Thoughtful Thursday - Oh, Baby

First, I am not pregnant. I repeat (mom): I am NOT pregnant.

However, four of my friends have given birth so far this year, and four more friends are due by the end of February (not to mention the handful of friends that gave birth last year. Oi!). So as you can imagine, I have spent a large portion of my free time crafting baby gifts.

I know this kind of post is very atypical of me (and I promise it will remain this way). But I know many of you are in the same boat as me: lots of preggers friends, needing creative handmade gift ideas, but having no idea where to start. So for those of us less baby-minded, I thought I'd put together a little round-up of all the lovely tutorials and patterns I've found this past year.

My favorite stand-by quickie gift is the Cozy Quick Blankie from the Purl Bee. It's perfect because it sews up in under an hour, uses just two yards of fabric, and the end result is really cute and, well, cozy.

My other standard go-to gift is embellished baby burp cloths. All moms I know tell me you can never have enough of these around, yet the store-bought variety are dreadfully boring. So I like to dress up 3 to 6 of these and include with most baby gifts. Chickpea Sewing and Paper Dolly Girl both have excellent tutorials for how to do this. And though the latter tutorial calls for flannel scraps to be used as the absorbent interior, I like to used the standard Gerber cloth diaper you can buy in packs of 6 at Target or any baby store. It's more absorbent than flannel, is already pre-cut, and serves as an excellent template for cutting your fabric pieces. You can also sew both of these up in well under an hour.

This free skirt pattern from Oliver + S is super easy, and sews up in
just about an hour. The pattern calls for a yard, but a baby skirt
really only needs a fat quarter (or two 18 x 11-inch pieces). And how adorable is that squirrel fabric?! I kind of want a skirt from it for myself. . . . For a slightly fancier skirt, Two Little Banshees has a nice tutorial.

More time consuming but sure to be a hit with babes and adults alike (I gifted a set of these at a recent office baby shower, and the whole room got super excited and tossed the balls around for the remainder of the shower) are the Fabric Beach Balls, again from the fine folks at Purl Bee (and no, I'm not a paid endorser!).

Not free but super adorable is the Baby Binky Bunny pattern from mmmcrafts. The pattern is so easy to follow and is great fun to make.

Finally, if you're a knitter, I highly recommend the Offset Wraplan pattern by fyberduck. Simple, quick to knit, yet easily and endlessly customizable.

So, there you have it. My take on awesome handmade baby gifts. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

Buy Zombie!

Ah, the power of Twitter. This afternoon, someone I follow reposted a Tweet (retweeted) from a user named BuyZombie. Since I craft zombie critters and generally like most things zombie, I was intrigued and clicked over to their profile. BuyZombie.com is an awesome Website that is "an ever-growing database of everything Zombie related you can buy or do
on the Internet" and has "grown to be a hub for zombie news, media,
reviews, and announcements!" Naturally, I had to follow someone who runs such a cool site and I swear, not even an hour later, I saw this Tweet from them:

How cool is that?! Thanks to Stuart for such a nice write-up of my zombie critters!

Thoughtful Thursday - Autumn's Arrival

Anyone who knows me for any short time at all knows that fall is by far my favorite season. I love fall so much, I wish it was the only season (though I know I would then probably enjoy it less). I love the colors, the smell, the temperature and light changes. I love Halloween, and pumpkin-flavored everything. I love the crunch of leaves underfoot. And even though it's been years and years since I've been in school, I still get that great anticipatory feeling each fall like I did while in school. To me, autumn is like the new year--full of possibilities. A time for rebirth. I know, I know; in autumn, vegetation is dying. Birds are flying south. Other critters are readying their dens for a winter's sleep. But I choose to look at it the way Albert Camus did:

Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf is a flower.

Isn't that pretty?

I also like to think of autumn the way our ancestors might have: autumn is a time of great celebration. After the great harvest that will sustain a family and village through the winter comes a time of respite from the hardest farming work. In the fall and through the winter, a family gathers around the hearth. It's a time to enjoy the fruits of all your spring and summer labor. It's a good book in front of a warm fire. Cider from your own apples, pie from your own pumpkins. A leisurely walk down a country lane.

Everything about fall evokes in me strong, happy emotions. Autumn smells, looks, tastes, and feels good. I think if Goldilocks had been able to test out the seasons, she would've declared fall just right. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too bright, not too dark. Autumn is comfort.

I wish all of you a warm fuzzy fall.

October Goals and September Goal Status

(image: Modish Biz Tips)

September was a good month! I accomplished darn near everything on my list for the first time ever. Let's recap:

1. Make a "Y" for the Plush You sign Status: Complete.
   See picture on my Flickr. I will miss going to Seattle this year to hang out with all the awesome plush people, but I hope to go again next year.


2. Make at least 6 plushies, 2 of which (minimum) will be Halloween-related for the Etsy shop. Status: Half done.
   I managed 3 out of 6, but all 3 were Halloween related. I have a 4th half-done. . . .


3. Start researching new booth designs for No Coast. Status: complete.
   I have a good idea about what I want to do. The bad news? I was wait-listed this year. I do understand the space limitations, the need to keep things fresh and give new vendors a chance to shine, so I'm trying to stay upbeat. But I can't help but fell more than a little bummed about this. I've done
   this show for the past three years in a row, and it is so much fun. I
   love networking with the other vendors, hobnobbing with customers, and
   being part of the best yearly event in our local community. I'm keeping my fingers and my toes crossed that I can still participate!


4. Clean my craft room. Status: complete.
   This is a huge weight lifted off my back! I pulled every last thing out of the closet and reevaluated. I was a bit shocked by how much I had been holding onto that just didn't matter. But it felt so good to purge! I sent two large boxes to Goodwill, recycled four large (no, seriously large; like, two year's worth of back issues on four different magazines plus other miscellany large) boxes full of paper goods, and hauled three large garbage bags to the dump. Whew! Felt sooooo good. I want to share pictures with everyone soon, but before I do, there's one last thing I want to check off my to-do list.

Which brings me to October's goals:

1. Organize my fabric shelves. Refold all pieces, and arrange by color. Recycle or toss what can't or won't be used.
   1B. When done, photograph my room in pristine condition and share online.
   


2. Make more plushies! Even though I'm not guaranteed a No Coast slot, even though Etsy sales have slumped, now is not the time to sit on my laurels! Specifically, make at least 6 plushies.
   


3. Approach two new shops about carrying my work. Since I most likely don't need to save my inventory for a big show this year, I feel comfortable selling some of it to retail stores.


4. Complete at least half of my pieces for the Go Ask Alice show (due November 20).

And that's it!

Thoughtful Thursday - On Halloween and the Zombie Scourge

Yep, it must be October all right—zombies have shuffled their way into my Etsy shop! There should be a zombie critter to satisfy most souls, and I plan to add one or two more in the next week.

If zombies aren't quite you're thing (is that even possible?!), there are a few other "dark" critters as well, like this undead dragon:

Aside from Christmas, I think Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love playing dress up and seeing all the creative costumes others make. I also love the typical Halloween themes—skeletons, zombies, ghosts, wizards, witches, and so forth. It's the one time of year you're not considered a super nerd for enjoying or displaying items with these themes. So, here's to a fun and festive holiday this year, and no matter what others may say, zombies are always in fashion!

September Goals and August Goal Status

(image: Modish Biz Tips)

I slipped a little in August, but from the sounds of it, at least I wasn't the only one! But I like Jena's idea of not dwelling on what went wrong, so here's a short recap before I get on to September's goals:

1. Work out pattern design for one new plushie. Status: incomplete.
   Didn't even try. Whoops.


2. Make at least 6 new plushies. Status: complete.
   4 went into the shop, the other 2 were custom orders.


3. Make a list of what needs to be done to gear up for the
   show/holiday season. Status: ongoing.
   I think I captured most of what needs doing, but I'm sure more will get added.


4. Spruce up the ol' shop. First up: retake photos to replace some
   lackluster ones. Status: incomplete.
   
   Total accomplished: 2 / 4.

Not my worst month, but not my best either. So, on to September!

1. Make a "Y" for the Plush You sign in the Bluebottle Arts Gallery. 


2. Continue to churn out the plushies. Make at least 6, 2 of which (minimum) will be Halloween-related for the Etsy shop.


3. Start researching new booth designs. I may not be able to pull off a new No Coast booth this year, but I want to at least look at my options and try.


4. Clean my craft room. This room is seriously messy, and I have no doubt that has contributed in part to my August slump.

Here's to a better September, everyone!

Vote for Me!

Head on over to the HandmadeMN blog to vote for my Purple Rain Unicorn in the August monthly challenge. Pretty please?