Saturday's Artist

Yesterday I was reading one of my most favoritest blogs, one that incorperates unschooling and crafting, Ordinary Life Magic. Stephanie mentioned that she wanted to start doing a link party so that her readers could link to the past weeks favorite creative moment. She has titled it Saturday's Artist.

I don't normal do link parties because, well, they tend to be pretty specific and I have to think ahead about it and stuff.

I am not so great at the thinking ahead/ planning thing.

What I like about Saturday's Artist is that I can link to a post about any creative thing Emma and/or I have done during the past week.

Well yesterday, when I was reading Stephanie's post about Saturday's Artist, I knew immediately what I wanted to blog about.

It was this:

I was attempting to make a little felted wool pillow with a flower (both from recycled wool sweaters). The sweater had other plans though. After sewing up the three sides, I turned it right-side-out so that I could get ready to stuff it. I tossed the flower on the not-yet-stuffed pillow to make sure it would still fit and stopped. I could almost hear the sweater telling me, "I want to be a purse, not a boring old pillow, a PURSE!!"

I aim to please. 

I lined it with purple jersey fabric (that I kinda did backwards), tossed in a little pocket, added some store bought handles that I covered with more recycled wool, stitched on the flower and added a magnetic button closure. 

I aim to please, and boy was I pleased. This purse is my new favorite :)

Anyway, like I said, yesterday I knew exactly what I wanted to link to for the Saturday's Artist. Then today, I made this:

The above purse was made using the sleeves of a wool sweater. After I cut the bottom portion of the sleeves, I had two somewhat "V" shaped pieces left. I kept glancing at them yesterday, thinking I would like to make a hat out of them, but not really sure how it would turn out. 

Today I mustered up the courage to give it a try. I am so glad I did. I tried the hat on myself and loved how it fit (how it looked was all together a different story, but living in a cold region has made me care less about how a hat looks, and more about how warm it is). The sides came down nice and low so my ears would be covered, while the front curved up a bit so that I could still see. Jared and I decided it needed some dangling pom-pom things. I wanted to continue to use wool if possible, but I didn't really have any scraps that would work, and I didn't want to cut up a new sweater just to make pom-poms and strings. 

I also realized I was a little tired of the white color scheme. I needed more color. 

Enter some beautiful Autumn colored roving from Prarieland Herbs. It seemed like just the thing, so I grabbed my needle felting tools and the roving and got busy making some abstract art on a felt hat. 

It turned out so awesome, that Emma decided she wanted it. 

I was ok with that, it looks way better on her anyway.

(Emma wanted everyone to know she is 5)

(in this picture, Emma, wanted everyone to see what the hat looked liked with the pom-poms behind her shoulders)

I decided to make a scarf that would go with the hat, but realized doing abstract on the scarf would be difficult because there was already a pattern on that part of the sweater. 

Oh well, you win some, you loose some. 

 Emma and I created a lot of fun things this week, but this hat is my favorite. 

(edited 13Feb11- I am not sure if I added it correctly, but I wanted to have the fun little Saturday's Artist logo.) 

Going with the Flow

I love how life reminds me that going with the flow is so much easier sometimes.

For the last half of 2009 and the first half of 2010, I beat my head against the wall trying to figure out how to sell my creations. I twittered, facebooked, blogged, promoted, joined groups, etc. I spent more time on the computer trying to sell my stuff then I did actually making stuff (or so it felt).

I managed to sell one thing.

Around summer time last year, I said the heck with it. Trying to sell my stuff was so stressful, it was making me not enjoy the actual creating.

Once the pressure was off (and in between running all over the country) I managed to make some great stuff. I still have most of it, but I tried to give some stuff away to people who could use it.

By chance, I managed to sell some of my book purses. Well, to be accurate, my mother-in-law (the awesome woman that she is) managed to sell not just one, but 3!!!

Then, in one week, I am commissioned to make hats for two different people! (you can read about that here)

I finished up the hats for Angie while I was in AZ (a long story and one I don't really have the energy for). I shipped them off to her on Wednesday, and she got them on Saturday. Just in time for her Packers fan friend to have her hats for the super bowl.

They loved them! Nothing makes my day brighter then knowing someone is happy with something I made for them.

Actually, a lot of things make my day brighter; Emma (or the hubby) giving me an unexpected hug or kiss, a ray of sunshine on a cold, gray day, cooking something new and having it taste good, etc.

But knowing that I made someone happy just by making something for them? That is way up there.

I did remember to take pictures of the hats, but not until I was in the Post Office. The pictures did not come out great, but at least I have some :)

Packers Fan Hat (Child and Doll)

I decided to make some scarves also

One Black, One White Adult Hat

Pink Hat (Child and Doll)

with matching scarves

So, to reiterate, going with the flow works for us. Very well :)

I hope everyone is surviving this crazy winter. If you need a hat to keep your head warm for the remainder of this winter, just let me know!

Hats Galore!

I have been commissioned to make some hats. 

The woman who cleans our teeth is the same woman who does our family photos (you know, being "Paula the dental hygienist" is just her secret identity, she is really Paula the Super Photographer). Her company is This Day Photography, and I could spend all night telling you how much we love having our pictures taken by Paula and how much we love the pictures she produces, but I should go to bed at some point, so I will try to stay on task.

While Emma was sitting in the dentists chair the other day, Paula asked if I still crochet. 

It may not seem so here, but yes, I still do. 

Paula then asked if I could crochet her some hats. 

I thought, "Awesome, now Emma's poor head will get a break because someone else will be wearing the hats I make!"

Paula, however, did not want hats for herself, she wanted hats for itty, bitty babies. The ones she takes pictures off. 

The images that came to mind where stunning, knowing what I know about the photos that Paula takes. And I was honored that she wanted my hats in her awesome pictures with the adorable newborn babies. 

So of course I said yes. 

Did you know how hard it is to make hats for a new born when you crochet like I do? One of the reasons Emma has so many hats is because her head and my head are the only heads available for me to measure against. 

My solution to this dilemma is to make a bunch of different sized itty, bitty hats. Besides, not all baby heads are created equal. 

I have finished a few and will continue to work on some more until I can make a trip out to Paula to deliver the goods. I like to offer choices when someone gives me a general idea of what they want (as if I am a pro at this sort of thing, ha!).

Meanwhile, I took today "off." Jared has Fridays off from school, so I typically make plans to do errands on my own or something fun for myself on Fridays. Today was the ultimate 'me' day.

I started off with a meditation class, which I am enjoying, then I headed over to Finess Spa Salon in Ames for a Mani/Pedi that I got an awesome deal on through Groupon. While I was lounging around with my tootsies soaking in the pedicure throne, I was finishing up a crochet hat that I was making for Emma (I know, give the poor kid a break). The woman being pampered next to me, Angie, started asking some questions about what I was working on. I was enjoying chatting about crafting and such, because it is one of the only subjects I feel really knowledgeable in. 

Then she asked me if I would make her a hat.

"Really, that would be so awesome?!?" is what was going through my mind. 

But, I played it cool. I simple asked what color she would like, "Black" was her reply. "And white, I would like a black and a white one." 

Now, it is a good thing I had my feet soaking, otherwise I probably would have done my happy dance and embarrassed myself. 

I mean, it isn't every day someone likes my stuff enough to want me to make one for them. And two different people in the same week! I love my stuff, and Emma loves my stuff (to a certain point), but other people? That just makes what I already love to do more enjoyable. 

'Cause really, I am going to make the stuff anyway, but when I can find a home for it where it will be loved and appreciated, that gives me a warm glow. 

So Angie and I exchanged e-mail addresses, and I starting thinking about the fun that I was going to have making a black hat and a white hat. 

White seems to be a popular color right now. Me personally, I feel there is enough white stuff falling all around me, but I have to admit the white hats look nice :)

Just so you don't think the only thing I make is hats, here are a few pictures (taken by Emma, my 5yo) of some horse/unicorns/llamas that I made for her. 

The middle one was the first one I made, and it is knitted. Yes, I decided to knit something because it was a horse and I have been promising Emma I would make her a horse for about a year now. Thankfully the pattern and directions where easy (and in a video format). I did end up paying for it though, but it was well worth the money. 

After taking forever to knit it, I decided to try to make my own with crochet. The didn't come out as great, but Emma loves them anyway. She is so good to my ego!

Well, it is almost tomorrow, and tomorrow I head out to AZ for a week to help my grandmother move. I best get to bed because I have a lot to do tomorrow before I leave...

p.s. I promise to post pictures of the hats once I have them finished. Have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday