Sophie the Pearl

IF: HORIZON

Snowflakes and Kaleidoscopes

When visiting Catherine's site, Happy Day, I followed her link to a snowflake-maker, and played as long as I dared to (with so many things on my To Do list!) It reminded me of the the "Kaleido-Toy" that I've spent waaaaay to much time playing with in the past, and going there, I found it's from the same source, zefrank! I haven't had time to explore this site more, but it looks absolutely fascinating!

I captured my snowflakes using  the "Grab" feature that came with my Mac, but I'm sure PCs have some kind of screen-capture device that will do the same thing. I altered the snowflakes in Photoshop, just because I love to play in Photoshop even more. If you have any free time, what with all the decorating, shopping, baking and wrapping, try them yourself! Loads of fun! And addictive!

 

More altered snowflakes:

Another Etsy Favorite!

GEORGIA PEACHEZ!

This is a lovely felted Christmas stocking with vintage embellishments made by Suzy  Spence and sold in her Etsy shop Georgia Peachez. I love her style! She makes absolutely gorgeous lap top totes as well, and they make me wish I had a lap top to put in one of them! Alas, I am a Mac Addict, and I cannot possibly afford an iBook. She and I are obviously fabric addicts, and I'll bet her stash is a least as large as mine.

Here are a couple of my favorite items from her shop:

A delicious bag:

And my favorite lap top tote...

There is plenty of time to hop over to her shop and choose a delightful holiday gift for someone on your list. She even has a laptop tote that a man would like!

MY ETSY SHOP IS OPEN!

I've posted my first 2 stuffies on my Etsy shop, Sophie The Pearl, and it feels good to finally have things up and running. I have several cut out and ready to be assembled, and I also have some different designs that I look forward to seeing in person!

These are all one-of-a-kind -- I try to make sure I don't repeat myself!

I know there isn't much time before Christmas, but I know lots of people who put off their shopping until the season is more "present". I'm one of them!

Here's a picture of one of my stuffies. Hope you like them!

IF: BACKWARD

Beautiful Birdhouses

This is a gorgeous birdhouse pendant designed by Catherine Witherell, and being sold in her Etsy shop, Happy Day! Art Jewelry. She uses Precious Metal Clay (PMC) to sculpt one-of-a-kind components, and has an almost ethereal talent for combining them with semi-precious stones to make some of the most delicious and unique jewelry I've seen in a while. I just want to make myself as tiny as I can and peak into the little bird houses to see if the wee silver bird has laid wee eggs!

When I see her pieces, I'm living vicariously through her work, because I've been drooling to get my hands on Precious Metal Clay ever since I first heard about it! I took some silversmithing classes when I was much younger, and really loved it, and PMC is just the next step in encouraging creativity in that medium. Maybe some day...

I only wish I were in the middle of the Graphic Design Job I Know Is Coming To Me so that I could order one of her pendants -- but at least I have one on my To Buy List for when that ship comes in!

Meanwhile, I've been busy working toward opening my own etsy shop, Sophie the Pearl.  I'm still finalizing shipping details, taking photos and  dozens of other essential matters, but I'm hoping that NO LATER THAN MONDAY — and MAYBE SOONER, my Heart Stuffies will be ready to go! Only 2 are finished at this moment, but more are ready to be assembled. Here's a sneak peak:

I'm sorry the photo is blurry — I'll be taking more photos tomorrow, and hopefully the light will be better. I might have to bounce some artificial light off a large sheet of drawing paper to get it right, and I'll be sure to use a tri-pod, which I'm sure will help matters a lot.

As soon as the Stuffies are up, I'll post an announcement here, and I'm hoping to persuade some fellow bloggers to pass the word on their sites, too. I must work diligently to make more "stuffies" this weekend. I have a two or three different designs, and each one will be one-of-a-kind. Some will have embroidered initials.  Some will be small and three-to-a-set. They'll all be hearts, and they will all be stuffed. And they'll all have as much positive energy stitched into them that I can provide. If things go well, I will have a Blog Giveaway closer to Christmas, but I'll have to play that trumpet by ear.

Cheers!