Busy Hands Happy Heart All Because of Cotton

December for a handmade shop owner/artist tends to be a busy time. Scarf orders rolled in and my hands got to work. One day my making record stood at 4 scarves equaling 8 hours of work. My wrists were tired by the next day but more orders meant they would get a few coffee breaks and then back to work they would have to go.

The Cotton Scarf Section

The Surprise Standout for the scarves… RED. I know what you are thinking, of course red, but last year it was Olive Green. I wasn’t prepared for Red at first and then when my 3rd order for the color came in off I went to the store. Cleaning out every red cotton bundle I could get my hands on.

Red in the shop

Between military ceremonies, mourning the loss of another soldier, keeping My Soldier on schedule and writing in a few blogs I managed to keep most of my sanity. I like to think that the orders, those cotton scarves and the short family reunion over Christmas has all helped. I have fresh ideas coming for spring right after these scarves get shipped out. Time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day.

Awarded a Purple Heart. My Husband, The Soldier

When a day becomes something bigger then a single moment. When it becomes a day that is etched onto your heart and in your memory, it becomes apart of your soul. But when that day is recognized and given an honor, an award, it can leave you feeling thankful.

The day that is etched into my memory… April 16th 2011, my husband was injured in Afghanistan. Other then the  bruises that were left all over his body, his injuries were invisible, still are invisible, but exist. That day, that phone call will never leave me. It was a day that could have gone so differently and I am always grateful that it didn’t. And on this day December 12th, My Husband, My Soldier was able to walk, shake hands, stand at attention, speak and have a Purple Heart pinned to his chest.  I have attended many military ceremonies, helped in pinning his next rank on his uniform and been proud. But this one was different. This one meant he was home, with me, walking, talking, breathing and smiling that smiling. This ceremony meant there will be more and I can’t wait to see them.

Get Your Chartreuse On

I love green so when the winter season of holiday’s come around and also St. Patricks day I am in heaven. One of the greens that make me smile. Lime, Chartreuse, Bright green with a dash of golden yellow. It is a beautiful thing made even more beautiful when my Chartreuse Infinity scarf is included in an entire treasury dedicated to this amazing green.

Stop by the treasury on etsy to see the entire collection.

And I would be thrilled if you came to see the Infinity Scarf in all it’s glory.

Pearl Harbor & A Childhood Memory

My father was in the Airforce which means we have lived in many places. One place in particular we happened to live for several years, Hawaii. Having done parts of Elementary School in Hawaii, living on Oahu at Hickam AFB you see many things, cultures and events. And I have retained a lot of those memories.

The attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th 1941 happened 70 years ago but everyday on Hickam and Pearl Harbor you are confronted with the reminders of that day. From 1987 to 1992 I would visit my father often at his work in the Headquarters building which was the Barracks in 1941. Walking to his office and through the long halls to his desk meant a trip through history. Pictures of the attack, bullets holes outside, bullets holes that had come through the walls. I would run my hands over them and couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like. To be my age living on base 50 yrs ago, at the time. To be a scared 9-12 yr old child whose family and home was being destroyed. But then to have the juxtaposition of a pristine water tower unmarked because the Japanese thought it was a shrine or temple. Knowing that fascinated me and scared me at the same time. A shrine was important but people were not.

Have we learned anything since then? Are things different now? Do we still have the same values? Do we protect the United States in the same way? And do we hold Shrines and Temples above human life?

When I Am Not Working, I Am Working

The thing that I create that calms me and helps me feel centered is crochet. Crocheted anything, as long as it is yarn and I have a hook I am happy. I have the standards that I make for the shop during the winter and holiday season. Scarves and all things that wrap around your neck to keep you warm or festive.

But when given the chance and a moment for a break, instead of putting down the hook I pick it back up, change the color of my yarn and let my hands go. I don’t analyze my work or question it. The outcome… a necklace, free form and in COLOR. A vibrant red to go with evening or day wear. Can’t wait to get this listed and make more Free Form Jewelry.

What Does December 1st Mean For You?

The first of the month brings on a few exciting things. One is a paycheck. Military and most Gov’t agencies get paid on the 1st and 15th. Which means Rent and a few bills will get paid. Grocery shopping that was getting put off will happen and perhaps a fun dinner out. The First of THIS month means Christmas is almost here.

For the past 10 years The Soldier and I have not celebrated holidays in the traditional sense of gift giving. We don’t buy for each other or anyone else in our family specifically for a Holiday. We celebrate Birthdays and Births, we give gifts just because. But when Christmas or Valentines day rolls around we run and hide. We don’t have a huge anit-consumerism theory or follow a specific religion that stops us from the gift giving process. What we do have is a disdain for the “Gimme Gimme” attitude that happens on the morning of Christmas. The overwhelming wrapping paper and the way once a gift is opened it gets pushed aside to open the next.

 

What we do instead is have a calm, family & friend filled few weeks of parties, bringing hostess (thank you) gifts with us in the form of wine, food or handmade trinkets. We bring hugs, smiles and laughter, we bring love. If I know a friend has a pension for the color green and I just made a set of washcloths then I bring them. If I see something at a craft fair, a glass charm and I know my Mother would love it then I purchase it. But it will be given when I see her. Not held on to until Christmas. It took two Holiday seasons for family to realize that they didn’t have to “worry” about us for the holidays. They didn’t have to second guess their gift, fret over if they spent enough, if we will like it or if it arrived in the mail on time. We have literally been told “We love knowing you two are happy to be with us and don’t expect anything more then happy in return”.  So, although we do give gifts to others and ourselves we don’t let a holiday dictate the type of gift or timing of the giving, we give because we want to and hope you do the same.

From Red to Blue and A Splash of Purple

The holidays have been great for treasury making and even better for being included in them. My holiday flare has been the ornaments I started working on back in September. They are crocheted free form circles and then I wrap it around a smooth unfinished natural wooden circle. They look amazing on the tree but also look pretty fabulous on gift boxes and bags as embellishment.

Christmas Moods

I’ll Have a Blue Christmas

And who can’t deny this purple collection. I loved the crisp white backgrounds and the variety of items in this fantastic color.

Passionate About Purple

Holidays & Getting My World Ready

It is Thanksgiving Day. And I am so excited for this time of year and the year to come. We have had a few hard things happen in the past year to two years. One being my husband almost dying in an IED explosion back in April while deployed in Afghanistan. Life has moved on, slow improvements and things are looking great for him, me and us. The beginning of the Holiday season means a new year with new stories, new ideas.

The past two years I have found an outlet for my creative whims by sharing what I make on this blog and others. I have discovered that I make pretty great things and can make a little something by selling the very best of what I create. The unexpected discovery and one that my Soldier has been subtly suggesting for months has been a love for creating Banners, buttons and fancy things for Blogs and etsy shops. And for some reason we hadn’t thought of using it for “real” with benefits work until The Soldier came across job listings on Craigslist for people/businesses asking for WordPress knowledgeables to make a blog for them. Seriously. I knew people hired out for website designs and even to help with blogs. But I didn’t think some of those people would be businesses.

So, come January we have a few plans laid out, which include classes with other people and actual teachers, that will help me make a living doing what I love to do. CREATE!

Happy Holidays and for the US folks reading Happy Thanksgiving.

Riding the Wave of Surprise: Featured on Etsy Finds

When you own a shop online and that shop is also on Etsy there are a lot of tools that come about that help you track how many times your shop gets viewed. One morning while checking my stats I noticed the number was pretty high for a Friday morning. Then I went back then the 30 minutes later and it has tripled. What was going on? Right around that time I get a message on Etsy from a wonderful stranger letting me know I was included in an email that Etsy sends out Called Etsy Finds.

That’s me right there in the Red and White Next to Trim the Tree.

I was beyond ecstatic. My handmade crocheted on wood Christmas ornaments were just emailed to thousands of etsy handmade loving folks.

Creating Patterns and Textiles: work in progress

When ever I am sitting down to create my next order inspiration seems to strike. This time I was able to hold off on jumping right into it until my orders were finished. Once that happened I was itching to get it out and on fabric. Here is a sneak peek at the Light blue Tea towel with my newest design.

Now I just need a name.

I also tried the pattern on a Slate Coaster. What do you think so Far?