Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

Or

Happy Christmas!!!

*********************************

Doggie Cup Cozy Changes

My Dog Cup Cozies are under going some enhancements.

 

I was making them out of light weight canvas with a cotton backing and Velcro closure. I've found that on a small piece of fabric measuring 4" tall I was being limited to the smaller, less dense designs. When I tried to embroider a slightly larger or dense design the fabric would start to ripple and eventually the stitches would start to chew the fabric. This in effect was limiting what dog designs I could embroider. The canvas also restricted what colors I could use to make them. The only colors available to me were black, grey, brown, dark red, dark blue and dark green. While these colors are nice I wanted to use something a bit more cheery. Canvas just wasn't working out for me.

I have been testing different fabrics to use to replace the canvas. I have finally come to the conclusion that felt will work the best. The felt has a stable quality that holds the embroidery really well. It also comes in many colors.  

 The felt that I have found is Made in America. It also Eco-friendly fiber made from recycled plastic bottles. I think this will help promote a healthier environment. In essence I am promoting jobs in America and the environment all with one fabric. Who could ask for more!

I am very happy with this decision. I can now offer more dogs on the cup cozy's. Unfortunately, I still have one dog that just will not fit the cozy. The King Charles Cavalier design is still just to big for it. Alas, I will continue to look for a smaller embroidery design for it.

*******************************************
 

The crispness of a plain white pillow

White Plain Pillows

Recently I have had three customers ask if I have plain white pillows. 

This pillow is made of 100% white cotton.The crisp white cotton gives this pillow a simple look. Place a plain white pillow with another pillow and you can achieve a fun, country or elegant feel to any room. White can be matched with any color in the rainbow.

*******************************************

Travel Pillows

Travel pillows are here! 

 

I came up with the idea of travel pillows when I came across an airline pillow I received on a flight as a child. I remember holding my dads hand and walking through the door as the stewardess greeted us with "Good Morning and Welcome Aboard!". After we took off she came by and gave me a pin of plastic wings. Later, when it came to night she gave me a pillow. I acquired two of them from our trip. I received one with a blue pillow case on the way there and one with a yellow gold pillow case on the way back. They were 12" long by 9" wide. 



After we returned home from our travels, I used these pillows in my cradle my grandpa made. I still have them from all those years ago. I now have a porcelain doll I made a number of years ago sleeping on top of the pillows in the cradle.



A few years ago I had a flight to Chicago for a seminar and asked the flight attendant for a pillow. I found that they were nothing like I had received as a child. I was given this its y bits y tiny white thing that barely covered an ear and it didn't have a pillow case.  It was just a tiny white pillow form that didn't really have a lot of stuffing in it. Honestly, it was a poor substitute from years ago. 

I was recently cleaning my out my storage and pulled out my cradle with the pillows. I thought others might like too purchase their own pillow. I am making the travel pillows like they use to make when I was a child, only with a little bit of embroidery on the edge of the pillow case. =)

I hope you enjoy them!

*************************************

Setting the Christmas Table Collection

Christmas Table

Curated By: ForgetMeKnotT...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

*****************************************************

Snowflake Collection From Artfire

Snowflakes

Curated By: ForgetMeKnotT...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Previous post is regarding Thanksgiving Sale
*****************************************

Thanksgiving Day - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale

Starting Thanksgiving day and  Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
We are offering Free Shipping on all US orders.

Happy Shopping!!!

Tropical Fruit Salad

Tropical Fruit Salad

When I want something sweet I make Tropical Fruit Salad. 

This salad is one of my favorites. Its quick and easy to make.

1/3 Container of 16 oz Cool Whip

1 16oz Can Tropical Fruit Cocktail

Handful of Coconut flakes sweetened

Drain can of Tropical Fruit.

Pour fruit into a container with a lid.

Add Coconut.
Add Cool Whip.

Mix.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Enjoy.

**If you like a lot of cool whip then add 1/2 container instead of 1/3. 
***Can use regular fruit cocktail instead of the tropical fruit cocktail.

*****************************************

Lilacs are Purple

 Lilacs are Purple

I have renamed the pillow that was previously listed as purple cube to Lilacs are purple.

This pillow with a lilac design features embroidered diagonal lines that create a geometric diamond across the fabric creating a wonderful background for the lilacs to float upon. Lilac petals are machine embroidered and hand sewn to my pillow. Glistening Swarovski Crystals are placed in the center of each lilac petal giving the flower look. My pillow of purple lilacs is an elegant look for any room.

Measures 12" x 12" inches.

Swarovski Crystals

Envelope Closure Back

Color is a medium purple

Diagonal embroidered lines and lilacs

 

Lilac petals are designed by me and 

to be used in any of my stores.

**************************************************************

Bugs On The Vegetables

My mom and I started last year trying to grow some of our own vegetables. Unfortunately, these last two years have been pretty bad for growing here in Oregon. I am leaning toward blaming the weather. ;)

I was able to grow vegetables when I was living on my own. I thought being in such a green state as Oregon it would be an easier process.With all the rain I would think things would grow quickly. I know the grass does!

Anyway, here we are trying to grow vegetables and they are inundated with bugs and pest of all kinds. We received a suggestion from a lady at New Seasons Grocery to try Jalapeno peppers. To our surprise, it worked. Our tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and such are on the mend.

Recipe

4 Large Green Jalapeno Peppers

Water

Spray Bottle

Take the Jalapeno Peppers and place them in a Dutch Oven or a large stock or soup pot. Add water up to the rim. Boil for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for 24 hours. After 24 hours have past, remove peppers and throw them away. Fill spray bottles with the fermented water. Spray vegetables leaves and dirt.

Warning: The solutions does have a heavy smell while spraying. It goes away after 10-15 minutes.

**********************************************************

Yay!!! XML Class Grade

Yay! My XML class ended last week. I had to wait this long before receiving my final grade. 

I thought I would get a B in the class but I received an A instead. The final grade is determined by the team project. I really thought that the team project wasn't very well done but I guess we met all of the criteria to get a decent grade.   

I am so happy do get an A in the class.

************************************************************************************* 

New Embroidery Designs

I've create a new embroidery border and corner this week. 

My first one I'm calling Greek Ocean Border. It has small waves running the middle length along the three straight lines on either sides.

The second one being called Leaf Swirl Corner. This will be in both a stitch design and a satin stitch design. This design has a stitch line that swirls around seven leaves.

I can't wait to find something to use them on.

*******************************************************

Question of the decade!

What where you doing on 9/11?

My 9/11 story begins at work, 6:00am on the West Coast. I was covering the help desk that morning. My phone rang and it was Simon from England. He needed help with an issue on one of the banks servers.  While we were talking he said a plane just hit a building in New York City. A few minutes later he said I better hang up, I think the US is under attack. After he hung up I went home with a bad case of the flu. I was told by an Englishman, 6000 miles away about an event that would change the world 3000 miles away.  

So, What where YOU doing on 9/11?

September 11, 2001 - 2011, 
We Remember! 
Love and blessings to everyone!

*****************************************************

Do you Roku?

In a previous blog I mentioned that we got rid of cable. Cable TV kept raising their prices every other month and quickly exceeded our budget. The sad thing was we only had basic channels and we were paying $110.00 a month. That's a huge sum of money for TV. We watched our collection of DVD and VHS movies for a couple of months.

After we turned off cable we saved up our money and first bought digital TV antenna's for each TV in the house. This gave us back the 20 network stations in our area. It brought us ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS and quite a few others. Then we purchased Roku's for our main TV's.  With Roku we purchased the unlimited video streaming account from NetFlix for $90.00 a year. Roku also gave us Crackle for free and many many other free channels. They have cartoon, old movies, talk shows, news and sports channels. Pretty much everything the basic channels that cable have.

At that end of this year instead of spending $1320.00 on cable (based on $110.00 without an increase), we spent a total of $400.00. Out of the $400.00, $300.00 of it was on equipment that we now own. Next year we could either pay just for Netflix $90 or add another pay Streaming channel like Amazon Streaming or HuluPlus for an additional $90.00. Either way we are still ahead and saving money for other bills. We are very happy with our Roku's and wished we had found them years ago.

Return to School

As some of you may know I returned to school in April to complete my Bachelor degree. I am attending a school that offers online courses. I know a lot of people complain about online courses but I like them. I learn a lot more from them then a traditional class room setting. The traditional classroom setting you must first fight traffic to get to the school, then circle the parking lot like a voucher ready to pounce on an open space. If that isn't enough there is always the Oregon weather to contend with. If it is raining, then your wet by the time you get to the classroom. After all that, you enter the classroom and take your seat and proceed to get a lecture that explains nothing and puts you to sleep. The online courses you have to read the materials, do the tutorials and projects in order to pass. Its more of a self starter program. I'm a visual learner. I learn by doing not by lecture. In the online environment the teachers are there to throw questions at you to make you think. The online course has taken out the preaching at the front of the room and added do or fail. Some people still need to have the traditional classroom setting but I learn better online.

My current class was Web Programming in XML. It ends today at midnight. This is probably the hardest class I have had in a long time. I am so glad it is over. Now I get to wait and see what grade I actually received in this class. At least I have a little break before the next class starts.

New Pillow Covers for FMKT

Happy Saturday!

A few weeks ago I posted a few pictures of the pillow covers in process. Here they are completed. I hope you enjoy! =)

Daisy May

Turquoise Rose

These new pillow covers will be added to the FMKT shop this week.

*********************************************************************************

Another Sneak Peek

Happy Thursday!!!

Here is another sneak peek for the up and coming new products for FMKT.

Teal

Pink Rose

 More to come.

Don't forget to come back to view the final product.

Sneak Peek

Happy Tuesday!
I've been pretty busy the last week or two.

Here is another sneak peek at what I have been working on.

Sailboat at Sunset

Purple Cube

White and Aqua

More to come.

Don't forget to come back and see the finished product.