End of Season Sale!

All winter cowls are discounted!

Outside of my comfort zone

I’m about to expose my very first blatant rip-off of my crafty career (it’s not for profit, so I don’t feel so bad). A while back KnockKnocking was featured on Etsy and I fell in love with her wreaths. Shortly after reading her interview, I picked up some supplies at a thrift store to make my very own yarn wreath. I bought the only wreath that the thrift store had- a straw one- which coincidentally is the kind she uses- and two fake, kitschy birds.

And then the bag containing those things stayed exactly where I put them for months.

Until this weekend, that is, when I finally found some yarn that I liked. First, I rolled the two colours of yarn into balls to make the processes of wrapping the wreath much easier (less knots), and then started going around and around and around the straw, trying to avoid having any straw showing.

After a couple of hours of wrapping, my wreath looked like this:

I had to find/make some bits to have the whole thing look a bit more interesting, so that’s what I’ve been working on last night and today. I made some felt rosettes, seen below, and have added some cute buttons and will be exploring other options. I’m not sure if the birds will make it on there or not. I’ve already made and discarded two other kinds of flowers that I made from tutorials online, including this one. Keep tuned for the pictures of what it looks like when it’s all said and done.

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I can say, however, that I happily made this bird’s nest without ripping off anyone else’s idea. It’s for the window of the store where I work. All of the employees are crafty, so we’re trying to give the store a bit more personality, specifically the windows, in the hopes that it’ll draw a lot of attention. I love this bird’s nest and may want to take it home with me.

To Haiti with Love II

Another cowl for auction!

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph’s Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment (in the linked entry) with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

The Getup

To Haiti with Love

There’s a fantastic online auction happening right now, but only for a week, comprised of a talented group of creative people who’ve donated their wares for a good cause. (Pip included.)

Please go and check things out, over at To Haiti with Love

If you’re interested in what Pip’s got to offer, check it here.

Oh, hello…

So, I bought a motorcycle today. I’ve never driven a motorcycle. Hell, I didn’t even SIT on this before buying it. But, the dream to own a motorcycle is about 30 years old. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want a motorcycle, and I have been promising myself that I’d buy one for years and years and years. This is an early 30th birthday present to myself.

And I have Etsy to thank. And hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of sewing cowls.

I can’t wait until spring!!!

Pip Robins is on DOOCE.

I am so excited I’m absolutely spinning. See her entry on Holiday for Her: Accessories and Clothing gift guide!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/piprobins

Oh, How Times Have Changed

Tonight I finished up my sister’s website, which I’ve been doing for years. This is the fourth time we’ve designed it, and this is by far the most simple. I’ve been developing websites since 1999, graduated top of my class from a IT college in 2002, and have been doing IT related jobs basically ever since. I had an enormous passion for it, that is, until my child was born and found a new meaning to life and have focused a lot of attention on natural parenting methods. Being a stay at home mom for 18 months I finally grew tired of surfing the internet and watching television during nap times, and my crafty side emerged after 27 years of never having it. Seriously, I was not crafty in the slightest for my entire life until my late twenties.

I’ve always loved to sew, and dabbled here and there. When I was a raver in the late 90s I made my own (totally and absolutely humiliating) phat pants (PHAT with a PH!) and a handbag or accessory here or there, but nothing like what I’m doing now.

When I decided to start experimenting, I knew I wasn’t going to go out and buy new fabrics when there was so much out there already. It became a mission- to really never have to enter a fabric store for anything other than thread. Why would I contribute to pollution the ocean with dyes used for new fabric construction, or the use of pesticides on cotton? Or the amount of oil that goes into producing new textiles? 99% of the fabrics I use are remnants from bolts of fabrics, or pieces of fabrics that were donated by someone that had no use for them anymore. This ensures they’re not in a landfill either!

It’s a lot of work to find good fabric, but my family and I make a day out of it every week, and we have a good time. I take all of that fabric home and wash it and often I can hardly sleep because of the excitement of working with it.

I’m proud of the things I’ve made with reclaimed fabrics. If you couldn’t already tell from this blog!