Snoopy Baby Blanket

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.