Peacoock Circle Vest... LOVE!

Last week, I decided to try Craftsy to sell my patterns. I uploaded most of my patterns there. I haven't had any sales there yet, but it is worth a shot if you are a pattern seller. Unlike Etsy, and even the much cheaper Ravelry, Craftsy lets you list your patterns for FREE! I decided to jump on it because, well, why not? I have nothing to lose.

Anyway, as I was going about adding my patterns, Craftsy would recommend patterns to me. A few of them were cute, but one of them really caught me eye. I loved it! The Crochet Circle Vest/Shrug was suggested to me, and I think it is so cute. It is drape-y, light weight, open and looks super easy to make. I did end up purchasing the pattern, but I haven't made it up yet. It sent me on a wild goose chase to look at other circle vest designs.

I looked all over Ravelry and Etsy, and yet another vest caught my eye. This one has a gypsy/bohemian style and is actually a dress/vest. I cannot help but be drawn to the gypsy/bohemian style. I love the long tiered skirts. I love the layers. I love the long wavy hair. It all just speaks to me. I think there is a romantic freedom that sort of emanates from this style that I really love. So... I bought another pattern! It is actually called the Spider Web Mandala Dress Vest, and, as far as I know, it can only be found on Etsy.

I was so inspired and in love with this dress that I managed to finish one in just 2 days! It reminds me of a peacock. It was super easy to customize. You can change colors whenever you like and use any colors you wish, but the designer does give suggestions for where to change colors if you are feeling uninspired. It was really easy to understand, and works up quickly. The finished product made me so happy! Check it out.

 Give it a twirl. ;o)

 I really love it over a simple cotton summer dress. I tried it over a plain lilac t-shirt and jeans yesterday and it works great for that as well.

What do you think? I don't often make things for myself. Usually when I do, I have to really love them. This just happened to be one of those things. What have you made for yourself lately?

Over a Year Later!

Oh. My. Goodness! I cannot believe it has been over a year since I have posted anything. So much has happened in a year... We are proud parents to a very sweet little boy who is now a little over 6 months old! The time definitely flies, and I can promise that I take the advice to enjoy every moment we are able. And because I just can't resist, here are 6 months worth of our sweet Liam!

 Newborn

 1 Month

 2 Months

 3 Months

 4 Months

 5 Months

And our most recent... 6 Months!

Parenthood has been interesting, to say the least. I hope I get a chance to post on all such topics as breastfeeding, natural birth, formula, and any of the fun stuff in between. I struggled severely with breastfeeding due to chronic thrush and whole body yeast issues. It ended sadly (heart-breaking-ly for me) with me no longer being able to breastfeed and having to choose the next best option for Liam. I would love to discuss what went into our decision to choose Baby's Only Organic Lactose Free formula. I would also love to get some time to do an in depth post on Candida and all the issues it entails in hopes of helping others. If you happen across my blog between now and when I someday get the time to post up on my battle with Candida, please shoot me an e-mail at flowersandstripes@hotmail.com because it is brutal to go through and brutal to have to research on your own. I would be glad to pass on what I have learned.

And, in the crochet world, I don't get nearly as much done as I used to. Who would have guessed that I would be consumed with a certain little blue eyed boy zooming through my house in his rocket ship walker? :) I have drafted up a handful of patterns in the past year that I have had no time to sit down and edit, revise, find testers for, etc. Now that Liam is mobile, I get a little more free time with my hands, but most of that has gone to research in the past few months. I have been researching health and nutrition to death LIFE! Hehe. I make myself laugh. 

Today, compared to a year ago, I am a green-smoothie-drinkin', whole-grain-eatin', cloth-diaperin', attachment-parentin', health-and-nutrition-lovin', caffeine-free(in'?), Bible-studyin' crazy wife and momma! As you may have guessed, I never really needed the caffeine to feel EXCITED for life. I hope this is the first of many blogs to come, and I hope to share all of my thoughts with you about all my crazy roles in life. 

Oh, and one more quick note that I... you guessed it... hope to go more into depth later with, here is a great blog post I found about the whole copyright/licensing debacle I posted about such a LONG, LONG, time ago. Over at Speckless, she has posted her Thoughts on Making and Selling, and I feel like she was in my brain! :) I completely agree with her post, and I must say, over a year later from posting my initial thoughts on copyrights and licensing for patterns, I have gained much more experience and my original thoughts have changed. I offer most of my patterns to buyers letting them know that they are responsible for their finished items, meaning they can do whatever they wish with the items they put so much time and effort into. However, a small selection of my patterns are offered with the understanding that you cannot sell the items you make from the patterns online. I chose to list those patterns that way because I am a WAHM (work-at-home-mom). My husband supports us solely and is constantly working 10-15+ hour of overtime a week to ensure my ability to stay home with our little guy. The money I make from my Etsy shop is our only extra income, and most of that money comes from the sales of custom items using the select patterns I do not allow sales from. I know that legally, I have no rights to prevent people from making sales. That is why I have asked in the listing that you not purchase the pattern if you cannot agree not to sell the finished items. I am happy to answer any questions further regarding this policy upon request, but I just wanted to make a quick update. People change and grow, and their opinions change and grow. That is really all this update is about. :)

The Bearded Lady!

Ok, So I'm not really a bearded lady, but it sounded pretty good. I got this idea after my younger brother called me few months ago begging me to make him a "beard beanie." My first question was, "What in the world is a beard beanie?"
He told me all about them, but he couldn't find a pattern online. So, for awhile, I toiled away on my computer searching for a pattern... to no avail!
He was saddened, and I must say, I was a little bit annoyed. I have rarely come across an idea that I found NO pattern for, but I can now say that I have.
All this is to say that this particular beard beanie is my own original design. I am playing around with the idea of publishing the pattern, and I am also playing with the idea of selling licenses that allow people to sell the items they make. This is something I have never tampered with. Usually I just sell my patterns and allow people to sell what they make, but with this particular product, I am trying to respect another seller. She is selling these things like hot cakes in her Etsy shop, and I assume if she wanted lots of other people to be able to produce them, she would have published a pattern herself.
Can anybody give me any info on selling licenses on patterns?

Otherwise, these beard beanies are available for sale in my Etsy shop, which you can find in the side bar of my blog.
Enjoy!

Despicable Minions

I was mesmerized by the Despicable Me movie this past summer. It really struck a chord with my inner child, and ever since, I have been itching to make a Minion. Isn't he awesome? I would really like to make a few others and experiment with different eyes, mouths and hair. Maybe, at some point, I will actually get the pattern sorted out and published for other Minion lovers.

Fingerless Gloves, Mittens, Flip-Top Mittens

This is how I have been spending the past week or so of my life. It is getting very cold in my neck of the woods, and I am hoping to cash in on the cold weather, if you will. Recently, I lost my job at the chiropractic office. I have not worked a traditional job for a little over a week now, but that is not to say I haven't been working at all. In all actuality, I have been working quite a lot.

I consider myself to be an entrepreneur now, and I am working toward learning everything there is to know about being...umm... one of those. I am also embracing my more creative side. I have been writing patterns, like the ones for these glove and mittens above, as well as a few others.

It has been scary not working a traditional job, not having a steady income, not knowing how in the world we are going to keep our apartment, but it has also been endearing. I know it sounds crazy, but I have never felt so free and so happy to be jobless. We will just continue to figure it out from here.

My Own Crochet Socks

This morning I was laying in bed in a very peaceful mood as I listened to the rain tapping at our windows. As I lay there coming out of dream land, I was thinking about a pattern I recently bought for crochet knee socks. I needed two skeins of yarn to make them, and I was laying there thinking that simply was not very economical for me right now. From there, my mind started to wonder into all the other things I could create if I only used one skein of yarn to make a pair of socks. That is when the idea hit me. For whatever reason, I was filled with energy at the idea of creating my own crocheted sock pattern.

So, I got out of bed quietly, so as not to wake my husband. It was 9 o'clock in the morning, but the past few nights, I stole his pillow which was originally my pillow, and he hasn't been sleeping. (I gave him his pillow back last night.) I started on this creation of my own sock pattern, and the first two tries were sad ventures. I ended up tearing out my work both times, but the third time was a charm! I finally finished my pattern after a long day working.

Above, you can see my finished work. I absolutely love them! I am wearing this pair and keeping them for myself, but I will be making some for Christmas gifts and I am hoping to write up my pattern as PDF and sell it in my shop. Continue to check my shop for updates!

Christmas Stockings Galore!

All week, I have been working on Christmas stockings, and I don't mean to toot my own horn here. I think they are wonderful, though! The colors are some of my favorites, which is why I had picked out the yarn a few months ago without really knowing what I would be using it for. These are some of the first projects I have created after listening to and reading an article in the Etsy Success. The lady that wrote the article basically said that ultimately, what you make should be something you have fallen in love with, something that has pieces of your personality and all your quirks in it. Her article reminded me that I crochet because it is my art form, because I love to do it, and because it helps me to keep my sanity. It also reminded me how much I dislike corporation. It reminded me of my own ideals of small business, and with each stocking I made, I made sure that it reflected what I love.

I was talking to my husband about this article, and I pointed out to him that a true artist, such as a painter, were painting something, they would be painting from their soul, from somewhere deep down inside of them. They would be painting their own emotions out onto canvas. They would not necessarily be thinking about consumerism or about painting what the general public would want to buy. Also, if they were half way through a painting and absolutely hated it, I would like to think they would just get rid of it instead of trying to finish it according to what a possible consumer would want.

Isn't that what art is really about, anyway? Isn't really about expressing yourself? I know there are people out there that will not ever understand why I feel my crochet is my art form, but I truly feel that a piece of me goes into every work I make. I truly feel as though I am expressing myself in my work, and that is really what art is about, in my own honest opinion.

Sentimental

I started a blog a little while ago because I was overwhelmed with sadness and I couldn't figure out why. Big surprise, though. I just didn't want to figure out why. Then, as if God saw my sadness and wanted to give me a little push to deal with it instead of ignore it, Big T came into the living room, kissed me, and sat down next to me. He asked me what was wrong, and I started to cry. Before I go on, I need to say something because it is very important for me to say this. I used to have times like this, and I'm sure there will be more times like this where I just miss my mom. However, this time, I knew that saying I missed my mom would just be a cop out. Today, I was sad because I had been bitingly rude to Big T, and he didn't deserve it at all. I had called him on the way home from my sister's house and asked him what he was up to. He said he was going to his buddy's house, and instantly, I shut him out. Lately, all of our arguments have been about him being gone all the time. This time, though, he was just going over there because I wasn't home. Anyway, he had already told me there was a movie coming on tonight that he wanted to watch, but in my selfish (nooooo! not me! *sarcasm*) ways, I had expected him to drop his plans and watch a movie with me tonight. I completely flipped on him and started rambling on about how I was sorry I wanted to hang out with him and sorry I wanted to watch a movie with him and sorry I wanted him at home tonight and I just hoped he had fun at his buddy's house, even though he hadn't even left for his buddy's house.

Yesterday was wonderful, truly wonderful. I have come to understand that I am really sad to see this weekend end because I am afraid that yesterday was just a fleeting day in the wind. We went to Hobby Lobby, and I got $50.00 in credit. I got more yarn to make more socks and baby hats. I got a scrapbook album to scrapbook my holiday pictures in. I also got some more glass beads to make bracelets for a breast cancer research fundraiser I am participating in on Thursday this week. We spent quite a long time in Hobby Lobby, and the whole time, Big T was just walking around with me, browsing with me, talking with me, and laughing with me. He didn't complain once. When he got bored, he just wondered around a bit and found me wherever he assumed I'd be next. He just let me wonder, and when we left, I had spent more money than I intended, but I was so content. I am feeling very sentimentally attached to yesterday because it is the first time in a long time that I experienced those reasons I fell head over heels for Big T. He is observant, laid back, comfortable in his skin, funny, a wonderful listener, and my cosmic balance. I am a list maker, high strung, oblivious, self-conscious, and a jumper to conclusions. We do something special for each other.

Anyway, after that, we went to Borders, one of our local bookstores. It's part of a chain, so I'm sure others of you have heard of it. We browsed for books, and I didn't find the one I had been looking for, the one called "Love as a Way of Life." I figure I'll just order it from a neighboring town's library or borrow it from the friend that recommended it. We both found a few things we wanted to sit down with, though, and we headed to the cafe and got drinks. Big T likes to read, but he doesn't do it much at home, usually only when we go to the bookstore. I love how we can just pick to of the big comfy chairs and sit next to each other reading and sipping our drinks, though. There is something so peaceful and romantic about not having to say anything to each other. Just being close is enough to bring contentment.

On a side note, I have to tell you fellow knitter/crocheters about the book I found. It is called "Hooked on Murder," and it is a crochet mystery. There were also knitting mysteries. This book is sort of a comedic twist on a murder mystery, and though I have only read through the first chapter, it has me hooked. (haha, I did not even mean to make that pun. sorry for the hint of lameness that just showed through.) The very first page sets the murder scene, but it's not a creepy murder scene. The added bonus of crochet makes it humorous. If anyone wants to know the publisher, I will be glad to share it with you. I'm sure it will be a good read, and the best part is it was cheap. It's a paperback, (my personal favorite because you can bend the binding and really get that sophisticated reader look when your book is all tattered from how much use it got) and it was only six or seven dollars. The book also came with a free recipe for butter cream icing (it fits in the story, but to find out how, you'll just have to pick it up) and a free pattern for a granny square. It's a nice, cozy little package, if you ask me.

We also ventured to Micheal's for a knitting/crocheting accessory that I really wanted to try out. Others of you may not be insanely impressed, but because I own a cat, I think it is fantastic. It is basically a cylindrical tube with clear plastic that you stick your yarn balls in. It has a grommet hole on each end for your yarn to feed through, and your yarn ball never comes undone, rolls off the seat or your lap onto the floor of the SUV you happen to be riding in ;), or gets tangled. I am a fool for convenience when it comes to tangled yarn! After Michael's, it was off to Wal-mart for a few groceries and, you'll never guess, some knitting looms for Big T! He has made two hats of his own so far and is working on a third as we speak. He makes hints every so often that we should sell hats, but I don't care about money. I care about the people I make the hats for, and he does too. He's giving one to one of his best friends, and he helped me pick out some yarn for a mutual friend of ours that would like a hat. He even offered to make it for me if I didn't have the time. It is wonderful to have something we can do together.

We didn't watch the movie we were going to last night, either. Instead, we hung out with friends and my two brothers. I finished my blue fuzzy loom socks and gave them to Momma B's husband today. He says they look weird, but that didn't stop him from wearing them all day and making sure his daughter saw them. Momma B says he is all about comfort and function in the house, but outside of the house he is about how things look. He had to give me a hard time about them, or it wouldn't have been him. It just shows me he really likes them. :) I have already started my next pair, but I can't talk about those just yet. ;)

Anyway, I know this blog is extra long, but I really just wanted to reassure all of you that my day went so great yesterday. It's a hard thing to explain, love, but I feel warm, comfortable, intensely happy, beautiful, peaceful, and safe. There are many other things I feel, but I think that list is concise and best describes the way I feel about Big T. I am so glad to have a man that does not run scared every time I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. He didn't run after my mom died, and though Big T only got to know my mom for six months before she died, I think she knew he was the one. I think it made it easier for her to sleep at night knowing he was around, and I think it made it easier to leave this world knowing he would keep me safe. I do miss her insanely, but right now, I am most sad that I am not sitting in her terribly cluttered dining room, with our crazy, hyper lab, Chloe lying at my feet after one of her excited laps through the house, tell her face to face that I think he is the one. She's here with me now, though, and I think she knows that, too. :)

My Knitting/Crocheting (Mis) Advnetures ;-)

Recently, I have tried my hand at crocheting and knitting. In the past three months, I have been crocheting and knitting a lot of things. By knitting, though, I mean knitting with looms because knitting with needles drives me mad. I had learned to crochet about five or six years ago and had given it up when all my stress started coming out in my scarf. Yep, that's right, I had only tried one scarf before giving up. It was so tightly bound, and I couldn't keep the edges straight. I still have that scarf, too, in all it's unfinished glory. Anyway, back to the main event here. I realized that I have not posted many pictures to include you all in the process of my learning.I have been trying my hand at crocheted socks, which would be very nice if I would stick with it. After purchasing my knitting looms and having my sister teach me the right way to use them, I started making masses of hats, baby hats and big people hats, mostly. Even more recently, my grandma gave me this little metal set of square looms to make granny squares on. After a few fatal attempts, and again, my sister showing me how to use them the right way, I have learned that two heads are always better than one when learning a new skill, at least in my case. I have also learned, I cannot read directions to save my life, especially directions with pictures. Somehow, when the picture does not coincide with what I have imagined in my head, I don't admit that what I am envisioning is wrong. I just try it my own way, which is where I get into doing things incorrectly and being frustrated. Anyway, here is a sample of some of my most recent work.

This sock is on my two-year-old nieces foot. The lighting is bad, but the sock is adorable. I can't help but be proud of making an actual piece of clothing. :)This is one of the handful of baby hats I have made. I am using non-traditional colors because I think that is what I would want if someone made me a had to give to my baby. This is a picture of me in the hat I made for myself. It has a beautiful green baby soft yarn in it and a lilac eyelash yarn. It is very warm and fuzzy, and the best part is that my sister bought me those yarns for my birthday, with the help of my niece.This is where things start to get humorous. At least I can laugh at myself. This here is my first attempt at making granny squares. This is also the place it becomes obvious I am directionally challenged. ;-) When I showed this garbled mess to Big T, he had that silent, pondering look about him. He wasn't even sure what to say. What he did say was, "I think it looks good and will look even better with more practice." He's a good man. :)Now, this is what I am considering my real first granny square. After watching my sister make her first square last night, (she could read the directions right) I took note of how I should go about another square. Excuse me for boasting, but I think this square is so cute! Thanks, Grandma. ;-)

I hope you have all found some joy in my blog. Don't forget to try new things in life and laugh at yourself when your first attempt is pure garbage.

Da Da Da Duhhhh!!!!

I have finished my very first sock ever! I tried my luck at knitting and failed! However, I had crocheted before, and now I will continue to crochet much more. I am so excited to have made a sock, but I still have 19 and a 1/2 pairs left to do, give or take. I'm making them for the whole family! I thought this would be cheaper to do since I am broke for the holidays, but it turns out, it really isn't! Ha! It's really ok, though. If I buy my pieces a little at a time, it is less painful, and my family will hopefully cherish these babies at least until winter is over.

My weekend was different than they have been for awhile. I spent some much needed time with my sister! We went to a holiday craft show, and I saw so much creativity. It was really amazing to have so many crafty people all in a HUGE building like that, and I got a few ideas for things I would like to try. I also saw my brother this weekend, my older one. We watched the Bears' game together with our significant others and his significant others' mom. We had chili and roast afterward. It was a nice little get together.

I was all hyped up about going to the parade and the romance of it all, but I think somehow I knew I wouldn't go. Big T was finally almost not sick, and my sister also stayed home. I just stayed at her house for a while and worked on my wonderful sock. I am sad that I didn't get to cuddle up with Big T, but he was still a little sick, anyway. Can't have that! haha

Hope you all had as cozy a weekend as I!