Hi there, everyone! I hope you're all having a great week so far. I've been a little under the weather; my recurring inner ear problem has come back the last few days, and I've been riding the couch with a bad case of the dizzies. You have no idea how boring just sitting around is, especially when there's so much Christmas stuff to be done! Luckily, hubs and I got most of the decorating done on Thanksgiving weekend, so at least I don't have to worry about that.
Speaking of Christmas decorations, I thought it would be fun to give you guys a little tour of my decked halls, because what's more fun than sharing all the cute things I've created over the years?
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Tuesday Tip: Homemade Yarn Holder
Hey there, everyone! How are you doing this chill Tuesday morning? Did you survive the holiday weekend with your sanity intact? I hope so! I managed alright, probably because I knew I could leave the chaos of my family's homes soon and drive back with my loving husband to our quiet home.
This week's tip is another yarn related tip though not necessarily a plastic canvas one. On my trip to Asheville, NC, I bought two balls of the prettiest purple baby llama yarn, and I just had to make a hat out of it! I'll be sure to post pictures of it sometime soon, it's so nice. Well, because it's a high quality yarn, it came as a twisted hank instead of a nice neat skein, which means I had to roll it into a ball before using it. And then of course I had to knit with a ball of yarn, which is hilarious if you have curious cats around. Knitting makes the ball roll a little, and then the cats get interested, and before you know it your living room is covered in beautiful, expensive yarn. Argh!
I thought about getting one of those fancy yarn holders you see on pinterest or Etsy, you know, the ones that look like bowls with a notch or a hole carved into it for the yarn to come out of, but they're usually pretty expensive. Then, last week I saw something at Joann's that caught my eye.
It's a big plastic jar with a lid on top that has a hole. Huh. Simple, yet effective. The problem I had with this one was that it was very light weight, and I just wasn't sure it would do the job of holding the yarn down as I tugged on it. I could just envision the whole holder rolling all over the living room floor. (On the plus side, it was only $10.)
But it did give me a good idea for something I could make myself, and I already had all the things I needed to do it!
Being a serious homemaker type who gardens, cans, and ferments, I just happened to have a half dozen half gallon mason jars sitting around my house.
Plus, we're trying to get away from using plastic containers to store our leftovers, and we use mason jars a lot as an alternative. So we have a bunch of these plastic mason jar lids for storage (is that ironic?).
I also decided, after looking at the half gallon jars, that those are probably too big for a small ball of yarn. A wide mouth quart jar is perfect, though, and it uses the same size jar as the half gallon jar.
Once you've collected those two or three things, actually making the yarn holder is easy peasy. Just Get your husband or boyfriend to drill a 1/2 inch hole into the top of the plastic storage lids (or do it yourself; I did!). Sand it lightly to make sure the yarn won't catch on any rough spots, and you're all set!
Here's everything all together; a drilled lid, an undrilled lid, a quart jar, and a half gallon jar.
I found that the half gallon jar is perfect for small-medium skeins of yarn and medium sized balls. The one pictured is a skein of Red Heart Classic; I was also able to get a skein of Red Heart With Love into this jar as well, however a Skein of Red Heart Super Saver wouldn't fit. Make sure that if you use a skein, the yarn is coming out of the middle, not off the sides.
The quart jar is just right for smaller balls and small skeins.
The price break down for the half gallon jars is as follows:
Case of 6 half gallon jars -- $18
+
Box of 8 plastic wide mouth storage lids -- $5
____________________________________
$25 for six yarn holders
Or $4.16 for each one
(All prices are from Walmart.com)
Quart jars are cheaper yet, because they come in a case of 12 and are usually cheaper per case. Or, you could be really cheap and go to Joann's and buy a single jar for a couple of dollars!
Personally, I think having multiple yarn holders around would be very useful, like if the project you're working on uses multiple yarns. Or, if you're prone to having multiple projects going at once, just stuff your project right into the jar, needles and all, and set it on a shelf.
So what do you guys think? Do you use a yarn holder? Or do you just let the yarn ball roll all over creation? Would you pay $50 for a fancy ceramic holder? Or are you super cheap like me?
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
This week's tip is another yarn related tip though not necessarily a plastic canvas one. On my trip to Asheville, NC, I bought two balls of the prettiest purple baby llama yarn, and I just had to make a hat out of it! I'll be sure to post pictures of it sometime soon, it's so nice. Well, because it's a high quality yarn, it came as a twisted hank instead of a nice neat skein, which means I had to roll it into a ball before using it. And then of course I had to knit with a ball of yarn, which is hilarious if you have curious cats around. Knitting makes the ball roll a little, and then the cats get interested, and before you know it your living room is covered in beautiful, expensive yarn. Argh!
I thought about getting one of those fancy yarn holders you see on pinterest or Etsy, you know, the ones that look like bowls with a notch or a hole carved into it for the yarn to come out of, but they're usually pretty expensive. Then, last week I saw something at Joann's that caught my eye.
But it did give me a good idea for something I could make myself, and I already had all the things I needed to do it!
Being a serious homemaker type who gardens, cans, and ferments, I just happened to have a half dozen half gallon mason jars sitting around my house.
Once you've collected those two or three things, actually making the yarn holder is easy peasy. Just Get your husband or boyfriend to drill a 1/2 inch hole into the top of the plastic storage lids (or do it yourself; I did!). Sand it lightly to make sure the yarn won't catch on any rough spots, and you're all set!
Here's everything all together; a drilled lid, an undrilled lid, a quart jar, and a half gallon jar.
I found that the half gallon jar is perfect for small-medium skeins of yarn and medium sized balls. The one pictured is a skein of Red Heart Classic; I was also able to get a skein of Red Heart With Love into this jar as well, however a Skein of Red Heart Super Saver wouldn't fit. Make sure that if you use a skein, the yarn is coming out of the middle, not off the sides.
The quart jar is just right for smaller balls and small skeins.
The price break down for the half gallon jars is as follows:
Case of 6 half gallon jars -- $18
+
Box of 8 plastic wide mouth storage lids -- $5
____________________________________
$25 for six yarn holders
Or $4.16 for each one
(All prices are from Walmart.com)
Quart jars are cheaper yet, because they come in a case of 12 and are usually cheaper per case. Or, you could be really cheap and go to Joann's and buy a single jar for a couple of dollars!
Personally, I think having multiple yarn holders around would be very useful, like if the project you're working on uses multiple yarns. Or, if you're prone to having multiple projects going at once, just stuff your project right into the jar, needles and all, and set it on a shelf.
So what do you guys think? Do you use a yarn holder? Or do you just let the yarn ball roll all over creation? Would you pay $50 for a fancy ceramic holder? Or are you super cheap like me?
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Work Life Balance
Hey there, everyone! How was your Thanksgiving? Did you go out Black Friday shopping, or were you like me and avoided stores like the plague? I can't stand big crowds, especially when they see you as competition! Yikes!
I had a very nice Thanksgiving. We spent Thursday with my family, my mom and dad, sister, nephew, my oldest niece and her little boy, and of course my mom's cats. Then on Friday, we went over to my hubby's parents house for leftover feast. It was so nice to spend time with family, and to take time off from blogging and designing. It gave me lots of time to think about this strange year I've had and about the work I've been doing with pattern designing.
For many years now, almost my whole married life, I've been a full time homemaker and part time artist. I always enjoyed being a homemaker; I was proud to be creating a sanctuary for my little family, a safe place in this crazy world. I wanted to be an artist, but I didn't know what direction to take my art. So for many years, I was mainly a homemaker.
But then in July, I started designing patterns, and I just jumped in with both feet. I love it! It's so exciting to be creating all the time and actually getting paid for my work. That's an amazing feeling after all these years of being an unknown artist. But I've been having a lot of trouble figuring out a balance between being a homemaker and a designer. I try to work only 4 hours a day on my designing, but I get so excited about the work that I usually work all day on projects.
However, then I see the house all messed up and I realize 10 minutes before my husband gets home that I haven't figured out what I want to make for dinner, and it really stresses me out. I want to design, but I also want my home to be the perfect sanctuary that I've always tried to make it. I just can't have it both ways.
Then on top of that, Christmas has really been complicating things! I always make most of the Christmas presents I give away, but I can't find the time to make the gifts, clean the house, and design patterns. And I don't even have kids; I can only imagine what stay-at-home-moms with a business must be going through!
I don't think I have an answer to my problem, I just wanted to complain, lol. I think at least for Christmas, I'm going to design some patterns that will end up being gifts for people on my list, that way I kill two birds with one stone. I probably just need to be more efficient when it comes to the homemaking, and I probably also need to give up some responsibilities, like making all my food from scratch and starting all my garden plants from seed. I just feel like I'm not being a very good homemaker if I don't do those things, like I'm letting my grandma down (she had 12 kids and made everything from scratch, including a dozen loaves of bread a week!).
Are there any other homemaker/business people out there? How do you managed your time and still stay sane? I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing!
I had a very nice Thanksgiving. We spent Thursday with my family, my mom and dad, sister, nephew, my oldest niece and her little boy, and of course my mom's cats. Then on Friday, we went over to my hubby's parents house for leftover feast. It was so nice to spend time with family, and to take time off from blogging and designing. It gave me lots of time to think about this strange year I've had and about the work I've been doing with pattern designing.
For many years now, almost my whole married life, I've been a full time homemaker and part time artist. I always enjoyed being a homemaker; I was proud to be creating a sanctuary for my little family, a safe place in this crazy world. I wanted to be an artist, but I didn't know what direction to take my art. So for many years, I was mainly a homemaker.
But then in July, I started designing patterns, and I just jumped in with both feet. I love it! It's so exciting to be creating all the time and actually getting paid for my work. That's an amazing feeling after all these years of being an unknown artist. But I've been having a lot of trouble figuring out a balance between being a homemaker and a designer. I try to work only 4 hours a day on my designing, but I get so excited about the work that I usually work all day on projects.
However, then I see the house all messed up and I realize 10 minutes before my husband gets home that I haven't figured out what I want to make for dinner, and it really stresses me out. I want to design, but I also want my home to be the perfect sanctuary that I've always tried to make it. I just can't have it both ways.
Then on top of that, Christmas has really been complicating things! I always make most of the Christmas presents I give away, but I can't find the time to make the gifts, clean the house, and design patterns. And I don't even have kids; I can only imagine what stay-at-home-moms with a business must be going through!
I don't think I have an answer to my problem, I just wanted to complain, lol. I think at least for Christmas, I'm going to design some patterns that will end up being gifts for people on my list, that way I kill two birds with one stone. I probably just need to be more efficient when it comes to the homemaking, and I probably also need to give up some responsibilities, like making all my food from scratch and starting all my garden plants from seed. I just feel like I'm not being a very good homemaker if I don't do those things, like I'm letting my grandma down (she had 12 kids and made everything from scratch, including a dozen loaves of bread a week!).
Are there any other homemaker/business people out there? How do you managed your time and still stay sane? I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, it's that time again for turkey and family get togethers, football and pumpkin pie. The snow has really fallen here in western New York, and it's really starting to feel like tho holiday season. What makes it feel like the holidays to you?
It's also time for us all to be grateful for the many blessings in our lives. Our families, our homes, our pets, our online communities, our crafts. There's so much in life that we take for granted; I hope today you stop for just a moment to say Thank You.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It's also time for us all to be grateful for the many blessings in our lives. Our families, our homes, our pets, our online communities, our crafts. There's so much in life that we take for granted; I hope today you stop for just a moment to say Thank You.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Tuesday Tip: Yarn Storage
I decided that maybe I should change my name for my tips this week, since this tip isn't exactly plastic canvas related. So this week it's a Tuesday Tip!
So as a plastic canvas designer, I decided that I should have a lot of yarn. I mean a LOT of yarn. Remember the shopping trip when I came home with this?
And that was just a small section of my collection. I have all but four of the solid Red Heart Super Savers colors, plus a ton of stuff from the With Love series and some other random stuff. I just buy yarn when I like it, lol!
So how does a crafter sort all this yarn? Especially if you don't have a lot of room? I have an art studio that's 8x12. Not exactly huge, and most of it is filled with a drafting table, large wall mounted ironing board/crafting table, and book shelves. Here it is in all it's incredibly messy glory.
Somehow it doesn't look that messy in real life, lol.
So as you can see, I just don't have a lot of room for my yarn, and I especially don't have room to keep it well organized. What's a crafter to do?
I don't have a lot of room in my studio, but I do have some large closets in our den/computer room. It's a room over the garage, so the roof goes down across the room, and there's a long closet all along one side of the room where the roof is angling down. It's convenient for storing stuff we don't use very often. And it also happens to be a great place to store milk crates full of yarn!
Since I don't have to get in there very often, I just piled the crates right inside the doors. Each crate holds one color family; there's a brown crate, a pink crate, blue, bright green, soft green, purple, black and white, teal, and yellow and orange.
I started out with three crates, and then I asked around to get two more. I bought two more crates at Home Depot, but cripes they're expensive. They were about $10 a piece. I still needed a few more crates though, so I decided for the time being, I'll make due with cheap Rubbermaid crates. They were 3 for $10! And they're actually pretty high quality. Not quite as high quality as the milk crates though.
I wouldn't use this storage system outside of the closet. My house is very dusty for some reason (I blame cats), and I bet that if these were out in the open, they'd be covered with dust and hair in no time. Someday I hope to have a huge cupboard with drawers to hold all of my yarn, but for now it's a good work around.
If you're a yarn freak like me, how do you store it? I'd love to see everyone's ideas!
So as a plastic canvas designer, I decided that I should have a lot of yarn. I mean a LOT of yarn. Remember the shopping trip when I came home with this?
And that was just a small section of my collection. I have all but four of the solid Red Heart Super Savers colors, plus a ton of stuff from the With Love series and some other random stuff. I just buy yarn when I like it, lol!
So how does a crafter sort all this yarn? Especially if you don't have a lot of room? I have an art studio that's 8x12. Not exactly huge, and most of it is filled with a drafting table, large wall mounted ironing board/crafting table, and book shelves. Here it is in all it's incredibly messy glory.
Somehow it doesn't look that messy in real life, lol.
So as you can see, I just don't have a lot of room for my yarn, and I especially don't have room to keep it well organized. What's a crafter to do?
I don't have a lot of room in my studio, but I do have some large closets in our den/computer room. It's a room over the garage, so the roof goes down across the room, and there's a long closet all along one side of the room where the roof is angling down. It's convenient for storing stuff we don't use very often. And it also happens to be a great place to store milk crates full of yarn!
Since I don't have to get in there very often, I just piled the crates right inside the doors. Each crate holds one color family; there's a brown crate, a pink crate, blue, bright green, soft green, purple, black and white, teal, and yellow and orange.
I started out with three crates, and then I asked around to get two more. I bought two more crates at Home Depot, but cripes they're expensive. They were about $10 a piece. I still needed a few more crates though, so I decided for the time being, I'll make due with cheap Rubbermaid crates. They were 3 for $10! And they're actually pretty high quality. Not quite as high quality as the milk crates though.
I wouldn't use this storage system outside of the closet. My house is very dusty for some reason (I blame cats), and I bet that if these were out in the open, they'd be covered with dust and hair in no time. Someday I hope to have a huge cupboard with drawers to hold all of my yarn, but for now it's a good work around.
If you're a yarn freak like me, how do you store it? I'd love to see everyone's ideas!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Thoughts on Pattern Sharing
Are you guys on Pinterest? I loooove Pinterest. I'm there every day, usually for far too much time. I love the ideas I get just surfing around, seeing what's new in the craft world and what old stuff is still loved.
I noticed earlier this year that a lot of old plastic canvas patterns are being shared on Pinterest. Have any of you noticed that? Stuff that's technically illegal to share because it's copyrighted and you have to pay for the pattern. At the time I was actually really interested in seeing all those patterns, but as I've started to design my own patterns, I've begun to have some different thoughts, and I've decided that I'm conflicted about the whole thing.
On one hand, yes, it's illegal and it's not fair to the designer or the pattern company. When you post a pattern that isn't free to share or Pinterest, you're taking money away from the people that worked hard to make that pattern. And let me tell you, it's hard work to make a pattern. I only work part time as a designer, but I still work my butt off and only get one pattern done a week, and I don't make a lot of money from it. It's a job that requires a lot of passion for little pay or recognition. I can only imagine how frustrated a designer must feel when someone's sharing their patterns without their permission.
There is another hand, believe it or not, and this I think is something specific to plastic canvas. Plastic canvas isn't very popular right now, and there are only a couple dozen designers making new patterns (and only 2 or 3 that are very well known). So new patterns are pretty hard to come by these days, which makes the old patterns really valuable. The problem is again that PC isn't popular, so even the old patterns are hard to find. Many, if not most, of the old patterns are simply out of print. Where does that leave the PC enthusiast that wants new and interesting patterns? Sometimes I see an interesting pattern on Pinterest that someone pinned illegally, but when I try to find the pattern to buy, it's impossible to find. I can't buy it even if I wanted to! Boy that frustrates me.
I definitely think sharing modern patterns is not right and only hurts the people who are doing the work that they love. If you like a pattern and you can buy the pattern, then by all means, you should buy the pattern. If you see a pattern on Pinterest that you know is pinned illegally, you should do the right thing and report it.
As for the old patterns that are out of print and simply impossible to buy? I still don't think it's right, but I think posting it on the internet is probably the only way of preserving that very special creation. If the designer or the pattern company asks you to remove it, though, you should definitely comply.
What do you guys think about pattern sharing? Do you do it? Do you report it when you see it? Do you think old out of print patterns are ok to share?
I noticed earlier this year that a lot of old plastic canvas patterns are being shared on Pinterest. Have any of you noticed that? Stuff that's technically illegal to share because it's copyrighted and you have to pay for the pattern. At the time I was actually really interested in seeing all those patterns, but as I've started to design my own patterns, I've begun to have some different thoughts, and I've decided that I'm conflicted about the whole thing.
On one hand, yes, it's illegal and it's not fair to the designer or the pattern company. When you post a pattern that isn't free to share or Pinterest, you're taking money away from the people that worked hard to make that pattern. And let me tell you, it's hard work to make a pattern. I only work part time as a designer, but I still work my butt off and only get one pattern done a week, and I don't make a lot of money from it. It's a job that requires a lot of passion for little pay or recognition. I can only imagine how frustrated a designer must feel when someone's sharing their patterns without their permission.
There is another hand, believe it or not, and this I think is something specific to plastic canvas. Plastic canvas isn't very popular right now, and there are only a couple dozen designers making new patterns (and only 2 or 3 that are very well known). So new patterns are pretty hard to come by these days, which makes the old patterns really valuable. The problem is again that PC isn't popular, so even the old patterns are hard to find. Many, if not most, of the old patterns are simply out of print. Where does that leave the PC enthusiast that wants new and interesting patterns? Sometimes I see an interesting pattern on Pinterest that someone pinned illegally, but when I try to find the pattern to buy, it's impossible to find. I can't buy it even if I wanted to! Boy that frustrates me.
I definitely think sharing modern patterns is not right and only hurts the people who are doing the work that they love. If you like a pattern and you can buy the pattern, then by all means, you should buy the pattern. If you see a pattern on Pinterest that you know is pinned illegally, you should do the right thing and report it.
As for the old patterns that are out of print and simply impossible to buy? I still don't think it's right, but I think posting it on the internet is probably the only way of preserving that very special creation. If the designer or the pattern company asks you to remove it, though, you should definitely comply.
What do you guys think about pattern sharing? Do you do it? Do you report it when you see it? Do you think old out of print patterns are ok to share?
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Happy Snowball Decor
Hey guys, I finally posted those cute snowballs in my Etsy shop!
Aren't they precious? Don't you just want to hang a dozen of them on your Christmas tree? I'm going to give these cuties away to my family as Christmas gifts!
We're getting lots of snow today. We're supposed to end up with 8-10 inches by Monday, and some places in the county may see up to 15 inches! I'm just glad we have our new snowblower!
I hope you're all having a warm, safe weekend :)
Aren't they precious? Don't you just want to hang a dozen of them on your Christmas tree? I'm going to give these cuties away to my family as Christmas gifts!
We're getting lots of snow today. We're supposed to end up with 8-10 inches by Monday, and some places in the county may see up to 15 inches! I'm just glad we have our new snowblower!
I hope you're all having a warm, safe weekend :)
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