Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I knitted! I received a kid's learn to knit kit from my husband for Christmas. It came with plastic needles which he broke before I got the chance to even try. The book that came with it was also lame. So I ordered myself some needles and Stitch n Bitch because everyone says its the best. I did this without really telling my husband and he asked his mom to get me the same book and needles. We received them on the same day. SO now I have TONS of needles!!! I can actually make the cool case they show in the book. She sent me circulars, double pointed needles and regular needles. Some are plastic (because they are GIANT), some aluminum, but most of them are bamboo. So I sat down Saturday afternoon and tried my hand at knitting. 3 days later I have a swatch that's about 2 X 3 inches. Its almost flawless, except for one hole where I dropped a stitch and didn't know what to do. I'm pretty proud. My first project will be wristbands. I really need some. :D They might just end up being plain jane ones though because I don't know if I'm up to the patterns yet.
By the way, I'm giving my second copy of the book to a new friend. I know she's trying to learn as well and this may be the beginning of a crafty friendship.

Monday, February 06, 2006

About online shopping

Living overseas with an FPO box, we shop online A LOT. There is no neighborhood art store or craft store or fabric store. Well there might be, but translation is hard. And I like my American products. I have learned a lot about what I like and don't like, what I want to be sure to pay attention to when I open my own business.

Little things matter!

I recently ordered valentine's cards from http://www.youngamericancomics.com/about.html
I can't say whether the package was the best part or the contents. That she took the time to draw on the envelope and handwrite my name made such an impression on me. It was like getting mail from an old friend!
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I have ordered from http://www.reprodepot.com and she also added a nice touch. The fabric was wrapped with a ribbon tied around it.

Ordering from Laura at http://www.sacredkitschstudio.com is always a treat. She put a cool label on her package and included a little note. (It may have been because we are online friends, though.) :D

Communication is so important!!

Because I have an FPO box, mail takes a little longer to get to me. I appreciate when senders let me know when they sent the items out. Then I know when to expect it and when to start bugging my husband to check the mail.

Backordered or discontinued items should be communicated before my order is shipped. I open my boxes expecting lots of cool stuff, only to find a few items with a list of stuff backordered and canceled from my order. This always annoys me.

Basically it all comes down to communication. I don't care how bad you screw up my order, if you explain to me what happened, I am much more willing to forgive.

Now that I have thought about how I want to treat my customers, I need to figure out what I want to sell! :D

A few things I have been working on

I hung my art in my dining room. I like it hung a lot better than I thought I would.
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I made a sign for outside. Its collaged. I am in love with it. Now if I can only get it to stop falling...
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A hoodie. Appliqued and embroidered. I'm not done yet, but it is wearable now. I plan on doing some assymetrical swirls between the birds and below them.
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a close up. The fabric has swirls as well.
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Not too crafty but it makes me happy. We bought FLOR tiles from Urban Outfitters (only people who would ship to us!) and they're laid down. They aren't stuck down yet though. I was hoping we wouldn't have to, but it looks like we will. Cale likes to kick them around. I love the way they look but I think we need new couches and a new coffee table now. Heehee. Hopefully my husband will think so too.
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Wednesday, February 01, 2006

I think I was too late for both challenges

But here they are anyways.

For Tie One On:
My apron. Made from 2 men's shirts. The patch on the pocket is something I picked up a long time ago, wanting to use it for something for/about my husband whose name is Kevin. So I made a heart and put the K on it. The stitching around the pocket is one of my sewing machine's best features. The waistband is made from the button part of the shirt.
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Another made from an old skirt and part of the previously mentioned men's shirt.
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For the artsy crafty challenge:
A series I have been working on for my dining room. I was least happy with the yellow one, so I decided glitter might be the answer. Maybe I was wrong.
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So I also made wine charms and I plan on either painting or etching some wine glasses. I just need to settle on a design.
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