sharing a little bit personal..

For the past couple weeks we have noticed Lola's health seeming to deteriorate a little bit. She will be 11 on St Patricks Day, so she isn't a spring chicken anymore. But some days she has lots of pip in her, and other days she seems to sleep the day away.

We have joked that she is just a cranky old lady now. This past Monday we saw a decline in her eating habits. We also felt a small bump in her tummy (not on the outside, but inside  like in her belly) Neither of us wanted to think what that could be or mean. I know we both just wanted to pretend neither of us knew about it.

Wednesday morning (like 2am) I noticed her breathing was forced and she sounded like she was wincing with every breath. I hardly slept and petted her throughout the entire night into the early am hours. Instead of driving into work, I stayed home to work and called the vet as soon as they opened. We were able to get in at 9am and off we went.

I got there and started listing off all her ailments we had been noticing, the main concern being her lack of appetite and that bump we had felt over the weekend. From the weekend to Wednesday morning that bump had gone from a small hard bump maybe the size of a quarter to this massive cyst that is like the size of a plum? 

She was carted off for xrays and when he cam back with her..I knew it wasn't good. My vet is awesome. Completely and totally awesome. I love them there. He started off by saying "Honey, I'm really sorry. This completely sucks" He put up the xray and in the middle of her lungs was a large mass. He also then has found a bunch of swelling lymph nodes all over her body. Under her chin, the socket of her shoulder, her neck, her back leg, and then the ones in her belly. There were now two in her belly. Not just the one that had rapidly grown, but now also a small one on the other side as well.

You may be reading this and think, "oh my god! How did they not see this or not know!?" Here is the thing with Lola. 1. she has crazy hair! Her hair sticks out in every direction you can imagine. So its not the same as seeing a lump on a smoothed hair dog where you can see everything. Even when he had me feel some of them - you still can't visually see them on her, except now the one on her tummy. But again..her hair even covers that up with her "skirt". So unless you make her stand up, you wouldn't ever see it. 2. There are certain places she has always hated being touched - anywhere on her face and her belly. She's never liked either being touched or petted. She's a quirky pup =)

So, what does this all mean? This means I was just told that my baby has lymphoma. What this means..is this purely sucks. 

Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers seen in dogs.  Although there are breeds that appear 

to be at increased risk for this disease, lymphoma can affect any dog of any breed at any age. It 

accounts for 10-20% of all cancers in dogs.

Lymphoma (lymphosarcoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) is a malignant cancer that involves the 

lymphoid system. In a healthy dog, the lymphoid system is an important part of the body's immune 

system defense against infectious agents such as viruses and bacteria. Lymphoid tissue normally is 

found in many different parts of the body including lymph nodes, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract 

and skin. Lymphosarcoma is classified according to the location in the body in which the cancer begins

We have decided to not force her into chemo treatments and being poked and prodded every other day or week. Instead they put her on prednisone. She will remain on that for the rest of her life and she will be seen back in two weeks to see if the steroid has shrunk any of her lymph nodes at all. They have said that they have seen some good results just being on the steroid, it will give her back her appetite and make her feel more comfortable. I love my baby so much and can't imagine my life without her. We've had her since she was eight weeks old. The thought of loosing her is torture. But for now all we can do is hope that this treatment works and gives her at least another year with us. We can only hope. 

I went back and forth if I was going to share this news or not. But she is my furry child, some of you know her personally and know how much of a sweetheart she is. With her being this big in my life, and owning this much of my heart. How could I not share it? So...yeah, that's all I have to say. A bit of me died when I heard those words come out of his mouth. The tears formed and welled up so quickly. I just stood there speechless. My baby.... here's to you sweetheart and the time we have remaining.

wiw vol 10 - Red Lights

Red Lights

2012 - R - 1 hour 53 minutes

Streaming Netflix

Storyline

The skeptical psychologist Dr. Margaret Matheson and her assistant, the physicist, Tom Buckley, are specialists in disclosing fraudulent paranormal phenomena. When the famous psychic Simon Silver reappears to his public after many years of absence, Tom becomes obsessed to investigate whether Silver is a fraud or not.

Red lights is the term that is used for anomalies that flag up signs that something is wrong. Signourney Weaver plays Dr. Margaret Matheson who is a professor and psychologist working at an unnamed university with a physicist, Tom Buckley played by Cillian Murphy. They travel around the country to debunk the afterlife and psychic abilities, while also teaching their students about all the tricks that have been used to fool believers. Simon Silver, played by Robert DeNiro, comes out of retirement as the world's most respected psychic healer and returns back making appearances in sold out arenas. 

Tom becomes absolutely obsessed with wanting to "debunk" Silver while Dr Matheson wants to stay away from the case as she had dealings with Silver back in the 70's. 

The movie got pretty poor reviews when it was released. I liked it and thought it was worth watching. But I also love the paranormal, skeptics, and movies with twists and have you thinking throughout the whole movie.

I think some people are strange about admitting their feelings and if they believe in the afterlife. I am not a religious person, so my belief in ghosts is not connected with a religion or thought that there are white pearly gates somewhere. But my belief is that the spirits of living creatures are around us and are energies that some people are more sensitive to see.

My husband thinks I'm a total weirdo for believing in ghosts. But I don't care. I have had too many experiences to not believe there is something more than a human living within skins, they live in spirit too. You can all roll your eyes and jump on the "Trisha's a weirdo bus" I'm fine with that. 

Very soon I will be having a special feature that I've been working on. I have been putting together some bloggers (who also believe!) and have also had personal experiences that we'd all like to share with you all. We will all be posting up some of our personal ghost stories. So get ready. Start a campfire, roast some marshmallows and pull up a log to sit on. Its going to get pretty scary around these parts!

Do you believe? Do you have any real life encounters and have a blog? If you do and want to take part email me at veranellies {at} gmail {dot} com and we'll get this ghost story circle larger! Don't be a party pooper, be a good sport and even if you don't believe. Don't be mean and call us names for believing in something else out there. Got it!? Good!  

Currently -

I know..tasty tuesdays is supposed to be up today. Believe me, no one is more upset than my mister who late Sunday said "Wait! You didn't bake today. It's still early - better get on it" (It was already 7pm)

The weekend kind of got away from me.  I ended up having to work OT on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a market day (not really anything exciting this weekend - we had to be a bit frugal so it was primarily meat and a few veggies, and eggs of course) Then we headed out and I got a new computer. It's so exciting but taking some getting used to. 

It doesn't have a cd rom drive so I almost had a panic attack when I thought I wasn't going to be able to put on my Adobe programs. Lots of downloads (and hours) later I was all set. According to Adobe they wanted me to buy another upgrade so that I could download their newest version. But my version is just fine for what I use. I think it's crap that they tried to pull that. I mean my god, I spent over $500 the last time (and that was JUST the upgrade, we already had programs prior to that)I'm sorry but the downloads should be made available for us. I have my serial numbers and proof of purchase etc. But whatever, I found a website that had all the links to the actual Adobe servers to get the downloads. And like I said..a few hours later, I have all my programs on my computer.

My computer is pretty neat. Windows 8 is on it. Do you have Windows 8? It's pretty neat on this computer because the screen is also a touch screen. But enough on a silly piece of machinery.. onto my "currently.."

Thinking about: my pretty craptastic day at work and that I don't want another repeat, but know I'm in for one...if not many over the next few weeks. (way to think positive huh?!)

Watching: We just finished watching the season of Coal. It was a reality show on coal miners in West Virginia. It was on a few years ago on Spike tv. Of course we are watching it on streaming Netflix, but maybe you could find reruns on tv? I was really excited about it because I work in the insurance industry and one of my clients is a large coal company. Watching the show actually gave me so much better understanding of the conditions these men work in. I can not even imagine working in those types of conditions. I have a lot of respect for someone that can go underground and work 10-12 hours a day in such dangerous conditions.

Reading: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. I just started it and really like it so far.  Have you read any of her books? I really wanted to get "Stiff" but my local library only had this one about space travel. 

Listening: the humming of my new computer and the mister packing up a box in the other room.

Making: Miniature soaps. Yes, within the next month I will be offering sample sized soaps. I will be selling them in sample packs as well as large quantities for things like baby showers / bridal showers / weddings etc. I'm really excited about this and hope you all are too! More details to come soon.

Anticipating: Relaxing later tonight and doing absolutely nothing but watching a movie and eating popcorn and candy. 

Planning: A giveaway! Once I hit either 100 GFC readers or 100 Etsy sales I will be having a little giveaway for you guys. I'm at 91 on both. Which will make it to 100 first?! Either one to the triple digits will be a mini celebration, so a give-away is definitely in order.

Making me happy: this time of night when all the girls are tuckered out from the day and relaxing. well for the most part..until you say "Ella" and she runs over and attacks your face

What are you currently doing?

A little bit of history..

Aren't these amazing? My mom gave them to me. My great-grandmother had made them ages ago. Look at the detail, so teeny-tiny and amazing. Each "grape" is actually a bottle cap. I am so excited to have these, I love knowing that someone else in my family was creative and enjoyed crocheting and crafting. I have blankets and pillows that were made by my grandma too, and one blanket set made by my great-aunt (my gramma's sister). It's sad thinking about it though. Because when they were alive (well not my great-gramma, I never met her) but when both my grammas were alive that they didn't teach me how to knit, crochet and sew. It skipped over my mom (sorry mom, but you know it's true!) and the gene was planted in me. I only got into crafting, sewing, knitting, crocheting within the past 10 years. It would have been such a treat to have a gramma teaching me though.

Who taught you how to sew/knit/crochet? Do you have a gramma (or relative) that took you under her wing and taught you all her techniques? I think for so many of us, when we are young we just want to do our own thing..but when we grow older we realize the missed opportunities, the missed conversations, the missed chances to learn we could have experienced. 

If you are young or old, and still have older generations in your family. Take this time to talk to them about how things were in "their time". Learn about your history. History that, while yes, we can go and search on ancestory dot com. but it's not the same as hearing the personal details that only a person can hold and share.

Buy Handmade vol 48

This week we are in my neck of the woods, just an hour away in Ithaca NY..

Name:
Jan Rhodes Norman 

Age: 
61 (How did that happen!) 

Occupation: 
artist, silkscreen printer, entrepreneur 

Etsy Shop:

Silkoak

Tell us a little about yourself.



I have 6 grown children, 2 new grandbabies, live in Ithaca, NY and I’m a serial entrepreneur!

When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy?

I’ve been creating since I was little but I think the real catalyst was when I began having children. When my oldest child was born, I started learning new techniques and experimenting by making them into children’s clothing. Silkscreen, batik, crochet, handspinning, embroidery…it was so much fun! It was like instant gratification because children’s garments are so small that projects are completed quickly.

I’ve had a website since 1996 and opened my Etsy shop in February, 2009. After seeing how easy my Etsy shop was to maintain, I shut down my old website and just pointed my domain to my Etsy shop. Having had my own website, I have enormous appreciation for the work that Etsy puts into constantly improving and updating the site. It’s fun for customers and very easy for the shop owner to maintain. I have more time to think about making new things!

How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning behind it?

It’s a bit of a play on words. Silk Oak is a type of tree but it’s a nod to the process of silkscreening and the inspiration of nature that drives most of the Silk Oak images

Has your Etsy shop become your full time job?

Silk Oak is my full time job. Between my Etsy shop, booth at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market and my brick & mortar store, Ithacamade, it keeps me busy.

How would you describe your creative process?

When I’m in a groove, I tend to become a bit obsessed.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Anything is fair game. I never know exactly what will inspire me or send me in a new direction. Sometimes, my most creative epiphanies come from completely random sources. For me, it’s crucial not to get too complacent about where I expect to find inspiration. Expect the Unexpected!




Do you also sell your work at craft shows? 

I used to do lots of shows all year round, but as my Etsy and Ithaca Farmers’ Market sales have increased, I have stopped doing most shows.

What shows have you taken part of, and do you have a favorite? 

For years, I religiously did some of the major shows in Central New York, like Clothesline and Corn Hill in Rochester and Plowshares in Syracuse, as well as traveling to NYC and neighboring states. Recently, I’ve been intrigued with the idea of starting to do a few shows again. Renegade and other indie shows like that appeal to me.

How long does it take you to prepare for a show? Do you have any special methods of getting ready?

When I’m in the rhythm of doing shows regularly, my show set up is pretty organized. I run into trouble when I haven’t done one in a while and things get scattered. I’ve had some funny situations where I’ve discovered that I forgot to pack something crucial, like the infrastructure to hang all of my garments! Not so easy to remedy when your 6 hours from home. As a result, I’ve developed fairly comprehensive checklists.

Preparation varies, depending on how big the show is and how far away it is. I find it helps to pace myself and try to start adding a little extra into the workload many weeks ahead, to prevent that last minute scramble.

Describe an experience from a show (good or bad) and why that pushes you to continue with your work 



A number of years ago, I was doing the Holiday Plowshares show in Syracuse, put on by the Syracuse Cultural Workers. They are particularly well known for the Carry It On Peace Calendar, which they have been publishing for decades. Their director saw my shirts and liked the designs. So began a conversation that resulted in the SCW publishing a line of cards with my designs and choosing one of them for the cover of the next year’s calendar! It showed me that you never know when an important connection will be made. I have similar experiences selling at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market.

I think the value of putting yourself in direct contact with your customers has other valuable benefits. There’s nothing like in person feedback from customers to help you fine-tune your product!

What is your most cherished handmade item?


That’s a hard one. I have some amazing hand tatted tablecloths that my Grandmother made. I also have special things made for me by my kids. Sculptures, beadwork, drawings, hand-sewn items…I’d be hard pressed to say which I treasure more- The early attempts at making things or the adult things, crafted with greater skill.

Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?

I love to cook, garden, spend time with friends and family, craft, read, dance…

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?

I might be an herbalist or a chef. I love experimenting with foods and herbs. I also like the feeling of self-sufficiency that one gets from knowing how to make things from scratch.

Five years from now you will be…



Doing more of what I’m doing now! I want to expand my product line into some new areas. Something I’d also like to consider, as the business gets bigger, is the idea of turning Silk Oak into a collective or cooperative.

Describe yourself in five words:



Adventurous, funny, creative, inquisitive, passionate!

Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your <insert whatever type of music player you use here>, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?


LP-

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks- I Feel Like Singin’

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong- They Can’t Take That Away From Me

CD-

Django Reinhardt- Beyond the Sea (La Mer)

Creedance Clearwater- Born on the Bayou

Norah Jones- Sunrise

Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?

Enjoy yourself. Don’t let yourself get so driven to produce that the act of creation ceases to be fun! 

SILK OAK

fff vol 54

Favorite finds from the past week:


Etsy find of the week:

source

This necklace has real "poofs" in it! She has others with flowers and ferns in them. They are so gorgeous. 

Please can I move in?

source

The old against the modern. I honestly don't know which place I like better. I think part of the intrigue is the the differences between the two buildings and how they play off each other. I'd live in either and be content.

Get in my belly:

source

This looks so yummy. Not sure what (if anything) I'll be baking up this weekend. We still have whoopie pies left over from me making them for work on Tuesday night. We shall wee what the weekend brings.

Tee shirt of the week:

source

When I was a little kid, my older sister and I went to stay the weekend with one of my gramma's. I remembered her giving us a mason jar and telling us to go out back and collect fireflies by the stream. I was never an "outdoor" kid. I didn't like getting dirty or touching bugs or mud. I liked to color and draw and keep clean. That being said. I tagged along my sister who was all those things, a tom boy if you will. So she ran around collecting all these glowing orbs. I was so excited because they were so pretty in their jar. We brought them inside and my gramma poked all these teeny holes in the lid. We took the jar in the room and turned the lights out and went to bed. A couple hours later I woke up to a room full of fireflies! They were everywhere, all over the room. Little bursts of light. I screamed at the top of my lungs (anyone that knows me and my voice, knows that I can scream, and scream very loud and high pitched!) I was so afraid of all these little bright orbs. I hid under the covers, then got up the nerve to run out of the room because no way was I going to sleep in a room full of flying, glowing bugs! Never really found out how they got out of their jar. I'm thinking my sister probably got curious and opened the jar. But I guess we will never know.

Weekend...

Tomorrow morning is the farmer's market then I think we may be going to spend some time out in Syracuse. The mister needs a few things to start up his new business. I'll write more about that soon.

Not sure what else is on the agenda. I think I need a new computer but keep pretending I don't. My mouse pad is completely dead. It randomly will stop working and the little "nobby" parts wore off and its completely  smooth. Some of the letters only work when they want. My tab button broke off months ago. Like broke- unfixable broke off. Not just the reclip it back on. It keeps getting super hot and the battery runs down real quick. I wish I had the extra funds to buy one. Not sure what I'm gonna do. Anyone want to donate to the "Trisha's poor and needs a new computer" fund?!

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Wish me luck I still have a working computer by next week!

wiw vol 9 - Holes in my shoes

2006 - NR - 90 minutes

Streaming Netflix

Storyline

94-year-old New Yorker, Jack Beers, has broken the age barrier full force. He can do what most young men can, and his diverse lifetime achievements would take many to accomplish. The film begins with Mayor Bloomberg acknowledging Jack, we see Jack's name on the marquee of Radio City Music Hall, and at 94 he rips a telephone book into 4 pieces with his hands. Jack was raised in poverty in Manhattan, was a strongman, built Radio City Music Hall, at The Manhattan Project he invented something that shortened WW2, erected the Empire State Building spire, was a professional dog trainer, was a film actor in 200+ films, beat terminal illnesses, and today rides 5 miles on a stationary bike. He's "goin' for 100!"

This is a sweet documentary. So many times during the movie I caught myself saying, "Awwwww". There was just something so heart warming and amazing about his story and his passion for life. I was very sad to hear that he has since passed away just before his 99th birthday. But what an inspirational story and life he led. Even if you lived doing only half the things he accomplished you would die a happy accomplished person. He definitely lived life to the fullest.

Go check out the movie. I bet you'll catch yourself saying "awwwwww" at least once!

tasty tuesday vol 7 - Lemon and Strawberry Jam Crumb Bars

These just looked way to good to not make them for my belly this week. So Sunday morning, when my normal baking inspiration kicked in, I got to work. It was a very simple recipe. I did have to add extra jam though. 1/2 cup just didn't cover the entire dish, so it ended up being more like 3/4 cup that I used. 

   

Meyer Lemon & Strawberry Jam Crumb Bars (via Tutti Dolci)

1 2/3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

Zest of 1 Meyer lemon

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Glaze

6 Tbsp powdered sugar, sifted

1-2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1/4 tsp Meyer lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy; add Meyer lemon zest. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just combined; dough will resemble coarse meal. Reserve 1 cup dough for topping; use a sheet of parchment to press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish.

Place jam in a small bowl and microwave briefly (about 10 seconds); whisk to loosen. Use a small spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread jam over dough. Toss remaining dough with 2 teaspoons water to form large crumbs; sprinkle over jam filling. Bake until top is golden, about 23 minutes. Cool completely in baking dish on a rack, then cut into bars with a sharp knife.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, Meyer lemon zest, and juice in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over bars and let set before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Yield – 12 bars (serving size: 1 bar)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The glaze came out tasting like super sweet lemonade. It was so awesome! I don't usually make cookies or bars (other than chocolate chip- or special cookies at Christmas time) but I may start after tasting these! So yummy and really easy to make.

The Hive - Dog Soaps!!

Another new and exciting announcement is the addition of two different dog soaps. It's something I've been wanting to add for quite a while now. My scottie, Lola, has major skin issues and has baths quite often. I thought it would be weird using a bar soap on her, but it was just the opposite, it was actually super easy and better because you could get her super sudsy just rubbing it all over her. 

The first bar is lavender and tea tree: 

Lavender essential oil helps sooth minor skin irritations and itchiness. It is also a natural insect repellent and tick deterrent. 

Tea tree essential oil helps to fight fungal infections, is a natural antiseptic and insect repellent.

The second soap is straight peppermint.

Peppermint essential oil is an antispamodic, helps to stimulate circulation, and has insect repelling properties. It also has cooling properties to help combat skin irritations. Peppermint is also said to be good for arthritis, dysplasia, sprains and strains.

I am so excited to now have these finally cured and in the shop. I plan on adding a few more different soaps as well. I'd like to get at least 2 more, I already know the combinations I'll be making. I did bunches of research as to what is best for dogs for different skin conditions and also insect repellents.

I had fun coming up with the labels too. I wanted them to be different then my normal soaps. While, obviously, humans can use these soaps too. I wanted to set them apart to be specifically for our four legged furries. 

What do you think?

Buy Handmade vol 47

This week we head to Moscow

Name: Olga

Age: 31

Occupation: Softie maker, recycler

Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/wassupbrothers

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Olga Zamyatina and I am owl addicted softie maker based in Moscow, Russia with my beloved husband Igor a photographer, who always supports me and make beautiful photos of my creations for my shop, Wassupbrothers.

When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy?

From early childhood I loved to do something with my hands. Thanks to my family, who always supports me in my beginnings. I even wanted to go to study furniture making and wood carving after high school , but they have not took girls to study there.

I never can understand when someone says that he is bored, because he does not know what to do in spare time. I think so many opportunities around, and the hands of people it is a multifaceted and versatile tool that can do miracles with the simple things.

Over the past 10 years I tried to find myself in different kinds of arts and crafts : illustration, fine arts, fashion.

It was a long journey. Since 1998 I studied in 3 different universities and jumped from one subject to another. At first I studied traditional Russian embroidery, which I really love and respect, then I pulled on the architecture and design of interiors, then I realized that I'm more interested in fashion design.

And in the end of studying fashion design in the course of many years, I was with a question in my head - why all this ? Trends, Brands, Names, fashionable or not fashionable. Why is this so important? For me wasn’t anymore. 

Later after going up and down I've been stuck on the art soft toys. They gave me the opportunity to use all the skills and creativity that I have accumulated ,and bring me much joy and pleasure. I make them for not long time, and decide to come out with them seriously in the beginning of 2012.

When I made my first owl, I did not think it's serious and now I can't imagine that once there was a time when I did not create my soft little friends. 

I opened my Etsy shop in august 2010 with no idea what I gonna do about it, and later I came back in December 2011 and start making my first creatures. I was invisible and just started to do what I'm doing.

How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning behind it?

I dont know when and why ''Wassupbrothers'' stuck on me years ago, but I like to say its because I make brothers and sisters for brothers and sisters. 

Has your Etsy shop become your full time job? If not, would you like it to be?

Yes, my softie business is what I'm doing everyday and almost every night for the last year. Sometimes, when I dont have sales for some times and business going down I start thinking about taking day job again, but lately with my husband support I stay focused in what I'm doing , and working harder on my sewing , and everything just get better lately.

How would you describe your creative process?

Basically I do my softies without patterns, just taking the pieces of cloth and watch how one of them out. Mostly i use natural fabric and fibers. If I am not satisfied with the fabric tingle, I dye it with natural dyes like tea, coffee, cinnamon and others. I try re-purpose  recycle, reuse different materials as often as possible. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everything beside loud music and phone calls . I love silence or relaxing background music. All i need just my fabrics, scraps and buttons. 

My inspiration come from the nature, pieces of fabrics, strange colors combinations, my husband morning hairs mess, our wonderful funny dogs.I never know what i will see in the end, that’s why I do not use patterns mostly.

It's a magic to see, how tiny pieces of fabric, vintage buttons, old dresses or embroidered table runner turn to a soulful creations.

What is your most cherished handmade item?

From the latest - is the greeting card with the owls from my little nephew) and ceramic tea pot made by my other nephew. This teapot is unperfect, not so useful but so sweet)

Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?

Spend time with my family, take a walk with dogs, read, take photos , watch films with my husband. I dont have much free time last year, so we have longest list of the films we want to watch together.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?

In childhood I wanted to be a veterinarian and always was interested in biology and botany. Maybe I would be on this way, maybe not. I think whatever you do in life you can make it in artistic way.Who knows what next years will bring to me. So many interesting things to do. Ceramic, jewelry, painting.

Five years from now you will be…

Live happily with my family, husband, kids and bunch of dogs in a beautiful house somewhere in a seaside in Spain.

I hope my softie business will grow and I can live without all this money issues I have now and I can live and make my little friends day by day. I want to be more organized and more focused and productive in what I'm doing . I love to give new life to the useless and old things, and I want to make it as long as i can, and share it with others.

Describe yourself in five words:

Recycler, spontaneous hard worker, owl, green, open - minded

Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your <insert whatever type of music player you use here>, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?

Smolik, Kimbra, Cesaria Evora. Usually i have my radio playing something not loud, relaxing, something what not taking me out of work.

Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?

Be ready for the hard work . Open your mind, listen, take all the information around, which you can get, but find your way. Dont copy others, be unique and Wonderful, Stay Crafty and Positive.

WASSUPBROTHERS

Want to win one of her adorable hedgehogs?! I know I do! Head over here to throw your name in the running.