Pretty Peacock - posted by Crafted by Lindy - Fab Finds from Etsy

Top to Bottom, Left to Right

 1.  Peacock Cameo and crystals adjustable rings - daliadaliak

2. Luxe Peacock Felt Baby Booties - sunflowerexpress

3. Peacock Feather Pin - peacescollection

4. Peacock Studs - lsette

Top to Bottom, Left to Right

5. The Counting Peacock - 5 x 5 Numbers Print - sugarfresh

6.  Waverly -limited edition gocco screen print -Exotic Bird Series 5x7 - jenskelley

7. The Bohemian Peacock Locket - Vintage - verabel

8. Peacock feather tattoo thigh-high stockings  - post

[Lindy lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, son and new baby girl. Besides blogging, she enjoys running her stationery business and creating new designs for her Etsy shop. You can read her own blog here.]

DIY Slinky business card holder/display - great for indie craft shows or your office desk

I've had a Slinky (the classic toy that's fun for a girl and a boy) sitting on my kitchen counter for...well, longer than I'd like to admit.  It dawned on me the other day that it would be a great way to hold/display business cards for a desk or table.   It actually holds a lot of cards and looks great. 

Fun for adults, too!

 

Grab my button widgets/gadgets and styling a blogger blog - Ask Candy

This week's question is actually 2 from Lindy of Crafted by Lindy. She's got some serious blog envy going on

Okay you guys are going to get sick of me. I've got two more questions for you....

1. See the lines on this blog (One Pearl Button) that go around each of the three columns? How do you do that? It may be very simple, in fact I'm sure it is but I can't figure it out. Thank you!
2. Also on the blog (link above) see how on the right hand side she has a badge with code under it that I as a reader can copy and paste to my blog? I want to know how to add this to my blog? I'd love to either be able to able to put a "grab this badge" widget on the side or on another "page" of my website.

Okay I'll leave you alone for now. Thank you! : )

So, she's talking about these lines:

They're very faint, but they are there. I am LOVING the gray/yellow color palette of this site, great job Allie! (Alli is the crafty archaeological grad student who writes this blog!)

So Lindy, I'm a Wordpress gal, and your answer is a Blogger specific question. So I did a little googling and found what I think is a fabulous site that tells you how to do this: Borders in Blogger Template from BlogBulk.com. I'm hoping that this will answer your question, there's no way for me to figure this out without setting up my own Blogger Blog and digging around. And I can tell you that my 1st blogging experience was done in Blogger 4 years ago and it didn't last too long. So I really hope this works for you!  

 [Although I LOVE writing this column, I can share with all of you that blogger makes it VERY HARD to do simple simple things. I know it'll get easier for me, but seriously, there is just so much extra crap whenever I switch over to the HTML tab to see what's going on...so consider this my public announcement of how much I LOVE wordpress! end rant]

Lindy, I LOVE your header:

I'm gonna bet that it's gonna be hard to get rounded corners outlining your columns, and I'm thinking that you may be unhappy with straight corners contrasting with your lovely rounded boxes in your header. I'm sorry this isn't much help...

HOWEVER! I can help with the second question! You want to do this:

You'll need to upload the picture that is your button to your site, and make a note of it's location. Then, go to this lovely site:

Grab My Button Code Generator

(My awesome bloggy friend Amy of Amy's Creative Side turned me on to this site - huge thanks Amy!) You just plug in your details, and customize the colors (LOVE this feature), preview it to make sure it looks the way you like, and then hit the "get code" button. Copy all the code in the lower box (NOT the preview code) they provide and paste it into a gadget (or a widget in Wordpress) in your sidebar. Click save and go take a look, and then DON'T freak out when you just see the little box of code (like I did). If you'd like to show what the button looks like, you'll need to actually insert that picture above or below the code you just generated, which is just for the box o'code itself!

Here is the code I put in my gadget/widget:

In order to have this on my sidebar:

Pretty nifty, huh? Thanks so much Lindy, I've been meaning to do this for myself....and now it's done! Woot!

Got a question? Ask it here!

[Candy lives in California with her husband, 2 boys, and dog. Aside from being wife, mom, teacher, crafter, web guru and all around doer extraordinaire she manages her own business,Candied Fabrics. You can read her blog here.]

5 ways to make your holiday shopping easy

I don't know about you, but the holidays stress me.  The commercialism has bummed me out for years.  I actually get a knee jerk reaction to all the advertising and promotions.  I refuse to go to the malls and cringe at the thought of fighting any crowd.  Luckily, much of my shopping can be done online since I have to ship all over the country anyway.  As the holidays are just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you 5 ways I've made my holiday shopping easier:

1.  Make a list.  My list often starts earilier in the year.  How many times do you see something that you think your best friend or family member might like but then you forget it by the holidays?  Write it down for future reference.  Carry your list with you (mine happens to be on my phone).

2.  Shop local.  I take advantage of the holiday artisan and craft shows in the area.  I find everything from teacher's gifts to that special gift for the hard to buy for person.  I will be sure to share some local shows with you in the coming weeks. 

3.  Shop by your ship to location.  I had an epiphany last November when I was running late to ship my mom's birthday present (I'm always late for birthdays).  Why not buy from someone in her area?  The shipping would take less time and I'd be introducing her to a local artisan.  So, I searched for Etsy shops located in the Denver area and purchased from a great person who even offered to deliver the package. 

4.  Buy handmade.  To me, a gift that is handmade and carefully chosen or made for me is treasured dearly.  I know the work and passion that goes into the item.  I appreciate the thought that went into choosing it just for me.  Every time I see, wear, or use it I always remember the person who gave it to me. 

5.  Join me in A Crafty Holiday blog hop.  Angela, of The Artists House, is hosting a blog hop that will take place November 1 - December 20.  Participating blogs will feature handmade shops and items on their personal lists (be it to give or to get) and share why they are vowing to buy handmade this year.  You can participate by reading our posts OR you can be a participating blogger.  For more details, please visit Angela's blog and sign up.

I'm vowing to make this a stress free, handmade buying holiday this year!

Captured: Untitled

Untitled | 史黛普．王 All rights reserved

[Captured is a weekly column curated by Diana Brennan of D. S. Brennan Photography. Diana lives with her husband in Rhode Island, where she spends her time immersed in photography, gardening, cooking, and home renovation projects. You can read her own blog here.]

What it's really like to work at home - OM [one moment] meet up #23

I'm so grateful to have been able to work from home but must admit it is not without many challenges.  This video is a funny, but all too real depiction of the working from home experience. 





I spent much of my week on the couch with my laptop and iPhone feeling awful from a head cold.  I remembered many years of going into work sick.  I hated doing it but the reality was that unless I was bleeding from my ears, my boss expected me to be in the office producing.  I used to keep hand sanitizer on my desk to let people know I was making an effort to not spread germs.  My moment this week came when I had a coughing jag (the kind that makes your eyes water to the point that people think you're dying and offer to call an ambulance) and was so glad it wasn't in a boardroom in the middle of a big planning meeting that I was leading.

Thanks, Angie (a.k.a. @modernpaper and Jumping Jack Designs) for retweeting this video.

OM is a weekly meet up that promotes living in the moment.  Whether funny, sad, ridiculous, or banal, looking for these moments can promote balance in our lives.


Share in the blog comments here, on your own blog (and link back below)  or on my Facebook fan  page. If you are on Twitter,  I've started a hash tag - #omMeetup so  that we can converse if we'd like. We'd love to hear your moment this week!

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Over the Rainbow - posted by Crafted by Lindy - Fab Finds from Etsy

Top to Bottom, Left to Right

1. Judy Garland Scarlet and Turquoise Cotton Pleated Purse - Edelind

2. Vintage Harvest - Fine Art Nature Photography Print (8x10) - buckscountyframes

3. Antique Button Push Pins - Button Ups Design

4. Hand-Dyed Cotton Twine - Chartreuse Green - Treasury Pick - olivemanna

Top to Bottom, Left to Right

5. Teal Blue Knee Length Jersey Skirt-Self Portrait - Zoe Chen

6. Braided Maiden Headband/Earwarmers in Variegated Purple - Yes Jess

7. Button Up Scarf in Silver Grey Merino Wool and Silk - awkward

8. Mineral makeup Mascara Strength and length All Natural Intense Balck - NatureGirlz

[Lindy lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, son and new baby girl. Besides blogging, she enjoys running her stationary business and creating new designs for her Etsy shop. You can read her own blog here.]

Hump Day Humor: Margo's disappointment

Margo's disappointment, originally uploaded by alamodestuff.

The camel meant that Margo wouldn't be getting a car for her 16th birthday.

Reno, Lake Tahoe, airplanes, In and Out Burger, and online friends

Hello!  I'm back from our trip to Reno in body but not soul.  I'm finding it difficult to focus enough to get my act together and back to work.  I also have a cold and feel pretty cruddy.  So, I'm giving myself a bit of a break.

While I have lots to share, today I'm only going to show you just a few pictures from our trip.  We had a very full 5 days in Reno and Lake Tahoe.  We met some wonderful people, ate lots of great food, went to the air races, boating on the lake and I met my online friend, Angie (a.k.a.  Jumping Jack Designs and @modernpaper), in person. 

We had pit passes, so the boys (C included) enjoyed the planes up close and personal.  As you can see, some of the military planes were massive.

The Air Races were fun although E and I spent most of our time walking the midway looking at souvenirs.

Reno has one In and Out Burger, so we had to introduce the boys.  This is Max's Animal Style burger.  Rhode Islander's, he thinks 5 Guys Burger and Fries rivals In and Out Burger. 

[257/365 O is for Online - Angie's flickr]

Here's a picture that Angie's husband took.  It was so great to meet her in person as I feel like we've been online buddies for a long time.  I got to introduce my family to most of hers and see Angie's work in person. That was truly one of the highlights of this trip for me.

I'll share more soon, but for now I have to clear my head...literally...because it is so congested it may explode.

Captured: Storming over Two Trees

Storming over Two Trees | ...-Wink-... Some rights reserved

[Captured is a weekly column curated by Diana Brennan of D. S. Brennan Photography. Diana lives with her husband in Rhode Island, where she spends her time immersed in photography, gardening, cooking, and home renovation projects. You can read her own blog here.]

A collaboration with a special artist - OM [one moment] meet up #22

I was sorting through some piles of paper on my desk when I came across a beautiful poem by E.  He had written it a year ago on a rainy day.  I loved the poem although he needed just one more line to finish it.  He refused.

Many months ago, I took a picture through a window that overlooks our backyard.  The image on the curtain blends naturally into the view of the yard.  I manipulated the photo, during one of my fits of Photoshop play, to the point of satisfaction but didn't know what I'd ever do with it.  When I picked up E's poem, this photo came to mind.  It was perfect as this is the window he was looking out the day he wrote the poem.  We finished the poem and, voila, a collaboration was created.  He then told me to put it on my blog.

"The nice wet grass, the light green trees,
the little spots of gray on the old burnt leaves,
The wet wet soil, the flowers that bloom
are all that I see from the view of this room."   - E. Demers, age 8

What was your 'one  moment' this week? What took you out of your present moment and gave you something to appreciate?

Share in the blog comments here, on your own blog (and link back below)  or on my Facebook fan  page. If you are on Twitter,  I've started a hash tag - #omMeetup so  that we can converse if we'd like. We'd love to hear your moment this  week!

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Preserves - posted by Crafted by Lindy - Fab Finds on Etsy

1. Rice Paper Butterfly Archival Museum display - Bug Under Glass

2. Any Three Jams or Jellies - Bovine Bubbles

3. Canning Jar Tags - Strawberry Jam - kraze4paper

4. Anchor and Lifesaver Vinyl Wall Decal Set - Wilson Graphics

5. Wild Blue Yonder Wild Blueberry Preserves - Wee Bee Jammin'

6. Wildlife Preserve - Do Not FEED the ANIMALS Poster - Dean Works

7. Help Me - Vagando Fine Art Photography - Vagando

8. Save The Vinyl - Truly Sanctuary

[Lindy lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, son and new baby girl. Besides blogging, she enjoys running her stationary business and creating new designs for her Etsy shop. You can read her own blog here.]

52 More Weeks of Blogging your Passion - an ebook review

[photo by recep-bg on flickr]

Sometimes I simply need a swift kick in the rump.  If you've followed my blog for long, you know that I blog out loud and often write things hoping they'll come to fruition.  I say to myself what I want others to say to me,  "Snap out of it and enjoy what you do!"  "Spend more time in the moment!" Sometimes, it takes a lot to motivate me. 

I've been blogging since March of 2008. When I began, I had little direction.  I simply wanted to keep track of things happening in my business.  I've learned so much since I began and and have watched my blog grow.  I don't want to stop now.  So, I just read part of 52 More Weeks of Blogging your Passion by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl.  This is where the swift kick comes in...Tara is like having your own personal trainer. She's a motivator.



 

When Tara took over Scoutie Girl in July 2009, I knew change was in the air.  I had been writing a biweekly post, Zoomed Local, for Jan DiCintio (Scoutie Girl's founder and owner of Daisy Janie) up to that point and was going to continue writing for Tara.  However, I needed to sit back and see what was going to happen next.  So, I did just that.  I read Tara's blogs (including Big Thinking for Small Businesses), tweets, FB posts.  I watched her burst out of the starting gate with kinetic energy .  Frankly, she hasn't stopped.  She has inspired, explained, intrigued, enabled and encouraged small businesses and, particularly, the handmade community.  I don't know where she gets her energy or prose, much less her great ideas.  One thing is for sure, she's kept them coming.  What's more, she practices what she preaches.  She's making her own dreams come true.

Tara just launched 52 More Weeks of Blogging your Passion and is offering preorder pricing and specials including a webinar on September 21st. Whether you are thinking about blogging or have been doing it for a while, I recommend Tara's ebooks (the precursor to this book here).  While I am an affiliate partner, I can promise you that I wouldn't promote something unless it resonates with me.  Tara is helping me push the envelope of my business and my blog.  I'm certain she'd do the same for you.  If you need a swift kick in the blogging butt,  click here to view more details.

Sewing Machine Presser Feet - Where to Start

This week's question comes from fabric designer Jan DiCintio, a.k.a. Daisy Janie. Before she began designing droolworthy organic fabrics like these:

she made close to 2000 handbags, many of them with her old Kenmore model 158.19141 sewing machine, and she asks:

Hi Candy! I've always been impressed by your artfully done free-motion machine embroidery - too cool! What type of presser foot do you use. if any? Have you used other presser feet, like a hemmer foot? I want to experiment more with what different feet can do but am intimidated by where to start!

Presser feet! They were invented to make our jobs easier...and there are so many of them out there!

Jan's referring to my Free Motion Quilting that I do, here's a video if you're interested in seeing me in action:

The foot that I use there is a spring loaded darning/embroidery/quilting foot and looks like this (I'm using a Juki TL-98Q in the video, but I also have a Bernina 1530, and she's where I spent the bulk of my time learning how to free motion quilt):

When you combine this type of foot with lowering the feed dogs, you are able to move the fabric around in any direction, all controlled by your hands.

This foot is often included with a sewing machine because long before people were free-motion quilting with their sewing machines, they were darning with them, and this foot was invented for that. (Darning...does anyone even know what that is anymore? Basically, adding thread and support to an area of clothing that is worn threadbare by stitching back & forth and side-to-side). However, your machine is so old that the foot may have gotten lost!

Anyway, I did a little googling to find out about your machine, and I did find a couple of places that sell a free motion quilting foot that looks like this:

Sew4Less (picture source too) and Keepsake Quilting

Another favorite foot of mine is one that helps with topstiching - which I know YOU love Jan! On my Bernina I use the blind hem foot and use that vertical piece to butt up to the edge of the fabric I'm topstitching and adjust the position of the needle so I can choose the distance away from the edge. The Juki doesn't have a moveable needle, so instead I have 3 (2 pictured below) compensating feet - the right side of the foot is deeper than the left, letting me butt the edge up to the deeper side and topstitch along without a care in the world!

These are the feet that I love, and make the decorative stitching I do possible. There are tons more feet, it really depends upon what you want to do with it. And you know Jan, googling about your machine reminded me that although we'd like to think that we can find out ANYTHING on the internet, sometimes that info is HARD to find!

Over the years I have had awesome experiences with my local sewing machine shops (NOT the one that's part of a big chain, the folks that sell and service sewing machines - people like Don Kauffman's Sewing Machines & Steve's Sewing, Vacuum and Quilting, both located close to you). You should be able to walk in, tell them what you want to do, and they should be able tell you what you need, and whether you already have it - or sell it to you. If you bring in a sample, they'll probably let you try out the foot in the store (when deciding to buy my Juki, I designed a tote bag with a gazillion layers to sew through and constructed the WHOLE THING in the the shop to test it out - how awesome is that?)

I'm a big fan of learning by doing, and the folks at a good sewing machine shop are trained to help, so I would definitely stop by sometime and chat!

OK, I hope this answers your question Jan, and for the rest of you reading, I hope this was useful! Make sure to stop by Jan's blog to see what she's up to - I can't wait to see her new line of fabric, the designs of which she just unveiled yesterday:

Don't forget to send in your questions! I think I'm gonna settle in answering a question every other week, during the school year things get a little hectic - but please, ask away! Oh, and I'm having a celebratory giveaway this week, pop over and enter if you'd like.

[Candy lives in California with her husband, 2 boys, and dog. Aside from being wife, mom, teacher, crafter, web guru and all around doer extraordinaire she manages her own business,Candied Fabrics. You can read her blog here.]

Captured: Untitled

Untitled | mats_60 Some rights reserved

[Captured is a weekly column curated by Diana Brennan of D. S. Brennan Photography. Diana lives with her husband in Rhode Island, where she spends her time immersed in photography, gardening, cooking, and home renovation projects. You can read her own blog here.]

What's new this week at alamode - where I've been and where I'm going

This morning, I found myself on the Australian blog Kasiabear.  I really like this collection of typewriters and typography products curated by Kasia and thought I should share it with you.  Please hop on over to her blog to see it in detail.  Thank you, Kasia!

This week I mostly spent my time fulfilling wholesale and retail orders along with ongoing production and developing a new line of clutches.

As it happens, more often that I'd like, I also got a bit sidetracked with projects and materials that seemingly called out to me.  We recently changed two bike tires and I couldn't part with the rubber inner tubes.  I've seen some really great things made with these and "had" to make something myself.  This necklace below was the result:

I still have a lot of rubber left and plan to make more necklaces and earrings.  I won't be selling these, but I will give them away!  Stay tuned.

After spending a lot of time dabbling, I was so happy to come across this great post by Cameron on the blog Cottage Industrialist.  She talks about being easily distracted by projects that in the long run may not  yield obvious, immediate, or worthwhile benefits.  This struck an immediate chord with me, especially since I spent several hours this week trying to make things for the heck of it.  Often, people will ask me why I do things that don't connect directly to the bottom line.  Why do I blog, tweet, and promote other sellers?  Why would I spend time making something that I don't intend to sell?  The answer, as Cameron points out, is simple.  It's because I'm doing what I want to do.  I'm satisfying my own curiosity and desire to create.  I'm exploring the possibilities.  I'm pushing myself.  Yes, it may be time consuming and ultimately unprofitable, but for me it is cathartic and meaningful.  It is necessary.  And it is okay.  I highly recommend Cameron's post.

Next week, I'm heading to Reno with the family.  We are going on trip number 2 [1st trip post here] in our quest to find C's next job and our new home.  C has been offered a job at a great practice out there and we want the kids to see the area.  I'm sure I'll be tweeting and blogging during our trip.  I'm also planning to meet a good Twitter friend, Angie of Jumping Jack Designs.  I love how the world wide web has created a global community of friends.  I'm excited to put a face behind @modernpaper!