Prairie Creations Ornaments

Fabric Flowers and Scrappy Bows

darlkay52 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:32:09 +0000

As I look back over the several years that I have been making quilted ball ornaments, I can see that my styles have changed and evolved (hopefully improved) over the years.

I’m always experimenting with new ideas and methods to keep my work fresh & new. I found these really cute fabric flower patterns at http://www.etsy.com/shop/aSundayGirl. The instructions were clear and simple and the pattern was delivered to my inbox very quickly.

I used the folded fabric flower (after making some size adjustments) for this pumpkin and sunflower ornaments.

I used the Scrappy Flower pattern to form the top of this cute Christmas Heart ornament:

I really like the look of these flowers on the tops of the ornaments, but I also think the flowers alone will have lots of uses – maybe great toppers for gifts, or ornaments on their own.

Milestones and Anniversarys

darlkay52 — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:40:42 +0000

My 40th high school class reunion is coming up in a week or so and thanks to Facebook and the internet there is a group of us that have been communicating and re-connecting over they last few weeks. Someone had the great idea that everyone should write a short bio of what you’ve been doing the last 40 years and sharing them via email. Doing this ahead of the event has allowed us to do some catching up and knowing a little more about some of the acquaintances that we haven’t been able to keep in touch with. I have really enjoyed reading the bios, but it sure is bringing it home to me that it has really been a long time since those innocent high school years!

Sometimes, I think, it is good to stop and look back and reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished (or not accomplished). Keeping a memento or keepsake to commemorate that milestone is a great way to keep those memories alive – and it’s a fun thing to do too!

I came up with this commemorative anniversary ornament a few months ago when my sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. In this day and age that milestone is definitely something to celebrate and I wanted them to have something to keep and enjoy and remind them of the commitment they had made so many years ago.

I decided to list a custom made ornament like it in my Ebay and Etsy stores. Besides being made with glittering gold fabrics, I customize the ornament by putting the couple’s names on the reverse side of the ornament. Several persons have purchased this ornament as a special gift for friends or family members. I also had a request from someone who wanted one for her 25th anniversary and so I designed a similar ornament using silver fabrics.

There are many other occasions such as weddings, graduations, promotions, or whatever else is a great milestone in your life, when a token such as a custom made ornament makes a great gift to others (or to yourself) is a fun way to remember. Ornaments can be placed on a special stand and displayed year round, or saved and brought out as a special ornament for your Christmas Tree.

Fall Is Just Around The Corner

darlkay52 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:14:53 +0000

As much as I like spring and summer, there’s just something about the subtle changes that signal autumn is just around the corner that I really love. Don’t know if it’s the slight changes in the countryside like the grasses starting to shoot up fuzzy heads and turn a pretty golden colors, all the sunflowers in full bloom, or the stacks of big golden bales of hay, all harvested and ready to feed the livestock through the long winter. Or maybe just a subtle change in the smell and feel of the air. Whatever it is, I like the change. It’s a time when the crazy busyness of summer is starting to slow down and knowing that the land (and me) will be taking a nice rest.

Not that there’ll be a lot of rest; I’m busy working on some great fall ornament designs and new ways to display them to bring that autumn feel into my home. I couldn’t resist putting this little arrangement together for my living room. Ornaments aren’t just for trees! I just pulled a few objects around the house together with some bright fall leaves and a spray of ripe wheat (that I picked before the combine ate it up last June), and I have a festive, seasonal arrangement.

To see all my currently available Autumn ornament designs check out my Fall Ornaments in my Ebay store. While you’re there, be sure and check out the newest Christmas designs that are coming out for this holiday season.

I Like Rainy Days…..Sometimes!

darlkay52 — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:41:08 +0000

It always seems like summer flies by twice as fast as winter & spring. I’m usually just getting into my routine of gardening, horseback riding and enjoying time with my grandkids, and suddenly it’s time for school to start and the weather is cooling down – and I’ve only managed about half of all the things I wanted to do this summer. All in all, though, when I look back on it, we did get to quite a few horse shows, my garden is thriving and starting to really produce lots of veggies, and I did manage to finish a couple of landscaping projects.

The only thing that has really suffered is my time making ornaments and it’s already time to start thinking of new designs for Christmas 2010! That’s why I’m actually glad that it ended up being a cloudy, rainy day today. I’ve spent the whole day in my studio finishing ornaments and planning new designs. It’s actually getting easier to think of frosty, snowy designs and I can feel the excitement of Christmas sneaking up on me. I really love the holidays, but hate to see the warm days of summer ending.

I couldn’t resist working on a couple more cute, summery butterfly designs though, like this mod butterflly ornament. The crisp green color accented with a bright teal will be a nice reminder of summery days as I go through the long winter.

On the other hand, it was a pleasure to work with this sparkling

bright snowflake ribbon with silver sparkles. Makes me thing of a crisp, frosty morning.

So…even though rainy days aren’t my favorite, today ended up being a fun, productive day – and taking a break from outdoor activities wasn’t too bad!

Now, its time to get busy and start listing all my new creations on Ebay and Etsy. Be sure and check them out over the next few days – and keep checking back – I’ve got lots of ideas for new designs just waiting to be put together to make your holidays special!

Ornaments of Pheasant Feathers

darlkay52 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:58:44 +0000

Yesterday, my sis and I decided to take a little road trip to visit our niece who lives on a farm in north central Kansas. The neat thing about their farm (besides the beautiful scenery) is that fact that several years ago they started a sideline business hosting hunters who love to come to the prairie and hunt the beautiful pheasants that live here. I was totally impressed by the great job they have done in building up this business and making it a memorable experience for their guests.

Besides the hunting experience, they offer comfortable lodging, home cooked meals and have the birds cleaned and prepared for the hunters to take home. My niece has learned taxidermy and can stuff and make the beautiful birds into great pieces of art and decor. She also saves and prepares the feathers which are made into beautiful wreaths and these wonderful feather covered balls. Of course, the balls really caught me eye, being somewhat similar to the quilted balls that I love to make. These balls are made by painstakingly cleaning each little feather and then carefully placing them in a pattern around a Styrofoam ball. Each one is a unique work of art and the beautiful colors and iridescence of the feathers make them a beautiful piece of decor.

If you are interested in finding out more about her feather balls, wreaths, or are looking for a great country hunting experience, check out their website at Spearpoint Ranch. You’ll have to contact her about the balls as she doesn’t specifically list them on the site. She’d love to hear from you.

Summer Nights & Sunflower Days

darlkay52 — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:15:05 +0000

We’re settling in to that time when summer is passing by with lightening speed. The 4^th of July holiday is over, the days are long and hot and it seems like fall is coming up way too fast.

I love these long hot summer days. It’s nearing fair time, the vegetables in the garden are starting to fill my freezer and adding lots of flavors to our meals. For us, it’s a little break in the middle of summer when the cattle are all contentedly grazing in the pastures, the hay is cut and baled and all the winter feed is planted and growing. Of course, there’s always lots to do – the grass & weeds seem to need constant attention, equipment needs to be readied for fall harvest, and vegetables require daily harvesting. The evenings are long and refreshing after the bright, hot sun of the day. Lightening bugs add little sparkles to the yard and, if you can keep the mosquitoes at bay, it’s a nice time to sit on the porch and unwind from the busy day.

The bright fresh spring flowers have given way to the tougher, heat tolerant flowers of summer. My favorite, of course – being from Kansas- is the sunflower. Bright and bold, it will soon brighten the roadsides and ditches with it’s perky bright yellow flowers. Last year, the neighbor planted large fields of those great big crop sunflowers and I spent days taking pictures of their beautiful blooms. I was disappointed when I noticed that he had planted other crops in those fields this year.

I love this bright, bold ornament! I’ve hand crocheted a bright yellow sunflower to add to the side and it adds a pretty bright splash of color wherever you put it. This winter when all the other flowers have faded and gone, this ornament will keep a little bit of summer going year round in your home!

Enjoy Summer & Show Your Patriotism

darlkay52 — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:26:57 +0000

I wish someone could figure out how to slow down time just for the summer months. I really do love all the seasons, but I have to say that summer is my favorite! Spending time outdoors is my favorite pastime and I love all the activities that can be enjoyed when summer finally gets here. For me it’s long walks on the prairie, checking out all the blooming wildflowers and enjoying the sounds of the birds going about their business of feeding and raising their young. It’s a time of horse shows and long horseback rides, checking cows in the pastures and watching the calves play in the grass. I even like the strong spring & summer storms that come along and keep us watching the skies.
The summer holidays are always the most fun! Memorial Day zoomed by and now 4th of July is rushing up and will be gone before we know it. That always means visits to the fireworks stand and going to family barbeques. It’s the best time of year to show our patriotism and love of country.
Of course, I have to design a series of patriotic ornaments to go along with this great holiday. I don’t know right off hand who came up with the colors of red, white & blue for our flag, but what a great, bright color combination. Even in different shades of blue & red, these colors always stand out. Patriotic ornaments are a great way to show your patriotism around your home. Ornaments can be hung in a window to be admired from inside or outside. That’s one of my favorite ways to display them. They also make great accents if suspended on an ornament hanger or piled in blue, red or white bowls for a nice centerpiece. Whatever way you choose to display them, they are sure to be a great, bright addition to your decor.

Mother’s Day – Celebrate It Everyday

darlkay52 — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:33:56 +0000

Whoever invented Mother’s Day had a really great idea. Sometimes in the day to day busyness of life, we forget to remember and appreciate those who have contributed the most to our lives – usually our Mothers. My own mother – pictured at right with 3 great-grandchildren (my own grandkids) – turned 94 last week. Although she is in relatively good health, that’s an age where you live life day by day. Not too long ago she said to me “Who would’ve thought I would live to be this old?”. Indeed, we never know how many days the Lord has numbered for our lives.

Now that my own children are grown and I have 3 grandchildren, I have much appreciation for the fact that who I am and who they are is, in a substantial way, due to the things that she taught me through words and deeds in my younger years. Mom raised 7 children and I once told her that a lot of my memories of her is standing at the stove, the kitchen sink and the ironing board. The work never ended, but not once did I ever hear her complain or ask anyone for help. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we were given chores and duties and expected to get them done in short order, but it was more to teach us a good work ethic than to help her out.

Mom had a huge love of sewing from the time she was a tiny girl of 5 or so. She designed and hand sewed clothes for her little china dolls. They are the latest fashions of the 1920’s and painstakingly hand sewn from her own mother’s scraps of fabric. Through the years she spent countless hours (after the supper dishes were done) at her sewing machine making clothes for all of us children. She always added special touches and created new designs from hand-me-downs, so that we never felt we were wearing anything inferior to anyone else.

After her own children were (finally) all raised and gone, she picked up the quilting hobby that she hadn’t had time for in years. I’ve lost count of how many quilts she’s made, but each of her children and most of the grandchildren have at least one quilt she’s made. They are precious heirlooms that each and every one of us cherishes.

I have to say that my love of fabric and making quilted ornaments came from watching her work with fabric all those years. I can still see her hands handling fabrics with a love for the feel for the texture and weight of each piece. I never got her love for the sewing machine, though. Something is always going wrong and I really hate trying to tame the machine and get it to put out the perfect seams that she always could do effortlessly. So, I resort to designing and creating quilted ornaments!

The Mother’s day ornament above is a tribute to my own mother and her love of combining fabrics in new ways. I’ve added my own love for gardening and flowers to make this a special keepsake ornament. It’s a great way to give mother flowers that will never die or fade for her to cherish forever, too. This ornament is available for a short time at my Ebay store
Darl’s Prairie Creations

My Cure For Spring Fever

darlkay52 — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:03:24 +0000

It has been a cold, dreary wet week and after the sunshine and nice days a week ago, its a real let-down! Of course, that’s just life and we find our way through these blah days in any way we can.

My cure is to think about the gardening ahead. At least there is plenty of moisture to get things growing and I can already see the tulips and daffidols poking through the ground, promising to brighten the view soon!

My Prairie Garden Ornament series is inspired by the dreams of the spring and summer days ahead. Warm sunny days with butterflies, bees, dragonflies and ladybugs hanging out in the flower garden. Sweet daisies, primroses, iris, purple coneflowers and lots of other old favorites and native prairie flowers that bloom there make a cheerful show.

For a peek at all the spring beauties so far, check out my album on facebook.

My Prairie Garden – New Ornament Series

darlkay52 — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:41:26 +0000

Gardening is one of my favorite summer pastimes. Over the years I have added several perennial beds to the landscape around our farmhouse. I love adding to them but have found that there is only so much I can take care of, so I’ve had to be content to rearrange or change the look by adding annuals in different places and colors each year. I know I’ve been whining a lot about the long winter we are having and I’m trying to be a little more positive about it.
As I look out over the barren and brown flower beds, I am trying to start planning on what changes and additions I want to make this year.

One of the first annuals that becomes available in this area is the Pansy. They are such a pretty, bright flower that they can’t help buy drive away the winter doldrums!

The beautiful pansy fabric in this ornament really captures the different hues of the pansy. I’ve added a bright, sunny yell0w accent fabric and topped it with deep purple and bright yellow ribbon bow. I couldn’t resist the cute little purple butterfly button for added decoration! Even though I can’t put any pansies out yet, this ornament adds a bright spot to my decor inside and makes me feel a little like spring is nearly here!

I’ve decided to start a series of ornaments depicting favorite elements of my prairie gardens. I’m working on a beautiful, bright (I mean orange & hot pink bright!) butterfly ornament right now. My ideas are to include other favorite flowers, insects and wildlife. Maybe a few frogs & turtles….can’t wait to get started with some of the ideas.

If winter is getting you down, try adding some of these bright elements to your surroundings. It’s amazing how some bright color can brighten your day.