Thursday, June 28, 2012

Sale in my Etsy Shop


SALE!  Come Celebrate my 2-year Etsy Anniversary


My Etsy Shop, Cathys Crazy by Design, is turning 2 this week!  To celebrate, I am offering a 15% discount off of every single item in my shop.  Just make your selections and when you check out, type in the coupon code HAPPY2 to receive your 15% off. 

And thanks to Etsy`s continual upgrades, I can now accept credit cards (or debit cards) in addition to Paypal!  I think it has helped make things easier for everyone!
  
Here are some of our fun offerings for you:

Golden-dyed heirloom-look Venice Laces


Colorwashed Pastel Venice Laces



Fabric Packs or Theme Packs
  

Miscellaneous Laces and Trim


Vintage Sewing Patterns



Plus handmade items, a clearance section (yes, you get 15% off these, too) and more!   Check back often, because I add new things all the time! And I have plenty that is coming in the next several days.   I hope you will come visit!

**** This Anniversary Sale will run  through Wednesday, July 4 ******

Thanks and hugs,

Cathy maroon

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Garden Art - Nature’s and Mine

I want to show you some fun craftiness I had a couple of weeks ago.

After checking out some delightful garden art on Etsy and Pinterest, Bruce and I made a trip to the thrift store (well, a couple thrift stores actually, but who’s counting?) and purchased some fun glassware.   Then Bruce went to the hardware store and got the necessary things, and the next day I put these together.

Instant Birdbath (click to embiggen; I got my blog restored to the old picture viewing format).


The birdbath is three pieces; a large glass flower vase turned upside down, a ceramic vase with flowers, and a large glass platter.  I use waterproof silicone that comes in a tube, and apply it like hot glue with a caulking gun.  Let it cure for several hours (although it feels pretty sturdy within an hour), and voila!


Then I decided to make “flowers”.  This is just four pieces stacked and glued as described above. The large outer plate is a floral ceramic, but you could use colored glass. I think the wavy edges look better than the plain edges. The next layer in this case was a clear glass dish - again, just the cheapies from the thrift store.  The next layer is a frosted and fluted candle holder and inside that is a green shot glass.


Below is the “bird bath” in the backyard, which is slightly smaller and doesn’t impress me as much as my other one in the front.  :-)


This is the other “flower” I did; three plates of varying sizes,  and the center was a candle holder thingy that had beads wired on from its previous life. 


You can see it a bit better here.  These are all waterproof, but I do plan to bring them inside in the fall.


Here’s a picture of the attaching arrangement on the back. I glued a piece of PVC pipe on the back of the plate. It was plain on one end and had a threaded female area on the other. Into that I screwed a corner (elbow), and then a longer piece of PVC as a stake.  Inside the stake is a piece of rebar that we pounded into the ground to the desired height, then we just slipped this contraption and plate over it.  Soooo simple!


And speaking of Garden Art, Boomer’s favorite place in the backyard is here, next to his Stone Cat friend. Boomer is NOT an outdoor cat, but when we spend time out on the patio, he often wants to join us. If the weather is not too cold, too hot, too windy or too wet (he is very persnickety), he will come out and join us. And he is safe because our yard is fenced in, he has no front claws, and he is OLD. He will be celebrating his 17th birthday in July.  This is his favorite sunning spot, but when the vegetable garden gets bigger, he likes to lay under the corn.  And he usually ends up jumping up onto a wicker chair cushion and curling up to sleep on the covered patio.  :-)


This is a shot of some of our front pots a few days ago. The heat has made them just explode with color!


I loved the way these wilted and almost-dried roses looked, so before I began deadheading, I snapped a few pictures.



And here again is our troublesome side yard.  A couple months ago I posted a horrendous “before” picture. Ghastly. But I have worked away, slowly but surely, and gotten the grass and weeds pulled (it looks even better after my session yesterday).  Everything has been trimmed. Now I am just waiting for August and September to begin dividing and replanting the irises, lilies, some goldenrod and my poppy.


That’s it for now, garden-wise.

I have decided to take the pink ribbon trim off my May CQJP. It might have been OK if I had chosen a better path for it or used a bit narrower ribbon. The truth is I just wanted to get rid of some of my old Bucilla crap.  But off it comes, and I will figure out something else. The silk ribbon, however - and a better brand - will be used to fill in the “black holes” that are being created by abutting blocks. And since I haven’t really finalized what blocks are going where, that will be saved for the end.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Hugs,
Cathy maroon

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Back to CQJP and TAST

I need a Time Machine.  Can anyone help with that?

Truly, with all the frenzy that my life has become (and I guess I wouldn’t change a thing - not even with a Time Machine), I have managed to get in a bit of stitching.  I am currently working on my June CQJP, about half done, but realized today that I had not posted my May block yet.

Without further ado, here it is:


You may remember that I am making twelve black blocks to frame a vintage needlepoint piece I have. My goal was to keep it primarily seamwork, but as I begin piecing the blocks to the design board, I am realizing that the vacant corners create a lot of black space that will have to be addressed later. So, no large vacant areas this time.  :-)

I am weeks and weeks behind in TAST, but I am keeping a list of them and checking them off as I go.  This May block included the following stitches:

Week 14 Satin Stitch (flower I stitched in too-large thread, but oh well).
Week 15 Stem Stitch (the vine in upper left)
Week 16 French knots
Week 17 Wheatear Stitch (seam diagonally meeting silk ribbon)
Week 20 Bullion knot stitch (the flowers in upper left).

I tried doing the Knotted Cretan, but mine sure looked different than everyone else’s. Surprise, surprise, I must be doing it wrong.  After losing my temper over it, I decided I would wait until the June block to do it.  And today is the 24th, so I can’t put THAT off too much longer!


This is how the first five blocks look with the needlepoint. It is just pinned for now.  Do you think that silk ribbon trail in the May block is too heavy?   The June block is missing from the design board (lower left) because I am working on it.

Back to stitching.  Oh!  And watch for an announcement on Wednesday about my Etsy Shop.  My second anniversary is coming up and we can all celebrate together!  :-)

Hugs,
Cathy maroon

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Summer is here, and as if right on cue, the weather in Utah turned from cool to pleasant to HOT in a matter of a couple days.  

We were lucky to have a visit from Bruce’s daughter Emily, hubby Chad and our two grandkids Deacon (4) and Abbie (2 ½) about a week ago.  They live in South Dakota, where Chad is stationed at Ellsworth AFB.  

Deacon and Abbie loved our itty bitty pool

Bruce brought out a version of telephones (think tin cans tied with string) that he had made down in his laBORatory.  :-)  They are connected by actual phone wire - lots of it - and the kids enjoyed talking to each other on it.


Here, Grandpa Bruce and Deacon went to the utility area of the backyard so they would be far away from the speakers at the other end of the line.


Abbie (on her mom Emily’s lap) loved it and didn’t want to give up her turn so that her dad Chad could talk on it to Deacon.


But she got plenty of other opportunities, so she was a happy camper.  It was so much fun to see and play with them again!  They’ve now returned to South Dakota.


Here Emily and Abbie greet Boomer, and vice versa.  Boomer does a good job of meowing on cue, so  Abbie was convinced he was talking to her as I “interpretted”.   :-)


And my dear little London comes by weekly to play with Grammy, and every second I spend with her is precious!  She has enjoyed “her” pool and thinks I should get in with her.  HA!  Here she is splashing Grammy’s feet, which is about all that WILL fit in the pool!


What is London eating?  Her new favorite that she wants first thing every time she comes - peanut butter and strawberry jam, made by me. She won’t allow me to mix them or put them on bread or anything. She wants them plain, and SHE wants to mix them.


Oh, to be two again!!