A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME...

...THAT I LOVE PAPER.

I have been encouraged by many to venture into the altered book/journal world.  So I tried it. I think I was successful.  I did a 3x5 journal involving a chicken, and a larger journal with a variation on my sleepy holiday bird.  I love it...if not because I'm proud of the design, then because it has graph paper (aka squared paper...?). He has a ticket to a craft fair on December 2, but if he makes a good impression I'll make more!

P.S. I feel compelled to point out that I take my own photos...The Husband is a brilliant photographer, and these are NOT his work :P

STAMP OF APPROVAL

I've inherited a bit of perfectionism...for better AND worse. I'm not trying to sound like a job interviewee putting a spin on my weaknesses, I'm serious.  For the better: I do good work. Worse? The problem with perfectionism (OCD? or rather, CDO [alphabetical order!!!]) is it either takes up a lot of time best used elsewhere (rewriting ugly grocery lists for instance, instead of just getting to the grocery store already) or it stops me from trying projects, knowing I'll never pass my own quality control. But I have been letting some things go lately and trying to do projects without worrying so much about how they come out.  Making things is fun, after all, and isn't the imperfection of homemade things part of their charm? How can you brag about what you've made if you never make it? Rest assured I'll keep my perfectionism/OCD/CDO for things that will make their way out into the world as a part of business...but for personal projects, whatever happens, happens (a.k.a. "it is what it is") and I will learn from the adventures...

Here's a pic of my finished arm warmers I talked about last time...they didn't come out as long as I had planned, they're uneven, and you'll note that I was about 6 feet short of yarn, so had to finish one end in a sort-of-similar yarn....but I'm proud of them...and my wrists are cozy...so, job well done!
 

   

    

KNIT-PICK

Since I've discovered the magic of RSS feeds, I am following many more blogs.  I'm now a blog junkie.  Downside: I spend all my time reading blogs and looking for more blogs to read (no wonder people blog as a full time job). Upside: I've found so much inspiration and have been a more active maker & do-er in the past couple weeks.

Case in point:

I was recently introduced to the lovely Red Velvet Art blog.  Now I am making THESE. Well, I'm trying. I have started over 3 times. Obviously I went waaay too long in between knitting projects.  I had to look up how to cast on. But I'm excited.  I have been wanting some wrist/arm warmers...long ones that aren't so holey (I have some delicious cranberry warmers, but they're crocheted [which=holey] and only about 6" long). I had it in my head that I had to learn to knit in the round, which is so intimidating to me...all those pointy needles. But DUH! I can just knit a rectangle, which I am usually pretty good at, and stitch it together...Voila! Arm warmers.  Thanks Holly from Red Velvet Art! I'm going to try to alter the recipe...maybe add some ribbing to make them a little snugger, and change the thumb configuration.  Wish me luck! It might take me awhile, but when I'm done I'll show them off here.

P.S. Red Velvet Art...cool chicks making and selling cool stuff...check it out!

FAIR GAME

The last few days I've been making plans and creations for a craft fair I'm signed up to sell at on December 2.  I really have fun manning my little table of lovely things...but it's hard to know how much stuff to bring, and as anyone who's craft-faired, it can be a bummer sitting there all day and feel like you've got little to show for it in the end.  And the double punch to the gut is that sooo many people are crafty these days that you really have to put out special creations to get sales instead of giving people ideas for what they could do at home themselves (not that I don't like to inspire creativity...but a business needs money!). In the past I've been all about my greeting cards, but cards, especially the way I make them, don't really turn a profit.  It's hard to sell cards spontaneously...people usually wait until they have a reason to buy one before shopping for a card. Plus, I can't charge a proper price for the time I put into each card because people freak out as a card inches toward even the $6 mark. Little voices keep telling me that I need to stop making cards because they aren't a smart business choice...but I really enjoy making them, and I still think there's business (i.e. $$$) potential in custom orders, and actually if I sold all my cards direct on Etsy or in person (like at a craft fair) rather than consignment or wholesale I'd be doing better...

But I digress.

For this upcoming craft fair I've gotten fired up about branching out...after all, the Slim Arts tag-line is 'art that can be used and shared'...so I'm making not only cards, but also bookmarks, gift tags, journals, and other little goodies to use and share.  Hopefully they will sell and my greeting cards might turn into nice little add-ons. Because I do love my greeting cards.  I have a lot to do in the next month, but I've gotten a good start and I have a good plan.  I'll keep you posted.

SEW

I think I like sewing.  I am not good at it...yet.  I am talking machine sewing here...starting with a piece of fabric and turning it into something new. I have long enjoyed cross-stitching and embroidery....but that's more decorative than 'create-ive'. For our wedding anniversary a month ago I made The Husband a satchel.  It's made of linen and has an appliqued apple on it, to cover both the US and UK traditional 4th anniversary gifts.  I am proud of it...especially considering I didn't follow a pattern and I did it rather quickly...That said, I will not really be posting detail shots :)