Ornaments - Past and Present!

"I started making Christmas tree ornaments when my first child was 10 months old. I made ornaments that I could hang on the lower branches that she could touch without their breaking. I have given her some of these ornaments for her tree but a few of the 46 year old ornaments I have left are shown in the picture. One of my favorite ornaments that I have made through the years is a 'sheep' ornament. Picture 2. I have made a FREE PATTERN for you to copy and paste to your computer. Instructions follow.


The sheep should be about 2 1/2" wide so print your pattern accordingly. Cut out the pattern from cardstock (I use a file folder) to use as a pattern. Trace around pattern onto cardstock/file folder. Cut sheep. Ink in the head and feet with a black marker, on both sides.You will need between 5 and 6 feet of white, fuzzy yarn. Begin wrapping around the center body, then go to the head and wrap as shown in picture 1. Then wrap the legs about 3 times, picture 2.



Wrap yarn between the legs and over the sheep back, picture 3. Wrap diagonally over front and back of sheep, picture 4. Continue to wrap to plump up your sheep. Tuck the end beneath one of the yarn strands. Thread a needle with gold thread and sew through the center, top of the sheep for your hanger. Make lots of these. They are so cute and fun to give away.` Please leave me a comment if you like the ornament and want to see more FREE downloads! And please check out my allthingshomey.etsy.com e-shop for more one of a kind Christmas ornaments.

If this is work - why am I having so much fun?

These are just a few of my buttons but enough to get me started 'working' at making button magnets for the refrigerator. I couldn't stop. I have made about 40 magnets which took over 120 buttons and I still have some I want to make. Problem is, what am I to do with all these button magnets? Hopefully, of course, is to sell them in my Etsy shop. That's the plan anyway.

Sewing 'Paper?'

I have always loved fabric, especially when I made quilts. I stopped making quilts when I stopped having grandchildren and started making scrapbooks. Then I became a lover of paper which, to me, was just a different texture of fabric. But I have never pleated and sewn paper. That is until this week. Using wonderful paper from my large stash, I was making Tussie Mussies and needed a ruffle across
the top and I wanted it to look like what Mary Englebreit would make. The only answer was to pleat the paper. Then to make the bottom edge lay flat against the Tussie Mussie, I had to sew the ruffle. I know there is 'nothing new under the sun' but this was a first for me.
All my handmade items are 'one of a kind' and I post freshly made new items several times a week at my shope: www.allthingshomey.etsy.com/ - Take a look and I would appreciate your comments.

It's November. Not December!!

I am in the throes of making Christmas items for Etsy and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. I guess that means when Christmas finally gets here I will be making Valentine's Day goodies.
After not doing much in the creative venue for the past 7 or 8 years, I am SO glad to have it back. I wonder, now, what I ever did to keep busy before I started my business with Etsy.
At my age, this has been a real challenge for me, computer wise. But as someone once told me, 'If you can learn new tricks, you're not a old dog'. This 75 year old finds comfort in that. Who knows, maybe this time next year I will be featured on Etsy as the oldest success story!! With God, all things are possible.

All about me and Etsy!

Hello! I have two shops on Etsy now
Allthingshomey.etsy.com and Treasures4ewe. My daughter is helping me create and add things to our vintage site at Treasures4ewe. We are finding wonderful treasures to list and treasures I can upcycle. I am also on a Team CAC (Christian Artists and Craftpersons) is a part of ETSY.com where I have my All Things Homey shop. Before I could become a member I had to fill out their questionaire which is below. There are almost 400 members of CAC so I am looking forward to making a lot of new friends.

Say Hi to Sally!
1. Shop Name(s)
allthingshomey

2. First Name
Sally

3. How long have you been a member of the Etsy Community?
I listed my first item on October 6th, 2010

4. Married/Single? Spouse's name
Single

5. Birthday Month/Day... we don't need the year.
October 31

6. What state/country do you live in?
Florida, USA

7. Do you have any children? Will you tell us their lst name and age?
Yes, I have three daughters and 12 grandchildren. Do you really want all their names?

8. How long have you been crafting what you sell on Etsy?
I started cutting paper dolls when I was 7 and have done crafts every since. I still have over 200 of those paper dolls, but I don't play with them anymore.

9. When you have free time, what do you like to do?
Look at other etsy shops, of course!

10. Are you on a ministry team at your church or do you have your own ministry?Yes
What type is it?
I am part of our Prayer Ministry Team. I, and another lady, have a ministry to Juvenile inmates in jail being tried as adults. It is called 'Arts Inside'.

11. How long have you been a Christian?
I was a Christian for 16 years before I became Born Again at age 36. Hm-m, that's about 29 years ago.

12. What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
Isn't it always the last item posted. It is a Thanksgiving Hanger I created out of the tons of Vintage stuff I have.

13. What would you like to do that you have not done yet?
Paint a beautiful landscape with lavender growing in the foreground.

14. If we were having a team party, what would you be bringing?
Buttermilk Fudge

15. Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?
Sweet

16. What type of pets do you have, if any?
I have a cat that adopted me. My grandson named him Woody because his fur looks like wood grain.

17. Which of these three would you prefer to do? Hang glide, bungee jump, or sit by the pool and be waited on hand and foot?
Gotta be, sit by the pool and be waited on hand and foot...for at least 15 minutes, then I would be bored.

18. If you were on a rocket to the moon, what is one thing you would want to have?
A bathroom!

19. Does your vehicle have a name, if so, what is it?
Poor thing doesn't have a name.

20. Is there anything other type of items that you would like to add to your current shop?
Oh my, yes. IF I had time!

Celebrate? well.....

My last post I said I would celebrate when I had my first sale. I did have that sale this week and even though it was only for 6.00, I felt like celebrating. My celebrating came in the form of listing more items.
Then a Blessed friend of old gave me a big box of buttons...lots of butons. There was a grocery receipt in the bag with a date of 1996 but I believe the buttons are older than that. They are all on cards and must have been bought when a store was closing. Many of the buttons would make great earrings so I will probably post them as supplies for jewelery making. My granddaughter Elise (6) and I had so much fun going through them, combining matches and bagging them according to style or color.
While I love 'all things homey', my house looks like a hurricane struck it. All kinds of stuff sitting around waiting to be photographed and listed.

My shop at ETSY

With the economy going in the direction of -down- and my Social Security check getting smaller each year I wanted to find a source to make some extra income. After a bit of research, I decided to open a shop on Etsy.com. It is a site where you sell Vintage, Handmade or supplies...and I hsve a ton of Vintage - and supplies.
My first attempt to list something on my shop page, allthingshomey@etsy.com was discouraging and frustrating. I am not a techi and I don't want to be but I have learned a few things with PSE7. I was frustrated because I couldn't get the photos to come out without being blurry. I searched and researched Etsy to find some help but found only a little. Daughter, Colette and her husband to the rescue. Warren gave me a different pixel to use than one I was using and I found the 'sharpen image' on my PSE7 so that took care of the photo problem.
After I had downloaded a couple of items for sale, I realized that I needed to find a way to market my store. The only thing I hate worse than Techi stuff is Marketing!
Colette to the rescue again. She offered to do it for me, so now she is my Marketing Chief Executive.
I had prayed and prayed through my frustration and Sunday, I felt God was giving me a Word. 'Take heart - it will come to pass.'
Yesterday, after church, I shot a whole bunch of photos and this morning I posted 7 items on Etsy.
Thank you all who have looked and commented. I am really going to celebrate when I have my first sale.