You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2008.
I spent some time creating felty brooches with novelty fabric. The first batch uses golf theme fabric. I placed the fabric pieces on top of pink felt and then lime felt to complete the look. I love the images on this fabric and think they made really cute brooches.
The Dick and Jane brooches were created with a Dick and Jane theme fabric. I put the images on blue felt and then on top of pink felt. The words on the brooches are from the Dick and Jane book that I used to make the bracelet charms. I used Alene’s craft glue to affix the words.
My quilt top is getting some use as a background for my pics. The colors on it are really happy colors and make me smile.
They are saying on the news that 6 confirmed tornadoes and possibly a 7th touched down on Monday in Virginia. The pictures of the devastation are overwhelming. They have also said there were no fatalities. That is remarkable! Suffolk was the most badly hit and they have indicated it was a category 3 tornado. You can see more pics here.
If you are inclined you can donate to your local Red Cross. You can earmark your donation Virginia Tornadoes. Or better yet, make a donation to your local Red Cross so that they can help others when disaster hits them.
Now please go and hug those that you love! Hold them a bit longer and tighter!
I forgot to show you the birthday present I got for myself. I went to the Goodwill on my birthday on the way home in the evening. I found this awesome handmade piece. It was created in 1979 and had a vintage frame, too. I got it for $4.25. The stitching is meticulous and the colors are still vibrant. I love it.
I appreciate good needlepoint as I know the time and attention involved in the piece. Also, I like when the person that created the treasure signs and dates it. That makes me treasure it more. It also gives me a bit of history.
Inspired by my new picture I decided to use some wee dominos and a vintage Dick and Jane storybook to create charm bracelet charms.
I used a 9mm sterling jump ring to finish the charms. I love the images from this book as they look truly vintage. 
The dominos I used are a bit smaller than a quarter and the perfect size for a bracelet charm. Crafting with a bit of vintage newness.
We had 3 tornadoes hit the state yesterday. Suffolk was the hardest hit are with over 200 people hurt and one fatality. Colonial Heights the scene of another is about 15 minutes south of Chester. They had to close interstate 95 for a bit as the debris was on the highway. They said there were industrial AC units and beams from the store roofs. You can see the footage of the damage here.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and to everyone affected by the tornadoes. One of the people who was in the thick of it in Colonial Heights said that she was thankful that she only lost all the windows in her vehicle. She said things can be replaced, but not people so she was very thankful.
I mentioned that I had to go to the DMV to renew my driver’s license on Saturday and then was headed to the Bizarre Market. First, there was the horror that is the DMV. Can someone help me figure out their numbering system? It involves letters and numbers. At first I thought that the letters meant what you were there for, but then as I started watching the people, I realized that was not the case. I think it is something to throw you off on how long you are waiting. I will end my DMV comments by telling you that in all the pictures that I have had on my driver’s license in my life this is, BY FAR, the most horrendous. I am not sure what was going on that day, but in my picture it appears I have hives on my face. So I look very blotchy. As any of my friends can attest I am not blotchy at all. In fact I have very good skin. So surely it was a little parting gift from the DMV.
Now on to happier things. After I left the DMV I spied a sign for an estate sale. It was on my way to the market and I had some extra time, so I thought I would check it out. At the sale I spied a box of old quilts and blankets marked all for $1.00. I didn’t want all of them, but I did want this quilt top. It is a crazy quilt embroidered throughout. I gladly gave the lady in charge $1.00 for it and let her keep the rest of the box. The sale had been going on for 3 hours by the time I got there, so thank you to all the others that didn’t dig through the box before me. Now, I need to locate someone to quilt and bind it for me. I bought a 1950 tourist guide book of NY city and a vintage brooch each for 25 cents. I believe the brooch might be a gold one and am in the process of cleaning off the years of crud to check for the markings.
Next I was on to the Bizarre Market. It truly lived up to its name. There were a lot of indie crafters there as well as some students unloading their stuff for cash. I did find a few treasures there.
I found 3 sets of music flash cards from 1949-1954. They have some great images on them and will be great to create with.
I found this wrap around skirt that is reversible. I will use it for the fabric.
I bought this bicycle necklace from Shrink This who had a booth there. Also, I found this ceramic pendant on a leather cord. The discs are bowl shaped and it feels good on the skin.
Saturday was a very good day!
Market, that is! First I have to make a stop at the DMV to get my license renewed. I have to bring my birth certificate to get it renewed. Thankfully, I have my birth certificate.
I have not been to the Bizarre Market, but I have heard some good press about it.
On Saturday, April 26th from Noon through 4, Chop Suey Books will host the annual Spring Bizarre Market, Richmond’s most eclectic arts & crafts & oddities sale. The Bizarre Market fills up Randolph Street with an average of 25-40 vendors who sell everything from paintings, knit clothing, retro clothing, prints, jewelry, photographs, haircuts, new shoes, bottles of water, and household goods. This particular market will focus on all of these items, but we are encouraging all Spring Cleaners to bring out yard sale and household products.
It is always free for vendors to set up, and we welcome anyone with legal items to sell. We do ask that each vendor donates 10% of the day’s sales to our selected non-profit, Books On Wheels. In return, BOW will be present with the bus, fixing bikes and giving away books.
If you go, I will see you there!
Every farm has a cat and most farms have lots of cats. We had a few cats: Maxwell, Caesar, Miranda, and a Calico or 2 in the barn. 
Cats, in case you don’t know, like to show their masters their conquests. Thus how I ended up trying to make a chipmunk into a pet.
Miranda caught it and brought it into the house. She decided that the deed must be done inside so we could watch. She let the chipmunk go and he scurried away. She caught up with him quickly. We were right behind her to try to keep her from killing it. When we finally caught up the chipmunk had some teeth marks on it, but seemed in reasonably great shape considering the alternative!
We decided that we must nurse it back to health. We placed it in a box in the barn with some chicken wire over the top. We would go out and feed it some lettuce and use an eye dropper to give it some water. It was a couple of weeks before I decided he was well enough for me to “cuddle with the ‘munk”.
I was in mid-pet of its shiny coat when it bit down on my finger. It was the most painful thing I had experienced in my young life. I remember flinging my hand several times before it finally let go. I looked kind of like all those America’s Funniest Home Videos where the man gets a crab that latches on. In slow motion I could see my mouth moving, my hand flailing and my lips uttering words that I am certain a young girl shouldn’t know. It flew to who knows where as we never saw that chipmunk again. My brothers stood there laughing at me.
I went inside and cleaned my wound and put on a bandage. I didn’t think about the possibility of rabies or disease. My finger hurt and I wanted to forget all about it. Once again, I must mention that children must have special angels to protect them from their stupidity.
I did learn that animals are wild for a reason and never felt the urge to pick up a wild animal EVER again. When the thought crosses my mind my finger starts throbbing! The thought passes very quickly.
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If you are in the Richmond area, my friend, James Torres’ show is tonight at Art Works. Please stop by and support a very talented artist and a great guy, too!
It was today back in 1963
That little Cindy Ann came to be.
I was ushered forth
A bit to the north (Ft. Meade, MD).
The story goes that Mom had no idea she was in labor
The doctor wouldn’t let her call my Father
He found out he had a daughter
Well after I was born.
I am sure he was thrilled,
But by the 6th you are a bit tired!
Yes, if you do the math, I would be 45 today! It seems like only yesterday that I was a kid. And can you find the truck that hit me oh…about 40! Seriously, I have loved every minute of the ride.
No let’s move on to a couple of flower/garden themed Dottee Dolls for a 1:1 swap. I used sculpey to make the faces and my inks to color them.
Now, I am off to have a huge piece of cake with a lot of icing! Can someone buy me some large elastic pants for my birthday present??
I participated in Craft Sanity’s postcard swap. 
I showed the card I created here. This is the postcard and some extra goodies I received from my partner, Elizabeth. I love the crocheted C on the postcard. So cute. I also like the other crocheted goodies and believe they will make a great brooch when I am finished with it.
I also purchased this charm bracelet from Blair Peter on Etsy. It is so pretty and I like the flowery swatches. You can see a better picture of it here on Blair’s blog. I love it and it is so light to wear, too.
I also made some glycerin soap over the weekend. It is mandarin orange and pear. It was really easy to make with the melt/pour glycerin. I used a chicken stock container for the mold and then cut it into individual bars. I have about 4 of each.
Hope your week is going well!
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me, oh
If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it
Hey, ’cause I believe in me, oh
If I can see it, then I can be it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it
Hey, if I just spread my wings
I can fly
If I just spread my wings
I can fly
I am a member of a Flickr group of altered domino crafters. They held a domino doll swap. My partner Takeabreak loves birds. I created this birdy boy for her. The torso is a domino I covered in scrapbook paper, the face is a vintage picture adhered to a scrabble tile. His legs are beads and his feet are eggs. He trying to fly out of his nest.
Wow, the weekend flew by! I had so much fun at the Fool for Arts on Saturday. It was an awesome outdoor event with lots of artisans and some really cool stuff. I bought myself a few trinkets (you knew I WOULD).
Sunday brought the Craft Mafia’s Spring Bada Bing. Yes, I met Betz. She is exactly the same in person that she has always seemed to be on her blog. She was gracious enough to sign my copy of her book, Warm Fuzzies. We also shared stories of bags and bags of felted wool. She had her cupcakes and cup o’ joes, too.
The other picture is my haul from the Bada Bing. I bracelet and some felty brooches. The small in the top and kind of in the middle is a felty pendant. It is amazing to me what creative people can create with an idea and some materials. There were a few vendors that carried felty brooches, but they were all a bit different.
It has been pouring rain all day today. They say we already have over 2″ and expect another 3-6″ before the end of the day Monday. Maybe I should be pricing a small rowboat!
Hope your weekend was great, too!
Cindy Is Crafty...and she makes things, too! 