A Sneak Peek of Tinsel finds

I bought these vintage ribbons at Tinsel Trading Company in NYC Monday evening.  I picked up this adorable "6" cup at Anthropologie last week on sale and thought they'd hold the ribbons nicely.

New York New York

I got back late last night from a weekend of visiting friends in Glastonbury, CT, and then a few days in NYC at a seminar.  We had a chance to spend some time in Central Park on Sunday which was fun to see.  Check out a few of the pics from beautiful Central Park above.  The John Lennon memorial with the Imagine mural was very cool.  The boathouse on the lake was really quaint.  

I also got to fit in a very quick, but successful trip to Tinsel Trading Company.  My goodness what an amazing place!  I will have to post pics of the fun vintage millinery I bought there tomorrow!

Next trip, no seminar, and more Shopping!!

Nell Hill's in KC

On my trip to visit with Kara and see all the fun shops in KC, we visited Nell Hill's.  Kara insisted that I have a photo with owner and inspiration Mary Carol Garrity, and I'm glad she did.  Here I am with Mary Carol.  She is such a sweet woman, and has such a beautiful shop.  I wish I had a new house to decorate with all her wares!!

I can't wait to get back to KC to visit everyone and shop again, but I better save up next time!

NYC - bound

I am frantically trying to think of what I am forgetting to pack for our trip to NYC tomorrow!  Well we are hitting Connecticut first to visit friends and then heading back into the city so I can attend a Strategic Account Management seminar.  If everyone could think good thoughts for our friend's son who is in the hospital with salmonella poisoning I'd appreciate it.  We'll see them when we are in CT.  Poor little guy.  I have a stuffed pig for him, hopefully it'll cheer him up a little bit.

I am really hoping to have at least 30 minutes to check out Tinsel Trading Company .  Unfortunately they aren't open on Sundays and close at 6pm during the week.  So I will be running out the door at 5pm to rush over there and doing some SPEED shopping...oh it's been done before I'm not afraid!

Below is a pair of Cherry Earrings!!  LOVE.  I had a cute pair from Antro but since they are glass and I dropped one, well I now only have one left!  So these new ones will replace them nicely.  I found these at Etsy of course.  The shop was called thumble cute stuff!

Well I need to finish getting ready and get some SLEEP!  I haven't been getting enough and want to be well rested for the next 5 days traveling!  

I hope to have some fun pictures from my trip when I get back.  I will try and post while I am away, but I also will be trying to pack in all the fun I can while I am there!!

Crafty dreams,

Rach

Soldering 101 with Kara

I had mentioned that last weekend I was in Kansas City and visited Kara for a day of whirlwind shopping topped off with a night class of soldering.  So I wanted to share with you the first charm I have ever made, along with a marble charm that Kara made while I tried to pick up tips!  Thanks Again Kara.  I hope to try my hand at it here at home when I get back from my seminar next week!

More in the mailbox

It is so fitting Wanda that you left me a comment (THANKS!)  I had just taken a picture of this fun little package I got from you at the Rat's Pajama's etsy site.  I just want to say when a group of treats such as this is packaged so nicely, I almost don't want to open it and mess it up!  So for now, until I can decide what to use these pieces for, I am just going to admire the colors and textures!  

I Got a Package People

The title of my post is one of my favorite lines from Ace Ventura Pet Detective, when Jim Carrey is posing as a UPS man in brown short shorts and all trying to rescue a kidnapped puppy!

I thought of it because of all the little packages I've received this week from my etsy shopping extravaganza last week.  I love working from home and hearing a ring of the doorbell and the UPS truck pulling away!! LOVE IT...

I thought I would share some of my fun finds.  I don't believe I will ever buy much fun day to day jewelry from a store again.  There are so many talented ladies out there, why not buy HOMEMADE?!?!!

This fun yellow flower ring I found at Betty Lou Handmade Arts and Crafts

It was only $5, so very affordable for FUN.  By the way how do you like the purple nail polish?  I remember when I wore Purple Nail Polish during my college internship and people looked at me weird.  Nail Polish come full circle 13 years later!!  

These two retro pairs of hoop earrings were found at this snazzy shop bazaarLatino on etsy.

I found some other treats too, and I am anxiously awaiting some earrings and a necklace from my absolute favorite jewelry site that is Elizabeth William's site.  I'll post some pics of what I receive from her when I get the visit from my favorite men and women in brown shorts!!

Happy etsy shopping all!!

Rach

Quick Update

Hello!

I have been on the road with a 36 hour trip to Kansas City Friday and Saturday.  Friday I spent the day with Kara Ward and her fashionista daughter shopping our hearts out.  We visited some great shops and we enabled each other to purchase some really great craft finds.  Friday night we enjoyed a good dinner with her family at a local Irish Pub, then back to her house for a Soldering 101 class for me!  I am so excited to try my hand at a few charms now that I am back home.

Saturday I spent the day with my family who drove down from Nebraska for a day at World's of Fun!  My parents took my brother and I do WoF many times growing up, so it was fun to see my nieces enjoy the day there.  My youngest niece at age 7 was fearless, holding her arms up throughout the tallest and fastest rollercoasters!  So amazing, when do we lose that fearlessness??  I only made it on one of the 3 big rollercoasters!

I will update the blog with some pictures soon.  I am off to Omaha tomorrow for a work meeting, and an evening at the College World Series.

Thanks to my cat sitters that are taking care of the boys in my absence!! 

Crafty Dreams,

Rach

Oh my Gosh

Quick update!  I wish I would've been quick on the draw with the camera, but a little red fox just ran through my backyard, in full daylight!!  I am in urban Denver, this is kind of crazy!

Ok back to business....

Felt Flower Project and new projects just in!

Hello - is it me you're looking for?!?  (sorry a little ode to Lionel)

The first pic below is the new fun pattern, and kit that I received from the very cool Heather Bailey.  Check her out on her blog "Hello My Name is Heather" found at  www.heatherbailey.typepad.com

She also has fun fabrics and Trash Ties.  Trash Ties are little twisty things to tie your hair back.  Very inventive and they work well!  

I have been so excited to begin my felt flower bouquet from the kit I purchased from Princess Lasertron, www.princesslasertron.com .  I bought a felt flower pin from her last year at Silver Bella, and when she put out these kits, I grabbed one up and am trying my luck at it!

Here is what the kit looks like - you'll see how far along I am on my first flower.  Now I am just trying to get the wire stems through the button holes...a little tricky but I think once I get the hang of it this will come together easily.  It will be fun to try different stitches on each flower.

Meg's site is very creative, love the outfits she puts together as well as seeing the fun wedding bouquets she does.  Who wouldn't love a bouquet of these pretty flowers?  You never have to water them!! :)

I am off to pack for my quick jaunt down to Kansas City to visit with my Silver Bella friend Kara Ward tomorrow.  Check her out at My Studio Pink www.mystudiopink.blogspot.com .

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Creative Wishes,

Rach

Yesterday's Post

Howdy - 

Yesterday I wanted to share with you the view front my workspace, and the flowering bush that I keep smelling all day long with the window open.   The boys like sitting there helping me work or just thinking they'll catch the bird that flies by.

Last night we went to see The Hangover, the new movie with Bradley Cooper.  SUCH a funny movie!  Highly recommend seeing it.

Ok - onto today's post.

Rachel

Project to Finish

Good Evening Everyone!

For today's post I thought I would include a project I uncovered while unpacking the studio.

Back in the days of living in Chicago I saw a friend's friend's gift to her of a cute handmade frame.  It was decorated with papers and such, it didn't have glass or anything for the picture, just magnets on the back.  This is a great idea to personalize a fun picture for your friend's fridge!  I have a few to finish and more to make.  

My dad spent an evening or two cutting out tons of the chipboard frames for me, and I spent time cutting out the posterboard to line the back.

I'll post more as I make them.  

I went for a nice jog at Wash Park tonight and visited my friend Carol's garden and ate some of her first harvest of radishes - yum!  I wish i had a green thumb!  I'll stick to the crafts and let someone else grow the great food!

Creative Wishes,

Rach

Studio Under Construction

A few last pictures of the Studio in the works!

These white wire baskets are full of fabrics, my Sizzix machine, all my felt and felting supplies, as well as random project kits waiting to be made.  You'll also catch a glimpse of my fun crafting tote that I bought at Silver Bella last year from Kim Caldwell at Artistic Bliss http://www.artisticblissdesigns.com/

Kim was so sweet at the end of the workshops I tracked her down since I HAD to have one of the totes to carry everything!  I was so happy she still had a few left!

My bookcase is full of craft books, and all the Somerset Magazines you could ask for.  Also I have two bins of feedsack vintage fabrics.  Feedsacks are my FAVORITE thing.  Most of the ones I own are from a trip my mom and I made to Walnut, IA years ago, probably 17 or 18 years actually.  We hit the "mother-load" and bought as many as we could!

And here is the "new" bookcase I bought at Decade last weekend that is holding all the fun stuff!  Still much organizing to be done, but it is getting close!

Since it is nearly 8:40pm and I have forgotten to eat dinner with all the blogging going on here, I will sign off.    Have a good evening! 

Rach

Aprons!!!

www.acornridgequilting.com

I can't tell you how excited I am that Silver Bella's Vendor night apparel will be APRONS!  I was lucky enough to have my talented Quilting Mother create a one of a kind apron for me last year that I wore throughout the event during workshops!

Check it out 

The Cats Settling into the New Studio, and my new table!

Harley laying on piles of Scrapbooking supplies, and a quilt made by my grandmother.
MaGraw sniffing around all my crafting supplies, and laying on the Valentine's Quilt my mother gave me.  My Mom, Sara Velder, has her own wonderful quilting business.  She does long-arm quilting, along with t-shirt quilts, and handmade quilts.  Check her out!  www.acornridgequilting.com

My  new white table!  It is even whiter now that I wiped it down!

First Rach-ology Blog Post!

Hello!  I am so excited for my first blog post.  I have been wanting to start a crafty blog since last November when I met so many wonderful ladies at Silver Bella in Omaha, NE.  Many had fun blogs, and I only aspired to start one someday.  Well TODAY is the day!  Since I am gearing up for Silver Bella 2009 I thought I would get a jump on things and start sooner rather than later.

I am also excited since I am finally putting to use my spare bedroom upstairs to create a fabulous STUDIO!  Well, fabulous to me!  I am trying to organize, or make some sense of all my crafting supplies so I can actually CREATE something.  The Container Store and Target have seen quite a bit of me, and I made a nice donation to the economy in each.  I found an awesome old bookcase that will be housing most of the containers full of ribbons, buttons, adhesives, tools, and little bits of everything.  If you are in Denver and need a great place to find vintage furniture along with fun gift items, visit Decade on Broadway.  I also bought a fun vintage white enamel top table that I am working on right now.  I have placed it in front of my window and when the window is open I have a nice breeze laced with the fragrance from my bushes outside.

My cats, MaGraw and Harley, have found nice spots on top of quilts made by my grandmother and mother to lay upon and while away their hours sleeping....also MaGraw right now is sleeping on my lap, his number one choice of sleeping spots.

I will be posting some before and after pictures of the studio, however I am not sure the REAL After picture will happen for quite sometime, but we'll say the DURING pictures.

Thanks for Visiting!!

Creative Wishes,

Rach