30th Birthday Pattern Sale and Giveaway!

 I am turning 30 on Sunday!  Eeek!  

So, for my birthday, I want to offer all of you something!  Sounds good, huh?

My May sales will end at the end of the day today (Ravelry: Buy 2, Get 3rd Free!), and I will be starting a new sale at midnight.  Starting first thing (12:01am EST US time) June 1st, all of my patterns in my Ravelry shop will be 30% off!!!!

Just use coupon code: BIRTHDAY30

Get the theme?

Great!

 Now this sale applies to all patterns in my shop, but I wanted to do something else special for you.  A sale just didn't seem like enough.

So, if I sell 10 patterns this weekend (starting today), I will give away a FREE pattern of winner's choosing!
If I sell 20, there will be 2 patterns given away.

Here's how you enter:

Go to this post on my facebook page, LIKE and SHARE it (publicly so I can see it!), and you are entered!  It's that simple!

 The more LIKES and SHARES, the greater your chances for a giveaway, and for more than one winner!

So SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

 If I get 30 sales, guess what?

 I'll choose a third winner!

 Here are just a few things I have been working on this week.  The above Granny Bag, which I plan to finish this weekend with a strap and lining.

 This pink sweater is for my daughter.  It's the capped sleeve cardi that I have made before, here and here, and a few more times.  This is such a fun pattern to do, and I usually don't like to make the same thing a lot.

 Here is another one in purple tweed cashmere/angora/wool.  I will be adding some of my grandmother's vintage buttons to them this week, and will probably be listing the purple in my shop as well.

 Some cute newborn hats!
Perfect for photo props!  Plus, if you are a professional photographer and you purchase a finished piece, I will give you 30% off future orders if you give me photos I can use!  Contact me for more details!

I will also be adding this skirt (my Leilani's Lace pattern slightly altered), which is toddler sized.  Crocheted in a supersoft superwash merino wool from Expression Fiber Arts (LOVE HER!), this is a gorgeous piece!

So please check out my pattern sales, my new items, and don't forget to enter for a chance to win a free pattern!

Vintage Treasures

As I mentioned in my last post, we are planning on moving soon.  We have been busy cleaning, organizing, and packing as much as we can for the time being, so that when we find a place, we're ready.
I haven't accomplished much in the realm of crafting lately however.  Between constant cleaning, stressful home repairs, and work I have been somewhat exhausted.  I go to pick up my hook and yarn at the end of the day, but can barely keep my eyes open.  In times like these, when I can't craft much, I find myself frequenting crafty blogs and Pinterest even more.
Lately I have been noticing quite a few crafters using lovely vintage buttons, or better yet, displaying lovely vintage button collections.  Not that I don't have enough collections already, but I found myself wanting my very own vintage button collection.  I have pondered checking out some antique shops and thrift stores.
Well imagine my ultimate delight when I came across this spectacular find!

First of all, aren't the tins fabulous?!  Love them!

And inside were all of these magnificent buttons!  Teeny tiny ones, medium ones, large ones.  Buttons covered in fabric, wooden ones, and really old handmade ones.  One can only guess at how old these buttons are.  My grandmother (born in 1918) had been accumulating them for quite some time.  They were just tucked away in her sewing table, with many other treasures, including some wooden spools.

I wonder if some of them, like these (below) could be much older than she.  Perhaps some buttons were from her parent's clothing, maybe some passed down from her grandmother?  I will never know, but I am beyond thrilled to have them!

I see many of these going on some lovely crocheted sweaters.  Like these cute flowered ones:

Some may become closures or accents on purses, some on a pea coat for my daughter, some on hats, and many more that don't yet have a destiny planned for them.  One thing is for sure, I will never run out of buttons!

Do you like to collect vintage things?  What kind?

An Unexpected Move

Due to a large pile up of astronomical house problems/repairs, we have found ourselves needing to move.  This saddens me, as we were so happy when we originally purchase the home.  It was just the hubby and I (back in 2009), and we made a large down payment on what we thought would be a great "forever home" in the middle of the woods.

However, it seems that each year brings many problems and expenses to the point where it has just become too much.  I fear we bought a money pit.  If only we knew then what we know now.  Our first home purchase was a failure, and I only hope we can make it out with a small amount of cash and credit in check.

Money is horribly tight these days, and we have got to find a new place to rent soon.  We will need a lump sum up front, so I am trying to sell as many things as possible.  We are getting rid of our fancy thousand dollar vacuum, our snowblower, and lawnmower.  I am trying to sell off some of my daughter's old things that she outgrew, and I am having a major Destash Sale on my facebook page!

I have listed yarns, fabrics, and some finished items so far.  I also plan on adding some ribbons, jewelry making items, and more!  Please check it out.

I am still offering my May sales throughout the month, and I am hoping to add a few more finished pieces to the website.

I have not listed any of the children's clothing yet.  I was planning on selling that on ebay, but if anyone here is interested in some clothing items for a little girl.  I believe it's mostly 12 month, 18 month and 2T items, please comment below.  I have a lovely winter coat that is in perfect brand new condition and snow pants too.  Some spring and summer items and more winter clothes.

That's all for now.  Hoping I have more upbeat and crafty things to post soon.

A Little Reading

 I finally cracked open that book!

I love reading, but I find that I don't often have the time for it anymore.  I have been crocheting so much lately, that I never managed to even start this book.  I knew I would love it, because it is by one of my favorite authors, Nicholas Sparks, but I just had to find the time.
Well a couple of days ago I picked it up, and I could barely put it down!  Of course I had to for things like cooking, laundry, work and sleep, but I finished it within a few days, and it was AMAZING!
His books never seem to disappoint, and this may be one of my favorites of his.  Though I admit, I did predict  some of it, it was still chilling and moving as it all unfolded.  I do enjoy a good tearjerker, though since becoming a parent, I find I can't always handle truly sad stories.  This book combined some of my favorite genres: mystery/suspense/thriller and romance.  It really had it all and it came together so well.  I would highly recommend it!
Now I suppose after a few days of not crafting, I should get back to it.

 I began this dress for my daughter last week.  I have a bunch of my grandmother's old sewing patterns, and I have been wanting to try them out for quite some time.  I have never sewn from a pattern before, so I wasn't sure I was up to the challenge.  I finally decided to try one.  I chose this adorable fabric, A Walk In the Woods by Aneela Hoey for Moda, in pink and blue (as they seem to be her favorite colors lately).
I began by tracing the bodice pieces, but soon realized that I wasn't happy with the ruffled collar/yoke or the skirt portion.  So I am now kind of winging it.  It is coming along nicely, but I found it a bit stressful sewing a dress, and I have put it aside for a bit.
I am definitely more of a crochet gal.  Not only does it come more naturally to me, but it is very relaxing.  Although I have been wanting to sew many things lately, I tend to get stressed and a tad bit peeved with my machine.

 I am also working on the above project: patchwork sides on my jeans.  Remember these pants?  They were pretty common in my high school.  I always loved the look, and since I have several decent pairs of jeans which I have no hope of fitting my rather large(mother's) hips into, I thought I would give myself the chance to wear them again.  Sure saves in buying new pants, and I get to use up some of my fabric scraps.
I will share the finished pics when I get to sewing the strips on.

 Now that I have finished my book, I really want to start another one!  I am on a reading kick, but I must finish my shawl and my daughter's skirt for the sheep and wool festival that we will be attending on Mother's Day.  That's this Sunday!  Not much time.  Fortunately both are at least half way done.  I thought it only made sense to wear some wool to the festival, but with it being so hot lately, I chose this light open weaved look with fingering weight superwash merino from Expression Fiber Arts.

Do you all enjoy reading as well as crafting?  Any good book recommendations?  I would love to hear what you are reading these days!

May Sales!

 I can't believe it's May already!  Where is the time going this year?  Seriously feels like we just packed up our Christmas tree(so we did it a little late, like the end of January), and we also had some late snow fall too.  

Nevertheless, spring has most definitely sprung!  What better way to celebrate than with a couple of sales?

 I have begun listing my current stock of finished pieces on my site, and I am closing my Etsy shop.  All of my items listed are priced with US shipping included.

There are some great spring items: some lovely blankets (perfect for those new babies and spring picnics!), baby's hooded cape in pale yellow (oh so soft), a lovely spring set of baby cloche and dress (below),

....and this adorable patriotic clutch!

 I also have this Kindle case, perfect for a guy or gal who loves to read on the go!  It will keep your device free from dust and scratches.

 I am also adding a couple of these hats.....

 The blue is a 3-6 month and the orange 6-9 months.
They are a lovely spring time hat, crocheted in a soft pima cotton/acrylic blend.

 For the photographers, in addition to the blankets and hats, I also have this amazingly soft and warm alpaca set!  It is a newborn hat and cocoon, and perfect for a boy or a girl.
Alpaca is known for its softness and warmth, but it is also hypoallergenic, making it a wonderful fiber for baby items!

Now to the sales!

Sale #1
For the entire month of May, if you purchase any item in my shop, you will receive 25% off your next custom order with me, or your choice of one of my patterns (FREE!)!

Sale #2(RAVELRY ONLY)

For the entire month of May, if you purchase 2 patterns, you will receive a 3rd pattern of your choosing for FREE!  You must have three items in your cart for this to work, and it will automatically choose the item of equal or lesser value.  Use coupon code:  MaySale

I will be adding several more items to the shop throughout the month; warm weather does not mean the end of crochet!  Oh no.  There are many things to create for spring and summer, and I may even do a little sewing too.  I am taking a small break from pattern writing, but be on the lookout for new items: jewelry, bags, blankets, and more!
I would love your input, so please comment below with some things you would like to see.  I love hearing from you, and I love custom orders too!
Have a great May day!  

Now, off to crochet!