type, type, type...text, text, text

I've been super busy crocheting away over here. I stopped one night to make my coworker a TMNT wallet, but then quickly got back to crocheting. I have so much more to go and only a couple of weeks left. I can't wait to slow down on the crocheting and get to working on some of these quilts that I've been collecting fabric for. I've been looking for super simple patterns, but haven't found too many that I like. Not sure what I'm going to do about that.


I finished and added these fun, warm texting gloves to my etsy shop today. I came up with the pattern last year and sold them at the Handmade Promenade Holiday Pop Up Shop and they did pretty well. I intended to add them to my etsy shop as well, but had a hard time getting pictures of my own hands that I put them aside and said I'd come back to it...didn't think it'd take me a whole year to come back to them. But I finally did.

I added the coupon code PRESEASON15 for 15% off. Proceeds from all sales will go towards 100 Quilts, 100 Kids.

Okay, I'm off to do some more crocheting.

WTCraft - week 2

A lot of crocheting this week. I tried thinking of different things to post every day. I didn't want people to get bored seeing the same project over and over, but then I thought it'd be cool to see how some projects go from start to finish. What do you think?

top to bottom and left to right: puppy bowtie, fabric for a wallet, cowl, wallet, jellyfish, the beginnings of a new cowl, half way done with a cowl.

crochet, crochet, crochet

All that time off from work produced these and a bunch of ideas for other things.

These yarn fuzzies and other goodies are for homespun and are headed their way today. Yay! I need more yarn now. My stash has pretty much been depleted. I'm almost considering buying some neon yarn, but how much longer will the trend last?. I'm glad the weather is cooling down so these are now weather appropriate it. Unless you live somewhere where it doesn't really get cold.

Any suggestions on colors for fall and winter?

Also, after seeing this gif for too long I don't think I ever want to make a gif again. I thought this would be fun, but um...no.

protect yo neck

Finally got around to taking a couple of pictures of this new cowl I debuted at Sew Loco. It's a design I'd come up with last winter around Super Bowl time. I'd made one for myself and got enough compliments that I thought I'd make a few more to list in my etsy shop. It still needs a name, but for now I'm just calling it protect yo neck (anyone know that song reference)?

It's very soft and squishy. I just want to nuzzle up in it, but it's a bit warm for that right now. It's time to start watching the yarn sales so I can stock up. I think these will be a hit during the holidays.

Also, after 12 years of living here the Midwest has finally decided to welcome me by giving me allergies. I love it. *grumble, grumble*

PS. Pop on over to Indie Gift Box and check out my feature as a September Contributor.

WIP it - smart or possibly lazy

I'ma go with smart. I wanted to get to work on my LCS quilt today and after sewing a few of the jelly roll strips together and using the painter's tape as a guide, I wondered if there was an easier way to make sure my seams stayed at 1/4". It came to me quickly as it's something I do when I've got to make the same cut on pieces of cardstock multiple times. I used a cardstock guide to butt the fabric up against. It worked like a charm. All I had to do was make sure my fabric was sandwiched together correctly.

I got all my LCS strips sewn together and then cut into squares. I started to lay them out and have discovered that my math was bad and my quilt will not be wide enough and will be extra long. I've already devised a plan to fix that, but it requires purchasing more fabric. No big deal, just not what I had planned. It happens I suppose. I'm still pretty excited for all of it to come together. I'm already planning out and buying fabric for my next couple of quilts.

I restarted on this hooded cowl for my old roommate while we were in Milwaukee this weekend. It was the wrong size. I was almost finished with it and had to pull out ever single stitch and start over. The goal is to get it finished this week so I can start on the second piece I need to make and then I can drop both in the mail and be done with them. I don't really do much crocheting in the summer. I think it's too warm out to be handling yarn. I've got a lot of crocheting to do though as I'll be vending in August at a fashion show.

Last WIP, I started doing cross stitch again. A chevron wall hanging to go with my chevron quilt. Not really, but since chevrons seem to be all the rage right now I thought, why not. I printed out some graph paper and created the pattern. Easy peasy. I have another design that I drew up that I'll start on after I finish this one.

I thought a lot today about what colors I wanted to use on the Beginner's Quilt Along quilt that I'll be playing catch up on tomorrow. I'm thinking grey, orange, teal/turquoise and white. The only thing I've bought so far is the white, so that's the only color that is a definite go. I'm pretty sure that's what I'll stick with though. I might throw in a fifth color though. Maybe a limey green. What do you think?

Also, I'm still on the fence. Move quilting to it's own blog or keep it here? What do you think?

M-I-C...wait, that's not right...M-O-U-S-E

I'm pretty sure I said I'd post this last week and then never got to it, but here it is now. A few months ago, my aunt sent me a picture of a baby girl in a crocheted Minnie Mouse outfit and asked if I could make something similar. It wasn't something I'd normally do, but a) my aunt asked me and b) it looked easy enough, so I said sure. I changed it up a bit from the picture (which I would post if I had a source for it, but I don't so I'm not). I added a ruffle to the skirt and changed the color of the shoes (I really wanted to make yellow shoes, but didn't have the right color yarn). I had to make it mine so I didn't feel like I was copying the picture completely.

Making the diaper cover gave me an idea about and add on item to something I already make and now I'm working on a cute little set of my own. The only trouble I had with this was deciding on how big to make the waist of the skirt. I don't have any kids, so I have little experience in sizing things babies and kids. I ended restarting the skirt a couple of times before I finally got it to a size I liked.

My aunt made sure to let me know that the recipient and everyone else loved the outfit. Yay! A couple of other people let me know it was pretty cute too. I don't know; I might have to make this something I add to the shop later. Which I really need to update over the next couple of weeks. Something to add to my to do list.

What have you guys been working or not working on?

{to do} - gimme fabric

How would we learn how to do stuff  from the comfort of our homes without YouTube? I spent a couple of hours this past week watching quilting tutorials on YT and I'm super excited to get started on some quilting. I don't know what I'm going to make yet though. I also looked up some easy dress and pillow patterns. (I found the most awesome fabric with bicycles on it. I really want it so I can make a fun summer dress, but it's so spendy.) Now all I have to do is accumulate all the proper supplies and then I can get to work. I'm such a craft nerd. *smh*  I already want to get a little more into embroidery and back into cross stitch. I really do need to just craft full time. How can we make this happen?

• finish up minnie mouse outfit for aunt JL
• graduation cards for aunt SM
• father's day cards, maybe some mother's day cards too
• purge rubber stamps (sell/donate)
• organize scrapbooking/card supplies
• sew first pillowcase

Two projects for family members this week. It makes me happy when my family comes to me when they need/want something and it's something I'm capable of doing. They tend to challenge me with some projects too. The minnie mouse outfit isn't something I'd normally make, but I took the challenge and so far it's pretty cute.

{to do} - Changing Gears

I did it!!! And then some. I sold 63 Mother's Day cards. I had 10 returning customers and 19 new customers. 19!!! I love it. I've been told that the mothers have loved the cards they received. Happy mothers = happy customers. I also had one of my new customers approach me about making party invitations. I sent her a quote and she accepted, now I'm just waiting on a deposit so I can get started. I'm a lot less worried about all my bills getting paid this month since I sold so many cards. Now all I need to do is keep up this momentum.

• make 5 - 10 more Mother's Day cards
• work on newborn minnie mouse outfit for aunt
• write blog post comparing storenvy and etsy
• START organizing my work space
• work on new background for blog
• organize sewing goods/search for patterns

I sold through all the cards I have and want to have a small stash for next year ready. I'll probably make more as I go as well. Then it'll be on to Father's Day cards. After that it's time to change gears into some crochet work. I've got some of the minnie mouse outfit done, but there's still more to go. I also need to work on stuff for consignment as well.

I've decided that each week I'll be focusing on different crafts when I'm working so I'm not doing too many things at once. I think this will be helpful since I've decided to take up a few more crafts. I'm hoping it'll help keep me more organized and focused as well. If I have a particular project I need to complete, that project will take priority, but then it's back to the craft of the week.

Lastly before I go, I bought issaino.com and purchased hosting for a year. I got a great deal through siteground. You can get a year of hosting for $9.95. I'll slowly be working on a website even though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet. Small steps.

{to do} - lost productivity

I lost about three days of productivity. I don't know what happened. I just didn't want to do anything. Meh. It happens. Just have to keep it moving. I accomplished all of two things on last weeks list. Woo! I still don't like the blog background. It's too busy, but I'm learning some things, so it'll probably change a few more times until I get it how I like it. I could totally just hire someone to create a blog design for me, but that would be too easy.

• make 10 - 15 more Mother's Day cards (I'm just about out of envelopes and don't have the extra funds to order more right now
• work on newborn minnie mouse outfit for aunt
• write blog post comparing storenvy and etsy
• START organizing my work space
• photograph LEGO project

The count for Mother's Day cards sold is up to 38, just 12 more to meet my goal. Totally doable. I still have a few more orders to fill and I tend to get a lot of last minute buyers. Sorry for such a short post. Check out my review about tophatter if you get the chance. I'm gonna leave you with another Mother's Day card I made.

{to do} - time off and mother's day

I like  having a public to do list. I think it helps keep me be accountable to myself and all three of my readers. ;) This feature is definitely gets to stay. I'm still trying to figure things out with the blog. What I'll blog about and how often. It's a work in progress for sure. I just don't want to bore you guys.

I have a lot of time off from work this week. I'm scheduled two our of the seven days. It kinda sucks, but not really. A few days ago I said that I wanted to blog and craft full time and it appears that I'm getting that opportunity. It's kinda scary though because I have to make up for the income that comes from my other job in order to make sure all my bills are paid. I have a lot of work to do.

• create new warm fuzzy (by the end of today)
• approach homespun about new fuzzy
• work on newborn minnie mouse outfit for aunt
• make 30+ mother's day cards
• photograph and edit cards
• list mother's day cards on etsy/storenvy/tophatter
• edit blog layout

I think I wanna keep the list short this week. I'm not working on any personal projects at the moment. Maybe not until after Mother's Day. I have the goal of selling 50+ cards this spring. I think that's totally doable, especially with Mother's Day two weeks away. I've sold 16 so far and have orders for at least 20 more. This will definitely help put money towards my bills.

{to do} - Ideas and Things

I feel like I've been super busy lately, but then not really busy at all. I need some structure and I've implemented some into my life just a bit (I walk in the mornings now), but I really need to put structure into my business. Plan out times to focus on work (current projects and new projects), being online and personal projects. It's hard. It's possible, but hard. Being accountable to only yourself leaves things open to say, "Oh I'll get to that later." Which I do A LOT of.

I have a lot of ideas. Things I want to create personally and for business. Things I want to do with my business. Things I want to do for my business. But I'm lacking focus and funds. I know where I want to be and what I want to do and what I want, but I can't figure out how to get there.

Not having the funds to be able to do what I want to do and keep an inventory (I've sold a good bit of the hats I dropped off at homepsun and would like to drop off a few more and new designs too) is putting a wrench in my plans. I thought about investors after someone had mentioned it to me. But I don't know how to approach it or how to figure out what a good rate of return would be and all the other stuff that goes into investing. *sigh* It's a lot to think about.

• birthday cards - order
• bear hat - order (2)
• new item
• new listings
• branding
• business cards
• hang tags
• "scrapbook" - personal project

I tend get ideas and then implement them without really thinking them out all the way. This can be a bad thing...but sometimes it's good. *shrugs* I need to get to work.

{to do} - Cyber Monday

We're coming into the last month of the year. It's crazy how time flies, I feel like it was just the beginning of spring a few weeks ago. I couldn't even remember what day it was when I woke up this morning, then again the days to tend to run together when you're unemployed and not on a regular schedule.

Looking at my to do list, I'm having trouble sitting down at my desk and working on cards. I'm not sure what it is. I think it could be a little bit of this space is a bit crowded and a little bit of I need some inspiration. Either way cards are not getting made, but they need to get done. Ugh.

I dropped off my first batch of bear hats at homespun this week. I have a few more ideas for some new styles and a request from my cousins. I need more yarn, but that seems to always be the case for me.

• birthday cards - request
• crochet giraffe hat - request
• crochet bear hat adult and new born - request
• crochet dinosaur hat - new item
• holiday cards - inventory
• crochet blanket - gift
• list new items

Also be sure to check out my etsy shop for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Use the code BLACKFRIDAY and receive 25% off your purchase. This sale ends Monday 11/29 at 1159PM EST. It's good on custom orders as well, as long as they are placed and purchased BEFORE the sale ends. This will probably be the best sale I have for the holidays.

{to do} - Thankstaking

I feel like I got a lot done this past week. I completed more than half of last week's list and a couple of side projects as well. I'm still not feeling 100%, but I'm much better. I've taken naps when I needed to and I believe it helped. Even though my work space isn't where I want it to be just yet, at least it's nice and organized now.

Thanksgiving is this week and following that is Black Friday. I received news this past Friday that homespun, a local boutique, will be carrying my bear hats on consignment. *jumps for joy* I will be bringing in my first batch on Wednesday just in time for Black Friday. So for the next few days I will be busy crocheting a few extra bear hats to bring in to them. Also this past week, my bear hats were featured on indie spotting, for their handmade holidays.I'm hoping that by getting my name out there I'll be able to generate some more business, especially during the holidays. I fully support handmade gifts for the holidays. Heck I fully support handmade gifts for all days.

• crochet bear hats - homespun
• price tag bear hats
• crochet blanket - gift
• holiday cards - inventory
• holiday cards - personal
• business cards
• list new items

Oh, I almost forgot, I had a young man commission some love notes, small 3 x 3 cards, from me that he will using in a scavenger hunt to propose to his girlfriend. I think this is pretty dang awesome. I love a creative man.

Happy Thanksgiving!

*does happy dance*

Today I heard back from homespun, a local boutique, about carrying my bear hats. I'm so excited to have my items being sold in a B + M store. I will be dropping off my first batch on Wednesday, just in time for Black Friday. They're anticipating a big crowd, hopefully this means I will sell out (I can dream can't I). I'll have a busy weekend of crocheting, designing hang tags and getting things ready to drop off. I hope that this is just the beginning of something big and the start of where I want to be with my work.

{crochet} new stuff

I got new glasses today. I love them and never want to take them off. I've also been working on a new cowl to add to the shop. This one is almost 11 feet in circumference, super soft and cozy and just plain fun. My goal is to do some better shots of it tomorrow and then get it listed. I've also got some holiday cards in the works too. I need to get busy.

{to do} - Renew

Bleh. I started feeling sick early this past week (thankfully it was AFTER I got back from Chicago) and I haven't wanted to do much of anything. I've tried though. It's hard to want to do anything when you feel like crap. All I wanted to do was sleep. I did get a few things done. I started rearranging my work space and I got a new item finished, photographed and listed. I hope to get on the ball this week and get more done seeing as the holidays are here.

• list new product
• finish arranging white cubes
• finish arranging book shelf
• crochet blanket - gift
• holiday cards - inventory
• holiday cards - personal
• design gift tags and business cards

I am going to try my darndest to finish at least half of this list this week. I should be able to knock the top three off the list by Monday afternoon. I'm still not feeling the greatest, but I'm not going to let that stop me and if I need a nap or a hot cup of tea, I'll make time for it.

{shop} SIMA texting gloves

I added a new item to my shop this afternoon, the SIMA texting gloves. They leave your fingers and thumbs free to text and/or tweet away. They measure 7 inches in length, covering your knuckles and well past your wrist, but can be made shorter or longer if one likes. I'm sure I'll have a pair in every jacket I own this fall and winter and they seem to already be creating a bit of a buzz.

{to do} - Chicago

I'm getting better at tackling tasks on my to do lists. Last week I accomplished 7 items, probably more though because I did a few things that weren't on the list. I might need to make my lists shorter that way they're easier to finish. Or break down the larger tasks like purging my stash into smaller tasks. It sounds like a good idea. Yes, I think I will try that this week.

• complete MISA cowl (new item)
• new product photos 
• crochet texting gloves (black, grey, ivory) - inventory
• crochet blanket - gift
• list new product
• purge crafting supplies - book shelf one (cardstock)
• purge crafting supplies - book shelf two (magazines/books)
• holiday card sets - inventory

There are probably a few more items I could add to the list that I'd like to get done, but I'll be headed to Chicago on Tuesday. Losing a day shouldn't be that big a deal from getting things done. I could take some crocheting with me. Maybe. I haven't left this city since the last time I went to Chicago which was last summer. I need a break. A new perspective so I can come back refreshed. Thankfully it'll be warm while I'm there as I know most people I know won't go anywhere near Chicago after the beginning on November because of the colder weather.

So what's on your to do list this week? And when was the last time you took a little road trip just to get away?

{crochet} baby, baby, baby

A quick and easy granny square baby blanket for a friend of a friend. Or something like that. I don't have it pictured, but I didn't really want to leave the edges plain so I used part of this edging pattern. I skipped the last round and used just the first two rounds of chain loops. I think it finished it off nicely. As I've mentioned previously I'm not really a fan of making blankets, but I may make a few more of these and add them to my shop.

{to do} - Happy Halloween

I accomplished about 3.5 things on last weeks to do list so I'm calling a do over. And because this is my blog I can do that. Also if you hadn't noticed I've moved my blog from wordpress to blogger. I have a little bit of an attitude about it. The URL I wanted is taken, but it's not being used. I hate that, but oh well, there's nothing I can really do about it.  Anywho, welcome to the new spot, here's this week list:

• purge craft supplies
• sell/donate said craft supplies
• organize business paperwork
• crochet blanket - gift
• crochet texting gloves - giveaway
• crochet texting gloves - inventory
• crochet baby bear hat - inventory
• make holiday cards - inventory
• make thank you card - aunt
• create bill organizer for 2011
• make light box
• photograph new products
• work on blog
• crochet bear hat - giveaway
• mail items

I hope to a lot better this week than I did last week. If I can get at least half of the list done I'll be happy, but I'm shooting to get the whole list done. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: Look at me, I've already gotten 3 things done. I plan on making a few more pair or texting gloves too.