Stitch Sense

Whimsical Wednesday:: Phone pics

2012-02-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Its been a busy week on the home front! I've been working on some custom orders & editing what feels like a million new pictures for some new listings that I hope to have up by the end of the week. Since the blog material has been a little lax lately I thought I'd share some phone pics this week of what I've been up to lately. :-)

This one is a little old but I thought it was cute. I had just finished a custom order & it was valentines night & since hubby & I work on different schedules I thought I'd whip up a little crocheted heart to leave for him along with a little love note to find when he got home, it came out really well...

This isn't the greatest shot but I just got my pillows that I won in Amanda's giveaway, I got a $65 shop credit to Pillows by Dezign. I LOVE them! They're very comfy & are very well made. One day soon, I'm going to write up a post about some of the giveaways I've gotten, I'll have a better pic of the pillows by then. :-)

Here's a shot of the Mr. & I on our way out to have dinner at a friends house. I was having an unusually great hair day & wanted to get a pic so hubby thought he should be in it too, love him!

You think I'm kidding about the million pictures I have to edit, here's just a teeny tidbit on my laptop screen. Oy...

That's all for now, maybe one day when I dig myself out of my photo archives I'll have some new pretties to share! :-)

Latest craft show & new displays

2012-02-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ok so I'm suuuuper late in posting about another craft show I did at a local high school in December but here it is anyway along with some new display pieces I got for my next show. I'm also linking up to my friend Amanda at Serenity Now's blog party today so be sure to stop by & check out some of the great links!

This show in December was mainly a holiday one but there was an incredible variety of vendors, crafters & products to choose from. I love that at this show, the school really focused on bringing in customers who were there to shop! They advertised for weeks in the local newspaper, radio stations, road signs & even with local restaurants. In fact the hubs & I were on our way home from church one Sunday afternoon a few weeks before the craft show & we stopped to pick up a pizza at a local Papa John's & we were pleased to find a flyer advertising for the craft show taped to the pizza box. A lot of the "allure" to the show too was that there were local elementary school choirs that came out to sing Christmas carols during the show & a lot of their parents who were dropping them off to sing, came in to shop also; not to mention there was pancake breakfast that you could pay for along with visits & pictures with Santa. Admission into the show was $2 & all the proceeds went to the local fire & EMS departments. All in all it was the best & most enjoyable show yet that I've been to as well as the most profitable. :-) I'll definitely be back there in the future.

Here are a few pics of my set up, again please excuse the pictures, these were taken with my cell phone before I got my new camera.

Here was my space, it was a 6 x 8 space which was just enough but I think at the next show I'll need a bigger spot since it was pretty cozy. Most of the inventory I had was listed in the shop already but I worked on a bunch more for the show that wasn't listed but I sold a lot of & will be making more to put in the Etsy shop.

And here are some of my jewelry displays...

Lots & lots of earrings...

And then some of the crochet items like hats, cowls, coffee cozies, scarves & baby cocoons...

Here are a few more accessories as well as a mini album I keep on the table with more items I've made & are available for custom order too like various baby & full size afghans, hats, shawls & scarves. Customers always love to flip through the book & see what else I've made.

This is a new item I've been working on, adult rosette & loopy flower headbands, they're SO cute & were a hit at the show so I'm making a bunch more to add to the shop soon...

Here is the sign I ordered from Vista Print along with some new business cards, I still need to work on how to display it since by the end of the show the corners were wanting to curl up a bit but it was a great addition to the table since I didn't have one at the show I did before this one.

One of the things I love about going to these shows is seeing all the other vendor's set-ups, it makes for great inspiration. I told the hubs I wished my table had more "height", especially for some of the jewelry pieces, like some of the other vendors had but we were limited by space. My sister got me this tiered baby for my birthday last month though....

I love it & can't wait to use it at my next show! It sits at least 2 feet high & will be perfect for displaying necklaces, bracelets, even headbands & baby headbands. My in-laws also got this necklace bust piece for me for Christmas. It will be perfect for displaying specialty pieces at my next show.

It was a fun day & we made a decent profit for it being among one of my first shows, I'll hopefully be back soon with more with upcoming spring shows right around the corner!

Monday Shop Update!

2012-02-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, its such a lovely snowy morning here in VA & as beautiful as the snow is, I find myself longing for some spring color & life. What better way to welcome in spring than with a few new pretties I recently added to the shop?

Lately I'd been obsessed with making this pretty little crochet rosettes, they're soooo fun & quick to make & I can make them into just about anything.

I made a few nylon stretch baby headbands out of a cluster of 3 rosettes. And made them in aqua & red here. So cute!

Here's my adorable baby cousin modeling one of the headbands in a black stretch nylon with red rosettes. These headbands are so stretchy they can fit a newborn up to 12 months or older!

I also designed a larger rosette that I started making into these beautiful bobby pins, I have yet to list them but they're coming soon once I get enough made. What do you think?

I also made some fun & fresh bracelets for spring. Here are two beautiful creamy white & smokey glass beaded bracelets...

And one of my favorites is this tribal style wooden beaded bracelet, the beads rotate enough to give it such a distinctive look that would spice up any outfit! Isn't it fun?

And last but not least I have some new styles available in the coffee cozies. Its a lot easier now to pick & choose which colors you want for a solid or trimmed cozie. Perfect for the coffee of tea lover in your life!

So what do you think? I have many more listings coming in the next few weeks, I've been hit with a bunch of custom orders lately that I'll have finished this week & shortly after I'll have new listings up for you to enjoy!

How was your weekend?

Nightly musings...

2012-02-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

I saw this picture on Pinterest a few days ago with a notepad & written on it were promptings for things you were doing, watching, or feeling right then. Unfortunately it wasn't credited properly so I can't link to the original poster but I thought it would make for a fun post on a lazy night; if anyone knows who it is please let me know so I can give proper credit. I added a few more of my own promptings at the bottom too. :-) Enjoy!

Listening: To House Hunters International on the tv & my bird eating her dinner in the background.

Eating: Just had a yummy rice & veggie stir fry for dinner.

Drinking: Water...lots & lots of water.

Wearing: Comfy PJ pants, a hoodie, slipper socks & a blanket across my lap.

Feeling: Sleepy already & its only 7pm!

Weather: Dark & around 40 degrees outside, brrr!

Wanting: Hubby to be home, late nights are hard :-/

Needing: A vacation desperately; haven't been on one in years. Any recommendations out there?

Thinking: "Is that couple really going to invest close to a million dollars to fix up this dilapidated Italian villa hanging off a cliff?" (House Hunters Int'l. must be nice to be able to afford such places)

Enjoying: Another quiet evening with no where to go & a baby cocoon order in my hands. Almost done!

Avoiding: Editing more pictures of new products to list in the shop. Editing takes forever, I wish there were an easier way.

Planning: What to make for a late Valentine's dinner tomorrow night, it's hubby's night off! I'm thinking this might do the trick.

Crafting: Finishing a custom order baby cocoon & moving onto more shop items soon.

What have you been up to lately?

Whimsical Wednesday:: Ugly tray makeover

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I've been wanting to share a recent mini-makeover I did with an ugly tray that my mom bought for me at a yard sale & thought I could use at an upcoming craft show. Here it is in all its ugly glory...

It was an icky, dirty blue with birdhouse sticker appliques. I scraped the stickers off & sanded it a bit before I spray primed it white. I wasn't too crazy about the heart "handles", it seemed a bit too cutesy for me but once it was all finished I loved it.

I had a Glidden sample color that I got for free a while back, in a nice light taupe color. It came with a brush inside that was a little tedious in applying since it was so small but it did the trick. I finished the project in two coats all over & still had a little under half of the bottle left when I was through.

(Please excuse the cell phone pics, this project was done before I got my new camera.)

Here's the finished project...

In the end since the tray was given to me & the paint sample was free, this project only cost about $2 & some change for the spray primer. Not to shabby!

I used it at my next craft show to line up & display my coffee cozies in! Isn't it cute? I use it all the time in my office & around the house now to hold my spare buttons while I'm working or scrap pieces of yarn or thread, etc.

What new projects have you been working on lately?

Blog re-design & Shop updates!

2012-02-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Sorry I've been "mia" over the last week but its been a little busy over here & I'm sure you've noticed why. Welcome to the new face of Stitch Sense Designs! I'm so excited to share this new look with every one that I've been working very hard on & also got some amazing help from the lovely Krystal at Sassy Sanctuary.

First I hope you notice my new blog & shop buttons, complete with grab codes in my sidebar that I am proud to say I created all by myself with some help from Picnik premium now that its free until they close in April. Whatcha think? Please feel free to grab either one to post on your pages too!

Blog Button Shop Button

I also enlisted the help of Krystal (Thanks for the recommendation Veronica!) at Sassy Sanctuary to help me pick out a new header, background, sidebars & she even designed a new Etsy Banner for my shop. Isn't it pretty??? :-) Krystal was great to work with & was very reasonable in price. She helped me create a custom package that fit my needs perfectly & was so patient with my tidbits & changes along the way. I'd highly recommend her if you're looking to have anything done on your site. Thanks again Krystal!

And take a look at the new coffee cozie color & trim selections new to the shop! You can custom select nearly any color or coordinating trim for your cozie.

Listing

That won't be all that's new in the shop either; I have lots of new listings coming just in time for spring too, so check back soon for more updates! Thanks for stopping by today!

Petal Wreath Tutorial

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I've been seeing sooo many cute wintery wreaths lately & it got me inspired to make one of my own. I already have this cute yarn wreath I made a while back on my door but I wanted to make something a bit more different & I wanted to use things I already had on hand. Anyone out there have a leftover supply of stuff from their wedding? Well I sure do, I have vases, sparkly things, pearly things & most of all I have TONS of faux white rose petals. Actually the petals were bought by my hubby the day he proposed, he used them in his "set-up" to surprise me, I'll definitely be sharing that story one day!

Anywho, we ended up using those same petals for our flower girl in our wedding & I have SO MANY left so I thought I'd put them to the test. I already had a green wreath form at home, thanks to Dollar Tree :-)

I knew from the start of this project that I was going to need to cover this form pretty well since it wasn't white so I got my petals & pearl tipped, straight pins ready. Since the petals are pretty thin I grouped them in my hand by about 4 or 5 petals at a time & stuck my pin through the center where I knew it would catch all of the petals.

With no real rhyme or reason to it, I just kept pinning & overlapping slightly, making my way around the wreath.

Here's what it looked like from the front.

It was pretty flat looking & you could see the green form on the inside & on the sides so I made my way around the sides of the wreath too.

Once that was all covered, I filled in the inside of the form & then just started grouping petals all over the form where the green still showed through. Here's the finished result!

All of the added layers definitely added bulk to the wreath but I love how full & ruffly it came out.

I also planned on adding some of the pearly & sparkly things to the wreath too but it screamed "wedding project" to me so I'll have to use those in some other project. This wreath didn't end up looking too wintery either, probably because of the pearl pins but I still think she's a beauty. :-)

Here's a close up. Please excuse the night time pics but I really wanted to show you all! I'll get a better daytime pic of it on the door this weekend.

This project certainly used a lot of petals but I probably still have about half of my stash left, I may need to browse around to look for a project to finish them off. All in all it took me less time to make this, from start to finish, than it took me to watch the chick flick I had on in the background. :-) A productive night indeed! Here's a last look!

So pretty!

What fun projects have you been working on lately?

I'm linking up to my friend Amanda's Weekend Bloggy Reading party!!! Head on over to check out some other great blog finds!

Whimsical Wednesday:: The confession chronicles continue...

2012-01-18T08:34:00.000-05:00

Hey all! A few months ago, I posted about a few ~~weird~~ unique quirks of mine in this Whimsical Wednesday "confessions" post. If you haven't read it, you should, I actually just went & re-read it & it gave me a good chuckle over how crazy I might seem to be to others but for me I'm juuuuuust fine. :-) I thought I'd try it out again for your reading pleasure & hope to hear what some of your funny quirks are in the comments below.

Confession #1: I do NOT like s'mores. In fact I don't ever remember liking them, even when I was little. It's odd because I do love me some chocolate, marshmallows & graham crackers, they all seem like a sweet, tasty, gooey treat but putting them together? Not for me.

Confession #2: I am an admitted sodium addict. Its sad & a little scary too how much I love salt. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! My family always lectures me about high blood pressure & blah, blah, blah. I just love salt, I put it on nearly everything, all the time. In fact, I have to hold myself back when I'm cooking for anyone other than myself because I have a tendency to over salt my dishes, according to "the others"; for me it tastes fine because that's how mama likes it!

Confession #3: I'm a kind of a fraidy cat. I hate being in the dark...at least not without hubby. I don't like being home alone for long & because our little house is so old it makes every little creak & noise you can imagine & freaks me out all the time. To this day I still do this too...

(Source)

Confession #4: I can pretty much eat rice all the live long day. For reals, I can't get enough of it, I require a minimum of 4 to 5 servings a week. It's mainly in part to being Puerto Rican & I grew up on the stuff; I actually hated it growing up but now, I can't do without it. If hubby let me, I'd have it at every meal. :-) Our poor children will probably whine like I did when I was young "Oh, Maaaa! Rice again?!?!?!" Muuahahahaha! I can't until its my turn! Lol!

Confession #5: I have yet to see Monty Python & the holy grail. I'm told this is a big deal. I often feel left out of conversations with friends when someone starts quoting it & everyone else chimes in. Is it really a big deal or can I go the rest of my life without watching it? If not, I'm going to have to ask the hubster to order it on netflix.

Ok, that's all for now, please hold your applause & now share with me some of your deep, dark & secret confessions!!!

New day, new year

2012-01-16T09:26:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm sure if you're still hanging around here you've noticed the cobwebs growing in the corners of my little blog, please pardon my absence for the last ~~few days~~ month & a half. I took a much needed break & for me the new year usually doesn't start until after my birthday anyways...which was Friday. So what better way to kick off the "New" Year (according to me) than plugging in & making a change around here!

Its been a tough year there's no doubt about that, the hubs & I have been through several life changes in our quest to pay of debt & it hasn't been the journey I naively thought it would be. We moved twice in 6 months (to the same house we were renting before, that's a long story for another post though), the hubs lost his job (and then got another) & I had a minor accident that left me recouping for a few weeks, then, throw holiday madness into the mix & you've got yourself one ~~lazy~~ tired woman. Its no wonder that my blog & Etsy shop have taken the brunt of everything & I hate that!

Its time for a change...

It's a new day, a new year & I'm finally done feeling guilty about life taking over everything; I'm ready to make a serious change in my blogging routines, even if its like starting from scratch. I'm currently saving the last of my pennies to get my official blog & Etsy shop makeover; I'm so excited about the changes & to share with you what's coming up, including a new opportunity for me to share & TEACH my passion of yarn & crocheting with the general public! Squeee! I'm so excited about this I can't take it. I still have a few tiny more details to iron out but once its official, you all will be the first to know!

Aside from all of that I'm working to get my home & studio in order so that I can keep up with my new blogging & listing routine. I hope you all will stick around for the ride. :-) I've missed you all!

What have you been up to lately???

Catching Up

2011-11-29T13:13:00.001-05:00

Hey all! I hope everyone had a loooovely Thanksgiving! My family & I had a great time traveling to MD to spend it with some cousins, I only wish it had lasted longer, as always is the case. :-) Anywho, my ankle is doing much better & I hope to have it back to 100% soon after some physical therapy. While I rested it, I was able to get a lot of crafting done for the upcoming craft show next weekend. Take a look at all these cuties I've been working on...

I've actually been making a few different sizes of this little spiral flowers & I plan on turning them all into broaches/pins, adult & baby headbands & hair pins. I can't wait to show you how they turn out!

I also got some adorable pics from a cousin of mine in OH of her two little girls modeling some hats I made. She custom ordered some matching brimmed caps from me earlier this summer & the weather is cool enough to wear them now. Aren't they precious???

Some even more exciting news is that I finally saved up enough to get this baby...

Woohoo! I'm "back in business" people, I've been without a camera since May when my old point & shoot finally kicked the can, on my little sister's wedding day no less!!! Its been pretty hard keeping my shop up to date with no camera or photos to list new products but have no fear, after the craft show next weekend, I'm spending all my extra time listing new goodies in the shop. I have a LOT of catching up to do! I'm adding a ton more accessories & "winter wear" too just in time for the holidays. I'm still a little intimidated by this new camera & would love any tips or pointers anyone has for an SLR newbie :-)

I have a few new Christmas goodies I'm wanting to show you all too once I figure out the camera :-)

What have you been catching up on lately???

Out of commission

2011-11-08T18:47:00.001-05:00

Hey all! I hope your weekend went better than mine. I've been out of commission for a few days & here's why...

In case you can't tell, that's my severely swollen right ankle. I sprained it leaving my sister's house on Saturday. I was walking down the dark, outside stairs & missed the last step & ended up rolling my right ankle & landing on my left knee. Just to be safe hubby took me to the ER right away & thank goodness nothing is broken but the Dr. said to stay off it for a few days & use crutches when it was necessary. The only upside has been being spoiled by my mister & getting a few more crochet projects done. I'll be back soon with some new shop updates! Until then!

--Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Whimsical Wednesday:: Craft show update

2011-10-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all! Sorry I didn't get to this post sooner but I've been trying to play catch up after the craft show this weekend. I survived & everything went very well. I spent some time Friday night finalizing some pricing & packaging the new hair accessories I've been making & testing my display stands. I managed to get a few pictures of some of them while I still had daylight. And yes, my camera is still broken so please excuse the cell phone pics until I get my new camera. :-)

Here are my earring, necklace & bracelet stands...

And here are the cutie hair bows, flowers & poms waiting to be packaged...

I used a few techniques that the lovely Veronica at Life in the Thrifty Lane shared with me in terms of packaging them. And I was also finally able to use one of my printables from Anna & Blue paperie. I had won a shop credit to Stefanie's lovely shop last year in a blog giveaway & I picked out one of these printables to use as a shop tag & I absolutely love how it came out! If you're ever in the market for some custom printable cards, labels, tags, etc. Stefanie is your woman! :-)

I used the tags on the hair accessory packaging that Veronica helped me come up with. Isn't it cute?!

Here's a pile of neck scarves & cowls ready to go...

Sorry it's a little fuzzy but this is part of the set up of my booth. I lined the coffee cozies up in a wooden tray that I made over that I'll be posting about soon. And I tossed the hair accessory packages in some baskets next to them along with some crocheted accessories, baby cocoons & pictures of a few more things available for custom order.

Here's the jewelry section set-up. I got the ivory necklace holder at Marshalls for about $10 & the earring card holder along with the bracelet stand on amazon.

Here's another angle of the table...

All in all it was a great show & fun place to network; I did make enough money to make my table fee back plus a little extra. I met a lot of people too & even got info for a few more shows coming up in the area. I think I'll do at least one more show before Christmas but I want to double the inventory I had at this show & add some new items to the mix. Wish me luck! I'll keep you all posted with the progress!

So how about you? Do you like to buy special gifts at craft shows?

I'm linking up to Amanda at Serenity Now's weekend bloggy reading!

Feature:: Life in the thrifty lane & October promo

2011-10-18T16:24:00.001-04:00

Hey all! The lovely Veronica from Life in the Thrifty Lane has been featuring some amazing shops lately in her handmade-Holiday Shopping guide. Everyone knows how much I support making & buying handmade for any kind of gift giving; I listed 10 reasons why in this post last year. Its something to consider the next time you're in a big box store searching for that perfect gift that you think will put a smile on your loved one's face; just consider what a handmade item might provoke. I personally love making & buying unique, handmade items for friends & family & the reaction I get is always priceless.

So Veronica has set up some great shops for you to visit & today Stitch Sense is one of them! Be sure to stop by her blog & see the October promo I have going on this month!

I've recently added some new items to the shop just in time for the holidays coming up and I have *so many more* to list after this weekend's craft show. Here are some adorable yarn, hair barrettes I've been working on...

(Listings can be found here & here)

And the infamous coffee cozies now come in different trims in virtually any colors you would like.

I hope you stop by Veronica's & leave some comment love.

Stay tuned for more listings & holiday specials coming soon!!!

I love yarn day::My Stash

2011-10-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! In case you weren't aware, today is I Love Yarn day with the craft yarn council woohoo! I know you're just as thrilled as I am! :-) I won't bore you with any specifics about textures, blends & gauges but I did want to take a brief break from the unpacking madness at home to show you some of my office/studio & where I keep my yarn stash, that was one of the first things I unpacked. :-)

Prepare yourselves for copious amounts of yarn goodness & please excuse some of the pics, I borrowed my sister's camera & had to use flash on some photos since it was dreary, dark & raining outside.

Here is a cubby shelf where I keep most of my skeins. This shelf is actually comprised of 4 smaller shelves that I just stacked on top of one another. I used to have them all lined up in a row but I wanted the extra floor space & they seemed to hold pretty well when I stacked them. I had bought a few of the canvas cubby cubes to fit inside the individual cubbies but I got the wrong size, so I put them on a different shelf & left this one "exposed", I liked the look though; it made me feel like I had my own mini version of the of the infamous Lion Brand wall in their store in NYC. :-) All of the yarn is super accessible for me too so I can keep track of what I have & I think it adds to the decor of the room also. I still have a few things I need to add to this shelf like my pattern books & a few others but for now, here is how it stands today.

Here are a few close up of the shots of the different colors I currently have....

These are some leftovers from previous projects...

Sometimes I have no idea what I'll do with such tiny amounts of yarn but you NEVER know when the moment will arrive that I need 2 feet of yarn for! :-)

My sister gifted me with these pretty closed top baskets one year & I keep a few yarn extras in them.

The smaller one has most of my cotton/natural blend yarns...

And the one above the cubbie shelf has all of this ~~junk~~ extras in it.

Extra Tunisian hooks, some half finished projects, metal rings for the towels rings, some bootie & slipper starters & a bunch of other stuff.

So there you have it folks! I've done really well lately in not purchasing more yarn when I have so much already unless I need a certain kind for a special project but for the most part I stick to what I already have. I can't wait to show you the rest of the studio when its finished!

What kind of crafty stash do you have?

Exhausted

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well, we're all moved in our house now, the unpacking frenzy has begun. I've been going non-stop since Friday & my body is really paying for it today. Please have some patience with me as I take a week or two to get settled in. I'll be updating you all soon on how prepping for the new craft show is going once all the unpacking & organizing is done. In the meantime, I'll need some strong coffee during these next few days or I'll end up like this at work...

What have you been up to lately?

Canceled:: Weekend & craft show update

2011-09-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

Well folks, last Friday started out dreary & drenching; not exactly the perfect formula for an upcoming outdoor craft show but I held out hope. It was pouring all day & the forecast showed that Saturday had a 70% chance of rain ALL day. :-( I got off work early to tie up some loose ends & pack everything up & then I got the email I was waiting for...

The show had a officially been canceled with no rain date. :-( I was bummed out obviously but what can you do? At least the Etsy shop will be plenty stocked soon! I put the call out to some friends to see if they'd heard of or seen any promos for other up coming craft shows in the area & I got lucky & registered for another at a local church for October 22nd. Woohoo! That gives me at least another few weeks to get more items done that I wasn't able to get to for this past show. So there was a silver lining to the weekend at least. I won't get much done this week since I'll be prepping for our move this weekend but I'll be glad to have my office/studio back soon :-)

So to hold you over, here's a little picture I snapped on my way to church yesterday of one of the new goodies coming to the shop...

Its a cute little loopy, yarn flower with a vintage button I made into a pin. I got a pretty good response from it at church so hopefully they'll go over well with the rest of the world. :-)

I also think I narrowed my search down in the camera field to this baby...

Its a canon rebel T3, anyone else have one or one similar? I've researched extensively for weeks now & I just want to get it already but it'll be another few weeks until I save up for it. Can't wait to see the yummy shots I get from it though!

So how was your weekend?

Whimsical Wednesday:: Random thoughts & happenings

2011-09-21T09:33:00.001-04:00

Wow folks, is fall really here already? I seriously feel like I woke up from a weird dream one morning, sleepily blinked my eyes & *BAM* it's fall!

Well I just thought I'd come up for air & a bit of sanity today. I've been crafting like a mad woman for an upcoming craft show & have been trying to keep up with life in general. Its been super busy around here, working on redesigning the shop, my blog, crafting for the show (which is this Saturday! Eeeek!) & then next weekend the hubs & I will be moving again. This will be our second move in 6 months! Its kind of a post for another day but you can follow where thing started on this path here, read about the move here, & then read how things got much worse before they got better here. I'll definitely fill you in on how things go & document the move. :-) Wish me well, I'm bracing myself for the insanity storm that's brewing & I'm trying to prep myself for everything. I can't wait until its all over though & we're getting settled in our own space again.

Other than all of that, my main focus is the craft show right now & I can't wait to stock up my Etsy shop after its over! I have SOOOO many new goodies to share, including a few DIY projects I've finished too. Squeee! I'm excited to reveal them. :-) One down side is that my camera officially kicked the bucket on the day of my little sister's wedding in May, it couldn't have been at a worse time & its been really difficult to document things since then. I've been borrowing other people's cameras in the mean time & using my cell phone until I can save enough to get a new camera. Mama wants an upgrade! :-) So please pardon my picture-less or cell pic posts these next few weeks until I get a new & improved one. Does anyone have any recommendations??? I have a general idea of what I'm looking for but would love any extra input on SLRs if you have one & like it, please share!

I'll be back soon to fill you in on how the craft show went & if there's any locals in the VA area that would like to know where it is let me know so I can email you the info! :-) Toodles for now!

Giveaway:: My rubber stamp

2011-09-15T11:46:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! Come stop My Rubber Stamp to enter to win some awesome prizes!!! Eunice has been working so hard at lining up 22 vendors (and posts) for the massive 1k fans giveaway.

The Stitch Sense Shop is even giving away this pretty pink scarf for one lucky winner!

(Also available in taupe)

Click here for details of how to enter & where to find other lovely items to win! See you there!!!

My Rubber Stamp 1K fans Giveaway!

2011-09-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I hope you had a great weekend that catapults you into an even greater week!

I wanted to share a new fellow Etsian friend of mine who has a great shop full of beautiful stamps! There's so many uses of these stamps for weddings, holidays, birthdays, address labels or even for your own business. I know I've had my eye on this one! :-)

There's soooo much to choose from! Eunice's blog just recently hit 1000 fans & to celebrate she's lined up several great & talented sponsors for her 1000 fans Giveaway! My Stitch Sense Designs shop is in the line up of sponsors & I'm giving away this pretty, open weave, pink scarf. What a perfect accessory for fall just around the corner!

Be sure to stay tuned for more details of how to enter. :-)

Safe:: Grace Imparted

2011-08-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a week! I'm happy to be writing this today unscathed, safe & with every member of my family safe & accounted for. I'm sure most everyone has heard about the east coast earthquake we had on August 23rd, the city I live in is only 40 minutes from where the epicenter was & it was a very scary experience. It took me over an hour to get a hold of most of my family, including hubby since phone lines were tied up but everyone was fine & had their own story to tell of the happenings. What may not have seemed like a huge deal to some was a huge deal to those who felt it. This area that hasn't seen an earthquake of that magnitude in over 150 years, it was a pretty crazy experience.

And just as all the hype of the earthquake died down, we began preparing for hurricane Irene to make her way towards us that weekend. I wasn't too worried about the hurricane since we live about 3 hours from the coast but we took precautionary measures just in case we were left without power for a few days. After the storm passed we were left with a few limbs, twigs & leaves to pick up in the yard, fortunately for us that was the extent of the "damage". We had some strong wind gusts from time to time but that & the rain seemed to be the worst Irene was bringing us. I was just glad that everyone was safe & there was no major damage or loss of life in our town but prayers were lifted up for those that saw the worst of the storm.

Instead of a boring picture of leaves blown to the ground after the storm, I thought I'd share these scriptures that a friend shared that seemed fitting for the week we had:

"God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city, this sacred haunt of the Most High. God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn. Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten, but Earth does anything he says." Psalm 46:1-6 (Message)

Simply said, we need not fear when the earth bellows for the Lord is the creator, he is the author & he is our refuge. No amount of safety precautions can protect you the way the Lord can when his hand is over your life. I'm so glad I have a God who loves me, who loves you & will protect us in times of trouble.

He is a safe refuge...anywhere & always.

Linking up to Grace Imparted with Richella

***(In all the hype of this week's happenings I almost lost track that yesterday August 28th was my Stitch Sense Designs shop's 1st birthday! Woohoo! I planned to do a giveaway that I'll now be pushing back the to be around the time of my upcoming craft show in September. I hope you'll stop by again to see all the new goodies I have in store!)***

Whimsical Wednesday:: Shop update, show & birthday giveaway

2011-08-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hey all, here are a few news flashes for you as I'm busy making new inventory for the shop. Unfortunately I hit a snafu with the craft show I was suposed to be attending with a friend of mine this weekend & we won't be attending anymore. Mostly because we signed up last minute thinking we would be ready but turns out...well, we're not. But its a good thing because we're registered for another show here in town that's about a month away & we'll definitely have enough time to prep for it. I even got one of these babies to make my transactions run a little smoother.

Isn't it so cute & little?!? Ha! It's a square card reader that you plug into your smart phone to swipe credit & debit cards & they money is deposited into your account the next day. The best part is that the device is FREE & you're only charged 2.75% of the transaction for each swipe. I can't wait to try it out. I also got an Intuit Go payment reader to compare the two & see which I like the best. That reader was free also & their per transaction fee is 2.70%, I'll keep you updated on how each one goes.

Other than that, I'm working on getting a banner & new business cards made. I've also been stockpiling a few display items that I can't wait to share with you! For the most part I'm focusing on making smaller items to sell like some jewelry & a bagillion coffee cozies & scarves & such. The bigger items like the baby cocoons, I'll have framed pictures of what they look like with a baby in it & one sample to show & take orders for anyone interested in having one custom made. Naturally those take longer to make & I didn't want to spend this next month only making a few of those & nothing else to sell at the show. I figured the show is around the time people are thinking about christmas gifts & I think items like cozies & scarves will make for great stocking stuffers. :-) I also have a new accessory I'm working on perfecting for the show & will be listing in my shop too. I can't wait to show it to you all! And if all goes well I'll be having a giveaway for the 1 year birthday of the Stitch Sense shop, so get excited! :-)

What have you been up to lately?

Whimsical Wednesday:: Confession time

2011-08-17T10:56:00.004-04:00

Its been a while since a did a whimsical Wednesday post...ok, its been a while since I've done a post period but I have good reasoning! *wink* :-) I've been working hard on some NEW items to list in the shop when it opens back up for the 1 year birthday bash. And I've been fiddling around with a few redesigns here on the 'ol blog as you can see & there will be more to come. :-) I can't wait to do a final reveal!

Ok, so the other day I was chatting with the hubs & I realized how many seemingly odd (to me at least) things there were about me & in an effort to "pump up the volume" & put myself out there more on this bloggity blog; I thought you might enjoy some of these "confessions"...you might just think they're weird, I think they're weird, so feel free to make fun (but not too much, I still want to be your friend) or share some of your odd quirks too. :-)

Confession #1 - I hate yogurt, pudding, custard or anything of that slimy consistency. I know that yogurt could be a great healthy snack & I've tried every kind out there but I just can't stomach it. They all make me choke & gag like like a baby eating strained peas & puree chicken liver for the 1st time. Sometimes even mushy bananas are hard for me to eat too, I have to eat them on the borderline green side. I know, I'm weird.

Confession #2 - I weep uncontrollably at the end of every.single.book I read. I don't know why I do this. Sometimes its that the characters touched me in a way I didn't expect. Sometimes I'm just sad the book has ended but I do it every single time, without fail. Big babbling mess over here.

Confession #3 - This one is a biggie but I'm just going to say it...I hate the color white in most home decor. I can't tell you how frightened I've been to reveal this one ever since I discovered blogland, for fear that I would be an outcast. For real. Scared, right here, right now. (stop looking at me like that) The color white seems to be "all the rage" in blogland. You just bought a funky looking chandelier? Paint it white. Got a new, cool looking, wooden candlestick at goodwill? Paint it white. "Oh, look at this new side table I got for the den" Paint it white. "Look at this beautiful new platter I picked up..." you get the idea. I wonder when white took us all by storm? Now, don't get me wrong, I actually do LOVE the makeover aspect & I do think that white looks great in every project I've seen thus far, I just won't use it myself, it kind of scares me. I understand that its a classy practical choice & it always looks great, it just not my favorite. *cowering* Please don't hate me. I also blame my mother. She hated white decor too & never had any in our home growing up. She knew it would be prone to stains & with a house full of children, she decided it wasn't even worth the risk. Even when I was a teen & we'd go shopping for school clothes, I'd pick out a cute white top or shorts, even sneakers that were white & she would immediately tell me "Put that back! It's white! It'll stain!" Hmmmm....I'm beginning to think this was a concern since she was the one who did the laundry all the time? Poor mama... who could blame her? She just didn't want to slave over stubborn stains but inevitably it rubbed off on me because I hardly ever use white in my decor or clothing, it frightens me now every time I go to a store & start to marvel at a pretty white vase or curtain or something; I can always hear my mother shouting in the back of my mind "Put that back! It's white! It'll stain!" Heck even my wedding dress was ivory, not white. :-P I commend those of you that use it regularly in your home & extra points if you have kids too, you're braver than I am. :-) Phew! Glad I finally put that one out there. I hope you all don't sign me up for therapy.

Confession #4 - This one is kind of a biggie too since it seems I'm breaking out of some womanly code or something but I am NOT a shoe person. I know, call me crazy but I seriously only wear 2 or 3 different pairs of shoes each season, if that. I hate shopping for shoes, mostly because I can never find anything I like or that is comfortable & mostly because new shoes make my feet hurt. And I honestly can't remember the last time I shopped for my own shoes, not even for my sister's wedding recently, I let my older sister buy them for me because she tolerates my pickyness. On any given day you'll either find me in my crocks flip flops, sneakers or a very low heel or flat, closed toe shoe. No heels either. I wasn't always this way but it sort of developed over time. Now, in order to restore you confidence in me I can say that I AM a purse gal. I looooooove me some cute purses & totes. :-) The bigger the better! I carry my entire world around in my purse, so what if I might only need some things every now & then? If we're out to lunch one day, you better believe I've got an umbrella if it rains, a water bottle to quench a sudden thirst, floss or toothpicks, band aids, hair brush, deodorant, tissues, scissors, kitchen sink, thread, yarn, shower cap, hand sanitizer, lipstick, pens, kitten, paper, gum...you get the idea. In fact, if I could get away with it I'd carry a duffel bag with me all the time just so I'd know I had everything I needed with me, ya know...just in case. Oh lord help me when I become a mommy & am introduced to diaper bags! :-D

Confession #5 - When it comes to pizza, I'm a major carnivore. Pile on the pepperoni, bacon, sausage & ham. I do love an occasional veggie pizza but 9 1/2 times out of 10, meat always wins for me. Call it primal instinct but I love it. In order to seem more dainty in your eyes, I'll tell you its my body craving iron since I'm anemic, which is in fact also true.

Ok, I think that's enough shocking information for one day. This was kind of fun... and a little scary but I think I'll do it again. :-) Hopefully you won't think I'm too crazy, I just want to fit in ya know? *wink*

Don't leave me out on this limb alone, what are some of your confessions or quirks?

Day by Day:: Grace Imparted

2011-07-18T09:41:00.001-04:00

Richella at Imparting Grace is a dear & sweet blogging friend who always has been an incredible model of living her blog title. She recently wrote this post & is hosting a link party with people sharing ways that they have either received grace in their lives or have imparted it on someone else, or even had it imparted from our heavenly father himself. Its just a place where you can share your stories, gratitude or accomplishments.

So I thought I would link up & share some recent progress since this post. I mentioned before here & here about our recent move & course to getting out of debt. I had hoped that this would be a time of simplicity & refreshing for the Mr. & I & to be 100% honest, life hasn't slowed down by much but we're so grateful for where we are, right where God wants us. Long story short, in the course of 3 months, hubby & I placed all our items in storage & moved into a room at my sister & brother-in-law's house to get us back on our feet financially for a few months. We were well on track to getting our past debt paid for and then...my Mr. lost his job. We were devastated but the resounding word we kept hearing was Trust. God always knows what He's doing, so why fret? We took things one day at a time, which for me is a very hard thing to do. I physc myself out sometimes & think way too far ahead in the future but I clung to His promises & I chose to keep believing & trusting that he would provide for us. After all, we were blessed to be in the living situation we were in & not have to worry about rent or other household bills that we couldn't pay. Thank the Lord for that! Things could have been worse, but they weren't.

So after a lot of praying & waiting, a few weeks of hubby searching he got an interview for a local & well known company. After another interview, some testing & a few piles of paperwork later, he was offered the job & the cherry on top was that it was about 3 weeks after he became unemployed. That's almost unheard of in today's economy & we were SO very grateful. We were so blessed & knew that this was nothing short of another miracle that God had given us with a new testimony to share. Hubby starts in 2 weeks & I couldn't be more thrilled with this new turn of events.

Nothing is impossible with God & I'm certain that His hand was completely over our situation & we're grateful for ALL of the graces he's bestowed on us in these last few months. It most definitely has not been easy but as we keep praying & clinging to His word for direction, He continues to impart His grace on us every single day. We don't deserve it but He loves His children & always has us near to His heart & even in that we're blessed. We won't stop seeking Him & we won't stop proclaiming His goodness in our lives now or ever. I'm excited to update you all in a few more months & tell you how my Mr's new job is going & our moving into our own place again soon! :-) Yay!

What kind of Grace have you imparted or had imparted to you lately?

And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted." --Isaiah 12:4

Bearing my heart...

2011-06-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

So much has been going on lately that its been hard to concentrate more on blogging. It makes me sad actually because I love blogging when I get the time to do it, I just know its not enough. Its not fair to me or you, the reader to half heartedly create clever posts that will make you think, smile or give you a new good idea...

It seems there's been a trend of cut backs in blogland lately & it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one. :-) I don't think I'll be "cutting back" per-say but I won't be putting the pressure on myself to come up with as many posts as I'd like, or as many posts as seems to be "the norm" to keep a decent following. The truth is I'm just plum tuckered out...

I thought this new season of simplifying & change was going to be...well, simpler & believe me, it has been; its just come with a few unexpected twists & turns & been an exhausting season of life overall. Its come with a slew of emotions I didn't see coming & I'm still processing through it all. Do you ever have seasons like that? Where something that was supposed to be easier turned into something you didn't expect but its good because there's growth in it too? And even more exciting things are in store still, new things! And as if that weren't enough then there's the question of my Etsy shop, Stitch Sense Designs. So much of my heart & passion went into launching that shop & its suffered during this time as well. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it & reminding myself that this will soon pass & I'll be able to devote all the time in the world to it soon but I can't help but think that it soon may slip away from me just when I was getting the hang of things.

In all honesty there's been a lot of new opportunity that's come up for me too. Something that had me (surprisingly) renouncing other "loves" I have to pursue this one thing. Something that could be the start of an incredible ministry opportunity, to share more of my personal experiences & love for Christ. It hasn't let go of me & I've been nursing the ideas going through my mind as if they were little babies. Ultimately my heart wants to be solely dedicated to this but I'm a little melancholy because I know it will mean the end of something else. But...if this is where God truly wants me then I want to be obedient & available in every fashion to pour my everything into it because I know it will be that much of a blessing to others...more than what's on my plate now. So if that's the case, why am I sad? It seems to be the end of something fun & exciting to begin the start of something deep & more meaningful in my life...and SO much more rewarding. I guess that means I'm growing up! :-D

Please excuse me as I bear my heart & process along with you but its helping to share it with you. :-) I'm excited to be on this journey I'm on, its just very different from anything I've done before because I'm realizing the responsibility that will come with it & I'm challenging myself to be up to the task. I'm human & I know I'll always fail people but I know that God knows my heart & dreams & He won't be standing in the shadows on this one or any other path I'm staring down. :-)

Here's a verse that's been singing to me lately through all of this:

"As your heavenly father, I have placed dreams and visions within your heart. Do not become discouraged and let go of them. Your vision is for a specific time. Though it may be delayed, wait patiently for it, for you will not be disappointed. I will surely bring it to pass in my perfect timing."
--(Hab. 2:3)

(Photos taken by yours truly)

What new opportunities have you had lately?

Meds, madness & a bit of random

2011-05-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

Whew! What a week. I'm coming up for air from a whirlwind of Dr. appointments, birdy antics & wedding wear & hair trials & I have pictures to prove it. :-p

First, my poor hubby had been sick all last week & finally when he hadn't kept anything down for more then 24 hours we went to the Dr's to find that he was severely dehydrated from fighting a bad stomach virus. Poor thing was miserable & it was miserable watching him feel so icky, He was a good sport though, even when the nurse had to stick him twice for blood in one morning; he's not so fond of the needles...

Thank goodness, he's on meds now & feeling much better after a few days of rest.

I took our pretty girl Ava out the other night for some play time & she put on a fun show for me. I didn't get any video but I will next time. I've been teaching her to whistle (instead of scream) for a while now & I think she's just now getting the hang of it, its really cute. No words yet though but we're still trying. :-) She understands a lot though, like "treat", "be back later", "toy" & "Good girl"

I've been helping as much as I can to plan for my little sister's wedding THIS Sunday! I was going to post a pic of my bridesmaid dress but I'll just wait til the day of when I'm all done up. And boy is there a story about that dress! Post coming soon about that too.

Another dilemma that came up was my hair. I had been growing out for a few months so that I'd have a decent length to style for the wedding but I have a history of my hair falling out...A LOT when it reaches a certain length. Seriously, I come out of the shower with clumps of hair in my hands & I won't even tell you how bad the bathroom floor looks, I could fashion my own shag rug in just a week's worth of showers, for reals! My sister says I shed like a wooly mammoth & hubby finds my hair *everywhere*, even in the fridge...don't ask me why. Finally I caved & made an appt to get a few inches cut off hoping that it would help the hair falling out thing. My hair dresser said that it's normal to lose about 100 hairs per day. Yikes! Despite losing so much hair, you could never tell because its so thick. Anywho, I asker her to keep enough length for now for me to be able to pull it back & style it for the wedding & I might trim it even shorter after its all over but for now I'm loving the new 'do :-) The ends are nice & whispy & I have side bangs too.

What have you been up to lately???

Small spaces & storage

2011-05-05T11:21:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I coming to you today asking for your tips & advice on a current dilemma I have; organizing small spaces. (Cue blood curdling scream here) And when I say small space... I mean a really, really small space. I know I know, the dreaded small space issue is nothing anyone ever wants to deal with but its what I have to deal with right now & I thought I'd ask for a little help from blogland :-)

As some of you know already the hubs & I have moved into my sister's house for a season & since she had everything we needed, all that was necessary for us to bring with us was clothes & toiletries. Well I of course couldn't leave all of my crafty goodies behind so I limited myself to one medium sized Rubbermaid tote (I told you it was small) to stash all of my jewelry making & crochet supplies. I must have gone through that tote about 4 times eliminating more & more each time before the move. I have too much yarn people! No, wait, I take that back. I have an over abundance of yarn...yeah that's better. :-)

I'd like to have a way to store my supplies in our room without having to open the tote periodically & dig for certain things & then hopefully if I've eliminated the need for the tote, I can use it to store other things. This is what I used to have to work with at my old house. Its not all of my yarn & supplies (some was in the basket up top & in a few other places in the room) but it was organized.

And here's what I condensed down to during this transition season. The new tote in question....

This is all the yarn that I thought I'd need in the time we're at my sister's house & I figured if I needed more I could run out to the store to get what I need but I doubt that will happen, as this is plenty. Buried in here somewhere is the canvas box that I keep all of my jewelry making supplies in...

Ah, there it is in the top right corner. I would have taken it out to show you but it would have caused an avalanche of yarn skeins & me having to dump the whole thing out to organize it again.

So what do you think? Currently this tote sits at the foot of our bed & serves as a surface to dump clothes, purses, mail & other things on. I was debating getting something decorative like a stack of these to put the yarn & supplies in & sit them in the corner of our room but we don't have much space (if any) to work with & we could use all the floor space we can get; but it is an option. I could group things by color & label the boxes & they could still be put to use after the move too.

(Source)

I also considered putting the skeins in a vacuum seal bag & storing it under our bed but I'd be opening it pretty often & would have to reseal it every time I opened it again, so that's not ideal. Currently whenever I have a project I'm working on I keep it in a little canvas tote bag that has all of my "must have" supplies in it like scissors, extra, hooks & needles & all (one day I'll show it to you all) & I keep it on the door knob of the closet so I can just grab it & go but when I start a new project; I go into the tote & dig through everything to find what color or type of yarn or jewelry stuff I need. I also have one of these in storage in the extra large size & is very sturdy, I know I could get it out & utilize it but I'm afraid it would take up too much floor space & have the same effect of the tote.

What do you all think? Any tips or other suggestions? Should I just stick with the tote since its temporary or do you think everything could be stored in a better or more efficient manner? I'm open to any ideas or suggestions! :-)

Special features

2011-04-18T09:00:00.004-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! I wanted to share a few new things going on. First off, I recently got some adorable pictures from a friend of mine who ordered a custom baby cocoon & matching hat for her friend who was having a baby last month.

Just look at this face would ya?!?!

What a cutie! Here are a few more...

This little guy's cocoon & hat were ordered to match the colors in his nursery. You can find the listing for a custom baby cocoon & hat here in my shop or if you were looking for just a cocoon you can find it here. Any of these can be ordered in the style or color choice that you choose. Little ones love being snuggled up in these cocoons especially for swaddle time because they always keep baby nice & snug without the risk of having loose covers around them. They're also perfect for photography props, baby's first pictures & even make great baby shower gifts!

I recently gifted this pretty set to my cousin who is scheduled to have her baby any day now...

Isn't the ruffle/scallop trim on this hat just precious?! It adds the perfect touch to this set. As soon as the little one gets here, I'll be sure to post LOTS of pics of her in it.

On another note I wanted to share a new fun listing I put up recently! I created an add-on listing for existing or custom crochet orders.

You can add-on a large button to embellish an item like a hat or a sweet cluster of small buttons to a toddler hat. Add some tassels to a scarf or a special crocheted trim to a baby cocoon for a little extra whimsy.

The possibilities are endless!

I'll soon be adding pretty crocheted flowers to the mix as well. But for now lets gaze at the buttons again shall we???

I just looooove me some buttons! :-D

A few months ago I was browsing around some specialty shops downtown, with a friend of mine & we came across a sweet antique shop where we found baskets full of vintage buttons. I was in heaven! I must have spent at least 45 minutes just digging for the best buttons I could find to use on some of my projects. I may need to go back & stock up on some more because you know you can never have one to many of these beauties. :-)

Which embellishment or add-ons would you pick for your item?

Something new:: Inspiration

2011-04-14T09:36:00.001-04:00

Hey all I just wanted to share a great source of inspiration I've recently re-discovered! Have you heard of it yet? Its called Tumblr & its a great catch all for all kinds of amazing finds. Tumblr is often referred to as "microblogging" & allows you to write posts, share quotes, pictures & even link up to your twitter & Etsy account & even find inspiration. If its out there, you can find it on Tumblr, I've found anything from DIY projects, to photography, vintage finds & pictures, to crafty items, architecture, design, literature & even posts dedicated to the royal wedding. I started using it last summer when I opened the Etsy shop mainly as a source of inspiration & didn't realize I could link it to my twitter account until now which makes it soooo easy share fun finds. You have the ability to "heart" & also "reblog" something you find interesting or fun, that gets linked to your own Tumblr page. You can find my particular page here where I've linked up to following all kinds of other micro bloggers that share gorgeous pictures like this from the All things Europe blogger:

(Source)

Or this crafty goodness from A lady's findings

(Source)

You can link posts & pictures from your own blog, web page, or in my case my Etsy shop when I have a new listing or sale. If you're just starting our or curious to find more, go to the "explore" button where you'll find a plethora of pictures, posts & links to all kinds of amazing topics. I hope you check it out & let me know if you join so I can start following you too! :-)