Category Archives: gardening

Thinking Spring!

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It is the last week of February, and right around this time of year, the winter seems like it will never end! The cold weather, snow, and ice having been hanging around since November, which is going on 5 months now.  The huge piles of snow are dirty and slushy and seem to take forever to melt. Enough, already! I don’t know about you, but I am thinking SPRING!

Singing yellow warbler

Singing yellow warbler

Two years ago, a robin built her nest in a large holly bush right outside the bedroom window, and it was thrilling to see the eggs hatch and the babies fledge and take flight.

Robin chicks and eggs

Robin chicks and eggs

Soon the great spring migration of birds will begin, and the goldfinches will lose their drab winter colors and molt some beautiful golden yellow feathers.

Padded Jewelry Bag with Anti Tarnish Inner Pocket in Goldfinch Bird Print

Padded Jewelry Bag with Anti Tarnish Inner Pocket in Goldfinch Bird Print

Tree Full of Finches

Tree Full of Finches

I have a lot of bird fabric creations in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop. Here are a few favorites (click on the pictures below for more details):

Bird and Dogwood Blossoms Zipper pouch

Bird and Dogwood Blossoms Zipper pouch

 

Red Feathered Friends zipper pouch

Red Feathered Friends zipper pouch

 

Vibrant Meadow and Bird zipper pouch

Vibrant Meadow and Bird zipper pouch

 

Tiny Sparrow Anti-tarnish Jewelery Pouch

Tiny Sparrow Anti-tarnish Jewelery Pouch

 

Bird Nest Stripe Anti-tarnish Jewelry pouch

Bird Nest Stripe Anti-tarnish Jewelry pouch

 

 

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

 

 

It is also a great time to be thinking about gardening, even though the garden is still buried under about 2 feet of snow. The best antidote for cabin fever this time of year is to get out the glossy seed catalogs and dream of new things to try in the garden this year.

Orange mums

Orange mums

Only a few more weeks to go- can’t wait for spring!

Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather- Butterflies

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This weeks’ installment of Wednesday Wings From Bags of a Feather features butterflies!

Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

In the dead of winter, those beautiful and magical butterflies seem like a distant memory- swooping among the flowers in the garden and alighting here and their to feed and flutter their wings.

I have quite a few butterfly-themed fabrics in my etsy shop, including Asian-inpired prints, whimsical designs, and colorful jewel-toned prints.

Butterfly facts from wikipedia:

“Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen,[23] tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are important as pollinators for some species of plants although in general they do not carry as much pollen load as bees. They are however capable of moving pollen over greater distances. Vision is well developed in butterflies and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum….

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Many butterflies, such as the Monarch butterfly, are migratory and capable of long distance flights. They migrate during the day and use the sun to orient themselves. They also perceive polarized light and use it for orientation when the sun is hidden.

Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species or individuals that may stray into them. Some species will bask or perch on chosen perches. The flight styles of butterflies are often characteristic and some species have courtship flight displays. Basking is an activity which is more common in the cooler hours of the morning. Many species will orient themselves to gather heat from the sun. Some species have evolved dark wingbases to help in gathering more heat and this is especially evident in alpine forms.

 Many butterflies migrate over long distances. Particularly famous migrations are those of the Monarch butterfly from Mexico to northern USA and southern Canada, a distance of about 4000 to 4800 km (2500–3000 miles). Butterflies have been shown to navigate using time compensated sun compasses. They can see polarized light and therefore orient even in cloudy conditions. The polarized light in the region close to the ultraviolet spectrum is suggested to be particularly important”

Some butterfly-themed creations available in the Bags of a Feather etsy shop:

butterfly jewels pouch

butterfly jewels pouch

 

 

Ivory and Black Butterfly pouch

Ivory and Black Butterfly pouch

 

Lime and Black Batik Butterfly pouch

Lime and Black Batik Butterfly pouch

 

Spearmint Batik Butterfly pouch

Spearmint Batik Butterfly pouch

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Word for 2012 is FOCUS

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(originally posted 1/15/2012)

Instead of setting the usual New Year’s resolutions, I though I would try something different for my business plans this year. I picked one word to describe what I want to do this year with Bags of a Feather, and that word is:

FOCUS (from Webster’s Dictionary- “a center of activity, attraction, or attention”)
• I will focus on doing what I love to do- making things from beautiful bird fabrics, and sharing them with people who also enjoy them, whether they buy or not.
• I will focus on selling online, instead of scattering my precious time and energy in a million different directions, such as consignment, wholesale, gift shops, or craft shows.
• Focus on the next chapter of my working life, after a year-long hiatus of not working at a “real” job. Find a consulting job that will allow me to work from home at least part of the time, still find time to create, and spend time with the parrot flock. I spent years and years of 10 hours a week in the car commuting, and don’t want to do it any more if I can avoid it.
• Focus on doing what makes me happy and creatively fulfilled, not what everyone else thinks would make a lot of money. Some past experiments in marketing new products involved tiny fabric parts that were frustrating to work with and a resounding flop, sales-wise.
• I will focus on common-sense and personal experience in 2012. I have a pretty good idea by now what works for my business, and I don’t need an internet marketing “expert” to charge me $400 to tell me what will work for my particular business. I am always open to suggestions or ideas, but one-size-fits-all business advice is rarely worthwhile.
• Focus on having fun and learning some new skills. Make an article of clothing (something I have not done in over 20 years). Sit down at the Janome sewing machine and just play with all those fancy stitch patterns like monograms, 16 different buttonholes, or floral daisy chain stitches.
• Focus on planting a massive annual flower garden this summer, instead of vegetables. I am already perusing the garden catalogs, even though it is below zero out there this morning! Not a specific business goal, but masses of colorful blooms will bring me a lot of joy every time I look out the sewing room window, so why not?