I love hand spun, don't you?

The amount of support one can receive from the handmade community is just awesome!

I missed my "It's All Good" entry for yesterday, so to make up for it, i want to share with you a few shops whose love I am definitely feeling.

To start, Shady Fibers on Etsy-
along with a few jewelry items, stitch markers, and knit and crochet, Monet offers some pretty nice roving along with some pizzazz


Another Etsian who offers some roving, as well as some wonderful hand dyed yarns is
Froggy Fibers

My favorite handspun yarn in her shop is called Clown College

Blue, yellow and red come together in this 2-ply Domestic/Merino/Corriedale Wool for a fun effect. It reminds me of Superman Ice cream- perhaps you could knit or crochet the 2.7 ounces offered here into a small bag to make a bold, fun,reminiscent of the good old days statement.

A few more things from Froggy Fibers

☺

Something new! I'm excited about this one

Not too long ago, i splurged on some pretty bright roving from TheRainbowRoom on etsy.
(the colors are amazing- as vivid as pictured)

My vision for this roving was to spin it into color combinations for flower hair clips.

Then i wanted to needle felt it, and well- that didn't go too well. It seems like the easist craft in the world to do, but for some reason, it wasn't coming together for me.

Long story short-
I'm experimenting with making my own felt sheets to be formed into flowers for clips and pins.

here's what i've got so far.originally, the whole thing was going to be this royal blue with yellow marbling, but it seemed a bit too dark for me.
wanting more contrast, i thought i'd add a bit of shimmer to accent the yellow parts buuuuut- that didn't go too well either.

so, i've decided to add solid yellow petals to the back- can't wait til it's finished.

the combinations of shape and color are innumerable! way exciting!

i'm hoping that this whole felting thing will evolve lanee's crochet into a fiber art shop rather than just crochet.

When i figure out how to form and stiffen my felts- o0o0o0oh, ya'll better watch out! ☺

It's All Good! - NOT

Ok-
recently, i purchased some of this stuff called Eco Glue. I was pretty excited about it because it looks like the traditional white glues, but has no smell while still claiming to be as strong as those smellier, pop your brain cells glues that a lot of we crafters use.

Eco Glue has a nice little list of benefits, which are...
• Less than 1% VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
• Virtually no hazardous air pollutants (less than 0.165 by weight)
• No animal derivatives
• Excellent water resistance
• 100% recyclable packaging!

with all these great things about it, it can still bond wood, stone, metal, glass, and tile.

My intention was to use this glue to help me put together my hair bows,
and i was happy with its strength, bonding capabilities, and all the rest up until last night.

While things are still stuck together, some of the pieces look like they've grown boogers =-(

This would be ok if i were making monsters or something, but, well... i'm not.

I know it's a bit late for doing research, but when i went onto the EcoGlue website and found the "uses" page with a couple 'technical data sheets' links on there, i noticed that one said craft.

D'OH! i thought- my issue is that i have the wrong glue! The CRAFT version of this glue MUST be the one that doesn't yellow!

EEEENT- Wrong!

The sheets were both the same (i'm guessing that the only reason there are 2 of them is because they have two different names).

Neither say anything about drying clear. that sucks. both of them state that there is no UV protection and that surfaces should be painted over for more protection. sucky.

I really thought i had found something cool, but it doesn't seem so. I think this will be my last resort glue, or something that i keep in the ole craft box just to say that i have some Eco! Glue.

Sigh.

1 point loss for impulse buying.

He makes me want to squeeze his guts out!

After watching Sid the Science Kid, my son says to me, ''exercise increases your heart rate!'' he then goes to the middle of the room and claps his hands over his head while jumping up and down.
gasping for air he said candidly, ''Applejacks... makes my heart beat faster.''

after saying AWWWWW, i grabbed him and hugged him up asking if he was sure that applejacks is what did it. while looking at me with huge eyes like, 'yeah- they REALLY do', i just had to hug him some more.

I often find myself having to take a deep breath at some of the stuff he does, these little moments remind me why i call him my little piece of heaven.

It's All Good!

I love it when people seem to know their worth.

When I first glanced at Marelf's Artfire Studio, I thought, WHEW- I wish i could afford this or that.

I think that a lot of us have gotten in the routine of looking for deal or bargain, which is fine, but as a result, more often than not, you'll find a hand made artisan lower their prices or take a huge loss on an item just to get a sale.

and, while I'd love to give my stuff away, I just can't, cause mama's gotta eat, ya hear?

Of everything that Marelf has to offer, this pair of "Different Silver Heart Earrings" is my absolute favorite.

Who says that earrings must dangle at the same length, have the exact same shape, or even both be post or hook?

I think this pair works for me because in the real world, each heart is different, equal pairs don't always shine together, and and it's love.

Priced at $50.00 (USD) and coming out of Athens, Greece with free shipping, I think that the time, thought, and effort put into this pair, along with the perk you'll gain in your step while sporting these Different Silver Heart Earrings, $50 is absolutely a great price.

Here Here! pricing items at their worth, and Here Here! for Marelf's wonderful shop.

♥

A couple new books

So, i finally finished up Undertow by Lorena McCoutrney. it was okay...
There were more than a few references to faith and poetic justice that i wasn't expecting, but all in all, it was nice.
even so, i don't think that i'll be ready any of her many books any time soon. with similar covers and similar names (Undertow, Riptide,Whirlpool)
(I later found out that she's a "Christian Mysteries" writer) lol

I picked up a couple different books from the library last night:
and

The Doctor's Wife caught my eye while whizzing around Walmart one night about a month ago. After reading a bit of it in the store, i went home and requested it from the library and it finally came last weekend. I guess it's pretty good (with 4 out of 5 stars on amazon and a couple people having it on hold at the library after me) so i'll be starting with this one first.

Thinking that i might whiz through the first book, i picked up the second, just because I had time and the cover caught my eye. (i'm SUCH a judger by the cover;)
It reminded me of a book i read a long time ago - just because it was set in a long ago time period and the wording seemed a bit romantic, The Observations by Jane Harris. I absolutely loved that book!

anyway- it has only 2.5 stars on amazon, but i'm still hoping that it's not a dud. if so- i'll be looking for The Vanishing Point next.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think, with out giving them away of course ☺

I Don't dig that!

Very late last night, i decided that i wanted a fresher look to my blog. In my opinion, there was just too much stuff on it. Books, Facebook badge, links and more links, my etsy mini, and artfire window...

I'm looking for a simpler look that will tie into my eventual brand. I'm pretty set on this new template because it's got lots of room (for PW ads, my promotions and what ever else) as well as a navigation thing at the top- so i can have the direct links to my etsy feedback, face book fan page, and profile right at the top, freeing up space for yadda yadda.

What do you think?
---

Another thing i Don't dig is Mountain Dairy yogurt!





Now, i know that little barfing guy might be a bit much, but... you know, it fits LOL
(but seriously, looking at it kinda makes me want to dry heave- it's still awesome though, lol)

Anyway, with certain foods, i think i've gotten to the point of being like, 'oh, bread is bread' or 'milk is milk' - it usually all tastes the same to me, and if it doesn't, i'm probably too hungry to care.

yogurt is not yogurt!!
After asking some one to pick me up some and agreeing that 'Mountain dairy was ok- just be sure to get vanilla and strawberry', I now have 2 tubs of this nasty crap in my fridge and not even mixing it with fresh fruit for smoothies can take that yuck away. It's way tart, doesn't have any fruit in it and the strawberry pretty much tastes like plain with sweet barf in it. The packages says something about their products being made with hormone enhanced free dairy, but seriously, i'm hoping that that's not the issue rather than the perk.

SO!
Have you ever had higher expectations of a product that in deserved?
Please help prevent the barfage =-)

New flower hair pin

I wanted to pop in and show you this real quick.
I worked it up last night before i drifted off to sleep, and i think it's just awesome!


I made it using yarn that i spun- ( my first official spinning)

It's 100% silk, fuchsia and cool blue and is only $12.00 in my etsy shop =-)

It's All Good!

This is my first "It's All Good!"
I've decided to make this a regular feature in my blog in which I will highlight things that i like.
People, places, or things, that is.
I'll be doing them every Thursday (or there about) but for sure once a week.

Small Earthy Featured Pins

are all good!

Once again, i was chatting on etsy and came across a lovely person with something in their shop that caught my eye.

I think it was Becky of allinthefamilyart.etsy.com
that i was chatting with. A lot of her pieces are...funky...
but this one reminded me of the many peaceful walks i like to take around my 'hood. don't you think she looks like she's sighing? perhaps exhaling while snow falls around her, having just smelled a bunch of gorgeous flowers, sighing the feel of her first kiss into her forever memories, or finally stepping foot inside home after a long day.
-so peaceful. ☺
I just love things that make me dream!

I did say that AllinthefamilyArt had some funky pieces, and i meant it!
Here is a spot light of the more typical- but just as thought provoking pieces the shop has to offer:

♥

It's kind of inspiring...

A while ago, I blogged about some photography on etsy that i found myself relating to.
This is that post, only instead of being about Emerald Blue Studio, it's about BonnieBoden's Etsy Shop.
Bonnie is in the process of transitioning from one shop to another- while she's still offering the lovely photos I've featured here and more, I just thought it would be nice to give an update to let you all know that's she's still around- (in case you went clicking the old post)


In a huge cyberspace, i've been feeling a lot like the little, not yet blossomed mums. This picture kind of reminds me of Alice in Wonderland- when she was going through the garden and all that



These photos, which i found in BonieBoden's Etsy shop made me feel like they knew what i was going through.

Some times, new freind ships are so hard to forge for some one like me.
(that is a - give me my yarn and cup of tea, perhaps some good music or maybe an old show and i'm GOOD!- type of girl)

Perhaps with a bit of effort and an extended hand, I'll be on my way to being a big beautiful Mum.
Until then, I'll be blogging and bookmarking, chattin and tweeting and trying to produce the best that i can.

Fuzzy Cream Flower Hair Clips

Trying to keep up my momentum, I re-listed this fuzzy cream flower hair clip(there are 2) last night.

While i love this yarn, i only had a little bit of it, so it was hard deciding what it would be good for.

It's an acrylic,nylon,mohair blend, so finding something to make that didn't need to be laundered was great.

I really enjoyed making these clips.  There's something about these little flowers that make my hands move like rockets when i'm crocheting them.  (perhaps because they're cute and simple, and i just can't wait to get on to the next).

They are priced at $6 with free shipping and can be found in my Lanee's Crochet artfire studio.

Those were some passionate looking clouds!

It seems that there's a party going on over here every weekend.. And with the nice weather -the wind, we've been firing up the BBQ grill and throwing what ever's in the freezer on that bad boy.

I couldn't help but notice the beautiful cloudscape in the back ground. ( I couldn't help it because my mom called me outside to see it.)

One day recently, while driving along, i stated to her that i love looking at clouds because they're made of the same stuff generations before us- our ancestors perhaps gazed in amazement at, the same way i do. Having grown up in Louisiana, where i hear it pours rather than rains, my mother wasn't as mystified as i was, but i think she got my appreciation for cloud's beauty.

They look like dreams to me.
I could see myself marching for a cause with the clouds behind me, swinging at the park while children play around me, sitting out in the middle of the yard provided the fire ants were gone and reading a good book, or laying out with my son, laughing and making silly jokes about what the clouds are and why they crossed the road.

But lastly, I could see myself wandering around my neighborhood, in playful banter with some one i care about. Those are days i have yet to see, but i'm really looking forward to them. i suppose.Along with all my romantic imaginings, it seems the wind and clouds blew in a new breath of motivation for me.

I really want to take a trip to California, for pleasure, rather than for keeping up appearances, and i want to fund it totally on my profits from selling on Artfire and Etsy.
I know i can do it, but I also know that there are things i need to change about the way i do things when it comes to my shop and studio.

-

To start off, i'm going to be lessening the variety of items that i offer. dedicating my Etsy shop to a few categories, and my Artfire studio to a few different ones.

I Have yet to sell one of these hair clips:

Renewed Today

But i very much so enjoy making them. They are going to be one of my focuses in my Artfire
I'm hoping that by showinf them some love and with some effort, others will notice them and love them as much as I do. studio.

☺

I'm Slippin Again

It recently occured to me that although i had sold a couple pairs of slippers before and wear my own pair often, i had not made and listed any in a LOOONG time.

With spring here, the appeal of brightly colored yarns is greater to me than ever.  I love this blue, called Turqoi.  I guess it's called that because it's almost turqoise, but not quite.

Paired with the bright pink hearts, I think these slippers are a winning pair.

 

No matter the season, these slippers are just right for keeping your feet from being cold-

Allow these slippers to brighten those ever so drafty fall and winter days, or wear during spring and summer like I have. (See my inspiration)

Wear with socks for even more coziness.

They’re durable and easy to wash because they’re made of 100% acrylic!

Want them larger or smaller? Message me!

The blue is more brilliant than I could capture- don't you just hate having to mess with white balances and such?

 

Anyway, another note on these slippers before i go-

I know some of us are like, ewww feet! so i hand washed and machine dryed these babies after i took the photos ☺

Who knew roots grew?

Not even 2 weeks ago, i planted my radishes, cucumbers, and peas. This is them as of a few days ago.
I used a disposable baking pan w/lid that was left over from a party. I had totally forgotten about them for a few days, and when i looked again, there were a LOT of sprouts. I'm sure having the lid on and that whole green house thing is the reason for their fast sprouting.

Radishes

I think the radishes got a really poor start.
they either loved or hated the sun and water and often drooped until i did either or. When i went out to see about them today, they were leaning and pale, so i said forget it- they seem to be a bit too much too care for so i just threw them out.
I really want some radishes, so i may try again later. They have a short til harvest time, so i think i'll be ok with planting them after i've gotten everything else situated with what i'm going to grow.


Peas

Cucumbers!

this is what the roots and everything looked like on the cucumbers today. i was surprised to see how many roots went into such a small sprout.
Fortunately, my poor foresight of these roots growing as they did didn't hurt too much. i definitely planted the plants too close together, but with a little water-(enough to make the soil graspable) the roots slid away from each other and now, i have individual plants again.

My in the ground soil still isn't ready, but i needed to give the plants some space, so i decided to plant the peas in a planter, which will stay on the porch and get my ass in gear with the ground work on the garden so i can get the cucumber hills going.

Here is what i think my garden lay out will be:
I'm considering this layout because the garden box will be up against the fence, so the cucumbers and watermelons will catch the least sun...
Hmm- dude, this may be all wrong, lol

Ok- my back yard is to the east, so it sees sunrise first, planting against a fence will offer some shade protection before noon, so i need to figure out which plants do the worst in full sun. =-\

this gardening thing is tougher than it seems.
*waves a fist at johnny appleseed*