Father's Day Finds- OFG Style & My Picks

http://www.etsy.com/listing/41598509/turkey-call-paduk-wood?ref=sr_list_7&ga_search_query=fathers+day+ofg&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/40733378/trespassers-will-be-shotsuvivors-will-be?ref=sr_list_28&ga_search_query=fathers+day+ofg&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/34422056/upcycled-antique-tobacco-tin?ref=sr_list_2&ga_search_query=fathers+day+ofg&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48014557/iphoneipod-docking-station?ref=sr_list_5&ga_search_query=fathers+day&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=2&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48212174/chocolate-golf-set?ref=sr_list_24&ga_search_query=fathers+day&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=6&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/46997188/shaving-brushes?ref=sr_list_5&ga_search_query=fathers+day&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=14&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47198243/dry-spice-rubs-8-tins-of-48mm-dia-great

Great Father's Day Piece

The top is made from purple heart wood. The bottom is made from mahongany wood. The ends are made from mahogany and so are the sides. Comes with black elastic silencer to keep call from making noise and camo bag to hold it in...Sides have fine etchings as well as tops on one of them and the other has plain etchings you choose which one you like. Turkey season is upon us and now is the time to buy one of these great items for the hunter in your life. These take about 4 months to make and are very intricate. Made by my dad.....

$50 + Travelin Fare
Purchase Item

I'm in Love

With this computer. The HP Touchsmart. I went to Sam's Club to buy one and they were sold out. On my way to Best Buy today. Don't know what it does. Well it is all touch screen and wireless, no tower and you can watch TV on it!

WHOOHOO!

This is my office/craft space where I do my creating. This first pic is a blanker box full of my prim dollies from swaps and some of my own I couldn't part with.
The 2nd is my computer and more dollies of mine that I have bought in the past. The third pic is tubs and bins full of accessories of everything rusty stuff, ribbons, paints, glues, etc. The fourth pic is my sewing table and then underneath it is bags of vintage dresses, linens, laces, toys and accessories. the fifth pic is of more swap dolls and doll I purchased. The sixth pic is of my armoire filled to the brim with all kinds of fabrics. On top is more accessories such as florals, vintage pie pans, mohair fabrics etc... The seventh pic is of the inside closet also filled with patterns, fabrics, accessories of every nature and such. My mother is the one who finds most of this for me LOL The next pic is some of my son's artwork and the last pic are of some more dolls I have purchased in the past. Yes crammed, cluttered but I am like that when I think so it is best this way as I know where to find it all LOL

My Son's Birthday and Turkey Calls

So my son's birthday is today but we celebrated it yesterday. This is his cake. Bear with me in pics as I am sick again with the flu ACK! So I forgot to tell my hubby to buy candles so we had to use my #4 candle from my younger sons birthday. My older son in pic is now 6. He opened his gifts and got a bunch of clothes and hot wheels racing sets and a spaceship set.

On the other front, dad has finally finished 3 turkey calls all are purple heart tops with mahogany sides and bottoms. It took him this long and many throw aways later to get these 3 just to sound right. Cost for them will be $50 ea plus travelin fare. These do not qualify for the sale price since they are his. I have one already sold so there are only 2 available. See pics above. These also come with a camo bag and silencer.

Needle Felting Doll Hair Tutorial I Found

This tutorial is by:
~Tracy (Cedara) Dunn of "Thru the Attic Door"

I had been seeing mention of needle felting more and more and wanted to see what it was all about. Simply put, it is felting without water. You do this with special needles that are extremely sharp and have special barbs along them. The barbs "catch" the fiber you are felting and act to interlock it into another fiber.

So to needle felt doll hair was just going to be using felting needles to attach sheep's wool to a doll head already filled with stuffing. I was lucky enough that when I mentioned my new interest to my family; that my aunt had a set of the needles and she gave them to me.

I took a felting needle; a doll head that I had started making and laid a pile of sheep's wool out.

You learn very quickly how to hold your needle as its very sharp and can jab into a finger quickly. OUCH! Holding the top of the felting needle with your thumb and first 2 fingers....hold firm. Place a piece of the sheep's wool across the doll head and just start jabbing into the fabric thru the wool. Some folks place a large piece of foam under their project so that the tip of the needle can go into that instead of your fingertip. I just try not to jab so far into my doll. It doesn't have to be done hard......just over and over to attach the hair.

You will hear what sounds like ripping....don't panic. The needle is so sharp its jamming into the muslin in very tiny holes. The barbs on the needle are then pushing small sections of the sheep's wool down thru the hole and attaching to the stuffing inside the dolls head. Jam the needle down straight as much as possible. They can have a tendency to snap and break if done on an angle.

Continue jabbing with the felting needle until you feel the hair is attaching firmly. I like to go in a bit of a random order as I don't want to be able to follow exactly where the hair as been attached. When you think you have attached it enough....just give it a good few more jabs in places for good luck. I like to actually do this with a style in mind for the hair. You can see that this doll was going to have a part in her hair shown in the middle. That is where it was attached the most even though I was felting all over the piece of sheep's wool.

Now by attaching the sheep's wool this way....it is attached but not enough to withstand a child playing and pulling on the hair. Always state that your doll is for display use only.

If you lift the edge of the hair up......you can see the tiny pieces that have been "caught" with the stuffing inside the head.

Continue felting in this manner until you achieve the desired look to your doll.
You can use single pieces of sheep's wool. I have also done the same thing using long pieces of roving as well and had a wonderful effect take place.

Play around with different hair and enjoy the fun of using felting needles. She will always have that perfect prim hair!

Whoohoo Another Item sold

On Etsy just sold stitchin Sally and grubby tags :) I just relisted the tags so check em out when you get a chance :)

President's Day Event Starts NOW!

Take 20% off all items in my shoppes, website, and blog. Excludes sale items, patterns and custom orders.
Free shipping on orders totaling $75 or more.
All patterns buy one get one of lesser or equal value free- e-patterns only.
New custom orders take 20% off and get free shipping if order totals over $75 or more. (excludes previous orders or add on to a previous order)
I am now accepting summer doll orders. See slideshow in my gallery on my website. I will also take spring orders as well as fall and winter. Now is the time to do this as I am booked solid. This is the time to get your name on the list. Orders can be made with $20 down no limit. We offer a pay as you go plan too. If you like you can send me payments by check until it is paid for or you can pay in one lump sum at end when they are finished your choice.
Giveaway prize drawing- for every purchase you make totaling $10 or more, I will enter your name into a drawing for a $15 gift certificate good for use on my website. Buy 1 item get entered once, 2 items twice and so on. Winner will be posted on my website and blog and emailed. Drawing will be held April 4th.

New Ariivals just IN

I will be posting pics here and then having some newbies up on My LPS Lemon Poppy Seeds shoppe this weekend :)

They are a must have .....I will keep it hush hush and let you take a look on Sat.

Interesting Finger Turning Tutorial I found

This tutorial is brought to you by Edwina Sutherland, ©2005.

Turning tiny hands is easy if you follow these steps. First, trace out your pattern on freezer paper. The lines may be a little wobbly, so correct them with a ruler. The lines for each finger need to be parallel. If they aren’t, you will have trouble turning them. Cut out your pattern, cutting off your pencil lines. Press this onto your fabric, with the palm of the hand on the bias of the fabric. Set the stitch on your machine to a very small stitch. On my machine, this is close to 1. Very small. Stitch around the freezer paper pattern, close to the edge. Your finger lines must be straight, so there are no constrictions to turning. At the base of each finger, take two stitches. Using sharp scissors that cut to the tip, trim the fingers carefully, clip into the bases of the fingers, being careful not to clip the stitches, then turn them.

I use two pieces of brass tubing to turn, the rod being slightly smaller in gauge than the tube. Haemostats work, too, if they are fine enough. Insert the larger tube into the finger and the rod on the tip of the finger. Place the rod on the seam allowance, so you don’t burst through the fabric. Brace the tube inside the finger against yourself. Hold the upper rod steady, so the two ends are against each other. Push the finger up over the rod and it will begin to turn. You may have to wet your fingers and even the fabric a little. Ease it up gently and once it is well on its way, use tweezers to pull the finger out. When you have them all turned, reach in and grab the fingers together and turn the rest of the hand.

I am in a New treasury on Etsy

For My Rosalia doll pattern

Come see
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=41318

Another interesting find -tutorial Doll faces

I found this tutorial under free things and thought it was good reading.


This tutorial is brought to you by Inez Brasch, ©2008.

FACES CAN BE CALLED ROUND, SQUARE, OBLONG OR OVAL; OVAL BEING CONSIDERED THE PERFECT SHAPE. THE WAY PEOPLE LOOK DEPENDS ON THE SKULL BENEATH THE FLESH. SKULLS DIFFER AS TO AGE, GENDER, AND RACE.

TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE, THIS LESSON CONCERNS DRAWING A REALISTIC, YOUNG, ADULT, FEMALE CAUCASIAN FACE.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SIMPLE RULES OF THUMB TO BE USED AS GUIDELINES. IN DRAWING A FACE, KEEP THE ACTUAL FACE IN MIND.

THE EYES ARE LOCATED ON A LINE HALFWAY BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE HEAD AND THE CHIN, WITH HALF THE EYE BEING ABOVE THIS LINE AND THE OTHER HALF BELOW IT.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EYES IS EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF ONE EYE.

THE HEAD IS FIVE EYE LENGTHS WIDE AT THE EYE LEVEL WHICH SHOULD BE THREE FOURTHS OF THE HEAD LENGTH..

THE EYEBROW RUNS ACROSS THE TOP OF THE EYE SOCKET FROM THE INSIDE CORNER OF THE EYE TO THE OUTER CORNER.

SOME ARTISTS SAY THAT THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE FACE SHOULD BE DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS WITH THE BASE OF THE NOSE AT THE FIRST SECTION AND THE MOUTH AT THE SECOND. THIS IS CLOSE BUT NOT EXACTLY ACCURATE.

THE BASE OF THE NOSE IS MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TIP OF THE CHIN AND THE EYEBROW.

MEASURING DOWN FROM THE BASE OF THE NOSE, THE MOUTH IS LESS THAN HALFWAY BETWEEN HERE AND THE TIP OF THE CHIN. IT’S MORE LIKE TWO FIFTHS DOWN FROM THE BASE OF THE NOSE. THE WIDTH OF THE NOSE INCLUDING THE WINGS, IS EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF ONE EYE.

KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE MOUTH CURVES, THE WIDTH OF THE MOUTH IS EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF ONE EYE TO THE CENTER OF THE OTHER. THIS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE FULLNESS OF THE LIPS GOES ALL THIS DISTANCE.

THE TOP OF THE EAR IS ON A LEVEL WITH THE EYEBROW AND THE BOTTOM OF THE EAR LEVEL WITH THE BASE OF THE NOSE.

Cute Freebie Valentine Pin I Found

This original design is brought to you by Kerry Seymour, ©2008

Supplies:
Freezer paper
fiberfil
thin batting for the fishtail/wing
hemostat for turning and stuffing
skintone cotton muslin for head/arms
2 other cotton prints for the lower body, fishtail and
wings.
A Valentine print for the heart is nice but not
necessary, also remember to reverse for fabric with
words on it.
Craft glue and hot glue
various handsewing needles/ thread
trims, beads, and hair fibers or other head
embellishment.
pins, color pencils or paints for face coloring
pinback

Quick Basic Instructions

Trace all pieces to the dull side of the freezer paper and cut out. Press the lower body to double fabric right sides together and sew around leaving the top open for stuffing. Cut from the fabric, turn RSO and stuff medium( sort of like a comfy pillow would be)to about 1/4" from the opening.

Turn the raw edge about 1/4"to the inside and then hand gather through all thicknesses. Fasten off, set body aside.

For the fishtail first lay down a layer of the batting and then the doubled fabric RST over that. Press the fishtail template to the fabric over all three layers and sew around leaving open at the straight edge. Cut from the fabric and turn RSO. Smooth the edges, turn in 1/8" along the opening and hand gather around the edge of the fishtail, do not sew opening shut. Now insert the bottom of the body section into the fishtail opening, pin to hold, pull up gathers and sew the fishtail to the body. When finished fasten off and set aside.

Wing: Lay the wing out same as the fishtail, sew all the way around. Cut the wing from the fabric and on one side of the wing cut a small slit for turning ( be careful so you don't cut through all the layers). Turn RSO, smooth all edges, sew the opening shut. With a light pencil draw in some lines if you wish ( see wing template) and sew over the draw lines through all thicknesses. Set wing aside.

Head and arms: Press the templates to the wrong side of doubled fabric and sew around each leaving open where indicated. Cut from fabric, turn RSO. Stuff the arms/hands medium soft, about the center 1" you don't even need to stuff,you want them to bend easily. Stitch opening shut. Stuff the head medium firm, turn the opening to the inside about 1/8" and gather around the head, pull up the gathers, secure and fasten off. Set aside.

Heart: Press the heart template to wrong side of doubled fabric and sew around. Cut the heart from the fabric and in one side make a slit for turning and stuffing. Again be careful to lit only the one layer. Turn RSO, stuff medium and sew the slit shut.

Assembling
Lay the chin of the head along the curve at the top of the heart, pin to hold and hand sew in place. Sew the center of the arms to the back of the heart about 1/4" from the top of the heart. Remember thumbs up! Fold the arms to the front and stitch the hands to the heart at seam lines. Sew the gathered edge of the body to the back of the heart, just at the bottom of the arms. Tack the heart to the body at the point of the heart to help secure it.
Add some trims to the tail seam and to the neck edge. Draw and paint the face and add some hair or other embellishment to her head. Sew the wings to the back having the V of the wing even with the curve of the heart. Sew a pin to the back!

Back to Work

Well we were supposed to have off today and tomorrow for work days but since we got snow days now we have to make them up so it is a regular day for me today and tomorrow but then we got a workday Friday now. I really don't want to go anyway because it is like all we are going to be able to do is sit in meetings all day long YUCK!
This school year seems to be moving in slow motion for me and of course the more I want it done the slower it moves LOL.
I am in the process of making some new dollies but my biggest venture right now is getting the workshop up and running. A few of you have already expressed an interest in it. I am thinking it should be done by May or maybe sooner. I will keep you posted.

Lil E Pad Spring Frogette

This old girl is sooo cute. Made from a pattern by Soft in the Head, this girlie is about 15 inches tall. She is made from muslin that has ben painted and stained, baked and stained some more. Her eyes are hand-painted and shaded for "effect." Her arms are made from wire wrapped with floral tape and then painted and stained. Her body is weighted on the bottom for perfect sitting. She wears a cute muslin and dragonfly dress because what is better to eat than dragonflies. The top of the neckline has vintage lace grubbed up. You know they are Lil E's favorite. In her hands she holds a yellow daisy flower so cute for the spring and beyond and now available on my website under spring dolls tab 2! Hurry there is only one available.....

Snow Day I am Off Again

So yesterday I was off from work because this happened! Yep snow. In the 6 years I have lived in NC this is the most snow we have gotten ever. We had a fun day making snowmen and playing outside. My kids have never seen snow. Today we are off again due to the melting of the snow turning to black ice now ACK!

Just got done with these ETSY SHOPPE

Here are two cuties I just added to Etsy. Each one is $27.95 each.
Valentine Sweetheart Door Greeter is roughly 25 inches tall. She has a hand-painted face with hand-embroidered nose. Her legs and arms are wire with many buttons attached to them. On her chest is a heart made out with buttons hand-sewn one at a time. Around her neck is a grubby cheesecloth scarf. her wings are made from a pink and white very old quilt. She has a hanger on the back. Pattern by Hickety Pickety.....

These would be so great for the holidays :)

Snow Day?

So it rained and turned to sleet overnight and I am waiting to see if I got to go to work. Hubby is off today as well as the kids. I have a 2 hour delay so far so I hope that changes.
I need to work on orders :)

Tonight on ebay my lot of 25 vintage hankies ends so be sure to check that out.

I got done the sweetest doll for Valentines day last night. I want to finish the other one so i can picture them as a set. They will run $28.95 each. They are so cute. I will have pics up here later today if I do not go to work. If I go, will be tonight sometime when I get them on.

Oh and I got an award from Crooked Needle Primitives- Jen :) I will post that later today or tonight too :)

New arrival

This farmhouse topsy- turvy dollie is just awesome. made from a pattern by Primfolks by Judy, they are a great addition to any prim home. They are made from muslin, rag stuffed and grubbed up. One is black and the other white. I used vintage fabrics on them so if you like these colors, this is the only one I have. One side is a vintage white with blue florals. The other is dark blue vintage with white dots. I mixed and matched bonnets and aprons. Both have a grubby tag which states 1898 on them.

$27.95 + Travelin Fare