September 29 - Little Owl bean bags

My latest batch of owl bean bags are filled with poly-pellets and ready for finishing.

September 28 - The first of my "fresh fish"

Here is the first "fresh fish" pillow I finished for my sister, Marybeth.  I am making a set of them for her lake house and this is the smallest - he is about 2 feet in length.  I found this cute pattern online and love  this artist's (Mimi Kirchner) dolls - http://www.etsy.com/listing/40972469/fresh-fish-pillow-pattern-pdf .  I used her pattern as the base and made my own pattern for the fins and tail for this one.  I am waiting for some additional wool that I ordered online to start on my next fish pillow.  This one is done in corduroy, wool, and fleece with some wool felt and buttons for the eyes.

September 27 - Fabric Shopping

I went shopping today and purchased some wool and fleece for a project.  I am making a birthday and "thank you for our visit to CA" present for my sister MB.  I am sewing a surprise gift for her lake house.

 

September 26 - Welcome Home Matt!

Matt flew back today from a visit in Pennsylvania.  He requested one of his favorite meals for dinner this evening - penne pasta with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes, basil, black olives, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  It is topped with crumbled feta cheese.  We enjoyed the meal and having Matt home again with us!

September 25 - Owls..pieces and parts

I have stitched up 11 little bean bag owls to replenish my Etsy stock after I sold 9 of them.  Here are some shots of the little stack of "owl parts" that are waiting to be stuffed and sewn.

September 24 - Sock Monkey

I finished another sock monkey today using my stash of Target socks.  These socks were a pink and grey  stripe with a bright, bright orange toe and heel.  I used a lavender felt for his eyes and heart.  Here is how he turned out.

September 23 - Product Photography

I made a light box for product photos out of a cardboard box and tissue paper following instructions I found online.  I used this and a couple of lamps fitted with natural daylight bulbs to take product shots today for my Etsy listings.  Here is a collection of the chicken/hen beanbag shots I took.  The light box should enable me to take photos inside at night with better results.

September 22 - My Etsy shop has listings!

I finished most of the photography today for my Etsy listings and completed posting the listings I had ready.  My shop is open for business and I made my first sale this evening - 2 penguin bean bags, and a set of 6 rainbow colored beanbags.  I am pleased!

September 21 - More Etsy listing shots

I didn't realize how long it would take be to get 5 photographs for each item I plan to list in my Etsy shop.  I'm still working on it and hope to get my listings up before the end of the day tomorrow.

September 20 - Another Owl shot

I spent time again today getting shots for listing on Etsy.

September 19 - Little Owls

I spent time today photographing my crafts for posting on Etsy.  Here are some of the owl shots.

September 18 - Back home in Charlotte

We arrived back in Charlotte this evening.  Although we had a great time in California, it is always good to be home!

September 17 - Back to La Canada Flintridge

We drove back from Lake Arrowhead this morning.  Dan and I spent a lazy day by the pool.  I took some shots of the beautiful roses and fruit that are abundant in their yard.  All of MB's boys joined us for a great dinner that Ray cooked on our last evening in California.  What a wonderful visit we had!

September 16 - More relaxing at Lake Arrowhead

I took some pictures on the main level deck today.  Emma was enjoying the day and I captured a shot that shows the enormous size of this wonderful deck - it is huge!

September 15 - I caught some fish!

Bjarne and I spent some time today fishing off of the dock at Marybeth's.  Bjarne showed me how to cast and gave me some pointers - I haven't fished since I was a child.  I caught 2 fish and Bjarne caught 5.  My catch included the biggest and the smallest fish.  Bjarne was so sweet and netted my catches for me so I didn't actually have to touch a fish.  Ray, MB's husband, cooked them for dinner.  They were delicious!

 

September 14 - Lake Arrowhead

Today we made the trip to Lake Arrowhead to stay in Marybeth's lake house.  It was quite a scenic drive up in the mountains.  What a beautiful place - both the lake and her home there!  Her are some pictures I took from the deck of the main floor.

September 13 - Long Beach Aquarium

Today we took a drive to Long Beach to visit the aquarium.  My favorites were the jellyfish and the sea lions.