My New Favorite Photo

We call her our little Mexican jumping bean. She jumps everywhere! I asked her to say "pickle"... and she said it with so much enthusiasm, it lifted her off the ground. The dress is on sale in the store. I've marked it down a bit as I was disappointed that the logo is a little askew and there are letter on the shoulder (when cutting, I didn't quite clear the words on the back). But, it is still a cool dress as it makes it more obvious that it's a recycled tshirt. It's a great deal!

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More Muffin Tin Monday!

Today, I was able to make the same lunch for both kids (yay!). It has a tiny Asian flare to it.

We have grapes (I slice these... otherwise, if I serve them whole, Alyssa won't eat them. I'm not sure why), corn on the cob from last night (we grilled it - yummy!), edamame, rice, udon noodles, and imitation crab (Robbie's favorite).

I missed dairy - so they are each having a glass of milk to wash it all down. Another fun Muffin Tin Monday!

Katy from Sycamore Stirrings as set up a Flickr group for the muffin tin pictures. Check it out here!

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A Sunny Weekend

Yesterday was a fabulously productive day. Alyssa and I spent the first part of the day together thrift shopping and running an errand at Joann's. We found some great shirts and some nice bright colors... so watch for some new things coming soon!

We also made our way to the EtsyRAIN craft show in Ballard. Conveniently, we were there at lunch time and also enjoyed some BBQ. I was pleased that this craft fair was a large majority of new vendors that I hadn't seen or met before. And of course, it was also nice to see those that I do know.

I even made a purchase! I bought this cute little zipper wallet from Population One. If you read my blog on a regular basis, you'll remember that I had blogged about her after seeing a Flickr photo of hers! It was nice to meet her in person and to check out her wonderful purses! I am truly impressed with the quality, craftsmanship and creativity that goes into each of her bags. If you haven't already, you should check out her shop! The one I bought is called the Emma and has a clear little window in the front for your license.

One other seller that I met - and I almost bought from (she didn't have the owl skirt in Lyssie's size) is York Patty. Her kids clothes are SOOOO cute! And can you believe that she has five kids (or was it six?). Regardless, I'm not sure how she does it as I have trouble with my two! The skirt that I've pictured was another one of my favorites.

After the fair, we came home, spent some time lounging outside in the nice weather... and then I got to work! I managed to cut out several sets of my Color I-Spy Bean Bag sets for the Mill Creek fair (lets hope I can get them sewn up) and a rainbow of colors cute out for more Emotional Bean Baggage sets (you can see all the fun colors in the photo above behind the wallet). Each of the craft fairs I've done, I've had people ask if I brought the I-Spy bean bags... I figured this time, I should have some available... plus it's about time I get them listed in the store again.

It's supposed to be another hot day today. I'm looking forward to spending some time in our air conditioned house cutting out some more things so I can concentrate on sewing all week. Today my plan is to cut up the scraps from yesterday into Scrappy Little Monsters. I also hope to cut out some more capes and dresses. It should be a busy week!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Oh - and I'm looking forward to Muffin Tin Monday! Yippee!

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What are your plans this weekend?

I'm planning on going to the EtsyRAIN craft show in Ballard to support all my craft friends! It's sure to be a great show... and there is going to be food! BBQ, yum!

This show will feature many artists that weren't at the last EtsyRAIN (PSIA) show in Edmonds... so I'm looking forward to seeing some new faces, meeting some new people... and maybe I'll even pick up a thing or two for myself.

It's sure to be a great event, so stop by and check it out!

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T-shirt Yarn Tutorial

Okay, so I've been having fun with my kids the past few days. I always enjoy finding ways for them to help me out. They love it and we spend time together while accomplishing something productive.

The latest way I found to have them help me out is to make t-shirt yarn with the TONS of t-shirt scraps I've accumulated. It was tons of fun... and useful! The kids also helped me make a tutorial (fun in itself).

So here it is - my second tutorial!



Materials:

• Tshirt(s) - I use scraps from the tshirt dresses I make, but I can see myself doing this with tshirts that have stains. Heavily painted tshirts will work, but you need to cut the paint out as it will not stretch.
• Scissors (or Rotary Cutter, Mat & Ruler)

Step 1:
Cut the tshirt into strips (between 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch is the width that I use. I use scissors because my scraps are all different sizes... and I like the non-uniform look. You can cut right through the seams. Be sure that you are cutting the tshirt horizontally, not vertically as it will not stretch correctly.

Step 2:
Pull each piece tightly (I have both kids demonstrating this in the photos - click on photos to enlarge). You need to pull it tight enough that the pieces curl. If any of the tshirt seams come apart while you are pulling, just tie the ends together and keep pulling.

Step 3:
Tie all the pieces end to end. Pull each knot tightly leaving about 1/2 an inch on the ends.

** I have done this in the reverse where I've tied all pieces together, then pulled it before I wound it into a ball. Either way works. The kids did get them pulled tighter (perhaps because they weren't concerned with pulling the knots out) and this made for a thinner yarn. **

Step 4:
Roll your yarn into a ball and it's ready for your project! We made a scarf with two other textured yarns. I plan on doing this again and having the kids help me make them wash cloths for the bath.

They are ready to make more... I just need to find the time to make more strips. This ball of yarn was made from the left over pieces of binding that I had made for dresses and capes. It made the scarf above (with a little left over). The scarf is about 70 inches long and 3 inches wide (5 rows). I used the largest crochet hook I could find.

I've started listing these scarves in the On A Whimm store. For now, I'm keeping them out of the NueToMe store because they aren't made completely of recycled items.

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Not so neighborly

This morning I woke up to a bird frenzy in out back yard. First, there was a small bird (not sure what kind it is as it was swooping pretty fast and never stopped for me to get a good look at) picking at the straw that they have put into our back neighbor's vent. I saw them flying in there a few days ago and had mentioned in to Kasey. Well, looks like they've bought the place!

Then, there was chaos above one the the few tall trees we can see from our backyard. Crows were circling - about 8-10 of them, cawing loudly, and swooping down at something in the branches. I could see a roundish form in the tree... had no idea where the binoculars were, so I tried snapping a photo. From my best guess... it's a hawk and the crows don't seem too happy to have in their neighborhood. I can only guess that they are trying to protect their nests.

I think the hawk might also have a little one with it on the right... so maybe giving it's young some lessons? The hawk isn't bothered at all by all the diving, swooping and commotion being caused by the other birds. Perhaps the crows have now tipped him off that there is something worth staying for.

Regardless, makes for an interesting morning. I'm fascinated by the event that's unfolding out our back door. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

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Muffin Tin Monday

I have to admit, these muffin tin lunches are addicting. Especially since the kids are always excited when I put them in front of them. They also eat a larger variety of food in one sitting. This idea came from the blog - Sycamore Stirrings. You should give it a try! Even if you don't have kids!

So, again, the kids each have a muffin tin that is a little bit different due to Alyssa's food intolerances.

Here's Alyssa's (sorry about the poor picture... the kids don't give me long to snap a photo before they dig in):

Banana slices
Left over Chow Fun noodles
Sliced Grapes
String Cheese
Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets
Edamame (removed from pods)

Lyssie ate everything but the Chow Fun and the Edamame (apparently she likes to see you remove them from the pod - she ate a few of Robbie's - lesson learned).

Here's Robbie's:

Edamame
Watermelon cubes
String Cheese
Grape slices
Dinosaurs
Calamari leftovers



I've also included a photo of Robbie and his muffin tin. Needless to say, he loved everything in it. He did have me fill one with BBQ sauce for his dinosaurs once he ate the string cheese.

I also like these muffin tins because they aren't harassing me for more of one thing.

They seem content that they have small servings of each food.



Hopefully this week I can find new muffin tins. Lyssie's overflowing bananas distracted her a bit.

One rolled out... and suddenly they all became wheels. This is a fun departure from our ordinary lunches. Had we not used the muffin tin, we would have had dino nuggets, grapes and watermelon.

We all can't wait for next week!

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Coming Soon!

It seems like these past few days have flown by... and I don't have much product to show for it. But, I've spent lots of quality time with the family... we did some much needed yard work... and just gave ourselves a nice leisurely weekend.

I also started prototypes for a new product in my NueToMe store. Pants! Yay for something that can be girl or boy. I think these are great lounge pants or pajamas. Robbie loved them and was a bit upset that his daddy wouldn't let him do the yard work with him wearing them. Again, these are made entirely from tshirts. I hope to make these in most sizes. But 5T is the largest I'll be able to make since they were difficult to fit onto the extra large shirt.

Anyhow, watch for them in the store!

We are counting down to our next show in Mill Creek. I'm also preparing for my first Punk Rock Flea Market. It's all very exciting! I hope to start preparing my inventory in the next week or so. I don't want to feel the pressure I did for Maple Valley.

I figure, I'll get past the PSIA Ballard show - I'm not showing, but I plan on going and supporting... then I'll turn on the pressure! I hope to have a better selection of some of my new products (jingle bells, aprons, Scrappy Little Monsters, etc). I also need to make some new costumes since I've sold so many within the last few months. Fun!

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Muffin Tins

I read this blog - Sycamore Stirrings - it's a fantastic read. She's very creative. Anyhow, she is starting this new things that she has named Muffin Tin Monday. It sounded like fun, so I decided to take part. Of course, I can't seem to do anything on time... so my Muffin Tin Monday has turned into Muffin Tin Thursday. Not quite the same ring.

Here it is! My first attempt. This was a ton of fun and I hope to do it again. I also hope to find better muffin tins. The only ones I had, luckily I had two, were the ones that the kids use to sort the buttons. They are shallow which actually works out in portion size.

Muffin Tin includes the following;

Mini Burger/Slider

Quesadilla pieces

Lightly Sauteed Carrots and Green Beans

Leafy Salad with vinagrette dressing

(Robbie's had pears - Lyssie can't have them)

Turkey Meat

Raisins

I had made the sliders a few nights ago with the left over meat from dinner. I made the buns from two regular pieces of whole grain bread and added cheese on the top and bottom. The turkey meat is a big boneless one from Costco that we slice up all at once. It's perfect for lunches through the week and it often renders enough to put one bag in the freezer for the following week.

I am happy to report that presenting this lunch in the muffin tin... I think encouraged them to eat more. And, they tried a little bit of everything! Robbie only had the burger (no bread or cheese) left with one bite taken out of it and the green beans. Lyssie had the burger with the top bread and top cheese missing, some green beans and carrots and most of the salad left. I think I even hit all the food groups!

This lunch also went together fairly quickly... I sauteed the vegetables in the same pan that I used to make the quesadilla and the salad was just a bit from my own lunch. The rest was open a box, reheat left overs, or open a can.

The kids are looking forward to another lunch like this tomorrow. I told them this was just a once a week thing. So now I'm looking forward to figuring out what I'm going to do for next week!

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Blap Blap!

Lately, Alyssa has not been easy to dress in the morning. She has been expressing a preference for what she wears... and more often than not, it's Blap Blaps (butterflies). Surprisingly (or not, they are her favorite), she does have a decent selection of clothes with Blap Blaps. The problem we've come across recently is that they just aren't large enough for her. She has one 12 month t-shirt that Grandma made her that has a huge butterfly covering the front of the shirt. I'm certain this is the shirt she has in mind when we get her dressed in the morning. However, she is now wearing 18 month clothes and when I put the shirt on her - it's snug and her little belly button sticks out. While cute, it looks like I don't know my daughter's size.

So, I figure I'm going to have to make some clothes that are more to her liking. Here's my first one... I really like how this came out. The problem is that I had to hand draw - freehand onto the dress with a fabric pen. It was time consuming and extremely difficult with a toddler pulling at your leg asking if her Blap Blap is ready. But, total time for this dress was probably about 2-3 hours. I wish the black was a little blacker, but I only had one fabric marker on hand. You can click on the photos to see larger images.

I'm not sure if I'll be offering anything like this in the store any time soon as they are a bit time intensive. But it was nice to actually sit and draw for once. I haven't drawn pen and ink in ages! I' love to make her one with a dinosaur on it... but I'd have to practice my dinosaurs.

By the way, this was inspired by Rekoj. She does the most beautiful fabric painted clothes... truly works of art. I've been keeping an eye on her store as I'd love to own one of her shirts. Of course, my body isn't as tiny as it used to be... so I have to wait for the right size and design. I'm also lucky that she's local and does some of the local events... so maybe I'll be able to score something at one of the shows that I attend.

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I just couldn't do it

I couldn't wait until the end of the week to start loading things into my new shop. I've been sewing and unpacking (from the show over the weekend), taking and cropping pictures. I just wanted to see them up and in the store!

I'm glad I did. I've received a positive reception already. I started posting mid day today and I already have 14 people that have hearted my shop. Yippee! So, check out the new shop... I'll be letting the recycled dresses and stuff lapse in my old store before I move them to the new store, so currently, you can get recycled items in both OnaWhimm and NueToMe.

It's reassuring and motivating to know that people are enjoying what I do. I also have new ideas circulating in my head for World of Whimm. I'm hoping to be able to start bringing some of those ideas to fruition by next week. And no, I haven't forgotten about my own Creative Challenge.

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NueToMe

In addition to making tons of recycled tshirt dresses, capes, bibs, smocks and such... I've also been working on giving my new line it's own identity. I'm calling it NueToMe - and I am going to separate them into their own store. What do you think?

I made price tags for my items this weekend and for the most part, I love how they came out. I used boxes from my pantry and cut them out freehand. I printed the logo on some of the throw away paper that accumulates around our printer. Of course, my printer is terrible and the color didn't print clearly - but it seemed silly to keep reprinting it to get it right when the point was to save paper. So, I used them anyhow. I like them.

I'll be printing new business cards soon too. They will have the NueToMe shop on one side and World of Whimm on the other.

My final problem to solve is the labels. I want to keep these items completely separate from World of Whimm... so I haven't been using the labels. I want to make labels for NueToMe but I also want the labels to be made from recycled materials. I think I'm going to be ordering a custom stamp and using fabric ink... but I've posted an Alchemy request to see if someone out there can make labels for me. I think the biggest hurdle is the recycled material. So far, the bids haven't used recycled materials. If you have any ideas... I'd love to hear them!

I'm still very excited about these tshirt items. I'm constantly designing new styles and new items. Right now I'm working on an apron... and it's super cute! I can't wait until I get it to the point where I'm happy with it so I can post one in my new store.

I hope to start posting items in my store toward the end of this week. The items I currently have in OnaWhimm will remain there for now. I have enough new items that I can start fresh with the new store. The only bummer about moving over to a new store is that I lose the feedback from the items I've already sold. I figure the sooner I move them over, the better... so I can start receiving feedback in the new store.

Exciting times!

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Purchases

I thought I'd share my recent purchases. Both of them are AWESOME! Check these out... I'm sure you will find something you like in their stores as well...

First off... Father's Day was Sunday. My lucky husband got to spend it at Maple Valley Days while I was selling my goods. We also celebrated this awesome dad by taking him to dinner... and we bought him a new sketch book from Joshuaandjulielee.

They make some awesome journals from old books, recycled boxes, and anything else that strikes their fancy. I was so excited to receive this journal! My husband has been working on a new series of drawings - dinosaurs with two little Paleontologist (my kids) and I thought it was the perfect gift for him from his kids.

These journals are really well made. I also like that they include a few of the original pages of the book throughout the journal. Not only is it perfect for his sketches now - but it'll be a great keepsake for the kids later down the road.

My second purchase last week was this adorable little dress for Lyssie. I saw this dress and just fell in love with it... but it was a size 5. It will be 20 years before Lyssie fits into a size 5! So, I asked if it could be made in a size 2T.

Bobbityboo was extremely accommodating. So much so, that she went out to buy more of the fabric to make it for me!

I'm not sure I've been more pleased with a purchase. When I purchased this dress, I figured it was a dress I probably could make myself... but just didn't have the time. Boy was I wrong! The craftsmanship put into this darling little dress is incredible! She scalloped the bottom of the dress as well as the lining on the inside! It's beautiful as each scallop is also finished with stitching. It's unbelievable. I also love the two huge yellow buttons.

I highly recommend this seller. Not only are her prices reasonable... but the quality is out of this world! I'm sure I'll be buying from her again.

I'll share photos of both my purchases when I get a chance. I haven't had a chance to put the dress on Lyssie yet (truth be told, I feel like it's just too pretty to put on my little rug rat... she's going to go jump in the mud as soon as I get it on her... I know it).

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Here we go again!

I'm preparing for another craft show... but this time, I have procrastinated until the last minute. I've been at my sewing machine all day. I still feel like I'm not prepared for this three day event. Because of this, I'll be closing both my stores this weekend so that I can also take the inventory in each of the stores. I'm desperate!



I have been working diligently at making more Scrappy Little Monsters - and some of my Jingle Balls have become little monsters as well as I've been having a great time adding eyes to them. Sorry, pictures of those will have to come later - or better yet, you can check them out at the Maple Valley Days this weekend! We'll be located in the Kidsland!



This week is a bit crazy as preparations for the craft fair have also been hindered by the end of the school year for my son. I really didn't want to make his last week of school a rough one, so I've been sewing a little less than I should. Thanks to Cindy who took Robbie today, freeing me up to sew with just Lyssie hanging off me.



Robbie has had a big week - losing his first teeth, getting $1 from the tooth fairy and graduating pre-school (for the second time - this time we mean it!). He's an excited and conflicted little boy. He's also anxious to celebrate Father's Day this weekend. Hurray for my husband who gets to celebrate it at the craft fair. I guess we'll be even after this one since I've spent Mother's Day at a comic convention :)


Anyhow, I need to get back to work... just wanted to post a warning that the stores will be closed tonight until Sunday night or Monday morning. Also wanted to remind everyone to come out and join us at Maple Valley Days! I think it's going to be tons of fun... and I'm sharing a booth with Meghan from It's Made At Home!

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Another Craft Fair

It's just a week away. Maple Valley Days runs for three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday of next week. I'll be sharing a large booth with Meghan from It's Made At Home. I'm excited and a bit anxious. I've never done a show with a 10x10 space... and certainly not with a 10x20 space! I've also never done a THREE day show! I'm not sure how much stock I need.

My husband decided that Saturday he's going to try to distract the kids so I can work all day. I've been sewing lots of tshirt items (check out my newest hat) - capes and dresses mostly. I was hoping to take these to the show... but they are selling quickly online as well (Yay!).

Since I'm unable to really focus, I have also had fun coming up with new ways to use the huge box of scraps. Well, something different than having my kids playing in the box and burying each other. The flowers (pictures) are being integrated onto my dresses. I'm also considering selling them by themselves - like a grab bag of colors. With these and the hat... I'm still not making a dent. Now I have a huge box of tshirt scraps, a large box of fleece scraps, a box of cotton scraps, a box of flannel scraps and two bags of miscellaneous scraps. No wonder my space is caving in on me!

Anyhow, I hope to gear up for the show this weekend. We'll have to see if I can focus. I think I need to order a Shower Art that says "focus" for the front of my sewing machine :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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I never win!

Yay for me! I had a pretty good day today... a play date for the kids, some time to myself, a new cool mug... and the winner of a raffle! I never win... and I couldn't have won from a better group ~ EtsyMud (pottery).

I think I'm starting to get addicted to Etsy mugs. I bought my first one the other day from LASDesigns (the one I received today) and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll be watching her store for more. I especially love the bumps... they feel great when you cup the mug... I'm sure it'll feel even better when it's got some nice warm tea in it. My other favorite feature of this mug is that it was an "oops" mug... meaning, it wasn't up to her high standards. I love it - the glaze didn't cover the entire mug... and that's why I love it. It reminds me of my grandfather's pottery. Really, the whole fact that it's a little imperfect is what reminds me of his pottery. All the family members ended up with the pieces that didn't quite work out (a goblet that leans a little, a vase that has a crack and doesn't hold water, a pot that got smashed a little)... and I think they are the best! Seeing his pottery (and any pottery that reminds me of his) brings back some of my fondest memories from childhood. I miss my grandpa... but I'm glad that I have things around me that remind me of him.

Can't wait to see what I won in the raffle... I'm really hoping it's another cool mug!

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Reward

I love what I'm doing. I get to be home with my kids... I get to be creative everyday... I get to be my own boss. But it's not always rewarding. Some days it's very hard for me to motivate myself to keep making, photographing, posting, promoting, etc. But every once in a while, I get a great positive feedback from someone... or a picture of their child in something I've made... and it makes it worth everything.

Today, I received my best reward yet. Last week, I sent two capes off to Louisiana. Tonight, I received the nicest email and photos. I just had to share a bit of it...

"Awesome, Awesome capes!! I surprised my two little ones with your capes. Who doesn't love to receive a package in the mail? My four year old put it on in the driveway and immediately began jetting around and around the sidewalk and our circular drive. Who knew he could fly so fast?! When it was time to leave for our friends 3rd bday party at the local gymnastics gym, Hank said he HAD to bring his "Super 4" cape. Great idea! They were the hit of the party! Wish I had ordered one for the bday girl." - Gabrielle

"...This photo tells such a story of a boy's childhood...how they embrace certain objects. His imagination and super strength have seemed to soar with a simple recycled t-shirt." - Gabrielle

I'm very excited about all the creations I've made with the tshirts. I can't seem to stop making them so I can focus on my upcoming show in Maple Valley. I have to prepare for a three day show... so I should be a little stressed. Instead, I just keep making capes and dresses. These pictures demonstrate why I do what I do. I get to see my kids enjoy my things... but it's very rewarding to see other kids enjoy them as well. Thanks Gabrielle!

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