Red, White, and Blue Toddler Hair Bows

Hey!

I've added a couple new hair bows to my shop and studio. They're cute and toddler hair friendly. And, rather than placing the bow on the end of a hair clip, as would be done normally, I've covered a 1.25 inch hair clip in a denim fabric and placed the bow in the center.


It's awesome for placing at the base of ponytails, or, because they're sold separately, you could place one to the side to keep those fluffy curls out of her face.

There are 2 available of each.

Hot Pink Zig Zag Scarf

Hey all!

I just wanted to pop in and show you a scarf that I've listed on Etsy. For what ever reason, i'm more likely to list things at night, while folks are in bed and what not, so I thought i'd take this time, before I get to listing the Patriotic Toddler Clips, to show you all my latest addition.
Making this bright scarf was a nice little crochet vacation for me because it's awesome colors motivated me to get it done in one sitting, and now I'm more motivated to do more things with bright colors.

I'll have more coin purses and pouches to offer soon enough in these and other vibrant colors =-)

A quick Post

Hello there, and how are you?

Me? I'm ok , i guess...
So-
I'm strongly considering creating a personal blog here on blogger. In this blog, I'll be talking about life, bitching about things that are too long to fit on twitter, and sharing what's going on in my head at the moment. It's often that I want to come on here and ask the world (a.k.a my 40 followers) wtf is up with this or that!?
But, I'm wanting to keep this blog a handmade, easy blog browsing friendly deal, so I've refrained.

If i ever do start this blog, I will probably attach an RSS some where on here so that just in case you care, you can peek at it every now and then.

That is, unless you don't mind me going on and on about how my son's teeth are wiggly, how he didn't listen in basket ball class, how I can't find my glue, or how my peas are dieing!!!! oh no! [they really are =0( ]

Another thing i wanted to mention was this idea of a give away that's swimming around in my head. most likely, I'll be giving away wash/dish cloths and would want to pair it up with some handmade soap and something else nice.

The thing that's putting me off from this is actually asking someone to share their soap samples for the give away, or finding some one who is already giving soap away and asking them if my items could be included.

I'm just a bit lazy like that =-\
(and one day, i'll search for a lot of cute emoticons so i can stop using up the punctuations, lol)

Along with the cotton cloth give away, I'm also thinking of a warm weather wear give away for the folks south of the equator. I like to include every one in what i do, and I do love creating hats and scarves, but with it being hot here, it kinda seems like a chore (when they're not moving at all)

Am I rambling?

If i must ask- I'm guessing that I am.

OH! one last thing. I'm trying to use correct capitalization and what not because I believe that I'll eventually want to work for the post office (if they'll have me) and there's a typing standard there, so practice til perfect!

Red, White, Blue, and Handmade Too!

Perhaps it's because I've only tie dyed once (and it came out not nearly as beautiful as this tank),which can be found in tiedyejudy's Artfire studio, along with a good amount of other tie dyed/hand dyed goods to choose from, all which are priced very reasonably.

Also, she's having a 20% off sale on ALL items in her studio! (see her studio announcement for details).

You should definitely take advantage of this deal- perhaps you could have some tie dye wear made up for each of your family members for this 4th so that whether you're just hanging out in the back yard at your personal BBQ, or at the park doing your thing, you'll know who's representing the red, the white, and the blue with you.

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This little guy is so cute! A gingerbread figurine made by MichellesClayCorner on Etsy, it's 2 inches tall, patriotic, and perfect for nestling near spice canisters, placing on a bookshelf, on a side table next to your favorite chair, or pretty much anyplace that has room for a little smile.

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And now, for 2 more of my own red, white, and blues.


This red, white and blue crocheted flower hair clip, measuring 2 inches total is sure to add a bit of patriotism to your look. It's a nice way to add something cute and fun to your 4th of july outfit.

Allow these round ruffled dish cloths to help your BBQ or party along. They can also be used as hot pads for placing pots or serving dishes on. Being 100% cotton, they're ready to catch any spills or condensation and are also machine washable.

There's lots to chose from when planning for a special day, but not all of it is made with love, attention, and hard work. If you're able to, please support your country and the Handmade Movement by buying handcrafted items made here in the U.S.A.

(and if you're not from the U.S.A. - buy anyway, we'll love ya for it =P )

Red,White,Blue, and Handmade!

I was going to make this post all about patting myself on the back for actually getting the Red, White, and Blue things that I had to list listed. BUT rather than go that route, I'd like to share a few handmade red, white, and blue items that I've found interesting and which i would buy up if I had the funds to do so. (I'm still going to plug my own stuff, but I'll wait til the end =-)

First, while in chat (again lol) I came across BroadwayBead's. Her shop is full of lamp work glass beads, anti-tarnish fabric pouches to store jewelry, and a wide variety of glass and gemstone jewelry. With over 200 pieces available, she's sure to have something that you or some one you know will like.

Of course, what caught my eye was her

Patriotic USA Lampwork Glass Red White Blue Sterling Silver Bracelet

which is adjustable in size between 8.5"-9" (can be made smaller if need be).

What attracted my eye to this bracelet was the fact that, although the colors were traditional, the way they're put together here is something I've rarely seen- the white solid, rather than stars, the red kind of floating around each bead, and the blue dots drawing your eye to either side of the bead.
The silver toned star at the end of the adjustable chain is a nice touche too!

It's just a wonderful combination and spin on a theme that has been done for hundreds of years.

Secondly, this Afghan Americana Star ,which was made by a fellow crocheter and friend.
In Zzazz's Artfire Studio, you'll find placemats, pillow covers, cloth napkins, and a few other things including crocheted wearables.

This 53 and a half inch (that's about 4.5 feet) afghan would be perfect in the den or out on the porch in your favorite sitting chair. It can be draped for a festive cozy look, or actually snuggled under while watching fireworks, on chilly nights, or while reading a favoirte book. Made of 100% acrylic, it's totally machine wash and dryable.

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And now for my Red, White, and Blue...

I was going to put this set of kiddie clips/barrettes in my shop for memorial day, but it snuck up on me like whoa!
plus, i had to re-do them a bit because of that whole eco glue thing.

So- as stated in my description, 'These red, white, silver, and blue handmade barrettes are great for placing on top of ponytail holders to give the hair that extra lift that's needed to complete the 'spray' look.'

I wanted to add a bit of sparkle to these barrettes, so that the sparklers and rockets are not the only eye catchers of the night.

I'm hoping to have a couple more pair of these cuties done and listed well before the 4th, which gives me only a short amount of time, but lets hear it for goals and making them!
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While at the park the other night, I saw the cutest little girl with her sitter. Her hair was fine and kind of curly, which made me wonder if i should be attaching these type of ribbon barrettes to little hair clips instead, and selling them as individual bows. Perhaps to be placed at the base of a single cute and curly baby ponytail.

Whatcha think hmm?

This whole light box thing is kinda cool!

I think it was last week (or so) that i was shown a light box tutorial by its creator, the author of the CETphotography Blog, and Etsy seller Charles Thivierge.

The tutorial can be found on his blog here.

When i made mine, the only thing i lacked was a sheet or t-shirt to use for the sides. i went ahead and put it together and grabbed a twin sized white sheet from Wally world for $4 later on.

The first step was to gather all supplies- which i did here:

(ok, so those aren't ALL the supplies, but they were near by)

The instructions say to cut out all sides, then tape one back together. Honestly, i was too weak to cut through 2 pieces of cardboard at the same time, so i wound up just leaving a side in and skipping a step or two.

(don't mind the ashy knuckles- i was working outside ;-P )

So! long story short- this became this

and then this and from that i got this ..

I

Swear!

How awesome is that picture! it's of a lip gloss that my mom bought me from Avon a Looooong time ago.
I found it while we were clearing off the porch for my brother's party and i tell you, i still love it!
(while the stuff in there smells like strawberry tinted castor oil paste BLEH!) I'm going to scoop it out and jam some carmex or vaseline in there and carry it around like i'm an 8 year old who can't wear lipstick yet and still loves all things strawberry.

So, after such a successful test shot, i thought, i'm going to be picturing up some stuff all night!
These are photos i took using the light box- i took them during the day and used the light coming in from the window for one side (rather than using 2 lamps)

now, i know that the back grounds on these two photos aren't perfectly white, but their subjects colors are true, which to me, is most important.

I'm finding that photographing fabric items is way more complicated than capturing what's true on a smoothly finished object.

But i'm totally not complaining. I know it'll take time for me to master the light box, and with these never ending winds that we're having here which have been getting in the way of all the fun stuff lately, i'm going to have plenty of it.

Please be peas!

I don't know exactly how long ago it was that i planted these peas, but they're finally looking like they're going to give me peas.

I've enjoyed having a reason to go outside and i do so about 3 times a day, just to see how much the tendrils have grown and wrapped themselves around.

but today, i noticed a bud!

it's looking like i might get actual peas!

I didn't know about that old trick of planting another set when my first seedlings had 2 sets of leaves, so i'm a bit behind on that- but after a soak, i'll be planting more.

-

I did have an orange plant growing- it had a whole 3 leaves on it, but a wind blew through and knocked it over. it wasn't until it was all dry and blown away that i noticed the loss =-(

so, here i made some seed pots from newspaper and planted lemon seeds from lemons my aunt grew out in california.

the lemons aren't as quick to sprout, but having planted 6, i'm hoping for at least 2 trees.
*crosses fingers*

Congrats to Angelo!

Yesterday was the big day for my little brother after 13 years of school (as he counts kindergarten, too) lol.

I'm way happy for him, but also glad that the day has come and gone. making sure that everything was in order and what not for it has taken up a lot of time.

I'm looking forward to getting on to my projects and perfecting my pictures. i put together a light box, but unfortuntely, the bulbs i have to use with it are not strong enough- 60 watt equivalents, i think. I was using them for reading, and had hoped that i could use them for this purpose- eh, maybe it'll work a lot better if i try it in the day.

I got the tutorial to make it from CETphotography's Blog

I'm a little behind on things here

Aiming to do a weekly feature may have been a bit ambituous for my personality type. (i'm always rushing, aften late, and way too lax about some things)

I've been spinnin a lot lately. with my excitement about making coin purses and other hand spun items, i've been neglecting blogging and even listing the things i've made.

The pile is growing and growing =-(

I've been having a tough time photographing these things- all but the orange flower - which i will be offering with the option to have it made into either a hair clip or brooch- are hard as hell to photo correctly. i just can't seem to figure out the blues and purples. the flower on top is made of hand felted wool. the blue is darker than shown up there and is kind of purple-ish, but in order for me to show the true color, the picture has to be darker than i'd like.

on the bottom coin purse (which is zippered) that purple is darker as well andthere is more contrast between the colors.
-insert sigh-

if any one out there has any suggestions- i'm all eyes and willing to soak them up.

Back to the weekly feature thing-
i'm going to shoot for bi-weekly, because sure i could just pick something randomly, but i'd like to be able to really talk about what i'm featuring, so that will hopefully be a better idea.