Sewing Crafts

This carnival, which I am not late for…for a change…is wide open. It is a look back on 2009. Not sure my melty brain can remember that far back, but I’ll give it a go.

see? told you…melty brain..

Crafty/biz wise…I think it was a pretty good year. Although I technically started Tilt in September ‘08, it wasn’t until the start of ‘09 that it felt started. Sure, I had sold some things in ‘08 & started the blog, but it was only after a few months online & with teammates from Etsy (my only venue at the time) did I feel like I even had a clue as to what I was doing. When I started, I never made more than one bag of a style. I quickly learned that the look it gave online was too “messy”, so I tried to trim down the number of styles. There are a few clearance items that are still trying to find a home and I am still narrowing things down, but I am getting there. Starting 2010 I will only be making backpacks, clutches, my new zippy purse, Janet/Venus handbags, Ann evening handbags, zip pouches and maybe a large hobo’ish bag….hmm, still need to work on the narrowing…but expanding into non-bag items like quilts, table runners, coasters & fabric baskets.

btw…that’s my 1st Artfire sale…it was in’09,which is also the year I joined

Blog wise…I have been having fun. For a while I was part of a couple Ning groups that helped promote each other. I started my Tilt’s Creations blog where I (try) to focus on what I make and leave this blog for my life, family, promoting others & whatever else pops into my head. I’ve “met” lots of great people through my blogging teams & have learned lots more about computer useage. That may come in handy when I have to go back to work.

Work – that leads me into the icky parts of ‘09. Financially, we got, um, let’s just say it was not good…this blog is family rated after all. My youngest had to go through some speech & physical therapy for a couple years. The first year gave us no problems. But ‘09 was another story. While his learning to talk & function physically is worth every penny…it turned out to be many more pennies than it was supposed to….like many paychecks more. Thank you United Health Care. You can suck it! Ok, there goes the family rating
Then the cherry on top – this year’s medical insurance premiums were not taken out all year…so it all came out at once last paycheck..it was now & pre-tax or spread out next year post-tax….huge bottom line difference.
So – end result – I may need to go back to work before we planned. Crossing our fingers & budgeting like fools, maybe we can make it until kiddo starts Kindergarten. We were hoping to wait until 1st grade, but one year early is not too bad.

Family wise…my oldest grew like a weed. He went from this sweet young boy to this taller than me man-boy practically overnight…still sweet though. I tear up just looking at him & how much he has grown – both inside & out. He knows who he is & what he wants way more than I ever did at his age. A mother could not be more proud. He is one fantastic son.
And the little guy? Those therapy sessions really did their job…like a lot. He never stops talking…n.e.v.e.r. And most of what comes out of his mouth is not only amusing & hilarious, but so much older than his years.
I can’t wait to see what these two do next year.

I think that’s about it. Except for lots and lots and lots and lots of trying to keep up with the everyday & failing miserably. But at least my bags are looking great

I could call this “The Coloring Book,” as I’m filling in color with thread instead of crayons or paint, and the outlines are dark (navy in this case, Kreinik 018HL #12 braid)

The next one is another of the original nine designs. I chose to use Kreinik blending filament for the pattern only, designating the orange, white, and navy floss as “background” – so it stays in the back where it belongs.

However, at the bottom of the flowers on the shaft, I inserted the orange Vintage blending filament to make it part of the design – and I am very pleased with the effect. The last close-up shows how different the yellow floss looks on the scroll in basketweave with blending filament – and then on the diaper pattern in Scotch stitch – long, smooth, and flat without the metallic. A great effect with only one kind of thread!

I made a batch of gingerbread snowflake ornaments for cookie gifts this year, and since no one can escape my newfound love of painting marshmallows, I ended up adding a mason jar o’ warmth to go with them.

I used a gingerbread cookie recipe from Williams-Sonoma (link provided below), then filled a mason jar with snowman marshmallows and hot cocoa. I added a recipe tag, slapped on a sticker and all done.

how to make gingerbread snowflake ornaments

you will need
gingerbread recipe
frosting
snowflake cutter (mine was about 2 1/2 inches)
straw
one frosting bag, coupler and size “3″ tip
white frosting color
white sanding sugar or sprinkles
thin ribbon
cellophane favor bags

what to do
Prepare gingerbread recipe. Roll about 1/4-inch thick and place on parchment paper lined baking tray. Make holes with the straw and bake as directed by the recipe. Let cool. Tint frosting white and prepare a frosting bag with size 3 tip. Fill with white frosting and tie closed with a rubber band. Working with one cookie at a time, pipe snowflake designs and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Let dry overnight.

To package, string ribbon through several cookies and tie. Place the cookies in a cellophane bag and tie closed with another piece of ribbon.

how to make snowman hot cocoa mason jars

you will need
mason jars
marshmallows
black and orange edible pens (I suggest Americolor gourmet writers)
hot cocoa mix
cellophane favor bags
tags, stickers and ribbon (optional)

what to do
use markers to make snowman faces on marshmallows. Let dry about an hour. Fill a favor bag with some hot cocoa mix (I used about a cup) and twist closed with a tie. (I used the favor bag instead of putting right in the jar to keep things tidy, but you can also just add the mix right to the jar.) Place the favor bag of cocoa in the jar with the tied area in the middle at the top. Place marshmallows around the top of the cocoa facing out of the jar. Close with lid.

If desired, add your own personalized sticker to the top of the jar, or attach a tag with the cocoa recipe using a piece of card stock, a hole punch and a piece of ribbon.

another mason jar idea
And here’s another bonus idea for your leftover mason jars: pretzel rods. I used small pretzel rods, dip in melted white chocolate and coated with sprinkles. These mini rods fit perfectly in the jar.