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.

Mourning the loss...

It is with a heavy heart that I report the untimely loss of cotton candy.

She was born in North Carolina, at a manufacturing plant, it was not an ideal environment for her beginnings. Once she had "served her purpose" her owners auctioned her off to the highest bidder which is when Cotton candy entered our lives. She was welcomed with open and loving arms into our family. She had a beautiful color and had a fine disposition, always soft and gentle, and so flexible - willing to do whatever I asked of her. There is not a person that she encountered who didn't share a love and appreciation for her many favorable qualities.

Cotton candy will be greatly missed! With a little help she managed to pull herself together for one final project, her magnum opus before she met her tragic fate.

Here's to you cotton candy! I will miss you more than you know!



PS - I couldn't figure out why all the pictures i took of this set came out hazy... just discovered little fingerprints on my lens... thanks to P!!! I think she's an aspiring photographer! :)

PPS - Cotton Candy was my pale pink chenille yarn.

Confessions...

1. I have a large stash – and I don’t mean moustache! My yarn collection could rival any respectable yarn store.
2. Although I have this large stash, I still buy more yarn!
3. I regularly beg my husband to take up crochet so I can increase production.
4. Acrylic chenille is one of my favourite materials – it can be tricky to work with but is so soft and cuddly I can’t resist.
5. I have an addiction to Slurpees and Kraft Dinner (I know! It’s bad!!!!)
6. Every time I come up with a design idea (crochet, home, sewing, scrapbooking...) i'm terrified that i'll never have another good idea.
7. I'm starting to teach P how to crochet, she's 3 - child labor isn't all bad is it??? ;)
8. I'm excited about my business and terrified at the same time. Hopeful it will be successful, afraid it will be successful...i'm an exercise in contradiction!
9. I am a birth junkie, facinated by the natural, unmedicated & properly supported process. I read about birth, I watch shows about birth - and not the baby-story type, the natural, raw kind. If I had a chance in life to go back to school it would be to become a midwife.
10. I take crochet projects out with me...i've even been known to crochet at red lights while driving... ssshhhhhhhhh, don't tell!
11. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my work - i'll tear something out and start over 10 times if it makes it come out better in the end... it pains my husband to watch!
12. I love my family of 3!

lift off........

Today I lauched Paper Raisins' new look! ...a new face with lots of new images. It's been quite a while in the works and it's nice to have it done...ish...!!!

Of course there is lots of great stuff to come...fantastic new patterns, color options etc... but it's a start. A lot of my stuff is in storage right now since we're moving in October... and moving us means Paper Raisins is moving too.

I am so excited that in the new digs - I will have my own dedicated space to create! ...I've picked out the color scheme and can't wait to impliment it...it will be fantastic to have creative and soothing surroundings in which to do what I love doing! I only wish it didn't have to be a part-time passion. I feel like Clark Kent - during the day working an 8-4 then morphing into Superman when I get home! ...well, maybe not super"man" ...more like super"mompreneur", it's a lot of work to try to juggle!

Anyway...enough babbling... enjoy the new look, new site and new styles...and keep your eyes peeled for more great things to come!

Images

I had a lunch meeting with Carol (freckleface photography) yesterday and we exchanged goods! I am now in posession of stunning images with which to reconfigure my website, I can hardly wait. Here's a sneak peek at a few images...

Of course, my girl...
Are his eyes not stunning??!!

I really hope that Carol is as happy with her handmade props as I am with her photographs. I'm still in the process of finishing up the last hat, I made one each for her three girls. The last of those is in the works and I picked up some fantastic ribbon and a clip to use on it, since I'm told she's not a frilly girl it's more tailored. I really hope the girls like their hats once i'm done...

I can't wait to get the ball rolling on the new website!

PS - an extra special thanks out to my fantastic "models"...they did so well and are absolutely gorgeous kids!!!!

...Making it work

This post is a test of sorts! I'm taking issue with the fact that when I post pictures along with my text for some reason my spaces between paragraphs mysteriously disappear. Incredibly frustrating!!

So I thought i'd give it another go and make it worth my while by including a pic of a sweater from a set I made for a client. The style was requested in this fantastic color for her neice's baby after she met me at a local craft show.

It's a pattern I really love...Auntie was thrilled with the results and hopefully mom was too. The set was hand-crocheted using the most melty-soft acrylic chenille... a weakness of mine!!!

Here's hoping the spacing stays put!!

OH...MY...GOODNESS... apparently paragraph spacing was too much to ask... what does a girl have to do to get a single blank line between her paragraphs??!!???

Kayla

Well, a trip to the emergency room on Friday afforded me the time necessary to finish up this hat for Kayla. She's the unborn child of one of my daughter's daycare workers. I'd save the hat until after she's born but her mom isn't returning to work after, so no better time than the present.

I made this Cloche Style hat from acrylic chenille and sized it to fit her at about 3-6 months, so she should be good-to-go for the fall/winter, provding her head circumference co-operates!!! I had been saving this fantastic plum chenille for something special. I broke it out for Carol (frecklefacephotography.ca) to make a newborn hat and decided that it would be lovely for Kayla too! I have such a small amount of it that i'm really trying to save it for special projects!

Hope the hat is a hit!!! :) ...and i hope that somewhere down the line i get to see a picture of Kayla in it!