Tuesday, November 22, 2016

November Update

Notice anything... different? Let me know in the comments below if you like it 😍, or hate it 😒!
It's been a while since my last post, and boy, am I feeling it. I don't know if you all know, but I don't make any money from my blog. As in, I'm not even trying to. There are no affiliate links, no ads, nothing that generates any income. Now, that's mostly because I don't think it's big enough to even generate any income, but also because it's something that I love to do, and love the flexibility of being able to blog when I'm inspired, not because I need to. It's much more of a therapeutic process vs a business one.
October was a pretty busy month, what with sewing for the craft show and all. I only made one sale, but it was enough to cover booth fee and gas, and I got to hang out all day with my good friend who shares the table with me, and get inspired by all the other handmade crafters at the venue. I really like this particular show, because it is strictly handmade items, and is the largest show in my immediate area.
Here's a look at our very much jerry-rigged backdrop with top shelf that I made out of pvc pipe, fishing line, cardboard, zipties and a king sized sheet.

I'm really happy with how our table looked! My work is the Pillow beds packaged on the bottom left on the table, the doll sleeping bags near the bottom right on the table, and the 18" and 12" doll tents up on the shelf. My good friend Jeanine, you should check her blog The Crafting Fiend here, makes the dolls, beanies, tea towels and hooded towels. She also designs beautiful FMA patterns at StichArt (which you can purchase here), and lovely custom fabrics for True North Fabrics (which you can purchase retail here or enter pre-oders here). Again, no affiliate links, these are just because I love her work, and I think you will too! Especially if you're looking for someone Canadian in these areas of art.
My daughters absolutely LOVE the pillow beds I made, now I only need to buy a few more pillows so I can stuff both of them, without stealing pillows off of the beds. They are so perfect for reading, lounging and movie nights. Also great for when friends stay over, or to take to Grandma's house!

I also designed some 12" sleeping bags to compliment the 12" tents, so that little girls can make the camping experience for their dolls that much more realistic.


ALSO, between all that sewing, and after the craft show, we renovated our daughters' bedroom! It's not completely redecorated yet, but I'll give some shots of the before and after, to give you an idea of the difference. My decorating is a constant process (not to mention a slow one), so I don't know when I'll have pics of the final decorated space.
Before!

After!

Btw, those are the same beds, just painted white! I think it brightens the room so much. We ripped out the paneling in the closet and replaced it with drywall. I didn't take pictures because although the closet is painted, it has no shelving or hanging rods in it yet. We painted the rest of the room, replaced the ugly carpet with vinyl flooring with a wood print, and replaced the outdated brown trim with new white trim. I also replaced the bedding with thin, minky blankets. I know we're in the north, but our house is always kept the same temperature, and with jammies my girls just found the comforters too warm. My youngest is also super attached to her blankie still, and is transitioning to the big one. Them both being minky makes it easier. I'm not taking her blankie away, I'd just like her to also use her big one, since the small one is just getting too small.
Another thing that I've been working on in the last couple of weeks, is learning how to knit! I'm just beginning my first project ever, which is a cable knit scarf (because knowing me, I can't seem to be satisfied with my first project being an actual beginners pattern. Nope, it has to be something harder...Smh.) Here's a peek at my progress, I'm pretty proud of it!

Lastly, now that it is getting to winter, I"m hoping my sewing will be picking up, although I really need to do some fabric shopping, as most of my knits are gone! My oldest especially needs leggings, as her sz 8's are getting too short, but the waistband is still too wide, so it's time to venture into the land of handmade leggings for her.
That's the roundup of my November, and I hope I can be writing more frequently now! Because really, I forgot how much fun it was!
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