A Cottage Christmas

It began as a manufactured interlocking frame and ended up this delicious, fun little Christmas piece.

Interlocked, this frame is 8" wide and 6" tall

Each individual tree painting is 3.75" x 2.75"

Top view

*Update: Happy Christmas has SOLD*

New in My ETSY Shop

The last set of these Give Thanks Blocks sold before they even made it to my ETSY shop. So I decided to do one more batch before I move onto my Jingle Blocks. These blocks are now in my bumblebina ETSY shop.

These large JOY Blocks are also available now.

Won't this be a fun countdown sign? The whole sign is a chalkboard so you can change the number with each passing day. Sign is 9" x 4". (Update: Santa Comes sign is SOLD)

I LOVE this sign. The letters say Joy and the frame has "to the world" printed on it. So cute. Joy the World sign is now available.

And 12,176 Stitches Later, You Have a Bag

Really that's how many. I added them all up.

So this is what I've been doing for the past few weeks. I've had this yarn since last year just waiting to make a really cool bag. These colors are delicious together. Ecru and Heather Gray. (Doesn't that sound like some lovely exotic couple you'd love to hang out with? Oh, we can't go, Ecru and Heather Gray are coming over for dinner. Yes, don't you just love them?) :)

For this bag, I almost followed this pattern for a felted market bag, but again had to change some things. I like to make things more my own. I didn't do the stripes and I added some polka dots. I love that they include a picture in the pattern of how the handles came together. WHY can't all knitting patterns have pictures?!? It's so helpful. (I took careful notes and did several diagrams while I was working on this so if you are going to make it and want some tips, feel free to e-mail me! I'd love to help.)

I used 4 skeins of Cascade 220. Two of each color and I have about 1 yard of each color left. Really. One yard. It was dicey as I was seaming the base thinking I may run out of yarn.

Here's the bag before felting. It's about 16" x 14". (The base is all wonky because knitted fabric shrinks more lengthwise).


Here it is after felting being blocked. It's about 12" x 13".

What is felting and blocking? Quick explanation: Basically you knit with 100% wool yarn and then wash it in really hot water (like when you accidentally shrink a wool sweater) and it becomes boiled wool or felt. It becomes a solid textile. You can even cut it up after that and it won't fray or come undone. Blocking is stretching the item out after it's been felted to the shape you want it and letting it dry that way. I'm using my gigantic hardcover The Art Book inside the bag to hold the right size and shape. The book is wrapped in grocery bags since the bag is still quite damp.

IF - Vacant

This is my entry for Illustration Friday this week. The theme is Vacant.

When I was a kid we had a vacant lot across the street. This is where we went exploring and bug collecting in the summer and it's also where we built our snowmen in the winter. There's a house there now and I don't think any of the neighborhood kids (all grown up now) have fully forgiven them for building on our vacant lot.

("Snowman" will be in my ETSY shop soon!)

ETSY Shop Update

I am planning an

ETSY shop update

in my bumblebina shop for Monday, November 3rd.

Here's a preview:

Newest Teacher Sign

This one is going in the mail today. Teacher signs are available in both of my ETSY shops --tmatthews and bumblebina.

Early Voting - Anybody else?

Birthday Hat

Here's what I've found. I cannot follow a knitting pattern. Not cannot=unable, but cannot=unwilling. I find that I have to do something to change it. I don't know why, but I do. This hat is one from Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats. I ADORE this book and her 2nd book Itty Bitty Nursery.

I followed her pattern pretty closely--the most I've ever followed a pattern actually--except for the noted changes below:


This hat is for my sweet angel niece who turns 1 this week. She won't wear headbands so I imagine she'll not keep the hat on long. Hopefully long enough for my sister to take her picture so she can lie to me and tell me how much the baby loves it and won't take it off! :)