SEPTEMBER SMILES

 AAAAHHHHHH . . . . SEPTEMBER

Now that autumn has officially started, according to ME, in August, it's time for fall colors, fall temperatures, fall decor, fall food, fall smells, fall sweaters, fall bonfires, fall leaves, fall cleaning, fall blankets and fall FALL!

I've decided to enjoy this September by getting outside and taking a photo every day. I intend on painting something from that photo or the photo itself. It's going to be a phenology wheel style like the one that Marion creates. Marion? You don't know Marion?

Go to MARION'S WORLD at YouTube!! She is a wonder. A dear. A true nature lover, gardener, cook, creative sewer extraordinaire! I love her dearly. She's in the UK. She just had a terrific live stream for her 66th birthday and it was so much fun! Everyone was happy and excited and gracious to her, giving her gifts of money was awesome!

I don't remember how I found out about her but I believe it was when I was doing research on how to make fabric rope, rope or cloth weaving or something like that. I saw her video of how she makes coiled cloth rope and I was hooked! Not only was she down to earth, so interesting and charming, but the way she shows how to do this method she does of making coiled rope or cloth rope or cloth twine, is the best! 

CRAFTY MONTH

We've seen Halloween in the stores already, I think I actually saw some things in July! Wait, we have Christmas in July too, geesh! But for sure, September is the time to get those fall decor crafts made and the Halloween makings AND the Thanksgiving season decorations made too! Oh, and don't put everything away yet because you'd better get the Christmas supplies out and keep them handy because you'll be needing those right away too! 

So yes, it's time to make the stuff for the 'holiday season'! After you've spent all your money getting the kids ready for school with all the supplies and clothes they need, time to go into debt for all the craft and decor items you'll need for FALLHALLOWTHANKSCHRISTMAS!

AUGUST AUTUMN

 AUGUST AUTUMN

 

My favorite time of the year!

  Do you feel the change in air in August? Do you take notice of the way the earth smells, the way the light changes? The trees have started losing leaves. The grasses are brown, wildflowers and plants are gone to seed and all of the things that nature does at this time of year makes me feel melancholy. Every year, every August I feel this way. I always call August 'August Autumn' because it feels like it's the start of autumn to me. 

As an artist, I've been planning to create designs for at least six months ahead but I never truly do. I think I'm going to, to stay ahead of the shopping crowd, to be 'ready' for the season, but I honestly never do. Except for my sewing, which lately has turned into doll making and I've made some creepy-cute dolls for this Halloween. I have some pumpkins that I had sewn last year ready so it feels like I'm kind of ahead of the season. 

I keep putting off selling my wares at the local farmer's market/flea market. Part of the reason is that I just don't want to sit out there in the heat and set up and not sell anything. I am also totally not sure of my prices. My bags have hours of work in them, but I don't feel like people will see the value in them if I try to get $25 for them. I think they'll buy them for $10 and I just won't sell them for that price. There is more value in a handmade craft, I believe. 

 

Anyway, I'm hoping to watercolor paint with the new Rebelle 8 Pro art application and submit some new designs to my Greeting Card Universe shop. I haven't submitted in a very long time and it feels like I'm learning all over again how to paint as well as how to submit cards to that website. They are quite picky about the cards they accept and there are a lot of rules they want followed. Which is fine, but it's more work than I quite like to do. 

Ok, enough about me. Enjoy these beautiful 'art cards' from Greeting Card Universe and my fellow artists! I'm choosing fall and possibly some holiday themed cards for you to view. Have a wonderful Sunday! (Today is August 10th, 2025)

SPOONFLOWER HALLOWEEN

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

 

 

 

 

GET READY FOR HALLOWEEN FOLKS!

Just a quick view of the latest fabrics that I've designed for my Spoonflower fabric shop!

Prim Witch Cut and Sew Kit at Spoonflower

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

 

I'm making cloth dolls and needed some small horizontal striped fabrics for my creepy-cute 'GOOFBALL DOLLS'

so I made some and will purchase them in fatquarter sizes.

Thanks for stopping by and do visit and follow me and like my YouTube video!

JUNE

 SUMMER IS HERE

April and May were kind, winter left right on time and those two months took over nicely. They brought cool weather and lots of rain though but it has left us with a lush and lovely June!

This is officially the opening of 'events' month. Time to check out all of the yard sales, garage sales, bake sales, street city-wide sales, art festivals, music at the fountain, vintage car shows, garden shows, just all the stuff going on around and about town.

I'm especially looking forward to participating in the farmer's market in Athens, which isn't too far away. I've sewn some 'hobo bags' or purses and I'm anxious to sell them. I'm more anxious to see if anyone likes them enough to buy them! It's nerve wracking a bit because I'm not sure what price to put on them and I'm hoping they are all sewn really well, that I haven't missed something or stitched a seam too close to an edge so that it frays.

I made some little pocket wallets too and I'm very unhappy with the snap tool that I used for the plastic snaps, to close them. They are not sturdy! I've had many snaps just pop off and some are hard to open. I happened to read something yesterday about how a woman had that same problem and she said she had to explain to people how to open the snaps so they wouldn't pull out. This shouldn't happen. 

So, I'm looking for a really good snap machine that is heavy duty but has nice looking snaps, not just brass, bronze, bright gold or silver. Other than that, I bought some sew on magnetic snaps and they are alright but not ideal.

SUMMER FESTIVALS

I intend on having a fun summer by filling it with day trips to various nearby cities and attending some festivals this year. I'm going to do a research of cities in Indiana that aren't too far away too, some cities north of us and some going towards Lansing and Detroit. Actually we are in a good location of some major cities so we shouldn't have much trouble in finding events.

Music festivals, air balloons, arts and crafts festivals, antique festivals and food festivals are all around us! Kalamazoo, Marshall, Bronson, Battle Creek and Coldwater all have something to offer.

MUSEUMS

There are a few museums around us which I love to visit! Old houses are a favorite of mine! We have old home tours in Marshall, Coldwater, Athens, Battle Creek and even one here in Union City.

SIGHT SEEING

One of the best ways to enjoy summer is to just take off in the car and drive. Pack a lunch or intend on finding a food place, exploring places you've never been to is surely a fun day trip event. I dream of taking off in the car and getting lost, finding a little motel and staying the night and then going to breakfast the next day. That is my idea of a fun day trip!

Or, taking sleeping bags and blankets, a cooler full of food, jugs of water and car camping somewhere. That may be risky if you just hide in the woods off a main road, so probably should stick to staying in parks with designated camp sites.

Hopefully you will have a fine summer filled with little events that aren't too expensive to attend and enjoy! Even if it's going to the drive-in, which I'm glad to say we have one nearby, do something fun with your loved ones this summer!

SPRING GLORIOUS SPRING

 YAY! Spring is here! Ahhhhh ....

FAIRYLAND FLOWERS

Get this in fabric and wallpaper from my Spoonflower shop!

I can finally get on to making some designs online for my "print on demand" POD shops and I finally have some incentive and interest in making some sewing projects!

 

Get this fabric at my Zazzle shop too! 

It's been a rough couple of months. Since the time from when I got home from Arizona until just a few weeks ago, life has been full of unwanted, nerve-wracking experiences, some of which were severely JARRING!

Having health issues in which you end up being hospitalized for a week is kind of a bother, oh boy! But, things are much better now. We got through it and now have to do the things we have to do for follow-up doctors visits and try to live a much healthier lifestyle. My partner had an issue with COPD, congestive heart failure, afib, a couple of strokes and mild heart attack! Now, he is fine. Diabetes II was diagnosed too, which is what all of this trouble stemmed from, we are told. HE IS FINE NOW! Thankful and now we both feel more at ease.

There was no way I could even dream about art or designing during all of this. I don't do creativity well when I pulled in way too many directions and am having anxiety over my own health. I have RA and I am not always able to 'be there' when needed, so I push myself, the adrenaline takes over. I end up getting sick. It took a while for me to feel centered and better again, like I've finally rested and can now free up my mind to create. JOY!

Gold metallic look flourishes and you can get this at my Spoonflower shop! On wallpaper and fabric!

NOW IT'S TIME TO GET INTO SPRING COLORS!

I am making a color palette for my newest designs for spring. I want to use cherries, strawberries, gingham checks, maybe some chevron stripes, polkadots and patchwork quilt style. Embellishments will include some bric-a-brac ribbon, maybe some ribbon flowers, beads, glitter, felt look flowers, mushrooms and buttons. Oh, and backgrounds may include the wonderful lattice work effect!
 

Spring Wreaths Graphics at my Etsy Shop!

Fairyland flowers on zippered pouches at my REDBUBBLE shop! Links on the right side of blog->

{ MORE TO FOLLOW LATER}

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CARDS

I'M SNEAKING SOME SPRING CARDS IN, I NEED THE SUNSHINE!

 

VALENTINES DESIGNS

 Get a 'cut and sew' kit for a beginner seamstress or a seasoned sewist! Spoonflower fabrics has a great variety of types of fabrics and wallpaper and also has [ pre-made ] home decor such as curtains, sheets, pillow cases, place mats, napkins and tablecloths!

Easy to sew, this kit is printed on a decorative fabric, just as you see above and below. You cut around the images and then sew, right sides together, leaving a space to turn inside out and stuff!

Visit my Spoonflower fabric shop for more sewing kits!

JANUARY PROMISES

 DON'T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN'T KEEP

I heard the bird lady in the movie 'Home Alone II' saying this as I wrote it, and it is true. That's one of the reasons why I don't make new year's resolutions. I don't like to make promises at all. I don't like failing at keeping them.

A resolution is 'resolving' something, right? I'm not out to resolve anything but I am going to try to do more things that I've not done before! Some things that I've wanted to do, like finally paint the bathroom, redecorate it, and some things will be things I've never tried yet, or don't know about yet. BUT, (there's always a 'but' for safety net) I won't make any promises to myself or to anyone that this will be.

I have good intentions. I want to learn new things, experiment with new art, new crafts, make things and learn things that are new to me. The first step is getting inspired though!

I've run across a woman named Marion who lives in the UK and she is my inspiration lady! She's a fine woman and is so interesting to listen to and to watch as she does her day-to-day things which is most often crafting! My kind of person!

Don't know how I ran across her but I always feel that we are introduced to the people we need in our lives. I believe that wholeheartedly. I've seen the comments on her YouTube page and lots of people feel the same way. They are truly inspired by her and I can see there are so many good reasons why.

I won't try to explain Marion (named for the 'maid Marion' in the Robinhood story, per her telling us this on one of her videos.) You can view Marion at 'Marion's World' (her dear deceased husband coined that phrase) and here is the link.

MARION'S WORLD at YouTube

I loved joining Marion on the new year's eve video, I was there waiting and then went to some other site or forgot about it and then I missed it! So, I watched it the next morning and it was so fun watching her and listening to her 'chittering' on as she called it.

Bringing people together and making it feel like we are all friends in 'real' life is precious to me. Even though I'm an introvert, I like my alone-ness, I do enjoy having online friends. Online friends are there when you need them and not just popping in when it's inconvenient. It's not a selfish or mean way to be but it keeps me content and not worrying about having to put on for others. I don't mean to seem snobberish or rude, but I am not sure how else to explain that.

So, getting back to making promises, I promise to keep trying to be inspired by others or by myself to try new things, new crafts, do different things or pick up things I've not done in a long time and loved doing ... like playing my guitar! I am promising myself this, to try to live mindfully and FULLY with keeping myself active and feeding myself new ideas and new ways to live my life better. I feel like volunteering myself somewhere too. I'm not sure where, or what that would be, but I need to give to others. It feels so great to give!

I don't know if Marion will ever see this blog, but if YOU DO, Marion, thank YOU for being so fun. For sharing your videos showing your crafts and handwork, for your chats and information and for sharing your precious TIME with us here in the online world!

MARION'S WORLD

HAPPY CHRISTMAS MERRY NEW YEAR!

 Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season and a beautiful new year with blessings upon blessings bestowed upon you!

HANDMADE PURSES

 PURSES, TOTES, POUCHES and HANDBAGS

Reversible Tapestry and Faux Suede Shoulder Bag

The names of purses has changed over the years, many times I'm sure! I don't really know what they call purses nowadays and I suppose it depends on the size really. It probably depends on the style as well. The 'bag' above is what I call a 'shoulder bag' but I've seen them called hobo bags. 

Hobo bags can have all the things, zippered closure, pocket, detachable handles and all of that jazz, but I like a bag that you just throw your stuff in and go! For a quick shopping trip or for throwing in stuff for an overnight stay, there is no fuss and everything is right there.

This style of bag has a handle that you can tie long or shorter, depending on how it hangs and what feels best for you. I like it a bit long. It doesn't have a closure but I use a scarf to tie around the bottom of the handles, to ties it shut. Looks cool too!

I've had this pattern since my high school days, in late sixties and I have always loved it! The pattern has five various bags to make and some day I will make them all. But, I thought this was the best one to make to sell. Hopefully, I will find a good place to sell them! I missed the markets this year, we have a couple of them near me, so next year I'll prepare sooner.

I purchased this white coat tree for a great price and it's very sturdy! It screws together with it having three pieces so it fits in my car just fine if I take off the top section. The dowls fit snuggly into the base pole. It will be fine to display my bags! I do need to weigh it down if there is wind though.

Fabric Beads

BANGLES and BEADS

I am having a fine time making fabric beads for my purses, for the dangles I'll be designing. I just love them! Been wanting to make these out of paper for a very long while and have found that making them out of fabric is so much fun. Easy and relaxing hand work at night, while I'm watching Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot or Disney.

My method is proving to work well and it's a bit different from all the YouTube tutorials I've seen. I make mine without a pattern and without sewing but I do want to try putting some beadwork on them and glitter glue. I want to really 'jazz' them up and make dangles that easily attach to the purse, perhaps with a large sized key ring, so you can put both handles together and it will act as a closure for the bag.

I'm going to continue making these bags this winter, get ready for the spring markets, and will try to make more variety to them. I'll try adding pockets with hidden zippers, or Velcro. 

I also want to make a tutorial for YouTube too, so I'll try to work on that very soon.

ART CHALLENGES 2024

 For the art challenge at Instagram hosted by Mab Graves, today's prompt is Black Lagoon. You can get a download of this as a cut-out paper doll that you print and cut at home!

DOWNLOAD HERE

You will download from my DropBox and you don't have to sign up for anything!

Check out the great entries for this challenge today! So many great artists are joining in and beginners too! We love everyone's work! Kids are drawing and painting too!

It's amazing what a great community it is at MABS DRAWLLOWEEN CLUB and you honestly will be inspired to create! Just for fun, no PRESSURE!

VISIT MY INSTAGRAM PAGE HERE

I started lated on this challenge but will play 'catch up' as the month continues. I did get a couple of other prompts made.

This was for day #9 - GOBLIN

THANKS FOR VIEWING MY ARTWORK! Leave a comment if you like! Enjoy creating!