Dreamy Jamie Knits, Crochets, and Lives...

Glee!

2010-11-27T02:35:00.001-05:00

I'll See You All In 6 Weeks...

2010-11-13T22:56:00.001-05:00

When I finally get over this!

If you don't recognize who that is singing, that's Darren Criss, from A Very Potter Musical. I'm totally obsessed with this clip now.

Custom Fingerless Gloves Info!

2010-10-17T21:15:00.001-04:00

Hi!

If you didn't find this post via A Girl and Her Scout, head on over there and check out my interview and to enter the contest that this is relevant to.

The contest for a pair of crochet fingerless gloves is being hosted over at A Girl and Her Scout, and the winner will get a customized pair of crochet fingerless gloves. This post is to give more info as to what that custom really entails.

The winner will choose any number of colors, limited to what I have in my yarn stash, and I'll use those to make a lovely pair of fingerless gloves for you! My yarn stash is full of multicolored yarns, as well as single colors that can be used individually or in combination with others.

Some examples of these gloves that I've done in the past are:

It's Harry! Freakin! Potter!

2010-09-23T18:57:00.000-04:00

This new trailer looks so good.

!

I HATE PENNIES!!!! (Also Nickels.)

2010-09-06T21:25:00.001-04:00

John Green rants about pennies, and he mentions Greeneville (which is about an hour from me). Strange times.

StarKidPotter Strikes Again!

2010-07-23T02:15:00.000-04:00

And it's TOTALLY AWESOME!

A Very Potter Sequel premiered earlier this evening, and it rocks. So hard. I don't want to elaborate too much, because I can't say a lot without telling you what's going on, you've just got to watch it first! You also don't really have to have seen the first one first, but there's a lot of stuff that isn't as funny if you don't get it from the first one, and well, you should have already seen the first one anyway! Be prepared to spend a good amount of time watching if you do it in one setting, and it isn't a family affair, the sequel's got a lot more hardcore language in it than the original and it isn't censored. This makes me like it more, but I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea. To be slightly spoilerish, I've posted my two favorite quotes below the video. There's a bunch of them, but these two are my faves from my first view through.

Quotes:

From Act 1, Scene 2:

Ron: Where have you been all my life?
Harry: In a cupboard under some stairs.
Ron: That's so cool!

From Act 2, Scene 10:

Harry: No way? You listen to me now. For eleven years, I was a muggle douchebag locked under some stairs. This year, I found out I'm a wizard. I'm famous. I can fly, and turn invisible, and I just traveled the fuck back in time. Fuck You, Draco, how's that for a happy thought? So there is absolutely no way that there is no way, you hear me?

For the Owlie boxes!

2010-06-30T16:49:00.000-04:00

We're working on putting together Team Sampler Boxes for the Owls team. This is my contribution:

Aren't they just too cute for words? (Okay, don't lie about it...) They're the latest in my knitting amigurumi sans pattern adventures, and I like them. :) And look how cute they are in their little packaging:

Look for more info about them and the Team Sampler Boxes coming in July! Exciting!

My HSKS Kits!

2010-06-21T23:22:00.002-04:00

As you all probably know, I've been involved in a Ravelry group that does Harry Potter themed swaps. This was my first major swap of any kind, and I have to say I really enjoyed myself. I got my kit today, and I wanted to share pictures so my fellow swappers could come squee! I've also posted the one I built at the bottom.

So, my kit arrived from Germany as if it apparated! I wasn't expecting it until maybe the end of the week (if I got lucky) so to find it today was a great surprise! I opened it up to find I had a Ginny-inspired (as they're character themed) school supply kit! In my excitement to tear into it, I forgot to get a picture of it in the box, but this is what it looked like once I got it all out!

Look at all of this stuff!!!

I couldn't even figure out where to start! There were so many packages, all labeled with their own little categories, even my boyfriend said it looked like they came out of a shop that way!

One of the first things I stopped to play with for a few minutes was this little guy, who is named Humphrey and politely asked if I'd like anyone hexed. (What a nice thing for him to ask, as if he knew me already!)

Then I got into the packages, and even though I tried to keep them separated as I opened them, I lost track of what some of them came out of. The little purple guy was the only class package in the first pile (shown below). He came wrapped up in the Care of Magical Creatures package, and if Poppy hadn't of told me to how to tame him, I never would've figured out to squeeze him! (it's a measuring tape, and it's so adorable I can't stop playing with it!)

The Gryffindor bag came filled with jelly beans, which somehow disappeared during this photoshoot, even though they're still sealed in my kitchen now, so I don't know what happened there. The "wand case" (needle roll) will be great for keeping all the knitting needles in order, and I've been needing one! The hat and matching cowl came wrapped up with a sweet note from "mom" that made me giggle.

"Genevra, here's a little something I made to keep you warm. Keep your nose clean. Love, Mom!" Oh Mom, she's so thoughtful!

The main handmade item for the kit was this adorable purse, inspired by Ginny's look at the Slug Club dinner party (Poppy said that's one of her favorite scenes, it's one of my favorite scenes too!!)

Next I jumped into some of the class packages, and I about fell over in the floor when I opened this one! A Murano glass quill! (I LOVE Murano Glass! And i'm pretty sure I didn't tell Poppy that AT ALL!) I barely brought myself to take it out of the package! It also came with this cute little notebook magnet!

Then I checked out the Quidditch training package, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology. Yum chocolate! And the tea smells AMAZING, I can't wait to try it! (it's elderberry/cherry) And the HP Q20 will be great for gearing up for Quidditch next season!

And these stitch markers, which I can't remember what package they came out of (might have been charms?) Harry and Ginny LOVE!

And what everyone needs in a school kit, knitting supplies!

I think these were Potions and Transfiguration (that makes sense in my head anyway!). I got some Knit Picks Bare in Fingering Weight (and a bunch of Koolaid to dye it with! SCORE!), some Knit Picks Shine Worsted (which I've never tried) PLUS a circular great for socks, a size 15 circular, and two awesome patterns! (Including one by a fellow swapper how cool!)

I made myself put away the Bare and not dye it IMMEDIATELY (like I wanted) because I've got to work on my HPKCHC knitting. But I wanted to. really. I'm going to plot it as motivation to knit faster!

This kit was amazing, so very well thought out and considerate, and luckily full of several things I needed! (the needle roll, the measuring tape, and of course, the needles!) Poppy's an amazing kit builder, and I feel totally lucky to have gotten spoiled by her. Poppy, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

**********************************************

AND, although it's nowhere near as cool as the one I just got (though my spoilee did seem to like it) here's the Lupin kit I built. I had fun trying to tie everything together, and I think I did all right for my first kit. :)

Guaranteed to Make You Smile

2010-06-07T16:20:00.002-04:00

Since my embed might be a bit wonky, click here for the video on YouTube.

Just a bludger or two...

2010-06-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

Ever feel like you've been wacked a few too many times with a bludger or two? Or maybe a bludger bat? Yeah, I've been there. I definitely felt like that last night after working a 12 hour shift (talk about major yuck!), but I'm coming back from it today.

We played our last Quidditch match over in HSKS group on Ravelry today. We lost, but it was SO close and we got through it so gracefully that I feel like we did a really great job. I was captaining, so you know that's a trainwreck waiting to happen, and half of our team were volunteers from other houses, and we definitely couldn't have done it without them.

Related to that, I've got Skype now, and learned to use it to do group calls today, fun times. SO, if anyone out there has Skype and wants to be my Skype friend, lemme know. :D

Other than all the swap madness, and working, I haven't really been doing a whole lot else lately. I'm starting to get my mojo back for my Etsy shop, now all I need to do is put that mojo to work! Too bad it can't work without me... :D

Sudoku Madness! (HSKS)

2010-05-25T01:47:00.002-04:00

So, I just remembered how much I'm in love with Sudoku. Seriously. I'm not really a numbers person, but there's something in the structure and logic behind Sudoku that makes me ♥ it. The HSKS homework this week was doing some Sudoku's to get certain highlighted numbers, use the key to convert them to letters, and then unscramble them to find a word related to the Potter universe.

I downloaded them, then uploaded them into a Google doc so I could play around with the spreadsheet, and also used the margins to take notes about each row, column, and 3x3 square as I needed it.

This led me to realize how much easier they are to play on the computer!

Now I'll have to find somewhere to play them online!

HSKS Sudoku answers were:

Puzzle 1: Dobby
Puzzle 2: Harry Potter
Puzzle 3: Hogs Head

Quidditch! (HSKS)

2010-05-21T23:57:00.000-04:00

I'm playing Quidditch this weekend, I'm pretty excited!

If only it were as cool as taking the skies with a real broomstick and the world had magic, and I could keep going on and on forever in my Harry Potter geekness, but I'll stop. :)

The Quidditch I'm playing is a rather nifty version over in a Ravelry group I'm in, where it's done mixing knitting and crocheting (done by the chasers as the ways to make goals) with Harry Potter trivia (done by beaters!) and an extensive snitch-hunting Internet quest! It's quite an elaborate set-up, and I'm excited to get to play in the upcoming match.

I'll write how it goes after the match Sunday!

Just a Cartoon Moment...

2010-05-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

Poor Snoopy...

This came from the Editorial Cartoons Gallery over at USAToday.com

Just an update...

2010-05-16T00:29:00.000-04:00

So, our HSKS prompt this week was in the spirit of funny. That's really funny, because the jokes have been bouncing around in the House Cup lately too. This was my favorite that someone else posted:

How many Slytherins does it take to light a wand?

Six. One to light it, one to gloat over it, one to steal it, and three to look impressive.

How many Ravenclaws does it take to light a wand?

Just one, because she stayed up all night studying on how to do it properly.

How many Hufflepuffs does it take to light a wand?

Only one, but they’re so loyal she’ll probably tell you it took the whole house.

How many Gryffindors does it take to light a wand?

None. Gryffindors? We do not fear the dark!

hehehehe.... :)

We were also prompted to show some photos of ourselves that reflect the funny, so I dug around, and couldn't really find all that much. This is what I've got. They're not all of me. (obviously)

I think I posted these first ones once before, but this is such a funny little moment that I can't help but post them again.

I came in from the laundry or something one day a few years ago to find this little scene taking place. That's what I get for leaving my laptop running...(this fun little moment was brought to you by my boyfriend's fun sense of humor!)

This is Bear.

Here's what he was looking at:

This next little gem was brought to you by a very unique church in Spain, the Mezquita. Ironic, isn't it? (as was walking straight out of the Mezquita, and finding a Burger King...it was really right across the street! The sign made me LOL!)

This last one actually has me in it, and was also taken in Spain, a bit over 2 years ago. We're in front of this gorgeous cathedral, and I'm the girl in the purple. I really got made fun of for this picture, look how excited I am to be there! (I had been napping on the bus, and had only been awake a little bit when we took this...and I had already decided I'd rather still be on the bus sleeping...)

Potions! (HSKS)

2010-05-08T02:38:00.000-04:00

Potions homework time!

I'm hoping to get some pictures for Part 1 and Part 3, but if I don't have time, here's the rest of my homework. I'm geeking out a lot because I knew #3 and #4 without looking them up. :)

1. Sneezewort, scurvy grass, and lovage are used to make what?
B) Befuddlement Draughts

2. Porcupine quills are to be added when to a Boil Cure Potion?

D) After it is removed from the fire

3. What potion, if brewed correctly, should change color numerous times throughout brewing including deep purple, lilac, and finishing clear?

A)The Draught of Living Death

4. This ingredient in the Draught of Peace, would likely bring you permanent peace since it is poisonous, what is it?

D)Hellebore

5. Chopped daisy roots, skinned shrivel-fig, sliced caterpillar, one rat spleen, dash of leech juice are all ingredients to what?

C)Shrinking Solution

Take That, Gryffindor! (hsks)

2010-04-26T18:31:00.000-04:00

Hufflepuff won our first Quidditch match!!! I wasn't playing, because I had to go to work, but I did get to stay for the first 2/3rds or so of the match. It was something out of Quidditch Through the Ages---our Keeper had to leave due to a family emergency, and there was nobody to replace her! So, imagine our team, flying around the Pitch doing their best, and our goal wide open! Wide open!

I felt sooo bad because I couldn't step in and play, but I knew that I'd have to leave soon after that, and it wouldn't do any good. I was correct, because right before I left, Gryffindor scored their first goal, an easy hit towards our open goal posts.

So it all came down to the Snitch! In a feat worthy of Harry himself, Hufflepuff Seeker Rowan Dragonsinger caught the Snitch just seconds before the Gryffindor Seeker would have. Or so I hear, because I wasn't there at that point, but I imagine it all being quite fast paced and terribly exciting! So, HUZZAH Hufflepuff! I hope to be playing in at least one of our two remaining matches, coming up in May and June. Now that I've seen how it works, I think I could handle it, if I start training now. :)

Quidditch! (HSKS)

2010-04-24T02:35:00.000-04:00

Today is our first Quidditch match of the season! I'm pretty excited, I've never been to a Quidditch match before. Hopefully, I'll get to play in one later this season, but due to my schedule I'm only stopping by to watch for a while this time. I've got my Hufflepuff pride ready to go, I just need to stop listening to Wrock and go to sleep! (It's 2:30 in the morning. The Quidditch match starts at noon. I should be sleeping!)

So, if I'm late, it's not because I'm still in bed (except it might be...)

Homeworks! (HSKS)

2010-04-17T02:46:00.000-04:00

HSKS Post. :)

This week's homework is Care of Magical Creatures! How fun! I always enjoy this class because I love the strange variety of creatures that Hogwarts has to offer!
Pt. 1: Protective Gear and Accessories for Care of Magical Creatures (sorry, had no time to get pictures!)
What gear would I need to handle a magical creature? Well, definitely gloves, because lots of creatures have sharp claws, horns (and sometimes sharp edges or spikes!) and even like to bite!

Another item I would want is earplugs! We all know that mandrakes require earmuffs because their screams can harm us, but earplugs are something that would be good for more than just mandrakes! Have a crying, whining creature? Not any more!

Also something that would be really important would be a knife or scissors. Why? What if your creature gets stuck somewhere and you need to free them? Need to chop food for your creature? Or, if your creature has nails or claws, scissors might come in handy for trimming them.

One thing I would definitely want is a protective smock of some sort, like a ponchocloak. :) This is a must for any situation where there's a mess involved, because when you're done tending the creatures, you can just slip the ponchocloak off and you're still clean and tidy underneath!

Finally, a bag for carrying all of this in! Also, might be handy for carrying said magical creature. :)

Pt 2: House Elf Quiz!

1. Please describe the physical appearance of a house elf.

Short and lean (with skinny arms and legs), large eyes and large pointy ears.

2. Kreacher is the house elf of which wizarding family?
The Noble House of Black. :)

3. What is Hermione Granger making for the house elves?
knitted hats and socks in an effort to give them clothes.
4. How do you free a house elf?
By presenting them (even unintentionally, as Lucius Malfoy discovered!) with clothes.

5. What does S.P.E.W. stand for?

Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare

Settling In...

2010-04-13T13:12:00.000-04:00

This Be A HSKS POST.

So, I'm settling in okay at Hogwarts. The Hufflepuffs are great. A few of us spent some time together the other night talking Quidditch and Kit Strategy. It was quite helpful, and I feel a bit more comfortable with both areas now. I wish I could apply for a time turner, so I would be able to have a Quidditch position for the whole term, but alas, it was not meant to be. I'm excited that I'll be able to play one match, and I hope I don't let the Puffs down.

I'm really enjoying living near the kitchens too. I've made friends with some of the house elves, and they let me sneak in and make my own snacks. :) I won't let them make them for me, because, well, they've got enough to do without serving me!

I'm knitting in all the free time I've got, which isn't a terrible lot, but I've been planning out a nice super secret project for someone out there, and I need to get that started ASAP. I do hope she loves it!

Well, I think that's all for me right now.

Hugs from Hufflepuff!

Genevra

What I Really Should Be Doing Instead of Writing This Blog Post...

2010-04-11T23:39:00.000-04:00

I should be making things. The House Cup is on break until May, so I've got all sorts of jolly free time, and what am I doing? Not that much. :)

I am working on a line of knitted amigurumi for my Etsy shop and I'm pretty excited about them. I'm working on the second, and I want to have several of them finished before I list any of them for sale. I'm hoping to have one to preview on my Facebook page in a few days.

Other than that, I'm hoping to start my first sewing project soon! I've got some fabric that I had bought a while back to make a laptop sleeve out of. I've since changed my mind about the laptop sleeve, so I've decided to attempt to make a knitting needle roll. I have a pattern, so it shouldn't be too hard. Except for the part where it's sewing. !

I also should be working on my HSKS kit...which reminds me, I need to blog for that. And then make something for it. I have a bunch of ideas, which I can't really go into, since someone might find this and be spoiled. Lets just say it's going to be TOTALLY AWESOME.

And now I'll go watch A Very Potter Musical instead of craft. :)

The "What I Like" Post

2010-03-30T19:28:00.002-04:00

This is the Post of Things I like. :)

Favorite Colors: Green & Purple are my absolute favorite colors. I love all shades of green, even the light and lime colors, but I prefer the darker colors. Same with Purple. I'm also fond of burnt-orange, browns, and blue (like medium blues...). Sky blue and burnt orange together makes my heart sing. :)

Favorite Scents:

I have to be careful with scents, because lots of things make me sneeze. I can't wear any perfumes or body sprays, but I'm largely okay with lotions and such. See 'Little Things I Like' below. Also things like household scents are largely out, because my DBF also sneezes, and different things make us sneeze.
Favorite Yarn Brands:

I am largely unexperienced with yarn brands. I really covet some Koigu PPPM, because it's so freakin' pretty...I really like Mirasol Yarns, Knit Picks (love all KP but WOTA Bulky makes my heart sing, especially those handdyed colorways...yum!), and I recently fell in love with Moda Dea's Tweedle Dee (of course I did, they've discontinued it...) My regular stand by yarns are Patons Classic Wool Merino & Wool Ease. :)
Favorite Yarn Types:

I don't like yarns that scream 'felt me!', because they're usually rough and harsh. I like wools, but softer wools (or superwash wools are good too). Cottons are great with me, and I tend to enjoy blends: cotton blends, wool blends, etc. I'm on a super bulky yarn kick, love me some chunky chunky yarn! :) I don't have a lot of experience with sock yarn, so far I've been good enough to not buy it (because I've never made socks, lol!) I'm also working on collecting some bare colored wools that I can dye, because I'm experimenting with kool-aid dyeing!
Favorite Needles:

I'm just not picky about needles. Coming from a crochet background, a hook's a hook IMO. I'm realizing this is different with knitting, but I still haven't figured out my favorites. I've got a nice little variety, a pair of bamboo, some wooden needles, and a slew of metal needles. I did get a Knit Picks Zephyr (size 6 tips) circ for Christmas, which I love, and I'm always looking to collect more tip sizes, etc.

Favorite Snacks:

I love Dark Chocolate (but I like my chocolate without nuts in it!). I also love mint, so anything with Dark Chocolate + Mint = Win (like 3 Musketeers Mint, Andes Mints, or those Ghirardelli Dark Mint squares....*drools* I'm not overly fond of peanut butter mixed with chocolate. I also like Wonka stuff like Gobstoppers, Runts, Nerds, etc... all that bad for you candy, and Sour Patch kids and those neon sour worms...yum....I also like coffee (just about anything coffee or coffee flavored), hot chocolate (yum!) and tea (any kind of tea, but i especially like fruit related teas!)

Little Things I Like:

Tiny lotions or liquid bath soaps, things like Bath & Body Works, Burts Bees, etc. I love Cucumber Melon and Pomegranate anything. :)
Lip Balms, because I can't ever have enough of that stuff.
Koolaid for dyeing (shades of cherry, grape, and greens are my favorites)
Soak Wash! I've recently discovered how awesome it is! I don't have a favorite scent yet because I'm still trying little samples Soak sent me.
Stationary, particulary tiny little notebooks with hard covers on them.

Allergies: Don't mail me cigarettes or a puppy, and I'll be okay. Wait, please mail me a puppy. I'll sneeze, but it's a puppy!!! Unless he smokes, then you can keep him. ;)

Wishlists:

KnitPicks
The Ultimate List (will grow, and has Etsy and stuff on it too, since my Etsy favorites are a disaster zone!)

My favorite HP Characters

2010-03-29T22:38:00.001-04:00

If the public at large didn't know, I'm a pretty geeky HP kid. I just can't help myself. I really enjoy thinking about the characters, about they represent in the books, how we see ourselves in them, etc. I was recently given the task of discussing who my favorites are, and why, so here we go.

When the HSKS said that the kits this term were character based, I found that pretty awesome.

We were given a list of characters, and told to choose our three favorites. I chose Ginny Weasley, Severus Snape, and Luna Lovegood. As much as I love him, I didn't choose Harry, I felt that was too easy. (but he rocks my socks off!) We were given some starter questions to help us brainstorm this, so I'm using a few of those, and also thinking about how she would apply to a kit theme.

Ginny Weasley

I chose Ginny as my top character, because there are just so many things I love about her. Despite the fact that she grew up with 6 brothers, she's a strong feminine character. Her spunky, snarky personality reminds me of myself. :) I love how deeply she cares for Harry, and I know part of why I love her is because he loves her, she's his Happy Ending. :)

I also know my love for her is somewhat impacted by how her character is played over in A Very Potter Musical (Act 1, Scene 6 anybody?)

So what would a Ginny Weasley kit look like? I imagine it'd have some sort of Gryffindor pride in it, or rather something Quidditch pride related. It'd be a bit girly, because she's got her girly girl moments. I think it'd have something warm and winterishly in it, possibly something Molly made her. Craft wise, I think the pattern in the kit would be either something thick and warm like Ginny would wear, or something adorably cute that she'd want to cuddle and love! And of course it'd have sweet goodies in it, because all the HP youth loved sweets!

Severus Snape

Oh Snape. How can I not love Snape? Before the omgWTF ending that was unveiled in Deathly Hallows, I loved Snape angst. Some of the funniest moments in the movies for me usually involved him smacking Harry and Ron around. He's the character you love to hate. When he did that bad thing he did at the end of HBP, I was heartbroken. You were too. Of course you were, we all were. I felt like I had been betrayed. Then, when we got the ending, and the department of backstory told us everything we needed to know, I was so emotionally overwhelmed.

I love Snape because everything he was boiled down to loyality and love. Everything he was, he was for Lily. He served Dumbledore for Lily. He protected Harry for Lily. He lived for Lily. BUT, he was so perfectly human, thus ultimately imperfect. Harry was still James' son, and he couldn't get past how he felt. So Harry got smacked around, abused, mistreated, belittled, and ultimately saved by Snape.

What would a Snape kit look like? Well, it would be imperfect and human like Snape, but how would that be physically manifested? (Don't mind my philosophical angst here...) Obviously, the Snape Kit would be gloriously Slytherinish in nature, with some Slytherin bling of some sort, lots of greeeeen, and possibly reflect Snape's love for Potions and DADA. Maybe the pattern would be incredibly complicated or a touch evil? I also want to say the kit would reflect his neverending love for Lily, but how would that be incorporated? (This just made me realize I want to learn to dye and make a Snape Loves Lily colorway! OMG!)

Luna Lovegood

I don't have a lot to say about Luna. She just makes me happy. She's a free-spirited, intelligent young lady who's not afraid to be herself, despite the fact that almost everyone finds her a freak because of it. She's quirky and unique, and fun. :)

She's one that I actually chose because of her application to a kit. A Luna Kit would be hysterical. It would have some incredibly odd piece of jewelry in it, like her radish earrings, and the rest of the kit would be totally random just like Luna. :) Some fun and unique yarn (radically colored perhaps?), a really fun pattern, and neat accessories like sweets and such.

I hope all of this is useful to the One Who Sends Me Things (swapee? lol!), I've definitely enjoyed thinking about these characters and also how they apply to a Kit. It's been useful for me, now I just need to go see which characters the One I Send Things To chose. :)

Warning: Harry Potter Geekery Ahead!

2010-03-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

I've joined the HSKS over on Ravelry!

What does that mean? This means that for the next few months, my blog will become host to miss Genevra Dreamy, who is experiencing her first term at Hogwarts. The group is a swap group, so we send and receive a package by the end of the three month term, but along the way there's a lot of fun Hogwarts activities to get into! Like the HPKCHC, where I already practically live, there's homework and Quidditch! One of the main differences is that each participant picks a character name, and plays through that character during the term. So Genevra is mine, chosen because I ♥ Ginny (and Genevra is a cool Italian way to spell her name. :)) and Dreamy comes from my username, suenosdejmi. I'm pretty bad at coming up with things like that, and I've never done any character playing before, so this will be very new to me.

I'll be tagging my posts with HSKS when relevant, so if you want or need to follow along (Hi Poppy, if you ever read this!) you can find all my posts in one nice spot! I'm hoping to use this as a chance to get my blog back active again, so it'll be mixed with Etsy post and other such things, as always.

Owl Nest Cam!

2010-03-23T23:32:00.000-04:00

This was posted over on the Owls blog, and while I thought it was a neat concept, I didn't check it out right away. When another Owlie member, bumblebirch, linked it to me while we were chatting earlier I went ahead and clicked. And it's an owl, sitting in a box!

I just went back to check it randomly, and I saw the one hatched baby owlet (for just a second) and a bunch of eggs, as she was positioning herself to sit on them again. Based on the comments below the video, i had just missed seeing the male owl by a few minutes. Oh well.

Video chat rooms at Ustream

And now a Public Service Announcement...

2010-02-25T00:24:00.000-05:00

Team ESST Semi-Annual Promotion
Beginning at 12:00 AM EST February 26
and ending 12 pm Sunday EST February 28.
The Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST) will be holding its
Semi-Annual Supply Street Team Promotion.
This sale exclusively features the members of the
Etsy Supply Street Team!
Crafting supplies for most any project you may have.
Team members will be offering specials like free shipping, discounts, extra goodies, and everyday fabulous prices.
And for a look at the Team members promos checkout out Team ESST Promo blog: http://esstpromo.blogspot.com/
Search TEAM ESST for all your supply needs!
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=supplies&search_query=team+esst&ref=auto
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Happy Team ESST Day! (what?)

2010-02-17T14:33:00.001-05:00

Look, I'm in a slideshow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Adventures in Dyeing!

2010-02-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last good while coveting and drooling over handdyed yarns. Gorgeous colorways and combinations of color that make me go oooooh....anyone who knits or crochets has been there. But they're always sooo expensive! Sure, they're worth it, but we can't all shell out that kind of money. I definitely can't.
After running across the fact somewhere that people dye with Kool-Aid, I decided to work up the courage to try it myself. That time's finally come.

Before I was ready to attempt it myself, I've spent a good amount of time gathering resources. It's helpful to know what direction to go in before you try it out. Some really handy tutorials are over at Knitty KnitPicks and a pretty useful tutorial over at A Beautiful Life

I read and reread these articles, and others, and visited some groups on Ravelry, just trying to soak up the details of how to do it. When I started earlier, I discovered very quickly that this isn't like knitting, there's no pattern. There's just what to do and what not to do, and then you, your yarn, and the colors you choose. Everything else just happens as you go along.

I decided to approach it in small doses by test dyeing only a little at a time. My method would be microwave dyeing. My first attempt was overdyeing (dyeing a yarn that is already colored) some Patons Classic Wool Merino, a bit over 2 yards. Mine was a light blue when it started out.

I soaked it a bit then tried the hand-painted approach, I put it out on a grocery bag and dabbed it with bits of grape, lemon lime, and black cherry. Now, I learned the hard way that you want this yarn to be fairly damp when you do this, and when you go to microwave it, for the love of God don't add it to water! (which I might or might not have actually done...)

The result was (okay, so I did that, duh..) that the colors ended up seeping out into the water, and swirling around a bit as the yarn soaked up the dye, so I got a bit of a heathered look. I like it, but it wasn't at all what I wanted.

At this point, my water wasn't clear. It actually wasn't anywhere close to clear. I wondered what would happen if I took my second yarn (Condon's Wool in a very light tan color) and just added it to the purple-ish water. I took a little bit (7 yards) and just plopped it in there, and put it back in the microwave for a few minutes. The color instantly took to this yarn (this is obviously the winner yarn here). I had a solid very light purple red yarn. What would happen if I handpainted some green on it?

I made sure the yarn was very damp, and very gently added small amounts of green to it in sections around the loop. then i spooned a bit more water on it to help dampen it, and put it back in the microwave (without water added, obviously!)

This was that result:

By testing, I learned that it works best for me to get a solid color then try to add others to it, but would that work for a lot more yarn? This third dye is about an ounce, I think. It came as an addition to my 4 oz skein of Condon's. (I'll measure it for sure when it's dry and ready to ball up, so we'll know for sure then)

First I soaked it for about 20 minutes in just warm water, to allow it to get really damp. Be careful not to use too hot water, or to agitate it in hot water, as you'll felt your yarn.

Then i removed the yarn from the water, mixed in some black cherry koolaid (about a tsp) and added the yarn again. The websites all say that it doesn't matter how much water you add, as it doesn't dilute the dye any, it's all about the amount of powder to the amount of yarn. I've been using small amounts because I'm dyeing small amounts, most sites recommend a packet of koolaid per ounce of yarn.

I put my yarn back in the microwave for 2 minutes, then let it sit in the microwave for about 5 minutes, and then repeated the process again. The next time, I took some grape, about half a tsp, and added it only to the part of the water in the middle and mixed it a bit, hoping to get a darker turnout in the middle. This is the time where I added the grape.

Overall I repeated the microwave process about 4 times (over the commercial breaks of LOST) until the water was clear. All the tutorials say that the water will be clear, and boy was I shocked to see that it was actually clear!

This is the end result:

From what I can tell, the grape didn't really take in the middle, it probably just blended in with the overall coloration.

Now, because I can't be ultimately happy with one gorgeous solid color, I had to take it further. While soaking the yarn in some water, I took two coffee cups and mixed some dye in them, one grape, the other lemonlime.

From my second testing, I remembered the black cherry taking the lemon lime well. So I decided to see how well it'd take it. I put about half a tsp of dye in each cup, and making sure the yarn that wasn't in a cup was really damp, put it back in the microwave for 2 minutes.

After two trips through, I brought it out and covered it with the pyrex dish (that the cups are sitting in) and let the yarn steep a bit. After about 10 minutes, it had soaked up all the green dye (with little result) and was working on the purple dye. I added the rest of my green koolaid (about another half tsp) and put it back in the cup and put the pyrex dish back on top. About 10 minutes later, the water in both cups was almost clear, and I had this:

The green isn't entirely saturated all the way through, but it's a nice representation. The darker end is a bit of a light purple. I'm quite pleased with the end results, and can't wait to try some more!!!

omg squee!

2010-02-03T16:04:00.000-05:00

So I can't embed these for some strange reason, but the producers of LOST went on Jimmy Kimmel last night right after the premiere and it rocked.

Pt 1

Pt 2

Knitting Geekery!

2010-01-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

X-posted on the Etsy Owls blog, someone on Ravelry showed me one of WineMakersSister's awesome mugs and I just had to blog it! And I added a few other fun things too :)

I LOVE MUSICALS!

2010-01-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

I'm such a sucker for a good musical number, I just can't help myself. So I'm going to make a list of my favorites and post them over the next little while. Like this one from the newest How I Met Your Mother. :)

Team ESST Vintage---Oldies but Goodies :)

2009-11-19T16:38:00.004-05:00

I'm a member of the Etsy Supply Street Team, and this lovely slide show (which I didn't make, see credit at the bottom) showcases some crafty vintage finds! Check it out, and check them out! Search Etsy with Team ESST to find the best supplies on Etsy!

Team ESST SlideShow by RunswithScissors4

Adventures in Recycling...

2009-11-07T23:21:00.001-05:00

I've wanted to recycle my own yarn forever, but I haven't had the courage to try it before now. I found this really excellent tutorial on the process the other night and summoned up the courage to try it. I went out thrifting yesterday and found this glorious sweater at Goodwill. The yarn's a 60/40 Cotton/Acrylic mix, and the colors are dreamy. Plus, it only cost me $2! (sorry, the picture's icky!)

When shopping, I checked for 1)types of seams 2)weight of yarn (I really wanted heavy worsted yarn, lots of sweaters are made with smaller yarns and I didn't want to go that way on the first try) 3)price (because why pay a lot for it when I don't have to!)

If you want to try this yourself, it's important to know what to look for before you get started. There are only certain sweaters that can be unraveled, some can't be due to the way they were constructed. I can't get a good detail shot of the seaming, I'm expecting that's partially due to the colorway of this sweater, and also my lighting. Look at the tutorial above which shows really good detail example of the types of seams to look for. Once you get that down pat, the rest should be easy.

So, I've got my sweater with the right seams, and I started unraveling. The tutorial says to cut it, but I'm kind of a chicken, so before I started cutting, I spent some time with a small crochet hook unlacing it a bit. You can see the fine thread that the sweater's sewn together with, and once you know how to look for it, it's easy to cut. The sweater pulls right apart.

When I got to the sleeve section, I found that the sleeve would come straight out, just like frogging stitches. This is the hole where the sleeve would be attached.

After the sleeve is seperated, I went across the shoulder and around the collar. The collar was horrid! At this point I've figured out that the stitches used to connect all the pieces are slip stitches, and that if you can find them on the side and cut every few stitches, it comes apart easier and you run much less risk of cutting the sweater yarn. Once I finished the neck, I went across the other shoulder, back around the second sleeve, and back down the other seam.

Here are the 4 pieces, two sleeves and the front and back panels.

After this, I looked around for a corner, found a tied off spot, and started unraveling. :) This is the yarn from the front and back panels, I'm guessing it's about sport weight.

I haven't unraveled the sleeves yet. I'm excited about giving this sweater new life. I'm thinking the yarn shown here will be a nice scarf, double stranded, and the sleeves could definitely make some gloves. It's sooo soft, so some nice stuff will come from this.

I love the process and will definitely do this again! :)

Giving a little back...

2009-10-27T17:51:00.000-04:00

This time of year makes my brain start thinking about charity. I always try to do little things to give back year round. I donate clothing to my local non-profit instead of tossing it in the trash (people don't do that, there's always somewhere local that will take things!) and when we use them, I also donate my soda cans to the same place (because they get them crushed for money.)

Sometimes I'll randomly give a dollar or two to some foundation, but it really takes cold weather and the holiday season each year before I start thinking harder about giving back.

Every year the above mentioned local non-profit organization, Appalachian Outreach, (which just happens to be a branch out of my alma mater) does a Coats for the Cold drive here locally. I always try to give something, or at least help out with collecting coats and accessories from other people. This year, I just happen to be downsizing in my Etsy shop and I've got bunches of hand-crafted scarves and hats that haven't found happy homes. So I'm making a box full and taking them down to AO to be part of the Coats for the Cold drive next week.

I highly encourage everyone to find out if there's a local Coats for the Cold drive in your area any time in the next few weeks, and if there is, to find something that you could donate for the good of others this winter. Or do something to give back. I'm a pretty big fan of Toys for Tots too, and I try to do that every year, or another local toy drive. Even if it's just something little, it makes a big difference to people who maybe can't afford a new coat, or scarves and hats for that matter, or kids who aren't going to have a great Christmas for whatever reason.

So, go and give a little back! Right now! :)

I keep on fallin'...

2009-10-22T20:34:00.003-04:00

IN LOVE!

Have you heard of Pandora yet? It makes my heart sing! It's Internet radio, and not just random Internet radio either, but customizable radio! You enter an artist, or a song, and it compiles a streaming radio station based on music from that artist and other similar artists.

You can't pick a specific song and start with it, nor can you browse the list once it starts, it just streams. You can tell Pandora if you like or dislike an artist or song as it streams into your playlist, and it remembers and builds your list based on that.

And the best part?

It's totally free!

Pandora gives you 40 free hours to listen each month, and you can make lots of different lists too! If you go over the 40 hours, you have the option of paying 99 cents for the rest of the month unlimited, or you can subscribe to a more advanced service that has more services and unlimited listening.

I really like how it's helped me discover several new artists just based on one artist that I like, Anya Marina, who rocks my socks off. :) This is an Imeem playlist, since one thing Pandora doesn't do is let you compile and post specific lists, I had to use another site.

Some of the songs are only 30 second clips but you can listen to the whole song on the Imeem website. If you look in the top of the box (next to the artist photo on the right side) while listening to a 30 clip you'll see a ? and you can click it to go through to Imeem to listen to the full song, and you should be able to do that without an Imeem account. Enjoy, and go check out Pandora!

Pandoras Box

Fall Scarf Fun!

2009-10-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

The weather lately has been wonderfully cool, finally! It snowed in Colorado a few weeks ago!!! (right after I got back from there, of course *frown*)

Cool weather makes me start dreaming of pulling out the long sleeves, coats, sweaters, and scarves. I've been rearranging my Etsy shop lately to showcase some of my favorite fall designs. Here are a few of my favorite fall friendly scarves. There's a ton more where these come from, so check me out! :)

White Chocolate, $18

Mardi Gras, $30

Cirque, $25

Adventures of the Traveling Scarf!

2009-10-04T15:20:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I spend a lot of my time over at the HPKCHC (Go Slytherin!). Well, this glorious idea came about to start a round robin type traveling scarf group, and it was so overwhelming received that it got its own Ravelry Group.

There are about 50 people in four different groups currently making scarves. I'm just blown away by how neat of an idea this actually is. I didn't take a picture of my square (because I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes, really) but I've requested one from Australia where my scarf currently is. Yep, Australia! Isn't that the coolest?

By the time my scarf arrives at me again, it will have visisted several spots in Australia, England, and have taken a scenic tour of these United States. There are 12 of us total in each scarf group.

I only recently got the first scarf from the person above me on the list (she's in New Hampshire). We each add our own yarn and pattern/stitch of our choice to each scarf, following some basic rules set by the owner of the end scarf. I really hope she's not out there somewhere, about to read my blog, because I'm about to post a picture of her scarf on it. :)

waits to make sure....

Okay then. Her starter piece was this nice little knitted cable section, sooo soft and pretty. I started on the same end as her cast on and did a nice little front post/back post ribbed section in a pretty green. Even though I can knit, I'm not planning on knitting on anyone's scarves unless they want knitting only, as I'm not very good at anything except basic stockinette just yet.

I feel really special to be taking part in something so cool, and I'm going to share pictures of the scarves as I get them and work on them. I'm hoping I can still get a picture of my original starter from Australia without anything else on it yet (I want my scarf to be a surprise) and I'll post that too. So, that's me, how are you?

The pics of knitted glory...

2009-09-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

Or not knitted glory. But there are pictures, nonetheless.

What Knitting's Taught Me Thus Far...

2009-09-18T23:35:00.005-04:00

I finished my first knitting project last night, and I'm so excited!

I've crocheted forever, but knitting is something quite new to me, and quite hard actually. I had tried to learn several times before, but it wasn't until my trip to Denver that I finally got someone (Kristen) who understood me well enough to get how to teach me.

I'm still terribly excited that I completed a project without having a breakdown or throwing the needles. The only thing I've ever managed to knit before this is a swatch, and even that usually resulted in the needles being thrown across the room.

I'll be posting some pictures in a few days, but in the meantime, in honor of learning a few things along the way with this piece, I'd like to share those things, in hopes that they might help others.

Unlike crochet, the number of starting stitches you cast on does not directly relate to the width of your piece.
Related to the above point, casting on 40 on 15s is *way* too wide for a scarf
Watching television while knitting can sometimes lead to disaster, and the forced repeat of several rows due to error.
A russian join is a good way to connect two balls of yarn together, but it doesn't work very well when you're doing something open, or using 15s. Or when you aren't really good at it.

Denver Wanderings

2009-09-16T15:31:00.007-04:00

I can't believe I waited an entire month before I blogged any about Denver! I had such an awesome experience out there with Man and Kristen, and I blogged on the Owls Blog about some of our crafty adventures. It involves whore cups and penguin stamps, and is definitely a worthy read.

Rather than repeat that all here, I'd like to put up a few different photos. You can see my entire album on Facebook.

I really enjoyed the scenic vistas out at Red Rocks and of course took a bunch of pictures out there. They were getting ready for a concert, so we couldn't actually see the ampitheatre itself, but we still got very close, closer than this actually but I just love this picture.

Downtown Denver. I just love buildings, and isn't this a beautiful sky??

Me playing with black and white photos and angle. This was a really cool street near where Man lives. It's got lots of cute little shops on it.

My Geek Dream's Coming True...

2009-09-15T23:50:00.004-04:00

What is my geek dream, you might ask?

Let's just say it has something to do with Hogwarts. And by 'something to do with', I mean GO. Love. Hug daily.

And now...Universal Studios is going to bring that dream to life for so very many of us, coming to a theme park near you Spring 2010.

I Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts.

Must...Go...Hogwarts. I just like the idea of the whole little section of the park being devoted to Harry Potterdom. The article above says that all of the restaurants and everything in that area are going to be Potter themed, it's very exciting.

Something Every Day...

2009-09-14T00:24:00.003-04:00

It's going to be something every single day, guaranteed, going forward. Starting...

NOW.

It might not be exciting, but it's something. Isn't it funny?

And Now I Present Yee...

2009-09-02T03:07:00.001-04:00

Beware, the fandom's weakening...

A New Goal...

2009-08-31T15:23:00.002-04:00

I'm just so horrid at updating this blog, and I hate it. My blog is like this constant nagging child, screaming for attention, and I'm just not any good at updating it.

So.

Since we're transitioning into the fall, I'm going to make it my goal to update my blog once a week minimum. And the posts will actually have to be interesting. *scary, i know*

I'm setting fall Etsy shop crafting goals and coming up on a new term at the HPKCHC on Ravelry, so there will be things to blog about. Honest. ;)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in 15 m!

2009-08-05T02:31:00.003-04:00

YAY! Cleolinda's done it again! God, how I love her...

I present to you, HBP in 15 minutes!

**Warning: Swear words, extreme movie spoilers, and moments guaranteed to make you giggle loudly are included***

More Musical Fun...

2009-08-05T00:46:00.004-04:00

I recently saw Movits on the Colbert Report, and fell in love! They are this awesome blend of irony, a Swedish swing rap band! And they are amazing!

So, imagine my happiness when their album Äppelknyckarjazz popped up on iTunes' New Music Tuesday today! Yay! I didn't buy the whole album, but got the song i had heard on Colbert, Fel Del Av Gården and made this playlist so I can listed to the rest of the album to pick my favorites. Thanks to Imeem, I can stream the whole thing to see what I like and what I don't. listen! Love!

(You might have to click through to Imeem to listen to the full songs...)

Äppelknyckarjazz

Team ESST's August Weekend Shopping Extravaganza!

2009-08-01T01:19:00.007-04:00

My supply shop, PiratesDreamofPearls (that I share with PresentsforPirates and KnitandPearl ) is a member of teamESST, or the Etsy Supply Street Team. They have these awesome Weekend Shopping Extravaganzas, and they have one this month! Come check it out for some great specials! Click 'this month' for the official Promo Thread on Etsy.

Here's some info from the TeamESST blog:

ALL ETSY SHOPS - HANDMADE, SUPPLIES AND VINTAGE - are invited to participate by placing an announcement in your shop and joining in with promoting on the "Official" Promotional thread in the Etsy Forums. This will be a “Shopping Event” similar to a Public Marketplace. There will not be a "Overall theme" since Etsy is a Global Marketplace hence, the seasons, cultures, holidays, etc. can vary quite a bit. Although not required, we do strongly encourage shops to have a feature, theme or sale as this can pique interest and help you to draw people to your shop. You do not have to participate for the whole weekend simply join in when you can on the Promo thread in the Etsy Forums.

My sale is 50% off Storewide! And US buyers who spend $25 after discounts get free US shipping. Yep, yep! Come check it out! I'll be adding new items all weekend!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
suenosdejmi.etsy.com

Get Moving...

2009-07-30T18:53:00.002-04:00

Muevete!

One thing I really can't ever get enough of is any kind of music with a good beat. I like other music too, but if a song has a great rhythm, I'm hooked---doesn't matter if it's pop, hip-hop, or in another language, if you can move to it, I'm with it. :)

Have a Laugh On Me, sorta...

2009-07-25T23:41:00.001-04:00

A very funny Stewart/Colbert moment. How I do love the moments like these...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Daily/Colbert - Universal Health Care

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Joke of the Day

*Testing: 1, 2, 3...

2009-07-20T21:59:00.005-04:00

I'm working on some videos for the Trunk Show. I started this one a while back using Picasa, but stopped it when I realized the quality might have issues. So I got frustrated (naturally), then IckyDogCreations had some of hers on her blog, and taught me how to do the Picasa videos through Blogger, and when they show up they show up a lot better! This is me working on testing them. Whatcha think?

Warning: these have music!

The above video is my original edit, and this one is me going back in and doing some editing.

Love, Alisa :)

2009-07-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

This week's showcased Owls member in our little HPC (hooters promo club!) is lovealisa. Alisa's one of my favorite Etsians, and I like to think that she would be even if she wasn't an Owlie. She's always had cute items, but recently she's went through this big shop overhaul and has started making adorable clutches and relaunched her jewelry line as well.

A part of her overhaul was new graphics and a new approach to photo taking. She shared a lightbox tutorial with us on the Owls blog, and it's definitely on my list to make one of these for myself! I mean, look at these results!!!

Check her out over on the left with her Etsy mini, or just click through here:

Happy Birthday to...

2009-07-06T16:23:00.005-04:00

Me! And Frida Kahlo! And ~~George W Bush~~

I'm enjoying a nice slow birthday at home, had a birthday lunch, and launched the new Etsy Owls Challenge. I haven't entered a challenge for the team since Valentine's Day, so I was excited to actually enter this one. Come on, it's Frida! I can't miss Frida! This little gal is my entry:

I had a lot of fun making her, and I think she's in great company with some of the *awesome* entries that the Owls and Spanglish team had to offer.

Now I'm off to crochet. :) Go vote for me! :) (click that awesome entries text above to see the blog!)

I have a Facebook Fan page!

2009-07-04T17:59:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure why, but sure enough, I have one!

Now I know this is exciting news, and I really hope that I can use it as yet another promotional tool ( Twitter, anyone? ). I've managed to get some photos uploaded, and the next step is getting people to fan me, right?

So what are you waiting for???

Also, while you're clicking some fan love, be sure to check out my friend Squarejane (of whom I have fan page envy) and also our Etsy Owls Team fan page.

Thinking About Frida

2009-06-17T16:00:00.004-04:00

The July Challenge for the Etsy Owls is in honor of Frida Kahlo, so I've really started trying to think about something unique and different. This challenge is going to be hard for everyone, because it does require some deep thought and creativity, but I feel like in many ways it's going to be harder than average for me since my main art form is crochet. What to do, what to do?

Anyway, in planning for this, I think I'm going to spend some time browsing through my Frida sketchbook and looking at some of my favorite Frida pieces. For some reason, I can't get Blogger to let me upload a photo, so for now I'll put in a link, but later, I'll add it in. My favorite Frida painting:

lo que el agua me dio

Spanish Civil War via Magnum Photos

2009-06-15T19:38:00.004-04:00

I really don't spend enough time posting about things I'm passionate about. Some of you might know I spent 3 months in Spain last year, and came back with a great appreciation for a lot of the culture and history there, particularly some of the art and literature born of the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) and the time after during the reign of Franco. Also my recent subscription to American Photo has really gotten me into looking at the work of others.

Anyway, I made my way to this because I saw Robert Capa's brother Cornell listed in the current issue of AP, and remembered that Robert had taken some photos during the war, so I set off to find them on Magnum Photos . These photos aren't all his, and also include work from others from the same time. I'll be sharing more soon!

Click on each photo to be taken to them on the website where there's a bit more of a description that what I'm giving here, as well as around 1000 more photos from this time.

David Seymour: Children seeking shelter from bombings in Minorca

David Seymour: Pablo Picasso w/ painting Guernica, Spanish Pavilion of Int. Worlds Fair (France, 1937)

Robert Capa: 1939, With Barcelona fallen, people evaculate for France for political asylum from Franco's regime.

Yart Sale Sneak Peek...

2009-06-08T12:39:00.004-04:00

So, I'm working on planning what I want to do for the Yart Sale in my various shops, and here's what I'm hovering around thus far. Let me know what you think!

Dreambirdphotos:

$2 5x7 prints!

Yep. Every 5x7 in shop: $2. How crazy is that?? This is a $5 savings per photo.

Also available: $1 4x6 prints!

suenosdejmi

$5 fingerless gloves

$5, $10, and $15 scarves!

Average savings per item: 50% off!

Here are some of my scarves, check back later for exact sections to see the savings!

Go Wild with Etsy's Yart Sale!

2009-06-02T19:00:00.004-04:00

Have you heard about the Yart sale?

It was started last year by one of the teams I'm in, the Etsy Supply Street Team. It started as a little bitty idea but expanded so much, and last year's Yart Sale was huge! It's basically a gang of people offering fantastic sales, think yard sale, but with gorgeous art instead of that junk in your garage :)

Of course, this year's will blow last years away, because this year's sale gets one of the coolest teams on Etsy- us! :)

We've decided to participate this year as a team, it won't be our entire team, but I'm hoping it'll be a good amount of us. You'll be able to see our items by searching etsyowlsteam + Yart and before the sale we'll post all of our sales on the blog for a look see, too!

If you're an Etsy seller, you should participate! For some awesome information on how to do that, check out the Etsy Supply Street team blog for all the latest information and also this very helpful article on the Storque!

See you at the Yart Sale!

Sale of the Week!

2009-06-02T17:18:00.003-04:00

50% off Scarves! Buy two items (any two in shop) and get free shipping!!

Select scarves only in 'Extra large Scarves' section apply for 50% off discount. Prices have not been adjusted. Convo first or wait for a Paypal invoice before payment.

Have I shared my Cleolinda love here?

2009-05-31T23:05:00.002-04:00

I don't know if I've posted this here, but a conversation in the HPKCHC on Ravelry reminded me of it. I haven't read it in quite a while, but Cleolinda's fantastic. She makes these awesome parodies, MoviesinFifteenMinutes, in which she, well, takes apart a movie in fifteen minutes of hilarity. My favorite of these all is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Seriously. Read it.

Summer Sale of the Week!!

2009-05-24T21:52:00.005-04:00

Since the summer heat isn't very good for my line of business, I've decided to have a Summer Sale. Each week, I'll feature a different type of item on sale for the entire week. To start it off, I'm starting with my fingerless gloves!

Get any pair of fingerless gloves for only $5! That's 50% off on average, and $10 off of this pair!

Prices have NOT been adjusted so please wait for a Paypal invoice before completing payment or convo me for a special listing

Buyers from the US and Canada: If you purchase more than 1 pair, or any other item with the fingerless gloves, you'll get free shipping on your order!

This sale starts right now and will run until Sunday, May 31st at 10:00 PM Eastern. A new sale will begin at that time, and the Summer Sales will continue until August!

Zazzle! (because I don't have too much to do already)

2009-05-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Just Popping In...

2009-05-11T21:20:00.006-04:00

I really dislike that I let my blog go, sometimes for weeks at a time. I just wish there was more to blog about. My life is all about the Owls, the HPKCHC on Ravelry, and work. That's about it. lol. :)

Today was a nice break from the normal, as my bf and I went to see Star Trek with a friend of ours. Being that the movie theatre is (in another city) near a Hobby Lobby, I also side tracked and bought a bit of yarn. I needed to get Gryffindor colors for a House Unity project I'm doing in the Cup, but it turns out that what I ended up buying could've been purchased at my local WalMart.

Go figure.

I did get a gorgeous skein of green Caron, it's Simply Soft Shadows. It's neat because it's a solid color with a series of different colors twisted in. It works up gorgeous. Well, Shadows does. I've never used the green, but I did get a grey once, called Mardi Gras. It works up like this:

(Note that you can click that to see it still in my Etsy shop :))

This is the green version. Isn't it gorgeous?

I also bought KNITTING needles. Yep. I'm ready to try it again. (it was a terrible disaster last time). I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes, and also how my crochet projects are coming along. I'll be better, I promise! Happy crafting!

The tunes that move me...

2009-04-29T15:14:00.002-04:00

Yup. You know it. Music feeds the soul. Here's what my soul's munching on lately.

WARNING. My music is strange, just in case you didn't know. :)

If it gives you that 30 second crap, there's a link in the top of the box that says 'play full song here' or something like that. just click that if you want to hear more.

May

Found on Flickr: Pt 2

2009-04-25T14:59:00.014-04:00

In Found on Flickr: Part 1 I talked about Gary Shrimpling and how his awesome photography knocks me off my feet. Once I got past staring at this photo in American Photo, there were so many other cool Flickr features to see!

I know a lot of people spend a LOT of time on Flickr just browsing around. I really haven't before, but recently I was introduced to some really cool things on Flickr. Things so cool that I think I might start browsing Flickr to see what else is out there. :) As soon as I figure out how...

What's a good way to find cool people on Flickr? Anybody?

Anyway. The American Photo spread of Flickr Superstars also features Lauren Rosenbaum Her photos are definitely different than Gary's, yet are just as if not more intriguing for some very different reasons. I mean, check this out.

She does this gorgeous set of self-portraits called 365, which is a year of herself and her camera. I definitely recommend flipping through it. As noticed in the photo below, she also takes a lot of really cool photos in (bathroom) mirrors. The below shot was 118 of 365. She really makes me want to grab my camera and go take pictures of myself, which is saying a lot because I tend to not like photos of myself.

If you take a look at some of her photos, you'll soon notice she's either capable of seemingly impossible feats such as levitating or holding her kids in one hand, or she's great with Photoshop. The magazine even goes in-depth with one of her shots and explains the process of how she ended up floating in midair. You can see a small version of this tutorial in her photostream as well. I looked through a good 100 pages of photostream for this picture in a size I could save. It's in the magazine and it makes me go ooooh...

These are some of my other favorites:

Please note: The photos used in this feature are all really low-quality versions of her photos. Visit her photostream and check these pictures out in better versions. I just looked through her whole photostream, and trust me, you won't be sorry!

I'm Going Crazy!

2009-04-23T23:37:00.004-04:00

I'm getting involved in so many things, I might be spreading myself too thin! But it's all fun stuff!

One thing I've joined is A Granny A Day. The object's simple: Make a Granny Square every day and share it. :) I've yet to share a square, but I'm working on my second one (I just joined a few days ago). I'm thinking I'll make a lapghan and sell it in my shop. Check out the awesomeness that's in this group, the color combinations are so inspiring!

Found on Flickr: Pt 1

2009-04-20T13:26:00.010-04:00

I know a lot of people spend a LOT of time on Flickr just browsing around. I really haven't before, but recently I was introduced to some really cool things on Flickr. Things so cool that I think I might start browsing Flickr to see what else is out there. :)

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I'm a Maghound member, and that because of it I've fallen in love with American Photo. The May/June issue headlines 12 Flickr Superstars, and highlights some really awesome photography that's on Flickr!

This photo REALLY caught my attention, because it looked so tragic, and just a touch familiar. Turns out it's from the Atonement set, which photographer Gary Shrimpling was allowed access to after filming.

All of his photos that really catch my eye are Long Exposures, which I know so very little about but am so very captivated by. Here's a few more of my favorites of his extensive collection. Click on any photo to be taken to his photostream.

Should I do a new layout?

2009-04-18T19:05:00.004-04:00

I really like my 3-column layout, and I did a lot of work to get it to be the way it is, but now I'm wondering if I'm ready for something different. I've seen a lot of people with these layouts where the text is all on the left and then there are two columns of space on the right for links, advertisements, etc.

I've really noticed this is trending lately on blogs and I'm wondering what other people think of it. Two blogs of interest that I've noticed that are set up this way are Meet Me At Mikes and LillyElla

What do you guys think???

Does anyone still do magazines?

2009-04-16T20:21:00.003-04:00

I've always loved magazines. I love to pour over a particularly good issue of one of my favorite magazines over and over again. On the rare occasion when I find myself in Knoxville, I love to go into Borders or Barnes and Noble and drool over the massive collection of magazines.

Back in the fall, we found Maghound . Very much like Netflix, with Maghound you pay a monthly subscription fee and they send you X number of magazines of your choice each month. We were signed up for a while waiting on the site to launch. When we first started, we got 5 magazines for under $8 a month.

After a few months of getting magazines that I wanted to read but still haven't had time to (even now there are still several issues of Real Simple and Siempre Mujer are stacked underneath my coffee table waiting for me), we recently dropped down to an even lower package, 3 magazines for $4.95 a month. It's perfect for us, and between our monthly and bi-monthly magazine choices we share the three quite well. We have one magazine pick in common, Poets and Writers . Our other choices make us look somewhat like a small magazine store, my boyfriend getting Discover and National Geographic while so far I've tried everything from a crochet magazine, home & decor magazines, and a few spanish magazines just to practice!

One awesome Maghound feature is if you dislike a magazine, you can just swap it and you get a different magazine the next month. If magazines only come out bi-monthly or quarterly, you set up substitutes and those magazines come instead on the months that your regular magazines aren't around. With several of our picks being magazines that only publish bi-monthly, we've been able to try some new magazines out. I've found that I really like Real Simple, and I get it every few months when there's a substitute (it's on the top of the list). Even though I don't really cook, I also enjoy Saveur , a mouth-watering cooking magazine.

Last month, I decided to venture out on yet another new magazine journey and signed up to get American Photo . I've wanted to try this since the fall, and when it arrived yesterday, I fell in love immediately! So much in fact that I blogged all of this to preface talking about some things I learned about in A.P., which will be coming up in the next few days. So, I'm settling down, picking a regular magazine for a while. Alas, my days of Maghound magazine hopping are over. :) If you like magazines but don't have a lot of great ones in your area, (i.e. you live in the middle of nowhere like me!) or just don't have the time to go browse the bookstore, check them out! There are a lot of magazines that they do not have, but they do have quite a variety!

Amigurumi Madness :)

2009-04-14T19:51:00.005-04:00

Since the warmer months are upon us, I've been looking for ways to still crochet but not make as many scarves. Lets face it, people just don't buy scarves in the summertime!

So, I've been working on various ideas including fingerless gloves (which are in many ways a year-round item) and amigurumi.

On my days off when I'm sitting at home doing lots of Owls and other Etsy stuff, I keep the television news on all day. All day long today I've been watching the outcry over the unveiling of Bo Obama, the new First Puppy, seen below. This is an adorable little doggie, and I think I could make the cutest little amigurumi version out of him, so I think I'm going to try it. :)

Also, a few weeks ago, I made Toledito (shown below) and when I did him someone mentioned making a Highland Cow version of him. I decided this might be the cutest thing EVER, so I added it to the to-do list. I mean, look at Toledito and then the below picture of a highland cow. Wouldn't it be the cutest thing ever?? We'll see!!

Since I haven't done this in a while...

2009-04-13T18:22:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest political fodder on SNL. I love Biden. :)

Spanglish Team: Miembro de la semana!

2009-04-12T22:22:00.003-04:00

I'm a member of the Spanglish team and this week they are featuring auclairdelalune as their member of the week. Her shop's full of gorgeous clothing and other fabric items all made from upcycled fabrics. She rescues fabric and gives it a new life.

Check out her shop and also her blog at http://auclairdelalune2009.blogspot.com/

For the Love of Frida...

2009-04-05T13:24:00.010-04:00

There are some of the coolest Frida Kahlo-themed items on Etsy. I want them all, so much! Have I ever mentioned I love Frida Kahlo? I love Frida, seriously. Always have. This entry highlights some of my absolute favorites. Click on the pictures to see the listings on Etsy.

This one is from http://six06.etsy.com/ and is a print of an absolutely gorgeous painting! She's incredibly talented. I also have fallen in love with Loteria, it's not a Frida print but it's gorgeous, go look!

The below print is from http://teetee344art.etsy.com/ It is a print of an original painting as well, and I love the way you can see the texture of the canvas in the print. She uses some beautiful colors too!

http://minimalista.etsy.com/ is one of my Spanglish teammates, and I've loved her shop for quite a while! Her Viva la Frida tops and bags are just precious! Here's an example, but there's so many more than this one!

This is an art card from http://catboxartstudio.etsy.com/ She has an absolutely gorgeous shop full of prints, cards, jewelry, and other Dia De los Muertos and Frida Kahlo inspired pieces.

There are so many gorgeous Frida Kahlo themed items on Etsy, these don't even really begin to cover it. Click here to see a Frida Kahlo Etsy-search! Viva la Frida!

TeamESST's First Weekend Shopping Extravaganza

2009-04-02T21:04:00.003-04:00

The destash supply shop I have with presentsforpirates and knitandpearl-- PiratesDreamofPearls is a member of a supply Street Team on Etsy teamESST

Every month they have a First Weekend Shopping Extravaganza, where they host various sales over the weekend and invite other Etsians to participate. Participating at least one day is a requirement for the team, but the best fun is participating all weekend! Check out this Etsy thread for great specials all weekend long! And be sure to visit me too, I'm on the very bottom of page 24 or you can just see my specials right here!!

In my crochet shop, I'm offering 25% off your purchase and Free US shipping on orders over $20 (after discount) (Code FWSE in Notes to Seller) Sale ends Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern time! I also have a new 'on sale' section where the items are priced at 50% off original prices. This weekend you can get an additional 25% off those already reduced prices! Here's the section:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5002728&section_id=6042712

In PiratesDreamofPearls, I'm offering Free US shipping on all the times that are mine in the shop. Here's a link to them:

http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6155163&search_query=SDJ

Happy Shopping!

World Autism Awareness Day (x-posted from the Etsy Owls Blog)

2009-04-02T07:27:00.003-04:00

April Is Autism Awareness Month, and today is World Autism Awareness Day, and in honor of that, we're trying to do a little something extra to help out.

One of our members, lalala08 is participating in Autism Speaks' Walk Now For Autism in her hometown of Lehigh Valley, PA and we thought that would be a great cause to contribute to! So, some of our members are donating items to the team shop at OfftheWall and we're giving 100% of the profits from those items directly to the Lehigh Valley Walk!

There's a wide variety of items, including crochet, felt, drawings, photography, jewelry, and more!

Most items are autism themed by either having a puzzle piece, using primary colors, or both, as shown in this posting! Click on any picture to be taken to the listing on Etsy!

Also, Etsy members who have a loved one impacted by autism might be interested in joining Etsy for Autism

Follow this link to learn more about Autism and what you can do to help

April Fools goes Crazy!

2009-04-01T13:32:00.004-04:00

Ha ha, this is what I found on the Gmail sign-in page. It might be a bit hard to see it, but you can go to http://gmail.google.com and see it more up close. It's a launch for an Autopilot system, one that responds to your email for you, because, lets face it, reading and responding to email is just too hard!!!

Happy April Fools everyone!

April Fools Day SALE!

2009-04-01T02:11:00.006-04:00

Mega-SALE TODAY and TODAY ONLY! The only April Fool is ME!

For April Fools Day only, I've marked almost all of my shop down at least 50%, with over a page of items marked at 75%!!! Get scarves for as low as $4.00, and fingerless gloves starting at $5!!! PLUS: Free US Shipping on orders over $25 WOW!

75% off!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5002728§ion_id=6031189

50% off!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5002728&section_id=6031191

Etsy
Buy Handmade
suenosdejmi

Sneak Peak into Coming Etsy Listings

2009-03-25T15:05:00.003-04:00

I finished this little guy last night and couldn't resist taking his picture! Everyone I showed it to kept trying to get me to list him right away, at 2 am! I've decided to save him for my upcoming listing spree, probably starting around the 1st, but I thought I'd go ahead and unveil him to his adoring public. Look for him in my Etsy shop starting next week.

Gearing up for something awesome...

2009-03-24T16:23:00.003-04:00

So, I've been pretty busy trying to create a bunch of different items so I can have a bit of a listing spree, a binge if you will. :) The last listing spree I really had was in February, and I posted about it on the Etsy OWLs blog and also on here. In the end, I ended up making it 9 days, listing 8 new items and one item renew. It was pretty exciting!

Well, this time, I'm gearing up for it several weeks in advance. I hope to have 7 or 8 new items ready to go by the first of the month, and then start listing, one, maybe two a day. It's going pretty well so far, I've completed two items, and almost have a third one finished. I also have a small pile of items, maybe 4, that need finishing touches, a scarf that needs felting, one that needs buttons sewn on, etc. I'm hoping to do all of that really quickly over the next few days, so I can be ready to go!

I'm really trying to hammer into a regular blogging routine, but I haven't gotten there quite yet. April's really going to help with that, as it's Autism Awareness Month, and since autism is something close and personal to my life, I'm going to be blogging about it a lot during April. The Owls are making items up to put in our team shop with all the profits going to Autism Speaks, and I'm really excited to be taking part in that coming up starting in about a week or so. I also belong to Etsy for Autism and I have a lot of plans to blog about various shops in this team during April too. So, hopefully this will help me get more into blogging! Stay tuned!

Kokeshi Madness!

2009-03-20T00:25:00.005-04:00

So, I've recently fallen in love with Kokeshi dolls! I just blogged about them on the the Owls Blog and made this gorgeous little kokeshi themed collage with Picasa

I got here because of Beladonna who makes the most precious little kokeshi dolls. Takara (pictured above top left) is made by her and is my absolute favorite. She's having this awesome giveaway where you can win one of her kokeshi dolls for free on her blog and it's so easy to enter, you have to go do it! I'm so inspired by the absolute cuteness of these dolls that I'm attempting to crochet them. :) It's going to be exciting, for real!

Here's links to all the shops featured:

http://beladonna.etsy.com http://retroattack.etsy.com/ http://myverybutton.etsy.com/
http://stephaniefizer.etsy.com/ http://isabellsumbrella.etsy.com/ http://purpledaisies.etsy.com/
http://bamboobaby.etsy.com/ http://temple7e.etsy.com/

Jamie Goes Spanglish!!

2009-03-15T21:42:00.003-04:00

In addition to keeping my hands full managing the Etsy Owls I'm also a member of a few other teams. One of them, Etsy Spanglish published an article I wrote on their blog! If you read my blog regularly, you've probably already read my post on cooking Tortilla Espanola. I submited it to the Spanglish blog because I thought i was totally appropriate, and they've put it on the blog. Please go check it out there and comment! Thanks!

Do you Google? iGoogle!

2009-03-13T20:14:00.001-04:00

So, I just fell in love with iGoogle Seriously.

I had never really checked it out before, but it's really quite cool! My mom clued me into it, she's got hers set up so she can chat from it and told me about it today. I started checking it out, and have it set up so it runs Twitter, has news feeds, I can write blog posts, and use Gmail chatting & email all out of the same screen! I even added a Wikipedia box! The Internets will never be the same again.

Pick Your Favorite and Win a FREE PHOTO!!

2009-03-07T01:08:00.005-05:00

Erin of CagedBirdSings and I opened up a new shop together back in December. Combining parts of our shop names, we are DreamBirdPhotos

We decided to combine shops because we both have had study abroad experiences and thought our photos from these experiences would fit well together. In addition to photography, we also have photo magnets, postcards, notecards, and pendants.

In an effort to have Etsy get to know us, we're having a giveaway in March for a free 5x7 photo! To enter, all you have to do is visit our shop at DreamBirdPhotos, pick your favorite photo in the shop, come back to this post, post a link to the photo and tell us why you like it!

(Also, feel free to heart the shop and/or your favorite photo, but this is not required)

If you are an Etsy member, please post a link to your Etsy shop in the post as well. If you're not an Etsy member, please post an email address where you can be contacted in case you are drawn to be winner.

The contest will end at 12:01 am Eastern time Monday the 23rd and winners will be notified by Tuesday the 24th. One photo will be given away for every 25 people who enter the contest. (i.e. if 100 people enter, we will give away 4 5x7 photos!)

The winners will select a photo of their choice from available prints in the Spain section. Some of the Spain photos are still in my main shop and any photos listed there can also be selected. Options will be limited to photos that are currently in stock (as of now all photos are in stock).

If you have any questions, please convo suenosdejmi on Etsy or post a comment on this post.

Picasa Rocks!

2009-03-04T01:29:00.000-05:00

Check out what I did!

A mostly cute video and an Owls challenge!

2009-03-03T22:40:00.002-05:00

First, watch this clip from Countdown with Keith Olbermann (it's not political, honest!). The last part is what I wanted to share but I can't find it by itself. Poor sweet puppy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Next, the Etsy Owls Street Team has launched their St Patricks Day challenge! Please visit our blog and vote for your favorite!

Someone stole my laundry?!?!

2009-03-02T23:21:00.002-05:00

This is always a fear of mine. It's never happened to me, but recently it happened to a friend of mine How sad indeed. Who steals laundry???

My March-Year's Resolution

2009-03-01T22:12:00.004-05:00

Who says it's too late to be setting 2009 goals? Our street team gives members the option to set monthly goals for their Etsy shops, and when evaluating what I want for my Etsy stores I realized there are a few non-Etsy things I'd like to accomplish. They are loftier goals than I can reach in March, but they are possible.

For March, get my 'corner' organized (think craft room/writing & reading cubby), but condensed, because my apt is itty bitty) This was a failed February goal and I will see it carried out in March.
Upon completion of goal # 1, use the above space to start writing more!
learn Microsoft Excel, not just the basics, but really learn it. This is a resume booster and everyone should know it inside and out.
attempt to learn to knit again. I tried this once over a period of time but failed and eventually gave up. My hands are confused by two needles :)

What are your goals? How are those New Years Resolutions going?

Stuck in a rut?

2009-02-28T22:42:00.007-05:00

I crochet in phases that seem to have no middle ground. I am either obsessing about new designs for my shop and making so many things at once that I can't keep them straight, or I'm having to force myself to pick up a hook and feeling uninspired by the yarn and the piece I'm creating.

I really hate crafting when I'm on the lower end of the spectrum, but it's during those times that I tell myself that crocheting is part of the work I must do and I press on. Happily enough, those low times don't usually last that long, and are far outnumbered by the obsessive times. Right now, I find myself nearing a low time, yet I have three active projects on my plate.

It seems that legwarmers are somewhat popular right now, and I've never made any, so I decided to try to make a pair. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in this beautiful grey color and a ribbing pattern that I adapted from the wristband of a pair of crochet mittens. I was about halfway done with the first one when I started hitting my rut, and coincidently, was running out of yarn too. At least my bad mood had good timing. :) But now I've got some more yarn and am ready to get them finished! Probably should, before warm weather gets here. Legwarmers don't go as well with shorts!

My second project is working with a lot of scrap yarn that I've had piling up forever, just little ball and bundles left over from skeins used for scarves and whatnot. I'm making small, 3x3 inch granny squares out of them, most of them using two colors, some three, and hopefully when I get them all done they'll combine into something pretty (most likely a scarf).

My third project I haven't started yet, but have on my brain, and it's my first Saint Patricks day themed item. And probably my only one. My street team, the Etsy OWLS is having a Saint Patricks Day challenge coming up next week. I have an idea revolving around the tradition of pinching someone who isn't wearing green, I just need to get cracking on it.

Sometimes those ruts have bad timing. :( I would love to hear about what everyone does to get through their own crafting or other type ruts!

Adventures in Cooking: Tortilla Espanola!

2009-02-23T21:06:00.009-05:00

As most of the people who read this blog (all two of you!) know, this time last year I was in Spain. In honor of that fact, I've been really trying to incorporate some of my favorite things from Spain into my real life here. The 1 year anniversary of all things Spain reminded me that I loved certain things there and can have them here too...like Maria Cookies and chorizo...

One of my favorite foods in Spain was tortilla espanola or Spanish omelet. Don't let the word omelet fool you, this is different than your average breakfast egg. Made with eggs, potatoes, and onions, this food shows up in a variety of ways: wedges several inches thick on lunch menus, thin pieces on chunks of bread like a sandwich, or on the Tapas scene in small, toothpick adorned pieces ready to be served the beverage of your choice (and in a lot of places, included with the price of your drink!)

I haven't really explored many actual areas of Spanish cooking yet, though there are several recipes on the list of things to try, this is the first thing I really wanted to make. I didn't try at all until a few weeks ago, and was sad to report that the attempt failed miserably, largely in part to a bad recipe and the fact that I didn't really know what I was doing.

For anyone who knows how to handle an egg, the concept of a tortilla espanola is simple enough: it's basically finely sliced potatoed cooked in an egg. But this little tortilla is tricky! My first attempt worked well enough until a bit past the midpoint, the dastardly flip. This is accomplished using a plate, and you actually have to turn the tortilla out of the pan and put it back in again (in Spain there's a plate especially made for tortillas!) My first time through there wasn't enough egg on the bottom of the tortilla, and it crumbled when I flipped it out of the pan. So we pretty much had scrambled eggs with potatoes, which wasn't good at all! (I mean, it tasted fine, but it wasn't a tortilla...) The reason I said this attempt was with a bad recipe was because it called for the potatoes to be fried, and then for the egg to be poured over them in the pan. This doesn't cut it. Period.

The second time around I was a bit nervous, so I followed a recipe from Latina.com that showed up in my inbox a bit after the first attempt, only I made it half the size! The idea was the same as the first but there were some key differences: make sure to use enough oil when frying the potatoes to cover them, mix the eggs with the potatoes outside of the pan, and the option (which I chose) to let the fried potatoes and egg mixture sit together in a bowl for like 10 minutes before putting them in the pan to fry. The difference was so incredible, and the end result was an actual (mostly) intact tortilla!!!

1. potatoes frying, 2. Waiting in the bowl, 3. tortilla frying, 4. flip 1, 5. flip 2, 6. tortilla!

Want to try your own? Here's the best resources I've found so far!

Food Network
Fine Cooking
Gothamist

The listing binge & some good reading somewhere else...

2009-02-14T02:06:00.007-05:00

Just wanted to share some good articles this week from our team blog. I did a spotlight there on Monday about my listing binge and then there are also two articles by lovealisa and jbirkemeierphoto

The purse on the right is from my listing binge. It's ending today, as I don't have time to finish what I was working on for Saturday and now I have to work today (when I wasn't supposed to). I did make it for 9 days, with 8 new items and two renews. I figured out that fingerless gloves work up VERY quickly and made 3 pair :) and I got really inspired by a batch of yarn I got in the mail, and used almost all of it over the course of making several new items.

I'm hoping to pick back up and list on Sunday and Monday, and then probably just take it from there. I didn't get any sales from the binge, but I did get a LOT of views and several hearts over the course of those days too...so it's getting me noticed, at least. Which is always good. Then there's getting up my shop inventory, which I really wanted to do since my photos are leaving and moving to dreambird which I'm sharing with Erin of CagedBirdSings

This is one pair of the gloves. Aren't they the cutest? I just love them. Don't you just love them? Go love them. :)

February Shopping Extravaganza sponsored by TeamEsst

2009-02-05T19:49:00.003-05:00

The Etsy Supply Street Team is sponsoring the February Shopping Extravaganza on Etsy The following is my sales info and then below is the info on the event from TeamESST

Free Shipping Worldwide this weekend! Sale ends 2/9

http://PiratesDreamofPearls.etsy.com free worldwide shipping is ONLY on 'SDJ' items. Please look for listings with SDJ or search 'SDJ' in our shop heading. Here's all SDJ items!

http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6155163&search_query=sdj

I am also offering Free Worldwide Shipping storewide in my main shop, at http://suenosdejmi.etsy.com

Please note prices do not reflect shipping charges and buyers should wait for an adjusted invoice prior to payment or expect shipping to be refunded. CONVO or put code *FSE* or February Shopping Extravaganza in the Notes to Seller. If I do not know, I will not refund shipping automatically!

Here is the Info on the event as copied from the TeamESST blog

The Etsy Supply Street Team is sponsoring a "First Weekend Shopping Extravaganza" for the month of February. We invite all Etsians of every category to participate by placing an announcement in your shop and join us with promoting your shops on the Promo Thread in the Etsy Forums.

This is not a Sale, it is a Shopping Event sponsored by the Etsy Supply Street Team. On the first weekend of each month, Team ESST will sponsor the event from Thursday - Sunday by promoting it both on and off of Etsy.

This month's event will occur from February 5th -8th. Please look for the post "February Shopping Extravaganza sponsored by Team ESST" in the Promos section of the Etsy Forums beginning on Thursday, February 5th around 12:00 AM EDT.

Because Etsy is a Global Marketplace and the seasons, cultures and holidays can vary quite a bit, there is no overall theme. However, we do strongly encourage shops to have a feature, theme or sale as this can pique interest and help draw people to your shop.

You do not have to participate for the whole weekend as we will be posting a fresh new thread each day of the event. You can easily find the new link by checking the last post of the old thread each day.

To join our Shopping Extravaganza, the only requirement is to help promote the event by joining in and bumping the Promotion Thread throughout the weekend. In the thread, please let us know about your shop and what you have to offer our shoppers.

If you blog or twitter, please promote this event to those outside of the Etsy community. It will provide the Etsy community with publicity and add visibility to our shops. As this will become a monthly event, it will be something for shoppers to look forward to.

The First Weekend Shopping Event is sponsored by Team ESST, not by Etsy. More information about our team can be found right here on our blog. If you have any questions about this event please convo one of our members at TheArtistsCloset.etsy.com

2009-01-27T00:37:00.002-05:00

for the new year

Etsy Treasury!

2009-01-26T02:05:00.001-05:00

A Crafty Adventure

2009-01-25T22:35:00.003-05:00

So, last summer for my birthday I got my very first laptop computer...a very sweet 15.4 inch Sony Vaio. Nothing spectacular, but as a gift it's definitely up there on the charts.
So anyway, the point. I started shopping around for laptop sleeves. Not a carrier, but just a nice little sleeve to keep it nice and cushioned while it's hanging around my apartment. So after not finding anything I liked anywhere on Etsy or anywhere else that didn't cost a ton...I decided I could make my very own!

So, A Fabric Queen, one of my very awesome team mates on Etsy runs a fabric supply shop, and I decided to see what i could find in there...and oh my goodness...she had so many beautiful colors and patterns!!!

This is what I ended up choosing
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=12493771

The listing shows each of the 4 prints I chose along the side, and when my package arrived, she had added a ton of extras, several more prints that matched...so now I have this whole pile of fabric to work with!!! So, I wanted to chart my progress on this project by blogging as I go along, taking pictures and such, and allow you all to laugh at my inability to sew.

I don't have photos yet, but I've gotten started.

The idea is to deconstruct a yoga messenger bag made of a static friendly material for an inner lining, and then line the outside of the bag in the awesomely colored fabrics linked above.

I did the deconstruction last week, breaking this yoga bag apart to use the materials for the lining. I even salvaged the zippers, an outside one to use for the bag itself and a small inside pouch zipper that I'll probably use to make a crocheted purse out of for my shop.

It was really neat taking this bag apart, cutting out seams to get the most out of the fabric, getting to break down something that was machine produced ( I imagine the feeling similar to that of unraveling a sweater to recycle the yarn, something I haven't gotten to do yet). It was exciting to hold the material in my hands and know what it was going to (hopefully) become.

After getting all the pieces out, I've just started sewing a single seam, so my work is only just beginning. It's still very exciting to have the project started, and I hope to get it finished in the next few months. As sewing isn't something I do much, I'll only be working on it in small windows, in between my real world job and crocheting for my Etsy shop. Plus, I get bored quick. :)

But stay tuned for updates, and pictures very soon!

Kitten loves broccoli

2008-12-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Kitten LOVES Broccoli @ Yahoo! Video

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T00:13:00.004-05:00

Hi all!

My big sales special starts tomorrow on Black Friday,and since I'm not really offering any great specials for Thanksgiving I decided to give away a few photos.

Here's what you do to be entered to win a 5x7 photo of your choice from my shop (limited to what I have on hand).

Start following me on my blog. To follow this blog, just click the 'Follow this Blog' link in the box on the left.
Follow me on Twitter I am JmiLovesOwls

Please convo me on Etsy (suenosdejmi) or reply to this post and let me know that you have followed me somewhere so I can check.

I will give away 1 photo for every 5 people who add me on Twitter or Blogger. The selected people will be allowed to pick from the photos I have pre-printed on hand. Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Sales Spectacular!

2008-11-22T01:01:00.005-05:00

This is my sales annoucement for my special during the Etsy Holiday EtsyFest sale! Please visit the Holiday Etsy Fest blog to browse some of the great shops offering specials during this sale! Scroll down and click on the calendar dates below to be taken to different sections of my shop! Please specify if you would like holiday gift packaging in Notes to Seller or via convo. Also, I will be giving away door prizes! More details coming soon!

November 2008
Suenosdejmi's Holiday EtsyFest Sale
Free US Shipping on orders over $25 (after discounts)
Photos Buy One Get One Free & Free Shipping Worldwide!
Sun	Mon	Thu	Fri	Sat
		27	28	29
		Happy Thanksgiving!	Scarves 50% off! Photos BOGO!	25% off storewide (excludes photos) Photos BOGO!
30	1
25% off storewide (excludes photos) Photos BOGO!	Scarves 50% off! Photos BOGO!

Forget Cat in the Hat...It's Cat in the Box!

2008-11-15T14:37:00.002-05:00

Cat Stuck in a Box @ Yahoo! Video

Scarf it up!

2008-11-12T21:54:00.001-05:00

Thinking Black...

2008-11-12T20:47:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to get my mind wrapped around being Holiday ready, which I so know I'm not. At first, I wanted to make a bunch of ornaments because I thought they might be something small that might sell well and be cheaper and small...but once I did a few I was pretty much done with the idea (I have the shortest attention span possibly ever), even though I do love this one :)

So, I've been trying to think smaller inventory items, but why am I bothering so much? I mean, should I drive myself crazy making smaller things that I don't completely want to make/love or should I just dedicate myself to my scarves that I do love and leave it all to the buyers?

Anyway, the actual reason for this post was to bring up Black Friday, the first real jump off on the holiday season. Shopping has been slow everywhere, in the retail world where I work and on Etsy too, so I really think Black Friday will show that people are waiting for the really good deals. (keep your fingers crossed!)

I signed up to be a part of this sale, called Holiday EtsyFest or Artisans for the Holidays (personally I like the second one better!) which is going to be a substantial group of Etsy sellers offering specials in their shops from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (Black Friday being the day after Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday being the Monday after the sales weekend)

Sneak peek: All scarves 50% off! All photos buy one get one free, all weekend!

I will reserve items now for buying during this weekend, just contact me. :) Now then, I'm off to crochet a bunch! Check out a selection of my scarves in the slideshow above, and Happy Holidays!!!

President Who?

2008-11-04T23:08:00.001-05:00

And today is the greatest day ever!

W Returns to SNL!!!

2008-10-24T13:28:00.000-04:00