Meet TulipsTreasureBox!

One of my super Etsy teams, etsy bloggers, is featuring this fantastic shop this month. From fabulous jewelry to practical t-shirt recycled totes, this will be a fascinating visit for you. I was first attracted to her shop from her name because tulips are my favorite flower, but I've chosen a pendant with an iris to feature. At any rate, they bloom in the same season, and I just love this piece. To see all her beautiful items, just click on the link below!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5508373

Camille and Oscar play fantasty football!

Last Sunday, Oscar and Camille travelled to Oconomowoc to choose their fantasy football team in the annual draft. they brought plenty of iced tea to keep them cool and relaxed against the mini-cooler as they watched the set up in David's son and daughter-in-law's garage. They watched as everyone planned strategy, and then Oscar just had to see what was gong on on the commissioner's computer. 12 teams completed the draft in just three hours. They're pleased with their "team" and will keep you posted how they do in the league!

H.........appy Holidays!

It's not hard to guess this lady's favorite holiday! As she and her husband, a physician, raised four children, she found time to work an endless amount of Christmas items and continues to do so today! Currently she's making Christmas stockings for her church bazaar in November. She's also made many tree skirts. You can see a close up of the one she did for the family of one of her sons who is a clergyman. The ceramic nativity set is finished to look like pewter, and the Christmas trees light up! I couldn't resist including a non holiday item, the beautiful afghan in shades of blue and white that she completed several years ago and treasures today. Hope this inspires all of us to "keep" Christmas with us all year long!

A.........quintet of exquisite quilts!

When I was introduced to this dear lady more than 18 years ago, I remember being very impressed with her personality and talents. That admiration has grown so much! Her quilting skills are extraordinary and she allowed me to photograph some of her quilted wall hangings, only a few of the many full size and lap size projects she has made and designed. You will notice the wide variety of techniques in these few examples and I hope you enjoy her color palette as much a I do! These are true pieces of fabric art. What a glorious collection!

A.........mazing talent!

This is the third in a series of amazing craft work from fabulous friends. Quilting and sewing are just two of her talents. The quilted jacket is actually done right on top of a sweat shirt, making it warm enough to wear on chilly nights and even sometimes on winter days in Wisconsin. She has made many of these as well as the darling, almost full sized sheep! The sheep is sporting one of her scarf designs. These scarves have a scrunchie type tie, that make it easy for us scarf-tying-challenged folks. I love mine! I'm also in possession of a couple of her colorful kleenex holders. They're perfect for carrying in a purse. I must admit I was very impressed with her eggplant picture which she did in pastels and cleverly titled, "Before Parmesan". Now don't tell anyone else, but she also makes the best angel food cake in the world!

F.........un at slow pitch softball!

Our son-in-law and daughter invited us to watch his team play slow pitch softball on Saturday and we snapped some photos. He's the pitcher for his team. He's in the big guy in the red shirt. The little guy was there to cheer on his dad who also plays on the team. His t-shirt matches one of his dad's and has his number as well! The last shot is one of the playing field. After today, I have a new appreciation for sports photographers. Thanks for the invite, M&T! It was a delightful way to spend a gorgeous summer afternoon!

F.........rom silk to denim

I'd like you to meet a very exciting lady and the second in the series of my fabulous friends. The variety of her talents is amazing as is her personality. She also does a huge variety of craft projects and to show the range of her work, I'll start with her gorgeous, hand dyed silk scarves that are as unique as she is. Personally, I have two and have given many away. She also sells these and if anyone is interested, please contact me at the e-mail address in the right hand column of this blog. Let's move from her beautiful, fine wearables to her "blue jean" bathroom! The bib overall wall hanging provides many usable pockets for bathroom items. The towels are edged in denim, and there are several pieces of denim decor, including wall hangings. a tissue box cover, and a handy holder for "bathroom reading". She was brave enough to pose with her work and chose the "throne" setting to also show her blue jean pot holders and tote bags. Everyone should have a friend like her!

A.........cronyms Part II

Please meet the CEO of Peacox Creations! My dear, CTH (crochet tolerant husband), was so dubbed because when I sell at craft shows he carries everything out! A dear friend overheard this acronym at a quilt show, but all the rest of the acronyms in this post come from fellow
CPers (the Crochet Partners group on Yahoo). Actually, he's practicing for the next show September 6 and 7, at Trimborn Farms in Milwaukee. He may be carrying PIGS (see post below), PILLs (projects I've lost lately), or perhaps NTBFUFOs (never to be finished unfinished projects). Your guess is as good as mine!
We knitters and crocheters also have two fun words for an un-fun task: ripping out our work. TINK (knit spelled backwards) is used when we take out a few stitches and FROG is when we really have to "Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it". I've been known to FROG an entire afghan!

Here are a few more acronyms you may enjoy:

WIP.........work in progress
WIM........work in mind
PNB.........pine needle basket (I use that one alot!)
SEX.........stash enhancement experience (enjoyed by all the quilters I know!)
YMMV...yarn mileage may vary
OOAK.....one of a kind

Please join us for our next episode when we discuss syndromes!

D.........ream Weaver

This is the first of a series dedicated to a group of my fantastic, and talented friends. The series will be posted in nine segments over the next couple of weeks and every one is worth waiting for.
My first friend is a weaver and so much more! She has been weaving for more than 30 years and I snapped a shot of her as she set up her loom to make a new scarf. The placemats and napkins are just one example of this art. But wait! She is also a fabulous seamstress. From the fabric she wove, she designed and made the beautiful vest and purse. But wait! She is also a quilter and used her quilting skills in combination with her weaving skills to make the holiday/winter table runner which matches a quilt. But wait! She used left over pieces of mink stoles she inherited from her mom and aunt to make this adorable (and soft) mink teddy bear. I wish I could include more of her work...taking these pictures really blew me away! Stay tuned for part 2!

H.........elp! There are too many PIGS in my house!

I don't mean the Piggly Wiggly bags! The temptation to use them was overwhelming. PIGS is "projects in grocery sacks", just one of the many acronyms used by inveterate crafters! The world of crafting is no exception to the internet love for acronyms and I've been investigating a few of them. With help from fellow CP's (that's Crochet Partners, an internet group), I've amassed a list that shows the ingenuity as well as the sense of humor we crafters posess.

Actually, Eeyore, who is peeking out of the first bag is a FO (finished object) and the baskets are presently UFOs (unfinished objects). Of couse UFO can stand for "ugly finished objects" , but we never put those in grocery bags!

Are you ready for a few more from those most ingenious CPs?

BOY: basket of yarn, box of yarn

ACADD: adult crochet attention deficit disorder (I was diagnosed a long time ago!)

MAMA: mile-a-minute afghan (a kind of afghan done on a very large hook that goes fast)

LYS: local yarn shop

RACK: random act of crochet kindness

AFH: afghan from hell (I really found this...hope it doesn't upset anyone!

Be back with another post later with more! You'll also get to meet my CTH who is also a CEO!

W.........ater ballet?

There's always a great time on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning at the Sports Core pool in Kohler, WI. As our instructors "struggle" to make us more fit and graceful, we continue to keep class in a lighter mood. Here, as the teacher and another member of the class look on, one of our brave gentlemen shows off his ballet moves out of the water. He didn't want to "ruin his gorgeous costume"! Isn't he a great sport?

G.........reeting Card Creations

The delightful girls who participated in the Greeting Card Workshop at the Kohler Library show off their creations. It was amazing what a variety of ways they embellished some very simple designs and made them into unique works of art! You rock, girls!!

L.........ibrary fun with Oscar and Camille

Camille and Oscar hopped over to our unique Kohler Library today. The library serves as both the school and community library and is a favorite place for activities as well. Today we were joined by a couple of my friends and a group of "crafty" girls who participated in a Greeting Card Workshop as part of a summer program organized by the librarian. The girls posed before we began with Oscar and Camille and then got straight to work. Most of them made three completely different cards and added their own style to each one. Stay tuned for the next post where they will show off their creations! Thanks, girls, for working so hard!