Happy (almost) New Year Everyone!

Time continues to fly doesn't it?!

As a child it seemed like it took forever to get to Saturday and Sunday and NOW my weeks are flying by so fast that every time I turn around I'm already into the weekend and even then don't have a moment to relax! DH lovingly points out that it has to do because of my gasp age! Is that it OR is it that I have so very much I want to do that I'm trying to cram it all in and I don't notice the time go by? I hate to think it's because I'm on a geriatric slippery slope....

Speaking of set in my ways, DH finally has pulled me kicking and screaming into the current century (computer-wise that is). He insisted that I could no longer continue running on my Windows XP (which I had no problems with!) and instead upgrade to Windows 7. Harumphhh!

So we did it. Everything has been upgraded and with that begins my learning curve on the windows applications and their "ribbons" which I personally detest (though I understand many people love them). Finally found the right settings so that my dear dear KNK can cut as well as some of my other programs (i.e. embroidery) to work.

So I guess I'm good for another 10 years LOL!

I think that I had mentioned previously, but I have been really getting into rhinestone designing and am even selling some finished iron transfers in my etsy store but have run into a little glitch with the conversion to .svg files. Once I can get that straightened out I hope to start listing in the stores. While we are in winter my mind is already wandering to the summer. Because of that I am sharing here a pic of two files that will eventually go into the store. If you have any ideas or wants or needs, let me know, you know I always love a challenge!

(Click on the picture to see a little bigger and clearer)



So finally, back to the topic...New Years! How are you all celebrating? We're not really planning on anything crazy, probably a movie and then sleep (oh my goodness geezerville here I come!)I did make it all the way to midnight last year but not sure if it will happen again this year LOL!

Any resolutions? I can't think of any right now other than the usual try to loose weight and exercise more. Maybe I should pick some that I can actually manage like: Eat Chocolate EVERYDAY, watch a few more tv shows, don't worry when I see a mountain of laundry. Those sound like a good start!

Well I hope everyone is well and that 2012 brings you all the Health, Love and Prosperity we all can use.

Hugs for Everyone!
Eddita

Where in the World had Eddita been?

I have been trying to play catch up on everything and wanted to take a moment to let you know all is well.

I actually went away for almost 2 weeks (out of the country away!!!) I was fortunate enough to have saved enough money to take my Mom to visit the family in Mexico (whom we have not seen for almost 20 years because of life and circumstances).

We went down just the two of us and had a really wonderful time. We started the first week in a town called Teapa outside of Villahermosa. That is where her brother (my uncle) and family all live. The cousins I remember as being 13 are now very much adults with families of their own. It was wonderful to reconnect with all of them again and now with the advent of "Skype" will be able to stay in touch! Everyone was so wonderful and can I share with you...we ATE very well! They were wonderful enough into fixing all of my favorite meals...YUMMY!

After that we went to Mexico City and got to visit with the other part of the family and do some great sightseeing and shopping! We came back exhausted but very happy and content. Attached below are some pics.

As far as creativity goes, I have really gotten into rhinestoning. I have a few files that are almost finished to be uploaded to the store. If anyone has suggestions or wants please let me know and I will be very happy to create.

For those of you who don't know I also have created an Etsy shop for finished items (you can see it on the left side toolbar). If you prefer a finished item ready to iron on your shirt and you do not see it in my shop, let me know and I will be happy to create a custom item for you.

Well that's about it for now.

Happy Holidays everyone!
Eddita

My Cousin's Banana Plantation (just started planting)















Typical Road in the countryside of Teapa















Picture of my Grandmother at age 14 (my Mom had never seen it before!)




















The Cathedral where my Mother and Father got married
















YUMMY FOODS!!!!
















They have Krispy Kreme donuts in Mexico City!















They have Chicken Big Macs!
















And last but not least...they have BRITTANY SPEARS!!!

What? Snow in October?!!!

I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't remember the last time we had snow in October! I knew they had been calling for it but I thought...Nawww can't be, but I was proved wrong yet again LOL!



We even turned the gas pilot back on in the fireplace so we could warm up a little. Dogs enjoyed it though running around in it and then watching it come down from the window. I looked out on the porch and even saw a cardinal sitting on the post of the column and about a dozen fat red robins hanging around.



So in between cleaning up and watching a movie with hubby on the couch I was able to finish up a new Santa Clause with Phrases Digi file and upload it to the store. I started it about a couple of weeks ago and just couldn't stop tweaking it. Since the look in his eye made me feel like he was watching me, I included 3 cute phrases that could be used along with the Santa for Christmas cards or tags.



Now I've started to work with rhinestones and just got supplies in this week. I can't wait to share what I have made with you and will also be including some great patterns in the store. If there is anything special you are looking for, just drop me a line and I will see what I can do.



Hope you are all well (and warm!)
Eddita :)

Did you ever have one of those days?

I just don't know where my head went on Tuesday. I felt like the boy that had a "no good very bad day"!

It started when I went into work after being on vacation and stood at the door just trying to wrack my brain and remember the alarm code for the door! Thank goodness I have a wonderful friend/coworker who forgave me for calling her at 6 in the morning and helped me out. On the bright side it was one of the two numbers I had been debating between (eek!)

Then the whole day was stressful trying to play catch up but I was looking forward to going to a gathering of crazy sewing ladies at my local Joanne's so that was something.

Five o'clock comes and I'm beat. I get home, remind DH I'm going out later and get dinner going. During that time, I get a call from my friend/coworker asking if I'm missing something...I had left my cell phone in her car! Argh...I really hate being without it. Not so much about missing calls but it is important in case of emergency.

Oh well...at least I'm going out but then I can't find my motorcycle key which took me about 20 panicky minutes to find (I had left in my jacket pocket the last time I rode) and then headed out. Now DH said I should warm up the bike so I did, but when I tried to back it down the driveway, I lost my footing and dropped the bike. I quickly turned it off and turned off the gas but because of the angle just couldn't get under it to pick it up. Fortunately DH had heard and came running to my aid.

After he got the bike up he told me to go inside, put on my PJs and have a cup of cocoa. I asked why and he said that he checked with the magic 8 ball and when he asked if I should leave the house it said "all signs point to NO!!!"

So I went in frustrated but as usual he was right. I had thought about jumping in the car but it really wouldn't have been smart to go out...what with no phone and so many things just not going my way. Sometimes you just have to say "UNCLE" to the universe and go inside and relax.

The rest of my week went better and I have been working on a new file just in time for Halloween which I am sharing here for FREE until 9PM. After that you can find it in the store.

It is hard to see in the picture, but I designed it so that the bat's head can be pulled out a little to give a 3-d look. It is super easy to cut out and stringing (if you want to put more than one on a line) is a snap. I simply tied a knot in the bottom bat, ran the second bat as far down as I wanted, tied that in place and then did the same thing with the last one. I am going to make a number of strings and then hang them up outside from out tree out front for Halloween.

Well off to get my laundry going and cleaning off the Craft I mean DINING room table!

Enjoy and let me know what you think and if you use the bats!

Eddita :)

Free .GSD File

Free .AI File

Free .KNK File

Free .WPC File

Free .SVG File

Free .MTC File

Fall is in the Air!

Hubby and I haven't been anywhere for awhile and so we packed up all of the dogs and took a few days off and went to the mountains. Previously we had always had the 3 of them crated but this time, while G-Pup still had to ride in one (kind of hard to get a cat who thinks he's a dog to sit still) we tried the "Pet Hammock" and halters for Toby and Daisy. They LOVED it! It really did a good job of keeping their hair off of the seats as well as any footprints. We weren't sure about it at first but no problems with them at all.

Here is the motley crew right before we left:

The drive up was lovely and we got to see the leaves starting to change...what a nice time. We also got in some good relaxing and actually went to a store that had a self guided glass blowing tour. LOTS of rain though the last couple of days and while we thought it would be nice driving up at the higher elevations, it was more like a Stephen King scary fog movie. We couldn't even see 5 feet in front of us and tractor trailers were speeding at us in the opposite direction! We were very glad to be back at the hotel after that.

Once we got back I sat down and finished up a file that was half done when I left. It is an "ll Occasion Magic Window Card" and is now available in the store (here is the link: EC00210) in all formats and as I am a visual learner, I created an instructions video and uploaded to YouTube so you can all see how easy it is to put together.

This file is currently my Featured Product and will be 35% off through the end of the month! If you are interested, now is the time to get it.

If the instructions are not clear and you need a little extra help, please don't hesitate to drop me a line at accentsbyeddita@gmail.com

I am currently working on some other new files which I hope to have up shortly. Until next time!

Eddita :)

3 frustrating hours later my machine is calibrated!

My fondest memories of childhood are those of my Mom reading us the annotated Alice in Wonderland. It was a large and heavy book and it took some time for her to finally read it all to us.

The part that I always loved was when the Queen of Hearts gives Alice a Flamingo to use as a croquet mallot. From that time forward, I have always loved those birds whose legs seem so very fragile.

As I was thinking about my Mom and her storytelling I started working on a cutting file of a flamingo, but because of the legs are so thin comparative to the body, I ended up opting to create a digi file and this is where my 3 frustrating hours came into play!

When I originally purchased my KNK Maxx, I remember calibrating it and from that time on never had a problem with print and cuts. When I went to cut out this file however, I was WAAAYYYY off and couldn't figure out what was wrong until I opened the manual (when in doubt always pull it out). I started reading it to see what suggestions it had and don't you know it, in reviewing, it suggests you write down your settings in case you ever have a problem with the software. That's when it hit me, I had had a problem and had to reinstall and as such all of my settings were lost. Now did I write down my previous settings? Of course not...I mean that would be logical right?!

So to make a long story even longer...after numerous attempts (3 hours worth!) I finally got the whole enchilada calibrated and working so that I could finish working on my file. What is the moral of the story? For all of you Maxx owners who have already gone through the trouble of calibrating your plotting settings for print and cuts if you have not done so already, make sure you go look at what you have it set at and write it down in your book to avoid what I went through. PHEW!

In any event I think the hard work was worth it and I hope you will too when you see my Pretty Pink Flamingo Digi File (EC00207) in the store. I provided 3 separate stamps and the info on sizing is in the description. You can add embellishments to your finished item to make it fit a specific occasion if you want (like the little party hat in my birthday card pictured).

Well, thank goodness everything worked out and thanks to my Mom for inspiring this cute file.

Have fun!
Eddita

One more day until the weekend...

This week for some reason just seems to be dragging on and on but if I squint my eyes really hard I think I can see Friday on the horizon!

I'm not sure if it's because the heat of the summer is starting to go away or if it's because I can feel a tease of fall in the air, but I have been in full "crafty" mode! At work, I have my little notebook and I find myself doodling when I have free moments here and there.

So when I recently just signed up for the Christmas Card Swap that Sue (aka baracudasue) is hosting over at the Paperthreads site, I pulled out my notebook and created my latest file, Holiday Birds ! I even threw in a snowflake for good measure!

If you are interested in joining the swap, there is plenty of room and you only have to make 10 cards. The deadline for signup is tomorrow, 30 September, so if you are interested make sure you jump over right now and join and get the full details!

I'm not sure if I will be using the birds or go with or something else, but for right now it's in first place (hahaha!) I like that I can use either one alone or put a few together for a nice grouping, not to mention what a cute little accent they would make on a layout. I may even cut these out of fabric and resize and make appliques for a child's shirt as a quick and easy gift....hmmmmm....

Well, it's almost 8:30 which is my bedtime since I'm up at 5 for work! We'll catch up some more later!

Eddita :)

Unbelievable!

I'm still here! So much life has happened since the last time I logged in. All good. Everyone is healthy and busy, although feeling a little more aches and pains every day.

I spent most of the summer gardening and canning to my hearts content. I ended up putting up over a dozen quart jars of whole tomatoes, over a dozen quarts of tomato sauce, a dozen each sweet and dill pickles, some acorn squash and watermelon rind pickles and watermelon jelly. I love looking at my shelving unit and seeing all of my pretty pretties all lined up in a row!

Some of you may remember that my DD was finishing up her second associates and she did! Graduating with her degree in culinary and after enjoying the summer off, she wrote her resume and made a bunch of cold calls to local bakeries. She went so far as to call a place about 30+ miles down the road and she was asked to come in and do a "bench test". It took about 3 hours and after a number of items (fondant work, flower forming, airbrushing, piping, icing, etc) she was hired!

She is so happy...she really did what she wanted and is now a "Professional Cake Decorator"! Only downside is the commute as she has to go in rush hour and there are days it can take her 3 hours to get home! She has started to leave the area around 5 in the morning so she can get there by 6 and then leave around 3 in order to miss the height of traffic, but she says it's worth it. You can see here a cake she decorated...all of the roses and leaves she formed by hand!

Now I have been working on some files and just finished posting a new one (my first in a long time). I was trying to think of something that would look good on a card for a male and thought of chess pieces!

As you can see, I have included what I consider the 6 main pieces which comprise of the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook and Pawn.

I can picture a romantic card...In the game of life I'm just your Pawn..Your castle or mine? You are the King/Queen of my heart...etc! So I finished it up this weekend and loaded into the store (EC00203).

Hope some of you like it and get some use out of it.

Well, gotta get running to get to work!

Enjoy!

Eddita :)

4th of July Freebie

I figure if I start the title with a freebie you will all forgive my poor showing of many many moons! So much going on that when the day ends the last thing I think to do is log on and blog. Started working on weight loss and got down 25 lbs and then up 5 so I need to get back into the game. I think part of the problem is that I see it going so well that I think I can sneak some not good for me foods back into the mix a little and then they seem to takeover. Also while I was doing great exercising, I got lazy and really stopped.

That's kind of how it has been for a lot of things (including designing) but I am trying to get better...really I am

To get myself motiviated (and after seeing the price of t-shirts for the 4th of July at $ 10+) I bought myself a blank shirt at Joanne's (they are on sale this week 3 for $9) and decided to use the "FABRIC BLADE" I had purchased from Michelle at the last retreat, and make myself my own Patriotic shirt. I also had some fat quarter fabric stash as well as other sundries which helped keep the cost down! Now for those of you who don't currently have this blade, you can use your own sharp heavy duty one, but if you are thinking about making lots of appliques, this is a must have for your collection as it really made a quick job of it with no fraying!

Also, as we have a few days before the big day, I went ahead and created the file in all of the formats to share with all of you in case you want to make shirts for you and your families. It's a simple varsity letter set up and you can even make assembly line style...I think total time to make was 20-25 minutes (so you really have no excuse LOL!)

I also went ahead and created a YouTube video as well so you can see exactly how I put it together for those of you who are more visually oriented...now here are the materials you will need:

T-Shirt

Fabric (top and bottom layer if you want the Varsity Letter look...if you want just the letters one piece of fabric will do)

Double Stick Fusible Web

Iron

Not needed but you know me I like a little bling:

Heat set Rhinestones & Setter (Or a BeDaZzLEr!)

Important! Please wash all of your fabric and Tshirt before starting...this will remove any sizing and preshrink so you have no heartaches in the future.

Now while I did this on my KNK, the idea is the same for all of your personal cutters. Just follow your directions and you will be cutting and showing off soon enought too! Hope you enjoy the video and get some use and inspiration and make some fun shirts for you and your family!

Hugs,

Eddita

.AI Version

.GSD Verson

.KNK Version

.WPC Version

.SVG Version (whole)

.SVG Version (foreground)

.SVG Version (background)

Happy CAD!!!

Ok...so I AM alive (contrary to the stories out there!) I just realized that the last time I posted was Thanksgiving...seriously?!

Well, you know that the only thing that would bring me out of my winter hibernation is YOU! That's right and as you know, we designers at Paperthreads love to say thank you by having a Customer Appreciation Day (or in my case weekend!)

We are also having our fun blog hop so make sure once you finish here that you move on to the next great blog! Just in case you want to know who else is participating in the blog hop, here is the list:

Paperthreads (Michelle)

Accents by Eddita (you are here)

I Scrap Designs (go here next!)

Jen Adkins Designs

Just Laury

Sam and Hailey Designs

Shirley Clark

Keepsake by Design

Shelly's Art

Now, while I don't have a game or challenge, I do have (until Monday night) a free file for you. It's the cute one at the top of this post...Surprise!

I hope you enjoy it and if you have a moment, leave me a quick note and let me know how you have been. On Monday evening, I will have a random drawing from the list of names of everyone who left a comment and you will receive a fun prize in the mail! - HINT HINT...Post a Comment for your chance to win!

Also, if you go to my section of the store you will see that all of my files are 50% off until Monday night as well. I haven't had any sales for a bit so this is a good time to pick something up you may have been wanting.

Well, that's about it but make sure to check back...now that I remember how to blog, I will be getting on here more and more!

Happy CAD to all of you wonderful people!

Eddita :)

.GSD File

.AI File

.KNK File

.WPC File

.SVG File