Here come the Elephants

Received our elephant tote in the mail yesterday. My daughter was very happy with the addition to her purses. She said it would be great for the next time we go on a walk. She'll be able to carry snacks for her and her brother as well as her camera to take pics along the way.

I haven't taken a pic of it with her wearing it yet, but she really does enjoy it. Thanks again to Project Mommyhood for the giveaway. And to Maggie Blue Designs for the superb craftsmanship! It really is adorable in person.

Figured I'd leave you with some pics of elephants, as searched on Etsy. First is made by Snuggle Herd. Isn't Elsa cute?

Next, is by Lollywood... pink elephants...
Softie made by Peaslee... pink elephants...

Pink elephants on parade! Ok, so they're tags, but adorable tags and this photo fits the song from Dumbo... Maybe it's just me, but when I think elephants, it almost always comes to mind. Tags by Designs By Trisha.

Have you Etsy'd your day today?

Yardwork

In the land of eternal sunshine and palm trees, (photo by Honeytree Photography)a land without seasons, there is always yardwork to be done. Although the locals talk about "May Gray" and "June Gloom" like it's horrible for the two months where it is overcast for a few hours and the breeze from the ocean brings a nice chill before the days warm up and are gorgeously clear again.

It was a beginning for May this morning you could say, with an overcast sky (slip top by Claire La Faye) and that cool breeze I've come to love. We are transplants from Colorado (where it is said there is 300 days of sunshine a year, which isn't quite true, but it is a fairly sunny beautiful state with it's mountains and snow). So living in very southern California a mile from the ocean is a different experience.

The yard was in need of some mowing and trimming. The trimming hadn't been done for awhile. Dandelions (mosaic by Earwings and Things) were taking over! My kids love when they do, blowing the seeds, spreading them more. There is something about making that wish on a dandelion. I've learned that it is the official flower of the military brat. You see, like the dandelion, they move and grow and spread through out the land. Since my children would be classified as just that, military brats, it always makes me smile when they play with those dandelions... even if they are spreading them far across our yard!

In the end, the yardwork was mostly finished. The kids had fun helping pick up the seed pods as well as dandelions and checking out the bugs. After all, what fun is yardwork without a little investigating? And when you are done with your investigation, don't forget to Etsy your day.

What Dream Is This?

I'm not one who usually dreams, or at least I don't tend to remember them. Last night however was a very strange one indeed. I was back home in Denver, working and living downtown. When there appeared a spaceship... (image from Busy Little Elf)
Only it wasn't a spaceship... it was a brand new office building that appeared next to my office within a day. (art by Gocco*Boom)

But people didn't seem to notice. They went to work as usual. And new people even started in this new building. Then suddenly, it started to come apart into different sections and fly into the sky. You could see the people in the windows as it left... (doll by Hapslappy's House)
Only, they weren't really people... They were aliens in disguise... (alien by Adopt an Alien)
I suppose I've just been spending too much time on my latest pattern, or it could be my mind was trying to tell me an invasion is emminent? Or that I feel office work is alien since I've been out of one for so long? Either way, it was a dream that stayed with me for quite awhile and figured I should share it. And if you feel the need to share some strange fairly vivid dream, send me a link so I can see what it is.

Pictures are all from Etsy shops. They all have some pretty neat things to check out. Don't forget to Etsy your day today! Just think of all the fun creations... waiting for you.

WooHoo!

I entered a giveaway on Project Mommyhood, what an awesome little blog that is. And won it! Got an email this morning that my kids will now be the proud owners of an Elephant Tote Bag made by Maggie Blue Designs. She has some really adorable things in her shop, this being one of many. It'll be fun to see what sort of adventures this little guy will get to go on. Especially since my kids really love elephants.

What a great start to the morning... an elephant! WooHoo!

Isn't Family Grand?

So my husband is the pickiest eater I've ever met. He has a thing with texture so won't eat sour cream, pulled meat, chicken, or fish. He's not a big fan of red meat. He doesn't care for cooked, even steamed veggies, all too much. He's a real pain to cook for! (Apron is made by Boojiboo. Isn't it so cute and classic looking? Spicy too!)

He loves his pasta (darn italians!) and will eat mexican food (thank god for that!) but isn't big on green chili. My family loves our green chili! He has tried it a few times when people have made it to be polite. He does like it, but we make ours with shredded pork roast, simmered all day in spices. And he doesn't like pulled meat (see above statement).

He will however try things, once. Which is a blessing when it comes to finding meals to prepare. However, if he has had it before in his lifetime, he's not always keen on trying. Although I will give him if he doesn't like chicken because of texture, I don't know how to cook that out of it. (Pork Chop Casanovas by Stellalola, too cute not to pass up when this comes up on a search for "pork"! Her shop is adorable with all the smiling art prints of normal everyday sorts of things.)

The point of this background is I was on facebook the other day where his cousin (who recently moved out to our area having married a man in uniform as well) was saying how she was making green chili. So when I told her I wish she were my wife, she made me my own green chili! We had it for dinner tonight over turkey tacos (ground turkey is ok in the texture category) and it was spectacular! Started a whole dialoge on making green chili and trying new things that make us both happy in the green chili department.

Figured I'd share since I know in marriage we all have things we do and don't like about our spouses and have had the food talks as well. Anyhow, what did you have for dinner? (Photo Cousins 1987 by Toshio. I love black n white photography, so much depth to it. Was pleasantly surprised when this came up in a "cousins" search. Try searching your day on Etsy today! If you do and blog it, I'd love to see what you come up with.)

Weekend Fun

We had some visitors this weekend. My hubby's dad and his wife came out for the weekend. Had a nice visit with them. Our kids are the first of their generation on my hubby's side so they're still a pretty big deal. I know grandkids usually are, but the first are moreso.

Although, my brothers and I were the first for my moms parents and we were treated more like kids than grandkids. Her younger sister is only 10 years my senior, she brought my older brother in for her show and tell in kindergarten!

Anyhow, how awesome are these little clips I found on Etsy? Figured in honor of the visitors we had this weekend, I'd search "visitors" on Etsy and came up with these from KarmaBoxCom. Yes not the same sort of visitors we had, but still too funny not to share.

We went to the zoo while they were here. Just a nice day of sun and animals. My kids always have loved the zoo, we've been quite a few times over the past few years. Daughters favorite animal is the elephant. Etsy search, "elephant homefront" shows up with this adorable pink elephant from The Q Store. Pink even, my daughters favorite color... for now.

My son loves all the animals, monkeys, elephants and giraffes as well. Those are my favorites. Figured since I'd found some cute hairclips of "visitors" I'd show off this adorable giraffe from Cutesie Clips. Her clips really are cutesie!

Overall, we had a good weekend. The kids had fun showing off their rooms and toys as well as having granparents around to read to them and play with. Now it's back to business as usual. I've been working on a new pattern for the shop. Hope to have a pic for you tomorrow of what it will be! I really love the way it's turning out and am excited to share. For now, think about what one word sums up your day best, and give it a search on Etsy. Ya never know what you'll find!

WooHoo! Look who's 50!

That'd be my shop, not me. It hit 50 sales last night! Was so happy and inspired. Started on a new pattern, hoping to have it done in a few days. Also makes me realize I need to take lots of photos. I still have stock not photographed and in the shop.

It's been a lot of ups and downs on Etsy, but I do so love it. Where else can you find such a hodge podge of beautifully made items as well as a few vintage pieces so lovingly cared for. Like this dress from lostlaundry. In hitting 50 sales, I thought I'd search "50" and found this 50's inspired dress.

Oh what simpler times they were... makes me want to put on my apron and do some cleaning! Instead I think I'll take in the inspiration and get to work... Cleaning can wait a bit.

What I Did On My Blog Vacation Part 2

Celebrated my 5th wedding anniversary. A nice adult evening out, or as adult as it can get with my hubby. Started with dinner... courtesy of a gift certificate from family.

Bet you can't guess where that was at! But isn't this little brooch from MichellesCharmWorld just adorable? Next it was off to a movie. It was a good movie, gave us things to talk about on the way home.

I just love the look of this duct tape wallet from HongDesigns. Captures the character perfectly. It'd be a fun way to show your love for your favorites.

What I Did On My Blog Vacation

You know how when you came back to school in the fall, you always had to write a paper "What I did on my summer vacation." Well I figured since I did take quite a bit of a blog vacation, I'd give you snippets of what I was up to on my time off. This being the first. To make it more interesting, I'll use visual aids found on etsy or my own photos, whichever is more fitting.

So what I did on my blog vacation was read a few books. Two series actually. The first was quite enjoyable... Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati was the first in the trilogy. Outdoorsy... late 1800's... the English and Indians... Oh my!

This photo from CreationsAnew is such a breathtaking view of the river and snowcapped mountains, it reminds me of the ruggedness of the books.

The second series I read, was one that has been much hyped. My SIL happens to have the books and so since they were there I thought I'd see what all the talk was about. This was after my mom had read them as well as a few friends. Maybe it was overhyped or just not my type of reading, I'm not sure but I wasn't as in love with it as many are.

This button from Geek Details sums it up wonderfully! In a lot of ways this is exactly how I felt about these books. Suppose this is why I shouldn't give into the hype... at least all the time.

Homefront Winter Challenge

It's Challenge time on the Homefront. This one was all about winter. There's snowflakes, sugar cookies, moose, snowmen, scarves, hats, all the things that make us think of winter.

My entry for the challenge is a snowflake. Being a Colorado girl living in California, I don't see many of them anymore, but can enjoy the beauty of winter in a different way now.

I remember my first winter here, a friend of mine sent me some shots of her snow covered house! Of course it was on my request. Just wanted to see what I was missing of winter. That white stuff that gives us a chill sure can be majestic. So here's to the snow, winter scenes of blistery days and magical nights.

Anyhow, here's my entry and a link to vote. All you have to do is look through the entries, and leave a note in the comments with your favorites name. Voting ends October 31st, so don't forget to vote!

Treatment No. 10

Was this past weekend. It went fairly well. Saturday was not the best day. Hubby felt a little under the weather, having trouble drinking. But did manage to get a little down and was eating fine. Sunday was much better. It was his birthday, the big 2-8!

The kids picked out a little Legos package for him, and I picked up some Geek Soap from Swan Mountain Soaps on Etsy. Figured it was fitting since my hubby really is a geek with his computer games and love of Star Wars. He thought both were funny. Put together his Lego train quick (he now has a Lego helicopter, a car and a train) and then opened up his present from his mom. More Legos, and Star Wars all in one! It is an AT-AP that he then put together. It's sitting on his computer desk.

Then it was time to watch football. Chargers were playing the Broncos so it was a game we got to watch! It's hard being a Broncos fan in SD some of the time :) Man that game had ups and downs and the ending... 2 pointer for the win! Later in the evening we had some pizza and then cheesecake with fresh berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries oh my! My daughter asked for more when she finished hers. Had to tell her it was just desert, so no more cheesecake was needed.

The worst part of the weekend was homecare being late on Sunday to take out the needle. But all in all, it's one more treatment done. Only 2 left now. In a month he will be done. Possibly 2 months he can have cold drinks again. No trips back home for the winter, that is for sure!

Creative Challenge

So I have orders I'm working on, projects for fun, new things for the store as well, and yet I had to get in on the EtsyHookers Creative Challenge. Hope I made the deadline right! :) Items had to be posted and in by 12pm EST tonight and I finished mine at a few minutes till. But I read about the challenge just last night and had an idea I wanted to get out.

My daughter loves my entry and wants to keep it. Guess I may have to make her her own. We will see. It's a rather warm hat for Sunny California! Anyhow, be sure to check out the Challenge and don't forget to vote!

Buh-bye Berries

My latest berries to leave the nest are a strawberry and blueberry. They are on their way to their new home. They turned out rather well if I do say so myself. It's my fourth strawberry I've made and sold. Made an extra so that I could have one in the shop as well. Will be working up another blueberry after finishing an order for some apples.

That's the fun of taking the orders, there's always something to work on. However the new ideas can get pushed back a little. I've got a few rolling around I'd like to work on in the next few weeks.

We'll see how time pans out. Life always seems busy and full of projects, craftwise or not. It's still an enjoyable way to me to spend my time and hey, I'm just happy people like my crochet and knitting and that I can have a little fun along the way!

Yay! Happy Dance!

So awhile ago I got my first order for wholesale. Which means I'll know be selling at a boutique in TN. Funnily enough since I live in CA. But I know a wonderful lady who helped me with the connection. (Thanks Kristina!) It's exciting to think that my purses will be out there in an actual B&M! Berry purse world domination is possible! Baby steps :)

Here's what she's getting, 4 berries, 1 pumpkin, 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 mum. I loved the "winter berry" as my hubby and I called it and will have to make more. It was fun to fill the order since I got to work on a few new ideas. Kinda funny when you think in crochet! Anyhow, I did make some extra berries and will work up the others once I get more yarn (yay my stash is depleting enough that I have a reason to buy more).

If you'd like a purse, just let me know! There's usually stock in my etsy shop, and I do enjoy the challenge of new custom orders.

Which are your favorite fruits and veggies?

Time for hats

So I pulled out what I've made and took some new pics yesterday. Gonna start listing out the hats I have. Was fun to look back through them. Makes me want to pick up my knitting needles and figure out some more fun hats! Here's a sneak peak of what's to come.

Yes that is a hat with hearts on my sons head, but he really wanted his pic taken and I'd already done the blue toned hat!

Oh and one hat is crocheted, but whatcha gonna do when you enjoy both forms? Share them both!

Project Done

Spent one day last week working on a few hat choices for my neice. She turns 13 this year and loves to hang out with the boys. Wants to bull ride, but is settling for doing barrel racing this year. She's an opinionated and strong willed little spit fire. Oh and she loves the color lime green.

Here's the hat I crocheted for her. Here's hoping she likes it! Crocheted the star and then sewed it to a pin back so it can be removed. My hubby is thinking she won't like the star. I'm thinking she will. So we will see.

The other hat I did, I think I'll list at a later time in my shop. I really like the way it turned out but think it's a little feminine for my niece. Off to work on some orders! The berry world domination is slowly coming true. Have several that I need to get done.

Red, White & Blue

The Vote is Up To You! The Homefront Team Challenge has begun! Please go to the Homefront's site and vote. All you have to do is leave a comment on the post with who your vote is for. You are welcome to shop any of the shops that have entered and receive 10% off. Really, we'd just like to show off our stuff :) Here's a few of the choices to vote for, there are many more.

And remember... the Vote Is Up To You!

Rockets Red Glare!

My Homefront Team Challenge piece! There are so many amazing ones to choose from. You can see them here until the Homefront site has the official start of the challenge, July 1st.

Mail Time!

My kids watch Blues Clues so just saying that makes me think of the song! Anyhow, normally it's not a big thing getting the mail. But yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by having 3 packages to open! And I still have one more thing on the way :)

Two were from Etsy. Ordered a great checkbook cover for my hubby. May have to use it myself, but we'll see. The one I have is leather and has spots for everything. My hubby doesn't carry the checkbook all too often but he was complaining about needing it and not having a cover. So here's one for him, an adorable tribute made by bethjt. She has an amazing shop with so many different things to choose from. Pretty soon here, she'll be competing with me on the crochet front I'm sure! Check her blog to see! So cool to see how quickly she's picked it up.

The second from Etsy, was from BubbaRye. A beautiful card shop. The picture doesn't even do justice to how lovely the cards really are. I got a 2 pack of cards and she threw in some of her new monogramed stationary. It'll come in handy! My daughter loved her little card she sent out with her package as well. Although she didn't like that it already had wording on it! She did ask what it said though. It was very nicely written, just like her blog. A favorite one of mine to visit and see how her days are going.

Lastly, my FIL and his wife sent the kids some new books. It came with a note saying Happy AnyDay! Our kids love books and so it was a nice treat. One was for my daughter, a princess book. It's sort of like a mini scrap book really. Came with a few things to do with it and lots of ideas to put stuff in it. May be a little old for her now, but she'll grow into it soon enough. There is a page you can dress up the princess, which she really likes so it works. I think we'll have to see if we can find her a SuperHero one as well so she can continue to have both things in life.

Second book is simply adorable! It is called Pigs Over Colorado. The pictures are fun and interesting and cover vacation spots in the state. Several that I've been to. The kids seemed to enjoy it as well. It also has hidden animals on every page. Those sorts of books are fun once the kids realize they are there :) Well that was in my mailbox yesterday, and so I thought I'd share.

Custom Order

So finished up my custom order notebook cover and berry purse. It's a gift for the crazy gals friend (I can call her crazy, but she's really just always busy and on the go with two shops to work on!) and her friend loves the colors brown and pink. Rather than making a berry with those two colors mixed together only, there'd look like bad spots on it(unless it had another color thrown in so it was a novelty neopolitan berry) did it chocolate covered instead. Whatcha think?

And I love the way the notebook cover turned out. Did one that I wasn't as impressed with. It's a great little bit of yarn, but not quite right. Gonna make a purse out of it instead. Just another thing on the to-do list!

If you're interested in your own choco berry purse or notebook cover, let me know!