Hey guys!

So much has been going on.  In August, right after the kids got an offer on their house, Mother Nature threw them a curve ball.  A "microburst" pulled a huge tree out of their back yard, damaging their fence and their neighbors fence, then flung it down upon their two-tier deck, and part of their roof.  Add to that, my SIL was leaving in two days for 6 weeks in Tennessee. 

My daughter is a wonder.  I can't even express how much stress she was going through, all with a smile on her face, loving the kids, doing what needed to be done.  Handled contractors, insurance people, etc.  I am always proud of her, but she iced the cake with this one.

So, the house is sold.  Not to the original people that offered, they backed out, but that was the 30th something house they had looked at, husband did not want to move, so the next people that looked at it, damaged and all, are now the proud owners.  1st time homeowners, they worked hard to get there, and we are real happy for them. 

My daughter's little family have been staying with us for their last couple weeks in Missouri.  They've been here a week now and how much fun do you imagine it is for me to be able to just walk down a flight of stairs, sit down on the floor and build a lego tower with the g-twins, or have my big-g sleeping with me every night? 

Amazing fun.  Amazing.  And I am truly thankful for the time I get to spend with all of them before they run off and start their exciting new chapter of their lives.

On the business side, I have been selling a lot of burnings!  We did a few shows in Warrensburg, and those were very successful.  I set up at a flea market here in my town once and sold a fair bit.  That makes me pretty happy.

This is the one everyone pointed out 

and read out loud.  

I was thrilled when someone finally purchased it!

I got a new burner, a bit more professional than the soldering iron/wood burning  pen from Walmart.  It heats up super quick and can get super hot.  It came with 3 tips, but I treated myself to a new ball type tip after I sold a few burninngs.  I really like it.  

My new work-room furniture arrived this week.  Amish, custom  roll top desk, a writing desk which will be my wood burning table) and a nice chair.  My mind is going a jillion different directions as to how to decorate.  Glad to have some help, my SIL is going to hang the knick-knack shelf came from the house I grew up in.  I have hauled it from place to place to place, only to have it hanging once in the duplex we lived in before we moved to Sweetheart's house.  I am super excited to get it hanging up, and decorating it with all my treasures I have collected through the years. 

Of course, I will share a pic here. 

Come take a look at my Facebook page, Handmade by Cosmo.  The links are pinned at the top of the page. 

Oh yeah, I am offering a super duper sale, from now (10-25-19) to November 25, 2019:  All burnings will be $10.  Personalized burnings will be $15.  $5.00 shipping.  Act now, or act a little later, just don't wait too long.  Christmas won't wait, not even for procrastinators! 

Play Nice!  xxoo

Trying Something...

The other day an idea popped into my head, like they do now and then.  I've been making my Critters out of felt, my idea was to create a line of Critters made from Muslin Fabric.  I love the natural look of Muslin.  I still wanted to hand-stitch them, too.

I had the idea on a Tuesday, had to work my 2nd job on Wednesday, and finish a sold felt Critter on Thursday, then spent the evening with D, so I didn't get to start on this idea until Friday evening.  I traced out the pattern pieces, and began cutting them out.

As I starteed cutting, I thought, "these should have some seam allowance."  I don't use those on the felt, but soon figured out that they would be needed with the thinner material.

The front...you can see where the seam burst there on the front leg...need that seam allowance.

See how the back leg is shorter?  Seam allowance would fix this, I think, and this wing I didn't stuff, 

wanted to see how "natural" would look...I wasn't happy with this flatness, same goes for the ears.

Back end look, poor little gimpy thing.

Here is the "good" side.  This side I cut out with a bit of allowance for the seam, 

and stuffed the wing a little bit.  

I was glad to have tried this, and really learned a lot.  I'll use batting in the ears and wings next time, for a less "stuffed" look.  The seam allowance is really so important.  

So, what do you think of the stitching on the outside look of this?  What do you think of the monochromatic look?  I'm curious to see how it would look with a contrasting thread color.  

For now, I'm going to cut out another one, with a small seam allowance on all the pieces, I may do some colorful stitches on this one, just to see how it looks.  

Part of the creative process is in the feedback, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share!  

xxoo

Cindy

Welcome Fall

For the record, I adore Fall, but it makes me feel so trepadacious because of what comes next.  I do not like Winter.  It is too cold, the cold makes me hurt.  I appreciate having a garage, but do not enjoy the 50 yd. walk from my car to the Pro Shop.  And...there are no vents in the Ladies Room, so that room is always butt chilling in the cold months!

These are the views I am so happy to watch change day by day this time of year.  (Last year those two lakes were so empty, due to the drought...it's a blessing for them to be this full now.)

My SIL, Ben, has been here for the month of October.  At the moment they are in Mass., visiting family.  Of course, Baby D took right up where she left off with her daddy.

That is my little dog, Karma, on his lap. 

Critter wise, I have been working every day.  Well, I didn't on Friday.  *gs*  Handmade by Cosmo is where you can go see my latest.  I'm working on a custom order...see if I can give you a peek...  

This is a WIP...the mane is much fuller now, only just a little more to go.  

Every day I hear the news, and every day I feel so weary of it all...then I remember that I don't have to worry, that all I have to do is be the best person I can be every day, all day.  I will defend myself and mine, if if and when it comes to that, but until then, I'm going to remain peaceful, and calm in my heart and soul.  

That is why I love my "job."  I love the place, it feels like home.  I can work on my art, I get to cook for my friends, my sweetheart is there most of the time, we chit and chat and laugh, and for me it's a wonderful place to be.  

Today I am thankful for my heating pad, and for having a comfy bed, with comfy sheets.

Play Nice!  xxoo

Doing what you like...

Critter wise, I have been lucky to have a few orders, and discovered a new (to me) marketing trick, working on this has been exciting.

Out of all my patterns, I am enjoying making the new horse.  I haven't sold any of them, yet, but I just ordered some real wool felt to put together a few Magical Rainbow Unicorns in the new pattern.  Because making these horses is what I like to do right now.

Palimino Pal

Little Joe

Pegasus

And now some random thoughts:

So, the "ladies" at the golf course planted some flowers last Spring, the Hibiscus I brought inside after the first frost, and it flourished.  I just put it back outside yesterday.  There is some kind of ferny plant in the same pot, and when I went to pull it out the door a prickle from the ferny plant got me.  Now where it got me is itching, and I remember the last time I got one of those prickles in the palm of my hand, it took forever to heal...and until I figured it out, I thought I was going to get a whole buncha moola coming my way, the way my palm was itching!

Two golfers that I am friends with are "at odds" with each other over a card game.  A .25 cent card game.  This makes me very uncomfortable, but it is not up to me to fix it.  They've been friends for years.  A person would think that two grown men could either talk it out or get over it, or duke it out.  I wish they'd do one of those things, just get back to normal (whatever that is)!

I have a date with my sweetheart tonight.  And a couple more hours here before,  Love my job. Really I do.

Later that same day.  

We (Sweetheart & I) went out to dinner, and our food was tasty.  He's watching some basketball game, I am waiting for a load of laundry to dry...such is the life of the goddess that is me, and I like doing what I do.

Play Nice!

xxoo

My Darling Daughter

I have chosen to feature my Darling daughter, Danielle, today.  Danielle is a member of the Handmade Circle Group on FB.  She is a teacher, wife, and mother, but not necessarily in that order.  

Darling Danielle (oh I love this girl!)

Danielle, my dear, what got you stared in the crafty world?

It started while I was teaching first grade.  One teacher had taken ceiling tiles home and had painted them as either book covers or illustrations from books.  I sketched out one of my favorites, Oh! The Places You'll Go, and decided to give it a shot!  I loved how it turned out, and I painted 3 more for my classroom, and one for a friend's room.  I had How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a Shel Silverstein one in mine and did a Lemony Snicket one for my friend.  After that, I decided to get a canvas and make some wall art for my bathroom.  My confidence was building, so I painted canvases for all the rooms in my house.  I loved having stuff that no one else did.  Friends started asking me to 

do paintings for them, and it just grew from there! 

Ceiling Tile

What inspires you in your art?

Almost everything I do is custom ordered.  The colors, size, and design of almost all my work is tailored to each customer so that everyone has something that no one else will have!  With the art and nursery letters, I go off of the color scheme or theme of the room.  I've done everything from Star Wars to Nightmare Before Christmas to rockets, to an abstract glass of wine being poured.  The possibilities are endless.  It really just depends on what the customer is interested in.

What sort of things do you create?  

Felt designs on onesies and toddler shirts

  

Art on canvas

Letter bow holders

Nursery letters

Tutus

What do you do to relax and have fun?

My daughter is almost 9 months old, and playing with her keeps me laughing.  She's so smart and sassy and does new stuff every day.  I also enjoy watching movies with my husband as well as getting in my crafty corner and being able to just sit and create.

What would you say to someone that was thinking of entering the crafty world?  

GO FOR IT!  It took me way too long to gain the confidence that I could do this.  My husband and mom both encouraged me to do it, but I got in my own way thinking that I couldn't.  Just believe it and do it.  If you mess up, try again.  

Who inspires you?

My mom is the craftiest person I know.  She knows how to do so much, and is becoming really successful.  I only hope to be able to do what she can do one day!  My grandma was also very crafty, so I'm lucky enough to have gotten some of their creative genes.

Besides being the crafty, creative artist that you are, tell us a little more about you.  

Right now, I'm lucky enough to stay at home with my daughter.  My husband is an Air Traffic Controller in the USAF and takes care of us so that I can be there to give my daughter the best care possible!  I am a certified teacher and have taught in the town we live in.  

Tell us about yourself as a person.

I'm a loving person.  I love true and deep, and that's how I think you should go through life.  I love what I do, I love my family, I love my friends, I love my cat, I love my Rat terrier/chihuahua, I love my Pit Bull/Corgi. 

Where can people find your work?

http://www.facebook.com/intheskydesigns

http://www.etsy.com/intheskydesigns

http://www.flickr.com/photos/revolution_number_9 (This is where you can find pictures of my ceiling tiles)

Of course, no feature of her would be complete without sharing with you the painting she made for me for my birthday this year.  

                              This is the painting                       This is my tag

So, there you have it, my crafty, creative daughter, miles away in the real world, but just a click away.  Please go give her sites some love won't you?  

If you'd like me to feature your shop(s) sometime, answer these questions, send me some photos, I'll be glad to give you a little promo, that's what we do, right?  

xxoo
Play Nice!