I'M BACK!

Sorry I've been away from the blog for so long! Between commissions and traveling and coming up with new ideas, I've been mighty busy.

Before I get too crazy, I'd like to extend heartfelt and gracious thanks to all my buddies who came to visit us at AN ARTFUL AFFAIR!!! You know who you are...

Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph all of you; but here are some of you... 

Thanks so much for coming...hope you had as much fun as I did!

With the holiday season fast approaching, I find myself steeped in baking, Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping, shipping, freaking (a little)...you, too? Somewhere in there, I created a few "treasures". Let me know what you think...

Holiday Swirls Ornament

Peppermint Swirls Candle Lids

Holiday Wreaths Candle Lids

Mug-Rug  

Mug Rug

Mug Rugs

Oops! Dinner's about to burn...promise to return soon!

Thanks for "listening"...

The artists of the Greater Westmoreland Creative Collective (GWCC) are pleased to announce the grand opening of their online gallery, Spoonwood. Spoonwood is a juried marketplace (named after Mountain Laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower) that provides a new venue for GWCC members and guest artists to showcase their work. It also serves as an adjunct to their annual Fall trunk show, An Artful Affair.

The GWCC is a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, group of artists, craftsmen, designers, jewelers, and growers working cooperatively to promote quality and excellence in products crafted for the public. Our members, and their areas of specialty, include: Merriann Grant, fine jewelry; Nan Loncharich, fabric arts; Cia Williford, mixed media arts; Katie Resch, painted woodwork; Helen Stetina, needlecrafts; and Lisa Hertzog, country decor.

The Gallery is located at www.spoonwoodgallery.com. Interested visitors are encouraged to register (no financial information is required) in order to receive the GWCC newsletter, sales notices, etc.

Keep us in mind for your holiday shopping!

WELCOME AUTUMN!

In honor of the first day of autumn, my most favoritest season of all, I present my 'KINS. These small pumpkins are knitted, stuffed, felted, and adorned with punch-needle-embroidered leaves. I wish I could keep them all myself, but it's good to share. May they put a smile on your face, as they do on mine.

HAPPY FALL!

And,

thanks for "listening...

HAVE A SEAT...

 ...at least let your pins and needles have a seat, on one of my HAVE A SEAT PINCUSHIONS. A few months ago, I stumbled upon these great little chairs (like my colleague Cia of BRIARWOOD STUDIO, I am entranced by and a collector of, miniatures). Originally, I only wanted one for a stuffed bear to enjoy. But the more I looked at the chair I bought, the more I realized it was missing something. And then the brainstorm hit. Have a seat, needles and pins!

 The floral design on the white chair mirrors the rounded posy adornment seen on the chairback. The blue chair, with its more angular features, wanted spiky blooms. I enjoyed experimenting with knitting wool in my punch needle for the cream-colored background on both chairs. This "Alpaca Lace" punched so well that I purchased more of it in several colors...you'll be seeing it in future "treasures"...  

Of course, if you have no tired pins or needles, these little seats are just plain cute sittin' around as decoration.

 In my travels, I was only able to acquire five of these chairs (3 white, 2 blue). I'll be on the lookout for something similar (?), something new (?), something completely different (?) in the future.

As always, thanks for "listening"...

WHAT'S COOKIN'?

Well, cookies are cookin'! Sorry, these are not "eatin'" cookies...they are some of my SWEET TREATS magnets that I'll be offering at AN ARTFUL AFFAIR. But I've always loved baking "real" cookies. In fact, some folks call me "the cookie lady" and ASK me to bake. Baking for two family reunions, a wedding reception, and several care packages to family members recently inspired me to display my magnets on a cookie sheet. Come sample some!

My little gingerbread boy magnets will also be available...


Many thanks to my dear German Mutti (Mom), baker extraordinaire, who inspired the whole cookie theme. She's probably baking for the angels now...


As always, thanks for "listening"!

WHERE DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

Many folks have asked me if I have a studio. I smile. Well, yes and no. Yes, my entire house is my studio and my dear, sweet husband (so far) doesn't mind. The dining room has been taken over. The family room couch is "unsittable". The sewing room (hah!) is packed. No, I don't have "a" studio...I actually have...many!

My latest, most favorite place to work is our new gazebo. I'd been earnestly desiring one for years and now, voila! It became possible at last. If you desire a beautiful studio/haven/getaway like this one, check out Joe Barcus of Barcus Construction, Inc. on Face Book. Joe is a master! 

Best of all, little Star loves the gazebo, too...

Well, it's back to work! AN ARTFUL AFFAIR is just around the corner...

Thanks for "listening"...

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY...

...to think about Christmas! And gifts and decorations and ornaments...

My friend Mimi expressed an interest in the WEE TREE ORNAMENT and I promised to share with her (and all of you), the rest of my Christmas ornament offerings.

BAUBLE ORNAMENT

BETHLEHEM BAUBLE

STAR OF WONDER

 I have made the BAUBLE ORNAMENT in red and green as well (the multi-colored thread pictured is not always available to me); BETHLEHEM BAUBLE I like to keep blue (in honor of the little town of Christ's birth AND the actual color-name of the thread!); STAR OF WONDER will always be in shades of purple (please humor me); and WHERE'S SANTA, the wonderful chapeau of Father Christmas himself, must always be RED! 

WHERE'S SANTA

I'm due for a new ornament design...I'll keep you posted! Until then, thanks for "listening"...

An Artful Affair 2011 - Save the date!

The Greater Westmoreland Creative Collective is pleased to announce its second annual trunk show, "An Artful Affair 2011", on Saturday, October 1st, from 10 to 4 p.m., in Greensburg, PA.

"An Artful Affair" is intended to celebrate local artistry and to honor Pennsylvania's long heritage of fine handcrafted goods. In a world filled with "fast, cheap and disposable", the GWCC and "An Artful Affair" are dedicated to providing only quality, high value, and unique creativity to those who can truly appreciate them.

Our artists also have a strong commitment to the three R's (Reuse, Repurpose, or Recycle) and you will find that many of their works reflect this important environmental sensibility.

Please join us for a day of tantalizing tea, delightful delectables, and amazing art as we showcase local artists, craftsmen, designers, jewelers, and organic products.

Come join us for a delightful afternoon celebrating creativity!

Artist members who will be spotlighted:

Merriann Grant - fine jewelry
Nan Loncharich - fabric arts
Cia Williford - miniatures and mixed media arts
Katie Resch - painted woodwork
Helen Stetina - needlecrafts
Lisa Hertzog - country decorating

Additional guests will be announced prior to the event.

Location:
1104 Middletown Road
Greensburg, PA 15601

IS IT FALL YET?

Sorry, but it's REALLY hot and steamy outside, making me yearn for cooler days...autumn days...when the oaks begin dropping their acorns. As an admirer of all-things-fall, yet another of my designs just HAD to be an acorn...specifically, KATHY'S ACORN.

The idea came to me around the time of my dear friend "Kathy's" BIG 5-0 birthday...she likes acorns just about as much as I do...so this "pin" (I have also made it into a magnet) was created and named in her honor. It sports a hand-made polymer-clay leaf and a bit of stem from the oak tree in my backyard. At a workshop last October, ten students learned the art of punch needle embroidery with KATHY'S ACORN as their "beginner" project. I hope to offer a few for sale at   AN ARTFUL AFFAIR  this October.

 Time to return to "summer" things...wait 'til you see my beach chair! With that morsel, I bid you happy weekend, and thanks for "listening"...    

HELLO AGAIN

Just finished my rough (very, very rough) sketch for a new design ..THAT was fun.

But now I must return to writing the instructions for SUNFLOWER CANDY BOX in a way that my students in the October workshop (and anyone buying the pattern) will understand..."How DO you get that wired thread around those punched petals?"

THAT...not so fun.

But, still a part of the process and to be respected. I bid you a fond good evening, good weekend, and as always, thanks for "listening"... 

JEWELRY ANYONE?

Jewelry...one of my (many) weaknesses. I have developed a fondness (and apparently a reputation) for wearing bracelets, and never just one. But earrings and necklaces (watch out, my friend and jeweler extraordinaire Merriann Grant of ZIPPITY DOODADS), tempt me big-time as well! And PINS...don't get me started!!! Since I can't wear them all myself, some of these pins adorn various tote bags and purses. One of Nan Loncharich's creations (FANCY WOOL FLOWERS) now lives on a favorite tote...

Which brings me to telling you about one of my own pin offerings, LOG CABIN SYRUP.

Since I've been teaching punch needle through a quilt shop lately, some of my designs now have "quilt" themes. This wee pin (approximately 1.25 x 1.25 inches) is actually punched on canvas (a non-traditional punch needle material); with a needle that is not used much (the big, bad #6-strand); employing a "syrup" of different threads. My designs tend to have names because they usually began as "patterns". I hope to teach this pin as a workshop someday.

Here is another of my quilt designs, OCTOBER STAR, shown as a pincushion and a key-holder, and exhibiting two different colorways.





Yipes! Just had another idea...time to haul out the sketch-pad!

I'll show you more pins next time...

Thanks for "listening"!

FEELING NOSTALGIC

Is anybody wondering about my very first design? Technically, it was the BAA FOR BEGINNERS sheep pictured here in my sidebar. I had to come up with something simple but fun for those just starting out in punch needle. Since my classes were to be held in a knit shop full of wonderful wools (KATHY'S KREATIONS, Ligonier, PA), a sheep seemed appropriate. The rich, crimson background was homage to shop-owner and designer Kathy, whose favorite color is red.

But my REAL "first" design, a design for "sale", HAD to be autumn-related (although kitties and thistles ran as close seconds). I love everything about fall: the cooler weather; the scents; the COLORS...of the sky, of leaves and acorns and PUMPKINS! My first REAL punch needle design was WEE PUMPKIN PIN. It can be made into as a magnet as well.
      



Sorry, I know everyone is gearing up for the big 4th of July weekend and might not necessarily care to see a pumpkin, but let's just call it a "Helen".

Happy "4th" all, and thanks for "listening"...

Thank you to Maggie Ann for her very nice comments! I need all the encouragement I can get (-: If you would like to take a punch needle class with me I do offer private lessons (please email me); or, since you like the wee tree so much, please consider taking my workshop through the quilt shop I mentioned (the tree project is geared for beginners). Have a lovely day, and, thanks for "listening"...

Well, looks like I need to work on page layout...sorry folks...better luck (for me) next time (-:

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

How appropriate to be making my very first post on such a special day! It's "Guppy's" birthday, or would be, if she were still with us (she went to kitty heaven last June). Guppy is still very much in my heart and in my world...if you'd like to chat with me personally, try my email address, guppy0613@comcast.net. And if you'd like to see a photo of Guppy, here she is with me (or check us out on face book, Helen C. Herglotz Stetina).

All this tech-stuff is still very new to me, so please be patient (-:

HELEN'S TREASURES is also still very new to me! I have a few designs under my belt and plan to post more photos of them in the future. My designs began as punch needle patterns, created mainly for teaching purposes. But now, some of those designs will appear on items I'll create to sell. That's what I find most intriguing and creative about the whole process...having an idea, then punching it, AND THEN, deciding how to best display/portray it.

WEE TREE ORNAMENT



SUNFLOWER CANDY BOX

Yes, I still love to teach! My "specialty" has become punch needle embroidery, but I have lots of counted cross stitch, needlepoint, some beading, some knitting/crocheting and finishing skills I could share. And I love incorporating some of these skills in "finished" pieces. Please check out www.quiltpatchetc.com ...I will be teaching two punch needle workshops at a Fall Quilter's Retreat sponsored by the quilt shop, Kate & Becca's Quilt Patch Etc, in October of this year. WEE TREE ORNAMENT will be offered as a "beginner" project; SUNFLOWER CANDY BOX is geared for those who are already familiar with punching and want MORE.

OK, time to give "Star" some attention...she already jumped on my laptop TWICE while I was typing! Thanks for "listening"!