Fiber Arts Utopia

I made a pilgrimage yesterday, to a place I'd heard great stories about. A place of beauty and wonder... and glorious yarns as far as the eye can see.

Webs, in Northampton, Massachusetts.

If you are a yarn addict like me, and you are anyplace even remotely close to the area, you MUST go here. I'm not sure how much time I actually spent in there... it is easy to lose track of the time when one is surrounded by THOUSANDS of hanks and skeins of beautiful fibers... wools, silks, linens, cottons, bamboo, cashmere, alpaca and more... and more knitting/crochet/fiber books than I even knew existed, needles, hooks, notions, roving, looms, spinning wheels... Seriously. Fiber Arts Utopia. And big comfy chairs, which encourage you to linger, perusing books of patterns, etc, surrounded by little groups of people knitting and chatting. I had several pleasant conversations with friendly yarn-loving folks. I ended up purchasing some gorgeous sage-green cotton/silk blend yarn, and a beautiful deep purple wool/linen blend with strands of navy and rust, along with a book and new circular needles. I showed enormous restraint, I think! I tried to control myself, as I already have an overflowing yarn basket and several unfinished projects at home. I'm definitely going to go back, though! My trip to Webs also renewed my interest in learning to spin, something I've thought a lot about the past year or so. I need to sell some more stuff from my Renegade Stitches shop, so that I can save up for a spinning wheel!

Keep your eye on my Renegade Stitches Etsy shop, to see what I do with all this beautiful yarn!

butterflies are pretty

I love butterflies. I love all things vintage. I love things in pairs. Yesterday I made a little pair of framed collages with butterflies and vintage postcards. I'm selling them in my shop as a pair, because I think they belong together. Like best friends, or Lovers or shoes. Pairs are good.

My felted bag...

I've been talking about and showing progress photos of this bag here since about last month or so... and now, I'm happy to report that it's finished! You will not find this one in my Renegade Stiches Shop, though... I love it too much to sell it :)
Here it is... first photo is before felting, second photo is the completed bag.



My current knitting project is a sleeveless cotton sweater, and I'm crocheting some fuzzy pillows. You know what they say about idle hands... no danger of that here :)

Leap of Faith

this is a detail photo of "Leap of Faith", mixed media on canvas. 16x20
Full view photo and other detail pics of this piece can be seen at www.pinkkittydesigns.etsy.com

Kind Words

Today I received the loveliest note from a buyer! I was so touched by her kind words... it really means a lot to me when someone takes the time to let me know they are happy! Knowing that something I made has brought happiness to someone or touched them in some way is the best feeling.

Sometimes it is the small gestures in life that mean the most. Show someone a small kindness today... surprise someone with a small gift, write a thank you note, call someone out of the blue and say "I love you". You just might make their week!

More Retro Fun!

I got a fun opportunity yesterday, to make a new shop banner for a fellow Etsy artist! I had a great time putting it together, and I'm proud that she picked me to do it for her! I admire her work quite a bit... she specializes in retro-inspired children's items... clothing, decor, etc. You simply MUST check out her shop...

www.rockabyeretro.etsy.com

It's awesome!

Fun Retro Kitsch!

I recently got my hands on a vintage children's reading primer from 1957. Oh, what fun things I will make with this! The illustrations in this book are hilarious, and the fun 1950s gender stereotyping is, well, it just is.
I just finished my first piece in what I'm guessing will be some kind of "Happy Homemaker" series, for those who love cheesy retro kitsch as much as I do....

My I introduce: "The Happy Homemaker" ACEO*




*ACEO stands for Artist Card Editions and Originals... little works of art measuring 2.5x3.5 inches... they are a great way to collect your every own original art at an affordable price!

The Happy Homemaker is available in my Pink Kitty Etsy shop.

Beautiful Friend

"Beautiful Friend" mixed media collage on heavy cardboard, 3.5 x 5 inches. Features a quote from William Shakespeare, taken from his Sonnet 104:
"To me, fair friend you can never be old
For as you were when first your eye I eyed
Such seems your beauty still."





Available here.

Red Bubble!

I've just discovered something cool! It's called "Red Bubble"... I can best describe it as sort of a blend between CafePress and DeviantArt, but not quite. Anyway... I've put some of my work up there, available for purchase as cards, prints, etc! I've only got five things up there, so far, but hopefully I'll get more up soon!

Check out my stuff on Red Bubble here!

:)

A-B-C

Set of 3 mixed-media collages, 6x6 inches each. Available at www.pinkkittydesigns.etsy.com

Sprucing up the joint!

I decided that my Pink Kitty Etsy shop needed a little sprucing up, so I put together a NEW banner and avatar.... Please, Check it out, and let me know what you think! :)

www.pinkkittydesigns.etsy.com

Thanks!