Give back the Key to My Heart

I love Uncle Tupelo! They have this fabulous song called Give Back The Key to My Heart and every time I needle-felt a heart key bowl I think of this song. I couldn't find that song on youtube however I did find this one:


I haven't heard Life Worth Livin' in awhile. Enjoy!

And where could I possibly be going with this? Why, I have a new Key to my Heart Bowl in my Etsy shop OBVIOUSLY.









Have a Happy Friday!

12.14.10

I got caught up today and the light was pretty good for photographing the items I wanted to list so here are 3 new in My Etsy store today:

12.13.10

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday as I went on a lovely hike with my husband and brother in the sunny Colorado mountains. We didn't need snowshoes like we were hoping we would and actually couldn't take one trail due to a non-frozen creek crossing that was quite deep and very cold. Oh well... maybe winter will come someday.

I re-listed my Butter Yellow Wristwarmers and my Gray and Cream Alpaca Wristwarmers yesterday in my Etsy store. I have a couple pair of these fingerless gloves myself and can honestly say they are indispensable this time of year especially when I need to sit in this cold office and type for a while.





















I also wanted to share of my Mother in Law's wonderful ornaments with you today. Her store is called Carol's Sunshine designs. I love Carol's ornaments!! Here are a couple for you to check out.

12.11.10 Listings

Here are today's treasures just posted in my Etsy store:

Still Time to Shop

There is still time to order items from my Etsy store to get them for Christmas. I will be listing at least 2 items a day for the next 5 days so check back to see what is new! I am continuing to include a free ring bowl with every purchase of $50. As for today I have a couple of my favorite designs. Thanks for looking!

Christmas is Coming BUY HANDMADE

Ok, I can now talk about Christmas. Here I sit at the computer on black friday proud that I have bought nothing today!! Partly because I am almost done with my shopping but mostly because I refuse to become part of modern day ultra-consumer holiday of giving too much. I believe in a simplicity in giving (and receiving) things that are needed or thoughtful and as often as possible HANDMADE. My friend Val actually has a really cool tradition on one side of her family called "Make it or bake it" you can guess, but they all draw a name from the hat and have to give something yummy from the oven or something made by their own hands. Now I know that not everyone is a craft addict like myself and there are definitely lots of people who don't either have time to make things or don't really care to. I am sure my husband wishes I was one of these most days when he patiently maneuvers around my projects and piles and longingly imagines a home pristine and free of clutter. Anyhow, this inability to go through a day without creating is where people like me and the amazing handmade community that is Etsy come in.
I can't offer huge sales due to the nature of what I make and the time it takes to create my items, but I am pleased to offer a free ring sized bowl for every $50 spent in my store! Besides me, lots of sellers this year are having fabulous sales and giving great deals. Don't get me wrong, these are not Wal-Mart prices, but you know you will be supporting some fabulous entrepreneur who made that wonderful thing with their crafty hands.

I now am descending from my soapbox and do thank you for your time. I would like to give away a felted coffee cuff or a $12 credit toward something from Gretchen's Creations to a lucky reader who has made it through this e-mail. All you have to do is visit my store on Etsy and leave a comment here on something you liked there. If you want a bonus entry, search around a bit and tell me about another Etsy store or item you found that you love that I should know about. I will take entries through Friday December 3rd at 5pm. To do this giveaway I need at least 10 entires, so tell your friends!


Cheers and here is to a happy season of giving!

Winter?

Seriously! I logged in to blog and realized sheepishly that the last post was titled Fall! Oh how embarrassing. Once again, where do I begin? Fall was l...o...n...g around these parts. When the ground finally cooled enough to plant bulbs in early November we had 2 busy weeks of gardening. The funny part is that the trees still haven't dropped all their leaves so there is work to be done perhaps even into the first week of December. This week was a quiet one. It has been cold and although they were calling for snow and quite a bit of it we saw a skiff at the most. Someday I will learn to not put stock in the weather people. It is good that I was off work this week though for a couple of reasons.
The first is that my poor little guy is feeling the one down side of not going to daycare. Tuesday he developed croup! Poor little man had to get steroid shots on Tuesday night and then it morphed into an awful bronchial cough complete with hoarseness and low-grade fever which resulted in another visit to the doctor - I am pretty sure he has been to the doctor a total of 3 times this year and that includes this week. So I have been home with him catching up on laundry, playing games and complementing lego creations, making muffins from scratch, Sneaking extra garlic into everything I can, listening to podcasts of The Splendid Table, Radiolab and Story Corps and most of all getting caught up on my stitching! I am crocheting bowls constantly and when I can , needle-felting a whole lot which is where I am ultimately heading with this post. I have lots to share! All are in my Etsy store and as always you can reach the listing by clicking on the picture. I do want to stipulate that I do not decorate for Christmas until the first of December and after the very wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving is past, but I do need to start listing items in my Etsy so that people have a chance to shop for and receive these items with time enough to enjoy them for the season. :-) I say this mostly because I posted a semi-rant about the skipping over of Thanksgiving on Facebook today. Silly Me!

Fall?

It is nearing the end of September and here in Colorado Springs (and most of the front range of Colorado for that matter) it is HOT and DRY! No rain has fallen in 3 weeks and temperatures have been in the 80's and 90's. Instead of cutting back from frost and waiting until the right time to plant bulbs and garlic we are watering to keep things from dying before they have a chance to go dormant! You can almost feel Fall in the air but can't quite smell it through the dust.

I have been working away creating some fall inspired pieces and wanted to share a couple with you today. Hope you like them :-)

Fun for the Little Ones

A while back Greenstylemom and I thought that it would be fun to put together some cute Waldorf style craft kits for the kids. There are 2 different ones: Gnome Family and Royal Family and I have just re-listed them in my Etsy store. I have multiples of both kits! They are $10 each and if you are in Colorado Springs, I will deliver them for free!

Spring IS....Coming

I woke up early this morning to run and get coffee before my husband left for work and it was 55 degrees out! The winter hat seemed a bit much. It is supposed to snow on Friday of course but that is Colorado spring for you.
I started back to my gardening job this week and am so excited to get my hands in the soil! Yesterday was spent raking away evidence of last fall (6 garbage cans and 2 bags later at one house and that wasn't even all of it) and cutting back to reveal the new green growth. Tulips, Crocus and Daffodils are blooming everywhere and their vibrant color makes my heart flutter... Can you tell why I am a gardener?
I am hoping to continue some needle-felted flower bowls in honor of my love of all things growing and this is one of the first. I love the yarn this tray/bowl is knit from; it is a light and cheery heathered green with fleck of golden yellow in it. I can't just put any old thing on it. When I started looking through my gardening reference for inspiration I came upon a picture of Thunbergia or Black-Eyed Susan Vine and knew that was the one. I love this plants vibrant green heart shaped leaves but even more so, I love it's golden blossoms! This plant is a prolific grower and looks wonderful on a trellis or in a hanging basket.

This bowl measures 10" across and 1 1/2" deep . The needle-felted vine makes a loose heart shape and is graced by 2 blooms and a bud.


















If you get a chance, please click on the picture to take you to my Etsy shop listing. Etsy has some major glitches right now that are adversely affecting it's sellers. We rely heavily on views and hearts of our items, and in the last couple of weeks they have taken a sharp dive with no explanation from Etsy Admin. In fact if you have a minute show your support of your favorite Etsy shops by stopping by to check out what it new. You can even post items you like to Facebook (and Twitter I think).

Thanks for supporting those who make handmade goodness and have a fabulous Spring day!

St. Patrick's Day and Spring on It's Way!

I am working at stocking my Etsy store with fun spring themed items right now: Bright cheerful colors, nests and blooming flowers all over to herald in a hopefully fabulous 2010 gardening season. Here are a few I have gotten up in the last couple of days~











As always, Thanks so much for looking~ I hope you are enjoying the birds singing and the crocus blooming as much as I am!

For Your Sweeheart Revisited~

Here are 4 more bowls in my Valentine series. I like the non-conventional colors of the last 3!

For your Sweetheart~

Here are the "My Felted Valentine" Bowls I have listed this week in my Etsy Store.

More New This Week

I am trying to get my Etsy store stocked up again with a nice variety to choose from. I will be getting back into my needle-felting very quickly now that I have some of the basics taken care of. Here are 2 new items:




































I have also re-listed some cuff bracelets and another bowl so please stop by and see what is new!

Cheers and have a super weekend!

Cozies!

Oh do I have to catch up: I have been posting items to my Etsy Store and not sharing here! So here they are, a parade of cozies~

New Listings

I have not been posting about my listings in my Etsy store but believe you me I have been updating quite a bit and trying to make not only holiday styles available but also some of my favorites. There are still lots of wonderful items available and there is still a week left for custom orders to be made and delivered by Christmas (U.S. only). Here are a couple of new items but be sure and drop by often to see what is new and don't forget a free ring sized bowl comes with every purchase of $30 or more!

I also just found out that my Christmas Rose Bowl is included in a pretty Etsy treasury called Yes It Is stop by and check it out before it expires~ As Always, thanks for looking!

Red Bowls Red Bowls

I learned to crochet finally! I won't agree quite yet that it is speedier than knitting since knitting is old hat for me but I do enjoy the different movement and the neat texture I seem to be getting from it. So here for your viewing enjoyment are the two newest additions to my Etsy store. The first is a crocheted tray with a group of needle-felted Anemone flowers in the bottom. This tray is incredibly sturdy and has a basket-like texture to it. The second is one of my signature Skeleton Key Pocket Bowls - I found a picture of this strange key with 2 small holes and couldn't resist replicating it.

More Christmas Holiday Bowls

I listed both of these fun little bowls in my Etsy store today:




































If anyone has an idea of holiday themes you would like to see me needle-felt, please drop me a line! I am always up for suggestions.

Cheers~