I'm in a store!!!!!

WOOO HOOO!!!! My items are now in a local store. Check them out in Yellow Springs at http://livinggreenstore.net/ . The owner is super cool. Even if you aren't interested in my stuff But you should be) the store is great. Andything eco-friendly you can imagine & she loves to support locals. The items I'm selling there are a little different from the ones in my etsy shop because Ohio is a completely different demographic. You can check out my flick accout to see more.

Wristlets and card pouches

I have been trying to build stock for some upcoming craft fairs. I think I have perfected a cute wristlet pattern. Very simple and I can use my large stash of funky vintage linen napkins. I haven't decided yet if I will list any on etsy since the market seems to be pretty saturated already.

I also made some card pouches with a similar pattern. Instead of straps they have a small ribbon loop so they can be attached to a keychain. I love how fast & easy these are. Ignore the dent in a brown flower one, the napkin had a serged edge and I didn't cut it off. I probably won't sell that one.

Eco-friendly mailing emvelopes

I found this great tutorial on how to make mailing envelopes out of cereal boxes.

http://sproutchicago.wordpress.com/how-tos/

So I had to try it. I've been saving all of our boxes to punch out gift tags. Now I'm going to use the cereal ones for this and the pop can boxes for tags.

Headache

I have been having some killer headaches lately. I hope it's just stress and not something serious. I've been taking Excedrin migraine. I really love that stuff when it works.


Chuckles made pumpkin bread for me last night mmmmm. Man I miss the fall with all the pumpkin. Oh well I guess this will have to be my fix for a while. We are going to Carabbas today for lunch/dinner with the 'rents. We took them last week & Chuckles dad enjoyed it so much he has been talking about it non-stop. I came home & Chuckles goes mom & dad are going to Carabbas do you wanna go....DUH!!!

I HATE math!!!!!!

I'm doing horribly in math. I have never & will probably never be good at it. I have an artistic brain not one that deals well with numbers. I don't really see how it applies to my everyday life. I've been around for 30yrs and haven't used any of them so far. I'm really annoyed with work right now, I wish I could live off my etsy shop. I would only need about $60 a day to quit.

Shell neckwarmer

So I finished a new neckwarmer. I may sell it since it was made out of wool & I tend to get a little itchy with wool. Besides it doesn't really match my new pimped out houndstooth coat very well. I'm hoping to get a pattern up in my shop sometime this week. I'm working on a blue scarf version that I may actually wear. I've been really emotional and pissy lately so my creative juices aren't flowing like they use to. Besides sewing at work all day tends to use my creative energy. I have a couple idea floating around if I can get up the emotional energy to try them.

I also finished a rainbow hat. Yes, I really am that gay. I've been thinking about making one for forever but most rainbow yarn (ie red heart) is fugly. So I did a funkier version a la moi style. I actually realy love it. It's up for sale if anyone wants to show their pride.

Vent

You know I find it so amazing when something is offered for free that people have the nerve to complain about it. I mean really. You aren't paying for it so exactly what do you have to bitch about. The low quality of freeness? How dare that thing that cost zero dollars not be up to free standards.

PFFFTTT!!!!!!!

Peace sign chart pattern

Can be used for knitting, crochet or crosstitch. If interested I have more detailed patterns for sale in my etsy shop.

I'm currently working & going back to school so my blog is probably going to be pretty lame for a while.

French Seams AKA Vera Bradley seams how-to

This is how Vera Bradley does seams on her purses. If you've ever looked at her bags the fabric is basically one large quilted piece instead of a seperate outside & lining of the purse.

1. Take your fabric right sides facing out (yes I know this is weird) sew at presser foot width.

I had 2 different colors of thread in my machine just ignore that.

2. Turn your fabric wrong sides out & sew at a larger allowance (ie. 1/2in).

This is what your seam will look like on the inside & the outside. Very clean & finished. Yours will be more crisp if you iron them. I was making a fast gift bag & was lazy.

If you take a piece of ribbon fold it in 1/2 and tuck the folded end into your seam as you are sewing step 2 you can have a cute little tie for gift bags.

This can be done at any size seam allowance just make step #1 at a smaller allowance than step #2 so all your loose ends are tucked in.

How to make cornhole bags-Tutorial

Here is a fast & dirty version of how to make cornhole bags. The official rules are on the American Cornhole Association's website http://www.playcornhole.org/ . Yeah I know I never knew there was such a thing. A friend asked me to make her a couple sets for x-mas. I don't play & really don't think it's much of a sport but it's something crafty so I made them.

ACA rules about size:

The corn bags shall be made from two fabric squares with a quarter inch double stitched seam on all four sides. The corn bags should be made from 12 oz / sq yd duck canvas and may be any color that is easy to see during Cornhole play. Each bag shall be filled with approximately 2 cups of corn feed and finished bags should be a minimum of 6" X 6" square and weigh between 14 and 16 ounces.

1. cut your fabric in a 6.5in X 6.5in square

2. With right sides together sew a 1/2in seam allowance around the square. Leave about 2-3 in open in the middle of one side. Used for filling the bags after you turn them right side out.

3. Sew another line around you bag between the seam & edge. This helps with strength from being tossed around so much. My first row was done with the seams being cut & the second row was done cornered to since there is more pressure from the corn on this seam.

4. Turn you bag right side out. Push out all your corners & fill with corn. I used cracked corn because I already had some available.

5. Tuck in the ends of the hole & stitch the 2 sides together backstitching at both ends.

Thes were made in less than 15mins. I made them using cotton instead of regulation duck cloth and I used cracked corn instead of the whole kernal style. But still pretty easy & cheap.

Star Wars rebel logo knitting chart

I was playing with photoshop to see if I can make a kniting chart & finally figured it out with the rebel alliance logo. So enjoy.

maroon triangle shawl

I decided to list a couple of the shawls I have made. This was a fairly quick crochet so it is at a very cheap price on my shop if anyone is interested. I love making shawls but I really don't know many people who have the style that would like one. I personally love them. But then again I love old victorian clothing & I think corsets should come back but I'm the minority. I'm currently working on a star pattern one out of a mustard boucle yarn that is working up pretty fast.

Williams eatery in Yellow Springs

Chuckles & I decided to make a stop in Yellow Springs on our way back from Fairborn. I love hitting the Import house & I wanted to check out all the new knitting graffiti. While there we stopped by Williams eatery & catering. It's a new restaurant where Gypsy's cafe use to be. I noticed it when we were at the street fair but it was way to busy to take a peek. They had a menu posted outside, which BTW I LOVE when restaurants do this. Nothing bugs me more than going somewhere new & looking at the menu & detesting everything they have. Just save me the time buy posting it outside then I'll know if I want to try. Anyways the restaurant serves a 50/50 menu of american style food & peruvian, which I had never tried. I have what my boss calls a white girl stomach. I don't do spicy. I love it but it doesn't love me. So, I'm always a little iffy about trying new stuff. I went simple with chicken skewers & Chuckles did papas rellenos which neither of us had heard of before. We also tried their deep fried broccoli. OMG this was like the best dinner experience we have had in ages. The broccoli had a light breading & I think maybe some cheese, I swear I'm going to start having cravings for that stuff it was so good. My chicken skewers were perfect even really moist, which most restaurants around here can't do. Chuckles papas rellenos was pretty flippin good also. I would definitely recommend it. I know we will be going back.

Halloween graffiti

I pass this wall coming home from work every day. I always want to stop & take pictures because the artwork is amazing. Today this was up & I had to stop. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Here are some of the other pieces that are currently up. The artwork changes on almost on a daily basis. I can't believe some of the work that goes into some of these pieces.

Standing at the middle of the wall this is what it looks like both ways. As you can see some of the most detailed work is closer to the street. That is also a highway overpass in the background.

Pimpin my shop

I got this great decal from http://www.ceejay77.etsy.com/ the other day & just finished putting it on my car. I would definitely recommend her shop if you are looking for advertisement. I own an 04 Saturn Ion & this large decal fit perfectly. I was looking for something a little different than just a basic website. I wanted something that people would notice. The shipping was really fast & it was super easy to put on my car. I even used a plastic pie server & it worked fine.

don't kill me for not posting

Yes I know I'm a lamer for not posting but you know how life is. I've been crazy busy lately. I was working 2 jobs until the beginning of Sept & I FINALLY quit GE (thank god). Oh how I hated that place. Since I no longer work there I can finally say this....If you have a credit card with GE Consumer Finance or GE Money get rid of it. Well hell while your at it get rid of any credit card, they are evil & people do not realise how much you are getting screwed having one. Trust me on this. Get a plain old debit card from your bank with a major credit card logo on it if you want to use it for reservations or buying online. That's all you really need. If you don't have the money for it don't buy it.



This week chuckles bought me something shiney......This!!! >
The picture totally doesn't do it justice. It looks like an antiques & I'm pretty sure it is a one of a kind. I LOVE it!!

I'm going to try & keep my blog more up to date now that I work mon-fri which is totally weird to me. I can't remember the last time I had weekends off. I've also joined the new street team on etsy for LGBT's so I'm hoping to have more to write about. Right about now I'm having more issues in my everyday life going on instead of crafty stuff & I'm not going to bore people with that.

slow cooker carrier pattern

The bag can be made with less than 1 skein of worsted weight yarn.
The stitch is very dense & you do not need to line it if you do not wish to. This pattern will fit a 2 quart size slow cooker. There are variations in different slow cooker sizes but this has enough give in the stitch to fit all sizes. When not in use the bag folds up & can be stored inside your slow cooker.

Please be conscious & use a non-flammable yarn if your slow cooker is the type that gets hot on the outside.
You will need to know how to do the following for this pattern:
chain
work in the round
slip stitch
HDC-half double crochet
work into the bottom of a stitch
work in the back loop only of a stitch
work with 2 strands of yarn held together

This pattern is a 1 page .pdf file. The email will be sent to you within 24 hours of purchase. I will send to the email address listed on your paypal account unless another is stated in the note to seller section of your transaction. If you are unaware of how to open a .pdf file just let me know on your buyer notes & I can send it as regular text via e-mail from a hotmail account.

Conditions of use:
you are able to sell the completed items everywhere EXCEPT online
please do not copy and distribute this pattern including via email
please do not resell
please do not try to say that this is your original pattern it is copy written
please do not post it in public forums or places like blogs

If you have an questions or problems with the pattern feel free to ask.
All pattern sales are final.
$ 4.00 USD

totally depressing post

I have had the last 2 weeks from hell. My father had a heart attack & died on the 27th. Add to that he didn't have insurance on his house to cover his death, didn't marry his long time g/f & had just refinanced the house. SOOOO nobody can afford to pay for it. My future step-mother doesn't make enough to cover even the mortgage. So what can we do, it's not even like it's a profitable market to sell during. We probably wouldn't even make the money back for how much he had it financed out for. Plus my bro & I have to be the bad man & pretty muck kick her out of the house she has lived in for the last 4-5years. I won't even go into how FUBAR the death benefits are. I got thru the funeral pretty well all things considered I thought I would be comatose. Then Chuckles woke up a day or 2 later with his eye swelled shut from an infected stye. Then dylan had a massive seizure. THEN we go out thurs night & what happens I get food poisoning. I couldn't leave the bathroom for most of the day & I never get sick. We also don't have much money from all the unpaid time we had to take for the funeral so I'm pretty much in a fuck it mood about everything. And everything is due right now. Fun times.

New job

Where have I been you ask.....Well I got a new job as a seamstress WOO HOO!! I still have to stay at GE for the benefits but damn if I'm not happy. I started wed & I LOVE it. It's a great company & I really love the women I work with. I hope it just keeps getting better and better. The company just started but they are growing by leaps & bounds. I also splurged & bought a 80GB ipod. I've wanted one for forever. I'm really not in a blogging mood lately & I'm dead tired but thought I would give an update on my life.

Yard sale season

Oh how I love spring & yard sales. Yes I'm a thrift store & yard sale junkie. What can I say, I really hate seeing things end up in a landfill. I found a post on craigslist wed for a sale that had a bunch of craft supplies. So thurs before chuckles had to go to work we stopped by. It was only 5-10mins from the house. I actually got up early, duh shopping. Anyways they were selling crochet magazines for .10 each. I got 15 enough for myself, my future swap partner & chuckle's mom. They are from the early 90's so some of the sweaters are more humorous than useful but some of the doilies have some great stitches. I've already finished one I'm probably going to give it to my mom for mothers day. I also got a shoebox full of thread spools for $5. My new schedule starts next week so hopefully we will be able to hit more sales since we both have fridays off now. I'm hoping to score some cool vintage jewelry, my bead collection is seriously lacking lately.