My Marketing Models

Three of my cute day-time co-workers did a 5-minute model shoot for me the other day wearing my scarves.

How cute are they? (And the scarves don't look too darn bad either!)  

Working in Wool

I took the day off from my "day job" today and should have spent more time working on wool. Instead, I spent time some time creating this fun little video.

Hope you like it.

Coulee Region Women

I was surprised and please to see my leather flower pins in the most recent issue of Coulee Region Women magazine.

I sell them and other items through LARK Boutique, a fun shop in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Check out the fun on page 45!

A Scarf is Born

I recently made a comment to someone saying, "I haven't touched any wool all summer". Now I know to the average person, the response would probably be, "Well, why would you?" But as you know, for me, it's an odd thing.

But wait...

Hark? Do you hear something?

Is it the angels singing? The Alleluia chorus perhaps?

I believe they are celebrating for me because I've actually begun to get a little of my creative breath moving again through my lungs.

Last weekend, I worked on cutting quite a bit of wool. Stacks of it. Many stacks. Beautiful stacks.

After all the cutting, low and behold, I even started sewing! This season I've decided to create a new style of wool scarf. Partly because after about 4 years of making basically the same pattern, I wanted to do something different. And I also felt certain that my customers might like to see something different as well.

I really am in love with some of the bigger/longer scarves that wrap multiple times around your neck. They always look to be so comfy, cozy, and casual. So, after something online that I really liked, I wanted to try creating something similar.

Take a peek and see what you think!

Do you notice that sweet lace on the left side of the scarf? That was part of the original sweater and I loved how it looked as it made it's way into my scarf.

LOL. My sweet little planter boy stayed nice and cozy all night long!

Get Ready to be STITCHED

I'm am getting so darn excited for the start of STITCHED - an online workshop of 20+ very talented fiber artists!

Preparing for this project took me waaaayyy out of my comfort zone and into new, uncharted waters - and boy, am I glad it did!

It is so fun being a part of this incredible group of women. I'm so thankful and proud to have been asked to participate - and I can't wait to finish viewing all of the great videos (yup - I've been able to have a sneak-peek since I'm "one of them"!).

So now, don't fret - there's still time to register - and you can begin viewing the workshops on January 1!

Click here to view more details

Check out the great artwork you can make! Are you kidding?  All this great stuff in one spot?? (And believe me, these photos don't do all the work justice - once you start viewing the videos, you'll be amazed at how some of these pieces are made and the fun detail you can put into them!)

The Red Bowl - Version Wool Mittens

Although the weather has been quite pleasant the last few days (and I'm loving it!), the time will come way too soon that we'll need some cozy wool mittens to keep our hands nice and warm.

Okay - sure - these are so teeny that they will only fit a small cat's paw, but they are wool...and they are mittens. But instead of kitten mittens, I think they'd actually work better as a sweet little tie to a fun Christmas package.

Wool Coasters

I've been making sets of coasters with wool. Some are made with circles and stitching, while some are more simple. These were made with just squares. I then stitched leaves on the ends of a piece of twine for the tie.

I thought they turned out kind of fun. These happened to be with a great colored/striped sweater, but I've also done some with solid colors as well. Easy little holiday gifts for friends and family!

Snowballs in November

In my quest to prepare for upcoming shows, I thought it would be fun to make some holiday ornaments.

I've been in a white-mood lately, so I dug out as many white/off-white/cream sweaters as I could find in my stash. Unfortunately, it's often hard for me to find white sweaters. But I happened upon enough to make some white-on-white-on-beige-on-cream snowball ornaments. I'm packaging and selling them in groups of three with varied sizes. I hope people like them.

Happy Holidays! Oops......I got just a little ahead of myself!

Upcoming Shows

I've been busy, busy, busy......

I've been getting ready for several shows. I still have a lot of work to do yet - so I can't talk long - but here's a peek at three shows.

The Space - New Richmond, WI

Whimsical Wares - Marietta, GA

Cafe Wren - Luck, WI

It's No Bull

When I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law (let's just call him K) the other weekend, they showed me a ceramic bull statute that had been recently sent to K.

See if you can follow me here....his friend's wife's family (that was the tricky part!) send each other humorous gifts throughout the year. They decided to include K in one of their gift-giving moments and sent him this ceramic bull statute. The meaning? He kind of likes to "shoot the bull".  :-)

Here's his tough looking bull...

And his don't-mess-with-me attitude...

One morning they both left the house for appointments and I was left behind for a couple hours. I think I softened the bull. Here's what he looked like when they returned home. (Yes - thank goodness I happened to have some wool with me!)

Not so darn tough anymore, huh?

Getting STITCHED

Fun news!!

I'll be participating in a new project called STITCHED. It's a brand new online workshop featuring 20 fabric artists. I have been asked to do a workshop creating one of my recycled wool pillows.

I'll supply you with more details about the entire project as more information is available - but it's sure to be cool!  Personally, I've got a lot of work to do for yet - so wish me luck!  I'm so very nervous about doing my part - but I am truly honored to be a part of such an exciting opportunity.  Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh......hang on - it's going to be a crazy, wild, awesome ride! :-)

New Scrappy Pieces

I was messing around trying to figure out what to do with some pin cushions this weekend and decided to try a little scrappy-action.

I used small scraps of felted wool and a black bead to create a non-pattern-pattern and I have to admit I kind of like the outcome. They are playful, colorful, and quite fun to create, and the perfect way to use up tiny scraps that I can't bear to part with!

I put these on Etsy today!

Giving Thanks

I have so much to give thanks for.

Unfortunately, I forget about many of those things on a daily basis.

May I be guided to remember my many blessings and be thankful for them each and every day.

Great illustration borrowed from businesspundit.com.

Etsy Sets New Records

The following is a pretty exciting announcement from Etsy regarding it's sales for the month of October.

As the seasons change, Etsy sets new records and continues to foster the handmade way of life! The stats:

• $29.9 million of goods were sold by our community in October, 12.4% higher than September's $26.6 million.
• That represents 1,677,986 items sold for the month, 14.5% higher than September's 1,466,039.
• 2,452,359 new items were listed in the month, 11.6% higher than September's 2,196,970.
• 322,466 new members joined the Etsy community in the month, up 41,928, or 14% from September.
• 842,291,766 page views were recorded on the site in October.

The $29.9 million of goods sold by the community represents a 55% increase from 2009's total. At the same time, items sold were up 41%. All the October stats represent new Etsy records!

I have to say that I am pretty darn proud to be a part of that community! Cheers to Etsy!