My job is beginning to be my downfall!

So, those of you that read my blog know that I started a job at Jo-Ann Fabrics in late September.  Well, this is the hardest place I have ever had to work at!  OK, not because work is hard, but because we always get new stuff.  I work at the cut counter, and I end up doing go-backs--fabric that needs to go back on the shelf after it has been cut for the customer.  Unfortunately, that is when I see fabric I would like to get--especially new stuff.  We get a truck of merchandise every Thursday, and a cart gets loaded up full of fabric ready to be put out on the shelves. I got a piece of Star Trek fabric that was calling my name...  Sadly, I have taken to looking at the freight when it comes in, and always find some new treasure.

Of course, the upside to this is that I can make some great new stuff out of what I have purchased! The bad thing is that my work schedule is full for now, and but I am trying to find time to do some extra crafting---I still have a few things to make for Christmas!

Everyone, have a Merry Christmas! And a happy new year, if I don't talk to you before then!

School is almost over---it's almost crafting time!

Well, the semester is almost over--today is my last official day of classes! Then I have to come back for 2 finals next week, and have a paper due on the 20th, then I can get down to some serious crafting. I know I have missed all of the holiday season---I could have made a lot of money--but between work and school, there was little time for anything else.

Last night, I started cutting some fabric strips, with the intention of sewing them and making some strip-quilted bookmarks as a tutorial, so I will try to get that going tonight. I don't have class tomorrow (its "Dead Day" here at UNR, so there are no classes), so I might sew a little bit too. 

Of course, I have been seeing plenty of stuff on Pinterest, so I have wanted to make some of those things too.  Speaking of Pinterest, I pinned a few of my items from Etsy, and plan to do that with more items in the future. 

"Busy" does not describe all that is going on with me right now....and a little Pinterest rant....

No, it does not!! Not only is the semester ending in a few weeks, which means tons of assignments to do and turn in, but I have work--being at Jo-Ann, you know this is the busy season so there are plenty of sales ( I work at 5:30 AM for Black Friday), and I have been neglecting this blog and my Etsy site....."chicken-head-cut-off" is more like it....plus, there is Thanksgiving and I'm the cook!!!

...well, the issue with Etsy is a personal one---that my computer is not working, so I have to work twice as hard to upload pictures, and that is NOT fun....and with the computer not working, and classwork being due, I have to spend a lot of time in the computer lab here at UNR (that's where I am right now, updating this blog before I get down to business with a lesson plan that is due soon...).

...on a positive note, working at Jo-Ann is paying off--I get a discount, so I bought some nice fabric to make some cute things to sell on Etsy and/or Craftstar soon...I might just bite the bullet and take pics and upload them here at the computer lab to get it done and get new stuff out there....

About Pinterest:   I want to commit to working on this blog once a week, and possibly making some improvements to it, like adding more content that can go on Pinterest---which, according to many people including myself--is the devil, because it is irresistible and very hard to leave after you start looking at stuff, taking up time that is better spent cleaning and doing laundry (with the homemade laundry soap you just made)....I fear that people will no longer want to buy handmade items, and just want to make them on their own, so I am really considering switching my focus to accommodate this issue (OK, so that is not news to you; you know I change my mind a lot)...it will have to wait until the semester ends, though, since I do need to get a TON of work out in the next 3 weeks....

Lost on Pinterest!

Yes, I am still around...school has been taking up a lot of my time, and I just started a new job: at Jo-Ann! A very dangerous place for a crafter to work, indeed!

My new obsession is Pinterest...I find so much awesome stuff on there, and I would love to make all of it, if I could.  I'm in love with the short tutorials I see, which has given me an idea---I want to make some tutorials of my own.  I love making crafts that are easy, and don't take a lot of time or materials to complete, so I will try to do that this weekend...maybe...depends on my work schedule.  I will also add a Pinterest button to my tutorials so they can be posted there.

No more website!

I forgot to add....I am officially getting rid of my website.......I have it for free, but I never use it---I redirect to my Etsy shop anyway, plus I like having a blog more.....

2nd Week of School...and a machine dilemma!

Well, this is the second week of school, at the University of Nevada, Reno....all of my classes seem like they will be exciting!  I am still continuing to sew during this time, since things are going to start to get hectic very quickly--things will be due, there will be tests to take, etc....I will post pics as I take them...

Another issue I am having is with my sewing machine....I have a Brother that I bought about 10 years ago, and the tension had been messing up; I got frustrated with it, so I have been sewing with my mom's old Brother (I think it is easily over 20 years old)...the tension is having issues again, and now I am debating about just buying a new machine.  I want a heavy-duty model, since its hard to sew over lots of layers of fabric with the one I am using now, but I might just want to get mine fixed, or at least see if its fixable since its pretty old. Still deciding........

Summer has finally ended--well, for me it has!

So, I had a summer job this year, and it just ended on Friday...finally! It has been a looooong summer, and I am glad to finally get back to business--------well, at least for a week before school starts on Monday! I added some new items to my Etsy, and I finally got my Craft Star store up with a few items for sale....I have some wristlets and a few lunch totes as well...

Yes, I'm around...just busy!

Yes, yes, I am still around! Since I started my summer job a couple of weeks ago, I have been working----and tired! I have not worked a regular job since last summer, and I am worn out when I come home from work.   And, last weekend, we used a hotel voucher we got from my credit union and took a short trip down to L.A., to go to Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland. I also went shopping at my much-missed store, Michael Levine's. They sell awesome fabric, although I didn't have the money I wanted to spend, so I was very careful about what I got--I would have gone crazy if I had the chance! I saw some great prints that looked like they came from Japan, and were printed on linen and canvas....I did get a couple of really cute Japanese prints, including one with an Alice in Wonderland theme...I hope to make something cute out of all of it, and I will post a project or two soon....

I am also still working on my patterns, and I hope to have them available soon--once again, its a time issue, and I seem to not have much of it to do anything that I want to do.

P.S.--the Star Wars fabric is something my daughter picked out to make her "something" out of...

2 things at once! And a job....

So, right now I am finishing--OK, finishing is the wrong word; more like finishing one and restarting another--the 2 gifts that are left that I am giving to my daughter's teachers.   She graduates high school next Saturday, and I have been working on 3 gifts:  one for the teacher who's class she is dead-set on not attending (yes, its her 1st period class), one for her drama teacher and one for the music director. My daughter has been the sound tech for the drama club for 3 years, and both teachers have given her so much of an opportunity, I just wanted to thank them in a special way. 

I have also been working on my patterns.  I am working on one that is a reusable shopping tote, and I will offer that as soon as its done here on the blog, and also on Etsy for a low, introductory price. I am currently writing up the directions, and I am checking in to how to get my pattern printed up.

I have also been doing a great deal of cleaning--not only for the move, that we decided should wait until the end of summer, since my daughter may attend summer classes at our local community college, but my brother is coming next weekend, and we need to do some heavy-duty cleaning around here!

Finally, I got the news I have been waiting for---I got a summer job! It is with the Girl Scouts, at their day camp here in Reno, and I will be a counselor/leader.  I had this job last year, and I was a little anxious for a while, not knowing if I got the job or not. I got to school full-time, so I don't work, and all I receive during the year is financial aid, so having a summer job helps more than a little bit, because I can't seem to make my aid last the entire year!

School's out, baby!

Aaaahhhh.....school is done for the semester!  I have been furiously working on 3 projects to give to my daughter's teachers as "thank yous" since she is graduating June 9th. I am also working on producing patterns for sale---bags, purses, and totes....plus, I might be taking some summer classes, if I can get financial aid....I'll let you know when the patterns will be on sale

One more test, one more test.....

So I took one final today--History of the English Language---and I have one more to go on Tuesday (Literary Criticism and Theory), then I am done! I am taking a couple days off to craft, then I have to get back into study mode for a couple of days so I can pass this test! I got some new fabric, so I will see what I can make, and post some pictures, and a project in the next day or so.

Jo-Ann had some great fabric and purse-making stuff on clearance, so after my final, I have lots of free time, and I am planning to make some bags for sale, with the chance for someone to win one in June!

Still here...it's almost the end of the semester

Yes, I am still around....the semester ends in a few weeks--I only have 4 more days of regular instruction--so I have been really busy getting final assignments together and whatnot....I have a final for my online class on Monday, so I will be busy for the next couple of weeks.........

I will come back after that and, as promised, post some easy-to-make crafts here!

Spring Break....

Well, this week I am on Spring Break and I am doing a little spring cleaning as well.  My daughter is trying to get a summer job in California, so we may be moving there just for the summer; either way, we are going to be moving to another apartment, so I am starting to pack some of my things so that I will not be doing all of this at the last minute. So, I will not be doing an ATC's, inchies, or paper crafts, since that is the first stuff I packed up. However, I have been doing my hand-sewing, and I have been making some miniature quilts. I have finished one so far (pic later), and I have a couple that I need to finish. I plan on making some micro-minis and some doll quilts and selling them on Etsy......I know, I know....I keep changing my mind about what I am selling, but since I hurt my arm, sewing is pretty hard, other than by hand, or small things my machine. Also, on Big Cartel, I will be creating some supply packs for ATC and inchie makers this week, so look for that!

Fabric Shoppin' Friday!

I got a new idea about something I can hand-sew that I used to be into but never tried to make--hand-made miniature quilts! Or at least small ones that might not count as miniature. I went to two local stores:  Mill Ends and Windy Moon Quilts, and got some fabric to make some little quilts, and I hope to get them up on Etsy soon...I will take pics as I progress.......

Two simple ATC's I made--Big Cartel connection

I just opened a store at Big Cartel, and I added 4 items--well, I just have the free page, so I can have 5 items. On that site, I am planning to sell some of my paper and mixed media embellishments, and I wanted to show 2 super-simple artist trading cards (ATCs) here that I made with some of the things available now on Big Cartel, and that will make their way onto Etsy as well.

This card features the metal flowers:  The base is actually a happy accident! My daughter was gluing a dictionary page onto a playing card, and she glued on the wrong side. We tried to remove it, but it was too late, some of the paper stuck! But......it looked pretty cool, so I kept it. I roughed up the edges of the card with an emery board, and treated the edges of the card and the remaining dictionary paper with Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain). I glued on an image, and glued on a "Bon Yoyage" piece I had rubber-stamped and saved from a previous project. I punched 4 holes in the card, and used large and small brads to affix the metal flowers onto the card.

This card featured the punched birds:  This card was very simple as well! I glued beige card stock onto a pre-cut ATC base made from a file folder. I used a rubber stamp made for creating backgrounds to stamp the background with 4 different ink colors (1 VersaMagic Chalk ink and 3 Brilliance pigment inks), turning the stamp in a different direction with every ink change.I found the text in a book page, and glued it onto a bit of card stock before cutting it out and gluing onto my ATC. I glued on 3 of the birds, and added pieces of ribbon--they are glued onto the back, and held on with metal brads; I punched a hole through the ribbon and the card to put the brads on.

Besides birds and flowers, you can easily use any of the embellishments that I have available. I will add more ATC's--and other projects--as I add more items to Big Cartel and Etsy. Please follow the links and check out both sites! I will add things to my StoreEnvy site soon....school has been keeping me extra busy!

School, and some Etsy news

Well, school has started--it actually started on January 23rd, but it is just now really starting up, with 2 papers due next week. I am also starting my Practicum:  it is also called Field Experience, and it's where we go out and observe teachers in their classroom. This year, there is a change, so we will actually have to be doing more than watching the teacher and grading papers--we will have to teach at least 2 lessons to a class! Wow--I'm excited--and nervous about it all. This semester is middle school, and in the fall we will be tackling high school.

As for Etsy, I just added 22 items last week, and one has already sold, and I am creating more now add to the site, so please go and check it out.  I made pincushions, and I also have some fabric yo-yos there. I want to add some fabric flowers too, and eventually some crocheted ones, once my arm and wrist are back to normal. If you have checked out StoreEvny, no, there is nothing there yet, but I hope to get some things up in the next week.  I also just opened a page on Big Cartel (www.yummiedebbie.bigcartel.com) and I will be adding some paper embellishments to that site.

If you are wondering, I'm still doing physical therapy for my arm and wrist--I can do a little typing, but not a whole lot for a long time, and I still can't do a lot of crafting.

A little mojo going....

So I sewed a little last night---just hand-sewing--but i feel good about it. I also got a very cute fabric bundle at Jo-Ann that I plan on using for pin cushions among other things. Yep--I think it might be a productive weekend!

Boo to injuries

I'm sorry I haven't been on here lately. Since I hurt myself, I haven't been able to craft anything.  Can't sew, crochet, knit, embroider, or do any work on ATC's..........Yes, I still hurt and I still can't move my arm, wrist or hand normally. I got an MRI (finally after a lot of issues) Tuesday and the results today, which said I just have a strained muscle, but I need some physical therapy to get back to where I was, which starts Monday. 

I have discovered that I can do a few small crafts like collage, and I can do some hand-sewing. I made some pincushions, and I hope to get those up on Etsy for sale in the coming week. I am still planning to start posting some crafts for you to make on this blog.