StitchnTyme

Thursday Featured Etsy Seller's Shop...

2010-03-11T16:27:00.010-07:00

This morning I happened to be in the Etsy forums when I see a post by the featured Etsy Seller, "Satin and Birch". Now being a lover of handmade soap, I never miss the opportunity to window shop all the soapers on Etsy.

Talk about getting an awesome surprise in her shop ... I am a native of Arizona and a horse lover, I got all *giddy* when I see she makes Saddle soaps!

Is that just the cutest soap? I especially love her description for her Cowgirl Saddle soap:

"I just love being on a horse. So here's a good saddle girls and I will even throw in the horse.! So go get cleaned up we are going out on trail."

How about these cuties for you Girls out there?

And as promised, she will throw in the horse! Now it can't get any better than that. :)

Imagine owning a horse that doesn't need feed, doesn't need water, but instead helps you to rope them cowboy dudes in.

She also makes "gorgeous" rose soaps, so if you aren't a Cowgirl, but love feminine, be sure to stop by her shop and do some window shopping. You won't be disappointed.

Etsy Shop: Satin and Birch

Take care,
Carly

Hippity Hop Wednesday...

2010-03-10T12:18:00.007-07:00

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

Hmmmm... what could this little guy be thinking about?
Such a serious look!

OK, so here is what I am thinking (which by the way could be dangerous when I think, HA!), Wednesday will be post a cutie day of animals found throughout the world.

And since Easter is approaching, how could I not post a bunny?

If you have a cutie living with you and you want to share, please don't hesitate to post in the comments. I would love to see your babies. :)

Have an awesome day everyone!
Carly

Bridal Lovelies...

2010-03-09T12:31:00.007-07:00

June is fast approaching and we all know that Brides love the month of June. The bride would look absolutely fabulous at her wedding wearing this gorgeous hair flower French barrette. White satin and lace, I can't imagine anything more beautiful adorning a bride's hair on her special day.

Maybe the bride needs a lovely small bag to carry her essentials, you know, girlie things like lipstick, blush or possibly a handmade handkerchief. Could this little corset pouch be it?

Both are perfect accessories or as a great gift for the bride, bridesmaid or the flower girls. You can see these lovelies up close and personal by clicking on the photos.

In the coming months I will be posting other lovely Bridal accessories from various Etsy shops. So if you know a bride to be, or "You" are a bride to be, be sure to check back often.

Take care,
Carly

Anyone for Lemonade?

2010-03-05T15:53:00.003-07:00

First a true confession... I love, love, love lemonade. Addicted? Yup, proud to say I am. So when my husband asked me yesterday if I wanted to make lemonade my response was "heck yaaa!, but I don't have any lemons". Well, the dear husband he is, he had the no lemon situation covered. From behind his back he produced the largest lemon I had ever seen!

He actually brought four of these gigantic lemons home! Problem is, they are so big and awesome, I don't want to cut them. HA! The largest lemon measures 7" long and a 6" diameter. Is that just too unbelievable?!?! I have included in the picture a normal size lemon for comparison. Poor little guy looks lost between the BIG guys.

Well, being the kind of person who has to know the what, why, how etc, I did an internet search for these babies. Using "giant lemons" for a keyword search, I was able to find out just what these big guys are. They are Ponderosa Lemons.

Any suggestions what to do with these? I am leaning towards of course lemonade and maybe some lemon bars? Ok, so now I have made myself thirsty and hungry all in the span of five minutes. :)

Have a great weekend!
Carly

Feeling Like Summer...

2010-03-03T06:50:00.009-07:00

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, could someone tell me when Winter ended and how I managed to miss Spring too? It's been ranging in the mid 70's this week in Phoenix. Oh, I wish we could have had a few more cooler days. It's too early. I actually had to turn my A/C on for a bit yesterday afternoon. Are you jealous? HA!

The tree in my backyard is so confused, poor baby lost his leaves mid-January and new leaves sprouted a week ago.

I have even found myself creating items in summer colors. Living in Arizona does give one reason to be confused.

Take my advice, if you cherish your sanity, don't move to Arizona. :)

Now you ask, why do I live here? I had no choice, being a Native of Arizona, there is no escape. I actually did try to move to Washington state a few years ago, sold my home, rented a moving truck, I was so ready. But it was not to happen. The BIG move landed me three miles down the road in a new home. I am doomed to be here, yuppers, do I sound resigned to that fact? Naw, nevvaa! *smile*

Maybe someday.... a girl can always dream!

Have an awesome day everyone...
Carly

Using YouTube for Advertising...

2010-02-27T12:12:00.007-07:00

Being a HUGE fan of YouTube I just knew that some day I would have to try creating a video for my online business.

And guess what? It was so easy, I couldn't believe it took me three years to get around to it.

Now you ask, how did I do it? See that's where we have a problem, it's "top secret" info, so if I told you, I would have to kill you. NOT! :)

I first visited Microsoft and downloaded their "FREE" program Photo Story 3 for Windows. The rest was easy. The program has a wizard and walks you through step by step. I had my video done and ready for YouTube in less than 30 minutes. The program even has music you can select from to enhance your video.

It was Easy, Peazy... and you don't have to be a computer nerd to create your own video.

And with a drum roll, I present my video: Stitch*n*Tyme

Have fun creating your own video, if you do, please be sure to post a link to it in my comments. I would love to view it. :)

Have an awesome day!
Carly

Spring is a Coming...

2010-02-25T06:09:00.015-07:00

Living in Arizona has it's challenges, one being the HOT weather. Cool days are few and far between. Spring, Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons, even though we don't experience change of seasons. We simply go from brown to brown, but oh those cool days are glorious.

I fill my life with color through fabric and creations made from them. Recently I
have taken on the challenge of creating fabric flower button hair clips. I am having so much fun making them. The combinations are endless!

I ooh and ahh after each new hair clip, thinking to myself, this one is prettier than the last one. Of course it isn't, because they are all PRETTY! :)

If you asked me to pick just one, I couldn't do it. Nope, I sure couldn't.

I hope you have enjoyed a sneak peek of what I have been up to this week.

Now I am off to create more lovelies.

Have an awesome day!
Carly

Surprise, Surprise!

2010-02-23T12:54:00.005-07:00

Much to my surprise I received a conversation today from Etsy seller NoFrigatelikeaBook with the following message: "Just letting you know that the beautiful “spring”Treasury you were included in was featured today on our (me and my sister's) blog in the Treasury Tuesday Elite Eight post".

So of course I had to go take a look. Wow, Wow, Wow, these ladies know how to put gorgeous Treasuries together. If you have a few minutes, do take a look at their blog. You won't be disappointed. Below is a picture of the Treasury I was featured in, see the peach hair slide? That be me. :)

To visit their blog:

http://tinyurl.com/yd9pfly
[Open in new window]

Thank you so much for the feature!

Carly

Red and Pink, Oh those Colors...

2010-02-06T08:19:00.011-07:00

So I have spent the last month gearing up for Valentine's day which is fast approaching.

I love the day, why? Because "red" and "pink" are two of my favorite colors. Red is so strong and vibrant and Pink is so delicate and soft. As they say, "opposites attract". I have had too much fun creating items for this special day.

When I created the lace bag, I visioned a gorgeous ring, bracelet or necklace inside of it and the recipient giggling in excitement.

I couldn't resist creating a pair of earrings for me after making a pair for my shop. They are so delicate, I love them!

But now, we can't forget about baby. What would Valentine's Day be without dressing her up all cutesy?

Two love birds resting on a heart and since babies are delicate and soft, I knew I had to do them in Pink.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day, may it be filled with LOVE!

Carly

Arizona Skies...

2010-02-04T05:51:00.005-07:00

Last night just before dusk we had a small storm move into the Valley, lucky for us. That's when we get to see some of the most beautiful skylines.

With the sun setting, the clouds catch the last rays of sun and become the most gorgeous colors of purple and blues.

Arizona has it's faults, but this isn't one of them. Views like this make up for 120 degree days we endure during the summer months.

The sky colors here are often breathtaking.

Carly

For the Love of Wood...

2010-02-03T05:44:00.015-07:00

So 2009 was an interesting year, but I wanted to make it even more interesting by attempting to embroider on wood. It was definitely a challenge, but one I truly enjoyed.

The first major challenge was finding Balsa wood. Who would have thought finding 4" wide balsa wood could be a challenge?! I spent days on the phone calling cabinet shops, the few craft shops we have here in Arizona, hobby stores and everything in between. I finally reverted back to my computer and the internet. Alas, I found an awesome shop in Colorado. They were great to work with, they are now my wonderful source for balsa.

Then the next challenge came to figure out what type of designs worked best. Too many stitches and it breaks the balsa, so it was definitely trial and error. But thank goodness after a few of those, it became easy to recognize which ones would stitch nicely.

After receiving my balsa wood and figuring out the designs, it was time to have some fun!

This was my first set of embroidered coasters on Balsa wood. Before stitching them out, I stained the wood, after stitching I coated the coasters with four coats of a high gloss polyurethane. They were finished off with a cork backing. I was quite happy with the finished product.

Now it was time to do it again. I know, I am a glutton for fun. :)

I live in the Southwest, so my only choice for this set of coasters was a Southwest design. I added a hemp rope for the edging to tie in with the design. I am not sure I will do that again, it was a long, and hard tedious task.

Oh my aching hands when I was finished. But again, I loved the finished product.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures with embroidery on wood.

Hmmmm.... any ideas what you would like to see stitched out on wood? Drop me a comment, would love to hear them.

Have a wonderful day!
Carly

Oh that Light Box...

2010-02-02T11:07:00.011-07:00

In my adventures to getting better pictures of the items I make and list on Etsy, the best thing I have done is make a light box. Some people are addicted to chocolate or Coke, but not me, don't even think about taking my light box away from me, you would only be asking for trouble. HA!

I recently looked at one of my first sold items and quickly decided the buyer bought the item out of sympathy. Oh the GLARE! That's when I began searching the net for ideas to better photograph my items, and repeatedly I read that having a light box was an essential tool for product photography.

I could have bought one, but being the crafty person I am, I decided to take on the challenge of making it myself. Which turned out to be extremely easy and cheap! Total cost was $1.50, yes, you read that correctly. Box was "Free", a trip to the dollar store netted the tissue paper and poster board. Then it was home to make the box.

Below is the finished light box. If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will be happy to reply.

And here is the actual photo taken using the light box...

If you are serious about taking better product photography, you can't go wrong with the following four items:

1) Light Box (homemade or bought)

2) Tripod

3) Clamp lights/Natural Light/Overhead light (Flash is a No-No)

4) Camera with a Macro Setting (for close ups)

Have fun and don't come looking for me when you find yourself addicted to product photography. :)

Carly

Being Creative with Sand...

2010-02-01T05:48:00.008-07:00

The first time I watched this video I was in total awe! And still in awe each time I view it. It is truly amazing what she does with sand. With grace and elegance. She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting" skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.

Kseniya Simonova's Amazing Sand Drawing

I hope you enjoy the video!
Carly

YAY, I am Back!

2010-01-31T05:02:00.003-07:00

After a long hiatus from blogging, I am back. Hopefully life has been "ducky" for you since my absence.

With the new year here, I hope to be sharing lots and lots of DIY tips, featuring Artisans of various mediums, maybe throw in some awesome recipes and of course a few YouTube videos along the way.

From time to time, "You", my special readers will be offered special discounts for purchases in my Etsy Shop: Stitch*n*Tyme

How about some fun "giveaways"? OK, some of those to. *smile*

I have been keeping very busy with my Etsy shop. I have added a variety of items. I now carry hair slides, children onesies and applique patches like ducky.

I look forward to reading your comments, sharing ideas and having fun with everyone.

Happy New Year!
Carly