OneTrueTree Creations

"Do what you love"

2012-03-02T17:22:00.001-08:00

"Do what you love" embroidery hoop is available in the shop! Click here.

I've also been working on a product that will be available in the shop soon: embroidered canvas portraits! Keep an eye out; they'll be available soon. =)

Longfellow Quote Art and a New Treasury List

2012-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Click the image to be transported to the Etsy listing!It's a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote, embroidered and appliqued on felt and cotton/polyester blend fabric. =)

Again, just click the image to be transported to the treasury page! I'm feeling very springy, today, despite it being VERY chilly for Los Angeles (52 degrees, right now, and rainy).

NEW in the shop! Colorful Love Birds Wall Art

2012-02-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Finished this cheerful piece yesterday! Click here to be transported to the Etsy listing.

Embroidery Hoop Art and a SUPER EASY Tutorial

2012-02-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

The other day I was re-organizing a bit and discovered that I have several embroidery hoops just sitting around doing nothing, so I decided to use them! Yesterday I made this embroidered quote:

Click the image to go to its Etsy listing.

And as I was photographing it, I realized I could make you guys a super simple tutorial for temporary wall hangings! All you need is a clothespin and some tape:

I used a miniature clothespin but I'm sure this would work with a regular sized one, as well. You'd probably just need to use a bit more tape.

Cut off a piece of tape about two inches long and clip the clothespin to the tape.

And apply it to the wall! Make sure that the clothespin is flat against the wall and doesn't twist around. You're done! You can now hang your object for photographing or to see how a particular layout of photos or artwork would work on your wall. See? I told you it was super easy! =)

Meet Prudence!

2012-02-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
(lyrics from Dear Prudence by The Beatles)

Prudence is an outdoorsy girl from the tip of her antennae to the tips of her toes. She loves to be outside feeling the breeze and hearing the leaves rustle. Her favorite season is late summer and her favorite activity is fishing! She can often be found down by the creek dabbling her toes in the water waiting for a fish to bite.

I. Love. Prudence. Her accessories were huge pains in the neck to make, what with all the weaving and such, but they are SO worth every second of work!! I think I'm going to make it a regular thing to create dolls with unique accessories like Prudence has.

Click here to be transported to her Etsy listing!

2012-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a praying mantis doll for at least three weeks, now. I think. I know I have a terrible sense of time, so it could be less. *rubs chin*

Anyway! She's almost finished. I made her dress, today, and I'm about to make her fishing pole. The other day I wove her a cute little boater hat out of felt, and afterward I couldn't help but envision her in a cutesy sort of overall/jumper style dress with a fishing pole and a basket of goldfish. (Praying mantises actually do eat small fish when they can get them.) I would show you a photo of her in her dress, but she's drying off from a dunking I gave her; she's hand painted, and earlier I noticed that some blue was coming off onto her hat, so I swished her around in a tub of water to try and rinse off the excess paint. I think I need to do some research into better, more permanent paints. I can't have every hand painted doll rubbing paint off everywhere!!

Anyway. I think I already love her and she's not even finished. You can have a photo of her floating in the basin like a creepy fetus:

I promise she'll look much cuter when she's in her clothing and holding her fishing pole and basket. =P

Can I just say that I LOVE my new way of making joints? I know it's basically impossible to see much of the construction of them in this photo, but I'll get better photos when she's 100% complete. It's like a happy marriage between my most recent way and my original button-joint way. <3<3

Birthdays and Holiday Madness

2011-12-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

It was James' birthday, recently. I made him a saccharine-sweet book filled with reasons why I love him:

It's pretty ridiculous, but I had a ton of fun with it and he loved it and that's what's important, amIright?? (Just ignore that I somehow managed to spell "excessive" wrong!)

I've got a ton of things to get done, this week! All sorts of pre-Christmas loose ends; presents to finish, presents to ship, presents to wrap, projects to work on, errands to run, delicious food to make, organization to get done... Yikes! As of today the shop is in vacation mode, which will likely last until January first. I'm hoping to get several new items done during the break so that there's new stuff in the shop when I re-open! Have a HAPPY holiday season and a wonderful new year!!

My Memories Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-07T16:03:00.001-08:00

Congratulations, Becca! You're the winner of the My Memories Giveaway. I will email you with details on your prize asap. =D

Mini-Meleon Invasion!

2011-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

The photos aren't the best; it's more difficult than you'd expect to hold a mini-meleon in one hand and take a picture with the other! I've got lots of colors of felt arriving in the mail at some point in the next couple weeks (the site wasn't very clear on how long shipping would take...), and in the meantime I'll be making snazzy hand-painted ones, and maybe even some embroidered ones! I'm super happy with how this pattern has turned out, and I intend to take over the world with them. =3

All of these have sold except for the kelly green one; you can view its listing here! More will continue to be listed throughout the week(s).

And don't forget about the giveaway that will soon be going on over at OneTrueTree's Facebook page! The 100th follower will win a mini-meleon, and I'll have a giveaway for another mini-meleon, so spread the word so we can make this thing happen! =D

Christmas Approacheth!

2011-12-02T12:14:00.001-08:00

Here are the dates you'll need to make note of if you're planning on purchasing a Christmas gift from OneTrueTree:

For international shipments, you'll need to place your order by December 8th. For domestic shipments, you'll need to place your order by December 15th.

Time is a-tickin' and mini-meleons are arriving in the shop TODAY and throughout the next few days! Snap them up while there's still time!

Tangible Memories

2011-11-26T16:21:00.001-08:00

A year or two ago, I somehow fell into collecting soil and various other materials from places I've visited. My collection has grown from a couple handfuls of beach combed shell and sea glass fragments, to several soil, sand, and organic materials samples (like Spanish moss) from all over the United States. I'm not currently sure what the number is, but I do know that it's grown a lot faster than I expected! (Hopefully this spring/summer, I'll be able to add several more to the collection!) I don't have a shelf for them, yet, but I can envision what it will look like, a rainbow of nature's colors and textures, and the memories that accompany them. Each bottle is like a little artwork, and I love that I did nothing to create it other than bring the materials all into the same place. Nature did all the hard work. =)

I always avoid taking anything from any National Park, Monument, or Memorial, or any sort of nature preserve, but I have taken samples from juuuuust outside their boundaries, like some white sand that blew outside the fence of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, or some coarse volcanic sand from just outside the boundaries of Wupatki National Monument in Arizona. (I even go so far as to map exactly where the boundaries are just to be sure I don't accidentally take anything from inside the park/monument.)

Shells, coral, and beach glass found on Kaua'i, Hawai'i.

Red earth, luna moth wing, small plant root, and a cicada wing from my Mom's home in North Carolina. This sample definitely has the most sentimental value for me. It was my home for most of my childhood, and is where my mother still lives. I remember talking to James on the way to North Carolina, this past summer, about how I love luna moths, but was concerned because I hadn't seen one in several years before I'd moved to California. What are the odds, then, that I'd not only find a delicate luna moth wing, but I'd also see a lovely live luna moth on a leaf, waiting for twilight? It's almost like a sign of some sort. =)

On a memory-related note, don't forget to enter the MyMemories giveaway if you want a chance to win a free copy of the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite!

My Memories Suite Giveaway

2011-11-20T16:45:00.001-08:00

Oh, good god. I wrote this entry up last night and nearly FORGOT to post it. *facepalm* Better late than later, though, right? =)

So, without further ado... It's giveaway day! If you'd like to win a FREE copy of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite, now's the time to act! It's a very fun and useful program -- it's not just for digital scrapbooking! You can also use it to make greeting cards, art, photo books, or calendars. MyMemories.com has got TONS of great scrapbooking kits, embellishment packs, paper and texture packs, word art kits, and loads more; they even have a dollar store! If you're in a hurry, they've got great pre-made "quick pages" -- all you need to do is pop in a photo or two and some text if you like, and you're done! Once you're finished with your page or your album, there are lots of ways to share it: you can print it, convert it to jpeg format, make movies, and more.

Here's how to enter:

1) (This is mandatory if you want to enter the contest.) Go to the OneTrueTree Etsy store and pick out your favorite item, and come here and comment about it! That's all you've got to to do enter!

2) If you'd like to increase your odds of winning, here are some additional things you can do --- be sure to make an extra comment for each extra entry!

a) Go to MyMemories.com, select your favorite item from their store, and post a link to it in a comment.
b) Like OneTrueTree's Facebook page! (If you do this, you'll be eligible to win a free mini chameleon from OneTrueTree Creations after it reaches 100 followers!!)
c) Follow OneTrueTree on Twitter.
d) Tweet about this giveaway; please comment with a link to your tweet.

Everyone who doesn't win will still be able to save money on the My Memories scrapbooking software; just enter this code -- STMMMS20971 -- at checkout and you'll receive $10 off your purchase of the My Memories Suite scrapbook software AND and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store! Not too shabby!

The giveaway will be open until December 5th; just in time to make a nice album for your friends or family before Christmas!

Yup, you heard right; TWO giveaways!!

2011-11-18T18:38:00.001-08:00

Well, here's my second practice page made with My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite and photos from our road trip this past summer! The Grand Canyon was our first stop on our road trip from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, and back again! I think I've made some improvement as far as page composition goes, which I'm pretty happy about. I've decided to start the My Memories giveaway on Monday (the 21st), so be sure to check back to see what to do for your chance to win the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite for yourself! I didn't mention this before, but that's a $40 program for FREE. Pretty snazzy if I do say so myself.

I'll also be having a giveaway of my own! I'm working my way up to 100 followers over on OneTrueTree's Facebook page, and when I finally hit that number, the 100th follower will win a free mini chameleon (stay tuned for photos in the next couple days!! they're super cute!!) AND I'll be having a Facebook giveaway of a second mini chameleon for everyone else!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking

2011-11-13T12:51:00.001-08:00

I'll be the first to admit that I am a terrible scrapbooker, and here is a practice page (with photos from our trip to Disneyland in 2009) to prove it:

Scrapbooking has always been one of those crafts that I was interested in but never had any natural talent for, and I could never justify buying all the supplies only to leave them sitting on a shelf, or wasting them with my sad little fumblings. BUT! Thanks to this snazzy digital scrapbooking program from MyMemories.com, I'm able to practice all I want! Muahahaha! So I'm afraid I'll be torturing you poor people with new digital scrapbook pages for the next few days, and then... I'll be hosting a giveaway! One of you lucky readers out there will be able to win your very own My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite for FREE! What's better than awesome stuff for free? Nothing! So keep an eye out for your chance to win! =D

30 Day Art Challenge

2011-11-12T11:37:00.001-08:00

So! I've decided to try out this cute 30 Day Art Challenge; I started it once before, several months ago, but I never got around to finishing it, so I'm giving it another whack.Day 1's prompt was "yourself" so I picked out a photo:

And drew it!

It didn't turn out looking entirely like me, but I'm pretty proud of it in general, since it's the first 100% freehand portrait I've done in several years. The eyes are a little too wide set, and the jaw isn't "strong" enough, so it ended up looking like a prettier, more-Asian version of myself. But I think there's still a definite resemblance, so yay!

Today is Day 2, and the prompt was "your favorite animal." Well... I don't have a favorite animal (I don't have very many favorites in general; I can just never choose!) so I drew four -- a sloth, a chameleon, a bat, and an axolotl... Yes... I have odd taste in animals.

I think it's somewhat amusing that you can see the level of patience decline and the level of hurriedness increase as you go down the page from the completely shaded sloth to the practically scribbled axolotl. I need to work on that. =P

2011-11-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Still working on the ice queen. It's taking longer than I had planned, because, well... I've been procrastinating. I'm really not sure why; I just sometimes run into these pockets of procrastinate-y-ness from time to time. The photo is of the first crown I made for her, which isn't the final version, because there was no way to attach it to her head. I'll take some more WIP photos of her and her clothing tomorrow when there is daylight to do so. She's turning out well!! Her pants are finished, and her chirka is almost finished -- I just have to finish attaching bead buttons and making button loops. Then after that I'll make her jelick, which is a sort of fancy vest... and then she should be finished!

In other news, I'm going into a gluten-free test period. My sister is gluten intolerant, so there's a good chance that I am, as well, and lately I've been putting two and two together as far as a few symptoms I've had for a few years, now. I'm still hoping I'm wrong, since I love bread and wheat things so much, and because I REALLY don't want to have to worry about selecting "safe" foods whenever James and I are interested in eating out somewhere -- more than anything, I'd be upset about that. I can prepare my own gluten-free foods and things at home, but I would really hate to have to put a damper on a night out with James. =(

We'll see. Wish me luck!

Skelemeleons and an Ice Queen

2011-10-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well! It seems my skelemeleon was a hit, because he sold a half an hour after I listed him on Etsy, then I got a Daily Deviation over on Deviantart, and orders for SIX more skelemeleons! I had a really great time making them all and I really look forward to making more next Halloween season, as well as a few other spooky ideas. I can't wait! And it's a whole year away! Just for fun, here's a photo of a custom skelemeleon; it's tail is about two inches longer than the tails of the regular skelemeleons, and I rather like the look. I think I might make that the standard, from now on.

What else have I been up to? Weeeelll, I've been working on an ice queen doll, which I'm really quite ridiculously excited about. How excited? Going-to-bed-at-3-am-staying-awake-for-an-hour-obsessing-getting-up-again-and-sewing-until-5:18-in-the-morning EXCITED! It's something I've never really done before; it's going to involve a lot of beading and possibly some decorative embroidery -- not sure about that last bit. But yes. LOTS of beading. Only problem is I don't have enough white fabric (or the right kind for what I have in mind) and I can't run any errands until I get my car checked out, tomorrow (it's been making this weird ticking noise every time it's accelerated above 10 MPH). So I'm a bit impatient about that, but in the meantime at least I can work on the slippers, her pelerine, and maybe some crown prototypes. Keep an eye out for more WIP updates in the next few days!

Anyway! Here's a sneak peek/WIP shot of the ice queen doll's slippers. I'm going for a semi Arabian-esque style theme:

I currently make my dolls out of wool/rayon blend felt (the percentage varies based on the color, for whatever reason) with some internal seams and some external seams for that nice handsewn look, but I'm considering trying a seams-inside version made out of a regular woven broadcloth or something similar because sometimes I'm bothered by how felt can get sort of fuzzy-ish/halo-y. If that makes sense. HA! I'm not sure if/when I'll try that out; it's just something I've been considering. Anyone have any fabric recommendations?

Sad post is sad...

2011-09-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sort of sad... I really enjoy making dolls, but my sister and I were discussing things and she pointed out that cloth dolls don't generally sell as well as plushies, and she's right. She pointed out that cloth dolls are usually a young-child thing, and I realized that of course most kids wouldn't want or appreciate a zombie doll, for example. My dolls are more art-dolls than play-dolls, anyway, and those are bound to sell more slowly in the first place! It's just sad because it means that maybe I should focus less on dolls and more on plushies... and because my poor dollies are relatively unwanted. And I JUST created what I feel is the "perfect" doll pattern. *sadface* Oh, well.

Don't get me wrong. I'll still keep making dolls -- I enjoy it too much to stop, but... I suppose I'll just have to be prepared for them not selling nearly as quickly.

What do you guys think? Are cloth dolls less popular than plushies?

Skele-chameleon with itsy bitsy skele-toes!

2011-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

The skeleton chameleon is finally here! I finished him last night, FINALLY, and photographed him this morning. I'm really very pleased with how he turned out; it was a substantial pain the the butt (especially since I'd lost my chameleon pattern and had to re-create it *cough*), but in the end absolutely worth it. I think I'm just going to make one of these each year, just before Halloween. I've also got some other fun variations in mind; I won't go into detail about them, but I'm excited, and I'm trying to decide if I'll try it out this year or wait until next Halloween. So many ideas! So little time!! *sigh!*

He's made out of black and white wool/rayon blend felt, polyester fiberfill, and wires that make him able to grip things on his own. Features a fairly realistic rendition of a chameleon skeleton, complete with tiny teeth and five-toed feet; two toes on the outside, three on the inside on the front feet and vice versa on the back -- just like real chameleons! D'awww! =)

Anyway! You can view more photos over at the etsy listing, and read some more information about him. Just click here or click on the photo! =)

2011-09-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Took this WIP photo of the skeleton chameleon, today, and thought I'd share it. I should have it finished today, and photographed/listed either today or tomorrow. Exciting!! I LOVE his little skele-toes.

2011-09-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

Created two new treasuries! Just click on the images to go to the treasuries. =)

It feels good.

2011-09-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling really good, lately. I feel like I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, after sooo loooong of just feeling unmotivated and overwhelmed by the mere idea of sewing something. I've rediscovered my joy! Hurrah! It feels really good to be back in the creative world.

It's a cloudy day, today; perfect for getting stuff done! The skeleton chameleon is coming along; his head is almost finished, and I'm hoping to have the whole chameleon finished within two days or so. I'm really looking forward to the finished product, since this is an idea I've had in mind for about two years, now? I had actually started a skeleton chameleon last Halloween, but it was too close to the holiday and I didn't have time to finish it; I was also feeling generally discouraged about my work, at the time, so the poor thing got packed into a box and forgotten until recently. When I pulled out the head I saw that it had been too beat up to use, not to mention that I no longer use the kind of felt that I had made it with. So! Starting again! I lost my chameleon pattern AGAIN, so I'm improvising as I go along, and we'll see how different this chameleon looks compared to the first ones I made; it should be quite interesting. I just have to remember SCAN MY PATTERN PIECES this time!! Haha.

Halloween dolls and road trip photos

2011-09-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, MAN! A lot has happened since I last posted. Bad, negligent Abbey!! I've been having a blast making Halloween dolls:

Mavis the Zombie (my favorite, so far!). Just click the photos to be transported to their Etsy listings. You can see more photos there, and read their little bios!

Aster the Witch.

Maibe the Mummy.I'm currently making a skeleton chameleon; I should have him finished sometime within a week, and after that I'm thinking a ghost doll? I'm not sure. I might make an autumn hugglemonster instead. *rubs chin thoughtfully*And I still haven't updated about the trip we went on in June and July!! Believe it or not, but I haven't even been able to go through all the photos, yet, so here are a couple nice shots from the photos I HAVE gone through:

Me at the Grand Canyon.

James and I at the Grand Canyon.

James and I at Sunset Crater National Monument. I got SO sunburned, that day!!

Me at Cadillac Ranch. It was far busier than we expected!Okie dokey; that's all for now. Hopefully soon I'll be able to share a few more photos from our trip. It was pretty epic; we covered 8500 miles, drove through 12 states, and were gone for about 40 days! *dies*

On vacation!

2011-07-06T11:32:00.001-07:00

It's vacation time! The store is now in vacation mode, as I'll be leaving for a while to take a road trip with my lovely boyfriend!

I may or may not make occasional posts from the road while we're gone; it all depends on the individual circumstances.

Wish us luck! =D

Some fun Etsy finds

2011-05-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share with you some of my recent favorite shops/items! =)

Three very tiny blue owls by SongandBranch

Aton earrings by masaoms

Vintage porcelain glove coin bank by cottagefarm

Pebbled leather bag by opellecreative

Silver alligator purse by tsurubride

Vintage California map pillow cover by mybeardedpigeon

I heart Canada necklace by truche

Aster crystal ring by brianarose

Tiny moon and star earrings by michellechangjewelry

Periodic table pillow by YellowBugBoutique

Etsy Love - All things nautical!

2011-04-10T19:03:00.001-07:00

Not much screams "WARM WEATHER!!" like items with a nautical theme, so here are 16 of my favorite nautical Etsy finds. Here's wishing for summer to come quickly, and for the roller coaster weather to end soon!

Sea drop earrings by LaPerLaA.

Acrylic sailboat knobs by TheDoorStop.

Piergiorgio the whale by contemori.

Sterling silver boat necklace by MarKhed.

Girl's eco summer sailor dress by SewnNatural.

Yellow and white sailor tote by bayanhippo.

Blue lighthouse pillow cover by Kainkain.

Vintage striped denim skirt by KMalinka.

Screen printed men's octopus shirt by SeasonsKDesigns.

Anchors away personalized stationery set by fionadesigns.

Traditional Turkish towel by PeshtemalShop.

Sailor knot bracelet by HippieKnots.

Lische earrings by Chickslab.

Nautical anchor necklace by laurenblythedesigns.

Captain Nemo's elusive prize necklace by ClassicKeepsakes.

Anchor place cards by TimelessPaper.

Etsy Love - Easter!

2011-04-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

I don't really celebrate Easter (except to take advantage of the amazing candy sales!), but I've always liked the holiday because to me it exemplifies springtime. So! Here are some of my favorite Easter/springtime finds, this year. =D

Baby hare soft sculpture by dragonhouseofyuen.

Tuscan melon and apricot scrub cubes by WickedSoaps.

Peppermint candy buttons by andiespecialtysweets.

Chicken egg cosy by colouritgreen.

Bluebird art print by amberalexander.

Bunny hat egg cosy by sabahnur.

Peeps lip balm by orangethyme.

Easter egg hunt pouch by BHBKidstyle.

Light knitted cowl by TRACCE.

Etsy Love - amazing tribal finds

2011-03-29T11:49:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been really digging all things tribal, so I thought I'd sift through Etsy's bursting-at-the-seams "tribal" search results and find some really great items to share with you all. =)

Sorted (somewhat) by color!

Black suede moccasins by lisazain. You have no idea how sad I am that these aren't in my size!!

Tribal print jacket by JunnieBlues.

Hand knit/crocheted tribal necklace by Silvia66.

Amazing tribal sandals by feesk. Waaaaant.

Vintage wooden bead necklace by shopambrosia.

Vintage 70s tribal skirt by jessamity.

Bohemian peacocks and flowers dress by Vdingy. Gorgeous!

Dark angel wooden earrings by UmbrellaLaboratory.

Suede fringed boots by VolenskaVintage.

Vintage Guatemalan tooled leather belt by VintageDarling.

Bright vintage ethnic print maxi skirt by FancyBantam. Every cell in me cries out for this skirt!

Ethnic print jean shorts by SkeletonKeyVintage.

Vintage ethnic clutch bag by blakbirdpye.

Rainbow's end feather earrings by arcoirishandcrafted.

Cozy wool tribal inspired sweater by sasparillagreenleafs. Isn't it just perfect!?

South American ethnic bag by thedepo.

Sharp tongued necklace by FamilyJules.

Turquoise sterling cuff by SouthwestSkyJewelry.

Vintage ethnic shirt by SassySisterVintage.

Etsy Love - Spring Cleaning

2011-02-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of spring, today. Fresh farmer's market produce, sundresses, soft breezes, fresh starts... mmm... So, in that spirit, here is a list of some lovely Etsy finds that will help get you in the mood for spring cleaning!

Lemongrass Handmade Olive Oil Soap by DirtyDeedsSoaps.

Natural Laundry Soap by ecoeveryday.

Vintage Pepsi Bottle Crate by RollingHillsVintage.

Nautical Doormat by KarensRopeWork.

Lucky Dots Apron by pamwares.

Vintage Expandable File Box by linnaemarie.

Reusable Swiffer Cloth by honeybeebungalow.

The Giveaway is ON! =D

2011-02-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

I received a kind and heartwarming review, today, from Jessica over at Mommy's Monster. The photos of her son with his new monster are TOO cute! =D

And you can win your very own monster! This green cutie is waiting to be sent to his new home! Head on over to her review post to read the giveaway rules and to participate!

Tuesday's TADs.

2011-02-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

So... Wednesday I never managed to get around to doing something for TADM, but I don't feel so terrible about it because I'd made TWO things on Tuesday. =P

Bloo-thulu and Caligator! They're the newest camera buddies in my shop. =)

GIVEAWAY!

2011-02-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a giveaway?! I certainly do! This Friday I'll be having a giveaway over at Mommy's Monster, and you could win this hugglemonster for your very own! For FREE! I'm really excited about it, and I hope you guys are as well! Check back here or at Mommy's Monster on Friday to read the rules and to participate!

TADM - Lucifer

2011-02-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

Lucifer is my TAD from Saturday, and I think he's just adorable! You can see more photos of him over at his Etsy listing. =)

I love him to bits! Let me know what you guys think. =D

TADM Dream Catcher Tutorial!

2011-02-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

Time for a dream catcher tutorial! This is a dream catcher I made for yesterday's TADM project, and for today's project I've made a tutorial for you guys! Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions! =)

First, a little bit of the history of the dream catcher. Originally an Ojibwe creation, the dream catcher was traditionally placed over the beds of their children, and -- having been made of red willow twigs, sinew or thread made from stinging nettle fibers, and feathers -- were not meant to last into adulthood. It was believed that dreams would pass through the dream catcher, and bad ones would be caught in the web and be destroyed by the first rays of sunlight in the morning, while good ones would pass through the net and slide down the feathers and into the sleeping child's mind.

Dream catchers caught on and actually spread to other Indian tribes, and are viewed with somewhat mixed feelings by their members. Some view them as yet another way popular culture has stolen and bastardized Indian culture; others find it to be a loving tradition.

So! On with the tutorial!

You will need:
- A hoop of some sort; I'm using part of an embroidery hoop because it was all I had on hand. There are metal craft hoops available at craft stores in different sizes, or you can even weave a little wreathe out of green twigs.
- Scizzors.
- Hot glue.
- Something to wrap the hoop with. I'm using suede cording, which you can get at any craft store, but you can also use ribbon, yarn, strips of leather... whatever strikes your fancy.
- Something to make the net out of. I'm using beading twine, but again -- you could use whatever strikes your fancy. Thread, yarn, hemp, twine, etc.
- Beads. I'm using two different kinds; large seed beads for the net, and colorful wooden beads for the tassles.
- Feathers of some sort. I don't have any feathers on hand, so I'm improvising and making mine out of felt and colorful fabric.
- Fabric glue (only if you're making fabric feathers).

Let's get this party started! Hot glue the end of your hoop-wrapping material to your hoop (I'm sure you can do that much more neatly than I did; I got distracted mid-glue-gun).

Start winding!

If you need to, you can use a dab of hot glue here and there to secure the work you've done.

Around, and around, and around...

Until you get back to where you started! Congratulations, the most tedious part of your project is now over.

Hot glue the end of your wrapping material to the back (or in my case, underside) of your hoop and trim off the excess.

Taa daaa!

At this point I decided to get a head start on my fabric feathers; if you're using real feathers, just skip past this part. For those of you who are making fabric feathers, you'll need to slather your fabric glue all over your felt, and smooth your colorful fabric down over it.

Set it aside to dry while you work on the netting.

Take your netting material (in my case, beading twine), and tie it tightly around your hoop. This will be the top of your dream catcher's net.

Trim the excess and pull the string to one side. (I know, I know; I haven't trimmed the excess in this photo. Do as I say, not as I do!)

Wrap the string over and under the hoop, and through the opening made by the string.

Better view.

Continue in this manner around the hoop, trying to space your loops evenly. Try and make sure to keep them as taut as possible.

When you get to your first knot, wrap the string around the knot and up through it, between the knot and the hoop. I used a small crochet hook to help me with this part. I hope my photo is clear enough for you to see what I did.

Make another one of your over-under-through loops around the middle point of the first section of netting.

Continue around this way, making smaller and smaller sections until you're ready to put on your beads!

String your beads. Traditional dream catchers only used one bead in their net, to symbolize the spider in the web of life. (I think.)

Now you can either tie your string in a knot to secure it, or cheat and just use a dab of hot glue, like I did.

To make a hanging loop, with the back of the dream catcher facing up, just wrap a length of your netting cord around the front of the top netting knot and tie a knot.

Trim the excess and you're ready to move on!

Time to finish making the "feathers"! Cut vague feather shapes out of your fabric, trying to make sure you don't waste too much fabric, since you'll need several feathers.

Cut three or four little curved notches in each side of your feather shapes, and voila!

You have a pretty handmade feather!

Continue doing this with the rest of your fabric until you've got several feathers.

Alrighty, to make your tassles, cut a piece of your wrapping material to a decent length; how long it is is up to you, but you want them long enough to be able to loop around your hoop and hang down a good bit.

Loop the wrapping cord around the bottom center of the hoop and pull tight. Mine kept trying to come loose, so I used a dab of hot glue to secure the knot in place.

Do this again, one to the left and one to the right of the center tassle, spaced at even distances.

Put your beads on your tassles! The beads I photographed in the materials photo didn't have center holes even remotely large enough to fit my suede cord, so I had to use larger ones. Make sure that the beads you pick will fit around your tassles!

When you've got all your beads more or less in position, move them down from where you want them, place a dab of hot glue above the bead, and slide the bead up over the hot glue. At this point, if you're using real feathers, you can put a dab of glue on the point of the feather and just stick it into the hole of the bead.

If you're using fabric feathers, there's little to no chance that your feathers will be able to fit inside your bead, so trim the point close to the feather (but not flush).

Put a dab of hot glue on the bead as close to the hole as you can get it, and secure your "feather" to it.

Continue around like this until all of your beads have one to two feathers hanging from them. I didn't have enough feathers, so I had to make some more.

Tie the ends of your tassle cords into knots to give it a finished look, and you're done!

Voila! Ta daaa! Bravo! Bellissimo! Good job! Way to go!

Now take lots of pictures and show it off to your friends. =D

Note -- The dream catcher history I learned from these two sites:
http://www.native-languages.org/dreamcatchers.htm
http://www.dream-catchers.org/

Before I forget!

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

I promised I'd post better photos of Caligator, last night, so here they are!

A new item for the shop? I think so! I'll get to makin' 'em right after I finish my current custom order (another pair of dolls!).

Thing A Day Flop

2011-02-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

Well, my Thing-A-Day efforts today have been a complete flop.

I started out intending to make a pair of nice beaded earrings... the bead container (which held my seed beads all nice and sorted by color) slid off my lap and exploded beads all over the floor. A couple hissed profanities later, I cleaned it up, but now my beads are all jumbled; no more fun color sorted-ness. I put the container on a TV tray so that it wouldn't slide off my lap again. 30 seconds later, they exploded EVERYWHERE, even worse than the first time; I had accidentally knocked the container with my notebook.

My boyfriend heard me shouting and helped me clean them up. <3

So... I decided that I just wasn't meant to make earrings, today; that's fine, I'd been interested in making a webcam cover today, anyway, so I got started on making a cute little inch-worm that would hunch over my laptop and cover the webcam. Or so I thought. I turned out something completely different, which, while it's not BAD, it's not at ALL what I had in mind and I'm somewhat discouraged.

So I'll be revisiting both ideas at a later date. If nothing else, the caterpillar was certainly a learning experience. I know more what I'll need to do, next time, to make it turn out how I wanted it to.

I'm going to make a dream catcher tomorrow! I'm excited about that. =)

Today's results:

Thing-A-Day Month Started Today!!

2011-02-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Woo! My first project for Thing-A-Day Month is a camera case for my Powershot, so it doesn't get banged around and scratched up in my purse when it gets jostled around in there with my keys.

I'll have better photos of him tomorrow, but I was too excited to wait, soo... here is Caligator, the camera-eating alligator! Cal, for short. =D

I'm still alive...

2011-01-23T19:17:00.001-08:00

... I think!

I've been busy for the past few weeks with another custom set of Merlin dolls, and I just finished them last night!

In other news... I'm going to be participating in Thing-A-Day Month, and I couldn't be more excited. I've already made a long list of things that I'd love to make for it, and I can't wait for February to start! I'm spending the time between now and then cleaning everything and getting organized, because my workspace fell into massive disrepair while I worked on the Merlin dolls.

So yes. Excited! Stay tuned for lots of almost-daily posts! =D

Another pair of custom dolls...

2010-12-21T22:33:00.001-08:00

Finished 'em today! They're a pair of custom dolls for a friends' vow renewal; they're going to Jamaica and wanted me to depict them in the sort of clothing they'll be wearing, complete with mini "Rainbow" flip flops.

I had a lot of fun making these guys. =D

Phew! It's been a busy December...

2010-12-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally finished that massive custom order I've been mentioning from time to time on Twitter. It was a bit of a scramble, towards the end, because I wanted to ship it with plenty of time for it to arrive before Christmas. I'm really happy with how they turned out! They're Merlin and Arthur from BBC's show "Merlin". The thing I'm most disappointed by, though, is how cloudy and gray it was when I took these photos; I feel like I didn't get as nice photos as I could have gotten. Oh, well! The dolls turned out well, and that's what's important. =D

I also finally finished a pair of custom portraits that's been in the pipeline for months, now (they're for a friend, luckily, and she wasn't terribly upset at the amount of time I took, heh!). I'm also really happy with how they turned out. Hopefully in a bit I'll be able to start taking custom portrait orders on a regular basis!

Now on to my NEXT custom order! Another pair of dolls, but this time they're my more typical doll style, like these ones. It'll be a pair of wedding dolls for a vow renewal. I'm looking forward to it, but time is a-tickin' toward Christmas! I've still got to make Christmas cards for my loved ones, and a Christmas present or two. PHEW!

Holiday Gift Guides - gifts for tea lovers!

2010-12-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

Click the image to be transported to the treasury! There were so many great things to choose from, but they couldn't all fit, so here are some bonus items. =)

Chai Tea Lip Balm by TenDigitCreations.

Vintage Tea Gift Set by GloamingDesigns.

Earl Grey Ice Box Cookies by Artemille.

Holiday Tea Cozy by HellBent.

Organic Pomegranate Mint Lime Tea Cookies by jeanettespatisserie.

Teapot and Tea Cup Lariat Necklace by Marolsha.

Russian Tea Cakes by zugarhaus.

Holiday Gift Guide - for booklovers!

2010-12-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

Sweet Annie Bookmark with Hellebore by botanicalcreations.

Wildflowers Handbook 1958 by MiuAndUmi.

Custom Love In The Library Wedding Cake Topper by lacerubbish.

You Are Here Bookmark by annieWHERE.

Your Choice of 5 Leatherbound Shakespeare Journal by immortallongings.

Quirky Owl Earrings by ellyenglefield.

Surprise Yerself - A Miniature Book by veterok.

Abridged Novels Have No Place On My Bookshelf by beanforest.

Artists Sketchbook by jenni4k.

Vintage Letter "K" Bookends by vintagejane.

Embossed Leather Mini Journal by TeoStudio.

Rosette Bobby Pin Set by BitsandBarley.

Lion Travel Journal by AwakenJournaling.

Recycled Circuit Board Bookmark by DebbyAremDesigns.

End Tables Made From Books by tytie.

Antique French Novel by LeTrip.

Nubby Little Journal by JenPhiffer.

Recycled Book Purse by smartdesigning.

Memoirs Book Locket by RoseAndRaven.

Antique Teak Bookshelf Nightstand by OldEmpireImports.

Reusable Book Tote Bag by pinestreetmakery.

Book Table Clock by helekstudio.

"Go Away, I'm Reading" Pin by bookity.

E.E. Cummings Poem Ring by kcompliment.

Sun And Moon Bookends by Sunsetmusings.

Jane, Stewardess of the Air Lines by GryphonVintage.

by DovieMoon.

Holiday Gift Guides - gifts for grandparents

2010-11-29T11:02:00.001-08:00

I Love My Grampy Mug by CeramicsForEveryone.

Grandma and Grandchild Bracelet by lauriebdesigns.

Bohemian Canister Set by owlcreekceramics.

Bucket List Journal with Vintage Maps by BlueToad.

Grandparents Sign by CountryWorkshop.

Shaving Brushes by sacredwatersoapco.

Cream and Black Shabby Chic Wall Clock by makingtimetc.

Nana's House Sign by blueeyedgirl.

Family Cross Stitch Hanging by wallwork.

Vintage Grandma and Grandpa Mugs by missbirdies.

Vintage Pocket Magnifying Glass with Horn Frame by FascinatingHobbies.

"The Grandparents" Customizable Puppets by Sublimations.

Felt Fedora with Green Feather by LuvStoneVintage.

Diary of Visits with the Grandchildren by queganga.

Custom Family Portrait by LittlePinkHouse.

Holiday Gift Guide - gifts for the home

2010-11-23T17:26:00.001-08:00

I skipped another day! That makes three, though at least I had an excuse for one of them. Heh! Enjoy!

6 Retro Multi-color Mugs by johnnyvintage.

Gumdrops Vegan Soap by DirtyAssSoaps.

Simple Modern Box Clock by decoylab.

Vintage Linen Napkins Set of 6 by VitalVintage.

Scientfic Air Plant by TortoiseLovesDonkey.

Set of Vintage Floral Japanese dishes by FreshRelics.

Handknitted Ruched Cushion by strikk.

Primitive 64-Drawer Apothecary Cupboard by redroosterbab.

Recycled Glass Votive Holders - Custom Color by Mireio.

Red Batik Miniature Pillow Ornament by warmnfuzzies.

Cross Stitch Kit - Jellyfish by Sewingseed.

Autumn Pillar Candle by metalissa.

Green Bud Vase by cynthiavardhan.

Wooden Hanging Shelf with Vase by OldNewAgain.

Birch Forest Wall Art by virtualdesignlab.

Flour Sack Tea Towel by thehouseofbouton.

Wonder City Print by petitcollage.

Blossoming Flower Coasters by rubypress.

Holiday Gift Guide - gifts for the technophile

2010-11-21T14:25:00.001-08:00

Floppy Disk Mini Notebook by PipingHotPapers.

Lego Santa 4GB USB by 123smile.

Apple Evolution Decal for Macbook by vinylsoul.

Technie Necklace by JL67.

Tech Support Pin by ctrlaltdeviant.

Large Brown Faux Leather Lapdesk by LapDeskLady.

Personal Computer Print by graysparrow.

Metallic Red Computer Hard Drive Clock by TECOART.

CTRL ALT DEL Pillows Set by diffractionfiber.

Neon Floppy Disk Coasters by TechnoChic.

SNES Controller Soap by Digitalsoaps.

F1 and F2 Earrings by creativedexterity.

Tiny Wigglebot Robot by MiddleCreekMerchants.

Recycled Circuit Board Clipboard by DebbyAremDesigns.

Atari Pong Tank Dress by repurposefulpunk.

Binary code Etched Cuff Bracelet by KarlaWheelerDesign.

Floppy Disks Soap Gift Set by twoeggplants.

Red Circuit Board Cufflinks by digiBling.

Green Apple Mix Tape Tee by CausticThreads.

8Bit Heart Pendant by sketchystories.

Keep Calm and Mac On Poster by KeepCalmShop.

Console Ornaments Pack by useyourdigits.

Feeling the holiday squeeze...

2010-11-19T15:16:00.001-08:00

... Already! It's not even Thanksgiving, yet!

Got a whole list of things to do before December begins, and then things to do before Christmas; have a funeral to attend; two custom orders to finish (one I'm about to finish in under an hour, phew!); a sewing machine to pick up from the repair shop; Christmas cards and gifts to make; I'd like to make a pair of turkey earrings for our Thanksgiving festivities; there's cleaning and organization to be done before Thanksgiving as well; and I'd like to get a few more holiday-themed items into my shop!

Not to mention Thanksgiving preparations and cooking! My boyfriend does most of it, but I like to make myself useful. Ha!

I'm having a hard time keeping everything straight in my head, so I've been writing a lot of to-do lists!

On the up side, it's always better to be busy than to be doing nothing, yes? AND my bf has been buying loads of amazing eggnog (Alta Dena does the best eggnog!), so there's always a fresh supply should I feel the craving. =)

Holiday Gift Guide - GREAT vintage gifts!

2010-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Vintage Die Cast Texaco Airplane Bank by Retroburgh.

Vintage Sidesaddle Straw Sun Hat by awildtonic.

1960s Mossy Boucle Hat by Thrush.

Size 7.5 Woven Leather Pumps by lisazain.

Vintage Votive Holder by TheGinghamOwl.

Cast Iron Emerson Fan by SarahAnntiques.

Vintage Pink and White Candy Stripe Dress by TheRubyKitten.

"Dirty Words" Game by GryphonVintage.

60s Pointelle Knit Sweater by RustBeltThreads.

Vintage Letterpress Printers Block by vintagereinvented.

70s Boho Tan Leather Platform Clogs by FashionHouseVintage.

Rugged Farmhouse Style Chair by TheVintageBarn.

1954 Skot Slide Projector with Original Case by Retroburgh.

1980s Polka Dot Drop Waist Dress by ggiotta.

Royal Blue Petite International Plastic Typewriter by graftonave.

Glass Terrarium by DovieMoon.

Lady Remington Electric Shaver by TagSaleFinds.

Sew Sweet by VeraVague.

Cornflower Blue Suitcase by VintageByWhitney.

Vintage Greek Jewelry or Trinket Box by calloohcallay.

Rare 1933 Agfa Billy Record Camera by rememberwhencamera.

Holiday Gift Guide - gifts for foodies!

2010-11-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Oh, my! I accidentally skipped a day! I think I more than make up for it, though, with these DROOLWORTHY gifts for the food lovers in your life. There's something here to satisfy any palate and pique any kitchen gadget collector's interest!

Don't forget; if you want to see all of my holiday gift guides, just click the "gift guide" tag at the bottom of this post. =D

Extra Thick Natural Edge Cutting Board by RedOnionWoodworks.

Brownie Cookies with Caramel in the Center by KEcookies.

Vintage Munising Wooden Rolling Pins by sadieolive.

2 Loaves Aunt Helen's Pumpkin Bread by jewelofthelion.

Wooden Oven Rack Puller by 50splinters.

Set of 2 Blue Potholders by GrandmasSewingRoom.

Maple Syrup Salted Butter Caramels by FusionSweets.

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa by OrangeMamaMade.

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies by jeanettespatisserie.

Custom Magnet Spice Kit by dellcovespices.

Darkest Hot Cocoa by mywinterwonderland.

Rustic Farm Kitchen Oven Mitts by TiffinyDesigns.

Sourdough Boule by starboardbaking.

Fleur de Sel Caramels by sweetniks.

12 Assorted French Macaroons by sparkleskitchen.

Vegan Peppermint Patties by SweetFritsy.

Magnetic Spice Rack Clock by saltcityspice.

Star Anise Apple Jelly by cupboardcook.

Jumbo Gooey Cinnamon Rolls by ToprecaBakery.

Chocolate Mint Cake Truffles by lollidreams.

Bird Measuring Spoons by beehivekitchenware.

Spooner Mug with 3 Flavor Infused Sugars by trio3.

Paneer and Queso Blanco DIY Cheese Kit by UrbanCheesecraft.

Holiday Gift Guides - gifts for children, babies, and parents!

2010-11-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Wooden Grasshopper Pull Toy by TheWoodGarden.

Hellen the Platypus by MrSogs.

Lavender Damask Changing Pad and Wipes Set by sweetmonkeytots.

The Petunia by BabyThingsByJessica.

Wooden Leaf Puzzle by justhatched.

Newborn Diaper Cover by diaperkoozie.

Mei - Mohair Teddy Bear by knittingdreams.

Sweetly Pink Baby Legwarmers by sewingsparklz.

Wooden Sewing Machine by SSWOODCRAFT.

"Ouch Pouch" First Aid Organizer by PillowSewCute.

Mushroom Bowling Set by MuddyFeet.

4 Set of Pee Wee Tinkle Tents by ClothPadStore.

Organic Hemp Victorian Baby Boots by BobkaBaby.

Limited Edition Felt Fruit by BeckyM.

6 Pack of Washcloths or Baby Wipes by YATOIL.

Leona Lentil, the Sleepy Fox by sleepyking.

Organic Baby Powder by herbolution.

3 Fitted Crib Sheets by SweetMemoriesQuilts.

Anna Shoulder Bag by christystudio.

4oz Baby Oil by vlmccauley.

Holiday Gift Guide - gifts for him!

2010-11-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

Tired of wracking your brain every year to figure out what gifts to give the men in your life? Are the men in your life tired of getting nothing but ties and socks? Then check this out! A whole slew of awesome Etsy finds that are perfect for virtually any man!

(To see all of my holiday gift guides, just click the "gift guides" tag at the bottom of this post.)

Vintage Carry All Tool Box by AntiNu.

"Easy, Tiger" Mens Shirt by blackbirdtees.

Colorful Vintage Tool Set by opendoorstudio.

Cowl with Zipper by KittyDune.

Wood Log - Leather Diary by artreasury.

"Linen Virus" Mens Felted Slippers by onstail.

Robot Man Clock by mybeadjoy.

Unisex knit beanie by lanadearg.

Big Leaf Maple Fountain Pen by moonskywoodworks.

Felted Wool Mittens With Pocket by WoolWerksOrg.

Space Lego Cufflinks by Cufflinks.

Personalized Leather and Sterling Silver Bracelet by boobaloojewelry.

Handstamped Leather Bracelet by MetalPressions.

Mens Sterling Silver Tree Bark Ring by MarcusBerknerJewelry.

Mens Cowl by BessetteArt.

Rare Perret Fils Brenets Antique Silver Pocketwatch by ClockworkUniverse.

"Mr. Tea" Mug by LennyMud.

Vintage Irish Walking Hat by bonniesknitting.

Hand Carved Shaving Mug by MudsEvolutionPottery.

Holiday Gift Guide - gifts for her!

2010-11-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Just click on the "gift guide" tag at the bottom of this post to see all the entries in my Holiday Gift Guide series! I'll be making a new post every day until I run out of ideas!

Dreamy Berries Earrings by joojooland.

Kitty Cellphone Case by dancingintherains.

A Robots Life necklace by Marolsha.

The Proud Peacock earrings by surfandsand.

Jasmine Ruffled Side-Tie Panties by Espalore.

Romantic Wrap Top by Lirola.

Tooled Flower Wedges by karenkell.

Boreal Raw Aquamarine and Crystal Ring by andrea0503.

Red Messenger Bag by marbled.

Minty Cottage Cardigan by RiverOfRomansk.

Forest Fairy Crocheted Necklace by TomBjornDesigns.

Auvenier XL Bag by iragranteco.

Recycled Silver Post Earrings by tinahdee.

Chili Pepper Beadwoven Bracelet by beadnurse.

Holiday Gift Guide - stocking stuffers!

2010-11-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Tiny Twig Pencils with orange thread by alliebeans.

Hearts Fabric Tissue Holder by mihermanayyo.

Ginger Yuzu Handmade Vegan Soap by crownofrue.

Celtic Cross Key Chain by HideAndSeekLeather.

Boston Terrier holding a red balloon magnet by rubenacker.

Rhinestoned Pin by StarofSupplies.

Blue Chrysanthemum Earrings by pulpsushi.

Monster Shark Mustard iPhone/iPod Cozy by Handamade.

Rustic Copper Twist Stackable Ring by tinahdee.

Pair of Mini Moustaches by skullandcrossbuns.

Mini Wallet Business Card Case by sewgracious.

Hemp Face Scrubbie Set of Four by chrisssmith22.

Mokey Shimmer by TheCopperBee.

Natural Botanicals Perfume Oils by ForStrangeWomen.

Olivia Flower Ring Set by KristinFriesen.

Lemon Cuticle Balm by LotionsandPotions.

Robot Series Round Coaster - Set of Four by johnwgolden.

2010-11-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

*sigh!*

Weeeeelll... The custom dolls I've been working on are taking much longer than anticipated, sadly. Mostly due to my sewing machine's tension suddenly becoming wacked. I tried everything to correct the problem, but ended up resigning myself to taking it in to be seen by a sewing machine doctor. Called around town this afternoon, and I'll be taking it in on Monday.

In the meantime!! I'll be getting as much of the project done by hand sewing as I can, since time is a-tickin'. I've also got a custom chameleon to get started on, and several holiday and Christmas projects to get done!

Busy, busy!

Custom WIP

2010-10-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

Custom WIP... This is the pattern's prototype. There are clearly some things that I'll need to alter in the final pattern; issues with the feet, neck... A few other little tweaks here and there. So far I'm fairly satisfied with how things are turning out. =D

"The Artist"

2010-10-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

So they're filming, outside. I had forgotten and didn't even notice at first (I don't think they were actually filming yet, because it's loud, now); my boyfriend actually had to say "Maybe you should look out the window" and I did... and there were all these old 20s/30s cars parked in the street!

So I crept down to the front "porch" (not sure what else to call it) and peeked out and took some photos through the gate before coming back inside. But then I wanted more!! Better!! So I crept down again and opened the gate this time to poke my lens out, and there were two producers sitting on the front step of our walkway, and they told me I could go outside and take photos, so I got a couple shots before they told me "they're shooting, you need to move, now! we'll let you know when they cut and you can take photos" (they didn't, but I'm happy anyway) and I skittered back to the door.

You can hear the director(s?) shouting over the loudspeaker: "Okay, here we go! Ready? Aaand.... WIND!!!" and this really loud fan kicks on (couldn't see it, but it's louud) and soulful period music starts playing. And the other guy: "Regardez moi, s'il vous plait!" (And I didn't even need to reference anything to spell that; oh, how I miss French class. =P)

It's an independent French period film. It's called "The Artist," and I'll definitely be looking out for it.

*points at guy on cellphone* One of many film workers.

In completely unrelated news... I've horribly neglected OneTrueTree. I think about it every day and I feel terrible. I don't know why I'm in such a rut. I've barely sewn anything for like three weeks, at least. The skeleton chameleon I've promised everyone has barely made any progress past half of the spine being done, and I don't think it will be ready in time for Halloween. More positively, though, I've got a couple custom items to make, and yesterday I had two new ideas I'd like to try, so it's not all BAD news. *deep breath* So hopefully... I'll be more active. And I apologize for essentially disappearing.

Cozy Autumn Tones treasury

2010-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Click the picture to go to the treasury page. =)

Autumn Etsy Love

2010-09-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's a cool, gray day in Los Angeles, and it's got me thinking cozy autumn thoughts, so here are some great Etsy finds for autumn! (OH! Speaking of autumn and, more specifically, Halloween... keep an eye out for a few GREAT Halloween items in the shop! They'll be appearing in the next couple weeks. =D)

Personalized pumpkins by lovebbug

Hand knitted lace fingerless gloves by PlainJaneCollection

Bibiana beret by bungaloe

One of a kind green sapphire in 14K gold by louisagallery

Autumn Kiss Necklace by tinatarnoff

Equinox flats by HydraHeart

Cream Puff sweater by abhayafibers

The original cozy slipper boots by HollyDoll

Hello chameleon! Goodbye chameleon!

2010-09-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just dropping off some photos of the chameleon I finished yesterday! He's already been bought & paid for, but I wanted to show him off anyway. =D

A feature and a treasury!

2010-09-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! On Sept. 5th, I was featured on the absolutely-awesome ionlylikemonsters.com! What an awesome site; a blog devoted entirely to monsters. I can't think of anything better. =D Check it out!

Now for the treasury! I created this one today (first treasury in a while!), and I had a blast doing it. My only regret is that I couldn't include more people, because there were certainly many more who deserved to be included! It features vintage finds from people I follow on Twitter.

P.S.!
Don't forget to sign up (scroll down a bit, you'll see it on the left of the page) if you want to receive exclusive email discount offers for my shop every month!

Sign up to receive exclusive offers! =D

2010-09-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is interested, I'll soon be doing monthly email discount offers for people on my emailing list. If you'd like to be included, just sign up! There's no pressure, of course; I'll only be sending one email each month, sometime in the first week of the month unless I'm on vacation or some such. I'll be sending out the first email in the first week of October. =D

Oh! Dur! To sign up, just scroll down a bit and look for the "Sign up for my email newsletter to receive exclusive email discounts!" text on the left hand side of the page. It's right below the flickr photos. =)

Some recent Etsy favorites!

2010-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've seen SO. MANY. amazing things on Etsy lately that I thought I'd share a few of my recent favorites. =D

knit me somethin' ring; $32 by wearthou

round accent table; $175 by uncommon

grey/blue check wool wrap coat; $350 by 13threads

handmade mega doily rug; $600 by ladiesandgentlemen

teal skirt for the unique girl; $69 by MyLolaFashion

Apparently my tastes have been running rather pricey, lately! Champagne dreams... =P

2010-08-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a photo of the newest huggle, since I never posted about him:

See him here!

Oh, man!

2010-08-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten a new laptop! I apologize for being MIA; I've been setting it up the way I want it/fixing problems, etc. I'll be back in action tomorrow, though! *pinky promise*

Kallia's Wonderland

2010-08-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

The other week I was surprised to find an email in my inbox from Kallia of Kallia's Wonderland, informing me that I was her 100th blog follower and as such, I was to receive a free pair of earrings! I was thrilled, of course, and gladly accepted, and yesterday they arrived! Out of the packaging emerged a cute little orange-and-white polka dotted paper bag containing a small plastic twist-top container, and in the container was the cutest pair of little earrings! So I'm showing them off! =D

One is a little cluster of buttons and the other is a little spool of thread, both with pink and white ribbons tied above them. How cute! Thanks so much, Kallia; I love them! Do check out Kallia's shop; it's got loads of really neat items in it! Click here to be transported. She also sells jewelry making supplies here.

New hugglemonster in the shop!

2010-08-02T14:54:00.001-07:00

I ADORE that fur! It's sooo thick and lush and yummy, and it's an unusual color combination. I also think it turned out to be a nice color combo with the brown limbs and green stripes. (The green is more of a lime green than a highlighter green, by the way; the photos didn't pick it up well for some reason.) He's one of my favorite hugglemonsters ever! (Though I think I may say that about every single one... but it's always true!! =P) Check him out here! Took me a liiiiittle bit longer to get him listed than I had planned (as always...) because I always forget that I usually get nothing done on the weekends; too busy spending time with m'love! And THEN, when I went out to take pictures of him, today, my camera's battery died. *facepalm* But he's up, now, and I couldn't be more pleased with him. =D

Now on to the blue/white/brown one. I think I'm really going to love that one, too. I've got the pieces cut out for two more huggles after the blue/brown one, as well! I think after all the huggles are "out of the way," I'll make a couple snazzy new chameleons. I miss having them around!

WOOPS!!

2010-07-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

The post I made the other day about my new website apparently has no link TO my website! *facepalm* So sorry for the mistake! Here you go: click to be transported!

Works in progress and a playlist

2010-07-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

Two huggles are on their way! One has been waiting to be assembled for about a month, now, and the other I started yesterday.

My current works-in-progress:

Also, I'm listening to music today for like the first time in FOREVER, so here's a sample (I've got my list on shuffle):

Collective Soul - Run
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
Semisonic - Singing in My Sleep
Rednecks - Cotton Eye Joe
Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
Supertramp - Long Way Home
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love
Eve 6 - Inside Out
Prince - Diamonds and Pearls
Bostin - Smokin'
The Submarines - You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie
Beatles - Lady Madonna
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Duran Duran - Hungry Like a Wolf
Semisonic - California
Garbage - Stupid Girl
Prince - Purple Rain
The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
Oi Va Voi - Further Deeper
The White Stripes - Jolene (cover of Dolly Parton's song)
Blue October - Into the Ocean
Jump, Little Children - Cathedrals
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
John Fogerty - Bad Moon Risin'

I need to listen to music more often. Break out the headphones, if necessary. I forgot how good music makes me feel. Used to be that you couldn't find me without something playing.

WEBSITE!

2010-07-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

I couldn't be more excited. I now have a website! =D I'm really proud of how it turned out; I spent three days straight (literally, all day, every day) working on it. Check it out and let me know what you think! =D I'll probably be doing some tweaks here and there in the future.

Slowly but surely...

2010-07-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

... I'm getting back my sense of inspiration and motivation. I cut out several hugglemonster pieces, today, and I completed my self-portrait doll for the Simply-Plush self portrait contest on deviantart. She's got poofy brown hair, freckles, a baby doll dress with sandals, and a tattoo just like me. =) I'll be taking some better photos, and submitting her to the contest tomorrow.

Best lunch ever...

2010-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

2010-07-14T12:19:00.001-07:00

Okie, so I'm workin' on a second Diary 2011 page! =) I'll be finishing it/sending it in today, sometime, and I'll probably make a post about it, as well. What other new developments....? Well, I still haven't been able to motivate myself to sew, any, so I'm entering a contest on Deviantart (Yeah, I know; remember how well the last one went? The poor thing is still floating around without a fourth leg! =/), which I'm pretty sure will give me a bit of a kick in the ass to get back to sewing!

So... Here goes!

Diary 2011

2010-07-08T15:14:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited! I completed my design for the Diary 2011 Project! I reserved November 17th, 2011 for my design. I'm quite proud of it, particularly the chameleon bit; he turned out so well I plan on using him again for something... maybe an avatar or Etsy banner or something. We'll see!

What is the Diary 2011 Project?? Well, it's a lovely project I discovered the other day via a tweet about Mariapalitousa's blog. The basic gist of it is that artists, crafters, designers, photographers... anyone who sells their creative work on the internet, really... design a page in the diary to form a really neat little book of 100% unique pages that also serve to advertise each designer's business. There will also be a PDF version on CD that you can have printed yourself. Click here to visit the project's website and read more about it, and if you like, sign up! There are only a few more spots left (the ones in pink font) and the deadline to submit has been extended to July 12th, so hurry! =)

A Send-Off

2010-07-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Sending my purple and white hugglemonster and my blue-striped chameleon off to their new homes, today! *waves goodbye* I'd attempted to ship the huggle on Saturday, but our local Post Office was closed. =P

This means I'm completely out of chameleons and down to two hugglemonsters! Gotta get sewing!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Every year, Los Angeles sounds like it's under attack -- pops, booms, fizzes, crackles, shrieking of rockets... This is what I was able to capture just standing in our front yard; we had our own personal fireworks show a block away which we could see from the picture window in our living room. And these aren't even the biggest or most colorful fireworks we saw; every time I went downstairs to take a photo, it seemed like the fireworks lulled, haha. It went on for at least two hours straight, and sporadically on into the wee hours of the morning; if you couldn't see the fireworks themselves, you could see colorful flashes on the horizon, or vibrant reflections in windows. This year was particularly spectacular because there was no official fireworks show put on by the city, for some reason. Anway, I LOVE it. LA is like no other place on earth. <3

2010-07-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

Hmm. I seem to be in another creativity/motivation slump. I gotta figure out why this keeps happening! I have two huggles that need to be finished, so I guess it's time to muscle through the slump again and get something done!

My Craft Corner

2010-07-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

I created a page on My Craft Corner! Check it out and add me if you're on there as well. I'm still getting a feel for the site, and I'm very timid about adding people, so feel free to add me to help get me started! Haha. =)

Also, unrelated: Anyone know how to get blogger to notify me when I have new comments? O_o

OMIGOSH!!

2010-07-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

Moons Creations is having a giveaway over at the Plush Team's blog!! You could win this ADORABLE flower moon bun! *squeee!!* Just click here to find out how to enter. You can also find Moons Creations on DeviantArt and Blogger, and of course you can find the Plush Team on Etsy as well!

I'd love some feedback on this...

2010-06-25T15:26:00.001-07:00

All of the feedback that I've gotten about my creations is that people love the things I make, particularly my hugglemonsters, chameleons, and monkeys... I've asked around if people think I charge too much for either my plushies or for shipping, and everyone's told me that both rates are fine... Yet I haven't made a sale since May 6th. *purses lips and thinks*

This must lead to something I'm doing wrong. My shop has bursts of almost-frenzied activity (the majority of which consists of custom orders, usually huggles) and then completely dead spells that last for weeks or months. I've noticed that this somewhat corresponds with how often I'm listing new items, and I've been really trying to work on more consistently listing new things, but that doesn't seem to be THE key. So my question is this: What could I be doing (or stop doing!) to generate more sales? I "advertise" (though I'm reluctant to call it that; seems so cold and calculating) my shop by maintaining a DeviantArt account, a Twitter account, a facebook page, a formspring page... and of course this blog... all of which I try to keep fairly active, so I don't think it's that I'm not getting the word out there that I exist... Could it really be that I'm just not listing enough new items often enough? I'd really love any advice, feedback, opinions, whaaaatever. Anything. I'm eager to learn. =)

New hugglemonster listed today!

2010-06-24T15:33:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this color combination! Click here to see his listing!

2010-06-22T15:02:00.001-07:00

So I think I may be out of my sewing slump. I ended up calling my mom last night, which always helps me out in whatever my problems may be. She mentioned that she's interested in starting to sell her knitted projects!! Which of course excited me to no end! So maybe in the coming weeks or months you'll be seeing me post about my mom's brand-spankin-new online shop! (Not sure if she's going to use Etsy or not, but I think she probably will.)

ANYWAY! The whole point of this post is to show off the huggle I finished today! As always after finishing a huggle, my fingertips are brutalized, but - as always! - it was totally worth it. (I need to get some leather thimbles; references, anyone?) You can view his listing here. He's a little unusual in that he's the first huggle I've made with brown eyes instead of just plain-black. Opinions? Like? Dislike? Either way is fine? I'd love some feedback! =D

Keep an eye out for another huggle in the next two days!

Yeah...

2010-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

... I've been pretty much useless, these past few days. I think I've fallen into a pretty substantial motivation slump. It seems a little ironic to me, but what tends to get me out of motivation slumps is... actually sewing! Ha. So I guess I just gotta DO IT and I'll get the creative-motivation engines running again. I aim to have one of those poor huggles in the last photo finished by sometime tomorrow.

They're on their way...!

2010-06-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

droooooool

2010-06-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our dinner, tonight. Homemade burgers (made from a blend of meats), with mustard, mayonnaise, sweet relish, dill relish, jalapeno strips, tomato, sliced lettuce, and grilled onions. Best. Burgers. Ever. Mine is on top and my bf's is on the bottom.

Oh! Can't forget to mention the homemade chocolate malts! =D

What a great Father's Day idea!

2010-06-11T16:35:00.001-07:00

I never know what to gifts to give on Father's Day. Never. I am quite possibly THE worst Father's Day gifter in the known universe, so when Matt over at Tiepedia emailed me the other day, I knew I had to share his awesome blog post on... (drum roll, please!)... shirt and tie cakes! What a fun and quirky twist on convention! Matt's post focuses mostly on conventional shirts-and-ties, but you could mix it up for almost any professional: traditional shirt and tie for the office, lab coat and tie with a stethoscope or dental mirror for a doctor or dentist, suit coat and a bow tie, tuxedo... or even nix the tie (don't let Matt know I said that!) altogether and go for a mechanic's jumpsuit, hospital scrubs, or a hobby fisherman's ensemble, complete with cute fondant vest and waterproof pants! The possibilities are truly endless, and any father's heart will be warmed when he is presented with a great Father's Day cake made just for him with his profession and interests in mind. =)

With all that in mind, here is a list of various talented cake makers!

AnaCakes - Hong Kong, China - click for flickr
Babushka Bakery - Chicago, Illinois - click for flickr
BCakeNY - NY, I assume xD - click for flickr
Couture Pastry - not sure of location =/ - click for flickr
Cupcake Laine - Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada - click for flickr
Cupcakes Nuveau - Coral Gables, Florida - click for flickr
Dahlia's Custom Cakes - Ann Arbor, Michigan - click for flickr
Debbie Does Cakes - Oakland, California - click for flickr
Diane's Sweet Treats - Connecticut - click for flickr
Flour and Sun Bakery - Pleasantville, NY - click for flickr
Glass Slipper Gourmet - San Fransisco area, CA - click for flickr
Ken's Oven - no idea about location - click for flickr
Little Cakes - Philippines - click for flickr
Something Sweet Cake Studio - Titusville, Florida - click for flickr
Sweet Sugar - Brazil, I believe - click for flickr
Whipped Bakeshop - Philadelphia, PA - click for flickr
Wild Cakes - Ontario, Canada - click for flickr

Okay, I've spent enough hours building this list, and I've run out of steam. If anyone has any suggestions for me to add to it, or if you're a cake maker and would like to be added, please let me know! Email me at ottcreations[at]yahoo.com with the baker's name or business name, website url, location, and --if applicable-- their flickr url.

Etsy Love - TortoiseLovesDonkey

2010-06-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Browsing through Etsy's vast and wondrous selection of irresistible miscellanea this evening, I stumbled upon this AMAZING listing by TortoiseLovesDonkey. I've seen my share of really great terrariums and air plants on Etsy, but never have I see such tiny, unique little vials. This particular listing is for a set of 50 for favors for any party - weddings, birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, anniversary celebration... anything! They're just too cool, and you know your guests would go home (the kids, too!) gushing about how creative and unique an idea it was to offer tiny terrariums as favors! I'm tempted to buy some for myself! *takes a deep breath to calm down* Okay, so you might REALLY want some but maybe you think 50 would be a little overwhelming... have no fear! TortoiseLovesDonkey is FULL of neat plants like this, from smaller sets of the tiny vials/bottles, to hanging vases, to plants in beakers or vintage apothecary jars, to air plant "mystery grab bags" and concrete planters. Saying TortoiseLovesDonkey is a shop worth exploring is an understatement!

Completely un-related note: I've let "local artist Monday" fall off the face of the interwebz! I'll do my best from now on to actually keep it a regular event. *facepalm*

2010-06-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

Hmm. The results of the poll seem to be as follows (in order of popularity): hugglemonsters, owls, chameleons and monkeys tied for 3rd, and dolls, animal dolls, and card holders tied for 4th. So!! I must give the people what they want! (Haha.) I'll be making 5 more huggles, 3 owls, 2 chameleons, 2 monkeys, and 1 doll, 1 animal doll, and 1 card holder. Hopefully all within the next three weeks... "hopefully," because I'm still working on not being such a chronic procrastinator...

I've got a new treasury up!

2010-06-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my favorites! There are a few Twitter buddies included, as well, though I can't really say how many since it's sometimes hard to keep up with screen names that are different on Twitter and on Etsy... if that makes sense...

I'll be doing a green version, a blue version, and a yellow version as well.... at some point. =P

Clicky to see the treasury!

To Do:

2010-06-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

1) Photograph and list that second doll I mentioned last week.
2) Get started on a painted chameleon. Any color suggestions, anyone??
3) Finish a poor monkey that's been languishing with his limbs unattached for like a month, now. =(

ALSO!! I have a poll for you guys!! I'd really appreciate it if you participated! ^_^

If you need help deciding, you can check out these links to see what you'd be voting for. =)
a) chameleons (see more here)
b) monkeys (see more here)
c) dolls (see more here)
d) animal dolls
e) hugglemonsters (see more here)
f) owls
g) card holders

Let me know if the poll or any of my links don't work. Thanks! <3

Okay, so I put a different version of it in, because I got a report from a friend that my poll was malfunctioning. Hopefully this one works!

Massive Hawai'i Post!

2010-05-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here we go! I know this is a massive post (I'm sorry!!) but I couldn't possibly narrow it down any further; this is only a fraction of the photos that were taken!

Oh. Anyone know how to like... put posts behind a link? Sorta like a livejournal-cut? Is that possible with Blogspot?

If you're looking for my post on how to get free shipping in my shop all week, just scroll down past this monstrosity of a post or click here!

Featured!

2010-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm stoked to be TraceyKnits' "Handmade Shop of the Week"!! Thank you so much to TraceyKnits for taking the time to feature me! Be sure to check out her absolutely-awesome Etsy shop, where she sells ADORABLE golf club covers (my favorite has to be her "Yoda Star Wars Golf Club Cover" - so freakin' cute!!), hats, belts, patterns and other neato knitted items. She can also be found on Twitter.

In honor of being featured, I'm having a promotion!!
Anyone who enters "TraceyKnits" into the message to seller box -- or convos me before making the purchase to avoid having to be refunded manually -- will receive free shipping for the rest of this week (until June 6th).

I was wrong!

2010-05-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

YAY! I managed to get photos of Oline before the light faded too much. =D

Oline (pronounced "Oh-lee-nay," unless I'm mistaken) is a Hawai'ian name that means "joyous" (according to internet sources). I made her in honor of our trip to Hawai'i! (More photos of our Hawai'i trip will be popping up soon; I'm still going through them!)

Her Etsy description reads:

"Meet Oline! Oline is a proud Hawai'ian girl, whose name means "joyous" in Hawai'ian. Hiking and hula lessons rank among her favorite activities! I made Oline (pronounced oh-lee-nay, unless I'm mistaken) in honor of my family's recent vacation to the islands of Kaua'i and O'ahu. Oline is made out of wool/rayon-blend felt in a lovely soft fawn color. Her hair and clothing are made out of 100% wool yarn (see shop policies for care instructions). Oline will come to your doorstep wearing a leaf-skirt in a cozy sage green, a pumpkin orange tube top, and wool/rayon blend sandals in a dark chocolate brown. She will also arrive with a more normal dress (not yet made or photographed; will be made/photographed by May 30th)."

I'm so happy with how she turned out; I love her thick hair and cute little sandals. Haha! I'll also be making her a "normal" dress tonight so she's not stuck in her hula outfit all the time. Photos should be up of her in it tomorrow. =)

Oh, geez.

2010-05-28T17:25:00.001-07:00

So... I've broken my promise. =/ I'm not able to list the dolls, today. My camera's card is still full from Hawai'i-trip photos, and my laptop's mighty (harharhar) 55gb of space is too full to move all the photos... So I'm trying to figure out what I'll do about it. I've ordered a 32gb flash drive, but I've no idea when it will arrive. BAH! I guess I have to dig up my 512mb camera card... Either way, I've been busy and I'm now out of usable daylight.

But I'm also still working on shoes for the dolls, since I don't have any patterns for those, yet. I know; excuses, excuses. x_x

'Kay, so... have another trip photo in the meantime. It's a view of the Ke'e State Park, if I remember correctly. Sorry for the image quality... It's a massive file and apparently it got compressed badly when I uploaded it. I'll fix it after I fulfill my promise. =P Or you can just click on it and view the fullsize version. *goes off to finally finish the dolls*

We're back!!

2010-05-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

We returned from Hawai'i on the 26th at about 11:55pm. I'm workin' on going through trip photos, but there are loooooads, so it's taking forever. In the meantime, this is one of my favorites! You can click on it to enlarge it if you so desire. =)

Also! I've got two great new dolls in the lineup to be listed. I had intended to have them listed today but I've got too much going on, so (I promise!!) they'll be listed tomorrow instead.

Looooong Hawaii Post!

2010-05-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of our trip to Hawaii, I thought I'd share these great tropical/Hawaii-themed finds from Etsy! Enjoy!

Aloha Flower Earrings by joojooland.

Beach In Hawaii by SparkleTheGap.

Whimsical Fish Art by thefrondlyfish.

Handmade charm bracelet by KIMMSMITH.

Island Mango Whipped Sugar Scrub by PassionMoonPotions.

LEI Gold Hibiscus Lariat Necklace by WeeSparrow.

Caribbean Time Watercolor Print by lauratrevey.

Koa and Titanium Band by ZoeAndDoyle.

Sunrise Shell Necklace by MonicaByTheShore.

Tropical Turquoise Beaded Necklace by SHAbang.

Retro Hawaiian Zipper Pouch by LisbonSky.

Genuine Green Sea Glass Earrings by shorelineseaglass.

Hawaii scrabble pendant by HomeStudio.

Pink coral necklace by sparklecouture.

Stingray Like a Bee necklace by sweetaloha.

5 Great Etsy Finds for Around the Home - for under $25 (including shipping)!

2010-05-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

This set of four lovely linen coasters by sandrastju is listed for $23 (including the most expensive shipping). It's an amazing deal because these pretty coasters are made out of all natural materials (save the fiberfill inside them) and are hand sewn and embellished with little crochet flowers and embroidery. They're absolutely sure to add a touch of homeyness and warmth to wherever you choose to use them!

Here is a pretty set of vintage depression glass cups with the slightest hint of blue waiting in rhan's shop for a new home. Simple but dainty, and in apparently mint condition, this set of two cups is listed for $19.50, and that's if you're only buying one item from the shop. =)

TurnMeOn's shop is full of these great light switch covers with a variety of great images, all for $14 including shipping ($15, if you want a double-switch cover). Definitely a great way to add some uniqueness to your home!

Who doesn't need more scrubbies? Whether for bathing, for exfoliating, for dish washing, or for general cleaning, scrubbies always come in handy. I really like the neutral color variety in this set because they'd coordinate with almost any room. These scrubbies are listed for $14 (again, including the most expensive shipping) and if this particular color combo isn't your thing, there are loads of other combos in CocoaBeans' shop.

And last, but certainly not least... this lovely set of three cast-iron bluebird doorknobs. So hard to believe that these guys are going for just $17.75 (including shipping, of course!) over in riricreations' shop. These lovelies are 2.5 inches wide and come with their own hardware, too!

Local Artist Monday - lavalleygirl

2010-05-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to introduce my new weekly feature called "Local Artist Monday" in which I feature an artist from the Southern California area, particularly Los Angeles. I think lavalleygirl is perfect for this debut entry! Based in the Los Angeles/Glendale area, her shop focuses on cute, modern-but-delicate sterling silver earrings and necklaces, like the "Peace In Your Heart" necklace pictured here (my favorite item in her shop!). She also sells really pretty stone pieces like her "Petals" rose quartz earrings, or these lovely "Tantalizing Turquoise" earrings.

So have at it! It's a shop that is truly worth your time. =)

Oh! You can also find her over at the SATeam: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SATEAM

2010-05-06T17:50:00.001-07:00

BF's grandmother requested that the two of us take photos of her garden, yesterday, since it's particularly lush this year, and this is the first real gem of the bunch I've found. I ended up focusing on closeups of her flowers, like this one with a cute widdle bee. I haven't seen BF's photos, yet, but I'm sure they're gorgeous. Hopefully I'll have a chance to see them sometime in the next couple weeks, before we leave for Hawaii (did I mention that we're going to Hawaii??).^_^

So yeah, about that Hawaii thing. I'll be out of town starting on the 17th for approximately 10 days, give or take (i.e., I have no idea). BF and I are going to Kaua'i and O'ahu with his parents and the aforementioned grandmother.

I'm so in love with Galinda

2010-05-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

Galinda is my new gnome doll! I just finished her a few minutes ago, and I couldn't be happier with how she turned out. Here's her description on Etsy:

Galinda is a gnome, and spends most of her time collecting carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes to make her delicious signature stew (it really is the talk of the town). She can also be found harvesting cobwebs (she never takes an occupied web, since that would be unkind to the spider that dwells there!), which she later weaves into fabric for clothing and bags.

She's 10.5 inches tall, with hand knitted and hand sewn clothing. I really like the cute little point in her hat. I think I'm going to make gnome dolls a regular thing!!

But now that I've gotten her out of my system I need to get back to my cadejo project! *sheepishly slinks away*

2010-05-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick Etsy Love post! This mug is too baddass. =D It's SeanHages's "Gun Mug" in black and white.

formspring.me

2010-05-05T15:48:00.001-07:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/OneTrueTree

What would you like to see more of in my shop?
	Chameleons (posable)
	Monkeys (posable)
	Hugglemonsters
	Dolls
	Animal dolls
	Owls
	Card holders
	Other (please comment)

pollcode.com free polls