Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Lessons Learned from the (First!) Bazaar
 |
| Image courtesy: Still Life Images |
 |
| Image courtesy: Still Life Images |
2) I have AWESOME, supportive, wonderful friends!
3) Sometimes people buy things. Sometimes they don't.
4) The people who loved my booth the most were teenage hipster-types and crocheters.
5) I don't count success by dollars.
6) All the kids (literal and at-heart) loved Olivia Octopus.
7) I'm not as socially awkward as I thought, at least when I'm talking about crochet.
8) When going on an adventure, it's best to go with a friend. =)
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Here's My Card
Other titles considered for this post:
"It's Business Time"
"Moo Delivered"
"OH MY GOSH! THESE THINGS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!"
"It's Business Time"
"Moo Delivered"
"OH MY GOSH! THESE THINGS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!"
So here's my business card review of Moo.com
~If you're looking for high quality and gorgeous- go with them.
~If you want your logo to upload... uh, maybe try it out and see if it works. Mine just wouldn't work for their template. Bummer. Maybe for the next batch?
~If you want something inexpensive, shop around. I ordered a pack of 100 for $50, but that doesn't include the $7 shipping. It's not cheap, but they're not cheap either. I don't feel dissatisfied with the price for the product that I got from it.
Saturday's the day!! Also, Thanksgiving is next week. How did it creep up on me like this? Ridiculous. I'm supposedly hosting people too. This could be a disaster. :)
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Coffee House Cowl (Again)
Before your eyes are a few of The Coffee House Cowls. I wrote the pattern this time last year and revisited the joy of making it this past weekend. The buttons are a joy!
Get your pattern here: The Coffee House Cowl and button up with some coffee this autumn!
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Friday, November 9, 2012
Imposter Syndrome.
Getting ready for the Bazaar!! Here's a test run I did. Result? I think it works. I'm gonna borrow a bigger table to spread things out a bit more, since I plan to make a few more embroidery hoops and maybe some more bunting or garlands.
Personal critiques: I'm not thrilled about the purple hand drawn pricing signs, but I hate when prices aren't visible and as a consumer you're standing there awkwardly with the item you desire in your hands thinking, "I want this, but I don't want to spend $1,000 on it. If I ask them and it's too much I'll have to put it down and embarrass everyone...". I considered setting up a chalk board with prices, but figured that would give off too much of a Menu feel.
I definitely have Imposter Syndrome right now. I'm not one of those cool people at the craft show - why am I doing this? People are gonna *know* that I don't belong. I feel compelled to wear my glasses to the Bazaar so people will think I'm more hipster-artistic than I am. If I do then I'll then just be painfully self conscious of my stupid glasses all morning.
Despite the purple signs and my glasses, I'm pretty excited about this whole adventure. 7 days to go! My stomach just dropped when I wrote that...
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Endless Possibilities Cowl (How To!)
Originally, my Endless Possibilities Cowl looked like this.
But then I noticed that the "sun" motif looked more like a saw blade. Weird. Once you see something you can never ever un-see it. So I snooped around my own blog (a satisfying moment) and rediscovered my Sweet Sunshine Motif. I sat in my new cozy chair (no, not the purple chair) and worked up some sweet sunshine, despite the sun setting long before.
 | |
| Anyone else notice I have one blue eye and one green eye? People hardly ever do, but sometimes in pictures it's another one of those things I can't unsee. |
How to Make Your Own Endless Possibilities Cowl!
First you pick out your yarn. I chose cotton because I like it, and I chose navy blue because I like it. That's the best way to go about choosing yarn. I then picked a hook that went with the yarn I was choosing. Since I went with a worsted weight cotton, I picked a medium-ish size hook (J-10/6mm). You know what you like, so go with your gut.
You make a chain stitch that, when joined, comfortably goes over your head. The shorter your chain, the snugger the fit. The longer the chain, the looser. You can make it an "infinity scarf" by just making a loooooooooooo(ooooooooooooOOOoooooOOooooo)ng chain.
When your chain is to your liking, you join to the first chain, making sure you don't twist you chain *at all*. Unless you *want* a twist in your cowl (which can be a nice design element). And in that case, twist it!
You then stitch in each chain around. Use any stitch you want. I choice the DC (double crochet), because I get a good flow going with that particular stitch that I just don't get with others. But if SC or HDC or TR is your preference, go for it. The possibilities are *endless*, actually, since there are stitch repeats out there that make for gorgeous crochet. But I kept mine simple because I wanted to show off my motif.
You keep making your stitch around and around and around, joining at the end of each round and chaining up the appropriate amount to your next round. Keep this up- the more rounds you make, the denser your cowl will be. Mine's not very dense, but I live in Virginia and it doesn't get that cold here. Plus, I wanted something I could wear Autumn through Spring (in line with that "endless possibilities" theme).
Once you're finished making your big crocheted tube that is your cowl, you embellish it. Motif? Flower? Embroidery? Patches of fabric? Felt shapes? Anything. The cowl is your canvas. Be creative. Make it beautiful. Make it yours. :)
(Here's the Sweet Sunshine Motif Link again, just in case you were smitten. Check out the rest of my freebie patterns, on the right of the screen!)
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Bazaar Prep (WIP)
Gulp. 2 weeks to go until my first ever "craft sale". It's actually just a Bazaar fundraiser in a local elementary school. A great place to begin: no real pressure, half a day, and a friend to team up with.
There's a lot of little things that goes into a sale like this. Things I never would have thought of prior to this project . I needed a sign (above, and it's coming out awesomely), I still need to order business cards, find a cash box, finish inventory, organize my display, and a ton more!
I keep trying to remind myself "Less is More" and I feel like nothing says that more than these "Thank You" bags. I was going to stamp them with a motif design to bring in the crochet element, but after doing one and having a look.... nope. Less is more.
In this shadowbox display will go some fun crochet (of course)! I'm thinking a bunting or garland across the top. It's a party!
And then there's this. Creativity is messy. I don't want to talk about it.
Here, quickly scroll through, past the disaster that is my craft zone and look at some inventory...
First: Earrings!
 |
| Motif Earrings- PDF pattern available! |
 |
| Motif Earrings - PDF pattern available! |
Also: Snowflake Ornaments
And Of Course: Hats!
Baby....
And toddler...
Tons more to make!
And don't forget: Olivia (and Oliver) Octopus!
 |
| More colors coming! |
Featuring: Embroidery Hoop Home Decor
And Still in Progress: Hair Clips!
So that's what's in the works over here. In summary: a lot.
Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
***
~Jess
***
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)