Busy Busy BUSY!!!!

Hi everyone! I know I have been gone for a bit and I apologize. I have been hugely busy with the renovations on my new home and taking care of my dad and the animals. As well as working on my christmas gifts for people. I am working on several new lines as well. I am hoping to have one set of new baby hats done this week and starting another.

Just to give oyu an idea of what i am dealing with when it comes to my new home,  I will give you a bit of info. We moved the end of June/ beginning of July and before we could move in we had to gut of the 5 rooms in the house due to mold. well we spent a lot of time just trying to  get the place livable. We were living here the first 4 -6 days without running water and even had to fight with the electrician to get 5 working outlets in the entire house as well as 2 working lights. We are in the process of insulating right now. BUT as we insulate I have to scrub down the wood to kill any mold that might be on the wood.  We are still working with VERY limited power and have a running water.  I about cried last week when we finally were able to get our microwave working.

We still have a LOT of electrical to do. There is NO light in our hallway and once we have insulation in its going to be very dark so we need to get that put in, we have to run a line for a sump pump, we have a LOT of nails to pull and scrubbing to do, half our basement has a dirt floor and we need to dig that out and work on the wood there, we also have a lot of work to do on the outside we have cedar siding that needs replaces and painted we JUST got the new front door painted and have to put the screen door on and we have to get the electrical junction box put up so we can put the front light on and even more electrical to deal with to get the ceiling lights and back lights done.

In the middle of this I am working Christmas ornaments which will be gifts for people this year, working a day job, I was sick for a bit, and Dad has been sick for awhile as well. We lost two of my birds which means i have one left and I am not sure if I should get him a friend or not. the dogs are now extremely clingy which  while I dont mind loving I do mind them trying to crawl into my lap while I am using the bathroom  especially the boxer. LOL I will be cheering once the interior doors go on!

Who likes Fudge?

Hi everyone!Just have to tell you about my friend Lisa and her place called Hillside Bakery! Lisa is the sweetest lady! Now I am picky when it comes to my fudge, I HATE when it tastes like sand is in it, dont you? Now, I live not far from Amish country and they are known for making some really great fudge right?WRONG! Lisa makes the BEST fudge around!  Its smooth and its creamy and Oh so dreamy!!! She doesnt do just fudge though, she also makes wonderful Jams and Jellies and candy and handmade soap as well!Check out this pic of her Jelly Assortment! I also have several of her tote bags and they have held up to SO MUCH abuse!!!

Cranberry Vanilla Walnut fudge $6.25 1/2 lb box

 I swear try her fudge and you will be in heaven! So many people go through an entire 1/2 lb box in a week it isnt funny! She also has fudge of the month and Jams/Jelly of the month subscriptions you can get too. And dont worry, she makes all kinds of chocolate fudge and vanilla and even peanut butter. She even has fudge that you done really see anywhere else, like cranberry walnut fudge. Just look how yummy this looks!!!  Not sure which you want? she also does samplers! perfect for gift giving!!!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge. $6.25 1/2 lb

And how about you Dark chocolate Lovers out there??? Anyone ever see Dark Chocolate fudge? Thats right, Lisa has Dark Chocolate Fudge too! And check this out! Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge!!! Oh if I was a dark chocolate lover I would SO be all over this!!!!

Lisa has hand towels and tote bags and hand made soap and a BUNCH of other goodie stuff in her shop.

Who is Lisa? Oh my I almost forgot to tell you about Lisa herself!!! LOL  Lisa is an amazing woman. She was suddenly widowed last year after her husband was struck with cancer. She takes care of her grandson who is disabled full time and she never complains about it. She runs a bakery and a home, does markets on the weekends and live in Wisconsin. She does it all with little help since her husband died. She is one tough cookie! She has no problem growing all her own stuff and she does SO much canning and baking. I have to admit, She knows how to make an addictive product! Lisa is a very lovely woman and has a heart of GOLD.  All her stuff is home made and produced and is made from FRESH yes FRESH ingredients every time. That means your fudge isnt sitting around somewhere just waiting to be bought, makes a HUGE difference in the flavor!  If your every up there ( in Wisconsin) stop in and see her, until then check her shop out HERE on Artfire and she is also on Etsy! I TRIED to find a picture of Lisa for you guys but couldnt find one. I am sorry guys! and remember these pics ARE copyrighted so no stealing!

Love Light and Stitchs!

What a DAY!!!!

Hi all! Well its been a DAY here and I dont mean that in a good way either. I woke up this morning to find that one of my parakeets was at the bottom of his cage. I do not hand tame my birds for certain reasons. Well I was able to pick him up and hold him in my open palm without him trying to move. I was very worried. I held him in front of a small space heater and he seemed to perk up a tiny bit. I put him back in the cage thinking he would be fine and I checked on him like 10-15 minutes later and he was doing worse. I took him back out of the cage and back to in front of the heater and within a couple of minutes he passed away.  I am VERY upset and I feel horrible. It has completely thrown me off the entire day.

I ended up walking down to the Walmart by my house and buying some beads and am going to spend my evening  working on a few of the christmas ornaments that I need to get done. I am hoping that after a nights sleep I will feel a bit better tomorrow and can get back at it and get a lot more done.

Sorry this is such a short blog guys but I dont really feel like writing much today.

A Phoenix Rising!

King of Hearts Copyright Ash Evans

Hi everyone! I want to talk about Ash Evans. She is an artist I havent really gotten to know yet but love just the same. I came across her work from HAED and fell in love. She is the painter of Fortuna the Cat and does some really really good equine pictures too!  She is a BIG animal lover like I am and so her work does speak to me as its all about animals and fantasy. Fortuna is this really cool cat that Ash has done an entire Oracle deck on. Fortuna is a black cat with a witch's hat and fairy wings. Fortuna is actually based on a cat that is one of her pets.  You can see Fortuna in all sorts of her work and I have to say I think its one of Ash's favorite things to paint. Out of her Fortuna series this one is one of my favorites! Its called King of Hearts. Fortuna actually reminds me of 2 of the fur babies I used to have so I am kinda partial. LOL

Solitude copyright Ash Evans

Sundance Copyright Ash Evans

Ash also does some really, really good Equine pieces. I think besides Fortuna, Unicorns are her favorite just by looking at her website. She has such a wide variety of lighter pieces and darker pieces and I LOVE seeing the pieces come together on her updates on Facebook. Its always so interesting to see a piece come together from beginning to end and to see the little tweeks she makes in every image until it is JUST how she likes it. One of the piece I was lucky enough to see Works in Progress of  is called Solitude from the Oracle Deck she is working on.  But I HAVE to be honest and say one of my Favorite of her unicorn series is Sundance. I am a sucker for sunsets and sunrises and I love unicorns so this is both in one!

Carrion Tree Copyright Ash Evans

 She doesnt limit herself either she also does rabbits and Dragons and other animals including the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.  While she does have a peacock piece in her collection she also does other birds and my FAV piece of hers that involves birds is called Carrion  Tree, it reminds me of a cross between Edger Alan Poe's the Raven and the book The Birds for some reason. LOL

Baby Phoenix by Ash Evans

Also Ash does some AMAZING sculptures, She does these absolutely beautiful Phoenixes. And she just started doing (really little, I call them mini) Baby Phoenix and they are SO adorable that if I had had the money I would have bought one. They have this iridescent pigments on them and they seem to almost shimmer with life.  And I know she only does them from time to time so I am gonna have to save up for the next time she does a (mini) Baby Phoenix. . I am SO jealous of the people that managed to get these!  Look how CUTE these are!!! Wouldnt these make amazing christmas gifts?

Ash with Rio (recently departed) and is that Fortuna I see?

Ash is great about keeping people updated on Facebook and her website and even a VLOG yes a VLOG on You tube. She has items for sale at special prices for people on Facebook that are friends on her page. Ash, I think is still taking orders for Phoenix's and maybe a few of the Babies are still available but I am not 100% sure on that.  Please check out Ash's work here at her website http://ashevans.com/ and like her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AshEvansArt .  And she even is on Etsy! Its a true pleasure seeing this artist grow and evolve and to see how her work is evolving as well. Currently Ash is undergoing some Personal issues. She was living in England and absolutely loves it there but had to come back to the states because of a visa/passport mix up. Now she is TRYING so hard to raise the money to get back there because her pets are there and she needs to be with them.  As such she is really really appreciative of all the support she can get right now to help raise the money to get back there.Ash has unfortunately lost one of her pets while trying to straighten out this whole passport/visa mess (Rio the one in her lap in her pic) and she is SO needing to get back to them. She actually had England officials put a stamp in her passport that says she cannot even enter the country for any reason not even to retrieve her animals.  I guess the list of things they gave her as reasons why was all things that were not even true and she now has to have legal help to get things straightened out. SO if you can buy a print, a figurine, a calendar or SOMETHING just to help get her home to her fur babies. If you have pets you know what its like to not be there when they need you and how you feel when your away from them.  So lets get this Artist Mommy home to her four legged children and maybe talk her into making a lot more (mini) Baby Phoenix's so I may be able to get one. LOL

 Also no stealing of her pics! They are copyrighted! I asked permission first and so should you!

Love Light and Stitchs!

Some of my favorite artists!

Hi everyone! I am going to be writing blogs on some of my FAVORITE artists and I hope to be able to post pics of their work . I am currently contacting them and asking for permission as I feel that is only the right thing to do. PLEASE do not copy these pictures without their permission. I am including links to their websites so you can contact them and its so easy to ask permission first. Besides which theft is theft and using their pics without permission is just wrong.Some I have talked to before some I havent. I Just want to tell you guys about these people as they are SO talented and sweet and of course they can use all the support and such they can get!

I have found a LOT of them through HAED designs and while HAED doesnt chart ALL their work ALL of their work is amazing. I have looked at different artits work and even recommended a few to HAED and I am happy to say they have joined and are part of the HAED family which makes me so happy.

There are SOME misconceptions about Artists out there and one is that they live an easy life. No they dont. They have the same every day issues we all do as well as a lot of time constraints. They take on commissions and have to get those done first before they can work on the free lance stuff. Also sometimes they have to travel a LOT which takes them away from family and friends for major events.

 Next is that they make a TON of money. Truth is very few artists make hundreds of thousands of dollars per painting or sculpture. They dont have a ton of money especially after buying supplies and shipping costs and such. Entering shows alone can be very costly!

 Next is they have all day every day to paint/sculpt. Not hardly! Many Artists have families and even if they dont they also have to deal with contracts, emails, orders, copyright infringement, shows, buying supplies, traveling to and from shows, etc.even with help of an assistant Artists rarely have all day every day to sit and paint.

Some of the people I will tell you about wont be your taste or even what you may feel is apporpriate but please remember it IS art! It is meant to be beautiful and enjoyed. Just because it isnt your thing doesnt mean it isnt someone elses. These Artists are all over the world and I have yet to meet an Artist I didnt like or that I didnt have a profound respect for. Art comes in all forms and I will tell you now One of my friends who is VERY talented is actually a tattoo artist. He does do what is considered "traditional" art on paper/canvas but a LOT of his work is walking around on people. So I hope I can open your eyes to different kinds of Art and maybe help you find a favorite new artist as well but PLEASE remember do NOT use their pics without permission.  Feel free to contact them and tell them what you think of their art. I am POSITIVE they will love hearing from you!

Love Light and Stitchs!

update on the store

Hi everyone!!! well with christmas VERY quickly coming I am still not open like I hoped. I have not been able to make up my stock like I had hoped due to financial issues and moving issues. For those of you who dont know, I live with my father and make sure he has help when he needs it. My father suffers from diabetes, sciatic nerve and muscle pain,  and arthritis and is going to be 70 come March 2013. With our climate in the colder months he does have trouble moving some days and he does have other health issues. I mainly make sure he eats and takes his meds and just help him when he needs it.

Well we lost our old home, which was my childhood home, through a big mix up at the bank and it was never straightened out by the bank in time and they filed foreclosure on us.  We got the place we are in now and when we got it we went to move in and found mold was in the walls and had to delay our moving to gut basically every room to the bare studs. there was no insulation in the house and so now we are working on insulation and just found out tonight that we need to have the furnace fixed as the burner is not coming on.

So money has been going towards Christmas and buying my son winter clothing and the new house.  I am however going to be working as much as I can to get my stock done and everything redone and updated and photographed and such so I can reopen hopefully before a year passes. Right now a LOT of my supplies are in a storage unit and until the house is redone we cannot really bring any of it here unless I am specifically working on it as we just dont have the room at this time.

I have a few new colors of hats I am going to introduce during the reopening. One is a black, red and silver hat and the other is a pink, silver and black hat and I am trying to figure out if I want to do another line of winter hats as well in solid colors. So far the test one isnt bad but I am still a bit iffy on it.

I am also wanting to add in a line of squeeker dog toys and a line of cat toys with catnip in them.  I already have doggy tug toys so I feel the cat toys will be a good addition. I am also wanting to do what I call Dogganna's which are basically doggy bandannas. The design I have come up with so far is much safer then just tying a regular bandana around your dogs neck, which can pose a choking hazard should it get caught on something or be tied to tight.  The smallest dogganna could be used for a cat too as long as the cat has a collar. The test run for that my dad said it looked like a bib. LOL here is a pic of my toy Manchester terrier  mix wearing one for you to get an idea. This was at our old house and MAN do I miss that room!

I also have been working on a line of wineglass charms, they are turning out nice but were packed away in the move and I have to find them again. I AM considering discontinuing a couple of things, mainly my cards and my needle keepers/minders. Mainly due to lack of interest, and the extremely time consuming nature of making the needle keepers.

I am also looking at spreading out a bit and expanding where my products are available. to that end I am looking at a number of different places to extend myself and hope to be able to do that as well. I think that is about it.  If I think of anything else I will let you guys know!

Love Light and Stitchs!!!!

Christmas Already? Oh dear....

Well Its that time of year. What time? CRUNCH time for making my handmade christmas gifts.  Every year I give handmade gifts for christmas. Last year I did peppermint bark, sweet red pepper Jelly, and I cant remember the third thing. All in a pretty box I hand decorated.  This year I am doing ornaments that I am doing a mix of cross stitch and tent stitch with I will be adding rhinestones and beads for sparkle too.

Why am I starting so early? Well simply because they take time to make. I have to stitch two halves for each ornament by hand, wash and press them, then sew them together with a loop of ribbon for a hanger when dry, after that I have to add rhinestones and beads and stuffing. Some of them are going across the country and even 1 or 2 are going over seas. I have to make around 12-16 in all.  Their all different colors and I am trying to do things in colors I know other people would love. I am also considering sending some homemade bird feeders along with them to my local friends and those here in the states.

At this point I am behind in making my ornaments and so am going to be furiously working on them to get them done in time. I am going to be working on the ones that have to be shipped first so at least those can be done and packaged and ready to go Since I need to ship them about the beginning of November for the overseas and the middle to end of November for the across country ones. That way I KNOW they will arrive in time.