A Bit Behind on Things Here, but Here's What's New!

    It was my aim to have my gift guides scheduled for posting on Saturday- any time, as long as people were there to look but, I've fallen behind this week.  I was much busier than I had planned Thanksgiving week.  I wound up preparing the turkey and shopping around for things.  Along with more than a few unexpected guests, my time has been taken up by trying not to be rude and reclusive by staying in my room and really getting busy with my shop and studio, making sure that every one's fed and that my son isn't whining about stupid things and is sharing with his little friend who now calls me Aunt.  Not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is.

    In the few moments that I have been able to get to myself, I've managed to list a few of new things in my Etsy:  Http://laneescrochet.etsy.com .

    It seems like smaller things are flying off of the Etsy shelves, so I'm going to focus on adding stocking stuffer type items back to my shop there.  There will be a few hats and scarves and stuff, but mostly small items under $10.00.

Show your love of handmade by using this Coffee Cup Cozy while at work or on the go.

This coin Coin Purse makes the great gift for a teen.  It's slim and is the perfect introduction to how cool handmade gifts are.

This Orange-Red Hair Clip can be worn by all ages.  Whether it's to compliment an outfit, or to keep hair out of the face, the vivid colors and simple design makes this clip ageless.

I'm hoping to have gift guide 2 of 5  posted by tomorrow afternoon.  I'll let you all know if I meet that goal.   ☺

                            

Sale Ends Wednesday!

Hey folks, I just wanted to remind you all that Lanee's Crochet has a sale going on for which you can use coupon code SUMMERSALE09 to recieve 30% off items found in the follwing Lanee's Crochet's categories:

Hair Clips

Baby Hair Clips

Kitchen Items

Purses

Accessoires

The weather is changing every where!  My friends who reside in the Southern Hemesphere, be sure to look around, this sale has some Christmas and Hannakuh gift potential for ya!

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Visit LaneesCrochet's Studio

SAVE 30.00 % On Select Studio Categories

Use Coupon Code:

SUMMERSALE09

during checkout.

Handmade Cards

I'm looking forward to fall and winter and can't wait for the Christmas season.  

If you're looking for Christmas gifts, or just simply something to warm you or a loved one up this year- be sure to check back - You never know what deal you'll find here ☺

Broken Hooks, Crochet Flowers and Granny Daughters

A long time ago- perhaps more than a year, I bought a size c Crochet Lite hook from Michael's. I think the only reason I got it was because it was on sale, so I had not used it until recently. ( Its design doesn't fit well with the way I usually crochet)

But when I did decide to finally use it, it broke after a few minutes! I guess I should have been a little cautious of the small size and clear plastic, but when I realized that I could crochet in the dark with that thing- it was on!
It's not TOTALLY broken, but I could just bend it back and snap it off right where the one part starts getting narrow again.

I'm kind of disappointed, but what can I say- there are other hooks in the sea.

In other news...
I've been working on this pair of clips for about 4 days now. I'm wanting to cover some toddler clips and place the bows in the center, as I did with my 4th of July Clips, but I didn't consider the fact that the fabric that I'll be using to cover the clips is way lighter than the denim I used on the others. So, gluing won't really work as it kind of darkens the fabric and makes it look all yucky.

I grabbed the color scheme from a popular kid's clothing website. There are quite a few cute tops for toddlers which include purple, pink, and white along with other colors.

The colors are a bit off here

I have some polka dotted (along with a lot of other cute girly) fabrics that I purchased in a pack of remnants from the lovely ladies of bstep401 on Etsy.

Rather than struggling to find a way to get the regular, triangular shaped hair clips into a cover that still looks decent, I ordered some rectangular ones which will hopefully be easier and quicker.

Along with that, the crochet group I'm a member of, C4L has started a monthly challenge and this week's theme is Granny Squares or Motifs.
We are supposed to crochet anything that uses squares or motifs and requires some assembly.

I've decided to go with using a bunch of Granny Daughters (about 46) and assembling them into a shoulder bag.

Because this is still my favorite bag ever, and I wanted to make something fashioned after it, I decided to take the challenge to create something using the bright pink and blue yarn I for this purpose. I also had some zebra yarn(to use for the strap), but used it up on a hat and scarf set.

With only12 squares made so far, I still have a long way to go, and need it to be done by the end of this month, but I'm sure I can and will do it. I can't wait to have something to show for the idea finally!

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.

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 )

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.

New flower hair pin

I wanted to pop in and show you this real quick.
I worked it up last night before i drifted off to sleep, and i think it's just awesome!


I made it using yarn that i spun- ( my first official spinning)

It's 100% silk, fuchsia and cool blue and is only $12.00 in my etsy shop =-)

Fuzzy Cream Flower Hair Clips

Trying to keep up my momentum, I re-listed this fuzzy cream flower hair clip(there are 2) last night.

While i love this yarn, i only had a little bit of it, so it was hard deciding what it would be good for.

It's an acrylic,nylon,mohair blend, so finding something to make that didn't need to be laundered was great.

I really enjoyed making these clips.  There's something about these little flowers that make my hands move like rockets when i'm crocheting them.  (perhaps because they're cute and simple, and i just can't wait to get on to the next).

They are priced at $6 with free shipping and can be found in my Lanee's Crochet artfire studio.

Those were some passionate looking clouds!

It seems that there's a party going on over here every weekend.. And with the nice weather -the wind, we've been firing up the BBQ grill and throwing what ever's in the freezer on that bad boy.

I couldn't help but notice the beautiful cloudscape in the back ground. ( I couldn't help it because my mom called me outside to see it.)

One day recently, while driving along, i stated to her that i love looking at clouds because they're made of the same stuff generations before us- our ancestors perhaps gazed in amazement at, the same way i do. Having grown up in Louisiana, where i hear it pours rather than rains, my mother wasn't as mystified as i was, but i think she got my appreciation for cloud's beauty.

They look like dreams to me.
I could see myself marching for a cause with the clouds behind me, swinging at the park while children play around me, sitting out in the middle of the yard provided the fire ants were gone and reading a good book, or laying out with my son, laughing and making silly jokes about what the clouds are and why they crossed the road.

But lastly, I could see myself wandering around my neighborhood, in playful banter with some one i care about. Those are days i have yet to see, but i'm really looking forward to them. i suppose.Along with all my romantic imaginings, it seems the wind and clouds blew in a new breath of motivation for me.

I really want to take a trip to California, for pleasure, rather than for keeping up appearances, and i want to fund it totally on my profits from selling on Artfire and Etsy.
I know i can do it, but I also know that there are things i need to change about the way i do things when it comes to my shop and studio.

-

To start off, i'm going to be lessening the variety of items that i offer. dedicating my Etsy shop to a few categories, and my Artfire studio to a few different ones.

I Have yet to sell one of these hair clips:

Renewed Today

But i very much so enjoy making them. They are going to be one of my focuses in my Artfire
I'm hoping that by showinf them some love and with some effort, others will notice them and love them as much as I do. studio.

☺

My Latest

I've been super productive lately, but I haven't been listing much, or online at much for that matter, so I got down to business tonight and listed a couple of things. I still have one pixie hat to list and a couple pairs of hair clips, but I think I'll save those for tomorrow.

I've alos decided to raise the discount percent on my shop's sale by 5 so now, instead of 20% off, you'll get 25%. That's like free shipping and then some =-)

byhand.me

"There's Red in It!"

Soapdeli hipped me to a site called byhand.me. You can create spotlights, (which are like treasuries, only you don't have to wait to get lucky), which are then tweeted about on twitter. Each square links back to the item shown, and you can input the items directly, and re-arrange them by using the item number from a variety of handmade sites.

it's looking like a great way to get your items seen.
=-)