$5 Stocking Stuffers

Hello Friends~
Just wanted to do a quick post about some cute little mini pin toppers I just listed in the shop! They would all make great stocking stuffers don't you think? I only have one of each made up at the moment!

Giveaway over at Pretty by hand!

Hello friends~
My dear sweet friend in cyber space AND real life Kristyne of Pretty by hand is hosting a giveaway starting today! She and I have shared many giggles over the past 3 years ~ oh let me tell ya! She's one super funny, sweet and smart lady : ) We had one of those rare chances to meet in real life over this past summer....needless to say we made the most of it! When she told me she wanted to host a giveaway I was so happy to sponsor her. Please head on over to her blog and leave a comment to enter a chance to win this pincushion and pin topper set that I designed specifically for her to giveaway to you!

Buttermint Gables Gingerbread House Pin Topper

Greetings from the finally chilled down desert! I know a few of you may be wondering what happened to me for the past couple of months : )

Lets just say it's been a very long hot Summer and Fall so I am back at it sculpting as much as possible these days!
A couple of years ago I designed a flat version of a Gingerbread House Pin Topper but it wasn't until last week that I finally got around to sculpting a 3D one! Wow so fun and very time consuming! This is hands down the most detailed pin topper in my repertoire : )
I hope all of you enjoy looking at this tiny little thing!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is this week already! Here's me wishing all of you a safe and happy holiday!
xoxo
PS Please visit my Etsy shop to see accompanying pin toppers for Buttermint Gables! 

Halloweens a Comin'

Wow 2 posts in one day...what is going on here?
Just quick snippets to show you some Halloween related pins this season!

Candy Cats are new to the shop this year ~ so far I have made a few different colors : )

 Some Little Witch Hats to get you in the Mood!

Scary Ghosties coming to haunt you!

Shabby Creamy White Pumpkin made for a friend

After I took this picture of a Haunted House pin topper I decided to paint the windows white.....but didn't capture that part ~ just imagine it if you can : )

 I hope everyone enjoyed this short post. Halloween is so fun! I've been batting around the idea of being Marie Antoinette this year complete with a bloody neck....ewwwwie! Gross huh!

Inherited Beauty

Okay everyone please don't be alarmed and fall off your computer chairs by me surprising you with a blog post after a few long hot months! I wish I could say that I have been busy sewing and got so lost in my work I forgot to turn on my computer but alas that's not the situation. Instead I have been super duper hot waiting for the desert to cool down for me so I can function once again : )
I have just started sculpting again on a limited basis but I can feel it....Fall is coming and I can't wait! Which means busy busy times for me ahead!
I received this beautiful handmade quilt in a box full of goodies not too long ago and wanted to share with all of you. My grandmother sewed this for my grandfather. The label on the back says she started it in 1975 and finished it in 1980!! Wow! That really amazes me : )
P.S. Just wanted to mention that I recognize a lot of the scraps my Gramma used in this quilt. The cute green fabric is left over from an apron she made for me when I was about 5 years old! I see some reversible tennis skirt fabric in there too and a prairie dress she sewed for me and my dolly : ) Such sweet memories!

Sewing Machine Manual Cover

Hi all~ so when I bought my new sewing machine it came with tons of info along with 2 manuals (one in English one in Spanish) so I decided to make a little cover for all of it..... like a fabric binder kind of thing : ) I recently bought this delicious sewing themed fabric too!I lined it in bright red and used vintage aqua ric rac for the trim. I still haven't decided if I'm going to do a button or snaps? I'll figure it out tomorrow!

Let Them Eat Cake...and then some.....

Hi friends~

Well it's been way too hot to sculpt the past few days so I turned to my next favorite hobby ~ painting! I have been catching up on Dexter too so maybe that's why the double entendre with the Marie Antoinette cake painting. I suppose you could interpret this painting in two different ways. I think it could represent the obvious ~ her "beheading" being put on display for all to see. See this is what happens when you spend to much money on extravagant things!!!   But the other interpretation could also mean a Marie Antoinette "cake topper" with lots and lots of strawberry sauce ( for the less squeamish)! Which I suppose is the more light hearted version. Either way it was a very fun piece and I'm still not done. My idea is to create some 3D effects with polymer clay. Little things to add to the table top...like a cup of tea, a bowl of strawberry sauce/blood with a ladle, more strawberries on the green plate,  a pretty earring dangling from her short neck and more roses to adorn the cake....oh and glitter highlights! You can never sparkle enough! Well maybe Edward can sparkle a little too much but that's a different story all together : )

My other painting is of what I imagine Marie might request for her "Last Supper". Do any of her famous last words come to mind at this time? Do I really even have to say it?
Yes I might as well shout it from the roof tops!
LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!!

 Here's a work in progress shot - which I love to take pics of! So fun to see transformation!

Morning Glory Broach

Hello hello!
I'm making this short and sweet because I'm starving and it's getting really late here....
So would you believe me if I told you I have never made a pin/broach before? Today was my first attempt at making something much larger than a pin topper! Kind of silly for me to be this excited...but anyway I really like how she turned out : )

I love WIP in progress pics because I think messy studios mean actual creativity is being exercised!

I tried painting this flower about 10 different ways and then finally decided I needed dark purple around the edges. Here in the desert with all the wind this is what my morning glories look like after a good beating! The wind was really whipping that day!

I have this adorable tweed coat I got at Target last Fall and never wore it! Why? Because it was never cold enough : (  I'm looking forward to wearing it this Fall instead : )

My Passion for Painting & Drawning

                                                         

I think I'm finally done!

                                                          an interesting angle no?

                                               you can see her hair buns a little better here

 still fiddling with her hair in this one

Good morning friends~  

I think some of you may know how much I love vintage pin ups. I always find myself drawn to their unmistakeable style and softness of their bodies. Nothing against the beautiful woman of today who pose for sexy pictures by any means ~ it's just my humble opinion. I think what I love most about these vintage beauties is they've mastered the art of being alluring. Showing a little goes a long way in my book. Don't you think?

So it's been a long time since I have painted or drawn anything and yesterday it hit me that I needed to give the garden a rest and start sketching again. Why put it off? Well I actually know the answer to that question....TIME! Time is always a factor in everything especially these days. Always too busy for this or that. Pooh on being too busy was my conclusion. Yesterday I set aside 4 hours to sketch and paint and let my creative juice flow. I still have a few more details to tend to but for the most part my Pink Haired Lovely is complete. She is small (only 5 X 7) which is a perfect size for me to "almost" get done in 4 hrs. I would love to buy a Frenchy looking scrolly oval frame for her.

 A little pink maribou for the photo added just the right about of softness. I made a boo boo on one of her....well lack of a better word "boo boos". You can see it a bit smudged up there on the right. That's one thing I still need to get right. In this shot her hair wasn't complete either like up in the top photo and her eyes are still in progress too.

I always like to take a WIP shot of what I'm painting or drawing because when I create people I layer their eye colors over and over again until I find the perfect shade. Same with hair. I think once I start on hair I am compelled to morph it over and over again. Enjoy!

PS I'm leaving you with this song by Florrie Arnold who I think is the cutest girl singer out there right now : )

AND she can play the heck out the drums!

Fresh From the Real Garden & the Pin Topper Patch

You know those days where you are completely wiped out? That's how I feel today....I'm slowly waking up from a mid afternoon nap crash out so in case I don't make any sense...sorry a head of time ; )

I was able to pick the first of my early Bird Tomatoes which was very exciting for me! And the sunflowers - OH THE SUNFLOWERS are stunning. I could stare at them all day long.
All of my flower vases are packed so I have succumbed to beer bottles...hmm....I actually think they look pretty cool...or wait is that just me?

Are you guys familiar with Black Sunflowers or Moulin Rouge Sunflowers? How about it!!!!!!

Remember my post a little while back about Mab Graves who's an incredible artist? Well her adorable business card has found a permanant home in this bright lime green frame I found! I just love it!

I have been in mushroom mode lately with all of my days spent digging in the dirt and sculpted a more realistic mushroom for once. I really like the ruffle at the bottom. I don't know much about mushrooms but my friend told me the other day that the baby mushrooms come from the ruffly part. They drop the baby spores like an umbrella drops rain! Cool! Who knew?

Well I hope this post wasn't all over the place...I'm still sleepy and hungry too! I'll be making a veggie wrap tonight for dinner and using some of those Early Birds : )

Mad Hatter Hat & a Shabby Tea Party

Hello friends~

Just a quick post today as it's still Memorial Day Weekend. Hubby and I had a nice week together and celebrated our 7 year anniversary a few days early since we can't be together on the actual day this year : ( We spent a couple of days at the Welk Resort in Cathedral City which is really close to where we live. It was nice and relaxing and of course my favorite part of being away from home is eating out! We ate breakfast at a place called Elmer's in Palm Springs ~ OMG! So good! They serve Dutch Babies there! My mom used to make them all the time years ago so it was fun to see them on the menu!
I have a few new pins to share with you too before I sign off. I was asked to recreate the Mad Hatter's Hat from Alice in Wonderland and this is what I came up with: (more pictures in my shop if you want to see)!

and also a cute little Shabby Tea Party ~ complete with a teeny tiny demitasse fork for the slice of tea cake! I love the tone of the aqua in these ones ~ it's very muted and soft.

Pinks & Needles On The Cover

Well this was a fun surprise to see! A couple of Pinks & Needles cupcake pins made it on the cover of Camille Roskelley's new pattern booklet! Thank you Camille for adding just the right amount of pincushion bling to your wonderful new creation! I am really looking forward to making this adorable sewing machine cover very soon and I might just have to re-create the beautiful pincushion that sports the mini cupcake pins too.

Happy sewing everyone!

P.S......the photos used in this post are the property of Camille~ she granted me my wish of re-posting them here on my blog : )