More of the Xmas treats

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Another batch have been carded & are on the website....

Each Card is $20 & the postage is included for each card set.

There will be more a bit later....

Need to scan etc etc....

Happy things for such a dull day here

CHRISTMAS TREATS in a POST Box

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SPECIAL TREATS 

For

CHRISTMAS 

in 

JULY /DECEMBER !!!

Each card is different

Each is $20 which includes the postage for one set ( international & national)

I have weighed them as the postage is weighed & has to be under 50gm with the box weight

So no room for thankyou cards !!!

Santa Special all Sold

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THE SANTAS for YESTERDAY

 on SPECIAL are all SOLD.

Great quick response .....as I newsletter this also.

More stock will come in in July but with the real price.

***** 

When the gardener was here this week I could not settle easily to doing anything in particular...so tackled a cabinet that houses many odds & sods....in wire & small cane baskets.

Things just seemed to be where I never expected them.

This little bag for the tree was made for me from a wood & later a stitchery design of mine...

I hung it beside the latest santa decoration designs I have hanging off a small tree on this cabinet...

It was good to see the perspective  

 Then I unearthed this etched Christmas wood design.... which I love... I think it began as a square design  it was hung on the tree too...

Then I found these....cards 

Maurice Kain  New Zealand 

www.mauricekain.com

These 3 photos are a card set I bought these from a sweet hardware store in Jamison ACT where I shopped for really unique gifts back in the mid 1990's

I could not bear to use the cards that were produced by John Sands Avondale NZ

They turned up during my tidy up 2 days ago...

They are just divine & some people's designs & layouts are timeless

SANTA's ON SPECIAL

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Ho Ho Ho....

We are celebrating the latest Santa designs in my buttons

with a Special until 30 th June 2018

( Australia time  ie 29th for northern hemisphere)

THE 5 NEW SANTA DESIGNS

will be 

$20.00 including posting for one set

( both for Australia & Overseas)

**********

While I was watching Insight with Michael Moseley & other's talking about exercise..

I Stitched some of the TEMPLATES pattern with new santa buttons & then some of my regular ones...

I had cut the templates out in the morning & then was distracted once the gardener had gone...I kept going out to see the transformation of some much needed cutting back.

Including this stocking....

I am rather loving the combination of red for main background ...grey trims & black to pull the button colours up

Now I wonder .....

A Black stocking ...red & grey trims or grey as the base ...maybe add some white too ...pale olive green ????

Back to exercise from the Insight show...

I always learn something encouraging from Michael Moseley...

So I will be standing up soon to do some squats & some push up things against the wall  & stand on one foot....& then the other...for strength training.

I do other strength training exercises & only 3 to 6 of each every second day can really work magic...

& 

it does help you reshape the body & lose many centimetres

***

There are 2 things I got from this show...

One I have done a smart thing ( even if slower than I should have been ) to cut out my seating time...ie is by closing off much of the wholesale which is high volume & at Christmas I could fine myself lost in the days as I sat to paint....& paint & paint..

Not good for the body as as soon as I'd get up to move I'd find myself back as often the orders were back to back & pressure was on....I never ever did want to be late late & let shops down....

Now I get up more & walk about & have some better time management to do other jobs....

&

Other thing from show how simple it is to do this exercise & movement..

Must dash now ... exercise time LOL 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I keep forgetting

Kay from the now closed 

AVONLEIGH Country Quilting in ALBURY has her own website now 

www.sewkayb.com

Hand Carved FUN !!!

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Oh My my.... this was such fun....

I raced out last week when I saw that Spotlight store had these kits for hand carving stamps & other things.

I have long to try this for absolutely ages.....

Now all in a pack...

then I needed to be in the mood to try...

That mood struck today...

I was way too eager to read the instructions... or find a nice crisp design..

So applied a bit of freehand quick rough draw & into the tool.

Making sure I pointed the sharp thing away from me...

I then thought we'll see what happens...

PLonk into the permanent ink stamp pad in reach on the work table..

WOW.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was exactly the look I was wanting.....

So I had to try it on paper...then muslin bags... then linen. cotton fabric... mache booklet...

Thought I'd stop !!!!

My hands are well inked in black & I must go out for a short while...

TEMPLATES as I draw them

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See what can be made using my package of Templates...

It's as good as your imagination....

****

©

Templates are packaged together for handy use with my buttons, decorations, stitchings.

Some templates can be used for applique .

There in the envelope are 5 pages of  templates  for 

Stockings...  few sizes

Hearts ..few sizes

Bunting .....

Little U bag....

Scalloped circles (that originate from the large wood decorations.....)

Birds... there are 2 or is that 3 ???

Used in soft stuffed birdies several years ago now....in what I once called a French Influence pattern

These are like much of the other templates so useful...to embellish & stuff...hang a load of them from your Christmas Tree...

I know you now need to buy another tree to hold the decorations..

Really what a joy that beholds in a world that groans with discontent & disconnections..

Lose yourself in

one thing....or maybe you do a couple of stitches while you wait to collect your children or as in the case today grand children...It is simply so easy to involve the children in sewing.

I have wandered off here....

The pages of templates are for non commercial use which really means not for business to use as a base for yet another's design. If you personally wish to on sell finished things made with a designer's work acknowledge the designer ....

The price for all that is $6.50 + the old postage.....

  As shown here..the Christmas buttons sit happily on the stocking...

I often add an oval or circle or the scalloped decoration template or a heart  for the button /s to sit on if the stocking looks like it needs a bit of a hand ..or if using fabric prints buttons can clash colour wise...so use a plain fabric in the place where the button will sit.  It will more than likely lift the project...( looks better ! )

Stitches can also be made to encircle a button on a heart or a stocking etc.....see on the top of the little bunting I have stitched freehand stitches....that sort of thing

Buttons Have gone Flying.....

I began this & suddenly whoops all pictures & words GONE....

Some of the reason I have been quite this week 

I have been painting this one order which has now gone flying to Germany...

I never tire of those little tan reindeers.....they were going with the December Santa which in the collage are on the paint table in their raw state.....

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I made this collage also because it looks cheery  & complete LOL

I did have the Sweet Angel done as a decoration for a special order this week & painted it today & I really do like it for a tree decoration.... so maybe ...Need to see what production costings are.

Which reminds me 

www.whileshenaps.com  

Newsletter arrived today & she often interviews & writes on quilt & craft industry in USA & sometimes Australia gets a voice too.

Today was about the Quilt Shows IN USA & attendance over several years..

Our industry is undergoing some massive shifts & you may need to consider your favourite quilt shop or fabric etc... and also attend the quilt shows when you can as lack of foot traffic eventually has to close these wonderful venues.

Read back thru several of her newsletters & see what fabric companies are closing or shrinking back.

On another note one of my favourite magazines I have to order in from USA is stopping the production of WHERE WOMEN CREATE  I love these profiles.  But they have a new one beginning in August IN HER STUDIO....so maybe ????

These  are at www.stampington.com

 & 

when totally done call in & see me at www.theodoracleave.com

Craft Alive Bendigo Yesterday

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Craft Alive began in Bendigo yesterday

And I went in the freezing cold morning....

This is some of what I saw....

Now where are these off too ?

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Before I take you off to where this batch of buttons are going...

I have painted an assortment of wood tags & some big flakes

Some are now on the web.

The scanner connection & NBN & Computer & I did have an assortment of stupid things ... the scanner is always being knocked out when NBN has a hiccup

Anyway I have some there

more will go on soon as 😃

I love the little looped tags ...I have saved them for a while ..for experimenting with so one set of each is all there is .....

These are mostly individuals ....check out Buttons for Christmas & also Christmas Decorations

This batch of Christmas cheer are heading over to

 Marg Low Designs when some more deer friends are painted in blue....

Marg has her POP UP show in ALBURY this Saturday

Nip over to her blog & see the dates & the address to see all her wonderful creations..

Be inspired on our winters days

www.marglowdesigns.typepad.com

This is some of Marg's display & see on the tree are the snow friends decoration & other designs where my buttons are used & look rather delicious Look at the felt !!! Marg has a very manageable wool blend felt at an excellent price too

Look at all these most inspiring samples of patterns to make up in a stitch group with Marg or at her classes or see it all at Craft Alive in Wodonga very soon or go to the pop up shop on Saturday..

Squeeze in a few moments to do this

Follow Us.....to the Sydney Quilt Show...

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These are some of the buttons going to the

 Sydney Quilt & Craft show in June... 

Find them 

at 

ANNI DOWNES

THE HOME PATCH 

Something Different

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While I was talking on the phone & then to one of my family who had arrived..

I began to draw  this perfume bottle...may olive oil bottle...

©

Barb Smith

Then the flowers started to form on this bit of copy paper...

Rather like both, so thought I'd share the images with you.

©

Barb Smith

Little Bits

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It's Sunday...

Somehow I have found myself working ....???

On the tail run for now....

I have added more buttons onto the website

This mostly is the Noel, Merry, Joy, tags...

There is another round lot to go up on the web ...with these word themes...

The Merry is a plain tree with hole in top for hanging or stitching  Each tag is 35mm in size....

The banner style tag has button hole at the top so that one is for stitching...

I love the star ..and ...you know I love them all...

****

These will be so handy for the Layouts that I am "working" on

Just shapes ..some are derived from the Christmas round scallopy decorations..

others are a couple of birds..... 

stockings are what is in need of a page & then they will go on sale for a very low price...so you can put them into many grand uses.....

with felt, fabric....

to applique,

 put some of my illustration stitcheries on them....

sew buttons, decorations ..add a word or a few random stitches here & there..

*******

I have plans..loose ones I might say. to get some of the Christmas Santa decorations in illustrations back into circulation for this year.....

It is Winter....

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I am quite cranky with myself....I just wrote a blog for this post & put it in my age blog....BOY does that say something !!!!

So...

I will be brief.

Tidying the website up..which entails much painting to card & then scan..resize & load up to the website...

So I have a lot of the work available to collage....

So here we have a lot of deers being herded for the winter check & making sure they know what to do for both Christmas in July & Santa Time in December..

Then comes all things Christmas...making sure the clothes fit etc,,,