Halloween items on eBay!

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be posting a tutorial on how to make the little coiled wool pumpkin pins, but life here has been a little crazy......dyeing wool, working on a few home remodeling projects....well....Kenny is really working on those and we've been shopping a lot trying to decide just what we want to do with our upcoming kitchen remodeling project.

So in the meantime, I'm here at work and perusing eBay to see what kind of cool things are available for Halloween......yes, it will be here before you know it.

So far here is what I've found.....this darling hooked rug (please click on pictures to go directly to the items pictured) by one of the gals in the PRHG (Primitive Rug Hookers Group) that I'm a part of on Ebay. This crazy vulture doll....how outside the box is that?

This paper bag album.....I love these and I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who makes these for me when I need them.......(I know Cheryl....I really need to print out my Vegas pictures so you can work on the Vegas scrapbook for me!)

This is some of the wool I dyed this past weekend from the "Historic Colors" dye book by Sharon Townsend. This color is called Clementine.....yummy and oh so Halloweeny!!!

Next, a book that I have....love it!!! My friend Patti has it for auction....way creative book!

Lastly, this one just makes me SMILE!!!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Jeepers Creepers!

I just love the saying on this print from The Dreamy Giraffe.

"Happily ever afters almost always have humble beginnings"

It reminds me to work from my heart. Sometimes the things that are the most fun for us to create happen when we are just putzing around...playing....being serendipitous...working with bits of old, bits of new, mixing the familiar with the strangely off-beat.

That's how I came up with this.

An eyeglasses case.

It's my first adventure into mixing altered art with rug hooking.

*~*Bits of old.....wool worms from old projects.*~*

{*}Bits of new....fabric transfer from Teriko.{*}

~~Familiar....rug hooking~~

+*+StRaNgLeY oFfBeAt...incorporating them into one project+*+

I love the picture of the dolls eyes....it's a reminder to me to try and look at things with the eyes of a child.

!Be full of wonderment!

!Don't hide your joy!

!LOOK!

I had to start wearing reading glasses this past year.....to me it's a constant reminder that I don't see as well as I used to (or as the optometrist said "you're just getting older"). It's an inconvenience that really annoys me, but I'm trying to put a positive spin on it....YAY...another accessory!

As my husband says....just think of how many things you could accomplish if so much of your brain space wasn't taken up by accessorizing!!!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Tag....You're it!

I've been tagged by Betty at Primitive Betty's to play this middle name game.

To play the game...... you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is Lanet.....I actually like my middle name better than my first name!
Perhaps that's because since I was in kindergarten there was always another Tammy in my class. In x-ray school, I was one of 3 Tammy's in my class and 1 of eight in the radiology department.
I even had a room mate named Tammy....now THAT got confusing when the phone rang!!
Here goes...



L-LEARNER-I love to learn new things....crafts, techniques, new words, etc.



A-ADORING- I adore my husband and dogs...they are simply the best!



N-NICE....maybe sounds kind of boring, but I think I'm nice



E-EXPERIMENTAL- I like to try new things...but it takes something special to hold my interest



T-TIRELESS-the busier I am, the happier I am.....maybe that's why I'm writing this at 1 in the morning :)

Now it looks like I need to tag 5 more folks to play.....
hmmmmm......
let's see........
who should it be.......
how about.......
Meg at The Magpie Nest
Cat at She's Sew Slye

Cindy at Wills Art
Toni at Rabbit Hill Creations
Jacque at The Doodles of My Mind

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

The Perfect Day

What do you get when you add one truck full of junk......

....to one SUV full of junk?

Two gals having the time of their lives at the.....

Yes, today was the big "junk market" sale down in Galloway Village at "Wild at Heart". Our spot was under a huge shade tree and the weather could not have been more perfect!!! Here's a little photo of our setup!Okay, truth be told there weren't all that many shoppers....I guess being "Labor Day Weekend" didn't help things, but none the less we got to sit outside all day...sell a few things and HOOK!!!! It wasn't hot, it wasn't cold...it was JUST RIGHT!

Not even any bugs! Unless you count these little white caterpillars that kept coming out of nowhere.

I swear I haven't had that much uninterrupted hooking time in I don't know when!!! Good for the soul!

Here are a few pictures of some of the things from the other sellers....just too much fun! I love how creative some sellers are with their displays...there truly is an art to that!

I didn't get any pictures from inside "Wild at Heart" ....just the outside. They have soooo many wonderful treasures in that place. Just ask Dulcy and Katie who stopped by to do a little shopping!!

Then to top it off Patti came over with her two little dogs, Belle (black and white) and Lily (blonde) for a play date with Cleopatra and Truvy while we had supper.
Yes, it really was a perfect day!

Tammy

It's looking like fall!!!

Today it was actually nice and cool when I got off work......okay...it was 76 degrees....much cooler than the 90 and 100+ days we've been having. Thank goodness, because I really hate hot weather!!!Above is a little coiled wool pumpkin pin that I will be teaching at a "make and take" class at Simply Fibers on September 8th. Wool coiling and needle felting...a couple of new techniques to use with wool! It doesn't have one bit of glue other than the E6000 that I used to attach the pin to the back of the pumpkin.
Also finished is the hooked scissor keeper. This was going to be for a beginning rug hooking class, but I got a little carried away with all the finishing techniques, so I need to rethink this as a beginner class. When I put my classes on the schedule I had not made any of them.....well, that's one way to go forth and be creative....force yourself....sign up for something and MAKE yourself do it!!!It has hooking, whipping, blanket stitching and ladder stitching....maybe a little overwhelming for a beginner. This will be going on eBay for the Primitive Rug Hookers Group auction starting Saturday night. Look for it and other items by our group under PRHG on eBay.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Wow! Look at this!

This is a cactus that has been sitting on the bench of our back patio this summer. It started putting on these big pods, so we've been anxiously waiting to see what happens......

.....looks like a gigantic hairy starfish!!!!! Just too cool!!!!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Busy, busy, busy......

......aren't we all?!

I just can't believe it's the end of August!!!

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!

Hope you're having fun up in north Missouri and hope it's cooler there than here!

Lots going on lately!!! Still trying to finish up the little scissor keeper for my class. The one I started, I think, is going to be a little too difficult for a beginner to put together so it will probably go on eBay or Etsy and I'm going to start working up one with a little more simple finishing technique for my class sample. Hope to have a picture of the finished project later tonight.



Hope to take a picture in between tagging items for the "junk market" sale that Patti and I are doing on Saturday.....right now the weather is supposed to be sunny and not too hot so let's keep our fingers crossed!!!

It's always exciting to me to purge things that I am tired of and it's fun to see someone with that excited look on their face when they have found a treasure! Kind of a neat cycle if you ask me.....truly one woman's "tired stuff" is another woman's "treasure". I think getting rid of things opens up spaces in our lives for new things or experiences to come into them.

I'm getting rid of my chippy painted cupboards that were holding my wool. An old floor lamp. Lots of knick-knacks.....hoping it will be a good day!!! I just dread having to load and unload the truck!!! Hopefully when we unload it at the junk market we won't have much to re-load to take back home.

Wish us luck!!!

Tammy

A few items added to Etsy

Just a few things that I've made and added to my Etsy store.

I just love this Flirty Snowgirl pillow.....one of my first forays into altered hooking. She's been hooked, prodded, needle felted, glittered and buttoned. As my friend Carol said, "if you could be a snowman....this would be you!"

I decided to put her on Etsy to give myself room for new creations.

Also, I finally sat down and made one of the coiled wool trivets that I showed you back here. Really a fun way to use up left-over wool strips!

Also on Etsy for just $19.00

I've also made some pumpkin pins using this coiling technique along with some needle felting. I'll try to get pictures of those on here tomorrow as well as the scissor keeper that was inspired by one of the hookers in our group, Katie. This is the scissor keeper she made for Dulcy that started it all!

In the near future I'm hoping to start a Flickr album that the readers here can contribute to.....an album dedicated to altered hooking.....I'll give you more details as this comes along.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Summer is beginning to fade

I am starting to feel summer nod his head to fall.

The flowers are tired from all of the summer heat and I think everyone is ready for things to cool off.

They haven't here....cooled off that is....but I am sure ready for it!

Here are a few pictures from the garden....I really had to search to find things that weren't tired and wilted, but there are a few flowers who are happy despite the heat.

The morning glories are taking shelter and making friends with the bamboo plants. The zinnias in the side yard are still rocking along.

On the rug hooking front:

Yesterday we had a good long rain and it gave me a chance to dye up some beautiful skies for Valerie and Ter'e.

This is Ter'e's BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES SKY

....and here are some skies I dyed for Valerie....

Then, just for fun, I dyed up a few more sky wools which will be appearing in my eBay and Etsy stores within the next few days.

Tonight I get to go over to Renee's house for her monthly hooking group and if I can rememer to take my camera I'll bring back some pictures for you!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

I must admit....

I love the look of "altered art"!

Things like this handbag from IVANandLUCY or this collage from Thompson DesignsBut when you are a hooker how do you get this to translate into a different media? Actually I've wondered about this for a few years now....yes, a few years!!!

That is until today. Today I had a new customer at Etsy.....Cindy Wills of WillsArt. Of course anytime I have a new customer I like to peek around and see what they are doing. Take a look for yourself on her blog.

This is her piece that let me know that altered art and hooking CAN coincide!!!

I'm so excited by these new possibilities that I've gone and ordered some fabric transfers from

Teriko.

And more from Menta!

Now I'm looking for some fabric transfers of eyes......if you know of any please drop me a line....my mind is spinning with possibilities.

Go forth and be creative,
Tammy

Beautiful wools for fall!

I'm going to participate in some shameless self promotion today and also ask you to take the poll here on my blog.

If you are looking for some inspiring fall colors take a look at these.

Autumn in Sedona available on eBay

Amber Waves of Grain available on Etsy

Chocolate Caramel available on Etsy
Tillin Up the Field available on Etsy

....and while we're mentioning Etsy....I hope you'll take a poll here on my blog answering whether or not you've bought or sold on Etsy. My Etsy store doesn't seem to be NEAR as busy as the eBay store. Of course I realize that eBay is HUGE-MONGOUS and has tons more traffic.

Just curious.

Hope to be back this afternoon!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Refreshed!

Isn't it amazing what 3 long naps from Friday-Sunday will do for you?

I'm feeling soooo refreshed! Feel like I'm getting my mojo back!!! I think my internal clock was just soo0 messed up from the Vegas trip.

I've listed lots of back issues from Rug Hooking Magazine and Wool Street Journal in my eBay store. As well as some color tools.

See them here.

I'm happy to say that I've finally finished hooking Maria's "Lazy Sheep" rug. Now I just need to do the binding. I think I will bind him in a really dark color...that way maybe it will pull that dark color that I outlined his face with to the outside of the rug. I've already re-hooked his face about 3 times!!!

For some reason it's easier for me to hook a pattern with more detail than a pattern that is simple. What's up with that? I guess I crave detail, but I so admire people who can work with a limited color palette and make things look beautifully simple.

Therefore, I'm working on another "simple" pattern to try and hone my skills a bit more in that area.

I've started on this "Welcome Flowers" rug from Brenis at Hey Diddle Woolies.

I'm trying out some soft Autumn colors in this one.

Now I'm trying to decide on a pattern to use this wool in......I just love it! Any ideas?

find this wool here

I'm also working on some pumpkin pins....hope to have pictures for you in a few days.

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy