WIWOMH 10/17

So today I am wearing this cute hat

This hat was made for me by grannie. Grannie is LouCeeL's mom. Grannie was the first person to knit me a hat and has given my quite a few of them. And then Lou kindly delivers them to me. My 9yo also loves grannie's hats and tries to steal mine all the time! {Also, Lou has a lovely picture of me modeling another hat grannie made for me here}

Anyway, in very cool news, last week Grannie opened an etsy shop! She has a lovely purple scarf in there now and I hope she'll add more things. And that you'll go check out her shop. Because she is very nice and her knitting is wonderful! =)

Some Lovely Soap ...

Look what arrived in my mailbox a few days ago:

Can you tell what's in there? {Also, note, it's not wrapped in plastic, which makes me smile lots!} Anyway, it's a lovely bar of soap from my friend over at Nothing But Soap. Sent me some lavender soap and I love it!

I love how it smells (nice, but not strong, which is good because strong smelling products and I are not a good mix LOL!).

Her etsy shop is full of lots of great soaps and a few extras! You can get a lovely little gift set

I know December is ticking by (and going faster every day!) but I think this would be a great teacher gift or a nice stocking stuffer. Or you know, you could get one and send it to your favorite blogger ;-) And there is still time to order some. And then, order some for you too. Because I know you've worked hard this holiday season getting everything all set so you could use a little bit of pampering =)

Anyway, head on over to Nothing But Soap and check it out. =)

*Disclosure: I was given this bar of soap by my friend. I decided to share it with you. I am not being compensated for this and all opinions are my own. =)

Dryer Balls

Just about 2 years ago, I decided we needed to stop using dryer sheets - it was for a variety of reasons, but I was trying to figure out easy ways to give up single use items in our house (we also stopped buying water bottles too at the same time!)
And so, I went to the store and bought some of those blue dryer balls that were so heavily advertised - As seen on TV! - and began to use them. We have the same set still today - although I'm pretty sure they have a much shorter life span, despite what the commercial says. Actually, they didn't even shorten drying time, only helped removed static cling from certain fabrics and did not make things come out fluffier at all. And lately, things are coming out stiff and yucky. And I know they've needed to be replaced - but I was unsure of what to do. Because it occurred to me that although they are reusable - clearly they do not last for years and well, plastic isn't all that awesome for the environment in general and so it left me wondering: what to do?

And then I found The Bashful Sheep through another blog who was doing a give-away of them! So I ordered a set:


I have used them a few times and I can say I completely recommend them! My clothes are really coming out soft and wonderful. Now, it has cut my drying time, but not by much. However, my dryer stinks and it usually takes about 1 1/2-2 cycles to dry things. I've been able to cut it down to 1 to 1 1/2 dryer cycles to dry things. Which is awesome! (but I dream of getting a new dryer that can dry things in less than 90 minutes!!). It has cut down on static - but not eliminated it. And can I add, that she shipped them right away which I was impressed with as well =)

And they are cute and I love them LOL!! I can honestly recommend these to you. And I'm so glad I managed to stumble across them!

In other news ...

I officially closed my etsy store today.
The things I had listed there expired last week? or maybe the week before? I've been thinking about it for a while now - I just haven't figured out how to make the store successful. I needed to be doing a LOT more for the store than I was.
And it's just not time for it. It is not my time for this store. And that's okay with me. I actually feel better about it. As much as I enjoy getting orders, sometimes they scare me. There's a deadline with them. They need to be done and finished and shipped. And given how long it took me to get my Fall Y'all giveaway items in the mail, well, doing things quickly is NOT something I'm capable of these days.
Maybe another day I will go back to it. Or maybe I will try something else next time. Either way, for now, I'm done with it. And I think that is actually a good thing for now!

Winners!

FINALLY! LOL!
I'm so sorry about the delay, but let's face it, family does in fact come first (and gramps is already doing better and it was nice to spend the time with grannie and grandpa today!)

Anyway, on to the BIG news
The winners are as follows:

For the knit market bag:
Christine of Good Company

For the books:
Someone Being Me of Someone Being Me

For the child's apron:
Crunchy Domestic Goddess of Crunchy Domestic Goddess

For the knit booties:
Anne of Adventures in Beanland

For the crayon holder:
Ribbon Rock Star of Ribbon Rock Star


Congratulations to all my winners! Thank you everyone for playing.

I want to extend 10% off any order anyone places from reading this because, well, because I want to! LOL! If you'd like anything custom-made, please e-mail and we can talk fabrics and other items.
Because my store inventory is so low, and I only slowly add things, I am going to extend this until November 20! When you place your order, send me a conversation reminding me of this discount and do NOT pay until I can send you a revised invoice to reflect the price change! =)

Have a great day everyone!

2 Finishes ...

I have two finishes to report to you dear friends today! And only one is actually mine.


My darling daughter (who by the way turned 8 today 10/28!) finished her very first project today! =) Boy, did she feel proud of that accomplishment. We even laughed about how it only took about a year to finish. She has already begun project number 2, which is a headband for her lovely head! So a big round of applause for her!

Today, I also had a finish I am proud of:






Oh, these socks are absolutely gorgeous! I can't even put into words how much I seriously love them! I worked very hard on them. I did manage to have a tiny bit of yarn left (I may be able to eek out a pair of socks for a wee child from it but I'm not sure). I have to say, I could have certainly used less yarn. The top could have been shorter. The cables didn't have to go down the top of the foot, but I think the socks wouldn't have looked nearly as pretty that way and I certainly wanted to do the best job possible on these. And I think they are gorgeous. I did put them on for the pictures (and only over clean white socks first) and my feet loved them. I will be sad to see them go, but I am so proud of these socks! I think knitting a second pair in the future is an absolute must! =)

Etsy Goals ...

Christina Perdue is hosting a 30 Days to a Better Shop. So I'm joining in (albeit a bit late). We'll see how it goes.
Day 1 is to make some goals for my etsy store.
October Goals:
1. Make 2 sales
2. Get up to 30 hearts
3. List 10 new items
4. Pass out 20 business cards
5. Spam my family members and get them to promote me for free (ha! ha!)

Long-Term Goals:
1. Get regular sales by December or close up shop
2. Expand into more knit items
3. Team up with some other sellers


So, we'll see how it goes and if I can start crossing off things from my list.

Randomness ..

Earth Chick Knits is having a contest about inspiring creativity in children ... she is giving away 2 fabulous gifts (yarn and a book), however, go read the answers! They are fabulous and I agree with all the ones that I've read so far!

Second, I put something up on my Etsy shop - a crayon cozy - because I took a poll here and a couple of you said you would consider buying it. So it's up, and if you like it, buy it! And if you leave a comment here and order it from me, I'll even knock off 1.00 because I LOVE my blog readers! And let's pretend it flies off the shelf quickly (so to speak), let me know ... I can whip up another one just for you!

Thirdly, I made a light box tonight!



We'll see if it can help my pictures look better. Dh says they look pretty good in it - of course, I'm not anywhere near professional (I'm not sure I count as amateur even) so they won't miraculously get good overnight, but I think it will help a bit anyway! =)

Go and check it out ...

I have created an Etsy Treasury ... it's of bags because, well, I LOVE bags!
This is the first treasure I have created and it was fun to do!

The link is : http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=10312

(For those that are unfamiliar:
Etsy - an on-line shopping center to buy handmade items
A treasury - a group of 12 items created by an etsy member of 12 things they would like to show the world!)
I haven't spent much time in the past looking at treasuries to be honest, but I started browsing them last week and they are fabulous! So many great things to browse through. It can feel overwhelming to find things on etsy sometimes, but the treasuries make it fun. Usually the title will clue you into the things you'll find on that treasury so you can quickly scan the list and click one that sounds interesting! So go forth and become addicted to them as I have! LOL!

Favor ...

I have a favor to request of my readers - can you please visit my etsy shop and tell me what you HONESTLY think of it? Particularly, I need to know the bad ...
things like descriptions, picture quality, prices, feedback, too many items, too few items, etc, etc ... what would stop you from shopping there and what would keep you coming back. Leave it anonymously if it makes you feel better - but I really need to know!

Thank you so much to anyone who does this for me. It really does mean so much!

http://www.emmagailcreations.etsy.com

In an effort to get as many responses as possible, I'm going to leave this as a sticky post for a week!

Week Wrap-Up

Well everyone, what a week this has been!
I can not tell you how much all the great comments I have received have been - especially the ones where you tell me how much you like my stuff (and also my friend's stuff!).
When I first signed up I wondered if maybe 100 people would sign up for my give aways - how blown away am I to see that there are over 200 for the apron, and over 100 for the dress and tee shirt! Wow! I just can't even believe it!
Thank you everyone who stopped by for the contests. I do hope that you might think about coming back to these parts once I have nothing to bribe give away to you! LOL!

I have a confession to make though - last week I was thinking of closing down my etsy store. I love to make stuff, but well, wasn't getting a lot of buyers (well, if you don't count Jill who bought almost half of what I've already sold LOL) Of course my darling dh reminded me that I wasn't advertising in a whole lot of places which is true but didn't make me feel any better. Anyway, the feedback from everyone was extra special because instead of closing my shop up, I am actually making more items for it LOL! So, quick, go run and buy something! No, I'm kidding, you don't have to run and buy something. It was just enough to hear that people liked what I made and actually wanted to win it! No really, it was - I know it probably sounds an awful lot like "it was just enough to be nominated" and really, does anyone believe it when an actor/actress says that? I usually don't LOL! But this time, I mean it. So thanks =)

Also, a huge thank you to Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer for coming up with this extremely fabulous idea to begin with! Of course, a round of applause to blogless Sarah for her donation of that adorable dress on Wednesday. And thanks to all of you again for stopping by and joining in on the fun! I don't know about all of you, but I had a fabulous week! =)

All About Etsy ...

After looking at so many of the great give-aways yesterday offered through The Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway, I realized there are a ton of great Etsy shops out there! And frankly, I don't know about so many of these great places!
I've also learned that despite there being so many great Etsy stores, there are still plenty of people who don't know what Etsy is!

I like to think of Etsy as an on-line craft show! I go to them occassionally - local churches and schools tend to hold them. And you walk around and you get to see lots of goodies made by the people sitting at each table! And there might be 4 jewelry sellers there, but that's okay, because each person is selling unique items that they have made themselves! And there is usually someone selling tie-dye clothes, and usually a few blanket sellers, and several sellers of nice hair things. Then there are the woodworkers, who sell from simple little signs to hang on your walls, to big peices that you would set in your yard. It's common to also see people selling their photography and other forms of art work.

I love going to craft fairs. It's nice to walk around, have so many things to pick from, and I like to support the people who are there - instead of always buying from the big companies (which don't get me wrong, I love my Target dearly, but it is nice to not shop from the big stores or the big companies too!)

Anyway, to me Etsy is like a big on-line craft fair! Things sold on Etsy are handmade by the person(s) selling them to you. Each seller has his/her own store that you can order from. And the variety of things you can buy - photographs, clothes, jewelry, lotions, soaps, cards, hair accessories, home decor, baby items, art work ... well the list goes on and on! It is so much fun to go there and browse and shop! Once you set up an account, you can start picking favorite sellers and favorite items, which is SO much fun. The best part for me? That you can get really great items and support someone who is so talented! People like me, who stay at home but are looking for a way to bring in a little extra. Or someone who's full-time job is working at an office, but their passion is really making these fun little cards so they do it on the side! Well, you can find a whole host of different stories for the sellers on Etsy! It is such fun =)

I'm thinking, since I'm getting a lot of traffic around these parts (thanks to Shannon!) that it would be fun, if you have an Etsy shop, leave the link here! I'm hoping this works because I've done a Mister Linky before! Anyway, like I said, leave a link here to your store. If you want to leave a description of your store, feel free to add it in the comments section! And hey, tell all your etsy friends to come and leave a link too! I know I will have fun looking through everyone's stores and hopefully others will have fun too!

Surprise!

Brace yourself. There has been some knitting/sewing going on around this house. It has felt good to be doing stuff again. However, I have pulled a couple of too late nights to accomplish this!

Dress I'm making for Miss M. They will look like the orange one pictured on the pattern. I love the fabric I'm using though. I can't wait to finish them! I will probably be more excited about them then her. Although, she is excited to get some new dresses, because as far as she is concerned, dresses should be worn all the time!





Scarf in progress ... hopefully it will be finished by the release of the next HP book! It is for Miss A. We are going to go to a Harry Potter Party. Which might seem a bit weird since she isn't even allowed read the books. But she likes the hype AND she really likes to be able to stay up late. She came with me last time and we did have a fun time. =)

Making Little Man a nice little coat for the fall time (at least, it better fit him then)

Last but not least, an order I filled. Granted it was for my mom, and I won't charge her, but hey, it was another order and that's exciting!

Shopping!

First of all, I will probably be doing a lot of baking soon. Why you wonder? Well, the Wilton Company is not all that far from my house. And right now they are having their annual tent sale. And I was able to go with a friend of mine. And we had fun. And I brought home lots of things! Although, going with a friend did cause me to save money (well, at least that is what I tell my dh HA!). But no really, there were quite a few pans we both wanted, so we took them and split them up with the knowledge that we can borrow them from each other any time. And since our children are born in completely different months and they were not holiday pans, I don't foresee that being a problem really. So that was nice. I ended up with: a 3-D duck pan, a butterfly pan, half a ball pan, a race car pan and a firetruck pan! I also got a cupcake stand, a product called silly feet - which I'm dying to use and show you pictures of soon! I also bought 24 silicone cupcake holders (which I think is part of my heading towards being green because we won't need paper for cupcakes anymore and they are reusable), a flower cookie-on-a-stick mold, candy flower mold, a nesting star cookie cutter set and also a flower set (yes, I bought a lot of flower thingies - I'm already planning a flower/butterfly party in my head LOL!), and a few other misc. items. Of course the best part was that everything was very inexpensive - most items were at least 50% off. I did buy probably more than I should have, but yet, there was a lot I wanted but passed up!

We also bought Popsicle molds. Each one makes 8 Popsicles and they were 2.00 each! Better than the dixie cup/popsicle stick method I think. We are planning on filling them here in a bit and the kids are excited. I think we are going to do a few juice pops, pudding pops and yogurt pops! Should be interesting to see what they think.

All that said, that should really be all the shopping I do for a while. Although I have said it before, things are tight. And I was basically told if I want extras for about a year, I have to earn the money to buy it. And although that kind of sucks, the truth is, I do love my house and don't want to have to lose it because of buying more craft supplies! But I am trying to work out something with my sister (who is 14) to come over one day a week to watch the kids so I can get some items in my etsy store! The truth is that I have a hard time not buying craft supplies - it really is my escape in life. However, I will try hard to use as much as the stash as possible. And I will not spend the mortgage money LOL!!

Aprons!

I made this tonight. I just finished (so sorry for the por lighting - it's 2 am so there is no natural light around here! LOL!) Seriously, this is one of the most favorite thing I've made in a long time. ::sigh:: to bad it's kid sized! I completely love it!
I love the colors, I love the embroidery, I love that it is reversible, I love that there are pockets on both sides. I just love this! LOL!

Close-up of the embroidery! I saw this design and just knew it had to be on an apron. Oh, it's so perfect. I'm glad I followed through with my first thoughts!

Close-up of pocket against background fabric. I felt like these fabrics might be risky to put together. But really, I love it now that it is done! I wanted something bold and bright and colorful and funky and I feel like I got exactly what I wanted!

The other side - it's reversible! i might have already mentioned that once. I might have even already said there was a pocket here as well. But forgive me for repeating, I'm just so proud of this! LOL! I was not originally going to make it reversible. That was not the plan. But then I thought for as wild as the other side was, maybe it needed a more toned-down side to it. Maybe it needed a side to wear on a quiet day. Or maybe when my children didn't want to be my helping hands, but wanted to just wear it for the heck of it. I don't know, but as I cut the first piece, I just knew it needed to have two sides to it. And really, I love how it came out. I am so pleased!

Close-up of fabric on other side - and I just love
this fabric. It's not as wild, but it's not plain either.
It's still cute and still has character, it's just a slightly
quieter version!

So yes, I love this apron that I made. Seriously, I do believe every little girl I know will probably get at least one from me over the course of the next year. And I think I'll be whipping out quite a few more for my store I really don't want to mention all the time! But I am so in love with this apron. You can not believe how much I love it. I can't believe how much I love it! I told my dh I needed to go buy more fabric and make a matching mommy sized one! And tonight Little Man was playing with the kitchen things, trying to "help" me out, so now I have to try to get some boyish fabrics and make him his one little man sized apron! Okay. Now I must sleep!

Never enough time in the day ...

Well, I'll post a little bit now ... to say all that I want to say, I think I would need several hours to type and organize photos and all that jazz, but I'll start now and try to finish up later!

The biggest news going on over here is the opening of my Etsy Store: Emmagail Creations. I am so excited to start my store, but if you do pop over there, you might notice a small inventory. I am feeling torn about making tons of things to put in it or keeping it low for now and see if I even sell anything! Probably it will stay low because I don't have enough hours in the day to do all I want to do! So far I have had one order - but hey, I'm happy I just got that first one! I also donated an item from the shop to a contest and that was fun to do!

This is a huge step. I've been telling my dh for over three years now that I wanted to do something like this. The timing has never felt right. Not that the timing is any better now, but yet it felt right. And something inside of me and a lot of somethings outside of me said DO IT NOW! So I did. Just like that. Dh came home from work one day and when he asked me how my day was I said something like "It was good. I opened my own store today. Let's hope I sell something." My dh, being the guy he is, pretty much replied "Great! Good luck with it." Ah, just one of the many reasons I love him. I promise if the tables had been turned I would have asked a million questions and would have been slow to warm up to the idea!

Aside from working on that, I am trying to do some crafting all for myself and the kids! Some knitting going on, the start of sewing a dress, oldest has requested a purse made from an old skirt she loves but can't really wear anymore, and I have some ideas to make some end of year teacher gifts. I'd like to say I will have pictures to share this weekend, but really, I thought I'd be sharing pictures last weekend, and you can see how well that idea turned out!

Anyway, hope all is well with everyone else =)