My Crop-A-Dile Died...

Originally, I bought this pretty little tool for scrapbooking. It will punch a hole in almost anything - paper, fabric, leather, metal, chipboard! And it sets eyelets, grommets and snaps, too. When I started making the book corsets, I realized it was the perfect tool for that. Unfortunately, in the middle of making some corsets last week, it suddenly stopped working. I can bare squeeze it and have to pry it open once it's closed. Even Mr. Kay couldn't fix it. I can't even tell what's broken on it! It just won't work.



Fortunately, I had its big brother in the cupboard, brand new and unopened. (I got a good deal on it at Walmart, but hadn't needed it yet.) So, now I'm back in business! Seriously, though, if you are a seamster, but not a scrapbooker, you should wander over to the scrapbooking department and pick up one of these guys. Either the original Crop-a-Dile or the Big Bite. Totally worth it!

Down & Dirty, Why Did I Buy This Fabric, Reusable Bags!

I have a lot of fabric. LOTS! Okay, not as much as some people, but it's still a lot. I was going through it this weekend and trying to assign jobs to each piece. And some of it made me stop and think, "What? What was I thinking when I bought that? And why did I buy so much of it?" It's not that it's really ugly fabric, just not really my style.

So then I started trying to think of ways to get rid of it fast. Trying to sell it off is a pain and could take a while. Reuseable shopping bags! Everyone needs those, right?

I found this tutorial which I really like, because it's EASY! And it looks pretty good, dontcha think?

I'm going to give these away with purchase at my crafts shows this year. Assuming, I can get enough made!

More Grannies!

I'm behind. Totally to be expected and actually planned. Yeah. Planned. That's what I'm going with.... Actually, I'm putting all my crocheting energies into another project at the moment. It's a gift, so I can't say more than that. But, these are the last 12 blocks that I did, and I think they're really pretty! The one with the purple flower is my favorite! I'm very happy with how that turned out.



This square turned out a bit bigger than I had hoped, so it won't work with my other squares, but I still love the pattern. I was experimenting to see if I could get the 8" block pattern down to 6 - 6 1/2 inches by using an E hook. Um, no. But I did find that the 7" block patterns work well with the E hook.

I tell you what! Using that E hook on this yarn is hard work! It makes my hand hurt a little, but it's getting me the size I want, so I'll keep using it. I should be getting back to my granny squares in a few weeks. I better be, otherwise it means my gift will be late!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I made some green velvet cupcakes last night. I love the way they turned out. Not especially pretty, mind you, but they are GREEN! I sent one with Lil' Kay in his lunch box this morning and half a dozen to day care with Sally. The kids are both wearing their green t-shirts today, and I'm sporting my green sweater. When you've got an Irish last name, you've gotta represent!

Granny a Day Project

I came across this idea on a couple of other blogs (Adaiha and CraftyMinx) and I couldn't resist giving it a shot. My plan is to crochet a granny square everyday for the next year. Chances are it will eventually turn into a granny square every two or three days, but at least I'll be making them. And, there's a good chance that I'll actually make enough to complete an entire blanket.

Every one of my squares is going to be different. I have zero attention span for making the same thing over and over again. Even in my shop, you'll rarely see more than two or three items made from the exact same fabric. I've got to mix it up or I lose interest pretty quickly. The nice thing about the granny squares is that they are small projects, so it doesn't take long to finish each one and feel like I've accomplished something. I'm all about the instant gratification!

When I'm finished, I'll have to attach them all together, and I'm not really looking foward to that, but I'm picturing this fabulous patchwork style blanket where each square is unique and fun to look at on its own. Kind of like my grandma's patchwork quilts. I always loved looking at each individual piece of those to see the varieties of fabric used.

So, wish my luck! These are my first four squares. I have more to show you over the next few days (hopefully, the next year!). I'm on day 10, and still on track!

Times are Changing

For the past three or four years, I have been a proud supporter and promoter of buying and selling handmade on Etsy. Etsy gave me the motivation and means to sell my own creations to the world at large, and I loved it! Unfortunately, the Etsy that I started with is not the same Etsy as it exists today. I no longer feel that Etsy’s goal is to provide a means for small artists and crafters to market their work to a larger marketplace.

Etsy has been making some changes over the past few months that many sellers do not feel are in our best interests. We came to Etsy so that we would have a way of selling our handmade products. We were more than happy to pay our 20 cent listing fees and give Etsy a cut of the final sales price, because we believed in the vision and integrity of the site. We believed that they were truly interested in furthering the cause of handmade and the individual artisan and craftsperson.

Etsy appears to be intent on transforming itself to a social networking site, rather than focusing on ecommerce. I didn’t come to Etsy to join “teams” and create “circles”. I came to Etsy to sell my products. For years, I have watched sellers clamber for tools that will help us grow our businesses. I have seen them beg Etsy to spend money on outside advertising to entice new buyers to our shops. Over and over I have watched as Etsy spent time and resources adding “fluff” to the site, but never really providing sellers with truly useful upgrades. The recent changes do not help me promote my business on Etsy or reach new customers. If anything, they lead people OUT of my shop. I don’t think it’s out of line to suggest that some of the changes border upon the invasion of customers’ privacy.

In light of this, I will be moving the vast majority of my goods to my new shop at ArtFire. I have been won over by the professionalism that I have seen from the owners/founders of ArtFire and the way they respond to their sellers’ questions and suggestions. I am impressed by the seller tools they provide and the effort they make to help sellers sell!

ArtFire isn’t the only handmade venue out there, and I really encourage you to go out and explore the other options! You may find a new place to sell and a new place to buy. Coasting Along, another former Etsian, has taken the time to create a fabulous chart that compares the various handmade venue options that are out there. Look it over and see what works for you. And come visit me over on ArtFire!

A New Stash

I've discovered a new little passion - pre-1980s craft books! One of my favorite places to find them is a shop called Book ReViews in the city where I work. It's a used bookstore whose proceeds all go to local charities. They've got a nice little section of craft related books that I stop in to browse now and then. I mostly look for sewing and crochet books, but now and then something a little funkier might catch my eye!

My most recent trip turned up the three books you see above. The first two were published in 1980 and 1978, respectively, and are full of sewing projects. I love these types of books because although the projects seem kitschy at first glance, some modern fabric and few little tweaks bring them right up to date. Besides, retro is in, right? The third book was published in 1972. It's full of art projects for kids. I love the layout of this book. It's spiral bound and each page is a card with a different project on it. I figure they will make good rainy day projects someday!

I think the main reason I love these books so much is because they remind me of my childhood. My mom had a collection of craft books that I would pore over as a girl. I found so many projects I wanted to create, but of course, didn't have the supplies or skills necessary. As an adult, I can come up with the materials for those projects and give them a try! (It's one of my favorite parts of being a grown-up!)

Now that I have this new little hobby, I can hardly wait for garage sale and auction season to come. I've got new prey!