Have a blessed Memorial Day!
P.S. The winner of the felt flowers was ssbarton, comment number 3!
P.S. The winner of the felt flowers was ssbarton, comment number 3!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tagging Game #8
{The felt flower tutorial and giveaway goes through tomorrow... don't forget to enter!}
Thanks to an awesome blogger over at Quiltish (check her out, you'll love it!), I'm going to share the 8th photo in my 8th folder of my pictures on my computer. So ... here it is!
This is the one and only craft show I have done so far! It was last November, and I really really enjoyed doing it - plus it was fun to do one around Christmas! I'm not sure about this summer, but I certainly plan on doing another show at some point. It was quite an adventure doing my first, but I loved it!
Some things I learned:
Comment below with a link to the 8th picture in the 8th folder of your pictures!
Thanks to an awesome blogger over at Quiltish (check her out, you'll love it!), I'm going to share the 8th photo in my 8th folder of my pictures on my computer. So ... here it is!
This is the one and only craft show I have done so far! It was last November, and I really really enjoyed doing it - plus it was fun to do one around Christmas! I'm not sure about this summer, but I certainly plan on doing another show at some point. It was quite an adventure doing my first, but I loved it!
Some things I learned:
- Depending on your area, sometimes you don't really need a credit card machine.
I debated for a long time about taking credit cards, but decided against it in the end since it was my first show. I don't think a single person even tried to pay with plastic!
- HEIGHT.
I thought I had a wide variety of heights for my table, different levels, etc... but once it was all set up, I was wrong! I learned that I really needed to put some displays up higher - even eye level if possible! Having everything at one level makes it hard to see lots of things at once.
- Use stronger tape!
Although I did tape down the vintage bulbs borrowed from my mom, more than a few fell (luckily, not all that fell broke).
- Be friendly, but not overbearing. Take something to keep busy.
If it's possible to do your craft on the go, take it and work on it there. During downtime, or times when people are shopping but don't require attention, it would have been nice to have something for my hands to do! I didn't want to make shoppers feel awkward by watching them, so having something to keep me busy, while still being available for their questions would have been great.
- Get help!
Both my husband and my parents helped me set up that day, and I was extremely grateful for that. Since this was my first show, I didn't necessarily have all the nifty setups and packing techniques that others did, so it was very helpful to have quite a few arms helping me load and unload. Plus, having company during the day was great, too, so that I could take a break if I needed to!
Comment below with a link to the 8th picture in the 8th folder of your pictures!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
New Profile Update
Today I decided that my Etsy Profile needed an update... so I decided to post my new profile here as well, because it's my story. And I enjoy telling my story.
Since I was just a young girl, the thrill of creating grabbed me and took hold. I loved to create “beautiful” ornaments from paper, sketches and drawings with my pencil, or lovely macaroni necklaces. As I got older, I would drag my mother’s heavy sewing machine out of the basement and begin to sew with whatever fabrics I could find. Passion… I have passion. I loved the idea of taking old clothing, cutting it up, and making something pretty, perhaps a misshapen bag or a quilt for my doll. For some reason, creating something new out of old enthralled me…. and it still does to this day.
One of my favorite things to do on an early Saturday morning is go hunting at flea markets and garage sales for those perfect items… you know the ones. The ones you don’t even know you’re looking for, but when you see that item, that perfect item, you know that it’s something special, often for inexplicable reasons. You look and examine it from all sides, and determine that yes, you love it, and yes, you can find some use for that.
Then there’s the feeling of taking your prized possession home and finding its place. Sometimes it might sit on the dining room table for a week or two until it finds its rightful home. Sometimes it might get put on a shelf in the closet until its proper use is determined.
One day it’s a simple hankie… but the next, oh the possibilities. Purse? Pouch? Pillow? Once the inspiration hits, it’s to the sewing machine I go, working hard to form that wonderful item, that sometimes forgotten item, into something beautiful and full of life.
This passion is what fills my shop with unique and lovely items. Sometimes it’s slow, the inspiration isn’t always there. But then, as a gift from God, the inspiration will come… it always does.
Proverbs 31:24-25 “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
Don't forget, the free tutorial and giveaway are still going on through Friday!
Since I was just a young girl, the thrill of creating grabbed me and took hold. I loved to create “beautiful” ornaments from paper, sketches and drawings with my pencil, or lovely macaroni necklaces. As I got older, I would drag my mother’s heavy sewing machine out of the basement and begin to sew with whatever fabrics I could find. Passion… I have passion. I loved the idea of taking old clothing, cutting it up, and making something pretty, perhaps a misshapen bag or a quilt for my doll. For some reason, creating something new out of old enthralled me…. and it still does to this day.
One of my favorite things to do on an early Saturday morning is go hunting at flea markets and garage sales for those perfect items… you know the ones. The ones you don’t even know you’re looking for, but when you see that item, that perfect item, you know that it’s something special, often for inexplicable reasons. You look and examine it from all sides, and determine that yes, you love it, and yes, you can find some use for that.
Then there’s the feeling of taking your prized possession home and finding its place. Sometimes it might sit on the dining room table for a week or two until it finds its rightful home. Sometimes it might get put on a shelf in the closet until its proper use is determined.
One day it’s a simple hankie… but the next, oh the possibilities. Purse? Pouch? Pillow? Once the inspiration hits, it’s to the sewing machine I go, working hard to form that wonderful item, that sometimes forgotten item, into something beautiful and full of life.
This passion is what fills my shop with unique and lovely items. Sometimes it’s slow, the inspiration isn’t always there. But then, as a gift from God, the inspiration will come… it always does.
Proverbs 31:24-25 “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
Don't forget, the free tutorial and giveaway are still going on through Friday!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Upcycled Sweater Tutorial and a Giveaway!
Recently, a friend online, greenviewlane, began selling adorable felt flowers for crafters to use in their... well, crafting! I loved the flowers from the start and thought they would be perfect for on a pillow. Weeks later, I found a cashmere sweater at a garage sale that unfortunately had a hole in it. Lucky for me, because of the hole, I got the sweater for free, and decided it would be the perfect thing to turn into a pillow cover.
{pillow cover is available for sale in my shop}
Would you like to make your own? I have a pdf tutorial available for free for a limited time, all you need to do is click here and download it. And GreenViewLane has made it so easy to get going - she has a special listing in her shop just for this tutorial! The materials you need are:
In addition to this free tutorial, GreenViewLane is generously giving away a set of 3 flowers (winner picks the color) to get one lucky winner started with their pillow or other project.
To enter, simply leave a comment letting me know what you would do with these felt flowers.
One entry per person, and please make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!
Entries close on Friday, May 28.
{pillow cover is available for sale in my shop}
Would you like to make your own? I have a pdf tutorial available for free for a limited time, all you need to do is click here and download it. And GreenViewLane has made it so easy to get going - she has a special listing in her shop just for this tutorial! The materials you need are:
- 1 ready to cut up sweater
- 1 set of felt flowers from GreenViewLane (only $3.75 + shipping)
- 1 old pillow or pillow insert
In addition to this free tutorial, GreenViewLane is generously giving away a set of 3 flowers (winner picks the color) to get one lucky winner started with their pillow or other project.
To enter, simply leave a comment letting me know what you would do with these felt flowers.
One entry per person, and please make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!
Entries close on Friday, May 28.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Neglected...
My poor blog here is suffering from lack of inspiration, so for today, I will just show you my most recent Etsy listing! I'm actually quite fond of it, I'm loving the linen I found online.
I'm also trying a new tactic with my shop - rather than making one of each item, I'm working on making multiples of everything. I'd much rather have a full stock of items for sale rather than selling items that I haven't made yet, so I'm starting with making 2 of everything. We'll see how it goes from there!
I'm also trying a new tactic with my shop - rather than making one of each item, I'm working on making multiples of everything. I'd much rather have a full stock of items for sale rather than selling items that I haven't made yet, so I'm starting with making 2 of everything. We'll see how it goes from there!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Different Types of Window Treatments
Window treatments have always been a bit of a mystery to me... never quite sure whether to go with curtains or shades or blinds... or nothing at all...
So when our house had slatted blinds there already, that was one easy thing to cross off of our immediate to-do list.
But now that we've been there a bit, I've been thinking about upgrades... specifically curtains at the moment... so here are some inspiring photos of different types of curtains.
I'm not a big fan of too formal, so these are all pretty casual, and all good options for our home.
{source}
I love the flowy-ness of these, so light and airy.
{source}
Roman shades are definitely a favorite of mine. These black and white stripes look so nice - not overpowering at all.
{source}
What I think of as traditional - although these look to go all the way to the ceiling. Picking a fabric for these would be daunting! Solid? Pattern? Bright and bold or earthy and mild?
{source}
Another Roman shade, this time, bamboo. We actually have these in our kitchen already :)
{source}
And these... mysterious ones. Not quite sure if they're Roman shades, or if they're just stuck up there, but they sure are pretty!
What do you like for your window treatments?
Also... I am happy to announce the winner of the JessicaRae Necklace is Rebecca Mann! Congrats Rebecca!
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So when our house had slatted blinds there already, that was one easy thing to cross off of our immediate to-do list.
But now that we've been there a bit, I've been thinking about upgrades... specifically curtains at the moment... so here are some inspiring photos of different types of curtains.
I'm not a big fan of too formal, so these are all pretty casual, and all good options for our home.
{source}
I love the flowy-ness of these, so light and airy.
{source}
Roman shades are definitely a favorite of mine. These black and white stripes look so nice - not overpowering at all.
{source}
What I think of as traditional - although these look to go all the way to the ceiling. Picking a fabric for these would be daunting! Solid? Pattern? Bright and bold or earthy and mild?
{source}
Another Roman shade, this time, bamboo. We actually have these in our kitchen already :)
{source}
And these... mysterious ones. Not quite sure if they're Roman shades, or if they're just stuck up there, but they sure are pretty!
What do you like for your window treatments?
Also... I am happy to announce the winner of the JessicaRae Necklace is Rebecca Mann! Congrats Rebecca!
Subscribe in a reader