Yarn Bombing - Home Edition

in , by MyHobbyShop, 6:25 AM
What's yarn bombing? Its a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint.

Like most graffiti, its a statement of art and creativity. It is pretty amazing what people can do with a some yarn and a crochet hook. While I have never done a yarn bombing, I think it would be a neat idea.

I was at my mom's house and noticed that she covered a few items with crochet work. I'm thinking this is the closest she's going to get to yarn bombing!!

 



Here are a few of my favorite yarn bombings I found on the internet.

http://www.oberholtzer-creative.com/visualculture/2009/01/yarn-bombing/pd26392062-2/

http://yarnbombing.com/yarn-bombing-diy-flickr-pool

Have you done a yarn bombing? Please share!

WIP - Fingerless Gloves

in , by MyHobbyShop, 7:13 PM
For those who don't know what WIP means, it stands for Work In Progress.

I am not sure if anyone has this problem, but I have a ton of unfinished projects! I tend to start something and lose focus. Or I get an idea and start working on a new project.

Several months ago my sister requested a pair of fingerless gloves. I accepted the challenge. I figured it should be easy to find something for her, since there are hundreds of patterns out there. I was so wrong.

My sister and I are both thin with long arms. She wanted gloves that would cover the length of her arm and wasn't "holey". Well, I looked and couldn't find any patterns I like.

So here I am working on writing my very first pattern for fingerless gloves. Its been a slow process. Below is a picture of how far I've gotten. At this rate she might have her gloves by the fall!



What are your WIPs? Please share!


Let It Go

in , , by MyHobbyShop, 10:57 AM
LET IT GO

When you felt like giving up, God told you to hold your head up. He sent some one to let you know, It's time for you to let go,

Of The

The hurt from the father that never bothered,

Let It Go

The friends that promised to be there through thick and thin, that walked out on you,

Let It Go

The words that was said, "you would never amount to anything,"

Let It Go

The man that promised you a ring, instead you became another one of his flings,

Let It Go

When you shared your deepest secrets with a friend and they put it in the wind,

Let It Go

The people that spread rumors about you that wasn't true,

Let It Go

The abuse from your childhood, that has a stronghold on your mind,

Let It Go

The bad choices you made during your teenage years,

Let It Go

The names that people called you that brought you to tears,

Let It Go

Ladies let it go. Holding on to all these things, will cause you to become bitter, and remember being bitter blocks blessings



http://www.sistersbuildingsisters.com/letitgo.htm

My Garden Pt 1

in , , , by MyHobbyShop, 1:11 PM

When I was little I remember having to help my mom with her garden every spring. I told myself that when I got older I wouldn't have a garden.

Well here I am all grown up now, with a lovely home and a HUGE garden. When we first moved it I was up to the challenge. But it quickly got overwhelming. Last fall I decided to start from scratch and spent several weekend cleaning out the garden.



Now that I had a clean canvas it was time to decide what to plant. I wanted flowers that would bloom at different points of the season. Some in the spring, some in the summer. I want to keep my garden colorful. After a trip to Lowes I picked up a ton of bulbs. My friend also sent over bulbs from her lillies. While shopping at Walmart I found some bulbs which were part of the "Plant for Hope" series named in honor of Susan G Komen for the cure.


I just had to have them! With my mom being a breast cancer survivor, what a better way to show my support than to have a garden full of shades of pink. So now that I have my bulbs planted its time to wait and see what happens. I will keep you posted :-)

Thrift Store Treasures

in , , , by MyHobbyShop, 5:42 PM
I love thrift store shopping. You never know what you can find. Recently I have been on the hunt to rescue crochet items. It saddens me to know that handmade items, such as baby blankets, that were meant to be keepsakes get sent to the thrift store. Then sold for less than $5. When I find something like scarves, hats or blankets in good condition I buy them. I use the yarn to recreate another wonderful item that will go to another loving home.

Most of the time I just wonder around aimlessly until I find something that interest me. Today I found these wonderful charms. I think they are adorable.



I was able to "rescue" this scarf made out of this great multi color yarn.



My last find was a single skein of variegated yarn. I don't know if I've seen this color before. Its very bright.


Over the last year I have gotten a hand ful of items from the thrift store. I have to admit that most of them are sitting on a rack in my workshop. Its a good thing I have my own space, or my hubby would have went crazy a while ago. They are just waiting for inspiration to hit me. I promise I have all good intentions! I will keep you posted on what I come up with for these items.

Do you thirft store shop? Or am I the only crazy one :-)

My Cartoon Pajama Pants

in , by MyHobbyShop, 6:01 PM
I am a big kid at heart. I love to play and have fun. I think this is why God gave me children of my own. It’s a great excuse for acting silly and not taking one self too seriously.


Photo by: unicornkids

 
When my kids were little I use to love waking up Saturday morning, curling up on the couch with them and watching cartoons. I would tell them about the cartoons I use to watch when I was growing up. Remember? Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, Jem, Fraggle Rock & Thundercats. Now those were cartoons!


Photo by: SalvagedLoveVintage

  Keeping in the spirit of being a big kid my hubby bought me the best Christmas gift ever. Soft, fuzzy, purple Smurf print pajama pants. They have to be the best pajama pants I have ever owned. I LOVED watching the Smurfs when I was younger and it is still my favorite cartoon of all time. So what is your favorite cartoon of all time?

Photo by: WheeTreasures









SpareBedroomStudio @ Etsy

in , by MyHobbyShop, 10:30 PM
Since joining some Etsy Teams I have meet some very talented people. It is always wonderful to see people put these talents to work.

Below is a brief interview of my friend Caitlin who makes and sells her handmade mobiles and confetti on Etsy. Her shop is called SpareBedroomStudio.


Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Caitlin. I am 27 years old and exactly where I'd like to be at this point in my life. I share my small apartment with an absolute sweetheart of a husband (my honey and best friend), a fluffy bunny named Truffles and a little blue Japanese fighting fish. I've worked MANY jobs in the past (usually 2 or 3 part-time jobs at once) and consider myself to be all the better for it. I've done everything from working in theater as a stagehand to some big shots, trying my hand at theatrical design (lighting, sound, etc.), done a little acting, worked in public libraries for 8 years, spent 3 years as a special ed paraprofessional in a middle school, did a painful 6 month run as an administrative assistant to the treasurer of a major bank, spent a year and half prancing around Disney World in a big, furry costume as a character and the list goes on and on. Now I am proud to say that I have the privilege of working from home in my spare bedroom studio (hence the shop name) creating to my heart's content and selling those creations online and in local boutiques.


When did you first discover your creative talents?

I can't actually think back that far. As long as I can remember I've been creating, drawing, painting, sculpting, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, etc. I've always loved ALL of it! My mother certainly helped by buying me endless craft books and kits when I was a kid and always helped me set up crafty things to do. She always says that when I was little I was constantly nagging her to do projects with me. I even started a Craft Club when I was about 10 and had my friends over once a month to have snacks and do a designated project. They paid dues of about 50 cents and my mother and I would take that to the store to buy supplies for the next month's craft. It was a lot of fun and lasted about 2 years until I moved to a different town.




What made you decide to open your very own etsy business?

I had actually never heard of Etsy until I met my friend Heather of MySelvagedLife. We were co-workers at a public library and when we weren't wasting time being silly or actually doing our job, she spent EVERY spare moment (when the boss wasn't watching) on Etsy. Over time I became enthralled with what she was doing and couldn't take it anymore... I had to open my own shop!! I love crafty things and creating in general and always have, so I figured… why not?

Describe your style in 5 or 6 words?

Airy, whimsical, fun, unique, funky, sweet


Describe what you struggle with most.


No question about it! I struggle with photos the most for sure! I can create new items until the cows come home and be happy, but when it comes time to take pictures...I want to run away screaming. One day I'll come up with that perfect photo trick and all will be well and good... a girl can dream can't she?


Do youhave any advice for those who are just starting out?

Join teams and make Etsy friends!!! It is SO helpful to have a positive support group of people who know what you're going through and can help you through it in a loving way. Teams are definitely worth the time and effort put in! Plus they are loads of fun!



What are you links? Shop, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc

Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpareBedroomStudio
Blog: http://sparebedroomstudio.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SpareBedStudio









Man With The Golden Voice

in , by MyHobbyShop, 7:10 PM
Matthew 5:42 says, Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

An awesome story of a very talented man who fell on bad times and landed on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. A video posted by the Columbus Dispatch two day ago has already gotten over 6 million hits. When you see him you'll never guess what comes out of his mouth.



This morning his appearance on the CBS The Early Show was absolutely inspirational. He talks about his faith in God and never giving up hope.



Such a heart warming story is a wonderful way to jumpstart the new year!!

Its All In The Packaging

in , by MyHobbyShop, 8:34 PM
I love, love to shop online. I always check the mail to see if my package has come in. Even though I know that it will take longer than a week! When my package finally arrives, it feels like my birthday or Christmas. I can't wait to open it up and take a look at my new goodies. I love it when sellers take the extra time to package items nicely. I get extremely disappointed when things are just placed in freezer bags and toss into a bubble mailers. I expect more, especially for Etsy sellers.


If you sell items on Etsy, you are running your own small business. You represent yourself through the quality and packaging of your item. It doesn't cost a lot to package your items with a little love.

Here are a few ideas in no particular order:

♥ Mailers

Depending on how you send your packages you have several options. If you are in the United States and send your items via USPS you can go online and order your boxes free of charge. They will even deliver them to your doorstep. If you rather use mailer you can use anyone of these online shops to purchase them in larger quantities for a good cost. http://www.uline.com/ or http://www.papermart.com/

♥ Packaging

Do you sell jewelry? If so do you place your item in a jewelry box or plastic bag? Do you sell clothing? Do you place you clothing in a shopping bag, freezer bag or gift box? Whatever you do think about presentation. Your customer is going to open their box and in front of them see.... what? I sell clothing. While I don't put them in gift boxes I do gift wrap them. You can purchase colorful tissue paper from the Dollar Tree along with ribbon. Not a huge investment but makes a big impact on how your package looks. Be creative, add your own touch.


♥ Hand Written Note

With every item I send a small handwritten note that I purchased from this lovely shop PeculiarParchment. There's something very personal about a hand written note. Etsy customers are purchasing handmade and supporting small businesses so they expect more.


♥ Invoices

I can't tell you how many packages I have received without invoices. Maybe it’s because I spent so many years as an EBay seller that this bothers me. Whatever the case I feel including a copy of the customers' invoice is an important step in running a business.

♥ Business Cards

Now that Etsy has coupon codes I think providing your business card is a definite must. I have recreated a special 10% off code just for business cards. I placed a label on the back of all my business cards. What an incentive for customers to come back and shop with you again or better yet share your card with friends!

♥ A Little Something Special

Who doesn't love freebies? Well your customers do! This is a perfect opportunity to send out a sample size of something you’re working on. For the last three months I have included a small Breast Cancer Awareness key chain free with every order. When I am out of those I might crochet some headbands or something small like that to include with my orders. If you sell soaps you can include a small bath sponge. If you sell prints you can include a small postcard size print. You don't have to spend a lot just be creative.

I am by no means an expert. These are just a few ideas that I have tried and they have helped me along the way. I would love it if you'd share some of your ideas with me.

Spiders

in , by MyHobbyShop, 7:01 AM
SPIDERS

'THE SPIDER TAKETH HOLD WITH HER HANDS, AND IS IN KINGS' PALACES.' PROVERBS 30:28

The spider may have eight eyes, yet many spiders can barely see. What makes it an avid hunter is that the hair follicles on its legs are full of sensitivity and it can discern everything that's going on around it. What's the message of the spider? Use your God-given sense of discernment! You can discern more with your spirit than you can see with your eyes. 'Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things' (1 John 2:20). God will let you know things you can neither prove nor explain. Jesus said that he would show us 'things to come' (See John 16:13). But He won't do it so that we can ego trip or run around acting flakey. No, 'He shall glorify me: he shall receive of mine, and shall [show] it unto you' (John 16:14). God gives 'inside information' to those who seek to glorify Him. So stop living beneath your spiritual privilege. The old country church folks used to sing, 'The Holy Ghost done told me, everything's gonna be all right.' That may not be good grammar but it's sound Bible truth. Can't you remember a time when your eyes told you, 'You're not gonna make it,' but your spirit kept telling you, 'Everything's gonna be all right?' A time when you met somebody who looked good, too good, and your spirit warned you that something was wrong with them. 'His anointing teaches you about all things...that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him' (1 John 2:27 NIV). The way to walk in discernment is to stay close to God.



(borrowed - not an original!)

 
Thanks
Lily
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