Flickr Favorites -Hand Knits

. . . and just a little bit of crochet! I don't know if I am jumping the gun here, but I've been getting started with my hand knit gifts for this holiday season. It looks like I'll be making 2 berets, 1 pair of mittens, 1 pair of fingerless gloves, 2-3shawls, and maybe a blanket. I won't be saying who gets what, obviously, but if you think there is a chance you are getting something(s) hand knit *hint hint* I hope you are excited :)

My mosaic this week is a look at some of the things I am working on! Enjoy - 

And here's hoping I can finish it all before December!

1. Hemlock Ring Blanket, 2. hexagon love!, 3. A full spindle, 4. The lovely Jess

More on the Cards

After getting Olive and Ruby (my card shop) up and running, things have been going quite well! I have been real pleased with how the photos came out (I reshot all of the cards before putting them up in the shop instead of recycling the old pictures I had of them).

In fact I was so pleased with the pictures I thought I would submit one of them to craftgawker. Have you ever been there? I love to browse it's pages looking at beautiful artwork, jewelry, pottery, etc. etc. I wasn't sure if my photos were good enough to be accepted to the site, but as luck would have it my wildflowers notecard set was accepted! If you scroll halfway down the first page you'll see it!! 

If you've never been to the site before you'll be in for a real treat too, as everything featured on there is just amazing! Enjoy :)

Announcement!

When I first started out on Etsy I sold two things. Cards and Prints. If you look at my shop now all you see is prints. This is because I ultimately decided the two should be separate. 

So here you have it! My brand new, cards only, Etsy Shop: Olive and Ruby

As of right now you can find cards in 10packs and 6packs. They will come with either recycled brown kraft envelopes or metallic cream colored envelopes. I am uploading all the cards with kraft envelopes first, and next week you will see the cards paired with the cream colored envelopes. As it is brand new I am still working a few things out. Please let me know what you think! I would love all the feedback I can get!

Flickr Favorites -Paper

1. Magazine Paper Art [Day 4], 2. John Montroll Origami Elephant 1, 3. wire sculpture and paper art: Dodo Sculpture on Paper Tuffet, 4. Scrapbook Paper Wall Art - Step 28

I am amazed at what some people can do with paper. I try to be crafty with paper but it turns out looking, well, like someone who wants to be crafty with paper. And so I decided I would dedicate my flickr favorites to people who make paper look like a work of art.

It is also what the winner from my giveaway (remember that!?) works in! Lisa, from Hand Made in Israel won first place in my Birthday Celebration Giveaway. I had meant to post that she won ages ago but life got in the way (you know how it is sometimes). She picked my Dandeion Print in brown as her first prize print, and I couldn't be happier she did! That is the first print I ever listed on Etsy and a personal favorite of mine. Be sure to take a peek at her shop too, especially at the paper cut penguin. I love that little guy!

Crafting -Day Two

Well it is a light crafting day here because I am also packing to go up to my cousin's wedding which is this Saturday, but I did make a few gift tags using Mitsy's awesome Metal Letter Stamp Tutorial. 

I will definitely be making more for the holidays, just as soon as I get some appropriate cookie cutters. I don't really bake cookies, let alone shaped cookies, so my assortment to choose from was kind of meager (and this is AFTER I took a couple of my family members cookie cutters):

I love all the fun shapes, but I need some Christmas tree type deals for the holidays I think. I still need to play around with how thick the clay is before I stamp, as a couple of them were a bit too thin, but all in all they are pretty great! I also like that they can double as ornaments for the tree after they have served their gift tag purpose. Here is what I've done so far:

And before you think, "is she actually so crazy as to make gift tags for dogs?!" Yes. I am. But my dogs, and the dogs of our immediate family members, always get a present or two. This year I think it is new collars and ID tags. See, I'm not too crazy :)

(Oh. Mitsy, did you see you have a tag there? That is for YOUR future Secret Christmas present! he he he)

I would definitely recommend trying out this tutorial. I thought it was a lot of fun, and I think kids would really get a kick out of it too. The possibilities are endless as to what you can do with them, and if  you have a bandaged up banged up finger like moi, you can still make something pretty without too much effort of your left hand.  Enjoy!

Crafting -Day One

Does anyone know what a Mandolin(e) is? Not the instrument, but the food slicer. Well we own one, and while they are very handy, they are very deadly on index fingers. I'm still in recovery mode after losing a chunk of my left index finger to our handy little food slicer, and so I haven't been able to draw any new prints.

Needing to fill my time with something fun I've decided to work on a couple crafty projects. Here is the first:

Any guesses as to what it is? I'll give you a hint; there will be some knit work attached to it. I won't tell you what it is though until it's completed!! Oh, and thanks to my mom for helping to sew this together! I am not the most adept person in the world on a sewing machine. :)

Tomorrows crafty project? Finishing up some metal letter stamped gift tags via Mitsy's fun tutorial!

Flickr Favorites -Organizing

1. wedding kicks and desk, 2. my gathering collection drying in the sand, 3. lace2, 4. Living room wall detail

I really want my desk and craft spaces to be organized while looking stylish and cute in our home. My main work desk sits in the middle of our living room/main entrance to the house, and with a very open floor plan things can look messy and cluttery real fast all out there in the open. It annoys me to no end when my beautiful openness is crowded. I look at that first picture in my flickr favorites and find myself saying, "Why can't my desk look so stylish but organized at the same time!?"

Today I'm going to reorganize my work desk and knitting areas. I like showing off my knitting, but right now with so many projects on the needles all I'm showing off is my inability to finish anything. Hopefully a little tidying up and this place will be looking perfect in no time!

Want to make your own mosaic? Hop over to Mitsy's blog and sign up!

New Series

Oh yes I've been at it again! A while ago I promised you a new animal, and instead I'm giving you a peek at my new series! I had drawn out this beaver some time ago, simply because I wanted to draw an animal with some fun teeth. As I looked at the finished picture it just seemed like it was missing something.

Bored I started making multiple beavers and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. What about a mommy and baby beaver!? And then with that I began making mommy and baby animals instead of my usual solitary animal. I figured while I was at a new series I would test out something else I've wanted to do for some time now. 

Patterned backgrounds.

Yep. You heard me. My solid colored backgrounds are a thing of the past! (at least for this series anyway!) You can now find stripes, plaids, polka dots and perhaps even more down the road. The backgrounds are muted so as to not distract from the animals, but I kind of think it's pretty neat! --Please feel free to shout out your opinions on the new look!

These four sets of mommies and babies are up in my shop. Be on the look out for new sets as I have two in progress at the moment, and lots of doodles for other pairs! Oh I am in love with these guys! Hope you are too! 

Flickr Favorites (week 16)

My Labor day weekend was a bust. In my family's hometown there was a reunion and I wasn't there. In fact I haven't been in attendance for 5 years (or more?). Every year there is this reason or that, but it is always the same in the end. I don't get to enjoy the food and my family and riding a two person bicycle with my cousin (okay, we did this last thing as kids, but it was still fun!). 

But this year it is actually okay with me.

That is because I am going up home the next two weekends in a row for two complete different, but awesome, things.

This weekend I'll be attending the local fiber festival with my mother and grandmother. I went for the first time last year and this year I have my eye on a few choice yarns. :)

Next weekend I'll be in the wedding of my former two person bicycle partner/cousin. She and I have always been close, going to school together, and living across the street from each other. I know her wedding is going to be a lot of fun! 

So you know I had to go ahead and make a flickr favorites full of pictures of my upcoming travels! (I told you I'd find a way to put yarn in every flickr favorites Mitsy!!) :) If you want to play along this week head on over to Mitsy's blog and sign up!

1. Handmade Drop Spindle, 2. Wedding Jacket, 3. Flower Girl Flourish, 4. Calla lily wedding bouquet

Alphabet Letters

A while back I asked for opinions on whether or not to offer up multiple letter options in my shop. I have had requests more than once to make alternate letter options for instances where the letters repeat themselves in a name. And folks I've come to a decision!

I am in fact going to offer a few of the really common letters (think E, N, A etc.) in two different choices. So far A and N have two choices:

There will not be more than two choices, and not all letters will have different options. Let me know what you think! I haven't decided how many letters to give two options to, and any advice would be much appreciated! You can find these and all other letters here.

Flickr Favorites (week 15)

I love making flickr favorites (thanks for starting this Mitsy!)

And I love handmade ♥ 

Enough said!

1. Pincushion with tiny hand stitched patchwork., 2. Farmer's Wife Top, 3. calm-before-the-storm bokeh., 4. handmade bag