Thursday, June 29, 2017

My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond #1845: New Projects (again!)

While one would think that the reason that I haven’t been blogging regularly is due to things slowing down, usually the opposite is true. As always, I have several things ‘on the go’ at once and many times I just don’t know what to do first. Add to this that the weather here in Nova Scotia has been just beautiful, and not only does that lend itself to outdoor projects (yard work, etc.) but also really makes me want to head to the beach for the day.  Our home is so close to the ocean, and in the past two years, I think I visited the beach ONCE. that is truly a crime, I feel.  Life is too short not to take some time and enjoy the things we work so hard to acquire – even if it is just enjoying our sleepy little coastal town. It is a promise that I made to myself to do so, and on Monday, I took advantage of the warm and cloudless day and headed to the shore. I wasn’t disappointed. 

up my supplies and I am just thrilled with it! She had surprised me with the fabric she used and when I saw it, I just smiled! 



The inside has several lovely divided compartments to hold lots of brushes:



I love the darker, paw print fabric that was used for the inside. It was not only cute but wouldn’t show spots or wear:





The outside was covered in brilliant, nearly fluorescent colors kitties (what else?!):





And finally, it had a pretty fluorescent green elastic to keep it closed when folded:





I know it will get lots and lots of use, and I will think of Karen each time I see it. :)  (If you would like her to make you one, you can contact her at kraftykaren@wowway.com.  I am sure she will be happy to do one in an adorable fabric to your liking!) 



I wound up not painting, though, as it was a bit windy to do so and also I changed my mind on the color scheme of the project that I was designing. 



I am working on designing the July “Quick Paint” project for Toletown painting community. (www.toletown.com)   Many of you who follow know that I am one of their regular designers, and I create one Quick Paint project and two full projects with videos per year for them. They have a wonderful community and it is very reasonable to join and the members have access to loads of fun projects, videos, and patterns. I hope you check them out. 



Doing the 'Quick Paint’ is always a challenge for me. I usually do something quite complicated and it is hard for me to do 'simple’. This time, I was determined to indeed do something “quick” and keep it simple. I think I succeeded. 



The July theme at Toletown is “Christmas in July” and I created some really cute and fun (and SIMPLE) tags that can be used as ornaments or tags or both:



For the backgrounds, I used some fun stencils by my designer friends Sandy Warner McTier and Tracy Moreau. I loved the 'retro’ look of these patterns and I felt they fit perfectly with my vision of the project. You can get the stencils (the group is called “M2 Stencils” at both Sandy’s site as well as Tracy’s site. I love them because they are so versatile, inexpensive, and can be used for a variety of projects to make something quick and fun. I hope you check them out. :)



I will also be offering up the tag surfaces on my site:



They will be up there probably by tomorrow. We are doing a site update so I will also have the pattern and surfaces for the SUMMER scatter letters I showed last week as well as Keith’s new designs.



This is his new SLDK728 Deer Rustic Welcome Sign:

It is the first of a new series of welcome plaques that he is working on. He will be doing several wildlife plaques of this type. 



If you aren’t on our Mailing List, I encourage you to join up so we can let you know when we have new things. We only send out a newsletter about every other week and we don’t share your information with anyone. We also offer special coupon codes and sales from time to time for our subscribers. It is a great way to keep up with things from us and get a little discount, too. 



On other things, I have finally found some time in the evening to get back to my sheep project. I still don’t know what I am going to ultimately do with these sheep, but they are something I wanted to create. This is the forth of the five versions that I am making:



This one also uses beautiful Valdani pearle cotton thread for the legs, ears, and face, but this time I am using 2mm silk ribbon to make the bushy coat. It is taking me much longer than I anticipated, but since I am not timing myself and do not have any deadlines. it doesn’t really matter.





I just love the 'fluffy’ texture the ribbon offers. Here is a photo with my finger  in the picture so you can see the size relation:





Here they are with their other 'friends’:





They look pretty cool all together. I have one more idea for this group and then I will call it done. you will have to stay tuned and see …



So that’s about all for this time. Besides the above projects, I have been cutting orders and doing the wood for the next installment for Amy Mogish’s Halloween Club.  As seems to be the norm of late, I have lots of things going on at once. I suppose that is what makes me happiest. It sure makes for the days passing quickly though and I am afraid if I blink, summer will be over. 



I hope you all take some time out to enjoy your days as they come. While it is important to work, it is also important to take the time to enjoy what you are working for. You never know what tomorrow will bring. 



Happy Thursday to you all! 






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