From a great 2012 to a wonderful 2013 filled with possibilities!

What an AMAZING 2012!!

I am so grateful. 

And thank you all for your presence in my life. Each and every blogger and each and every reader has helped me immensely!

I wish each and every one of you a magical 2013, full of possibilities and new beginnings, filled with hope and fulfillment to you and all your loved ones. 

Merry Christmas to us all :)

Hello.

Before it is too late or to hectic, I would just like to wish you very Happy Holidays with a wonderfully Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones. May it be magical and filled with love. :)

From me, Mushi, Nico, Julieta and Dobby :)

Dobby

Please allow me to introduce to you, my newest family member. Dobby. He gets along just fine with this feline bosses and is just the cutest. He likes chicken and to sit on someone. He is also a bit of a chicken himself, afraid of everything and everyone. We'll just have to work on that next year :)

This week in photos

freezing

Hello.

It has been kind of chaotic over here. The to-do list is ever growing and Christmas is approaching at an alarming rate!
It is so cold over here, we are not used to these type of temperatures at all. Mind you, I'm referring to 6º, which I know is not very low when comparing to other places in the World or even in northern Portugal, but still, I am never really prepared.

Nor am I prepared to cut fabric and sew for hours with freezing hands! :)
How is the weather where you are?

A lovely bouquet

My next project will resemble a small forest. Today I received this lovely bouquet of styrofoam trees :)

Twin shopping bag holders...

...on their way to Canada. I bet it's cold but beautiful over there :)

It is on!!

Hello.

So the auction is at full speed, can you believe people started biding BEFORE the auction was due to start??
I am so pleased, I can safely say that all profit will go for helping animals, stray and abandoned pets, as well as pets that belong to families that can't afford to care for them properly, due to unemployment which, as you might know, is a current social problem in Portugal
.
If you'd like to know all 25 Christmas balls, you can look here.

In the meantime, here are the ones I've made for this first auction.

Latest finished projects

A family of dogs and a cute little orange kitten :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 30} A very happy customer :)

And a very cute one at that! :D

{Blogtoberfest Day 29} ok ok, maybe I can show you just a little...

Orignal,  unique and handmade by me and a surprisingly crafty group of volunteers from my animal rescue group, Animalife, we are making these to auction for a much needed cash flow.

As you may know, in Portugal we are facing a tough recession and often either the family's pets are cast aside or the families struggle with taking proper care of them. So we try to help, either by trying to help an abandoned pet or to help the families with the basic needs of their pets (food, vet, etc.). For this of course, we need money and we thought is was a nice trade of, I think both parties are equally benefited. So there you go, my top secret project. :)

I can't wait to see if the general public agrees. heheh

{Blogtoberfest Day 28} Nothing to show for

Hello
I have been incredibly busy with a crafts project I've been developing. unfortunately I can't show it yet, so there really is nothing to show for!

Tomorrow I should be able to show you other less secretive projects, man, this blogtoberfest is hard!
See you tomorrow! :)

{Blogtoberfest Day27} Kind of bummed...

Hello.

So yesterday I got my first negative feedback on Etsy. I was really sad, but mostly because I think it was unfair and that kind of hurts when the person who is giving you the feedback is someone you've really talked to.
She said that it took her a month to receive the item. When I receive new orders, I always make sure I contact the person to let her know when she will be receiving the item, depending on the amount of work I have at the time. She ordered the item on September 27th after dinner and I immediately told her it would take me about a week to get to her item. I shipped it on October 10th and unfortunately for me, it took the post about 10 days to deliver it to her, which is completely beyond my control. But anyway, we exchanged several messages during this period and she never mentioned she thought it was taking longer than expected.

Second issue, she said the item was much smaller than described. I describe it as being about 17 inches long, she said it was about 12 inches. This I have to say, freaked me out.
Because I admit I don't measure it in the end before shipping it, but I do measure it when I cut the fabric, and it is always the same amount, obviously, so I am completely in aww that it could suddenly shrink 5 inches without me noticing it! But still, I accept returns, exchanges, refunds, the works, she could have contacted me, as she did so many times during this process and I would gladly have made her a new one, if she felt is wasn't up to par.

So now I'm trying to decide whether I should contact her and try to understand what happened or just leave it alone and move on. I have so little feedback, I haven't had that many etsy purchases and even fewer feedback, it was really desolating for me.

I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't bring this up on the blog, but really, where else can I express this and maybe ask for advice on how to proceed? My blog is my craft (and sometimes non.craft) diary :)

What should I have done differently? What do you think I should do? Any thoughts?

Thank you :)

(P.S. I can't believe October is almost over, I'll miss Blogtoberfest, as I always do after it is done hehehe)

{Blogtoberfest Day 26} Facebook Giveaway

Hello.

I'm hosting a giveaway on my Facebook page. All you have to do is click on the photo below, like the page and them leave me a comment on what you love about the Fall.
The giveaway ends on October 31st. On November 1st I'll run the comments on Random Number Generator and pick a random winner of this cute little owl.

Don't let the portuguese talk intimidate you, I completely understand you :)  Join us :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 25} New arrivals

Duly investigated by the local authorities :)

{Blogtoberfest Day24} A black&white approach

I wonder why is it that everything looks better in black&white... A brand new pet bed :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 23} step by step

Today I reached a small goal on my facebook page. 502 people are currently up to date with what I do and what I have to say. I know it is a first step, but it totally blows my mind away :) So I want it duly noticed on this blog, the point of origin, the start of this big adventure that inspired me to show more of myself, to let people in my small little world :)

{Blogtoberfest Day22} It's getting harder...

With 9 days to go, I find it soooo difficult to find things to post about.
It's not that I'm not doing anything, it is just that I have no picture to show for it...
I'm finishing up some orders I think I'll be able to photograph tomorrow and I'm gearing up for Christmas projects, but it's really not that interesting to look at! :)

I promise I'll try harder tomorrow, deal?

{Blogtoberfest Day 21} Does it show?

Does the chaotic state of my work desk show just how many projects I am trying to juggle at the same time? Does it? :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 19} Blah...

Today was kind of a blah day. I was so cold all day long, all I could do was wrap myself in a blanket and watch TV. Ok, it was not that cold, but I was soo lazyyyyy! :)

I blame these guys! They sleep all day and jump on my lap every chance they get!!

{Blogtoberfest day 18} And suddenly it dawns on me...

I was tidying up my office and took out all the tracking forms from all of this year's postal deliveries (yes I keep them all). And suddenly I noticed it and just had to share this picture with you. It's been such a privilege! Most of these packages are to the United States and it makes me so humble. And jealous, I would love to be able to travel as much as my creations do. maybe I'll start a personal delivery service... hum... :D

{Blogtoberfest Day17} Here it is! Well, part of it :)

Here it is, finally  the Christmas table cloth (towel??) a bit more on the traditional side than I had anticipated, I have to say I am still not sure this is me.
I have been thinking of this project ever since I started working with the sewing machine, for two years now. I can say I've even bought several fabrics with this particular project in mind, but every single time I looked and the fabrics I chose and loved, they all looked rather "quilty" to me. And I was very much afraid of making a quilt for the Christmas table.
This fabric I love as well, particularly the lighter one I chose as base, it is both traditional and modern at the same time.

This is the center, it is a huge table cloth (really is it a table cloth or a towel??), bigger than most quilts I make. So there you have it :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 16} A first attempt and a crappy picture

{Blogtoberfest Day 15} Christmas is getting on my nerves!

I have to say, mine look nothing like this!!

{Blogtoberfest Day14} Sunday lazy Sunday...

Hello.

I'm struggling with something to write today. It was a very lazy Sunday, it rained, which doesn't really help being active :)
I'm struggling with my sequined ball, it is just too darn big, it is endless!

I have, however, started working on my very own Christmas towel :D Is it a towel? Table cloth? I'm not really sure.

Pictures soon :)
See you tomorrow!

{Blogtoberfest Day 13} Long overdue...

I've ran out of  tags for some time now. It is amazing to see how much more resources I've spent these last few months than in the entire year of 2011. Fabric, tags, you name it!

So today was the day! SandyOwn is now properly tagged :D

{Blogtoberfest Day12} a pin in a haystack

Hello.

So I've shown you the styrofoam Christmas decorations I've purchased, and also the one wreath I've been able to complete:

Now, I'm moving on to the stars and the balls and I've decided to try sequins. The problem is, I'm having a lot of difficulty finding the pins for the sequins, you know, the ones I'm supposed to use to attach the sequins to the styrofoam?
I'm still searching but, in case I can't find it, I was wondering, any tips on how else to attach the sequins? :)

{Blogtoberfest Day11}

Hello.

I'm still kind of sick, it's been going on since Monday, but I have been able to be super productive and for the first time in many many mannnnyyy months, I am up to date on all orders!
It's an amazing feeling! Plus, it gives me time to work on my Christmas projects :)
So I think I'll be taking the rest of the afternoon off! To rest, like Nico.

The weather is so Autumn-like, it almost smells of roasted chestnuts and pomegranates. My favorite season. :D

{Blogtoberfest Day10} Sofa covers ready!

The covers for the sofa are ready. I can't begin to imagine what it will look like, but I am very excited and very hopeful it will look amazing! :D

{Blogtoberfest Day 9} What it is all about...

A lovely lady who got one of my pet beds posted this lovely photo of her kittens enjoying it. I love it.
It truly is what this is all about :D

{Blogtoberfest Day 8} New kind of kittens

Patchwork kittens! :)

{Blogtoberfest Days 6 and 7} Wops

It was Animal Day Celebrations all weekend long. I volunteered for Animalife all day long and my laptop remained shut throughout the weekend.

Back to our scheduled program :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 5} And so it begins...

Christmas wreath finished! It is 45cms (about 18 inches) tall. I used japanese wool, felt, buttons and pearls :)

I think it's both rustic and stylish, simple but elegant. Just how I like it :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 4} A curious way to work.

In the final stitches :)
Happy Animal Day!

Second step... But something is missing...

I'm liking it a lot so far, but I have to say that right now I don't know where to go from here.
I want it to be simple, but special. At the same time it is a huge wreath so I don't want to over do it.

Any suggestions? Help me Blogstoberfest buddies! :)

{Blogtoberfest Day 3} Souvenirs from Paris :)

My sister went to Paris and all I got... heheh I'm kidding. She did went to Paris but brought me some very cute and cool gifts.For starters, this beautiful Japanese tape! I had never seen it in person heheh

Also, this Chat Noir book marker and this so very cute and lovely notebook for sewing projects. Not sure how I'll ever be able to use it as I like it so much as is, on the other hand it would be such a shame not to use it!

Thoughtful sister, right? :D I think so!

{Blogtoberfest Day 2 } The first wreath undeway

Mushi is very intrigued :)

Blogtoberfest 2012!!! {Day 1}

It's soo on!

I can't believe Blogtoberfest is here already, this year has flown by!
This will be my third Blogtoberfest. The first wasn't perfect, the second was kind of worse...

But third time is the charm, right?

Let's see if I can blog every day during October. Also, I'm determined to find time to check out some of the other participating blogs and try and discover a brand new blog every day :)

If you have a blog, why don't you join us at I Saw you Dancing ? It will be great fun!

Let the fun begin! :D

Hello.

Here is my latest order, these lovely styrofoam decorations. 

I'm still trying to decide what to do with this, I want it to be exactly like I've imagined.  

And the wreaths are huge! Much bigger than I expected.

I'm so excited :D

I've got Christmas in the brain...

Is anybody else thinking of Christmas? Have you started working on your Christmas projects yet?
All of a sudden, I looked at the calendar and got spooked. Is it too soon?

I wanted to TRY and have a methodic, stress-free Christmas this year, which means working on the projects early on. But is it too soon?

I'm filled with ideas, it's going to be a very Merry Christmas indeed :)

My brand new kind of quilt. cute, cute, cute!!

Hello.
I've shown you the first time I've attempted to do this kind of appliquéd, animal quilt.
Meanwhile I've had a chance to do two more and here they are: elephants and kittens, oh my! :)

Next stop, appliquéd owls :D