Etsy Shop Update

I just updated my Etsy shop with these polymer clay flowers! I split them up into for separate lots. They should all be on my Etsy homepage. If not, click the 'flower' category on the left.

New Blogger Features

As some of my fellow bloggers may be aware, Blogger has made some changes lately. With this change to Blogger in Draft, I was able to redesign my garden blog. I can now add pages to my blog, something I've wanted to do for quite some time. Back in December (yes, I'm a bit behind in Blogger news) Blogger added a new way to monetize blogs. Amazon Associates allows me to search Amazon for products I'm writing about, and link to them without having to open a new tab or leave my blog post. The other neat feature is that I can choose to have Amazon turn the text into a link, insert an image that acts as a link, or insert a link and an image. If you purchase the item I blog about, (or any item after following my link) I will earn a small commission.

If you want to keep up with new Blogger features, subscribe to their blogs. They have one for Blogger, and one for Blogger in Draft. If you don't want to add yet another blog to your reader, go to 'edit notifications' (next to the profile picture in your Dashboard) and check the box to receive emails about Blogger features and updates. I will be trying out some other Blogger features, and will do my best to keep you updated about any changes I make to my blog.

Ironically, after writing an entire post about linking to Amazon products, I have not linked to any Amazon product. Not to worry, though, my next post should have a few links. Meanwhile, I added four new altered notebooks/journals to my Etsy shop and apparently forgot to blog about it!

Etsy Shop Updated

So much for updating my Etsy shop last weekend. I just finished updating it, so take a peek!

Various Projects

I've been writing this post in my head for several days, and figured it was about time to blog it.Warning: this is a picture-heavy post!



For starters, I'm planning on an Etsy update sometime this weekend. All my listings have expired, and I have some new items to list. These fan pulls will be among the new items.

My latest knitting project was this reuseable Swiffer cover. It's made with The Original Sugar & Cream yarn, the colorway was 'Potpourri'. The pattern is from Ravelry.







A couple of weeks ago in this post, I set a goal to finish the yellow rose and fabric in Lady of the Thread. I was able to finish the rose, and got the two bits of fabric connected, but not finished. In other cross stitch news, I finally took Ruth 1:16 to Hobby Lobby to be framed.

 

A while back I joined the Rochester, NY Crochet Group on Ravelry. I've been going to the bi-monthly meetings, and have progressed slightly on my Never Ending Granny Square Afghan. The afghan consists of 70 squares, and I'm doing one color at a time. There are 7 rounds to each square, and the white makes up the third and fourth rounds. After all the squares get sewn together, there are four border rows.
I  got the pattern from freepatterns.com and it appears to be copied from Crochet World Magazine Vol. 19, page 40.



I made two of these bookmarks for the Summer Missionaries that came to minister at our Church for the month of June. The pattern is one of my favorites for quick gifts. It's the Ribbon and Lace Bookmark from the Big Book of Tatting, page 14. My current tatting project(s) are the Facebook July TAL motif (the theme is Christmas in July), and finishing my second cross bookmark. The reason I have two is that I broke the thread on the first one and couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I started over. By the time I finished making the second one, I had figured out how to fix the first one.

I think that's everything I've been working on while I haven't been blogging. Hope you enjoyed the crafting gallery!
~Sarah

Etsy Shop Update

I finally updated my Etsy shop yesterday. There are some new items, and some of the pictures on the older items have been replaced with better ones. I'm trying to get a preview to show up in this post, so check back in a bit if it's not visible.
~Sarah

Etsy Shop Updated!

I finally got my Etsy shop updated. All the listings expired while I was on vacation, and I've spent the last couple of weeks making a few new items and re-photographing some of the older items. There is only one bookmark listed right now (the one to the right). I designed it to go along with my awareness ribbon this month. I'm planning to get the remaining bookmarks listed tomorrow, or at the very least, photographed.

I'm considering doing a special bookmark every month to go with the awareness ribbon I choose. Leave a comment, tell me what you think!

~Sarah

Etsy Shop Open

In case you missed it, my Etsy shop is now open. Some more pictures of items in my shop:

Two sets of stitch markers. After using these, you will never want to use plastic markers again! I'm completely hooked on these beaded markers, and use them almost exclusively.

A pair of Rosewood hair sticks with beaded dangles. The sticks are about 7 1/2" long, and the dangles are 1 1/4". The beads are all Swarovskis.

~Sarah

Contest Winner

And the winner is...Sarah Meister! Congratulations Sarah! I'm not sure I have your current address, so send me an e-mail, and I'll get the cross stitch sent out to you ASAP!

I've decided to keep the URL since it's a lot of trouble to change the account information. However, I am changing my store name to The Gardening Crafter. I've been working on adding bookmarks, but look for more items as soon as the camera starts taking good pictures!

~Sarah

Etsy Shop & Contest

*I've changed the date of this post so that it will stay at the top of my blog until the contest is over. Scroll down to see new posts.*
I've decided to open an Etsy shop, and need some ideas for a name for my shop. My current Etsy account is simplesticher - in case you didn't catch it, I left out the second 't' in stitcher.
I'm planning to sell beaded items; bookmarks, earrings, knitting markers, and anything else that strikes my fancy.

So, if you have an idea for a name for my shop, leave it in the comments. If I choose your title, I'll send you the cross stitch pictured on the left. If I don't like any of the titles, I'll pick a random commenter to send it to.
The I will close the contest in 2 weeks, on Saturday, April 12.


Some random info about myself that may help you think up a title: :)
Besides crafting, I love gardening, reading, and playing the piano.
I love cats and butterflies, and tolerate dogs.

I generally have 10-20 or so projects going at once. (Please note that they are not all the same type of project- for example, there may be 4 cross stitch, 2 or 3 knitting, embroidery, quilling, tatting, and a couple sewing projects)

My favorite colors are purple in shades of lavender and lilac, and pale yellow.

My favorite stuffed animals are seals. I have 14, plus 4 miniature seals made of various materials.

I have a large collection of candles, and a few oil lamps. I like to use them during the winter - it helps cheer up gloomy days.

I hope all this helps a little in thinking up names for my new Etsy shop.
Have fun!
~Sarah

Bookmarks For Etsy

Here are a few of the bookmarks that will be in my Etsy shop. I have changed the date of my previous post so that it will stay on top until the contest for naming my new shop is over.