Retail Therapy etc.

My shopping mission today involves finding just the right dress to wear to a wedding later this month.  I will admit that I rarely wear dresses,  so looking in my closet revealed some summer dresses, rarely worn, and lots of comfortable clothing- including a whole wardrobe for those times when I need to speak in front of a crowd.

No dress appropriate for a fall wedding though.  None.  So off I go hunting for a new dress today.  Any dress shopping advice is welcome though.

Other News…  Now that my class is finished, I am busy working on future class developments, plus working on my book, plus a new booklet.   I also plan to design some fiber/bead wearable art, maybe if I find just the right dress, I can design a cool art piece to match.

Also, I am making a new freeform  crochet scarf  using a wide variety of yarn.  Here are the colors I am using:

Of course, Oscar saw yarn and just had to get in my way:

Silly kitty!  What is it about cats and yarn?  Or cats and quilts?

Enjoy your day!!  Carla

 

Mountain Democrat article

This is the second time I made the local paper this year for my quilting work.  If you want to read it, just click HERE.  Note that the published version had a picture with me and the designer standing by the quilt.

The reason I am in the article is because I quilted the Opportunity Quilt for the local guild:

and here is another view from the archive:

Anyway, I missed the article, but later heard about it from friends and family members.

The quilt show was this weekend and they also picked the ticket for the raffle.  When I find out who won, I will post it here.  I hope it was one of my blog readers who purchased raffle tickets that won.  I am rooting for you!

Other News:

Boat News: Today, we are taking our new boat, S/V Sea Glass, out on the lake.  No wind is predicted, so we will just enjoy the sun, water and practice anchoring, docking, etc. with the motor.  Hmmm…. I wonder why the wind doesn’t blow on Joe’s day off?  I guess Murphy’s Law is happening here.  Anyhow, I will pack a nice lunch,  cold drinks,  and a good book to read.

Retail Therapy: I was shopping for a new comforter for my king bed, and decided to look on Overstock.com.  Oh my!!  I splurged on not only a luxurious comforter and matching pillows, and a bed skirt, but then added a feather bed and feather bed cover.  We put them on the bed  last night,  then jumped in to test it out.  Very comfy!  I woke up this morning feeling very rested and no aches and pains.  It was so worth the price.

What spurges have you made lately?

Carla

Cool Finds for Mixed Media Artists!

I have long been a fan of metal artist, Susan Lenart Kazmer.  Her work with metal, resin and found objects are simply unique with a high “cool” factor!  Here is a picture of a classic SLK charm bracelet from the cover of her book, which I own:

Now, you can create her look yourself with many charms, pendants and findings found at your local Michaels Craft Store under the label, Industrial Chic.  Here is a sampling of products:

If you are into this look, now it can be yours for a low price!  I bought about 20 pieces from the collection at 50% off last week, so look for when Michaels runs another sale.  I paid $4 per charm pack or pendant.

Other News:  The countdown has started for my next sailing adventure.  This time, Joe and I are bareboat chartering with talented mixed media artist, Lori Seavey-Christian and her husband, Larry Christian.  Lori and I have been close friends for several decades.  You might recall my past “Carla & Lori’s Creative Adventure Weeks” where Lori and I get together, take over her Living Room, and just create!

Lori & Larry do not sail, so Joe and I are planning to make sailors out of them.  We thought heading back to the BVI would be an excellent place to introduce them to chartering.  Besides, I love the snorkeling there, and visiting all our favorite places again.

I will make a report after we come back.  For obvious reasons, I do not want to advertise the dates we will be gone, even though I have someone to come house sit and babysit the pets when we do this.

Knowing that I needed to find my 1)snorkeling gear, 2)sailing gloves, 3)swimsuits, and other gear;  I decided to clean out my closet.  I don’t know about you, but my house is really clean, EXCEPT for my closets.  You know it becomes bad when your master walk-in closet is no longer a walk-in.  So, fueled with coffee, I decided to tackle it.

Hours later, I had about 6 bags of giveaway or throwaways.  I did find all the items on my list above.  Now my closet is a clean and tidy again, just waiting to slowly revert into its former state.  It is inevitable, so I just learn to appreciate order while it lasts.

I challenge all my readers to think about cleaning out a pantry, drawer or closet.  Nah…. on second hand, I challenge you to just create something.  It’s a lot more fun!  Cheers, Carla

Antique Beads and More!

While I was visiting Missouri, I dragged took Joe “antiquing.”  My cool finds were a jar full of antique buttons and one very large quart size jar of antique beads!   Here is a picture of  some of the beads:

Here is a bag full of glass or real pearls:

And metal beads, large beads, charms and chains:

Then here is the best find of them all; my mothers pile of costume jewelry:

I plan to make something for my sister and I with some of the costume jewelry.  I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so I will keep mum!

I also picked up 3 new books on beading for inspiration:

Last night, I started a new project to showcase the silver leaf with small crystals embedded.  I am playing with the idea of hanging the pendant off from a thin spiral peyote  bead necklace:

Not sure how this will pan out, but this is how I design… just start and change directions if need be.  The spiral beaded chain may be too heavy for the silver leaf.  If so, I will change the beaded necklace design.

What are you creating or working on?

Feathered Fibers Items Revealed!

I travel tomorrow,  Mother’s Day,  for my classes I’m teaching at International Machine Quilting Showcase held in Overland Park, KS.

I decided to bring some FeatheredFibers items with me,  let me show you my very first items that I am offering.  My favorite items are the embroidered machine quilting work aprons.  There is one design for chicken fans and one design with my longarm logo.  One says “Longarm Quilter” and the other “Artistic Quilter.”   After all, if you machine quilt, you are an artistic quilter!:

Then there is a messenger bag for all- including those Quilt Whispering students who wish to pack your tablets and laptops.  Here is one embroidered with my longarm logo:

Here is another must have- an embroidered zipper front, sweatshirt with your choice of two embroidered designs.  One is a chicken and one is a longarm:

Here are some tote bags to carry home all those purchases you are bound to get:

Plus, use these in public and I bet quilters will approach you.  Great way to promote your home business!

I also have t-shirts, too, with a variety of designs.   This is my first offerings… I also have future plans to feature full cartoons on bags, other items, plus framable prints, cards and calender.

Thanks to Dennis & Dory Miller for thier hard work with embroidery and screenprinting the items for me.  They were wonderful to interact with and I can highly recommend thier business!

Look for me and my items at MQS!  One way to track me down is to visit my classroom before and after my classes.    Hope to see you there!  Carla

ipad, iphones, i oh my!

Wondering where I have been?  I have been enjoying my new ipad and enjoying all the features.  It does so much!

Sometimes I can be a blond without trying very hard.  Today, I lost my iphone, luckily it was found by a good Samaritan, who called Joe.  In case you are wondering how I lost it, it fell out of my purse, which doesn’t have a zipper closure.  I now have a very good reason to go buy a new purse… LOL

Speaking of retail therapy, I bought 2 pairs of Privo shoes today.  They are very comfy, too.  I also bought some camisoles that you wear under low cut shirts so you can control not showing too much boobage.  Not a good look on anyone over 50….  LOL

Tomorrow is a fun day!  I’m traveling with my Studio Art Quilters Association (SAQA) group to the Quilt Museum in San Jose.  We get a special tour.  I bet my face hurts from all the laughter.  They are a fun bunch of gals!

That’s it!  I need to QW and draw on some quilt pictures now.  Hugs, C

Moo

I thought I would share with you the new Moo cards I ordered that arrived yesterday.   What is so cool about the Moo Cards is that on one side is your business card and the back side shows off pictures of your work:

I also ordered Moo’s mini cards, too.  Here is what these look like:

I am impressed with Moo’s quality and service.   Plus, the price was affordable, too.

Enjoy your day!    Regards, Carla

Thrift Store Finds

On my thrift store hunt this week, I found some more clothes to fit my shrinking body and some items for the grandkids.

In the clothes department, I found a whole casual outfit, plus an extra pair of pants.   Here are the size 8 jean capris from Nine West and Eddie Bauer:

Add a casual top that fits really good and shows off my figure:

Feeling chilly? Here is a velour zipper front sport jacket from Liz Claiborne:

Then for the grandkids, I discovered a wide variety of books to add to my home library.  My favorite find is a book called “Bad Kitty.”

This is perfect since Jack really love our kitties when he visits.

That’s all from here.  Regards, Carla

Thrift Store Finds

I visited my local thrift store this week, and found a couple of finds in the clothing department.  Since I am down a couple of sizes, I wanted to pick up a few items without breaking the bank.

I found this lovely top by SweetPea, a brand carried at Nordstroms, which looks very flattering on:

It looks terrific with jeans, too.  The next top I found was from the Serenade brand:

Again, this is very flattering on- even better since it only  cost me $1.50 each due to a half off sale.  LOL

I also found a book for my DH by a favorite author; and also a retro pyrex dish.  All in all, a good day!

I love hunting for items at the thrift store!  I guess it is the recycle/reuse philosophy I have, or perhaps the thrill of the hunt?   Any others who feel the same way as me?  I know you are out there!  LOL

By the way, the thrift store is also a perfect place for craft supplies.  One of my favorite projects I did involved buying a couple of those long “teacher” dresses that were in style about 15 years ago  and cut them into strips of fabric.  I then crocheted them into a large bag or purse.  Of course, I have a tutorial for that here.  You could also wrap the fabric around cording and make a fabric bowl for your home or perhaps a rag rug.  The ideas are endless!!

Enjoy your day!!  Carla

Ten Days Till Christmas

With only ten days to go, I have made a pretty good dent in my Christmas list.  I needed to get as many presents purchased by today  since I am going to be recuperating the next few days.   Tomorrow, I  get my lower spine levels injected by my anesthesiologist.  Be sure to keep your fingers crossed that the injection is successful.

I also needed to get my MacBook fixed under warranty, so I visited my local Apple Genius Bar.  Was I surprised when they swapped out my faulty DVD player and fixed it in less than a half hour.  I had terrific service!!

While at the Mall, I couldn’t help but notice that the rent-a-mall-cops were zipping around on their Segways.   I will upload a picture later that I took with my iphone.  Anyhow, I thought it was pretty funny!

My day did not end there… I also took my daughter Amy to have her hearing aids serviced and programmed.  She is very happy to be hearing once again. Anyone else have a loved one with hearing issues?

I also conducted some retail therapy for myself while I was out.  I bought 4 new books on beading and jewelry, then stopped at the bead store for supplies, too.  A visit to the library for easy reads while I recuperate ended a very productive and nice day.

If  I can, I will try to post tomorrow.  In the meantime,  happy holidays to you!