I seem to be remaking some of the old ornaments that I have sold on Etsy, I think I've finally got the hang of "up for retail" before the holidays. Did you know the Halloween candy is already discounted in the department stores? Ha! Just joking.
This is Peter and Paul, you can see the original post here. They are from a pattern I made when being inspired by elves, I don't think I wanted them to be so skinny but I went with it anyway. I cut the first ones larger than my paper pattern and then forgot which parts I enlarged, remaking them is going to be a challenge but this time I corrected the pattern.
These are a bit tricky to do, the face seam is in the center of the body fabric and you really have to know what you are doing when it comes to turning them right side out.
This is the stage my husband make fun of me about, the body parts laying around. Each piece is stuffed and hand stitched, the bottom of the body is weighted. Can you see I made a major foe-par I made from the first pair? I never wrote the color of the fabric on each pattern piece and I assumed the hands were white. They aren't, they're red.
I got my cheese box full of buttons and I hoped to find eight matching shanked, I did, all of them.
These ended up taller than the others but I'm pleased with them. Attaching the legs are hit or miss since the bottom has aquariums rocks in it, it tends to shift while inserting the 4 inch doll needle.
I had wanted to put bells on the shoes and this time I did, it works well.
One thing that has always bugged me about these is the shifting in stitching, since it needs to be partly stitched in the hat and fully in the face before sewing it to the body, the hat gets pushed while turning my stitch direction and the fabric ends up overlapping, try as I might I can't get this to stop in this small area.
Luckily I had my felt out (what a handy material!). The trim around the hat is perfect but would not be in any other place. I think it would take away from the primitive aspect of them.
So I tried to get a few photos for Etsy, I used stuffing instead of batting but it was windy on this day and some of it blew off, argh! I'll do them over on a calmer day.
This photo is nice, I think I'll use this one but that's it. When I looked at the original pair I discovered I forgot the eyebrows also.
Whoops. C&G Design
I don't know if I mentioned my buildings from my note paper or not but it's changed. Initially it had a school, church, hospital and 2 houses...well, a school, church, hospital and a store!....makes more sense. So, one of the houses has a penciled x through it, replaced with a building that houses food.
I have saved the house for last because it's the most flexible for applique ideas, I can always come up with something even though I used the first idea on another building.
So, what does a shoppe usually look like? It has neon "open" signs and some sort of advertisement for a beverage, beer or soda, it's always there. I figured the most recognized insignia is "Coke a cola" or something similar to it. I came up with a combination of Coke and Pepsi, ha! You get the idea.
The grey square on top of the building is a A/C and heating unit, it also adds another shape although smaller in version.
My canopy windows are close, close, close. They are bright on the brown and are clearly windows.Note: Next time make canopy with a steeper side angle. C&G Design
Tuesday night, while typing my post for Raggedy Wednesday, I received a email on a Etsy conversation. Well!I'm always excited to get questions from a potential customer, I even got a conversation while away at 6 flags, yip-ee for free wi-fi!Anyway, imagine my surprise when I found another Etsy artist had chosen one of my items for The Treasury that is entitled "Maine made", she commented about how hard it was to narrow down the items to a few favorites. I am psyched! So psyched I missed the ending of the new reality show.....The Colony!I'm not going to mention the artist who selected me because I don't have her permission but I will link The Treasury so all of you can comment if you'd like.The Treasury is a outlet where Etsy people can post their likes for shopping. The next step to getting a featured item on the home page is, placing a item in the Showcase in hopes you will be picked. It's a purchased amount of about 1 hour for $7.00. I've not done that yet because I realize you can be picked for the homepage without buying time, of course purchasing it narrows it down.The homepage elevated your traffic considerably.Here's the link:http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c61feedf7528eef1827fcb5/maine-made?index=37C&G DesignWords and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.
I was recently given a gift (from my husband) that had a mention of Worth Gruelle, he was a member of the Raggedy Ann family and had a talent close to his father's, Johnny Gruelle.Worth and Richard Gruelle were Marcella's siblings, they carried on the stories of Ann and Andy after Johnny's early death at age 57.
Johnny's artistic talent was evident through to Joni Gruelle, Worth's daughter. Joni and her husband are credited for creating a project as big as a Ann and Andy museum in 1999. The museum was located in Arcola, Illinois but is now closed only promoting sales from the gift shop over the Internet. Every year in April, Arcola (Ann's birthplace) celebrates the famous redhead with a large festival on behalf of the namesake.Joni Gruelle-Wannamaker illustrated both pictures featured here, the second photo being the true home of Ann and Andy.
If I think about it real hard, we really don't see the home from the outside in any of the stories.....so interesting.....C&G Design
We took a few days off from our regular life to enjoy a mini vacation, it has been 10 years that we have been anywhere, except for Texas on family matters. I was looking forward to this time together but I told my husband, "You plan it." Plan it he did.The Internet is wonderful, it aided us in finding deals and packages on the best way to go. Our first night was slept in the Hampton Bay, a first class hotel. We found if we stayed here it included two passes to 6 Flags New England which is in Massachusetts and in the long run it was 10 dollars cheaper, we could purchase the two other tickets at a 12 dollar off cost, we also had a true breakfast rather than the continental. Here is a snapshot of the view from our window, this was taken in the early am hours. I love it when wildlife is mixed with everyday life and this little pond is adorable. Far to the left is a marvelous spraying fountain.
The weather was threatening showers all day but we didn't see nair one. The air was humid and hot with overcast clouds. All of us were sunburned by the end of the day.
Six Flags New England was purchased a few years back, before then it was called Riverside park. I'm guessing it's a roller coaster park since it has 7 different ones. Some kid rides and some unique rides but all in all, roller coasters. This one is Cyclone, it's the mid sized coaster, it is also the second wooden one. I actually rode the small wooden roller coaster called the thunderbolt. I did so with my eyes closed.
There were shows for the little one. One of the performances I would of liked to watch was the "junk" band. The members played on items like trashcans and buckets.These amusement parks, including Disney (I'm told), have what is called a flash pass. It cost money and the different levels cost greater. It's this little contraption you hook on your belt loop and you can reserve a ride. The gadget reminds me of the Tomigatchi pets my kids had to have when they were younger.
Check out Daffy, Bugs Bunny kept hiding.
The platinum level of the flash pass gave you a 10% wait of the normal time waiting for a ride, then it would page you, allowing you to cut the lines. The platinum bracelet meant you could ride the rides twice, back to back by raising your hand. The normal flash pass cut your wait by 75%, paging you when the time was ready. Not knowing how busy it would be, and having driven 5 hours, we bought the platinum but could of got away with the normal pass.This roller coaster is called the Pandemonium, it was the second roller coaster I rode. The cart rotates while it speeds around the whirls. Yep, on our second trip it blow a fuse just as we were to power up the top of the hill (pictured to the right of the cart), and we were stuck (up there!) for about 20 minutes. My kids were facing down to the ground and we were facing up. Okay......well.....yep......that ended any chance of me riding another coaster for the rest of the day. I don't care for the edge of panic like I, and the rider runners on the ground who were confused as to how to communicate with us.
This is the largest coaster, Bizzaro, Superman's alter ego. It has a story told in the headsets and it rides under walkways, thru mist and over other coasters. It is also my daughters favorite ride.
This one is Batman, it's my son's favorite. If you enlarge the photo you will see my husband in the front, my daughter's face to the right and my son all the way to the right except I didn't get him, I was lucky to photograph what I got! 70 mph and that's pretty good.
This one is the Mind Eraser, it was very quick with short loops. No one seemed to like it, it stopped too sudden.
By 3:00 all the rides were ridden, all the glamor rides that is. We did a few unique rides like this one. It swung slowly then over it went, locking upside down at one point.
My poor son, he had such a hard time fitting in the seats, he's the big guy above. The last time he went on Bizzaro, the techs made a last push of the bar and he was jammed in. I guess they figure a heavier person will snap a lock before a light person would. My son found some of the rides too narrow for his shoulders, also.
"Scream" was the ride that when we were paged, the flash pass kept setting the minutes back. We returned later when it had a smaller waiting line. Enlarging the photo will show you my husband, daughter and son facing the camera, they got that spot on purpose. Least they humored me and my camera.
We were mildly curious above this building, the Opera House. Come to find out....it opened in the dark with a spooky house setting and a short film (no sound) showing Houdini as a young boy. It ended in a room where all the opera seats were to swing while the room turned upside down. It is a trip. My kids were so excited they went on it again by themselves. I reminded them about the "non" glamor rides and how fun it would be to see those on occasion.
There were also water rafting rides I enjoyed and a swim park called Hurricane Harbor. The next time we go we will do the water park. It's to hot to enjoy the entire day without a break.
Six Flags New England also flies the six flags of New England, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. None of us seemed to know the different flags until we looked it up on Wikipedia. C&G Design
It's time to reveal my studio! I'm still working out the bugs and the decor but all in all I am happy with the end results. This is the corner at the top of the stairs, the only thing unfinished is the door into the knee wall but that won't take long to do. I have ALL my painted on this one stand, a former bookshelf. What it best about it is the easel it leans on, it makes this unit mobile. The above paper towel holder is actually a paper spool, the other shelf holds my flat trim like rick rack and hem lace. Look close, Wooly is trying to figure out the open window.
Here is the long shot of the big window, the rails are iron and heavy duty tin that matches all the way down the staircase. It's kinda french shabby chic.
Here is my craft station, you can see the current work on top my table, the white paper pinned to the wall is my notes on "The Village." The top of the bookcase holds my patterns both purchased and handmade. The small upright stand holds my stencils.
I tried to get the puzzle photographed but the room is not wide so it was a little difficult. The empty cubby is the felt that is out because it's being used. The tote is black, red, orange, yellow, gray and white yarn I use for doll hair.
Here is the long shot of the cubby wall, everything is sorted by copper, beading, embroidery, etc. boxes. All of the boxes are marked. I'm not happy with the stuff on the floor but it is overflow from the dressers and it has to be there until I use it. I've promised myself not to buy more items. Ha!
The corner looks very crowded, I have a chair that will be re-upholstered to match the curtains and the boxes on top the bookcase holds buttons, a button box! There is also a roly-poly that has embellishments in it. Those things really do work.
Here is where I stitch. I need to be careful of my chairs because they roll easy on the bare floor!
We have a large shelf with a rod that we felt would come in handy while making dresses or even, when I paint my doll parts and I need a place for them to dry.
The large trunk has remnants in it and the items on top are projects I need to finish, I thought I'd have more but what there is, is enough. Batting is also contained in the blanket bags.
Madames station is not set up yet, the tote on the floor has all wool fabric and the egg crate foam is waiting to be placed on my son's bed. Check out the spool racks, handy little things.
This is my haven, I cherish all my time up here and sometimes I can't believe I actually have a studio.
I also know e-v-e-r-y thing I have for supplies. C&G Design
This is Peter and Paul, you can see the original post here. 
These are a bit tricky to do, the face seam is in the center of the body fabric and you really have to know what you are doing when it comes to turning them right side out.
This is the stage my husband make fun of me about, the body parts laying around. Each piece is stuffed and hand stitched, the bottom of the body is weighted. Can you see I made a major foe-par I made from the first pair? I never wrote the color of the fabric on each pattern piece and I assumed the hands were white. They aren't, they're red.
I got my cheese box full of buttons and I hoped to find eight matching shanked, I did, all of them.
These ended up taller than the others but I'm pleased with them. Attaching the legs are hit or miss since the bottom has aquariums rocks in it, it tends to shift while inserting the 4 inch doll needle.
I had wanted to put bells on the shoes and this time I did, it works well.
One thing that has always bugged me about these is the shifting in stitching, since it needs to be partly stitched in the hat and fully in the face before sewing it to the body, the hat gets pushed while turning my stitch direction and the fabric ends up overlapping, try as I might I can't get this to stop in this small area.
Luckily I had my felt out (what a handy material!). The trim around the hat is perfect but would not be in any other place. I think it would take away from the primitive aspect of them.
This photo is nice, I think I'll use this one but that's it. When I looked at the original pair I discovered I forgot the eyebrows also.
