Some Pretties For Valentine's Day

With less than a month to go I was cutting it pretty close by just getting these new items listed. I had picked out a lot of heart charms on Etsy several weeks prior, but I had to wait for the money to come in before I could commit to purchasing it. Luckily, no one beat me to it and once the money hit my PayPal account, I bought it. Then of course, there was the wait for the USPS to deliver it. Luckily, I found a seller who ships promptly and they arrived quickly.

Normally I have a hard time getting excited over making anything for Valentine's Day. It's pretty much just another day in the year here. Way back at the beginning of our marriage I started getting the excuse of "I didn't have any money" instead of a gift and that's pretty much how it's always been. A romantic my DH is not! This year I felt I at least had to give it a stab, thus the order for the hearts. When they arrived I was thrilled. I didn't realize they were going to have spaces for stones to be set, but they did. Not only that, I actually had Swarovski Crystals that fit! I went to bed late that night because I just had to get them all set. It's a diversion from my normal beaded items, but I was thrilled with the results. Above are some examples. The rest can be seen either on my Etsy or Art Fire pages.

I sure hope there are some more romantically inclined hubbies out there who will buy something. That would really make my Valentine's Day special this year.

A Little Bit About Hardanger

Several of you asked me how Hardanger is done, so without writing a complete book I will briefly tell you.

As shown yesterday, I start with a blank piece of even weave material. Don't make the mistake of using Aida cloth that is made for cross stitching. It is even weave, but it is also interwoven so pulling threads out is next to impossible.

I start with the outermost part of the inner pattern. In the doily above, it is the top of the hearts. Most pattern instructions tell you to start with this part because once you get that right, the rest is much easier to line up. It usually takes me several false starts to get it counted out right.

Once I get that part finished, I usually do the blanket stitch around the outside and then the rest of the pattern. The open spaces you see are after everything else is stitched. 4 threads between each pair of bars are cut and removed. That leaves bare threads that are wrapped with a smaller size thread. You can see the final results in the top picture. Sorry but I don't have any pictures of the bare threads at the moment.

This doily is a relatively easy one. Only 4 stitches are used in the entire thing, blanket, bar, satin and the wrap. The one I pictured yesterday is much more involved. That is why it has taken me so long to get where I am with it. Each one of the medallions took me approximately 2 hours to stitch. There's almost 24 hours in work right there!

There are books on the market with Hardanger designs. If you decide to try it, be sure to find one that has beginner instructions in it. Many of the books I have give only a picture and a graph with very few directions. You have to know what the graph means and how to do the stitches first.

I'm off to make some Valentine jewelry today. The hearts I order JUST arrived yesterday. I'm cutting it close.

Hardanger In Progress

I started with this and over 100 hours later
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It's still not done!!

Almost, but not quite.

Hardanger is just something you can not rush. Count, count count....stitch, stitch, stitch, ( OOPS) rip out, rip out, rip out, count, count......

Someday soon it will be finished. Think anyone will be willing to pay me $1000 for it? No? Aw heck.....

OOAK Sculpted Necklace Makes A Comeback

Ms. Tillie

Meet Ms. Tillie. She is a very flamboyant, some times wacky, and never shy lady. She loves her new spiked blue hair! Wear her and you are sure to get noticed in any crowd. Actually, you may have met her before if you are a long time follower. Tillie has been with me for quite a while. In fact, I didn't even try to sell her for a full year. She just sat in a box all sad and depressed. I decided to take her out, spiff her up and try again.

Tillie was created on a whim a couple of years ago. I was bored I suppose. Crafters tend to get antsy when they do the same thing over and over. At least I do. I saw a face on the line of this made out of polymer clay and knew I could do it with beads. I had a lot of fun creating her, along with her sister, Millie and her cat, Felix. They will be posted in the next few days.

So, Tillie is out of her box and she's really hoping someone will find her and fall in love with her this time. We both know that all it takes is the right person at the right time and she will have a new home.

Sandy

How Cold Is It?

Here is the thermometer at my house this morning. Hope you are staying warm where ever you are!

Sandy

3 New Gilded Birds

Oh my, have I been having fun creating these new pieces! They are in no way jewelry related, but what a welcome change they are. Thank you Becky for sharing your talents with your mother!

I am hoping some florist or decorator finds these little gems and just has to have them for an upcoming event. There are some doves in the works, but doves have been done to death these days. I like the colorful ones myself.

Here to share their beauty with you are:

Blue Mockingbird

Blue Jay

Parrot

Clearance Sale

Ever find yourself drowning in stuff? I have boxes of jewelry that just has to get out of here so I am gearing up for a big jewelry clearance sale. Since Etsy makes it practically impossible to have a sale without changing every single item one at a time I'm popping on over to Art Fire where they make it a snap! Here is where you can find me: Forbes Farm Gifts Art Fire is secure and as safe as Etsy or Ebay to use. It's just packed with great handmade stuff! If you haven't been there, it's worth a look.

If you are interested in saving 30% on any purchase in my shop totalling $25.00 or more, all you need to do is pop this code into the check out page. D093298575-071D33DD5C

Mention you saw the sale in my blog and I will pop a surprise into your package.

Sandy