Playing with some cards again

Playing with some techniques.

I really don't like how the birdcage one turned out. This one will probably make its way to the trash can.

Got another purse done before I started on the cards.

Playing with printing pictures. The papers in this Victorian card were stained wiht coffee, then the picture was printed. The pink and blue cardstock is the coordinates. Very neat stuff.

It probably needs more, but us horse lovers don't seem to care, slap a horse on there, and we are happy. I did end up taking some colored pencils and colored the grass and sky after this.

I had some cute pastel buttons, was going to add to this, but I can't find them anywhere.

Just figured it was time for a motivational picture. I can't take pics of what I'm working on now, not until Christmas. I hate forgetting about the blog.

Christmas Calmness

I got this one in an email from a friend of mine. I can sooo see it working!


CALMNESS IN OUR LIVES



I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice I heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates, and a half bottle of scotch.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now!
Pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace.

More Christmas Cards

Yes, I've been making Christmas cards. I'm trying to get quite a few made to send and give, not sure I'll get enough done, but trying. Would love some honest critiques.

I found this card tutorial http://www.vickiscardmakingideas.com/2009/11/20/christmas-card-ideas-silver-christmas-tree/ and fell in love with the silver and the matting. I had one sheet of silver and gold and had the embossing powders. I just started stamping on stuff and embossing. The green tree I really wanted to something different with, but every idea I had, didn't have the item I wanted. So not sure if I like it or not. I think they turned out nice. I sat down with the idea of being whimsy and cute.........then these happened. LOL

Paper Crafting

I have been playing with the cricut and paper crafts in general. My goal is to eventually offer some great gift cards that go with my table runners and quilts that I make. This way the customer has a super gift item and everything is done for them, just add a sentiment and sign their name.

A simple card I made. Not that great, but cute.

This is a gift card holder. It started as a toilet paper roll, then covered with card stock. I found several sites in the internet that had directions for these.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90814403.tip.html

http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com/2010/09/toilet-paper-roll-gift-card-holder.html

I love making these poinsetta flowers. I ran out of yellow pieces from old silk flowers, thats what I prefer to use for the center. So on these, its yellow paint. I got a zig 2 way glue pen and used that on the edges of some of the petals, then some silver cosmetic glitter, I think I like them better with the glitter.

I got the svg cutting file and the instructions on how to make them on Penny Duncan's blog.

http://pennyduncancreations.blogspot.com/

With me being new, i don't have a lot of things yet. Both the red and white poinsettas, I sprayed with a homemade concoction I made. I used liquid hairspray, pearlescent white cosmetic grade mica and sprayed the petals before putting together. For the leaves, I added a touch of Tim Holtz distressed reinker to some hair spray with the mica. It has helped up great! The mica doesn't come off at all.

Christmas Giveaway for scrapbooking enthusiast

Sure Cuts A Lot is doing a great 12 days of Christmas give away.
12 Days of Christmas Give Away
http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=7764
Have fun! Great source for svg files as well!

Quilt and other projects

Just a few tags I've been trying on the cricut and using MTC software. I can honestly say, we are not getting along. The sizes aren't coming out right.
I tried a new trick using the new MTC software, version 3.0 and was able to do the rectangle on the brown card stock and it turned out better then some of my other tries. I learned this technique by doing a tutorial for an intense card from MTC tuts forum. I'm not doing with the tutorial.

I still haven't learned how to cut each layer seperately........so will keep working on it then maybe I can do some things I'm dying to try.



This is the gift quilt I'm still working on. I am out of fabric, so the strips are done. Hopefully I can find some fabric to do a nice big border to get a bit wider. I haven't sewn the strips together, that is the big challenge with this quilt as you want them to match up. We shall see.

Quilts in the Making

These are just a few of the projects I've been working on. I'm also trying to get some table runners done and some other itmes.

Baby Rag Quilt - This is the beginning of a baby rag quilt I'm working on. It just needs clipped then thrown into the washer to get the ragging process done. I just adore this fabric. I will get better pics once its completed. This one is already spoken for.

This is a quilt I am working on as a Christmas present. I don't know if I'll get it done in time or not. It won't be one that I will be able to quilt with my machine, so will have to pay someone to finish it up for me. I am still debating if I like the colors. It's not something I'd go with, but when I looked at the jelly roll, I just liked it. I started making the strips and have 3 strips completed. The pattern is from Moda's website. I don't know if I'll ever get everything to line up or not, but will try!

The cat blocks aren't sewn together yet and haven't been squared up. It's a scrappy quilt and just kept growing. Debating on keeping the white cat and the yellow cat with black spots. I haven't bordered it yet. I need to get it done so I have room to start looking over the quilt (one above) and some other projects I'm working on.

So many fabrics and projects, so little time.

Little rose embeds. Large bag full. $2.00

As usual, blogger and me hate each other. It refused to let me move the pictures around even when I did it through the html. So had to end up with individual posts.

I have a few of these orange slices.

Very detailed on the one side.

$.50 cents for what I have left.

Pineapple lices embeds. There is about 8 or so here, will count if interested. $1.50 for all I have. Very nice detail on the one side.
Orangeish/peach colored embeds. 50 cents for all

Strawberry embeds. These are handpainted, large bag of them $2

Pie Crusts are 50 cents each. These will have to be shipped in a box to keep them from breaking.

Denim Rag Purse

I'm working on getting denim rag purses added to the inventory. I made one for myself last week and everyone keeps asking for them. These are so fun to make as there are so many things you can do and add to this purse to make it unique.

Artfire Etsy Where to Sell

I just opened up an Artfire account. Etsy was doing well, then just stopped. I need the extra income and it keeps the hobby fun when there is some money coming in to keep buying supplies. I've had Artfire for 2 days, so can't tell much yet there, but hoping it will go well.

I have been horribly bad about posting here.

I have some tutorials I'm working on and will get those posted soon I hope!

NorthStarCreations.artfire.com

Random pictures taken with the new digital camera.

Moon Pic

New Camera

I just got a Nikon P100 for use with emergency management. I am highly impressed with it as its not an SLR camera, but it does really nice.

Ed's Handmade Knives

A lot would think I'm biased. When it comes to the knives I'm not. I'm being honest. I hate cutting up raw meats, whether its wild meat or beef from the store. I used to think it was just a horrible job and the only people that could cut it was a butcher where they have some super spaced aged knife to cut it.

I guess I've always had cheap knives. A few years ago, I discovered fish filet knives were the best. But they lost their sharpness after several steaks. Then last year, Ed made some knives from old saw blades. I was battling these huge moose steaks and realized my fillet knife needed sharpened. Then I pulled out one of Ed's first ones. I was in shock. This knife has been used on 3 deer, I used to cut out the carpet in my sewing room and God knows what else. It hasn't been sharpened. It literally sliced these steaks like they were butter and these are raw pieces of meat. I have been using his knives for tomatoes a lot when I learned they cut like butter. I went and grabbed a tomato and yep, after cutting up the meat, it sliced through the tomato like butter as well. I can make paper thin slices on a tomato.

It has surprised me at the number of women that love the deer antler knives. But they've all thought..........well its for skinning deer, etc. Ladies..........these knives kick butt in the kitchen and I am on a throw away spree now. I will be down to about 3 cutting knives and 2 have a deer antler for the handle and one has the wooden handle.

Moose Meat

Have you ever tried moose meat? My nephew went to Canada and got a once in a lifetime Moose. He shared some of the meat with his family.
I had never tried moose before.
I have to say.......I love deer, but the moose may kick the deer's butt. We fried up a little, soaked it in milk, then dredged it in a flour/bread crumb mix, then put it in some oil. Wow! It was delicious. A little tough on some pieces which may be because I cut it wrong.

I now have some in a crock pot with some potatoes and will see how that turns out.

Update

I am trying to keep everything up to date. Between the blog, etsy and just trying to keep things made for shows and markets, its been tough.
We will be trying to get more of the drusy posted. We now have a big buyer of our Missouri Lace and Rhyolite, so we won't be listing as much of this anymore at all.

We are slabbing a lot of South Dakota material and having a ball at it. The slabs are being listed on etsy, but if they don't start selling there, we won't list it anymore there. At 20 cents, doesn't sound like much, but when you are selling slabs at $3 and below, there just isn't much to be made. By the time paypal and etsy take their percentages, it really doesn't pay much for the saw blades. So we will set them back and save to sell at shows.

Stuff I've been working on lately

This was a quilt block I made from scraps I got from Barbara. So made a pillow!

Small Lighthouse quilt.......more like a wall hanging or crib size.

Purse set I did. Colors are way off on the photo with the zippered pouch next to the purse.

Purse I did recently. Thinking about making a fabric flower to attach to it.

Fabric Flowers - Not really sure what I'll do with them yet. Maybe hair bows???

Some dog and cat collars. I have to get a better selection made.

I've been gearing up for the 2010 St. James Farmers Market. The winter wasn't long enough as far as getting things made, however it was long enough with cold weather for me.