NEW VENTURE

I wanted to announce that I'm trying a new product in my Etsy shop - fabric paper dolls. I remember fondly the many, many hours I spent as a child, playing with my paper dolls. The set I remember best were of  The Lennon Sisters. And I always cut out the Betsy McCall dolls and clothes from my mom's McCall's magazines. 

Well, recently I was browsing in Etsy and found someone who was offering these fabric paper dolls. They intrigued me so I did some research. I found that the fabric was designed by Sibling Arts Studio. The fabric line all started when the three sisters inherited a 1930's paper doll collection from their Great-Aunt Lindy. They are now used in a widely-known fabric collection offered by Windham, Blue Hill and Newcastle Fabrics.

I think the fabrics were originally intended to be used for quilts and wall hangings and such, but someone got the brilliant idea of cutting out the dolls and clothes, fusing them to Peltex and fusible fleece and selling the sets as a great "quiet" toy. I also found that this has been going on for several years, unbeknownst to me, but I'm jumping in now. 

I currently have listed a collection of dolls from around the world like Colleen, from Ireland, and Tamia, from Japan. Keep on the lookout for additional dolls.

 Colleen

Tamia

I currently have 7 different dolls listed. Each comes with one or more native costumes plus dresses and accessories. The cost depends on the number of clothes. The dolls are fused to Peltex for stiffness and come with a stand. The clothes are fused to fleece and they cling very nicely to the doll.

To make it easy for a child to carry their paper dolls with them, I've designed a cute little messenger bag style tote with pockets on the outside flap as well as inside to keep everything safely stowed away. The bag has a velcro closure that's easy for little fingers to operate. The long strap is suitable for cross-body wear. I have one listed currently in sparkly pink with more on the way. I'll also be glad to work with customers on other colors.

tote - outside

tote - inside

I think these dolls are adorable and would make a great gift. They are perfect for when a quiet toy is needed like church, travel or waiting rooms. And everyone could benefit from a break from the world of cyber-electronic toys. 

Any input or feedback on these dolls would be appreciated. 

TIME FLIES

Wow! January is long gone and February is over half gone, too. Time does fly when you're busy, doesn't it? What have I been doing? A lot!!!

First I rescued some kittens from the backyard who had upper respiratory infections and have nursed them back to health. Shawn and Belle along with their big brother, Squeaker, all had varying degrees of the infection with Shawn being the worst off. Shawn's infection had gotten into his left eye and he had to go to the eye vet for some medicine. It seems that things are healing well and the eye vet is very happy with the progress. 

Squeaker

Squeaker, about 6 months older than his sibs, has been like a second mother to the others and is very, very sweet. Our local Humane Society just had their annual "Fix Felix for Free" day this past Wednesday and I was able to get Squeaker in for a free neuter. The lines were long, but I think it was worth the waiting time to get him done for free with $5 for the rabies shot. And it seems it was done just in time as it appears that Belle has matured earlier and is now in heat! 

Shawn

I've always thought that Shawn was a boy until lately when I realized he wasn't "developing" the proper equipment. After close inspection, it seems that Shawn is a girl as well. I'll have that confirmed by the vet this week. Either way, Shawn is so sweet and affectionate it's hard to believe he came from a feral mom. 

Belle

His mom is Callie, a cute little calico girl who I also was able to get spayed about a month ago. Her other daughter, Belle, is a calico, too with more white and it just as shy as her mom. 

Callie

In the sewing studio, I've been working on a new product - a wristlet. I wanted to make something that could be an accessory to the tote bags and finally settled on a pattern with some slight alterations and have listed a couple in my Etsy shop. There will be more with some tote/wristlet sets, too. I've also decided that in the future I'll make the wrist strap detachable for versatility.

L'il Cowpoke wristlet

I've also been working on the old family tree and I'll recount the new stuff in a later post. It's getting interesting again!

Well, it looks like spring is on it's way, but I wouldn't count out more cold weather in the meantime. I mean it is Houston after all and the trail rides and bar-b-que cookoff is coming up and it is almost always cold and rainy for that. 

I hope everyone is having a good late winter/early spring. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wow! I know I say it every year, but what happened to last year? It went by very fast. It's true that the older you get the faster time seems to go. I guess being busy with cats and sewing and just life in general makes the time go. 

This time last year I was running back and forth to the Emergency Vet Clinic to see Micha who was hospitalized after a severe crash due to kidney failure. We were able to keep Micha with us until he passed away May 22. We still miss they little guy a lot.

It was a year of dealing with various feline medical issues, but those have tapered off as the year progressed. I'm seriously praying for no medical crises this year. Please. Twitty is doing well, finally, on his thyroid medicine that's applied to his ears. Buddy is maintaining on his glaucoma treatment, though his vision is waning. Max, my medical standout for 2011, is doing quite well on his rather large insulin dosage. Everyone else seems to be hanging in there with minor issues only.Me? I can't afford to get sick so I don't.

Business in my Etsy shop was down a bit this year, but then everyone is trying to cut back, including me. I've had the chance to make some amazing baby clothes quilts and I'm so grateful for my loyal customers. I made a lot of tote bags this winter and will continue to include tote and diaper bags in my inventory. I learned to make some simple coasters and soon every one of my friends and family will have their very own set!! I love to make them and see what fabric combos I can come up with. 

I'm hoping to take a beginning quilting class this year. I took one in 1999 and the wall hanging I made then is among the few quilted items I have finished since. I'm also hoping to branch out into more traditional quilting style in some of my totes and things. I'm also looking into matching accessory sets to go with the totes. 

My big wish for this year is a new sewing machine. I have two Brother machines, the newer computerized one has stitch regulation problems and needs to go to the shop and the other older and simpler one probably needs a tune up. They have both been great machines even though I probably  haven't taken the best care of them as far as maintenance is concerned. I guess I'll see how much it costs to get the newer one in running order and then decide what to do. I have so many other things I want to tackle and I need a good machine to take that next step.

My family is doing well. My son still likes his job which is a blessing in itself. So many people go to work each day just dreading it. That's no fun, I know from experience. The grandkids are doing well in school and granddaughter will graduate from high school this spring. Och! That make me feel old!

I know that 2012 was a learning year for me and I'm hoping I can carry over those lessons to make 2013 the best year ever. I wish that for everyone who reads my blog. I know that if we put our minds to it, we can make this world a better place this year. Are you with me?

Happy New Year, y'all!!

CHRISTMAS ITEMS IN MY SHOP

 It's that time of year again and holiday gift shopping is on everyone's mind. I just wanted to let you know about the Christmas/holiday items I have in my shop all ready for gift giving. 

First is a vintage reindeer Christmas ornament from Avon. His name is Belvedeer and he's just the cutest thing every. He has a red nose, red antlers and a knit scarf in red and green stripes. At present I have 9 of them left and you get free shipping with an order of 3 or more.

Next up is a tote made from some of my favorite holiday print ever. It's called "Coyote Choir" and features a bunch of coyotes singing their joy of the season. They've even decorated the cactus with colorful lights. They are joined by other desert denizens. The tote is trimmed with recycled denim and lined with a deep red fabric.

For the Maxine fan (and who isn't?) I have a super tote bag featuring Maxine in all her holiday glory giving her opinion of the season. The background is red with white snowflakes and the tote is lined with red fabric.Carry this tote and  you can laugh all the way to the new year.

For the cat lover I have a wonderful tote is a prim print of Santa and some very lucky felines. The background is a pale gray with Santa in a prim red robe. The cats are all wearing colorful mufflers just waiting for Santa to break out the catnip. The lining is a pale gray solid. 

I also have a lot of other items in the shop that would make ideal Christmas/holiday presents. I have aprons in fabrics that echo the prints of Provence. There's a lovely girly John Deere theme diaper bag and baby quilt combo. I have a cool teacher print tote for the fav teacher in your or your child's life. There are other tote bags in assorted themes that just might catch your eye and a couple of beautiful rag quilts. 

If you don't see something that meets your needs, please convo me thru Etsy and I'll be glad to work with you to create just what you have in mind. www.grandmabarbara.etsy.com is the place!

NEW TOTES IN MY SHOP

In anticipation of the upcoming "gift giving" season, I'm going to be listing a number of tote bags in my shop. They will make great holiday gifts for friends and family or to keep for yourself!

The first listing is a nifty patriotic tote in red, white and blue. The colors are more of the primitive, darker colors than the usual combo. The pattern is little squares with stars, stripes or USA. The inside is a dark blue with tiny stars and features two 9" x 9" pockets. There's also a handy little pocket on the outside that's been accented with a vintage white button.

Just in time for Halloween, I listed a beautiful orange tote with a spiderweb pattern that could carry you all the way thru the winter. Inside I went wholeheartedly Halloween with a cute print on black with bats, pumpkins and the like. The tote also has two inside pockets and one on the outside with an unusual metal button feature.

I also listed a cute tote that would be the perfect teacher gift. The print is in bright primary colors of red, blue and yellow. If you look close you will see the schoool house, the school bus, the teacher's apple and many other school related items. The background is a denim blue and the lining a great bright red. Inside are four roomy 9" x 9" pockets to handle all of the "stuff" a teacher carries around. I also included the small outside pocket with a bright red button.

The last tote I'm featuring today is perfect for the piggy collector. The print, in browns and pinks, is all pigs. The tote lining is a pale pink. Inside I placed two 9" x 9" pockets with a small pocket on the outside that has a pretty pearly accent button.

All of the totes have a fusible fleece between the fabric layers and a fabric covered matte board stabilizer in the bottom. The 10" drop in the double top-stitched straps make them great for carrying on the shoulder or in the hand. Although the totes are washable except for the stabilizer, most problems can be taken care of thru spot cleaning. And any of these would make a great diaper bag, too.

I'm also open to requests for custom made totes. Just email or convo me on Etsy with your requests or ideas. And be on the lookout for more - especially those with a Christmas/holiday theme.

TWITTY IS HYPERTHYROID!

I intimated in my last post that things had been crazy around here and it's true. A couple of months ago I found out that one of my black and white kitties, Twitty, had hyperthyroidism! He has always been a bit hyper and skinny, but I never noticed a big change. When he had some "digestive" issues I took him to the vet and the blood work they ran showed his T4 was waaaaayyyy above normal. I mean waaaayyy above!!

So we started him on thyroid medicine, methimazole. The medicine has some side effects, but Twitty was also suffering from an upper respiratory infection at the same time. So the combo led to anorexia and eventually nausea and vomiting. I was trying to tempt him with all sorts of foods and poking stuff down him, trying to keep him from just wasting away.

Twitty on his favorite perch

After a couple of different antibiotics and a visit to the emergency clinic for a high fever, the URI finally went away. And, since the pills were making him throw up, we switched to a "transdermal" method of administering the medicine. This is a gel that is applied to the inside of the ear and absorbed into his system that way. This bypasses the stomach and has much less of a gastric side effect. He's been eating like a horse ever since.

Well, no one told me that you need to wipe the gel off of the ear after a few hours. I thought it would just be absorbed like body lotion. His ears got all yucky and we had to put drops in for 10 days. That was fun. But now everything has cleared up and his ears are pink and healthy. In the mean time, I discovered a great wipe to take the gel remainder off - they are called "Boogie Wipes", a saline wipe made to clean "boogies" from little noses. Twitty doesn't particularly like the scent, but they work so very well. (Hint to Boogie Wipes maker - make an unscented version!)

Eventually we will be getting Twitty's thyroid irradiated for a permanent cure, but we must save up the money for it as it's a tad expensive. To that end I've listed several new creations - a couple of quilts and a tote - and will have more shortly. I've also listed several vintage items from my pottery and china collection. So keep checking my Etsy store to see what's new.

NEW QUILT: CRABS AND BEARS AND DUCKS, OH MY!

I know, I know!! I've neglected my blog severely! I do have a good excuse, but in this post I want to show off my latest baby clothes quilt. The clothes my client supplied were just so cute with all sorts of adorable animals including a number of surprisingly sweet crabs.

There were also a number of bears and ducks and even a monkey or two plus some superhero vibe with Batman and Superman. The clothes were definitely representative of a typical boy.

For this quilt the client wanted to select her own fabric for the back and the block framing and she did a really good job. For the back we used a white on brown polka dot. The blocks were framed with a coordinating brown on white polka dot. 



I do love polka dots; I think they are fun and sweet and young without being childish. Don't you think the polka dots are perfect for this quilt?

I know this quilt will be treasured for many years to come and I'm so proud to have had the chance to work on it.