Felt Flanerie feature + GIVEAWAY and promo!

Welcome to another Shop Small Saturday Showcase!  This week, I am featuring one of my favorite new shops: Felt Flanerie!  I met Amanda at a recent craft show and I was totally enamored with her pretty items, and I'm so happy she's being featured today.  In fact, I have already featured her in my Gift Guide for Kids!

There are so many items different items in her shop, from pretty floral arrangements to scary and cute zombies and even groovy ornaments... and they're all made out of felt!  The creations are ridiculously cute, and you even have the chance to win one.  :)

Amanda will be giving away a set of peat pot flower arrangements, which are great for gifts, displaying on a bookshelf, or adding a pop of color on your desk, without having to worry about watering it every day.  So make sure to stay tuned until the end of the post for that, as well as a promo code that will save you 10% off her entire shop.

Now, let's find out more about Felt Flanerie!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My grandma taught me to sew when I was ten, maybe even younger, but I remember ten, haha!  After that it was a whirlwind of bobbins, needles and threads.  Any chance I had to use the skills, I did, always trying to make my own halloween costumes or set pieces for school plays and projects. I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season and then I was hooked. I haven’t really looked back since. I love it too much to stop.


Where did the name of your store come from?

“Flanerie” is one of my favorite words in the vocabulary that I know and my favorite material to work with is felt. I guess it just felt right when they came together and it stuck. Ultimately it made me smile when I said it and I think that how I knew it’d work. Can’t argue with a smile. :)

Why did you start making goods for Felt Flanerie?

I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season. When I saw my two year old sister open the gift, it was hard to ignore just how much it made her smile, whether she really knew what it was or not.


What is your favorite item?

Favorite item right now is Mr. Mint.  He's a one of a kind XL plushie and he’s made with different shades of minty green hues, mint being one of my favorite colors. His shape is a cuddle conductor, his size is conducive to those seeking unscripted play and imaginative fun, and his minty shades are minty fresh. ;) He can work as a decorative throw in your living room or even as a child’s plush play toy.

What is your most popular item?

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Noshkins Feature, Giveaway & Promo!

Happy December!  For today's feature on Shop Small Saturday Showcase, I have such a fun one for you from Noshkins.  When I first saw all of Connie's cute and crafty creations, I was obsessed!  If I'm being honest, I would love a set of her petit fours for myself even if they are made for kids...  They just look so scrumptious!

Actually, the set that Connie is giving away (stay tuned at the bottom of the post) is a sushi set that people of all ages will love!  But first, find out which special person inspired all of these creations, and check out some serious eye candy... literally!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

I grew up in Central California on the Monterey Peninsula. I’ve worked as a graphic artist for over 35 years, mostly with my own home business, Connie Simon Design. I love color, typography, well-designed anything! Growing up in the 60s was great—a real do-it-yourself time of my life. Drawing, painting, macrame, sewing, print making; so much to experiment with! • In 2011 I made a set of play food out of felt for my then 3 year old grandson to use in his play kitchen. I hated the plastic food available and thought the wood food as potentially damaging (kids throw things!). His reaction was immediate joy and engagement. He inspired me to start Noshkins, Inc. in order to share my lovingly made items with others.


Where did the name of your store come from?

I went through so many name ideas before I came up with one that wasn’t taken. “Nosh” is a Yiddish word meaning “a snack or small item of food”. The addition addition of “kin” to imply tiny or child related, Noshkins was born.

Why did you start making goods for Noshkins?

I love producing things of quality and detail. My grandson was the original inspiration. There are plenty of products for children that are cheaply manufactured or overly simple in design. I wanted to share something that was beautiful and well made to delight and inspire both the child and adult. I’m looking into ways to let the special needs market know about Noshkins. I’ve been told they’d be great for kids with autism or other sensory processing challenges.


What is your favorite item?

Wow! That’s a tough one! Each item has its own “personality”. The tea party sets are so pretty. I guess I am partial to the tomato slice and broccoli floret. The first time I made the broccoli I used a kazillion french knots. The texture was great but, seriously??? Then inspiration hit. I can get a lot of broccoli out on one bath towel and the texture is perfect! I find myself giggling as I finish a piece. My newest set of sushi has a lot of texture and the “seaweed” is attached with velcro so kids can assemble some of the pieces.

What is your most popular item?

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Essential Woodworking Tools for Beginners: A wishlist!

Now that I'm done with sharing my woodworking projects, from the first to the last one, I'm thinking about how my X-leg stools need to be finished and all the future projects I want to make.  Just one problem... I don't have a wood shop!

Most likely I will take another class so I can have access to the tools, but I also want to start putting together a shop of my own.  So, being the overly organized appropriately prepared person that I am, I put together a list of tools as recommended by both experts and friends.

I included links to each item as a reference, with some of the more highly rated or popular brands represented.  However, if any of you have advice or experience with a particular tool that you just have to recommend, please let me know!

Safety Items & Measuring Tools

1. Hearing protection
2. Face shield or safety glasses
3. Dust mask or respirator
4. Framing square or Combination square
5. Trusty pencil!

Power Tools

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Grey Theory Mill feature, GIVEAWAY & promo!

This week, I have such a fun Shop Small Saturday Showcase feature for you!  Jonnie, the delightfully quirky girl behind Grey Theory Mill is sharing a bit about her work and life.  Actually, when I say a bit, I mean a lot!  I love how much thought and detail she gave in her interview, which reflects the same amount of attention she gives to each handmade creation.  Also, when I say quirky, I mean it!  Check out a couple of the funniest maker photos that I've ever featured below.  :)

Seriously, I am in love with just about everything in her store.  The jewelry is an awesome mix of geometric designs, fun colors, and sweetness, plus her notebooks are just as pretty!  Seriously, when I first saw her booth at Patchwork, I could not decide on just one design.  Well, luckily the winner of the giveaway won't have to make the same decision because she is giving away $45 to one lucky reader!  And for all of my readers, she is giving a promo to save 15% off at her store.

Stay tuned for that at the end of the interview, but first check out some amazingly creative handmade gems and hear more from Jonnie herself!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My name is Jonnie and I’m a doer-maker-creative-learning-reading-watcher sort of person (or whatever that means). My favorite pastimes include reading, tea-drinking, learning, listening, dancing, being, creating, sharing, cooking, baking, daydreaming, dreaming, pretending, writing, photo-taking, walking, exploring, shopping for supplies, hanging out with my other half/friends/family, and many other present progressives.

I’ve always been rather creative and have always enjoyed an established relationship between my mind and hands. As a very young child (so young this is my mother’s memory), my first masterpiece was a portrait of my mother’s face on the bathroom floor. I had gotten rid of the throw rug and collected every last bit of her makeup and went to town on my linoleum canvas. When she woke up, I was just finishing her piece and I excitedly squealed, “Look momma! It’s you!” She was bummed all her brand new make-up was now diminished, but she said it was really well done. I was also really good at drawing on the walls. So, with that said, I would say I’ve never been too nervous to try out new mediums. If an idea comes to me (whatever it may be) I just figure out how to do it until it can be done. If it can’t, I chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.

I did drama in high school, dabbled in garage bands, and wrote quite a bit. “Art” was something I did on my own time (which was usually collages for my school binder). It wasn’t until my sophomore year of colleg--as an English major--that it struck me I needed to major in art. So I left that college, went back home, completed all the undergrad art courses needed to transfer to a new school and then decided to change my major to Human Development. I started Grey Theory Mill sometime in between and would say that in starting a business, I created my own classroom where I have learned about myself, art, design, online marketing, etc. It wasn’t a clear cut training program, just a conglomeration of personal experience and existing.

Where did the name of your store come from?

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, B-day dinner & X-mas!

It's the last weekly wrap-up of the 2013!  I cannot believe how time flies!  These weekly wrap-ups have totally evolved this past year, but I'll chat about it a bit later.  :)


Precap (jump to):

• Sights:  Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, Christmas!
• Eats:  FIG & OLIVE

Saturday

I convinced my guy that we should head to Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles for some last minute Christmas shopping!

It is located in San Pedro where the weather is absolutely amazing!  For this weekend, there was a special little Mom and Pop Up shop from the SoCal Etsy Guild for the holidays.

But first, I had to pop in and say hello to my friends at the Artisan Candle Company, who mentioned that I should drop by their permanent store after meeting them at Patchwork Santa Ana.  What a great suggestion!  On Instagram, I shared the candle that I picked out here.  It was a really hard choice!

It was especially a fun time because we were introduced to the Crafted's Executive Director and Leasing Director, who gave us a tour and introduced us around a bit.  Also, they gave us an inside scoop on their current location and their plans to open up a brewery, testing kitchen, and food artisan selling area for the building next door.  It sounds amazing, and I can't wait for that to open up!  By the way, this is all after filming their three separate segments on KTLA and staying up late for the Happy Hour shopping the previous day.  How nice of them, right?

Also, I had a chance to visit more vendors that I can't wait to feature on the Shop Small Saturday Showcase series soon.  I loved so many of the vendors, and my guy enjoyed his beer tasting while I did my rounds.  See, it is perfect for both crafty and non-crafty folks!  :)

Here are a few pictures from the non-vendor areas of Crafted.  A DIY ornament station, a photo booth, a free gift wrapping station, and a 10 foot tall wire baby art piece.  Yep, you read that right!

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My International Craft Swap Gift!

Remember the post where I let you guys know that I would participate in the International Craft Swap?  I ended up showing you the Nautical-Inspired "Odds & Ends Jars that I made for Erin of Miss Crayola Creepy.  At the end of that post, I promised that I would share the present I got from her... and that was over a month ago!

Well without further ado, here is my lovely present!  It's a cute vintage headband, sewed by Erin herself, in an adorable vintage print.  It may look awkward in my photo since I I haven't mastered the whole "take a picture of yourself with a timer or in a mirror" method.

Here's a better close-up (although with awkward lighting) to show you that it has two straps which then twist in the front to form a cute little knot in the front!

It is perfect for summer, and I love that it is exceptionally handmade, unique, and with a little bit of that vintage zest thrown in that I love so much!

And if that isn't enough, she included a couple more items in the package!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: A weekend of firsts!

This weekend was really fun (and busy) since it was my last chance to celebrate my birthday until next year AND I had a bunch of online deals that we had to use before they expired!

I actually had planned to go to the horse races on Sunday, but we ended up having to postpone to go to a graduation party instead.  No biggie, because this was truly a weekend of firsts!  Just check out the precap.  :)


Precap:

• Eats: The Attic, Kamal Palace, Gendershe Cuisine (Somalian food), Baja Fish Tacos
• Activites: B-day presents!, Curling (yep, with the brooms)

Friday

We decided to kick off the weekend by having one last birthday dinner.  Yay!

My wonderful guy gave me my birthday present just before we ate, and it's...

A SERGER!!!

I CANNOT wait to use it, but for right now, I have lots of work to do and it'll have to wait for a bit...  :(

Anyways, I wasn't up for a long, fancy meal so we went to The Attic, which has some great comfort food.  We started off with some yummy appetizers: a delish Wedge Salad and Short Rib Sliders!

Our entrees were amazing, as expected.  Clockwise starting from the top left: the Wild Boar special, Chicken & Okra Gumbo, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and the Shrimp Po Boy.  I don't eat fried chicken that often, but this one is sooo worth it!

I had a complimentary birthday dessert, but we couldn't help but get another one to split.  :)  There was a tie between both desserts as to which was better.  We couldn't agree!  Both the Peach Cobbler a la mode and the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding were delicious even though we were stuffed!

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Sewing Rewind: Gifts Edition!

It is better to give than it is to receive, right?  But for us crafters who DIY gifts, it can be a nerve-wracking to hand over a handmade present for scrutiny!

Here are a few gifts that I gave to friends and family over the past several months!

Disclaimer: These are all pictures taken with my phone, prior to the development of my still mediocre camera skills !

The first item I ever gifted to someone is the goggles case that I already blogged about here.  At least I had input prior to its creation, so I wasn't as nervous as I could have been...

Next, came an item for my cousin's kid's first birthday.  I wanted to sew something for a baby so desperately that I searched through a multitude of free baby clothes patterns.  But then I realized that I didn't know his size!

Instead, I decided to sew a monogram taggie that he could use for longer anyways!  I used a few fabric, batting, and velcro scraps along with some ribbon from my mom's stash.  I put in a lot of effort because my fabric & batting sandwich was wrong twice!  However, it ended up costing a total of $0!

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Etched Beer Steins

I had some presents that were long overdue, and I finished them up today.  Whew, another item checked off of my list!

The first time I etched a beer stein for my friend, I ended up with pretty good results.  However, it took forever!!!  I printed out a font that I liked, and used a blade to cut contact paper for my stencil.  The combination of tough contact paper, a dull blade, and an ornate font made me NEVER want to attempt this again.

Attempt #1 (taken by my friend's much nicer camera)

However, it was present time, and I decided that it would be much easier with my new Silhouette!  I was absolutely right.  So much easier to make my own design and have it cut out.

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