Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Contest


Last night I listed one new items to my shop. In keeping with the quickly approaching Fall season I felted another little pumpkin. This time a 1 1/2 inch tall Jack 'O Lantern.


I have donated one of my items from my shop for a blog contest which is taking place in October. You can find the contest details at: http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/ . Mrs. B has a great blog! I especially like the "Where the Hell is Tanner" posts. Drop by and visit her blog. There are lots of other great artists who have donated items as well.


While I've been on a felting tangent lately, since cooler weather is right around the corner i picked up my knitting needles again to make some cool weather gear. Right now a cowl made from an acrylic/alpaca blend yarn is in the works. I will be doing a number of different cowls, and probably some hats.


Also in the works (aka in my brain) are plans for some felted purses. When I think of Fall and Winter accessories I think wool felted bags.


Monday, August 25, 2008

Randomonium

I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop. http://www.knitsandnotions.etsy.com (shameless plug). I don't know if I technicially consider it a sale, but I am offering free shipping on all purchases made before Tuesday, September 2nd. Free shipping ANYWHERE...WORLDWIDE!

No new items for the shop. I spent the whole weekend fiddling around with pictures. Well..not the WHOLE weekend, but any time I spent doing Etsy related things was spent fiddling with pictures. I didn't get the halogen lamps for the lightbox yet. Maybe down the road a bit. For now, I will just work with late day natural light on the sun porch. That obviously isn't going to work for me for too long as the days are getting shorter.

I'm starting to get a little project overwhelmed. There are so many things I want to do, but when sit down to do something, I can't get into it because I'm thinking of other projects. Is that akin to thinking about someone else when you are with your significant other? I suppose as long as I don't call my needle felted items knitting by mistake the needle felted items will never know! LOL

I need to post a picture of the one eyed one horned flying purple people eater I made for AJ. I keep telling him to get his mitts off of the stuff I make for Etsy, and I felt bad. Since that is his new favorite song, I figured he'd get a kick out of it. He loved it and took it to school to show everyone since the whole class is crazy for that song.

AJ starts kindergarten next Thursday. We've been out getting school supplies. He got a new backpack and lunchbox...Spiderman of course. A drink thermos and some folders. For these he chose Cars...he does love Lightning McQueen. He was clueless when I told him I had to get him a big shirt to use as a smock. He had no idea what that was. At his school now they do their artwork with no smocks. Needless to say, many of his shirts are permanently adorned with paint.

Well...I really need to get back to work. I'm only here 4 days this week, then off all next week. OMG..that almost sounds like a vacation! Cept....we aren't going anywhere. Perhaps some day trips...I'll have to do something with him or we will drive each other crazy. Pent up AJ energy is NOT a good thing!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Light box


The light box was finished today!! Here it is all set up:


So....the lights on either side didn't work so well. First one lamp didn't work when I plugged it in. So back to Walmart I go! I tried it with the one light, but the light was yellow..not the bright white I was looking for. I was thinking brighter bulbs...something. My place get some natural like, but not as much as I was looking for. Then is occurred to me...........you have a sun porch dummy! So off I went and put the light box on the dryer and opened the blinds...TADA!!! Nice white clean light. It was getting late in the day, and the sun was starting to head toward the other side of the house, but I think the box worked well. I like the box because it is like a little mini studio that I can put props, or have a clean white background. No more floral sofa print showing up in my pics. As I said the day was getting late so I did brighten the pics with Gimp. Here is a sample of the pics before photo box..and after:

Friday, August 22, 2008

Unmotivated

Last night I started work on another needle felted ACEO. Not sure what it is going to end up looking like. It is definitely abstract. It will be what it will be. Unfortunately, I was so tired last night I was falling asleep while working on it. NOT a good idea considering those sharp needles! So I put it down and headed off to bed. Well no, first I checked the computer and started reading and incredible blog. Incredible courage, strength, and love: http://www.punkrockmommy.org/ Have your tissues handy if you are going to read it. I would definitely suggest reading it in date order, starting with the 2007 entries.

My light box is coming along. I got the parchment paper on two of the three windows, then I ran out of Duck tape. Note: Duck tape does NOT stick to parchment paper. However, it seems to be working somehow(i.e. the parchment paper is not falling off).

No work will be getting done tonight either. Mommy is going out! I get to do this maybe once a month, just get out for some mommy time.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

How exciting!

Feeling antsy again because I didn't make anything new to list in my shop. Not to say I didn't create anything. I did, but I gave it to my son. I felt bad that I keep making things and telling him "don't touch that...please put it back with the other things for my shop". Especially since he really likes the felted things I make. So last night I sat down to make something felted for him.

A little back story on why I made what I did for him. My son is 5 (at this point he would correct me and tell you he is 5 1/2). He starts kindergarten in a few weeks, but for now is at summer camp where he went for pre-school. Last week at camp they were learning about different instruments, and they had a little concert for the parents on Friday with home made instruments. The grand finale was the class' favorite song, one they play everyday and just go crazy for...."One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater". That explained a lot as my son is always singing it at home..in the car...etc. Soooooooooo....I guess you have figured out by now what I made for my son last night. Yep...a pink elephant!!!...Nah...I'm just kidding. Of course I made a one eyed one horned flying purple people eater. Once I finished it I left it on his pillow so he would see it when he woke up. He was so excited, he had to take it to school with him for an impromtu show and tell. Normally, I wouldn't let him, but since the whole class is crazy for the purple people eater, I said ok. I will take a picture of AJ and his Purple People eater and post it here.

Oh...in all the Purple People eater frenzy I almost forgot! I was featured in another Treasury!! This was my second time, and both have occurred within one week! I'm especially excited about this one because it was an ACEO treasury. The ACEO I have listed was the first one I have ever made! Here is a link to the treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=22502

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

My first ACEO


After finishing all the work I could do on my photo box last night, I finished up my first ACEO. It is wool felted and I call it Fall Sunset . I posted it to Etsy right away. It has gotten a few hits and one heart without much promotion.
I really enjoyed working on it...I think I may do another one. Things seem to go in cycles with me. I create something new to me, and then do more of the same type of item. Then I move on to something else...and make a few of that type. I'll take that as a positive thing. It means I have a good selection of items, as opposed to meaning I have project ADD!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Wow..two blogs in one day!

As I said I was going to start my photobox tonight. Luckily I moved recently. Ok...it was May....not so recent. Anyway, I happened to have a good sized cardboard box from the move that I could use to make the photo box. As you can see all the cutting is done. I decided not to cut the bottom out completely. The instructions (from the link in my last post) indicated it would be a good idea to cut the bottom out so you could put the box over something (i.e. a flower or something else not moveable). I don't need that flexibility, I will only be putting things in it. Plus having the bottom in makes it a bit sturdier I would imagine.

Since I have no tape other than scotch tape here, the sides will have to wait until I get to the store for some Duck Tape!! That'll fix anything! The original instructions call for tissue paper as the light filter, but I have seen other DIY photo boxes that called for wax paper on the sides. I'm planning on using the wax paper, or parchment paper. Tissue paper sounds too delicate to me.


Front view:

Something different

Nothing new to list on Etsy today. I want to start on some needle felted tapestries. Since I haven't "painted" with wool before I decided to start small to see what I could do, and I started a wool felted ACEO. It's not so bad, just a bit of a learning curve, and perhaps smaller is not less intimidating than a large piece. It may be moreso. Of course I am a perfectionist so I keep working with it ad-nauseum to get it just right. Though, what artist doesn't pour everything they have into a piece? I got to a point last night where I was almost done with it, but I had to put it down and clear my head. I should finish it tonight.

Funny....when I joined Etsy, I did it to (hopefully), make some extra money by churning out things I thought people would want to buy. It has turned in to much more than that now. Yes I create things to list them and hopefully sell, but it has become much more than that. This has become my creative outlet. Whereas, initially I considered myself a seller, I am now starting to look at myself as an artist. I'm still not entirely comfortable with that description, but I'm getting there.

In looking at all the amazing listings on Etsy, I've come to realize my pictures need a lot of work. The photos many people have are just stunning, and really showcase their work wonderfully. I found this great DIY photo box project, and I'm planning on working on it tonight and re-doing my photos. Here is a link to the instructions for making your own photobox:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

Monday, August 18, 2008

New items..

I've listed a few new needle felted items since I last posted. I am getting much better at not impaling my fingers with my felting needles. MAN does that smart.

This weekend marks my first forray into the world of Waldorf inspired dolls. Good for me because I have never been adept at creating faces. I guess I am just intimidated by creating faces. When I've tried to draw them in the past it hasn't worked out.
I'd like to make some larger animals (bunnies, bears, etc), first I really need to get some more roving. I have a pound of white corriedale roving so I'm good with white for while. Perhaps a white bunny is in order.

Silver Sun Alpacas was nice enough to send me some samples of their roving. OMG..absolutely heavenly. I've used it as the hair for my two Waldorf dolls. So soft and lovely!! Definitely check them out!!

My second attempt at knittng and felting a dresser "tray" didn't go so well either. It is a shallow bowl shape as I intended, but it came out floppier than I would have liked. I thought the bulky yarn would felt up sturdy enough, but I guess I need to try it double stranded.


You can find these items and more at Knits and Notions













Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Sale #2!!

Another sale of a needle felted item! Yes, Joseph has found a home!! He will be moving up to Canada, and his trip will start today. More and more I'm thinking the needle felting is what I need to concentrate on. Of course last night I was a slacker and didn't make anything. So now I am feeling antsy because I have nothing new to list today.

I have what I think is a tremendous idea for a project, which started when an item I was making that went awry. I was trying to make a knitted and felted tray..well..... upon completion it's a knitted and felted flat square. As I was looking at it and the way it was knitted, I thought it kind of looked like a frame around the edge. Doing a felted painting is something I have been wanting to try. My thought was perhaps my already felted piece can work as the canvas. The ideas starting firing in my brain..colors...what would be painting be? As I walked in my bedroom I looked at the wall and saw a print I have hanging up....Van Gogh's Starry Night. Wow..my "canvas" is navy blue. The colors in that painting would be perfect for my canvas. I need to get some more roving, and I'm going to attempt a needle felted version of Starry Night. If I can pull it off I think it will be amazing.

Tonight my son and I are going to the local 4-H fair. I LOVE going and seeing all the animals (even when I didn't have a kid I used to go). I am especially excited to see and pet the Alpacas. They have the cutest little faces!! Perhaps I should sneak in some shears and get me some Alpaca roving! After that I need to get to work on items to list.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Been busy


Found my niche? That remains to be seen. I have one Etsy sale now, and it was my felted beads. Needle felting may or may not be my niche, but it is something I really enjoy doing. Here are some of my latest Etsy listings (some needle felt, some not):



























Tuesday, August 5, 2008

My niche?


As I said in previous blogs I've kind of been looking for my Etsy niche. I just finished an item tonight and I am absolutely in LOVE with him. His name is Joseph and he is a little needle felted turtle. Actually he is called Joseph the technicolor turtle. I forgot how much I love needle felting. I started this project with something different in mind, but as I was felting it just became a turtle. I forgot how freeing it is to felt with no pattern. To just create as you go along. :::sigh::: bliss!

New today


I listed some new stitch markers today. Cute Milifiore glass bead markers. As I make them I just want to keep them for myself!
I've been doing TONS of promoting (during my work hours...bad bad), and I'm feeling a little torn between creating and promoting. If I don't promote, the chances of selling decreases. If I don't create, I won't have any new itmes to list to keep people interested. I'm also looking for THAT item. That hook. Something different, creative, unusual...MUST HAVE.
One thing I must do is remain balanced. I can't let the etsy business...or pursuit of the etsy business to take over my life. Once I don't enjoy creating things....there is no business. That sort of happened to me last night. I was knitting some face scrubbies and kept frogging them because I just wasn't into it. So I started felting a little funky turtle, all the while my mind consumed with..can I sell this? Must be careful not to lose the joy of creating. I must say I REALLY loved making the glass bead stitch markers.


Monday, August 4, 2008

New today- Face Scrubbies!

Lovely soft face scrubbies are new in my Etsy shop today:



Knits and Notions Etsy Shop

I LOVE these!!

I just made about 4 sets of stitch markers. They are very cute (if I do say so myself!) Here are the first ones listed:

Knits and Notions stitch markers(set 1)

The search for inventory continues

I finished a couple of items for my shop last night. They are part of a set and I'm running out of yarn. I think I have some variegated yarn that will work with the solid color I've been using. I'm just having project ADD. I'm working on one thing and thinking of the next.

I see that Michaels is having a sale this weekend (I think it is this weekend). I may need to go and stock up on some beads and findings. Maybe some more cotton yarn. I'm trying to work through what I have in my stash, but I'm really itching to use some more eco-friendly yarns..a hemp cotton blend is what is on my mind now...organic cotton too.

Busy weekend coming up, I don't know how much I will get done tomorrow workwise. I actually have 3 BBQs to go to. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to get to them all and have to tell a friend I can't go to their LuQ. I'll defintely be carrying some projects with me to work on if I can. Tonight I need to bake cookies for one picnic, and work on some projects.

My Etsy journey begins

I set up my Etsy shop on a whim a couple of weeks ago. Now I really want to make a go at this. I'm not looking to quit my job and do this full time, but a little extra money would be nice. Of course I set up the shop and really didn't have anything to fill it with. Now that I've got some items there my mind is a whir thinking of things to make. My knitting mind is designing while I work at my 9-5 job.So now it is off to get working on my inventory!