FeltSewGood

Gingerbread Christmas Holiday Craft Show

2011-11-30T23:17:00.005-05:00

I've spent the last several weeks getting ready for the annual Gingerbread Christmas holiday craft show this coming Saturday, December 3, at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, Indiana.

I've been cutting and stitching felted wool flower brooches.

Making a variety of my recycled sweater wool handbags.

These cute zip pouches make great gifts!

And I have lots of colorful wool mittens for both adults and kids.

I'm looking forward to the show - there's always a great crowd. And I love to be a shopper, too!

And I'll be listing everything left after the show in my Etsy shop next week.

Just Peachey!

2011-07-18T08:04:00.007-04:00

A summer favorite. . . peach pie made from fresh, ripe peaches.

This pie is just out of the oven and still warm.
I wanted to share this simple and delicious recipe with you.

Peach Pie
You'll need a single pastry crust.
To save time, I used a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust from my grocer's dairy case.
6 peaches, peeled and sliced
Filling:
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
Mix these five ingredients together and pour over the peaches.
Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

When cooled, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy one of summer's best treats!

In the Garden

2011-07-11T08:07:00.006-04:00

Today's weather forecast is for lots of heat and humidity. It's already a very humid morning. My camera lens fogged up when I left my air conditioned house causing this halo effect from the early morning sun. Pretty!

Little water droplets look like clear beads on this lady's mantle leaf.

A new pink variegated water lily bloomed for the first time this morning.

And the goldfish in the pond are waiting for their morning feeding.

In the Garden

2011-06-26T16:59:00.005-04:00

This week in the garden. . . the perenials are in full bloom.

Hummelo attracts the bees.

Pink astilbe in the shade garden.

Milkweeds in the vegetable garden will hopefully attract Monarchs.

This cute little toad is a garden visitor.

A close-up of a hygrandea bloom.

This bright magenta monarda, or bee balm, is a favorite of both bees and hummingbirds.

It's Summer!

2011-06-21T07:50:00.002-04:00

Happy first day of Summer!

In the Garden

2011-06-19T14:47:00.007-04:00

This week in the garden. . . the water lilies are blooming!

A cluster of white flowers with yellow centers.

A big pale yellow flower.

These smaller flowers are bright magneta with yellow centers.

They are all hardy water lilies that live in our small garden ponds year round in Indiana. As long as the roots don't feeze in the winter, they provide these gorgeous blooms all summer long!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T11:44:00.003-04:00

Get Your Craft On!

2011-03-10T22:27:00.030-05:00

March is National Craft Month. Whether you like to craft with paper and glue, needle and thread, or wax, or clay, you can always find inspiration from other artists and crafters on Etsy. And just in time for your Easter crafting projects, I found these wonderful, Easter inspired DIY patterns, kits and tutorials all from fellow Etsy artists.

Make your own fabric Easter eggs with Retromama's Retro Ruler Easter Eggs Sewing Kit.

This Felt Food Easter Basket PDF pattern includes instructions for the dark chocolate bunny, colorful marshmallow bunnies, woven Easter basket and more! All from GulfCoastCottagePDF.

Here comes the Easter bunny! This sweet Bunny Rabbit Needle Felting Kit is from Bear Creek Design.

Try your hand at making a molded Sugar Easter Egg with Fondant Flowers from this silicone mold. Half egg and flower mold with intructions from Whysper Fairy.

Learn how to make a Pine Needle Basket. Pattern and instructions for this wide raffia style basket offered by Make A Basket.

Happy Crafting!

Discoveries - Favorite Midwest Finds

2011-02-28T21:46:00.006-05:00

Thank you to Midwest Living magazine for including some of my FeltSewGood wool flower brooches in the March/April 2011 issue. What a great Spring issue full of gardening tips, delicious recipes and retro road trips!

And a tribute to peonies, my favorite flower and inspiration for many of my flower brooches.

My flower brooches are part of the Discoveries page, along with five other lovely giftable items, all made from vintage or recycled materials.

Thank you Midwest Living for helping to support HandMade!

Warm Woolen Mittens

2011-01-25T23:24:00.006-05:00

With so much cold weather and snow falling across the country, we all could use a fun, stylish way to keep our hands warm. How about a pair of these cute wool mittens?

I've made a new batch of my recycled sweater wool mittens. I choose coordinating patterns and colors, add some wool sweater ribbing for cuffs around the wrist for a warm, snug fit and many are trimmed with buttons on the cuffs.

They come in two sizes - for kids and adults. Each pair is unique and one-of-a-kind.
These and more are available in my Etsy shop, FeltSewGood.

And there are a few wool scarves, too!
I'll be adding more mittens and scarves over the next week. Just in time for Valentine's Day gifting!

Soft Wool Flowers

2011-01-17T10:14:00.006-05:00

I've been working on a new batch of felted wool flower brooches. These are all made from recycled wool sweaters, felted in my washing machine. I then cut layers of flower shapes from colorful wool and hand stitch the layers together. Some flowers are accented with buttons or trimmed with leaves. The leaves are also made from recycled wool sweaters.

You can see my real floral inspiration in this post. These flowers and more will all be avilable in my Etsy shop, FeltSewGood!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . .

2010-12-24T09:24:00.004-05:00

The tree has been decorated and the shopping is done.

The gifts have been wrapped and the cookies have been baked.

Here's wishing a
Merry Christmas to All!

A Beautiful Snowy Morning

2010-12-21T22:05:00.003-05:00

I went for a brisk early morning walk this morning after a snowy night.

A snowplow had already cleared the street for those heading out early to work.

The heavy wet snow turned the neighborhood landscape into a winter wonderland.

And few had ventered down the snowy path to the local park.

This latest snowfall will insure a white Christmas this weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:42:00.004-04:00

Being a good person is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside, and scoops out all of the yucky stuff - seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a bright new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin.
Now, it's your turn to pass this on to a pumpkin of your choice!

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T10:04:00.007-04:00

Wishing Everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!

Floral Inspiration

2010-06-16T09:16:00.010-04:00

I love gardening. The hard work is very well worth the end result - yummy fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers!

My flower garden is my inspiration for my recycled sweater wool flower brooches. Here are a few of my favorites.

bright magenta echinacea, or purple coneflowers

yellow water lillies from our garden pond

fragrant peonies, one of my all time favorite flowers

and elegant roses

My daisies are blooming now, so I have a new inspiration!

Look for daisy felted wool brooches coming soon.

There's Still Time to Enter!

2010-06-04T13:25:00.005-04:00

The blog MonsterBites365.com is sponsering a giveaway of one of my felted flower brooches!

Monster Bites brings you 365 days of the latest in DIY fashion, sustainable living & handmade goodness for an enviable life! Each GEM is packed with giveaways, discounts, and DIY projects!

There is also a tutorial for making your own recycled wool sweater flower like the one in the upper right photo.

Enter for your chance to win here. You can enter through June 9.

Outdoor Living

2010-05-25T09:02:00.008-04:00

We've been doing some cleaning, sewing, painting, and even a little bit of construction, to spruce up our outdoor living space. Everything on our screened porch always needs a good scrubbing in the spring. And, a little touch up painting keeps everything looking good and protected from weathering.

Our patio of brick pavers had become very uneven due to tree roots that had grown and spread over the years. We had the tree trimmed earlier in the season, so my husband decided it would be safe to trim the tree roots, too. He pulled up the uneven bricks and chopped out the offending roots. He also repaired a drain line to take water away from the house. After adding a little bit of sand for filler and replacing the bricks, the patio is as good as new.

I made new cushion covers for our furniture on the porch and added some comfy pillows for lounging. The pretty tropical print fabric that I found on clearance sale a while back looks great with all our flowers and plants surrounding the porch.

Here is the end result!

A view from inside the porch.

Momma bluebird stopped by to feed the babies while I was taking these photos.

Our cats love to spend time relaxing on the porch.

This is Sabrina in her morning sunbath ritual.

A view from the porch out on to our refurbished patio.
It feels great to have everything clean and refeshed - ready to enjoy all summer!

Feathered Friends

2010-05-13T09:08:00.010-04:00

It's nesting season for the birds in my area and everytime I go outside I hear birds singing or chirping. It has been raining a lot lately, so I wasn't too surprised when I came home the other day to find mallard ducks wandering around in my front yard!
Here are a few photos I've taken of some of my feathered friends.

Bluebirds are using the nesting box on our garden fence again this year. This is the female bluebird with a nice bug to feed the kids.

A chipping sparrow has been working on a nest in the vine over the garden trellis.

This baby wren is waiting for a meal from inside his little bird house hanging in a garden tree.

There are four robins crowding this nest. A couple of them were peaking out when I took this photo.

A male cardinal keeping watch.

A young family of Canadian geese going for a swim in the neighborhood park.

Another family of Canadian geese in the neighborhood. These little ones are little older and starting to get darker feathers.

There is an abundance of wildlife even in our suburban neighborhood!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T17:02:00.006-04:00

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-04-29T10:22:00.005-04:00

Our early spring vegetable planting is doing well and we are able to start enjoying fresh from the garden veggies!

There is leaf lettuce, radishes and spring onions.

Radishes are a tasty addition to a salad or serve with sea salt as an appetizer or snack.

Chives and other fresh herbs provide wonderful flavor to so many dishes.

Romaine lettuce plants, almost ready to harvest.

And my favorite, garden fresh asparagus.

Are you planting a vegetable garden this season? How does your garden grow?

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T08:27:00.004-04:00

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children.
~Native American Proverb

Shouldn't every day be Earth Day?!

Saturday in the Park

2010-04-17T23:19:00.015-04:00

It was sunny, cool and windy when I walked to the park this morning. . . a perfect day for kite flying! April is National Kite Flying Month and families were out to celebrate by having a Kite Fly-In in our little community park.

There were kite building kits for the kids.

And a few demonstrations of large kites by the Hoosier Kitefliers Society.

High flyin!

On down at the lake, these beautiful little sailboats were participating in a model boat regatta.

It was a lovely Saturday in the park. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend, too.

A Quick Shop Update. . .

2010-04-12T13:35:00.010-04:00

Introducing my new "Carolyn Clutch".

I have several of these cute new clutch style purses now listed in the shop.

These clutches are the perfect size to carry a small wallet, phone, keys and lip gloss. Or put it in the larger bag you carry to work or the gym!

They are all made from felted wool sweaters in bright Spring colors and some have accents of other upcycled wool fabrics. Perfect for the girl on the go!

Check out FeltSewGood on Etsy for all the latest additions to the shop.

Fresh Garden Herbs

2010-04-08T12:33:00.004-04:00

I cleaned up my little herb patch in the vegetable garden and it looks like everything survived the snowy winter. I'm usually able to keep picking fresh perennial herbs up until Thanksgiving and then I use mostly dried herbs over the winter. It's such a treat to begin using fresh herbs again in the spring. I made mashed potatoes for dinner just so that I could add fresh chives and a little sour cream. Yum!

My favorite herbs are basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme. Most of these are perennial, meaning a healthy plant will grow back each spring. Basil and dill can be grown easily from seed. As for the cilantro, we have a sandy patch of soil in the garden and grow cilantro in that same spot each year. Cilantro doesn't seem to like our hot humid summers, so after it flowers and turns to seed, which is coriander, we just let it reseed itself and then we have a new crop when the weather cools a little.

You can find herb seeds or herb plant starts at most garden centers, but if you're looking for something special, The Cook's Garden has a nice selection of herbs to choose from. You can order online or request a free catalog here.

photos from The Cook's Garden website.

Some New Purses and Some New Designs

2010-04-06T23:03:00.008-04:00

I took a little break from sewing and blogging last week to finish some other projects. It was good feeling of accomplishment and now I'm ready to work on some new designs for the shop!

I now have several new purses in felted wool listed in the shop.

I'm also working on a new design for a cute clutch purse! If all goes as planned, I should have some of the new clutches listed later this week.

Even though I didn't do much sewing during my little break, I did some thrift store shopping and found quite a few great items to use in making new purses. So there will be lots of "new" in the coming weeks. I'll be sure to share them here!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T13:42:00.005-04:00

Wishing you all a wonderful Spring weekend

and Happy Easter with these vintage French postcards!

Felted Wool Rose Brooch Tutorial

2010-03-22T10:20:00.016-04:00

Here's a great little project for all of you fabric crafters! It's a great way to use up your scraps of colorful felted wool, fleece or any flower colored fabrics. These brooches are very pretty pinned to a jacket, sweater, handbag or hat year round, but especially nice for Spring!

Materials needed:

*felted sweater wool or fabric for flowers and leaves
*strong thread such as embroidery, hand quilting or button and craft
Fabrics: I have always used felted wool to make my flowers, but I think you could experiment with and get interesting results with all sorts of fabrics: woven cotton, cotton knit, denim, felt, home decorator fabrics, fleece and ultra-suede.

You could also try not folding the fabric, using just a thinner strip, a single layer of fabric and leaving a cut or frayed edge for interesting detail.

Step One.
Measure and cut the flower and leaf fabric. For flower, cut a strip of fabric that measures 11" x 2 1/2". Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides out, so you have a 11" x 1 1/4" strip. Pin cut edges together to hold in place. For the leaf shapes, I make a paper pattern. You can draw the leaf shapes freehand on paper or gather interesting leaves from your yard or garden and trace or photocopy them onto paper. Use pattern to cut out as many leaves as you would like to use.

Step Two.
On flower fabric strip, use a long running stitch or basting stitch close to the cut edge of fabric to replace the pins. Start stitching close to one folded corner, angle down to long cut edges to hold edges together and stitch back up to opposite folded corner. Trim open corners to make a curved edge. Then pull thread to gently gather the cut edge of fabric. This will make the fabric start to curl and you are ready to "roll" the rose into shape.

Step Three.
Starting at one end of the folded, gathered fabric strip, always keeping cut edges even, start to roll up the fabric strip. Using heavy thread on a good sized needle, make stitches back and forth close to the cut edge as you continue to roll up the fabric.

Secure the final curved edge of the fabric strip with a couple of knotted stitches and you have a completed rose.

Step Four.
Add leaves and finish the back of flower. For a little extra detail, I sometimes add beads to the edge of the flower or embroider "veins" onto my leaves. But, plain flowers and leaves are good, too. Stitch a few leaves to the back of flower. If you want to sew the flower directly onto a handbag or hat band, you won't need to finish the back. If you want to finish the back of the flower, cut a small circle, slightly larger that the back of the flower. Position over the back of the flower and slip stitch or blanket stitch in place, catching the leaves in your stitching. Add a levered pinback and you now have a pretty fabric flower brooch!

Here is a rose brooch pinned to one of my felted sweater wool handbags. They work well as a single flower or you can stitch two or three flowers together for a fuller look.

If you try this, send me a link to a photo!
I'd love to see your flowers and any variations you come up with.

A Special Award!

2010-03-18T11:58:00.014-04:00

I had a wonderful surprise the other day! Thanks so much to Amy aka: ropergirl3, of Amy's Handmade Goodies and Vintage Finds, for The Circle of Friends Award!!!

The conditions of accepting this wonderful blog award are for me to list five things that I like to do. After creating that list, I am to pass on this blog award to five more bloggers that I would like to learn more about... so here goes:

Five things I love/like to do:

1. Spending time with my family.
2. Creating. Especially sewing, but I like other types of needlework, beading and I still want to learn to knit and crochet!

3. Gardening. Both flowers and vegetables.

4. Cooking. I love trying new recipes!
5. Reading. I love to sit on the porch on a warm summer evening with a good book.

Now here are the five bloggers I am passing this on to:

1. Kim at Sandbox Gems

2. Olly at Wollies

3. Catherine at The Sewing Attic

4. Lori at what's after 29?

5. Tara at SewGorgeous

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:34:00.004-04:00

Irish Blessing -

"May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand."

This afternoon I'm going to try Paulette's yummy looking Irish Soda Bread recipe! See Paulette's blog, Beedeebabee, for the recipe and photos. Yum!!!

And the Winner Is. . .

2010-03-15T09:41:00.007-04:00

The two winners of the FeltSewGood Spring Blog Giveaway are Sandy and Amy. Thank you so much to everyone who entered! I love reading all your comments.

Sandy chose the orange poppy brooch.

And Amy chose the black-eyed Susan.

I'll be listing some more flower brooches in the shop later this week. I've been working on some more poppies, I haven't had many of those listed this year. Feel free to convo me through the shop if you have a special color in mind!

Floral Inspired Crafts

2010-03-12T11:08:00.006-05:00

I've been in a floral sort of mood this week, as you can see by my Giveaway! I came across this link on the Martha Stewart website and thought I'd share this with you.

There are 57 different floral inspired crafts made with fresh and faux flowers in one form or another! There are beautiful ideas for fresh flower arrangements and gifts, ideas for crafting with dried flowers and ideas for making paper flowers. All just in time for Spring!

And don't forget to enter my FeltSewGood Spring Giveaway here! You have three chances to win and you can enter until midnight EST on Saturday, March 13. Good Luck!

Spring Giveaway!

2010-03-10T08:10:00.013-05:00

It's time for a FeltSewGood Giveaway! It's almost Spring and that has me thinking of green grass, warmer temperatures, green leaves and flower buds.

Isn't it wonderful to see those first Spring flower buds open to colorful Spring flowers!

In honor of Spring's arrival, I'm giving away the flower brooch of your choice from my Etsy shop to not one, but TWO LUCKY WINNERS! And everyone has THREE CHANCES TO WIN! There are dozens of colors and styles to choose from and I'll be adding more this week.

To enter the FeltSewGood Spring Giveaway:

1. Go to FeltSewGood on Etsy, look through the flower brooches, and leave a comment here on this blog post about which flower you would choose if you won.

2. Become a follower of this blog and leave me a comment to tell me that you are a follower.

3. Become a fan of FeltSewGood's Facebook page, which will also give you notices of special offers and discounts on FeltSewGood products, and leave me a comment on this blog post that you are a fan.

When you leave your comments, make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are a winner - either through your own blog, Etsy shop or email!

Good luck to all! Contest closes at midnight, EST, on Saturday, March 13. Each comment will be assigned a number and the winner will be choosen using random.org.

Is it Spring Yet?!

2010-03-01T20:55:00.014-05:00

Today is March 1st. Is it Spring yet?

The temperatures have started to rise and most of the snow has melted here in central Indiana. (Well, except for those big dirty piles of snow in the strip mall parking lots!) I know it's not officially spring until March 20, but the days are getting longer and I'm anxious to get outside and turn the soil, spread some mulch and enjoy the warmth of the sun!

And it's not too early to start planning the vegetable garden.

I've received a few seed and garden supply catalogs in the mail and I've already earmarked some favorites.

My husband bought some of his favorite seed varieties at the local garden center. It's still a little too early to plant seeds in the ground outside, but by the end of March we hope to get some radish and early lettuce seeds planted. It will be the begining of another beautiful, bountiful garden!

What will you plant this year?

Upcycled Home Decor

2010-02-18T08:08:00.012-05:00

I'm always interest in seeing what other wool crafters are making with upcycled/recycled wool sweaters. While browsing Etsy recently, I was on the lookout for decorative home accessories made from recycled textiles. Here are a few of my favorite home decor items, all made from recycled sweaters, from other Etsy artists.

This wool winter blue quilt was made from upcycled wool sweaters. I love the pattern and color combination. Laurine, of Greenatheart, added a cotton backing, freeform stitching and bias binding to finish this as one would a more "traditional" quilt. In Laurine's words "This not just wool sewn together, it is in every meaning of the word a quilt." Beautiful!

These huggably soft balls in earth tones are great as accent pillows or soft toys for the little ones. They are made from assorted recycled sweaters and come as a set of three from Handmadepretties.

This thick, colorful rug was woven from recycled wool sweaters! Fiveforty has a great selection of these one-of-a-kind rag rugs in a gorgeous array of colors and various sizes. I imagine these would feel wonderful underfoot.

I love the modern design of PLYtextiles geometric pattern pillows. This is the Grid Tiles Felt Pillow. They are made from recycled wool sweaters with a fabulous attention to detail.

All these artists used recycled textiles to make these one-0f-a-kind home accents.

What's New?

2010-02-15T11:12:00.007-05:00

My weekend was fairly creative and productive despite a little trouble with my trusty Kenmore sewing machine. I had cleaned out the sweater "fuzz" from under the presser plate and around the bobbin, adjusted the tension and jiggled the foot pedal. My husband could tell I was getting a little frustrated and asked me to describe the trouble I was having. Basically after all my efforts, when I pressed on the foot pedal, the machine either started out stitching too fast or would not start stitching at all. My Handy Hubby decided the foot pedal itself was the problem and after he took it apart and cleaned a connection, my sewing machine is working well again and all is good in my sewing room!

So here is what I've been working on. I've found some nice wool men's jackets, or sportcoats, and a great chocolate brown suede skirt, all at thrift stores. I like the way the woven wool, and especially the suede, look with the felted sweater wool so I've incoorporated them into some of my handbag designs.

This is my first try at sewing with the suede. I used it for the top band and strap of a Bella handbag. It's a little bit harder to work with, but I love the results.

I like this combo of the red sweater wool and the black and white herringbone woven wool. And it was fun to use the original jacket's features, like the pockets, in the design of the purse.

This is another Bella handbag made with green sweater wool and a simple plaid pattern in woven wool.

I've spent the afternoon cutting out some more combinations of colors and fabrics. What do you think? I'd love to hear your feedback or opinions on my new ideas!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T21:29:00.008-05:00

These sweet wool felt conversation hearts are from Maiseyhandmade on Etsy.

'Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : TiLTcreations

2010-02-11T09:19:00.014-05:00

TiLTcreations sells a wonderful variety of sizes and styles of handbags and purses. Everything from casual backpacks and shoulder bags to pretty clutches ready for a night on the town! All are handmade and one-of-a-kind.

These photos represent just a few of the lovely variety of styles available from TiLTcreations.

Purse with Burgundy, Mint and White Circles on Ginger

Clutch in Red Ironworks Swirls

Zip Pouch in Bright Tropical Another Iota Pebbles

Casual Backpack in Chocolate Squares

And if you are looking for crafting supplies, check out her second shop, Tilt Too.

And, of course, being a memer of the Etsy Bloggers Team means she has a blog of her own. Crafts, kids, home and life is the name of the blog. Stop by her blog for great crafting ideas and posts about other Etsians. Be sure to say hello and leave a comment!

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-05T10:12:00.005-05:00

It's been snowing most of the day here in central Indiana, and it's forecast to continue through the night into Saturdy morning. We are on the far western edge of the big snowstorm forecasted to send a wintry blast along the east coast of the U.S.

So far we've probably had about 4 inches of heavy, wet snow. It's piling up on the tree branches and turning the landscape into a white winter wonderland. I took a short walk this afternoon to the park adjacent to my neighborhood just for a look at the pretty landscape.

A winter wonderland in Indiana.

Homemade Granola Bars

2010-02-02T17:14:00.006-05:00

I love homemade granola for breakfast or as a snack. I've tried quite a few combinations of oats, nuts and dried fruits and I pretty much like them all. I was recently watching the Food Network and saw Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, making these granola bars. They turned out to be a delicious, sweet and slightly chewy combination of oats, almonds, coconut and dried fruit held together with golden honey. To me these are just as good as a cookie and much better than commercial granola bars!

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Click on the recipe title to go to the Food Network site and print out the recipe.

I'm sure this would be great with your own favorite combination of dried fruits and nuts. Do you have a favorite granola recipe? I'd love for you to share a link!

Upcycled Wearables in GreenCraft Magazine

2010-01-29T14:51:00.018-05:00

I just received the latest issue, Winter 2010, of GreenCraft Magazine in the mail today. It's full of creative ideas for repurposeing everything from junk mail to old leather jackets!

A couple of my repurposed, felted wool sweater projects are featured in the Green Craft Walking section on page 96.

The model is holding one of my Emily mini-totes and wearing one of my felted flower brooches.

You can follow the instructions in the issue to try your hand at making your own felted flower brooch. Or have a look at the many choices of flower styles and colors available in my shop, FeltSewGood.

I find GreenCraft Magazine and other Stampington Publications at my local Barnes and Noble and at craft stores like Jo-Ann. Or they can be ordered online.

Work in Progress

2010-01-27T09:41:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I set up my dining room table as my cutting table and organized and cut out enough projects to keep me busy sewing for a while! Here are a few photos of what I am working on today.

Several new handbags should be complete and listed in the shop
next week.

I'll also have some new zippered pouches, including a new design, if all goes well!

I've been wanting to incorporate some leather and/or suede into my felted wool purse designs, so I've been experimenting with pieces of a repurposed suede skirt. I purchased sewing machine needles made specifically for sewing leather but so far I've just done a few tests.

And I found a few brightly colored wool sweaters in what I thought would be great flower colors, so I've started a new batch of felted flower brooches. All these projects will definitely keep me occupied for the next few days!

Snowflakes!

2010-01-26T13:56:00.016-05:00

Snowflakes - by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,

Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,

Over the woodlands brown and bare,

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow

Descends the snow.

A fresh coat of snow overnight was the inspiration for my search of "snowflakes" on Etsy. Here is a simple collage of a few of my favorite items with a snowflake theme. Clockwise from the upper left photo:

a collage sheet of real snowflake photos from 1900, from piddix

child size felted wool mittens with snowflake pattern from my own shop, FeltSewGood

vintage snowflake brooch, from DesiredSimplicity

snowflake motif wedding invitations, from rgbcolor

Have a look at these items and more in the shops of these Etsy artisans and sellers!

Hearts for Your Valentine!

2010-01-22T16:54:00.006-05:00

I've been working on some new Valentine and heart themed goodies for my Etsy shop. As I've mentioned before, hearts are one of my favorites shapes to work with and I've come up with a few new ways to incorporate them in my felted wool projects.

I'll have a shop update on Monday, January 25th with new Heart Felt brooches in Valentine colors and some other new Heart Felt items.

Craftivism for Haiti

2010-01-19T15:57:00.019-05:00

Some very generous organizers, artists and crafters have come together to raise money to help the people of Haiti. They've organized online auctions and opened Etsy shops with donated handcrafted items with proceeds from the sales going to Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross International Response Fund and other relief organizations. I wanted to share what I'm sure are just a few of these online groups. There's more information on Etsy artists Craftivism on Etsy's Handmade Blog, the Storque.

This photo of a woman in Haiti, taken before the disastrous earthquake, is from the Etsy shop HelpHaiti. All the proceeds from this shop go to Project 81.

Hearts for Haiti is an Etsy collective of donated items from hundreds of Etsy shops to raise money to rebuild Haiti. Proceeds from this shop go to Doctors Without Borders.

Craft Hope is another Etsy shop full of beautiful donated items from the crafting community. Proceeds from the Craft Hope Etsy shop go to Doctors Without Borders. You can find out more from the Craft Hope website.

Indie Fixx is holding a silent auction of items that have been donated by indie crafters, artists and designers. Proceeds go to the Red Cross International Response Fund. More details on the Indie Fixx website.

In just a few days these shops and auction have already raised a lot of money. Be sure to check out these sites for more info or to purchase or donate an item. And I'd love to know about other efforts you are a part of, or know about!

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : Nico Designs

2010-01-12T12:41:00.008-05:00

The Featured Blogger, from the Etsy Bloggers Team, for the month of January is Nico Designs! Erika loves to sew and features handbags and accessories in her Etsy shop. And new to her shop are some art dolls and home accessories. Here are a few of my favorites:

a pretty envelope clutch in pinks and magenta,

Love Pears, plush pears in red prints would make a cute Valentine's Day gift,

Savannah, the Horse Lover art doll,

and a graphic black and white tote bag

And of course, being a member of the Etsy Bloggers Team, Erika has a lovely blog of her own. On her blog, Designs by Nico, she blogs about her craft, and the business of handmade, and has shared lots of great tutorials. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Stay Warm and Cozy!

2010-01-11T15:09:00.006-05:00

It looks like winter is going to stick around for a while, so to help keep you warm, I've listed some new warm and cozy scarves and mittens in the shop!

All my mittens are made from felted, upcycled wool sweaters. Felting, or fulling, the wool makes it more dense so these cute mittens should help keep your hands warm!

And they come in adult sizes and kid sizes.

Let me know if you are looking for a certain color - I love custom orders!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2010-01-07T12:18:00.009-05:00

We've been experienceing very cold temperatures here in Indiana, and today we got some snow to go along with the winter chill.

I love it when the snow sticks to the tree branches and turns everything into a winter wonderland!

A view down the street.

The garden covered in snow.

My butterfly bush looks like it has cotton balls stuck to the frozen leaves.

The snow looks pretty for a while, but I really don't like the cold. Is it too early to be wishing for a Spring thaw?!

Refresh and Reorganize!

2010-01-05T16:13:00.007-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Everything is just about back to normal around here. I was a little under the weather last week but, now I'm finally getting all the Christmas decor packed away until next year, and doing a little cleaning and reorganizing along the way. I thought it would feel good to start the new year (and new decade!) with cleaner closets, drawers and cabinets. I'm not done, mind you! I've just gotten a good start.

I've also been sewing and trying to restock my Etsy shop after the holiday shopping, so I started with some craft reorganizing.

I started with my craft closet and sewing cabinet, organizing thread, sweaters and fabric by color. Now I've moved on to some filing of paperwork and magazines that I had put off far too long. Our home office is starting to look better and I can use the desk top again!

Next I need to work on my clothes closet. It will be great to start out the new year refreshed and reorganized. I found great organizing tips and solutions at MarthaStewart.com/organizing. You can even sign up for an organizing tip-of-the-day!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . .

2009-12-21T21:16:00.006-05:00

The house has been decorated, the gifts have been wrapped and the cookies have been baked! Here are a few scenes from around my house.

As you can see from this cupboard, I love Santa figurines! Here is some of my collection.

I love this big Santa in a traditional red coat. He was handmade (not by me!) and dressed in a beautiful red wool hooded coat with fur trim made from recycled clothing. His arms are loaded with toys and gifts.

This Father Christmas style Santa was made by the same person. He is wearing a real fur cloak made from an old fur coat. He has an arm load of toys, a wreath and even a tiny tree.

And there are more Santas on the Christmas tree.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Handmade Holidays Part 3, Gift Wrap

2009-12-17T17:28:00.009-05:00

Add a personal touch to your gift wrapping this year! Here are a couple of my favorite simple and low cost wrapping ideas. You'll probably find a lot of these materials around the house.

Get out those scrapbooking stamps and stickers to decorate plain color paper.

You can use yarn, rickrack and ribbon from the craft closet to tie up your packages.

Use buttons to stamp designs on paper, or glue them to handmade gift tags.

And get the kids involved by having them draw and color designs on plain paper. You'll have original artworks to wrap your gifts!

I often use recycled Christmas cards to make my own gift tags and package decorations. I love this idea from MarthaStewart.com, using recycled holiday greeting cards to make your own gift boxes.

New FeltSewGood Gift Certificates

2009-12-16T19:31:00.012-05:00

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? I think I can officially say that I finished my Christmas shopping today. Yeah!

If you are not done with your shopping and think someone on your list might like a little something from FeltSewGood, I am now offering gift certificates in the shop.

Gift certificates are offered in denominations of $25, $50 and $75. Check out the listings in the shop for all the details. The certificates can be mailed to the purchaser or recipient, or emailed to the recipient for you last minute shoppers.

And I still have some Christmas stockings available.

There are nice warm mittens.

And I've even added a few new handbags.

Please place your orders by December 18 to allow for shipping in time for Christmas!

Handmade Holidays Part 2, Delicious Gifts

2009-12-10T09:46:00.007-05:00

It's been said, "No gift is in better taste than one you make yourself". Whether you're famous for your homemade jam, bread or cookies, consider homemade treats for everyone on your list.

Pack up a batch of favorite cookies in small boxes covered in wrapping paper. I used some small boxes I had saved from other gifts, lined them in parchment paper and wrapped both the top and bottom in pretty holiday paper. Then I filled the boxes with cookies from one of my favorite recipes, Mexican Wedding Cookies. You can find the recipe here.

These jars are filled with two of my favorite salty snacks, seasoned fish crackers, and my own recipe for Chex cereal based snack mix. I found vintage glass canister inspired jars at Target and cute decorated glass containers at the local dollar store. These would also be great filled with homemade granola or you could layer the ingredients for a favorite cookie and include the recipe. Add a pretty ribbon and cute gift tag for a gift everyone will enjoy. You can find my recipe for the seasoned fish crackers here or try my recipe for Chex cereal snack mix.

Everyone has a favorite recipe for Chex cereal snack mix. Here's mine:

Cheryl's Party Snack Mix

1 box Chex corn cereal
1 box Chex wheat cereal
1 box of Cheez It snack crackers
1 bag of Hanover Butter Snaps preztels (you could also use pretzel sticks or tiny twists)
1 can of LaChoy rice noodles (found in the Asian section of your grocery)
Mixed nuts of your choice, about 3 cups - I used a large can of Planters Deluxe Mixed Nuts
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Evenly divide the first six ingredients into two or three large baking pans. You don't want the pans too full because you'll need to stir the ingredients several times. Place the pans full of the cereal mix ingredients in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to heat. Melt the butter and add the garlic powder to the melted butter. Once the dry ingredients are heated, drizzle the melted over the cereal mix then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Stir well and bake agin for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When cooled, store in airtight containers.
This makes a lot of snack mix, so unless you are having a party you might want to consider freezing some. I usually save about half of the mix in a good quality air tight container, like Tuppereware or Rubbermaid and place it in the freezer. It doesn't actually freeze, it just stays fresher longer.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Christmas Cookies!

2009-12-08T17:26:00.008-05:00

Recently I've seen a lot of magazine covers with photos of beautifully styled Christmas cookies. It's put me in the mood for some holiday baking. I even saved some new recipes to try, but in the end, partly because of my husband's request, I just went with an old favorite recipe. I've always called these Mexican Wedding Cookies. They are small cookies with a rich buttery flavor, covered in powdered sugar. Of course they are great any time of year, but I always find myself making several batches around the holidays. I thought I would share this simple recipe!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus more for dusting the cooled cookies)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix ingredients in order given. I just put everything in my food processor and process until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough in half and roll into two long rolls, each about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll up in wax paper or parchment paper and chill for at least 2 hours.

Once dough is thoroughly chilled, slice into 1/4 inch discs and place on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly brown. Remove cookies and place on cooling racks or a piece of parchment paper to cool.

To decorate, roll each cookie in powdered sugar and place in an airtight container. These cookies keep well and retain their flavor and texture for several days. They are a wonderful tiny treat with a mug of hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate!

Handmade Holidays Part 1

2009-12-04T17:11:00.014-05:00

Are you making any gifts for the people on your list this year? Or, are you like me and love handmade holiday home decor? Simple to make, these cute heart shaped ornaments make wonderful gifts or gift wrap accents. Hearts are one of my favorite shapes, and I love crafting with recycled felted wool sweaters. So I combined the two to make this version of my Heart Felt Ornaments. Heart shapes are cut from a felted wool sweater, then embroidered and accented with beads and buttons. Sew two layers together and fill them with stuffing.

Here's a quick tutorial to show you how I made these ornaments.

Don’t worry if you can’t find a wool sweater to felt. Wool felt fabric will also work just as well and can be purchased at your local fabric store, craft store or ordered online.

Tools and materials needed:
Felted wool sweater or wool felt
Embroidery thread and needle
Cotton or wool thread
Assorted beads and buttons
Stuffing
Scissors, pins and tracing paper

For my Heart Felt Ornaments I used red and white as my colors.

What to do:
Step 1. Cut out hearts. To make a heart shaped paper pattern, fold a piece of paper and starting at the fold, cut out one side of the heart so that the fold is the center of the heart. This way when you open the paper you have a perfectly proportioned heart. Try several shapes and sizes until you have the desired heart shape. Then pin the paper to the wool and cut out two hearts for each ornament you want to make. I also cut out some smaller hearts to make contrasting centers for some of my ornaments.

Step 2. Embroider and embellish the hearts. I used a contrasting color embroidery thread to sew simple stitches in star and swirl patterns on some of my hearts. Then I stitched on seed beads as embellishments. On other hearts I used a blanket stitch, or buttonhole stitch, to appliqué smaller hearts to the center, then added a button for embellishment. You will be using two pieces of wool for each heart ornament. You can decorate one or both sides of the ornament.

Step 3. Sew the hearts together. With wrong sides together, use a blanket stitch to sew around the outside edge of each heart. When about a one inch opening remains, fill the heart with stuffing, then finish stitching to close the opening.

Step 4. Hang the heart. Thread a short length of wool or cotton thread through the top edge of each heart to hang on your tree or tie to a package.

If you don't have time to make ornaments this year, check my Etsy shop next week. I'll have a shop update with some of these listed for sale.

And This Week's Winner Is. . .

2009-11-30T19:57:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my FeltSewGood giveaway last week. I really enjoyed reading all your comments about your favorite Christmas traditions! The winner of the gift certificate is AlteredBeauty. Congratulations!

I'm working hard to restock my shop after my Christmas Open House and should have some new upcycled wool goodies listed in the next few days.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND SA*LE

2009-11-27T11:05:00.007-05:00

I hope Everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And now it's time for some shopping!

Black Friday through Cyber Monday, everything in my shop is 10% OFF!

Prices are already reduced - no waiting for a refund through PayPal! Just shop and save. And I'll be adding new items all weekend. Visit FeltSewGood and save!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway, at this blog post, for a chance to win a FeltSewGood gift certificate! You have until midnight EST, Sunday, November 29 to enter.

And the Winner Is. . . and More!

2009-11-23T19:24:00.022-05:00

The winner of last week's FeltSewGood blog giveaway is Ashley! Congratulations to Ashley and thank you so much to everyone who participated!

And now for this week's giveaway. . . one winner will receive a FeltSewGood gift certificate for $20 to spend on anything in my shop!

Will you choose a felted flower brooch?

or a zippered pouch?

or maybe a plush animal for you, or a niece or nephew?

or will you choose a handbag as a gift or a special treat for yourself?

Here are the details. The giveaway will run from Monday, November 23 through Sunday, November 29. The gift certicate is only good to spend on any item at FeltSewGood on Etsy and is non-transferable.
There are four ways to enter. 1.) Leave a comment on this post telling me a favorite holiday tradition. 2.) Become a FeltSewGood blog follower and leave me a comment telling me you became a follower. 3.) Become a fan of FeltSewGood on Facebook and leave a comment here to tell me you became a fan. 4.) Leave a comment on my fan page wall mentioning the gift certificate giveaway. The winner will be choosen at random and I will post the winner here and on my fan page on Monday, November 30. Good luck to all and thanks for participating!

New Warm and Cozy in the Shop

2009-11-19T10:38:00.013-05:00

For some of us, it's the time of year when we have to start wearing a coat to go outside. And to go with the coat, we often need gloves, mittens, hats and scarves to keep us warm and cozy. And I have just the thing in my shop, FeltSewGood!

There are warm and cozy mittens in kids sizes. I love these cute argyle mittens.

Red snowflakes on the cream and gray background of these adult size mittens will keep grown-up hands warm.

And this pretty scarf made from felted wool sweaters will keep away the winter chill.

Stop by the shop for these and other warm cozy gift ideas.

And don't forget to leave me a comment at this post to be entered to win this week's FeltSewGood giveaway, the winner's choice of a felted wool zippered pouch!

The Christmas Open House Is Open!

2009-11-16T09:24:00.013-05:00

FeltSewGood on Etsy is having a Christmas Open House, November 16-30! It's time to do some Christmas shopping and there will be new items listed every day during the Open House. Handbags, mittens, scarves and flower brooches make great gifts. I'll also have some new plush animals and Christmas decorations.

AND you can receive 10% off your purchase price simply by typing "Open House" in your message to seller at checkout on Etsy. I'll refund the 10% to your PayPal account when I ship your items.

It's also time for a FeltSewGood Giveaway! As a Thank You to all my blog readers and customers, I'm giving away a zippered pouch of your choice ($25 value) to one winner. Just leave me a comment at this post between now and Sunday, November 22 at midnight EST to be entered to win. For a second chance to win, leave a comment on the wall of my Facebook fan page by Sunday, November 22 at midnight EST.

I'll announce the winner here on Monday, November 23, so be sure to check back, and make sure I have a way to contact you, through your own blog, shop, or email, when you enter. The winner will be able to pick the zippered pouch of choice from the shop.

Good luck to all entries and I'll have another giveaway starting Monday, November 23!

Happy Holidays!

Artique Winter Fair, November 14

2009-11-12T10:27:00.011-05:00

I've been busy stitching up lots of new flower brooches, handbags and Christmas ornaments and stockings for a craft show this weekend.

If you happen to be in the Indianapolis/central Indiana area this weekend come and see me at the Artique Winter Fair on Saturday, November 14.

The event is being held at the Louis Jenn Park, 10450 E 63rd. St., in Lawrence, Indiana (just east of Indianapolis) from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Along with many artisans there will be music, food, a silent auction and more.
For more info and a map, click here. And to see the event on Facebook click here. I hope to see some of you there!

And just a reminder, my FeltSewGood Christmas Open House starts next Monday and runs November 16-30!

Honoring Those Who Serve

2009-11-11T08:52:00.004-05:00

On Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of the men and women who in defense of our freedom have bravely worn the uniform of the United States. Thank you to all who have served.

Christmas Open House

2009-11-09T17:32:00.008-05:00

FeltSewGood is having a Christmas Open House November 16-30. . . just in time to do some Christmas shopping!

There will be new upcycled felted wool handbags, accessories, plush and Christmas decor listed everyday.

I'll be offering a special shopping discount for my blog friends and Facebook Fans. And I'm having a holiday giveaway!

Be sure to check in often for updates on giveaways and discounts! Are you on Facebook? Get updates sent to you by becoming a fan on Facebook. . .
just click on this link FeltSewGood : : Handmade, Upcycled

Heart Felt Ornaments Tutorial

2009-11-08T12:56:00.004-05:00

Simple to make, these cute hearts make great gifts, Christmas tree ornaments or gift wrap accents.

I used small pieces from felted, recycled wool sweaters to make my hearts. But you can also use wool felt fabric, combined with embroidery floss, beads and buttons, to stitch up these ornaments.

To make some of your own Heart Felt Ornaments, see my tutorial at FaveCrafts.com.

And you will be able to purchase finished Heart Felt Ornaments next week in the shop.

Christmas Ornament Swap Update!

2009-11-05T14:03:00.008-05:00

Several weeks ago I signed up to participate in a Christmas Ornament Swap sponsored by Audrey of Audrey's Country Crafts blog. I decided I would swap with two swap partners and today I received my first ornament in the mail!

It's always fun to receive a package in the mail. My swap partner that sent me this package is Jill of Wired Out Designs. Jill sells beautiful jewelry in her Etsy shop and I was excited to see what she had sent me.

Inside the package was this lovely bead and wire ornament/suncatcher with a snowflake shaped prism. I just love it!

Here's a close-up of the snowflake. It's going to be so pretty sparkling on my Christmas tree! And after Christmas it will make a beautiful winter themed suncatcher in my big kitchen window.
Thank you, Jill! My ornament for you will be on it's way next week!

New in the Shop This Week!

2009-11-03T10:08:00.006-05:00

'Tis the season! I've starting adding some holiday decorations in the shop this week.

Holly and berries felted wool ornaments

I love this Christmas stocking made from a felted wool Christmas sweater.

And I also have some smaller sized Christmas stockings, perfect for holiday decor, or tuck a present inside of the stocking instead of traditional gift wrap for that special gift.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:56:00.003-04:00

I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!

Just in Time for the Holidays!

2009-10-30T19:42:00.010-04:00

It's almost November and I've been working on some new woolen holiday decorations and some ideas for a few Felt Sew Good blog giveaways! Here's a peak at some work in progress:

Starting Monday, November 2, I'll have some Christmas stockings and some new ornaments in the shop.

Then later in the week I'll announce the details of my first Felt Sew Good blog giveaway!

Spectacular Fall Foliage!

2009-10-28T18:04:00.010-04:00

Mother Nature has put on quite a show for us this year! Since I live in Indiana, I'm used to seeing pretty fall color in our trees and shrubs before the leaves begin to fall. This year we must have had just the perfect combination of rainfall and temperatures because the fall foliage is prettier than I remember seeing for the past several years. Over the past week, I've been taking photos around the neighborhood when I go for a walk and thought I'd share with you.

Color in the park adjacent to my neighborhood.

Golden park path.

The little Japanese maple next to our screened porch.

A neighbor's front yard is full of these red maple trees.

Golden fan shaped leaves on my gingko tree. This is the first year the leaves turned yellow - we usually have a freeze before now and that makes the leaves fall off overnight!

The forecast is for rain and wind on Friday, so by the weekend most of the leaves will be on the ground. The trick or treaters will be hearing the crunch of leaves underfoot while on their search for treats.

Wicked Fun

2009-10-27T11:17:00.015-04:00

How do you decorate for Halloween?

Is yours the family on your block that turns your front yard into a graveyard for Halloween?

Do you have wispy ghosts floating outside your house to haunt trick or treaters?

Is there a witch, with her feline friends, that roam your neighborhood?

These pictures are a few of my favorite outdoor decorating ideas from the October issue of Martha Stewart Living. We don't have a lot of trick or treaters at my house. Probably because my neighborhood/comunity has a great Halloween party in the park for all the kids in the area. The spooktacular festival includes costume contests, hayrides and a "trick or treat trail" where local business sponsors hand out candy.

We don't go all out decorating at my house, but we do have a stack of carved funkins jack-o-lanterns to greet any October guests.

Leave me a comment about, or link to photos of, your favorite Halloween decorations!

DIY Best of Show!

2009-10-24T10:05:00.020-04:00

Have a look at the Winter 2009 issue of Do It Yourself magazine! They've profiled over 50 arts and crafters in the best of handmade feature, many of them Etsy shopkeepers, including me! Felt Sew Good!

It's always exciting to see my work pictured in a magazine and I was honored to be included in this feature.

Even this "Best of Show" ribbon on the cover page was created by a fellow Etsian, Handmadepretties!

Here's a peak inside at some of the one-of-a-kind finds.

And that's my blue patchwork handbag, hanging next to the crocheted flower scarf.

Also inside is a list of some of the best indie craft shows across the country and other crafty websites. It's a great way to get ideas to get started on your holiday shopping. Buy Handmade!

New From FeltSewGood!

2009-10-22T21:30:00.010-04:00

I've added quite a few new items to the shop this week and there are lots more new upcycled wool items to come soon!

There are new Bella handbags, combining felted wool sweaters and upcycled vintage wool clothing.

There are a variety of felted wool mittens, made from upcycled wool sweaters. Some are trimmed with a few of my vintage buttons.

And new from FeltSewGood this Fall. . . felted wool mittens in kids' sizes!

And this cute pouch/clutch was made from an embroidered, felted wool sweater vest.
Stop by the shop and see what's new!

Warm, Wooly, and Upcycled at Re-Nest

2009-10-20T22:29:00.011-04:00

One of my Falling Leaves pillows was among 10 upcycled wool creations featured on Re-Nest today!

All 10 items were made from upcycled sweaters and textiles by Etsy crafters. I love the fuzzy felted bowls in the large photo!

Here's a closer look at my pillow, made from upcycled sweaters and wool felt. There are links to all these wonderful Autumn decor items on Re-Nest.

Craft Show Success!

2009-10-18T11:01:00.005-04:00

My first craft show, the Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique was a success! The show featured 50 artisans and shopkeepers on Etsy, from the state of Indiana.

Here is a picture of my booth. I had a great time, learned a lot from the veteran craft show vendors, had good sales and best of all got to meet fellow Etsy artists! All in all, a great success!

Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique

2009-10-15T16:15:00.004-04:00

I'm participating in my first craft show this weekend! The 2009 Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique is being hosted by the INCrowd Team: a collective of Indiana Artists and Shopkeepers on Etsy.com.

The event is Saturday, October 17, from 10am - 3:30pm and benefits the Indiana Chapter of March of Dimes. If you are going to be in the Indianapolis area this weekend, stop by and see fine arts and crafts from 50 Indiana artisans.

I'm really looking forward to meeting fellow Etsy artists and crafters and taking part in this event. I'll tell you more about it next week.

Craft Show Work

2009-10-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

I'm busy this week getting ready for my first craft show, the Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique!

I've made tags using some business cards. And I've made hand-stamped cards for my flower brooches.

I have my new sign to hang on my booth table. And I'm prepared to accept credit cards at the show. I did a practice set-up of my booth so I know that it won't take long to set up on site.

I think I'm ready!

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : Made by Melissa

2009-10-09T23:02:00.009-04:00

The Featured Blogger, from the Etsy Bloggers Team, for the month of October is Made by Melissa! Melissa has an Etsy shop full of an ecclectic mix of jewelry, beautiful crocheted items, toys and accessories. Here are a few of my favorites from her shop.

I love beads, so this mega long beaded necklace, made from an assortment of crystal, glass, shell and ceramic beads caught my eye.

This colorful scarf was crocheted from recycled silk yarn.

And Melissa has a great assortment of cute crocheted plush toys, like this pink elephant.

All these items, and many more, are available in Melissa's Etsy shop, MadebyMelissa.

And of course, being a member of the Etsy Bloggers Team, Melissa has a lovely blog of her own. On her blog, Made by Melissa, she blogs about her craft, giveaways and fellow Etsy artists. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Natural Decor Part 1 - Pressed Autumn Leaves

2009-10-07T14:17:00.011-04:00

Collect, then press, a variety of colorful autumn leaves to use for crafts and home decor.

Whether you go for a hike through the woods, or just take a stroll around the neighborhood, this time of year it should be easy to find plenty of fire hued leaves.

Pressed leaves can be used to make cards, as table top decorations, or framed and placed on a shelf or mantel.

To press leaves, space them out between layers of newspaper or between the pages of a phone book, and weight with a stack of books. They should be dry in 3-4 days.

Once the leaves are pressed, you can iron them between two pieces of waxed paper to enhance the color. (Be sure to use a pressing cloth so that you don't get wax from the paper on your iron.)

My first leaves are pressed and ready to use. Next week I'll share what I made with the leaves I've collected.

the Black Cat Comes Again!

2009-10-04T09:43:00.005-04:00

Ready for Halloween. . . the Black Cat Comes Again is a great Treasury West full of recycled/upcycled spooky felines, choosen by shannonbatescreates.

Since it's a Treasury West, check it out before it's gone!

Featured on Re-Nest!

2009-09-30T16:10:00.013-04:00

I was thrilled to be featured on Re-Nest today! Re-Nest is Apartment Therapy's green living site. Some photos of my felted wool accessories and plush animals were featured and my last felted wool cactus pincushion is now sold! (I'll be making some more cacti and listing them in the shop next week!)

If you're not familiar with Apartment Therapy, it's a great site with a mission of "Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online." You'll find great ideas for your kitchen, your kids and the latest in home tech. You can even take an online home tour. And they feature a round-up of favorite Etsy shops!

Argyle Love!

2009-09-29T08:41:00.007-04:00

Verveinteriors has included my Argyle Plush Cat in this wonderful Eco Argyle Treasury on Etsy!

You can click here to go directly to the Treasury.

And be sure to check out Verveinterior on Etsy for beautiful handpainted floorcloths and art!

Autumn Inspiration

2009-09-28T16:10:00.008-04:00

Celebrate Autumn! I live in the Midwest and it's the time of year for Fall Festivals and hayrides, football games and bonfires. Take a trip to the apple orchard, pick out your pumpkins fresh from the pumpkin patch and enjoy some hot apple cider.

Or, just take a walk in the woods through the crisp Autumn air and enjoy the beautiful warm colors of fall!

Where do you live and what's your favorite Autumn celebration?

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : DesignsbyVanessa

2009-09-23T08:52:00.014-04:00

The Featured Blogger, from the Etsy Bloggers Team, for the month of September is DesignsbyVanessa! Vanessa has a self described "obsession for all things birdie!" Her lovely Etsy shop features jewelry and cards, all with a bird theme. Here are a few of my favorites from her shop.

The Darling Swallow Necklace features a lovely amazonite quartz faceted oval bead. I love the color of this stone!

These Pretty Birdie Cards come as a set of three.

And these sweet Song Sparrow Earrings feature
rondelles of rose glass with the antiqued brass sparrow birds. Be sure to check out DesignsbyVanessa on Etsy for more beautiful bird items!

And of course, being a member of the Etsy Bloggers Team, Vanessa has a lovely blog of her own. Her blog features some fun How-Tos, giveaways and interviews with other Etsy artists. Follow DesignsbyVanessa.blogspot.com and don't miss out on any of the fun!

Haute Handbags!

2009-09-21T17:37:00.009-04:00

I just received my Autumn 2009 issue of Haute Handbags in the mail and my work is featured! It's fun to see published photos of my handbags!

I had submitted one of my Flower Basket Handbags and a matching zippered pouch and was excited when I found out my work had been selected.

Haute Handbags is a Stampington Publication. Stampington publishes titles such as Sew Somerset, Stuffed, and GreenCraft, and they all feature the work of artists and crafters including photos and step-by-step instructions. The Autumn issue will be available October 1. You can find them at bookstores, craft stores and online. And I'll have the featured handbag set for sale in my shop in October!

Harvest Inspired Etsy Finds

2009-09-20T19:54:00.023-04:00

It's Harvest Time. Fall officially begins this week. The leaves are starting to change colors, it's time for pumpkins and squashes and a trip to the apple orchard. Here are a few of my new Etsy favorites found using the search word "Harvest".

The Great Pumpkin earrings by Dkjewels

Harvest Come, print by Marmee Craft

Felted candy corn by Missyandme

Apothecary organic emulsifiying scrub from Gloilocksandbody

and these cute Pumpkin Harvest mini greeting cards by Shesbattydesigns

Christmas Ornament Swap!

2009-09-17T10:59:00.012-04:00

Have you ever participated in a "shop swap" or "blog swap"? Audrey, of Audrey's Country Crafts invited me to participate in a Christmas Ornament Swap.

Even though it's still 3.5 months before Christmas, I love Christmas and I'm already making Christmas ornaments for the shop, so I couldn't resist signing up for the swap. I thought you might like to join in the fun!

It's easy to sign up - just go to Audrey's blog, here's the link - Audrey's Country Crafts, click on the graphic on her blog and fill out the simple form. The deadline to sign up is October 15th and anyone can join!

My Work Space

2009-09-14T23:02:00.018-04:00

Here is a "behind the scenes" look at my work space. I don’t actually have a real studio space to work in. My husband and I both work out of our home, (he has a small home design and construction business) so we have to try to stay organized in order to not have our work take over the house! We do have one room set aside as an office, with desks, bookshelves, computer space, files etc. And I have a small table set up in a bedroom with my sewing machine. It's right by the window so I have a nice view of the backyard.

This small walk-in closet is dedicated to my craft supplies. This is my latest stash of wool sweaters, felted and stacked by color, waiting to be cut up and turned into something new. There are shelves of other fabrics and small drawers filled with zippers, thread, beads and ribbon.

A couple of days a week I take over our antique dining room table to cut out new designs for my handbags, plush animals and accessories.

I’ve found it helps me stay organized and keep track of the proper supplies for each project if I spend a day or two a week just cutting out wool and lining fabric, and getting all my pieces pressed and ready to sew.

I would love to have a studio space or room to myself, to be able to spread out my sewing and come and go as I please. But having a smaller space forces me to be more organized and much less messy! And for me that is a good thing.

It's fun to have a look into other crafter's work spaces! Folkartbykerry shares creative spaces of other artists on her blog Etsy Studios.

Wildflower Study

2009-09-09T13:19:00.009-04:00

I took my camera with me when I went for a walk this evening after dinner. I didn't know if I would see anything I would want to photograph, but I stuck my little camera in my pocket just in case. I'm lucky to have a park adjacent to my neighborhood, complete with walking/biking trails, lots of playground equipment and a picnic shelter by a small lake. In a section of the park, next to a stand of trees, in a naturally low area, the parks people placed a native wildflower/prairie planting. At first glance it might just look like a lot of tall "weeds". And for the most part, other park goers ignore the tall grasses, hurrying past while listening to music, talking with friends or family and walking their dogs. But after getting up close and looking among the tall grasses I found any amazing variety of wildflowers! I was so glad I had my camera.

There are lots of cattails, wild asters and goldenrod.

And lots of vibrant colors and interesting spikey seed pods hiding among the tall grasses.

I was pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful native plants. I guess we all need to remember to try to take a little extra time to appreciate the beauty all around us!

Sneak Peak at New Fall Handbags!

2009-09-04T14:39:00.004-04:00

Here's a little preview of what I've been working on this week. I've combined some woven wool fabrics, upcycled from thrifted clothing, with felted sweater wool for some pretty new fall handbags.

I really like the combination of textures from the sweater wool and wool fabric. And it was fairly easy to sew the different pieces together with my sewing machine.

I'm hoping to get a little more sewing done over the weekend and I will start listing my new handbags in the shop next week.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Thrifty Shopping Trip

2009-08-31T13:25:00.009-04:00

While out running errands Saturday morning, I decided to stop and take a look at a Goodwill Thrift store that I hadn't been to in a while. I usually find more wool sweaters and clothes at yard sales during the summer, but it looks like even the thrift shops are now getting ready for Fall. I found quite a few pretty wool sweaters, a great chocolate brown suede skirt and a couple of vintage woven wool men's jackets.

I've gotten all of my new wool fulled/felted, dried and cut into pieces and some even ready to stitch together. I'm working on some new handbags that incorporate the woven wool with the wool sweaters and maybe even some of the suede. I think these combinations will work well together and hope to have some new designs to share and list in the shop by the end of the week.

Do You Have a Favorite Food?

2009-08-26T09:39:00.009-04:00

When recently asked the question, What is Your Favorite Food?, I wasn't able to come up with just one answer. I love to cook and I love great food, but my tastes often change according to the seasons and circumtances. Some people would automatically say "a great steak", "Mom's special lasagna" or "anything chocolate". My current tastes run the gamut of all the wonderful, seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables found in the garden and farmers' markets this time of year, especially here in the Midwest. Warm, fresh from the garden tomatoes - I love a thick slice on a hamburger or a BLT. Or how about some sweet, buttery corn on the cob? This is a sampling of vegetables fresh from my garden.

And then there's all the luscious, juicy fresh fruits - peaches, apples and blueberries. So I decided my favorite for the day is fruit desserts, specifically blueberry crisp. Then I had to make some for dessert and thought I'd share the recipe. This is a super simple fresh baked dessert. You could use mixed berries instead of just blueberries, or add fresh sliced peaches to the blueberries, a great combination!

Blueberry Crisp
(4-6 servings)

3 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
cream or ice cream

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange blueberries in an ungreased baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon and salt; sprinkle on top. Bake until topping is light brown and blueberries are hot, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with cream.

Do you have a favorite food?

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : Memories for Life Scrapbooks

2009-08-25T09:04:00.016-04:00

I am a new member of Etsy Bloggers Street Team! One of the great ways the team promotes it's members is the Monthly Featured EtsyBlogger. The featured blogger for the month of August is Edi, of Memories for Life Scrapbooks. As a papercrafter, Edi makes wonderfully creative scrapbooks, custom albums and notebooks for her Etsy shop, memoriesforlifesb.

I love these little notebooks, perfect to carry in your bag for shopping lists and notes.

You can order a Custom Word Album to remember that special vacation.

And use this cute Pet Photo Album/Scrapbook to safeguard photos of your four legged friends!

And you have to check out these very creative and unique Flip Flip Albums!

For more unique items and great gift ideas, be sure to stop by memoiresforlifesb on Etsy. Or see what else Edi is creating by reading her blog Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

Wool Crafting in Progress Here!

2009-08-21T12:34:00.017-04:00

Earlier in the week I completed and listed some new handbags in the shop. Then I looked at the calender and realized I have less than two months until my very first craft show! Yikes!!! I am excited and decided I'd better take inventory of my supplies and set a schedule for myself so that I have plenty of items both for my Etsy shop and the craft show. I love summer and hate to see it starting to come to an end, but I need to start thinking about (dare I say it!!!) holiday ornaments, Christmas stockings, mittens and scarves! So here's a look at what I found and what I'm working on.

More felted wool sweaters ready for crafting.

I started cutting out heart shapes for a new batch of Holiday Heart Felt ornaments.

Recycled wool flower brooches, in various stages of completion.

I love all the different colors and textures of the various types of wool!

So, that's what I'm working on these days. Now I'd better get busy and start sewing again, I have lots of work to do!

A Few New Handbags

2009-08-19T22:10:00.012-04:00

I'm starting to gear up for Fall and stock up my Etsy shop, FeltSewGood. This week I've been working on some new handbags and these are my latest listings in the shop.

The Brown Argyle BLAKELY

The Ruby Red EMMA

and the Green BLAKELY

These handbags were all made from eco friendly, felted, recycled wool sweaters. Be sure to check out the shop for more new handbags, plush toys and flower brooches coming soon!

Tropical Color in the Garden

2009-08-14T10:38:00.007-04:00

I love tropical looking plants in my garden! I love the big, textured leaves and the vibrant color of the flowers. Since I live in the midwest, we can only grow them as annuals in our backyard. We keep as many as we can as houseplants when it turns cold, or let them hibernate in the garage over the winter. I've taken a few photos of some of the unique details of these pretty plants, including hibscus, banana and cannas.

Then I made a simple collage using the photo editing software, Picnik. If you are not familiar with Picnik, it is a free photo editing software that you use online, in your browser. You can easily rotate, crop, resize or color correct your photos. Or you can get Picnik Premium for $24.95 a year and get the collage feature and many more advanced editing tools. If you are looking for a simple, inexpensive way to edit your photos to use online, or share in Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook, and more, take a look at Picnik.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

2009-08-11T19:00:00.008-04:00

All of a sudden we have an abundance of summer squash in the garden, so this morning I used some to make my favorite zucchini bread recipe.

We have both green zucchini and yellow summer squash. Either one can be used in this recipe. We try to pick the squash when it is small, and the most tender, to saute or grill. But occasionally we miss one and this is a good way to use a bit larger squash since it will be grated for this recipe.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil together until light and fluffy. Stir in zucchini.

Then add flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and mix well.

Stir in pineapple and nuts.

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Insert toothpick in center of loaf to make sure they have baked long enough. They may need another 5 minutes or so, depending on the moisture content of the squash.

Let pans sit on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing loaves from pan. Then cool loaves completely before storing.

The pineapple and 2 cups of grated squash make this a nice moist bread. It's wonderful for breakfast with a smear of butter or cream cheese. Since this recipe makes two loaves there will be one for you and one to share! Or, you can wrap the extra loaf and place in the freezer.

I'd love to know what you think if you try this recipe!

The EtsyBloggers Team MEGA GIVEAWAY!

2009-08-08T09:08:00.004-04:00

I just joined the Etsy Bloggers Street Team. Next week the awesome Etsy Bloggers team will turn 2 years old! Soooooooo we're CELEBRATING our 2nd anniversary with a MEGA GIVEAWAY!!

Details on HOW TO ENTER TO WIN will be posted on Sunday on the Etsy Bloggers Street Team blog!! http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com

Be sure to check out the blog for info on how to win many fabulous prizes donated by some wonderful Etsy shops!

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Fluttering, Flying Garden Visitors

2009-08-05T10:51:00.027-04:00

This time of year, the garden looks lush and mature and we have many small fluttering and flying visitors. The butterflies' beauty and miraculous metamorphosis is enchanting. And the dazzling dragonflies are attracted to our garden ponds.

A beautiful yellow swallowtail on a butterfly bush bloom.

And a delicate winged turquiose dragonfly on an oleander leaf.

I've attempted to capture their beauty in these photos. A search on Etsy for butterflies and dragonflies shows that these beautiful insects are inspiration to quite a few others, as well. Here are just a few of my fluttering and flying favorites from Etsy sellers and artists. Be sure to click on the photo, item name or shop name for more info on each of these beautiful pieces!

1902 Chromolithograph of North American Butterflies, from bananastrudel

An Adorable and Eco Friendly Organic Cotton and Hemp Blend Dress with a Dragonfly print, from ecoLoveOrganics

Mariposa - Monarch Butterfly OOAK Wool Felt Pin or Hair Clip, from pammydawn

Dragonfly keyhole series necklace, from UnderGlass

And this Tiny Collaged Playing Card Book FLUTTER BY BUTTERFLY, from ElizabethAbernathy

New Felted Goodness in the Shop!

2009-07-30T14:38:00.015-04:00

It's been a while since I added any new handbags to my shop, but I just added three new bags!

This is the EMILY, a new design. It's a cute navy tote made from a felted wool sweater, and embellished with a felted wool flower that coordinates with the lining. Use it as a handbag, a small market tote or to carry your latest craft project.

This is a red WILLOW handbag. This photo shows the rich, warm colors of the pattern from the original wool sweater.

And finally another WILLOW handbag in warm autumn tones.

These are all available now at Felt Sew Good!

Dinner, Fresh From the Garden

2009-07-27T18:06:00.005-04:00

I will admit that our vegetable garden doesn't look so good right now. There are way too many weeds. And too much rain and cool temperatures here in Indiana, have left the tomato plants looking like they do in September - past their prime. But there are lots of ripe tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs. So I would say that like so many other things in life, it's not the look that counts!

I went out to check the garden before deciding what to cook for dinner, and look at all the goodies I found! So tonight it's going to be fresh tomato sauce with meatballs over pasta, and sauteed zuchinni.

What's growing in your garden?

FeltSewGood

Gingerbread Christmas Holiday Craft Show

Just Peachey!

In the Garden

In the Garden

It's Summer!

In the Garden

Happy Easter!

Get Your Craft On!

Discoveries - Favorite Midwest Finds

Warm Woolen Mittens

Soft Wool Flowers

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . .

A Beautiful Snowy Morning

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday America!

Floral Inspiration

There's Still Time to Enter!

Outdoor Living

Feathered Friends

Happy Mother's Day!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Happy Earth Day!

Saturday in the Park

A Quick Shop Update. . .

Fresh Garden Herbs

Some New Purses and Some New Designs

Happy Easter!

Felted Wool Rose Brooch Tutorial

A Special Award!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And the Winner Is. . .

Floral Inspired Crafts

Spring Giveaway!

Is it Spring Yet?!

Upcycled Home Decor

What's New?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : TiLTcreations

Winter Wonderland

Homemade Granola Bars

Upcycled Wearables in GreenCraft Magazine

Work in Progress

Snowflakes!

Hearts for Your Valentine!

Craftivism for Haiti

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : Nico Designs

Stay Warm and Cozy!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Refresh and Reorganize!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . .

Handmade Holidays Part 3, Gift Wrap

New FeltSewGood Gift Certificates

Handmade Holidays Part 2, Delicious Gifts

Christmas Cookies!

Handmade Holidays Part 1

And This Week's Winner Is. . .

HOLIDAY WEEKEND *S*A*L*E*

And the Winner Is. . . and More!

New Warm and Cozy in the Shop

The Christmas Open House Is Open!

Artique Winter Fair, November 14

Honoring Those Who Serve

Christmas Open House

Heart Felt Ornaments Tutorial

Christmas Ornament Swap Update!

New in the Shop This Week!

Happy Halloween!

Just in Time for the Holidays!

Spectacular Fall Foliage!

Wicked Fun

DIY Best of Show!

New From FeltSewGood!

Warm, Wooly, and Upcycled at Re-Nest

Craft Show Success!

Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique

Craft Show Work

Featured from the Etsy Bloggers Team : : Made by Melissa

Natural Decor Part 1 - Pressed Autumn Leaves

the Black Cat Comes Again!

HOLIDAY WEEKEND SA*LE