simpletruths

MoJo

Finally!

Some new editions for the shop. So far I have a few pair of earrings

 

 

This is one of a few necklaces that are in varying stages of completion

 

These and a few more will be added to the shop this week.
  

 

I did it!

I just finished my first venture into knitting with double pointed needles and I've got to say, once I got into the swing of it, it was pretty cool.  Plus then you end up with cool decreases that look like this:

 

yup - I'm a new fan.  The only downside is that I'm still much faster at crocheting hats...but crochet patterns aren't as cute and don't have rolled edges like this:

 

yea...this little girl is going to have a warm, cute little head this winter.

 
  

A little less plastic....

...a little more cute.

 

yay for snack bags!

We've been trying to use less plastic - in an attempt to balance out the amount of plastic that seems to arrive with the birth of a child...I've had glass storage bowls and reusable snack bags on the brain for a while now. 

 

snack bags - check

These are pretty perfect because they take just a few minutes to put together - including the cutting, and there's no velcro involved. I wanted to find/make something without velcro because I was looking for something that Little Mr. could open with little to no assistance.

Perfect!

Amy over at angrychicken posted a fun (and funny) video tutorial on sewing your own snack bags. I'm going to be making smaller ones in a few days. 

 
 

mine

I have a small wrist. 

But when i finished this one it just happened to fit perfectly.

 

Plus that's one of my favorites buttons from my stash.

End of April WIPs

 

The beginnings of a large earring request. 

 

More bracelets. All I need to do is find the perfect buttons. 

This is the beginnings of a necklace idea that's been bouncing around in my head for a while now. 

 

Green rings on a chain.

 

Headband? Bracelet? Should I make one of each?

Recycled T-Shirt necklace (extra long). I just put this in the store.  

The colors of this one remind me of orange sorbet - yummm.
 

   

Earth Day special order

I got a pretty cool custom order and it's ready just in time for Earth Day.

These are 100% cotton rounds that will be used to replace disposable cotton rounds. They get softer with use and you can just toss them in the laundry at the end of the week with everything else - although they'd probably have a better chance of not getting lost if you put them into a mesh bag or even in a pillow case.

 

I'm thinking about making more and offering them in sets of 8 or so. They can be used for makeup removal, toner application...anything you use cotton balls/rounds for. 

 

 There's even the possibility of making larger cotton rounds for face cleansing.  

What do you think? Would you be willing to stop buying disposable cotton rounds or cotton balls with these reusable ones - or something like it? 

A little corner of my life

Mr. Man helped me with my photo recycled T-shirt photos recently and I just love the little glimpse of our life that's in this pic.

 

That door on the far left is painted with chalk board paint. It's one of the first things I did after we finished unpacking...or at least decided we were done unpacking.  

 That hat on the doorknob is my backyard hat.  Sometimes Isaiah doesn't like to wear his hat when we go in the backyard, but if mommy is wearing her hat then he's a little more agreeable (occasionally). Truly, the hat is great because we don't have much shade back there and wearing sunglasses while mowing or whatever just doesn't work.

That little stick leaning against the door frame is the top part of Isaiah's broom. He likes to 'help' sweep. 

And the big wooden cabinet is actually used as our pantry right now.  It was going to be my craft closet until we realized how little cabinet space out kitchen has.  The pantry houses tea, baking necessities  baking powder/soda, flours, bittersweet chocolate chips,and various nuts; dried fruit, canned goods, wine, and more tea. Our cookbooks sit on top.

           

Oooh look!

These just popped into my head over the weekend and ended up in the shop this evening.  So much fun.

 

 

 

Spring has arrived

I decided not to be greedy. Variations of the ring I designed for myself will be in the shop shortly. I decided to keep them for myself and a few select friends/family :D

 

 


 

 

Just for me

sometimes it's nice to make something - just for youself.

 
 
 

Blue Dot crocheted garland

via www.etsy.com

The joy that garlands can bring.

This one was so much fun to make that I'm already working on a purple on, a red one and a sparkly one :)

What do you think, should I do a few in red, white, and blue for July 4th?

New Items - A Preview

Arriving in the shop tomorrow - just in time for weekend shopping.

adorable rosette earrings

cute places to put them (when they're not on your ears).

 

corkscrew earrings will be in the shop shortly also
 

And crocheted garlands - the earrings of your home

crocheted rounds from the sunshine garland 

Shop update

Your home is an extension of yourself - dress it accordingly; starting with coasters!

 

Tightly crocheted from 100% cotton - no moisture seepage, and no icky pooling is droplets either.  
 
 
 

coaster action shot!

 

rustic - and delicate.

All this and more is being added to the shop right now. More colors to come.  Stay tuned for catch-all bowls, coffee cup sleeves and more
  

Spring is upon us

Ok - not quite.  

But it's been so dreary and blah here that I've been working on light, springtime projects just to spite the gloom, while drinking hot spiced cider of course; hot cider is one of the redeeming things that come along with winter.

Some of these will be making their way to the shop this weekend.

Happy Friday!

  If you're thinking spring, then you've got to have flowers.

 This is my most recent custom order.  I love the contrast between the green and the coral.  The combination makes me think lime sorbet and vacation.

Ooooo and then there are the necklaces. Light as a feather, in pretty, go-with-anything colors. Fun to make, more fun to wear. Don't worry, more are coming.

  sea foam green on brown

  pink and brown

 earth tones with a touch of shine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reduce, reuse, recycle - shop update

The letter of the day is 'T' 

as in T-shirts

First I experimented with my own shirts - mostly inexpensive tanks from forever 21 that I'd long since grown tired of.  In my trials, errors and quests for answers I stumbled upon several tutorials for "recycled T-shirt necklaces"

They were all fine, variations on a similar theme; the cutting of T shirts, the stretching of material, the tying of knots, the wrapping and tucking and, eventually, the wearing.  All well and good.  But I was interested in making something a bit more polished.  Keeping with the simplicity of similar T shirt strand-necklaces, but giving it a little oomph ... and I hated the knots, and the tucking - all so very UNpolished.  

So I tinkered, and tried a few things, then I started scouring thrift stores for T shirts that were well taken care of - no faded, threadbare shirts that looked like they had been used to dry the Volvo after the car wash. 

This is  what I came up with:

 

and this

 

and, if you're really going to accessorize, then you've got to have a bracelet, right?

 

The first one - the forest green necklace, sold the morning after I posted it to etsy :)

I'll be making more as the weeks pass, I think they work both as necklaces and even a fun take on the infinity scarf if you get a thick enough bunch together.  So far I've just been doing solid colors but I'm already envisioning fun, spring-time color combinations.... 

quick shop update - 

I'm Sold out!

 
 
I'm all sold out of the ribbed neckwarmers for the time being.  That's right! You've got to be quick :)

More are in the works - let me know if you have any color suggestions or requests.  Also, anyone have good ideas about where to find cool vintage buttons?  I'm always looking to beef up my stash.
 
   

Behind the scenes of a product photoshoot

Any online site that wants to draw people in knows it happens first with pictures. And like any other site - I want my etsy shop to draw people in.  So, I put a lot of thought into my photos. 

Some people have photobooth-like set -ups with lamps and white balancing and the like.  Other people go outside and prop their wares on whatever nature has to offer - fence posts, tree limbs, etc.  

I have an extra couple of yards of linen I haven't gotten around to making into anything more useful.  Some people iron their background cloths to smooth perfection, but I think the cream colored linen lends itself to a softer more relaxed look; that and I tend to avoid any and all ironing that isn't completely necessary - I've been known to run the dryer a second time just to shake the wrinkles out of clothes that may have been sitting in the basket a little too long. 

Since the best light is usually during the little guys nap time, and product photography is just one bullet point on a long list of things I attempt to get done during nap time, I can't spend a lot of time on set up and break down.  I toss the cloth on the table (right over the fruit bowl and whatever else happens to be cluttering the table), grab a few props - ranging from a couple of kitchen mugs to Mr. Man's fedora, and go to work, 

 

This photo shoot features a couple pair of earrings with some wool roving-hand felted by yours truly, and a brass bead. I also did a pretty col wrapped bone ring right afterwards.  The above photos are the 'behind the scene's look"

These will be the actual product photos from that session.

 

this one hasn't made it to the shop just yet.  After looking at the photos, I decided a few tweaks were necessary

 

 The macro setting is my friend :)
 

happy ears

I know I promised a picture of various, cosy neck accessories.  But this past Saturday afternoon something amazing happened.  We came back from quick trip to the beach  

and the little guy immediately went down for a nap...and then the big guy took a nap too!

So I got comfy in a little spot by the window with a cup of tea, a magazine, and some thread.

Over the course of the hour I had done a once-through in the magazine - one that had been sitting, untouched,  for a couple of weeks.

I also made these: 

oh - and do you see my awesome chalkboard door in the background? LOVE!

Earrings

As promised, here are some pictures of some of my most recent earrings. 

Fans:

 

Corkscrews:

 

 

Next photo-shoot - pretty and cozy ways to keep you neck warm this winter.

Weekend FOs in Pictures

A late birthday present:

 

Another birthday present:

 

packaged with a pretty blue flower:

A "just because" present for my sister:  

But it looks so nice in my ear. I might have to make another pair

AND Cherry Clafouti. I combined a couple different recipes but the inspiration came from my friend over at Ransacked Goods