New Etsy listings and workshops

Bib necklace inspired by Alabama Chanin
Originally uploaded by sassycrafter

I have a few updates to share with everyone. First, I'm no longer a contestant in "So You Think You're Crafty." Sadly, my UFO lamp didn't garner enough votes for me to make it through the "Retro" challenge.

It's been a lot of fun though. If you have the time, please keep tuning in and voting for your favorites. I know that the remaining crafters would definitely appreciate it. And speaking of appreciation, thanks so very much to all of YOU who voted for ME in the past few weeks!

As an eternal optimist, I'm trying to look at my elimination as a good thing. After all, not being in the contest any longer means that I have more time on my hands for other things. The first thing I tackled was taking some photos and adding new items to my Etsy shop. I added a few souvenir clocks, and I even listed the bib necklace that I created for the "Alabama Studio Style" contest (pictured here). It was a tough call because I literally spent hours sewing this thing. Here's a shot of me getting started on the project on the flight up to see my sister. (You might recognize that pin cushion from my audition round at SYTYC.)



I received such a positive response from people on Facebook and Flickr (thanks, y'all!), that I figured I'd offer it for sale and see what happens with it.

Speaking of the "Alabama Studio Style" contest, if you're a BurdaStyle member then please consider voting for my project. I'd really appreciate it! The winners receive a host of cool prizes, including a weekend workshop at Natalie Chanin's studio. You can vote for it here. Thanks!

This week I'm also going to come up with some new workshop ideas to pitch to the Alachua County Library system. I try to do workshops that use cheap or free materials and that are suited for a range of age groups. Any suggestions for new workshops?

And speaking of workshops, I'm offering two free ones next week:

• "Sewing Hip Accessories from Recycled Sweaters," Micanopy Branch Library on Sunday, March 7 from 2pm to 4pm
• "Creating Cool Pendants from Recycled Bottle Caps," Millhopper Branch Library on Tuesday, March 9 from 6pm to 8pm

Hope to see you there!

SYTYC Week 4 -- "Retro"

Today marked the start of Week 3 over at So You Think You're Crafty. I was excited that the theme this week is "Retro," and am super pleased with what I came up with. It's also really cool to see how everyone came up with their own interpretation of the theme. Don't forget to cast your vote by Friday!

Week 3 wrapped up strong with Sarah's reusable lunch sandwich and snack bags garnering the most votes in the "Kitchen" challenge. You can check out her tutorial here. And did you guess which project was mine? I hope I didn't throw too many of you off with the description I wrote. I just thought that the towel would be great for folks with kids, even though I don't have kids of my own.

And speaking of both tutorials and kids, there's a good reason that I have yet to post my coptic binding tutorial. It's because I'm spending time visiting my sister, her husband, and my brand new twin nephews! They are incredibly adorable and I feel so lucky that I get to spend this time with them. And it's also nice to know that I'm able to help out my sister and her husband, since it sure is a lot of work raising twins!

I promise to post the tutorial soon, and in the meantime encourage you to head over to So You Think You're Crafty and check out the fabulous retro projects. See you soon!

SYTYC -- Week 1 wrap-up and Week 2 "Under $5"

What a busy weekend! The first week of "So You Think You're Crafty" wrapped up on Friday. The winner was Kalleen with her "Tag Wallet." You can read her tutorial here. I have to say, if I didn't vote for my own project I totally would have voted for hers. It reminded me of another project I'd seen made from old labels --this amazing smoking jacket that appeared on an episode of Antiques Roadshow.

Getting back to SYTYC, did you guess which project was mine? It was a little bit retro and a little bit modern, just like a lot of my projects. Did you guess yet? It was the creative journal made with aluminum covers and a coptic stitch binding. If you haven't ever had a coptic stitch journal, you're missing out. They're great because they lie totally flat when you open them, which is perfect for artsy types.

If you're interested in making your own coptic stitch journal, check back later for the tutorial I'll be posting. I had hoped to have it up by this morning but I was too wrapped up in the Super Bowl last night. I'm still pinching myself that the Saints won! Who Dat?!

In the meantime, swing on by the SYTYC site to check out the fun projects for Round 2 -- "Under $5." There are some pretty creative projects up there, and all of them are cheaper than a venti latte. I like that! As usual, you can vote using the poll in the right sidebar.

And the most exciting news of all is that my sister is delivering her babies today! Her official due date is next week but they decided to schedule her for a C-section for today. I guess the twins were ready to come out! On Saturday they got 24" of snow at their house, which is on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. She called the hospital yesterday and they said the roads are clear, so it sounds like everything's on track. So exciting! I'm still giddy that I'm going to be an aunt. I guess this gives me an excuse to get started on some cute baby crafts.

SYTYC Week 1 -- "For You"

The competition is underway! Ten fun and inspiring craft projects are now posted on "So You Think You're Crafty." And they're all sitting there waiting patiently for you. Yes, you! It's up to you to vote for your favorite projects. The results will determine which nine lucky crafters can move on to Round 2.

As you may recall, I was so excited to be selected as one of the competitors in Round 2 of SYTYC. I thought long and hard about what project would best fit the "For You" theme and would best represent me as a crafter. I'm hoping it's strong enough that you can pick it out of a lineup and vote for it. I'm dying to make it Week 2, since I already have a fabulous project cooked up.

So please, be sure to go vote! Just look for the "For You" poll in the right sidebar. Thanks!

It's official -- I'm crafty!

Wow, it's been a busy week. First, I'm so excited to announce that I was selected as one of the crafters for Round 2 of So You Think You're Crafty!

What this means is that I'll hopefully be creating an entirely new project each week from now through the month of April. I say "hopefully" because it's all in the hands of the voters -- if my projects tally enough votes each week, then I'll advance to the next week's challenge. So please, don't forget to drop in at So You Think You're Crafty starting on Monday, February 1 to cast your vote.

As you can guess, I'll be crafting like crazy this week to get my project ready. But I'm also going to carve out some time to put together a tutorial for a record album journal/scrapbook (see photo). I'm donating this one for tomorrow night's WGOT 2nd Anniversary Party. They're going to have some great bands playing and they'll be giving away my journal/scrapbook as a raffle prize, along with other goodies from Boca Fiesta, Satchel's Pizza, No Idea Records, and The Atlantic. If you're in Gainesville, don't miss it.

And finally, today is the last day to vote in "So You Think You're Crafty" Round 1 finale between Dana and Ashley! They've both made some amazing projects throughout the competition, and this week is no exception. Stop on by and vote using the sidebar on the right side of the page.