I Finished my First Shawl!!!

...and my first garment, as well!!! The shawl has taken me a couple of months to knit, row after painstaking row, stitch after painstaking stitch, mistake after painstaking mistake (haha just kidding... well actually, no I'm not), and ended up reaching 57 inches in width!!!

Here it is in all its finished glory (unfortunately the top edge rolled up, hiding the border, but you'll get the idea):



I've also found it makes a great lap blanket too!! :)

YART SALE Has Officially Begun!!!

Hi all:

I have marked over 70 items as eligible for a 20% discount (refund to be given via Paypal once payment has been received)!!! You can find the items here:

http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6704541&search_query=yart

Hope you find something you like!!! :D

YART SALE!!!

Hi all!

Just wanted to let you know that I will be participating in Etsy's "Yart Sale" (Yart = Yard + Art) from June 10th-June 14th. I have marked over 70 items as eligible for a 20% discount (refund to be given via Paypal once payment has been received)!!! You can find the items here:

http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6704541&search_query=yart

If you want, you can get an early start tonight and I will still give you the refund!!! Many of these items are OOAK (One Of A Kind), so if you see something you want, don't hesitate to buy it!!

Happy shopping!!! :D

BIG SALE ON ALL NEEDLE FELTED ITEMS THIS WEEK!!!

Hi all!

Just wanted to let you know that all of my needle felted items are 25% off this week if you mention "felt sale" in the "Message to the Seller" at check-out on my Etsy site! Items include clutch purses, earrings, hair clips, pins, magnets, home decor, toys, appliques, and beads!!!

To see what is on sale click here:
http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6704541&search_query=felted

Below is a sampling of what I have to offer!:


Flower Fairy


Rose Hair Clip


Violets and Roses Clutch Purse


Flower Bobby Pins, Gold-plated


Bobblehead Bunny


Large Rose


Flower Appliques


Sunshine Earrings with Swarovski Crystals


Felted Ball "Beads"

Hope you'll stop by to check out the sale!!! :D

Inspiration at the Beach

One of my all-time favorite places to go and rejuvenate my soul is at the beach by my house. As soon as I pull my car into the park I feel the old familiar feeling of relaxation and a melting away of cares. As soon as I step out of the car and head toward the beach I feel the joy of being able to breathe in fresh air and feeling a nice breeze on my skin. And as soon as I step into the sand I feel any remaining cares slip away as I become entranced in a state of utter relaxation and bliss.


Ring-Billed Gull

While I am at the beach I not only slip into a meditative state, but I also am collecting shells, rocks, driftwood, and other tidbits; I am birdwatching; I am getting exercise; and I am becoming filled with ideas and motivation of positive things that I want to do once I leave the beach. I try to make going here a regular practice, but sometimes (like in the winter) I don't keep up with it, and I suffer in very obvious ways.

Great Black-backed Gull

Each and every one of us needs a place like this to retreat to. If you don't have a place like this you should make it an active goal to find a place where you can go and sink into a state of utter relaxation. Sometimes you don't even need to leave the house -- the bathtub or the garden are other places where I can achieve this state as well (although they're not quite as good as the beach). Without a place like this, we can become easily irritated, worn out, depressed, and stagnant with our creativity. Life's too short to let that happen.


Herring Gull coming in for a landing


Ring-billed Gull, Two Herring Gulls eating a crab, and a Great Black-backed Gull yelling in the distance

Vent

Okay, so most of the people I meet in Etsy's chat rooms are awesome. HOWEVER, there are a few who have been driving me NUTS.

It is SO RUDE to assume that just because someone compliments you on your work that they want to buy it and to then harrass them about it every time you see them thereafter!!!! And then you act all surprised and/or RUDE when I finally politely tell you to leave me alone and you act like you don't know what I'm talking about!!!!

Asking me "do you have the money yet" for something that I NEVER said I would buy, or "are you ready to buy ______ yet" when AGAIN I never said I would buy from you is really asking for me to come back at you full-throttle. Don't do it.

Kitty Loves Patons SWS Yarn!!!

I just had to post this pic even though it's blurry...

I had brought my knitting with me when I did laundry at a friend's house the other day, and when I brought everything home I stuck the knitting in the laundry bag (green and white striped bag in upper-right corner). Well once I was home, one of my cats actually went INTO the bag and pulled the whole thing out onto the floor so that he could lay on it!!! Here is the crime scene photo:



:D