Showing posts with label Quilts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quilts. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A Handmade Romance


Will Amy find love again?  Can she discover the joy of Handmade and learn to trust again?  
Handmade Honeymoon is a must read!  The perfect romantic, handmade novel, such a great story you will want to share with all your friends!  

Handmade Circle Team hopes you enjoy our Handmade Romance Story! Let's get started.........

Amy's heart was broken, so she decided she would try and start her life over, she moved to Texas to her Uncle's Ranch. One day she was out exploring the Old Barn and found this great Denim Purse, 

when she opened it up she found, a thousand dollars. "Wow", she said, "I think I need to go to somewhere where the sun is shining. This is gonna pay for my trip!"  So she put on most tropical looking earrings,


  and proceeded to give SERIOUS consideration on what she would need for her trip to meet her ULTIMATE GOAL! A Valentine's date worthy of all her wonderfulness! YES! She thought, something Wrapped In Leather And Wire And Draped In Beautiful Gems ! Just The Ticket! Where Can I Get That? Oh YES, here it is:
I'm gonna buy it for my trip! once she bought it she turned with a frown, what else do I need, how else will I meet my goal!!!???

And she said to herself, "these earrings would look fabulous with my shabby chiffon yellow flower headband". 


She placed the headband on her head and she continued to pull together other items she might need for her trip. She wanted to have a variety of beautiful items for her trip and immediately decided to take a pair of brown Tagua nut chip earrings which could go with any outfit.


 She found the earrings and then realized that if she is going to be on a long trip, she might need a friend and adviser with her, so she took her wise stylish Owl with her too.


 Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. She picked up her coffee with her sock monkey cozy and went to answer it.


 She couldn't believe her eyes when she  saw her high school boy friend standing in the door step with two wine glasses, a picnic basket, and a beautiful peacock quilt.


"What are you doing here?" she asked. She invited him in for a minute where he surprised her with a beautifully wrapped gift. With surprise and delight she opened the gift and found the most beautiful bracelet
 Amy grabbed her gypsy shawl in case she got chilly on the picnic,


and off they went, looking for the perfect spot for a little sunshine.
After their picnic, they take a little stroll...hand in hand of course. As they were walking they heard this beautiful sound...ting ting ting..ting a ling...and they just had to find out what it was. They walked around the corner and there is was...an amazingly beautiful wind chime ... hand crafted from the most unique silver pieces. It's purple beads absolutely sparkled in the sunshine, and they couldn't help but notice that it even had crystals at the top that were throwing rays of color everywhere. They said to each other...who would have thought silverware could sound so beautiful!


But where did they find something like that? So the decided to walk up onto the porch to see if anyone was home and there on the porch her old boyfriend had set up a romantic scene for them to share their meal. The table was so romantic with soft candlelight glowing from an elegant Tuscan Wine scented soy candle.


The house seemed to be empty. They kept walking through until they reached the back door and went out. They could hardly believe their eyes, it was a beautiful garden, full of the most unusual and exquisite blooms they had ever seen, glittering in the sun. Why were they so sparkly? They looked closer and discovered to their amazement the flowers were all made of gemstones! She found one that was actually a necklace, and discovered they were all pieces of jewelry, floral brooches, necklaces and more in this fabulous garden. She placed one around her neck, and said, I can't think of a more lovely spot for our picnic!



The night was getting colder, so she had to go back home and put her knitted set.


After putting on her beautiful knitted set she realized it was getting late and the sun was starting to set. Back when she was dating her old boyfriend they use to love going for long runs. She grabbed her sneakers and her Sassygirl headband,


and they started running off into the sunset, remembering and  discovered they both loved each other, and they both loved Handmade! 

Written By:  Handmade Circle Team










Friday, November 30, 2012

A Handmade Christmas Story - It's A Great Read!

Looking for a good book to curl up by the fireplace with? Well grab your blanket, your glasses (if you need them), a good cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy this great new book.  It's not Fifty Shades Of Gray, it's better it's like Fifty Shades Of Handmade!

Sit back, relax, and we hope you enjoy our story!


A HANDMADE CHRISTMAS STORY
WRITTEN BY: HANDMADE CIRCLE TEAM
ILLUSTRATED BY: HANDMADE CIRCLE TEAM ARTISTS
COVER ART BY: Holly Westmoreland of HOLLY'S HOMEMADE GOODIES

It was a cold and snowy morning, Mama was in the kitchen making breakfast with her 
new Pot Holder Handles, 
she turned around and saw, She was leaking breastmilk all over her nice new apron. She went and put on a pair of nursing pads

and then heard a knock at the back door.

On her way she thought : oh my! maybe it's a burglar. I should take something to protect myself....so she turned back to the kitchen and grabbed
She opened the door and to her surprise, it was a vampire, dripping blood from his fangs from his last kill! She took the spoon and plunged it through his heart! Mission accomplished. But now, what to do with this vampire carcass? She looked again at the teeth, gleaming redly in the dawning light. My, you know, those would make a really lovely necklace. She pried out the teeth with some pliers and made,
 My it's been a busy morning, she thought! I've already killed a vampire, made a necklace and I still have to  make POZOLE!


 After she finished making her delicious Pozole, she had piles and piles of dishes to wash. This is going to take forever she thought...I need some dish cloths that will stand up to the job. 


and she pulled them out of her dishcloth drawer. "What if the vampire's friends come looking for him? I'd better be prepared!" She went to her jewelry box and pulled out her handmade silver cross and fastened it around her neck. 


"Hmmmm, now where did I put my silver plated spoon with the Power Of The Gnomes? These mythical little creatures surely could help in this  situation!


But wait! What is that noise? Who could it be? Oh, its our lovely Nana awaking from her mid day slumber. She suggested that I hang up a sign...a banner of sorts.


Nana is also feeling a bit cold, so she laid down on her couch by the fire and wrapped up in her favorite quilted throw.


Nana thought....hmmmm... I feel so cozy by the fire wrapped in my beautiful quilt...I think I will send some amazing ( can you even believe someone made this guitar!) postcards to my friend for Christmas!


Being a practical, yet funky and stylish Nana, she wanted to help Mom with the evening's vampire fighting plan, but looked down ASTONISHED! No warm socks! and Snow In The Forecast For Tonight! she raced to find her warmest chunkiest socks and pulled on the first COLORFUL pair that caught her eye!


 NOW she's ready to fight some vampires, she turned with her a FIERCE DETERMINED look on her face and put on her custom handmade pink Mary Jane slippers.


Oh Mama" she said as she walked out of the room, "What are you doing?" Mama was changing the baby into a cute little diaper.


After the baby was all fresh and clean, they went into the living room to play with Nana and much to their surprise, was non-other than Santa Claus!!


What was he doing here so early and YIKES, aren't we supposed to be decorating out tree with all our handmade ornaments?

'Well done', said Santa. 'I have an early present for both of you! It makes my heart glad that you have chosen to decorate your tree with handmade ornaments. Here is something I have made for each of you:


 Mama and Nana both oohed and aahed over their gift! "And for baby", said Santa, "here is something to make him smile".


And they all lived Happily Handmade Ever After! 


What other people are saying about the individual's and their items in this story: (While our story is fictional of course, the following comments are actual feedback left by customers who purchased from the shops above) 

Spectacular!! Even better than I imagined! Super fast shipping and superior customer service!

Awesome seller! This was a custom order and it turned out PERFECT. I bought this for my daughter for Christmas and I know she is going to love it! Quick turn around time, fast shipping and the seller is amazing! I'll definitely be back!

Item arrived today as described and craftsmanship is flawless! I bought this as a wedding gift for a friend at work and now want one for myself too. I will be back to buy more!

Wonderful, wonderful product!!! So well made, beautiful colors, unique, I can't say enough!

Thank you so much for the beautiful custom-cast ring! My fiancee, could not be more pleased with the unique design and has spent the weekend showing it off to friends and family with pride. It's interesting, has a story to it, and fits him like a glove. We couldn't be happier to have him wearing your design for years to come.

The necklace arrived in two days, packaged in a lovely box with a ribbon. It was beautiful.

Excellent workmanship! So happy with my necklace! This shop was great in answering my questions & Fast turnaround time! A++++

Thrilled as always, can't imagine having a big party without some special touch from Whispering Rainbows!

This quilt that I bought from Holly is a true masterpiece and is so beautifully made. She has a real talent!


We hope you will visit all these great shops and see for yourself all the lovely items they offer and why these people are raving about them! 























SEASON'S GREETINGS! 

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags










Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Why Handmade?

Have you considered Handmade Items for your gift giving this year? Think you can get a better quality item from the big box stores? Think the people on your list would rather have something that is massed produced and everyone has one like it?

I am here to tell you all the reasons why you should MOST Definitely consider a Handmade Item this year.

  •  Higher Quality- no machine can take the pride in its work like an individual does.

  •  Handmade items are made with love - the creator usually puts a piece of themselves into the work.

  • A handmade item has a unique and special character that manufactured goods can never ever have. It has the life and breath of the maker flowing through it.

  • Handmade is unique and usually one-of-a-kind, the buyer is supporting the small business owners vs. the big companies that produce items with no care or love for the item or person purchasing the item.

  • Artists and Crafters put a little bit of themselves into their work. Everything they make has their own unique signature, be it a certain style, color palette, or stitch.

  • Buying handmade supports an individual doing a craft they love.

  • Because a real person took the time to make sure what they made was made with the utmost care and perfection. Nothing is more precious than one's time and each handmade gift is a gift of time

  • Customer Service - This is the big one for me, if you go into one of the big box stores and find something you like but want it in a different pattern, different length, or variations of the product, guess what? The selection available is what is on the shelf. Not with Handmade, most if not all Handmade Artists will bend over backwards to make the product you desire and insure your Custom Order is to your desire! 
Still not sure about buying Handmade? Well why not browse through this wonderful list of
talented Artist's? Here you will find Jewelry, Baby Quilts, Accessories, Home Decor, and more in fact I am almost positive you can find something for everyone on your list! 




















Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags
https://twitter.com/BagsbyHags
BagsbyHags@gmail.com  

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's all about the LOVE......


You can own these wonderful tags to add to your Handmade Creations by visiting Growing Phases Farm


As a creator of Handmade Items, I of course only make things that I Love, but everyone who creates has a favorite item.

As Handmade Circle Team winds down it's Christmas In July event and since Christmas is Love, I asked the members to show me an item that they Love.  After seeing the items they posted I have to say I Love them and I think you will too!  Take a look:

Carlin Davis of Pollywog Patterns says she loves Zoe

Jayne Willis of Twiggy and Opal says " I will always Love this Quilt The Best"

Jessica Croft of The Prismatic Peacock tells us - This Lavender Goat's Milk Soap is my absolute favorite! I love the color, foamy lather, and the beautiful relaxing smell that fills my bathroom!

Michelle Smith of Monday's Child Primitives  says, I just love this large scarecrow doll and the pictures don't do him justice...he was so fun to make too. And with the coupon code some lucky person can save $7.00 on him♥

Karalee Gross of Ifrogcrafts chose her most loved item from a loved memory: Thisornament was inspired by one that my mom bought me many years ago, when we were on a trip to Wisconsin. I LOVE the memories & how we both knew it had me written all over it!

Jill Houle of Whispering Rainbows was inspired by a customer, I love the way this turned out! I had a customer ask me to make her a "number 3" to coordinate with the butterfly cupcake toppers I made her and this is what I came up with. Since them I have decided to continue to market them

Kimberly Gorman of Made For Jake loves Frogs: I love this frog print. We designed frogs for our son's nursery. It was the inspiration for us to start Made for Jake!

As for me, Bags By Hags I Love my Bible Covers 

I can promise you this, everyone of the items you see on this page was Handmade With Love!  Head over and see all the great shops participating in the Christmas In July Sale, time is running out to grab a great deal, and I just know you will find something you LOVE! 


Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags
BagsbyHags@gmail.com  






Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Love Is.......HANDMADE

As a creator of Handmade Items I truly try to make items that will be loved by the customer.  I make all my items with love, If I make something that I don't love it doesn't go in my shop.

I try to convey that love when I am packaging up my items to send them out.  I don't believe in just tossing it in a box and slapping an address label on it.  I spent time making this item, I love it, so I want to package it with care and love.

I found these great tags from Growing Phases Farm.
These are a wonderful item to include with any Handmade Product. Last week I received a custom order for an apron and when I packaged it up I attached one of these tags to the apron.  The customer Loved it!  She actually took a picture of the tag and posted it on her Facebook.  She wrote how you don't get this kind of caring from any of the big box stores and she could tell I had made her item with Love.  If you truly love the item you have made the customer will feel that love when they open their package. 

I also just added a new line to my shop, they are called Prayer Quilts, and I hope the love I feel when I make these will be passed on to the buyers. I am actually going to keep one of these for myself and keep it by me while I am sewing. 
You can see the available styles here, more pattern will be added soon. 

Love is Handmade and Handmade is the best way!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags