Lucky lucky me!

Lucky lucky me!
Originally uploaded by misseskwittys

OK--now don't be jealous!! Look what I won from a drawing at Cicada Studio!! They are the most lovely linen fabrics....I just love them. They are sitting down on my craft table and I just glance lovingly at them every few minutes, LOL! I was trying to wait and make something from at least one of them before I posted it on my blog, but I'm too dang busy with a big order and haven't found the time. Still I wanted to share. You should really visit her Etsy shop and pick some of this up for yourself--I'll vouch for the quality. You'll have to excuse the pics a bit as the white balance is a little off--the whites are actually quite warm and wonderful in person--which leads me to my next subject..........

Guess what? I finally had to break down and get a new camera. The girls were goofing around with my other one and screwed up the lens--so it wouldn't focus properly (dang kids!! lol) Face it, you are little screwed if you have an online business and can't take a good picture--so I had to take money out of my eyeglasses fund to buy a camera! I might have to change my name from Mrs. Kwitty to Mrs. Magoo pretty soon if I can't manage to save up enough for glasses 8-D !!

Not much new to list today--just a couple more bookmarks is all I've been able to squeeze in

Just click the pics!!

Send a little Love

I just ran across this blog post and wanted to spread the word. Please stop by Rhonda's blog and check out her story.

As some of you know, I lost my sweet Mom to cancer 4 years ago. I miss her so much. It makes me happy to be able to send a little cheer along to Rhonda's Mom as she goes through her treatments--having a happy heart helps so much in the healing process.

Cottage Christmas in July!

Hello! One of the Street Teams I'm involved with--the Cottage Style Street Team--is sponsoring a Christmas in July promo right now. This is a really talented group and their style is right up my alley! I want it all! Really. You have to swing by and check out the goodies HERE.

Here are the few things I put up for the promotion: Have yourself a kitschy little Christmas!! A OOAK little Christmas collage--Measuring in at only about 4" square--this little cutey packs a big whollop! It all started with a vintage plastic Santa- made in Hong Kong of course! I've added some fun details: a couple of well used little wood flat block letters, a teeny tiny flocked red bird, silver tinsel, and a plastic candy cane. It all spells out to FUN! Click the pic!

I was so excited to find this lovely wool in the PERFECT shade of vintage Christmas green!! I used a cute repro vintage print for the wings (both sides of the birdy are finished and the wings are backed with wool too so they are dimensional). You can look for these in more colors this year for Christmas. Click the pic!

A sweet little hobby horse to remind us all of being a kid and using our imagination!! Click the pic.I just love this!! I got materials (lovely wool felt , ribbons, and vintage images transferred to fabric) from AlphaStamps (highly recommend!!!) and used them to make this lovely Christmas tradition. It's a pocket to hold a key for Santa and there is also a tag that slips into the pocket that has a pocket sewn into it for leaving a letter to Santa---a pretty decoration that will be a family favorite. All handstitched, and YES, I stitched on ALL those buttons! lol Click the pic! A little woodland Angel--perfect to nestle into the pine boughs of your own Christmas tree! Made from a wooden doll form and some birchbark that the Hub brought home (from a fallen tree) and a sweet little acorn cap cap. She is only about 3" tall and as cute as can be! Click the pic!

Birdies flying everywhere!!

Hello! I get so dang mad at myself when I check out the old bloggy and see it's been over a week since I posted-- Sorry about that! Time just seems to slide away from me sometimes. Or should I say FLY.....I am up to my elbows in little birdies and sheep over here, lol. They are just flying out of the shop (yup, I intended that corny pun! feel free to groan if you want).

***************Feedsack Fun Bird tag set * Click the pic!

**************Le Fleur Bird tag set* Click the pic!

Heck, even the real birds have been interesting this past week. We have a little clump of cedars that you can see from our dining room window, and a couple of jays have built a nest in there. Well, my kitties like to sit in the dining room window and watch the birds come to the feeder there---and this is really upsetting to that jay mama! She sits on the branch and just yells at my kitties...every day.....loudly!

It is totally amazing that a pretty little thing like this can make such a big ruckus! LOL

I've decided to make a new item with my birdies--you are getting the first look at them. I just finished them about a half hour ago and just finished with the pics. I've made cutey bookmarks from my little bird patterns --the wing flaps over your book page to mark your spot, and the little bird then sits along the top of your book (which is really cute if you ask me!).

On trying to figure how I will package them for sale...it dawned on me that maybe they would be great to offer as a gift item. I know that I often like to send a "little something" with the cards I mail out to friends and family, and it's often hard to find things that can just fit right in the card and can go through the mail easily. Well, this is what I came up with. I've taken a vintage manilla file and turned it into a cute little pocket that the bookmark can be presented on--and it has the added feature of a little area along the bottom that is the perfect size for a gift card! So, if you want to add a gift card, you can--but it's also really nice even without one. I am going to be sending these this year for Christmas to my out-of-towners with Barnes and Noble gift card tucked into the bottom.Well, I'm gonna go....blogger is acting special and is making me sad! I'll talk to you again very soon....promise! Hugs xoxo

Sunday Sunday

Hi friends! It's been a pretty quiet weekend, all things considered--which is actually kind of nice after the hustle and bustle of last (looooong) weekend!

I now have 48 new gray hairs that I didn't have before....but Joe's driving lessons are coming along quite nicely (haha)! Really, he is proving to be a pretty calm driver and is getting a little better at steering smoothly, braking smoothly, and stepping on the gas pedal smoothly. It's a good thing---whiplash is not a good thing! (see below--Joe has always enjoyed driving!)We had a big wind storm come through yesterday (the bad storms were to the north of us and we just got the residual winds)--lots of tree branches laying around. The hub had to miss church this morning because the richest man in Duluth had a big branch come down, hit another tree, which uprooted and fell onto his driveway--so Hubby had to get over there and take care of those trees ASAP so he could get out of his driveway! lol I had to ask--why the heck doesn't he just take the helicopter? *wink*

I'm in the thick of my big wholesale order and haven't had time for much else crafty--but did manage to make this cute bag with the sweet puppy

--I always enjoy digging through the feedsack prints--working with the old patterns and lovely colors always makes me happy!I also had a customer who wanted me to make her some sheep tags--she is yarn dyer and spinner and wanted special tags to hang on her product. I did some up for her--and then decided that maybe others would like some sheep tags too--so I made up some colorful ones for my shop! I thought these would be really fun for people who knit or crocheted to add to their gifts or products!-- Don't you think?

Last, but CERTAINLY not least---I've been honored with this award from the lovely Southern Lady Vintage-- Brilliante Weblog Award! Seriously, it is so seldom that I am called anything even remotely close to brilliant--so I really like this one!! LOL In all seriousness-- I am honored Barbara, thank you so much!!Now, as you know, blog awards are for sharing! So, here are the rules.....

The rules for receiving this award are:1) Put the logo on your blog.2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.4) Add links to those blogs on yours.5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

There are so many blogs that I read and love--in fact there is a big list of them off in my right hand side column--that it would be really impossible for me to just pick 7 to award this to--it makes me uncomfortable---I think you are all BRILLIANTE! So I've decided to award it to my 2 pregnant blog friends! Just because I love them both and I also know that we all need a little boost when in the "delicate" condition! lol Their blogs really are Brilliant--so they deserve it.
Please go pay them a visit and say HI! and read their wonderful blogs

Diana of A Muted Palette
AND
The Fabulous Pinky of Inspiration comes Easy

Congrats Ladies --hugs!!

Fun With Flickr

Here's a bit of fun---I saw this over on Dirty Pretty Thing's blog, and thought I'd give it a shot!

Here's what you do to create your own "Twelve with Flickr" Mosaic.The Concept...

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

Questions...
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

You might want to copy the link list that it shows you when you first create your mosaic so that when you put it in your Flickr or Blog you can give credit to those who's pictures you used (once you click away from that screen you lose the ability to go back to it) I wish I had done that!

Go ahead and make one of your own--it's a fun little game to play and you get to see a lot of really cool pics that you might otherwise not have seen! If you do one, let me know so I can check it out--Okey doke?

Blog Friends Cuties and Pretties

I was just sitting here reading blogs and checking out some of the wonderful creations made by my talented blog friends, when it dawned on me "hey dipstick--why not share some of this with your readers so they can enjoy them too!" So I will! Here are a few of the beauties I ran across.


First up is Calamity Kim--today she has a wonderful tale in her blog...pop by and have a read! Kim is so fantastically talented, I love her magical concoctions and her fearlessness in combining patterns and colors and textures! Here is a wonderful example of this in this gorgeous.....GORGEOUS! concoction of an apron named "Tea with Jane Austen" OMGosh.

The lovely and talented Jenn Maruska just turned 29 yesterday (again) !! Happy Birthday Jenn, you don't look a day over 28! Her's is another blog I love to read. She has a background in illustration and impeccable sewing skills--and you just never know what new little cutie she will be coming up with! Being the wise lady that she is...she has already gotten a jump on the Christmas season and made up these absolutely adorable little house ornaments and snowmen too! Handstitched cuteness ---yeah Jenn!!

Next up---GeorgiaPeachez. Everyone needs to pop over to her blog and tease her about what a disaster area her craftroom is!! LOL (yes, we tease, but underneath we are green with envy!!) She makes wonderful and colorful creations--bags, laptop sleeves, and wonderful aprons (I guess I am really feeling drawn to the aprons today!) Check out this lovely apron listed in her Etsy shop---loving, loving the pattern mix on this!

Well, that is just a small drop in the bucket of the talented things you can find over on my BLOG LINK LIST over on the right---feel free to click away and find some treasures!

This was fun....I think I will be doing this again, stay tuned!!

OH...and p.s. Welcome Back JunieMoon---we missed you and are happy you are home!

Pansies and other Monday morning tidbits

Hello!! Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July--isn't that just one of the best holidays? Sun and fun and family and friends and picnics and fireworks! We are fortunate enough to have some good friends (the best man at our wedding and his wife) who throw a big 4th bash each year--so all I have to do is whip up something for the potluck and go enjoy! YEAH!


I just finished up a new project that I am very happy with! I had this vintage hanky sitting on my sewing table for a while now--I wanted to make something with it, but hadn't found the perfect project yet. The hanky had a big blank white center and it just needed something.....***light bulb!!*** I went to my stash of vintage embroidery patterns and found a lovely old pansy stem--perfect!! It fit just right in the blank spot, so I stitched it up and turned it into a really pretty bagkeeper. A little cottage charm for your kitchen (or other rooms--so far I've had customers use them in the laundry room, by the back door for doggy poopy bags , & by the changing table in their baby's room) Click the pic and it will take you to it's Etsy listing!!

I don't know if you noticed it--but Blogger has a new blog link thingee, you can see it over on my sidebar. You have to load all your blog links into it (which took a while for me, cuz' I have lots of blogs that I love to read) but it was worth it! It then shows your links with the title and time of their newest post--a good way to keep up with who's got new postings! I love it. Hit "customize" on your Blogger blog and you will see it at the top with a little NEW sign on it.


Charmingdesigns just had a post about making your own CHALKBOARD PAINT! Say it along with me.......Oooooooooh........ the ideas are swirling around in your head right now, aren't they?!! lol Pop on over to her fun blog and have a look



Here is a new batch of birdy tags--clickey click the pic and it will take you to it's listing! I am really enjoying pink and black lately!

Well, I better go take my walk and get a little work done this morning!! Have a great day!

Walking

In case anyone is interested....I am doing very well with my walking. I've been sticking with it and have lost 10 pounds already, and am feeling a lot stronger--which makes me happy.


I like to drive to someplace in town, park my car, and walk--so it keeps it interesting and I have new things to see. Early in the morning, before it gets hot out, is the best time to go....and it has the added advantage of being able to watch all the little birdies as they go about their chores early in the morning! I got an email this morning with some interesting walking and exercise tidbits...thought I'd share.

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60... Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell he is.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

The main reason I took up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing...

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks; haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there. Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. (LOL--my personal favorite!!) If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years, just by getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

All the cutey birds in this post are available in my Etsy shop--Mrs. Kwitty's Cottage--just click the pic and it will take you there!!


Have a wonderful 4th my friends--God Bless America!!

When I put out.......

I had to laugh today--in fact, the big glug of joe that I had just inhaled made a hasty exit when I spotted this little faux pas....There I was, happily cutting out and inking little birdy wings made from some vintage sheet music when I happened to notice the wording, LOL!! Whew, that was fun! I'm certainly glad that I spotted it before it actually went out to a customer!! I've glued it to the front of one of my button drawers for two reasons--one is to remind me to check the wording on things, and the other is to make me smile! Here are some sweet new tags I made today---I really like the chartreuse with the brown! If you are interested --just clickity click the pic!!
It has been too dang hot! Really, and it's only July--we are having August weather, and I don't like it--and neither does Miss Rosie! Mentalpause and heat do not mix well!! lol

Isn't my little monkey, Hannah Banana, just too cute?? She was originally made to be a cup cozy, but I have greened up and started bringing my insulated cup from home instead of using the paper or styro cups at the coffee shop--so I had to find a new use for her. She fits perfectly around the glass vase that I keep my pencils and stuff in by the computer--so now I get to look at her cute smiley face all the time! Yeah! Made by the fantabulous MonkeyTravelClub on Etsy. Sadly, the gal who makes these is having some trouble with her hands and isn't able to make custom right now, but she does have some in stock at the shop. Keep her in your prayers!!

The lovely KJ is having a Blogoversary!!! Run, don't walk, over to her always entertaining blog , Eye-dyllic, and sign up for her drawing!!

Oh, one more thing---my little red and white dotty bird tags (see last post) were featured on Cuteable today!! What a fun blog that is---if you are not already a reader , you should check it out!!