Coming out of the fog

I drove across the state last week to beautiful Enterprise, Oregon. When I came back, I got a terrible case of vertigo. I am starting to come out of the fog now, but I still feel pretty light headed most of the time now.

Since I have been staying pretty still, I have been working in my studio a lot. I have produced 90 stilettos, 20 pairs of beaded earrings, and enough charms to make 100 beaded cell phone/scissor identifiers.

Working on photos now & should have my Etsy shop updated soon.

DIY Light Reflector

I needed a light reflector to help brighten up my photos for my shop.  I didn’t want to pay a fortune for a professional one, so I made my own.  I think it cost about 45 cents.

I started with an old paper box lid that I rescued from the recycle bin at one point (the kids had played with this one at one time and it has the crayon to show for it).

Hot glued tin foil shiny side out to the inside of the box overlapping a bit.

Then I added some to the back of the box dull side out.

5 minutes, an old box lid, a hot glue gun, and some tinfoil later…

I was all set to get this shot…

Beautiful Vintage to Modern Cake Plates

I love the cake plates I have been seeing lately, and I decided to join in. I often host bake sales at my office for various charitable events, and I can’t wait to use these at the next one. You might even be able to find candy in one at my next craft booth.

First up was a stop to my local Teen Challenge Thrift Store.  I found two nicely shaped vases that felt like they would hold up to some weight being applied to the neck of them.  Some I found were beautiful, but I felt like the glass was too thin to hold up to the platter on top and the weight of the food.

Give them a good cleaning and let dry completely.

Next up:  A bowl for the smaller vase and a pottery pie plate for the larger vase got the same cleaning treatment.

Flip all your items over and apply a liberal amount of E6000 glue.  (This glue is not food safe, but it does a great job of sticking this together.   I was not concerned since the glue is no where near where my food will be and I only ever hand wash items like this.  If you are concerned, you should choose another glue.)

Smear the glue evenly across the surfaces.

Wipe the glue off your spreader and wait two minutes.

Place the glued surfaces together and then let sit for 24 to 72 hours to cure.

Enjoy using!

Lace Rose Tutuorial

Make a beautiful rose to use as a centerpiece, for a hair clip, or for a table marker.

Begin wrapping the lace tightly around your stiletto.  If you don’t have a stiletto yet, they are available from my shop.

Continue wrapping the lace around, but start to wrap it  a little looser keeping the bottom aligned.

Place on a flat surface and continue wrapping the lace around.

Tuck the end of your lace in on itself hiding the raw edge.  Flip the rose over and sew the layers together or hot glue to hold it. (I think my glue was old and that’s why it yellowed). Use your stiletto to adjust the lace placement without burning your fingers.

Attach your rose to a hair clip, display in a pretty dessert cup as a centerpiece, or use as a holder for place settings.  Also adorable added to a headband or on curtain tie backs.

SALE

On Sale In honor of Memorial Day, thru June 1st…. use the code LACYS25 to take 25% off everything in my Etsy shop.

I just finished posting some new items to enjoy the savings on.

Small things

I added a new item to the small things list.  I was tired of finding needles in the bottom of my purse with my fingers(ouch), so I added a needle holder to my list.  It’s pretty basic, but it does the job.

 

 

No pictures yet, but I finished the embroidery on the table runner for my dad.  You can see it partially done above.  Next update I will have pics.

 

The binding is attached to the front of the disappearing 9 patch table runner, and I am working on attaching it to the back.

I have spent a lot of time working on my Etsy shop that I didn’t plan on spending at the beginning of the month.  Hopefully I will make some good progress on Friday.  I have a day off & my kids are in school.

Winner

And the winner is Mary on Lake Pulaski who prefers the blue flat stiletto. Please send me your address so I can mail you a stiletto.

 

Stilettos

Etsy Online Workshop

I really enjoyed the online discussion tonight about pricing and value. I find I tend to undervalue my time and my efforts. Sometimes I have a hard time realizing that what I find relaxing, others find disgusting. Your thoughts? How do you work out value on your products?

Remember the giveaway is still open til Friday. Comment on this post to enter.

Mother’s Day Wishes

Hope you all have a great Mother’s Day. I am spending time today with my Mom and my girls.

A while back, Mom & I went to DC together. Here’s a picture I took of her at the Library of Congress. We have such a great time together. I am lucky to have such a great mom!

Celebration Giveaway

Today is my birthday, tomorrow is Mother’s Day, I just opened my shop, and I just passed 200 posts. It feels like a good day to celebrate. Head over to my shop and take a look around. Come back and let me know which stiletto you like the best.  I will hand craft you a stiletto similar to the ones available in the shop.  Drawing will be Friday, May 18th after 5:00 PT.

One entry: Comment letting me know which you like best
Second entry: Blog/Facebook/Etc about the giveaway