Christmas is over

I had many custom orders for aprons, and now embroidery, this holiday season. I also worked my butt off at work so I didn't get to sew as much as I would've liked. My DH (dear husband), also DH are his first two initials, got me a Brother SE 400. It's a combination sewing and embroidery machine! It rocks but dang machine embroidery is an expensive hobby. Designs are at least $5 and it takes about an hour to actually sew the things. I'm still working out the machines buttons and switches but it is my new best friend.
Finding designs that aren't boring was the next quest. I am a huge fan of  Sublime Stitching. Jenny Harts designs are right up my alley. Unfortunately they are only hand embroidery designs and I need digitized designs to transfer by USB to my machine.

 So I put a request on Etsy to see if I could pay someone to digitize my own art and its way too expensive, upwards of $20. Then, I just searched and searched and eventually found greatness in Urban Threads. Oh holy mecca of cool machine embroidery designs!! Skulls, tattoos, cute critters! I immediately blew a wad of cash on these designs and started an embroidery habit that just won't quit. Everything looks so plain now without an awesome design on it. I also found some koi on a disc at a special Brother store that cost a bundle but are very professional and super cute. So here's some pics of my holiday projects.

Sorry for the low quality cell pics. I promise to take better pictures soon. The other thing that makes this an expensive hobby is thread. Some designs need 5 different shades of blue. So I went back to Etsy and ordered 50 spools and I still need more! Well I'm happy Christmas is over but I'm dreading the work week until NYE. Then 4 days off to travel to California! Yay!

Xmas Card!

Starry Snowflakes Christmas 5x7 folded card

Visit Shutterfly.com for classic photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

New aprons

Shutterfly Christmas cards and photoboooks.

I bought a Groupon for and 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly. I figured it would be a great opportunity to finally, after 4 years, put my wedding pictures into an album. We used a family friend for our photography needs and unfortunately the images were all upside down and too small to use on the disc. I was disheartened and sad that they weren't the perfect photos. Alas we also moved from Texas to Vegas to Seattle all in the span of the last four years and the negatives were lost along the way. I was heartbroken.
These pictures were to fill our walls and be put on Christmas cards to share with family and they were just gone. Then much to my amazement I looked in a box that had junk in it and there they were! In an envelope that had nothing to do with photos. I rushed to my local camera store to have them properly put on a disc so that I could use the Groupon before its expiration date. I got my disc and was so happy to finally put them in an album. I easily downloaded them to Shutterfly and realized I had way to many to put in an 8x8 so I upgraded to a 12x12 to give them their due space.
 It was during those few days of editing and placing that shutterfly offered 1 free Christmas card of my own design. I figured a sample in hand was the perfect way to show the husband and get his approval. He hates getting his picture taken and also hates all pictures taken of him. So I received the sample and after his input was able to design a card to his liking. I was even able to change the simple greeting to a whimsy one with my own sentiments in my own humor. Thanks Shutterfly!

Since buying the groupon I have ordered 3 photo books from Shutterfly and designed 3 Christmas cards. Its so easy and the designs are great.

·         Christmas card to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

·         holiday photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

·         upload pictures to http://www.shutterfly.com/upload-pictures

·         calendar to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars  

·         Hanukkah cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/hanukkah-cards

·         personalized mug to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs

·         Choose your own card/invitation and URL from our Cards & Stationery page

Sammy my foster ferret

I love my fosters and most recently Sammy has really endeared himself to me. He's the one on the left, his buddy is Syd. He is a silver, blind oldster. He goes about the ferret room running into things and he LOVES his soup. I believe that the soup is what has extended his life. That and being in a home environment instead of the shelter I use a version of this Soup recipe and I add carnivore care brewers yeast, chicken baby food and nutrical. I prepare my chicken in the crock pot and use the remaining broth to reconstitute the dry kibble. I have also added chicken hearts but my local store does not carry them.
The other day I went to my basement ferret room with the soup for Sammy and after he ate and wiped his face on my pants he climbed up into my lap and proceeded to make himself at home. He nuzzled my arm and gave arm kisses. I held protective hands around him so he wouldn't roll off, he is blind after all, and he just stayed there. I had a lot of things to do including litter boxes and food and water refills but Sammy made me stay there and enjoy his company for a while. It was bliss. Thanks little dude.

The ferret Giving tree

ferretgivingtree.com
Its that time of year again to make a fuzzies christmas. Send toys!! bedding food All things ferrety Even a gift card to Target

Halloween 2010

This year I flew to L.A. to be with friends and family for Halloween. Leaving my grumpy Halloween hating husband at home to mope by himself. Luckily I can rely on him to feed, water and give meds to the ferrets.
My idea for a costume was inspired byhttp://www.grandinroad.com/jump.jsp?&itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=22177&k=ZZ51176&mr:referralID=83376fb3-e925-11df-b21a-001b2166c2c0 its a lot of tulle. I tried one on at a costume shop and was shocked at the price tag, $90-$140. Tulle is less than $2 a yard so off I went on a mission to make it. I bought $19 worth of tulle and cut it into 7 pieces. Laying them flat and stacked on top of one another I made a hood with a ribbon sewing all 7 pieces together.ghost tutorial.

I put it on and looked spooky and frothy from the front and sides but rather weak in the back. Hmm. I checked the magazine article and noticed online a big difference in fabric size. I bought 54" and Martha uses specialty store 108". That's a huge difference. I wasn't going to let that stop me so I just made it work. I tore up the top two layers for a ragged effect. The night before Halloween I wore my costume in the Seattle rain to a house party and 2 bars. I figured any distressing would only add to the whole effect.

I rolled up my cloak and put it in my carry on and off to L.A. I went. Once in Hermosa beach I changed into my costume out of the trunk of my rental car and was ready to party. I got to wear it all day and took every opportunity to act spooky much to my brothers chagrin. I even painted my teeth green and reddened the skin around my eyes. I left my travel straggly hair alone as it fit the costume.

I had lunch at Henneseys in Hermosa then handed out candy in El Segundo at Joaquin and Cheselys house. The night took us to Gassers Lounge for an art show but the red lighting sorta prevented us from viewing the art. My friend Rob was a ghastly site in full makeup with contacts and prosthetic facial features. He looked awesome. See Above.

Alas the trip had to end 48 hours after I got there and I just didn't feel like carrying back that huge white torn up pile of material. Amber gave it to the dog to tear up.

My trip was short but sweet. It was good to see Amber, Rob, the other Rob and Candy his baby mama, Joaquin, Ches, Brody, Michelle, Ryan, Marcus, Jess, Eric, Joe, Jennifer my sister, Stella, Jaliza, brother Kyle and his new lady friend who is way cute.

Oh I almost forgot I coined a new term. Its DTMH for Don't Tell my Husband. I got a new tattoo. Its inspired by this years costume and and all Halloweens past and future. Spooookyyy. Original art by Jennifer Sutton, my sister. She kicks major ass.

Earls Story

I had 3 ferrets already; Django (the first), Ivan(the boy) and Fitch (the devil). I saw the post on the FMLferretmailinglist.org, I read it everyday and even though I was a ferret owner and shelter volunteer I had not rescued yet. Yet.
The post stated that a ferret was abandoned in front of the vet in a box. On a hundred degree day. Without food. Without water. In a box. With a handmade green bowl.
They wondered what the box was for hours before someone brought it in. Inside was an albino male ferret,young, beautiful and on the brink of death. Dehydration and exposure to the elements would surely have been his demise had the receptionist not just brought the box in.
They kept him for days and I called for days. I didn't want a new ferret, nor any of the expensive ferret issues I was going through with Fitch(see future story). I knew, I just knew. He needed me. Hell ,I needed him, I just didn't know it yet.
The day I finally got the call to get him I dropped everything. I grabbed the carrier and fled. When I got to the vet on the other side of town I had a hard time finding it and almost gave up. Then I turned myself around and found the right place. He was in the smallest ferret cage ever but was clean and trimmed and just a beautiful pure white albino fluff ball. I fell, hard, head over heels in love!! Conked over the head.
He came right home with me and melted into my group like butter.
He is not without his issues. I think the heat of that day and god knows how many days before it. Earls is my special ed boy. Just about a minuet behind everyone else. He is also an ankle biter and a general mess maker. While in Vegas I would put out several shallow Tupperware pans of water and call it the ferret hot tub. Well Earls was definitely a fan. Swimming and spraying and general mayhem. My water baby.I love those days. Since we've moved to Seattle the "hot tubs" have ceased. Its too cold!

We have no idea how old Earl is, I put him about 3 years or so ,he is a healthy boy.I love him. Together we dance, just him and I ,cutting a rug, tripping the light fantastic.

Newest apron

I was commissioned to make an apron featuring 3 things: ferrets, wine and pink. That was such a challenge. The person I made it for is using it to judge ferrets at a show in D.C., and they are wine tasting. Lucky girl.
So off to pacificfabrics.com to see what I could find. I scoured the Internet beforehand but you never know what the fabric is going to feel like and I wanted this to be high quality and not wait for shipping. I found the main fabric, in a more red then I would like, wine bottle pattern. I made the flounce at the bottom of a coordinating small bubbles pattern. For the straps I chose a small animal paw print tracks pattern. The neck straps and pockets were of a pink Parisian wallpaper pattern(my favorite) called brocade.

It was my first attempt at a full apron and I was up to the challenge. After cutting out and sewing everything together it took me about 2 weeks just sewing in my spare time. I loved loved loved the flounce at the bottom. I feel bad that there wasn't anything really ferrety about the apron so I tried printing an image on fabric paper that you use in your printer but it came out orange, not pink or even a reddish shade so that was a waste of paper and ink. Hope she loves it as much as I do. I asked only that she donate $30 to a ferret shelter seeing as there were probably minor imperfections and maybe a tad too big for her. Hmm. One can try right.

New to Blogland

Hi everyone that might see this. I am Kristina Noir some of you know me as Kristina Borgstrom ;wife, ferret foster mom and crafty apron maker. Well I've now decided to join the ranks of millions of bloggers to express my heartfelt feeling about ferrets and crafting. Keep watching as I continue my journey to sew and raise my ferrets. thanks!


This is a link to my apron making FB page. Check it out!
http://www.facebook.com/kristinanoir#!/pages/West-Seattle-WA/Kristina-Noir/127249977297613