Category: Etsy shop

June 25, 2018

Cool da Vinci stuff on a HOT day

da Vinci scuba suit — This scary individual is actually a copy of just one of **da Vinci’s scuba suits**. In 2003, some chick named **Jacquie Cozens** actually attempted a dive in a similar suit. Apparently, she had “limited success,” whatever that means.

The last two weeks of June tend to be the hottest of the summer here in Albuquerque, so Tom and I headed off to the very much air conditioned Museum of Natural History here in town. It was more of a targeted visit; a Leonardo DaVinci show has been ensconced there since February. It’ll be gone by next month, so we saddled up the Accord and headed into Old Town. Thought I’d share a few pics with you, then you won’t have to go yourselves. While it was a nice exhibit and contained a fair bit of info on Leonardo, it wasn’t worth the $22 per person ($20 for seniors!). Maybe if there had been his actual paintings and such rather than digital copies, etc. Still, inspiration and stories were everywhere!

da Vinci painting — **“La Bella Principessa”** was a nice, little portrait. It appears that this baby was holed up in someone’s cellar or collection for centuries before anyone thought that it might’ve been painted by da Vinci. They thought it was by some German dude.

da Vinci notebook page — Okay, this is cool. They had copies of some of da Vinci’s notebooks. This recorded his ideas on a **GIANT horse statue** that he spent years planning for some patron. In the end, he never built it. But the drawing is wild.

da Vinci costumes — Who knew the dude was so into theater? Not only did create sets and such, but he created costumes too. Yes, he took up thread and needle and sewed! Not an interactive exhibit, so I was not able to entice Tom to try on the scarlet cape and tights.

da Vinci crossbow — Have issues with your neighbors whether they be next door, in the next town, Mexico or Canada??? This **giant crossbow** wasn’t available for purchase, but I bet it could do the job for you. Da Vinci was BIG into weaponry.

da Vinci tank — Perhaps you prefer a **tank** for your military needs? Those tubes sticking out of the bottom, which round the whole machine, are the guns.

Because our tickets included it, after perusing the da Vinci exhibit, we thought we’d hang in the planetarium for awhile. One piece of advice in case you happen to catch a show: Bring a parka! Don’t care that it was 98 degrees outside. In the planetarium it was January in Minnesota!

The reality is that this week’s going to be even warmer than last week. Hooh, boy. Guess that means I’ll stay in and hook. What a hardship. Oh, well, there are shows to apply to. And I’ll be loading up the Etsy shop with more goodies too, especially as…I finally sold my first rug there! Woohoo!

dinosaur — How are you keeping cool this summer? Movies like the new Jurassic Park? Museum visits? Lucky enough to live near a beach (like I used to)? Or just holing up in the AC with friends? Share your plans here!

May 30, 2018

Progress is s-l-o-w

Hand-hooked mug rug set — A new mug rug set: “Meanderings.” And it’s all wool! Not a t-shirt or bedsheet loop in sight. It “debuted” at **Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market** Sunday.

So last week’s post was all about making changes; not necessarily BIG life changes, but the small ones that you hope really take hold. This week is about the progress I’ve made in the last week. Or not made.

The good news:

I did not turn on my laptop two whole days last week.
I managed to make one journal entry. And one is better than zero.
I did NOT freak when I decided not to pass on various blog and Facebook posts.
After such a busy two months, I finally got to clean up some of the dirt and clutter piles that had grown in my house. I have more to go vis à vis “life clutter,” but more on that later.
I’ve realized that looking at Pinterest just before I go to bed results in brain-racing and too many ideas all at once which in turn results in no sleep. Knowledge is power…when I choose to use it.
Today I took a whole day to make a field trip with friends. Cathy, Melinda, and I headed up to Española Valley Fiber Arts Center to drop off some guild donations. After that we investigated a thrift store (where they were selling four – 4 – iced tea spoons for $600!) and had a leisurely lunch in Santa Fe. No one looked at her phone during the meal. (I think.)

The bad news:

I spent more time on my phone and tablet on the days that the laptop was off. At least I can’t play Scrabble on my phone. Thank goodness; the game is a HUGE time-suck.
While I’m glad about being off the laptop and doing other non-electronic activities, certain things haven’t gotten done that need to be done, particularly, updating my Etsy shop. That’s a definite negative especially as I’ve sold a couple of listed items at shows.

Since I can’t seem to come up with another negative, it appears that there’s been progress. We’ll see what happens this week and beyond.

How about you? How do you manage the whole balance thing when it comes to electronics, real life, and what you really want out of that real life?

Dog with hooked rug in progress. — Tynan brings you “What’s on the frame” this week. It’s long and narrow. Hang it horizontally over a door or vertically down a wall.

March 27, 2018

High on Hooking’s got an Etsy shop!

Pic of rug from Etsy site. — That’s the thumbnail of first rug I put up on my Etsy shop: “Hatch’s BIG Chile.” I thought that it was pretty appropriate given how much I love my new state of New Mexico. *But can you believe that I’ve lived her for almost three years?!!?*

After about three years of telling myself that I was going to put an Etsy shop together, I finally broke down and did it. Woohoo! (Okay, the last vow was to do it this past winter. I got close; it went up the first day of spring, which is still practically winter in a lot of the country.)

You’ll find the shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HighonHooking. Now, no sniggers. I know it’s still just an itty bitty shop with – at the moment – two listings. But everyone’s got to start somewhere. And not only did I have to figure out all that was involved with the shop and creating listings and taking pics, I had to do some updating of the website here, so that things would match. Okay too, maybe I hadn’t taken care of the Gallery in a while. Maybe some of those items were sold last year. But it’s better now. Not perfect; I’ll work more on completing the website after the Etsy show has a little more…heft.

So, spread the news! You might want to add that I’ll be adding more rugs to the shop on a regular basis. If you have any ideas of how to make it a more inviting shop, give me a yell. I’m happy to get advice, especially if you already have your own Etsy shop. And if you do have a rug hooking ETSY shop, feel free to share the address below in the comments. Later I’ll transfer the info onto the “Cool Resources” page.

To those who celebrate as I do, have a
joyful Easter surrounded by friends and family!

Sewing up rugs that will appear on Etsy and in Albuquerque's Recycled Art Fair. — “What’s on the frame” this week isn’t what’s on the frame. Instead I’m doing a LOT of sewing: starting and finishing rugs. If you’ve been around awhile, you know that I sew my rug binding on before I start to hook. It’s just the way I was taught. Plus I can hook right up to the tape and rarely need to do any whipping. But maybe you enjoy the tedium of whipping? Said NO ONE ever! Because I have **Albuquerque’s Recycled Art Fair** next month, I’m trying to get a jump on several mug rugs. Then there are the finished rugs; well, not completely finished rugs. I’ve been putting off their hemming. Also not my favorite thing, but so much faster than whipping (she said gleefully). And unless they sell right off, all these rugs and mats will appear in my Etsy shop. For those missing **Tynan**, I thought it best to keep him away from all the pins and needles. He can’t get hurt. Tomorrow’s his 10th birthday!