Thursday, February 27, 2014

Thrifty Thursday: Spring Tulips cross-stitching

The above cross-stitching is a free chart from: Glory Bee Stitch, titled Spring Tulips. It is stitched on 14 ct. white Aida cloth. The 4"X8" wood frame was quite a bargain at only $1.00 at our local thrift store. 'Fits this stitching perfectly. This design was such a pleasure to stitch. Spring is one of my favorite seasons, and will be here in a couple of weeks. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. Are you ready for the warmer weather of Spring, with it's gorgeous flowers?

Linking-up with: ~SHOW-Licious Home Decor's Saturday Showcase: 01 March 2014~
~By Your Hands' Sunday Show-Off Link Party~

Sunday, February 23, 2014

~Spring- Themed Link Party~

Spring will be here soon, and in anticipation I am hosting this Link Party. To grab the button above, right-click and save the image. Then, please link that image back to this blog post. graphic courtesy of: The Graphics Fairy. Prim Spring blessings!

THIS LINK PARTY IS NOW CLOSED


Easy-to-make felt hair clasps

Hello friends. Above are three easy-to-make felt hair clasps for my darling granddaughter. Supplies needed: alligator clasp, 7" length of 3/8" wide gros grain ribbon, craft felt, and a hot glue gun. First, cut the craft felt into the shapes you want. Next, apply hot glue to the alligator clasp's outside and inside. Be sure to keep the clasp open. Hot glue dries quickly, so quickly wrap the gros grain ribbon around and inside the clasp. Hold firmly for a few seconds. Trim away any excess gros grain ribbon. Glue the very back piece of felt onto the center outside of the clasp. Hold firmly. Then glue the other felt pieces and hold firmly in place. Tada! You have made a cute felt hair clasp! The alligator clips work really well for thin hair. To help them stay in place better, cut a narrow piece of rubber shelf liner and hot glue it inside the clasp. The pink and red heart is very Valentines Day-ish, isn't it? The owl and the monkey are two of my granddaughter's favorite animals.

Linking-up with: ~Saturday SHOW-Licious Craft & Recipe Showcase~
Linking-up with: ~Homespun Hannah's Spring-Themed Link Party~

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Been offline a week...

Well hello friends. Yes, I was offline for a week due to computer troubles. The cooling fan quit, and of course a new one had to be ordered. The day it quit, we were covered in snow and all schools as well as many businesses were closed, including the computer repair shop. So, today I finally got my computer back. 'Have emailed the folks who emailed hunting me down, lol. So sorry about the delay.

Merry Winter, except now we in northwest Alabama are under a wind advisory and possible tornado! How this weather changes so rapidly! I have missed you all. Thanks to Diane of: Lavender Dreamer for telling you all where I was. The posts on the 14th and 19th had been pre-scheduled. My smartphone will go online, but it is so difficult for me to do that with the RA. 'Always hit the wrong button or 2 at a time. Plus, on the smartphone the webpage is so small. Emailing and posting is not easy via a smartphone. 'So glad to be back. Prim blessings.

graphic: Twin Creek Primitives

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Above is an artwork that I printed and framed for my daughter and her husband. It is in an 8"X10" frame. Don't you just love the vibrant colors? Many thanks go to Kindra of: At Home With K for the link to the free artwork. Tiffany at: Ladycrafter14 was a guest on Kindra's blog in 2012, and that is her original artwork. Do you craft for Valentine's Day? To see what I created for my granddaughter Macey, please continue reading.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Garden Shabby Straw Hat

Pictured above is a darling little child's straw hat that was purchased from: Too Cute and Girly's Etsy Shoppe. This hat is to coordinate with the dress that I made for The Scientific Seamstress' I Love To Read Sewing Challenge. The cloche shape was very popular in the early Edwardian era. My thought is that the hat is shaped kinda like a flower pot, which suits the book that I chose for the Challenge, The Secret Garden. The roses represent the roses that bloomed in that garden. The shabby/vintage style is quite popular these days. Do you like that style? To see the coordinating floral dress for the Challenge, vivit the post: I Love To Read Sewing Challenge: my entry.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

~Humble Heart Swap 2014~

Recently I participated in the Humble Heart Swap 2014, and Amy was my partner. She also hosted this Swap. The beautiful gifts are: wax rabbit, oval-shaped white Shaker box, heart with "Love" and music notes images, black cat in a pocket with Sweet Annie, dried cranberries heart-shaped ornament, pocket with "Sage" cross-stitched on the front, green pin keep with a heart and buttons, and (not in photo) some red and green craft buttons. Thank you so much, Amy. I love everything that you sent. Amy always makes and gives such beautiful items. To see the items that I sent to Amy, visit her blog at: Bumblebee Lane Cottage.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

I Love To Read Sewing Challenge: my entry

Hello everyone. The above photo is of my entry in: The Scientific Seamstress' I Love To Read Sewing Challenge. The pattern was designed by The Scientific Seamstress, and is titled Precious Dresses. This is the knee-length view with the short sleeves added. The fabric is 100% cotton, in a gorgeous pale yellow with large pink and white roses. Please continue reading for more info.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

~Thrifty Thursday: little wood box~

Happy Thrifty Thursday friends! This is a cute little wood box that was purchased at a thrift store for only .75¢ The front of the drawer was solid orange, but I added the square-patterned paper to it. The drawer actually slides out. 'Makes a nice little storage place. We can never have too many small boxes, can we? Lol. The colors are so Autumn-ish. The paper is also kinda retro-looking, which appeals to me a lot, having been born in the 1960's, he he.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

A solution...finally!

Good morning friends. Yes, I was offline for several days. The post on 29th January had been pre-scheduled. We have been facing a bad situation in our house. The house was built in 1947, some years before central air systems were used. The older houses were also not usually built on an open floor plan, which is where the rooms are located around the living room with lots of open space and few walls. Our house has rooms jutting from kinda odd places, with many walls and halls. So, we who live in those older houses must do something for heat and cool air.

The cost of installing or replacing a central system has skyrocketed recently. We had tried those infrared heaters (bought 5 in as many years!) and still froze in the winter/burned up in the summer. What we did not know is that infrared heaters are not built to be the only source of heat. They can supplement central or gas heat, but just cannot be the only source. They can also cause 110 outlet overload since most other household appliances also operate on 110, and thus trip the breaker box quite often. So, what is someone to do?

We finally solved the problem with air conditioner/heater combos, like mine pictured above. The heat is from an internal pump, and blows out quite strongly and warm. Of course, these combos do require a special 220 outlet, but it is still less expensive than a central system. Some people don't like the unit in the window, saying that it is unattractive. Sure, you can also hear them operating. Well, to be warm in the winter/cool in the summer, that isn't really so bad. The heat is also not "dry" like electric infrared heat. It is smooth and gets the job done. After many years of freezing and burning up, these combos have solved the problem. We had 2 installed. There is also a natural gas heater that reaches the front section of the house. Since that gas heat won't reach some areas, the combo does the job. Combos were popular in the 1960's, and we didn't even realize they were still being produced. Well, they are. 'Hoping this info will help some of you. Yes, we are sitting here with 20° outdoors and warm and toasty indoors... finally! Prim blessings, and stay warm!