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2011 - A Year to Reflect On

12/30/2011

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What a busy year I had with craft sales.  Lots of mittens were made and sold and were found under the Christmas tree, as were mason jar solar lights and hats from sweaters. Decorations painted on small slabs of branch are hanging on trees.  I wonder how long they will stay in the family.  If its like me, I cherish my handmade tree decorations.  I still hang decorations my now grown children made when our weekends were busy with "craft days".  Its also a great feeling to know that people are opening up gifts made by me and saying they love it.  I've had many people email me and message me on my Facebook page about how warm my mittens are.

Now this year is over and a new one begins.  I have ideas in my head of new things to make and sell.  Just recently I made a purse from an old sweater which I couldn't throw out.  Of course it had a bear on it.  This one a polar bear and is great for the winter months.   I have another sweater with a silhouette squirrel design which will also be made into a purse.  That one will be used in the summer months ahead.  You can find a tutorial on purse making here.

I also want to show you some of the handmade presents I received from my kids this year.  My adult daughter made me veggie garden stakes. These stakes are large enough to not get lost during the height of the season.  She also made me a beautiful mug at  a creative craft shop.  It is hand painted then fired with silhouette of ravens on a  wire.    My son made me a place to store spools of thread.  I have it hung up on the wall in front of my sewing machine. My thread keeper is filled with vintage spools of thread which I pick up at thrift stores.  This thread is as good as it was the day it was made.  I make use of the thread in my sewing projects.

I hope 2011 was a good one for you and lets make 2012 even better.  Lets make the world a little less messier by reusing and remaking items like they did before "disposable" became a word.  Every item has at least a 2nd life and all you need to do is to remake or sell or donate that item to a place where it can become "loved" yet again.

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Tis the Season for Arts and Craft Sales!

11/20/2011

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This was the start of Christmas season for me.  Yummies in a Jar (Baysville, Ontario) holds an awesome "Fab Fall Christmas Show" every year in their studio.  There are only a handful of vendors but the show is packed.  Invites are mailed out, customers come and enjoy a glass of wine, some snacks and are able to purchase Christmas items for 3 hours on a Monday night.  This was my 2nd year selling at Yummies and its always a good show for me.  Every year it gets bigger.  People line up outside the doors for the 5:30pm opening.  

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The Riverside School Christmas Sale (Huntsville, Ontario) is also a great place to sell your items.  Running for 20 years the vendors not only fill the gym but also in the hallways as well.  Money made from this show goes towards school activities.  I think there are a lot of people that start their Christmas shopping here.  This is my booth the night before. 

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Mittens...just can't make enough for my sales.  I have 75 pairs laid out on my kitchen table for the upcoming shows.  No two are alike and all are made from sweaters, wool, fleece and the odd cotton.  Most sweaters are pretty tacky when I buy them at thrift stores (great for tacky sweater days).  I wash and, dry and make sure to shrink the wool ones.  Then I cut out mittens around the design on the sweater.  The tacky sweater becomes "awesome mittens".  My mittens are very warm with either a fleece or wool lining.  No cold fingers this winter!

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This season I started making my elves again.  I had one for sale at the craft show and it was purchased by an extremely excited customer. The new owner asked me to make two more...a girl and a boy.  Both elves are made from recycled sweaters and fur.  All of my elves are different and each personality comes out as they are sewn.  I never know what they will look line in the end.

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    About Me

    I am a self-taught wildlife artist from Muskoka, Ontario Canada

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