I love it!!! Thank you, Judy!
At the craft show today (and it was gorgeous weather and not crowded when I arrived) I picked these pins up. I couldn't decide between the two of them. I thought of Madeline Albright and her meanings behind the pins she wears: if I'm feeling gregarious, I can wear the open design and if I'm feeling more introspective, I can wear the closed design. These are made from real forks!
I'm always looking for stocking stuffers and I bought this fork key chain. It's perfect!
My next stop was to look at Santa ornaments. I saw this starfish Santa and passed it by since I'd just started my exploration of the booths. I kept it in my mind and on the way out I stopped and bought it.
In the main building (the other finds were in the open stalls on the fairgrounds) I saw this pin from across the room. I checked it out then left it there as I looked around the other booths. I did see a carousel horse magnet made out of coal and a cute fox about 3 inches high made out of coal, but I liked the pin better. On my way past it again, I bought it.
When I put on my fanny pack in the parking lot I included a pen and some note paper in case I found really good craft ideas. Up to this point, an hour into the booths, I had not found anything to make a note so I could make it myself. Then I found the booth with my name on it!! If I'd won the lottery, I'd have just bought her out, but since I hadn't I feasted my eyes on her wonderful items.
She had taken 5" strips of a homespun check (burgundy and vintage tan, navy and vintage tan, and hunter green and vintage tan) about 1/2" wide and tied them to a string of white Christmas lights. She singe tied (like the first step in tying your shoes) one of each color between each of the lights. FANTASTIC! "I can do that," I told myself.
She made a snowman pin using two circles of felt; one white and one black. She used buttonhole stitch around the edges to stitch the two circles together. She painted on tbe eyes and mouth like it was coal pieces and an orange painted elongated triangle nose. A pin-back was either stitched or hot glued to the back. I think I'll sew mine on. FANTASTIC! "I can do that," I told myself.
She also had the cutest collection of jack o'lantern pins. These were about 2-1/2" around on the front, stuffed with fiberfil, pin-back sewed on, and painted face. She used a teeny tiny orange and black houndstooth fabric for one that was adorable! They were of different fabrics and faces. FANTASTIC! "I can do that," I told myself.
Although "I can do that" the question to ask is "Will I?" If I haven't made them by next year and I see her booth, I'll just admit defeat and buy them! LOL
