My Knitting Life And Other Stories

New York Gang Part 2

2012-01-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

I just love how this doll turned out. I like to call her Jemima as she looks like a doll with that name from a tv show call Playschool that used to watch when I was little. I wish I had of had more time to take more detailed pictures of her. She is made all out of soft wool except for her dress which is super soft alpaca yarn. You cant see this in the photo but she even has on underwear. You can take the underwear and dress off easily so she is fun to dress up. The hair took so long to get it the way I wanted it. To make it wavy I cut the strips of yarn and pulled apart the fibers which come apart wavy from being twisted. I hope Jemima goes to a home where she is loved.

This poor little owl sat around for a long time waiting to be finished. I dont know why I kept putting it off but I am glad that he was finished in the end. He is half filled with plastic pellets which makes him just right to sit on your shelf and keep and eye on things.

This bunny was actually suppose to be a bear but when it came time to do the ears I ended up just making them really long and turning it into a bunny. I love the blue colour of this yarn especially with the hot pink.

Now this was my favourite toy that I sent off. We had to give him a hug before he went in the box. He reminds me of the velveteen rabbit. I knitted him in a chenille yarn with small needles to give him that velvet look and feel. Ah more uses for that big stack of chenille yarn my husband bought for me.

I lined his ears with some yellow fabric that was left over from the quilt I made my daughter for Christmas. Dont you just love how you can pose his ears in all different ways. I love the vintage look of this bunny. He looks like he has been around for a long time.

I am definitely going to make another one of these rabbits. I have the yarn all picked out and everything. Funnily enough the yarn I am going to use is called Bunny Soft and it feels just like your patting a real bunny. I cant wait to get started on that one.

New York Gang Part 1

2012-01-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

In November I sent off some toys to Stoopher and Boots in New York city, the very cool shop that sells my knitted toys. I managed to take some quick pictures of them before they got packed up in the box to go on their journey.

This snake was alot of fun to make. He is made with a soft cotton yarn. I dont usually like knitting stripes because of all the ends but with this being knitted in the round there were no ends to weave in. He ended up being really long and great to put on your shoulders. Victoria was always checking up on his progress and how long he was getting.

Victoria fell in love with this little lizard but he really wanted to go to New York and see the sights. This was my first time using Noro yarn and I loved watching the colours come together. I love this guys little toes.

This little pig was made using the very last of some handspun hand dyed pink yarn that I got from a fellow Etsy seller. I love this pattern and have been thinking about making more tiny pigs as they are really quick and oh so cute. This pattern was designed by Apocalypse Knits.

Here is another Maddox Monster. Its funny how just by using a different yarn it brings out a different personality with these monsters. I love this yarn with its shades of yellow. Every time I see this monster it reminds me of my sister as i was finishing him off while Skyping for the first time with her.

I am posting Part 2 of the NY gang so you can see the rest of the guys who left for NY.

Its A Horsey!!

2012-01-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

I just listed this cute brown horse to my Etsy shop. The first new listing of 2012. I love how this horse turned out and he didnt take long to make. He was knitted with 100% wool as well as his mane and tail. He was stuffed with this new kind of stuffing that is 50% bamboo and 50% polyester fiberfill. It is great when you want something to be sturdy and solid which is what you want a horse to be.

I imagine some little girl or boy galloping him around all over the place or having different toys ride on him. In fact the two little girls that I babysit have already discovered him and asked if he was for them. So I know that someone else will have to fall in love with him. He has the two year old seal of approval hehe.

Oh there's the butt shot. You cant not have the butt shot hehe.

Etsy Front Page Excitement!!!!!

2011-12-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to say that one of my items in my Etsy shop was on the front page. WooooHoooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I have been wanting to be on the front page for a very long time. Yesterday I saw that one of my felted bags was in a treasury. A very pretty treasury. I logged into my shop this morning to discover a big jump in views and favourites and found out the treasury had been put on the front page.

Here is the treasury that I am speaking of.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU1NTkyOTh8MTU1NzI0NDIzNg/team-t-t-my-team-favorites

It makes me want to get some new stuff made pronto to add to the shop but I know that is probably not going to happen this week. I am knee deep in trying to finish handmade Christmas presents. I am attempting my first ever quilt. It is really close to being finished. Megan is home with a cold today so I cant work on it until tonight because its for her. I am attempting to make as many Adventure Time characters as I can for Victoria. I am on my second one with the other two I could get done before Christmas just waiting to get started. I am also finishing off a hat and have an order for a duck that needs to be done soon. So many things and so little time. I also need to get the house ready for all the visitors on Christmas Eve. This is why I keep telling the children to stop telling me how many days until Christmas because I am not ready yet.

But anyway, I was on the front page of Etsy WOOOOHOOOO!!!

Tiny Pigs And A Blue Elephant

2011-12-01T13:57:00.001-08:00

I just sold these pigs in my Etsy shop the other day. They didnt even last a day before somebody purchased them. I still have to show them off though because arent they just the cutest especially the baby pig. I love his little tail.

The Mama pig measures 1 1/2 inches and the baby pig measures 1 inch. A little fiddly to knit at first but easy and quick after the first couple of rows. This pattern was designed by Apocalypse Knits and she has given me permission to sell pigs made from her oh so cute pattern. I think I will be knitting many more of these. This yarn was not very thin so imagine how small they could get.

I just listed this sweet little elephant. He has been waiting to be finished for quite some time now so he is excited just to be done. I made him in a soft cotton blue yarn with grey on the inside of his ears and his feet.

I gave him felt eyes so that he would be safe for any age. I envision him being a great baby shower present.

He measures 11 inches tail which I think is just the right elephant snuggling height.

New Items

2011-11-24T16:44:00.001-08:00

I finally pinned down Megan to take pictures of new items for my Etsy shop. That is not an easy thing to do. With Christmas coming its time to get new items made and added to the shop. I am in a finishing mood which doesnt happen alot. I better take advantage of it.

I love this yarn. The colours are bright and look so great together. I think the spiral pattern shows this yarn off really well.

These fingerless mittens are made from handspun hand dyed purple wool yarn. The wool is so soft and springy, just right for keeping your hands warm.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-11-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

In My Backyard
www.inmybackyard.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm Katie from In my backyard. I work at a museum during the day and my spare time is taken up with sewing, printing and crafting.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Etsy is just such a lovely website, I can spend hours looking through it. I opened an Etsy shop so I would have a wider overseas market.

3. How did you choose your shop name?
I spend a lot of time pottering in my garden, and it is where I do a lot of my sketching and other work - so most of my things are made in my backyard :)

4. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
I have a shop on felt - www.felt.co.nz - a New Zealand based online marketplace, as well as shops in New Zealand

5. What are your favourite things to do?
Making things, gardening, long walks with the dog

6. What inspires you?
Anything and everything

7. What is your most popular item?
My little bird pins have probably been my most popular item

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I'd love to learn to weave a rug.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
It is actually something I made - it is a bag that is made out of some tweed that my grandmother gave my mother, who then gave it to me.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
magdalinen Home

The Rainbow Girl

La Pomme

Thank you to In My Backyard for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. This shop is so cute. I love how there are different types of items but everything looks like they belong together. The bunny and kitty pictures are simple but oh so sweet. Check out this shop that has items for crafters and items for those who love sweet handmade items.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-10-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Treacher Creatures
www.TreacherCreatures.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a plush artist and an artist and love nothing better than to create little creatures and paint. I have painted all my life and studied illustration at art school. My love for making creatures began with a passion for traditional mohair bears but in the last few years I discovered socks as a creative medium and since making creatures from socks has become a passion and an obsession. I have now also started exploring other plush materials and Amigurumi too.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I had made over 40 sock creatures and was rapidly running out of room to store them so my mother, who had been reading about Etsy suggested I give it a try. It is a fabulous outlet for my creatures and I have not looked back since.

3. How did you choose your shop name?
As my surname is Treacher it seemed the logical choice of name..it allows me to make creatures from all kinds of materials and gives me scope to expand.

4. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
I also have an online shop on the Uk based Folksy.com and I supply 3 retail outlets in the UK: Threadbear in Barnard Castle, Me and Mrs Fisher in York and Drift in Seahouses..all of which are shops that specialise in handmade items.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
I love sewing, painting, making jewellery and crocheting.

6. What inspires you?
Colour, nature, and all things cute and whimsical.

7. What is your most popular item?
My most popular item are my white sock mice, whether that be in jumpers, sitting on pumpkins or propped up on Christmas puddings.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I would love to learn to do needle felting and make lots of little creatures.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
A ragdoll, made when I was little by my grandmother.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Sweet Poppy Cat
Woolcrazy
The Felt Menagerie

Thank you to Treacher Creatures for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. Her critters are just so cute and I still cant believe they are made from socks. I just want to give them a big squeezy hug. Check out this shop and see which creature you simply cant live without.

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

2011-10-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

slash Knots
www.slashKnots.etsy.com

1-Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a stay home mom to two adventurous, adorable little boys ages 3 & 5! Although I was born & raised into country living, I feel I am a California beach girl living a country-girl life!! I moved to CA when I was old enough to be on my own, but after my beloved mother passed I moved back to be with my family. I am happily married and we live in a very rural area, so I kinda came full circle :) It is not uncommon to look out the kitchen window on any given day and see deer, coyotes, and even the neighboring farms' cows in our yard. We even have a pair of bald eagles who nest on our property. I love to travel, shop, and create jewelry! I very much keep up with current fashion trends and am a bit- fashion obsessed! Creating jewelry that I like to wear, any hopefully others will love, is my passion!

2- What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I was creating pieces for myself and my friends wanted what I was wearing and it just grew from there. Next thing you know my friends co-workers would want a piece and then people they knew..... and word just began to spread! I outfitted a few bridal parties and last winter a girl suggested that I sell my things on Etsy. Until that point I never heard of Etsy! Once I checked it out I KNEW Etsy was the place for me :)

3- How did you choose your shop name?
I chose my shop name by going the Hollywood route and meshing my two son's names -- Slade and Cash -- into 'slash', and the 'Knots' is one aspect of the jewelry I create! Hence the name 'slashKnots' was born!

4- Do you sell your items anywhere else?
Through Etsy I have been fortunate enough to have a couple of shops in Maryland and Virginia carry a few of my pieces. And I did three craft shows last summer that were wildly successful for me! I found it a bit challenging to have a huge quantity of items for the shows, as well as maintain my busy Etsy shop, AND keep a watchful eye on my kids all day. I can only really create after my kids go to bed so time-management has been an issue for me! I would love to do more shows when my kids are school-aged and I would have the time to commit. The positive feedback I received from people was so rewarding!

5- What are your favourite things to do?
My favorite thing to do is to create jewelry that I like to wear! I absolutely LOVE to bead shop -- My adrenaline gets pumping and I get all frenzied over the colors and the ideas just start spinning around in my mind! I'm definitely a beadaholic! My mind is churning with new ideas 24/7 and there are just not enough hours in the day for me to make them tangible so I keep a journal.

6- What inspires you?
I am inspired by the beach & nature. I love bohemian style jewelry and so I try to combine the colors and textures from the beach and incorporate them into my jewelry. And all of my pieces are named by what inspired me to create it. For instance, my 'Malibu' crochet wrap is totally inspired by the colors and feel of my time spent in Malibu. Everything there is soft and muted and very natural... well, except for the celebrities!

7- What is your most popular item?
My most popular items right now are my 'slashKnots Stackers' and leather wraps! slashKnots Stackers are beaded crocheted bracelets meant to stack & layer. I love layering my jewelry and with SO MANY gorgeous beads to show off I like to wear a couple of leather bracelets and 2 to 3 Stackers at all times! I never want to look too matchy-matchy but I like to tie in my accessories with the feel of my wardrobe. They are just so fun & easy to wear :)

8- If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
If I could learn a new craft I would LOVE to learn how to work with sterling silver to create rustic, organic silver beads and charms to incorporate into my pieces. I have bought several hand-stamped personalized pieces from fellow Etsy artists and I would love to be able to create charms to personalize my work.

9- Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
My mother was and forever will be the most talented, artistic, creative person I have ever known. We did so many different projects together ranging from ceramics, sewing, drawing, woodworking... you name it we did it! She embroidered a floral picture that is timeless and absolutely beautiful. She had an amazing eye for color and combining colors in a unique way that just clicked. I know she would be so proud of me and the success of my Etsy shop :)

10- Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
My favorite Etsy shops are:
Simple Daisy for her unique rustic silver jewelry
Happiknits for her cool bohemian cowls (which I own 4!)
Doloris Petunia for her beyond gorgeous cuff bracelets. One of those cuffs is on my Christmas wish list!

Thank you so much to slash Knots for being my featured favourite Etsy shop this week. I am so excited to feature this shop because I absolutely looooooooove this jewelry. I could favourite every piece. I love the colours, the designs, the simple elegance and the beads in this jewelry. Take a look at this shop and you will surely fall in love with it as well.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-10-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

plucky kid
www.pluckykid.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

When I was 8, I fell hopelessly in love with Poppin’ Fresh, the mascot for Pillsbury. I wished that he was real so I could take him with me to school and poke his tummy and snuggle with him at bedtime. I grew up in a big family, and we never had much money, but we made up for it with creativity. I decided to make my own Pillsbury Doughboy, and raided my mom’s sewing room for scraps. I had never sewn anything before, so I guess it just came naturally to me. I figured out how to fashion the traditional baker’s cap Poppin’ Fresh wears even though I’m not very good at math. Which shows that if you want something badly enough, like your own bashful hunk of talking dough in a bandanna, you CAN be good at math.

After I proved to myself that I could make a Doughboy without instructions, I figured the sky was the limit and I kept on going. I made puppets, Halloween costumes, doll clothes, clothes for myself. At art school, studying illustration, I incorporated sewing into a lot of my assignments with soft sculpture, trapunto, and literally “sewn” drawings.

Sewing a drawing takes a lot more time than using a brush or pencil, but it just felt right to me. It was my medium. I was aware of the anti-craft sentiment that existed at the time, though—this was the dawning of the computer graphics age, and traditional methods were unhip. I studied fabric design and silkscreening, and felt most drawn to those classes, but couldn’t see how I’d be able to make a living. After college, I worked as a graphic designer for years, trading my art supplies for software. I’m not sorry about it at all, because technology figures in to a lot of what I do now even though I’ve gone back to my sewing machine and printing press.  

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?

My memory of it is hazy. Last summer I decided to take my camera along to the county fair, because I’d really enjoyed the chickens I saw the previous year. I had no clear plan at that point. The next thing I knew, I was silkscreening roosters onto linen. It just seemed like the right idea. I started with pillows and wasn’t sure what else I could do with my prints. Then I came across a collection of vintage flash cards in the attic, and thought the baby animals on them would make cute designs for baby clothes. I love early 20th century illustration because it was still done all by hand; typography in particular was drawn by hand, and it’s very beautiful to me.

After “retiring” from NYC, I was vaguely searching for some way to get back into sewing and handcrafted art, and found Kari Chapin’s great book, “Handmade Marketplace”. That’s how I discovered Etsy. It sounded almost too good to be true. I wasn’t aware that the craft movement had taken off the way it had. I still find it hard to believe that so many people actually care about handmade things. For me, it really says something profound and hopeful about humanity, especially since Etsy is global. I feel a connection to Etsy people that is rare for me in my daily life.

3. How did you choose your shop name?

Going back to the flash card art, I was struck by one in particular, of a baby goat, who had a frisky way about him. I showed the goat to my husband, saying I wanted to silkscreen it onto something, maybe for kids, since baby goats are called “kids”, and he said, “You could call it Plucky Kid.” The name sums up the spirit of what I’m doing, which is hanging in there and persevering until it starts to feel right, and staying young at heart. It also sums up my husband, who coincidentally grew up on a goat farm.  

4. Do you sell your items anywhere else?

Not at the moment. I’m not sure I want to, either. Etsy is just right for me.

5. What are your favourite things to do?

I truly love what I do with Plucky Kid—I have trouble setting it aside at night. It consumes me, in the best possible way. It’s extremely satisfying. Silkscreening—all kinds of printing—I find very satisfying. I don’t really understand it. An image I create on screen, once squeegeed onto fabric, is just BETTER. I imagine, had I been born earlier, I would have been a lithographer if I hadn’t been artistic. Anything to leave that stamp.

 6. What inspires you?

I’m inspired by old things, mostly. I like digging through old books and magazines, junk shops, old-school fabric and notion shops, which are hard to come by these days, even in New York. And I love art supply stores, of course. I am especially interested in nature, obviously—in animals—and I’m lucky to live where I need only stick my head out the window to be inspired. I think inspiration comes from just paying attention. It’s all right there, you just have to tune in.

7. What is your most popular item?

This is relative, of course, because the shop is new, but I would say the canvas mini-mason bag with Sheep No. 26 is the most popular.  

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?

Knitting!! I am such a terrible knitter. And I love yarn, and chunky sweaters, and all the great new knitted things that are coming out nowadays. But I just can’t knit. I don’t have the patience. Same with quilting, I would love to be a quilter, and fill my house with Civil War quilt patterns. But I’m just not cut out for it. (There’s a joke in there somewhere.)

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?

I have an old needlepoint that was given to me by one of my sisters. It’s a portrait of my first cat. It’s especially cherished because it was a complete surprise—she’s not a crafts-y type, and made it for my birthday. It’s so sweet.

I have to say, though, that I cherish every handmade thing I have been given. When somebody takes the time to make a homemade card, it *is* the gift.  

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

I love the freshness and simplicity of this shop’s jewelry designs:

f1nneran jewelry

This artist is so creative. I love her point of view:

Soft Cuddles

I’m CRAZY about these super-cute and witty faux animal “stoles”:

bee's knees knitting

A big thank you to Plucky Kid for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. Its been a while since I have had one and I think this was a great shop to interview and get back into the swing of it. Actually finding this shop not long ago inspired me to get back to doing features. I just had to share this shop and show off my discovery. I just looooooove this shop. I love everything in it but my absolute favourite has be to the Mason bag. Whenever there is a new one I cant decide which one I like better. I love the natural fabrics and the vintage look of the silkscreened pictures and the colours that are used all just work together. Check out this shop and see if you love it as much as I do.

My Baby Is 17!!!

2011-09-29T08:08:00.001-07:00

17 years ago I met the most amazing, beautiful and special person and my life has never been the same again. Once you meet my daughter Megan you will never forget her. She touches the heart of each person she meets and you cant help but love her.

We have had so much fun these past 17 years that it makes me wish we could go back and do it all over again. She has a laugh that makes you laugh as well. Everyone has a Megan story that they can giggle about and she is a one of a kind.

People are constantly coming up to me and saying "Oh your Megan's Mum" and I have always very proudly said "Yes I am." and we exchange a smile because that's what she does to people. I remember when we went to visit a relative in hospital when she was 2 years old. While we were chatting to the person we were visiting, Megan was going to each bed chatting away to all the other patients and brought a smile to each ones face. I had to giggle and thought to myself that's just who she is.

My Megan is smart, willing to try anything, kind hearted, helpful, always wants everything to be fair and unforgettable.

Thank you Megan for 17 wonderful years. I cant wait to see what the coming years bring. It is exciting to watch you grow and become the beautiful young lady that you are.

Flower Pillow

2011-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

And the listing continues. I am up to 30 items in my shop which I dont think I have ever had that many. Today I listed a flower pillow that I made quite a while ago. I has been living at a local yarn shop for a while now but I thought I would bring it home and list on Etsy.
I just love brown, pink and green together especially in these dusty shades. I would love to see what this pattern looks like in other colours.

I made this pillow 18x18 inches because I love big chunky pillows that you can hug and get all snuggly with. This pillow comes with the pillow insert already inside so its ready to use as soon as you get it.

I like how the flower petals pop out with this pattern. It looks cool and gives it great texture.

Here is a close up of the pattern so you can see the details.

I made the back with a plain stitch. I think it would have been a bit fussy if both sides had flowers.
I hope you like it.

Little Lamby

2011-09-22T06:16:00.001-07:00

I have been the new listing queen these past couple of weeks and Im not even done yet. Today I listed this little lamb. I have made many of these little lambs. They are just so cute. I decided not to knit this one a little cardigan as I have in the past for some of them. Do you think he minds that he is naked?

He was knit with wool which I think is an appropriate thing for a lamb to be made out of.

Now here is one of my favourite things about this lamb. Just look at that little tail.

This pattern was designed by the wonderful Fuzzy Mitten. I just love her patterns. I wish I had them all.

Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Hat

2011-09-21T06:25:00.001-07:00

I just listed a new hat on my Etsy shop. These hats are so fun to make. I love the effect of the swirl. I have one of them myself that I used all last winter. They are warm, they dont slide off your head and they arent too short. All these things are important when your out in the snow.

Look how cute my model is. Victoria was excited that I asked her to be my model this time. How pretty are those brown eyes? We also found the cutest white fuzzy caterpillar during our photo shoot so that made it even more fun.

Maddox The Monster

2011-09-15T06:56:00.001-07:00

I seem to be on a monster making kick right now. Just listed to my Etsy shop is Maddox The Monster. I have made Maddox before, it was quite a while ago, but this one is alot bigger.

I used a soft and squishy yarn that has many shades of green in it. I love how squeezable his belly is.

Yep there's that butt shot.

The weather has been just right for taking photos outside. The lighting is so much better when you can do that. That will all soon change as you can feel Autumn is coming and soon after that will be all that snow.

Maddox was having way to much fun outside during this photo shoot hehe.

Whenever I do these monsters Victoria always gets a kick out of their belly buttons. That is the first thing she mentions when I show her and then she has to imitate their teeth. Ahhh the fun of monsters.

Corbin Monster

2011-09-12T14:29:00.001-07:00

I just listed a new monster in my Etsy shop. This is Corbin. He is soft and squishy and very floppy.

This pattern was designed by Rebecca Danger of Danger Crafts. I just love her patterns. They are so much fun to make. I love how they each have little personalities.

Victoria keeps giggling at Corbin because she says he has no muscles. I keep telling her that is because he not flexing. Wait until you see him flex. He doesnt do it for just anyone. Dont even try to pick on him because he is a boy and he's pink.

Here he is enjoying the end of the Summer sun.

Here is the important butt shot.

Panda Hat

2011-09-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Something new for my Etsy shop finally. A good old Panda Hat. Every time I make one of these someone here wants it but I deemed this one for the shop only.

Dont you just love my beautiful model. That is my wonderful Megan who will be 17 this month. That one is hard to believe.

This panda hat is my own design. I am quite proud of it. I played around with some graph paper and came up with this cute face. The ear pattern I made up as well. I really need to write it down as every time I make one of these hats I have to remember how I did it the last time.

This hat is one of those hats that just seem to fit anyone from kids to grown ups. Yes I think its perfectly fine for a grown up to wear a panda hat hehe.

Im thinking I should try and figure out some other animal hats I could do because they are so much fun and quick to make. Winter is on its way. I know nobody wants to think about that just yet.

Snoopy Baby Blanket

2011-08-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

Here is a blanket that I made for one of my best buddies who just had a baby. Of course I havent posted it yet and the baby is now 3 months old but it will be on its way soon. My friend is a big fan of Snoopy. I found these dishcloth patterns of Snoopy characters on Ravelry and had the idea of turning them into a blanket. There are 7 characters so I had to find a yarn that had 7 colours of yarn that I liked. I wanted it to be a natural fibre that is washable. I found this wonderful superwash wool in baby colours and was nice and fine that would make the pictures pop. The yarn is called Lanett and the brand is Sandnes Garn.

When I make baby blankets I like to make them nice and big so that can be used for a long time. Smaller blankets only seem to be good for the first few months. This blanket is big and was hard to get the whole thing to fit in a photograph.

Each dischcloth pattern was relatively the same size. I had to add a couple of stitches here and there to the border but you cant even notice. I made this in strips of each character and sewed them together as I went. I did think about putting a duplicate stitch picture in each white square but once it was all sewn together I thought the pictures would distract from the Snoopy characters which are the main focus.

Here is Charlie Brown. I was thinking he would be red when I was planning this blanket but there was no red in the group of yarn I picked. I figured this darker pink would be close enough to red.

Here is Snoopy being all cool. I went back and forth on whether to do Snoopy blue or purple. I still question my choice as Lucy should be blue but it doesnt really matter in the end I guess.

Here is Lucy. Dont you just love how much these pictures look just like their characters. The pattern designer did a great job.

Here is Marcie. She is a very light orange colour.

You cant have a Snoopy blanket without Woodstock. He may be small but he's important. Of course he had to be yellow.

Here is Peppermint Patty. Now you just knew she had to be green.

Lastly it is Sally. She looked like she needed to be light pink. She is also related to Charlie Brown so they could be close in colour.

So that is my Snoopy blanket project. It was alot of fun and the finished project turned out just like I wanted it to. Now the most important part is the mailing. It doesnt do the baby much good sitting in our house.

Kitchen Reveal

2011-08-08T10:04:00.001-07:00

Here I am finally posting pictures of our kitchen that we finished painting in November. This first picture is what our kitchen looked like when we first saw it. Pretty dark and 70s isnt it.

This is what it looks like now with its glossy white cupboards and silver new handles. Amazing what a bit of paint can do. It even makes the not so nice yellow counters look not so bad now.

I had to take these pictures when the counter was this nice and tidy. It doesnt happen too often that it looks this neat. You know how that goes.

Here is the section on the right of the kitchen. You can see my oh so cool cow kettle which I love. I happen to have a thing for cows. We still need to get one of those exhaust fan thingys that go over the oven and paint the ceiling.

Here is a close up of some of the drawers and cupboards. You can get a better look at the handles and hinges in this one. I love the brushed silver with the white glossy paint and so much better than the old ones.

Lastly, this is a picture of the fancy new faucet and light we put in once all the painting was done. In the previous pictures the old ones were still in. You can also see The Moo Sisters that live on the windowsill, the snowman Victoria made, Megan's cactus Eugene and my pretty vintage blue glass bottles that I found at a garage sale.

Now you have finally seen my revamped kitchen. What do you think?

Destination New York City

2011-08-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the gang that was recently sent to the New York shop. They are currently waiting for their forever home at Stoopher and Boots. Let me introduce them to you.

This is a lemur that I made months ago. He was the first in the batch I was getting ready so he has been sitting on my shelf waiting for the others. There have been kids coming to our house begging me if they could keep him including my own. I love how he turned out. He is an Alan Dart pattern, isnt he an amazing pattern designer?

This is my interpretation of Bullseye from Toy Story. I used a basic horse pattern that I found and did a few things to try to make him look like Bullseye. First off the colours had to be right, then I had to get the eyes big and bulgy and lastly I had to figure out how to make nostrils. Do you think he looks like Bullseye?

This is Arnold the pig. He is the same pig pattern that I have made quite a few times but every time I make one they end up with their own personality and size depending on the yarn that is used. In this case Arnold was made with 100% cashmere so he is super soft. Victoria fell in love with him big time. He got some snuggle time before going into the box to NY. Every now and then we wonder how he is in the big city.

This is Ferdinand the duck. I am partial to white ducks but this little yellow duck has quite the personality. He was an interesting pattern as his body is actually just a square and its the way you seam him that makes him into a duck. Victoria just says he's fat which kind of hurt his feelings.

This little green elephant was made from a combination cashmere and merino wool yarn, soft and sturdy. We never did give it a name. What do you think it should be? I think pink elephants are still my favourite.

I love to make these snakes especially in stripey yarn. It has such a cool effect. They are also good stash busters as you can just keep going and going until you finish your ball of yarn.

I just had to make a little snail to go with the rest. They dont take long and they are so cute. This is the same snail that I made for Victoria for her birthday. The same colours and everything. I was trying to make a snail that looked just like the drawing she did. I think it came out pretty close, colours and everything.

Well those are a few projects that I have been working on these past months. I have already started a new batch to send to New York. So far there is a blue and pink bunny with long ears, an almost done blue elephant, a different pattern from the one above and a doll. I love the idea of doing the knitted doll just like they use to have in the old days. I have a feeling that once I make one I will be making more and more with different hair and outfits. Thats always the trouble, to many ideas and not enough time to do them all.

A New Item And Easing My Way Back

2011-08-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I just added these purple booties to Knitted For Ewe. I cant even remember the last time I added something new to my shop. I am so glad that I finally just sat down to do it. Hopefully its the start of more adding because my poor little shop really has been neglected.

I am hoping making this post will kick start me doing more posts and getting back into the swing of blogging. I really do enjoy it but just have been busy with life and lots of babysitting this year.

I just sent off a batch of toys to the New York shop Stoopher & Boots and managed to take photos before they left. Im hoping that will be my next post because they turned out pretty cute and I feel I need to show them off. I am already starting on a new batch and some for the shop as well.

And this comment is for my Mum and sister, yes I promise I will post pictures of the the kitchen cabinets that are now all painted and white. I am still excited about them being finished.

Well there it is, finally a blog post and not the last even for this week so come back and visit again soon.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-03-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Alphabet Art Photography Designs
www.AlphabetArtDesigns.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Debbie loves to cook and watch reality TV. Cheryl loves to scrapbook and is team photographer during motocross season.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Debbie always gets me started in new projects but this one we both fell in love with (however, I was quite fond of her cupcake phase...). It was unique and different and no one in our area was doing it so we decided to give our families a sample for Christmas gifts and it was well received. We thought about building our own website when someone mentioned that we should look into Etsy...so we did and the rest is history.

3. Do you sell your photographs anywhere else?
Yes, we have 2 shops that we do consignment retail with; Home Chic in Mayville NY and Randolph Retail in Randolph NY. We also have attended various craft shows in our area (Randolph, Westfield, The What's New Fair)

4. Do you do any other types of photography?
We do not sell other types of photography but we love to take pictures of flowers and elements outdoors. Not to mention that I take photographs at my husband's motocross events. The pictures are typically posted on the WYNOA series website :)

5. What are your favourite things to do?
Debbie's favorites include: travel to NYC, Time with family and pets. Cheryl's Favorites include: Scrapbooking, dining out, spending time with my family and pets, and a good movie.

6. What inspires you?
For Debbie, everything around her inspires her. For Cheryl, Debbie's new ideas inspire me and looking at scrapbooking magazines.

7. Which of your photographs are the most popular?
Our most popular design is our Custom orders typically for weddings. The "Forever" print has been the most talked about and most ordered for weddings.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
Debbie has been trying to teach me how to crochet...I guess I would like to learn/master that!

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
The most cherished handmade gift was the queen size crocheted afghan given to me by my grandmother as a wedding gift.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Debbie is the Etsy surfer and is always looking for new and unique things...I don't think she could pick just 3. Unfortunately, I (cheryl) do not get much surfing time on Etsy :(

Thank you to Alphabet Art Photography Designs for being my featured favourite shop this week. I really love how they have made letters out of different objects. I think these photographs would look great in any home and make a really creative, different gift. The black and white photography would look good in any setting. You can also just buy individual letters so you could use them for initials or spell out whatever you wish. Take a look at this shop and you will thinking of all sorts of uses for this wonderful photography.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-03-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

DeniseAnnette
www.deniseannette.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have 4 children, I'm very proud to have been married for a long time, nearly 28 years, I became a licensed vocational nurse at age 20. Was back in school 20 years later to get my bachelors in nursing when I was critically injured in an auto accident and didn't walk for about 2 years. It is how I started lampworking and I taught myself. I love walking on the beach with my dogs. I work full time at an optometric practice, love it!

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I used to do home parties and sell jewelry only. I had my own website but wasn't getting enough traffic to my site. A friend encouraged me to join Etsy because she was doing very well with it.

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
From time to time I have trunk shows here on the island, and I am in a gallery here on Whidbey Island, WA.. Also sell to the bead store at Pikes Place Market in Seattle, and have sold to several bead stores in California.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
Favorite things, hmmm. besides making beads... baking, I love sweets. Also I'm an accomplished cook and worked as a cook and baker for 2 years. Love making homemade bread and anything from scratch. I also enjoy doing pastel drawings, ink drawings, am learning to do watercolor, sewing, embroidery, spinning wool, reading, knitting and crocheting.

5. What inspires you?
My love of nature and animals, absolutely cannot live without dogs in my life! Mountains, the beach, calm and peaceful surroundings, one of the reasons I live on an island in the Puget Sound. Birds

6. Which bead design to you most enjoy creating?
Right now owls and birds, but that can change.

7. Which is your most popular bead design?
Owls, birds

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I want to work with paper clay and make animals and do felted animals as well.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do most cherish?
I love all of the original drawings and art that I have purchased here on etsy, owning a one of a kind is so very special. Right now I just purchased an angel pendant from Robin Wade and I adore it, along with her wonderful little stories about them.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
barby303, Leuckit, Mary Judy , your shop of course! I've been so blessed to have met so many kindred spirits here on Etsy.

A big thank you to DeniseAnnette for being my feature favourite Etsy shop for this week. I just love her beads. They are so cute and have such character. I think my favourites are the sheep and the pigs. I think its great that you can not only buy individual beads to make your own creations but you can buy jewelry thats been created using wonderful handmade beads. Take a look at this shop and see if you can find a favourite, Im sure you will.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-02-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Hazel Village
www.HazelVillage.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have always been working on one cottage industry or another. I love making things that people can use, and I love keeping shop. Hazel Village, the most recent project, sets a new record for slow and steady growth; always before I spent a bunch of money buying supplies and otherwise getting established, and then no one bought anything and/or I got bored.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Last April I made the first of the woodland creatures. It was a tiny brown mouse. Something about it was very satisfying, so I made more and soon there was a small community of them sitting on my bureau. In May I took a booth at a local market, and I sold six of them! I was so excited. By then I had also listed them on Etsy, where I sort of expected them to sit and languish. But also in late May, I got my first order! Also very exciting. I got a couple of orders in June and July, then more and more every month. I recently sold my 150th animal on Etsy! I love that Etsy has allowed customers to find me, because marketing is definitely not my strong point (see former statement about no one buying anything from prior cottage industries. Also be the animals' facebook fan.) Also, I love the way customer service merges with basic good manners to make people extremely nice to each other.

3. Do you sell your toys anywhere else?
I sell them at markets, lately at the Brooklyn Flea which has an excellent collection of flea market vintage things, crafts, and amazing food vendors. Also I'm in a few stores: Urban Alchemist and Acorn in Brooklyn, Petunia Babies in Queens, Branch and Birdie in Portland, Oregon, and Romp and Endeavour Toys online.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
I wanted something that sounded both wild and settled, that suggested a magical fairy tale unknown but was not too scary. Also I didn't want it to be too long. The names of some former cottage industries have been Jane Van Cleef Clothing Company and Climate Change Preparedness Center. Those are bad for URLs, bad for logos, etc.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
Making things, especially sewing, especially hand sewing. Watching TV while making things. Eating food while watching TV while making things. Archery and darts, neither of which I'm terribly good at. Walking around the city at a very brisk pace. Also, most mornings I walk to get a delicious latte from the cafe, and then go a few more blocks to the post office. I enjoy both of those errands a surprising amount.

6. What inspires you?
Seeing kids interact with the animals.

7. Which of your critters is the most popular?
Definitely the foxes. People like that they're soft, and also that they're a little bit unusual as stuffed animals go. I'm working on raccoons now, which I think might be appealing in a similar way. If I do say so their striped tails are mighty cute.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
What a great question! If I had any sense the answer would be web design. As it is, maybe weaving? Or machine knitting? Machine knitting I think.

9. What handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
When I was in college my baby sister wrote me a letter. She was 4 or 5. It says, "Dear Jane, How are you doing? I miss you. I hope you have a good time in school. Love, Grace." Which is nice. But the special thing about it is, every letter is illuminated with a picture of a thing that starts with that letter. So all the O's have little legs and tails so they look like otters if you suspend your disbelief. And all the U's have umbrellas sprouting from them. One of the P's has a tiny playground, with a slide and swings and tiny kids attached to it. And one of the T's has tiny ticks standing on the horizontal part. It's a little hard to read but it's amazing.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

This is actually a list of 4.

Richard Upchurch:
There are only a few variations on one idea, but what an idea!

Ninon: Amazing stuffed creatures. They're expensive because each one is one-of-a-kind.

The Small Object: Something about it is so satisfying.

And my new obsession, Nutfield Weaver: Who makes really beautiful tea towels, that seem like they should be much more expensive but I guess once you get the loom going it all works out.

Thank you to Hazel Village for being my featured Etsy shop this week. How can you resisted these cute little guys? I love each and every one of them. I can picture a little boy or girl with a little Hazel Village critter tucked under their arm, taking it everywhere they go. When you go and check out this shop make sure you read their descriptions, they will make you smile.

Blog Mention

2011-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just found out that Marcel Mouse is famous today. He was mentioned on a blog post about knitted toys.

If you would like to check out this article this is the blog to go to

http://www.maxiesknitwear.blogspot.com/

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-01-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Maisey Handmade
www.maiseyhandmade.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Karen. I live in a small prairie community in Southern Alberta, Canada with my husband, son, cat, two Chihuahuas, and three rabbits.

I have been a crafty person for as long as I can remember. I fact, I come from a long line of crafters. My Mom would sew clothes for my Cabbage Patch Dolls and Barbies, my Grandparents always made their own gifts and cards and I even have a set of pillowcases my Great Grandma made from her old flour sacks.

I studied Archaeology and Art in college and university for several years, but was never really satisfied with settling for a “real job” and gave up on my desire to become Indiana Jones. I dreamed of creating in a studio one day but thought it was unrealistic. Now, I’m lucky enough to be able to stay at home and work on my creative endeavors. Every day I spend working away in my studio feels like a guilty pleasure.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?

I was drawn to Etsy because it is such an amazing resource for artists, crafters and buyers. I opened my shop, after a little trepidation, two and a half years ago. I was worried that I would be lost in a sea of such talented, experienced artists, but instead the inspiration and support from the community has allowed me to grow, develop and succeed.

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?

Right now I just have my Etsy shop and do the occasional local craft sale.

4. How did you choose your shop name?

My shop is named after my 17 year old cat Maisey.

5. What are your favourite things to do?

My crafting really consumes me for the most part. When I’m not making stuff I’m thinking of making stuff. But I also enjoy traveling, knitting (oops that’s a craft too), cooking with my husband, and gardening (very domestic, I know).

6. What inspires you?

Everything. More specifically, I love browsing Japanese craft books and magazines, vintage children’s books, blogs, thrift stores. Special requests from customers have been great in forcing me to go into new directions.

7. Of all the different items in your shop which do you enjoy making the most?

I really enjoy making the stuffed animals because I love to see their little personalities develop as I am creating them.

8. What is your most popular item?

Without question it would have to be the Pocket Hippo - but all the little animals in the Miniature Menagerie seem to find homes rather quickly.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?

One of my most loved childhood toys was a black cat my Mom made as a young girl. His head flopped around and his eyes were a little uneven but he had a special personality that made him a favourite.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

1. Stitchface – Some wonderful plush toys from Toronto

2. for my darling – Brilliant upcycled wool items from Finland

3. Chat Noir Jewelry – Enchanting pieces from a lovely seller

Thank you to Maisey Handmade for being my featured Etsy shop this week. How can there be so much cuteness in one shop? I think my favourite is the Cuddly Friends section. I just want to give all those little critters a hug. I love their names and little profiles. There is a little something for everyone in this shop and would be great for those times when your looking for a gift that has a little special touch of love in it.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-01-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Roxana Illuminated Perfume
www.IlluminatedPerfume.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Right out of high school I attended Otis Art Institute in downtown Los Angeles and felt as if the world had opened up. While there I studied a variety of arts but focused mainly on illustration and letterpress printing. After graduating I started teaching, moved to Brooklyn in NY, purchased a letterpress and began getting freelance illustration work immediately.

Six years later I moved back to Los Angeles, birthed my daughter naturally and studied Aromatherapy professionally. After discovering the wonders of healing with nature I stopped teaching illustration and became a tutor for an aromatherapy school.

Now I live in the Santa Monica Mountains, surrounded by native oaks and run a natural perfume business titled Illuminated Perfume. The name was inspired by illuminated manuscripts.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?

I was invited to be a speaker at a large perfume event in NYC called Sniffapalooza. For the event I choose to launch a series of solid perfumes. At the time I didn't have the funds to redo my website. I decided to open an Etsy shop in order to have a place to sell my solid perfumes. It's been about three years and the success on Etsy has been so great that I still haven't re-done the website!

3. Do you sell your perfume anywhere else?

On my website and when I do events.

4. How did you choose your shop name?

As mentioned above I choose my company name based on a play of words. The word illuminated refers to manuscripts painted in the 1600s and light. I am working with the plant materials to make my perfume instead of synthetic petro chemicals. I feel like I am illuminating a path back to our own essential nature.

5. What are your favourite things to do?

Make art and follow my creative muse are my very favorite things in the world. I also love spending time with husband and daughter, especially when we travel together, thus travel is on the list to.

6. What inspires you?

Inspiration is an interesting thing with me, I find it everywhere. This morning driving my daughter to school she was going over some things for a test and I got massively inspired from the topic. Other times I am inspired by nature, history and great art. Sometimes it's just a little whisper of an aroma that gently wonders into my smell scape. I keep my artistic radar tuned and prepared for inspiration, it may strike at any moment.

Unlike the premise of an artist needing to "starve" to produce great work, I am the opposite, the more vital my life is the more inspired I am.

7. What is your favourite scent you create?

This question is really hard to answer, it's like picking a favorite child or color. The fragrances I most often wear are Cimbalom and Chaparral solid perfumes. I like the creamy quality in the solids and they are so great to throw into ones purse.

8. Which is the most popular item in your shop?

The solid minis are my best selling item, people just love those little pink pots with the iconic bee wax seal. My best selling perfume at the moment is GreenWitch, named after Susan Coopers book.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?

Gosh, I have so many! My husband creates beautiful little painted cards, he created one for me when he proposed on bended knee. I also adore all the knitted and crochet items my mother makes and even have some from my grandmother that I cherish.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

www.Geninne.etsy.com
www.almapottery.etsy.com
and I've been yearning for something from Treehouse28 ever since finding Etsy:
www.treehouse28.etsy.com

Thank you to Roxana Illuminated Perfume for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. I am a big fan of solid perfume and have been learning about aromatherapy for many years. I love the idea of the solid perfume locket. Its such a genius idea to have a pretty piece of jewelry to wear and be able to have your perfume with you whenever you want a touch up. If your after a unique gift or something for yourself then you should check out this wonderful shop.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-01-14T13:59:00.001-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Williamsburg Bears
www.williamsburgbears.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a 49 yr. old mother of 3 wonderful children, all grown and on their own, and Grammy to two adorable boys. My father put a pencil in my hand as soon as possible which began my love of all things handmade. My mother taught me knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and sewing. My father taught me carving, wood working, drawing, painting, mechanics, and fishing. He wanted a boy and the poor man got stuck with 3 girls so I was his tomboy. My Grandmother began my interest in quilting.
My daily goal in life has always been to learn something new every day and to get someone to smile.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Opening the shop was actually my daughter’s idea. Amy found Etsy and was so impressed with the sight she urged me to put my bears on.

3. Do you sell your bears anywhere else?
Etsy is the only place to find my bears.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
Williamsburg, Ohio is the small town where we lived when my children were growing up. I started making my bears at that time and wanted to honor the town I had come to love.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
I love being with the people I love more than anything in the world. Having everyone together and cooking a huge meal for them is my heart’s desire. When I’m alone my favorite thing to do is sit outside on a clear summer’s night and gaze up at the stars. As a child I would lay in the cool grass with my arms spread wide and stare at the stars for hours. Of course I’m too old to lay in the grass now and the chiggers would eat me up but it is still my favorite thing to do.
But if you mean my favorite craft it is definitely making bears. When they begin to take shape and their little personalities begin to emerge, I fall in love with each and every one of them.

6. What inspires you?
Nature. I’m not sure how to explain it. Something stirs in me.

7. Which of your bears is your favourite to make?
My favorite is the one I’m working on at the time whether it’s a 2inch miniature or a 3 foot hairy brute.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I am learning how to do woodturning. I love the smell of the wood.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
My Grandmother and Great Aunt both made quilts for me when I first got married. Grandma’s is made from old dresses, slacks and shirts I remember seeing her wear as I grew up. They are most cherished because both of these special ladies are gone now.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
A Little Character - I could look at their amazing faces all day. So much personality.

Spirit Faces - I love the spirit faces. Something about wise looking old man faces in trees...

And lastly, Pieces of Pine.

A big thank you to Williamsburg Bears for being my featured Etsy shop this week. I am just in love with all of her bears. I wish all of them could come and live at my house and join my other handmade bears. So much character, so much cuteness, oh my goodness how could you not love them. If you've never owned a handmade bear then you need to have at least one. There is something about them that makes you believe they come to life when no one is looking. I think its the love and care that is taken when they are created. A Williamsburg Bear would be a great start to your collection as each one is very special.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2011-01-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Morning Glory Workshop
www.barby303.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a self taught needle felter from Colorado. I happened upon needle felting at a quilt show in 2006 and knew it was the art for me. I am married and am owned by two pugs and one cat. Anything in nature is my passion along with needle felting of course!

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I love Etsy as it is very user friendly and a nice group of people who buy and sell there.

3. Do you sell your needle felted critters and kits anywhere else?
Yes, I sell my needle felted creations, kits and needle felting classes on eBay also.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
I love gardening, music, again walking in nature, but most of all needle felting. A day does not go by without my wool and needle in hand.

5. What inspires you?
Great artists that I admire, a beautiful sunrise, soothing music, being with things in nature.

6. Which of your critters do you enjoy making the most?
The mice! No doubt about it.

7. What is the most popular item in your shop?
The mice on eBay and mouse classes on Etsy.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I would love to be an expert in knitting.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
Oh I have so many I cherish! I will speak about artist's items on this question. Helen Priem from the Netherlands made me several creations to be pals with my mice. Her owls, crow, squirrel and a wonderful wool doll are sheer perfection. I adore her work and use her creations as props in my eBay auctions to help tell their stories. I would NEVER ever sell one though!

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
pipspatterns
Beedeebabee
Two Left Hands

Thank you so much to Morning Glory Workshops or otherwise known as barby303 for being my first featured favourite Etsy shop for 2011. This shop is a new discovery for me. So much oooohing and aaahing when I saw her cute critters. I just had to show Victoria because she is a big fan of super cute things. I love the fact that you learn how to make your own critters and there is an opportunity to just buy the critters already made. The pictures just make these little guys come alive. The mice are so cute but I think my favourite are the bunnies. You'll have to hop on over and see them, oh my goodness such cuteness. I love the props that are used in the pictures. She should make a calendar with these pictures? Well enough gushing from me, check this shop out so you can start admiring this wonderful work as well.

The So Soft Scarf

2010-11-22T18:22:00.001-08:00

I just listed this scarf in my Etsy shop. Its been waiting a long time to get photographed and listed. This scarf is so soft in 100% wool. The yarn is one single chunky ply which probably helps make it so soft.

I knitted this scarf with a drop stitch which is what gives it its mesh look. This make it light while still being warm. I love long scarves because you can wear them all different ways. This one fits the bill at 76 inches not including the fringes. Such a beautiful model wearing the scarf as well.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-11-19T15:33:00.001-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature
Bear Creek Design
www.bearcreekdesign.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a farm girl raised on the Prairies of North Dakota. I have always had a love for animals since I was a young child. I grew up with cattle, chickens and sheep. After college I worked as a National Park Ranger and eventually came home to North Dakota, married and have 4 children that are now growing up on a farm with cattle, chickens and sheep.  My love for the fiber arts began when I purchased a few sheep for our family. This project led to spinning, knitting and eventually needle felting. The Romney sheep we own provide me with my favorite medium. I love the texture of the wool and how easily it blends together to make the animals come to life. I continually look for ideas for my sculptures – in the wild, in pictures and in my own pets and farm animals. I began sculpting animals out of wool in 2006. Mostly I use the wool from my own sheep and dye what I need to get different colors. I do purchase/trade wool with other fiber lovers in the area. This gives me different textures since each type of wool has characteristics all its own. I sculpt mostly realistic animals – but I’m developing more and more whimsical animals from my own imagination. The devotion of time spent on the face of the animal really brings the overall expression to my piece of art. To truly appreciate my work, one needs to understand the process of needle felting and the time that is necessary to create such detail out of wool.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I started selling my critters on Ebay with much success and then I found out about Etsy and it was a perfect fit for me. I liked the idea of having a shop where customers could always find my products and have a place they can come back to in the future. I also love that we all make handmade items and have made many friends through Etsy.

3. Do you sell your needle felted critters anywhere else?
I occasionally sell sculptures on Ebay but not that often anymore. I have developed a customer base on Etsy and have many return customers and collectors so I mostly list on Etsy. I also have a Website where customers can go and learn more about me and see more of my past sculptures. I also sell kits and some Sculptures on my Website. www.bearcreekfelting.com

4. How did you choose your shop name?
Our pasture that my sheep graze in has Bear Creek Running through it. Bear Creek Ranch is the name of our farm where we raise cattle, chickens and sheep.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
I have 4 children that I homeschool and I love to read books out loud to them. Photography was my first love, before felting. Spring time when we have new baby lambs and calves is my favorite part of the year. I also love to knit, spin and sing.

6. What inspires you?
Animals inspire me! Mostly their faces and the way they look at me make me want to run to the house and quickly felt that look.

7. Which creature do you enjoy creating the most?
That’s a hard question. I love making my “Bunnies in Dresses” mostly because I get to work with different colors when I put on their dresses. They always make me smile when I am finished with them and at times it is hard for me to close them up in a box and send them away to their new owners.

8. Which is your most popular item in your shop?
The highest selling items are the Snowmen and Bunnies. The top selling kits are the pumpkin and Snowman. The most popular Piece in my shop would have to be my Cow.

9. What handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
My husband is a welder and has made me very sturdy gates and pens for my sheep. They are better than anything I could have purchased. I cherish them most during lambing, they make everything go very smoothly for me!
10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
1. My favorite shop on Etsy is Greenwood Fiberworks I love the beautiful colors of wool, and I often buy wool from her to spin and use for the scarves and hats on my snowmen.
2. Another favorite is Sunset Fiber I love to work with different types of wool and all the wonderful colors available. I use my own Romney wool for needle felting and buy wool for spinning fun!
3. sTuckintheCoop is another favorite. The funny thing is I don’t buy jewelry for myself. If I were to buy some this is where I would shop.

A big thank you to Bear Creek Design for being my favourite Etsy shop featured this week. All I can think of when I see these needle felted animals is how amazing they are. Such life like animals created from a needle and some wool would take such skill and talent. They are like works of art. I just know that you will be going to this shop to see the other animals she has created as soon as you are done reading this interview. You wont be disappointed.

A New Hat

2010-11-14T17:42:00.001-08:00

I just listed a new slouch hat in my Etsy shop. I actually made it a couple of months ago but its hard to get my Megan in one spot to take pictures.

I love this pattern. Its slouchy but its fitted enough on your head where it wont fall off. Even more than the pattern, I love the colour of the yarn.

As you can see from these picture it is the middle of November and we're not buried in snow yet. Its been quite warm actually but at any time the snow could be here. Its pretty but I get sick of it by the end and I loathe shoveling.

Here is the back of the hat where you can see its slouchy shape. I'd love to see how this design looks in other colours.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-11-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

SnW Creative
www.SnWeStore.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am 42 years old, married a Graphic Designer for 16 years, have a 14 years daughter and a "fat" Pomarian. I am a breast cancer survivor for 8 years now.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
8 years ago when I had breast cancer, I am in deep depression that no one or medication can help. One day, my husband discovered a Chinese store selling origami paper, so he brought me some, I start to fold and fold and start to feel a little better. Meanwhile I daughter (she was 6 years old) learned her first origami crane with me during that time. We start to fold together, and eventually the house was pack with origami, so my daughter ask me if she can sell on ebay and use the money for her college fund (she always want to go to Standford, since little), so I agreed, business doing good, and we discovered etsy from an ebay customer, so we open a store.

3. Do you sell your origami anywhere else?
yes, at ebay (no much business now), artfire.com, and my own website and local customers.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
SnW Creative S- is my husband, W - is me, with "little" n -my daughter between us.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
Now my favorite is to created more items with origami....and go back to school...lol

6. What inspires you?
Anything can inspires, but I always go some crazy idea when I shop, I don't know why.

7. What is your favourite origami animal to make?
I like to folded butterfly, because there are many ways to fold, and each look different, very cool, I also like flowers, but it is too hard to ship, so mainly is for my local customer.

8. What is the most popular item in your shop?
Origami crane and butterflies may be the most popular for now, but the peacock is picking up (local and online)

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
I have a wedding arch with origami flower lighting that is my favorite that I can't let go, so it is in my house now.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Have It Sweet - love their marshmallow, so cute.
your store KnittedForEwe, I can knit, but I can't knit animal, my hand some how don't like to knit animal...lol I can't think of the third store at this point, but I remember it is a jewelry maker use all wire only, but I forgot to add her/him to my favorite so I lost track, hope someday can find the store again, because I really love it, but too many jewelry store in etsy....

Thank you so much to SnW Creative for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. I never knew origami could be so beautiful. Who could imagine that just folding paper could be turned into such pretty things? I think my favourite are the origami lights. They are such a great idea with a wonderful effect. Check out this shop and you are sure to be impressed.

A Custom Order

2010-11-09T06:28:00.000-08:00

Recently I got a request on Etsy to make this monster from the Bride Racing car seat logo. It looked simple enough and I was up for the challenge. I have never made my own toy pattern before. I have made up my own pattern for hats and bags but never a toy. I like to challenge myself in knitting every once in a while because I can learn from it and push myself to try new things. You just never know what you will get out of it. Well challenged I was and pushed myself I did hehe. This monster just about kicked my butt but I kept going because I knew I could do it. 4 weeks of going through alot of grid paper and starting and restarting, using the wrong needles and buying the wrong size needles and all sorts of little silly mistakes, I finally got on the right track and it was coming together. The customer hasnt seen it in person but he has seen pictures and I think he likes it. Take a look at the end result and let me know if you think I got it right. Does it look like this monster in the logo?

He is knitted with cotton yarn and his face is felt that I stitched on.

This is what he looks like on the back. Sorry the pictures arent brighter. The sun wasnt cooperating that day.

Nellie The Little Pink Elephant

2010-11-07T09:32:00.001-08:00

A new little critter was recently added to Knitted For Ewe.Her name is Nellie and she is a sweet little pink elephant.

I just love pink elephants. They are so cute. There's just something about elephants when they are pink that make them so much sweeter.

This little one was knitted with a soft cotton light pink yarn and has embroidered eyes so she is safe for everyone to play with.

I love this pattern because the result is cute, they are quick to make and they are a great yarn stash buster. In fact I am actually working on another one right now. I think this next one is off to New York City.

Here is the essential butt shot. For some reason her tail doesnt want to sit flat but Megan says that adds to her appeal.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-11-05T06:26:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

LittleSnowflakes
www.LittleSnowflakes.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a Stay-at-home Mom with three kids: 21,20, and 7. My family and I live on a small 1/2 acre Urban Homestead just outside of a small town in Texas. We garden, have a small flock of chickens, and live as organically as we can while teaching our children to live a self-sufficient lifestyle.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?

I have been creating in the kitchen since I was tall enough to reach the stove with a kitchen chair. I was about 4 yrs old. Put away the calculators! We don’t need to do the math, let’s just say it has been a LONG time (Smile) As for how my business got started: Well friends and neighbors found out about what I could do and the next thing I know I am creating goodies for Teachers, Schools, Churches, and local Realtors. My husband found Etsy and told me I should expand. And here I am! I have tried some of the other on-line venues but none of them have been able to compare to Etsy. These folks really know what they are doing!

3. Do you sell your treats anywhere else?

My primary focus is my Etsy shop. However I also give "special offers" to my Facebook Fans (http://www.facebook.com/littlesnowflakes) in my Facebook store. For my “local” customers I also make custom cakes, Wedding Cakes, and cupcakes. Of course recently at the urging of one of my regular Etsy customers, I started selling and shipping Cupcake Kits.

4. How did you choose your shop name?

I am from Texas and my husband is from Rhode Island. When our youngest child was born we called her "daddy's little snowflake". One day my husband surprised me with the domain name LittleSnowflakes. I built my business around the name.

5. What are your favorite things to do?

Family time is my favorite thing: watching movies, working in the garden. I love to create; painting, sewing, woodworking, AND cooking. When I have time I enjoy reading a good book.

6. What inspires you?

I would have to say that my Granny was the biggest creative inspiration in my life. That woman was AMAZING! She herself was a self-taught cook. She was faced with the task of raising her three younger siblings and had to learn HOW to cook so that they could eat. With her background she felt it was very important that I learn how to cook as well. However, her creativity lessons didn’t stop there. She also taught me sewing and painting. Believe it or not those skills have also helped me in the Edible Arts Field

7. Of all the different treats you make for your shop which do you enjoy making the most?

Lately my internet customers have been keeping me busy with Custom Fortune Cookie orders! I have been making them for Brides, Baby Announcements, and Birthday Favors. Who knew a Fortune Cookie could be so versatile?!

8. Which yummy treat is the most popular?

Next to the Custom Fortune Cookies, I would have to say that my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles are the most popular. Especially as we get closer to Christmas.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?

The oil paintings that my Granny painted. I have 4 but my favorite is a simple painting of a chicken yard. Even though it was one of her earlier paintings, I still think it was her best work.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

Oh my ONLY three? There are so many wonderful artisans here on Etsy it is really difficult to choose only three :-( Ok, here goes:

Lucky Dog Treat Company

A Time 2Bee Unique

Ashley Jacobsen Photography

Thank you so much to LittleSnowflakes for being my featured shop this week. It was wonderful to hear about how supportive your family is of your business. You have to go to this shop and check out all the yummy treats she has to offer. I warn you though, there may be some drooling involved. If you are in the mood for something homemade, sweet and delicious and dont have the time or maybe your not so skilled in the kitchen, then you need to take a look at this shop.

Tricks Or Treats

2010-11-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we had the joy of having Halloween. Victoria and her Dad are big into Halloween. I like the treats and Megan likes the cheesy Halloween movies. So there is a little something for everyone. Usually Victoria has a plan of what she wants to dress up as for Halloween the day after the last Halloween. This year she really had to think about it when it came time to pick out a costume. Then it came to her and she was excited. She was going to be a Leopard. But my Victoria cant just be a leopard, nope she was telling everyone that she is Queen of the Leopards hehe.

This was actually one of the best costumes she has picked out because she could wear layers underneath and she was warm, it was easy and not alot of money. For some reason we couldnt find leopard print pants but she was happy with black. We found these leopard print mittens that have the flip top and turn into fingerless gloves in a discount shop and the mask, tail and collar all came together. A leopard costume wouldnt be complete without a Star Wars trick or treat bag, right? Hehe thats Victoria for you.

Lots fun was had on Halloween. Joe's friend brought his 2 kids out to trick or treat with us as they have for the past couple of years and Halloween just wouldnt be the same without them. Oh my how crazy those two kids are. Zach who is 6 every year starts off running to every house and by the end of the second street has announced that he is too tired to keep going. This year at every house he had to announce to the world what kind of treat he got and would tell the person if he liked or didnt like what they had given him. When we came to an unsupervised bowl of treats with a sign that said please take one you would hear him say oh man, just one? and then he would take forever to select just the right one. He cant wait to get home to eat them so he is attempting to eat and walk at the same time while being told not to eat the treats yet. Olivia who is 8 does the same thing every year. She wears a costume that she has issues with. This year her costume was not warm enough. She started out arguing she was not cold and didnt want to wear her jacket. By the end of the first street she was non stop complaining how cold she was and her legs were turning red and being itchy with cold. She and I made a deal that next year she would have a costume that was both warm and comfortable, something I have yet to see her do over the years hehe. It was definitely chilly as we even got some snowflakes as we were walking around.

Victoria convinced Joe to dress up this year. She was so excited at the thought that he just had to do it. We had both dressed up a few years ago so he already had the costume. This costume kind of freaks little kids out and impresses grown ups so Joe enjoys wearing it. I chose not to dress up this year hehe. Megan did dress up as a lady pirate and her boyfriend dress up as a boy pirate. We dubbed him Captain Red Beard as he has red hair. She just dressed up for school and I didnt catch her with my camera. She managed to dodge that one.

After trick or treating we did the traditional pizza back at our house and fun was had by all. Now that Halloween is all done it will be time to get into Christmas mode. Thats when our house really comes alive.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-10-29T05:55:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Not So Shabby Chic
www.NotSoShabbyChic.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a 33-year-old woman who loves arts and crafts, nature, and animals. I have been crafting for as long back as I can remember (with a few hiatuses) and my mother taught me how to do most of what I do now. The only things I have taught myself so far are needle felting and punch needling. I am a vegetarian of 14 years, and I will be for the rest of my life. My zodiac sign is Libra, and I am a Libra in each and every sense of the word. I am a germaphobe and I don't like shaking peoples' hands. I used to be a night owl but now I am a morning person.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I had been in school for a few years and didn't have time to craft. I finished up school and started working as an occupational therapy assistant, and I noticed there was something lacking in my life. Spiritually and emotionally I felt void. I realized I needed to pick up crafting again. So I started with Christmas ornaments and decoupaged boxes, but I had run out of people to give them to, so I decided that I wanted to see if anyone was willing to pay money for them -- so I decided to open up a shop! I chose Etsy because I had seen it before, having gotten gifts from there and then having checked out the sellers' shops -- I really liked the look and feel of it.

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
I do. I sell on a couple of other websites but I don't even know if I would call it "selling", because I never get sales there lol. I also just started doing consignment at a local shop that wanted to sell my jewelry and hair accessories. So far that is going well!

4. How did you choose your shop name?
My shop name just came to me one day when I was driving. I love the shabby chic style, and I also think my stuff is "not too shabby", so I came up with NotSoShabbyChic!

5. What are your favourite things to do?
As far as crafts go, I love knitting, going to my knitting group, going to yarn stores, crocheting, felting, painting, latch hooking, punch needling, and even the occasional sewing project. As far as non-craft activities go, I love going for walks outside in nature, bird watching, photographing nature, reading, watching movies, the occasional rock-scrambling adventure, and going to museums.

6. What inspires you?
I would say that nature inspires me the most. I love trees, plants, animals, and flowers, and I think this reflects in my work. I am continually amazed by the color palette that nature offers. I love color of all kinds and I strive for a colorful, fun shop.

7. Of all the items you make for your shop, which do you enjoy making the most?
This is a tough one. I love making most of my stuff and all in different ways and for different reasons. If I could choose 3 though, I would choose my knitted/crocheted work because it takes me to a zen-like place when I make it, my decoupaged work because it involves many different types of craft to complete one piece (designing, painting, gluing, glittering, gold leafing), and finally coming up with my needle felted critters for the first time -- this simply because it brings me joy to see the finished item and how it matches the idea I had in my head.

8. Which item is your most popular?
I would say my needle felted balls are my most popular item. They are versatile and people have used them for many different purposes: as beads, as home decor, as embellishments for clothing, and as eyeballs for knitted alligators just to name a few!

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish most?
I would have to say my favorite handmade possession is a crocheted blanket that my old landlady made for me. It is heavy and warm and beautiful to look at. It was also most likely one of the last things she was able to make as she was starting to suffer greatly from Parkinson's Disease.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Oh boy this is another tough one for me -- I am a regular Etsy shopper and Etsy chatter and so there are MANY favorite shops for me. But if I had to choose three, I would choose these three lovely (and I mean that for each and every one of them) ladies:

Blushing Ewe -- amazing hand-dyer of wool rovings. Will also do custom work and also spins yarn from her rovings.

boygirlparty -- incredibly talented artist with ADORABLE products featuring her work. Loves to draw owls, cats, octopi, squirrels and more.

See Jayne Knit Yarns -- amazing hand-dyer of yarns; amazingly huge selection. I have been thrilled with each and every single yarn I have gotten from her.

Thank you so much to Not So Shabby Chic for being my featured shop this week. This shop has been a favourite for a very long time. I have also had the pleasure of chatting with this lovely lady in the Etsy Chat. I feel like we are kindred spirits as we find joy in alot of the same things. The pictures in this feature are just the tip of the iceberg with the wonderful items that are in this shop. With so many different crafts represented in this shop with such beautiful work being done you will surely find something for yourself or a special gift for someone. With Christmas being just around the corner this would be the perfect place to start your shopping.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-10-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Little Batch
www.LittleBatch.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Jen. I am a school librarian by day, mad scientist by night! Seriously, it's on my business cards. My husband and I live in rural Hunterdon County, NJ, surrounded by farms. I love to bake and Joe loves to eat cookies, so we're a perfect match. I also like to spend time in my mean little garden that we built together, with sweet raised beds and a deer fence... it's perfect for growing veggies and herbs that I can use in my soaps. We have a fat little black cat named Lily whose favorite pastime (besides eating) is sleeping.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I opened my shop on Etsy in order to have an online presence for my business, which is great for exposure and credibility. I collect vintage Pyrex, and I had stumbled upon Etsy completely by accident one day while researching a cool new piece I had snagged at an estate sale. It was kismet really... I was still too green to have my own standalone website, and there was Etsy.

Jen with her wares at the Hunterdon Harmonizers Fall Craft Fair in Flemington, NJ

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
Indeed. I sell the majority of my products in person, actually; home parties (like Tupperware parties but only more laid back), street fairs, craft shows. I've also launched my own website, which will soon include an integrated blog! Feel free to take a look: http://www.littlebatchbotanicals.com.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
It came to me instantly. Everything I make is done in small, perfect little batches, and every product is botanical-based... herbs, oils, butters, essential oils. There are some non-botanical ingredients (such as goats milk and french clay), but I'd say 98% of my ingredients are plant-based. The "Batch" part is also a shout-out to my love of baking!

What Jen smells like most days: a mixture of the yummy fall scents in her Sweet Autumn Perfume Trio

5. What are your favourite things to do?
That's easy. Spend time with my husband, doing anything. Make soap. Organize anything. Plant new things in my garden. Bake cookies. Walk outside and smell the air. Home improvement DIY.

6. What inspires you?
My loved ones inspire me, as does anything in which I can find beauty and solace.

It's always in her bag: a lil jar of her Head To Toe Salvation Hand and Body Balm... She uses it on her cuticles, elbows, and the backs of her hands

7. Of all your different products which one do you enjoy making the most?
Pumpkin Spice Soap! It's got real pumpkin puree and spices in it... smells awesome when it's cooking up.

8. Which is your most popular item?
Definitely the Cupcake Lip Balm; it really does smell like a vanilla cupcake. I couldn't find a lip-safe fragrance oil that did any justice to a cupcake, so I took several oils and blended my own. It's a fan favorite!

Jen's mom... her craft show partner-in-crime

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
My husband's grandmother knitted lovely blue blankets for us when we moved into our house. We called her Nonni; she was like a grandma to me and a real kindred spirit. At family functions we always sat together and had our own little conversations going! She passed away this spring, and I miss her dearly. So, my Nonni Blanket is my most cherished handmade possession.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops that you love to visit.
What, No Mints?
Sasha sews these awesome little eco-felt lovelies that I think are just beyond adorable. My What, No Mints? collection is growing. Can't get enough of those birds! And my amoeba pin is definitely a major part of my wardrobe.

New Hope Beading
I bought Caroline's fine silver and gemstone leaf necklace as a gift for my best friend... and am having a hard time parting with it!

Tracey Gurley Bath And Body
Tracey is a great friend and colleague. Her shop is full of natural, handmade soaps, bath, and body products from mother nature to you. Like myself, Tracey uses no pre-made bases. We frequently like to bounce ideas of each other, or help each other out when developing new products. There's no rivalry --- just mutual admiration and respect. And that's nice.

One of Jen's favorite soaps, looking chic: Morning Joe coffee soap

A big thank you to Little Batch for being my favourite Etsy shop feature for this week, a great interview. I am a big fan of natural bath and body products. The scents that you find in Little Batch seem like there would be something for everyone. I havent purchased from this shop yet but looking at everything I think I will have a hard time deciding what to get first. If you love great smells, natural products and are looking for a gift for yourself or a friend then this would be a great shop to visit.

If Your Wondering

2010-10-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I posted anything. If you were wondering where I am, I am here to say that I am still here.
The past 2 weeks we have been painting and painting our kitchen. The first week I painted all the trim, windows and doors. The second week, last week is the start of the most exciting part. You see we moved into our house 4 years ago. As soon as I saw the kitchen I said I am definitely painting the kitchen cupboards as soon as I can. I took all the doors off which are alot. I think there are 16 doors in all. I promised my grandma in law they would be done by that Christmas and the promise went on every Christmas after that. Hmmm so pretty much since we moved in we have had no kitchen cupboards. There have been many people asking about them over the years and many people wondering if they would ever get done. Well I am here to say that this is being done. It has been a joint project and with much persistence things are getting done. Today we finished doing all the cupboard frames. The next thing is the drawers which there are 7 of them. There are actually 8 drawers but one has already been done. Once the drawers are done then the cupboard doors that have sat dormant for all these year in the laundry. We have all the handles and the hinges just purchased and ready to add.

I will definitely be posting a before and after shot once they are all done because it will be an exciting day. Everything we have been painting is semi gloss white so needless to say I am a bit sick of the sight of white right now hehe but its making everything look bright and clean. I told Megan that that is the secret to a clean house, just paint everything. She said something tells me its easier to just clean.

There has been some knitting going on in between all this painting. I am working on some custom orders that I recently got. They are going pretty well. I also have a few things that I need to take photos of to add to the shop. Where does the time go?

Oh Autumn How I Love Thee

2010-10-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to one of my favourite places in the world, Allegany State Park. We try to make the trip at least once a year. We like to go at the beginning of October to see all the pretty leaves. Every time we go we talk about how we should come more often and how much we love it but for some reason it just doesnt happen. Its only a 45 minute drive so I dont know why this happens. But we went on Saturday and it was just as beautiful as always.

It is so peaceful and quiet here. Its like everything just stops. There are many trails that you can take so you could make a whole day of it if you wanted to.

Autumn is my favourite time of the year. I just wish it lasted longer around here. In a couple of weeks we will have some really windy days and all the pretty leaves will be blown away and we will be left with naked trees. I intend to enjoy it all while it lasts.

On this trip we went to the animal museum which Victoria just loves because they have alot of bird specimens that you can see up close. She just loves to bird watch and this is a way she can see them up close and learn their names. We also went to the gift shop where Victoria got a bag of quartz stones, Megan got some chocolate covered pretzels and I got what could be the best lip balm ever especially when it comes with a picture of a moose and its called Moose Lips. We had been smelling these yummy food smells in the building and decided to go upstairs to the restaurant to have a bite to eat. The funny thing about this restaurant is once you order they ask you if you would like some popcorn while you wait. They then bring you a container of buttered popcorn to munch on. Megan thought this was just great. We then took a walk around on a short trail. We should probably bring Victoria up there more often so she could learn the art of being quiet so you might see or hear some animals. She is a yapper but she did try and we did end up seeing some birds and a few critters.

Along the way on our walk the girls came across a ton of crunchy leaves and could not resist getting into a leaf fight. They had so much fun and it was so nice to see them playing and laughing together. On the way back they had to do it all over again. I think they could have stayed there all day if we let them.

This was also the day that we gave Megan her new Ipod Touch for her 16th birthday that we just celebrated last week. This was a present from Grandma, Joe and myself and she had no idea. We bought the Ipod while we were out shopping on this day. I couldnt wait to give it to her any longer so when we got in the car I said Hey Megan here's some of your chocolate covered pretzels, which she had asked me for. I said Hang on I dont want to give you those, I want to give you this instead and gave her the Ipod. It took her a second to figure it out and then she just freaked out. It took her about 2 minutes before she turned to Victoria and said Hey Victoria now that I have this Ipod would you like my old one? So then we had two girls freaking out in the car. You see Victoria has been pretending to have her own real Ipod for a couple of years now. She will tell you she puts songs on it and sometimes she is tired of those songs and removes them and even bops along in the car to her imaginary Ipod. So now she has a real one. She made her list of what she wants on there and we are working on getting some songs put on there. So we have two girls in Ipod heaven here. I dont think I have have seen Megan without hers since she got it. I am glad she likes it so much. I think she will get alot of use out of it.

Something Fun For Everyone

2010-10-01T18:45:00.001-07:00

I recently added something new to Knitted For Ewe. They are hand knitted balls. They are so much fun and quick to make. You can also make them in different sizes.

These ones were knit from some beautiful handspun wool yarn from the Etsy shop Blushing Ewe. This makes them squishy and soft to the touch.

I took some photos with my niece Lilly as the model. She has so much fun with them and so does Victoria. Victoria has a knitted ball of her own and we have made up many fun games with it.

Hopefully people will take a liking to them and I will get a chance to make some more. I think I will make Lilly a couple for her first birthday that is coming up next month.

This red and blue yarn always makes me think of Spiderman because Victoria was into him for a long time. I am really growing quite fond of handspun yarn. It feels more unique and special than regular yarn.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-09-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

WeeOnes
www.weeones.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Jillian and I work on my Etsy shop, WeeOnes, full-time. I was formerly a scientist, but after entirely too much schooling and a couple jobs that left me feeling unfulfilled, I made the switch to sculpting and haven't looked back. I'm happily married with two dogs and twin boys on the way! We've lived in the Hawaiian islands for the past 2.5 years and are in the process of making a major move to Maryland.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I opened my shop on a whim. I have a deep love of knitting and have enjoyed playing with clay from a young age. Play-doh was probably my favorite thing to play with when I was a kid and I was always making the smallest animals my fingers would allow. If we were assigned a diorama at school, I would make mine in a jewelry box instead of a shoe box. I love tiny things. It was only natural to try to combine my two loves, knitting and sculpting.

As far as I know, when I joined Etsy, the only two options I had for selling online were Etsy and Ebay. Etsy appealed to me because of it's emphasis on handmade goods. To me, Ebay has always seemed like a place people went to get great deals rather than pay for quality hand craftsmanship.

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
I have my stitch markers and knitting needles in several brick and mortar stores throughout the US and through sock clubs.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
My favorite things to do are knit, travel, hike, cook, and spend time with my family.

5. What inspires you?
I'm often inspired by things I see in my travels. For example, on a trip to Panama, we spent most of our time seeking out wildlife resulting in the creation of several sets of stitch markers. Also, a great deal of my inspiration comes from my customers.

6. Which is your most popular item?
My classic sheep are probably my most consistent sellers. What knitter doesn't love a sheep? :)

7. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I've dabbled in sewing, but plan on getting a lot more familiar with it in the coming months. I love handmade items, and with two boys on the way I have a lot to make!

8. You have alot of knitting accessories in your shop, are you knitter?
Absolutely! I've been an avid knitter for many years. I don't get too much time to knit these days, but always enjoy carving out some time for myself and sitting down with some soft yarn and an exciting new pattern.

9. What handmade possession given to you do you cherish the most?
Since everyone knows I love handmade items so much, I'm lucky to be the recipient of quite a few! My mother-in-law is fabulous at hardanger embroidery. My most cherished handmade possession is a table runner that she made for us and gifted to us on our wedding day.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
There are so many to choose from, but three of my favorites are neile, LingGlass, and crankbunny.

Thank you so much to WeeOnes for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. If your a knitter or you know someone who knits then you need to check out this shop. There are the cutest stitch markers you've ever seen and in every little image you can think of. There are not only stitch markers but knitting needles with her little characters on them as well. I think I just have to have some of those. This feature is just a little sneak peek, hop on over and check out the rest.

Ellie The Elephant

2010-09-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Knitted For Ewe has a new resident. Her name is Ellie and she is a little baby elephant.

Look at those little eyes looking up at you. I embroidered her eyes so she would be safe for anyone to play with.

I love how she stands up all by herself so she would sit just right on a shelf. She doesnt just want to sit on a shelf though, she would love to be played with. She loves a good game of circus or pretending to be in a zoo.

A Couple Of Firsts

2010-09-16T06:12:00.001-07:00

My girls recently went back to school after the long Summer holidays. Victoria was kind of excited and Megan was dreading it. You've gotta do the first day of school photos so here they are. This is my big girl Victoria on her first day of second grade. I already know she is going to have a great year because she got a great teacher. Megan had the same teacher for second grade and she is still one of her favourite teachers to this day. Victoria very proudly showed off her kitty shirt which I think she will be wearing alot. She came home saying she had a great day.

I cant believe Megan actually let me take this photo but I think she wanted to show off her outfit so thats why she agreed. I got up to make her special first day of school breakfast which turned out to be waffles, bacon and some orange juice. Victoria had the same. This is Megan on her first day of 10th grade, I cant believe she is in 10th grade and will be turning 16 in a couple of weeks. I remember talking about her being this age when she was a baby and thinking it seemed impossible she would ever get this age. Oh how time flies when you have children around. Megan was excited about her new outfit she got for the first day of school especially the purple tights. She also loves her new school bag which we have decided will be a bag she will use forever as it fits everything with room to spare as long as it stays in one piece. I still have my bag I got for the first day of 10th grade and we use it all the time.

On the first day of school was also the first varsity girls soccer game. This is Megan's first year in varsity and she was a little nervous but excited to play soccer. It is one of her favourite things to do. Not only was it the first game but here is Megan kicking the first goal for her team. The only goal they scored that day. They may not have won that game but who cares, my baby scored the only goal for her team. That was a great moment.

Here is an action shot of Megan in her fabulous new soccer cleats. Im so glad they are bright yellow because we can spot her easily on the field. She is also excited to be number 7. For some unknown reason 7 is her favourite number and did some trading to be able to be number 7 for the 3rd year in a row.

Fingers crossed for a great school year and many more great firsts. So far we are off to a good start.

Puppy In A Blanket

2010-09-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

A little puppy has arrived at Knitted For Ewe. This little puppy was knitted in a soft chenille yarn that makes him feel just like a real puppy.

I knitted him this little blue blanket that wraps him up and keeps him cozy. The wooden blanket holds it in place.

These little puppies are fun to make. I love how soft they are with the chenille yarn. Thank you to my husband for the big box of chenille yarn I got for Christmas. It has come in handy. I love how their features are all embroidered so they can be played with by anyone.

He is really excited waiting for his forever home and hopes to be adopted soon. He doesnt have a name yet. That is up to his new owners.

Here is the tail shot. You have to see his little tushy too. I hope he puts a smile on your face.

Harriet The Pig

2010-09-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here she is, Harriet The Pig. She has been waiting a while to be finished just needing to be sewn up. Now she is all ready for her debut in Knitted For Ewe.

I love the shade of pink that she is. She looks just like a real pink piggy. It is definitely a hard colour to photograph though.

Dont you just love her plump round body and her little curly tail just like a little piggy should look.

Now that she finally arrived she has her trotters crossed that it wont be long until she finds her permanent home.

Ah the classic butt shot. You always gotta show the knitted toys butt, its tradition. Harriet is proud to show off her fabulous curly tail.

Trying Out A New Shop Listing

2010-09-04T22:15:00.001-07:00

I just added a new listing to my shop. Yes it has been quite a while. This is something I have been thinking about for a while. I have done a few custom orders in the last few months for hand knitted custom socks using hand painted yarn. The customers who received their socks have loved them so much I thought it could be something that I offer in my shop all the time.

These are different from the other custom socks listing my shop because they are made from specialty yarn that has been hand painted into beautiful colours. Some handpainted yarn can be just one colour or multiple colours which can make some wonderful patterns. I especially love to use hand painted made by wonderful Etsy artists if possible.

Each time I have made a pair of socks from these specialty yarns I think I really should make some for myself or wish these were my socks. I also love the thrill of picking just the right sock pattern to match the colour yarn Im using.

So we shall see how this new listing goes and if there are any takers out there.

As soon as I can sit down and upload the pictures from my camera I will be listing Harriet The Pig who I just finished while watching Alice In Wonderland the other day. Oh she is so cute. She looks like a real little pale piggy. I will very soon have a puppy in a blanket to list as well. Exciting things coming to Knitted For Ewe, stay tuned.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-08-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Syrendell
www.Syrendell.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Jennifer Tan and I live in Davis, CA with my husband and three children. I am a fiber artist who loves to teach workshops, classes and hold teleseminars on handwork and homeschooling. I am a retired school principal, aromatherapist, prenatal yoga instructor, college professor, homeschooling consultant, flutist and wedding officiant. Spinning yarn and crocheting brings balance to my eclectic, busy lifestyle! My blog is www.syrendell.blogspot.com, and our workshop site is www.syrendellacademy.com.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
We started our first Etsy shop to sell my crocheted scarves and patterns www.tlwoldc.etsy.com. Then, we opened a second shop to feature products that might appeal to homeschoolers, Waldorf schoolers and others - handspun yarns, naturally dyed silks, wood figurines and more www.syrendell.etsy.com. We sold our items to people we knew and everyone would say, "You need to sell these online!". We sold on eBay for a couple of years before we found Etsy. Etsy is a wonderful venue...easy to list, inexpensive, and a wonderful network of artists. I enjoy buying from others on Etsy, too!

3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
In person at workshops and at Fig Tree Alley in Sacramento, CA. Our eBooks are available on our blog and website.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
Besides fiber arts, I love playing musical instruments, reading, gardening and collecting Nancy Drew books!

5. What inspires you?
Natural parenting/birthing, camping and nature, Waldorf classrooms (the artwork!), www.ravelry.com, my amazing artist/musician Husband

6. Of all the different craft items in your shop which do you enjoy making the most?
Our streamer sticks! I naturally dyed the silk ribbons and my husband handcrafts the wood sticks. We love working on these together, and we especially love that people purchase them for kids, birthdays, Preschools, day cares, and for weddings!

7. What is your most popular item?
Overall, our yarns sell the best. People love high-quality, handspun yarns for handwork projects.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
Tatting and bobbin lace are next on my list! I would love to learn how to make lace with a tatting shuttle or bobbins.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
A beautiful, hand-knitted afghan from my great-grandmother. She came from Croatia to the US, and made it for me soon after I was born.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Oakmoss Fabulous soaps and candles!
Pearlk2 My favorite flower hair pins!
Ancient Hearth Beautiful needlefelted creations!

Thank you to Syrendell for being my featured favourite Etsy shop this week. So many great natural crafts in one shop. I love how they use all natural dyes in their items. Actually looking through this shop I find a little bit of all my favourite things, aromatherapy, classical music, handspun yarn, natural fibres, fun activities to do with children and wooden goodies. If your into any of these things or have always wanted to learn more about natural products then you need to take a look at this shop. You wont be disappointed.

Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!

2010-08-19T09:01:00.001-07:00

Last Summer when my sister and her family were visiting from Australia we went on an Amish tour. I have lived here for about 10 years and hadnt done this yet. On the tour we had a tour guide in our car and as we drove around going to each location he would give us information about Amish life. One of the places we stopped was an Amish toy store. So many cool wooden toys to play with. We ended up buying some bubble wands that make giant bubbles. It comes with the recipe that makes the best bubbles. While my sister was here we didnt get a chance to get the ingredients for the bubbles so the wands have been sitting around waiting to be used. Forward to a year later and we finally got what we needed to make our giant bubbles. The recipe is 10 cups of water, 1 cup of Dawn dish washing detergent and 1 tablespoon of glycerin, I use 2 tablespoons of glycerin.

Victoria absolutely loves to make bubbles. She could do it for hours and hours. Apparently making giant bubbles is the best thing ever. Its highly addictive and I recommend it for everyone. We found the best bubble making time is a Summer evening when the air is still and its cooling down. The bubbles last a long time and look so pretty.

We had some friends stop by when we were making bubbles and they just had to try it. Once they started they didnt want to stop either. I think bubble making brings out the kid in all of us.

Ahhhh here is a shot of Victoria admiring her giant bubble.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-08-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Coinringman
www.coinringman.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Jim and I'm also known as the Coinringman. I live with my wife Virginia and our dog Fortune. We reside in a small home in the beautiful valley of the sun, Phoenix Arizona. I am a aircraft electrician by trade and coin ring maker part time. I have to credit my Dad for my creative ability, he was a master at creating and building things around the house when I was growing up.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Actually I discovered Etsy by accident while doing some research on the internet and soon realized this would be the perfect place to show my handcrafted coin rings. The Etsy community is filled with some of the most talented creative artists I've ever seen.

3. Do you sell your rings anywhere else?
No, for now Etsy is the only place that I am displaying my work. I would like to participate in some craft shows around the country but that will have to wait until I have more time.

4. What are your favorite things to do?
I really enjoy taking a drive with my wife through the forest in northern Arizona. It is full of tall pine trees and has a peaceful calming effect on me. Also watching a good movie at home is hard to beat.

5. What inspires you?
Nature. I am surrounded by awesome creativity everywhere I look. Nature creates and I am part of that creation. It is only natural for me to use my imagination and think outside the box to come up with new ideas.

6. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
Most likely glass art, such as blown and fused glass work would be most intriguing to me. I really love the vibrant colors used in this fine craft.

7. Where did you get the idea to make rings from coins?
My metal-shop teacher back in high school gave me the idea. He taught me how to make my first coin ring. It was rather crude looking and didn't really show any details of the coin, but none the less, I was hooked on creating different techniques to improve the finished product.

8. Do you take requests for certain years and states and if so which seems to be the most popular?
Yes, absolutely! I welcome custom orders. The U.S. state quarters are definitely a favorite for many of my customers along with some requesting certain years that reflect important events in their lives. I look forward in helping my customers with their requests.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
That would be the framed cross-stitch patterns that my wife made for our home shortly after we were first married. I am very sentimental about these beautiful pieces of art created through a labor of love. :)

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
You really put me on the spot here. I really love many Etsy shops out there, but here are three that I have visited the most lately.
C bar J Crafts
Freedom To Express
All For Jasmine

Thank you to Coinringman for being my featured seller this week. Dont you just love this idea? I think its so cool that you can still see the images of the coin. I think this would make a unique gift. I think it would be great to get a ring with a year that has special meaning on it. Check out this shop and you may find a ring that could be a perfect gift for someone they will cherish for years to come.

New York City Here We Come!

2010-08-09T08:55:00.001-07:00

I have spent the last month making a bunch of toys to send to Stoopher & Boots in New York City. They are finally on their way and should arrive any day now. I hope they like the new guys. Now I can finally sit down and work on some new items for my poor neglected shop. Let me introduce you to my latest finished toys.

Here is a pig that I have been wanting to make ever since I got the Itty Bitty Toy book for Christmas. I dont know why I have been making so many pigs lately but its been fun. Its funny but I am actually working on another pig like Hamilton but a different pink. Pigs everywhere! For some reason this pigs head turned out smaller than its suppose to look. I think next time I make this I will do one more lot of increases to make it look right. I knit him from an yarn that I unraveled from a wool/angora/mohair jumper. This pig has plastic pellets in its feet, hands and bottom which is the first time I have done this with a knitted toy. I like the effect that it creates especially in the bottom. I see doing it again in the future.

Can you see how curly his tail is? It is an i-cord tail with a pipe cleaner inside it. I think next time I will make his tail a little shorter so there are less curls. Can you tell I am already wanting to make another one.

This little ballerina bunny took the longest to make out of all the toys. She has so many extra parts to her. You can actually remove her ballet shoes, tutu and wrap jumper. She was knitted from 100% baby alpaca yarn which makes her very very soft. I debated whether to make this yarn into a ballerina bunny as blue isnt the traditional little girl ballet colour. I always think of pink for these types of things but I figured there are blue ballerinas out there as well. I also went back and forth on the eyes. Safety eyes or embroidered eyes. The pattern says embroidered so I thought I would just go with the pattern this time. Even now I look and think, would safety eyes have looked cuter? I will just have to make another one and use safety eyes.

I had to make another puppy in a blanket. They are cute, fast to make and everyone seems to like them. Big thank you to Joe for the big box of chenille yarn for Christmas. This yarn is perfect for making so soft puppies.

This snake was fun to make. I should have taken a different picture that shows you how he is all springy when you uncoil him. This snake was going to be lime green. I was digging around in a bag of yarn looking for the green wool I wanted to use and I pulled out this yarn. I decided this would make more of a cool pattern. This yarn was sent to me by my Mum who used it to make Victoria's Love In Every Stitch Jumper, this is the leftover yarn. Thanks Mum. The only tricky part of this snake was knowing when to stop. Your just suppose to knit and knit until he is as long as you want it to be. This is where I turn to Victoria for advice. She told me when he was long enough.

I have been wanting to knit an elephant for a while now. This little elephant hasnt quite cured my need to make an elephant but he was a start. He was knit from 100% cotton from an unraveled vest from The Gap. He's a cute little guy, I like his trunk and his softness.

This last one is yet another knitted ball. They are fast, easy and fun to make. They are also fun to play with. Victoria and I have had many fun times playing with her Rainbow Ball. This ball was knit from some rainbow handspun yarn I got in another trade with Blushing Ewe
I am liking handspun yarn and now have a bunch of it to work with. Trying to decide on some projects to use with it.

Well that is it, Phew. Fingers crossed they will be liked in there new location. Victoria tells me they are excited to be going on an adventure. I certainly hope so.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-08-06T10:06:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Renefelt
www.Renefelt.etsy.com

I wasnt able to interview this shop because they felt there would be a language barrier. I didnt want that to prevent showing off this amazing work so I have permission to show of some pictures. This is some of the most beautiful wet felting I have ever seen and deserves to be shown off.

This yellow bag in particular is one of my favourites. I dont know how this person can such intricate floral details just using felt.

To me these are like usable works of art. Can you imagine how heads would turn when you use one of these bags.

I love the fact that there are not just bags but other useful things such as this pillow cover. So pretty I can see it sitting in someones favourite chair.

Another useful item are these eyeglass cases. Little mini works of art that you can carry with you throughout your day. The wool would be thick and protective and in this case beautiful at the same time.

Thank you so much to Renefelt for allowing me to show off your wonderful work. Check out this shop and see what else they have created. There is also a mention of a blog where you can see previous creations and new ones in the works.

Kitty Close Ups

2010-07-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

I just had to show off the cute pictures I took of our kitties the other day. The first kitty is my new baby Dexter. He is now a year old and still a curious non stop playing kitty who follows Victoria around everywhere.

Victoria wanted to call Dexter her baby and I told her she could only call him her baby if she was willing to help look after him. She has been filling his dried food when they need it so can now call him her baby. She loves helping to take care of him.

Its such hard work being so cute so he has to make sure to get plenty of beauty rest.

This is Ringo. He is 5 years old and we have had him for 4 years. This is Megan's baby. He was born without a tail, a Manx cat. For some reason his lack of tail seems to freak people out at first. We are just use to it. Ringo is Joe's favourite kitty. He even told me the other day that there is no better cat than Ringo. He just hangs out, sleeps and snuggles and never gets into any mischief.

Ringo is having a bit of a hard time with the new kitty. He just likes to chill out and relax and Dexter enjoys messing with him. They wrestle around alot and he hisses when he just wants him to leave him alone. I dont think they are really fighting, just play fighting because they have never scratched or injured each other. Ringo is alot bigger and has claws and hasnt done any damage which he could do if he wanted. I think eventually they will get along its just taking a while. I have seen Ringo licking Dexter which is a good sign right?

Ringo has such a cute little nose. It actually changes colour. When he is warm its nice and pink. When he is cold it turns white so we know when he needs a good cuddle.

I had to take this shot of his cute little back foot with all the toe fur sticking out. Dont you just want tickle them?

Well those are our fur babies. We love them alot and they keep us entertained for hours.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-07-23T08:30:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Lisabears
www.Lisabears.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm 41 years old, I've been married to my husband for 11 years and have two primary school aged boys. I was born in the City of Nottingham, UK; and now live on the outskirts of the city in an ex-mining town called Eastwood which was the birthplace of the writer D. H. Lawrence. I now work part time as a Dinner Lady/First Aider at the school which my children go to.........which fits in nicely around school holidays, prior to that I was a care assistant on a spinal injuries unit.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I started making bears, initially for myself and close family, but after many requests by friends and family I decided to do it in a more business-like manner. We initially dabbled with Ebay, testing the market with the bears to see if they were saleable and to seek feedback from buyers. The response was very good but as we all know Ebay is primarily an auction site and serious crafters aren't going to get the required level of remuneration to make it financially viable........especially when you are using expensive, top of the range components for your products. Hence we sought out a better environment to sell our wears.

3. Do you sell your bears anywhere else?
Yes, we have our own fledgling website at www.Lisabears.co.uk which is a work in progress! We've also tried craft fairs and placing our bears in local shops on a sale-or-return basis with some success.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
Beyond day-to-day life the children come first, leisure wise we love walking, gardening and cooking. Or if we're feeling more lazy it's a good film or listening to some music.

5. What inspires you?
Our primary inspiration in life is to provide a safe and happy life for the boys, I'm using my handiwork as a method to supplement our family income as the craft work fits in well around family life. What keeps me going making bears? I love the feedback that we get from some of our customers, we've made a few friends along the way.......quite a few in the USA; and more recently we've been asked to make a bear in aid of ovarian cancer research by Ovcare which will be auctioned in Australia this November. I like that a tiny bear can either bring happiness to someone else's life or help a bigger cause.

6. Which bear is your favourite to make?
I don't have a favourite, we've constantly looked for new sources of materials and are always developing new patterns. We're not mass producers of bears and don't want the bears to end up looking uniform.......although even when we do use the same pattern, because the bears are totally hand stitched they never come out the same even with the same material!

7. I love mohair bears. Why did you choose mohair fur for making your bears?
Purely because it's a quality natural product.......and feels lovely. If you are buying a treat for yourself or a loved one you want to know that the materials that it is made out of are distinctive and luxurious. Manmade, synthetic fibres? Mmmmm, not sustainable, and maybe I'm a snob but mohair/alpaca vs nylon ect - need I say any more??

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I'd love to learn a craft all the family could get involved in like old fashioned dry stone walling or hedge laying.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
I'm sure my husband would agree it's a handmade leather tortoise that his Gran bought before she died, it's been passed on to us and sits on the fireplace in pride of place. It's just one of those very sentimental possessions which brings back memories of a very special person!

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
To be perfectly honest there is a massive range of stuff out there on Etsy and so many talented people. If I had to pick a style of product that I like to buy it would be celtic designs, three examples of shop that produce products that I like are: Ajax Hawes, Glass Graphics Studio and Nelly Van See.

Thank you to Lisabears for being my featured favourite Etsy shop this week. I just love handmade mohair bears. A friend of mine and her Mum make them and I use to go to the bear making shows with them in Australia. That is when the love first began. The thing I love about Lisabears bears are their little faces. They are always so smiley which makes me smile. Nothing worse than a grumpy bear. Each bear is a one of a kind with a name and a personality. Go on over to this shop and see which bear steals your heart.

What I Have Been Knitting Lately

2010-07-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

I recently did a trade with Blushing Ewe, an Etsy shop that makes hand spun yarn and dyed roving. She wanted some fingerless mittens for her and her family to wear on a family trip coming up. Each person had their own colour yarn. There was so much yarn left over after making each pair of fingerless mitten that it didnt feel right to keep all that leftover yarn. I decided to make them each a little surprise made out of their leftover yarn. The 5 year old girl had the pink yarn and it just screamed, I need to be a pink piggy to me so that is what she got.

The 7 year old boy got a knitted ball because I figured you cant go wrong with a ball. This pattern I got from a knitted toy book I have which calls for making a six panel ball that I just did all in one colour which saves on having to do any seaming. I discovered that hand spun yarn is great for knitted balls. My girls were the testers to see if it was a good ball to throw and roll around. They had alot of fun being testers and reluctantly handed it back over after 5 minutes.

The 2 year old boy got just regular mittens and of course a knitted ball because little brothers always want what their older brothers have. I saw this yarn and wondered if this little boy is into Spiderman. I have since heard that when he got his ball and mittens that he didnt want to put the ball down and didnt want to take his mittens off despite it being the hottest Summer we've had in years. I guess they were a hit hehe.

The 13 year old girl got a rib hat to go with her fingerless mittens. Its hard to get the colour right in the photo but if you cant tell this yarn is like a chocolate brown. I figured I would make her something she could wear because at 13 you like to play with toys but your kind of moving to it not being so cool anymore so something to wear was a safer bet.

The Mum got a cowl so that she can keep warm on the trip and in the winter. I hope she liked it and finds it useful.

Once I made those knitted balls I knew I would end up making one for Victoria. She got that look in her eye when she saw them being done like I need to have one of those. Recently for my birthday my friend took me out to Starbucks and to a new yarn shop I hadnt been to yet. Its called Stash Busters and I think I will have to go back there again. They have the regular yarn shop downstairs where the prices are pretty reasonable and then you go upstairs and they have yarn there that people have brought in from their stash that they dont want anymore. They sell their yarn for consignment and you can get some really good deals. I made sure I had some money for this trip and brought home some really cool yarn. I got this yarn called Mochi Plus that is all rainbow colours. I didnt know what I was going to make with it but I knew Victoria likes rainbow colours. As soon as she saw this yarn she said Oh you can make me a Rainbow Ball so that is what it has become. I started work on it that very day. They dont take long to make so she had her Rainbow Ball pretty quickly. Im thinking Rainbow Balls could be popular in my shop so I may have to go and buy some more of this yarn. What do you think?

After all those projects I am currently working on some knitted toys to go off to New York to Stoopher & Boots. I havent sent anything in a while and its long overdue. My poor little shop is feeling neglected with nothing really new being added in a while so I will have to slip in some knitting for that. So many projects to do and so little time. I havent even got a chance to knit with the hand spun yarn I got from Blushing Ewe or use my fancy new glass knitting needles yet. At least I know I wont be bored any time soon. So stay tuned for some more finished projects to show off.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-07-16T12:00:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Tessa Ann
www.TessaAnn.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a 30ish creative soul who loves the sun in the summertime and adores the snow in the winters. I reside in beautiful Bend, Oregon with my husband Steven and our 3 fur babies :)

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?

My buttons became a hit here locally and it was recommended that I open up my world and sell them online. I had already loved Etsy and shopped there frequently, so it was a natural choice for me to start selling my creations there.

3. Do you sell your buttons anywhere else?

In addition to Etsy, I also stock with the Universal Mama congo at Hyena Cart. My little store there is appropriately called, "The Button Shop". We are currently slowly branching out, marketing our buttons into shops and store fronts. I have just sent a large lot of our buttons to a little yarn shop in Australia who will be re-selling them. We are very excited to see how they do for her!

4. What are your favourite things to do?

I love taking an hour break during the week from all of the button madness....I walk across the street with my iced tea and Kindle in hand and just sit next to the river, dangling my feet in the cool water.... while enjoying some quiet time, reading next to my guy :) It's nice to slip away and come back feeling refreshed and ready to create!

5. What inspires you?

Color. I am always driven by color. I see beautiful ideas for color combinations everywhere, from the way the fruit is stacked in the grocery store to the array of colors on a billboard or television show. It's easy to be inspired when you are looking for it :)

6. Which is your favourite button set to make?

Right now, I would have to say I really love creating my "Who Loves You" owl button set. There are so many tiny details and layers to this one button which is quite time consuming, but I love watching it come together each time I create it. Each one is more adorable than the next!

7. Which is your most popular button set?

Hands down.... Cherry Blossoms I have sold literally hundreds of sets of this particular button set. This button set has been a huge hit especially for knitted garments.

8. Do you use your buttons in your crafts?

The idea to create buttons came from looking for perfect buttons for my crafting projects. I was tired of the plain, boring plastic buttons and thought I would try out polymer clay and make my own. They were the perfect solution to jazzing up my own crafting projects and when I received such rave reviews locally I decided to share them with the world!

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?

I am extremely sentimental when it comes to handmade gifts. I treasure them and keep them forever. From the basic handmade birthday card to a beautiful cedar hope-chest my late grandfather hand crafted for me. I have many cherished handmade possessions that mean so much to me.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.

I love so many shops at Etsy. I typically purchase all of my gifts there and just a few of my most favorites are:
The Black Apple
Page Pottery
Polished

A big thank you to Tessa Ann for being my featured favourite shop this week. I could just buy these buttons and keep them as a collection even if I didnt have a purpose for them. They are just so cute and I love the colours. Its so great that there are different themes and each group seems to work together so well. You are sure to find a button that will make your project shine in this shop. Take a look and see the cuteness, you wont be disappointed.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-07-09T06:58:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Meg's Monsters
www.megsmonsters.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
This is a question that is always hard for me. I went to college at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, MD. I studied graphic design and digital illustration, I received my BFA. I decided that I loved school so much, I returned to MICA and got my MFA in sculpture. First and foremost I am a potter. There is nothing better for me in my life than to be in the studio throwing and creating. I can honestly say, I love my job. I am recently re-married and have become a stepmom. It has been a strange transition, but an awesome one! I have a pretty darn good life!

2.What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
When I lived in Maryland, I was doing many art shows on the weekend. It is a lot to setup and tear down every weekend. I decided I had enough of that so, I opened a gallery. The gallery was ARTFX. I had the gallery for 7 years and sold the business in 2008 and moved to Bend, OR. Upon arriving to Bend, I thought long and hard about opening another brick and mortar store. I decided that I needed to not to do that again. That is when I decided that I needed to pursue both ETSY and gallery representation.

3. Do you sell your monsters anywhere else?
I sell my monsters in Annapolis, MD to ARTFX, my former gallery. I also sell at a gallery called DonTerra in Sisters, OR. I am working with other galleries to wholesale my monsters. I do do the occasional show. I also am setting up a home show with other artists in my area.

4. What are your favourite things to do?
Bend is an extremely active community. It is the high desert here and the Cascade range of mountains is here too. With that said.....I like to hike, kayak and take a gazing walk in the park. I like music a lot, I sing with the Cascade Chorale and it fills the passion I have for singing. I love spending time with my family too. I could go on, but this seems the most pertinent to the question.

5. What inspires you?
My stepkids. They are 8 and 11 and they have the biggest imaginations. I listen to them often and roll with some of their conversations. I also find just looking at the world around me. Music is a huge influence in my life. I can listen to something with a fast beat or some beat and it seems to influence my work with the way the monsters turn out. If I listen to classical music, they seem to be a little softer around the edges...if you know what I mean? LOL!!!

6. Which of your monsters is your favourite?
I would have to say "BIFF". I like his simplicity. For some reason, one eyed guys are speaking to me lately...and the customers too.

7. Which is the most popular type of monster item, eg. mini, jar, bank etc.?
Definitely my lidded jars. The $45 dollar size and up.

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I really have been interested in glass for years now. I would love to learn to both blow and fused glass. The fused glass is probably more realistic, since I already have a kiln. Which really would feed my need to do glass.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
My dining room table. My dad made it. He was an amazing woodworker. I use it to eat meals with my family, my sewing table, my art table...it definitely is a huge part of my life. I am so lucky to have a piece of my dad to remember him by. It keeps him alive in my heart and mind everyday.

10. name 3 other Etsy shops that you love to visit.
That is really hard....there are so many I like. I guess if I had to pick 3, they would be as follows.
Matte Stephens
Yoga Goat Pottery
Gnipmac

Thank you to Meg's Monsters for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. These monsters are so full of character and spunk. I could imagine a shelf filled with them like a monster party. I love how each one is unique with their own personality. Check out this shop and see if you can find a favourite monster of your own. There may be one just sitting there waiting for you.

Etsy Surprises

2010-07-02T07:18:00.001-07:00

I wasnt able to arrange a favourite Etsy shop interview in time for today so I thought I would share some Etsy surprises that we have gotten recently. My Mum decided to send us each a little something from Etsy, just a little surprise in the mail. I love little Etsy surprises. This is what we got. The above picture is what I got. A little piggy and a cute little acorn that now sit on my kitchen window sill so I have something cute to look at while I wash the dishes. They are sitting with my crystals that are soaking up some sun energy. The piggy has to come down from the shelf when the window is open on a windy day. I think he needs to put on a few pounds because he tends to blow off in the breeze. These little cuties came from Bird On Wire Studio.

This little cutie belongs to Megan. She is a turtle lover. I believe her name is Sasha. I just love her little pink toes. She may end up on a necklace but she is also cute just sitting on a shelf just looking up at you with those big beautiful eyes. This little turtle came from Maybeads

My husband Joe is a big Michael Jordan fan and likes to collect his memorabilia. This is something he definitely didnt already have, a poker chip with Michael Jordan on it. Im not sure what Etsy shop this came from. I would have to check with my Mum. Joe thought it was really cool and it now sits with all of the other stuff in the Michael Jordan corner.

Victoria's surprise was a Steggy the Stegosaurus finger puppet from Stay Awake And Play. He has joined the ranks for toys sleeping with her and she loves him alot. She loves it that his name is already Steggy as its a favourite name for Stegosaurus fellas.

I had a birthday last week on the 24th. I am now the big 34. For my birthday from my Mum I got this very pretty necklace from Beauty Spot. I love the red and the turquoise together and the sweet little birdy. I have already worn this a few times. Megan and Victoria really like it as well. I have a feeling Megan will be asking to borrow it some time soon.

The other present I got from my Mum are these beautiful glass knitting needles from namaste glass. I havent got a chance to use them yet because I am working on a trade I am doing with another Etsy shop but I think as soon as that is done I will have to find a project that I can use these for. I cant wait to see what it will be like to knit with glass needles. They are very smooth and cool to the touch, very good for summer knitting. Now I think I will have to get a straight needle holder to so I can protect them and not put them in the big plastic bag with all the others. I hate that my straight needles are all disorganized like that, these needles will be a good excuse to buy an organizer.

Thank you Mum for all the Etsy surprises. We love them all. You didnt have to do that but we sure do appreciate them.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-06-25T07:36:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

ScratchCraft

www.scratchcraft.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live with my wife in a small, old house in St. Paul where we both spend a lot of our spare time making stuff. My day job, though, is as a graphic designer. When I'm not working or making felted friends, I also like to spin, knit, bake and garden.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
It's fun and satisfying to be able to have, what I like to call, "a self-supporting hobby." I don't see myself quitting my day job, but if I didn't have an outlet like Etsy, our house would be overrun with little felted creatures.

3. Do you sell your needle felted fellas anywhere else?
I don't sell them anywhere else, but I have, on occasion, sold bigger batches to people who I think resell them in B&M stores. Once they leave the house, I can't say for sure what happens to them.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
ScratchCraft is actually the name of the blog I keep (www.scratchcraft.com). I decided to share the projects and things that we make/bake/knit/spin/felt/grow with friends and family. As the name says, we like making stuff, and most of the stuff we make is from scratch.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
I like spending time outside, and generally enjoying life. This is particularly important to me, as last year I was diagnosed and underwent treatment for leukemia. Cancer certainly made me reevaluate the priorities in my life.

6. What inspires you?
Nature is probably my biggest inspiration.

7. Which animal do you enjoy needle felting the most and why?
I think I enjoy making bears the most. They've evolved over the last year and each one seems to develop its own personality as I put the finishing touches on them.

8. Which is your most popular item?
Hard to say. Most of the felted friends that I make seem to sell eventually, but I have made quite a few bears, so I would probably say they are the most popular, followed by the owls.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
My wife crocheted me a giant afghan last Valentine's Day. She made it specifically for my size (I'm 6'2"), so it's quite long. Truly a labor of love.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
This is a hard one. There are so many great vendors out there, and picking just three would be impossible. But, I have revisited these shops:

MyHandboundBooks
Moontsy And Floontsy
j. Nic Designs

Thank you to ScratchCraft for being my featured Etsy shop this week. I know why the bears are the most popular thing in this shop because they are just the cutest. One bear that is not pictured is the Super Bear. You have to go to this shop and check them out. They have little cape with bees on them and they look like they are flying to save the day. I think I need to own at least one of them. I also love all the characters that are made from Alice In Wonderland. Have a look at this shop and you are sure to find a favourite or two for yourself.

Hamilton Went To His New Home

2010-06-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

The pink pig Hamilton that was listed in my shop not to long ago just arrived at his new home. His new Mummy loves him so much that she had to do a blog post about him.

Here it is if you would like to see what adventures Hamilton has been on since his arrival.

http://birdonwirestudio.blogspot.com/2010/06/hamilton-pig.html

It fills my heart with joy knowing something that I made can bring so much happiness. This is why I knit, this is what makes it so worthwhile.

Victoria fell in love with Hamilton while he was here. She has her own pig that looks just like him except Hamilton's tail seems to be a little more curly. Her pig is named Pinky. Apparently Hamilton and Pinky were boyfriend and girlfriend. Pinky had to come and check out where he went to and how he is doing. I think she was happy to see he is having fun.

Good luck Hamilton on all your coming adventures and thank you Bird On Wire Studio for all your kind words.

My Baby Turned 7 Today!

2010-06-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Its June 21st so that means not only is it the first day of Summer but its my baby's birthday. Victoria Rose is now 7 which she tells me its awesome. Apparently 7 rocks as was mentioned in the song we were making up last night about turning 7 hehe.

Victoria is very much into Pokemon at the moment. She talks about Pokemon every chance she can get. She is a bit off the mark as Pokemon was everywhere about 10 years ago when Megan was into it so its not so easy to find stuff with Pokemon on it. So when she wanted this as her party theme we had to create our own stuff. Megan has a friend who is a really good artist especially when it comes to Anime so I asked her if she would put Pikachu on a cake for me. She loved that idea. Didnt she do a great job? We decided to use chocolate this year for anything black because the black icing on last years cake dyed the children a new colour hehe. The chocolate worked out great and tasted good too, I highly recommend it.

Last year I got all this great cupcake making stuff for my birthday and Victoria is a big fan of cupcakes so we had to make some of those. I did the Poke Balls which are apparently awesome. The red looked just right but again pink fingers and tongues were had all around.

Here is the big crowd around watching Victoria open cards and gifts. Its funny how they get so excited just watching someone open presents and that the birthday girl was so rich every time she opened a card with money in it. Do you remember when $5 seemed like sooooo much money? hehehe

Victoria asked me a couple of weeks ago when I finished the green and blue robot could I please, please, please make her one just like it for her birthday. So in between projects and while she was sleeping I have been making her robot. She really likes him and as soon as she unwrapped him decided to name him Reggie Gegus. She is wacky but she makes me giggle. She also got her very own Star Wars Light Saber which is prompting many action poses and talks of saving the planet hehe. A good time was had by all at the party. It was a hot day and apparently all you need is a playground and lots of water balloons. It kept them amused the whole time. We have learned that its way better to use regular balloons as water balloons as they come out huge, get you wetter and dont pop so easily. The children also like to call them their baby eggs and carry them around. We had a very fun day.

Now today being her actual birthday we will spend the afternoon playing whatever the birthday girl wants and giving her lots of hugs. I cant believe my baby is already 7, where does the time go?

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

2010-06-18T06:01:00.001-07:00

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Jadite Kate
www.jaditekate.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Kate Smith. I live near Allentown, Pennsylvania with my wonderful husband, Aaron. Other than being an Etsy shop owner, I am a homemaker, graphic designer and office manager at my husband’s business.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I have always wanted to open my own antique store, but I wanted a global market, not just a local shop. I stumbled across Etsy and decided this was the place for me. I love the easy format and simplicity of the shops.

3. Do you sell your vintage items anywhere else?
Nope. I am 100% dedicated to Etsy.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
I wanted something catchy and self-explanatory, so “Jadite Kate” stuck.

5. What are your favourite things to do?
I love searching for glassware! It’s like treasure hunting for me. I also love to bake, knit, and watch movies with my husband.

6. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
Well, I am in the process of learning how to knit. Right now I can only make scarves and cowls. I would love to find someone in my area who would teach me how to make other things (hint, hint).

7. While antiquing what has been your favourite find?
I found a pair of Mckee square canisters for $60. One is jadite and one is custard colored. They are each worth about $250 each, so I was beyond thrilled to find them at such a great price.

8. Which type of item is the most popular that you sell?
I’ve found that I sell quite a bit of teacups and saucers. They make great gifts, but are also fun to collect.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
My maternal grandmother used to be an avid sewer, so she made me a quilt that I love. It’s a simple block quilt, made of fabric from vintage dresses. It’s worn and torn in a few places, but it is so comfortable. I know it sounds silly, but I sleep with it every night.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
Spinning Wheel Studio
HaroldandJane
Petit Oiseau

Thank you so much to Jadite Kate for being my favourite Etsy shop this week. How can you not love these vintage pieces. The colours are so beautiful and vibrant. The glassware in this shop would be wonderful even if you just displayed them but how could you resist not using it as well. Looking at this shop brings back many memories of visiting antique shops when I was little. So many times the brakes were applied when the new discovery of an antique shop was found and we just had to stop and take a look. So many treasures can be found doing this. Take a look in this shop, take a stroll down memory lane and hopefully you will find some treasures of your own. You dont even have to leave the comforts of home.

Lace Socks

2010-06-17T06:02:00.001-07:00

I just mailed off these custom made knitted socks to a customer. I really hope she likes how they turned out. The customer picked the yarn which is 80% merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon. It came from a lovely shop on Etsy called Have You Any Wool

The customer wanted me to pick the pattern that the socks were knitted in. I searched and searched for a pattern that I thought would look great with this yarn and colour. I really hope she likes what I have chosen. The funny thing about this pattern is these socks are suppose to be knitted from the toe up but I knitted mine from the top down. I have yet to learn the toe up method. Somebody else had knitted these socks from the top down and I liked how theirs turned out. By doing it from the other direction the lace pattern is flipped upside down and I liked how this lace pattern looked upside down as well as the right side up. It gives it a totally different look.

I have only knitted a few lace pattern socks before and each time I learn something new. I like it because its a challenge and I love the end result. The satisfying feeling when they are all done and look just right is wonderful. Bring on the next lace project and fingers crossed my customer loves her new socks.