Friday Face Off (and final October Finishes)

For October, I finished five new notebook covers. I love them all a lot. One of them has a "face" which is very appropriate for the end of October/first of November.  (Halloween/All Saint's Day) 

And here is a close up of the one on the right.

I love mixing machine embroidery quilting with hand guided free motion quilting. 

You can see that they play very nicely together. 

Now,  here is a "face" - or at least I saw a face as I was looking out the window at Mom's house. 

The tree and the open spaces seemed to be looking back at me. 

Do you see a face?

I am linking to the Friday Face Off.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday - FaceOff and Notebooks

I have been working on a few things and haven't posted any of them.  I did post photos of some fabric that I painted. Today you get to see what part of that fabric became. 

This notebook cover uses some of that painted fabric. These notebook covers
fit a standard Composition Book. Those are readily available in the USA. 
I always sell them with a notebook inside ready to use, but the cover can be taken off
and placed on a new composition book when that one is finishd.

Inside the front cover of each one there is a pencil pocket and my label.

Of course the back is just as pretty. 



I have two more covers in progress. Here are photos of the fronts and backs of them.

Front 

Back

Front #2

Back #2

And now for my face creation.  This is the last Friday before Halloween, so I am sharing my Halloween "Face"  for this weeks Friday Face Off.

Happy Halloween

And for good measure,  here is another face that is not so scary. 

I am linking to the Friday Face Off with Nicole. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative    

             

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Painting Fabric Fun

Last evening, I had some fun.  I was ironing some fabrics to use for upcoming projects (time permitting) when I thought, I need to paint some more fabric with my fabric paints.  I saw a fat quarter (18"x21") that was a light tan with a white print over it.  I knew that this type of print will resist the paint. FYI it will also resist dye if you choose to dye it. 
I ironed it and took it to the painting area. I used most of the colors - because "Why not?!?!  

The front, showing the resisted pattern/print. 

Then:

The back, where very little of the resist shows.

Either side will work, and I may use some of both.

The plan in my mind is to cut it into three 7" strips to make into notebook covers. 

I will need to add extra fabric to each cover, so maybe I will cut a strip into two longer pieces. 

Perhaps I will use the front of one of those and the back of the other. 

I love how this came out and I plan to paint more fabric. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A little Project

Last week I was in a local shop chatting with the husband and wife team that own the store.  Somehow, the wife didn't know that I make stuff. Ha ha!  Honestly, I know them because I was in a play with the husband.   As the conversation went, she said " What do you make?" - Her husband said "Quilts" - I laughed and said "Yes quilts but lots of other things too."  I showed her some pictures from my website and blog.  When she saw my notebook covers, she asked pricing and we discussed it.  She said "I will take five of those."  I knew that I had some made, but I wanted to make a couple of new ones also.  
Hmmm..... family issues cut the time for that down to one.  I already had a stash of them - because I love making them and they are great gifts.   

I will be taking in 9 or 10 for her to choose from.  Here is the newest - and I am confident that she will chose this as one of her selection. 

Front

Full Cover

Front inside pocket with label. 

I love adding an inside pocket for a pen/pencil or other small trinket.   I hope that these move quickly in the shop.  It could become a nice little source of pocket money for me. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Frankie by Graham Norton, a book Review.

Frankie by Graham Norton is quite a story.  I don't feel that I read the book but rather that I lived it.   The story begins with the title character, Frankie, older and recovering from a fall.  A caregiver has been hired to look after her, but she is resistant.  Gradually, Frankie learns that this caregiver, Damian is from a place very near where her life started.  As Frankie warms to Damian, she begins to share stories of her life.  While the context shifts from present to past and back many times, it is handled so smoothly that you will never lose track.   

Mr Norton spins a tale that begins in Frankie's childhood and carries into her later years.  The characters are well developed and richly drawn. You are sure to fall in love with some of them - as well as wondering how some others can be so self-centered.  I found the book almost impossible to put down, reading it with a voracious appetite.  A few of the characters were so imbued with personality and richness of character that I wanted them to be real people that I could yet meet.  Kudos to Mr Norton for his newest book.  I feel that this book shows both his wit and the depth of his heart. 

You should know that I received an Advanced Readers Copy of the book. The scheduled US release date is January 14, 2025.  It is available for pre-order from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  It is likely available for pre-order from other book sellers. 

For those of you in the United Kingdom,  I see that Amazon UK has it available now. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday Face Off

I have two faces for you today. 

First another self portrait taken form a photo. 

Fun Fact, the original photo was one taken by my great-nephew.  I had gone to be a part of a television commercial for a local Brew Pub.  We got fed as part of the deal (but no pay.)  I never saw the commercial, but lots of people told me that they saw it.  I was eating a nacho as the camera zoomed in on me.  Haha.  My five seconds on screen 

original photo

Next up, is a simple face that I created from my imagination. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

I am linking with Nicole's Friday Face Off. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.