Ideas Please

Would you believe these beautiful beads are made out of paper? They were made just for me by the talented Karen at RunsWithScissors4! She used gorgeous rosy paper in my favorite shades of pink and green. Now, I need to decide what I would like to make with them! My initial idea is to use them as embellishments on crochet flower gift tags. Or maybe little tassel ends for a drawstring bag? I would love to hear more ideas if you have some!!

Beyond Busy

What a whirlwind the last 3 weeks have been! I've been on vacation, battled a nasty cold, fulfilled several new orders, and received two new and exciting large custom orders!

Back at home now, with my health getting back in check, I am so excited to take a minute to share sneak peeks of the new projects in the works.

First, have a looksee at the first 22 inches of what will be a 7 foot wide round rag rug! This baby will be heading all the way to London when she is finished...via Missouri. She has a long road ahead of her, as do I!

Next, have a look at what will be an 18" wide, 6" tall lidded project keeper in neutrals. Ah, the simple, clean, natural beauty! This is about 13" wide so far.

I'll post more about these projects in days to come. What have you been up to? Please post a comment- I've missed you :)

And The Winner Is...

Congratulations Nathalie Brault!!

You won the Meet and Greet Giveaway from CelticKnot!!

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Thank you so much to all who entered! Don't forget to follow this blog- this was so fun, I plan to do more of these in the future. Just in case you want to see how close you came to winning, here is the list from random.org. We had 50 different entrants, and 9 extra entries from convos. What a super turnout!

nathalie
angie
jen
shasha
rita
reesa
shanda
marbella
blakeandlaura
sarah
bflat
artsand
miscbeads
digitalmisfit
demmi
lynn
aleda
jessi
judybrittle
graceeliz
anam
elsie
krazyfashion
tracysimm
amarettosour
lilly
wendiwinn
aandb
audrey
reesa
shashaann
NandS
crystal
aandb
aik
colleen
artsnark
robin
bikimiki
tiff
audrey
marigold
veneta
bikimiki
janil
elizabethw
tinyjoy
angie
stephanie
chickscratch
kuteklip
mojomomma
natasha
vidia2be
janil
crystal
schar
equivoque
sygnet

Meet and Greet Giveaway: CelticKnot

Introducing: Kristine, of CelticKnot.etsy.com

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and meet someone new! Then, enter to win a $10 gift certificate to CelticKnot. Read on for details!

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Kristine began making earrings to pass the time when her husband was on a long deployment with the US Navy. She learned about Etsy from a friend, and decided to open a shop in February of 2008. Her initial plan was to focus on Irish jewelry, keychains, and bookmarks (hence the CelticKnot name), but she has since expanded to many different styles and items.

Kristine is a married, full time graduate student studying to be a teacher at Virginia tech in Blacksburg, VA. Her husband and studies come first, but she enjoys creating while watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune almost every night! She folds her amazing origami lucky stars whenever she has free hands.

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When she joined Etsy, Kristine was immediately impressed and astounded by the immense creativity of the welcoming community. In fact, when asked to give a piece of advice to new sellers, she replied "I would advise new sellers to get to know their fellow Etsians. They are wonderful, sweet, kind, creative, and have valuable experience and knowledge to share, as well as amazing items to admire and buy."

Her favorite items are her Rainbow Helix earrings, Shooting Star earrings, and origami lucky stars. I personally find a favorite hard to choose, and I suspect you will, too!

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Giveaway details: Kristine is generously offering a $10 gift certificate to the lucky winner who will be chosen at random (through random.org) on February 13th. The $10 can be used for an item or items already in her shop, or even toward a custom item made just for you!

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Entering is super simple. Go HERE to visit CelticKnot. Look around and choose your favorite item, then come back here and post a comment telling us what you chose. Don't forget to look in her sold items, too! Make sure that you leave an email address, or Etsy shop name so that you can be contacted if you are the winner!

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Pssst...want an extra entry? Send Kristine a message while you are in her shop and introduce yourself. She loves to meet new people!

Easter Preview

It's not too early to be dreaming of spring, is it? Here is my latest creation ~

the upcycled Easter basket!

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I'd love to make more of these for my shop, but I need some input...

what size should I make them?

Please do leave a comment with your input!

Teacher Appreciation

I made two of these little heart bowls this week- one for each of my daughter's teachers. They used to be pajamas, but now they are the base of two little baskets of goodies...all filled up with red hots and conversation hearts and Valentine pencils! Every day is a good day to tell a teacher how much you appreciate what they do :)

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You

Get ready world; my upcycled pillowcase bowls are about to explode onto the craft scene!

Almost a year has passed since I was invited to propose a project for the Lark Books publication Craft Challenge: Pillowcases. I can't believe the time has almost come for it to be released!
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These are the projects that were just returned to me this week. My official letter said that the book will be out in March, and that I will receive my complimentary copy around the same time.

I haven't seen any kind of preview, so I'm on pins and needles. My bowls could be on the cover! My bowls could be on the back page! My bowls could be...*gasp*...not included! I won't know until I get my copy, but you can bet when I do, I'll be showing it off right here :)

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Note for Etsy sellers: the editor of the book found me through Etsy- you NEVER know when you will be discovered!

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Have you had any projects published? Do you hope to do so one day? Leave a comment!

Super Stickers

I am so excited about my new shop stickers, I just have to share! Jessi at jessijewels.etsy.com is the BEST. She listened carefully to what I wanted, gave me 3 beautiful choices in a super timely manner, and made these gorgeous stickers just for me. If you are in the market for something to make your packaging stand out, look no further than this "jewel" of a shop!

Freshly Picked Fabrics

At the risk of making you drool all over your keyboard, I thought I would post photos of my lucky finds from last night!

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Have I gone on and on yet about my favorite thrift store ever? The one that is 10 minutes away and as large as a department store? The one where everything is bright, and the staff is super friendly and hard-working, and the inventory is always fresh, clean, and awesome?

The one where everything in the store is 30-50% off on Mondays,

that has a sheet and pillowcase section 4 aisles long?

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I'd better stop there... I'm sure your heart is beating dangerously fast.

As much as I love to find special vintage fabrics like these, it always makes me a teeny bit sad too. I imagine that someone's parent or grandparent has passed away, and they have cleaned out the house and sorted the possessions. Why oh why wouldn't they keep these sheets?

*sigh* I guess not everyone appreciates their beauty.

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Do you have a favorite local secondhand shop? Do you have an idea for what you'd like to see me make with these? Post a comment- you know I love to hear from you :)