Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Year New challenges New Life






These are chershed photo's of my ancestors before me. Family that stays with me. My grandmother and her cousin. Tyner's and Carney's.
For the group that follows me,,,,,,,,Happiest of new years and many, many, more. Thanks for the touchings on my life and the inspirations from friends.



Blessings and warm tender laughs for the new year...



Kim

Friday, December 11, 2009

The Slanted Little House

The Slanted Little House I just found this new blog and wanted to share it. Her site is full of great ideas, crafts, recipes and stories. I hope you will take a look and start sharing with me some ideas and fun.....

Posted using ShareThis

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

workin hard







Have been very busy as of late..... I had a local craft fair that I was asked to attend and really had a wonderful time. great sales and more contacts. I really had a good time. I have some stuff left. I have listed them in my etsy and lemonpoppyseeds sores. Most are ornies and christmas stockings. Some new pillows are in there as well. I hope you will take a look and if you find something let me know that you read this and I will give ya free shipping!!!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Prim old quilt Christmas Stockings











These are some newer versions of my Christmas stockings i make every year. I used some brighter and more colorful quilts this year and I also used some of my old hand dyed feedsack material..... My dog Chester seems happy that he has something to stare at!!!!!!!!I am selling these on Etsy as well. I can't wait for Christmas!

sCRAP wool holiday Christmas wreaths











I saw in a craft magazine a great idea for using those unwanted wool scraps that you might feel guilty throwing away. The idea is to take what ever wool, cut it into 1" squares and then punch heavy gauge florists wire thru the wool and VOILA, you have a small to mid-size wreath. They are fun and easy to make.... just make sure that you have a wire cutter for finishing off the wire when you have finished. I am selling some on ETSY right now but I wanted to show you this great crafting idea.....You can use them as tree ornies, wall decor, mantle decor, door decor and even table displays. I left some of the wreaths without ribbons to hand them and then I added longer ribbons to some.




I have included some pictures so you can get an idea of how they turned out.




Let me know what you all think...




All the best to everyone this Thanksgiving season......Kim

Rug Hooking Daily

I wanted all the hookers out there to know that Rug Hooking Daily is an awesome ning group that has great groups, nice followers and wonderful ideas. Click on above and the click will take you to the link.......... What a wonderful site!!!!!!!!
Enjoy...http://rughookingdaily.ning.com/profile/KimCEsposito

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Father Christmas!

Father Christmas is on his Way

The air at night is slowly growing crisp with the anticipation of the holiday season. This my favorite time of the year and I am excited by the prospect of enjoying many family and friends, good food and lots of laughter. I am getting in the mood!

347649

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Fall and buying to create


It is almost the middle of November and still seasonally warm, cool in the mornings but nice and toasty in the daytime. The holidays are getting closer by the minute and I am constantly thinking of ways to create new things to make. To keep myself interested and challenged, I try to find new and interesting textiles and fabrics to accomplish that. I have a store on ETSY. While searching fabrics one day I found an awesome store. I purchased some bunches of Amy Butler Fabric, Kaffe Kassat and a few others and used these fabrics to make purses and totes that I have pictureg in previous posting on this blog. So,,,,,, the store now is open on the internet with a much larger and broad selection. This site is wonderful for color, patterns and ideas and I hope that you will take the time to check it out. The store is Hawthorne Threads and I have included the link for your perusal pleasures..... I encourage everyone to seek this store out. Hope to hear from you all!!!!http://www.hawthornethreads.com/ Click on the title about fall at the top and youcan go right to Hawthorne Threads. I hope you you will enjoy the sre as much as I do!
Here is my latest purse listed etsy.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Hand hooked pumpkin for sale





MORE FOR THE SPOOKY FALL SEASON... AVAILABLE ON EBAY AND PRIMTIIVE WHIMSICAL WORKS BY SHUG
..... Make great gifts

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fall Creations




HAPPY FALL AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I am crazy making hooked rug pieces for the fall and Christmas holiday. This is the first.... my BOO pillow. If oyu go to the link on the side of my blog that reads, Primitive Works by Shug you can click on the link and find the item. Mosre are on their way.

I love the coolness of the day. Just warm enought to enjoy a lightweight shirt and cool enough to have some crazy fun.

Hope all are well.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

It's Fall




It is getting a bit chillier outside and certainly it is cooler when I am waking in the morning. I have begun a big undertaking for a friend of mine in the antiques business. She has collected for her daughter, many, many, many, hens on nest, roosters on nest and so forth. She is now cleaning up and is selling them, through me, on eBay. I loved the red slag hen and rooster she gave me to sell, made by the L.G. Wright Glass company. I decided to use the hen as my picture of the week! She looks pretty and reminds me of the turning leaves outside. If you are interested in any to purchase, go to my shugswhimsyworks link on the upper right side, click on it and my listings will show up!

I started a new hooking project for a gal in NY. She has a grandson going to college for the first time so I hooked a pillow for her that says, "CALL YOUR GRAM She WoRRIES!!" and then hooked here tele number in the pillow as well! I and almost finished. I will take a picture and post it soon!

Hope this finds all of you well and I look forward to getting some input soon.
Happy fall.
Shug

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

New Picture of my lap dog


Chester is at it again…. My lap dog does not want to accept the fact that he can not fit in my lap!. However, her does try hard to convince me! Enjoy the laugh!

ROOSTA the fine feathered BIRD





I have been really busy making a variety of different things this summer. I just finished painting this rooster. I named him Roosta and he is brilliant with color and attitude. I listed him on my ETSY site, shugsthisnthat, and hope to find a home for him. On top of all that, I also have a set of hand painted placemats listed on my LemonPoppyseed site, shugswhimsyworks. I painted them so that they are reversible and can give the buyer years of use and variety. The mats are painted with a traditional pineapple and then on the other side is painted a faux barn wood with stars adorning one side. I have another set of four that will be listed on my ETSY page very soon. Not quite finished yet!

I have also been creating some handmade purses and because I am getting addicted to the purses and such, I bought myself a new sewing machine. Boy I never knew how much sewing could change using the same ole machine!!!!! I am sure most of you can relate to my words on that one.

Hope all is well with everyone and I look forward to hearing what projects all of you have been working on. Ciao for now! Kim


 

Friday, July 10, 2009

News Bags for the ladies




I have been trying some new ideas, fabrics and colors togehter..... I am having some fun with color, design and patterns. Even bought a new sewing and embroidery machine..... This is all news to me!!!!!
Let me know how you like the purses I have for sale on etsy.
The link is at the bottom!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

more headers

Here is another one for ya guys, great ideas.....loving_life Made with My Cool Signs.Net

A web site for free headings on your pages

handmade_by_shug Made with My Cool Signs.Net

Thought some of you might be interested in this cool website that let's you make headers like this one for free. Check it out.....

By the way, it is still raining here!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

My Beast of a LeonBerger Chester


I just had to show everyone my biggest supporter of my work. After all, he needs me to eat!!!{}{}}}}}
This is Chester, aka Chessie, my poo-poo shi shi.....
Ain't he cute? he is about 130 lbs now.

My New Bag of Trix


Well, I have been trying out some new ideas. This is one of my own reinventions of the hobo bag. It is made from sturdy striped heavy canvas cotton fabric and the reversed side is chenille fabric from and old 1940's bedspread. I made loops and ties at the bottom of the bag so you can untie and reverse the bag inside out/and reattach the straps on the other side.....You can carry this bag over the shoulder or like a back pack. It is large enough to carry tons of different things. i use mune for carry or holdoing all my craft stuff. Yarns, wools strips, knitting needles(bag is 16" tall. I made a large pocket for the front on both sides as well.
Let me know what you all think..... This is just a beginning....


Monday, April 27, 2009

Mother’s Day






I will be leaving on a much need vacation in a few days. However, before I leave, I wanted to share with my following bloggers some of my new creations. I have been busy with MOTHER'S Day hand hooked pillows. I have two for sale right now. My sheepish MOM pillow is 8" x 12" and completely hand sewn.


I also have a pillow in blues and white that is simply for fun. It reads, "Call your mom, she worries".


I have two more on there way, I just need to finish them up.

Here's wishing all you mother's out there a great mom's day coming up.
We know how much we deserve one, don't we ladies……

All the best, and have a great beginning to MAY…


Kim aka shug

Friday, March 27, 2009

Getting to Know More

I have been busy doing not much of anything. A wedding took some time this past weekend in Texas where the weather was allot more conducive to my old achy bones.

I have joined a group on ETSY that is called ETSY for Charity. The group sells handcrafted items specifically for charity. I haven't listed any items as of yet, but I will be doing that very soon.

I have been working on a few patterned designs for rug hooking. I bought the patterns when I was first teaching myself and they are designed by Sharon Perry. I made contact with her through EBAY and she is responsible for me learning to hook and having this obsession with rug hooking. Her sister is a very distinguished hooker named Deanne Fitzpatrick. She is a legend in hooking for many and has one many titles of distinction for her work. I will eventually show some links on my pages for you to see for yourself.

I have added a poll on the top of my blog to see what interests are out there for my followers. Please take a look and join in…

I also have added all the blogs that I am following right now. They have great things to offer for information and of course items to purchase!

Hope my friends around the country are "weathering" storms and have a wonderful weekend.

I am dying to dye some more fabric. Hopefully that will be my next posting. Wish me luck….

Oh yeah, I forgot, I also added a website listed at the top of my page for you all to review. It is called the Olde Peddlers Wool. This is a local wool and yarn shop. They are now selling their items on line and they are a great shop. They have punchneedle and Rug Hooking supplies as well. Darlene is a great resource for many things. Please take a look!!!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Onion Skin Dying wool for the very first time

Photobucket


Well, it has been warm, almost early summer-like week here in PA. We have been told that it will start cooling down and winter will show up again in the next few days. Ugh! But, this has inspired me to try some wool dying for the first time. I accomplished three different types of dying all in one morning. My best dye job was the onion skin dying. It was easier than I thought and with the help of a book called THE COMPLETE BOOK OF RUG HOOKING by Joan Moshimer,1975 and reprint 1989 and a fellow blogger Rugs O mine by Kathy. She is a fellow rug hooker that does awesome work and has been nice enough to answer my questions and give me some much needed advice. You can find her blog as well as some of her work on Etsy. Her seller name is woolfind. I followed the directions almost to the tee.

I began with eight ¼ yard pieces of Dorr Wool. (You can use more or less, but since this was my first time I decided I didn't want to waste great wool on a foul-up)My deepest darkest color was burgundy, then a rosy mauve, then a paler pink and then a subtle pink. I added antique white pieces for the final touch

I first soaked the wool in warm water in the sink with a mild soap detergent for about 2-3 minutes (until the wool was wet). I then used a vintage white enamel cooking pot for my dying chamber. After the wool was wet, I placed one piece of dark burgundy and two pieces of rosy pink still wet and not wrung out, in the bottom of the chamber. I then added onion skins from yellow onions on the top of the layer of fabric. (I have been saving the skins for some weeks). I scattered them on the wool but haphazardly. Then, I applied salt(about 3-4 tablespoons) and sprinkled that on top of the skins. My first layer was ready.

Next, I added two pieces of pale pink and one piece of rosy pink. I did the same with this layer adding the skins and then the salt. Last, but not least, I added two pieces of antique white on the top layer. Finally, I added the onion skins and salt.

Now I was ready. I took about 6 quarts of hot water and began to add this onto the already wet and soaking wool. I only added enough water to cover the wool. I did not fill it to a saturated consistency. You will be seeing the burgundy and pinks already rising to the top from the other wools at the bottom. The onion skins bring out a natural orangey yellow. You then place the pot on the stove. Use a low flame, cover and steam the wool for about 45 minutes. Voila!!! You are now finished!

I took a small strainer and placed it in the drain of my sink. You do not want those skins going down the disposal or sink. !!!! Messy. I then poured the water and the wool out. At the same time I ran cold water onto the wool to cool the fabric and help set the color. (The salt does that for you as well). After the wool was cooled I took the wool and ran it on a low heat in the dryer to dry. I couldn't put it outside that day because it was 32 degrees and raining!

Well, you can see how my wool pieces turned out in the picture. They are mottled and interesting to use in your rug hooking pieces. I also spot dye a few pieces as well. I will describe that at a different time. I used all Dorr Wools. Many of their colors complemented the color process and made the process very easy. If you have any questions don't hestitate to contact me. I am not a pro by any means but I can help!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a grand March!!!!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Tupelo Honey

It has been a strange week and to tell you the truth, I am mystified that I am celebrating my 20th year in marriage. What happened? Where did the time go. Where are my little boys holding my hand and needing to be tucked in at night?????

I am busy punching away and soon to be hooking again.

Remember, today is the most important day!!!!

Blessings.

Monday, March 2, 2009

The Snowy Day

It's Monday and the end of the day. It snowed and left a cover of virgin powder so dry that when walked on it sounds like peanut droppings on a dirt floor. It is a cold dry setting sun and I have lots to do. I have been creating punchneedle works lately. Punchneedle is an old Russia form of embroidery much like the primitive rug hooking here in the good ole USA. Punchneedle is produced on a much smaller scale. It really is a great way to practice training for patience and attention to detail. I have completed four or five projects and it is a slow (turtle speed){}}}} improvement. Mu ebay friend Ginger aka nyafarmgirl has just finished explaining how to create this craft in VERY good instructional detail. Her blog is listed on the side of my page. She does great work and her pieces really speak about her! Take a look if your interested. You won't regret it.


I am part of an ebay group of ladies called the Ye Olde Thyme Primitives!!!

We may be primitive but…. WE AREN'tOLDE!!


They are a warm and friendly group of ladies and some of their blogs are part of my following group. Look them up. Their stuff is awesome!!!


I also am part of a group called Age Before Beauty(AB4B). Nice large group of crafters that have a huge variety of crafters to pick and chose from. Lastly is The Lemon Poppy Seeds (LPSX). Their Primitive style web page is spectacular and of course all extreme prim…… I hope some of you will respond to my words or even join in. I will include some new pictures soon.

Until then, have a nice lazy evening.

Shug

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Rooster

prim
proper

COLD, SATURDAY AND FINDING THINGS TO DO

Well, it has been a strange week. I have been trying to create some new ideas for creating works for my work pages. I have joined three groups on eBay to help to support and promote my products. They are easy to find groups on eBay. All you have to do is put their call letters in the search box and their group items will come up for sale. They are Lemon Poppy Seeds or LPSX, Age before Beauty, AB4B and Ye Olde Thyme Primitives, YOTP. Each group is unique and all the items are handmade.

Looking for a fulltime job has been difficult. I have sent out tons of resumes. I will not get distracted. I will not get bummed out. I will move forward!!!!!!Until then, I am working hard to sell what I can.

I am working on my first "real" punch needle piece for sale. It is my fav, the rooster. I love roosters.

I have listed the shops I am selling my items through on the right side of this blog for you to take looks at once and awhile. If you need items for gifts or yourself I hope you would take a look. Buy American……… or HSAOA (help support and old artist{}). Later!

HeavY!!!!!!!!

One more moon dance first!


 

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Dom is here.

Checking in after a long rainy day.

Working with Whimsy

Photobucket Album

Another day

It's another day and I am rearing to go. Painting away and waiting for snow.

My first time

Well, this is the beginning of my first experience with blogging. OMG. I have just realized that it is late and I should be getting some sleep. I hope to share ideas and get some new ideas through these pages. To all my friends out there seeing this, HELP!