Weekly Favorite--Ripper Arts!!

This week I had the good fortune to meet Talina from the etsy store, Ripper Arts. I fell in love with this adorable baby hat and think the baby is equally gorgeous. So, I had to ask her a few questions.

Q. How long have you been knitting/crafting?
A. My earliest memory creating was as a young child, when my grandmother taught me to crochet. I would make clothes for my dolls. Then, as a preteen, I remember drawing, designing, wanting to be a fashion designer. As a young adult, I basically taught myself to sew after my mom gave me a quick lesson. I started to sew clothes for my son when I became a mom myself. I then sold custom clothing/dresses mostly to girls/women at church and in the family. I tried other various arts and crafts in the meantime, until I fellow nurse/coworker introduced me to scrapbooking about 12 years ago. My paper scrapping obsession turned digital after I taught myself web design/graphics to make my church web site. I then made my son's elementary school web site. Soon thereafter, I made the connection between web and print and worked as a digital scrapbook designer at scrapgirls.com. I love photography and playing in Photoshop. I did that for several years, abandoning paper scrapbooking/crafting all together. I only recently picked up my crochet hook again. I think I missed physically creating with my hands.

Q. How long have you had an etsy store?
A. I stumbled upon Etsy back in the Fall of 2008, after my husband and I did an arts and crafts show. I saw the cutest upcycled children's knit hats at the show, and I later did an internet search for them. I stumbled across Etsy and fell in love. My husband and I didn't set up our own Etsy shop until December 2008.

Q. Where do you get inspiration?
A. My husband, boys (we have four) and I love the outdoors. We enjoy hiking and camping. Most of my inspiration comes from nature, my family, everyday events, and other Etsians. I just love the whole idea of handmade!

Talina also shared with me that her and her husband will soon be starting their own brick and mortar store. Her husband is a custom furniture designer and maker and after quitting his day job will be working in a studio full time. Talina plans to keep her day job as a registered nurse and also work in a gallery.

"Hopefully, this gallery will become our own in September of this year. The studio is in the same building as the gallery, right behind it actually. We are working together with a fine artist, an oil painter, Cindy Saadeh http://cdsaadeh.etsy.com. We are making a big shift/change in our lifestyle. We are ready to make our dreams come true, moving into a downtown loft, living the urban life, working together, raising our children in a creative/artistic atmosphere. We will soon be living our art!"

Please visit Talina's store at: www.ripperarts.etsy.com

March Giveaway!!

I've decided to be generous and do a monthly giveaway. I know I'm starting this a little early, as there's still a couple days until March, but I got too excited. Here's how it's going to work. If you purchase an item from my store during the month of March, reply to this post and let me know that you've made a purchase and want to enter. If you'd rather not make a purchase, but would still like a chance to win, view my shop at www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com and let me know what your favorite item in my store is. Then you'll be entered in to win.

Want yet another way to win? View my shop and let me know what I should do to improve, or if you can suggest an item to me that I should make for my store...that kind of thing, basic advice and critiques.

On March 31 I will pick a winner at random. Winner will be contacted and asked for their mailing address so I can ship them these earrings:

Since first posting this, I have retaken the picture and I think you'll agree it's a HUGE improvement, thanks to my new camera. These earrings are super stylish and just right for your spring and summer wardrobe. Plus, they could be yours...free!! So hurry and get your entries in!

Sale!!

I'm having a sale in my etsy store today! Select items have been marked down to make way for some new stuff. All scarves have been marked down from 10 dollars to 7.50. Also being marked down are the spiral seashell earrings, that are now 2.00. The Amazing Love Cross Necklace is now half off! Please check out my store and help me clear out some of the old items!

www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com

Facial Cleansing Kit

It's the end of winter, which means I didn't want to make any more scarves, neck warmers or gloves for my store. So, what should I make for Spring and Summer? It took me awhile, but I sat down with some cotton yarn and a crochet hook and in a few hours, I had this exfoliating facial kit. The colors are super cute and the roughness of the cotton will be perfect for scrubbing the old mug.

Available now in my etsy store: www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com

Two New Items for Sale!

These two springy items are my latest additions to the etsy store. This first is a really cute bag that I'm extremely proud of. It's made with cotton yarn, has a pocket on the front and two crocheted decorative flowers.

The next item is a crocheted guitar strap, in the same yarn as the bag. This strap is for an acoustic guitar, is 52 1/2 in. long and is adjustable. To check out both of these items check out my store here: www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com.

First Etsy Purchase

I made my first etsy purchase today! There have been so many items that I've wanted to buy, but I just didn't have the money. This was a custom order for a small scarf from Betty's Original Knits. I wanted something spring-y and this awesome little scarf doesn't disappoint. She finished it very quickly and let me know today that it was ready and could be purchased. Isn't it cute?

I know I've already mentioned her shop as a weekly favorite, but I urge you to check out her shop...and keep in mind that although her shop is small for now, she does do custom orders...so go check her out here: www.bettysoriginalknits.etsy.com

I can't wait to get my scarf!

Lilac Lace Scarflette

This lace scarflette has just been added to my etsy store! I've also included free shipping to the U.S.

This dainty piece of neck wear is perfect for spring weather and is a very pretty lilac color.

Knitted with an acrylic, nylon and mohair blend lace weight yarn on small needles, this project took quite a bit of time to complete, but it's finally here! If you'd like to see some more pictures of this, or are interested in purchasing, please click here.

Or, to see my entire shop, follow this link: www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com

My Weekly Favorite: Cheeky and Choccy!

Let's all give this etsy seller a big round of applause! I was looking around her shop today and found lots of cute items but particularly this purse. I thought it was adorable, so I just had to ask a few questions and learn some more about her.

Cheeky has been knitting on and off for twenty years and also does numerous other crafts as well. She's had an etsy store for 2 1/2 years.

She finds inspiration for color combinations in nature and home decor magazines. "I jounal my ideas for new designs and have a binder with hundreds of cut-outs from magazines and online sites for inspiration. I also love to just flick through crafting books. I love to look at pretty things."

Please go check out her shop at www.cheekyandchoccy.etsy.com

Addicted to Threadkillers...

I have spent entirely too much time online trying to win a threadkiller in the etsy forums. For those who don't know what this is, I'll explain. When someone posts a new topic in a forum, this is called a thread. The last person to reply to that topic is the threadkiller. There are contests on etsy where you can win prizes if you're the last person to post...seriously, no one else can post for another 24 hours. It's soooo frustrating. I made it to almost 2 hours and the thread was on page 13 in the forum and then someone posted! Grrrrrr, oh well...I guess maybe I should go find me a life or something.

Anyone here ever win a threadkiller? How long did it take?

Maureen's Black Fingerless Mitts

These cute little mitts are almost just like the red mitts in my etsy store, except black. I did change the twisted stitch pattern, to include more of the little cables in these mittens.

I made these for my mother-in-law, who thought black would be more versatile and asked for a custom pair. I used an unknown acrylic yarn from my stash.

I hope she enjoys them!

Chicken Hats in Use

Marsha sent me this pic today of the chicken hats being worn. She assured me that they all liked their hats and that the hats were super warm.

It was a pleasure making these hats and I'm super glad everyone liked them!

New Etsy Pictures!

I've decided to take some new pictures of some of the items in my store. I'm still not sure they're exactly how I want them, but I think it's an improvement. I plan on taking some more pictures before I'm all done, but it's a start. Here are the new pics. Please come by the shop and check these out!

Fuchsia Glamour Scarf--No Longer Available

I've unlisted the Fuchsia glamour scarf from my shop...it wasn't a very popular item, and I've decided to give it to my mom for Valentine's Day. I think she'll like it. So in case you were keeping an eye on this scarf and are wondering where it went, it's sitting here in front of me waiting to be given away.

Anyway, happy Valentine's Day!!!

My Weekly Favorite--Betty's Original Knits!

I decided that once in awhile I should showcase one of my favorite etsy shops or a favorite item from one of those shops. Not sure if this will be a weekly thing or not, but from time to time I'll see something fantastic and have to write about it...and hopefully get some sales for that shop. This week's shop is Betty's Original Knits. You can access her shop here.

My favorite item in her shop is this hat. It's my favorite color and everything. Isn't it fabulous?

Please everyone, check out her shop...I know there's not much in there at the moment, but she's informed me that her fingers are working very quickly to get some more hand knitted items in there. Show her some love!

The Citrus Set

This necklace and earring set are my latest jewelry pieces in the etsy store. To check them out, click here.

The Spring Chicken Hat...Times Seven

I was emailed a few days ago with a request for these "chicken" hats. My friend Marsha and her family are huge chariot racing fans and plan on traveling to Jackson Hole for an annual racing event. Her daughter's racing team, (I forget the name) has the word "chicken" in the title, so the chicken has sort of become the mascot for the team. Last year, they all dressed like chickens and this year plan on doing the same...but they wanted to have matching hats for the occasion. I know these aren't very "chickeny" but they're yellowy-pinkish colored and are fuzzy like the feathers of a brand new baby chick. I just finished the last one today...but had I had enough time I might have crocheted on some orange bills with very chicken-like googly eyes. But these will have to do. This is an original design by myself. I used Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn in the color "Creamsickle." The bottom part of the hat is done in a 2x2 rib and the rest is stockinette. One skein of the yarn was enough to make two hats, and I was able to get four of them done in one day! I'm hoping Marsha and her family have an awesome time with their chariot racing and I hope they enjoy their chicken hats!

Pink Sparkles Neck Warmer

This cute neck warmer is made with gorgeous yarn. Patons Glittallic to be exact. And yep, it's for sale in my etsy store, so please make sure to check it out!

www.jenniferwhitedesigns.etsy.com

Black Confetti Fuzzy Neck Warmer

This neck warmer is what's new in my etsy store. Made with 100% nylon, this neck warmer stretches over the head to fit nicely around the neck.

For additional pictures, pricing information or to purchase, please check out my etsy store here.

Variegated Blue Mittens

These cute blue mittens just found their way into my etsy store! They're made with 100% acrylic yarn and are a variegated blue.

To see more pictures of these snazzy new hand warmers, check them out in my store here.

Handmade Bead Necklace

I made this necklace yesterday but listed it on etsy today. The bead in the center was handmade with a heat gun (that was generously given to me as a birthday gift from my in-laws)

The rest of the beads are glass. Necklace is 14 1/2 inches long.

Check it out in my etsy store!!

First Sale!

I got my first etsy sale yesterday! My mother-in-law bought my fuzzy blue neck warmer. I also got a heat gun from my in-laws yesterday as a birthday gift, so I'm going to attempt to make my own beads. I'm hoping to start on that tomorrow, but for today I'm sick and need to get over this sore throat that won't leave me alone. Just thought I'd throw in a little update.