Pardon the dust...

i've finally gotten motivated to upgrade my blog a bit. i know very little about website construction/html and blog building...so this has been quite a learning experience. You will probably notice a lot of little changes, and broken links etc for a while until i get it all figured out. i added a navigation bar at the top, but am still not sure what i actually want the buttons for...so you'll probably see them change a bit until i get it figured out. i just linked them to random pages for now.

i'm working on building a shopping cart to link up to the 'shop' button, instead of just linking to my old website. i thought about trying to list stuff on etsy again, but would rather just have a shoppingcart/ check out system right on the blog. i've started building a Vendorshop in FB, so we'll see how it works. If you have any experience with the Vendorshop app i would love to chat with you. i have some questions about it, but can't find anyone else that uses it.

i also just figured out how to get those social media buttons in the right corner, but i'm not sure they are linked up correctly. i've had trouble getting the descriptions to hover over the buttons...so i'm still playing with that. If you happen to notice any major bugs or broken links feel free to let me know!

i'm also curious how my blog displays on different browsers. i had a tough time getting the columns to line up correctly., and may eventually move to only one side column instead of the two. i need to clean up a bunch of random buttons etc and try to make the page less cluttered.

Would love feedback! Thanks!

Here come the Dragons!

i absolutley LOVE dragons. :) Do ya'all remember when i made this dragon for my boy sometime last year? It was one of those things i was really excited about at the time, cut out pieces to make several more...and then eventually gave up on it. i only managed to finish this one dragon. Well, almost finish it.. he still needs eyes.

Although i don't really make new Year's resolutions...i do tend to come up with a few goals as i start to make my way through the new year. This year, one of my goals is to finish all of my 'unfinished' projects.


So i finally pulled out the dragon, with the intention of finishing it. Instead, i started thinking about ways to simplify and re-vamp the pattern. My original pattern is too time consuming and detailed for me to be able to sell them. i've had a lot of interest in them though, so i wanted to come up with something that was equally as cool, but wouldn't take me a year and a half to finish. tee hee. :)

This is my new re-vamped dragon!! Getting rid of those clawed feet takes a couple hours off of the time it takes to make them. i also made the wings a bit smaller, and decided against the embroidery along the tops of them. i left the face horn 'mask' although i'm not sure i'm going to continue to add the 'beard'. i'm going to play around with some different faces, and different horn styles...so i may end up with severeal different dragon species. :)


The wings although smaller and less detailed, are still fully adjustable. :) You can click the picture to see a larger version. What do you think??


In this picture you can see how they compare. Without the feet the new dragons stand a little smaller. They measure approx. 7" tall and 9" across. i'm working on making several more with different colored horns etc. i LOVE the textured scaly looking felt, but i can only get it in 2 or 3 colors. So i'm going to be making smooth skinned dragons as well ( i need one in purple!!)

This is my second dragon using my simplified pattern.

You can click on the photo to see it better. i wanted to show off how the wings adjust and give a better view of the chest and face. i'm super thrilled with how they are coming out. i can wait to make a whole rainbow of dragons!! :) i will also be putting together a few sets with a wizard, knight & horse and a dragon. i'm still working on pricing them, but will be offering them for sale soon.
i would love some feedback on these. Is there anything you especially like or don't like? Changes you would like to see? What colors do you think would work best for dragons?
i appreciate any thoughts, comments and suggestions!

Spring is in the Air. Rural Thursday.

About 2 weeks ago i posted about my broody hen. She had disappeared and then was later found hiding behind the hay in our shed sitting on about 10 eggs. i wasn't sure how long she had already been setting, so we let her keep her eggs and have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of new chicks. Hens typically set 21 days to incubate their eggs, sometimes a day or two longer.

Twenty-one days came and went, and she didn't get off the nest. So i went out to check her and see if she had any peeps hiding under her. Instead, i found close to 30 eggs!!!

i thought the hen was hidden behind the hay, but apparently a couple of my other ladies knew she was back there too and continued to lay. The dark brown eggs belong to her. The light brown belong to either Sunny or my black hen. The big white eggs are coming from our only white leghorn. i thought all of the birds had stopped laying over the winter, as we don't have a light in our coop this year. Doh!! Seeing all those wasted eggs is so frustrating. Our ladies just refuse to lay in the coop. i put X's on them so i can collect any fresh eggs, since they are laying here.

The chickens are not the only ones with spring fever. See the grin on Casper's face? He's smiling because my doe Delilah has come into heat. Although he is a wether (castrated male), it hasn't stopped him from noticing. :) Male goats will stick their face in the female's urine stream (gross!!), and get it on their upper lips and then they curl their lips back into a smile and inhale the aroma... lovely, eh? They have both been very vocal and active. It's fun watching them chase each other around, show affection and play together. Casper bites at Delilah's haunches and makes a weird nickering sound that reminds me of Chewbacca.



Despite Punxsutawny Phil's prediction of 6 more weeks of winter...it is feeling very spring like here. i've been organizing my seeds, drooling over my seed catalogs, planning my garden...and even starting a few seed trays. Part of me is ready for spring, and part of me is still waiting for winter to show up. It has been so mild this year, i still really want at least one good snow...a few snow days...something.


There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself. ~Ruth Stout

i'm participating in the "Rural Thursday" blog hop so click on the rooster below and check out some of the other blogs in the hop!

Valentine Fairies.

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i just wanted to show off a few of my newest bendy dolls! i've already started on the Valentine's fairies!!

These are so sweet and fun to make. The wings are heart shaped. :)


These ladies are available on my FB page. (the blond is reserved).

i'm working on putting together a few play sets as well! i will be making a pink, red and white fairy to match the Pegasus. Watch for more Valentine inspired bendy dolls and crafts this week!

Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut winner announced!!

The Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut winner is....

Clanori said... 16

Subscribed to them.
clanori@yahoo.com

January 12, 2012 9:33 AM

Congratulations!! i will email later today. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email or a new winner will be chosen! Thank you all who entered!!