New Business Cards!

I ordered new cards today -- much prettier and more professional than any I've had before! :)

Premium Business Cards by Vistaprint

Giveaway!

Hi all!

Just letting you know I will be celebrating in Sampler Village's 5000 Fan Giveaway by giving away a set of my Needle Felted Balls -- Solid Brights Mix!

You can enter here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGljXzJTcWN2dFZlYlNVdGFaZFZCWXc6MQ#gid=0

All that is required is that you become my fan on Facebook if you haven't already (link is provided in the document) and that you fill out a simple document (the one provided above)!

Good luck! :)

My New Zibbet Shop!

Hi all!

I have opened a new shop here:

http://www.zibbet.com/NotSoShabbyChic

All items are 15% off right now and will be for the next couple of weeks as my grand opening sale!

Please visit it when you get a chance! I am still keeping my Etsy shop open but I will be running this one as well. I got my first sale in it last week which was super-exciting!

A Memorial to my Precious Hammy :)

Me and Hammy :)
Hammy was a very special hamster who I adopted in February of 2010 and who was with me until he passed away with an untimely death in April of 2011. He was one of my most favorite pets. This is a memorial to him.


Hammy

Why I loved Hammy so:

- the very first moment I saw him I fell in love: they took his little house away and went to pick him up and he flipped over on his back, feet in the air, and squinting
- he was so apathetic about everything: he wouldn't ever care what you did for the most part, he had no safety awareness whatsoever (wasn't afraid of the cats, or of potentially falling from great heights) -- he just "didn't care"
- his squinty eyes, esp. when eating
- his nose sticking out of his Ham Hut
- his crunching sounds while eating
- how he would rest in his favorite spot
- how he would push me away with his little hands when I went to kiss him
- how fastidious he was with his bathing, even up 'til the last few hours of his life
- how cute he looked when he washed his little nose and ears
- how he looked like a little mouse
- how he would slide down his slide
- how he would dig through his seeds and make a big mess
- how he was moody (at times) if I cleaned his cage or moved something (like when we moved the wheel and he threw a tantrum and buried himself under the shavings)
- the way he would jump if you breathed on him
- the way he would "type" on the keyboard
- how he was so sweet, he never bit me even though I handled him all the time and he hated it
- how he was so soft
- his unusual coloring, such a handsome Ham
- his "extraordinary testicles!!!" (according to one vet)
- the way he would pack out his little house
- how he would ride in his "ride" (toy hamster car) when we went in the car
- how he started off running only one-way in his wheel, and then when we tried to get him to run the other way he at first resisted it, then finally would only run THAT way
- how he "ran stupidly" in the wheel with his head peering out the side
- how he would continue to run in his wheel no matter what was going on
- he was an internet- and real-life-sensation -- everyone loved the Ham
- how he would climb into things like the paper towel roll and my balls of crochet cotton
- how he would "sniff holes" in his new cage
- they way his little whiskers moved
- the way he would shake while sitting at his food dish
- all of his many nicknames: Hambot, Little Ham, Baby Ham, Hamolot
- the way he would freeze in his Habitrail's tubes when I tapped on them
- the little sounds he would make: sneezes, hiccups, "reeeeeees"
- how he would yell at me if I was too loud
- how he would burrow in his travel cage and you could see the bottom of little feet and body through the bottom of it
- the things he would scarf down
- the way he would stuff his jowls with seeds and nuts -- he would pack them out and look like a copperhead
- the songs we made up about him ("everyone's wild about Hammy, but Ham's indifferent to yooooou...")
- how he could (and did) go everywhere with me: upstate, hiking, to the beach, to my knitting groups, shopping, to my bf's every weekend
- how he was such a trooper: he got sick many times but always was a tough little Ham, even outliving his one-month prognosis by yet another full month


Hammy

I miss you so much Hammy. I love you and always will. You touched my heart from the very first moment I saw you. I am just glad that you are not suffering anymore. I wish I had had so much more time with you though. There will always be a huge part of my heart devoted to you. xoxoxo


Me and Hammy again


Hammy at Bard College


Hammy at Bard College


Hammy at Bard College

Most Delicious Summer Salad EVERRRR!!!

So I came up with a new delicious salad, using ideas from two different recipes and throwing them together. It is incredibly easy and fast to make (less than 5 mins). Here is the recipe!:

1 bag shredded romaine lettuce
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 can corn kernels
1 cup walnuts
1 cup Craisins
1/2 block Reggiano cheese (Parmesan would also probably work)
3 tbsps olive oil (roughly)
1/3 lemon

Combine the lettuce, garbanzo beans, and corn (drain and rinse first!) in a large salad bowl. Add in approximately 1c walnuts and 1c Craisins (use more or less to taste). Grate or shred the Reggiano and add it in as well. In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil and the juice from 1/3 of the lemon. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix well. Serves two to three people as a meal; serves more people for an appetizer. Enjoy!

These are a few of my faaaaavorite things... Part 4 -- Bath & Body Edition

Today I am going to feature more of my favorite products that I have bought, but with a bath & body theme! Almost all of these items can still be purchased through the sellers' shops -- just ask them if you don't see them listed! I have bought many, many bath & body products from Etsy but these are my ABSOLUTE faves!!! Enjoy!


Violet Skin Cream


12 Tea Lights - Vegan Soy - Mix 'n Match Colors and Scents


Sandalwood Rose Goats Milk Soap


Bulgarian Lavender Bath Bombs


Chocolate Turtle Brownie Soy Wax Tart Melts


Chai Tea Three Butter Soap with Organic Chai Tea


Dreamsicle Lotion Bar


Gingered Pumpkin Goat Milk and Honey Lotion


Purple Lavender Essential Oil Soap


Pumpkin Souffle 16 Ounce Hand Poured Soy Wax Candle


Pink Sugar (Aquolina Type) Body Oil


Maple Oval Lip Balm

These are a few of my faaaaavorite things... Part 3

Okay so today I am going to feature some of my favorite items that I have either bought or traded for on Etsy... almost all of them have been re-listed, so if you like any of them you can purchase them as well! Enjoy!!! :D


Kyle the Raccoon Wool Felt Applique Plush Doll Pillow by Cuore


Large Knit Project Tote with Pockets


The Lonely Tiger - Handcarved Stamp


Sweetheart Apron in Pink Marilyn by prettylittlepearl

Bijou Print


White Knitter's Brooch - Yarn and Needles


1AEON Natural tote with 3 blue Owls (I got mine with black owls)

Felting 101: Part 1

Hello all!

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would just share one of the things I've been working on with you -- a crocheted and felted stash bag!

Felting (otherwise known as "shrinking" when done by accident) is the process of knitting or crocheting something out of wool yarn and then throwing it in the washing machine on hot with some detergent. After running it through a few cycles, the item will have shrunk, the stitches will meld together, and the fabric will become very dense and durable.

I will write up another blog post in the next few days explaining this process in more detail, and I will also show you the second item that I felted today! But for now check out the following:


Stash bag, "before": large, lumpy, and shapeless


Close-up of the stitches before felting


Stash bag, "after": smaller, smooth, and shaped to perfection!


Close-up of the stitches after felting!

Check back in a couple days to see my knitted entrelac bag!!! :D

BP Spills Coffee

So funny yet so sad...

Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair

Hi all!

I just got back a little while ago from vending at the first annual Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair held at the Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, NY! In addition to having fiber artists sell their wares, there were also many demonstrations and workshops, including sheep herding, sheep and alpaca shearing, carding, dyeing, spinning, felting, knitting, and weaving! There were also angora rabbits, sheep and lambs, and llamas and alpacas that you could pet. Below are some pictures I took throughout the day of some of the beautiful work I saw as well as some of the lovely creatures without whom none of these fiber arts would be possible! Enjoy!


My table


My favorite item of the day, a lovely felted handbag from the Hallockville Knitters




Beautiful table decor and pin cushion from Mojo's Place


Gorgeous hand-dyed and hand-spun yarns from Hampton Artistic Yarns


Brilliant hand-dyed rovings from Color Craze Fiber


Beautiful hand-spun yarns from Temptress Yarn


Me meeting my first darling llama!!!


Amazing art from award-winning needle felter Irene Heckel


Freshly sheared llamas and alpacas


Me petting some baby Romney sheep! "Baaaah!!!"


Mommy angora bunny and baby angora bunnies (2.5 weeks old!) :)


Another angora bunny -- I challenge you to find its face!! (Hint: only the nose and mouth are visible)


Adorable retractable tape measures I bought from Mojo's Place


"Weave-it" miniature handmade loom I bought from Bumblebee Primitives


Finished woven square!

It was great meeting everyone and I look forward to seeing some of you again at the next fair!

Hippest Handbag EVER!!!

I just wanted to show off this amazing gift I got from my sister Jeanne on Easter (the green you see in the bottom of it is Easter grass -- she had filled it with chocolate also) -- it is too gorgeous and cool and unique to not be shown off!!!



She found it in a thrift shop in NYC!



It is made entirely of wire, different-colored glass beads, iridescent amber-colored acrylic beads, and a sheer fabric that pulls closed with a beaded ribbon drawstring.



HOW COOL IS THIS??!?