'A Jones of all Trades'

 Have you seen anything more beautiful, if you look closely it was a double Rainbow , even though your only seeing part of it this was a complete arch. Awesome!!! The glow coming off of it....the picture really did not do it justice.


Its the night before the opening of the consignment shop ' A Jones of all Trades'.
This is the shop that my father-in-law and myself added some of our products too.  It is a quaint little shop just past the Davidson / Wilson county line here in Middle Tennessee. I had the chance to meet two of the vendors this past Friday at a special 'meet-n-greet'  before it opened.

The first was Tina Waller, she makes the most awesome crochets items and origami mobiles, There was a Koi fish one that both HK and I fell in love with. On a personal note there was one crocheted bag limey/olive green with  mauve red rosettes that was calling my name.

Tina's link is below just copy it into your browser:

www.facebook.com/pages/Tina-Waller-Designs


Here are a few items from the back room.  Wooden toys ( At Woods End), crocheted items  (Tina Waller Designs), baby blankets, hair barrettes and bobs and more.

The second vendor was Amanda K, of AmandaKDesigns, she had a great assortment of products. From cool jewelry, to window frame art, to pillows and so much more. You can check her out on Facebook, just copy  the link below into your browser:

www.facebook.com/AmandaKdesigns

As you walk in the front door you are greeted with pale yellow walls , that sets the mood  of all the rich vibrant tones and goodies you'll find inside on the walls and displayed throughout.

Of course, don't forget you can also just go straight to the source
here is the link to "A Jones of all Trades", and see all the wonderful vendors.
www.facebook.com/ajonesofalltrades




Be sure and stop in and say hello to the owner  Becca Jones , she is also the artist of some of the amazing jewelry you will find here.
Seen sitting here , behind their handmade counters, made from wooden legs and pallets, very shabby chic.(I would love to have some of these for my front porch with a sheet of glass on top. so easy to make a really great idea!)


You will find something for everyone here. To list a few more, wooden bowls, jewelry, mason jar sipper cups, stone oil lamps, homemade candles, hand painted wall art, photographic prints,walking sticks, aprons, needle felted clutches, decorative window panes, wooden  displays and so much more.

If you have the chance stop in a say hello, browse around. New vendors/ items will be added. So check back often.

As for me, today I spent anticipating tomorrow and getting back on my feet. Keep me in your prayers as I'm a little nervous. Lots of fun alcohol ink necklaces added to Etsy site, and working new purses.

-TNfrmgrl

Scissors and more...

Do you ever wonder about the things in your craft room ? I am sitting here staring at a pile of scissors. Each one has its own uses and special quality, but so many.I put some on my peg wall board and it took up the whole bottom of the board.!!!!! Do you have a pile like mine?

left to right : 2 pair 'Tonic' brand, duck billed applique, Gingher pinks, Swiss thread snippers , Finny, Cutter Bees,
Embroidery scissors 1 (the best), Embroidery scissors 2 (the worst) Old pair blunt nose Gingher , Old pair Stainless, paper scissors (cheap) and at the top assorted rotary cutters.

Being a crafty girl and liking so many different  crafts, I have moo goo's amounts of a stuff. I counted my thread spools the other day, hoping to get them on a wall so I could organize them by color. I like thread.. Did you notice I didn't tell you how many I have. Psst., quiet now as I say it in a whispered voice.... a little over 300.There is NOWAY I can fit them on a wall and still see outside.So alas they stay in my bucket tub near my sewing table. My father in -law bless his heart offered to make me a large spool holder... I don't think He knew what he was getting into... I quickly told him to forget about it.
There are other items that amaze me too but my list could go and I wouldn't want to scare anyone off with all my craft room  craziness.


Working on a new line of stream line denim clutches called 'Stitches'. These fun little gems are made from  bits and pieces of scrap denim, cotton fabric, wild stitchery and needle felting stripes. They feature five pockets and close with a magnetic snap.There will be about 6 different colors when I'm through, the first one was done in yellow, black and green.

 I finally got around to trying out my walking foot attachment on my sewing machine, it works really well on thick fabrics.


Threads, beads, scissors, paints , felting stuff, scrapbook stuff, need I go on......

Have a great day. - TNfrmgrl

Flex Frame Update

I was way up early this morning (4 AM) and was working on my 'flex frame' pockets.
The thought hit me ( don't you just love early morning revelations)that if I used a thinner fabric where the frame actually is, it might just open easier.
(You may remember I showed you the two coin purses I had made using the 3.5 inch flex frames, that were  a little hard to open .)  Thinner fabrics are the key. I took a needle felted base, cut it down to size, added a lining to it, then folded the tops down, sewed it together, and pushed the frame in place.
Of coarse it wasn't that easy, the pin that is used to hold the frame in place got stuck about half way in.
Anatomy of a flex frame pin (Pic.A)

assorted flex frame pins and cotter pins (pic.A)

is this: made of brass, it is slightly larger then the base it goes into, and has a crosshatch pattern about mid way through ( I suppose to help grip the edges and hold together better), the thing is; once you start to set the piece, and it's going in you CANNOT back it back out to start over. I pushed on it, I pulled on it, I pushed , and pushed and finally SNAP it went into place. Yahoo!
You can choose to use hardware store cotter pins instead of the brass or zinc that came with them , or if you loose one, just remember to take one with you to get the correct size and that you will have to trim it with bolt or wire cutters. An advantage to using the cotter pin is you have a nice little handle joint at the top, great for wristlets, backpack pulls etc.
I guess I should mention that on this project I did use a 4.5 frame instead of a 3.5 (pic.B)  , on the smaller one I added a wool sleeve onto the pocket, whereas on the larger one the lining made up the frame sleeve.

4.5 and 3.5  pockets with flex frame (pic.B)

Thinking on it, also made me realize that the longer length may have helped on the opening and closing of it too.

See how easy it opened, and Yes, that is metallic thread, pretty huh?

Tricky as it may be I love metallic thread. I didn't use it on this project but at the end of this post I'll show you one I did.

Almost finished, still have to sew the sided, which I will hand sew with  #8 Perle thread.

If your not familiar with Perle thread it is a heavier hand embroidery thread that the strands are wound together so that you do not separate to use. It comes in various thicknesses, I like the #8 use all the time & #10 (which is harder to find) DMC makes a great selection of colors. If you can't find it, craft embroidery thread like for friendship bracelets works well too.

As promised here is a needle felted piece that I used metallic thread on, it was a Madeira Gold variegated.
The piece here on the right shows the metallic thread on a flat surface, you can make out the color and a little sparkle.

This one shows the entire piece , you get the depth but because i used it on a needle felted piece with heavy roving, you loose the thread, with only a glimmer of flash. The top picture and this one are on the same piece. I will often use both regular rayon thread and metallic on my pieces. If you free motion stitch you can really create some interesting designs. The key is to go at a medium speed and not to pull on your fabric, just let it glide under your fingers. With time and practice just about any effect can be created.

One more Flex frame purse finished this afternoon.
(5 PM)
You'll notice it was the same piece I was going to use a sew on kiss frame with, that didn't happen as I couldn't get it to match up and look nice. I salvaged it and made this instead. The lining is a opalescent teal faux satin that changes color when light hits it.
It came out kind of cute. Unlike the previous brown one above, this one was a lot tighter in the sleeve & has a better closure to the frame.

-TNfrmgrl

Shop, Yearling & Morel Hunting

Good Morning. Its an overcast cloudy Tuesday in TN. Warm today in the mid to high 80's with a chance of thunderstorms. Typical southern spring day.

We went on Saturday and looked at the small shop where I am going to have my clutch purses sold at. They have a lot of work to do if they are going to open on May 11th.  It is small. I have a feeling, they will outgrow it soon. For me its an easy drive to get to it, no interstates and probably about a twenty drive from home. The road it sits on is four lane and in a really populated area between thrift stores, nurseries, barber shops, hardware and major department stores.  Below is a picture of the store front.
The owners Steven & Rebecca Jones are very enthusiastic, and have lots of ideas for making it come together and be a success.

'A Jones of all Trade'

 Farm note: I wanted to show a picture of a yearling(deer) we have on the property, Not sure what he was watching in this picture, but he gave us his best Bambi stance. 

  

Mushroom Hunting: We (HK and Pops)went Morel hunting on Sunday afternoon. HK found about 10 small Half Free Morels (morchella semilibera), I would show you a picture, but we soaked them in salt water overnight, then fried them up. To say they were yummy, would be an understatement. They were gone BEFORE I could take a picture. But here is what they looked like from my Mushroom book. 

Taken from "The Mushroom Book' By Laessoe, Conte and Lincoff

If you go mushroom hunting, KNOW what you pick before you eat it. Morels are fairly easy to identify, but there are some that look close to each other and are deadly. 

Here in TN it is the time for them to be popping out (mid April-mid May), we will probably go each weekend for next few weeks. Especially, now that we know where on the farm our honey hole (place where they grow) is.

Needle Felting: 

I have been working on new items for several weeks now. The flex frame pieces are coming together slowly, but are coming together. (no pictures as of yet). I Finished on extra large clutch yesterday, needle felted and free stitched only on the flap.

I have several others I am working on, but not sure if I want to make clutches from them  or turn them into something else

. 

Today; I plan to work on painting my scarves, stay tuned, as I'll take pictures as I go, turn it into a tutorial of sorts.

have a great day.

-Tnfrmgrl

BIG News

This tulip has showed up for almost fifteen years
and never bloomed until this year. Pretty!

I am so excited. About a week or so ago I was invited to have my items included/ listed at a local consignment shop. We set the ball in motion today; going tomorrow and signing contract for three months of booth space.
This is a huge deal for little Ole me. I enjoy the craft shows but my name as a fiber artist isn't really out there. Now the potential has increased.  The shop is located in MT. Juliet TN about thirty minutes from our home in Nashville.  The shop is small, but will only carry local handmade items, local being made in TN and such.
It is called ' A Jones of all Trades' cute name and the name of one of the owners.
I have been rushing around trying to find at least twenty items to take with me. Some (and I guess it was meant to be) expired on my Etsy site tonight, so I included them too. I also made three NEW items just for them.
It has been a busy afternoon here, the storms didn't come up to what the weather people thought, just heavy rain, not lightning in our area or strong winds. Today has been bright and sunny if not a little cool at 60 degrees, compared to our whopping 86 just two days before.

Stormy day 4-11-13

Something New 1

Something New 2

 Working on one more piece , since I seem to have tulips on my mind .It will be pink tulip interpretations with butterflies. I'll post as it comes together.

-TNfrmgrl