DO WHAT YOU LOVE....

They say...Do what you love...(whoever 'they' is)
And that is what I have been doing for the past week or so. I don't know why I love making tags, but it's just plain fun. Can't wait to make the next set.

Each tag in the photo is only one of a set of at least 4 and the vintage Santa set has 12 different Santas. They were my first set and that got my juices flowing.
I want to thank www.alteredartfun.blogspot.com for the circus images. Her blog has hundreds of vintage images which she so generously shares.
When I get a bit tired of making these tags, I will post them in my shop:
www.sssstudio.etsy.com. I will be offering them as finished tags as well as digital downloads.
...back to the drawing board...

A beautifull BIG mushroom

This beautiful BIG mushroom was found growing behind my shrubs against my garage. It was 7 inches across the top.
It took some doing but my 10 yr old grandson, Emmett, laid down on the ground and snapped this photo, which I have not cropped or retouched in anyway. It is such a beautiful picture that I am reminded of all the Photography Prints that are sold on Etsy. None are more beautiful than this.

Just wanted to share this with you...Have a Blessed day.

Two wasn't enough - I now have 3 Etsy Shops

I have recently resurrected my handmade calligraphy designs. It didn't seem appropriate to list them on my other two Etsy shops (allthingshhomey and treasures4ewe) so what else to do but open a third shop.

ANNOUNCING;

I learned to do calligraphy over 40 years ago and I have loved it ever since. I have even taught calligraphy classes but doing so was a bit frustrating because most of the students came expecting to be able to address wedding invitations after a two hour class.
In all the classes I have taught, I have noted that my best 'natural' calligraphers were male. In fact most of the best instructors are men.
Still, I love doing it and sharing an art that seems to be dying out.
Below are some samples of what you will find on http://www.sssstudio.etsy.com

The calligraphy is a print of my original. In the Serenity Prayer, I hand illuminated the print with watercolor. In the two smaller prints, I have added hearts cut from an antique quilt and hand sewn the edges. I encourage special orders: Quotes, colors, mat colors, etc.

Take a look, and as always, comment deeply appreciated. http://www.sssstudio.etsy.com

Button, Button; Who has the Button?

A hundred years ago, my mother played this button game, with her 5 sisters, as a small child.
I think I must have loved buttons ever since my mother taught me this game.
I love going to estate saless, yard sales and thrift stores where I have found and added many buttons to my collection.

I keep a lot of my buttons in jars, seperated by color. Of course the white Mother-of-Pearl buttons go in al old milk bottle.

Buttons are so versitle and can be used in all kinds of crafts as well as handy to have when your favorite blouse loses a button.

At my grandaughter's ninth birthday, the girls made button rings, (from my stash of buttons of course.)

I have many buttons on their original cards...too cute to remove the buttons. I keep some of those in a big jar also. I do have buttons, carded buttons, and crafts with buttons in my etsy shop: http://www.allthingshomey.etsy.com

AND THE WINNER IS....

And the winner of the Handmade Zipper Flower is RHONDA KOEBEL

As you can see by the photo above of my grandaughter Elise, the drawing was completely random! Rhonda if you will email (ssswift@juno.com) me your snail mail address, I will put the Zipper Flower in the mail straight away.

NOTE: My sister Etsy shop is currently having a summer sale of 20% OFF. Check it out at: http://www,treasures4ewe.etsy.com