Randomly Sharing Peachtree Cottage on Zibbet

On schedule today and randomly sharing a shop I came across. This time it is Peachtree Cottage.

My favorite items among all that is in the shop such as beaded jewelry, crocheted baby items and more are the tatted designs. Tatting is a way to make handmade lace and to me a skill that produces the most beautiful products. Show us you say?

Well I will.

A Bracelet

A Victorian Bookmark

Butterfly Earrings

Most of the items in the shop can be custom ordered in colors of your choice. There are many more bookmarks, more earrings, and pendants, all of them tatted.

The seller introduces herself on the shops profile page with these words.

I create chainmaille, beaded and wire wrapped jewelry; shuttle tatted bookmarks, jewelry, and other tatted items; crochet and knit baby blankets, sweater sets, and home decor items. All are personally handmade and quality checked by me.

Handcrafting is part of my heritage and has been handed down through my family over the years, from my mother's mother, to my mother, to me. I have been crafting for over 50 years. Even with years of hand crafting experience, I continue to research new ideas and concepts as I create each of my creations, or patterns.

Mission - To use my skills and knowledge to make creative, quality, handmade creations in Jewelry, Crochet and Tatting. Also to create beautiful as well as functional items which will enhance peoples lives and bring a smile to their faces at affordable prices.

Jewelry - Sparkling timeless elegance is yours with my handmade jewelry. My chainmaille, beaded and tatted jewelry items are carefully handmade and quality double checked to ensure you are receiving my best creations. Chainmaille jewelry brings artistic, ageless beauty to items appropriate for both men and women. Creating with beads allows for sparkle, color, and modern designs. Handmade lace tatted jewelry allows for the romance of yesteryear, a feminine flair, and a personal touch in your jewelry.

Tatting - The art of making lace using a shuttle and thread captured my interest several years ago. Since that time I have worked hard to achieve the status of Artist for shuttle tatting (I am currently working towards Master). Bookmarks, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, decorations, etc. all made knot by knot are perfect as gifts or as a special treat for yourself.

Crochet and Knit - Don't you just love the soft skin of a little newborn baby? I've always felt babies deserved something special just for them. My sweaters, hats, booties, and blankets or afghans are made with super soft yarn to caress them gently. My handmade items make wonderful baby shower gifts or pamper your own baby with sweet, soft items from my hooks and needles! They are also great for Reborn Dolls!

Home Decor - Bring graceful, timeless elegance to your decor with my selection of thread creations for your home. Carefully created one stitch at a time my bookmarks, doilies, and tissue box covers bring warmth, comfort and style to every room of your home. Pamper yourself with a touch of hand made elegance for your home!

Memberships - I was the Founder and Leader of the Thread Artist Guild® from 2005 to 2013. I am honored to have achieved the level of Master Artist. I am also a founding member of the Guild of Master Bearcrafters. In addition, I maintain membership in the Crochet Guild of America.

You can learn more about Peachtree Cottage

Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Blog

Next week another shop. See you then.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus and on Twitter .

Never Ahead

I live a life where I am always catching up it seems and never ahead. My own fault and I have no valid excuses for it. I am a professional at grand plans and the easiest person for me to ignore is me. I can do whatever anyone else needs on time, every time.

So any way I planned on Tuesdays being a day to share something handmade in my house and I missed doing that yesterday. You are getting that post today combined with a random new thing in my life for my grand what is new Wednesday idea.

Today's handmade items are again something Jim has. He bought them in Grantsville, Utah at a craft show that was called Handcrafted Holiday. Like many craft shows now it was handcrafted after you ran past Pampered Chef and the Tupperware people. Shame how that has gone, you know? Any way Jim bought these from a wood turner at the show because he liked the woods and the shapes.

As for what's new? It is such a simple thing really. After a couple weeks it seems of everyday being cloudy and wet and snowy or rainy we had beautiful blue sky today. As I walked by windows doing this and that I could feel the warmth from the sunshine coming through even though we barely were above freezing for a high temperature today. The view from one of my kitchen windows will show you what it was like.

I really don't mind cold but I do crave blue sky and sunshine sometimes and today I had plenty. I am grateful.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus and on Twitter .

Pickle Valentine Beyond the Beads

Pickle Valentine should be famous near and far for the knowledge and selection showcased in her shop if you are exploring and learning about the world of vintage beads. Today however I am sharing another side of this shop and the seller behind the scenes.

From Libby's shop Profile Page she tells of an earlier time in her life in this way.

At one time in my life, I was a constant knitter. I was taught basic knitting by my grandmother when I was very young and started knitting seriously when I was in my twenties.

I collected knitting books and magazines, both used and new. Many of the magazines are old and yellowed with age. They were obviously well-loved by their owners, even having smudges, writing or coffee stains. Others look newer, but none of them look as if they just came off a store shelf. I only bought books with patterns I considered beautiful amd I didn't particularly care if a book or magazine was in pristine shape. I will describe any faults or flaws in each listing. I also will be selling hardcover books in much better shape. 

Amazingly, I still love the patterns thirty or forty years down the road. Many of them look newer and fresher today than they did back then. We had a much more limited choices of yarn back when few people knitted in public and knitting had not become as popular as it is today. The knitting renaissance has gladdened my heart. I can imagine how gorgeous these patterns would look like with the newer yarns. 

Let me show you a few of the classics from the time Libby was a knitter and you can start dreaming of projects to come when you get your copies of the wonderful magazines from her shop.

Handmade Magazine, a multipurpose craft publication which was very popular amongst us Earth Mother types back in the 70s and 80s, was a high quality magazine crammed with patterns and designs to inspire you....and with practical full scale patterns and instructions so whatever you attempted would be a success. There are articles and patterns for designing fabric with lino cuts, tiling a floor, making a greatcoat, making a woven shawl, knitting, a quilted jacket, fan patterns, making a roman blind, and using a Folkloric shirt pattern to make a longer dress, a cute pair of lace up ballet slippers, more knitting patterns...and even making a quilted painted headboard. 

1987 Winter Family Circle Knitting and Crochet magazine packed with both crochet and knitting patterns. 50 sweater patterns, Holiday knitting, granny squares used in innovative holiday vests, outdoor sweaters, Arans, cables, and plenty of inspiration. If you would like to see more pictures, just send me a convo. I also have a picture of the cover, but I would rather show the insides of the magazine. 
These books were published by the New York Times! That explains why the knits are so fashionable. My pictures are only a sample of what is in this magazine. If you love the styles of the 1980s, you will love this. 

Vintage 1983 Phildar Mailles Pattern book. Thirty-six European designed knits in this book, including a kimono hoodie, Fair Isle designs, Cable designs, mittens, scarf, very popular Mother and child's sweaters shown in second photo which was also published in a separate book. There are also wonderful patterns for guys in this book. 

I would love to hear from you after you browse the shop to know what favorite things you found.

Comments and sharing are always appreciated.

Hope to hear from you soon.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, and on Twitter.

Lehane Arts Shop of the Week

Today I want to share with you all the Group2020 shop of the week. Lehane Arts is a new shop but not new to selling on Etsy. She has recently decided to separate her chainmaille jewelry form her other work and formed a new shop. In this shop you will find lovely beaded pieces in the form of necklaces and earrings. The jewelry includes Celtic inspirations, mood jewelry, dichroic pendants and much more.

From the shop profile page I found this statement that sets the tone for the works you will see.

Symbolism, color, shape, size, and material are all elements involved in each of my creations. I think of beads and my jewelry creations as connections between the day-to-day world and the supernatural world just beyond our view, a world of beauty and eternity. Certain gemstones may exude positive energies and colors also can influence our awareness. Color informs mood.

I love the colors and the swirls resembling waves in the pendant.

A brilliant stone don't you think?

A beautiful deep red for days when you want to feel bold and powerful.

Ready to shop?
LehaneArts.Etsy.com

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Nellie Bly

I had another post planned for today but I just have to share and record this memory instead. 

My granddaughter had to do a presentation of an American personality. When showed a list by her teacher she chose Nellie Bly because she like the name. She learned a lot about her including the age of her death which matches my current age. She liked to remind me that I should be careful now since I am so old. She read biographies, watched a movie and then prepared a costume and display and a report to read. All of her classmates did the same.

The kids got together with parents, community heroes like police, firemen, active duty military and veterans and sang patriotic songs. After the songs the adults were encouraged to go and talk to the kids about their American. An active duty female in the Army talked to Posie for quite awhile and at the end gave her a hug.

My granddaughter was SOOOOOOOO excited that she got a hug from "an Army girl". You see, to some the military are celebrities.

I wish I had been there but I got to see a video on Facebook that I can't share here so I just have the picture.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Books 2014 Yellowstone Has Teeth

I am not sure I could ever say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I am in awe of the people talked about in Marjane's chronicle of her time spent living in Yellowstone. I found this review by M Baker on Amazon and it echoes very well what I felt while reading including the tears the part about leaving and at the loss of a friend to the hazards of the park in winter and slowing down, not wanting the experience to end. I found myself reading sections of it out loud to family to share the wonderful storytelling.

What a fabulous book! My first experience with Yellowstone was in October 1988 shortly after the fires were extinguished by snow and I have been in love with and intrigued by Yellowstone since. To read Ms. Ambler's first hand account of living in the Interior transports the reader back in time and place. She tells you what it was actually like to live at Lake year round and how truly isolated they were from November-April. It was not a life of glamour and ease. She includes her own first hand accounts and those from many former Park employees. For me, to have the human aspect of a subject is as important as the historical facts. What good are plain facts if you don't know or can't understand how they affect someone?? The book is well written in understandable format. I didn't need a dictionary for word definition and it follows logical sequence. I do have to say, near the end of the book when she and Terry were driving out of the Park I had tears running down my cheeks just as she did. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it had to end! I found myself slowing down reading it so I could make it last longer! (me too!)On the author's website there are pictures of some of the people she speaks about in the book. It is nice to be able to match faces to names. Please, Marjane, I would be interested in reading more of your Yellowstone stories!

I have had the gift of living in the Jackson Hole area for about 3 years now and know I won't always be here. The day I leave will be a rough one too.


I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

With family

We got to spend a long weekend with daughter, son in law and grandkids.

I live in an area where it can be a great adventure just to drive around because you never know what you might find. Around Jackson it is always worth it to stop if you see several cars pulled over and lots of cameras with big expensive lenses attached.

We came across just such a situation while driving down the road inside the National Elk Refuge. Of course we had binoculars and started using them to find out what the professional photographers were camped out to get pictures of. It was a small group of wolves! They were too far away for me to even try taking pictures with my camera and no tripod but it was wonderful to sit and watch them for awhile. During the same drive we of course saw elk and big horn sheep.

We also went to the Historical Society Museum in Jackson. It is a favorite stop for the grandkids. I found a cute piece if antler art that made me smile just to look at it. We all enjoyed the displays and my granddaughter always likes the dress up area with prairie style clothes.

After having some lunch we did one more of our favorite drives. This one is on Antelope Flats outside of Jackson, going through the town of Kelly, Wyoming. Crossing the road right in front of us was a moose and her calf.

The rest of the weekend was spent just being together with card games, watching olympics, food and fun.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Note to Self

How to be a successful creative http://t.co/Vycb6NkTnD pic.twitter.com/vhKy3PEMz3
— COLOURlovers (@colourlovers) February 17, 2014

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Random Shop Sharing Tins and Treasures

In my early day of blogging, I don't remember when or exactly how, I connected with a blog called Tins and Treasures. Natalie would comment on my blog and I would on hers, not real often but enough. I have enjoyed having the connection with her over the years.

I figured today would be a great day to share her shop with you. She is a busy lady, teaching, occasional craft shows, home and family and of course her Etsy shop, Tins and Treasures. She introduces herself and her shop with these words.

My Grandmothers were my creative inspiration. From them, I learned sewing, quilting, crocheting, knitting, embroidering and tatting. I have been busy sewing and crafting for over 40 years. 

I teach Family and Consumer Science at our high school. This is my 33rd year. My husband and I have been married for 29 years and have two lovely daughters who are both in college.

We share our home with two faithful kitties, Callie and Lucy.

Let's start the sharing with tins, shall we?

The tins in the shop start with a hand painted tin or can. A fabric applique is applied. You will find lots of themes in these from winter to like this one, tea.

Next something I would have never thought of but I think it is a lovely idea. 

The shop has wine bottle necklaces. 

You could use them as part of your table decorations or dress up a gift of wine for someone hosting you at a gathering.

There are lots of primitive decor items in the shop too as well as cup cozies to help keep your drink warm and your hands cool.

Some of the loveliest things are the infinity scarves in all kinds of colors and patterns. I would be willing to bet that there is one to go with anything you might have in your closet.

The one I think guaranteed to lift spirits on a cloudy, blustery winter day is this one.

The pictures are links, so go ahead and browse this wonderful shop or stop by the Tins and Treasures blog and say hello or both. 

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Handmade in my Home A Ship for Grandpa

Last week in this post  I started a series about the handmade things the surround me everyday in my house. All of them, like all handmade things, have stories. Stories about where they came from, who chose them, who made them and what they mean to me when seeing them each day.

Today the item was made by grandkids with some help from mom and dad. It was a gift to my husband who spent 20 years, 3 months and 1 day in the United States Navy. He keeps it in his office where he can see it all the time. I mostly just dust it but I am glad the ship and Jim are here.

I sell - Zibbet I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Shop of the Week Lanmon Originals

I have great admiration for people who do things I can't or don't. I have looked at soap making instructions online and it makes my head spin. Thankfully there are shops where you can get the best soaps you have ever used and Lanmon Originals is one of those.

Lemon Zing

Delicate yet vibrant lemon scented soap that will start your morning off with a zing and a smile!
Contains olive oil, canola oil, lemon zing herbal tea, coconut oil, palm oil, shea butter, lemongrass, lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit essential oils, safflower petals and turmeric.

Apricot Creme

Beautifully luxurious apricot soap that will pamper your skin and your mind! The all natural apricot puree and butter make this vegan soap almost good enough to eat!
Contains saponified olive, avocado, palm kernel and castor oils and cocoa and shea butters, peach herbal tea, apricot puree and nut butter, almond milk, and madder.

Rose Romance

All the romance of spring wrapped up in a soap! I spent months infusing oil with roses, and that rose oil kissed with a touch of geranium essential oil gives this hand crafted vegan soap a lovely floral scent that will start your day out right. I have also included a touch of corn silk to make this bar even more luxurious while still being vegan!  Contains saponified olive, canola, palm kernel and palm oils and shea butter, water, rose infused olive oil, geranium essential oil, corn silk, yellowdock, madder and rattanjot.

Goodness I really wish you could smell on the internet! Today the shop of the week has the most lovely sounding scents in handcrafted soap. Leave a comment to let me know what you would choose for yourself.

I sell - Zibbet I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

The End of Another Week

Yes we all made it to Friday. I hope your week went well. I have been doing a lot of planning and putting in place some changes about the way I go through my day. First of all giving myself a pat on the back for exercising every day this week. I also moved my computer upstairs from the basement. I was supposed to have my own crafting cave down there and I did. The basement is not finished and has one window so I found my crafting cave a bit depressing and hard to get myself down there to work. Now I am at a desk in our guest room that has nice big windows looking out to the mountains and pretty sunsets. The positive outcome of this has been that along with the exercise I have blogged every day this week. Did anyone notice but me? If not that's okay I know you all have lives too and I am not begging for attention although it can feel mighty good to get some.

In shop news, no new photos and hence no new listings this week. It has been snowing and cloudy every day. I have lots of lights here but there is just something about the way sunlight affects the outcome of pictures that is very important to me.


I have been working hard on marketing ideas and trying to make my interactions on social media outlets more efficient. I am getting closer every day. I have found ways to schedule tweets, facebook posts, google+ posts and even pins. Blogger has had a scheduling feature for a long time and Tumblr has a queue. The plan I am going to try to build into a habit is to have places that are the focus for the day. The media I focus on will get a weeks worth of scheduling done. After that I can do quick checks on the other sites to see if there is anything I need to respond to. Over time my hope would be to keep active on the sites that work best for me and let the others go.

I am really looking forward to watching the opening of the Olympics this evening.

Take care all. Time for me to make an afternoon pot of tea.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Random Shop Sharing or RSS Brick Shtick

Randomly sharing a shop is something I used to do on the blog and I got out of the habit. Well I am starting again because it is something I like to do. The shops I will share will be handmade, vintage or supply shops that I run across on places like Zibbet or Etsy. Today the shop is Brick Shtick on Zibbet. I think she sells on other sites possible but today the links go to Zibbet.

To understand more about this unusual artist I am quoting from the Policy Page in the Welcome Section.

Welcome... here is a little about me and how I came to this part of my artistic endeavors. I have used a variety of mediums and LEGO® as my current medium is not only challenging, it is also whimsical, which is a little how I am...challenging and whimsical. For me LEGO® is really quite a chaotic material to use but at the same time very precise. Somehow in a in a pile bricks and pieces of chaos, I can see and then reach near perfection with something as utilitarian as a box or as with a piece that is purely visual such as a cake topper?

Perfection really is everywhere, and each flaw is a bit of perfection. So when I create, I work hard to put the traditional meanings of perfection and art aside and go with what comes to me. It is the process of creating beauty and meaning out of these non traditional bits and pieces that moves me

I have had a few different careers, the big ones have been Carpenter, Teacher, and Technical Theatre Geek. As a carpenter and a teacher, I have always had a thing for woodworking and many of my early box creations are made from pieces of scrap wood. I would work a similar process of creating something from chaos or scraps of what would otherwise be thrown away. It became a very serious process and beautiful creations were made, however it lacked the whimsey and smiles that the world of Lego Artist grants me. I truly enjoy making custom pieces because I am motivated and inspired by others vision. Combining my vision with yours is what I hope to accomplish. I hope my work makes you smile and can feel the energy I plant into each of my pieces.

Want to see what some of the pieces look like? Of course. The pictures will be linked to the item page and easy to click when you are ready to shop.

Godzilla Birthday Cake Topper

Wonder Woman Business Card Holder

Bow Tie Pins

Brick Shtick has a Facebook Page and a twitter feed @brickshtick where you can catch all the latest news about designs and so on. Feel free to share what you think about today's Randomly Shared Shop, leave a comment here or on G+.

One more shout out about the awesome Cuprum29 who is the Group2020 shop of the week. The shop is filled with mixed metal jewelry and sleek modern bracelet designs. Trust me it is worth your time to look.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

What's New Wednesday, February 5th

Well not a lot of pictures got taken this week. I did manage some for two new listings though. It has been cloudy and snowy almost every day which gives my procrastination a good excuse I suppose. Really cold as well with nights below zero and days in the teens.

Today what's new are the blues. One of them is light and summery if you are dreaming of warmer, brighter days. The other is thick, very soft and warm.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life
I tumble CozyAtoZ
I pin cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Handmade in My Home Jim's Paperweight

I have been meaning to do a series about the handmade items that surround me in my home for a long time. I started this idea on another blog that I merged with this one last year. This is mostly to document these things for myself but I don't mind sharing them with you all as well.

This is a paper weight I made more than 30 years ago for Jim, as you might have guessed from the picture. I made it during a visit at my cousin Jacque's house around Christmas time one year. She made one for her husband's office too. We filled a child sized high top sneaker with plaster of paris first. Then we painted accents and names on them.

Looking at it and taking the picture today reminded me of how long ago that was and the pleasant times we used to have visiting at her home. In the funny way families are her children were my age and she was more like an aunt to me.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life
I tumble Cozy A to Z
I socialize - on Google Plus, on Twitter, and on Facebook

Cuprum29 Shop of the Week

Cuprum29 is an amazing shop filled with work that shows the talents of ErikaLyn who is an artisan committed to creating beautiful things with a mixture of different metals and techniques. After looking at the shop, take you time by the way because you will want to browse it all, it would only take a minute to share it with your followers on your favorite social media.

As a personal note ErikaLyn also shared a great tasting salsa recipe that was a big part of our football food around here yesterday. Thanks!