Blankets for spring??

I might be ahead of myself by..oh…a month or two, but hey I have Spring fever!

Truth is,I am getting pretty darn upset with this COLD COLD weather…enough is enough all ready.

Mother nature PLEASE bring some warm weather my way…please…;)

I love spring, the smell is so much more inviting than that harsh cold air.

But it does have its draw back…like the potent smell of melting dog crap..I could go without that!

I can see little buds on my tree out front of my house and every morning like clockwork I hear the birds chirping away.

How nice it will be to lose a layer or two of clothing. You will see people walking their dogs and moms pushing their baby’s in strollers…of course you might want to pick up a blanket or two as it still might be a little chilly.

Smiles,

Tina

New-Just in-Tile Pendants with Hemp Necklace

I thought I would take a go at making those Scrabble tile pendants that seem to be sooo popular right now.

I must say they are rather fun to make and easy peasy too!

I have only made ones with a black image so far, I think they look pretty sharp against the light oak color of the tile.

I was going to add a silver bail to them and a silver chain , but for some reason I did not like the way it looked…to me it kinda looked fake…does that make any sense??

Instead I went for the  natural feeling of  hemp. Drilled a hole just big enough to fit the hemp cording into.

I really like the way these turned out…to me a feeling of natural…maybe kinda plain..and not so busy looking..but I like them…now lets see if the buying world does!

For more necklaces take a peek over here

Smiles,

Tina

OH yeah…Valentine Crafts

OK so I forgot….forgot about Valentines day, and kinda jumped right into spring!

Maybe the fact that every store now has bathing suites and shorts and sandals for sale might be the reason why I forgot. I mean it is only minus 36 here in Manitoba.

Oh how I long for Spring…WAIT…OH how I long for Summer…this time I will try my best not to blink, that is what happened to me last year. I was just getting used to the hot summer days and BANG…I blinked and it was over!

There I go again rambling about Spring and Summer and forgetting about Valentines Day.

Why such the big hype anyways? When you are little, in school they MAKE you give out Valentines to your class mates, Praying that you get more than two cards and one of them ends up being from the teacher!

Now they send you home a class list and tell you, you have to give to all of your class mates or don’t give at all…I can see why. Oh such a great feeling of love knowing that your classmates were forced in giving you those cards.

Oh and dont forget the little cupcakes!! Well this part I can handle, I dont mind doing this and the kids love to help.

But when do you draw the line….My oldest is in grade 7…and praying he does not have to give out cards this year..last year in grade six he did. how embarrassing, being twelve years old and having to give one of your guy buddies a “will you be mine” card….poor kids!

As for adults and Valentines Day…just give me the dam chocolate and everything will be OK.

Man I sound like a prude…I just think it is sooo over rated, and yes  before you ask, I am married and have a wonderful relationship….BUT I don’t need a special day to tell my hubby that I love him!

I am however looking forward to Valentines Day…when it is all over, I get to go out and buy all the yummy discounted chocolate the very next day…mmmm, I can hardly wait!

And to get you all in the mood here is a lasting flower bouquet I made out of buttons…to me this is worth more than dying flowers on Valentines Day.

CPSIA- How will it affect me and other handmade sellers??

I did not really want to touch on this subject but I cant seem to help it.

This new law that goes into affect on February 10-2009 is going to affect MILLIONS of small bussinesss around the world.

The quick low down on this:

On Feb.10th 2009, New requirements of the (CPSIA) will take effect. Manufactures,importers and retailers are expected to comply with the new Congressionally-mandated laws.

Beginning Feb.10th 2009, Childrens products cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead.

Certain Childrens products manufactured on or after Feb.10th 2009 cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys.

The new law requires that domestic manufactures and importers certify that childrens products made after Feb.10 .2009 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban.

I am an artist that would be impacted by this proposed legislation if it is enacted.

I am fearful that as a sole proprietor I will not be able to afford the stricter regulations of the act,the cost of testing and certification is likely well beyond my means and I will be forced to close shop.

An idea of what I would have to charge a customer for the cost of  material, labor , testing and shipping this two piece bib set would be around $4000.00 ( any takers)???

Further  info on the Act is available at the CPSC website HERE

Please Vote to save handmade on my side bar——>

Smiles,

Tina

Hot Or Cold Cup Cozys

I did it!!

And it really was super easy…too easy..;)

I went to the local coffee shop and asked for a  paper coffee sleeve , That my friend is my pattern!!

Two pieces of scrap fabric, some fleece batting to help insulate the cuff…some Velcro to close it up,thread and with the help of my sewing machine I think it took all of five mins to finish…;)

When I do decide to make some more I will however add to the pattern length.

They should fit Sm,med,lrg to go cups, as well as some mason jars.

Keeps your hands from getting to hot and also great for using with cold drinks to keep your hands from getting frosty!!

If you look at the cook book on the left hand side it is a recipe for a Canadian BLT…when I was done shooting these pictures I was craving one…lol, maybe for supper???

Holiday Sewing time!

So, its that time of year again,

Time to start my holiday sewing, in fact I have already started awhile back.

I would love to post some of the items I have been making,BUT friends and family just might be lurking around…;)

I will however post a picture of my new Patchwork Pincushions

They are a nice size, Just what I like…nothing bothers me more then when I have run out of room for all my pins!!

I have made a few of these, and have posted some at my shop to see how they do…;).

I would LOVE some comments on others holiday sewing.

Smiles,

Tina

Bad Hair Day??

It never seems to fail,

I wake up, have a shower and try to do something with my hair and well…lets just say my hair has other things in mind other then cooperating.

Winter ,even tho we don’t want to admit it,it soon be on its way, and with that in mind will come toque or hat season.

So for myself as well as my shop I have started to make some hair bands at a really great price!

I know I will NOT be having messy hair…;)

Fall Headbands

We also have a winner in my little puzzle I had going last week. The hidden word is FESTIVE.

Congrats to: Elizabeth! (USA)

Have a great week!!

Smiles,

Tina

Spell the WORD and win!!

OK!!

I am up for another giveaway, this time what you have to do is spell a seven letter word. the word will be on my shop somewhere….

Here is how it will work:

We will take turns with an alphabet,A..B..C……

You will pick any 1 letter in guessing the hidden word,But here is the catch…you must go to my shop and the letter must be associated with the letter you are posting.

Example: You go to my shop and see a Notepad, you then would put down N for notepad.

Also you MUST take turns in guessing the letters,that way everyone will have a chance to play!!

I will be updating this post so you will see what letters have been guessed.

You can always guess the word too, if you like!

Make sure you leave a comment or I will have no idea what you guessed…;) and that way others will see what you have posted too!

This is what you will be playing for:

cute reindeer brooch pin

This prize has a value of $5.00 not including shipping!

I will cover the cost of shipping for you too!

This contest is open to all of Canada and the United States.

Lets get playing!!

Good luck to you all.

Here is the hidden 7 letter word

F E S T I V E

Smiles,

Tina

Cold and Flu season soon to be here!

AGGG… it’s that time of year again, the boys go back to school, I start work (at school) and before you know it…we are all sick!!

Nothing is worse than walking down the halls of an elementary school and seeing little kids sneeze without covering there mouth! or better yet, how about the ones that have snot dripping down their nose and then the tongue just sweeps it away!! or the wipe my snot all over my sleeve child….lol, and so the list goes on!

They try and teach children to use the inner side of their elbow to sneeze so at least it will not be on their hands.

Lysol comes in handy, hand washing is VERY important as always it should be! and lots of tissues,you can never have too much tissues. OH and the lotion kind is the BEST!!

Just think in Manitoba we only have 8 months of this!…;)

And if you want to blow your nose in style…(kinda) check these out at my shop!

Smiles,

Tina

Holiday shopping time!!

Hello blog reading world!!

Getting ready to do some holiday shopping? I know I am!!

I Love this time of year!!

Sad to see the summer slipping away,but glad that the kids will be back in school!!

The trees are starting to turn color out here (Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada)

And call me crazy but even the way the air smells has changed.

So if you have not had a chance to take a peek at my shop now is the time, I have added a bunch of holiday items just waiting for you!…take a peek!!

Today I listed these bobbie pins, they are supposed to be snowflakes but to me they look like spider webs!! what do you think?? 

It has been a busy day for me, so I am off to bed!!

Sweet dreams all!

Smiles,

Tina