We've Got the Blues - A Cleveland Handmade Treasury

Gorgeous sapphire, turquoise, sky blues from Cleveland Handmade!

So Refreshing!

I was awakened to the fresh scent of lemon....and something else too. Oh yes, it was a wonderful lavender-fresh scent. It took me a moment to realize that it was very early in the morning and my husband was in the shower. The fabulous aroma was coming from the fresh, organic Lemon Chamomile soap from Mirasol Farm. They were so kind as to offer a sample since I blogged about their organic soaps the other day. I must admit that I probably wouldn't have chosen lemon if I had ordered, but WOW...I love it. I'm more familiar with lavender and that is the first scent I recognized when the package arrived. It is wonderfully smooth and works up a nice lather, but the aroma is just fabulous! What a wonderful way to start the day!

Yarn, Yarn, Everywhere Yarn...

"Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind!"

To blog about my workspace is laughable since I can pretty much work anywhere and take yarn with me everywhere I go! I do a lot of work at my desk, which is actually the family computer table. I often have piles of yarn, needle and thread, and buttons galore, mixed with bills, checkbook, gaming microphones and tangled headphones! (I was going to ask Martha Stewart for a suggestion on how to organize all these cords since everyone has their own favorite headphones or earbuds. What a tangled mess sometimes!)

When I saw that Lion Brand Yarn had desktop wallpaper, I knew that would be perfect for me. The gorgeous pile of colors and textures looks like my desk anyway, so I thought I would add it.
Check out the fun screensavers and wallpapers available at Lion Brand here. And, while you're there, look at this beautiful Nature's Bounty Afghan in Tunisian crochet. One of these days I'd like to take the time to make this. It's just gorgeous. They also offer free knit or crochet e-cards and printable cards for prayer shawls as well.

A Walk in the Woods

I thought I'd share a treasury with you. I created this one, based on a forest theme. It expires Thursday, so click HERE if you'd like to click and comment.
Also, I'd love to show you some pictures I took at Nelson Ledges State Park. You can find them HERE at my Flickr account.

For the love of birds!

Designs by Vanessa is September's Featured EtsyBlogger. She claims to be a "girlie girl" who loves birds. Even her profile says "Welcome Every Birdie!" Vanessa lives in Arizona, loves crafting, photography, retail therapy, and fashion as well.
Visit her Etsy shop at designsbyvanessa.Etsy.com and you can find sweet birdie jewelry and cards. She also has a lovely blog at designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com.

Autumn Organic

A few organic finds to complement the chill in the air and the changing colors of Fall.

Pretty Birdie's Hemp and Organic Cotton Muslin Snap Jacket from stephanieteague.Etsy.com
I love the snappy style of this jacket...(and check out that chunky retro crocheted bag too!)

Organic Bird Seed Favors from 2birdsinlove.Etsy.com
Fun favors for a Fall themed event, made with locally-grown organic bird seed and complete with custom graphic-designed tags.

Bulk Organic Soap - 3 Bars from mirasolfarm.Etsy.com
I love the color combination of these soaps. They're hand-cut and made from scratch from organic oils.

Hey There Little Red Riding Hood

Well, I finished it! The little red capelet I talked about before. I would like to make a longer one some time, but they didn't have enough of the same dye lot of this red. The color is called "Red Ochre." I had to Google that to see for sure what "ochre" was. It's a pigment derived from naturally tinted clay that contains mineral oxides.
Anyway....I think it's fairy tale sweet! I chose not to display it on the blue lady, like I did the brown one. I am looking forward to meeting some volunteers from Hiram College in a couple of weeks. Perhaps someone would be willing to model for a trade. (Wishing my niece, Linnea, could model again, but she's in school in Norway!)
On to the next project and organizing for the Pumpkin Festival!

Sweet!

Thanks so much to AlessiaChic for including my hat in this Sweet treasury! I really don't like modeling my own designs, but am happy that this picture isn't too bad. I hope to find some local college students that wouldn't mind modeling in trade for a hat or scarf!

The Pittsburgh show was so much fun. I met several Etsy artists that I had only known by their avatars or usernames. It was great to attend a show that, not only did people recognize "Etsy" but most vendors had an Etsy shop, and a lot of the buyers already had established accounts and were eager to add me to their favorites! I bought some gorgeous handspun yarn from dangerbee.Etsy.com! I look forward to seeing more in her shop soon.

Thanks, also, to everyone who commented on my hoodie post below. I definitely will be taking your thoughts into consideration and truly appreciate your taking the time to comment.

Fairy Tale Chic

Once upon a time, there was a pretty brown hooded capelet.... Huh? Well, have you ever designed something so fun that you really wished that you could keep it? I loved how this hood turned out, but the capelet was just a bit too dainty for my taste. I was thrilled to see that it sold, even though I was hoping to display it at a show this Saturday. I was intending to make another one in red, although I won't have time to finish it by Saturday.
I'd love your opinion. I know a red hood would be fairy tale chic and I bought some of this same luscious yarn in scarlet, but I don't know whether to keep the capelet style, or to try something else with it. I have some hooded scarves to display this weekend, but this style of hood is sleek and, to just dangle a scarf from it seems too simple. I know I have enough of the red to repeat this design, but if I were to make more of a cape, I would need more yarn.
I also keep seeing hints of the "Alice In Wonderland" movie that's coming out soon and have a Queen of Hearts design in mind. I'm looking forward to playing with that idea next week...after the show!
Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Beginning of the End

It's the first day of school here in Ohio....and it's a brisk 39° F out there! I'll have to head out to the garden to pick some more tomatoes (when it warms up some). As Summer comes to an end, now is the time to harvest and process the vegetable bounty. I'm still waiting for my peppers to ripen. The plants are full of huge, sweet bell peppers, but they're not golden yellow yet like they're supposed to be.


I made some pizza sauce and will be cooking down more tomatoes as they ripen as well. I used some fresh in a batch of chili last night, but I like to make spaghetti sauce to have throughout the winter. It's time to pick and dry some herbs, like basil and oregano, and harvest some catnip for kitty toys. This is also a great time to plant more lettuces and spinach since they grow best in the cooler temperatures, but before the freeze. So, take time to enjoy the bounty from your own garden or visit your local farmer's market. And, if you're so inclined, "put-up" some jars to enjoy throughout the year. You'll be glad you did.