Very Important

I will not be posting to this blog for a while. I need to get some stuff in my personal life sorted out.

I will be posting to my personal blog so you can still keep up with what I am doing. You can find it here.

Jo's new blog

Thanks for reading.

New Projects in the Works

Well, after another 4 weeks of no internet access I am finally back online. Honestly, I felt like I was in the stone age. It's amazing how much my life revolves around the internet, especially Etsy.com.

I have also finally started making things again after moving. I made my first batch of cold process soap the other day, so watch for cold process soap in my etsy store in about 4 weeks. I've also started making bags again. I have almost finished my first one and shall post pics as soon as it is done.

I have lots of exciting things planned for the second half of this year. My website is in the process of totally being redone. I am adding a shopping cart and you will be able to purchase items there that you won't be able to get at my Etsy shop. I will also be publishing all sorts of information on my website. Anyway, I'm real excited about it all.

I'll share more information and the days go by so be sure to check back often.

Finished and not so Finished Projects

I finally finished the headband/ear warmer that I made from Shunklie's yarn. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I had just enough yarn. I think I have like 5" or so left.



I will be listing it in my Etsy shop eventually. I need to find a model to model it for me.


The above is a felt bag I have made. I have yet to put handles on it. This was an experiment. I haven't done much felting in the past but am finding it very enjoyable, and very addictive. I find I think about what can I felt next a lot. My plan was to work on a bowl today, but I have run out of energy so I think I might just continue spinning.

I will be listing more items in my Etsy shop in the coming days.

I once again have to move. Because of lots of reasons, I have fallen behind in rent and other bills. The real estate agent has already brought two lots of people through the house, one just now and one yesterday. I think this place will go really quickly. It's such a nice house at such a good price. So tomorrow I will get stuck into packing again.

TAGGED!

Okay, seems like I am "it" thanks to esta sketch. Here are the rules:

1.List seven random facts/habits about yourself

2.Choose another seven bloggers to tag and list their names in your blog

3.Leave your seven tagged bloggers comments to notify them of their tagging and to direct them to your blog for tag instructions.


1. With my craft I am mostly self-taught. I have only had lessons in quilting and jewellery making. I decided jewellery making wasn't for me, I didn't enjoy it much (although I have a huge stash of beads). My Mum taught me to spin, my granny taught me to knit, other than that I either learnt at school or learnt from books and just trying stuff.

2. I love coffee. A lot. I probably drink too much, but I guess in a way it's my way of self medicating. I suffer from chronic depression and headaches/migraines, and the caffine seems to help.

3. I wear lip balm when I go to bed. I breath through my mouth and find my lips get really dry during the night. The lip balm definately helps.

4. I love camping and bushwalking/hiking. My parents used to take us when we were teenagers. We lived not far from the Blue Mountains so it was a regular thing for use to go camping in the mountains and go bushwalking. I always enjoyed that, and it's one of my favourite childhood memories.

5. There's two kids in my family, I'm the eldest and my brother is younger. He's 18 months younger than me. I've always called him "The Brain on Legs". He is a high school maths teacher in Brisbane. He's married, no kids. His wife is an English/Drama teacher.

6. I love animals. Always had. I've had numerous cats over the years, a couple of dogs and a rabbit. I currently have two cats. They have kept me sane. I would love to have a bunny rabbit again, but I am particuarly interested in an Angora bunny because of my spinning.

7. Last one. I collect anything and everything with sheep on it. I guess because I am a spinner/knitter, and I have a fondness for sheep as well. My grandparents used to have a sheep property and I spent a lot of time there as a child. I loved watching the sheep, helping at shearing time and also during lambing season. I would honestly have a real sheep if I could.

Okay, I tag Enthral, Kristie, Duet, castleman, SheKnits, redclix, and lessthanthree.

No pressure. :D

A Very Important Announcement

A few posts ago I hinted at something exciting that would be happening with my Etsy shop. Well, here's the details.

I am no longer able to sew because of my back. I have a bad back and leaning over makes it worse. So, no more sewing for me, unless I can find a way to set up my machine that is going to eliminate the pain I currently get.

Subsequently, I have been looking for things I can do to generate some cash flow for myself. At the moment I am unable to work because of my back and other issues. I will be going to rehab starting this week for my back, and hopefully they can help me with my chronic depression as well.

Anyway, that's one reason why I've gone back to spinning and knitting. I can sit and do that with little or no pain.

And here's the exciting bit, I have started making soaps and lip balms as well. These are items I can sell locally as well as through my Etsy shop.

I have listed the lip balm in my Etsy shop already. The available flavour is "caramel/vanilla", and it's very caramelly. Pic is below. These are also available in tubes. I am still working on labels for these so I haven't listed them yet.


I will be adding a range of soaps in the next few days. They take longer to set than lip balm does. Scents for soaps will include lavender and citrus at this stage. This range will be expanded as I can afford it, as will the range of lip balm flavours.

I will continue to add to my range of yarns as well. I'm enjoying this. I hope you enjoy what I am creating.

Fiber Keeps You Regular

I had bought a skein of yarn from Shunklies on Etsy ages ago, I think it may have even been my first purchase on Etsy. I rolled it into a ball and had no idea what I was going to do with it. It's a beautiful bulky yarn dyed in greens with a spash of blue and yellow. It's gorgeous!

Last night I decided to knit it into a headband/ear warmer. It has a cable running down the center. It's turning out really nice.

The reason I'm knitting on a circular needle is because I didn't have a pair of needles the right size. This small circular needle is perfect cause it's a narrow project.

The headband will eventually be for sale in my Etsy shop.

I also have received this skein of lace weight yarn from Shunklies. I'm still trying to decide what to do with it as there is only enough for a small project.

Be sure to visit Shunklie's on Etsy. She has some wonderful products, including finished items and some textile art stuff. I love the items I have bought from Shunklies, and I plan to buy more from her.

Something Very Important

I realised something very important yesterday. I enjoy spinning much more than knitting the yarn I create. I also can't wait to start spinning. It seems to be all I think about these days. Spinning is very important to me. It is my passion!

My mother introduced me to spinning when I was a teenager. She only spun for a while and then her wheel sat in the corner until she finally got rid of it. At the time I found it difficult, but enjoyed it anyway. And being a teenager I prefered to be outside playing cricket with my brother than stuck inside with my mum.

So now I am back spinning again, and loving it. I have two drop spindles, one of which is pictured below. I bought this one from castleman on Etsy. She does wonderful paintings on her spindles. She also has a great spinning and dyeing zine which I get. It is full of great information.


Anyway, I'm madly trying to get caught up with bills and rent so I can buy myself a second hand spinning wheel. I've done so much spinning lately that my arms are hurting. Problem is, I want to keep spinning but my arms won't let me.

Here is some silk fiber I found at home. The colour hasn't turned out very well, but it's verigated blues and a bit of blue/green. I spun it last night. It was an absolute dream to spin, and it turned out very nice.

Here is the silk on the spindle. I have plyed it and when it is dry from setting the twist I will share pics.

This is my current spinning project. There is 175 grams of beautiful multi-coloured merino roving here. It is a dream also to spin up. I've always loved spinning merino. They say it isn't a fiber for beginners to work with, but I don't agree. It drafts easily, feels beautiful and soft on your hands, and spins up lovely and soft.

I'll share pics of the spun fiber when I've done some more.

I'm Dyeing Here

My Aunt gave me a whole bunch of white wool roving. All I know is that it's wool, I don't know what sort. I spun some up with the intention of dyeing it and then plying it.


The above is 4 skeins ready to dye.

The above is 2 skeins dyed pink. I used Rit Dye from the pharmacy. I will be getting proper dye eventually when I am in a better financial situation.

I have two more skeins to dye, and will be dyeing those sapphire blue. I will share pics when they are done.

The above is some of the roving from knittydirtygirl spun up. I plyed it with rayon machine embroidery thread. The yarn is beautiful and soft. It is available for purchase through my Etsy shop.

Speaking of my Etsy shop, I have some exciting plans in the works. I won't share yet, but keep your eye out for exciting new products. :D

It's Official

It's Official! KnittyDirtyGirl of Etsy ROCKS!!!!

I bought this fiber from her (pic below) and it is the loveliest fiber I have ever spun with. It is so easy to draft, and it is spinning up beautifully. The colours blend well together, creating this gorgeous multi-coloured yarn.

If you spin or knit you need to visit Knitty's shop. She has the nicest stuff. She's definately got me as a customer for life now!

Fiber Makes the World Go Around

Lately I've gotten back into spinning my own yarn. It's been lots of fun. I can't sit at my sewing machine for long periods of time anymore because of a bad back, so I have found spinning and knitting to be good therapy.

I am currently using a drop spindle. I do not have a spinning wheel, and a drop spindle is a good cheap alternative.

I have so far created 2 skeins of yarn. The first is a blue/green yarn that I spun, I then plyed it with a white yarn that I spun. Keep in mind that I have not spun yarn for about 18 years. I am happy with how this turned out. You can see more about it in my Etsy shop.

The second skein I created is below. I spun the white and then plyed it with 8 ply acrylic. I have been encouraged by many spinners on Etsy to experiment with my yarn creation. So here it is. It also is for sale in my Etsy Shop.


The yarn that I am working on now will be used for a project that I am planning. I will write more about that when the yarn is done. Here is a photo of my drop spindle with the yarn on it.

My yarn is coming out really well now. It is more even in size with less lumps and bumps. I am spinning with white fiber, but plan to dye it when I have some more done. The white fiber I have was given to me so I have no idea where it came from or what sort of sheep's wool it is.

I am currently waiting for a package with some fiber to spin in it to arrive from America. KnittyDirtyGirl on Etsy has wonderful fiber and I fell in love with some. It's pink (of course), and I plan to mix some Angelina in for some sparkle factor as I spin it. I will be luscious when it's finished. I will post pics when I receive the fiber and when I am spinning it.

Below is some of the luscious fiber that knitty sells.

I will writing more about the yarn and fiber sellers on Etsy. They have some wonderful stuff, so stay tuned.

New Range of Designs in my Etsy Shop

This is my newest creation. Her name is Gabby. She is a country style prim doll. I love her. She's the first prim doll I've ever made. She was lots of fun to make. I've since made another but she's not quite finished. I'll post pics when she is done.

Gabby is for sale on my Etsy shop. I hope you like her. Please let me know what you think.

I'm Finally Back Online

It only took them 5 weeks to get my phone and internet connected. But I'm online again and really thankful for that. I have missed being online and chatting with my friends. But I have been really busy. But first things first.

The move went well. I had lots of help from people in my church, and I'm really thankful for that. My roomie moved out so now I have a 3 bedroom house to myself.

The picture above is a quilt I have been working on. It's no where near finished. I still have to put borders on it but would share where I'm up to. I'm happy with how it is coming along. Feel free to comment on it, and what you think I should do to the borders. I have some ideas but feedback from everyone would be great.

MOVING HOUSE

I will be offline for up to two weeks while I move house. I am changing service providers and it takes them that long to get organised.

Thanks to people for your comments and support. I look forward to posting more once I am back online.

Watch for new products and new lines for my Etsy shop.

Something to Crow About

I wanted to promote a seller on Etsy called PlasticRooster. She does the most amazing drawings!. Below is a drawing of my cat she did. She does custom work, and is really good at it. I'm very happy with my drawing. Please visit her shop. Thanks.

New Wallet Design

I've been trying to come up with a design for a decent wallet for a while now. This is the prototype. I need to change a couple of things, like the width, but other than that it's pretty good.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Random Sale in My Etsy Shop

Due to the fact I am moving in a couple of weeks and need some cash really badly for the extra expenses, I have decided to have a sale in my Etsy shop. This is a Random sale. This means that the percentage off for each day will be different.

It could be anywhere from 5% up to 50% off. So you could get the bag above for as little as $10 plus shipping.

The sale will run until Valentine's day. You will need to check my shop each day to find out what the percentage off for that day is. Today it is 20%.

So be quick. Things won't last long in my shop with people being unsure of what the percentage off will be from day to day.

Featured Artist - NoraLynneDesigns

Have you ever wanted a unique piece of jewellery for a special outfit? Perhaps something like this:


Well, LauraLynneDesigns at Etsy.com might be the shop for you.


1. Name: Nora Lynne Rogers

2. Etsy Shop: NoraLynneDesigns.etsy.com

3. How did you start creating your artwork? Like most art-minded, it started when I was a kid. Instead of playng outside or watching cartoons, I was always holed up in my room playing with modeling clay, chunky bead, stained glass kits- anything I could get my hands on. Making things became a habit for me, and as I got older I learned to love the functionality of many of my pieces. Instead of paying for jewelry, I could make my own and then not only was I wearing something pretty, but I was wearing a symbol of pride.

4. How do you describe your style? Eclectic. I hate making the same things over and over, which is why most of my stuff is one-of-a-kind. And I love playing with colors, so that gives a lot of versatility to what I can do. I love being able to have any woman come up to me, and in the end walk away with something she loves.

5. What other types of artwork would you like to try? All of them! Seriously, the polymer clay was my most recent venture and now I am stepping into acrylic painting and photography. In the future I see PMC, and cold porcelain clay. Maybe I'll even step into the past and do a little decoupage.

6. What are the primary ways you promote your business? I promote both my website and Etsy shop through LiveJournal and MySpace (both usernames are Butterflysedai). I frequent the Etsy forums and the Red chat room, send out business cards with every order and I also do The Sampler (http://www.homeofthesampler.com) when I can.


If you would like to be a featured seller on my blog please contact me at AddictedToArt.etsy.com .

I have to move and a whole bunch of other stuff

Well, the house has finally sold. This means my house-mate and I have to move. We've already found a suitable house through the same real estate agent who handles the one we are currently in.

The new house is much better. It's 3 bedroom rather than 2, and it's generally bigger. The kitchen is huge compared to the pokey little one we are used to. I'm looking forward to being in the new house, but not looking forward to moving along with all the expenses associated with moving. So in a couple of weeks there will be a period of perhaps 4 days when I won't have internet access while Telstra changes me over, but I will be sure to let you all know when this will be.

On a different note, my shoulder seems to have sorted itself out. I am glad of that. Wasn't looking forward to having to go to physio. I just don't have time at the moment. What with working hard at my business, but also now adding to the mix packing and moving. Not fun.

On a positive note, I've been receiving lots of great feedback on my products that I currently have listed on my Etsy shop. I'm really grateful for this. It shows that I am on the right track even though things may not be currently selling. One suggestion I've had is to use plainer fabrics for my wrist candy wristlets and add beads. I'm all for adding beads to anything and everything, so this suggestion sits great with me. Thanks to Gale for suggesting it.

I've also had amazing feedback this week on my beaded quilties. I'm so glad of this as I was unsure if they would sell on Etsy. I'm yet to sell one, but am certainly enjoying making them. I have been using ARTchix images, but will be using more Paper Whimsy images in ones to come.

I received a wonderful package in the mail this morning from ARTchix studio with my complimentary Valentine's Faux Postage. I had two of my ATCs used in this sheet so I am over the moon about that. Mine are number's 11 and 32. I loved how 32 came out so much that I had to make one for me to keep. You can see all the entries here and a bit about the contributing artists as well - Valentine's Faux Postage. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.


This ACEO/ATC above is available for sale in my Etsy shop, as is the one below.

New Etsy Seller

I was browsing through Etsy this morning and came across a very new seller. Her store name is "monkey222".

She does the most delightful painted purses! Her subjects are fun and she uses vibrant colours. She currently has 5 items in her shop, a fox, a ghost, a ladybug and 2 cats. But I'm sure she has more on the way.

I know she would appreciate if people could look at her shop. Perhaps you will see something you like.

http://monkey222.etsy.com

Finally Updating My Blog

I really hate it when I get so far behind with my blog. I've been trying to post every day but it hasn't been happening. I was unwell for a few days and that threw me completely out of kilter. And then my shoulder's been playing up as well so I've been trying to stay off the computer as much as possible. So, here's the update. And I'll try to do better.


I recently bought Barbara Randle's book "Crazy Quilting With Attitude". It's a great book and I made something using some of the techniques that same day. That's really unusual for me, but I was so inspired by the projects and techniques in this book that I just had to make something straight away. So I made this bag.

It was lots of fun to make. I love crazy quilting anyway, but don't have the patience to sit there are hand embroider every seam as is traditionally done. I was able to use some of the fancy stitches on my machine. I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. You can see more details on my Etsy shop.

On another note, I have shut down the supplies part of my business due to my advertising being stuffed up by one of the biggest magazine companies in Australia who shall remain nameless. I have cancelled the advertising (although I think they have ignored my fax) and will be selling the supplies that I have on hand through my Etsy shop at cost or less. So keep an eye out for supplies to be appearing regularly on my shop.

We had a bit of drama here in the last week or so. Twice in the last week the water mains has blown outside my house. We currently are using water from our neighbours place (they have a big black hose going from their place to ours) so we have water. The council are going to replace some of the pipes so they don't blow again. It's supposed to happen in the next 7 days. It's going to be interesting because the landlord has the house up for sale and their is an open house here on Saturday, with a big black hose travelling over the fence. Lots of fun.

But life is good. Even though I am busy, I am feeling content with my life. I am looking forward to what this year has to offer.

January 2 Artwork of the Day

This quilt is titled "My Dolly". I'm not as happy with this one. I'm going to try some different techniques today as see if I can make them look a bit nicer.

It is for sale in my Etsy shop.

January 1 Artwork of the Day

This is the artwork of the day for me for January 1. I made this on the first of the year. I'm really happy with it. It looks much nicer in person that it does in a photo.

Everything (except the buttons) are machine stitched down. The cat's tail and legs, and the little girl's face, hair, arms and legs are free machine embroidered.

This is the second of my little mini quilts. It is for sale in my Etsy shop.

I will be doing another later today. They are fun and quick to do. I'm really enjoying them.

Esty Store Review

I have been hanging out in the chat rooms on Etsy a lot these past few days and I've met some interesting people. And I've seen lots and lots of cool products.

But this lady has products that are perfect for cool weather. The shop is called Broken Halleluiah. She is a crochet artist. She makes the greatest slippers, toys, bags and jewellery. On top of that, she's a heck of a nice lady.

Her slippers come in a range of colours and sizes. She'll also make them to fit you in the colours you want.

Please go and check out her shop. It's Broken Halleluiah.

Happy New Year

It's now January 1st, and I'm looking forward to this year. It's going to be an exciting time for me.

Yes, I have a few resolutions. I want to post to my blog daily. I want to do a small art quilt daily as well.

This is the first of my daily art quilts. I made this last night. It's for sale in my Etsy shop.

The quiltie is 7" x 8 1/4". All the fabrics came from the same range. You'll see more quilties and art dolls in this fabric throughout the coming months.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2007.