Spooky Pooky

So, for anyone here that is new, or rarely reads my blog, I would like to introduce you to someone! Ladies and Gentlemen, the amazingly talented and super-awesome girl, Spooky Pooky.



So, in case you didn't know, I'm going to give you a little background on this amazing girl.
A little over a year ago, I was one of the special chosen ones that was messaged on Craftster to do my very first personal swap. I must admit, I had never swapped before, however, this wasn't just any swap. Craftster has a few, let's call them, elite, people. Spooky Pooky was DEFINITELY one of them. I will honestly say that I was honored for her to even ask me!
And so, I set off to make my very first personal swap package. She asked me for a large yeti and a Nessie. I decided to make the very first mini yeti for her. That's right, she has the first ever Mad Crafter mini yeti! And I also made her a bigfoot.

After this, we started messaging a lot more. We started swapping more stuff, giving each other ideas. That's when the fun really started! We really got to know each other on a personal level. I am proud to say that my stuff was even at her wedding! We became Facebook friends shortly after, and the rest, is pretty much history. I can honestly say that even though we have yet to meet (we totally will very soon!), she is my BFF. We talk about EVERYTHING, and whenever we don't talk for a few days, we both reconnect and share everything and promise that it will never happen again. LOL! I believe it's an amazing friendship that all started over nerdy crafting!

Well, the amazing Alexz had a birthday yesterday. I KNEW that I had to do something great. She told me some things that she wanted me to make her, but I just felt like I had to do something more...something....EPIC.

So, I narrowed it down to 3 ideas: Alice, The Mad Hatter and Jack Sparrow. After talking to another one of our friends (I love my Craftster friends!) it was decided that I would make Alice. But, about halfway through making the head, an idea came to me and I KNEW what I had to do!
This was something that I knew would be epic simply because of how personal it is. Alexz created her logo the same time she created mine. She has such a love for Alice in Wonderland, that she made her logo into it. I also know, crafting is this girls life. Her love and passion for these things, is why I had to make her. I had to make her very own mini me. :)
And so, I present, Alexz in Wonderland.




Alexz, I had so much fun creating this for you! I hope you had an absolutely amazing birthday, and I just wish I could have been there!
Happy 25th Birthday Spooky Pooky!!

New things!

I finally have projects that I can post! I have a lot, so I'm going to probably overwhelm you with some pictures. Enjoy. :)

So, this was a TOTALLY FUN project! See, I have this SUPER awesome and huge jewelry box. Alexz made it for me and I just love it dearly. My problem is that I have WAY too many earrings and they get bunched up. So, after looking online, I found this pattern to make my own! I used sock yarn that I've had FOREVER, so it was put to good use. I cut out a few rows which I'm ok with, and instead of a stick to hang it by, that's right, that's a knitting needle. :)




I love it! It's hung right above my jewelry box (and my chupacabra). :)
And this project was SO MUCH FUN!
In case you don't know, or read my blog much, or live under a rock, you should know I have this super awesome BFF, Alexz. Well, her birthday is the end of this week, and I wanted to make her something epic. I thought of some fun things (she's into Doctor Who now! Yay!) and just couldn't think of anything that really stuck out to me. So, I thought, what better idea than to let her pick out her own gift! So, I directed her to Etsy (as if she didn't know that it existed for patterns! lol!) and told her to pick out ANYTHING she wanted and I would make it for her! I must admit, I was a bit surprised when she sent me this pattern. I was expecting something like Alice or the Mad Hatter, but no, a penguin. I knew that couldn't be it, I mean, I know this girl and she DOESN'T want a simple penguin!
So, her one request, ZOMBIFY IT!!! DONE AND DONE!!
I couldn't wait to get started, and I didn't wait. I must admit, I don't want to part with him now!




He's complete with stitches, a head wound, blood and a bone. :)
I did make her something else EPIC, but it's the one thing in the package that's a total surprise! haha.

And just a quite update, here's my Doctor Who scarf! It's currently about 35 inches long and it's about 1/4 of the way through to the full 16 feet! haha!


That's it for now! I hope everyone has a good night! I must go work on some more projects now. :)

A-Z

I've found this on a few blogs lately and thought I would do it too!


A. Age: 27
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: LAUNDRY! We live on the third floor and the laundry room is in the basement. It's SOOO annoying to go down there every 30 minutes. UGH!
D. Dogs: I love them, but don't have any.
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee and checking email/Facebook
F. Favorite color: Red and blue
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'9"
I. Instruments you play: Uh oh, here's where I show my nerd! I was in band all through middle school and high school. I started playing clarinet and moved onto flute and the occasional saxophone.
J. Job title: Software services/badass crocheter.
K. Kids: I don't have any, and we're not sure if we want them at all. But we can love and spoil the hell out of our nieces and nephews!
L. Live: Central Montana
M. Mother's name: Linda
N. Nicknames: I've allowed a few people to occasionally call me Ames.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Nope.
P. Pet peeve: Grammar! In case you didn't know, I'm definitely a grammar Nazi.
Q. Quote from a movie: I can't choose a favorite, but because I spent a good 3 days watching all 5 hours of Bob Dylan's documentary, No Direction Home, I'll stick a quote from there. (F.Y.I. you should totally watch it.) "Hey man... I don't mind being shot, I just don't dig being told about it. "
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 1 pretty awesome sister
T. Time you wake up: 6:45 or 7 on the weekdays. Whenever possible on the weekends.
U. Underwear: Um, yes?
V. Vegetable you hate: Peas.
W. What makes you run late: Not picking out my work clothes the day before, or making my coffee.
X. X-Rays you've had: Wrist, ankle, elbow and teeth I think.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I make some awesome chicken dishes! Do I have to pick just one?
Z. Zoo animal: I love the big cats!! I do love to see all the lions and tigers. So pretty!

If anyone else does this definitely leave the link so I can check it out!

Imitation is the best form of flattery?

I will go ahead and post some of my newest projects before going onto my rant that I feel I need to get out of the way.

These are a few things that I'm going to start making for the store! I've been totally bogged down lately with custom orders, and quite a few that I can't show, but I was able to make a few quick patterns for new stuff for the shop. :)
I know we all have come to love and become addicted to Angry Birds. If not, then you must be living under a rock! I can't wait to make more of these and put them in the shop!



And now, here is my rant.
First and foremost, I would like to 100% thank every one of my followers and my Facebook fans. You guys seriously make my day. I look forward to any blog comments, or picture or post comments on Facebook. Because of you, my rant coming up, isn't so hard to deal with. I posted something briefly on Facebook and the outpouring of comments seriously just made my day.

Lately, I've been finding copycats.
This has been devastating to say the least. The newest one I found today on Etsy, selling things INCREDIBLY similar to mine, for cheaper.
I also happen to know that both of these recent copycats are on Craftster. Sadly, because of this, I've decided to no longer post my crafts on Craftster.
It's a truly sad day when creativity is gone, and has turned to stealing.

And so, this is what I have to say to all of that.
#1. I understand that I do charge more for my items. My mini's are about $25 plus shipping and handling. I would like to take a minute to explain why. I don't think I ever have, and I would like to explain the amount of work that goes into this.
The basic head, body and arms on my mini's takes me AT LEAST 2 hours to make. This doesn't include any color changing. Hair will take at least 1-2 hours as well. I make wigs for every one of my mini's that has hair, and each strand of yarn is individually threaded through a wig cap. Any accessories on them (skirt, jacket, etc.) takes even more time. This is all time, not even mentioning the amount of money spent on yarn and safety eyes and/or felt for any accessories. I do charge more, but I promise, I put my heart and soul into them. Most of the time, it's really hard to part with my creations because I kind of grow a bond. lol.
#2. In the time I spend actually crocheting everything, I want you to know that I put EXTRA CAREFUL time into sewing any and all parts onto my mini's. If I'm making something that I know is for a child, I make sure that everything is good and sturdy. I've been told that my stuff can easily go in and out of a washing machine due to children's wear and tear. I loved hearing that knowing that what I make is safe for children!
#3. I genuinely love what I do. I love sitting down and being creative, writing notes and drawing doodles for next projects. I love the mistakes made when writing patterns, and I love even more when I finally feel that I've perfected a pattern. I love making stuff that will make someone out there smile. I love the thought of my art being in people's houses, being conversation starters or just being there to make someone smile. I am 100% serious when I say that I LOVE to crochet.

And so, to anyone out there that has decided to put their own "spin" on one of my creations, I DARE YOU to be able to proudly stand up and say all of those things. I am PROUD of my work, and I'm proud of MY OWN CREATIONS! I'm proud to have some of the best followers ever, and proud to say that I've made so many friends through Craftster and my blog. If you think you can do it better, then go for it. Want to know why? Because while you try and imitate my work, I'm going to be here, having fun, and hopefully still making stuff to put a smile on someone's face, somewhere in the world.
After all, you know what they say, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."