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Studio time! And an Etsy faux pas?

 

 

Studio and guest room
New studio/guest room! Rather, this week it’s a guest room/studio!

The studio is as done as it can be for now which is good because COMPANY ARRIVES TOMORROW! Hence, it will be a guest room starting then rather than a studio. But that’s a good thing. (If I remember to go out tomorrow morning and get some soap and tooth paste.) Not unlike New England – remember, we arrived here just over three years ago from Massachusetts! – this is Albuquerque’s hopping time. No, not for colorful maple leaves and apples, but because it’s Balloon Fiesta time! The party starts Saturday and runs through next weekend.I’ll actually be at the Rail Yards vending on the last day of Fiesta; here’s hoping that some tourists mosey on in and can’t stop themselves from buying some hooked rugs. 🙂 Hey, it can happen. Last year a nice young man from San Francisco did just that very thing.

Hot air balloon in Albuquerque
Albuquerque: the hot air balloon capitol of the United States. Caught this one while I was walking right near my house. The other day I counted 26 up, up, and away!

In the meantime, “Fireworks” was purchased from my Etsy shop. I mention it because 1) I love that rug so it was hard to see it go and 2) I might’ve made a faux pas when I put a pic of the rug up on Instagram and mentioned that it was on its way to its forever home.

Funny story. Etsy tells me the rug is going to a guy in Texas. No problem. We package it up, and my courier, i.e., Tom, takes it to UPS. Off it goes. I put the post up on Instagram. Marketing, I call it. Next thing I know, some woman is responding on Instagram that it must be her rug, that her boyfriend was going to buy it for her, but she told him he should make it a Christmas surprise or one for her December birthday. Huh??? I don’t know her, so I check her profile, and – lo and behold! – she’s from the same Texas city! I tell her that I hope I haven’t ruined the surprise and…that she needs to take a pic of it in its new home. 🙂 Long story longer, the purchaser/boyfriend messages me through Etsy. He’s laughing and confirms the whole thing. So, I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t mention when I sell something??? Nah!

Have a great week all! And if you’re in for some spectacular fall scenery, come on down to Albuquerque and see the balloons!

Tynan dog and hooked rug
Tynan brings you this week’s “What’s on the frame?” The primitive is almost done! Think I need to make some color adjustments, though. Either way, the hooking will be finished tonight. Woohoo! Remember, it’s hooked from recycled t-shirts.
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What’s on the frames this week

 

What's on the frames beside the Big Boucherouite and Tynan?
Tynan presents one of the “rugs on the frame” this week. As you can see, I managed to get around the whole perimeter of the “Big Boucherouite.” Woohoo! Unfortunately, it has to take a back seat to the rug below. But I’m getting more excited the farther I get with it. Soon color!

Sure, “what’s on the frames this week,” but more like “what’s not happening this week?” Too much stuff is breaking as I get ready to take my first vacation with Tom for the first time in, like, 10 or 11 years! And it’s a good vacation, made more special because it’s the year of our 25th wedding anniversary (long gone by back in January). But more on that another time.

Just take in all these things I have to get done this week :

 

What's on the frames? A new "Woof" rug.
Look familiar? Yep, it’ll be an almost-clone of “Woof.” A lady saw the original in my Etsy shop but didn’t want the OD green background that I hooked in. She prefers a blue-based background. Perfect for last week’s Fourth of July holiday judging by the great pic of her pups that she sent. All SIX! were decked out in red, white, and blue and had American flags. Gotta love the dogs!

 

I won’t bother you any with any more specifics, but I’ll show you the other rug that’s on the frame this week. How’s your summer going? Busy???

 

 

 

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Happy Fourth of July!

Fourth of July fireworks
Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans! I’m taking the week off (from the blog, that is) to finish a couple of rugs up and to start a new one. Come see High on Hooking at Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market Sunday. In the meantime, get some rest and remember how many good things this country still has to offer yourself and others. What do you have to give back?
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It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to. Or not.

No, of course, I won’t cry because it’s my birthday. But what I will do is keep this post brief. And write it up on Monday the 4th to post Tuesday. Because, peeps, I am très busy on my birthday. After a mimosa breakfast of champions, I’m off for a visit with the rheumatologist. Then I’ll meet friends for lunch after which we’ll head off to Edna Fergusson Library for an afternoon of hooking. Which is good, as I need to finish a piece that’s nowhere near done for Sunday’s Rail Yards Market here in Albuquerque. What the evening will bring is still up in the air, but Tom’s promised to get me gluten free carrot cake from Flying Star. This excites me to no end as I haven’t had cake on my birthday in years. Oh, and there will be wine. Good wine.

Happy birthday to me! What might your birthday traditions include? I’m always looking for new ways to celebrate…anything!

Dog with hooked rugs.
Tynan brings you not just one rug, but two! Yes, there are two rugs on the two frames. The Anderson holds the BIG Boucherouite which is on the l-o-n-g plan. Ty’s keeping his paws on the one that needs to be done for Sunday’s Rail Yard Market. (That might require a little miracle.) Come visit us there. Mention this blog post and get 10% of a rug!
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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.
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