Merry Christmas to All... and to All

Peace, sanity, strength and the discipline to pray regularly.  I haven't had that discipline,....and it was not by my faith that my mom survived an aneurysm, crainiotomy and all the brutality that comes along with such an event.  She is a very young 70 and seems relatively unchanged in personality.  What??  The stories I have heard about these things are beyond imagination.  We've been so very blessed that it has brought me to my knees.  To my knees.  

My sister is 5 years clear now of a devastating breast cancer, and my husband has his vision despite detached retinas in both eyes.  These are my Christmas gifts.  My children are beyond well, my nephew is to become a father shortly.

This next year I will spend significant time on my knees.

I wish you all the very happiest and peaceful of holidays, and may the promise of the Christ Child keep you where you need to be.

~Lis

Bags, Bags and More Bags!

I mentioned in my last post that I was constructing market bags to use as gifts for my peeps, and so I've made about 16 of these.  I scanned some illustrations from an old La Fontaine book of fables, I purchased some images from graphics sellers, one of them was a rubber stamp I scanned and blew up.  Using t-shirt transfer paper, and an assortment of fabrics from ye olde stash, it was not an expensive project.  The transfer paper was the pricey element, but Michael's and JoAnne's coupons defrayed the cost considerably. 

That interesting rubber stamp, I think it is from a Tim Holz collection.

This peach bag was the back and front of a linen blouse!

I used different scraps for linings, old pillow tickings, this one has a sweet 1930's textile.

I was pretty amazed with the detail that the transfer paper picked up.

I don't intend to make a career out of market bags, but it was a great way to use up some osnaburg and other cottons that I had piling up. The adhesive from the transfer paper made a darker area but because I used such detailed images, no way was I trimming all that excess off. I would like to try silk screening at some point and see if the same detail is possible. Once the fabric was cut and the transfer applied, I could sew one up in about 20 minutes, seriously.



Credit is due and most gratefully given to  oldgreymare for her basic bag construction tutorial. I roughly duplicated her measurements and flew through these.



I intend to use them instead of gift wrap wherever possible. So there you go!

Just a Preview Now...

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday.  I could live off what I ate for days and days..:( We went to the folks house at Cave Rock, Nevada....I got one barely focused picture flying down the road on the way.  We've had days of snow since, but it is always lovely, no matter.

Yes I've been busy since, and here are some pics to give you just a little peek at what I am getting ready to list.

Yum?  Just maybe?  I am pretty pleased with this latest work.  I've been really focused on design and feeling my form, no matter how random I wish to be, my style is historically inspired by Victorians, Edwardians, Georgians, Flappers and Fiends. Pirates, Poets, Prayer and the Past.........So there you are, I am off to list while it is quiet and peaceful.  If you have a  moment I'd love it if you stopped by my ArtFire studio, only because you can see the rest of the pictures and it saves me just a bit of time.  I am still in the process of sewing vast numbers of market bags to use for Christmas gifts that I'll share with you next time.  On with the Holidays!

~Lis

Checking in and Out

One of the first pieces I sold on Etsy.....



I imagine everyone is sick to death of these sort of posts, I'd like to put them all to bed myself, but I just needed to get this out and be done with it.  I have officially closed, not just deactivated but closed both Etsy shops.  I don't want to belabor all the issues so please let it suffice to say that I am simply not pleased with the direction the site is taking.  I don't want to ugly up my blog with all the issues.  Anyone can be successful without Etsy and the associated headaches and heartaches....just watch. 

I still have a buyer account and will continue at times to purchase from artisans that I adore, I am not about boycotting the little guy or punishing people who choose to stay.  And don't misunderstand, it's been a very sad journey for me.

You can still find me easily on  ArtFire and I'm in the process of opening two more studios there!  One of the new ones in the works is for my husband, serious guy stuff for the Western Americana collector, and the last one, CobwebPalaceStudio, will be an extension of my original handmade studio.  I've recently updated Bonjourmadame with a nice selection of vintage, and CobwebPalace with new old redux luxe.... There are other plans and projects in the works to talk about later.....

So there you go, you know where to find me, and I only want to conclude with the fact that I feel hugely relieved and can turn back now to what I do with focus and joy.

Blessings,
Lis~

Christmas Ideas....

For ME!  or you.  Or anyone!  I put together a collection on Artfire, something I have no experience with, and I thought it was fairly cool and loaded with practical gift ideas.  I haven't received much response.  Do check it out if you have a moment, please? 

Practical Matters

Curated By: cobwebpalace

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

I've been building grocery totes with salvaged materials to use for Christmas wrap of late, and putting Victorian graphics on them, getting disgusted with the whole project.  I much prefer the look of silk screening and though I've been using nice quality transfer paper, it's just not the same.

I've put a few pieces in my ArtFire vintage studio lately and am off to list a bit more, before battening down hatches for our first snow storm.  Thanks for stopping by!
Lis~

New Old Things, Ready for Market!

Here are some pictures of what I've been working on....as soon as I am finished with this post, I am off to put them up in  my ArtFire Studio. 

Thanks for stopping by!

New Neighbors for Cobweb Palace?

And so it has been nearly a month since I was here.  There have been some incredible shifts in altitude thus my nutshell description for that is all I can offer;  Candy Dance Arts and Crafts festival as well as online sales have depleted my handmade inventory, we mourned the passing of my uncle, we got married, I hosted an intimate two day art workshop for two wonderful ladies, I will pause and take a breath here.... 

and so for the last few days I've been back to work in the studio, feeling very grounded, productive and pleased with my progress....next post for some of that....Needing a breath of fresh air, I looked outside my door to the east and noticed with much puzzlement, a lovely antique cast iron panel had been installed just this side of the curly willow tree.  The ivy had caught and was beginning to twine around the base.  I gasped, it's so incredibly lovely, the shapes and forms, the rich unfakeable patina, breathtaking and inspirational!

Then something caught my eye and seemed just a bit odd and so I looked further.  No, I am imagining things, it's been a whirlwind here of late.  *blinks hard several times*

Seriously, can you see it???  At the base of my curly willow tree?  Just there through the iron fence panel?

HOMESTEADERS!  I can't believe it!  Turn your back for just a moment and see what happens? 

 

Well, those old iron hinges are very lovely, and the door is framed by golden moss on one of my very favorite trees.  It's a good, happy tree.

Gosh, I suppose I don't mind so much as long as they're behaved and don't make mischief in my studio.

 

I wonder who they are??

 

Yes, I think it will be nice having new neighbors, and I hope their house is as full of flowers as mine. 

 

 I will leave them some tomorrow....