falling into autumn

autumn brings such warm feelings to my soul.

i feel re-born, the cool air and crispness, the leaves changing into such brilliant colors, everything is an inspiration to me.

the past weekend brought some cool weather, and so i spent a lot of time in my studio, cleaning, organizing, and actually crafting!

i have a lot of old sweaters that i don't wear anymore, so instead of donating them (again...i bought all these old sweaters from thrift stores), i am making them into shiny new things! i am keeping this one going, one of my best-selling items: leg warmers.

these are bright red cabled leg warmers, with a light Graffiti blossom applied to the top for a feminine touch. The blossom is embellished with bright yellow thread, and a vintage button, compliments of my Aunt Sally and cousin Lauren, who graciously sent me boxes and boxes of amazing vintage buttons, ribbon and fabric!!!

i've sold two pairs similar to these, but all have been one of a kind. what makes these interesting is that they are actually made from the sleeve of the sweater! the way the sleeve bells at the shoulder makes for the perfect bell at the top of your favorite pair of maryjanes.

close up of the embellishments. i just love the buttons, i have never seen anything like them.

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in other news...

i have started a list of "Things to be Happy". basically made up of random things to start, new projects, or just plain fun things to do. here are a few of them:

-new knitting projects - i've currently started a test of making a cowl

-using our NEW CAR (it's actually my brother's car that he's loaning to us while he's in Hawaii on another cruise) to visit apple orchards and pumpkin patches

-learning new recipes - i'm currently obsessed with Fresh Direct, which has some recipes from different cookbooks and magazines! we order our food from them sometimes, as it's a pain to drag our cart full of groceries 5-6 blocks once or twice a week. can't WAIT to have a car!!

-decorate our apartment for the holidays!

what are your lists of fun things to do?

also in other news, i finally went and stood in line for an hour at the Social Security office to change my name to Robinson! not my first name...although that would be an interesting one!

stay tuned for more updates!!

new featured artist - fglass knits!

there was a time in my life when i would spend hours upon hours perusing the glorious shops at Etsy.com, i was completely consumed by it. that was before my job started picking up and i started planning my wedding (although when that happened, i was perusing Etsy for all things wedding!). now that things have calmed down a bit, i find myself again drawn to Etsy's main page, which changes featured artists and treasuries fairly often.

the other day while taking a break from space planning at work, i saw an interesting item on the front page of Etsy. it was a very large knit cowl, something i was actually planning on knitting myself! fglass knits, a shop run by a wonderful knitter named Laura, completely blew me away with its creativity and interesting photography. she knits with large gauge wool yarn, all natural, and uses over-sized wooden buttons for closures that she finds at another Etsy shoppe.

this is Laura, modeling one of my favorite pieces. she also takes all of her own photographs.

the Etsy community is really one of a kind. i have found that most Etsy sellers are not only trying to sell their own work, but also very encouraging to others and their work as well. so, for Laura, instead of buying buttons from her local yarn or fabric store, she is supporting another handmade artist, it's just wonderful. All buttons in her shop are made by WoodenTreasures on Etsy.

a very original scarf design in one of my favorite colors, with more wooden buttons.

Laura has taken knitting to another level, it's modern, it's minimal, it's feminine. she likes to use bright colors, which stand out against the gray and white wall which she uses for her backdrop. she uses embroidery to make her knitwear one of a kind and interesting.

a capelet, designed by Laura. what a perfect accessory to wear to brunch on the weekends in autumn!

a simple button cowl with cherry blossom embroidery, another one of my favorites.

like me, Laura has a day job, but i think, like me, that she would love to knit all day long and sell her wares. it's sellers and crafters like Laura that inspire me to keep making, to find new ideas and follow the latest trends.

all of fglass knits can be found at her Etsy shoppe, see the link below. she specializes in custom designs, as well as the items she stocks regularly. good luck to you, Laura! thank you for the inspiration.

Etsy Buy Handmade fglass

marketing

since getting back from the wedding and honeymoon, my main focus has been organizing our home and especially my studio space. i feel that when my space is completely organized, and i have a place for everything, i will really be able to start making again. in the meantime, i am trying to find some unique websites and craft marketplaces! there are so many out there, it's really a matter of which ones are right for ME and my crafts.

my shoppe has been on the back burner for almost a year, since we were engaged last August, and i am ready to start making some new things to sell. i have confidence that once i have some new goodies, things will start to pick back up again!

a few of the marketplaces and social networks i've found are ArtFire, Indiepublic, and of course, Etsy. ArtFire is brand new for me, through which i've found Handmade News, which looks to be a great resource for crafters all over the world! even though i've just started, Twitter seems to be a great place to market.

blogging is also a great way to market, which is definitely high on my list. new ideas, new trends, special artists that i fall in love with, great ways to organize my studio, new knitting projects. there are so many possibilities. i can't wait to start marketing myself more, and meeting new crafters out there!

New York is a great place to be, there are so many resources. in my spare time, i hope to really take advantage of them.