Yesterday I posted about a group of 3 new pieces I made for a juried art show at the Redlands Art Association (the only criteria, 14.5″ or less in every dimension). After making the tree, I decided to continue the same color scheme and explore my theme in different dimensions. I love my Branch & Bird series, and wanted to work a bit bigger (8″ x 10″ instead of 5″ square) and more substantial (the folks at these shows are pretty picky about hanging criteria, so wanted to have a hanging devise they’re used to – so I decided to wrap the quilt to the back of a frame and staple it, then add hanging wire). Birds build nests in the trees, and I really loved this wee nest from the Branch & Bird series:

So I grabbed some scraps from making the tree and built a nest in a bigger tree branch:

Again, apologies for the quality of the picture (ah – those moire patterns – I can’t figure out why they happen sometimes and not others, and the fix in photoshop is way long fidgety and not perfect…usually I just re-shoot, but did NOT have that option).

And don’t forget the Blog Baby Shower for Lindy Turner! Lindy of Crafted By Lindy is having baby #2!! To celebrate, we (me, alamodestuff and Smidge Box) are having 3 days of giveaways!!

I’ve got a tutorial and give-away scheduled for Thursday, but today, alamodestuff is having a giveaway hosted by Tracy at Sea Find Designs! This gorgeous necklace can be yours!!

Genuine sea glass… RARE lavender /amethyst from Newport, RI. Cut heart…. Eco Love…. Amethyst swarovski crystal. Sterling plated teenie ball chain!

How to enter:

1) Visit BOTH shops, Crafted by Lindy and Sea Find Designs.

2) Choose 1 favorite item from each shop and come back here and comment (must comment on 1 item from each shop).

3) Be sure to leave contact info!

Additional entries (4 possible entries in all):

• 2 additional entries: you can enter this giveaway on all three sponsor’s sites! Enter once at alamodestuff, then comment here and at Smidge Box for 2 more entries! [All three blogs are on different time zones. If their post isn't up yet, please visit them again later.]
• 1 additional entry: follow alamodestuff, tweet, or blog about this giveaway and receive 1 additional entry. For this one, comment back at  alamodestuff.

One winner will be chosen randomly (random.org) at midnight tonight (March 10) EST. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning (March 11).

Thanks Kim	Thanks Amy

Well, how much do I love my blog readers? SO much! Last week I showed you something new I was working on and didn’t have a name yet. I got 7 wonderful suggestions! After some discussion with the family, we all thought that the “Pocketin Board” was the most appropriate name for it – thanks Maria! A bit quirky, to get folks attention, but still (I hope) completely figure out-able.  What’s a “Pocketin Board”? It is a pretty bulletin board – with pockets!

So, I’ve been working on a VERY detailed tutorial with LOTS of photos, but it isn’t done yet – hopefully by tomorrow. (it is NOW! here it is!) In the meantime, my two boards are in action, so I thought I’d provide you with a couple of in situ shots to whet your appetite.

My small Pocketin Board was made to fit above the telephone:

I also made a much larger one. I’ve got a wonderful, HUGE calendar from Daisy Janie (OOH! They’re on sale for 50% off – go buy one!) (Oh, and if you do buy one, tell her I sent you!) I wanted to hang the calendar on the wall that leads into the kitchen, so I made this one to fit exactly on that wall:

I love this larger one – not only does it have plenty of space for my calendar but it has a larger wonky house, 1 for each family member, so the thought is that something for that person could be thumbtacked on their house.

I’ve also added a pocket for a 5″ x 8″ size pad for shopping lists or larger notes than the smaller 1/4 sheet scrap paper notes.

Hopefully I’ll have a tutorial ready for you tomorrow!

Bags – how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

I really do not know WHY I love making bags so much. In fact, they do cause me a significant amount of stress sometimes! ONE source of stress is finding the right hardware. A lot of the hardware I see on bags that I admire is NOT available at my local Joann’s, Hancock Fabrics, Sewing Machine or Quilt Shop. So I’ve searched, and searched, and when I do find what I want, I usually end up buying 50 or more.

I’ve had one person ask me where I got my hardware, so I thought it would be worth sharing that info with everyone. I’ve just finished my taxes, and part of that process was taking inventory on all my hardware and stocking up on a few things, so NOW is the time to share this info with you.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned when it comes to looking for hardware:

1. Different people call hardware by different names. Frustration abounds because of this!
2. The lovely sites that are easy to navigate are often selling one or 2 pieces at a time – at a pretty high price…you’re paying for that pretty site! The sites where I’ve found some SIMPLE things are sometimes infuriatingly hard to navigate!
3. Late in the game I discovered that Etsy and Ebay are pretty good places to look for this stuff. (DOH!)
4. Hardware comes in different thicknesses, and even when they photograph the piece on a ruler you can still misjudge the size. I ordered some d-rings that were VERY thick. Too thick to use on a mini messenger I used to make, but I turned Lemons into Lemonade and use them on the convertible messenger/backpack bags and with the big thick swivel snaps. I’m glad I love the look because I’ve got 90 more!
5. There are lots of places that sell hardware for making dog collars, useful places but seriously, where do all these dog collars go?
6. The best place to find all the cool hardware you can’t find anywhere else is Hong Kong! (You may have to go pick up your package at the post office becasue they’ll thing it’s a strange package!)(And Yes, $26 for shipping on a package that is an 8″ x 10″ x 1″ envelope hurts, but the pricing STILL works out in my favor)

OK, here are my sources, and down below I’ve labelled up some photos with the hardware names.

• J Caroline Creative: It’s so sad, this is a very nice shop, but she’s pretty much closing down. But becasue she says she’ll still offer ribbon and hardware, I’ll include her becasue this is the best place for the key ring and key fob tip.
• DAN’s Bags and Purses Making Supplies: This is an Etsy seller located in Hong Kong (user name 3dPatternPaper). This is where I’ve found the neatest hardware. I convo her for larger quantities, she responds very promptly.
• Ah Kwok Supplies is an Ebay store, again in Hong Kong. Again, lots of cool hardware.
• Countrybrook Design: An ebay store specializing in dog collar hardware.
• Seattle Fabrics carries the rectangle rings and tri-glides (a.k.a. slides a.k.a. slide-adjusters) in all the sizes I need (1/2″, 1″, 1 1/2″, and 2″). Yeah, I know, really strange sizes, right? I really like to match the size of the straps to the size of the bag, so I looked HIGH and low for those. I also got lik 100 7″ zippers in bulk an an amazing sale they were happening to have…did you know you can get zippers that AREN’T stapled to a cardboard package? I sure didn’t! I will be very sad when these run out…

5 little bullet points = countless hours of searching the internet, when I could have been reading fun blogs or MAKING! sigh.

I KNOW there are lots of other places to find this stuff, but these are my go to’s! And again, I can’t stress enough how different people will call the same hardware by another name, so always make sure you see a nice picture of whatever you’re buying!

EDIT: Ooh – if you have any other sources for hardware – feel free to share them with us in the comments!

Hope this helps someone!