Spoonflower - Bloom with creative ideas!

For quite a while now I have been adding designs to my Spoonflower shop.  Here to share a few of my favorite ideas...available on all kinds of fabric, new products coming soon. click the photos to go to the shop.

Leaves on my path....

Books at Leeds Castle...

If you have an idea or photo you want printed I can help you create your idea!!! Playing with my camera, here are a few I have practiced with... More to come! Enjoy

Hello It is me you are looking for....

https://www.etsy.com/shop/terryann

Hello, I am keeping my hand in... and keeping my creative juices flowing while I look for a job.... Check out the fun stuff... follow me... favorite me... pin me... tweet it... got to get the network working.  :)

Journal of the Hat - Slog On!

May 10  2012… Sew Sew Soooooo……

  Today I took up the entire class to sew three seams… by hand.  The thread kept shredding, with infuriating often-ness. Here are a couple of photos that show some of the progress and I have pinned up the bits to give an impression of what the hat will look like when finished.  Hopefully I will finish next class!

Fashion, Merchandising Expo

This spring one of my designs will be in the SPU Fashion and Merchandising Expo... here is the flyer with the info...
Come if you can.... I would love to show off my designs!

Shoes to be married in!

So...OK............, we saw some beautiful shoes in the most recent "In Style" magazine. My daughter was looking for shoes to wear with her wedding dress this summer.
There is not a chance that we could afford those designer dreams... go look them up on page 394, lace treasures!!! So I had a bit of a creative brainstorm. We went to the bargain shoe store and purchased a plain pair of white strappy pumps for $10!

The end result are these beautiful designer inspired pair, using ..... my old and stained, wedding dress... yep the backs were covered with the cuffs, and the toes took some of the lace from the top. We made some little rosettes from the tulle, and put shell buttons in the middle, those are on the top of the heel area. I am not sure if we are finished with the layers of lace, but I had to take these photos. WOW ! and it was so fun!

My Feet ~ a story that I didn't plan to tell.

Well I didn't start out to tell a story about my feet, or even decide to take pictures of my feet and put them on my blog... however, one day I was sorting through my many photos and noticed how many, many, many photos I had of just that very thing! My feet... so here are a few photos... I seem to have taken some by accident and others by design... explanations follow each photo.






This one I was trying to photograph the tote for my online Etsy shop and well.... I didn't have a model that day so I just snapped it with my right hand....





Again my model wasn't around and my toe nail polish just happened to match the Ultrasuede! This one will be listed soon.

This was my daughters graduation day and I was beginning to get bored, I had put a top layer of sparkle~ly paint on my dark purple toes. It was so pretty and so I distractedly snapped a photo while someones name I didn't know was being called... really 3 hours to get through all the names and speeches... yawn~! pretty toes however!

Here I am trying again to take a photo of product without a model.... not a bad shot... of my feet! ☺

And at last... my favorite shot of my feet.... so far ~~~~~ ! ♥ ♥ ♥

This one I took while I waited for my daughters to get ready... we were in Disneyland, the ankle bracelet says "PRINCESS" and yes I am! Silver toes, shoes and bracelet! WOW What cute feet....
Not a single stinker! Now wasn't that fun?!

Mr Dizzy Squid ~ Boo Boo Baby Squid ~ Everyday Squid ~ Design your own theme Squid ~ The Pattern

This Plushie was inspired by my daughters drawings... here is what we created...

You can see the full instructions on Cut out and Keep...just click on the images to link to the page.

Ta Da! hug and enjoy with no fear of ink!

Cut out and Keep ~ my newest post

Plushie Chibi Bunny ~ Cut out and Keep ~ Crazy Chibi Bunny Kawaii ~ Baby Big Ears Bunny




Bunny the pattern... inspired by my daughters drawings. My daughter does these fun drawings of "chibi" style animals... this one inspired her to make one. I drafted the pattern, and posted it on Cut out and Keep... If you are inspired to make one too, just click on the photos and go right there!

The End.

Just Sharing my Faves...

Etsy Day

• Happy Etsy Day !

Etsy Day ~ Etsy Day ~ Etsy Day ~ Etsy Day ~ TODAY!

• Hurrah!
• This one has been listed since almost the begining of Etsy, I have sold several like this but this one is going to be mine if it isn't purchased soon!
  

Chocolate what? Chocolate Wafer/Waffle Mini Cake

Chocolate Wafer Whip Mini Cake

You will not believe this but there are only two, ingredients in this little mini cake and no baking! This cake is only about 6 inches across including the whipped cream icing.

1 ~ package of chocolate waffle type chocolate cookies, you can also use the Nabisco chocolate wafers but those don't make a cake in this shape. There is a similar recipe on that box.
2 ~ A big tub of Cool Whip.

I got a box of those waffle type chocolate cookies and start by putting a blob of cool whip in the middle of a small plate. Then layer the cookies and blobs of cool whip, until you have a tall enough, finally "ice" the sides and top with more cool whip. The final instructions.......




Put it in the freezer till tomorrow.



Pull it out and cut it up, so yummy!








So what are you waiting for, quick, easy, fun, and yummy, not to mention chocolate!
Enjoy!

Double Brat Featured Artist ~ Lavenderlizard ~

The Military Brats of Etsy Global Street Team

~ November 2008 Brat Feature ~

every few weeks we feature one of our members, this time we are proud to Feature:

lavenderlizard and lavenderladybug

Double Brat with two stores!
See her etsy shops here;
http://www.lavenderlizard.etsy.com/
and

http://www.lavenderladybug.etsy.com/

Here is her blog…..
http://lavenderlizard.blogspot.com/

Her flickr photos here;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14254353@N03

See the post on our Bratty Blog here;
http://etsymilitarybratteam.blogspot.com/

1-Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, and personal stuff).

Hi! My name is Elizabeth Kalka, but everyone calls me Liz. I live in San Antonio, Texas (Military City USA), which is just perfect for a Brat! I’m married to a great guy (served in the US Navy), and we have 4 sons who range in age from 2 to 12.

I consider myself a Texan (part of my family arrived in Texas in the 1700s, and both of my parents were born and raised here), although I was born in Boulder, Colorado. After 20 years in the Air Force, my father retired, and we moved to the Dallas area, where I lived from the age of 10 until I left for college. Then I spent 12 years in Austin, where among other things, I attended the University of Texas (Hook ‘Em!). After my husband and I married, we settled here in San Antonio.

I started The Lavender Lizard with accessories, scrubbies and crocheted necessities about 18 months ago, and this year I opened The Lavender Ladybug, which I envision as my supply and destash shop.

2-What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?

I learned embroidery stitches while I was a Brownie when we were stationed in La Paz, Bolivia. I still have the first thing I made – I raided my mother’s sewing basket for buttons to embellish it. The “fabric” is very coarse, like burlap, and I signed it with my initials.

3-What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

I am probably most inspired by yarn – different colors and textures make me think of different objects. For instance, I found this great fluffy, orange, tweedy yarn, and I thought “I just have to make pumpkins out of this!” So I did! The problem is I have more yarn and ideas for it than I have time….

4-What are your favorite materials?

Well, yarn, of course! I also cross-stitch, and I am in the process of designing cross-stitch embellishments for The Lavender Ladybug.

5-What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists on Etsy?

Patience, for sure! Also, it’s important to know that an Etsy shop is not static – you must spend time listing, photographing, editing, writing, learning, promoting, networking, renewing, blogging, checking the forums, mailing (hopefully), and keeping records. That’s after you have spent time creating in the first place.

6-Why should people buy handmade?

Handmade = love! I have always cherished handmade gifts, and I love to have one-of-a-kind items that someone cared enough to make. Buying handmade is supporting an artist, and I can’t stress the importance of that enough!

7-What features/services would you most like to see on Etsy?

I would love to be able to organize my favorites – I’m forever hearting items, like I’ll go on a hearting spree through Pounce or the Treasury, but good luck finding them again. I don’t have the patience (or time) to check the pages of my favorites.

I would also love the ability to organize my shop without renewing items and put items into more than one shop category.

8-Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Well, I parent my boys, which keeps me quite busy. I have served on PTA boards for the last 6 years (this year, I am the treasurer for the middle school PTA). I have a weekend job in retail. And every night before I go to bed, I have to read, no matter how tired I am.

9-Read any good books lately?

Just finished “The 39 Clues” (Rick Riordan, the author, also lives in San Antonio), and I’m looking forward to the next one in this series (Put down the book, people – I’m going to win the prizes!)

I’m also working my way through the Bones series (although I found I could not stand the TV series based on these books! Weird, huh?) My favorite place in the world is a library.

10-In ten years I'd like to be…

Watching my 2 oldest sons graduate from college, DS3 graduating from high school, and seeing my youngest son enter teenage hood. Professionally, I would love to publish some of my original crochet designs.

11-How did you pick your business name and your etsy avatar?

Both The Lavender Lizard and The Lavender Ladybug were named with my favorite color in mind. Also, when I was growing up, my nickname was Lizard. My friend Photoshop and I created both of my avatars.

12- What is the connection between being a Crafter and being a Brat?

It doesn’t surprise me that a lot of Brats also craft. It must have something to do with the ability to be creative on the fly, to adapt to new situations quickly, and to use crafting to stay grounded in our lives. Growing up as a Brat, I was terribly shy and hated meeting new people. I still feel that way sometimes, but I also found that I can relate to most people on some level because of my life experiences. I think that’s probably true of most Brats!

~Liz

Yes I was featured... go see!!!

I was featured on this very cute blog... Go and check it out! Click the badge above and then the entries.

Military Friendly Shops ~ A web based network for help and discounts

Today I got notice that I was one of the "Shops of the Week" on a web site dedicated to help with shopping and shipping for military families, especially those overseas! COOL! Check it out!

http://www.militaryfriendlyshops.webs.com/

This is how they describe themselves and the web site....

Who We Are
We are two Army wives & mothers! Yep just like you! We love to shop and have our own business making hair items for lil ones. We come across many sales and specials and thought..why not share them!!
We are avid online shoppers, we can and will (try!!) find every discount for you!
Our personal shops can be found at:

Lizzies Little Liahs Baby Bows Site

A Soldiers Flowers Etsy Site

And we offer FREE shipping to all APO, & FPO address's!
Any questions for us or about us?? Just ask!
Angela & Elizabeth

I Won!

Yesterday in the mail I received these two cute buttons by mechelledesigns.etsy.com

She had a little contest on her blog http://mechelledesigns.blogspot.com and

♪♪♪♫♫♫♪♪♫♫♫♪♪♪

I WON!

They are so adorable, you should see the other neat stuff in her shop! She explains herself this way:

With a background in design and illustration, Mechelle would create handmade cards for the Christmas holidays to send out to family and friends. After getting married and starting her family, she stopped making cards for a while. She started making cards again as gifts for her children's teachers and selling them at art festivals in which she exhibited her work. She decided to create her own line after encouragement from fellow artists and other recipients.

I am enjoying my little buttons!

indigobaydesigns and littlepinkplum ~ Brat Feature

The Military Brats of Etsy Global Street Team

~ Fall 2008 Brat Feature ~

Every few weeks we feature one of our members, this time we are proud to Feature:

indigobaydesigns and littlepinkplum
Double Brat with two stores!

See her etsy shops here;
http://www.indigobaydesigns.etsy.com/
http://www.littlepinkplum.etsy.com/
Her flickr photos here;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30849866@N07
See the post on our Bratty Blog here;
http://etsymilitarybratteam.blogspot.com/

1-Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, and personal stuff).

My name is Janet and I’m married with 3 kids. I live in El Cajon, CA (same place as our team leader oceankisses and also lizedgar). I am an Army brat and was born in Maryland. I graduated from high school in Japan and then my father was transferred to Arizona. A friend of mine was living in San Diego and asked me to share an apartment with her. So I moved out here and that was almost 20 years ago.

2-What is the first thing you can remember making by hand?

How and why did you make it?

I remember in elementary school gluing Popsicle sticks together to make a picture frame, and then gluing macaroni shells onto the Popsicle sticks. My teacher spray painted the frame and I gave it to my parents. It was something all the kids in my class made to give to their parents for Christmas.

3-What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

With my pocket mirrors, I look at various types of paper and try to figure out if that particular paper would be a good design for a mirror. And I make a lot of pendants based on what my two daughters like or ask me to make. I have recently started to experiment with my original drawings and digitally coloring them, and hope to turn them into mirrors and pendants soon.

4-What are your favorite materials?

Paper and more paper. I also like fabric. I sew a little and just made some lavender sachets to give as gifts this Christmas.

5-What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists on Etsy?

One important lesson I’ve learned from other artists on Etsy is to take great pictures since that is what is going to catch the eye of a potential buyer. That is something I still need to improve on, but I have come a long way from when I first started listing.

6-Why should people buy handmade?

People should buy handmade because it’s not a mass produced item that a million other people are going to have. You’re getting something very special that had a lot of attention, caring and pride that went into making it.

7-What features/services would you most like to see on Etsy?

One feature I would like to see is to be able to block non paying buyers from returning to your shop. I would also like to see Etsy become just as well known as the other “E” site. When I tell people that I sell on Etsy, I usually get a blank stare.

8-Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I love to read and I usually go to the library at least once a week to check out books or to get on the waiting list for the latest bestseller. I’ve been a stay at home mom since my son was born 3 years ago, and I spend a lot of time chauffeuring my kids around to school, after school activities, etc. They keep me busy.

9-Read any good books lately?

I just finished reading a book by Anne Perry. I love her Victorian murder mysteries.

10-In ten years I'd like to be…

... happy and successful at whatever I’m doing. I would also like to have some wholesale accounts. I just completed a small order for a boutique in Los Angeles, and I would love to sell my pendants and mirrors to more shops.

11-How did you pick your business name and your etsy avatar?

For littlepinkplum, I chose that name based on my favorite colors and the “little” part comes from me being not quite 5 feet tall. Indigo Bay is the name of a beautiful island resort near the Indian Ocean. I would love to vacation there someday.




12- What has being a brat at Etsy meant to you?


Not only is there a common bond of being crafters, but there’s also a special connection because of our unique background as brats.

My New Favorate Place to surf ~ Cut Out and Keep

A couple of months ago I discovered this site Cut Out and Keep! They call themselves a step by step crafty community. It is full of mini "How to's"... written by people just like you and me. I have been surfing there quite a bit and finally put up a couple of things up myself.... check out my step by step...

My teen daughter finally got her ears pierced... so needed a place to put and display her begining collection... We did this...

Click on either photo to go to the Step by Step........ at Cut Out and Keep!

I also put up this wonderful drink that will cool you off on these last hot days of summer....

Italian Soda ... yummy and cool, calories yes but so good! click on the photo to go straight to the "How to"!