Vintage and Handmade Shopping

I decided to venture out on this beautiful day in Minneapolis to see a few shops in the Linden Hills area. With trying to sell some of my items, I stuck to only a few adventures today, The Linden Tree. This shop is quite charming as there is specialty fabrics and handmade items filling the store. I could only stay a few minutes as the shop owner had to run out for a few hours but what I did see made me want to come back.

I decided to scan the shelves as I left and saw button rings, crochet eggs, jewelry, bags, wristlets, and banners, each one more intriguing than the last.

This shop is a great spot for gifts, inspiration, and supplies as the shop owner is very friendly. As proof to this she let me stick around for a few minutes even though she was rushing out the door! It was as if she we were already friends and neighbors and I was just stopping by to chat on her front porch.

I can't wait to go back!

The next shop that struck my fancy today was Hunt and Gather. I felt like I stepped into the show American Pickers because I found "rusty gold." Letters, license plates, furniture, pictures, jewelry, OH MY! This store had it all! I couldn't help recognize a few items that were peers to items in my own home. This store gave me joy as the carefully and playfully displayed items. The juxtaposition of a vintage stripped umbrella, wrought iron candelabra, and lace evening gown gave me a smile as I could imagine these items working with so many different settings. The jewelry closet was what caught my eye, I had to pass by it on my first walk through but couldn't help stopping back as a red stone charm bracelet caught my attention and wouldn't let go.

Again, I can't wait to go back and find more treasure!

Card Box Sets

I love boxes of cards that have cute prints. Not only are they great by themselves as an everyday "how ya doing" card, but also they are such a cute base for personalized cards that can say so much more than a card just picked off the self. You can use scraps of yarn, ribbon, and paper--and what a good excuse to have cute stickers on hand! Never know what will strike your fancy until you see it together!

I recently have had wedding and graduation cards to make and send and these have been perfect for both occasions. With a variety of prints, I can choose what suits my fancy for a person or event and can just be minutes away from putting it in the letter box.

Haven't gotten any response saying "love the cards" but I know that I would love receiving a handmade card and this just makes that one step closer!

Crochet Trimmed Fleece Blanket

I know I'm not the only one who has those common blankets that are just fleece with a bound edge. I have several that I got on clearance from Walmart after the cold weather's threats were over. I knew that they were plain and wanted to improve them as I needed a project one day. I decide to try to pair these with members of my yarn stash. 

Here are the results:

I am very pleased with the outcome as they are now more unique and I can still just toss them in the washing machine so there is no fear of damaging an expensive throw. My husband and I have taken them to the lake for picnics as well as for warmth on a camping trip.

I started with doing a single crochet around the entire blanket, allowing the edging to act as the foundation chain. After going the perimeter of the blanket, I decided on a variety of boarders using double crochet clusters and picots in order to give each blanket it's own flavor.

I know that I have now stumbled upon a great way to give a "handmade" blanket to someone where a time crunch is concerned but still be able to complete the project while having enough time to wrap it before rushing out the door!

No More Tangle Ear-Buds

I've seen so many people on Pinterest showing these friendship style knot covered earbud cords. I found them difficult to work with and easily frustrating. I looked at the results I was getting and was not happy. After ripping out almost two days of work, I decided to try something more in my bag of skills. I crocheted them!

I made one for me and one for my husband. I used embroidery floss on one and a finer perle cotton on the other. Hands down, I liked how the finer cotton made a thinner cord and that is why I will use it if I make these again for a gift or just as a way to jazz up a cheap pair of earbuds.

Here are the results:

Perle Cotton 

Embroidery Floss

Look for the How To Soon!

UPDATE: Here's the How To. Enjoy!

Crochet Thread and Ric-Rack Pot Holder

So I tried my hand at mimicking the beautifully worked crochet pot holder I mentioned in an earlier post. It looked simple but turned into quite an undertaking, the thread is hard to keep in tension and hard to see. The ric-rack seems to just gracefully weave in and out of the double crochets but it's hard to find a needle with that large an eye so you have to work it in while you crochet. Also the ric-rack ravels and so leaving a raw edge for a while exposes ugly fuzzy fringe that has to be trimmed and tucked (another thing I didn't anticipate). I found myself juggling a hook, thread, and an awkward ric-rack board between only a few fingers. I've never been much of a juggler so my pot holder is more of one that would be for a kid's pretend kitchen. I still had fun, and might try another but might have to embrace the old lady look of using reading glasses and use simpler techniques.

All this makes me thing of the folk art crafts long past, like embroidery samplers, crochet pot holders, doilies, and monogramed handkerchieves. Most of these were ways for women to provide beauty in their lives while providing function and necessity. This leads me to ask, where is this outlet today? What in this internet age allows people to add beauty with personal touches to the function of their life? In a world run with mass produced borderline materials, where can the beauty be added?  Do we really expect out homes to reflect personal touches if we do not venture from shopping at a cookie-cutter strip mall or big box store?

 What is the folk art of 2012?

A Question Factory

Sometimes I feel like I'm working in a question factory. Everyone is coming up to me asking what product is better, how to use this, how much of that to buy, is one enough? Would my kids enjoy this? Can I schedule I class? Do you have personal experience with this seam ripper? and ON AND ON! Sometimes the questions float around in my head and then I start to get sick in the drowning wave of questions.

I guess the store brings it on itself, however. It is so full of various crafting materials even the most experienced crafter would like to consult some sage advice on the process. I think the difference is that with an experienced crafter, the have learned the principle of experimenting. Just like a factory has a Research and Development division, so does every crafter's mind. See a new product that could be beneficial to an existing project or spur you on to a new and adventurous one. Well rather than asking questions of the person who has fewer ideas on the matter (little retail shop girl writing this), just buy it, experiment with it, and if you don't like it then chock it up to experience and tell other people about it. Sometimes I want to tell this to the customers at the store: Just experiment with it already! THAT'S HALF THE FUN OF CRAFTING!

I know my greatest triumphs have come when I've been intrigued with how something works and seeing if I could master it. For example these eyelet embroidered napkins and table cloth with serged rolled edge. While I do not hope to master this level of embroidery at this moment, I know I could learn the basics. So I bought a hoop and needles, I already had the floss from another project. I started with the wrong fabric, the wrong spacing and a horrible printed background that distracted from my work. But I learned! I now know the needles I got were too thick, but would be great for counted cross-stitch, the fabric scrap I used was not sturdy enough to use all six strands of floss. So next time, I'll use a different fabric and have better results.

These items added a spark to my fire of a new craft: Serging! I did some research, and financial conversations with my husband, and bought a serger! It's marvelous. For some reason my brain connects with this machine much more than a traditional sewing machine. I can already see how I'm going to construct something using this machine, I'm so excited to learn. Here goes the grand adventure in R&D of the Question Factory!

A Delicate Dance in Delicate Crafts

And the dance has begun. I've been intrigued for a while with many delicate items like crochet in cotton thread, embroidery, filet crochet, detailed sewing and many others. I think this stems from the fact that for the past few weeks I've been finishing projects. Hence the absence from writing.

I've finished a beautiful baby blanket in light blue, off white, and chocolate brown. As well as the one shown on the left in green, pink and blue. I've finished pyramid bags that will be given as goodie bags at my best friend's bachelorette party/bridal luncheon. (I'll have to wait to show pictures of these since they are gifts and still want to surprise the recipient) I've worked these bags first in fabric and now in crochet. I realized for some reason these bags were very difficult for me by sewing because of my limited experience. I gave up that endeavor and finished them in crochet along with button holes and buttons.

This experience definitely need to work on my sewing techniques and skills. There are times when it would be nice to have a project with nearly instant gratification. I seem to pick crafts that are time intensive and therefore can get frustrating when the project does not come together as quickly as I thought it would.

I've found that the delicate crafts that are so graceful to have your hands dance with also seem to drain the time like sand through a sieve. However, isn't the dance the best part of all? The rhythm of the thread coming through your fingers, into the hook, and adding into the work; the push of the needle and the floss leaving its trail across the fabric; the delicate flowers that quickly emerge from the ball of cotton. These are enjoyable moments are their own type of gratification. The creation process is almost if not more enjoyable than the creation itself.

I hope you find yourself enjoying the process and the creation of delicate crafts that cause your hands and heart to dance.