SUFFOLK SHEEP GIFT TAGS and A WINNER!

First of all, the winner of an Angel Wing Baker's Towel is, Sandi@The Primitive Skate.    I'll be emailing you, Sandi!  

So that it would be completely fair, I asked my husband to pick a number, and he picked yours!  So I'll be sending a towel and tag off to you before the end of the week. After he named Sandi's "number" in the comment list, I went to look at her blog.  It seems that the angel towel is going to a real angel herself - Sandy works in an Alzheimers/Dementia Unit at a nursing home.  It takes a very kind and caring person to do the work you do, Sandi.  Congratulations!  Thank you to everyone for entering the giveaway.

ORIGINAL ART - SUFFOLK SHEEP TAGS

When the colder weather sets in, we turn to projects indoors.  The garden has been cleaned out, pots and patio furniture prepared for the snow and winds that are soon to come, and we settle in to work on other things. For me, that means sewing, painting, and drawing.  

The project I'm working on now is a set of soft sheep drawings - just small drawings that I want to fit into large matting and frames.  I have just finished the first drawing - a Suffolk sheep.  So tonight I designed some gift tags with that drawing and put the PDF into my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.  

The PDF can be downloaded and printed to make as many gift tags as you like.  There are 4 tags per sheet - 2 of each style.  

Next up?   White Welsh Mountain Sheep . . .

WIN! Angel Wing Baker's Towel GIVEAWAY!

Just a short post to encourage you to 

LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A TOWEL!
(DON'T FORGET!  YOU MUST LEAVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN NOTIFY YOU IF YOU WIN! EMAIL ME IF YOU STILL NEED TO LEAVE THAT INFORMATION!)

(Drawing will take place TONIGHT at 6 p.m.)

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

(19" x 29", 100% cotton)

Use it to do the dishes, as intended, or as packaging for a hostess gift.

And all you have to do is leave a comment to enter.  

The towel is packaged and ready to ship on Wednesday with angel tag tucked in too!

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

Before you start reading . . . please note:
LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A TOWEL!
(Drawing will take place Tuesday, October 30th, 6 p.m.)

ANGEL WING BAKER'S TOWEL

What do you do when you can't sleep?

Sometimes, when my mind won't sit still, I just get up and walk down to my sewing room to see what inspires me.  That's what happened last night and when I walked into the room, the first thing I saw was an angel wing stencil I had recently purchased.  So I got to work.

And the next thing I knew, a new listing was born in Gillyflower Cottage.

  

INTRODUCING:

The Angel Wing Bakery Towel

11:48 pm

29 inches long

weighing in at less than a pound

Take a look!

 There's a strip of a heavy black and cream print along the bottom of the towel.

 Boulangerie - the french word for bakery - along the bottom of the towel.

 And a set a of angel wings centered above.

I put a handy little loop of matching fabric on the back.

Wrapped around a bottle of wine and tied with twine or ribbon and one of my angel tags, this would make a nice hostess gift for your holiday party season - an angel tag will be tucked in with each towel order.  Buy a single towel or, for a better deal, a set of two.

Sharing on:
Saturday Night Special
and
Petite Hermine
and
Made By You Monday

THOUGHTFULNESS

Usually my days just go by in a string of easy, enjoyable, creatively filled hours.  But, as with everyone, sometimes you have a couple days where things aren't so easy and enjoyable.  I guess it takes days like that to make you fully appreciate the simple days.

For a "simple" day, nothing beats a morning of looking at some pretty shops, and lunch in a charming little retro diner with a friend of almost 30 years . . .

 . . . who greets you a little pack of assorted teas, a beautifully decorated cookie from the bakery, and a hug.

There is just nothing like a simple, uncomplicated day.

DOWNLOAD ANGEL PDFs AND MAKE YOUR OWN TAGS!

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.  You can now order the PDF to download, print, and make your own Angel Gift Tags.  Last winter I did some drawings of angel statues.  These tags are made with those drawings.  All you need to do is print, cut them out, punch a hole for the tag string, and you're done!

After printing the tags and adding a tie of burlap fiber or string, you can add a little glimmer with some Diamond Dust glass glitter or use them as is.  Or, gather them up in a neat little bundle tied off with some baker's twine and a pretty seal.  

 You can make BATCHES of them for some very inexpensive hostess gifts. Fill up some gift bags NOW with a bundle or two of angel tags and a sweet smelling Christmas votive, and you'll have some useful (and inexpensive) little gifts all ready to go!

A SALE AT GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE

Just a quick post to let you know that there are a lot of new items in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.   To kick off the Christmas shopping season, for one week (October 18-24), you may enter the coupon code 

SHOPGILLY

during the checkout process and receive 10% off your entire order!  If you are not familiar with coupon codes you can read about how to use it by going to Etsy's help page.  The 10% discount includes any custom orders taken during the sale week (i.e. table runners in different lengths than those given, or tags with alternate script)- so send me a note for your custom order idea through the contact email given at the shop if you'd like to take advantage of the sale.

Stop into Gillyflower Cottage to see multiple views and close-ups of each item.  

ANGEL TAGS FOR CHRISTMAS

It's that time of year when I start thinking about Chrismas.  Mid-October, with crisp mornings and some dark, ominous looking skies.  Christmas shopping, getting the tree, sending Christmas cards, and wrapping your gifts!  

Well, I was looking through some of my angel drawings from last winter, and decided to make some vintage looking gift tags using my own drawings to tie on gifts this year.  These were drawings I did with various angel statues for inspiration.

Then I thought, as long as I'm printing these out I should also print some sets of tags for my etsy shop.  So here's a little preview of what was added to Gillyflower Cottage.   

A serene angel tag bearing the word "Noel".

A small angel who appears to be looking down on the manger scene with script proclaiming the excitement of that first Christmas morning.

Another elegant angel with the symbolic star in her hair.

Large Hare gift tags (3 1/2 x 8 inches).  The design on this tag is not my own drawing -  this graphic comes from an antique dictionary page and would work for any occasion from Easter to a baby gift.

Neatly bundled and ready to make someone's packages extra special.

If you're looking for Santa Claus and snowmen on your gift tags, this is not the place.  But if you're looking for quiet and serene gift tags that speak to the beauty of the true meaning of Christmas, you should stop by Etsy and check them out!

DOOR COUNTY LUMBAR PILLOW

Door County is one of our favorite spots to go in the summertime.  If you're not from Wisconsin or the Midwest, you may not be familiar with it.  It's a charming and quaint area filled with B&B's, restaurants, shops and cherry orchards.

We are especially fond of Door County because we spent our honeymoon there 23 years ago, and we continue to drive the 3 hours north every June to celebrate our day every year.  

I know a lot of people love this spot as much as we do.  So, I decided to make one of my "Name Your City/Burlap Lumbar Pillows" with the name of this great place on the front.  I went to the fabric store looking for a sturdy, colorful, and happy print - with one more qualification. 

It had to have cherries in the print!

So here's what I found.  I love it and I know I'll have to make one for myself as a reminder of our yearly trips to Door County.

The words "Door County" are printed with fabric ink, heat-set, then sewn onto a strip of the cherry print.  This lumbar pillow measures 12" x 16, which is a bit shorter than my Name-Your-City Lumbar Pillow.

 

The back of the pillow is made of the same cherry print and has an envelope closure.  I hand felted a Golden Rainier Cherry "button-ball" to hold the pillow casing closed.  I think that might be my favorite part of the pillow!  

The pillow looks pretty on the front AND the back!

So now I'm thinking, what other destinations have we enjoyed that I could print on a pillow like this? Fish Creek (in Door County)?  Sanibel Island?  McKinney?  The Whistling Swan (our honeymoon B&B)?  White Gull Inn (our new favorite)?  Suggestions?  I think the especially beautiful colors this fall have inspired me to sew more than ever!

Check out my new pillow at Gillyflower Cottage.

  

FLOWERS, MORE FLOWERS, AND A TUTU

This post is all about some new paintings in my Etsy shop, 

Gillyflower Cottage.  

That's it!  Just photos!

Poppies - 24" x 36"

Purple and Chartreuse Tulips - 24" by 36"

Pink Tutu - 30" x 40"

BIRDS AND THE BEES . . . AND A FEW SHEEP

If you have a "make it" blog, or even if you just like to make things, then you understand how I'm feeling.  I kind of feel like this every day, actually, but sometimes you get specific creative urges.

You just want to use your hands to make something.

Sometimes you have the urge to sew.

Sometimes you feel prompted to paint - and that's the way I feel.  It's windy, sunny, and pretty chilly today.  A good day to stay inside, light a couple great smelling candles, make a fresh pot of coffee, and use that bright sunshine coming in the window to work on a painting project.  

I have a couple of great photos of some sheep that I've been saving for a day like today . . .

Aren't they awesome?

So it's time to get out my supplies!

Also, for the "birds and the bees" part - I have a few new paintings in my Etsy shop to share today.  

A Green Honey Creeper

 A couple bees . . .

 . . . and a Nuthatch.  They were part of a little painting challenge I took part in a while ago.

Thanks for stopping!