Editing in Picnik

I am taking the plunge and learning how to edit my photos.  After a few comments about how a few minor edits could make my photos that much better, I decided to just go for it!  I am using picnik, the free photo editing software through google.  So here is an example of a fun edit.  I added a cute font and brightened up and sharpened my coaster photo.  All of my etsy photos will soon be edited.  Whew.  I have to take it one item at a time -- because thinking of them all is overwhemling!

Also, I finally took the plunge and paid for a sponsorship spot.  Kind of a big deal.  That and being asked to be in a Craft Fair in my city made for an exciting month for me (August).  Here's to hoping I can get everything done -- and still be a great wife for my hubs!

Sidenote:  I just noticed the photo is off center.  Crap.  Guess it is back to the editing room for me!

Featured!

I was featured in a Treasury!  Wow!  I am sooo excited!  You guys should check it out too, it is all about coffee.

Happy Thursday!

Christmas in July Coaster Sale!

I am super excited to share that my etsy shop is having a Christmas in July Sale!  Woo hoo!  The Christmas coasters are 25% off!

Chocolate Christmas Coasters $12 on sale for $9

If you look around and really want something else, just shoot me an email (contact me on the view my complete profile page), and I may just send you a coupon.  :)

Holly Jolly Christmas Coasters $12 on sale for $9!

Keep checking in on the shop, as I will be listing some new Christmas coasters later this week!  Woo hoo!  This sale will last a week, maybe a bit longer if I feel so inclined!

Patriotic Coaster Round Up!

I have been super busy and have not yet posted the coaster roundup.  It is finally here though!  Thank you so much to everyone who participated!  It was a lot of fun -- and quick!  I believe I promised some sort of prize, and I promise that I will think of something.  I'm just not sure what exactly to do yet!

Here are my coasters:

January - Yellow, Pink, & Sparkly

Jenn - Jenn Likes Yarn

Paula - Confessions of a Crochet Pattern Slut

Rengawk - Rengawk's Ramblings

Holly Louise - 'Cause I'm a Blonde

Laura - A Day of Grace

I love how creative everyone is!  Each person made it their own -- in some way or another!  Thanks again to everyone for participating.  If I missed someone, please let me know in the comments and I will add you!

Patriotic Coaster CAL -- Complete!

I finished my coasters and FINALLY got some pictures of them.  They are not the best, as I remember to take them at 11 pm last night; but they will work!  I love how they turned out, they are super cute!

I cannot figure out the best orientation for this picture. I think I just need to take a new one! haha  Also, here is that table runner that I was talking about last week.  I made it for my Mom a few years back.  I'm going to see if I can get that picture to rotate, but I make no promises! haha

I cannot wait to see the rest of your coasters.  Post a link in the comments and I will do a final round up later this week!

Patriotic Crochet Along Participants

Thank you to everyone who has joined in so far.  I am having a blast crocheting my little coasters, and it has been fun seeing why you all chose to do it!  Here are the participants so far:

Jenn (Jenn Loves Yarn) is doing Red, White, and Blue.  The blue she chose is unique, and I love the combination of colors!

Paula (Confessions of a Crochet & Cross Stitch Pattern Slut) is also doing Red, White, and Blue -- and she finished hers already! I love the border that she added to around the edge, and the two with variagated yarn.  I have been looking for that yarn all over!  Also, cotton was probably a much better choice than my acrylic / polyester!

Rengawk (Rengawk's Ramblings) is joining us for her first crochet along!  I love it when people join up for the first time! She has a fun selections of reds, whites, and blues!  [And Rengawk, welcome to the CAL world!  I tried to comment on your post, but blogger was being weird and would not let me!  :(  ]

Holly Louise ('Cause I'm a Blonde) has a super cute blog, and has also finished up her coasters already!  She made a set in red, white, and blue for her grandma (how sweet is that??) and in pinks for herself! [And hello to you too, blogger would not let me post my comment on your blog either!]

Major props to the ladies who finished already.  They do work up pretty quick, don't they!  I finished up mine, I just need to get pictures taken!  Go ahead  an post here if you decided to join late, or if I missed you, or if you finished your set!  I cannot wait to see them all!

Patriotic Crochet Along

Last week, I talked about doing some sort of crochet along for the Fourth of July.  I know that pretty much limits this to Americans, but I am American and that is just the way the cookie crumbles!  However, with the pattern I chose, you can use different colors and make it non-American.  I am totally okay with that!  [Thanks for asking, Nevelyn.] Which pattern are we doing, you ask?  Why the Star Coaster of course!  And I would totally love to see it in your country's colors -- or whatever colors you like!

The goal of this little crochet along is to complete a set of four coasters by July 4, 2011.  That gives you exactly two weeks!  So let's break this down into 2 blog posts.  First, this week, tell a little about yourself and what colors you chose.  If you want, take a picture of your materials!  Leave a link back to your post in the comments, and I will try to do a compilation post later this week.  I would use a linky tool, but they are no longer free and I'm cheap. haha

I will start!  I'm Megan (I hope you know that if you are here) and I chose red, white, and blue because I love the U S of A!  I also realized that my husband loves having a Fourth of July party, and I do not really have any patriotic decor -- the shame!  I made this awesome table runner for my Mom a few years back and planned to make one for myself, but I get craft-stracted (that's distracted by other crafts).  Maybe I will pick up some star spangled fabric on clearance this year!

I got started on my star coasters a day or so ago (okay so I get to cheat the system when I set up the crochet along.  I had a nice cup of (decaf -- it was 10 pm) coffee and some Seventh Heaven on dvd... I was kickin it old school!  I have one coaster done.  Three more to go!  I decided to switch up the color order & maybe use 2 different blues (see the top picture).  The first one was a little bunchy at first -- but a little blocking fixed that problem right away! 

Now, I can't wait to hear who is joining me!  And what colors you will be using.  Oh yeah, and I will definitely be sending out a little goodie to a random participant -- I will draw names after the second post!  Don't forget to leave a comment with a link to your post about the crochet along!  Try to have your comment up by Monday, June 27th!

Fourth of July Crochet Along

I have not done a crochet along with you all in a very long time. Since we have about three weeks until the 4th, I want to do a quick crochet along. Which pattern do you want to do?

Star Coaster

Fourth of July Coaster

I really want to make this snazzy wreath too, but I don't think 3 week is enough time. What do you all want to do?  How many coasters should be in our little set?  I hope you all join me!

Leftovers in the Shop

I'm super excited because I have some new items listed in my shop.  The success of the Craft Fair definitely gave me some renewed enthusiasm and answered some prayers about the future of my business.  And -- praise the Lord -- I had a sale this weekend!  I asked a friend for some advice about how to sell successfully on etsy, and she gave me some great tips -- but the most important was to pray.  She told me she would be praying for my shop as well -- how kind and loving is that? Thank you for that, Lora.

And now, recently listed items in the shop:

Herbivore Pot Holders $10

Bright Summer Newborn Cloche $10

Brown Sparkles Coffee Cozy $8

The Perfect Pear Coasters $12

Pale Speckles Newborn Cloche $10

I am so excited.  I also made the cutest little pink beanie.  I just need to get pictures taken and I will list it.  I used a new flower pattern, creating my own from a Lion Brand pattern.  I will definitely share it with you!  I also won a couple items at giveaway day, so I am very excited to share those with you!

Table Set Up

As evidences by yesterday's post, I am really really excited about my Craft Fair.  My wonderful hubby let me set up my table early -- so I can get everything JUST right! haha I snapped these pictures really quickly, on my way out the door, this morning.

That is an overview of the whole table.   Some things are still in the box below (like napkins for snacks and doubles of some items).  I want to add more height / dimension, but I am not entirely sure how / what to do .  Any suggestions?

This half is accessories.  I have posted patterns for most of these beanies on the blog.  Soon, I will post about each one and which pattern was used -- and how I am checking off more CED patterns!  I love the headbands and have been wearing them non stop.  There are some that are yarn wrapped, and others that are sewn.  Most have flowers, but some do not. 

The other half of the table is (mostly) sewn items for the home.  There are coasters and potholders as well as coffee cozies.  I worked really hard on the packaging of each item.  I am still breaking down the price for each one, and I need to make price signs.  Any suggestions on price labels?  Should I use a placecard type pricing system, or maybe a label on a little stick in the baskets / vases?  What do you all do?

It's rough, but it works

 I decided to try and make a banner for my shop.  It's not amazing.  It's not even fantastic.  But it is mine.  And it will hold my little space in the etsy-universe until my wonderfully amazing photoshop loving husband can create something amazing for me.  Also, I ordered my free business cards from moo.  Thank you moo + etsy for the deal. 

Here is the banner

And a few things I am actually excited about... more coasters and hot pads / pot holders!!

Feelin LOVEly coasters

 

Sugar Cookie Love Coasters

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Pot Holders

Also, this month I will be donating 10% of my sales to Lauren Wallace and Young Life in San Ramon.   This girl is amazing and I'm so happy to support what she does to help youth in her area.

Lots of Love Coasters

Valentines's Day is near and my shop is getting busy.  I whipped up these coasters (and a few others which are not listed yet) this weekend.  I have a crazy story to go along with the coasters, too!  So I was sewing up a storm and all of a sudden my machine was going without me.  I thought maybe I was going crazy, so I picked up the presser foot to check... and it just kept sewing.  I was thuroughly freaked out.  And a bit miffed that I could not finish my projects!  I told my husband there was a ghost in my craftroom and could he please come and help me.  He was laughing at me, as, sure enough, the machine sewed on it's own again (mind you, it was usually after I sewed and took my foot off the pedal... it would keep going.  but sometimes it would stop and then slowly start again).  I googled it "janome sewing machine won't stop sewing on it's own" (as I laughed at the ridiculousness) and found that the issue was in the presser foot / pedal.  Apparently if it gets lint or thread in in, it can mess up the sensor.  Hubby unscrewed it and blew the dust out for me. Now, the machine is running well again.  But I will not soon be forgetting the day my machine was possessed.  [And the comments in the forum were hilarious.  People were talking about how they took their machines in and the service department looked at them like they were crazy!!]

This is the perfect gift for someone you love -- or for yourself!  Bring them out every February to brighten up your home!

There are only a few sets, so get a set of Lots of Love coasters now if you are interested!

Oh yeah, and the verse on these is Proverbs 3: 5-6.

Blankets, Coasters, & More!

I am in the middle of a few projects and wanted to share my progress with you!  I am making a girl baby blanket.  The precious baby, Alina, was actually born last week.  But it will be a bigger blanket, so she can get it late!  I have all of the purple (12) and white (4) squares done and 1 1/2 more pink to go.  Then it's just a matter of joining them together.  I have been weaving my ends as I go and it is making ALL THE DIFFERENCE! hahaha  I amusing the pattern from Dec 24 of last year! 

My love got me a Joanns gift card for Christmas, so of course I bought fabric -- I got some yarn too! haha  I have been wanting this Debbie Mum fabric for SOOO LONG!  It was on sale too.  Score!

What else is going on in my craft room?  Just some Valentines-ey love!  These squares are ready to become coasters for my etsy shop.  I am actually finishing cutting and just need to start sewing!  I am going to make some sweet potholders too!

ps. DIdy ou notice I hit 105 followers?  Crazy!  There will be a giveaway soon!
pps. I now have no idea how to title my posts!  The patterns names + date were just so easy!
pps. Sorry I get busy and forget to blog.  I do love you all very much!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway #2

Welcome to Crochet Every Day!  I am so excited to have you visiting today!  I have two fun packages to give away today.  First up, another set of Charlie Brown coasters and material from my trip to Hawaii.

There are four different fabrics from Hawaii.  Each fat quarter is a fun print.

And here are the coasters.  Remember them from giveaway week back in November?  I posted a second picture of them back then...

If you are interested in winning this prize, just follow the instructions.  Make sure there is a way that I can reach you, either by leaving an email or through your profile.  Here are your chances to win, make sure you leave a comment for each item:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite hot drink is.
2. Check out my etsy shop and tell me what you would like to see or what your favorite item is.
3. Tweet about this giveaway or follow me for an extra entry.

Good luck!  This giveaway ends at midnight (PST) on Friday, December 17th.  Only three entries per person / ip address.  I will be giving away a package identical to this on Newly Wife.  Check it out if you want a few more chances to win.  :)  Also, you should definitely check out all of the other giveaways by clicking on the picture below...

Giveaway Week: Day 4 - Package of Goodies

Giveaway closed. Thanks to everyone who entered! Come back again for another fun giveaway!!
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Today's Giveaway is from yours truly.  If I designed patterns and sold them,  I would definitely offer that up, but alas, I do not.  So you get a fun mix package, kinda like a 90's mix tape...

What is your prize, you ask?  Well it is a sweet assortment of crafty goodness!  You get fabric, yarn, ribbon, and coasters.  And I will probably throw in a few extra goodies as well.  :)  Want a closer look?

Talk about fun fabric -- kittens, flowers, and weddings! 

Charlie Brown Christmas coasters.

These coasters were originally supposed to go in my shop... until I realized Charlie Brown was a licensed character / print and I could not sell them!  But it's okay, because now you guys get the extra goodies!  Andi f you are super bummed that you did not win, there will be another giveaway with these bad boys in December.... but not here!  I will let you know where to go though!

A perfect set of coasters for your Christmas coffee.. . or tea...

Do you want to win this fantastic prize package?  I bet you do.  It's the same details as before, but it stays open a bit longer!!  Here's how:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you love to make the most?  Something crocheted?  Something baked?  Something sewn?  A little of everything??
2. Check out my etsy and let me know what you think of the coasters I have up.  What would you change?
3. Leave another comment if you follow on blogger or google reader or wherever else.
4. Share this giveaway on your blog / facebook / twitter and then come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so. (you may thank the lovely Laurie for this extra step, originally it was just a 2 entry option!)

Contest closes at midnight on November 27th, 2010. I will announce the winners on the 28th. You get four entries per person / ip address. If your profile is set to private, then make sure to leave your email or a way to get in contact with you! Good luck

July 7: 4th of July Coaster -- COMPLETED

Pattern #188: 4th of July Coaster

This is another great project for the fourth of July. These are different coasters, but I love them as well. Mixing a few of these with the star coasters from earlier this week would be a great hostess gift for a barbecue around the fourth.

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Updated June 25, 2013: These coasters are adorable. And like the potholders, it really is a navy blue in the pic (not black). I am so glad that I finished these before the fourth of July!! This was a fantastic quick project!