Indie Gift Box Feature

I had eluded to this earlier this year, but I wanted to share once it was published. I am one of the contributing artists for Indie Gift Box this month.

 

This is an awesome little company in the US that gathers small handmade items from crafters and artists, packages them in themes and sells them to folks at an extremely good rate. For $20-$25 you receive items from a number of different handmade artists, as well as promotional materials and discounts for shops. It is a great way to find out about small handmade businesses, especially with the holidays right around the corner. If you were looking for some unique stocking stuffers this might be a great idea for you! I encourage you to go check out the IGB website, read my feature post, or if you are super keen, buy a box, I promise there will be something nice from me ;)

Also, while we are on the subject of KTP, I am in the process of adding a few new photos/prints/cards to the shop. Stay tuned. I will update once they are posted!

xox

The Magic of Sparkle

I am a lucky lady. I spend my summers working outside in a park it is a busy and tiring job, but I love it. Then, in the off season, I work part time at a local retail location, which I also love and spend time at home with my little man. That is except for one day. One day a week my in-laws are wonderful enough to watch Pip so I can focus on my creative pursuits (or house cleaning, but most the creative thing ;).

Yesterday was that one day. Reggie takes our little guy in to town, and I have one full work day to get as much accomplished as possible. And soon as they left... I wanted so badly to sunggle back under the warmth of our duvet and snooze, but... ain't nobody got time for that!

It was a beautiful bright morning with a sparkly hard frost, and I decided to take the pup, my camera and a hot cup of tea and head for the woods. And I remembered (as I do every time I head out on a photography adventure), why I love the art. A quiet morning in the crisp, cool air with my thoughts and my lens. I took a number of photos, likely more than 200, and of course only have a few to work with, but I wanted to share a couple with you.

Here is a peek of my adventure into the magical world of an early morning sparkle:

These will make their way into my shop in the next couple weeks, as prints and cards. And, I would love and feedback you have!

I hope you are having a wonderful day, and you have better weather where ever you are (it's rainy here)!

xox

Eeew... Cool!

I love moments where you are torn between two reactions. Like this one:

When I first saw this colourful mass on the tree, I immediately thought: "eww, what is that?" And then as I got closer I realized what is was and thought: "Cool!"

Do you have moments like this?

My Weekend (and recent obsession)

I know I promised yesterday that I would give you a garden update today, but then I realzed my photos are on my computer at work... So an update on my weekend so far. Friday evening we spent some time with neighbours, enjoyed a warm fire on a cool evening along with some good friends. Yesterday, we relaxed had a late brunch, listened to the rain for a while in the afternoon, and then headed to a friend's cottage to celebrate her birthday. It was great! But we got back very late last night, and were a little worse for wear this morninng. I headed in to town to work at the store this afternoon, and I came home to Reggie getting some delicious looking pasta ready! I'm excited. And it is rather cool right now, so I'm thinking it would be a good night to stay in a play with some fabric I bought a while back and have yet to transform!

Ohh, and of course an update on the baby birds (a bit of an obsession, I know). They are about 11 days old now, and really too big for the nest. I think they will be flying soon; which is bittersweet because they are so sweet and I love to watch them grow, but I am so happy that they made to the point where they can fly and take care of themselves!

Baby Bird Update!

So, originally I thought there were three. I'm happy to say I was mistaken, and at last check there were four, and they were all doing well! Here are some photos:

 

They are only about 6 days old (in the photos, 8 today), but have grown quite a bit. They have more feathers, but their eyes still aren't open. And are they ever hungry! Mamma spends her day finding food, and while she is searching they sit still with their little beaks open and waiting for a fresh worm.

I got a couple photos of mamma this time, but I didn't want to get too close, for fear that I would frighten her.

I can't wait until they start flying!

Sweetest Little Thing

So I'm through my first week of work. It seems impossible really; like only a week or so ago I was finishing up my contract in September. I spent most of my week at a conference, which I will share a little more on later. When I got home from work this afternoon, I took Gunner into the backyard to enjoy some warm weather and sunshine.

And we found something wonderful! Remember this nest? Well mamma bird was flitting back and forth, and I realized that it was because she was feeding her little ones. I can see 3, and there eyes aren't even open yet! So sweet!

 

 

I am very excited to have a Saturday off tomorrow, because that hasn't happened in a long time. There are hopes of gardening, sunshine, and family time. I will be sure to check in tomorrow and give you an update!

What are your weekend plans?

Nature Inspired Crafts!

 At the end of April Sarah put a call out to do an ATC swap. I signed up right away, and to my surprise she was the one I was sending my ATC to. I was very excited, and I already had an idea. The theme for the ATC was grow. Using some cotton fabric scraps, felt, buttons and a first time freezer paper stencil experience - here is what I created for Sarah:

A little fabric Artist Trading Card, with the theme grow. On one side is a cute little nest, with two robin's eggs, and the word grow (the theme), on the other side is a cute little chick with the initials HG, which stands for my etsy site (I will get there, no worries). This little trading card was so fun, it inspired me to make this:

A 6"x4" piece of sewn artwork! Which I have just put on my etsy site! I have created a new collection on my site, called Sew Artsy. I have so many other ideas for these little pieces of art and I am just bursting to sew them (I just have to find the time). You can see my etsy site here, or search Hooked Goods. I am still trying to get things on the site, it takes a long time to photograph everything, but I'm getting there.

So there you have it, some crafting completed, and my etsy site finally unveiled! Let me know what you think, I would love some feedback, on the craft and the site :)