Having a Happy - Handmade - Holiday!!

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - Get My Handmade Designs on Bonanza --- or Privately

-- Some Handmade Holiday Items I have made --

This time of year has a lot of Holidays in it -- of a lot of "persuasions" or religions.

So, there has always been a lot of Holiday things going on in December all my life!

 ~~ And, not surprising to those who have known me -- most of them have something HANDMADE in them!!

I have always made things myself -- so many things, I can barely remember!  My parents saved the Hand-drawn cards I use to make them for different occasions.  I also use to make some Gifts -- or buy Handmade -- like things made in Wood or Pottery or Glass.

It seems, Happily, that HANDMADE had always been a part of my life!!!

No great surprise either, that I am not involved in Communities of people who do HANDMADE!! 

By this time in December, either people are doing rushed last-minute shopping or are making their last-minute preparations for their Holiday celebrations.

My Recommendation -- put something HANDMADE IN YOUR HOLIDAYS -- you might be surprised at the Joy and Fun of it!!

Check some of the Blogs in my Blog Roll (lower right sidebar) for some ideas from some of my Art & Crafts friends!!

Or Check Out These Sites!!

It's Better Handmade

The Handmade Place

It'a A Handmade World

Bella Crochet (patterns)

Design Style Guide Community

In Any Case -- have a very enjoyable Holiday Season -- whatever you are Celebrating!!

Images and Symbols in Arts and Crafts - From "It's Better Handmade"

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY

TREE TAPESTRY PILLOW

When individuals do their ARTS and CRAFTS, each person puts certain things in them - whether they are more Realistic or Impressionist or Abstract or just plain Graphic, what Design or Image they create or choose reflects "something".

So, when I was looking at the work of the Members of "It's Better Handmade", I ended up looking at the different Images and Symbols that I saw in different pieces of their Handmade.

The Majority of what I personally make is somehow "Inspired by Nature" -- which is readily obvious to anyone who looks at my Handmade online (I think)!  To me, even the more Graphic pieces I have made, even in White, somehow reflect a design or pattern or maybe even an "abstract design" of something in the Natural world (for me that includes the Sky, Stars, Planets, etc., etc.).  That is just me.  My TREE TAPESTRY PILLOW in the Photograph above and the Artfire Collection shown below is obviously that.  (Designing the TREE pattern and then doing it in Tapestry Crochet was not particularly easy-going either!!)

But different individuals do different things with their Arts and Crafts.

This Artfire Collection that I put together - from the work of Members of the Artfire Guild, "It's Better Handmade" - are just a few samples of pieces that have Images and Symbols in them!!

Images In Our Arts and Crafts

  Curated By: RSSDesignsInFiber

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Fall Is Just Around The Corner - With All Its Gorgeous Colors!

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY


Fall always has been one of my favorite seasons -- though it can be a bit sorrowing to see the Trees loosing all their leaves -- the Colors are just Gorgeous and I have always loved that (it is also cooler than Summer)!!

Well, I must not be the only one -- or maybe I should say, there must be quite a few of us who are so fond of the Fall Colors, because it is a popular decorating theme -- and over the years, I have sold quite a variety of my "Designs In Fiber" in Fall Colors.

Pantone is the leading "authority" on the trending colors of any year's seasons - both for Fashion and for Home Decorating, which I have been finding interesting over the last couple of years.  See this year's Pantone Fall Color Palette at the end of this article.

Here are two new items available in my Online Shops in the Fall Colors!!

Fall Color Basket:  Waves of Sage Green, Camel Tan, Ivory and Orange

Fall Color Coaster:  Cocoa Browns, Green-Blues, Yellow

These are both in "The Handmade Place Handmade Creations for Pantone Fall Colors 2011" -- I am not sure if the Colors in these items exactly match the specific colors in the Pantone Palette, but I think they are pretty close!!

Pantone Fall 2011 Colors - "The Art of Color -- Sensible and Spirited"

I just love COLOR -- and the Study of Color -- and Using Them!!

See my Blog Page of my "Designs In Fiber" in Fall Colors !!

Back To School from "The Handmade Place"

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY

LAPTOP SLEEVE CASE - PROTECTIVE, THICK, SOFT - HAND-KNITTED

BACK TO SCHOOL!!

I remember when I was growing up - there were 2 main shopping times then --  when I was preparing for the new school year -- and the Year-End Sales in Downtown Chicago (I blogged about this in another post last Year-End!).

When I was old enough to do some kind of work to make some extra money - Baby Sitting, then a part-time job - these were the times when I usually spent my hard-earned $$$!!

Kids didn't have their own Computers then -- in fact the only Computers I ever knew about when I was growing up were the ones being worked on by the Computer Science guys at the U of I, where I went to College.

But now Computers are an every-day thing for most people!!!

And it is quite common for Kids of All Ages to Have some kind of Notebook, Laptop or IPad.

Adults, too (LOL)!!

It was with all of these (and myself) that I put together and Hand-Knitted the LAPTOP SLEEVE or CASE pictured above!!

I have made several of them --
-- this one is a "BLUE TWEED"!

The "BLUE TWEED" is created by Knitting with 2 strands of yarn held together - one a Variegated and one a Solid yarn -- Well, you can see the result above in the photo.

I made  one for myself years ago -- it is shown in the pictures in the Artfire listing for this - I'm still using it -- and I love it, so I thought others might.

Did Sell One 2 years ago at this time!!!

Knitted very thick - it is very protective - with your LAPTOP or NOTEBOOK or IPAD in one of these SLEEVES or CASES - however you are carrying it around, it will not get scratched or banged up - in fact, you can also put all kinds of papers, notes, etc. in the bag with it.

Very practical -- kind of fun -- and Decorative!!

I think it is a Really Good Accessory for a Student - so I put it in "The Handmade Place Back To School Handmade Creations" , pictured below (though my LAPTOP SLEEVE was too  far down to get in this Screen Print)!

(By the Way - I have all kinds of Yarn and I can make this another Color Theme for you, if you want it!)

Sweet Land of Liberty -- Celebrating Independence Day!!

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY

Sweet Land of Liberty

  Curated By: BeadSouk

ArtFire.com

Handmade Jewelry

Some like to show their Feelings for what Independence Day, July 4th, means to them by having around their home --

-- or wearing --

-- or carrying in some way --

-- the Patriotic Colors of the USA:   Red, White and Blue!!

Here is an Artfire Collection of a few of the Patriotically-Themed items on Artfire!!

 -- from The Handmade Place - done by Diane's Dangles of It's Better Handmade!!

It includes this Lace Bag I made in Red & White Stripes with Navy!!

Independence Day at "The Handmade Place" - another place to find Handmade!!

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY

Independence Day: "Sweet Land of Liberty" at The Handmade Place

Since I started selling my Crochet and Knitting (My Fiber Arts), I have usually done some Americana -- and you will find some of it mentioned here on my blog!!

But this year, I found through Facebook and the Facebook Group, "It's Better Handmade", something new - it is "The Handmade Place" - a blog by Diane Schamp.

Using "Linky Tools", Diane creates "Events" on different themes -- allowing people to post photos of Handmade items they are selling online.

Right now (see date of this post) - the theme is "Sweet Land of Liberty" for Independence Day, July 4th - this will last until July 31, 2011.

Though they don't show in the photo above, I added 2 of my Americana items to the "Sweet Land of Liberty Event" on "The Handmade Place":

Americana Star Coaster Set in Celtic Woven Crochet

Americana Lace Bag

Color, Color, Color - Wild With Color - A New Artfire Collection of Mine

Ruth Sandra Sperling
RSS Designs In Fiber - My Handmade Designs on ARTFIRE and ETSY

Wild With Color

Curated By: RSSDesignsInFiber

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

My newest ARTFIRE COLLECTION - including members of the ARTFIRE GUILDS:

-- It's Better Handmade
-- On Fire For Handmade

It is all about COLOR !!

You can find both of them on Facebook, too, where I first got involved with them!