With Love ...xoxo

Time to introduce you to a brand-new set... the "With Love" set...featuring the The With Love Hat and The I Heart Bottoms!!!

It all started with the bottoms... I whipped up the cute little diaper cover in a soft ivory yarn, accented with a richly colored red heart on the bum ...once I had those done up it hit me... I've seen a ladies hat somewhere in my travels that had hearts for ear flaps... and the lightbulb on ....paired up that would be one sweet little set!

The With Love Set is perfect for newborn photography... and is made of a super-easy care fibre. I'll be posting them to my blog and ETSY shop tonight!!!

Hope you love them as much as I do!!! :)

ps...special thanks to Baby I and her mommy and daddy for lending her to me for test fitting product and taking a few pics... I'll have the pics to you on the weekend!!

New-ool-o-pho'bi-a

Newoolophobia (new-ool-o-pho'bi-a) [G. newwool - new type of wool + phobia - fear]

1. The illogical fear of a new, never before used type of wool, yarn or fibre.
   
2. Characteristics include fixation, gentle caressing and obsessive contemplation over the fibre's possible uses. It is typically stored in a prominent area, carefully protected in plastic, yet clearly visible, mocking you with its presence.


3. Newoolophobia can only be overcome by taking a few deep cleansing breaths and jumping in with both feet, needles or hook in hand.
   
4. Overcoming newoolophobia is undeniably rewarding, resulting in new, wonderful creations and a corresponding boost to self esteem.

I was recently afflicted with a serious case of newoolophobia. I had a request from a client, Gloria for some custom work, a beautiful wrap and hat set that appeared soft and light as a fluffy cloud. I unsuccessfully tried to source out some yarn around home.

I'm hesitant to buy yarn over the Internet...because, unless I've worked with it before I don't know how its going to feel. It could look stunning in a picture, but it could feel crunchy, scratchy or synthetic in my hands. Well...I took the plunge and found this gorgeous hand-spun merino wool from The Fiber Denn on Etsy. I was thrilled when it arrived, it's wonderful...it's soft...it varies drastically in thickness...so great texture...and its a beautiful natural ivory tone... LOVE IT!!!

Then came the newoolophobia...oh, boy... what if I mess this up??? The creation of this yarn was someone else's time, effort and art... it was costly... what if it doesn't turn out how Gloria was expecting... oh the stresses I can impose on myself...

Well, after a few weeks of mulling it over... with the yarn... in it's prominent position... mocking me..... I took the deep breath... and I'm so glad I did... I love how it came out... check it out! :)

hoppity hop.... star struck bunny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The baby bunny hat has became a favorite to many before it hit the market, thanks to this beautiful picture that Carol posted on her blog!! ...then with this week's Prop Insanity review ...so many people are asking...where's that bunny??

well...here it is... freshly posted to paperraisins.ca

The specs - 100% Acrylic (super-soft), ears lined with a cotton/polyester blend, trimmed with bows. Currently available in newborn size only... perfect as a photography prop, or as a gift to a new mommy!!! The baby bunny retails for $26.00. Available in tan (shown) or mottled tones. This bunny's star struck with the following fabric options, please let me know which one you choose at the time of ordering.... yellow, teal, blue or green

Hope you love the baby bunny as much as I do!!!

.........shhhhhhhhhh....whisper please....

I was on this mini-roll with a post a week... but then I fell off the wagon ...I've been plugging along steadily with orders, which is great!!! What isn't happening though is stock isn't getting made... always a goal...to have stock ready for immediate shipment... I keep trying!!!

I'm totally excited because on June 29th the blog at Prop Insanity is doing a review and feature on a couple of my items... you'll have to check it out then to see which ones!! ...It's great exposure for me so I'm totally stoked! :)

And ....for the latest item... The Whisper Wrap - photography prop! The whisper wrap is worked up in this fantastic soft acrylic/nylon/mohair blend in a loose crochet so lots of skin will show! It's a scarf-style wrap. Hope you like! :)

Well...tomorrow morning we're off to Pembina, North Dakota... just a hop, skip and a jump away... picking up some parcels... a fantastic Jordana Paige knitting bag I very excitedly ordered, it's red faux croc... and some new yarn... trying out a new supplier!!! ...why I can't get some things shipped to Canada I'll never know!

ooooooooohh.... maybe I can convince the family to drive the extra hour and have Paradiso for lunch?? ;)

the button sling...........photography prop!!!

After much deliberation.... and a bunch of emails inquiring about it ...I've decided to finally...........finally.........post the button sling!!! It was really tempting to torture you some more and make you wait a bit longer... but I give... :) I know you want to hear all about it... and since I hate to disappoint... :)


A while back I saw a gorgeous picture done by Kelley Ryden - her sister had made a sling for her - it was amazing! So, I thought I'd take a stab at it, and I'm so glad I did! ...I'm really excited about the sling! Here's my version... What do you think???





The button sling will be available in 4 colors (brown/ivory, limes, green/tan (as above), blues), has a wood button detail and will retail for $90. There will be limited availability - I bought the store out of the yarn it takes to make this!!! :)



So I'm totally stoked in two other areas... Carol finished editing the images from our product shoot and I'm just in the process of picking out what I want... which so far is um............ everything!!?? ...she does such amazing work it's hard to choose... I'm blown away by the shots she got, seriously can there be too many product shots? :)

The second thing I'm stoked about is that I'm finally working on my "space"... my husband would call it the yarn room... but I prefer to give it a little more prestigious title... my studio!!!


I've had it planned for so long and it's finally going to come together... I got this fantastic EQ3 storage piece in a glossy brown color...and the inside of the drawers are lime green...i think i'm in love! ...the lady at the store suggested that for a work surface I go to our local Habitat Re-Store (they sell stuff that has been salvaged from buildings etc) ...they did however have some brand-spankin'-in-the-box-stuff.... so i got two shiny...shiny red EQ3 tabletops...and fantastic brushed metal legs.... oh, my goodness to actually have enough room to work! ....plus we're in the process of hanging two long narrow cabinets with sliding doors above the work surface area... I'm all about the storage... and i bought a great lamp...and I've got a chair & ottoman to re-upholster after i pick out the fabric.... YAY!!! ...i finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! I will be sure to post pics once it's all together! I should have taken a before shot... boxes of yarn piled up to the ceiling!!!


Well - hope you enjoy the button sling...and stay tuned for more things to come... still more new products to showcase! :)

the feathered nest.... photography prop!!!

UPDATE - sand (shown) is now sold out... but we still have sage and water available...

Well, I'm totally excited to add the feathered nest to my repitoire of newborn photography props!

The yarn is this great stuff I found at my local yarn shop, and it was even on clearance!!! ...it was fantastic, there's so many things I like about it, it's more of a ribbon than a yarn, it has a couple rows of stitching running the length (made me think of pin stripes) and then there's the fine fuzzy strand that's attached, what's not to love???? ...although I didn't know exactly what I'd do with it at first (which is also why I suspected it was on clearance - obviously others didn't know what they'd do with it either), I knew I had to have it! ...I bought all that they had in stock! :)

Once I thought on it for a while I decided it would lend itself perfectly for a photography prop, especially since it's sooooooooooooo soft and dreamy looking... I think you're going to love it!! ...this one will have limited availability, once I run out of this fantastic yarn it's done, great for those who purchase them because you'll know it's not something that you'll be seeing a lot of people using. :)

The colors are sand, sage & water - and the feathered nest retails for $35.

Enjoy...

OH.... PS... the horizontal button sling will be coming up soon, I promise!!! ...just trying to decide if I should post it next OR ...leave you "hanging" for a little longer... whatcha think? :)

earthen hive - photography prop!!

Well...I'm super excited that I'm able to offer some new photography props... and some new colors for existing props!

I had a fantastic product shoot with Carol last weekend! ....did I mention FANTASTIC?? :) It was so amazing to watch her in action... she's like a non-addictive sedative for babies... I often wondered how she got such amazing shots... all sleepy and bendy and now I know!!! She's got an amazing gift...that's for sure! We had a great time... and it didn't hurt that our two models were ADORABLE!!! ...great big thanks to their moms (and dads) for lending them to us!

The earthen hive is a variation on the hive wrap that I already offer. The yarn is new and available in such great colors!! Hope you love them as much as I do! The colors from bottom left across and then up are : pumpkin, deciduous, water, garden, cave, middle earth & surface.


Tips: The hive wrap is intended for newborns - within their first couple weeks. Their legs should be tight against their body, not extended. Scrunch the wrap down like you would when you put on a sock. It's best to put their bottom into position and then ease the wrap up around their legs, midsecton, shoulders and up over the head. Don't be afraid to stretch it a bit - should fit very snug with lots of skin showing through!

Things to come - stay close because in the next few weeks I'll have several new things coming! I've got a great horizontal button sling that's upcoming...it was based on a Tracy Raver design and it's already creating buzz!! ...I'm really eager to get that one up!!

Enjoy! :)

props baby...

Well, i've been up to my armpits in paint! Our living room is well on it's way to looking fabulous!!! ...I am soooo excited... :) ...and new carpet will be be coming soon too!! ....thanks to a horrible paint/dog/stairs incident and the great insurance company replacing it...

I've been working on some photography props for Carol and I'm finally able to offer a few of them on my website! Yay!

The Orginal Cocoon Wrap - a Marta Locklear design - is currently offered in 4 colors, surf, heather, fire & thunder. Wrap shown in surf, other colors below.

The Mummy Wrap - a Paper Raisins orginal! Offered in spring, summer, fall & winter.

The Gourd Hat - a Paper Raisins original! Offered in surf, heather, fire & thunder.

The Hive - a Paper Raisins original! Offered in Orange as shown, white, raspberry & hot blue.

The new wraps can be found on the "for fun" section of the galleries on http://www.paperraisins.ca/.

And lastly, for now the Trumpet Lily hat (named for the way it looks unworn and uncuffed. This one is made from a beautiful wool/soy blend. There are some truly stunning colors, uniquely blended and vibrant.

The new hats can be found on the "for baby" section of the galleris on http://www.paperraisins.ca/.

Enjoy the new stuff!!! :)

mmmmmmmmm........ butter........

oops... I`ve been seriously delinquent in the posting department... our move proved to be more unsettling than I had expected, but I`m here, catching up on orders and trying out some new stuff!! ...I love new stuff!!!


I was in touch with my chenille supplier and placed a BIG order...yay!!! ...yarn... I`m trying to get some of the popular colors that I`m running (or have run) out of and of course a few new ones to add. It`s funny when you`re in the realm of ordering yarn by the pound, rather than by the ball... I asked her how much i can fit in one box... and she said not more than 50 pounds.... 50 pounds... holy cow... that`s like 1 1/2 Pypers ...of yarn...


Carol (freckleface photography) was in touch with me a couple weeks ago and sent me an image to see what I could do with it... as a result I made a newborn ``pod`` ...I LOVE it and hope it works for her! It`s out of this great dill colored bamboo yarn...melty soft!!! I love these opportunities, getting to step outside of the ``box`` and create a pattern from scratch, especially the photography props, since they`re not my norm... hopefully I`ll have a great shot of it soon to post!



Just finished a hat order... (above) a chenille berry hat, they`re so adorable...I really like making them, and they are so cute on... the shade I used was one I forgot I had (the larger ``the stash`` gets the more amnesia about what`s in it) :) ...anyway, it`s butter.... soft, smooth, cuddly... butter... I hope the intended recipient loves it... `cause I sure do!!!


I hope to have the berry hats added to the website soon, a few people know I do them and have requested them specifically even though they`re not yet listed. I`m also planning to add newborn boxed gift-sets...like the one I did in the Cotton Candy pink (post below) I figure one for girls, one for boys and one neutral... so easy for gift giving, it`s all there for you, all you have to do is wrap!!!



Oh, I almost forgot.... I`m offering Gift Certificates now!!! ...sometimes it`s hard to make choices for someone else so now you can let them do the deciding... They`re available in denominations of your choice, $15 minimum.