The Mad Crafter

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 26-30

2011-10-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

It's the beginning of October. The air has the extra crisp and there's a crunching of the leaves under your feet. I must say, I just love Fall!
Here's the very end of my 30 day blog challenge! I must admit, this was fun. However, is there anything else you would like to know about me? Personal or crafting related or anything else? Feel free to ask in the comments and I'll dedicate a whole other post to answer those questions! I'm an open book and I don't mind sharing. Sometimes I feel like I don't share much about ME on here, just mostly my crafts. So, if there's anything you want to know, ask away! :)

26 If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
Oh. This is a tough one! I think it would have to be Matt Smith. #1, because I'm madly in love with him, and #2 because I would love to talk about Doctor Who for a full day. :)

27 Post one confession/secret
After thinking about this for a while, I'll confess: I am INCREDIBLY insecure about my work and most things in general. In my day to day life I'm not a perfectionist at all, but when it comes to my crafts, I'm so hard on myself. I over analyze and if someone leaves me feedback or emails me and says something like "Thanks so much for the _____" I always think, "OMG! THEY MUST HATE IT!!" It's so silly, but it's true. I'm way too hard on myself when it comes to my crafting. :)

28 Mountain hideaway or beach house?
Mountain hideaway all the way! I would love to live on the side of a mountain, with an amazing view of the whole scenery around. I would absolutely love a log cabin. :)

29 What is on your mouse pad?
Oh no! I don't have a mouse pad!! Seth does, and it's Star Trek, does that count? LOL!

30 Hugs or Kisses?
I really love them both, but there's nothing better than getting a really great hug after a crappy day. Isn't that the best feeling? :)

Thanks so much if you've followed along with this challenge! I know I slacked off and posted many days at a time (like this post*OOPS!*) but it was fun, and I hope you learned some new things about me. And again, ask any questions that you might have and I'll dedicate an entire post to it! :)

RIP

2011-10-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was going to finish up my 30 day blog challenge, but I feel that this is more important. I feel that maybe some of you are tired of hearing about it, but it's time to bring up Mr. Steve Jobs.

Yesterday, this news hit me really hard. I wasn't sure why at first. I continued to read articles, and I became more inspired than anything else.
Have you ever read anything about Steve Jobs? Let me give you a basic, quick timeline.

1976-Steve Jobs is 21. He drops out of college and starts a computer company in a parent's garage with Steve Wozniak. The first Apple computer, also known as the first personal computer, is born.

By the time Jobs was 25, he was already a multimillionaire, with his computers being distributed all over the world.
By 26, he was on the cover of Time magazine.
By 30, Jobs was fired from Apple.

If you get time, I highly recommend you read up on Steve Jobs. His story is amazing, and inspiring.

I read articles where they call him a genius, compare him to Edison, and say that he's had the biggest impact in the world of computers. All of this, and so much more is true.
Yesterday, the world lost the most creative person that the world has seen in a very long time. Jobs once said that he believes the outside of their computers should be as beautiful and aesthetically pleasing as the hardworking hardware and software inside. Marketing genius, brilliant, amazing, revolutionary are just a few words I would like to use to describe him.

And so, as I sit here on my Macbook, with my iPhone next to me, and even using my Apple router, I would like to thank Mr. Jobs.
Mr. Jobs, you will FOREVER be remembered. You've created such amazing inventions as iPods and iTunes, which has changed the way the world listens to music. You had the drive that most people can only dream of. You had the skill, technique and knowledge to literally change the world. I truly hope that he knows the impact that he had.
RIP Steve Jobs. Your long battle is over. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
Sent lovingly from my MacBook.
-Amy

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 21-25

2011-09-29T22:41:00.001-07:00

I know, slacking again, but again, I'm on vacation, so hopefully you can forgive me. :)

21. What's your favorite Broadway musical?
Well, I haven't seen a lot of musicals. However, for my first Valentine's Day with Seth, he bought me tickets to go see Jersey Boys. HOLY COW did I love it! The music alone was worth it. If you want a good one to go see, I would definitely recommend it. :)

22. If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you want to do?
See question 9-I can't believe this was on there twice! Geez!

23. Who's your favorite Care Bear?
I think my favorite was also Lucky Bear.

24. What do your parents do for a living?
My mom has always been a stay at home mom. Shortly after moving to central Florida she worked at the YMCA for a while in the nursery. She watched the kids and babies while their parents went and worked out and stuff.
My dad is a civil engineer. What does that entail? Well, I'm not quite sure. LOL! I know he works quite a bit and I know that he works hard. :)

25. Computer or television?
Oh, EASY question! Computer all the way! Seth and I don't have TV, we just have our computers. Growing up I always had TV, so it was weird when I didn't, but I realized that a computer can do everything that a TV can do. Plus, it gives us a lot of wonderful time together, so we don't have the distraction of a TV. Instead we will watch the few shows we watch on Hulu and then hang out on our computers. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 18, 19 & 20

2011-09-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm on vacation-in Florida-but I thought I would make some time since I probably won't be for a few days. :)

18 What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
A: Well, I'm in Florida now! haha! My sister just had her second child, a beautiful baby boy! I planned to come at this time, but the baby is just about 5 days old today, which is just precious. I'm definitely a proud aunt, and don't worry, I've already spoiled him tons! :)

Just look at that squishy face! So cute!! His name is Jonah Ryan Lewman and he was born on 09/19 weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz. He's TEENY TINY!
19 What is your favorite pizza topping?
A: Honestly? Cheese. If I'm in the mood I'll have other stuff on it (tomatoes, jalepenos, onion, all kinds of stuff!) but in the end, the one main thing is cheese. :)
20 What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?
A: Well, today made me SO MAD! After a 4 hour layover in Minneapolis, I got onto the flight to Tampa. The woman in front of me decided to lean her chair back. Well, I'm tall, and when you do that, it squishes my legs. This is the conversation that ensued from that:
Me: Excuse me ma'am, but would you mind putting your seat up? See, I'm really tall and when you lean it back like that, it squishes my legs, and I also can't put my tray table down.
Her: No, I can't do that.

I decided that my next 2 and a half hours would be dedicated to making this woman's life hell. I chose to point out how much it squished my legs by digging my knees directly into her back. She later proceeded to turn to her friends and talk bad about me, how inconsiderate of me to do that to her. Bahaha! In the end, it amused me, but I was so angry that she was just so rude.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 16 & 17

2011-09-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Q: 16 What is the first think you notice about a guy or girl?
A: It's all about the eyes for me! I love blue eyes, they're definitely my weakness!

Q: 17 What was the last movie you've seen?
A: I think probably the one I remember the most was Paul. If you haven't seen it, go now. Not only do I have a very huge crush on Simon Pegg, but it was hilarious. If you watch it, definitely leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

And I might enjoy it even more because I have been to Roswell and seen all the cheesy things like the movie. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 11-15

2011-09-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

I know, I can't even keep up with this. But, I have good reason. I was away for the weekend, and I came back to my sister giving birth to a wonderful baby boy! Now I'm exhausted. And I leave Saturday to head back to Florida for a week to visit the new little baby! So, I'm going to try my hardest to do my challenges as they come. :)

11. Top 5 favorite bloggers you like to read
This is a fun one! I highly recommend these blogs! Also, these are in no particular order.
Spooky Pooky Creations
33 Stitches
Danielleorama
elycia
The Dainty Squid
12. A photo of yourself and what you did today.
Worst picture ever? Most definitely. Today, I worked. I plan on early bedtime to catch up from so much missed sleep this weekend. :)

13. Tattoos. If you have one, post it and it’s story. If not, what do you want?
I'm not going to list them all, but I will mention my favorite. It was my first one, added to years later. It's dice, my maiden name. I got it with my sister, knowing that we couldn't carry on the Dice name. There is a 4 on one dice to mark the people in our immediate family. There is a 2 on the other one to symbolize me and my sister. Years later me and my sister went back and she got Big Sis around hers and I got 'Lil Sis around mine. It's my first, my most meaningful and my favorite. :)
14. What type of music do you like to listen to?
Well this is an impossible question to ask me. Favorites are oldies, most definitely. Frank Sinatra, Elvis, anything classic rock-Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival. That's really just a few of my GIANT ipod collection. :)
15. Top 5 favorite Sports players (male or female)
I'm not much of a sports fan, except football. And I don't really have many favorite football players. Sorry! :)

I hope to be back tomorrow, after a lot of sleeping and resting, and back to my blogging schedule.

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 9 & 10

2011-09-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Just be a little bit prepared for my posts to be coming a few days at a time. Coming up I have some serious traveling coming up. This weekend I'm taking a girl-cation with some awesome girl friends to stay the night in Missoula to attend a Taste of Home Cooking Show and then shop! WOOHOO! Then, the following week I will be going back down to Florida to see my sister and the family if my sister EVER gets this baby out of her! :) I can't wait to see my niece and the new baby. :)

So, here's questions 9 & 10
Q: 9 What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?
A: Geez. I hate questions like this and thinking about things like that. UGH! I would spend the day calling/Skyping my family, telling everyone possible that I love them. I would want to curl up on the couch with my husband and just relax. I think that's all I would want to do, just say my goodbyes and relax.

Q: 10. What is the first thing you notice about people?
A: At least this isn't as depressing. HAHA! The first thing I notice is eyes. They have always been my thing. I'm a COMPLETE sucker for blue eyes. I always tell Seth that that's how he got me, with his eyes. It might also be why I love Frank Sinatra so much. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 8

2011-09-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Q: 8. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
A: Well, this kind of all depends. For example, what kind of bear? A grizzly, no. But a black bear I just might be able to take! But of the two, probably a swarm of bees. Why? Because this looks pretty cool. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 5,6 &7

2011-09-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been MIA for a few days, but Seth and I have been out of town. So, I'm making it up to you by doing a few days at a time. :)
Q: 5. What is the best piece of advice you've received?
A: I've received a lot of good advice. I think one of my favorites was written in a card that we got for our wedding. It was from Seth's grandmother. Inside it said: "Of all the advice I could give, I think the most important is to never go to sleep angry."

Q: 6. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
A: I was actually a girl scout until I was in high school! I really enjoyed it and met some great friends!

Q: 7. Summer or Winter?
A: WINTER!!! I love more than anything to sit by the window, watch the snow fall and have a nice hot bowl of soup. :) Living in Montana has given me A LOT of wonderful winter memories and really experience the winter. I love it!!

Come back later for some other fun stuff that I've been doing. I'm going to share a product review and maybe even a project or two! :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 4

2011-09-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

Q: 4. Do you believe in soul mates?
A: This one is actually really tough.
Short answer. No.

I believe that relationships do or do not work out for different reasons. I don't believe that Seth and I were meant to be together and he's the only one for me in the world. We are together because we work together. We have amazing communication. We talk about EVERYTHING. We share our fears and our dreams and we talk about silly stuff all the time. We just work together to make it work. I believe that this is the reason that we're together, not that he's the only one in the world for me.
I feel that soul mates sounds too simple. I think we're a bit more complicated than that. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 3

2011-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Q: 3. Top 5 favorite Board Games
A: This is kind of a difficult one. I have games that I like now, and ones that I liked when I was little. I'll post my favorites from now though. We don't play a lot of board games, so this post may take me a while. haha!

1: Apples to Apples

I only have 1 rule with this game. HAVE FUN! I've played with people that really play it seriously. BOOOORING! I played with my good friend Donna and we had a GREAT time!

2: Monopoly

Good old fashioned fun! -as long as I'm the top hat....-

3: Scattergories

Definitely one of my favorites!

4: Yahtzee!

"Amy, do you seriously have Muppet Yahtzee?! What are you, 5?!"
Yes, I do have Muppet Yahtzee. :)

5: Clue

"Wow, Amy, all these theme games, you must really be 5."
Yes. I actually own Simpsons Clue. It was a wonderful thrift store find. :)

See you all tomorrow!

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 2

2011-09-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to start this blog out by thanking all of you! Sometimes when I lose my motivation to blog, I'll do something small and silly and then the comments come rolling in. I read each and every once of them! Thank you all SO MUCH! You rock! For this, I may do a giveaway soon on my Facebook fan page! Stay tuned. :)
And if you're not a fan, you better hurry up and become one! :)

2 How many languages can you speak?
A: I wish I can really fluent in so many languages, but I excel in only 2. I consider myself VERY fluent in English and just a little bit in American sign language.

When I was in high school, I took 3 years of sign language, even chose a college that specialized in sign language and special education. My goal was to become a teacher for the deaf. I always just thought it was a beautiful language. I've since learned that I don't want to be a teacher, but just maybe one day I might go back to school to maybe finish a 2-year degree and become an interpreter. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge-Day 1

2011-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the questions, and I'll start with #1!

1 What is your favorite food?
2 How many languages can you speak?
3 Top 5 favorite Board Games
4 Do you believe in soul mates?
5 What is the best piece of advice you've received?
6 Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
7 Summer or Winter?
8 Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
9 What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?
10 What is the first thing you notice about people?
11 Top 5 favorite bloggers you like to read
12 A photo of yourself and what you did today.
13 Tattoos. If you have one, post it and it’s story. If not, what do you want?
14 What type of music do you like to listen to?
15 Top 5 favorite Sports players (male or female)
16 What is the first think you notice about a guy or girl?
17 What was the last movie you've seen?
18 What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
19 What is your favorite pizza topping?
20 What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?
21 What's your favorite Broadway musical?
22 If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you want to do?
23 Who's your favorite Care Bear?
24 What do your parents do for a living?
25 Computer or television?
26 If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
27 Post one confession/secret
28 Mountain hideaway or beach house?
29 What is on your mouse pad?
30 Hugs or Kisses?

1 What is your favorite food?
A: Oo, wow, this is a VERY hard one. I'm going to go ahead and get complicated with this, and show you each of my favorite foods. LOL!
Favorite all time food that I believe that it goes with EVERYTHING: garlic.

Roast it, put it in sauce, put it on bread, make your own garlic butter, do whatever you choose, I can guarantee that I'll love it. I believe that once you think you have enough garlic in something, put in another clove. :)
Dessert: Hands down, cannolis.

Do we see a pattern? So, I suppose I can say that my very favorite food is anything Italian.

30 Day Blog Challenge!

2011-09-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize to EVERYONE for my lack of blogging! I can almost feel the angry mob with torches on their way to my apartment.
But, I have some good excuses/reasons. Ready?
#1. My mom recently came to visit! YAY! My family hasn't been out to see me since I moved to Montana, and it was so wonderful to see her and spend time with her. Which, leads me to #2.

#2. While my mom was here, we spent a fair amount of time shopping. I LOVE LOVE LOVE shopping, and I got to go to some new stores that I had never been to. Once of them was a place here called The Quilt Away Shop. It was floor to ceiling with fabrics. We spent hours in there, just looking through all the fabrics. Did you know that they now have fabrics that are reminiscent of the 1930's, but they're new?
So, quick sidebar. Growing up, there was one possession of my parents that I coveted above everything else. It's a quilt. My great grandmother on my Dad's side made it. When I was sick, that quilt was MINE. I swore that it healed me, and my dad would sit with me and explain where all of the fabrics came from, whether it was curtains from their living room to one of his sister's dresses. The memories that the quilt held started long before my memories started with it. I now wait impatiently for the large package under the Christmas tree to be that quilt, but I know better because my dad would never part with it. However, it's nice to have hope, right? :)
So, the 1930's fabric that I saw in the quilt shop reminded me of my great-grandmother's quilt. They were beautiful, simple, retro, yet new. Of all of them I picked one with retro patterns to make myself some beautiful kitchen curtains. After that, I might have to pick up some of the other fabric to make myself my own quilt. :)

#3. HALLOWEEN!!! That's right ladies and gents, it's time to start getting ready! I'm planning a swap with my 2 favorite crafty ladies, so I will be getting ready for that SOON!

#4. I'm working on PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS! Here's a new one! These are now available in my shop, and I will be taking custom orders for different colors. Aren't they cute?!

Ok, enough excuses. I need a bit of a blog motivation. So, here it is! The 30 day blog challenge. I found this on another blog, and this seems like the perfect way to get me out of my blogging rut. :) So, keep looking out for it, I will probably be posting the very first one right after this.
I hope everyone is doing well and I hope that everyone had a good long weekend. :)

Coupon Code!

2011-07-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a few new updates!
I don't know if I mentioned before, but I added a custom mini to my shop on Etsy! You can order whatever you would like, as long as you provide me with reference pictures! Pretty cool, eh?
And, to sweeten the deal, everything in my shop is on a Christmas in July sale! Use coupon code JULYXMAS for 15% off!

So go stop by the shop to check it out!

Also, over at Spooky Pooky Creations Facebook page, she's doing a giveaway for a custom mini plush! You should totally go and enter!

Supplies and Tips

2011-07-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

So, I've had quite a few people ask me either on my blog, Etsy or Craftster as to where I buy some of my supplies. So, this is going to be all about some of my favorite products for my ami's, and some great resources on where to buy some of the supplies!

#1. Yarn.
I've had A LOT of experience with this stuff. lol. I've tried all different kinds for my ami's. After testing and playing around, my all time favorite fiber to use for my ami's is a 100% acrylic. I know a lot of people use Red Heart Super Saver for their ami's, but that's just a little too rough for my hands! Have you used it? It's really rough! So, this is my #1 all time favorite that I've found: Impeccable Loops & Threads at Michael's.

This yarn is a Michael's exclusive, but 100% worth the trip to Michael's. This is a basic worsted weight yarn, and is so soft that you could easily make an afghan out of it! I just absolutely love how it works up with ami's! So next time you're at Michael's, I would definitely recommend grabbing some of this up!

#2. Safety Eyes
Ok, this was always the trickiest for me. Have you seen how expensive those bad boys are in the stores?! The packages only have a few pairs of eyes, and they's EXPENSIVE! So, I set out to the internet looking for the best eyes. I bought some on Ebay once, but the washers were so hard to put onto the backs that I needed to use pliers! So, I found my #1 all time favorite safety eye supplier on a little website: Sunshine Discount Crafts.

Their shipping is usually a flat rate, so I like to make big orders all at once. Their safety eyes, plain black eyes, you can get in a set of 100 pieces for $3.99! And they're definitely quality, and the washers are able to be easily pushed on using just your hands and no power tools! :)
I've dealt with this website for a little over a year now. They have always been wonderful. Shipments come FAST-which is quite impressive considering I live in Montana and they're based out of Florida-and if anything has been backordered, they call me immediately and let me know. Do they have the biggest selection? No, they don't. However, if you're just looking for black eyes or cat eyes, this is a great place that you can pick them up!

#3. Boxes
This is a funny thing. When I started selling things on a regular basis, I really was looking for somewhere to get my boxes cheap, something that would be the perfect size so they're weren't too expensive to ship. When I found this website, I found like I hit the jackpot. Ever since, I love to pass the wealth along to other Etsy sellers. I've definitely told some people about this site when I knew they were paying too much by the piece at a place like Michael's for jewelry boxes. So, here it is: Uline.com.

This is another site where I've always had excellent service! My boxes get to me quickly and shipping is minimal. You pay by the box, and the more you buy, the cheaper they are! It's a really great site and if you're selling regularly on Etsy and need boxes, this is the site for you!!

Well, that's all I have for today. If I think of anymore I'll write them down and include another post! If anyone checks out these websites I would love to hear what you think!

New projects!!

2011-07-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

I can finally add some new projects to my blog! I'm excited that I'm able to do that!

I was emailed a while ago by a very good friend's mom. She told me that she wanted to order 2 things for said friend. I proceeded to work on these, which I was VERY excited about. Then, about 2 weeks later I was contacted by said friend's sister! haha! I felt so honored that my friend likes my stuff so much and everyone decided to order stuff for her!
And so, here are the 2 that her mom ordered: Jack Skellington and Coraline!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm going to be back with some tips and hints for where to buy some awesome supplies!

Bad Blogger!

2011-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm guilty. I know. And for that, I apologize.
My recent projects, I can't post pictures of just yet. But, I wanted to come here and connect, and so, here I am.
This is going to be an Etsy post! I believe everyone should have fun on Etsy for a while each day.
Also, here's something fun Etsy related! Ever heard of Groupon? If so, check out Heartsy.me. It's like Groupon for Etsy! It's amazing. You should most definitely check it out.

Ok, here's some of my newest favorites!

How adorable is this purse? I think it would be a perfect summer purse!
Source.

I've been looking at so many adorable earrings on Etsy! That, plus, I love owls. So how could I not love these?
Source.

Seth and I are celebrating our anniversary in just a couple of weeks! Eek! My present came early, in the form of a Nintendo 3DS! It's amazing, and I think I need something this adorable to hold it in.
Source.

This store is my new favorite! I bought a wallet from them. Amazing communication, quick shipping and great quality! Bonus: Look how cute that is!
Source.

Are you as excited as everyone else for the new Harry Potter? Well now you can buy a wand from none other than the amazing Alexz! She's got TONS, all OOAK and all beautiful!
Source.

I've been looking for some BFF rings, and what would be cuter than PB&J?! (Shhh....don't tell Alexz....it's a surprise! lol)
Source.

And that's all for tonight! I hope everyone is having a great week. Seth is traveling to Chicago to visit family, so I'm doing lots of crocheting and I will try my hardest to take some good pictures of some projects. :)

Spooky Pooky

2011-06-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

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."

Projects, projects, projects.

2011-05-21T15:53:00.001-07:00

Due to my overwhelming amount of custom orders, anything else ordered will be about 2 weeks out. I can't believe the amount of responses I've been receiving! It's so amazing! I'm so glad that I'm able to do this and make people happy!

Here's some of my newest. First up is Dr. Zoidberg, done by request.

His jacket is also removable.

This is a platypus made for a friend. He got sent out today too!

And here's the newest progress on my scarf! I've been working on it every once in a while when I'm not too busy. :)
Please ignore the pink furry slippers. haha!

Ok, that's it for today! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I must get back to work now!

Going Green!

2011-05-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

So this post is brought on by a few things.
#1. My sister recently started a blog! She's a serious health nut. When she mentioned that she wanted to do a giveaway, I jumped at the chance!
So, I explained to her that I make these and use them ALL THE TIME. You know those cotton rounds that most people use to remove makeup or wash their face? Here's a great solution to those! These are 100% reusable, just throw them in the wash with your clothes. They're 100% natural cotton which means no harmful dyes.
I'm making some for my sister's giveaway, and I think I'll make a couple sets to stick in the shop to see how they do. I think they're great though. I really do use them all the time. :)

#2. I couldn't be more excited for Spring. It's not quite here in Montana yet, but I can't wait for it! With the coming of Spring/Summer here, we also get the Farmer's Market. Every year I get so excited for this. Farmer's from all over bring their delicious fruits and veggies. My ALL TIME FAVORITE thing to buy at my farmer's market is garlic. There's a guy that sells it and it's the most potent garlic I've ever had. I love it so much!
So I thought I would make a produce bag for us to bring to our Farmer's Market instead of using the plastic bags they provide. Along with that I made a separate garlic bag to keep my garlic in and hang in my kitchen! These are also made out of the same 100% cotton that's all natural. :)

To give you an idea of size, there's about 5 mangos in the big bag.

That's it for now! I'll be back in a little bit with an update on some projects and my progress on my scarf. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

An Etsy SNUB?!

2011-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

What?!
The day has come where I have actually been snubbed by an Etsian. I must say, I am APPALLED! Here's the story:
I have been on a hunt for a cute wristlet. What better place to find one than Etsy, right?! So, I go to one of my favorite sellers.
**For my own personal reasons, I will not name the seller here.**
So, I go to my trusted seller. This seller is considered trusted, in my opinion, because I've ordered a few things from her, and I really like her work. I feel that she's very professional and her stuff is well made. But then I notice, *GASP!* she doesn't have her wristlets in her store right now! So, I figured, after searching around Etsy and finally just wanting one of her wristlets, I convo her. So, I did.....TWO WEEKS AGO!
Now, some of you may say something like, "Amy, give her a break, maybe she's out of town, maybe there's something wrong."
Now, if something was wrong, I would understand. However, instead of having her respond to me, VERY willing to hand her over my money for her goods, she decides to ignore me. How do I know this? Because I follow her blog....EVERY....DAY....and every day, there's a new post. AND, she's been COMPLETELY re-doing her store lately. So, basically, I feel like I got an Etsy snub.
However, this will not discourage me! I have another seller that I plan on ordering my wristlet from, someone that I also trust, and someone who has them on hand in their store, so hopefully there will be no snubs. :)

So, here is my quick tribute to my new awesome Etsy experiences!!
xo Greetings
I just ordered something from her shop recently! The shipping was fast, and I love my notecards! Writing letters is a lost art, which is so sad. Next time you want to write a letter, you should consider buying some notecards here. I would recommend this ADORABLE pear note card.

Ah, the awesome KapomCrafts!
So, on the hunt for a fun case for my iphone, I stumbled upon this awesome little shop. Affordable, quick shipping and cute stuff! This is the case I got, and I opted for the optional wristlet in the same fabric. It clips onto my strap of my purse so my phone isn't just rolling around and getting scratched in my purse, and I can easily find it if it rings. I definitely think you should go check them out!

Sealed With a Kiss jewelry
I will admit that I've been going a bit crazy in this shop lately! She's got some SUPER awesome stuff in there (yes, I even ordered a few things tonight. lol!) and super well made and really quick shipping. Also, if you become a fan on their Facebook page, she has daily deals for her stuff for CHEAP!!! Go now!
I think this is my favorite piece in there right now.

That's all for right now. I feel better now that I've ranted for a bit. Now, I think I'll buy my wristlet from a RELIABLE seller. :)

Photo Dump!

2011-05-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to post random things here, including my newest projects and what not. I'm coming back in just a little bit for a slight rant as well, and another tribute to Etsy!
For now, here you go!

Custom order, Peter Pan!

I have some other custom orders that I need to take pictures of, I just haven't yet. :)
Sunday I took some time to myself and actually made something for me! In case you haven't seen him on Facebook yet, here he is. I LOOOOVE him so much! I got the pattern here, and I highly recommend this seller! I've purchased a pattern from her before, and this one doesn't disappoint either.
I haven't named him just yet, but I love him. :)

And this is what I"m currently working on: a blue platypus! haha!

Ok, that's all for now! coming right up, another *hopefully* inspirational Etsy post! :)

Progress and projects

2011-05-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, as usual, I've been busy!
Currently, I'm working on A LOT of custom orders! I'm almost done with 2 and that means I probably only have about 3 left. It's going really great though! I love getting custom orders from people, especially with new ideas. It's been so much fun!

I got a pretty awesome swap package from an old swapper of mine. She does AMAZING work in clay. And this is what I got in the mail today!!

Haha! I love it. And yes, I am aware that this makes me a complete nerd. You can find her shop here. Her stuff is really good quality. We were partnered up for a swap a long time ago, and we've been swapping ever since. haha!

Also, I'm making progress on my scarf. It's now at 22 inches long! Woohoo!

In other news, I've been going a bit crazy buying accessories for my phone. For the record, I don't know how people live without iPhones. I just love mine! So, I got a few accessories that should be on their way SOON! Woohoo!

Ok, that's it for now. I'll probably stop by tomorrow to chat some more. :)

Progress!

2011-05-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

I've been making quite a bit of progress lately! The scarf so far is 17 and a half inches. It's 13 inches wide. I'm having a lot of fun with it though!

And my big news for my weekend is a bit silly, but to me it's a huge deal. lol. Seth was available for an early upgrade on his phone, and he found out that he could actually switch it over to my name! So, I FINALLY got my iphone! I've wanted an iphone for such a long time, and I was so excited when it came to Verizon.
Does anyone have any suggestions of apps that I need?
I hope everyone's having a good weekend!

New projects and progress!

2011-04-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that I'm updating again already?! lol!
So, here's what I've been doing!

#1. Progress on my scarf!

Doesn't it look great?! I've been having fun with it, and hopefully it comes along quickly. :)

Next up, my newest projects that I made for my One Tiny Doctor Who Thing swap. I love the One Tiny Thing swaps! However, me and my partner actually decided on making 2 each. Her favorite villains were mine too!
I won't clog this up with all of my pictures, but you can find more on my Facebook (which, if you're not a fan, SHAME ON YOU! haha) and I'll have the Craftster links under the pictures as well. :)
First up, the Weeping Angel

More pictures are here.
And the Empty Child

More pictures can be found here.

That's all for now! I'm going to be back later with some answers to my blog comments!!

Progress: New Project

2011-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

So, I will officially start updating progress on my new long-term goal! I have decided to make the famous scarf worn by Tom Baker in Doctor Who!
For those of you that don't know, this is what it looks like.

This will be my new project to tote everywhere with me and work on whenever I can. See, normally I can't take my amigurumi's with me to work and stuff, simply because it takes a lot more stuff to make them. Ex. safety eyes, stuffing, finishing needle, etc. So, this is something I can work on wherever! I will be updating my progress as well.
Here's what I have so far, remember I just cast on today. haha

I plan on making it about 16 feet long. If Seth and I ever get to a Doctor Who-or even Comicon-convention, then I definitely plan on wearing it! Until then, I think it will make a lovely window valance!
I'm excited about it because I rarely have long-term crafting goals. The things I make may take me a couple days, max. It's nice to know that I have something that I"m going to be working on for a while!
What do you think? Any other Who fans out there that have made the scarf? I'd love to hear what you think!

Ah, we meet again!

2011-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been slacking again! But, I have been REALLY busy!

I had my Ood featured on a website! I found out from someone on Etsy that contacted me. Well, within the next 2 hours after I heard I was featured, I had 3 emails for a total of 7 custom orders! You can see mine here on the website.
After the 7 custom orders (that I"m still currently working on) I have another 2 on hold.
I ordered my new business cards and magnets! I actually got the magnets in the mail the other day, and I LOOOOOVE them! I'm so excited that these can start getting shipped in my packages. :)
I've been going to BOOT CAMP!!! A lady at work suggested it, and me and a co-worker decided to sign up. It's Monday, Tuesday and Thurday's from 6 am-7 am. It's been A LOT of work, but I've really been enjoying it! Bonus is that my pants are currently FALLING OFF of me!
I've been in the One Tiny Doctor Who Thing swap! I can't show pictures just yet, but I sent it out today, so hopefully I can post pictures Monday or Tuesday. I love what I sent though, and my partner is super awesome and I"m excited to see what she's sending me!

And, this is currently my new love, my Magic Bullet! After discussing for a while with my friend Jackie, I finally broke down and got it. The set I got is from Costco, and I highly recommend it just because it comes with a blender attachment, and I think that's totally worth it!

And there's a few other things that I've been doing, and I would LOVE to hear some comments and suggestions on them!
I've been on the search for the PERFECT pair of flats! Does anyone have any suggestions? I have a couple pairs, but I would love to hear some opinions on nice ones that don't blister and stuff!
So far, these are my new favorites!
Odell flats from Target
And I can't get a picture to post, so you'll just have to try out the link. haha.
And I recently got these flats from Big Buddha brand and OMG do I LOVE them! They are so comfortable and so cute!

So yea, any suggestions would be great!
I hope everyone has a great Easter, and I promise that I'll be back next week! :)

C-C-C-CHANGES!

2011-04-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Did I miss a C?? Hmm, I don't know.
So, notice something new? Or maybe a whole lot of new?! lol!

The amazing Alexz showed me some more of her amazing talent with this little gem, my new official logo!!!

Yea, it's pretty much awesome! I love it so much! She also made me new business card logos as well as a new Etsy banner, so you should go to my store**coughbuystuffcough** and check out my new banner! :)

Promo 4 Promo

2011-04-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

The lovely Lauren from The Perfect Pear has this great thing called Promo 4 Promo. She gets people to advertise her blog, and then she advertises yours! It's a great thing, and I signed up, so here we go!
One of my favorite things about The Perfect Pair is her D.I.Y's! I love them. I'm totally going to make this for all of my earrings!

And she loves rings just as much as I do! The bigger the better!
Psst...I even have some on their way from Etsy. :)

So go over to The Perfect Pair and check out her awesome blog!

Playing Catch Up #2: Cthulhu and Shaun

2011-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

So, a while ago I met a super awesome crafter on Etsy. She ordered quite a few things of mine, and when the time came for me to need some things, she sent me stuff that helped me out TREMENDOUSLY, all for nothing. She had asked for a mini Shaun from Shaun of the dead, and I thought I would send it to her just for fun and as a huge thank you for everything she's helped me out with.
So, here he is!

And, I realized recently that I never made a full Cthulhu! How terrible is that?! So, I of course had to. lol.

He's not in the shop yet, but he will be soon. :)

Playing catch up: Zombie Swap

2011-04-03T14:48:00.001-07:00

I've been a terrible blogger. I hate it when that happens. :(
My new job has taken more time than I was expecting, for some reason. So, basically, I'm going to make a couple posts to cover everything that I've been up to. First up, my newest projects!

I was recently in the Zombie Swap on Craftster. I got a pretty amazing and epic package, and this is what I sent. I was told that she wanted plush, so I went crazy with plush! First, was my biggest project that I love, the zomboctopus!

I really love how he turned out and definitely plan on making some more of these because of how much fun they are. And here is everything I sent together! I sent the zomboctopus, a large zombie with a head wound, carrying a smaller zombie head, and a decapitated zombie head pillow.

And here's a quick shot of what I got in return. It included a zombie coffee mug that says "I'm a zombie without my coffee" LOVE! Two super awesome necklaces, one of a brain and a zombie cameo. And my favorite, a blood spatter pillow!

Stromboli!

2011-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

I will go ahead and admit it. Stromboli might be one of my all time favorite foods.
I got a great response on my recipe last time around, and when I thought of what I was making for dinner, I decided to start snapping pictures and blog away!
Extra bonus, this is a REALLY simple meal. I serve it with just a side of spaghetti sauce.

FACT: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STROMBOLI AND A CALZONE IS THAT A CALZONE HAS RICOTTA CHEESE!

So, here we go!!!
I'm going to give a basic list of ingredients, and then I'll tell you what I used.

Pizza crust-I just use the Pillsbury

Veggies
Meat
Cheese
Italian seasoning
Egg wash

Now, here's the fun thing about stromboli. Basically, you can put ANYTHING you want in here! These are only my suggestions, and I mix it up every time I make this. Feel free to have fun with it!

VEGGIES!

For my veggies, I used green peppers, onions, black olives and LOTS of garlic. You can never really have enough garlic, right?

MEAT!

I used pastrami, salami, ham and pepperoni.

CHEESE!

If you don't have Tillamook cheese where you live, then I truly feel sorry for you. It's amazing.
I used an Italian blend cheese and some parmesan. I have used just shredded mozzarella before, and that's amazing as well!

Ok, time to get to the basics!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet and spread out your dough. Stretch it pretty far to the edges, this will all have to be used to wrap everything up.
Start layering all of your meat, cheese and veggies in the middle. You don't want it to spread too far to the edge.

Sprinkle with your italian seasoning.
Start wrapping it up! You just need to put all of the edges to the middle to wrap it neatly. Pinch the ends together so that stuff doesn't fall out!

Brush the top with egg wash. This will just make it nice and brown when you bake it. Sprinkle with some more italian seasoning.

Now it's ready for the oven!!!
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Like I said, I like having it with some spaghetti sauce to dip it in!

I hope you guys try this. I think I'll come back later to share some crafts!

Etsy Favorites: Pt. 2

2011-03-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

I got a great response on my last Etsy post. I really want to thank you all for commenting on my posts, and I truly do read every one of them!

First up, someone had mentioned in the blog the mass-produced stuff on Etsy. Of course, it's out there. I hate seeing things like that as well. I can only think though, that for every awful 'Made in China' mass produced store, there's a store that truly has handmade things for people. For anyone that has had a bad experience with Etsy or these mass produced stores, I'm so sorry. I just want everyone to know how great Etsy really can be!

And so, this is another Etsy favorites post!!!
These are some of my favorite items that I have purchased on Etsy, and a quick review of the items. :)

First up, my harmonica necklace.
I bought this for my Bob Dylan concert. Yes, this is a WORKING harmonica! Personally, I love this necklace! I wear it all the time.

Found from this seller.

These are my favorite earrings, EVER. I do love buying jewelry on Etsy! haha! These, however, are extra special. These earrings are mood earrings. Yes, they actually work and they do actually change color! They're AWESOME! I also have a ring and the pair of sprinkle earrings from the same seller. They're all SUPER awesome.

Found from this seller.

I found this seller through another blog I follow. They did a review of the products, and the scents just smelled so great that I had to try them out. I bought soap and lotion to begin with, and then later bought some lip balm. If you ever need a new and wonderful smell in your life, get this stuff! The sellers are SUPER awesome to work with. The soap here has a layer on one side of granules to exfoliate your skin. I'm not a soap girl at all, I've always preferred body wash, but this stuff is GREAT!

Found from this seller.

And, my very favorite thing I've ever bought on Etsy: our wedding rings.
Yes, we've all seen the wedding posts on Etsy, and we've always read blogs about Etsy weddings. Mine wasn't completely an Etsy wedding, but I found some great stuff, like my veil on Etsy. This, however, was a woman who went above and beyond to help us out.
When Seth and I were looking for wedding rings, we wanted something that would match the band around my engagement ring, but there was a problem, my ring is an antique. It makes the ring very endearing and just very vintage looking, but doesn't make for an easy time to order rings. We planned the wedding in a matter of weeks, so we didn't have much time to find rings, and it was our #1 priority. After searching online and NEVER finding a ring that matched my engagement ring, low and behold, Etsy had the PERFECT ring. I will now go into the detail of how amazing this seller is about going WAY above and beyond for us.
For starters, I knew my ring size, but Seth didn't know his. Yes, we could have very easily gone to a jewelry store, but the seller insisted that for $1 she would send me a sizer. It got here quickly enough to measure his finger and then send off our sizes to the seller. We wanted mine to be just a plain band, and we wanted Seth's to be the same ring, just thicker. She told us that she could just solder a few rings together for Seth to make it wider.
We ordered our rings with a couple weeks to the wedding, and very scared that the rings wouldn't come in time because they were coming from Canada and we all know how international shipping can be! But, with only days left until we left for Vegas, the little envelope showed up in the mail.
This seller worked so well with me, and to just set things aside to help out a nervous bride, she was amazing. She let me know of everything that was going on in every step of making our rings.

Found from this seller.

Dealing with these sellers has inspired me on Etsy. They have set an example of how to provide wonderful service and products to their customers. The woman who helped me with our rings has probably been my biggest influence. I believe that bending over backwards for a customer is the perfect way to do things. She provided me with a quality, custom item, and did it all in rush order, all for an INCREDIBLY reasonable price.
These are the people that keep me coming back to Etsy. And I hope that you all have wonderful experiences like that too that keep you going back to Etsy. If you ever lose faith in it, I just ask that you search a little harder. You will find that perfect seller to help you out. :)
And, I did promise that I would buy an item from someone that didn't have any sales. Want to know what I bought?! It was the bat!

I love him! I think I'm going to put him in my office. And the bat isn't available anymore, but don't worry, because the seller has some awesome stuff in her shop! Check it out here!

EDIT: Check out this wonderful shop! Yes, I have ordered from them before. They make these ADORABLE cup cozies, and their newest Valentine ones (which are SUPER cute!) are on sale and all proceeds are going to The American Red Cross to help out the tsunami victims in Japan.
Etsy, you need more sellers like this, the ones that keep the rest of us going and inspired! These are the people that *I* would want to buy from. Don't you agree?

Etsy Favorites

2011-03-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

Anyone else out there as addicted to Etsy as I am? I thought I would share some of my very favorites that I've found lately!

Found here.
This is all jewelry made from real four leaf clovers. How awesome is that?!

Found here.
I just love reusable coffee sleeves. This is one I just might HAVE to have! Extra bonus, it's my newest swap partner on Craftster!

Found here.
Could this ring be any cuter?!

Found here.
She makes the cutest little plush! How adorable is this bat?! ::Note to self:MUST. BUY. BAT!::::

Found here.
Ok, this shirt I actually do own. For the record, I have it in orange, and it's my new favorite shirt. It fits SO WELL and it's so incredibly soft!!!

I decided to do an Etsy post for a few reasons.
#1. I believe everyone should spend some time just window shopping around Etsy. The amount of talent on the site is really just unbelievable.
#2. I have so much respect for every one of those artists. I love people that make and buy handmade. It's really amazing to just be able to go to a website and pick out a gift for someone and know that there's love put into it and that it's unique.
#3. I TOTALLY forgot until today, I just had my 1 year Etsy anniversary!
I want to thank everyone that follows my blog, and for all of the blogs I follow, because it's people like you that give me the inspiration. I've so enjoyed this past year on Etsy. For any of you just starting out, just wait, it'll take off! I remember it took me months to make my first sale, and now I'm doing custom orders on a regular basis. I enjoy it so much. I love that people have come to my store for something special and that I can provide a unique gift for them. This whole experience has been wonderful!
And so, I just decided, that today, in celebration of my Etsy anniversary, I will go buy an item on Etsy that will be a sellers first sale, because we all know how great the feeling is when you get your first sale. :)
I hope that I have inspired some of you out there like you all have inspired me!!!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

2011-03-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so stuffed right now from dinner. I thought I would share the recipe with you!

I've never been much of a cook, to be honest. When I moved in with Seth I really started cooking. I felt it was kind of my duty. haha. The more I cooked, the more I enjoyed it! I've really been making some wonderful things. I've learned that the crock-pot is my friend and that I can buy a huge thing of chicken and have it every night of the week and none of it would taste the same. There's just wonderful things about chicken!
So, here's one of my specialties. It's SUPER easy, and Seth and I LOVE it. Extra bonus is that it really makes great leftovers too! I got this recipe a few years ago, but didn't start making it a lot until recently. It's also very much approved by my friend Jackie!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

You will need:
About 2 cups of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I buy really big chicken breasts, so I usually just use 2, but use more if they're smaller.)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. container of sour cream
3/4 cup chicken flavor stuffing
2 Tbs. poppy seeds
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers (I usually just use 1 sleeve of Ritz and then crush those)
1/2 stick of butter-melted

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook. I find that I can cut them up nicely and then stick them in a pot of water with a few bouillon cubes. I cook this for just a little bit, until they're no longer pink in the middle. If you cut them into bite sized pieces before cooking them, it definitely cooks quicker! I've also used just chicken broth to cook it in as well.
3. Mix together soup, sour cream, poppy seeds, garlic powder and pepper.
4. Mix in stuffing.
5. Add chicken. I used to cool off the chicken first, but it's going right into the oven, so you shouldn't have to do that.
6. Pour entire mixture into casserole dish. There's no need to spray the pan.
7. Sprinkle crushed crackers and then pour the melted butter.
8. Cover with foil and cook at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
9. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
10. ENJOY!

I would LOVE to know if anyone tries this recipe! It's definitely a favorite in my household.

How do you like the idea of me posting recipes? I have some other fun ones, would you guys like me to post some more? Let me know!

Busy!

2011-03-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to get a new post in and just share a few things.
First and foremost, WELCOME to all my new followers! It's great to have you here!

#1. I swear I'm not abandoning you!!! Since going back to work, things are more busy than I expected them to be. I really am enjoying it though! I have a giant office (I'll post pictures as I decorate!) and everyone there is SUPER nice! All in all, so far, it's a really wonderful job!

#2. I've been working on swap stuff! I can't show any of it yet, but I'm seriously TOTALLY excited to show it off SOON!

#3. Since getting my first paycheck, I was at Joann's and they had Ott Lite's on sale. I swear, I have been wanting an Ott Lite for so long, and when I was there and I saw the 40% off sign, it was MINE! Also, I love this and I'm now seriously considering getting one for my office. This one has a craft caddy with it, which is perfect for my pens and pencils, little Ginghers and my row counter. Oh, and don't forget Coraline! She fits perfectly in there!
So, if you've been contemplating an Ott Lite, DO IT! There's TONS of sales on them all the time, and it's definitely worth it.

#4. Mug rugs. I'm officially obsessed. I want to find as many fat quarters as possible and make a trillion of these. So for this one, I finally broke into my Elvis fabric that I've been hoarding. My mom sent me 2 different kinds of Elvis fabrics a LONG time ago, and they've been sitting in my craft closet ever since, just waiting for that perfect project. Now, I still have tons of the fabric (suggestions are welcome!) and I think I might make at least 1 mug rug out of it and put it in my store. What do you guys think?
I had to use the bigger print for the back, but I seriously love this!

#5. I've REALLY enjoyed dressing up for work lately. I've been wearing my pj's for far too long, and dressing up in business attire and skirts just makes me feel good about myself! I've really loved it! Another thing I love is finding fun and different ways to do my hair. When I found this pattern on Craftster, I knew I had to make myself some headbands! I whipped these guys up last night in no time. I will definitely be putting them on some headbands for myself. They're also small enough that you could put them on a baby headband! Aren't they adorable?!

And that's all for now! I will definitely be back to share some more stuff very soon, but I thought that would be enough for 1 post. haha

Mug Rug

2011-03-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

I discovered these recently on Craftster. Since I've been drinking a lot of tea lately (and I've ALWAYS drank a lot of coffee) then it only seemed natural that I would NEED one!

I wasn't sure how I was going to get one, but finally, yesterday, I sat down and did it! It was SUPER quick to make, and it is perfect for small pieces of fabric. I think this one I might bring to work to keep in my office. Isn't it the perfect size to keep a mug and a muffin?! I love it!

And of course it has cupcakes on it. lol! I'm definitely going to make more. Maybe I'll keep a few in my office! I have some Elvis fabric laying around for a while and I think it'll be PERFECT for a mug rug!

Also, I've been on the lookout for some stuff lately, and I thought I would post about it on my blog in case anyone can help me out! I am willing to pay or swap for this!
Basically, I need a very wide bracelet, about 2 and a half inches wide. I need it to cover my tattoo for work, so I'm looking for a lot, all different colors and stuff to keep it fun! Does anyone have an ideas or can anyone help me out and make me one?
Leave a comment if you can!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Frankenstein

2011-03-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

I've been CRAZY busy lately! This weekend I'm just making a list of everything that I need to do, and it's a long list! I need to go shopping for my mom and my niece for their birthdays which I'm really excited about. I'll probably go to a tea shop for my mom, and I've been wanting to go there anyway, so it's a nice bonus. haha. And I need to mail out my giveaway because I bet that Nessa is getting impatient by now! I haven't forgotten about you Nessa, it'll be mailed out this weekend! :)

And, this is one of the swaps that I've been involved in! I also signed up for the next round because this one was so much fun! I had an AMAZING partner who made me a Frankenstein!

And look, there's a Bride of Frankenstein pin on him that I can take off! She's totally going onto my coat!

And, that's all for now! I can't share anything that I've been working on because I've just been working on swap stuff. I'll be excited to share all the zombie goodness with you though!

New stuff!

2011-02-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling better, so it's definitely time for me to update my blog. :)

First up, I got a wonderful package the other day from my wonderful crafty friend, Lanikins. It's a belated birthday gift, and this little girl is AMAZING! I swear she must be all hand sewn, and she's TEENY TINY! I love her to death, and she's even creepier in person!

And here is my newest creation. I'm actually so excited to share this because this is completely inspired by YOU!
In our giveaway, a few of you out there suggested that I make some of my cryptids with themes for the holidays! I loved that idea, so of course I had to make one for St. Patrick's Day! And he's going right into my store. I will be working on yeti's as well, and I will definitely be doing these for all of the holidays!

And, that's all for now. Now that I'm feeling better it's time for me to get moving on another swap and some other things. :) I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Whew!

2011-02-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot going on here with me. For starters, I'm incredibly sick. It really sucks. I even had to call into work! It's only my second week! But, I'm starting to feel better.

I've been working on a lot of stuff, and I have a lot to show you. But, for now, I hope this will do. :)
I was recently in the One Tiny Stuffie swap and I had a partner who loved Elvis, so of course, I had to make her an Elvis! This guy was SERIOUSLY hard to part with!

Isn't he adorable?!
And, I'll be back hopefully tomorrow with more projects to show you. I'm just so tired right now and feel that it's definitely time for medicine and then bed. But I promise I won't be away for so long next time. :)

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!!

2011-02-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY?!

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 84
Result:
7

and the winner is.....NESSA!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Also, Alexz and I have discussed today that we're probably going to be shipping it out into 2 shipments, if that's ok with you.
Thanks to EVERYONE for entering. This giveaway has been TONS of fun! And, I got tons of ideas for my next giveaway, and other ideas of things to make. It was just great hearing from everyone!

Thrilla

2011-02-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

So, have I mentioned that I'm currently co-organizing a zombie swap with Lanikins? Well, I am. haha. I needed some inspiration. I wasn't sure what else to make, and I just didn't know where to turn. So, after a quick search on Amazon, I found Zombie Felties.

Found here.

So, if you were looking at the book and thought you might want to get it, but you weren't sure, then GO GET IT!
Not only does it have all the patterns, but they're so easy. I was afraid that with just hand sewing, I wouldn't be too good with it. I was wrong! It was really simple. I think the thing that took the longest was just cutting out the pattern pieces! lol.
So now, I would like to introduce, Thrilla.
I LOOOOOOOOVE him! He was a test run, and will DEFINITELY be staying with ME! lol. And, he's TEENY TINY!

And that's all for now! I've been working on a lot of swap stuff, and I"m super excited, but I can't post anything on it just yet.
I started my new job this week! It's not at all what I was expecting, but honestly, I love it. Everyone there is super nice, and just really patient with me. The first day was really overwhelming, but everyone has no problem slowing things down for me and just explaining things. Want to know what the best part is? I have this GIANT office! I feel like a real grown-up now. lol. The office is massive, and I"m excited to start decorating it. :)
I hope everyone has a great weekend! How funny, it's my first weekend after starting a job and it's a 3 day weekend. :)

New work and Giveaway questions answered!!

2011-02-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

So, I wanted to answer some questions about the giveaway that you've been asking!

#1. And most importantly, thanks to EVERYONE that has entered so far! This has been an AMAZING response, and I just can't even believe it! We got some super awesome ideas for our next giveaway, and I got some really awesome ideas for some new things to make SOON! ::hint hint::watch out for some holiday themed yetis!

#2. The date we will be closing the giveaway is 2/21. I will edit the original post to reflect that. Sorry I missed that the first time!!

#3. Due to some people wanting to join into the giveaway, but not wanting to create a Blogger account, we will be accepting comments on our Facebook fan pages. There have been a few people commenting on our Facebook fan pages and telling us that they weren't sure how to enter, so we will allow their posts on there as entries. :)

Also, it seems that the most popular new theme idea is a zombie theme! This fits right into what I've been doing lately with my newest swap. Did I mention that I'm co-organizing a swap on Craftster? It's a zombie swap with one of my crafting besties, Lanikins. I'm SOOOO excited about it. I've also joined into a tiny stuffie swap. I can't post anything I've been working on, and that really disappoints me! haha.
But, I can post this. Another custom item. This is Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver.

And, the reference picture.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! My arm is healing up nicely, and I start a new job on Monday. I'm so excited, and a little bit nervous. I feel like it's the first day of school! lol. I haven't worked in about 18 months, so this is HUGE for me!

Exciting Week!

2011-02-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, a HUGE hello to all my new followers! It's great to have you here. I hope you enjoy my blog.
I'm looking at changing up my blog a little bit too, maybe focus a little more on my every day life, and still include crafts, but just put in other things about my life.

I will start with all of the exciting stuff going on with me this week! First, I got a call back yesterday afternoon for the job that I REALLY wanted...and guess what?! I GOT THE JOB! I'm super excited and I start Monday. I'm really hoping I can balance a work life and a craft life at the same time. I know that plenty of other people do, so I have faith. :)

And, because I got a job, one big bonus is that I get to go clothes shopping! haha. I love shopping. But, I'm not a huge fan of shopping for clothes. I have tried on way too many ill-fitting clothes, and I just don't like it. But want to know what I LOVE shopping for? Shoes. They're a bit of a weakness of mine. lol.
After shopping around today, I found these:

I found them at Payless and fell in love. They're also SUPER comfortable.
And, in addition to that, I thought I would do a little pay it forward while I was there. Of course Payless always has a buy one, get one 50% off. So, I got these:

Found here. There's a lot more information there, and you should definitely check it out.
Basically, when you buy a pair, they donate a pair to a child in need!
They're only $20, but if you buy another pair, then of course they're only $10. :)

And now, down to today. I was running a hwole bunch of errands, because of course I'm in two swaps right now. So, I went and ran errands. I wanted to find a book, so I went to Hastings. When I was leaving, the entire sidewalk was nothing but ice. Solid, unsalted, ice. So, my right leg completely left from under me, and I caught myself with my right arm. I immediately felt a pain in my elbow. Eventually, I had to call Seth and have him take me to the urgent care center. So now, I have a fractured elbow. Seriously, my arm is KILLING me. The doctor gave me a sling and told me basically to just put ice on it and take ibuprofen for the swelling.

So, the next few days I will be just pretty much hanging out and relaxing. I'm hoping that my arm will feel better very soon.
I hope everyone is having a better week than myself! haha

GIVEAWAY!

2011-02-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time! The giveaway is officially starting!
Here's the deal. Along with the amazing Spooky Pooky Creations, we have our epic giveaway getting started right now.
Here's the goods!

This giveaway is for TONS of stuff! And of course, all with a wonderful, wintery yeti theme.

1. mini amigurumi yeti made by me!
2. adult yeti hat made by me!
3. yeti tote bag, key holder and ornament set all with the famous Spooky Pooky yeti!
4. mini yeti mounted head
5. big plush yeti made by Spooky Pooky!

We've been planning this giveaway for quite some time, and we're so glad to finally get it all going! This is an epic set, so I hope everyone signs up!
For each entry, please include your email so we can get ahold of you if you win.
There are 5 ways to enter the giveaway and you can be entered more than once! Here is how:

1. Follow both of our blogs and leave a comment that you are a new follower. If you already are followers, leave a comment suggesting what our next giveaway theme should be.

2. Leave a comment stating your favorite item in both of our shops or something else you would like to see in the stores.

3. Follow both our Facebook pages and let us know you are new. Again, if you are already Facebook followers leave a comment suggesting what our next giveaway theme should be.

4. Buy an item from either of our stores. Please list in the comment what you purchased.

5. Post about our giveaway on your blog, website, or Facebook, and/or leave our button on your page and show us the link of where you posted it with a comment.:)

You may leave all your comments here on this announcement, but remember, in order to be entered you must follow both blogs and Facebook pages, not just one or the other.

Giveaway will end on 2/21/11!

And, here's the button for you!

Good luck everyone!

Gryffindor

2011-02-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

So, after getting a personal request for one, I made a Gryffindor hat and put it in the shop!

Personally, I love it! I love the colors, I love the slouchyness of the hat, and most of all, I love the pom pom.
And I'm taking any requests at all for other house colors if anyone is interested!

And, in other news, I'm co-organizing my very first swap! The amazingly talented Lanikins over on Craftster is the head organizer for the Zombie Swap!! And I can't believe what a huge hit it is so far! There's only a few spots left, so if any fellow Craftsters are interested, you better hurry!!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Anyone doing anything exciting for the Super Bowl?? We're going to a friend's to watch, and I think I'll be making a cheese ball! If it turns out good, I think I'll go ahead and post the recipe here. :)

Alex

2011-02-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is my newest custom order.
I was sent a request the other day on Etsy for a few of my mini's that I've been making lately. Again, I really love these guys! They're a lot of fun to make!

And so, I was asked if I could make Alex from A Clockwork Orange. And, here he is! I just completed him this morning with his cane.

And now I have to work on another one today. :)
I hope everyone's having a good week!

Today...

2011-02-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

I'm determined to have a good day. I've been in a very odd mood lately. Interviews and other things are just stressing me out. It hasn't been fun!

I have an order which has been keeping me busy and keeping my mind off of things, which has been nice. :)
And I actually have a preview picture of what I"m making, but the custom order came to me as a birthday gift for someone, so I'm just not going to post him just yet. :)
But, I'll leave you with this. I got new glasses this weekend! Yay!
I had glasses, but they were the transitions and I just hated those! I really love my new ones though. It's always nice to get new glasses and it always excites me. haha

And yes, my hair is usually that crazy and curly. lol
Well, that's it for now. Don't forget about my Pay it Forward sale!
Time for working some more on my order and then doing some laundry. :)

Paying it Forward

2011-01-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Alright, as promised yesterday, I just spent about 3 hours posting stuff on Etsy!

You can go to my Pay it Forward section you can see everything that I've added. Here's a preview of a couple things!

Again, this isn't super cheap, but it's at least half price! AND, if you buy one item, another item's shipping is free! And if you don't have an Etsy shop, then there's no problem! You can Pay it Forward in other ways. :)
I've been busy making TONS of these! I didn't really know what to do with all of these amazing buttons that I have. But these were just tons of fun to make and I loved using all of my antique buttons.

And I was getting rid of some of my other stuff that I made forever ago and it's been sitting in a bag. I thought I would put them to good use and actually post them on my Etsy as Pay it Forward items as well. :)

And there you have it! Bracelets are $2 and hats, scarves and cowls are only $10! You really can't beat that price, right?!
I hope that everyone is having a great weekend! I'm pretty much snowed in.
Now go out and do something good for someone else! :)

Pay it Forward

2011-01-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

A long time ago on Etsy, I discovered the pay it forward posts.
I told myself that when I got onto Etsy, I would also help out with this.

Have you seen them? They're really amazing. I plan on going tonight and buying some PIF's!

And, to celebrate my almost year on Etsy, and to help out with my PIF's, I will be basically having a huge destash sale. Look for a post tomorrow here to learn more about it!
I basically have A LOT of things that I've made and never used, so I plan on destashing all of that! This includes hats, cowls, ami's and some brand new vintage button bracelets that I've been making.
Basically, most people that post the Pay it Forwards make them the .20 that it is to list an item on Etsy. Mine won't be quite that cheap, but it will be A LOT less than what I would normally mark them.
This will all start tomorrow for a couple reasons.
#1. I want GOOD KARMA for my job hunting lately.
#2. I really want to get my stuff out there, and for other people to pay it forward!
#3. We've been getting a good amount of snow today (the first in weeks!) and so staying in and posting things on Etsy sounds like a great Sunday to me!

I'll talk to you all tomorrow!

More swap goods!

2011-01-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

I LOVE meeting new crafters. I really do! I love it when someone contacts me, knows exactly what they want, and then I get a surprise in the mail. It's just awesome.
::hint::Stick around until the end of my post for a fun swapping opportunity!

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting someone on Craftster with the name of kuckyjune. She contacted me before the holidays and really wanted a swap. She knew EXACTLY what she wanted and even sent reference pictures. I was really excited to do it because really, I love a challenge! So I'm sure you remember seeing Cheech and Danny Trejo.
Well, to be honest, I was so caught up and excited about making them that I didn't really know what exactly to expect in return. I gave her my wists and my Etsy favorites to go off of, and I thought it would kind of give her an idea of the things I like. I had no idea it would be like this though! It's like she personally knows me! haha!
Yesterday, I got a box in the mail, and it was one of the best swap packages I've ever received. I can't even begin to explain how excited I was when I opened everything.
So, here we go!
First up, a TARDIS magnet!
LOOOOOOOVE this!!!

The next thing I opened? A Bride of Frankenstein necklace! What?! How amazing is that?!

And OMG, as if the last 2 things weren't awesome enough, check this out!!
I opened this and squealed. She does this AMAZING glass etching, and she made me a soap dispenser with a Jackalope on it!

And, we're still not done! She SPOILED me!
This is the first time she did screenprinting. I can't even describe how much I love this. I actually had to get it out of my room to take the pictures because I wore it all day yesterday. haha!
This is the front, bottom of the shirt. It's Bigfoot!!!

And the footprints continue on the back!!!

So, here's my opportunity for you!!!!
Since I LOVE meeting crafters, I thought I would put out an open invitation here on my blog to meet some new people and have some fun with crafts. All you have to do is email me at AmyLDice@yahoo.com with the title SWAP in the subject line. I want to swap with YOU! Here's the only catch, I won't swap for anything in my shop. But do you want an amigurumi? Do you have a challenge for another Mini that I can make?! Do you have another idea for a mounted head that I can make?! Let's swap!!!
So, I'm really looking forward to hearing from some fellow crafters for some swaps!!

Knitting

2011-01-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Have I told you lately how much I've been enjoying knitting lately?

I enjoy taking breaks from crocheting and being able to just enjoy knitting. I also love learning new things with knitting, since I really don't knit very often.
These hats were TONS of fun to make. I found the pattern here. I have had a bunch of this Thick and Quick yarn around, and this pattern really doesn't call for much. And not only is it really adorable, but it's thick and the band on it is so wide, so it really keeps you warm!

And after I made my first one in the tweed yarn, I had to make more. I really love this color! It's a really nice deep maroon.

If you knit, I really hope you try this pattern! Since the yarn is so thick, it works up really quick too!

An Award!

2011-01-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was given an award! And it's not just any award, it's a Craftster Best of 2010 award!
I won it for my Lego Man.
And I can't even tell you how incredibly excited I was when I saw that THREE of my friends were right there with me!

Jackie was awarded it for knitting. You should definitely check it out, because she's an AMAZING knitter!
Lani won it for her Cheshire cat, which is also really awesome.
And Alexz made it for her wedding, which was the most crafty and awesome wedding!

I'm a Craftster Best of 2010 Winner!

And, this is just a little something that I'm working on lately. I'm really LOVING the mini's that I've been making. And so, here is mini Meat Loaf.
He's about 7 inches tall.

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! I will be working on more this week and hopefully post them shortly after!

SALE!

2011-01-21T08:53:00.001-08:00

Remember that sale post?? I couldn't wait. haha!
And I've never used the coupon codes, so I am now!

From now until Sunday night, use coupon code YETI20 for 20% off your purchase!!!
And tell a friend!

Danny Trejo

2011-01-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is another one of the super fun requests I got from someone.

All based off of this photo:

And here he is! He was a lot of fun to make. :)

Check out his muscles!

And, here's a couple things that I'm going to be working on coming up:
#1. I've been knitting like crazy lately! I've made a couple hats that I will be working on taking pictures of very soon. I need to have a good hair day to really do that. lol.

#2. I have a list of things that I will be making for swaps and requests and stuff. I'm starting to work on those now.

#3. I've been working hard lately at actually getting a job. As much as I would love for my Etsy store to really take off, it hasn't yet. But don't fret, because this doesn't mean that my store will close, it just means I'll be even busier than normal. :)

#4. I'm working on getting a sale going in my store VERY soon! Look for that update coming up.

#5. A giveaway is still in the works. I know I've talked about it before, but it's going to be a pretty huge giveaway, so it's taking me a while to really work on it.

I hope you check back soon and hopefully most of that list will be complete! haha!

Doctor Who?

2011-01-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

I've been fairly busy lately.

Not only am I applying for jobs now here, but I'm also bogged down with a lot of to-do lists of things to make for people. I'm enjoying every second of it, but every once in a while I get slightly bored and decide that I need something to get me out of my funk.

This little guy did just that! We've been watching so much Doctor Who lately, and I've absolutely fallen in love with David Tennant. We've come to the end of his days as the doctor, and I've been having a hard time with it. I thought that this would be the perfect way to help me cope, and just maybe if I made something for myself, I could get the inspiration and the desire to make things for others. :)
It definitely did just that!
So, I would like to introduce, The Doctor.

Oh, and his eyeglasses are removable as well. :)

And his jacket is removable as well!

That's all for now. I have more celebrities that I'm finishing up now. And I've also been making tons of wearables as well that I will be taking pictures of! I'm in the process of making a hat right now for a friend. :)
Is anyone else making stuff to either get them out of a funk or something to just keep them warm?

New things!

2011-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I have some new fun things to share with you.

First, did you happen to notice something new up on the right side of my blog? I made a button! Now, you can share my blog with anyone.
I spent a long time trying to figure it out, and I was VERY happy when I finally did. lol!

And, in addition to this, I've also decided to change the name of my blog to The Mad Crafter since that's the name of my store as well.

And next, here's my newest project.
This was a custom request. It's Cheech! This is all based off of this photo:

And here he is!

That's all for now, and I hope to work on some more new things for the blog very soon.
Feel free to add my button anywhere, and I really hope you do! Thanks so much!!

Warm Up!

2011-01-11T10:21:00.001-08:00

I know that I've been slacking on my blog. However, I haven't been slacking on projects!

Lately, with this SUPER chilly weather, I've been working on some things to really keep me warm. I definitely plan on making some more for friends too that live in cold climates.

When I was flying home, there was a girl on the plane that had this ADORABLE headband. I fell in love with it. Ever since then, I've seen the headbands EVERYWHERE.
This one is knitted from Lion Brand Thick and Quick. I learned a bunch of new things while making it, and I've been wearing it CONSTANTLY!

And this was REALLY fun, and as it turns out, I bought WAAAAAY too much yarn for it, so I know a few certain people that can expect a giant awesome cowl in the mail soon. haha

Well, I'm off to work on some more projects. Seth is traveling for work, and I plan on working A LOT today on a few custom items.
I hope everyone else is staying warm with fun homemade wearables!

Continuation of a Homemade Christmas

2011-01-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

Just a couple things I forgot to put in my last post!
In case you can't tell, I was pretty spoiled this year for Christmas. :)

This isn't homemade, but it's from my favorite crafting site, Craftster!
They recently re-did their store, and included a lot of new things on Spreadshirt. I got the skull and crochet hooks, and I got the zip-up hoodie AND the matching sweat pants!

This is definitely my new favorite hoodie too. I pretty much just take it off to sleep. lol
If any of you out there are also big fans of Craftster, I would definitely recommend anything from their store. I own quite a few things, and they're all definitely worth it! You can find their Spreadshirt page here.

And I totally forgot to mention this as well the other day!
My great friend Jackie is an avid knitter. She hasn't been knitting all that long, but she's AMAZING. Well, after I found a pattern on Ravelry for some gloves I wanted, I immediately sent it over to her. I just don't trust myself as much with knitting something like that. Well, she made me one for Christmas!
Yes, that's right, just one. lol! She couldn't get the other one done in time.
Does anyone recognize where these gloves are from?

P.S. I'm actually wearing my hoodie in the picture.

CORALINE! They're the Coraline gloves! Isn't it awesome?! I am now impatiently waiting for the other one, and hopefully it will be here soon so I can use it in this weather. :)

A Homemade Christmas

2011-01-04T07:54:00.001-08:00

As I'm sure you know, this year was a VERY homemade Christmas. It felt so good making so many gifts, saving money, and seeing how excited the kids got when opening their gifts. They were all appreciated, and really loved. It was a really great feeling.

I had decided to give my niece the Coraline doll I had made a long time ago. She's 3 and a half, and she absolutely LOVES Coraline! I was really surprised because I would think it was too scary for her, but she can't get enough of it. So, when I arrived in Florida, I put all of my stuff in my sister's guest room, and apparently left my suitcase open, with Coraline sitting right on top. She found her, told her mom how excited she was, so I had no choice but to just give it to her early. Her face just lit up when I handed it to her. Needless to say, she is a very well-loved Coraline doll. :)

And when she opened up the Mr. Hankey doll on Christmas morning, well, that was pretty much the highlight of my day. She opened it about halfway, saw what it was, and laughed for about 10 minutes straight.

And while I was hard at work, so was my mom! She had told me a while ago that she wanted to make Seth a "quillow", which is a quilt, that when folded up, turns into a pillow. Well, she wanted to make it Star Trek, but when she looked online for maybe sheets or something to make it out of, it was INCREDIBLY expensive. So when she was telling me about it, an idea struck! Seth got a shirt when we went to the Star Trek convention as our honeymoon. He finally settled on the shirt he wanted, but when he went back to get it, they didn't have his size, so he settled for a size smaller. When recently cleaning out his closet, he found the shirt, and gave it to me, very upset because he had maybe worn it once. So, it was my idea to send the shirt to my mom, for her to use on Seth's gift.
I was so excited while my mom was working on it, and her embroidery machine yet again saved the day and made something that was already great, even better. :)

And I knew Seth was getting one, but I never once thought that I would get one too!

I remember that a few years ago my mom bought this Wizard of Oz fabric. I was so excited when I saw how absolutely beautiful it was, and she told me that she was going to make me a quilt. Since then, I've really forgotten about it, and so when I opened up my own quillow, I was really shocked!
The back of it is all ruby slippers, and the other side is all scenes from the movie! Seriously, this is really the most beautiful fabric.

And, from my mother-in-law, I didn't get a handmade gift, but I got something that will help my crafts! She gave me a drop spindle and some wool so I can learn to spin my own yarn! I can't tell you how excited I am to try this out. I've NEVER done it before, but I'm SUPER excited to try!

And that's all for now. I'm going to get SUPER busy and making as many sonic screwdrivers as possible today! Wish me luck!!

Did anyone else have a handmade Christmas, either getting or giving?

Settling in.

2011-01-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

This long weekend was just what Seth and I needed after our hell of traveling. We did a lot though.
Between unpacking and cleaning up, we managed to splurge a bit on ourselves. We have completed our home theater system. We have a projector, which is probably the best Christmas present we ever got (we got it last year for Christmas, and STILL love it!) and now we have the best surround sound, provided by Bose. It's seriously AWESOME. In addition to that, we traded in our old Xbox360 and got the new bundle that includes the Kinect. We've been having a lot of fun with it!

And, while Seth was playing video games and enjoying our new home theater, I've been busy with crocheting. :)
This is something that I've made TONS of lately. Seth and I have been LOVING Doctor Who lately. If you haven't seen it, then shame on you!
So, I got this idea, and then soon after, every kid I knew was getting a Sonic Screwdriver for Christmas! One of my Craftster friends got a package in the mail with FOUR of them! lol! And so, I of course had to add one to my Etsy.

And, I made about 4 of these as well. They're severed zombie heads!
I'm giving the option for them to be made into keychains or ornaments for FREE! Now who doesn't need a severed zombie head keychain?! And they do have different eyes as well, which was fun. I like to think that one is a boy and one is a girl. :)

More can be seen here.

And, that's all for right now. I'm probably going to be back later with another post of some more of the awesome Christmas gifts I got.
I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Too Long!

2010-12-31T22:35:00.001-08:00

It really has been too long since I've updated my blog! This is just going to be a quick post until I can actually post more when I'm not so tired.
Also, my Etsy shop is open again! AND, February 27th is my one year anniversary of my shop! Exciting, right?!
My holiday was wonderful. However, the traveling was NOT. I don't even want to go into all of the details of it, but I ended up in Denver, where I was never supposed to stop. However, Seth was there, which made it MUCH better. And then, we were stuck there for 2 days. We can definitely say that we're happy to be home.
We spent today unpacking, which reminded me of all of my awesome gifts. Here's a few of my favorites. :)

I mentioned to my Mom a long time ago that I really like this purse! And I got it! Definitely one of my new favorite purses!

Found here
And originally seen on Crafty Awesomeness. She totally gets credit for pointing it out on her blog. :)

Seth and I decided that we weren't going to give gifts because we spent a lot of money on tickets down to Florida. However, Seth actually surprised me (which was ok, because I surprised him too. ha!) and got me this! And he got me the pink one. :)

Found here.

This was another thing that I asked my parents for. I have had SO MUCH FUN with this camera! I can't wait to get all the pictures developed! It's a fisheye camera. It takes normal 35mm film so it'll be easy to be developed here.

Found here.

That's all I'm going to share for now. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and a wonderful new year!
I'm glad to be home, so I'm going to relax some more. Did anyone else have travel issues this holiday season?
I feel that I can never fly without issues. lol!

Almost time!!

2010-12-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

So, the wonderful Jamie over at Crafty Awesomeness was having a giveaway. Funnily enough, it not only ended on my birthday, but I won! Score!! It was for this SUPER awesome bunting that she made in all kinds of super awesome Christmas fabrics.
I really love it! I have ZERO Christmas decorations up, and even though I only have a couple days left here, I can at least still have the wonderful bunting up for my very late decoration. :)
It also gave me a great place to hang a couple ornaments that I got from Alexz, plus a really fun snowflake that Jamie also sent me!

Thanks so much Jamie!! And I really think I'm going to break out my white glittery yarn and make some snowflakes myself for some Christmas gifts!

And, I got an email the other day from a great Craftster. She told me that she had a Christmas emergency for a bearded hat. Not only have I ALWAYS wanted to make one of these, but they're even funnier in person than in pictures! lol!

That's all for now. I've been keeping myself busy for getting things ready for Christmas. I leave in 2 days for Florida, and I can't even explain how excited I am to see my family. :)

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to ME!

2010-12-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day.
Last night Seth took me out to dinner, and then we had a Doctor Who marathon. Honestly, it was the perfect way to spend my birthday. He also made me a cake! It had cowboy boot candles on it. :)

And today, I got pretty much the coolest package ever. Alexz sent me a birthday package, pretty much because she's awesome. :)
The whole theme of the package is a cupcake monster, because, well, I'm totally a cupcake monster. haha!
I got all these extra goodies of Christmas potholders and some Christmas ornaments, and cupcakes!

I had told Alexz that I wanted a jewelry box, and I was expecting something awesome, but this most definitely surpassed my expectations! It's huge, and awesome!

And isn't that little cupcake monster just adorable?! WAIT! He gets even cuter! Want to see?!

That's all I have for now, really. Alexz, thank you SOOOO much for everything. The package made my day. You're an amazing artist, and I'm so glad we've become friends through Craftster. :)
I'm working on a couple projects now, but I will be able to post them shortly.

It's my birthday!!

2010-12-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Yep! The big 'ol 2-7. After this year, I don't plan on celebrating anymore. lol. I'm just getting too close to 30 and I'm not going to do well during that time! haha

This year, we didn't do very much. Seth bought me my Keurig coffee maker a couple months ago. He did come home about an hour early from work, and he took me out to a wonderful dinner! We came home, he made me a cake, and we watched Doctor Who. :)
I decided to be lazy most of the day. I'll have to make up for it tomorrow, but at least I got a day to just relax. I've just been crazy busy with all of my Christmas crafts. So, I decided today that I was going to just take care of me! I started staring at my yarn collection and thinking of things to make for MYSELF! Last night I made a hat, and I really liked it. Well, I've had this yarn for quite a while, and it's been a yarn that I've really just hoarded, waiting for the PERFECT project. So, today I finally decided that I would use it for myself, and might as well make something for ME to enjoy!
I really love the result! For some reason, I've never been a huge fan of the slouchy beanie, but now I love them! And it's thick enough so that it'll keep my ears warm too! Yay!

The colors aren't great in the picture, I'll have to get a better one tomorrow. :)
Well, I will hopefully be back tomorrow. Now, it's officially time to get ready to go home for Christmas. :)

Things are really coming along!

2010-12-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

I notice that we have quite a few new followers, so, WELCOME! It's always fun to have new faces around. :)

I'm almost done with all of my Christmas presents! I only have 1 that I can actually think of. In the meantime I've been able to work on some little side projects, and even make something for myself!

Also, I want everyone to stay tuned because after the new year I definitely plan on doing a giveaway! And, speaking of giveaways, there's one right now on this awesome blog called Wonderland Contraband. Go check it out and sign up!

So, this is my newest project, just made for myself! Seth and I have become addicted to Doctor Who lately. It's been so much fun. So, I had to make my own Tardis, of course. :)

I hope that everyone is having fun crafting for Christmas! I'm excited to almost be done. And next week I will be heading down to Florida for 2 weeks. I doubt that I'll be blogging at that time, but I will try. :)

Christmas!!

2010-12-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my very favorite time of the year. It's always been HUGE in my family. In addition to the presents and the food, it's also my sister's birthday!!

This year I made most of my gifts. It's been a bit hectic, and I'm still not done, but it's been a lot of fun! I decided to take a break and make myself this hat. I found this on Craftster and had to immediately buy the pattern. It's a replica of a hat from The Big Bang Theory. :)

If any of you have been eyeing the pattern, but not sure, DO IT! It was a TON of fun to make and I plan on working on another one today. :)

Also, The Dainty Squid is having a giveaway! Go check it out because it's pretty awesome this time. :)

LOTS!

2010-12-02T10:13:00.001-08:00

I'm so glad that today I have LOTS to share with you! I feel like all of this hard work that I've been putting out lately has really paid off. I still have things on my list to make, but I have done SO MUCH the past few days.

First up, is a collection of headbands that I made for my niece, Helen. I was told that now that her hair is getting long, she's really into hair accessories. These were A LOT of fun to make, and I do plan on making more for myself!

A bunch of little flowers!

I think this little bow one might be my favorite. I can see a whole bunch of these entering into my wardrobe very soon! A different color on each, one to match every outfit!

I do love this little cupcake too!

Picture is kind of dark, but it's a little bird.

Next is what I made for Helen's brother, Simon. It's a Bombomb from Mario! His pattern can be found here, but I made him bigger, using a bigger hook and bigger yarn. He's also slightly weighted just a little bit so that he can sit up.

This, might be the cutest pattern that I've ever found. You know those little booklets by the yarn section in the craft store that have just a few patterns? Well, my favorite yarn ever, Impecciable Loops and Threads, put out a Christmas book! This pattern was in it. It's a wine bottle topper called "Santa's Stuck". LOL! It might be a little hard to see, but those are boots coming out of the chimney.
This is also pictured on a bottle of wine that my father-in-law brought me. It's a blackberry wine that he made. :)

I've only made 1 of them so far, but I plan on making a few more to give people before Christmas.

AND....last, but CERTAINLY not least, my snowman is complete! Sadly, he's not mine, but is going to my Etsy customer. I was told yesterday by her that her boss is a big hunter, and so she thought it would be funny to put this on her office door! How funny is that?! I completed his top hat this morning, and he is currently drying and then will be sent off to his new home. :)

And as you can see from yesterdays post, he is massive. The plaque that he is on is 11x17 inches. He's huge, and, if I do say so myself, pretty awesome. :)
I hope everyone else is having a blast as well making all of their Christmas gifts! My dining room table is a M-E-S-S from everything I have made and supplies. It's been a lot of fun though, and I think next year I will start a bit earlier in the year. haha!

Ahhh.....

2010-12-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

It's nighttime, so it's time for me to relax just a little bit for today.

The past 2 days I have been working NON-STOP on Christmas gifts and the last 2 orders that I had. Yes, HAD! I finished one yesterday! I can't post it on here, but if you know who I am on Craftster, then you can find it there. ;)

This is the order that has been my MAJOR project.
A customer of mine on Etsy ordered the mini snowman mounted head. Well, she got it in the mail, and really loves it, however, she asked me if I could make a GIANT one! Well, I'm always up for a challenge! This has been a BLAST to make, and I definitely plan on fine tuning my pattern to make more of them as well. The plaque that he's on is 11x17 inches. He just needs his hat, and he'll be complete. :)

And in case you didn't believe me about the size, here he is again, with not as much done on him.

It feels really good to have him almost done. :)
And, this is another present that I can post on here. I have the best niece in the world. She's 3-years-old and I can't wait to see her in 2 weeks! She has the best sense of humor, too! Well, she watched some of the South Park Christmas special, and my sister told me that she threw herself on the ground from laughing so hard at Mr. Hankey. So, of course I had to make one for her for Christmas! haha!
He's big too, probably about 12 inches.

And now, my last order of business. There's an amazing blog and store that you should check out! They're currently having a giveaway over at their blog! You can check it all out here. :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Look it!

2010-11-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Guess who was lucky enough to catch the elusive Chupacabra?! It was me!

Now, I need to find a goat so I can feed him. Any ideas where I can find one? ;)
Working on even more stuff today, and I'm quickly getting craft A.D.D. because in the middle of a project, I decide to start another one. I'm going to try my hardest to not do that right now and to just finish one thing at a time. Wish me luck!

The Amazing Lanikins

2010-11-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

So, in case you don't remember, I shall refresh your memory. :)
I was contacted a couple months ago from a fellow Craftster wanting to do a personal swap. Of course when I get messages like that, I have to check them out and see what kinds of projects they do. Well, Lanikins, just like SpookyPooky, are VERY well known Craftsters. I was honored to even get a message from her, considering she does some of the best work I've seen on Craftster.
So, after talking to Lani about things that she might like me to make her, she immediately requested a Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, and then I decided to make all of the main characters from Star Wars.

So, after all of that, I got her package the other day in the mail. Not only did she SPOIL ME ROTTEN, but her stuff is some of the most amazing quality that I've seen. It's all sewn together beautifully. It's just amazing.

She told me that she wanted to make me a Chupacabra. There are so many different interpretations of the Chupacabra, but this one, by far, is the cutest! I will get better pictures of him, and there's some good ones here on Craftster that you can check out as well. :)

And then, this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G clay zombie head. I promise I'll get better pictures with it tomorrow as well. Pictures don't do it justice. When I first opened him I thought that he would make a great candle holder, but I can't do that for fear of ruining him. So, instead, he will sit proudly on my shelf. :)

And I saw this on her Facebook page and fell in love, and she told me that she would include it in my package! I had no idea how big he was, though! He's really tall, and just so adorable.

It's my very own Balloon Boy!!! You can see the original Tim Burton one here.
This is all hand painted by her, and again, pictures don't do it justice.

And then I got some little Lanikins plushies! I even got a little sasquatch and yeti one! These things are teeny tiny, too!

And the one thing I didn't get a picture of was some stitch markers, and there's a Jack Skellington charm on one, and a mustached Cthulhu on another one!
I also got a new camera this weekend! It's a nice upgrade from my old point-and-shoot one. I love it! It was a nice early birthday present from my in-laws. :)

I'm back!

2010-11-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just briefly, though.
The next 2 weeks that I'm actually here at home, I will be found working...constantly...on Christmas gifts and orders. I'm feeling overwhelmed, but I know that I can do it!

My wonderful, long Thanksgiving weekend was accompanied by my in-laws coming up to visit. It was such a great visit, and they got to not only see snow, but feel the very bitter cold that is Montana in the winter. :)
I actually thought it would be a good idea to make them some things to keep them warm while they were here. For Seth's dad, I made him a cabled scarf. The pattern is found here. If you've wanted to work with cabled, I would highly recommend using the pattern. I used an amazing washable wool that my friend sent to me. Seth's dad wore it the entire time he was here, and said that it kept him VERY warm! :)

And I decided to venture into a knitted project for Seth's mom. I made her a moebius! I can't find the pattern right now, but if someone needs it, just comment and I'll make sure to find it. This is also made out of a washable wool.

I had a lot of fun knitting it, and I learned all kinds of new things when I was making it!

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving!

Craft Closet

2010-11-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

While Seth was gone last week, and with Seth's parents coming to visit this week, I kept myself very busy.

I had a small list of things that I really wanted to get done, and spent pretty much all day cleaning and re-organizing stuff around the apartment. The first 2 nights he was gone I spent ALL NIGHT re-winding all of my yarn.
This was my life saver in doing that. Honestly, this is the only yarn winder that I've ever used, but I love it. It's all electric, doesn't take batteries, and you don't have to crank it. Because really, if I had to crank it, it would have taken me FOREVER!
You can buy it here on Amazon. I would also recommend checking your local craft store. I got mine at a Joann's, and I had a 50% off coupon that made it CHEAP!

Near the top of my list of things to do while Seth was gone, was to clean out and organize my craft closet. I did A LOT of it. Like I said, the first 2 nights were used just winding yarn. I spent the next day organizing it all into my closet. This brought me to a very sad realization: I have too much yarn.
Most of this yarn is stacked 2 deep, so what you see in the picture, there's about twice that. I have now made a solemn vow to not buy anymore yarn unless I REALLY need it for a commission piece or something. Otherwise, no more yarn for me at the moment!

I did organize it pretty well, though. The top shelf is all of my nice yarns, used for wearables like hats and cowls and such. The next 2 shelves are all for my ami's, which are much rougher yarns, in a WIDE VARIETY of colors! haha! The shelf under that is all of my bulky yarns, which can be used for both wearables and medium/large ami's.
After doing my yarn closet, I didn't even want to think about my other craft closet, full of books and fabric and doo-dads. So, with about a day left until Seth was to return home, I finally tacked the closet. It took a while, and involved A LOT of destashing, but it's finally done!

And now, I feel quite accomplished. :)
Today, I'm returning to cleaning up some things because Seth's parents will arrive in town tomorrow morning. I also have a HUGE commission piece that I'm working on. Literally, HUUUUUGE! I can't wait to finish it, though, and I really can't wait to share it with everyone! It's going to be epic, and I"m hoping I can make more.
I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!
This year, I'm thankful for my family, who I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm thankful for my amazing husband, and for all the rest of my amazing family that I'll see in just a couple of weeks down in Florida. I'm also thankful for my handful of wonderful people that I can happily call friends.
What are you thankful for?

Oh, and P.S.!
I found this SUPER AWESOME shop on Etsy, and found their blog. They're doing a giveaway on their blog! And check out their store, too, because it's really all awesome!

Shawl for Jackie!

2010-11-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

This week has been a blur to me.
Seth was gone all week, and was actually home a day later than planned because of plane issues. In addition to that, our snow storm dumped tons of snow all over the city, all week. It doesn't look like it's going to warm up soon, either.
And, next week the in-laws are coming to visit.

However, I do have a project that I can share with you!
This is a shawl that I made for my good friend, Jackie.
Jackie and I have bonded over the past year. Neither of us are very mushy or sentimental people, but I feel that I will be, just for this post. :)
Jackie started knitting about a year ago. It was something we definitely bonded over. Since we've become close, we talk pretty much every day on the phone, usually for hours at a time. It has become my way to break up the day, and to sit and laugh and relate to a great friend that lives across the country.
She's just an amazing person, and probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. We've both moved to different parts of the country due to our husbands jobs, and both of us are lacking in the friendship department. It's great that we can talk on the phone and online all the time, and fill that void.
And so, Jackie, thank you so much for your friendship. I truly appreciate the time I talk to you almost every day, and I really love that we've become so close. Oh, and happy birthday, too! :)

So, I made this for Jackie's birthday. :)
The pattern is called the Sidewalk Shawl from the Stitch Nation website. I also used the Alpaca Love yarn for it.
And I don't block many things that I make (mostly because it's amigurumi) but this one I definitely had to block. I'm so incredibly happy with how it turned out, and the color just reminded me so much of Jackie. Oh, and if you fold it over, and then roll it up, it looks like a head of lettuce! haha!

Hopefully, I will be back next week, but no promises. We're going to have a busy Thanksgiving with Seth's parents visiting, and I'm CRAZY busy with projects. I'm working on Christmas presents, and now I'm getting emails from people on Etsy for things that they want before Christmas. I'm really excited to work on them, just a little bit overwhelmed. :)
If I don't come back before then, I wish everyone a very happy and wonderful Thanksgiving!

It's Winter!

2010-11-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

Winter has officially struck Montana. Our first snow this year came in the form of a huge snow storm. It's been crazy!

Seth has also been gone this whole week. I've been busy getting ready for the in-laws, along with working on some Christmas presents and stuff. It's been hectic, and I don't have much to show because it's mostly Christmas presents! haha.
However, I did take a lovely walk yesterday after it stopped snowing. I had to go to the post office, and THANK GOD it's only 2 blocks away and I can drive in it. I'm a Florida girl, so I haven't quite perfected the art of driving in the snow. But here's some wonderful pictures from our park and from around the apartment. :)

Our car looks like a square snowball!

This is the road right next to our park. You might be confused, because you don't see a road, but trust me, it's there...just somewhere under the snow.

This tree just reminds me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. haha!

That's all for now! I have to continue cleaning with what few cleaning supplies I have. This morning I sat and had breakfast and coffee, then got ready to brave the roads FINALLY to get cleaning supplies. I looked out the window as I was leaving, and was glad that it wasn't snowing so I could run my errands! Of course as soon as I step outside, it starts snowing again. So, I'm back, to clean with the stuff I have. haha.
Is anyone else seeing Winter yet in their area? It looks like we'll be getting snow pretty much all this and next week. I think the highest it gets is around 20 degrees on the warm days! haha

Another award?! Yay!

2010-11-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

I got this award from the awesome Avery's Book Nook!! Thanks so much!!

Here is what is what they've asked after receiving this Award:

1.Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.
2.Answer the following 10 survey questions mentioned below.
3.Pass it on to another 15 Blogs that are fairly new and interesting to you.
4.Contact the bloggers so they know they've been chosen.

This is a great refreshing idea that will be useful and fun for blogs mentioned and blogs just beginning. The questions are a neat way to find out more about fellow blogs as well discover other likes and dislikes. So without further adieu... let's continue with this ongoing extravaganza!

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

I don't mind not blogging anonymously. I enjoy showing my crafty side and different parts of my life!

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side:

Oh geez...so many to name! I'm very stubborn with my crafting. If I make something, and I hate it, then I usually just rip it apart and start over. Sometimes I'll throw the thing out entirely just to save myself some extra work. lol

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

One thing you should know about me: I hate mirrors. I over analyze everything, and I'm just not that happy when I look in the mirror. I prefer to see myself the way I do in my head. haha

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Hmm...I love lemonade. However, I do love pina coladas in the summer as well. :)

5.When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I usually craft something for myself. It's wonderful being able to just make something for myself every once in a while and not feel guilty because I should be doing a million other things.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

I want to travel. A lot. I've seen some amazing things in this country on a few of my cross-country roadtrips, but I would love to see other countries as well.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching?

I was always the shy person when I got older. From what I hear from my parents, I wasn't in elementary school, but when I got into high school, I was definitely the shy girl.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see?

When my husband proposed to me. :)
He was hinting around at what he got me for a couple months before Christmas, and the more he told me stuff, the more I thought it was ski gear-and I was NOT happy with that. He came over to my sister's house one night to give me an early Christmas present, and was carrying a medium sized gift bag, that looked fairly heavy. We went into my sister's office and he sat the bag down in front of me, then sat behind me, and held the ring in front of my face. I found out later that the gift bag had a phone book in it for it to appear heavy. :)

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I enjoy sharing things about my life in my blog! I think it's because I love to read other people's blogs and to see what's new in their life. I feel like I know these people now after knowing their life stories. :)

And, here's the blogs that I'm giving it to!!
1. Crafty Awesomeness
2. The Perfect Pear
3. 33 Stitches
4. Hooking Along
5. Danielleorama
6. A Crochet Ninja
7. Fiber Doodles
8. ckscribbles
9. flipping adorable
10. La Quaintrelle
11. CRAFTYisCOOL
12. Day Zero
13. Spooky Pooky Creations
14. Gloomy Gurumi
15. Rambling Yarns from the Crochet Kitten

And that's all for today! Everything that I"m working on can't be pictured just yet, although I will have TONS for you after Christmas! haha. Don't worry though, I'll definitely be blogging until then.
Husband is out of town this week, so I'm keeping myself busy cleaning, organizing, and getting ready for the in-laws! :

I love mail!

2010-11-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

I love big mail days.
I got one thing, but it's a surprise for someone, so I can't show it. However, I did get an AMAZING swap package from a friend!!

This time, it's from an amazing crafter that has AMAZING skills with clay. Her store is here, and I highly recommend that you go check it out ASAP!

Jessica is also in culinary school. Can you imagine the amazing things she's going to do with fondant?! She's crazy talented with clay, so I'm sure that she's going to be awesome at it!
So, she wanted one of my fox hats, and I thought that a great thing to swap for it would be recipes! I try REALLY hard at cooking, but fail a good amount of the time. However, these recipes look really simple and DELICIOUS! I can't wait to try them!

One of the main things I wanted from her was a cupcake pendant. I love it so much!! How freaking cute are those little cookies on there?!

These are some of the extras. It's a really awesome ring and earrings in really fun Fall colors!

And these.....these....are....my VERY VERY FAVORITES!!!
I made the shawl for myself from some really nice alpaca yarn, and a shawl pin is PERFECT for it! Not only perfect, but seriously, I can't even get over how much I absolutely love the fox. And I've already told her that she needs to make them to put in her store. If not, you should convo her and at least see if she will, because it's even cooler in person than it is in the picture.

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Where has the time gone??

2010-11-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. I feel bad about that. :(

I've been working on a lot, but nothing that I can even share on here. I joined a Bob Dylan swap over on Craftster, and I've been working on that. I've also been working on swap items for some personal swaps.

My biggest 2 projects I started this week, which is way too late, for my good friend Jackie's birthday. One project I started with a certain yarn, then ran out. I thought I could find some more at Michael's, but I couldn't. So, I had to start all over with another yarn. Ugh. But, I really like how it's turning out so far.
I'm also going to make this a random post to post some of my very favorite things in my life right now. :)

Currently, this is what's on my feet. My new Uggs. I can't even explain how in love I am with these. I only take them off to sleep. I figure I might as well get as much use out of them as possible right now, considering that it'll be snowing very soon here.

Seth and I decided that we would basically just buy each other birthday and Christmas presents now, instead of brining them down to Florida when we go. So, this was my new birthday present: the Keurig B60. I will NEVER buy Starbucks again. If you've been thinking about one but wasn't sure, believe me, it's worth every penny.

I've been thinking about a really fun camera that I have for a while. The problem with it, is that it was hidden somewhere in my storage until in Florida. A phone call to my parents and a week later, it's showed up in the mail. It's been so long since I've had to even put film in a camera. lol. I'm so excited to use it though, and I plan on making a trip to the park just to get some fun pictures.
And for anyone that's wondering, it's called a Pop Cam, and it's VERY cheap. I highly recommend it for just a fun camera.

That's all for now! Seth has been doing a good amount of traveling for work, which leaves me lonely for a night every week. Next week is a long week though, so I'm sure I'll get plenty of crafting done in between my cleaning to get ready for the in-laws to visit for Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is having a good week!!

Foxy!

2010-11-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Before I show you my latest project, I want to make a statement about A LOT of questions that I've been receiving.

A lot of people stumble either upon my blog, Craftster or Instructables and asking me questions about my Lego Minifigure.
First of all, I will not be giving, or selling the pattern anytime soon. I have never heard back from Lego after my email, and to be honest, I'm quite glad the project is behind me. I do have the pattern written down somewhere, but really, it won't be anytime soon when I actually get down to writing it all out. I'm really sorry if this upsets anyone, as I get questions at least once a week on it, but it was A LOT of work, and more time than I've ever put into a project. It would just be a lot of work as well to write out everything about the creation.

And now, my second order of business. I'm truly SO GLAD that I get emails and comments from people saying that they want to crochet like me. I'm really so flattered by all of the wonderful comments I get! However, that being said, I cannot teach people how to crochet via my blog. I'm so sorry though! But, I will list some AMAZING resources and some book ideas to help anyone out!
I'm pretty much self-taught, and these are some of the things that REALLY helped me out!

#1. Youtube.com. Honestly, if there's ANYTHING you want to learn how to crochet, just go to youtube. I'm much more of a visual learner, and so it's just wonderful.

#2. Giggle all you want, Crocheting for Dummies really helped me learn to crochet! There's also some patterns in there. It really walks you through everything you need to know, and teaches from beginner to intermediate crocheting.

#3. If you haven't heard of The Happy Hooker then shame on you! To be honest, I've only made a couple things in this book, but it's just great resource to check back to every once in a while for a refresher course.

Ok. Those are my top 3. I have a ton of other books, but honestly, those are my favorite resources. If you have any questions, or want to know my opinion on other books that you've seen, then feel free to leave a comment and I can bring that up in my next post! And I really wish everyone the best of luck in their crocheting endeavors. I promise you, YOU CAN DO IT!
I'm also going to do another blog sometime about the yarns that I use, because I've had quite a few questions about that too. :)

And, onto my latest project! I bought this pattern after falling completely in love with it after seeing it on Craftster. You can buy the pattern here!
I've purchased April Draven's patterns before, and to be honest, they're some of my favorite patterns out there. This hat, I LOOOOOVE. I used different yarn, and I can let you know if you would like. AND, I think I may have conquered Homespun!
Anyways, ONTO THE PICTURES!

Ok. That's all for today! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, and I"m sure I'll be back soon. :)

I won an award!

2010-11-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

I follow this pretty awesome blog called Crafty Awesomeness. She passed this along to me, and so, I will now pass it along to other blogs! Enjoy!

RULES:
To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:
1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

So, here's a few things about myself!!

1. I moved to Montana almost 2 years ago from Florida. My husband (fiance then) was in the Domestic Peace Corps known as Americorps. He volunteered for a non-profit organization that helps people with their credit and buying a house. We had a long distance relationship for 6 months before I decided to move here. I told him that I would refuse unless there was a ring on my finger, but I missed him way too much, so I decided to move here starting January 1st. That Christmas, we got engaged. I've completely fallen in love with this state and all of it's beauty. I'm thankful everyday that I've had such an amazing opportunity.

2. My love for crocheting started after I moved here. My mom sent me a care package with a "Learn to Crochet!" kit, with a note somewhere along the lines of "I know there's not much to do in Montana, so this will keep you occupied and WARM!" I've never put a hook down since. And to be honest, I couldn't imagine not crocheting. lol

3. I have a good amount of tattoos, but my first one is my favorite. It's dice on my ankle. My sister and I got them together. I should clarify by saying that my maiden name is Dice. There's a 2 on one of them, symbolizing me and my sister, and a 4 on the other one, symbolizing our immediate family. It was sad to change my name when I got married, but I will forever have that as a symbol, as will my sister.

4. My favorite movie of ALL TIME is The Wizard of Oz. I could watch that every day and never get tired of it.

5. I am probably one of the clumsiest people ever. I come by it very naturally, because my parents are both extremely clumsy as well. The one accident I had that I'll probably never forget was 2 days before we left for Vegas to get married. We ordered our wedding rings to be custom made to match my engagement ring. The only buyer I could find lived in Canada, and since our wedding was very quickly planned, we didn't plan much time for the rings to come in the mail. They showed up 2 days before we left, and when I got the mail and saw them, I started to run upstairs to open them up and see them because I was so excited. On my way UPSTAIRS, I tripped and sprained my ankle. Bad. I wore flipflops for most of my wedding because my ankle was so swollen and covered in a bandage.

6. Starting when I was about 14 or 15, my sister and I would brave Black Friday shopping. My most memorable time was a few years ago when me, my sister and my good friend left at midnight on Thanksgiving, and shopped for about 18 hours. We were running on nothing but Starbucks and we were all beyond delirious by the time we came home. It was by far the best Black Friday shopping that I've ever had though!

7. In general, I'm a fairly shy person in public. The one thing that I don't really tell people is my crafting, and I'm not even sure why. I get embarrassed really easily when my crocheting is mentioned in conversation with people that don't know about my crafting obsession. I love sites like Blogger, Craftster, Ravelry and Etsy because I feel like I'm more comfortable being around people with my same interests. :)

And now, who I'm passing this onto!
1. April Draven
2. ionlylikemonsters
3. Spooky Pooky Creations
4. The Perfect Pear
5. Oops, I Craft My Pants
6. Day Zero
7. Fiber Doodles

Thanks so much!!

Why I Love November 1st.

2010-11-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, in all reality, I'm not always a huge fan of November 1st. I feel like the rush is on now for all retail stores to stock as much Christmas stuff as possible, and I feel like it rushes Christmas by too soon.

However, today, while talking to my friend Jackie on the phone, I realized that November 1st can be great! It's because EVERYTHING Halloween related is on SUPER SALE at the stores!

Target was my first spot to hit. There was still a good amount of cute stuff, and I'm already regretting not getting more. lol!
But, I did pick up 2 mini Halloween nutcrackers that will stay out all year, a shirt for $3, a cute Halloween bowl and of course, some candy. :)

AND....Seth and I had a really lazy weekend. He's going to be doing a lot of traveling coming up, and it started today. I wanted to just relax and hang out with him since he's going to be gone for a couple days a week. On Saturday we took a random trip to some thrift stores. We had a really great time at a thrift store that we usually don't find anything at.
Almost right after walking in the door, I spotted these glasses. First of all, in case you don't know, I have a VERY deep love for The Muppets. I grew up with them. I've forever loved them, and any movie or TV show dealing with them. I love that I feel like they've grown with me, because my favorite Christmas movie to watch every single year is The Muppets Christmas Carol. It's amazing.
Secondly, I've been looking online the past few weeks for Muppet stuff online. My favorite character ever is Rizzo the Rat. However, they don't ever make much Rizzo stuff! If anyone ever wants to swap me for something Rizzo related, I will gladly do it! lol
So, when I stumbled upon these glasses, I was shocked, and immediately picked them all up. Extra bonus is that they were marked at .75 each (which is kind of pricey, but worth it for The Muppets!) but when I got to the register, she said, "Oh, just $2 for all of them." SCORE!!

Well, hope everyone is having a good day! I'm going to keep myself busy tonight and craft away! :)

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this month and year has just flown by! It's been going by way too fast, if you ask me!

But, in the spirit of Halloween, I put a new thing in my shop! Now, I have a Plague Doctor up!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!
I'm off to craft some more. These next few weeks, Seth will be traveling quite a bit, which means I will have PLENTY of time for crafts. I'm lucky too, because I have tons of crafts to do! haha.

Happy Almost Halloween!

2010-10-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

We don't have any big plans for our Halloween, except maybe watching some horror movies. However, today I got to decorate since I got my package from Alexz!
And I know I didn't get a picture of everything, because I was opening everything up and hurrying and putting it all out around the house. lol
Here's some of the extras!

And, here's all of the amazingness that she created for me.

A pumpkin head plush! He's sitting on our couch next to my zombie pillow.

Little pumpkin flower arrangement. Sitting on top of my desk now. :)

A Happy Halloween sign with a handmade bat! How cute is that little guy?!

Skull "wind chime" :)

Bat plush!!!! These guys will be staying out all year. They're so cute!!

Monster scarf! This hasn't come off since I opened it. I love it so much!
ANNNNNNNDDDDD.....my very, very, very favorite....

So, Alexz put pictures of this up on her Facebook and her blog yesterday. However, this is SO MUCH BIGGER than I thought it would be! It's amazing! I have it sitting on top of the Cryptid cabinet she made me, but I will find it a more permanent home very soon.
Alexz, thank you SOOOOOOOOOOO much! I absolutely LOVE everything!
And, I'll close with this note. I carved a pumpkin last night!

And stayed tuned for some fun announcements next week, including a new giveaway!!

A Zombie Ate My Cupcake?!

2010-10-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me AT ALL, knows my deep, and very profound love for cupcakes. They should also know my intense love for zombies. So, of COURSE I"m going to LOOOOOOVE a book called, "A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!"

For anyone that loves cupcakes and Halloween, RUN right now to get this book. There are amazing recipes, tips and decorating ideas in it!
I got the book yesterday in the mail, just in time for Halloween! I opened it while my husband was home on his lunch break, and he got excited, because today is a potluck lunch at his work! He suggested I play around with it and make some REALLY FUN cupcakes.
Ok, so I didn't do everything in the book, but it's ok because we had SO MUCH FUN! Although there are what appear to be some AMAZING recipes in there (pecan, nutmeg and cinnamon cupcakes?! YES PLEASE!) I decided to go for the boring, yet still delicious, Funfetti cupcakes. I got the Halloween ones, of course! So, we set off to play around with decorating ideas!
There is one recipe for a cupcake that looks like a human heart. Seriously, it looks like a real human heart in the book. I don't know that anyone would eat that! But, husband really wanted to make it. So, we picked up a small package of fondant while we were at the store. I've never played with fondant before, but we had a BLAST! We had many failed ideas, including the human heart, but we were able to use the fondant anyways by making little bugs to put on each cupcake. :)

Aren't they cute?! They were really easy to make, and really fun. I also used some Martha Stewart brand cupcake cups that have blood on them. Totally cute for a Halloween luncheon, right?!

That's all for now, but I have a feeling that I'll be back later. Rumor has it, I should have a huge, fantastic package coming to me today!

Star Wars!

2010-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is the craziness that I've been working on lately. I"m doing a swap with an AMAZING Craftster friend, and she loves Star Wars. I bought these patterns from this shop. I HIGHLY recommend them! I will be making more for Seth because I know he's upset that they'll be going away soon. I'm also thinking about Christmas presents to make with them. lol

For a size comparison.

There's 10 all together. And I don't know which ones are my favorites! R2D2's legs move!

Ok, now, I'm off to do a bunch of other things. I've been having a blast working on all of those! They really were so much fun. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with another blog. Have a good night!

New Stuff!

2010-10-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

I put some new things up in the shop today!

The brown Jackalope's seem to be doing a lot better than the white ones. I put another one of those up in the shop. Also, my newest mounted head, a snowman! To be honest, there's not a lot of Christmas mounted heads I can make without them being too morbid, but I think this one is just fine. :)

I also put TONS of new hats up! You should definitely check them out. The others have been going pretty quickly from the store, so I think this is a good addition to it.

I also have a couple other things to blog about, but tonight is Monday Night Football, so we're going to head out to the sports bar pretty soon.
I hope everyone is having a good Monday!

I've been keeping up!

2010-10-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

I like that I've been making posts very regularly. I feel like things have slowed down a little bit, so it's easier to blog on a regular basis.

Here's what I've been working on so far! I added a new hat to my shop! I've sold two of them, so I thought I would make a couple more. I'm making them slowly, but they'll be up pretty soon. I think this is a great Winter hat! And it's really just as soft as it looks. I really like this yarn. I actually bought it in Florida, but I'm going to try and find it somewhere here in other colors.

And, this is what else I've been working on! I'm doing a swap with an AMAZING crafter on Craftster. I made her Shawn a while back, and I'm fearing that she's going to spoil me, so of course I have to make her something else. She loves Star Wars, so I found an amazing pattern on Etsy and got patterns for TEN Star Wars characters!!!!! I will be making another set for Seth because I know he already wants to steal these. So far I only have Han Solo and C3PO. They're so cute, and the patterns are really well written, which makes it even better.

And now I'm off to work on Darth Vader. haha.

New stuff and a giveaway

2010-10-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

So, first and foremost, Alexz is having a giveaway over at her blog!! You should definitely check it out and follow her because he blog is pretty much the coolest.

And, here's some better pictures of the scoodie I made, as promised! I had to take pictures this morning because I think it's all going to be packed up today and sent off to their new home. :)

AND, because I was totally jealous of the plague doctor I made her, I decided to make one for myself! This guy is just using my yeti body pattern. I think I'm going to make a couple and put them in the store as well. :)

That's all for today. I have to continue making some things for a swap with a fellow Craftster, and I have to pack up the box for Alexz and bring it to the post office. Hope everyone's October is going great!!

MADNESS!!

2010-10-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

Two posts in ONE day?! I know, I must be going crazy!!

This is a hooded scarf that I JUST finished, also for my Halloween swap with Alexz. I've never made one before, but it was really quick and really easy too. It's also reversible. the black is fleece and the pattern is a cotton. I'll take better pictures later, but I wanted to show it off now. :)

Yay!!

2010-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

I really feel like I'm accomplishing A LOT lately. It's a great feeling!

First of all, since it's DEFINITELY that time of the year, my hats are back up in the store! I've taken new pictures of them, so at least it looks prettier. haha

And now, what I've been doing lately! This weekend I actually accomplished a lot more than I expected. I had a personal request that I got done really quickly, I've packed up a few packages and orders to go to the post office, and I'm ALMOST done with my awesome Halloween swap with Alexz!

She requested a while back that I make her a plague doctor. If you don't know what it is, you can read about it here and here. After reading up on it myself (because to be honest, I didn't know what it was either!) I quickly became fascinated by it. It's pretty cool to see what each piece of the costume was for, and their odd logic behind all of it. lol. So, when we agreed to do a Halloween swap, what more perfect thing to make, than a plague doctor?!
He's mostly my own pattern. By mostly, I mean it's all my pattern, except for the body, which is the mini free spirit pattern. So, here he is. :)

And, just a little teaser photo for Alexz of what I have so far to pack up to send to her. :)

Now I'm off to start a couple sewing projects for our swap as well. I hope everyone else's weather is as beautiful as ours is today!

Getting stuff done!

2010-10-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

And I'm so proud of myself for it! I'm also feeling a bit of pressure right now for my Halloween swap, which is a great thing because that means I will get stuff done faster!

I finished this guy up last night. He's from the movie Trick R' Treat and his name is Sam Hain. After I finished him last night, Seth turned to me and said, "You're not mailing that to Alexz, are you?" So now I have to make another one for him. lol. I got the pattern for free from Ravelry. I really love how he turned out though! He's really cute, and the pattern was really great!

This next project was a custom request from a friend. She loves mummy movies, and wanted a big one to sit in a chair of hers. He was SO MUCH FUN to make. I wrote down the pattern as I went, which I'm happy for because I will probably be making one for myself. He's made of all acrylic bulky yarn, but it's some of the softest yarn EVER, so he's really cuddly too. I'm going to miss him when he goes to his new home!

AND, I got a package today that really made my day better! I have a thing in my signature on Craftster telling people that I have way too much yarn, and if anyone wants to do a personal swap for some, just to contact me. So, about a week or two ago I got a PM from a fellow Craftster. She needed yarn, and I had it. So, she makes jewelry and wanted to swap for that. I got my package today and she SPOILED me! I absolutely love everything.
It all came in this beautiful little Halloween jewelry box, which I will be using all the time!

And this is everything in it. I just love everything!

FALL!

2010-10-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Fall is blooming everywhere here. Is it where you are living? The weather has been so beautiful. We have a wonderful park just about across the street. Seth and I took a walk there and took these pictures to really show people what our Fall is like here. It's short, which is why it's really important to take pictures quickly. haha

And, as promised, here's the awesome things that I've been working on! First up is a couple things for a Halloween swap that I'm doing with Alexz. As you should know by now, Alexz and I are swap BFF's. :)

I made this banner for our swap. It's all Halloween colors: black, orange and purple. I started making the triangles, and they were so incredibly fun to make, and before I knew it I had A LOT! haha. So, it's a big banner, but I think that's ok. I'm definitely going to make another one for a valance for my kitchen window. It was a super quick project, and turned out really fun!!
Pattern can be found here.

This is something else I made for her for our swap. Personally, I think this is seriously adorable. And I have other ideas for little hats to put on headbands that I'm going to also make her, but this is the only picture I'm posting. Muahahahaha!!! ;)

Geez, I still have more to share! See, I've been crazy busy! And this next one was a personal request. She wanted a Boston Terrier, so, I made her a Boston Terrier! Also on her request is my current project, a mummy. And to be honest, I have a feeling that he's going to be SUPER cute and I won't want to give him up. We'll see. :)

And, that's all for now! Today I'm working on the mummy, and I'm going to work on finishing up Sam Hain as well. Hope everything is having a great week so far!

Much to do!

2010-10-12T19:09:00.001-07:00

This is just going to be a short update right now on what I've been up to.

I've been making A LOT of really fun Halloween stuff lately! I will be posting a lot of pictures VERY soon.

My current list of things to do include:

Mummy
Halloween headbands
A couple new mounted heads
Plague doctor

And the recent things that I've completed or are almost completed are:

Boston Terrier
Sam Hain
Pumpkin family
Halloween garland

See? I'm just afraid that when I say that I'm busy, you might not believe me. :)

Also, my Halloween wreath is a featured project on Craftster! I really didn't think it was going to be so big, but I'm glad everyone loved it! And, the great bonus is that in my Craftster post, I linked to all of the patterns. You can see it here!

And now, I will be getting back to work on my mummy. To be honest, this is for a custom request, but I have a feeling that he's going to be very hard to part with. Oh well, good thing that I'm writing down the pattern as I go so that I can make another for me. :)

And so I will leave you with this. It's a picture of some BEAUTIFUL sunflowers that my husband brought home for me today. And really, I think I've only received flowers once from him since we've been together. I love it when he does sweet things like that. :)

Harry Potter and some destashing

2010-10-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I know that I've mentioned it before, but I'm going to mention it again. I've been busy lately. Today, especially, I've been stressed. I've been running around the apartment just cleaning and rearranging things. I'm trying to keep my mind off of things, which doesn't work, because the more I clean and rearrange, the more I think about things.

Here's my newest really big project that I've been working on. I got an email a couple weeks ago from a very wonderful friend of mine. She just started reading the Harry Potter books, and as everyone else has, got hooked. So, she thought she would just love a Harry Potter to sit at her desk. So, I went away to making a Harry Potter.

In the process of making him, I ran into a lot of issues. My main one was that I couldn't find glasses for him. I finally found some that were the PERFECT size and shape, but they were brown. So, some acrylic paint, and that problem was fixed.

I also wasn't sure what to do about the scar. After trying a lot of yarns, I thought that just using a very thin, pink yarn would work best. It's had to see in the pictures, but I like that it's not really noticeable.

As usual, his pants, cloak and scarf are all removable. I hope his new home will love him! But I have a feeling that they will.

And now, onto some destashing!!!!
I'm planning on taking a day this week to go through my craft closet and just getting rid of things that I don't need. In the meantime, I acquired these and have no need for them. I was going to post them on my Etsy, but thought I would give my followers the opportunity first! And for CHEAP!!! Basically, I need money. haha.

The first up is a huge set of embroidery floss. There's multiple colors, and a hoop as well. If you want anymore details on this, feel free to leave a comment here (I check them constantly, so I'll be able to answer questions) or you can email me at amyldice@yahoo.com. Just put something clever in the subject line so I know that it's not spam. I can also get better pictures if anyone is interested.

This will be a total of $7.95 and that includes shipping.

Next is a pillowcase set for embroidery. I am willing to sell these together for cheaper if you want both.

Total of $7.95 for pillowcase set and shipping included.

And now, I'm off to work some more on cleaning and rearranging, as well as starting on some more personal orders. PLEASE feel free to email me with any custom item you would like! And again, please do...I'm getting strapped for cash these days. lol.

Also, is there any supplies that anyone is looking for?? I have a whole bunch of all kinds of stuff, so leave a comment for what you're looking for, and I'll see what I can do for you. :)

Gosh, I keep coming back to add more stuff to this blog that I'm finding! haha. I made this a while ago. he was one of my first sewing projects, and has since been stuck in the closet. He's about 18 inches tall and would be great for a throw pillow on a couch! I don't want to put him on Etsy because he was my first sewing project, and so he's not the best.
However, I'm selling him for $20 and that includes shipping.

Ok. Done now. If anything changes, I will be posting another blog some other time. :)