250 years...

 Nah, I'm not writing about that bunch of baloney.  

I wanted to brag a little bit about how well Mighty Girl Maki did over this boomy season.  I found some dog treats for anxiety, with catnip, chamomile and tryptophan, peanut butter flavor, one of her favorites.

We started a couple days before the big day, just one after mid day walk, and she was good with the occasional pops and a couple of big bangs.  

The big day started off with a thunderstorm, another thing she isn't fond of, so she had one that morning, another for the mid day treat, and then another at about 8:00 pm.  She was chill as she could be throughout the whole ordeal.  

Actually, because of that storm that came through, the fireworks in this town were rescheduled for last night.  It was the neighbors the night before that we could hear so clearly.  There were a few last night, but a special treat at 8:00 kept her pretty calm.  

The town I used to live in got some severe damage, uprooted trees and lots of limbs down at the park where the fireworks show is/was supposed to be.  It got cancelled, no reschedule date yet.  People lost power, and the roof of Young Son's deck caved in.  

My sister and I went thrifting a couple weeks ago, and made a stop at Hobby Lobby, where I found this material.  

I got enough to make two, this one has a bull applique, the other one has a pig...both faux leather, as well as the eyes.  

The other one is about finished, just gotta put the ears on.  Felt good to be doing some stitching and stuffing again!

(I didn't find anything at the thrift store, but a new Savers near me opening soon!  Squee!)

Maki got a new toy from Hobby Lobby, since she had to stay home with the boys that time.  Honestly, I don't really think she enjoys shopping all that much.  She's so cute everyone wants to pet her, but she's not really all that touchy feely with strangers. 

This is the first time in my life that I have a dog (and cats) that are completely mine, and something I have wanted as long as I have wanted to live alone! 

And Maki, she's such a good girl.  The very best thing I could have done for myself (and her).   

 

I bought this Miniature Rose a few weeks ago, didn't know what color it was going to be.  I am tickled that it is red, but I would have been just as tickled if it were yellow, or pink or whatever, I just love growing things.

Life at the Complex has been pretty peaceful, the guy in the green truck was hauling scrap from construction sites and filling the dumpsters here, but that was stopped.  He's been doing some crazy stuff, and the police know him by name. 

Having Maki has gotten me out of the house 3 times a day, and I have been visiting with a few neighbors, that's nice.  A couple of them don't have cars, I'm happy to run a couple errands now and then, no one has tried to take advantage, actually, usually it's me offering, no them asking, and that's quite different.

I ran the sweeper this morning, tidied all the way up, and doing some laundry this afternoon.  After 4 years I'm finally trying to get on a regular laundry schedule, rather than waiting until I have nothing left to wear...

Living, learning something every day, being kind, those are easy things to do and should come quite easily.

Play Nice!  xxoo 

Misfits

 It's so funny sometimes, how this world works. 

Yesterday morning I was doing my morning chores, thinking about reorganizing my storage closet and what to do with my Misfits.  The Critters I've made that I didn't care for after I made them, or the ones that no one has shown any interest in...to clear the clutter for new ides, y'know.

Along comes my bonus boy, Mooney.  His grandma wants to buy some Critters from me to take to people in nursing homes and hospitals...boom, donating my Misfits,  

I love it.  My storage gets a little cleared out, Grandma Mooney gets to go out and spread some cheer using my creations, I couldn't be happier about the whole thing.

I've made a few Easter Critters...

Peeps

Gray Hare

Brown Hare

Eggbert

All of them, and a few more cutie patooties can be found in this cool shop!  Come take a look, and if you make and sell things, you might want to look into it, too. There might even be somewhere you can say I referred you, but either way, it's an easy site, so far has been great for me!  

I have been working on some large wood burnings the last couple of weeks.  Waiting for better weather to stain, gotta do it outside, y'know.

All is Well.

Play Nice!  xxoo

Well!

In my shower thoughts yesterday, the suggestion came up to be more regular with my blogging, so here I am.  I guess I owe an explanation for my absence...maybe not owe, but maybe just an explanation/update would be the better.

I got myself real busy in October.  I started posting a new Critter almost every day.  I found a new selling platform called Ko-fi and I really like it, it has a feature where I set the lowest price I will take, the purchaser has to ability to pay more if they choose to.  So far I've only had one person do that in a major way, which just happened to come in exactly when I needed a little extra.  I love how the Universe works like that.  

So, posting every day, sharing my posts...the new selling platform...it went off big for me!  I sold 9 Critters in one day!  Granted I am charging a third of what I should be selling them for, but what good are they just sitting here gathering dust?  I am happy to sell them, the extra cash comes in handy, I count each and every sale as a blessing!   

Anyway, all my daylight hours were spent on stitching and stuffing, and taking care of the boys every need and whimsy now and then, evenings were spent leaning back on a heating pad.  Oh my back sometimes.  I sold quite a few Critters at the end of 2024, like I said, a blessing.,  

This was one of my very favorites from 2024.

I keep getting a spam notice saying my FB page doesn't meet requirements or some kind of infraction, which makes my page ineligible for recommendations.  Pffft.  I just archived everything in my FB shop, can't even tag my products there anyway, so what's the point?  

This link should take you to my ko-fi shop.  

If not:  www.ko-fi.com

I've been enjoying creating posts for my critters at Canva.  I am thinking about taking the plunge and joining over there, they do have some nice graphics and elements for designing.

So there you are for now.  Go on by and take a look at my new shop if you have a couple minutes, you can follow me over there, too.  I'm still posting on FB and Insta.

The boys, Greg and Brad, are good.  Greg still has an attitude but I don't call him the "D" word (where he can hear me) anymore, because that just pisses him off.  Brad is a big black panther, that turns into a big glop of black goo when I try to move him from where he wants to be, which is usually on top of whatever it is I am working on at the time he feels he needs some attention.  

Good boy Greg

Big Boy Brad

(I built that from a kit with NO instructions!)  

Play Nice!  xxoo

(Please read to the end.)

Tomorrow is my birthday, level 65!  

Because of attaining this milestone of life, at this moment I am stuck in a boggy mire of medical insurance,  Now I have medicare but I have to pay for it, applied for medicaid but for some reason the forms I filled out at the office were not turned in.  (The girl behind the glass doesn't care for me).  Had to reapply, which takes 90 days to be approved.  No doubt I will be approved, but until this situation is handled I am a couple hundred dollars short on my monthly "paycheck."  

When something like this happens, something that is completely out of my control but has everything to do with me, I tend to retreat back into myself a little bit, to ponder about the situation, and my possible ways to resolve it.  

I had my budget pretty well worked out, and was covered by insurance with no cost to me, so what I'm needing to do is find a way to supplement that couple hundred dollars back into my pocket.  It's not much, and honestly I can get by without it, but it's a "bare bones" existence.  I'm very familiar with this existence, only recently feeling that I was doing much better.  The amount of $$ in my bank account at the end of the month was bigger every month...so, I need to do something to bring that amount of money in to continue to move forward.  I don't want to stop, and I don't want to move backwards.

I applied for a job here in town, checked in on it this week, but haven't heard from anyone,  I'm sure my age could be a red flag, but trust me, I have plenty of life left.   

So...my point.  While I ponder, I stitch.  

The first of  these are not stuffed yet, stuffing comes tomorrow.  These will all be available next week.  If you want to dib one of them now, feel free!  I'm selling them for $5 each + $6 s/h.  Just a note, I believe I can get 2 in a box without the shipping going up.  

This one is made of faux leather, that looks like its been tooled.  The brown eyes and the inside of the ears are brown velvet.  Very textural.  

 

This one, too, is faux leather, in a woven look, in various shades of blue.  Beautiful blue eyes and inside of ears are a lighter blue felt.  Again quite a nice texture.

All wrapped up with a bow on top...this one is red velvet, with white felt eyes and ears.  The appliqued gift is an ivory colored felt with a green felt ribbon.

Almost Halloween!  Black felt with bright yellow felt cat shaped eyes, orange ears and appliqued pumpkin.  

This cutie in gold velvet with appliqued felt leaves.  The appliqued acorn is pleather and felt.  

(This one is stuffed)

And this crazy little one with the tuft of hair.  Pink and black and cute all over.

I hope you have read this far, because in re-reading this is sounds like I am trying to use your sympathy for my financial troubles to make a sale.  Not the case!  Not at all.

I only told you the part about the insurance because it was on my mind and I tend to just let my fingers fly.  It was/is not intended to try to get you to buy a Critter.  I mean, if that were the case I'd be asking more than $5 each, right?  I ponder, I stitch, and the Critters pile up, you know?  I'd much rather you have a little Handmade by Cosmo cutie perched somewhere in your home and/or office that brings a bit of joy to your day!   

Financially, I'll be fine.  Not to brag, but I have been landing on my feet for 64 years and 364 days so far, and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.  

Play Nice!  

xxoo

Summer Stuff

 First, here's the obligatory, "Phew it's been so hot!" exclamation.  Get that out of the way, being Summer a person would expect this to happen, but for some reason it is announced multiple times a day.  

Yesterday and today, though, it's been so pleasant.  No A/C needed, which you know that tickles me.  

So, I took my display out of the Maker's Market, with no hard feelings on either side.  As it should be.

I have also drastically reduced my prices.  All my Critters, my Fairies, Folk and Imps are a mere $5 each, with a $6 s/h charge...

I have cleaned up my shop on FB, which for some reason was restricted exactly the day after I started cleaning it up.  I think it looks better, and I had some fun with the descriptions.  Oh, and it's unrestricted now.  No reason give for why it was, nor why it isn't.  So many glitches.

They are so much fun for me to make, and because I listened to some well intentioned advice, I had a lot of inventory here.  What fun is it to make something cool if it is just gonna sit in the closet?   

Being in the Maker's Market, I learned a little bit, and got a little exposure.  Just this week I was commissioned to make 3 small pink bunnies for a girl at the library.  They are going to be incentives for a reading program.  Hopefully they will use me for more projects in the future.  She had seen my display at the Market.  

While I was making the decision whether to leave the Market or not, I whipped up a few mini kitties.  They are going to be featured on my pages on FB and Instagram next week.  

    

 

You may wonder why I have so many (I had 90 in this house) Critters, there are a couple reasons.   

Busy hands are happy hands, and when I am pondering on things, I stitch.  I have been doing a LOT of pondering over the last couple years.  I had lots to ponder over, and thankfully, I am feeling more reconciled in myself than I have in a long, long time.  There's more about that "stuff" on another blog, if you are interested let me know.  Some of it's kinda personal, so I don't let just everyone see.  

So, if you aren't following me on FB and Insta, why not?  Probably the same reason I don't get any comments.  

It's all good.  Sometimes I just need to get some thoughts outta my head.  And maybe someday someone will read it.  I've stumbled on blogs before.  Remember "Stumble Upon?"  It used to mess my computer up, but I loved the random sites it led me to.  

Speaking of random, don't do Randonautica.  It looks scary.

Gonna have a fresh cuppa coffee, and wait for my sister to get here.  We're going to Hobby Lobby!  

Play Nice! xxoo

Handmade by Cosmo

PS, Greg and Brad and doing great.  Both had birthdays in June.  We had a big party.  

Maker's Market Update

Well!

I changed up the display, used my own stand, and got a banner..."they" keep shifting my stuff, so this is how it looked last Saturday.  

Probably going to pull my display at the end of the month.  I've broke even the last two months, and while I'm not depending on this as my living income, I would like to get a little bit of cash for my talent.  Why am I helping him pay rent, when this is how my product is treated?  

Nah, I have another plan.  

There is an online site called Mercari.  It's like any other online site, with a few differences.  I have sold quite a few items there, so I've taken some of my latest creations and listed them there.  Prices are great, if I do say so myself, and hopefully I'll be successful.  I'll keep you posted, but if you haven't, click on that link, I'm listed as Cindy Durnell Friend, come take a look!  

 

 

 

 

 

Somehow I got the idea to make something different, started messing around with some patterns, fur, pleather and felt, and these are a few that I have come up with.  There are more, trust me.  When I get started I can't stop until I am finished.  That's just how it goes.  

That's where I am now.  I have a lot of Critters made, and now I need to find good homes for them.  

I haven't added anything to my FB shop in awhile.  It's very hard to get exposure over there with all the bot-made posts flooding the view.  I'm about done with FB pretty much, just still holding on, I have a lot of friends out there that I've had for a long, long time.  Not willing to cut those ties.  

So yeah, if you are reading this, would you click here, that will take you to my FB page.  Take a look, click a like to two, but even better, share it with some friends, &/or in a group!  That would be the best!

Play Nice!  xxoo

P.S.  

 

They boys say, "Hey."

Happy New Year!

 I hope you all had a pleasant holiday season.  I know it's a stressful time for so many.  My circle is so small now that the holidays are an enjoyable time for me.  

I buckled down and got busy on some handmade gifts for my family.  Each member of my family got a piece or two of handmade goodness.  The g-kids all got a box with a burning on it, full of goodies, necklaces, toys, etc.  All got a round loomed stocking hat, as well. 

These were the kids, I didn't get a pic of the adults hat, but they were cool.  I didn't get a pic of the boxes and burnings, either, because I procrastinate too much.  

This was the first draft of my daughter's gift.

 

This is hanging on my wall.  

These were a custom order from a friend/repeat customer.

 I made for my sister on my peg loom, from jeans she had given to me.  
Some of David's jeans are in there, too.

This was the pre-burning of a plaque I did for my oldest niece and her honey.  The kids all got round loomed stocking hats.  There are 8 kids.  The girls got pretty colored ones, the boys were black and red, their school colors, but the pattern I used on each one of them was different.

Blended families are awesome, but they're a lot of work!

This was good in my belly.  

This little note showed up in a dresser drawer.  
I had tidied that drawer 2 days prior. 

My daughter doesn't remember it.  

I may have sleep walked into a diff dimension the other night.

 

A burning I did for my boys.  
This, of course, is pre-burning.

The cats were made to resemble my nephew's cats, which they did and the boys loved them.  

They're done in faux leather and felt.  

The dragon was made for my great-niece in her requested colors.

I finally found the fur I was looking for, the Cow Kitty is the first I made, I have two other furs for 2 more cats, one is a bobcat kinda looking, and an all black. I knew I had a stash of sherpa, and finally found it!  Fluffy White Kitty has felt inside the ears.  Both are available, send me a message!  

These were for my other niece and her husband and his brother.  If you knew them you would know how absolutely perfect this gift was.  I was so tickled that they liked them as much as I hoped they would.

My $1.25 tree, some accessories I already had.  

I've had these elf heads for years, and finally getting around to doing something with them.  This is the first try, with a body pattern I found on Pinterest.  I know I didn't attach the head to the body "correctly" but I think I have it figured out for next time.  

 

 

This was for my bonus g-son.  

This is my newest Critter.  It's made from faux leather and felt, with the pompom nose.  My first thought was to call it Stormy Cat, but one of my friend/customer mentioned that it looks like the Moon, so with the sparkles that you cant see in the photos, I believe it'll be called Moon Cat.  Available for purchase, and I usually can ship next day.

If you are still reading this, please leave me a comment! 

I just moved my computer to a place that's easier for me to use, so I'll be updating on a more regular basis...up to you if that's a good or bad thing.  *wink*

Play Nice!  xxoo