Redwork, block 18-Grasshopper

And a grasshopper it is! I was stuck between deciding on a bee or a grasshopper, the grasshopper won because I couldn't find a good bee graphic, wasps but no bee. My husband and niece had me give up on the ant.....

Anyway, it came out pretty good and easy peasy! The lines are so close together I basicly went around in a circle. Two more.....! C&G Design

Bee Happy

I can tell that I'm enjoying my new camera, I want to take pictures of everything! This is my Goat's Rue, or Mother love, it is spectacular this year. I have a 10 x 6 foot area that is filled with Goat's rue, It was used to produce better lactation in goats, cows and pigs. The animals were fed a dried potion of this herb , the actual live plant is toxic, it caused bigger breast and better milk production, thus the Mother love nickname, it derives from the nursing connection.

On this day I was annoyed by a low hummmmmmmm.....some distant chainsaw, I'm sure.

Soon a big 'ole late spring bumble bee came into focus,

he raided my pink flowers pretty aggressively,

and after this one in a million shot, I decided to leave him bee, ha! Buzz on over to How Sweet The Sound for more pinks.

C&G Design

We have a winner!

Today is the day, we pick a winner of my Blogiversary give-a-way, I'm excited and feel it's been a long time. I want to thank all the commenter's, I think every one's home would love to have Ann and Andy adorn a infrequently used chair, or the corner of any couch. You can see the list below, it includes the bloggers that posted my badge on their site as they were entered twice because of it. Kathleen, Debbie and Tumbleweed Trails. I had Madame pick from her handmade hat, (a future post!) I'm still using the old camera because I've yet to master the new one......consequently, there isn't any volume, video but no volume. Here we go.....drum roll......


Email me with your address, candgdesign@roadrunner.com
I'll have your package in the mail by Monday at the lastest and congrats!
I'll have to do another give-a-way soon! C&G Design

Goals for a Year to Come

A momentous 365 th post,.... that is what today means to me, one full year, everyday. I reread my very first post published June 5, 2008, I briefly spoke about taking my readers with me as I recorded patterns floating around in my head, I said I would show projects I'm working on...past or present and I'd introduced my plans on creating a craft room/studio. Two of the three mentioned are completed goals, I've yet to complete my studio.

Recently my husband asked my niece, "Do you know what will happen when we complete the craft room?.....We will never see her." Darn right! Forget the computer and the hours of sitting in front of it.....it will be traded for a sewing machine. "But, hey guys, I'll come from my cave to make supper, Ha!"

The issue is....not enough time or manpower. We still have the mobile to move from our property and until a better place comes along.....boxes are being stored in the extra room, the craft room. I see a yard sale in my future, right there! On the slab of the mobile! Maybe....just maybe I can raise enough to buy carpet for my new room or laminate flooring! You decide.....I'll have a vote for when the time comes. I've already decided (it's a hint) my wall treatment will be pasted patterns! So, now I have collection of cheapie patterns found at Goodwill! Follow me with the plans of my studio, I ask again!

Another goal I've planned for projects this year is 'pincushions'. How I yearn.....yes, yearn, to make these little wonders. How I know the importance of having a great pincushion, one that sharpens your straights while you work! I really want to design a few of my own, and I have the thoughts for them, this year will tell.

I would like to design another ornament for Halloween and Thanksgiving, just one each.

I would like to add another count six set of Christmas ornaments, with the ultimate goal being....6 wood, 6 metal, 6 cloth, etc. I also plan on making a garland of felt to accompany my 15 felt ornaments....and maybe a tree skirt.

I want to explore the art of a mixed media doll, mixed media being cloth with clay, plaster with wood, paper mache with wire, etc. I want to create one or two dolls with this procedure.

Quilts, what can I say about quilts? I would like to finish at least two of these......

My new goal this year will be to concentrate more on upholstery and furniture restoration, be it auto or home, I love making something new again and that is achieved with upholstery/woodworking.

In addition, what can I say about Raggedy Ann and Andy? When I first posted about the becoming of Ann, the writer-Johnny Gruelle and Marcella, I found Ann to still a highly sought search on the Internet. I decided a weekly posting on her would be something I'd wanted to commit to, I pondered.....wouldn't it be nice to get a full 52 posts, information posted once a week on the same subject? A difficult subject not something random like a EBay item. I'm happy to say, I made my wish, and if you ask my husband, he will tell you there were questions about being able to do it. The questions were often. I'm going to continue posting about Ann and Andy on every Wednesday and again, I'll do it for as long as I can.

Finally, I'd really like to thank all my commenter's, I enjoy reading what everyone has to say, everyday. I comment on some blogs that I enjoy and some I just read, they are not necessarily all craft blogs. I find many witty, insightful, and even a few.....sad. The range of my reading includes a blog on COPD, a 36 year old man who just lost his wife of 18 years (half his life), I peruse the photography blogs, and of course, mom's/dads that have children the same age as mine or younger. In all the places I've visited, one blog mentioned how awful it would be if the painting she was doing, turned out dreadful, I must say, this is a reoccurring fear I have about my projects. What I learned restoring Sadie though was actually, it works the opposite for me. I'm much slower doing my work, I pay attention to the smaller details, and I make sure I do the best of my abilities. My blog has prompted me to do that.

C&G Design

I will be drawing for my give-a-way tonight so it can be posted tomorrow, today is the last chance to enter. Click on the badge and comment. That's all!

Cute Communications

Breaking news! Upon hearing C&G Design is celebrating a full year in blogging, Raggedy Ann and Andy had to be involved!
It is with shear joy that I, Internet reporter, had the chance to interview this famous brother and sister duo. When Ann and Andy came skipping up to me, many bystanders felt their childhood again and watched carefully with a twinkle in their eyes.
Considering Ann was 90 last year, when asked how old they both felt, the energetic response was "As new as I feel, and that's pretty new with our improved re-stuffing!" A titter came from everyone as well all settled in for our conversation.
ME: "Ann and Andy, Have you heard about the Internet?"
Ann: "Yes, we are not really sure what it is though."
Andy: "Or how it works".
ME: "It is the information superhighway. We are connected by cryptic information traveling across the phone lines or digital cable lines. You can talk to a plushie friend in Japan if you want".
Andy: "What's a plushie?"
Ann: "I can talk to another Japanese Ann?"
ME: "Yes, and many people don't know you are very popular in Japan, as you are in America. Plushie is a stuffed toy, Andy"
Ann & Andy: "Yeah!"







ME: "Raggedy Ann and Andy, How do you feel about C&G Design blogging about you every week, blogging is a written piece published on the Internet."







Ann: "Does it have a good purpose?"







ME: "Yes, many times C&G writes your stories from long ago, stories published by Mr. Gruelle. They always include Mistress, Marcella."







Andy: "Oh, I think anything that describes our adventures with Mistress is okay with us, Mistress is special."







ME: "C&G Design also blogs about your marketed merchandise, both old and new."







Ann: "We have many items made to our likeness."







Andy: "My favorite is the puzzles!"







Ann: "Mine is the penny banks!"
ME: "I like them all. Did you both know that many crafters in the world create and sew Ann and Andy's for maybe a special child or grand baby?"







Ann & Andy: "Ohhh, I we want to meet them, these original Ann and Andy's."







ME: "You will, you just need to let us see your smiling faces!"







With that the interview ended and Andy tugged at Ann to follow him, Ann seemed heavy in thought, she surprised me by presenting a bouquet of flowers she had picked herself, she turned and skipped away with Andy.







Cheers from the observers.

C & G Design

A Year in Review

It's hard to believe but I've been blogging for a year now, I really enjoy capturing a "worldly journal" in a format that allows friendship, two way communication, and the knowledgeable input from others. All of those possibilities are invaluable when one blogs.

The other side to blogging is the time it takes to do so, I write my posts in the evening and some days....I feel I have nothing....and nothing coming for awhile. Then pow! A whole weeks worth of excitements, projects and subjects will be there, on a good week I can get all the posts done for 7 days straight.

Having said my thoughts about my blogging, let's review the past year.

It's been significant to me in regards to completing a few projects that were tossed around in the "I'll get around to it, someday" file. I've always wanted to do a paper mache doll and a plaster doll, it did one of each, I've always wanted to restore a composition doll, I did that too!

We talked about quilts and I shared my great grandmother's "Mixed wrench" blanket. Skeeter, a loyal commenter, also shared her grandmothers beautiful handiwork in "Cathedral window, the Dresden plate and World without a end" All three, very beautiful examples of lovingly made quilts. I also posted about the quilt projects waiting to be finished, quilts I've started and stopped through the years, 6 to be exact, although I did finish one "crib cuddles" blanket. I have many more to do, including a crocheted pineapple spread almost done anyhow!

Nature provided a plentiful, as always. I showed how easy it is to make pine cone baskets and rain sticks with white paper birch, I also tried something new, a gorgeous sweet gum wreath. Thanks Skeeter!

Not only did it seem to snow every other day this winter but it brought me closer to a workable material...felt. At a few highlights of the 15 felt ornaments I crafted this winter, I thought felt and I had something personal! I've made a molded felt doll before.....but, I digress. Some of these lovely ornaments I designed and some I did not. I also made another six count set with different materials, wood, cloth, felt, natural, metal, and remember the clothespin? I also can not forget the Halloween scarce scenes I sold before they were finished, that was rewarding and satisfying. I finally plunged into Etsy on August 25 and I haven't looked back.

Here, and there, I've had little projects I completed, just because, just because it felt right. I placed Madame's dance flowers in a frame as a lifelong keepsake, we made a beautiful library bookshelf to be proud of....I have new bathroom towels to keep, penny covers....a Shakespeare block went onto Etsy to be sold, and at this time of year....we made a teacher's apple for the outgoing teachers.

Two of the more difficult projects I thought about this past year is, garden markers with copper and the clothscapes with the varying embroidery techniques. The garden markers made it to Etsy and I plan more items with copper. The clothscapes made a 12 part series in postings and was near done until I added more embroidery scenes, I've changed my mind over and over about this project, probably overly, over! Not the case with my current red work project, that quilt is moving right along nicely.

Madame, my partner in crafts, made some projects of her own, all by herself! She quilted a pillow, studied origami, crocheted a hobo bag and taught God's Eyes to her art class! Together we learned what steampunk is.....

Although we can easily review the many crafts, talents and projects of my life, it is difficult to summarize my desire for collecting dolls, I could not go over the many beloved personalities of my own collection, I tried diligently to stick with what I have, a few may of been portrayed from a book but for the most part....it is my collection. 36 doll identities with, what else? 52 Raggedy Ann posts. I made it! Raggedy Ann is a universal loved icon and will continue to be one of my most sought collectibles.

Finally and to close with, it's what we all search the Internet for, FREE! Well, I managed to provide the 'world' with 14 free patterns and or links to freebies. I frequently bookmark many blogs because of the free patterns and I find this a VERY useful tag. The diversity of what we crafter's see, when we see one thing, and other crafter's see another...it amazes me. That is a true and reflective opinion in the offered freebies.

I reiterate the joy I've had in publishing everyday for the past year, I hope for many more to come.

C&G Design

Might be a poor prognoses

I have to say right away, I love my dog. He is the most well behaved (I say that now), smartest, kindness, friendliest, family dog that I've ever known. I know this lovable lug would risk life and limb for any member of his family, I know he knows his job, and he knows it well. His mission in life is to be with me, and although I really bonded with one other dog and vowed up and down never to take another, Tartarus has learned from me, been trained by me, and kept me company for 12 years, everyday.....he is loyal to me.



It is with a heavy heart I say.....my beloved pet went to the vets for a out of control growth on his ear. This diagnosed growth was a discomfort 2 years ago when the vet first said 'there was nothing we could do about it'. It was flat and slightly opened at the time. Now it has ballooned to the size of a walnut and become heavy for Tartarus....he is uncomfortable with it, unhappy. You can barely see it in the photo taken May 23 but it's his right ear if you feel inclined to enlarge the picture..



Two things can happen, surgery to remove half the ear and the growth or antibiotics for the necrosis in hopes it will shrink the tumor. Tartarus has a secondary issue though, the vet wasn't encouraged about enlarged lymps in his neck. Might be the infection from the growth or it might be lymphoma, she could not say.... and would not depress us with the prognoses.



The quick resolve would be to aspirate it, antibiotic it with pain meds for 2 weeks, and then mega blood work for the surgery that will remove 1/2 the ear.



Or .....antibiotic with out pain meds to see if it helps to reduce the growth and MAYBE the lymps, if we are lucky. See, pain control meds work depending on the liver function, the function (good or bad), is determined by the blood work. Good God.......how much to take from this, how much to put my dog through?
What if we do a regime of antibiotics and find the lymps reduce? That would be good, perfect situation would be the growth reduced by 1/2 too! Even if it isn't ....just to have the lymps reduced would be a good sign, NO change in the size of nodes means.... cancer.



10 days should tell....5/28 was the start of the antibiotics. The vet was nice enough to say in Tartarus's file.....an additional 2 week supply of antibiotics IF! it works for the swelling on the first 14 days. No change in size of the ear growth will mean mega blood work and surgery at the end though. *Sniff* *cough* and *gulp*. Least he will have a start up on the infection.



He has a appointment for June 10 th, time will tell. C&G Design

I almost forgot that this week is my blogiverary week! Join me in the give-a-way (click on the sidebar) and the rest of the week's events.