Clearance SALE!

I have a lot of stuff that I need to move out of here. Take advantage of my desperation and poor planning! Starting Friday, Jan. 2nd I am having an (almost) whole store clearance sale.

FABRIC SALE!
Select Clearance Fabrics $3.99 - $6.99/yd (reg. $8.99-$14.99/yd.)
Holiday Cottons SALE $4.99/yd (reg. $8.99/yd.)
Home Dec 54" wide (Amy Butler and Holiday) $11.99/yd (reg. $14.99/yd.)
All other regular price fabric 20% off Jan. 2nd & 3rd ONLY!

Other Sewing and Fabric Items
Sublime Stitching Kits SALE $19.99 (reg. $29.99)
Sublime Stitching Pattern Packs SALE $2.50 (reg. $3.50)
20% OFF select patterns (excluding Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, and Lila Tueller)
30% OFF Misc. notions (Learn to Sew kits, scissors, emb. hoops, etc.)

Other Crafts Sale
30% OFF all ArtGirlz
20% OFF all books
40% OFF all Paper Crafting (chipboard, glitter, ink, paint, rubber stamps, UTEE, etc.)
20% OFF all resin crafting
Buy one, Get one FREE on all magazines!

My handmade holiday

I didn't make as many gifts this year as I have in some years past but I did manage to get a few things done.

 

I haven't managed to post about Steve's wine making attempt this fall. Someday I'll try to get him to sit down and help me type up a post about the process. He inherited his Italian grandfather's grape press and it has been in our garden gazebo serving as an interesting conversation piece for a few years now. This year everything came together where he had the time, the motivation and the resources to make his own wine in the tradition of his Grandpa Vito.

A couple weekends ago it went from cask to bottle and last Saturday I helped him print up labels. Last night was our annual neighborhood Christmas Walk/Party. I made Holiday Tea Towels and used them to wrap bottles of wine to give as hostess gifts.

After the jump I'll show you what I made for my Mom and my mother-in-law....

DON'T PEAK MOM!

Would ya look at that!

 

Do any of you remember when I used to knit? There was a time when this was primarily a knitting blog. No really! I wouldn't lie this close to Christmas.

Back in October I got a desire to knit again. It happens almost every fall. The leaves turn and I require a fix of Cascade 220 directly to my veins. Last year it was this vest. This year it was the February Lady Sweater (Rav link) that caught my lustful eye. I've been picking (actually I'm a thrower) away at it ever since. Yesterday was my day off from the store and the temperatures were in the single digits, a perfect excuse to spend a few hours on the couch watching tivo'd episodes of House and knitting. I'm probably only a few inches away from switching back to garter stitch for the bottom border. It would be nice to have this finished so I can wear it over the holiday weekend in Michigan next week. I guess I'll have to feed my hypochondria and spend more time with Dr. Gregory House, MD and get cracking on those sleeves.
  
Oh, and my friend Jamie pointed out at our Women's Retreat in November when I was working on it and simultaneously wearing my Millennium Vest that I have a color theme going on. A couple weeks ago at church I was wearing yet another purple lace and cable sweater I knit two years ago...So I'm predictable. (You should see all the gorgeous GREEN sweaters she's knit!) :) I honestly had a pretty turquoise or royal blue in mind when I went to buy this yarn but the LYS didn't have enough of any one color that I really wanted so I ended up with this predictable pretty wine color.

Tree Trimming Time

 
Thanksgiving weekend I entered a tree in a contest at an art fair at the Kane Co. Fairgrounds. I needed to figure out a way to decorate that would tell observers what my business was all about and not cost me much money. Four strings of "thread spool lights" from Moda, 5 yards of white rick-rack, 2 dozen cheapo ornaments with more rick-rack hot glued around, handmade cardboard and fabric scrap "fabric bolt ornaments", and a eleventy billion and one various sized fabric yo-yos stitched together for a cool garland, and I had a tree!

  
The weekend before the craft show I had it set up in the back room and almost all decorated when I remembered that it still needed a topper. I swore I had seen plain paper mache dressmaker's dummies at Joann's or Hobby Lobby. But after a futile search I gave up. I looked online, no luck. Then I found a fabric pincushion dummy at Joann's and decided to paint it to mimic my logo. Awesome.

Have I ever mentioned that I have a secret love of tacky things? You probably will never see me wearing a Bedazzled cowboy hat with rainbow feathers but I have a secret appreciation for that type of thing anyway. (I am such a fashion icon that there is a blog dedicated to watching what I wear. What's that you say? Oh! That Mrs. O! Never mind.)

But vintage tacky I really can't resist. Back in November I attended my church Women's Retreat. Our Saturday evening entertainment was a White Elephant Gift exchange. I got stuck with won a "frog environment". For some reason none of the other women tried to steal that fabulous prize. But at the end of the night I found myself coveting someone else's gift.
 
Lo and behold, when I shared my admiration with its new owner she was more than happy to regift it to me on the spot (no need to even trade my lovely amphibian abode). This beauty is an approximately 11x14" red velvet and paste rhinestone extravaganza of holiday bling!
  
Too bad it is the only one of its kind in existence huh?

Time for a field trip

I was asked to help chaperon a field trip tomorrow to the Art Institute in Chicago. I've never been so I jumped at the chance. I'll be accompanying the St. Charles North high school art students so it should be fun. I think there may be some other little side trips involved but I don't have my itinerary in front of me so I'm just going from memory.

It was a tricky decision to make to close for a day during the holiday season but I don't want to miss out on opportunities like this with my daughters if I can help it. There are going to be fewer and fewer field trips and things to chaperon as they get older and I'll really miss these little things. Plus I like teenagers. No really. I find them very entertaining and often their perspective can be enlightening. I'd much rather spend my day with a room full of 14 year olds than 4 year olds or 4th graders. (But I'd certainly never want to be one again!)

The sky is clouding up now and they are saying that we are in for some winter weather today into tomorrow. I hope it isn't so much that we have to cancel the field trip. On that note I've made an executive decision regarding weather related store closings. If St. Charles schools are closed because of the weather I will probably be closed as well. Now some days I've found that the roads get cleared up mid-day and there is no reason to stay off them. On those days I will probably venture in. So I guess I'm saying if the weather is bad the best thing to do is call ahead (630-443-4770) and make sure I'm here before heading over.

Do the Wooly Boolly!

 
If I had to list my Top Ten craft materials wool felt would definitely be in the Top 5. (Hmmm, maybe I will think on this and actually make a top ten list...)
There is just so much to love about real 100% wool felt (or the 80/20 stuff if you just can't find or afford the 100% stuff).

The rich colors - no neon-not-found-nature-colors here!

Ease of use - no fraying edges to be concerned with, just cut and sew.

Tactile qualities - It just feels so real and warm.

Versatility - I've made dolls, quilts, ornaments, coin purses, embellishments and more with it. Definitely wins the "favorite surface to embroider on" award.

Sustainability - The "green factor" can't be denied. It comes from a natural, renewable source. If you can find natural, plant-dyed felt you are really full of win. (And if you find a wholesale supplier of such please let me know. I've been looking and can't find one!)

 
Last week my shipment of wool felt packs arrived. The fat quarter bundle (7-22"x18" cuts) is $41.99 and the Charm Pack (36-5x5" squares) is $21.99.