Calling all Chainmaillers on Etsy!

I think I was going for a record there, as to how long I could go without posting! If you are a chainmailler currently on Etsy, or are just about to set up shop there, there is a movement going to start a team just for us! There is a guild blog already set up by youvegotmaille here: http://chainmaillersguild.blogspot.com/ To sign up to get it started, you need to leave a comment with answers to the questions there. We need to unite!!

Just to let everyone know who has read this recently, I graduated from Umpqua Community College on Friday!! Now I am searching for a job, and have already receieved interview offers!!!

The Wonders of Facebook

Oh my goodness, I have been playing with Facebook so much recently! My favorite parts are Pieces of Flair and Wrestler. If you do either one of them, look out for my wrestler, Randibula, and these flair:

No Shia Labeoufs! War Kittens! and I'm a Wild and Crazy Jon!

They would make a great addition to your flairboard! I mean, who wouldn't want War Kittens on their Capital One card!

Tutorial #1 - Machine Felting tips

Wow! Here in Oregon, it has gone from chilly to friggin' warm in like a week! Definitely time to dust off the old air conditioner and pay extra on the power bill!

Recently I have made several bracelets and earrings, but I decided to get out that wool and acrylic that I have been dying to use and make something out of it. I learned how to felt via a washing machine, and I have a purse drying on the clothes line as I type. It is actually pretty easy.

1.) Once you have your project completed, place it in a zippered pillow case protector, or if you don't have one, then do what I did and use a normal clean pillowcase and tied the end up, making sure that the whole pillowcase was closed, leaving no gaps in the knot.

2.) So I took:

• about a 1/4 cup of wool detergent depending on the size of the project (I got mine from Fred Meyers, but Woolite or any store brand delicate wash detergent will do)
• and set my washer to hot (but not boiling, so I could open the pillowcase every so often)
• with low water level (most washers will be low level water the first 5 minutes of the wash, unless your washer has a specific low level water setting.)
• and maximum agitation (do not let the spin or rinse cycle come on, it can cause permanent creases)

3.) You need to check the item every 5 minutes or so, to make sure the process is working. Reset your washer for the above settings, then repeat until the item has shrunk to the desired size. Make sure that you DO NOT let the washer go into rinse or spin.

4.) Once your item is finished, rinse out the detergent in warm water completely and roll into towels to get as much water out of your item as you can. Pull into shape if needed and let dry completely.

If you follow these steps, you should have a neat wool felted thingamabob!

Another money saving tip for Jewelers

In addition to all of the masses amounts of in-store coupons Michaels have been handing out recently, if you look on your reciepts starting the 27th to May 3rd, you get 20% off your total purchase! Make sure you keep your Michaels reciepts!!

I have made so much recently I have been amazed. A total of 2 necklaces and 3 bracelets, and I am still full of ideas. Hopefully I will be able to post them really soon on my etsy site.

I also have a new etsy banner, which looks really neat. I like the one above for the blog, but the new one is perfect for letting everyone know what my etsy site is all about. Still making real sized accessories and proud of it!

Been so busy!

I am sorry to those who have been waiting for a post from me in the last couple of weeks. I have been incredibly busy with my college work, and I haven't have much time to put into my jewelry making or posting on here. That will change, because come hell or high water I am going to balance everything out a lot better than it has been. WOOT FOR ME!

Anyways, I do have to tell you that Smokey the Amigurumi kitty has been 'adopted' and has a new home in Riddle, Oregon. I hope I can make some more of these pets, because they are so fun to make.

If you are a jewelry maker, keep an eye out for supplies at Michaels. They have been having weekly sales, and I must have gotten about 10 customer appreiciation coupons in the last 2 weeks. There is a special event at some stores, where they are giving out a coupon for 25% off your total purchase, including sales, that is good on Sunday April 27th from 4-8 pm. You know where I am going to be!

Amigurumi on Parade!

I now have both of my amigurumi pets posted on Etsy:

This one's name is Bacon the Pig: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10751768

and this one is Smokey the Cat: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10750590

I think I am going to make a pug next, which should be incredibly cute! And to all of those in England, I just realised that the names Smokey (&) Bacon reminded me of a really good flavor of crisp over there, I personally liked Seabrooks better than Walkers though....

Busy Busy Bee

I don't have too much time to write on here today, it is the first day of the Spring Term semester at Umpqua Community College, and I have 7, yes 7! classes this term. It is going to be quite busy, but I feel good, since it is my last semester in college for Medical Coding. I am going to look into maybe getting my Associates of Medical Assistant, but we will see what the future brings.

As far as crafts are concered, I have been making time to create some really neat things. I have two adorable amigurumi pets, a cat and a pig, and they turned out so good. I will get some pics of them up here soon. I also made an ultra hip pink scarf, and hopefully I will get that up on Etsy in the next day or so. I have had polymer clay up under my fingernails for 2 days now, making very realistic looking eastern and southwestern turquoise, and some very gorgeous jade chinese pendants. Again, as soon as I can take some pictures, I will post them on here.

Functionary Fhil

So it started snowing just now, like the last post predicted, and I had to come on here and tell you what happened. I showed my son the snow, well, snow and rainy sleety downpour, and he was so shocked. Snow in March?!? he said. What came next was classic. And all in one breath

Didfunctionaryfhilseehisshadow?

I had to ask 4 times for him to repeat it. Bless his heart, he had everyone laughing, and I had to tell him, 'I don't know if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year'

I checked, and yes he did, so this snowfall on March 26th was predicted by a rodent. LOL!

http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/

Scary!

I was driving in my car today from the grocery store just down the road, singing along to the radio, when the cabin of the car started filling up with smoke. When I rolled down the windows, smoke started to filter up as well from below the windshield wipers. Talk about scary! I managed to drive the few hundred feet left to my house. The smell was awful, like burning plastic. I had my dad look under the hood, looks like the air-con fan crapped out on me. The fan compartment was hot to touch, and I swear that car smoked for 30 minutes. I am just glad that I wasn't in Roseburg, or somewhere far from home, and that the problem wasn't something completely major (flashbacks of my caravan's transmission crapping out completely on the freeway come flooding back). Now I have to air out the nasty burnt smell, and it is forcast to snow tonight. LOL!

On a happier note, I have been working dilligantly on new items for my etsy store, including a fun fur shawl, and 2 amigurumi pets, a cat and pig, and I will post pictures as soon I can.

Treasury #2-3 - Lucky Me!

I thought today I would go ahead and post the images from the aforementioned two treasuries, Plus Size Promenade, and Two Treasuries, which turned into a homage to Pink not Stinking!

There are a few repeat 'offenders,' people I have featured in treasuries before, and a few new. The first treasury, Plus Sized, was really hard to find things for. Suprisingly, not a lot of Etsians create clothing for plus sized women, so I went with everything big bold and beautiful. My favorite piece on here has to be 'the Big Sexy' photo, by fotofiction from Canada. My husband self pinned the nickname 'big sexy' so that photo has a significant meaning to me :)


The second treasury came by complete suprise at the same time, so I had to think of something quick. I went with a totally girly girl pink theme, with a wide array of items from jewelry and toys to bags and soap. Yes, I had to use Petunia again, and there were a couple of other Etsy artists I decided to feature again, like Sockatome, YaYa's Caps and Phydeux. I had a lot of comments for loveandasandwich's Fergus F. Fuzzelburg, I love the many creative monsters etsy artists come up with!

I think since I got two in a week, I will take a break from snagging a treasury, at least for a couple of days, and give someone else a chance.

On a different topic, I took my son to the Shrine Circus in Roseburg on Thursday, and they always put on a good show! Every year I make sure my son does something he never has gotten to before, like holding a baby aligator last year, or riding the elephant the year before that, well this year Jarod got to ride a one humped camel. The first thing he said when he got off of it: "Mommy, that was great, but it hurt a little.' Maybe they should have used a two hump camel! LOL!

Please click on the photos above and search on Etsy for these great artists!

OMG! Two treasuries!

Don't ask me how, but I managed to secure two treasuries at once!

Plus Size Promenade: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=34823

Two Treasuries aka Pink doesn't Stink!: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=34848

Please check out all of the lovely items!

Another short post, another 2 finals tomorrow! And the circus is still in town!

Treasury #1 - Spring Fever, Winter Blues

I had the opportunity to create my first treasury over the weekend, and I had a lot fun doing it! I decided to go with a Spring Fever, Winter Blues theme, transitioning the changing of the seasons. I think the Bunnies waiting for Spring really ties the treasury together.

Please click on the image to get a closer look at the items I selected. And please search for their usernames at Etsy.com and check out more from these great artists!

This will only be a short post today, finals week is upon me, and the circus is in town!

PS: I still love Petunia with all my heart! :)

Dirty Mind!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AXPnH0C9UA&feature=related

This is a you tube video that everyone I know personally has seen so far, and has died laughing. It is a vintage Sesame Street clip of the Count, singing 'The song of the Count.' But of course, someone edited it to be completely full of enduendos. It doesn't have any cuss words, but the lyrics are cleverly censored with beeps to change the word 'count' to.....well....something else. It's hilarious, and it wiped any sense of what was left of my childhood innocence clean away!!

My favorite lyric: ' I *bleep* the spiders on the wall......

Although the video itself has no cussing or ludeness, I can't guarantee that on the comments below the video. It is still very funny and I recommend it if you have that twisted sense of humor! Maybe I should ready my next post with a feature on an Etsy artist specializing in soaps just in case :)

Random Hearts of Kindness 1

I didn't want my blog to be just about me, but about the Etsy pages that I have come across, and the people that liked my shop. This is where I introduce Random Hearts of Kindness, spotlighting an Etsy seller that I hearted, or a seller that hearted me.

This first in this series is a seller that hearted me a while back, phydeaux. Phydeaux ("fido") is run by Brenda out of California, and she makes the most exquisite hand knit scarves for both women and men out of wool and merino wool.

These scarves are absolutely gorgeous! She has a great pallete for color and textures, and they look so fashionable! Although spring officially starts March 20th this year, we all know that it is still incredibly cold in many areas. Why not treat yourself and wrap up in one of these deliciously warm scarves? The one showing is called 'Easter Sunrise' which is fitting for the colors and textures.

Visit her site here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5555756

My Very First Post!

People all over Etsy say 'You need to blog!' Well, I was a bit skeptical about it. I mean, who wants to listen to little ole me, a mother of one freezing her butt off in Southern Oregon. (Yes, I am a wuss when it comes to cold weather) Then I thought about it, and I guess you do, since you are reading this :)

Okay, so where to begin.....I guess I will let you know a little bit about me. Like I said, I am a mother of a 9 year old son, and have been with my husband forever. My husband is English, and my son was born in the same hospital ward in Burnley, Lancashire. My husband's name is Jason, son's name is Jarod. Yes, I am the only girl in the family. So I hear the constant grumbles of how pink stinks and that the Disney Princesses should bugger off. My husband was shocked when I ordered clothes recently from Fashion Bug, and there were colors other than black, brown and grey.

So what do I do, I hear you ask. Eh, probably not, but I am going to tell you anyways. In August the jobs that myself and my husband had were outsourced to El Salvador (which has since shut down. IRONY!) There were opportunities to go back to college, so I took the ball and ran with it. I am currently 2/3rds of the way through my Medical Billing and Coding courses. My husband decided on Accounting, and starts in the Spring. At the time it really affected us, since then we have both decided it was the best thing that happened to us and we are happier because of it. Plus, we spend so much more time with our son.

When I get comfortable with this thing called blogging, I will have some features, including tutorials, featured Etsy artists, and specials from my Etsy Store. Which, if you haven't been to yet, is at http://randimueck.etsy.com/.

I managed to get a treasury the first time I went for one.....after I stayed up until 3am......and stalked all of the expiring treasuries....and typed in my title as fast as possible.....Check mine out, it has some really neat items that embody Winter and Spring:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=33683

And I know what you are thinking, and the answer is no, one eye is not bigger than the other....