Etsy Seller Friday (and a brief update)

My attempts at starting a regular Friday post have been just that-attempts. I'm still not sure that I will keep this as a regular part of my blog, although I really enjoy doing it. This means that at the least, you will see random Etsy seller reviews on this blog. Etsy is a crazy-fun website that needs more attention from the general public, not just from fellow crafters. I tend to feature sellers that make some really unique and sort of kitchy things that I adore, but there are plenty of folks on Etsy that craft unique yet fashionable/chic products. On a similar note, I intend to start blogging a lot more about eco-friendly living. I want to write about eco-friendly living in a tone that is not "preachy." Instead, I hope to share some knowledge and advice that I have learned from my personal experiences as well as get advice and ideas from my readers.

This review is going to be a bit different. Today I'm going to share a little bit about several different sellers and let you do the shopping. I tried to pick a theme that would tie each of the sellers together...so if you're into boho, rustic, Earth-tone chic, you will enjoy this review.

(Photo: Sparkle Philosophy by Flora Bond)

This first photo is a necklace made by Flora Bond. Pretty much all of her peices are "statement" pieces. Each item has a sort of vintage feel to it. Most of her necklaces would be perfect for weddings and other special occasion that call for getting all dolled up.



(Photo: Shabby Rose Corset Skirt by Patches and Rags)

This gorgeous patchwork skirt was made by Patches and Rags. These are some of the prettiest patchwork skirts I've ever seen. They could be both casual or dressed up with the right shoes and jewelry.



(Photo: Grey Ruffle Tank by Sue Bradbury)

Sue Bradbury (her seller name is ellainaboutique) makes all sorts of clothing and accessories. Mostly she has tops, skirts, and handbags in her shop. You'll find plenty of warm, Earth-tones in her Etsy shop. I love that Sue Bradbury's tops look great with a pair of jeans or with slacks. Go look for yourself!

Crafting Mood

Today I've wanted to do nothing but knit and crochet. The dishes need to be put up, the floors need to be swept, and the towels need to be washed, and...I don't care. There are so many crafting projects that I would rather be working on right now. One of the first things that I want to work on is knitting a cowl neck scarf. I have some yummy burgundy and gold scrap yarn that may be perfect for this. If this is the case, then I hope to have it done by next week :)

Speaking of scrap yarn, I've seen a lot of beautiful scrap yarn blankets in the past and I have been recently inspired to try one out for myself. I've gathered up a little pile of yarn in various colors and textures and have begun crocheting 4x4 inch squares. Each square only takes a few minutes to make. Because of all of the variety of color and texture I don't have to do any fancy stitches to add interest to the blanket. Despite the quick crochet time of each piece, I have a feeling that this blanket will take a long time to complete. Once all of the squares are done, I will have to sew or crochet them all together. If all goes well with this project, I do intend to sell it. All of the blankets that I have sold in the past have been custom made rather than a piece that was entirely my idea from start to finish.

For years I've been saying that I would love to try knitting a headband. I'm thinking of a headband that would be cute with a pony tail or curled hair. I'm far more timid to try this out (which is why I've never tried it) as it will have to be knitted in the round. I despise knitting in the round despite it's wonderfully seamless results. I'll let you know how this goes...if choose to accept this mission.

Oh, I wanted to share a crafting success with you. Just last week, I finally got around to creating a cute felt fabric cupcake applique. My stitching is very sloppy and needs work but I truly enjoyed making this piece! Felt is a little tricky to work with as it is very easy to tear, but is far easier to sew (for me) than any other fabric. I added my new applique to an old scarf that I made ages ago and I think that it really perked it up and gave it a cute focal point. Observe:



What do you think? The details of the cupcake get lost a little in the blurry photograph :( I would love to get my hands on a better camera. The cupcake also adds a bit of kawaii to the scarf as well, which was my intention.

For far too long I have not done any dyeing or spinning of wool. I've still got a ton of wool just waiting to be made into yarn. Spinning is something that I'm still very new to and would love to improve on. Right now I'm spinning on a drop sindle that I made myself. For a first time drop spindle, it's fairly well balanced. It's my drafting skills that need the most improvement. I still have to predraft all of my wool and the yarn always comes out very uneven. Selling yarn that I've spun is a goal of mine, but the uneven quality of my yarn makes it a novelty yarn at best. I'll end this blog with a few photos of yarn that I've either dyed or spun.


This wool was hand dyed using Kool-Aid

I bought this wool from a craft supply store rather than from a local farmer.
I spun it myself, but did not dye it.

Finally!

After about four or five days without any internet connection, I finally have access to the internet again :) Comcast sent yet another technician out to work on our cable internet. Just as the boyfriend and I thought, it was the modem that was the problem. We'll see how long this one lasts...

Right after I got over the flu, I came down with a mild cold. At least colds are not as bad as H1N1. I was able to work this weekend, despite being sick :) My only concern is that I may have passed my cold onto someone else. Sorry, general public, but I have to pay the bills somehow. Of course, my sales really suffered since I wasn't as perky or as outgoing as one needs to be for my job. Oh well, I get paid no matter what.

Only a few days before I came down with the piggy sniffles, I crocheted up some cute catnip toys for Kaya. She LOVES her toy. I immediately started churning these things out in pretty fall colors. I believe that I mentioned these in a previous blog post. Due to the flu, I was never able to make more than maybe five toys. My mission is to make a crap-load of them before Christmas gets here. I'm a little worried about trying to sell catnip toys that don't actually contain catnip. It's up to the pet parent to add the catnip to the outside of the toy (which would be great for those that use catnip spray). I suppose that I could stuff a little catnip into the inside of the toy, but the real fun happens when "fresh" catnip is added to the outside of the toy. Hopefully, I will get some pics up here soon and you all can give me your opinion on them.

The worst thing that has happened to me this month was, by far, the cancellation of the Miyavi concert that I had tickets to. Only an individual that has been a Japanophile for 14 years would think that contracting the swine flu and having a roommate breakdown and move out during the same week are both not as bad as missing out on a Miyavi concert. Of course our money was refunded and fans are being told that the concert is merely "postponed." I was so broken hearted by this that the boyfriend came home with flowers and took me to dinner at Na Go Ya. I'll post some pics of my beautiful flowers later. It turns out that not only was Miyavi having a difficult time obtaining some sort of permit to perform at certain venues, but he was also suffering from an injury that he sustained during one of his European shows. I hate it for him, but I'm also terribly disappointed. It's not often that I get to attend the concert of my favorite Japanese music artist (aka: this has never happened for me, ever). *sigh* I still have a little hope that he will finish his U.S. tour as he now has an American label.

There are a couple of good things that have come out of the show cancellation. First, it gives us a little more money to go towards the extra large rent that we will be paying this month as we are down by one roommate. Also, our Friday night is now free to spend time with friends and indulge in some Halloween fun :) We plan on going out to eat some place nice and then we are heading out to the Voodoo Bayou, where I will most likely lose my nice dinner. Hopefully having my 6' 5" former wide receiver boyfriend with me will make me feel less freaked out while working our way through a haunted maze. Happy Halloween everyone ;)

Brr

After making what may be a poor decision to stop taking my Tamiflu a day early, I'm finally starting to feel much better. While I was sick, the weather also made a big choice-it became winter. At the beginning of last week it as very mild and pleasant outside. Now, it's in the 40s and 30s! The boyfriend was thoughtful enough to bring my plants in while I was sick so that they wouldn't freeze :) Aww I didn't even have to tell him to do it. The sudden change in season has been a real shock. It felt as if it was suddenly Christmastime. Seems like everyone around here thought so too. The traffic was terrible around the mall area yesterday. I can only assume that everyone woke up to a very chilly morning and realized that there was nothing else to do but get started on early Christmas/Holiday shopping.

About a week ago I crocheted up some cute catnip toys. The first one I made got tested out on our cat, Kaya. She went nuts over the toy! I was very flattered :) It was probably one of the best responses I've gotten to any of my crafted items. She grabbed the toy between her two front paws and rubbed it in a larger circular motion over her face and head. I was hoping to have them available at Little Pink Elephant this week, but for obvious reasons, I wasn't able to get many of them finished. Kaya's adorable reaction to the toy really needs to be caught on video, which I can do, but I'm totally clueless as to how to upload the video.

As of late, I've been leaning more towards crocheting. Partially this is because I wanted to get more practice (for various reasons) but also, I find that crochet moves more quickly than knitting does. Another thing that I've noticed about crochet is that gauge doesn't seem to matter as much as it does in knitting. Has anyone else noticed these differences? Eventually, I hope to be as comfortable with crochet as I am with knitting. I really like the idea of combing these two needle crafts to make some new and interesting items.

For what seems like ages I've been wanting to make various things from felt fabric. What I'm most interested in making is felt appliques to add to my knit/crochet items. Seeing as I'm still not fully mobile, I'm going to give this a try today. I'm actually looking forward to trying something new and not feeling guilty for just sitting on my butt crafting rather than doing housework or something else productive. Crafting is producting though, right?

Halloween Costume

I am having a heck of a time trying to decide what to be for Halloween! Last year I was a "sexy referee" and the boyfriend was a football player. It cost me around $40 for my costume and I got to wear it 3 or 4 times. It was nice that I was able to attend so many costume parties so that I felt like I didn't waste $40 on something I wore only once. This year I don't have as much money to spend nor do I have as many costume party plans. The night before Halloween I will be at a Miyavi concert (I do a little happy dance every time I think about this), which means that I'll be missing the biggest local Halloween event. Miyavi is worth missing a costume party, heck, he's worth missing Halloween altogether. I digress...my goal this year is to wear yet another sexy costume but pay around $30. Also, the boyfriend and I would like to wear matching costumes again. I'd like to avoid any sports themed costumes since we've already done that. Maybe next year I'll try the cute baseball player costume out. Ugh, it's so dang cute that I might just have to do it!! Anyway, the costumes that I'm looking at right now are the Hogwarts student, Eskimo, and Cotton Candy Cutie. Over time I lean more towards the Eskimo because it's the warmest costume and the boyfriend could easily match me. I've searched the internet like crazy. My boyfriend thought it might be cool for one of us to be a cop and for the other to be a criminal/prisoner. Please share any ideas that you may have for affordable pre-made or DIY costumes. Oh and if you are needing a costume, the aformentioned referee costume is for sale: HERE