We Like to Make Snails...

Sometimes a day does not go as planned but turns out to be fun anyway. Kai was home sick and wanted to play with play-doh. We were out so I broke out my vintage 1970-something copy of Ann Wiseman's "Making Things" and made it ourselves! (Also a great book for macrame, tie-dye, and pot holder projects.)


I like the Baker's Clay: 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt and 1 1/2 cups water. I add a teaspoon of cream of tartar to the flour and warm the water to slightly dissolve the salt. Then add food coloring to the salt/water mix and add that mix to the flour/cream of tartar mix. Squish it up and there you have it!


Somehow we always end up with lots of snails! It is so much fun to roll the dough into a snake and then roll it up into one of these cuties.

Refreshed, Renewed, Relaxed

This past weekend three girlfriends from my "Needle Exchange" needlework group went away for a relaxing weekend (meaning sans kids!)  We ate, worked on our projects, took walks, and ate some more.  It was a wonderful, stress free, three days. 

I worked on these cocktail napkins using a Sublime Stitching pattern.  The idea of a weekend away was so exciting that I ordered this awesome bag set from This Chickadee - great quality and just the right size for this embroidery project!

Thanks again to my hostess Hedy for a lovely place to stay.   And to my husband Eric for holding down the fort!

Day 2 - "Summit of Awesome"

Today I had the pleasure of attending a lunch talk with Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching.  She is the embroidery guru - with funky/fun patterns, kits and a new book coming out from Chronicle Books.  It was so much fun that I changed my afternoon plans and stayed for her embroidery workshop.

So here is Jenny followed by my very first embroidery attempt - from Jenny's  "Sexy Librarians" kit !

Hello Craft "Summit of Awesome"

Today was day one of the "Summit of Awesome" sponsored by Hello Craft.  It was really fun and informative!  The highlight was Maria Thomas, CEO of Etsy, our lunchtime speaker.  The program is really amazing with hands on workshops and learning sessions.  

Me with Maria Thomas!  

Some of the talks are being shown in the Virtual Labs.  Tomorrow, Saturday, May 2nd, the following will be shown:

"Developing a Product Line" at 10:oo A.M. 

"Selling Successfully Online" at 1:30 p.M.

For more information check out the Virtual Labs Schedule!  These are worth a peek - and free.