green...lace...nature

.................................................

..........................................

every now and then i get restless with decorations and i need a change. i've had these wine and champaigne bottles saved for several months now because i knew they would be a good decoration sooner or later.

..........................................

.........................................

........................................

these doilies were all hand done by my great-grandmother; whom i never met. i requested them from a large collection my mother has because i wanted to use them for a future project. in the mean time they satisfied my need for a new feminine look in the dining room. i think they look great over bare wood with a bit of nature mixed in. i think this theme done up a bit more would be fun for a spring outdoor wedding!

......................................

.......................................

............................................

...there's a little bird...

...............................................

"...somebody sent

down to the earth to

live on the wind..."

-jewel "this little bird"

..............................................

.................................................

if you go to etsy.com and you type in sparrow as the keyword search you come up with 222 pages with 4654 results!! 

if you search jewelry : necklace : fiber and search sparrow; then you'll find this lovely little friend at the very top ;-) (just like that!)

no, you can just go to my shop!

...............................................

...................................................

::...there's a little bird - necklace

...................................................

creativ thoughts

i have been creating all manner of things as long as i can remember. i had a small plastic sewing machine at the age of 4 that my mother and i used to sit at for hours together. it never quite worked properly and caused us more frustration than productivity. despite that i have always enjoyed the handmade. in recent years the handmade craze has swept the nation and the world and has brought us wonderful opportunities that may have not otherwise been there for the closet crafters. things like etsy and an absolute plethora of gifted artists and bloggers bringing us the worlds most stunning design imagery from all designers can be so inspiring, exciting, & intimiadating all rolled into one. 

starting my etsy shop recently has been something i always wanted to do but never got around to. it was a much thought of and finally achieved goal. the first sale makes you jump for joy and a few after that are just as exciting. the shop is filling up and  my fingers and brain are always churning new ideas that hopefully are to be accepted by the handmade buying community. i've ben advertising wherever i go and spreading the word to those i meet out and about. these things take time but it's hard to not feel a little intimidated by this large, as it is called, blogosphere and "etsy" sphere (i made that up) full of unending amounts of talent. 

i read some lovely advice here the other day that made me realize i'm not alone in the exciting and daunting world of independent design. 

design and art is a continuous adventure and most definitely will never end. i'm so glad to be part of the bigger design picture now and still in awe of all of it around me but knowing that i'm just where i should be as an artist and creator is quite satisfying. 

pendants

.....................................................

............................................

:: french knotty pendants

...........................................

...................................................

these have lots of texture. the entire piece is made of french knots to start with, topped with an abstract sprinkling of beads and finished off on the back with a hand stitched and tufted backing. an internal wire frame holds the pendant shape and ensures proper hanging. 

..................................................

.............................................

more of these guys are coming. these are rather time consuming but worth the end result.

............................................

.............................................

::see for yourself!! go shopin'

.................................................

emerse yourself in spring

...........................................................

: i luuuuv lilacs

..........................................................

new pouches

...........................................

i always say this when i make something new but i am really excited about these. it's very rewarding to have such a functional product with great surface texture and refreshing and uplifting colors. 

i've been a sewing machine to get these done. (haha, was that a pun? if so, non intended!) 

all the top stitching is machine done with 100% rayon embroidery thread for a finished look and quilted texture. this picture below here is my favorite color combination. branching out into blue has proved to be a good idea.

..........................................

.................................................

::ringlet applique pouches

now in the shop

.................................................

...........................................

...............................................

::fun details

the zippers i used in all these pouches are part of a  vintage collection that belonged to my great-grandmother. the zipper pulls are small rings that were rapped in embroidery floss and attached with large silver-tone jump rings. 

...............................................

....................................................

...the long pauses in my blogging and new shop additions usually means i have been busy crafting new ideas or busy with a family event and the last few days i have been busy doing both. check the shop in the next couple days for some brand new accessories that you won't expect. here are some pictures for sharing from some recent small adventures.

.....................................................

....................................................

..................................................

summer naps...

.............................................................................

new in the shop

::peaceful winks resting eye mask

.............................................................................

............................................................................

this piece is so bright and happy! scheduling a summer afternoon nap to daydream is just an excuse to don this! i'm so excited to announce this and stay tuned for more accessories in this group. this is what creAtiv.life's products are all about; traditional techniques used together in untraditional ways to evoke the feelings of femininity and soft simple luxuries!

..........................................................................

....................................................................

this can be for you, a friend, or especially for the summer brides who have big things coming up and need all the rest that they can get. any bride would love to receive this as a bridal gift and it would come just in time for them to schedule some peace and quiet. 

~one item is listed on etsy but don't be shy to grab one or two because many are available. 

...........................................................

pictured here with ::botanique white on white boudoir pillows coming soon

...........................................................

...the little studio that could

.........................................

things are building @ creAtiv.life

the shop is filling up and in full swing for spr'09!

...........................................

....................................................

more sweet summer charms necklaces, botanique cards, and some new extra crisp and springy home items in progress as we speak!

...................................................

.............................................

............................................

:: french knotty earrings

special request from gINA!!!

............................................

etsy showcase

funkycountrycrafts is in the showcase on etsy.com!!! 

shop through the bags and purses section to find the FCC listing!

if you like a fun quilted country style check it out! one of a kind quilted country handbags!

*funky country crafts showcase*

ongoing quilt project

..........................................................

look what i rediscovered? a quilting project that i started when we were living on the east coast and i was spending most of my time doing things very "un" creative! i squeezed this project in during some of that time but as most of my larger quilting projects end up...it's not done yet!

..........................................................

.............................................................

i didn't use a pattern rather i just laid all my existing scrap pieces on the bed and mixed them around until they all fit to make a rectangle; any place that needed some more color or to cover a space i added the top stitched pieces. each piece/row was sewn together then laid back out with the others to figure out where the next piece would go. kinda a puzzle quilt i guess!                       

..............................................................

......................................................

i have an intresting mix of fabric sources here. the lovely pinewheel floral is a Tracy Porter design (one of my faves), the ticking stripes are some basic calico's from the fabric store and the green plaid and the white eyelet actually are some repurposed shirts that i received free as samples!

......................................................

........................................................

of course a sprinkle french knots here and there !

.....................................................

...................................................

i added some small little crochet applique pieces that also are embellishments snatched from a sample shirt.

....................................................

....................................................

................................................

.....................................................

several pieces of this quilt are actually top-stitched over the other pieces. i'm hand quilting this which is why it's still not done and why it will still continue to take some time. i hope to do a little bit here and there when i can to get it moving along. 

...................................................

fresh in the shop...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

sweet summer charms

......................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:: heart locket

...................................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:: glass bead charms

.....................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:: gold filled barely-there chain, charms, and findings

.....................................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:: hand wire wrapped charms

............................................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the dantiest of danglies

..............................................................

*head to shop*

etsy family!

the handmade craze has been sweeping the nation but my family has been at it for generations.

etsy is in the family! check out these two new shops from our handmade family.

my lovely sister-n-law ashleigh!

www.ForeverBeautifulYou.etsy.com

my mother who taught me everything!

www.funkycountrycrafts.etsy.com

always inspired by nature

we took some time to enjoy a hike in the most gorgeous place the other day.

i sheepishly plucked these lovely specimens of nature from the state park. 
i usually wish to leave nature undisturbed but i encountered such wonderful textures and shapes that i decided to take the tiniest snippet home for myself. beautiful tiny red berries, dotted twigs, fluffy dried blooms...
these made wonderful objects to photograph in the morning sunlight. 
yes i know; i should take pictures of then in their natural setting right. well my husband is the photographer on hikes and likes to use the longer distance lens so its hard to always change lenses to get the close ups.
nature is the most creAtiv thing in this world and is always a source of inspiration. you don't have to be a big outdoor nature girl (which i'm not but admire those who are) to go out and explore. a simple strole through the flora and fauna whether it's the neighborhood yards or a mountain trail can be most refreshing and inspiring to whatever you do! enjoy!

just a little earring fun

~feel free to click on photo to enlarge and enjoy!

these are like my lilt earrings but i beaded the entire loop on each.  i'm not sure if i'll put them in the shop because these beads are limited as i bought them in new mexico some time ago. i've been wearing them around and they are great fun.