Craft Hope: Project 17 (Part III)

(If you want to see where this started, see Part I and Part II.)

The Craft Hope aprons are coming along nicely. The seven pictured above are done and packed up, there are four more sitting on my sewing table *thisclose* to being finished, and there are two more cut out and waiting to be stitched together. I'd set an unofficial goal of twelve aprons, so it would awesome if I could get these last few stitched up in time.

People have been posting quite a few awesome aprons over on the Craft Hope facebook event page. I just discovered that there's a Craft Hope flickr page, too.

One surprise, one of the aprons that I made was featured over on the Craft Gossip blog. That was super flattering. :)

Only a few more days to go, and I'll have these babies in the mail and post a recap.

Our Winner Is...

First, a quick but very sincere thank you to everyone who came by the blog and entered our giveaway. It was awesome reading all of your comments and I wish I was able to respond to each one individually. For our new blog and/or FB followers, hello and welcome! I hope you'll hang around for awhile!

And now...thanks to Random.Org (though I still haven't figured out how to link the proof), our winning entry was #247, Bean! Congratulations! I've sent you an email so we can get started on your pillow cover. :)

Should I not hear from Bean, a new winner will be chosen on Tuesday.

Friday Feature - Kendra, from Copper Tree Art

This week, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Kendra, from Copper Tree Art.

If you're a fan of the bohemian, you'll love her jewelry. If you love earthy jewelry, you'll love the pieces that she makes. From rings to bracelets to necklaces to earrings, the items that she hand crafts are both unique and lovely.

And she's been kind enough to answer some questions. :)

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I currently live in Southern California. I am a dolphin trainer and have a huge heart for animals!

When did you first begin creating?

I have always had a creative side to me. From a young age I enjoyed arts and crafts and often made my own clothes and jewelry so that I could tailor it to my style.

What led you to open a shop for your art/craft?

I started taking metalsmith jewelry classes a few years ago and fell in love with it. I began making jewelry for myself, but often got asked if I sold my jewelry by friends and family. That led me to start selling my jewelry at a local farmers market and then open my etsy page.

What is a typical work day like for you?

I've very fortunate to train dolphins for a living. It is a dream job for me that allows me to swim with these animals everyday!

How do you juggle the many tasks of running a creative business?

My jewelry making has become a passion of mine. When I have free time, I love to go down stairs to my studio and create new pieces. Some weeks I get a lot of jewelry made, and other weeks I don't have time to work on it at all.

What is your favorite item that you’ve created, ever?

I love patinas, they are unpredictable and result in beautiful and colorful pieces. My favorite pieces to wear are my patina necklaces.

What is your favorite item in your shop, now?

Currently, my blue moonstone ring is my favorite item in my shop!

Is there anything that you would like to learn or do to expand on or improve what you create now?

I take a metalsmith class every week which helps me constantly learn new techniques and have a group of women to bounce design ideas off of.

What advice would you share with other artists/crafters who sell their items?

Promote your work, and create what you love! I wear all of my jewelry which helps me promote it!

Aside from creating, what do you enjoy doing?

I'm an avid animal lover and enjoy listening to music and going to concerts.

If you could do anything at all, what would it be? Why?

I would love to travel more. I recently got the opportunity to travel to India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. It was an incredible experience and has given me the itch to travel more!

Where would you travel if time and money were no object? Why?

Australia, I want to dive on the great barrier reef.

Where can we find you online?

My Etsy shop is www.coppertreeart.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Copper-Tree-art-jewelry/232523256821023

Thank you for sharing your art and your time, Kendra!

It's Giveaway Day!

***The Giveaway Day post is now CLOSED. I'll announce the winner soooooon! Thank you and good luck to everyone who stopped by and decided to enter!***

I'm so excited...today kicks of May Giveaway Day, hosted by Sew, Mama, Sew! (If you've come over from there, hello and welcome! If you've just stopped by, I encourage you to check out the rest of the blogs, here. You won't be disappointed!)

Now, on to the good stuff...

For Giveaway Day, I'm offering up one of the popular frog loves monkey medallion pillow covers. The winner will be able to specify their preferences (12, 14, 16, or 18 inch cover, and bird, butterfly or flower medallion) and I'll make a pillow to suit their decorating desires. Some examples:

What do you have to do to enter the giveaway? Not much. Just reply to this post and let me know your favorite color, because I'm curious about that sort of thing. :) If you'd like, you can follow the blog or like our facebook page for extra entries, just leave a new post here for each to let me know which you've done. Just make sure that I have a way to contact you, and that's it!

Entries are open from right now through May 25. (In all honesty, until I can get to the computer on the 26th.) I'll choose a winner at random and make an announcement on May 26 or 27, and get the pillow cover made as soon as the winner and I figure out the design.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by! Now, go enter more giveaways! (And be sure to visit my personal blog and enter the giveaway there, too!)

The Inevitable Lull

I keep catching myself thinking "I should write a blog post"...but there just hasn't been a whole lot going on to post about. We've been busy around here, so there's not a whole lot of "new" to talk about.

Mother's Day was nice. My aunt has been in town and it's been lovely to get to visit with her. My step-dad just got back into town today, and we're all VERY excited about that! (He's been in Texas for awhile!) My husband got an infection in a tooth last week and then it shattered a few days ago, so he's been down since then. With trying to make sure he's okay and juggling little ones and getting some behind-the-scenes computer stuff done for the shop...blah. not much else to talk about. ;)

I'm excited about some of the stuff we have coming up, though. The Craft Hope aprons are still coming along, there are a few special orders in process, and some really great artist features coming up. So, it might be quiet for a few more days, but there's good stuff coming. :)

May Giveaway Day Announced!

YAY! Sew, Mama, Sew has announced the start date for May Giveaway Day! Everything kicks off on May 21st, and it looks to be an even bigger event this time round than it has before. The categories have been revamped a bit (now there are five!) and the event runs for five full days.

If you've never taken part in Giveaway Day...DO! If you're an artist or crafter with a blog, I can't recommend enough that you get involved. It's a whole heck of a lot of fun. And if you just want to find new artists and blogs that will blow your mind, then I highly suggest that you clear your calender for the week and enter as many of the giveaways as strike your fancy! Even if you don't win anything, I can almost guarantee that you'll have a good time. Your head might also explode from all of the amazing things that you're likely to see, but it's a chance worth taking. ;)

frog loves monkey will be taking part here, and I'll be doing something over on my personal blog as well, though I'm still ironing out the details.

Keep an eye out and be sure to check out all the goodies on May 21st!

Friday Feature - Marnie, from ReWoolables

For our very first Friday Feature, I'd like to introduce...Marnie, from ReWoolables!

Marnie creates items that are both beautiful and extremely useful (eyeglass cases or wallets, anyone?) out of wool that she's reclaimed and felted herself. She's answered some questions to give us an in depth look at who she is and what she does.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m currently a SAHM, but used to teach mathematics at the local high school. I met my husband on an archaeological field school (aka – ‘learn how to dig’) while at college. He is an archaeologist. Yes, I live in Indiana and thus, I’m married to Indiana Jones.

When did you first begin creating? 

I’ve always been ‘crafty’. For my bedroom as a kid, my dorm room at college, at home, for my classroom...

What led you to open a shop for your art/craft?

Long story short – holding a load of wool sweaters, struggling to keep my 1st felted wool purse I made on my arm, and wearing a sweater I made from 4 other discarded sweaters while standing in line at Goodwill, a woman figured out that I must be purchasing these things to make stuff. (What tipped her off, I wonder? Ha-ha) She asked if I would be willing to sell some items in her shop. And I was off and sewing!

What is a typical work day like for you?

Get the kid to school, come back to the house and tidy up the least I can without still being disgusted, check email / do the social media thing, run errands, sew. Or…now that weather is nice, I try to get out and tend to my gardens. Some days I have more time to sew than others.

How do you juggle the many tasks of running a creative business?

Fortunately, hubby likes to do the website stuff. I can’t stand it. Second, I’m not looking to make a million dollars, so I just do what I can when I can and have to be happy with that. I feel that I could do better and more…but at what cost? Something would suffer. The house already does! (Ha!)

What is your favorite item that you’ve created, ever?

A funky scrap patchwork pillow from wool sweaters.

What is your favorite item in your shop, now?

Honestly, I think my polka dotted book mark because it is so simple and an excellent way to use up my scraps.

Is there anything that you would like to learn or do to expand on or improve what you create now?

I just purchased a serge or over lock machine. I haven’t a clue how to use it. Egad.

What advice would you share with other artists/crafters who sell their items?

When the thread keeps breaking, you snap a needle, you sewed it the wrong way…all in the same day…take a break. The universe is trying to tell you to recharge.

Aside from creating, what do you enjoy doing?

Gardening. Reading. Playing with herbs for home remedies.

If you could do anything at all, what would it be? Why?

This is going to sound so mundane. I would hire a personal chef and maid. I detest grocery shopping, planning meals, and cleaning the house.

Where would you travel if time and money were no object? Why?

Ireland. Germany. Scotland. Britain. I am fascinated with the Medieval Ages. I would like to visit old castles, ruins, and villages that are standing after 700 years. The lush green of Ireland with all the stone walls, little cottages just soothes my soul when I look at the pictures. I love folklore and mystique. I want to see a fairy! So, I better go to Ireland.

Where can we find you online?

On Twitter: @ReWoolables
On Facebook: facebook.com/ReWoolables
My website which is just a “here I am” kinda thing right now…ReWoolables.com
I am soon to launch a blog on that site!
And on Etsy – Etsy.com/ReWoolables.

Thank you, Marnie, for being our very first featured artist!