Trying something new!

I'm opening an eCRATER store! I've gotten fed up with eBay's higher fees that are coming down the pipes as well as they are now telling sellers that they can't accept checks or money orders from their customers.....what a load of Cr*p!!

So, while I'll still have the eBay store for a while, I'm trying to transition myself and my customers to eCRATER.

You can find me by going to http://www.ecrater.com/ and then typing Skip To My Ewe in their search engine. I've bought a few things from other sellers there and their check-out process is pretty user friendly....you don't have to register or anything like that.....SWEET!

So here are a few items that I've been able to load on today.


I hope to add more as the day progresses.

I've also been re-organizing and adding to the stash of wools at Simply Fibers.

Here are a few pictures from our hooking group that met on Wednesday night.

Joan has finished her "Pine Lodge Signs" ....all except the border....amazing....this is a huge rug!

Kelly was busy hooking a pumpkin into wool to make a pillow.....she got it finished while she was hooking with our group and I'm betting she has it completely sewn together and stuffed by now. Kelly is a super-fast hooker!

Want some of that super wonderful old looking orange she is using in the pumpkin? Click on the picture of it to see if there is any left in the eBay store. Marsha has finished hooking her pattern from one of the Needl'e Love books and is now working on attaching the binding....I just love the colors she used in this! Jill was busy hooking away on her "Santa and Friends" rug....she'll definitely have that done in time for the holidays! Debbie was finishing up her background on her "Peace and Plenty" rug from Spruce Ridge Studios. I love her background color...it's called Paper Bag and I have that color in my eCRATER store....click on the picture if you need some. I love the way it looks so OLD!Vicki is the newest member of our group and she was working on Renee's "Circle Purse"....fun colors on this one! Click on the picture to go to that pattern in our eBay store.

I've also been re-organizing my own stash of wool at home....it's been in such disarray, but I'm making a little headway. I got some new wire shelving to see how that works out.

And here are just a couple of random photos......

A beautiful monarch butterful on some joe pie weed at the xeriscape garden.Lonnie snuggled up on my lap during the Olympics last night....my entire right leg was totally asleep when I got up from there. On the ground are two of his favorite toys....a cabbage patch dolls that he completely undresses no matter how many time you put it's clothes back on and a little reindeer toy.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Color inspirations

I just received an e-mail from Anthropologie and saw this dress and thought, "wow, that would make a great color scheme for a rug". Or how about bright colors on a dark background like this:And here is one of my all-time favorite color schemes....red, brown and green

The good life

I've been on vacation this week and OMG it's been so totally wonderful!

Kenny has been off too so we've got to run around and just goof off this week. Monday we went down to Branson and had lunch (we had a great appetizer that was a shrimp-avacado cocktail with lime...you eat it with chips....despite the mongo martini glass it comes in)and did a little shopping. We ate lunch outside and got to sit by the fountains....what is it about the sound of water that is so relaxing? Every hour the fountains go off to music. Here's a little video clip that I took to share with you....no, we weren't close enough to get wet.

Here is a picture of the scenery on the way home. It's really pretty...all of the rolling hills. I guess since I've pretty much always lived around here I just take this for granted, but I know I really enjoy seeing pictures of other parts of the country where people live. So now you know what my "neck of the woods" looks like.

Oh yeah, lots of hooking going on while watching the Olympics. I've finished this....

It was supposed to be made for the Fiber Fair, but then I didn't get to go, so it got put on the back burner. Now that it's finished and I don't do stuff with "wool yarn", it is up at Simply Fibers....I'm hoping Carol will hang it by the "wool yarn". It was a fun pattern to hook and you can also get the same design that says "wool rugs" from Breezy Ridge Rugs.

I've also finished the Beehive Purse from Nola that I started back HERE.

Okay, I still have to put the magnetic snap closure in, but basically it's finished! YAY! Do you think the pink chenille balls are too much? (not you Patti...I know what you think! :) ) Hey, it's a girly purse!

I've also picked this project back up that I started back here.

Okay, I don't want it to have 1998 there and I'm going to be making this to sell on ebay, so any ideas? 2008, PEACE, LOVE, BLISS, SIMPLIFY...any ideas anyone?

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Small video of the kids

Does my life revolve around the dogs? Yes, pretty much.

Saturday we went to another section of the nature trail. This part of the nature trail is close to the highway.....actually the highway runs over it, but it's still beautiful and look how clear the water is.

This makes it nice, because we don't have to carry the collapsible water bowl and water for the dogs when they walk here.

Also, look how GREEN everything is.....it's been unseasonably cool and rainy....usually things are all dried up and brown by this time in August.

On the way back to the car there are a few drainage holes (I guess that is what you call them). Cleopatra always thinks she is going to find something!

Stay tuned.....I've been hooking!

Heads up!

Joy at The Hope Jar has some vintage drawers in her shop that would be awesome for storing your Cushing dyes......last I read she had 3 left....RUN!!!

Click on the picture to go to her store!

I'm a morning person

I think I've always been a morning person. I think I should probably clarify that.....I'm a good morning person when I'm up by myself and I can enjoy the quiet and ease into my day.

I'm not one of those "Chatty Cathy's" who bounds out of bed and starts yapping at everyone....in fact...that really annoys me. However, when I can get up in the morning and make some coffee and ease into my day I love it.

One of the things I like about the morning is all of the play of shadows of light....it reminds me of the movies....everything is a little softer and prettier with shadows.

I like how certain parts of the garden are in shadows while other parts are bathed in such bright light.....I wish I were as good at capturing it on film.

I love the peaceful-ness, the birds chirping and then a little background noise of someone who is already up and cutting their grass.The dew on the flowers and leaves.
May you have a day filled with much sunlight and just enough shadows to let you know the difference.

Tammy

Earthy Goodness

9 yards of Earthy Goodness!

We had a nice cool day inthe 70's today....a great day to dye up some earthy colors for the store! I didn't realize how low on browns we were. And of course, with fall coming on, need to dye more pumpkin colors as well. I hope to have these at Simply Fibers later this week....most likely on Wednesday.

Banana tree progress

Here are more photos of the banana tree. We're thinking those little yellow/green pods are going to be the bananas. Actually they are plantains...the kind of bananas that you fry....I've never had those before, so I hope the first time I get to try them it's from my own backyard!!

How sweet it is

I always love these kinds of feel-good stories!

I'm trying

to eat better for the animals. I gave up animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish)on my 21 day cleanse. It wasn't quite as hard as I thought it was going to be and now after lots of reading and contemplation I've decided to give up meat unless it is raised on a farm where it can lead a humane life.

This means not eating meat when I eat out and most likely paying a higher price for farm raised meats, but I think it's the right thing to do.

We, as Americans, just throw our heads back and open up our mouths like baby birds and let others feed us without knowing what we are really eating and how it gets to our table......I'm so guilty of that, but now that I'm more aware I'm going to try and honor the animals.

They (animals on factory farms) are so overlooked and factory farms are BAD for the animals and us. I can't KNOW about this and NOT share it and NOT try to do something in my own small way.

Factory farm meat and eggs are the meat and eggs you buy at your local grocery chain and mainly the meat and eggs used in chain restaurants....I know this is hard to watch and hard to hear, but it's part of becoming aware.

Montego Bay or Missouri

Can you believe this?!!!

I actually saw Kenny's eyes light up like a little boy when he saw this yesterday!

Yes, his banana trees that he's been planting at the beginning of the season and then digging up to overwinter at the end of the season for the past 4-5 years have a big pod hanging from one of them......

we might actually have bananas!!!

You can expect daily pictures of the progress! Amazing!

One way to cool off on a hot day

I got home from work yesterday to find Kenny and Lonnie cooling off in the pool. Cleopatra had already been in, but it sounds like she wants to get back in....can you say jealous?

Here are a few pics of them in the pool together.

Heat Wave

It's only 8:30 am and it's already 81 degrees outside.
Can you say HEAT WAVE! Actually Marilyn does it the best!

We're supposed to have heat indexes of 105-110 now through Monday.....no wool dyeing for this girl....think I'll stay inside in the a/c or take dips in the pool this weekend.

How are you staying cool this summer?

Absent

I feel like I've been really disconnected from my computer lately.....is that a good thing?

Okay, it's kind of a miraculous thing for me.....I LOVE the internet!

Have been spending more time walking the dogs on the nature trail with Kenny.

....baking and cooking in the new kitchen. Last night I made a blueberry pie.....it was YUM-0...the first thing I've had with sugar in 3 weeks!

Hooking.....yes, I actually got to sit down and hook the other night when our group demo'd rug hooking at the fair. It was sooooo relaxing!!!

I also bought some green leather for a little watermelon clutch that I've hooked and managed to figure out how to finish and put in a lining.I've also started sewing together the beehive purse that I've hooked.

Hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to share in the next few days.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy