I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since either of us has posted. There is some serious slacking going on in the blog posting area! When we were discussing creating this blog, I thought at least one of us would be popping in almost daily to type up a little something. Apparently I was grossly mistaken! We'll have to remedy this issue, though. I also need to get some pictures posted ASAP. Until then, you can check out all of our current pictures on our Facebook Page. We are a lot better at updating things there.
I happen to know that we have both been crafting our little tails off over the past month, so it's almost acceptable. Almost.
I have finished a lot of new projects, but am a tad ashamed to say I am still (STILL!!?) procrastinating my one large order. I think I am a little intimidated by the items I have never made before. I don't mind taking on new challenges, or straying from my norm (hats/headwear). It's just that I'm not that excited about making some of the stuff. I get nervous when I am making a "pair" of something (gloves/socks/slippers), because there is such a huge margin of error. All I have to do is not hold my yarn with the same tension and I end up with two completely different sizes. It freaks me out. And frustrates me to no end! So there it is. My rant. I may just deliver what I have completed with a complimentary item and confess my lack of desire to make the rest (ha!). Or, I may suck it up and just make the damn things. The other problem is I am getting new orders fairly regularly, and they're usually for something I can whip up almost without thinking about it. So, naturally I blow off the less desirable task... I know I know, quit crying. I need to do SOMETHING about it, though. The "incomplete-ness" is totally stressing me out (and I'm sure my 4 or so readers are getting sick of hearing about it in every post I write).
My family has been staying pretty busy also, with work events for my husband, track/piano/friends/school events for my older daughter, attitude throwing and bossing everyone for my 3 year old, and keeping everything together for me (the hardest job, in my humble opinion..). We also bought a new puppy, which keeps me a little busier and a lot more annoyed daily. I love the puppy. She is adorable and well behaved. She is also another thing I have to make sure my 3 year old doesn't "break" with too much love.. She is also my 3 year old's new best friend and someone for her to boss around. All. Day. Long. I am still getting adjusted.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Easter Fun
Happy after-Easter everyone! Easter marks the end of the crazy season for my family. We're pretty calm now until the winter holidays really. That means I should be able to get a lot of projects cranked out. "Should" being the key-word, of course. I did get several things made last week, but nothing that goes towards my back-logged orders. I will get those finished this week and next week (I will I will I will I will....If I keep saying that it will come true, right?).
I made an Easter basket and "Chickie" hat for Lilly this Easter, and have had a pretty overwhelming response to them. I think next year I will put some up for sale. I haven't posted any of my new pictures here lately, but if you are interested in looking at any of our craft projects you can find them all here on our Facebook page. If you haven't "liked" us there, please do! We love to see the love!
I was also honored last month to be a tester for a pattern written by a friend and fellow crocheter. I absolutely love the pattern, and learned some different ways of doing some things in the process. You can see that finished project here. Ignore the sneer on my teenager.. She always looks like that lately (haha) but she was actually really happy to be a "model" and loves that hat. I love posting that picture because it makes her compose herself a little better for pictures NOW. I've revised the pattern a bit to suit my preferences, but I am making those for sale (with the blessing of my friend). If you are interested in purchasing the pattern and making it for yourself, you can do that here on her ravelry account.
On that note, I had better get a move on and get some orders going. I think I can actually finish one of them today if I start working on it now.
I made an Easter basket and "Chickie" hat for Lilly this Easter, and have had a pretty overwhelming response to them. I think next year I will put some up for sale. I haven't posted any of my new pictures here lately, but if you are interested in looking at any of our craft projects you can find them all here on our Facebook page. If you haven't "liked" us there, please do! We love to see the love!
I was also honored last month to be a tester for a pattern written by a friend and fellow crocheter. I absolutely love the pattern, and learned some different ways of doing some things in the process. You can see that finished project here. Ignore the sneer on my teenager.. She always looks like that lately (haha) but she was actually really happy to be a "model" and loves that hat. I love posting that picture because it makes her compose herself a little better for pictures NOW. I've revised the pattern a bit to suit my preferences, but I am making those for sale (with the blessing of my friend). If you are interested in purchasing the pattern and making it for yourself, you can do that here on her ravelry account.
On that note, I had better get a move on and get some orders going. I think I can actually finish one of them today if I start working on it now.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Narn - first attempt
The first step in creating something like narn (newspaper yarn) would surprisingly not be newspaper; you might be thinking to yourself, "yes it is, after all that is the medium you are using to create your alternate form of yarn."
The first step is go to every chain craft store there is and have all of them look at you like you are a crazy person for asking if they sell spindles. Yes, spindles. Being a crafter you might think this is a normal request, especially at a CRAFT store, you know, where they already sell yarn? Let me save you the hassle, the strange looks, people speed walking away from you after you ask the question like you are a leper - you will not find a drop spindle at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnns. Trust me, you will thank me for letting you know this ahead of time. You can try a locally owned craft store, the closest one I have was a Sew & Vac (hey, I had tried everything else, what could it hurt), they too, will probably look at you like you are crazy and will want you out of their small store faster than the chain stores usher you out the door. I will tell you that you can find them at such places as Wal-mart but not all locations carry them but you can buy it from them online.. You can try to reach out to your friends and family but be prepared for Jen like questions, "a spindle, like Rumpelstiltskin?"
Yes, a spindle, but a drop spindle, it looks like a dowel rod with a hook on the end and a coaster near the top... should not be such a hard find! Finally, I went to my trusty Ebay account (where I buy everything anyway and should have just gone straight there), you will find more options here than anywhere else and you actually have some choices!
Once you have reached this point you will be exhausted and will await the arrival of your spindle so you can start making narn. You see that the tracking has it sitting at your door step, the drive home from work will seem a little longer and then when you are almost home you realize the second step in making narn would be to have newspaper! I don't get the paper and I want to buy the Sunday paper for the coupons.
Please stay tuned for the exciting continuation of Narn - a frustrating process that I hope is worth it!
CRAFT ON!
The first step is go to every chain craft store there is and have all of them look at you like you are a crazy person for asking if they sell spindles. Yes, spindles. Being a crafter you might think this is a normal request, especially at a CRAFT store, you know, where they already sell yarn? Let me save you the hassle, the strange looks, people speed walking away from you after you ask the question like you are a leper - you will not find a drop spindle at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnns. Trust me, you will thank me for letting you know this ahead of time. You can try a locally owned craft store, the closest one I have was a Sew & Vac (hey, I had tried everything else, what could it hurt), they too, will probably look at you like you are crazy and will want you out of their small store faster than the chain stores usher you out the door. I will tell you that you can find them at such places as Wal-mart but not all locations carry them but you can buy it from them online.. You can try to reach out to your friends and family but be prepared for Jen like questions, "a spindle, like Rumpelstiltskin?"
Yes, a spindle, but a drop spindle, it looks like a dowel rod with a hook on the end and a coaster near the top... should not be such a hard find! Finally, I went to my trusty Ebay account (where I buy everything anyway and should have just gone straight there), you will find more options here than anywhere else and you actually have some choices!
Once you have reached this point you will be exhausted and will await the arrival of your spindle so you can start making narn. You see that the tracking has it sitting at your door step, the drive home from work will seem a little longer and then when you are almost home you realize the second step in making narn would be to have newspaper! I don't get the paper and I want to buy the Sunday paper for the coupons.
Please stay tuned for the exciting continuation of Narn - a frustrating process that I hope is worth it!
CRAFT ON!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
March Madness
No I am not a college basketball fan -- March is just such a crazy month for us! 3 birthday parties down (all for my TWO kids ?!) and 2 to go. Seriously. There is actually one today (starting in about an hour). Today's party will be pretty mellow. I think I'll even be able to hit the gym this afternoon and maybe burn off some of this high calorie/high fat weekend!
::Jump ahead 5 hours::
Scratch that -- The party arrived as I was typing the end of that paragraph. Late morning is definitely my "time of day". I had so much motivation when I was writing that paragraph. Now it's 4pm and I want to do nothing more than to sit on my couch (except maybe, to go to bed). I underestimated how exhausting it would be to have 2 days straight of birthday parties. Next year, I am doing away with the separate party "thing" and am having just one. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come (RAWR!).
Now I have next weekend to party it up (both days again, but only one for ONE of my kids. The other is a friend's kid), and then I will be putting some normalcy back into our daily routines. I'm still on track to get my orders all completed by the beginning of April, and have taken one more order for a couple of hats. I'm very close to getting caught up and I've got such cute ideas floating around my head!
::Jump ahead 5 hours::
Scratch that -- The party arrived as I was typing the end of that paragraph. Late morning is definitely my "time of day". I had so much motivation when I was writing that paragraph. Now it's 4pm and I want to do nothing more than to sit on my couch (except maybe, to go to bed). I underestimated how exhausting it would be to have 2 days straight of birthday parties. Next year, I am doing away with the separate party "thing" and am having just one. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come (RAWR!).
Now I have next weekend to party it up (both days again, but only one for ONE of my kids. The other is a friend's kid), and then I will be putting some normalcy back into our daily routines. I'm still on track to get my orders all completed by the beginning of April, and have taken one more order for a couple of hats. I'm very close to getting caught up and I've got such cute ideas floating around my head!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
About time!
Sheesh. Where does time go? I feel like I am in a constant struggle trying to make time slow down. The problem is I have so many things I want to do, but I also really enjoy sitting on my butt on the couch not doing anything. <-- That one wins out more often than it should.
I really have been busy filling orders and am happy to say I am almost caught up. I have one large order that has been overwhelming me a bit (in a "I'm happy to have this business" kind of way), but I am slowly but surely pegging away at it and am nearing the completion point. Along with that, I've got a few small/single item orders that I can finish quickly. I've set an end goal date of the first week of April to be caught up with all of my current orders. I know that seems like a long way off, but March is a busy family birthday month for us and I am realistic. I know that on my daughter's third birthday I will not be getting any crocheting done. The same goes for my other daughter's 13th birthday and the days of their parties. I also know that I need to get things done around the house before said party days arrive, so that takes more time away from "my stuff". Such is life as a mom (if you are the type of mom I try to be anyway).
I am really excited about a few ideas I've got in mind for when I am caught up, but I won't say what they are until I get them going and can show them off. --If they're cute. I don't know if I will be posting pictures if they don't turn out the way I want (ha!). Of course, I got the idea, and looked up 'how to's' on Pinterest until I found what looked like the best ones. When I try them out, I will link to the tutorials in my posts.
Also, I am giving up on the pattern writing for the time being. I will pick it up again later, but it's driving me crazy at the moment and I'm done trying to figure it out for now. I'm toying with the idea of entering a craft show at the end of summer and would like to get some things stock piled for that. I also may be starting an Etsy store in the near future. I am going to start focusing my time on those two things and let the less lucrative ideas kind of fall by the wayside. Warm weather is just around the corner and I could just about explode with excitement. I have so many fun plans for the summer-time and a "Lilly-line" that I've got in mind. I just cannot wait!
I really have been busy filling orders and am happy to say I am almost caught up. I have one large order that has been overwhelming me a bit (in a "I'm happy to have this business" kind of way), but I am slowly but surely pegging away at it and am nearing the completion point. Along with that, I've got a few small/single item orders that I can finish quickly. I've set an end goal date of the first week of April to be caught up with all of my current orders. I know that seems like a long way off, but March is a busy family birthday month for us and I am realistic. I know that on my daughter's third birthday I will not be getting any crocheting done. The same goes for my other daughter's 13th birthday and the days of their parties. I also know that I need to get things done around the house before said party days arrive, so that takes more time away from "my stuff". Such is life as a mom (if you are the type of mom I try to be anyway).
I am really excited about a few ideas I've got in mind for when I am caught up, but I won't say what they are until I get them going and can show them off. --If they're cute. I don't know if I will be posting pictures if they don't turn out the way I want (ha!). Of course, I got the idea, and looked up 'how to's' on Pinterest until I found what looked like the best ones. When I try them out, I will link to the tutorials in my posts.
Also, I am giving up on the pattern writing for the time being. I will pick it up again later, but it's driving me crazy at the moment and I'm done trying to figure it out for now. I'm toying with the idea of entering a craft show at the end of summer and would like to get some things stock piled for that. I also may be starting an Etsy store in the near future. I am going to start focusing my time on those two things and let the less lucrative ideas kind of fall by the wayside. Warm weather is just around the corner and I could just about explode with excitement. I have so many fun plans for the summer-time and a "Lilly-line" that I've got in mind. I just cannot wait!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I Have Craft ADD
I just posted a new a pic of a wash cloth, it is 100% cotton with a monogram. It was my first shot and I have a couple more to come. I am perfecting the crochet aida right now.
I am working on a couple different projects and I have been asked by a local clothing designer to do some stuff for him. He has requested that I don't share any of my projects until after they have been shown in the fashion shows later this year. I am pretty excited to share them with you!
I have a box of supplies I need to pick up and there should be a narn post to follow.
CRAFT ON!
I am working on a couple different projects and I have been asked by a local clothing designer to do some stuff for him. He has requested that I don't share any of my projects until after they have been shown in the fashion shows later this year. I am pretty excited to share them with you!
I have a box of supplies I need to pick up and there should be a narn post to follow.
CRAFT ON!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
I ::HEART:: Crochet
I know Dez has got her hand in many different craft projects. I have some ideas for some other crafts also, but I love crochet so much right now that I have no interest in starting anything else. I'm okay with that. I'm busy busy trying to fill orders, which is GREAT! If I work hard over the next few days, I should be caught up by next weekend. That is my goal anyway. I'd like a little wiggle room in my schedule to work on some really fun ideas I've got in mind. Plus, I'm toying with the idea of doing a craft fair sometime in the near future, so I need to stock-pile some things to make that happen.
I have not finished my craft room remodel yet. I promise I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. I'm having a hard time finding the kind of table I have in mind, and when I went to the dollar store to get baskets for all of my new little cubby spaces, they were out. I am finding it really difficult not to post the "most of the way done" photos, but I won't! I really want it to be complete. I'm hoping to go thrifting sometime this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find "THE table".
We had a busy weekend celebrating family birthdays. I love watching my kids have fun with family. Especially my oldest. She's at that age where it's not particularly "cool" to have fun with your ::gulp:: family... so it's always nice to see her drop her guard and enjoy the time together. We all finally seem to be well again, which is amazing. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have everyone in the house healthy!
Sidenote -- the title of this post was originally I <3 Crochet -- for some reason it would not publish it that way. Weird.
I have not finished my craft room remodel yet. I promise I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. I'm having a hard time finding the kind of table I have in mind, and when I went to the dollar store to get baskets for all of my new little cubby spaces, they were out. I am finding it really difficult not to post the "most of the way done" photos, but I won't! I really want it to be complete. I'm hoping to go thrifting sometime this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find "THE table".
We had a busy weekend celebrating family birthdays. I love watching my kids have fun with family. Especially my oldest. She's at that age where it's not particularly "cool" to have fun with your ::gulp:: family... so it's always nice to see her drop her guard and enjoy the time together. We all finally seem to be well again, which is amazing. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have everyone in the house healthy!
Sidenote -- the title of this post was originally I <3 Crochet -- for some reason it would not publish it that way. Weird.
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