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Blue Flamingos for a Florida Winter...
12/8/2015
Another busy week in the Studio. I have several projects going on that I can't talk about due to Santa's elves trying to prepare Christmas, but I promise to share them with you after the holidays!
It takes awhile to get it just right when it is one-of-a-kind piece ,but I love the way this one turned out.
I took advantage of one of the warmer days to spray the ottoman checkers outside. Who says that checkers can't be square?!!
You can't see the details in this picture, but there are three small Black dots on each side and a square of the opposite checker's color in each corner. They really came out cute!
Here is one of the chairs that goes along with the ottoman. Love this style for a little accent chair. This chair, unlike the old ones that I remake, can be ordered in whatever colors or design we choose.
Each chair is different and unique, using the fabrics the customer chooses. I get a good feel for what the customer likes and begin my design from there.
Sounds like you need to tell Santa you'd like to have one designed just for you!!
Speaking of furniture... I'm so excited that I just sold my first piece of furniture on Etsy the other day. Another one of my ottomans moving to Florida! I was ready to disable our FunkyFibersKY Etsy site when Maritess moved, but then this happened. Now I think I may have to learn how to run the Etsy site!!
You can't see the details in this picture, but there are three small Black dots on each side and a square of the opposite checker's color in each corner. They really came out cute!
Each chair is different and unique, using the fabrics the customer chooses. I get a good feel for what the customer likes and begin my design from there.
Sounds like you need to tell Santa you'd like to have one designed just for you!!
Here's another playful pillow that matches my new great room design. This is a dropped fiber pillow that I made. Have you ever tried this technique? It's really very simple and gives a very fun and artsy look to the finished product. Let me know if you would like instructions on how to make this.
Looky, looky what I found! I love these chairs I found at "Reclaimed on Main", a great shopping mall on Main street, in with the Harvest Cafe...
The chairs are heavy as lead and I watched them for awhile trying to decide what I would do with them. So, I decided to buy them and put them on my front porch.
I just recently rented space at "Reclaimed on Main" and am looking forward to getting some displays set up and new projects ready for sale. If you have time, stop by over the holidays and check them out!!
I just recently rented space at "Reclaimed on Main" and am looking forward to getting some displays set up and new projects ready for sale. If you have time, stop by over the holidays and check them out!!
I make no bones about the fact that I don't like cold weather. Period. The End. BUT... Look at this beautiful spiderweb outside the back door of the store. It was just a little frosted and really stood out against the frozen greenery. Just enough to make us smile as we started the day, and almost enough to say that winter has a few good points.
I hope you are able to take a little time to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays. See if you can find that little bit of time to slow down and "smell the roses" or watch for frosty cobwebs!!
3 Comments
Jo Price - Leslie, Looks like your up to your ears in projects. I would love instuctions for the pillow. Wishing you & all of your family a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thanks for sharing your creations. I love the blue flamingo ottoman.
Leslie - Hey Jo!! I have been up to my ears in projects! I hope your Christmas was Merry.... I know it was a different kind of Christmas... was thinking of you!! Happy New Year!!
Peggy Debnam - Hi Leslie, I would love directions on how to make the pillow! Peggy
Old Traditions & Fruffled Pillows...
12/1/2015
The beginning of the holiday hustle and bustle always starts with Thanksgiving for me. I love the time spent with family and the fact that I don't have to leave the house. And I love the challenge of getting the meal to come out, all ready at the same time. This coming from someone who is definitely cooking challenged- so, why cook when your husband is so good at it!?
Remember, I'd rearranged everything to paint the house, so the dining room looked half way put together while the rest of the house was still in straightening up mode.
O One of the Thanksgiving traditions we started when the family comes over, is to get the Christmas tree up and decorated. Decorating the tree with family is priceless time. This year the tree is an incentive for me to finish putting the house back in order!
What family traditions do you have that you look forward to for the holidays?
So here are some of the bars of soap we worked on felting last week. This was so much fun and easy, and it smelled so much better than most of the projects we do in the Studio!! As you make this the wool actually 'felts' around the soap bars. And the wool has natural anti-fungal properties that will cause it to stay fresh as it is used. Washcloth and soap all in one!
I wrapped the felt and soap in some 6" netting and then put it inside the end of an old panty hose.
Get a tub of hot water ready and dip the soap. Now start rubbing the soap as if you are getting ready to wash with it, making sure to rub the ends too. I spent a lot of time rubbing the felt while it was in the hot water and found that about 10 minutes was just the right amount of time to get it felted nicely.
The netting will start to work its way off as you rub. That's ok. Just pull it out and continue with the soap in the stocking. Unwrap the soap and let it dry. embellish with pretty ribbons and your gift tag. What a great stocking stuffer!!
Sometimes I get these ideas that just sort of pop into my head and it ends up being my project for that day. That's good because it means there is nothing else pressing that HAS to be done!!
This design is so easy to do, I thought you might like to give it a try. It would work really well using all batik fabrics, too.
You can Find the instructions for my new fruffled pillow on our Funky Fibers website as a FREE PDF download under Crafting.
Just look for Leslie's Fruffled Pillows
These are the new 'Fruffled' 18" pillows I made and I couldn't be more pleased with them. Also, it's great to be using more of that ice dyed fabric laying around house!
I am hoping to have all the pillows on the sofa in my great room a little more creative and handmade this time around. I'll keep you posted with what I come up with for the rest of the pillows!
I am hoping to have all the pillows on the sofa in my great room a little more creative and handmade this time around. I'll keep you posted with what I come up with for the rest of the pillows!
You can Find the instructions for my new fruffled pillow on our Funky Fibers website as a FREE PDF download under Crafting.
Just look for Leslie's Fruffled Pillows
It gets a little difficult to blog about all I'm doing this time of year since so much of it is for family and employee Christmas gifts... and sometimes they will read my blog!! I hope you all have a creative day and are able to spend some time creating for those that are special to you!
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Jayn Lando - Can't wait to try the felted soap ... an what a great idea for the ice-dyed fabrics and Making Ends Meet's gorgeous batiks!
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