FREE ALPHABET LETTER

  • The  new Apocalypse alphabet continues this week with the letter "C", which will be available for free download in 2" size until 16 July 2026. 

NOTICE


SITE UPDATE -- FINALLY!

After reaching an agreement with a business that will be selling the designs, I will at long last be restoring the storefront over the next couple of weeks. 

Watch this space!

with all good wishes,

Jen


LATEST FREE DESIGN

JEN'S PROJECTS

NEWS & DOINGS

  • This Singer trapezoid case sat slightly open on the floor while I worked on the machine.
  • As you may know, cats routinely survey their territory so as to keep track of any changes, and Scampers just loves boxes and containers, so naturally he couldn't resist checking it out.
  • He managed to pry open the lid just enough to jump inside the case.
  • Once he had finished with his investigation of the case, he  discovered that getting out wasn't going to be quite as simple as getting in there in the first place.
  • Rather reluctantly, he's getting a lesson in elementary physics. (I think this shot of him is too darned cute!)
  • The case is an old-fashioned suitcase style, with a fairly deep lid. 
  • Its design is such that the bottom of the case lifts slightly when the lid is opened.
  • However, as long as Scampers' full weight is bearing on the bottom of the case, the lid can't open enough for him to squeeze out. He's pretty much stuck.
  • Although I did kind of wonder how long it would take him to resolve his dilemma and make an escape, I  took pity on him. After delaying  just long enough to take these photos , I lifted the case to release him.
  • We're both rather grateful that he went in there while I was still in the room, because if I'd finished my work and gone downstairs, he'd have been waiting for quite a long time.
  • I use  simple spring clips in a lot of my crafting, so I was happy to find these three small ones for only 25 cents. 
  • Most mini pocket-sized staplers take those small #10 staples, which are hard to find these days, but this teeny pocket-sized stapler takes full sized standard staples. 
  • And it's a Swingline, so it should be reasonably robust even if it's plastic. 
  • Quite by accident, I spotted these wonderful glass ornaments of Laurel and Hardy on line. 
  • They're from Christopher Radko, but unfortunately they're retired now. 
  • I showed the image to DH, who so enjoyed watching their films on TV when he was a kid, and who is still a fan.
  • He thought these were charming, and -- though he's not fussed on glass ornaments in general -- declared that they'd be fun to have on the tree. 
  • Taking my cue from DH's enthusiastic reaction to the Radko ornaments, I decided to make some simple Laurel and Hardy ornaments for him. 
  • I just finished digitizing these caricatures that I found on line, and though I haven't yet actuallymade them, they are firmly on my Christmas to-do list.
  • I'm planning to sew them in black on pale grey felt, as an homage to all their hilarious black and white films. 
  • Santa knows how much I like to keep little bits of hardware around just in case of emergency repairs, so he grabbed these little Chicago screw style nuts and bolts.
  • They are super handy: in fact, I used a similar one just recently to repair a pair of scissors. 
  • I'm hoping Santa will be dropping these into my stocking come December!
  • The lip has broken off this little cutlery basket, and the second one is disintegrating too, so it will no longer hang on the side of the dish rack. What a pain!
  • I was trying to figure a way to hold it in place when I came across a perfect alternative at my favourite thrift store. 
  • At the thrift store, I found a large cutlery basket from a dishwasher, priced at only $2 (on line, these replacement baskets range in price from $15 to $40 USD). 
  • I twist-tied it to my dish rack, and we're good to go. 
  • It not only replaced the worn out basket, but it's an improvement, since it holds so many more items than the original .
  • I use buttons on my gift pouches as anchors for string tags.  But buttons -- even those plain plastic ones -- have gotten crazy expensive.
  • Luckily for me, thrift stores often sell little packets of odd buttons like these. For only $1, there will be enough buttons in this pack to fit out several gift bags, with a few tiny ones left over for other crafting. 

Look for more freebies throughout the site!