awesome art week! - day 1

Caramback Design -

Poppy girl - original mixed media aceo




Silja - Original mixed media aceo

Adele - Original mixed media aceo

Caramback Design is the Etsy shop featuring the artwork of Norwegian artist Annette Mangseth. It is full of wonderful mixed media creations, and lots of prints of original work that makes it affordable enough for us all to have some on our walls.

This week, I'll be featuring a different Etsy artist every day. There's a lot of wonderful artwork out there, and nothing like it to liven up your walls and be a constant source of inspiration. So I hope you'll enjoy what I pick out this week, and go and give them a look see! Enjoy! ♥

Memories for Life Scrapbooks

MemoriesForLifeSB is a wonderful Etsy shop full of goodies for you and yours. It is owned by the amazing Edi, who really will amaze you with her unique, and often quirky, ideas for great scrapbooks - you have to go to her shop and check out the name scrapbooks, and flip-flop scrapbooks? Oh yeah, just wait until you see them, fantastic!

I'm really loving her notebooks though, pictured above, they are soooo pretty, I love them, and I see one of them coming my way in the near future! ; )

Also, Edi has a wonderful blog, here, it's a happy and fun filled blog, brimming with new ideas and projects, so be sure not to miss it!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! ♥

have a wonderful weekend!

Bambi addiction, by Enna Design.
On Etsy, of course!

how cute are these?

Aren't they cute? They are called Momiji dolls, and they carry messages on a special piece of paper which folds up and fits in a slot on their base. They are often made for special occasions, or special people - for instance the top one here, is a Sister doll. Also, there is an itchy Feet collection, for travelling and dreaming dolls. Check out this cute website for more details - Love Momiji, the home of Momiji dolls and have fun! ♥

I ♥ this shop!

The place is Etsy, the shop is Laura George, aren't her prints fantastic?!

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend! ♥

Handmade Home comes home!

I'm sooo excited, today was the day that the book by Amanda Blake Soule came to my home! I had pre-ordered it ages ago, and waited anxiously. It bills itself as giving us "simple ways to repurpose old materials into new family treasures". This is something I like to do myself, but new ideas are always welcome, and boy, Ms Soule has good ideas by the handful. If you don't know of her already, go and check her blog Soulemama, sooooo good! Oh, and buy the book too! ♥

thinking about the holiday season?

Soon, the Holiday 2009 season will be upon us and in full swing! It's so depressing to think of it now, while it's still Summer, that I usually don't until it's too late, and then I'm in a mad panic to get more stock in the shop, or I've missed the boat entirely. The problem is, I always think of it in real time, not in retail time, and as depressing as it is when the stores all seem to have Christmas stuff everywhere by the time it's back-to-school, you really do need to plan early!
I'm very excited to have an opportunity to sell my line from a real bricks-and-mortar shop, in a really cool art district in town, so I have been a crazy knitting machine trying to get enough stock for there, that will go in to the gallery/boutique by the end of August. So, if I continue knitting in every free moment, I might have enough to stock my Etsy shop also.
Luckily, for me, I don't make any items that can be Holiday season only wares, maybe only a different color palette, but that's more for the Fall/Winter seasons, so that takes the pressure of a little, but you can only sell what you have, so to make it a successful year the more the merrier definitely!

I thought I'd show a little before and after of the latest custom order I made for a customer. Above is the bag all knitted up, and sewn up, ready to be felted. And below is the bag after being felted, and it's signature applique added.

Since it was a custom bag, she had asked for a larger size, so here it is with the smaller usual size I make for that bag. I actually had not thought of making a larger size until I was asked, and it worked out beautifully, a really great size for carrying more in, or also for a laptop, since the wool is strong and soft it's great for that.

Well, I hope you have a happy Thursday, I'm going to be felting, and appliquing today, since I've run out of yarn! - I'll be off to the LYS tomorrow so I can continue in this productive period.

Oh, did I mention I have two youngsters who are enjoying their last days of summer vacation and getting ready for back to school too.........phew!

Eggs, it's what for breakfast!

Back to School...

Back to School
Originally uploaded by ~Luís~

....shopping today! It's actually a pretty fun thing to do, and the kid's are excited! This year it's been harder to find just the right backpack and lunch bags, but we'll keep trying!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Mushie Mania
Originally uploaded by Fantastic Toys

Wordless ATC Wednesday -

My sweet pullip Fern is doing just what I wish I could do today, knit and drink tea!

But, unfortunately, I have to go grocery shopping, not my favorite thing to do, especially with both kids! Oh well! Wish me luck, and maybe there'll be time for knitting and tea this afternoon, before I go to work? I can hope! What is your Monday bringing for you? Is it what you want to do, or have to do? Whichever it is, have a Happy Monday! ♥