Happy New Year

(Branching out in 2012 - studies in paper and textiles).

Peanut and Friend

Meet Peanut, the Shih Tzu we are fostering over the holidays. Here he is posing with a stuffed toy bulldog that hubby bought for me 25 years ago.

Peanut will be with us until Saturday and then he goes back to the rescue shelter. There are appointments set up with potential adopters, so I have every reason to be optimistic that he will find his forever home in a few days. He has been an absolute joy. :)

A Christmas Rose

Another Christmas ornament. I think it kind of resembles a rose so I call it "A Christmas Rose".

Flower - Christmas Ornament

Here is another Christmas ornament I made for a friend. The face is surrounded with red sequins and seed beads and the background is a Christmas printed cotton.

I have a second flower almost completed which I will post tomorrow. After that I have to stitch one more gift and I'm done. I really wish I had more time but our British food and chocolate wholesale business keeps hubby and me extremely busy from the beginning of November right up to Christmas. On top of that, we are fostering a Shih Tzu over the holidays so I have three dogs to look after until January 3rd.

Rescue Dogs Rock

This is a gift I made for the wonderful woman who runs the dog rescue shelter where I found my two sweet doggies.

I was browsing on Etsy for handmade textile ornaments, looking for some ideas and inspiration, when I came across a fabric dog with the words "rescue dogs rock" printed on it. Alas, I confess that this is not my original idea.

Most dogs have coats of many different colours so I decided to use a lovely blue/lime green batik for the body. I cut the ear separately and stitched it to the head around the border so that the ear flops a bit (just like my own beagle's).

I tried printing the text by hand on fabric, but gave up after several attempts. Not to boast, but I like my handwriting; my printing sucks. :( I wrote the text in Word and printed it on white paper. Then I toned down the white with some colour and sealed it with a layer of Modge Podge and finally glued it in place.

Double click on the image for a closer inspection, if you like.

I'm pleased with the end result and would love to make one for me to keep.

My 2011 Christmas Card

I finished the painting and stitching last night with my friend who lives two doors down from me and a bunch of gals visiting the neighbourhood. They were all working on mosaic projects while I stitched. Add to the commotion of five women crafting, talking, and laughing, our three dogs running about competing for attention and treats. It was a fun and productive evening.

So here is my Christmas card for this year. Now I'm off to town to pick up the photos, some cardstock and envelopes. :)