Penny Sanford Designs

Making a Valentine Tree, One Heart at a Time

(I started this post on February 8, 2011.  Now,  almost three months later, lets see if I can finish it!)

For the first time ever, we have a Valentine Tree in place in the front hall! That was in February of this year. The Valentine tree is still up in the front hall!


The plan was to make ornaments for the Valentine's tree, then take the hearts down and make ornaments for St. Patrick's Day. The next holiday I wanted to enjoy with this tree was Easter.  Something happened before St. Patrick's Day which I will be sharing with you soon.

So today, April 27, 2011,  my Valentine Tree is still proudly displaying a mixture of new embroidered or beaded hearts I have made this  year.  Like this:

--and this (I did a re-think and took off the little white lights.)
 

--and this



--and this




--and this


No,  I REALLY had too much fun with the sequins!



You saw I was already making felt sequined tiaras for the dogs to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Well, I've got some beaded dog collars in mind for future beading enjoyment. Way, way too much fun with the little beads and sequins! *grin*


I've started saving pictures of vintage bead work on dresses, purses, etc...just for inspiration!

 

--some porcelain Margaret Furlong heart ornaments I have been saving for this very purpose


--and some heart yo-yo's made from my FREE pattern.  Obviously there is room for plenty more Valentine-themed ornaments, but I wanted this project to last for some years ahead.

So..That catches you up on our activities around Valentine's Day. If I find any more pictures that I forgot to post with this installment, I'll share them later.

Jazzing up the Bath Towels

See...second day in a row...I am blogging. I'm determined to get back into the swing of daily blog posts. 

This will have to be short.  I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. Bad storms swept through and continue to cause destruction moving east and northeast. Arkansas was slapped around a good bit. Five deaths was the last I heard.
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What started out as an effort to prolong the life of our towels, has turned into a fun expression of whimsy...playfulness...love of fabric and color...desire to be different...



I started binding the towels with the frayed edges, using the quilting method of doubling the binding...making it two thicknesses of fabric. Lots more to share about this Towel Tissey, but at another time.



For now, just enjoy these three new wash cloths bound in some of my favorite quilt fabrics. Every time I see them in the towel cabinet or use one, I smile and enjoy afresh this tiny bright spot in the day to day chaos.

Blog, blog, blog

This post is to break the silence. I miss blogging. I've missed YOU!

Every day, almost, I think about what I want to share with you. I have oodles of photos edited, compressed and ready to post on this blog. But, for a variety of reasons, I have not blogged in months.



We're getting ready to watch the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton.



I've made two beaded tiaras on felt, one with "sapphires" and one with "rubies".



I need to make two more so that all the girl Westies will be properly dressed to watch the wedding on television.

Just LOOK at that face! Would you not do anything in the world for these precious eyes?

On each tiara, I'v tried a different method to secure the tiara to the hair of the not-so-willing models.



This is Maisy Mae. You have not met her before. She was rescued from a puppy mill, and she came to live with us July 3, 2010. More about her soon.

That's it for now.  I've broken the writer's block.