Yes, I will admit I have been a terrible blogger this year. On the flipside, I really put a lot of time and effort into my business, 15 Pieces of Flair. Not only did I list a ton of awesome things in my online shop at Etsy, I did my first 2 craft shows. Both were outdoors and both were longer than 1 day. That was one of my biggest goals for 2010 and both shows were a great success!
In addition to my crafting victories, there were some personal victories and sadly, some losses. And I also made a job change after 6 years at my old job. Granted my new job is doing the exact same thing as my old job, but I think any kind of job change can be stressful.
Ramona, our toothless dog that my husband has deemed a zombie-dog afflicted with the condition permafart (this is where her weakened B.H. constantly leaks smelly dog gas), is still plugging along.....barely. Charlie Murphy is becoming quite the distinguished gentleman with a bit of graying around his snout at the ripe old age of three. We also added a new member to our family this year in the form of a silver Subaru Outback that my husbands drives named "Big Sexy". If you haven't figured it out already, my husband can be a bit full of himself at times. ;) Love you honey!
Anyway, I am confined to home for these last few weeks of 2010 and have been looking around the web for "blogspiration" for my upcoming crafting season of 2011. I plan to post links to some of these fantabulous blogs as well as some great tutorials here in the next couple of weeks. There may also be some Christmas pictures sprinkled in for good measure!
I have been noticeably absent from the blogging world lately, but I do have good reason. I have been busy working away in my studio (aka. spare bedroom in the basement with no windows and butt-ass ugly wallpaper) preparing to do a huge craft show on Labor Day weekend. After the smashing success of my first show in May, I decided that I was insane enough to go for another round this year. If I didn't have to work full time, I would really like to do more of this type of thing, but 2 weekend-long shows this year while working full time has proven challenging enough. My husband loses his wife for at least the last four weeks before the event for the final push to get everything done. He's been very supportive through it all. He thinks that I will bring him fame and fortune someday....ummmmm....is he serious?! So for anyone that will be in the Weston, WV area anytime during Fri, Sat, Sun of Labor Day weekend, please stop by The Jubilee at Jackson's Mill to do some shopping, eat some great food, and see some awesome demonstrations (the bee beard guy freaks me out every time we've visited!)
I recently finished my first embroidery project. The pattern was a Sublime Stitching pattern. It turned out really cute and was a lot of fun! I guess I can't really say that I'm new to embroidery, but it was my first time trying an iron-on pattern like this one. I can see that there will be many more projects like this one in my future. I've been spying on some really cute patterns on Etsy.
So I finally have the results of the design challenge that I did with Hillary, of Happy Hippy Jewelry on Etsy. It was our July design challenge (a little belated), and my first design challenge ever. Basically, we gave each other a theme and then let our imaginations run wild. Typically, this type of challenge is done in a large group with everyone using the same theme and then a winner is announced, but we modified a bit for just the 2 of us!
Hillary's theme that I chose was "Summer Romance," and this is what she came up with. I have to say that I love that the "couple" are in my 2 favorite colors....Let's Gooooo Mountaineers!
Here's what she had to say about it: "I really tried to represent the coming together and intertwining of two separate souls with the blue and yellow wire wrapped pendant. I added the pink and floral accents to emphasize the idea of romanticism and to add a little bit more of a "summery" feel." She elaborated more on her design process by saying this, "I made the pendant first and really wanted to represent two unique persons entangling themselves and falling in love. I couldn't decide if it was finished and even asked for advice from other crafters, who gave me some great suggestions. I discovered how well the pink went with the bright blue and yellow just playing around with different things. I played with several things and ultimately went with it because it helped soften the overall impact of the high contrast colors without making them "disappear". Pink is also a great color for romance and the floral beads looked appropriately "summery" to me. Ultimately, I think I ended up with something very romantic but unusual and unique, which is what i always strive for."
The theme Hillary assigned to me was "weather." Here is what I came up with!
This is a 3-piece bath towel set that includes a full sized bath towel, a hand towel, and a washcloth. I first thought of using a cloud, sun, and raindrop. Those just didn't work well together. They weren't very much fun. Almost a little sad. So I picked the cutest of the three, the raindrop, and created around that. The umbrella and boots gave me the ability to add some color and interest into the project while still sticking to the theme. I have to say that the rain boots, I thought, were going to be a bit out of my comfort zone as far as getting them to look normal. It didn't take me too long to figure out how I wanted to attack them, and I think they turned out pretty stinkin' cute! This item is listed at my shop on Etsy, 15 Pieces of Flair.
There are 3 of us lined up to do another mini-challenge for August with a September 8th deadline. It will feature Hillary of Happy Hippy Jewelry, Liz of LiDDesigns, and me, Angie, of 15 Pieces of Flair. Our theme this time around will be the same for all 3 and will be....drumroll.......Hollywood Glam! I'm very excited about the prospect and will keep you all posted.
On Etsy, they encourage you to become part of one of their teams. Each team has different requirements and functions differently. I chose, about a year ago, to become a member of the Retro Handmade team. It is designed for those who do throwbacks to retro-feel designs/items or even possibly use vintage items within their creations. There must be a handmade aspect to your shop, not just vintage or retro items.
A few months ago, we decided to start doing a monthly design challenge. I didn't participate in the first few, but was feeling plucky this month. Only one other person was feeling up to the challenge, so we decided to do our own mini challenge. My co-conspirator this month is Hillary from Hippybeads. She chose the theme "weather" for me to use. I chose "summer romance" as her theme. Our deadline is fast approaching, August 8th. I've created a design and have put the wheels into motion this evening. I'm very excited about my design. The item will be for sale in my shop upon completion.
Stay tuned to see what my partner and I have come up with!
A few weeks ago while doing my daily cruising at Etsy, I came across these fantastically altered vintage flocked reindeer (seen in 1st pic to right) from Magpie Ethel's shop. After inquiring if she planned on having anymore available, I happened upon two of the unadorned treasures at one of my local antique shops, Fairmont Avenue Antiques, in Fairmont, WV for a very meager $3.oo each! (seen in pic to left)
I quickly snatched them up and set off to beglittering their antlers and hooves.
It was a very easy process using Martha Stewart's glitter and glue that I picked up at Wal*Mart for about $6 if I recall correctly. It was a very easy process that took only about 15 minutes to complete both reindeer.
So next I had to decide how I was going to display my fabulous new "flamboyant" deer as my husband put it. Little did he know that there was much more to come! I ended up ordering a couple of adorable handmade pink bottlebrush trees from Magpie Ethel's shop as well. She graciously offered to make necklaces for my deer to make them as sassy as the ones she had done. I found the last piece of my vintage puzzle at another local antique shop, Sweet Memories, also in Fairmont, WV....a set of 5 pink glass ball ornaments. I took a strand of white lights and laid a blanket of glittery snow over it, at the advice of a good friend. Also you can see our ceramic lighted Christmas tree in the background that we purchased in Gatlinburg, TN last year at their giant craft show.
I arrived home from work today to find that my lovely beer mug stocking had sold. I absolutely adored the idea of it, and loved the finished product even more. I held off on making multiples because who needs 10 beer mug stockings? Actually, who DOESN'T need 10 beer mug stockings? But I digress, the first one has finally sold. As soon as I finish up my first wholesale order for a shop in NY state, I will set off to make many more mugs of beer for your walls, or mantel, or wherever you may want a mug of icy cold deliciousness!
While searching for even more cool projects, I rediscovered this one that I had seen a few weeks back and forgotten about. I really want to make this Bird Mobile by Spool. It has a free pattern.
In a continued effort to get inspired for creating more items for my etsy shop, I have been perusing the internet to find fantastic projects. These aren't really things that I plan to make and sell, just things that I think may put a little spark back underneath me. Hopefully you will find something exciting and useful as well. The first are these fantastic Mason Jar Lights from a Design*Sponge reader Whitney Gaylord. Against my husband's desire for a super modern decor, I just can't help myself from being enamored with the primitive style. These simple lights fit the bill perfectly. It is a project that is a bit more geared for someone who has some handy-man skills, but as nice as these look, it will definitely be worth the effort.
Next, is this very cute Tape Measure Pouch that Jodie of ricracsews has created. The instructions look a bit daunting at first, but after reading through them it appears that anyone that is slightly more advanced than just a beginning seamstress should be able to figure it out as they go. I don't consider myself much further than maybe slightly more than beginner when it comes to machine sewing. I have found that pattern instructions always look like Greek until you actually start putting the project together. Having the pieces in front of you and being able to play with them makes all the difference in making heads or tails of the instructions.
The companion pieces was a creation of my own. I found a fat quarter of a matching fabric, cut a small pieces and backed it with a fusible lightweight interfacing. I then wrote out my phrase on a plain piece of paper in my own handwriting. I taped the plain paper with the phrase to a bright window and taped the fabric over top, tracing the phrase with a water soluble fabric pen. I then used embroidery thread to stitch the phrase and framed it in a 4-inch wooden hoop as well. 
