Sunday, August 27, 2023

2023.08.27 Since it's not WIP Wednesday I think I'll call it Squirrel Sunday today!!

Squirrel Charm

Why is it Squirrel Sunday you might ask?  Well here's the thing, I love taking custom orders from my customers.  Sometimes they have a vague idea of what they want and sometimes they have a picture to provide inspiration.  But either way it's problem solving.  I try and figure out what I need to create the thing they want.  

Close up of the beads with the charm

The idea is for scissor fobs that have a squirrel charm as their focal point.  Then we determined that blacks, grays, and silver were the colors the customer preferred.  The inspiration photo used silver beads that had texture and designs etched into them, so I sourced some varying shapes and sizes and created a pattern with the assorted pieces until we hit on a style that appealed to my customer.   

What the design model looks like with some scissors

Now just one scissor fob with a squirrel on it might not have been enough to make it "Squirrel Sunday", but when an order is placed for 12 fobs exactly alike...it's now a Sunday for squirrels!

My beading tray showing finished fobs, a fob in progress, and the individual parts.

 As of this writing, seven fobs are complete.  The order will be completed and ready for shipping out Thursday morning (if everything goes to plan!).  All scissor fobs come with a split ring key ring and can be used as keychains, zipper pulls, purse charms, or mirror charms.

If you're interested in seeing more of my scissor fobs, please check out my Etsy shop and click on the section for "Fobs/Keyring/Bag Charms".  You can always message me through the blog or the shop if you'd like to place a custom order.

That's about all I've got for this week.  Feel free to drop any questions or comments.

Slainte Mhuth!



Thursday, April 20, 2023

The Lady Kay Designs on RedBubble is now CLOSED

This is a notification to all my followers that The Lady Kay Designs no longer has a REDBUBBLE shop.  

Redbubble has announced a new fee structure that will begin on May 1, 2023.  After researching the information in the Terms & Agreements as well as reading their posts on the Redbubble Blog explaining how it will work, I've decided to no longer make my designs available through this service.  

I will continue to research other avenues and welcome any information to aid me in my search.  Please feel free to contact me through any of my social media outlets, including this blog at www.theladykaydesigns.blogspot.com

The Lady Kay Designs on Etsy will remain as my primary retail sales venue. 


Wednesday, March 29, 2023

2023.03.29 WIP Wednesday--A finish!!!

Well it's WIP Wednesday, but I've got a finish to share!!  I completed the Mackintosh Rose Blackwork SAL last night and started a new kit I just purchased...(because it is SMALL)!

Mackintosh Rose Blackwork SAL from Lakeside Needlecraft

I started this pattern on September 20, 2020 and since I picked it back up I've really been enjoying the stitching process again.  The big blocks of color are soothing while the blackwork is challenging to make sure you don't miss a stitch or add in an extra stitch.  


It was also very enjoyable to change up the pattern of the blackwork sections and not have it be the same throughout the whole piece.  Now I need to decide if I'm going to frame it or make it into a little pillow.  The circle of stitching is approximately six inches across, so it's between a medium and a small size.




In case you were wondering what that extra bit is on the lower left side, that's my logo/signature of three letters combined--T, L, & K  (The Lady Kay) with the numbers 23 for the year of completion.

Lion Rampant coaster kit from Celtic Crafts

Lion Rampant is the flag of Scotland with the royal lion over the top of it. It's to honor Scotland and have a similar appearance to a Coat of Arms without actually being a specific design for any one clan or family.  

I thought this might be a fun and quick stitch as it's only three colors and will be less than 4 inches by 4 inches.  If it turns out to be nice and smooth to assemble into the coaster, I may think about making a full set to sell in my Etsy shop...we'll see!

That's about all I've got for this week.  Feel free to drop any questions or comments.

Slainte Mhuth!