Sunday, April 13, 2008

I Loved You

I loved you; even now I may confess,
Some embers of my love their fire retain;
But do not let it cause you more distress,
I do not want to sadden you again.
Hopeless and tonguetied, yet I loved you dearly
With pangs the jealous and the timid know;
So tenderly I loved you, so sincerely,
I pray God grant another love you so.

My Opinion

I have really gotten into watching the show "The Biggest Loser" this season. It is just awesome and amazing the transformations all the contestants have gone through. I am a little person (weighing 110), but my heart goes out to them. Most people in my family are obese, and I see what they all go through. I have an aunt that weighs about 400.

Update

I have frantically been working on the site. You know, trying to perfect it, adding inventory, and searching for products that I can sell to you at low prices.

It will be opening in May instead, but I want to take my time with it, and make sure it is just right. I also am adding so many resources, helpful advice, ideas, and projects - for the customers pleasure and aiming for the beginners and pros alike.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Falling Down Sewing Kit







I know that is a weird sounding name, but truth is that when you lift the top off of the box, the sides fall down. Inside are a number of sewing needs, like needles, pins, safety pins, thread, small scissors, etc. What else to call it?
These fall into the "Blast From The Past" category in that these have been around for many, many years. I first made one back in the '70s, having been taught by a gentleman by the name of Don Mettler, who had such a box from the 1800s. Don is a wonderful needlework artist and designer who figured out his way of making these. For me, it works, but you may end up making your own version. In any case, they are handy little items that make very nice little gifts.
Note: On the show I made a box using adhesive-backed velour (Contact), which eliminated the need to use glue or spray-on adhesive. Obviously if you use fabric, it will be necessary to glue or use fusible webbing to adhere the fabric to the cardboard.

Materials:
poster boardadhesive-backed vinyl velour (or light- to medium-weight fabric with spray-on adhesive or fusible webbing)decorative trimsmall amount of fleece or felt (optional)1/2 yd. of 1-1/2" wide grosgrain ribbon or braidrulercraft knifescissorspen or pencil

Figure K Steps:
1. From poster board, cut the following pieces: one 4" square for box top, one 2-1/2-inch square for bottom of box, one 1-1/2-inch square for inside box bottom, four 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" rectangles, four 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" rectangles, four 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" rectangles, four 1-1/4" x 2-1/4" rectangles (figure A).
2. Cut a 3-1/2-inch square of fabric, and place the 2-1/2" square in the center. Cut off each one of the four corners at an angle, cutting almost to the cardboard (figure B). Save the cut-off corners just in case you want them later. Fold each extending edge of fabric back over the cardboard (figure C).
3. Cut a 12-inch square of fabric or Contact. Peel off the protective backing and place the 2-1/2-inch square in the center with the covered side facing up.
4. Position the four 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" rectangles around the center square lining, one along each outside edge of the center square and just a hair's breadth away from it (figure D).
5. Cut around the side and top edges of all of the cardboard pieces leaving a 1/2- to 3/4-inch border around all edges (figure E). Save the cut out corner squares from the 12-inch piece of fabric.
6. Cut a slash at each inside corner of each of the four side pieces. Cut each outside corner off at an angle, cutting just a breath away from the corner of the cardboard pieces. Save the cut away corners.
7. Fold back all the extending edges of fabric and glue to the cardboard (figure F).
8. One by one place the 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" pieces on a piece of the fabric cut from the corners of the 12-inch square. Cut the corners off at an angle and fold back the extending sides. Glue to hold. (See notes at end.)
9. Glue the fabric-covered cardboard rectangles to the inside side panels of the box (figure G). Position them so the bottom edges are even, there is a 1/4-inch border along the top edge, and a 1/8-inch border along each side. Note: You will notice that there may be a smidgen of white cardboard exposed at the bottom corners of each panel. If this is offensive to you then glue one of the fabric triangles cut from a previous corner to this area before gluing on the top rectangle.
10. When all four sides have been completed, make the inside box in exactly the same fashion using the smaller cardboard pieces. The 1-1/2-inch square will be the bottom of this box. (See note at end.)
11. When the inside box is completed, hold up the sides, place the bottom in the center of the larger box bottom, and give it a quarter turn (figure H). None of the corners of the inside box should extend beyond the bottom of the larger box. Glue to hold.
12. Hold up the sides of the larger box and place in the center of the 4-inch square of poster board. Draw around. Remove box and extend each drawn line to the edge of the cardboard. Note: The reason you wait until now and draw around the completed box instead of just drawing a 2-1/2-inch square in the beginning is that after adding the fabric and any padding, it might measure just a bit larger and the top would not fit.
13. Score along all drawn lines and then cut out the corners and fold up the side edges. Unfold and lay them flat again.
14. Place flattened box top onto a piece of fabric. Cut fabric slightly larger than the box top and glue the two together. Cut from the outside edge of the extending fabric to the edge of the cardboard along each side. Fold back and glue the fabric to the inside edge of the box top. Cut the corner fabric at an angle to the inside corner of the side of the box top (figure I). Glue one of the resulting triangles of fabric to the inside of the box top. Fold the sides down and glue the other side of the fabric triangle to the outside to secure the sides of the box top. Place on top of box to hold everything together. Decorate as desired (figure J).
IMPORTANT NOTES: Before gluing the fabric to the inside pieces of either of the two boxes, it is important to determine how and where you want any padding and ribbon to be placed. It is suggested that the ribbon or braid be wrapped around the inside pieces of cardboard on the outside box (the 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" pieces of cardboard) before gluing them to the outside pieces.

The sides of the inside box can be padded with a layer of fleece, which can be glued to the 1-1/4" x 2-1/4" pieces of cardboard before covering them with fabric and gluing them to the sides of the inside box.
The ribbon bands can hold a tiny scissors, needle threader, etc. (figure K). The padded sides are good for holding straight pins, safety pins, needles, etc. In the bottom of the inside box, you can glue a small plastic top from a hair spray bottle upside down to hold a thimble.
For entire details and photos - click here

Bunny Easter Basket Craft


From time to time, I will post a craft project here that I have found or I have done (or both). This one is for Easter and great to make with the kids or for them...




Follow these instructions and you can make a a bunny shaped Easter basket using a paper plate.
Age Guideline: 3 Years and Up
Time Required: 20 minutes (Does not include drying time) The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumustances. For best results, read through all of these steps before you start making this craft.



The links will take you to about.com.

My Space

It’s amazing what a little color can do to a room. A bright, bold red will create an entirely different mood than a relaxing, cool blue will. And when you think about the art you add to the walls once the paint is up, you have even more power to control the feel of a room—and the way you feel when you’re in it.

My home office, for example, is a medium color — it’s inspiring because it’s not white, but it has a professional feel that helps me buckle down and get projects done and refreshing too. A crafting or creative space, on the other hand, needs to be bright and inspiring. For me, it’s all about the energy of the space. It also needs to be a place filled with items that I love and something that brings a piece of my own personality to the design. It functions both as a place devoted to scrapbooking and running my business. Plus I can use it to pay bills or whatever else official I need to do.

I am looking for creations and inspirations to lighten my space, which I am still in the process of doing. I just moved in this house in January, so I am still personalizing. For the first time in along time, it is a space that is all my own. And I plan to make the most of it. Any ideas you have on storage, decorating, or anything else - please share them. I would love to hear...

Where I Live


I am a transplant here, however I love the heritage and history behind this place. It fascinates me to be here and read about it. It fascinates me even more to live here.

Hancock County Tennessee, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, has a rich heritage of history and culture handed down through its people.

Here are a few-

1: We have a lot of Melungeons. The name Melungeon refers to a people of mixed descent who, according to one theory, are descendants of early Spanish and Portuguese explorers who made settlements in Georgia and the Carolinas prior to the historic Jamestown establishments of 1567 or 1607. Genetic studies give rise to the belief that the Melungeons were originally from northwest Africa who, known as Moors, moved into Spain and Portugal around 710 A.D. Exiled during the Spanish Inquisition, these people may have come to the New World in the 16th Century. Subsequent generations, apparently unaccepted legally or socially by their new country, retreated to the mountains where today some 500 Melungeon descendants still live where their ancestors settled in northeast Tennessee and extreme southwest Virginia.

In Hancock County, Newman’s Ridge is one of the most famous of Melungeon territories. From here came the the 18th Century patriarch, “Vardy” Collins. The 19th Century gave us the unique and immortal Mahala Mullins, better know as “Big Haley,” famous for her size (over 500 pounds) and her moonshining.

The actual origins of the Melungeons is still the subject of controversy and conflicting genetic theory. Melungeon genealogy continues to be extensively explored here in Hancock County, the ancestral and current home of so many of these unique people.

2: Elrod Falls is located in beautiful Hancock County, Tennessee. Elrod Falls consists of three cascading falls of more than 100 feet, making it one of the most gorgeous waterfalls in East Tennessee. You can swim in the pools at the base of the falls, hike one of the surrounding trails or bring along a picnic lunch while surrounded by the lush beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. From Sneedville travel 7.0 miles south on SR 31 and turn onto the Gravel road with sign to Elrod falls. Follow this road 0.6 miles and turn left onto a dirt road. Follow 0.5 miles to the end. It is beautiful. If you are ever close to here - visit because you won't regret it or forget it.


Read more at http://www.hancockcountytn.com/