tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25180016472631688092024-03-06T06:12:55.582+00:00SweetShop Creations--handmade hats and scarvesI started SweetShop Creations to:
1) do something I love
2)design lots of fierce knitwear.
3)give back to the global community by donating part of the proceeds to organizations which empower sustainable development.
4)raise awareness of the sweat shop mentality and encourage people to think about their spending in terms of people, not just getting a good deal.MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-65985331837084572482013-10-09T08:33:00.001+01:002014-03-09T04:31:20.387+00:00SweetShop Adventures; Dongdaemun MarketGreetings SweetShoppers! It's been a while since I've posted, but the weather here in Korea is cooling down so I find myself with more time and less humidity on my hands--perfect for crafting and blogging about crafting. One of the biggest crafting challenges I've found since I've come to Korea this year is finding a reliable, inexpensive source of crafting supplies.<br />
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For example, there's a cute little yarn shop near my house with some gorgeous yarn on display. The proprietor is a cute little old lady and one of the fastest knitters I've ever seen--the shop windows are full of display mannequins wearing her work. Imagine my surprise when I went in there, armed with my best travel Korean and...</div>
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Me: (in broken, halting Korean; pointing at a skein of Red Heart Chunky) How much is this?</div>
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Cute Old Knitter: 20,000 won. (About 18 USD)</div>
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Me: HOW much??!!!</div>
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Cute Old Knitter: 20,000 won. Cheap, isn't it?</div>
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Sweetshoppers, you know me. I don't pay $18 for a skein of acrylic yarn. I don't pay $18 for a skein of <b>cashmere</b> yarn, if I can help it. And I know you. If you ever come to Korea, there is no reason YOU should pay $18 for a skein of acrylic yarn. So when some kind people from the <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.kr/2013/04/sweetshop-adventure-gangnam-stitchers.html" target="_blank">Gangnam Stitchers group</a> offered to show me around the famed Dongdaemun markets, where bargains and variety abound, I gladly took them up on it.</div>
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So, what is Dongdaemun like? Well...they say a picture is worth a thousand words...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHSLCkLYF7UznXZEXMXrgLqOCZh0sgLSUjii6Jj3nJpMw84ASnoHKC0obg8wwvHpCK6wKz0FVo0ZSM1saYgMeKQiVTNu2WMPHT-m4U13Kt7DOs69Ylc_MsCYwSDE8R2g8Jt78UwwmSCw/s1600/CAM00269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHSLCkLYF7UznXZEXMXrgLqOCZh0sgLSUjii6Jj3nJpMw84ASnoHKC0obg8wwvHpCK6wKz0FVo0ZSM1saYgMeKQiVTNu2WMPHT-m4U13Kt7DOs69Ylc_MsCYwSDE8R2g8Jt78UwwmSCw/s640/CAM00269.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The possibilities were endless...</td></tr>
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That, SweetShoppers, is ONE stall out of hundreds in the market. Armed with only my smartphone camera, I couldn't really get a picture that captured the sheer scope of the market, but imagine several hundred of the above, spread out over a city block in a basement full of other amazing things. The best part? Those balls of cotton/acrylic blend yarn you see in that photo were only 3,000 won($2.75 USD) each.</div>
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<b>So, what is Dongdaemun, anyway?</b></div>
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To give you a little bit of context, Dongdaemun(pronounced DOHNG-day-moon) Market is a 10 block area of Seoul that contains 25 shopping malls, countless independent market stalls and shops, and over 50,000 manufacturers. All in all there's over 30,000 shops, so depending on your preferences, it probably sounds like either paradise or hell. Dongdaemun is known for its clothes, textiles, crafting supplies and the nearby Gwangjang market has plenty of nooks and crannies full of deliciously kooky street food to satisfy you after your shop-a-thon. Historically speaking the area is one of several --daemuns, including the more famous Namdaemun--"daemun" means gate, and there are eight famous gates in Seoul that were part of the old fortress wall. The market portion of the Dongdaemun area is a fairly recent addition to the Seoul cityscape, having been in existence in one form or another since 1905. After being burnt down, rebuilt, renovated and rebranded it's now one of the major tourist attractions and cultural focal points of Seoul, and I'd highly recommend a visit even if you're not a major crafter or shopper. If anything, the night market--which is exactly what it sounds like--is worth a touristy visit. </div>
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If you're in the Seoul area, and want to go to Dongdaemun, it's conveniently located on subway lines 1 and 4. Simply get out at Dongdaemun Station and follow the signs.</div>
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<b>Okay, enough with the history lecture...what did you see there?</b></div>
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Too much. Honestly, the Dongdaemun experience was a little overwhelming for me. We're talking a whole city block packed with hundreds of small stalls packed with millions of skeins and hanks and balls of yarn and their accompanying salesmen(and saleswomen.) To be honest, I only took a few pictures and I bought almost nothing because after years of buying at small independent retailers and online--it was all a little too much for me.</div>
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That said, I did have a good time seeing just how much yarn there is in the world. A lot of the stall owners are crafters themselves and proudly showed off the things they'd made from their own yarn. I took a few pictures of the things they had on display. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MmSlvp8VjjzNPWxuSZ-iXwbIZ9ole2R_OVoi6G6mCHaim6qtinIlXztcr672mq7myxGjwIb6daA3van_er44AKGmXZvT9ce_eSNzWLNZhTogaA_f0HI1PitijE4hSo1rPChzncclb6qf/s1600/CAM00268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MmSlvp8VjjzNPWxuSZ-iXwbIZ9ole2R_OVoi6G6mCHaim6qtinIlXztcr672mq7myxGjwIb6daA3van_er44AKGmXZvT9ce_eSNzWLNZhTogaA_f0HI1PitijE4hSo1rPChzncclb6qf/s640/CAM00268.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monkey was my favorite...</td></tr>
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The one thing I DID buy was buttons...I'm making a cream colored button up cardigan for this year and it needs a classy understated button...believe it or not, I found the perfect ones here...</div>
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I spent about $1.50 on some beautiful wooden buttons from this stall...but the selection was, frankly staggering. And there were about 50 other stalls with a similar selection of things. </div>
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Like most market stall owners I've run across in my travels, this lady wasn't too crazy about having pictures taken of her or her wares, so I could only sneak this blurry one. This was the case with most of the vendors I met on that day, which explains the poor images in this blog.(Doesn't excuse them, just explains...) I've found that that is often the case in ANY big market, ANYWHERE, and I really wonder why. At least at Dongdaemun people tell you to put away your camera with a smile...at the <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Halės market in VIlnius, Lithuania, a large lady with a frown tried to snatch my camera and probably would have smashed it had I not scampered away and shown her(from a safe distance) that I was putting it away. I wonder why that is the case--do any of you know why market vendors hate photographers so much?</span></div>
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Also, I've noticed a curious crochet and knit trend here in Korea--skirts. Everywhere I go I see yarn skirts being made or displayed, but I have yet to see anyone wearing one. This has kept me from making one for myself, but when I see gorgeous ones like this on display, I do wonder what it would look like on...<br />
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In any case, Dongdaemun Market--the craft section anyway--was equal parts awesome, inspiring, overwhelming and exhausting. I spent about four hours there and that was ONLY in the craft section--I didn't get to look at any of the other million things for sale in the area. After buying my buttons in awe, I wandered over to Gwangjang market and ate a delicious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindaetteok" target="_blank">bindaetteok</a> to recover. I'll definitely go back again, and buy more things, and I reccommend it for hard core bargain crafters like myself, yarnaholic visitors to Korea, and just about anybody who wants a fun, colorful, crowded day out with no idea what you might get into.<br />
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Peace, beautiful people!</div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-60778137798924953392013-04-23T12:46:00.001+01:002013-04-23T12:46:08.052+01:00SweetShop Adventure; Gangnam Stitchers meetup!Excuse me while I blow the dust off this blog, beautiful people...<br />
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Okay, so yeah. Your friendly neighborhood patternista has moved to a whole different neighborhood...one in South Korea. It's *definitely* an adventure. I've only been here for a little over a month so I don't have loads to say about the experience yet but I WILL say that I have missed crafting and crafty spaces. In my area there don't seem to be a lot of those things.<br />
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Being the yarnaholic that I am, I hied myself hence to meetup.com and typed "yarn" and "Seoul" into the search engine.<br />
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A week later I was sitting in a Starbucks in Gangnam working on this...<br />
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What that is, exactly, is still tbd. </div>
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You may have heard of Gangnam...I hear there's a song about it...</div>
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The meetup was great--met some cool people, including a 60-ish Korean lady who learned to crochet in high school, loves Elvis, and has traveled all over the world and a lovely lady from Preston who is an artist and a pretty good knitter! </div>
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I didn't take many pictures and because I've just met the Gangnam Stitchers I don't have a lot to say yet. But trust, I'll be going back soon! I plan on heading to Dongdaemun markets and checking out the yarn market as well...but in the meanwhile, I just wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that yes, I'm alive and still crafting. Stay tuned for East Asian yarn shenanigans in the future.</div>
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Peace!</div>
<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-60200583102535101902013-01-28T13:37:00.000+00:002013-01-28T13:37:08.667+00:00SweetShop Links; Asoratti's Feature FridayHey SweetShoppers!<br />
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I didn't have a chance to interview anyone new for this week and the SweetShop Adventure I had planned was sadly, postponed. However, I got a lovely surprise on Friday--my good friend Esra of <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/" target="_blank">Asoratti</a> interviewed me for her weekly Feature Friday!<br />
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Check out the interview <a href="http://asoratti.blogspot.com/2013/01/feature-friday-sweet-shop-creations.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to find out a little bit about my inspirations and what I'm up to these days. Many thanks to Esra for the interview!<br />
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Peace, beautiful people!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-22902407634747247902013-01-25T19:18:00.001+00:002013-09-09T01:40:06.533+01:00Not About Yarn: Maintaining MotivationSweetshoppers, I got nothin'.<br />
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This has been me, all week.<br />
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If motivation was air, I'd have suffocated somewhere back around Tuesday.This week has been crazy rough, and I find myself dragging behind all of the many challenges and disappointments life has brought my way in 7 short days. I'm a little depressed and grumpy, and the last thing I want to do is pick up a ball of yarn, let alone grind away at any of my <i>other</i> jobs. </div>
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Life is full of ups and downs, of course, and I've lived enough of it to know that things will get better, usually quicker and better than I think. As a result, I find myself thinking of strategies to motivate myself so that I don't lose any ground gained while I'm in a bit of a slump. </div>
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That said, SweetShoppers, here are my 5 tips on how to maintain motivation;</div>
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<b>1. Don't stay in the same state that is draining you. </b>In other words, don't stay mad/sad/disappointed/tired. Get some sleep, blow off some steam, cry, yell, do whatever you need to do to get past the emotional state that is draining your mojo. For me, resolving things emotionally is the first step in being able to reach a logical resolution for a situation or state of being that is causing me to drag. </div>
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For example, I've had to deal with a VERY frustrating professional situation this week. Without giving too many details, I was unexpectedly put in a situation that resulted in major loss of expected income and I'm going to have to really scramble to make up the gap over the next month or so.</div>
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Things like this happen in business all of the time, but I think what infuriated me is that <b>I </b>didn't do anything wrong. I crossed all of my t's, dotted all of my i's, and as a result of someone else's poor ethics, was left holding the (very expensive) bag.</div>
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So how to deal in a way that keeps me going, rather than drags me down?</div>
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First I did this; </div>
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Then I did this; </div>
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And then I <i style="font-weight: bold;">kept it moving. </i>The last step is the most crucial one. Do whatever you have to do to get past the emotions of the moment or that time and move on.</div>
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Which brings us to...</div>
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<b>2. Do something else.</b> If you're not motivated to do something, don't force yourself to do it--but do force yourself to do something <i>else</i>.<i> </i>By that I don't mean talk yourself into sitting on the couch watching reruns of Maury, either. I mean do something, something productive, whether it's clean out that junk drawer, take a job, call a friend, write a letter--do <i>something</i>. Make yourself do something productive, even if it's not your highest priority item, and then return to what it was that you were supposed to do. Sometimes you need the distraction of another accomplishment to pump you up and bring you back to your original goal. </div>
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<b>3. Don't be afraid to relax a little bit.</b> Sometimes, a lack of motivation is how our brain and body tell us that it's time to crank things into a lower gear for a little while. So, if doing something different isn't helping, go ahead and kick back for a bit. Set a timer or an alarm and do a whole lot of nothing for an hour, or longer if you can. Take a day and drive to the mountains or the lake. Watch that Netflix movie that's been gathering dust on top of your TV. Learn that new random thing you've always been meaning to. Go out for coffee. Sit around in your pajamas and play a video game. Do whatever it is you want to do, and don't feel guilty. Your batteries might need recharging and that's okay. But once they've recharged...</div>
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<b>4.Do the hustle!</b></div>
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Okay, maybe not THAT hustle. You've let off steam, reorganized all your kitchen cabinets and watched three seasons of <i>Mad Men</i> without a break, but you STILL can't pick up your hooks, needles, or laptop without wanting to disintegrate into a puddle of sloth. Maybe this means it's time to be creative. Do what I learned from a particularly talented older relative and <i>hustle</i>. <i> </i>Get creative. If you're used to doing all of your selling from behind a laptop, get up and walk your product into shops. If you usually type out sixteen invoices and solicit four new clients every day like clockwork--change it up. Add something new, go somewhere new, get your face into a place it's never been before and bring your business with it. Don't forget that you are awesome, you are professional, and you are worth being paid for your work--but only IF you do it! So instead of holding to the pressures of your regular schedule, feel free to add in all of those new ideas that you've been holding back on because of routine and see if you can redevelop that routine in new and different ways. You have nothing to lose, everything to gain, and you can always accomplish more if you are able to allow yourself to do so.</div>
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And if, at the end of the day, none of this helps...</div>
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<b>5. Just do it anyway. </b>Sometimes, beautiful people, there's nothing to it but to do it. All of the motivational tactics and techniques in the world won't pull you out of a slump so you simply have to get up, put on your big girl panties, and <b>just do it.</b> Some of my best work has come out of periods where I was just grinding through, making myself work even though my heart wasn't in it, let alone my mind or body. Some of my WORST work has come out of those periods too, but if life is a race, the winners are the ones who keep running, not the ones who run the best but quit two feet from the finish line because it got hard. Sometimes things will be difficult, but you have to keep going if you ever want them to be better. Work hard with what you have, live to the fullest of your ability, and don't give up. You'll look back on these days and feel good that you made it through some day.</div>
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At least, that's what I tell myself, anyway. :-)</div>
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Peace, beautiful people!! </div>
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<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-54604818827866459582013-01-23T16:16:00.002+00:002013-01-25T19:21:06.641+00:00SweetShop Update; 2013 goals and stuff...Morning SweetShoppers! (Or afternoon, evening...whatever it is where you are, I wish you a good one.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8x8cNnDj-RAw1BAek-bSKu4b4sWriuR358N3iX2GrBqyTt6ArpqmaMdprVr2voz7F2_ZQQsDwoxzVvkQastjQAUyJ6LNJW-Yvww9BWo2ighA30hJbqXD6OP-VJdvQuhrjOX1Me-IitMj/s1600/IMG_0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8x8cNnDj-RAw1BAek-bSKu4b4sWriuR358N3iX2GrBqyTt6ArpqmaMdprVr2voz7F2_ZQQsDwoxzVvkQastjQAUyJ6LNJW-Yvww9BWo2ighA30hJbqXD6OP-VJdvQuhrjOX1Me-IitMj/s320/IMG_0402.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earrings samples! Don't tell anyone, but they're stuck in my sweater for this photo...</td></tr>
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So all of those earrings and sample earrings from <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2013/01/making-earrings-today.html" target="_blank">this post</a> have finally been strung onto stainless steel posts and sewn into shape, wonder of wonders. Miracle of miracles, some of them are even available for sale in my etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetshopcreations" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Yeah, the shop...about that...<br />
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So I've been talking up the relaunch of my etsy shop for awhile now, and I genuinely had a brand new concepts and designs and so on thought up. This week was my week to work on it, and I had all kinds of tasks in my queue--a new banner, a new logo, lots of professional standard photos, and so on...<br />
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And then yesterday, as I began to redesign things, I thought to myself...<br />
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...naaaaaah...<br />
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SweetShoppers, I have become a victim of doing too much. I'm doing so much, I think I'm officially doing THREE much at this point. One of the things that has suffered from my constant business is my etsy shop. I just don't have the time to make the stock and do the ever-important promotional work of running this business online properly. What I DO have time for, and what I find myself having a lot of fun doing, is blogging, writing patterns, and giving time and writing space to other crafters. For a long time I've thought of writing a pattern book and thinking through the steps of becoming a craft brand that *isn't* based on the hats that I can personally create, and I think now is the time to begin doing that.<br />
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So I think I'm going to.<br />
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There will always be some items available in the etsy shop--I love having that platform and the interactions it opens up to me. (The money's nice too, when it comes in. :-)) There will always be a donation made from the proceeds of the site to a charity that supports sustainable economic and educational development.<br />
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But that's not going to be my main focus anymore.<br />
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There is also the little matter of me moving to South Korea in a little over a month. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the shipping costs involved there, and I'm not too sure of the legalities involved yet either. Add to that my first full-time English teaching job in...well, EVER and I'm pretty sure that crochet is going to be an extreme hobby for a little while. I have a language to learn, traveling to do and students to meet!<br />
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So...to recap...sales;not a priority anymore. Patterns, blogging, interviews; a new priority. Me; busy. You; hopefully continuing to visit the blog.<br />
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Stay tuned for a pattern post either Friday or Saturday, beautiful people. And, as always, thank you so much for your visits, your comments, and your purchases!<br />
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Peace!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-31450168959314833092013-01-16T14:30:00.000+00:002013-01-16T14:30:02.261+00:00SweetShop Studio; Learning the bullion stitch/roll stitchThe first thing I'd like to say today, SweetShoppers, is that "bullion" is a really difficult word to type correctly.<br />
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Bullion.<br />
Bullion.<br />
BULLION.<br />
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Okay, now that that's out of my system, let's get into today's topic. Occasionally I'll get the urge to expand my encyclopedia of crochet stitches beyond the big five(slip, chain, single, double, triple) and learn something completely new to spice up my designs a bit.<br />
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With that in mind, I found this video from <a href="http://www.margarethubertoriginals.com/" target="_blank">Margaret Hubert Originals</a> the other day;<br />
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How cute is she? Her accent reminds me of visits to the East Coast, and I love the bit at the end when she tells the cameraman they're going to pick up background noise. (They are, but I wouldn't have noticed...)<br />
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The bullion stitch, also known as the roll stitch, looks pretty cool to me, so I decided to try it out...first things first, I made up a swatch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOtnF-D4ts6AipAKQBDE0Y5ciAYn4b7bMS1ik6DgVKQtqHKongwdsPYl5KSxaRu2W7cIpXyeae3KidBCxufuYmEjKOmPUQJ-G6ovl_jK0rRLep6wHrKq5Hzs4WGY6OBNs5bhJJu328rwL/s1600/IMG_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOtnF-D4ts6AipAKQBDE0Y5ciAYn4b7bMS1ik6DgVKQtqHKongwdsPYl5KSxaRu2W7cIpXyeae3KidBCxufuYmEjKOmPUQJ-G6ovl_jK0rRLep6wHrKq5Hzs4WGY6OBNs5bhJJu328rwL/s320/IMG_0350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">That's a few double crochet stitches made with a 5.0 mm(H) hook, and some unfortunately anonymous coral light worsted weight acrylic yarn that I've had for a while and lost the label. It's a pretty color, isn't it?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mtO6qbwP5xsCAkqBi1YCX99Tq89mg6m53JOAdZTYjE0qRDfuJqNOPnTO4l9x0nJqR2ds8bu8M6_ECkqaN9R9sIrDCWMBFRlmFrfvv9r4XX0YIfR-oB2KhJU5__V7_YLayrRhidcMLqfC/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mtO6qbwP5xsCAkqBi1YCX99Tq89mg6m53JOAdZTYjE0qRDfuJqNOPnTO4l9x0nJqR2ds8bu8M6_ECkqaN9R9sIrDCWMBFRlmFrfvv9r4XX0YIfR-oB2KhJU5__V7_YLayrRhidcMLqfC/s320/IMG_0353.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here we have our complete test swatch. Please ignore the wonky right edge, I was in a hurry to try the new stitch and didn't bother making it even. Overall, you have 12 chain stitches, 10 dc, turn, 2 dc, 1 ch, 2dc repeated until the last 3 stitches which were all dc, then a row of dc in each dc and ch 1 space.<br />
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If that reads like Greek to you, don't worry. Basically I just whipped up a quick, small block of stitches in order to test out making a bullion stitch on top of them, like in the video.<br />
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Now to try the stitch...first of all, I realized that in the video she doesn't teach how to start a row of bullion stitches. To find that out, I had to go <a href="http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-crochet-bullion-stitch/" target="_blank">here</a> and read a tutorial using a very different technique that results in a very different looking stitch than the one in the vid.. Anyway, from that link I got an idea of using 2 chain stitches as a substitute for my first stitch and working my first bullion stitch into the second double crochet.<br />
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Still with me? Okay. So, I followed the instructions in the video above and...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUEU0G5lHSHg1NxlgaFttldgkMmNusMEyDhXGkaf2U1h5pYFr1kBEN9fb4X1YUvHF_Pp4Zqq5gZLb0IpWBcVw0WwR97c1cY1tq_1R522PclsURbhet7Hm1jyjWsbQOnQ4nmI_NWm-3wh1/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUEU0G5lHSHg1NxlgaFttldgkMmNusMEyDhXGkaf2U1h5pYFr1kBEN9fb4X1YUvHF_Pp4Zqq5gZLb0IpWBcVw0WwR97c1cY1tq_1R522PclsURbhet7Hm1jyjWsbQOnQ4nmI_NWm-3wh1/s320/IMG_0358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Um, no. Apologies for the blurry photo, but at least you can see, that is not about to be a bullion stitch. A hot mess stitch, maybe, but no bullion in sight. In the video Ms. Hubert whips the yarn over, under, around and through like it's no big deal but I couldn't come even close to that on my first few tries. I looked at a few other reference guides on and off line as well, some of which suggested using items like knitting needles and pencils as a placeholder to help form the stitch.<br />
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Knitting needles? <i>Pencils?</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrrF-lpR_4X4opU00E7JYn59Ac20IhA1j0CMfyOe1IItKfae6BgvizUpqqESr4eHSsIieXFCfrZUsWrMMrHfd7h2duiplL1rZp5W3F1MnYOkvo9JMCtV-9VHtq4Sv95HIHKlSZ1y1NwG-/s1600/aintnotime.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrrF-lpR_4X4opU00E7JYn59Ac20IhA1j0CMfyOe1IItKfae6BgvizUpqqESr4eHSsIieXFCfrZUsWrMMrHfd7h2duiplL1rZp5W3F1MnYOkvo9JMCtV-9VHtq4Sv95HIHKlSZ1y1NwG-/s400/aintnotime.gif" width="400" /></a><br />
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So I kept trying the technique in the Hubert video...and kept looking...and finally stumbled across <a href="http://www.healmyhands.com/how_to/bullion_stitch.html" target="_blank">this</a> excellent tutorial(which is inexplicably part of a natural healing site). From that I got two crucial tips--1)wrap the yarn less times to start with and 2)if you can't pull the hook through all the loops at once, simply pull through one at a time. At least to start with. </div>
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Ok, SweetShoppers. Armed with my newfound knowledge, I tried again, wrapping only 5 times and pulling through each loop one at a time...</div>
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Victory is mine!!!</div>
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I started feeling fancy and did three in the same stitch. The one in the center is wrapped 7 times instead of 5, making a taller stitch.</div>
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One thing I learned through my own trial and error--it's better to wrap the yarn coming towards you, not away.. It's much easier to pull the hook through the loops that way.</div>
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After trying a half-dozen bullion stitches of varying sizes, I decided I would try the epic 10-wrap stitch from the video at the start...</div>
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Ta-da! There's three, into the same double crochet stitch. I think I can see the advantages of creating the stitch in a way that allows you to pull the yarn through all of the loops at the same time--it looks like you probably get a taller, longer stitch. But these little puffy guys are fun too.</div>
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So there you have it SweetShoppers...the bullion stitch. A few things I learned from my little experiment...</div>
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<li>Wrap the yarn towards you, not away from you, for the easiest stitch.</li>
<li>If you can hold the yarn and slide the hook through in one go like Margaret Hubert, I bow in your general direction. If you can't(and I can't...yet), simply pull through a few loops at a time until you get them all off the hook.</li>
<li>Don't forget to end each bullion/roll stitch with a chain stitch to "lock" the stitch. That makes it much easier to build on top of those stitches and keeps the stitch in a nice, neat shape as you continue to create fabric. </li>
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I'm off to create a pattern using this funky new stitch, beautiful people! Let me know in the comments what kinds of things *you* create using it. Peace!</div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-13771004802035707912013-01-15T00:03:00.000+00:002013-01-15T00:03:01.743+00:00SweetShop Adventures; The Denver Crochet Guild, Yarn Shoppe Studio and Bags By CABHappy Monday SweetShoppers!!<br />
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So hopefully I've gotten you used to checking here on a Monday morning to find out about some of the excellent Crafters I Admire (otherwise known as the Sweetshop C.I.A--I'm going to keep saying that until it catches on, ok?). Since it's a new year and my pattern-writing experiment seems to be going <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2012/12/sweetshop-studio-pattern-writing.html" target="_blank">horribly awry,</a> I thought I'd try another new idea and start featuring some cool crafty places and gatherings here on the blog in addition to interviews.<br />
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My first stop was the <a href="http://yarnshoppestudio.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Denver Crochet Guild</a>, held at the lovely <a href="http://www.bagsbycab.com/" target="_blank">Yarn Shoppe Studio</a> in downtown Denver.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first thing you see when entering the Yarn Shoppe, 17th and Larimer, Denver,CO</td></tr>
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Okay, first of all fellow yarn <strike>addicts</strike>crafters, feast your eyes on this lovely display. When I first visited The Yarn Shoppe Studio, my first thought was that it seemed very unassuming for such a splashy location (it's one block away from the 16th Street Mall in the heart of downtown Denver--very easy to find). The window displays are gorgeous, but the shop itself is in the corner of a larger building and didn't catch my eye the first time I walked past it. However, once I walked in, <b>everything </b>changed.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cozy yarn space at 1777 Larimer Street</td></tr>
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How did I miss this? I have spent a LOT of time in and out of specialty yarn shops, beautiful people, and I can honestly say that <a href="http://www.bagsbycab.com/" target="_blank">The Yarn Shoppe Studio</a> is one of the coziest, most welcoming shops I've ever visited. It just has a very warm, friendly feel to it which I appreciate as a perpetually browsing, curious crafter. </div>
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If you take a closer look at the second photo, you'll notice that the Yarn Shoppe is not <b>only </b>a specialty yarn store. It also has a very diverse selection of local handcrafted goods by local designers and racks of vintage clothing and bags provided by <a href="http://www.vintagehandbagsdenver.com/" target="_blank">Fafa's Genuine Designer and Vintage Handbags</a>. For those who need help finding out how to use all that gorgeous yarn, the shop also provides classes, workshops, and one-on-one tutorial sessions for beginner to expert crafters. For those trying to make their crafting passion into a business, the shop owner provides all sorts of business workshops, marketing assistance, website design and business services for a fee. </div>
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Aaaaand the shop also repairs knitwear(the first time I've ever seen that service offered by a yarn shop), hosts events, and is the meeting place for local craft gatherings like the Denver Crochet Guild(which I'll chat about in a moment...)</div>
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As you can see, the Yarn Shoppe provides a lot of really diverse services and serves a pretty diverse population. All of that is due to this lady right here...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyLqUttn1qU4tCMvKas6FK6dnuqtq_tYBvNmg8IrrLi-nAHTZgKlcQQ6lArNKdKNwn_mofoLEc_8xSTU-LFnxlo2oLEKnywXYSUbMo3CKR1tslDkMWild1uKhw-xsViP3gf-xcuwgkZhX/s1600/CassandraAllenBrown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyLqUttn1qU4tCMvKas6FK6dnuqtq_tYBvNmg8IrrLi-nAHTZgKlcQQ6lArNKdKNwn_mofoLEc_8xSTU-LFnxlo2oLEKnywXYSUbMo3CKR1tslDkMWild1uKhw-xsViP3gf-xcuwgkZhX/s400/CassandraAllenBrown.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cassandra Allen-Brown, owner of the<a href="http://www.bagsbycab.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank"> Yarn Shoppe and Bags By Cab</a>, wearing one of her own scarves</td></tr>
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This lovely lady is Cassandra Allen-Brown, who owns the Yarn Shoppe, is the owner and designer of handmade knitwear brand <a href="http://www.bagsbycab.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Bags By Cab</a>, and the president of the local chapter of the Denver Crochet Guild as well. I strongly suggest you check out the website link to get an idea of the full scope of Cassandra's hard work and talent, but she's truly a force to be reckoned with in the Denver crafting scene. I met her a few months ago when I first began my brief Denver sojourn, and I really admire her work ethic and capability to multi-task. The fact that she offers so much and still manages to support other crafters and give something back to the community is truly impressive. </div>
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Now to talk a bit about the <a href="http://www.crochet.org/members/?id=16407612" target="_blank">Denver Crochet Guild</a>. Essentially, the group is the local chapter of the <a href="http://www.crochet.org/" target="_blank">Crochet Guild of America</a>, a national organization that spearheads crochet groups, provides professional crochet certification, and publishes some pretty cool patterns and publications. I became aware of the national organization awhile ago when thinking of pursuing a professional crochet certificate. (I may write more about that experience on a later date) but due to my generally transient, intercontinental lifestyle, I never thought to look up a local chapter. I feel a bit sorry that it's taken me so long to do so.</div>
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The Denver guild is an assortment of lovely, friendly ladies who meet once a month and crochet. Some of them are professional crafters, some are hobby crafters and some are brand new beginners looking to brush up their skills. All of them are creative and encouraging, and if you're in the Denver area and are looking for a group of people to crochet with, I strongly suggest you give them a visit. (You can find out the next few dates and times by visiting their meetup page <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Denver-Crochet-Guild/about/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.) There's a few large scale yearly events that the Guild (and by extension, the Yarn Shoppe) host, like <a href="http://yarnshoppestudio.blogspot.com/2012/09/yarn-along-rockies-yarn-crawl.html" target="_blank">Yarn Along The Rockies</a>, but they also crochet baby blankets for <a href="http://www.denverhealth.org/MedicalServices/Pediatrics.aspx" target="_blank">Denver Health's neonatal unit</a> and have a good time chatting about whatever's on everyone's hooks that day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p3kvklOJe42DIPO6r0CxLDd4uuWeXdHgnvF5Q95V3nt4viniC9q3ip-TCyVmhFo2aNunulxKHZkWITvTHx8XyKpJcQXtKV9Yp0SbRXhzAhNlCIi5eWiDf8JBeZGsfmjNwaE8YEnQx7kN/s1600/KimWollenbergAfghan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p3kvklOJe42DIPO6r0CxLDd4uuWeXdHgnvF5Q95V3nt4viniC9q3ip-TCyVmhFo2aNunulxKHZkWITvTHx8XyKpJcQXtKV9Yp0SbRXhzAhNlCIi5eWiDf8JBeZGsfmjNwaE8YEnQx7kN/s320/KimWollenbergAfghan.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim, working on an afghan from a vintage pattern</td></tr>
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As you can see, I could write endlessly about the myriad projects and talents of the guild, but because you and I both know this blog is getting a bit long, I'm going to finish by telling you a bit about some of the people involved.</div>
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First of all, I had a big surprise waiting for me when I walked into the area of the shop where the guild was busy crafting...</div>
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This lovely lady is Kim. We went to the same small rural college a decade or so ago, and haven't seen each other since. It was a lovely surprise to see her there and catch up, and also to find out she was a fellow yarn crafter!( I guess that isn't the kind of information you really share in a college dorm...) In the picture, she's working on a lovely stripy afghan--the pattern for which she reverse-engineered by studying an old vintage afghan. How cool is that? Kim also showed some pics of some really cool hats and flags she's made with the Colorado state symbol on them.</div>
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I didn't get to take a very good picture of Rita, but I want to shout her out briefly here. She was absolutely lovely and should get the title of Guild greeter! I noticed she went around speaking to everyone and encouraging them, and she was one of the main reasons I personally felt so welcome at the event. Thanks Rita!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGMGUznjLrS7KpB2nWsy8OKxok_TKbm4FkMWP5DFxUS9uHEZGlEVIsy2pmBDBdCYZQWDBr5C8BC-P62G6TRfYekm2jtOyr0weJqGEIoJVDX4HW8C93Ay2EKzxgygtGdHREe5oXPaaF2MC/s1600/PamandDorothy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGMGUznjLrS7KpB2nWsy8OKxok_TKbm4FkMWP5DFxUS9uHEZGlEVIsy2pmBDBdCYZQWDBr5C8BC-P62G6TRfYekm2jtOyr0weJqGEIoJVDX4HW8C93Ay2EKzxgygtGdHREe5oXPaaF2MC/s320/PamandDorothy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I did manage to get a picture of these two ladies,the lovely Pam and Dorothy. Dorothy(who made that flowery scarf she's wearing herself) is the designer of <a href="http://crochetchameleon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Crochet Chameleon</a>, a very pretty line including a lot of babywear and some intricate adult pieces such as the one she's wearing. Her daughter, Erika(who I also didn't get a good picture of -sad face-) is in charge of <a href="http://thecolorfulcrafter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Colorful Crafter</a>, which features all kinds of funky colors and textures. Erika is a riot and a proud "lupus warrior"--please check out her and her mother's craft sites.</div>
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Please, SweetShoppers, check out these ladies work either in person at the shop or via their websites. Hopefully, I'll be featuring a few of them in future Monday interviews as well. That said, if there is one person I met that day who I will gladly chase to the ends of the earth to get an interview if I have to, it's this lady here; </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SPC_RNZIZviX2q7dGBIs-BGfcr_LEgYmZJP71rZRA6qlxPG0NHJmzU0fkGjz_mUu8LFNY4lrk9gchbIPx-RTQDVi5XupxfulT0KeWn5kEU5zLp1i0qR24x_nZf86bOR3mYTh2iH1-dMK/s1600/MarieNevels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SPC_RNZIZviX2q7dGBIs-BGfcr_LEgYmZJP71rZRA6qlxPG0NHJmzU0fkGjz_mUu8LFNY4lrk9gchbIPx-RTQDVi5XupxfulT0KeWn5kEU5zLp1i0qR24x_nZf86bOR3mYTh2iH1-dMK/s320/MarieNevels.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie of <a href="http://www.wildwomandesignsbymarie.com/" target="_blank">Wild Woman Designs</a></td></tr>
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This is the lovely Marie Nevels of <a href="http://www.wildwomandesignsbymarie.com/" target="_blank">Wild Woman Designs</a>, holding one of her original metal-free crochet jewelry designs. Yes, you read that right, crochet jewelry. I love it. She also makes a variety of blankets, scarves, baby clothes and so on. Marie is one of those people who is so instantly welcoming and inspiring that you immediately want to know more about her and what she does--<b>definitely </b>expect to see a feature on her and her work in the future. (Marie, if you're reading this...pretty please?) </div>
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There were quite a few other people at the guild meeting but I only got a chance to really talk to these few. I will be going back next month before I head back across the waters, so hopefully I'll get to meet some new people and perhaps shout them out as well. In any case, I hope that those of you in the Denver area will head to the Yarn Shoppe and get involved, either by buying products from the very talented group of crafters who display their work there, soliciting Cassandra's services as a business consultant, or grabbing a hook and some yarn and joining in with some of the Guild's efforts.</div>
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To visit the Yarn Shoppe Studio, Bags By CAB, and see other local handmade knitwear displayed, visit in person at;</div>
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1777 Larimer Street, St 102</div>
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Denver, CO </div>
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(one block away from the 16th Street Mall) </div>
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You can also visit the website for the shop and Cassandra's personal brand at <a href="http://www.bagsbycab.com/">http://www.bagsbycab.com</a>, or add them on Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/YARN-SHOPPE-STUDIO-DENVER/133617629997599?fref=ts" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
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To find out more about the Denver Crochet Guild, visit their blog at <a href="http://yarnshoppestudio.blogspot.com/">http://yarnshoppestudio.blogspot.com/</a> or search for them on <a href="http://www.meetup.com/" target="_blank">http://www.meetup.com</a>.</div>
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To visit any of the other crafters mentioned here, check out the following links; </div>
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Marie - <a href="http://wildwomandesignsbymarie.com/" target="_blank">Wild Woman Designs</a></div>
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Erika - <a href="http://thecolorfulcrafter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Colorful Crafter</a></div>
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Dorothy - <a href="http://crochetchameleon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Crochet Chameleon</a></div>
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All of these ladies also have their wares on display at the Yarn Shoppe </div>
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If any other members of the guild or exhibitors at the Yarn Shoppe come across this, I apologize for omitting you - feel free to add your links in the comment section and I'll put them in a future post. </div>
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Whew! A lot of information today, beautiful people, but I hope you found it interesting! Hope some Denver Metro crafters find their way into the shop or to a guild meeting soon! </div>
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Peace beautiful people!<br /><br /></div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-46900237070104170202013-01-11T22:36:00.000+00:002013-01-11T22:36:08.790+00:00Making earrings today...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLEqyBcbFmXVxCsY1VPTYM-J5w8kRzVv6ave2m5cG2ecqfSbBUV190WHIHEUYM9sMjUptX-KfvnCsplHEMqSiVhIkAhTCrKQqqiUdo68YH7nhqA8uY6pJV05YTTRDfYwXcD02KOQWmQxe/s1600/2013-01-11+15.31.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLEqyBcbFmXVxCsY1VPTYM-J5w8kRzVv6ave2m5cG2ecqfSbBUV190WHIHEUYM9sMjUptX-KfvnCsplHEMqSiVhIkAhTCrKQqqiUdo68YH7nhqA8uY6pJV05YTTRDfYwXcD02KOQWmQxe/s320/2013-01-11+15.31.00.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Time it takes to crochet one curly earring; approximately 5 minutes.<br />
Time it takes to thread earring on post and sew into shape; approximately 30 minutes.<br />
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WHY do I do this to myself? Arrrrghhhh...<br />
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Peace, love, and finger cramps beautiful people...MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-51839769809495833862013-01-07T20:22:00.002+00:002013-01-07T20:28:10.179+00:00Kia from Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art; A SweetShop interview!<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Happy Monday morning, Sweetshoppers! For many of us, it’s the first week back after the new year, so
Happy New Year to everyone as well. To get our crafty year started off right,
we’re featuring yet another member of the SweetShop C.I.A (C.rafters I.
A.dmire) here on the blog…the one and only Kia Beech of Chocolate Cherri Bomb
Art! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dflSvjq29Zp8mCBcLE2GxXBplM2TxZHqyQDkSDrbssF8kYhft2H6qBY0ZTfV1bTfQRVrVKNrP9UIWk0_MwUd5ker7hSOswo4m6Z5ABf4CYmXdFCeZH4FvVEUI5mZh87eYwYxeXmdShV5/s1600/Kia+Beech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dflSvjq29Zp8mCBcLE2GxXBplM2TxZHqyQDkSDrbssF8kYhft2H6qBY0ZTfV1bTfQRVrVKNrP9UIWk0_MwUd5ker7hSOswo4m6Z5ABf4CYmXdFCeZH4FvVEUI5mZh87eYwYxeXmdShV5/s320/Kia+Beech.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Kia! You can buy that hat <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/88619806/black-flower-power" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I first became aware
of Kia because we’re both members of <a href="http://eaoc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Etsy Artists of Color</a>, but I started
getting to know her a bit because she won a giveaway that <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2011/10/facebook-contest-win-pair-of-curly.html" target="_blank">I hosted way back when</a>. Unfortunately, the giveaway went a bit wonky and the prize package got
lost in the mail and I wound up having to send another pair of earrings out.
Kia was extremely gracious about the process though, and I was so impressed by how understanding she was that I made a point of paying attention to her crafting skills and sites more closely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have to say, I’m
glad I did. Kia is one of those rare and gifted omni-crafters—she does a little bit of
everything, from painting to crocheting to jewelry-making and beyond—and she
does it well. She’s a young, passionate crafter and I really love seeing the diversity
of her creative output. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, that said, let’s
find out a little about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/chocolatecherribomb" target="_blank">Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art</a> from Kia herself!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Let's start with a really basic question today...who are
you? Meaning, what's your name and your company's name? How did you pick that
name? Tell me a little about yourself, how you got started and what you're up
to now.</b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, my name is Kia Beech, and my company name
is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/chocolatecherribomb" target="_blank">Chocolate Cherri Bomb</a>. Under the company name I have different names for the
different things I make! For instance, my body care is labeled <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateCherriBomb?section_id=11865255" target="_blank">Brown Honey B's</a>
(since I use honey in EVERYTHING for the body and my last name begins with a B)
and my jewelry is labeled <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateCherriBomb?section_id=8160074" target="_blank">Thundering Rain</a>. I came up with Chocolate Cherri Bomb
back in high school. There was a store in the area where I loved to hang out
called Cherry Bomb. I liked how powerful and little cherry bombs were, and
I'm chocolate, so... that's how it started! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I started crafting when I
was little. I always loved to make things. I remember being five and making
plastic bead jewelry for people! My father painted and did photography, so he
began giving me pointers when I decided I wanted to try it out around age 12. I
really got started in my teenage years because I hated spending money on things
I felt I could craft myself. So I began making jewelry, crocheting, taking
photos, and painting and others loved it, so I turned it into a business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I still make things
when I can, but I am now a new full-time labor and delivery nurse. So my art
life is my second "job", but it's what I've always loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Wow, it sounds like you've got a lot on your plate. One of the things that fascinates me about you
is that you are skilled at so many different types of craft. How did you get
started doing all of these things? Do you have a favorite? And do you feel like
your skills influence each other? So...do you sometimes paint using something
you learned while crocheting as an inspiration, for example?</b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><br /></b>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So many different things! Lets see...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Zn2eQ8vG_s7VRzBrEjB3NVq8v1NtbTY7OqQenQVTWjt_EuEyU4LOu8dfX31iLTwab0Mo_qfmEiBn1snMjuyAXDjWnfK506hxAcgjWNks7NR7n_486Bo8evkJqcsxSXTrp403XeZFgYm/s1600/stronghold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2Zn2eQ8vG_s7VRzBrEjB3NVq8v1NtbTY7OqQenQVTWjt_EuEyU4LOu8dfX31iLTwab0Mo_qfmEiBn1snMjuyAXDjWnfK506hxAcgjWNks7NR7n_486Bo8evkJqcsxSXTrp403XeZFgYm/s320/stronghold.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Love Is A Stronghold"; original painting by Kia Beech/Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art. Purchase <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68171712/love-is-a-stronghold" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Painting</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">; I was
inspired to start by my dad, as I mentioned. But I didn't start hardcore
painting until I went to college. I went through a rough breakup and someone
suggested that I return to painting to channel the emotions. Ever since then,
there was no going back. I paint from emotion, and also a lot of African
American love inspires my work. My paintings are probably what I enjoy creating
the most because so much of ME is in each piece. But it can be stressful
getting it JUST right. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfctXiFGSiGFcWZDQnir9XQtxfEKciPfhgSYAvaF5QP8-8N_LD-Q6sESCgFXEX2sh7UJcx4it4HFwAXNDP0hLQXvvqDfrwCGn1cYGlZ84TilXCEwsgfU609x4pPgi2QkZS52QYybAJwvdo/s1600/earthtones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfctXiFGSiGFcWZDQnir9XQtxfEKciPfhgSYAvaF5QP8-8N_LD-Q6sESCgFXEX2sh7UJcx4it4HFwAXNDP0hLQXvvqDfrwCGn1cYGlZ84TilXCEwsgfU609x4pPgi2QkZS52QYybAJwvdo/s320/earthtones.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handmade beaded necklace; purchase <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87251439/earth-tones" target="_blank">HERE</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jewelry</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">; I just love
jewelry! It's my weakness! I love having something pretty adorn my wrists and
neck, and I like sharing it with others. It's probably my second favorite to
create and sell because its the fastest, and I buy everyone else's jewelry and
rarely wear my own! Most of my jewelry is inspired by color, and certain stones
and their metaphysical properties. I research what each stone is said to inspire and
I incorporate that into each piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DuAJnSMex7aipebHavMAJVGmEXa47mrPUZF6L92A1hjc2ujyNCEwdIu2ILgsJNNFYVMpcQ0HLaPtjZUNRkU187xZF50UndcSidpiCe3TdKHNvMFqfZ2oVzSqPFgAthjB8YF2RHlyyfXf/s1600/pair+of+lips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DuAJnSMex7aipebHavMAJVGmEXa47mrPUZF6L92A1hjc2ujyNCEwdIu2ILgsJNNFYVMpcQ0HLaPtjZUNRkU187xZF50UndcSidpiCe3TdKHNvMFqfZ2oVzSqPFgAthjB8YF2RHlyyfXf/s320/pair+of+lips.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite photography pieces by Chocolate Cherri Bomb.<br />
Buy it in a set of three prints <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/94970956/a-pair-of-lips-plus-1-set-of-three-8x10" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Photography;</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I always
had a camera. I looove to take pictures of everything! There's really no story behind
that one... Dad just gave me a camera and I've been taking photos (nature and
landscapes) ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crochet and knit</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">; I like
being warm and cozy, and being able to rock a hat in any color I choose if I
give it just a few hours. Although I think the yarn work is stunning when
finished, it is my least favorite to complete because its so time consuming and
very taxing on my hands and wrists. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqcbYeckCbUdNaPZ2kZbyHN8W6VCizaLHAR0W9b6eK3YV8heNIN4akCNAhTexRFx9o7Ay9NMhd-WJ-OfjWvZqdqkuLvSkvoMX1AiE6rMtf70e9H-yAVBQwOH0UJzLOXywJZue6ytZkS29/s1600/sweetbuttergrits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqcbYeckCbUdNaPZ2kZbyHN8W6VCizaLHAR0W9b6eK3YV8heNIN4akCNAhTexRFx9o7Ay9NMhd-WJ-OfjWvZqdqkuLvSkvoMX1AiE6rMtf70e9H-yAVBQwOH0UJzLOXywJZue6ytZkS29/s320/sweetbuttergrits.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very creative Sweet Butter Grits exfoliator! Purchase <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/104911990/sweet-butter-grits-natural-scrub-lemon" target="_blank">HERE</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Body care</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">; This was inspired
by my hatred for preservative and chemical-laden body products and not being
able to find ANYTHING to work on my acne. I just went to the kitchen one day
and began mixing ingredients, and after much trial and error, I got a pretty
good handle on some products!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They don't really
influence each other, but they are all inspired by something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>It sounds like your dad has been a big inspiration in your crafting life. Who are some of your other crafty inspirations and
teachers?</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of my biggest painting inspirations is
<a href="http://blackartinamerica.com/profile/ChristieGrant" target="_blank">Christie Grant</a>, a wonderful local artist who has so much vision and power
behind each of her pieces. I have a whole collection of her work myself! My
partner is also a huge inspiration and a huge supporter. He is the male figure
in many of my nude and couple pieces, and he has just been great. My mom has
supported me from the jump, and she helps me with packaging and shipping. She's
the best!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>We all need good support networks, and vision too! Tell me a little bit about where you hope to go
with your crafting. Do you have any goals or hopes for the upcoming year?</b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I reeeeally hope one
day to make this my job and not just a "side hustle". I would love to
craft all day every day, and I do want to start devoting more time to more
creating. I've started back on jewelry recently and it feels awesome, just gotta
put the time in. I plan to paint more pieces, finally enter into some art shows
and festivals, and show everyone what I'm about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBH_FRj5287VMl43nq0Lnm6QdQek1_kt5vfuBzdoL-GstDzh49BDtPjEIs2MIHKY9gFlDy-rTEKh6mSNXjWcESTKmzs4AlqeCZfj4fvkuFWGLba4nlVFdxzMqkCUvbx9mUsEEm3fFYx3i/s1600/lonerubra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBH_FRj5287VMl43nq0Lnm6QdQek1_kt5vfuBzdoL-GstDzh49BDtPjEIs2MIHKY9gFlDy-rTEKh6mSNXjWcESTKmzs4AlqeCZfj4fvkuFWGLba4nlVFdxzMqkCUvbx9mUsEEm3fFYx3i/s320/lonerubra.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another lovely photography piece; "The Lone Rubra". Purchase <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/86979196/the-lone-rubra-8x10-fine-art-photograph" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Best of luck to you on that! Hopefully some of the people reading will support you by buying your fantastic art. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One more question for today...what do you think is
the most important thing that people get out of crafting(either as a hobby or a
job). What do you think crafting has added to your life and adds to others?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crafting, in a sense, gives me purpose. It
keeps me sane! It's soothing and I feel like it's what I was made to do. When I
give away art or jewelry or someone makes a purchase, it's like I'm giving them
a piece of me because I put so much into everything I make. The receiver gets
something made with love, and I get the satisfaction of making someone happy!
THAT, not the money or fame, is the best thing a crafter can get out of
crafting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There you have it SweetShoppers--the one and only Kia Beech! Many thanks to Kia for sharing a little bit of herself in this interview. Please support her by visiting Chocolate Cherri Bomb at the following sites; </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Blog: </span><a href="http://brownhoneybee.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">brownhoneybee.blogspot.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Etsy: <a href="http://chocolatecherribomb.etsy.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">chocolatecherribomb.etsy.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Facebook: <a href="http://facebook.com/chocolatecherribombart" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Facebook.com/chocolatecherribombart</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Weebly: <a href="http://chocolatecherribomb.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">chocolatecherribomb.weebly.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pinterest: <span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/afrodisia/" target="_blank">pinterest.com/afrodisia/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Peace, beautiful people! Don't forget to visit<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateCherriBomb?ref=top_trail" target="_blank"> Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art</a>!</span></div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-58767804484756119632013-01-03T19:31:00.000+00:002013-01-03T19:36:47.586+00:00SweetShop Studio: Head in a Basket? (and a few other things...)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY9BjKmdTiA8S9UcYcjLNoMJczynsvt3yrqpJMsD8mBTTZrMvpE9tSdqLhojIGmrb9tOozIHESqIJ-JTRhpFiYh2pC7xFjrtLMq_uW5HsthvvAGyvZDLgBEhyoidLY7tSYFKdNhmG5dhq/s1600/2012-12-29+19.21.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY9BjKmdTiA8S9UcYcjLNoMJczynsvt3yrqpJMsD8mBTTZrMvpE9tSdqLhojIGmrb9tOozIHESqIJ-JTRhpFiYh2pC7xFjrtLMq_uW5HsthvvAGyvZDLgBEhyoidLY7tSYFKdNhmG5dhq/s200/2012-12-29+19.21.17.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHrIemhqEVrcXqTmiME77-5C8A3FVuyfVFSOPe7XvN4cAL5AbWuiiO74RjmSkBbRiqZhl63ptfx8CZvVqpv-ULjns_gkeEFmXaM_lB5eTmMguxE2-yDgNPsLV1eDeneMHuNz6s3fJz6UW/s1600/2012-12-29+19.21.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHrIemhqEVrcXqTmiME77-5C8A3FVuyfVFSOPe7XvN4cAL5AbWuiiO74RjmSkBbRiqZhl63ptfx8CZvVqpv-ULjns_gkeEFmXaM_lB5eTmMguxE2-yDgNPsLV1eDeneMHuNz6s3fJz6UW/s200/2012-12-29+19.21.06.jpg" width="150" /></a>Hi, SweetShoppers! I have a few quick updates for today...first of all, I've been busy writing a new hat pattern for the online shop(which should be back up soon...) It's a basketweave worked in the round...subtle but still pretty and visually interesting. I'm wearing my sample in the photos...I hope you'll all like it as much as I do...<br />
<br />
So let's see, what else have I been working on? Oh, yes...remember <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2012/12/sweetshop-workshop-mc-from-get-your.html" target="_blank">The MC hat</a> that I was working on? I finally finished it, and...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl8yweXyUZPTb8BLdaZD5hvdE4icuLlVjRxWzGjt7vJG8SclbvjJ1uZhk0kpqmc7sqb5NLDm0nQnb4ymgJdPmdiOJM1N45KBi3YaoydojlhFUCd9bLNc2dHBkKhIX1IJCOoKHpDAxJS4l/s1600/2012-12-09+19.32.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl8yweXyUZPTb8BLdaZD5hvdE4icuLlVjRxWzGjt7vJG8SclbvjJ1uZhk0kpqmc7sqb5NLDm0nQnb4ymgJdPmdiOJM1N45KBi3YaoydojlhFUCd9bLNc2dHBkKhIX1IJCOoKHpDAxJS4l/s320/2012-12-09+19.32.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Ooh. No. Double no. Aside from the fact that I am wearing the hat inside out in this photo, I just don't like the way it came out. It's WAY too big(my own fault, for preemptively deciding to go up a hook size) and the join at each row is very visible. It's lovely pattern, but I didn't do a great job on it. The only thing I really liked about this experiment is the color combination. I wasn't too sure about this, but the mellow gray really makes the pastel yellow pop and appear almost neon. It's a really funky combination and one I'll be trying again in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukMuOzqg9Z0ntuUM8pJqr_wivCXKuKJImSrgF6tzC-FBKJwdQyVpiWZ2Wn-pnqHZxUI9YWb-UGEnCbHtz2pzPiTZyqFfSy3QVUYp1Cb0sPcFKQkGtUwyyi7OR2PUnnKuBxs9ancBg1gZj/s1600/2013-01-02+16.29.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukMuOzqg9Z0ntuUM8pJqr_wivCXKuKJImSrgF6tzC-FBKJwdQyVpiWZ2Wn-pnqHZxUI9YWb-UGEnCbHtz2pzPiTZyqFfSy3QVUYp1Cb0sPcFKQkGtUwyyi7OR2PUnnKuBxs9ancBg1gZj/s320/2013-01-02+16.29.13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
One last thing...I'm sure I'll be doing a full blog post about this when I track down who is responsible, but the other day I was walking in downtown Denver, near the Union Station construction site, and stumbled upon a fence full of crocheted flowers. I have no idea who's done this or why, but it was an unexpectedly cheery sight on a cold winter day.<br />
I spent about twenty minutes taking pictures of all of the flowers on my phone(and probably looked a bit crazy while doing so...) but the display is really cute and well put together. It fronts a truly ugly, eyesore construction site and elevates the sometimes-grim cityscape just a bit...but a very important bit.<br />
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My favorite flower was this one...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsKmi-yfn9F_ZhMtPJhyjYzoOnjnZkXZ4EXe8JTwyFL3Mhyphenhyphenz20Nkqkb4QXHM7Vj_duUMeYdo0KH4bOce-QJOkotevh6D90fS4qfwNQMQau7u1DO9ZNDMARDdc_-K7v13b0c_uZzBV4V0/s1600/2013-01-02+16.29.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsKmi-yfn9F_ZhMtPJhyjYzoOnjnZkXZ4EXe8JTwyFL3Mhyphenhyphenz20Nkqkb4QXHM7Vj_duUMeYdo0KH4bOce-QJOkotevh6D90fS4qfwNQMQau7u1DO9ZNDMARDdc_-K7v13b0c_uZzBV4V0/s320/2013-01-02+16.29.33.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And with that, I'll leave you to your crafty days, beautiful people. Peace!!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-48280180396023228772012-12-31T16:50:00.003+00:002012-12-31T16:50:41.602+00:00Happy New Year!!!Happy New Year, SweetShoppers!!!<br />
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Don't have much to say other than that I hope you all are having a safe and happy celebration of 2013's arrival! 2012 has been crazy but productive, and I hope that 2013 brings us all more of the latter and less of the former.<br />
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Peace!!<br />
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<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-61612880793404874282012-12-25T03:39:00.000+00:002012-12-25T03:39:13.358+00:00Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhseccuK99_okGbkW4Bt7Re6at7-mqqc-6whXvXYfvs8meXwybbZVjRa2vagVorJhnC_3zXVYmItTfnq6BFLom06DjKjm-aqD9N_d_AHlvwNFErh_x_6eHEBkKi26LWGvkr__P78NGf4/s400/YarnTree6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhseccuK99_okGbkW4Bt7Re6at7-mqqc-6whXvXYfvs8meXwybbZVjRa2vagVorJhnC_3zXVYmItTfnq6BFLom06DjKjm-aqD9N_d_AHlvwNFErh_x_6eHEBkKi26LWGvkr__P78NGf4/s320/YarnTree6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://blog.ordinarymommydesign.com/" target="_blank">Ordinary Mommy Design</a></td></tr>
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Merry Christmas SweetShoppers. Hope the holiday finds you all safe and warm and well.<br />
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If you want to know how to make those cool yarn Christmas trees in the photo above, check out <a href="http://blog.ordinarymommydesign.com/" target="_blank">Ordinary Mommy's</a> blog entry <a href="http://blog.ordinarymommydesign.com/2011/11/diy-christmas-yarn-tree-tutorial.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Peace on earth and goodwill to all you beautiful people!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-21549197137869287562012-12-21T23:07:00.001+00:002012-12-21T23:12:21.810+00:00SweetShop Studio; Pattern-writing mistakesSo lately I've been teaching myself to write crochet patterns for public consumption. I say "lately" but the truth is that this is a process that started about three years or so ago. I was briefly unemployed and spent about three months sitting in my friend's back bedroom crocheting with purloined yarn from my grandmother's storage closet. This resulted in about 20 poorly-written patterns, a lot of hats, and the <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">SweetShop etsy.</a><br />
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So long story short, I've been going through all of those previous patterns, testing them, rewriting them, and I hope to post at least one a month to this blog in 2013. Pattern writing is a new skill to me and I want to refine it over time, as well as provide something new on the blog for you lovely following followers.<br />
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I say all of that to say this; my latest pattern is a full size man's beanie hat called, appropriately, the Beanie Man. (If you don't get it, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI-xQ7IksUc" target="_blank">click here</a>.) The old file looked complete, so I printed it out, pulled out a hook and some yarn, and got to work.<br />
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Halfway through the pattern, I discovered a small problem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4pVjD4o2QbmkLiEeUohHYuFH_3iBu8rgvKcJ7uv5RvGVNQOnqMFaZBV88dRliqNIAuGfuUUWnqxdIF-ERrZSgcymORczW6b5tzhx9PsaFhsKRjxtk3comZ9eG5svGY5l6qLDudUN3Rnu/s1600/2012-12-20+15.53.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4pVjD4o2QbmkLiEeUohHYuFH_3iBu8rgvKcJ7uv5RvGVNQOnqMFaZBV88dRliqNIAuGfuUUWnqxdIF-ERrZSgcymORczW6b5tzhx9PsaFhsKRjxtk3comZ9eG5svGY5l6qLDudUN3Rnu/s320/2012-12-20+15.53.57.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Objects in picture are actual size.</td></tr>
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Oh. Oh my. Oh my, no.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtSWajUcCKd66_IYv6cNThVsXYZYPZxNX1twHpFD4Bb1jGRj4WPegHndIunpR3Yi_bkMJMErqU0SvYOc1Fg-ey4AO4CMp56JarbPTZw6pnYIf70YfvqexVzSC7ByWpo4pH3QsYBE33-Jv/s1600/2012-12-20+15.54.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtSWajUcCKd66_IYv6cNThVsXYZYPZxNX1twHpFD4Bb1jGRj4WPegHndIunpR3Yi_bkMJMErqU0SvYOc1Fg-ey4AO4CMp56JarbPTZw6pnYIf70YfvqexVzSC7ByWpo4pH3QsYBE33-Jv/s320/2012-12-20+15.54.20.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just so you can get a better idea of what the problem is...yes. those are my fingertips...</td></tr>
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Anybody have a doll in need of a comfy winter hat? </div>
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So long story short, no pattern this Friday, SweetShoppers. I think I need to go back to the drawing board and work this one out. There will be plenty of patterns come 2013, though!</div>
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Meanwhile...if you'd like to see some patterns that are correct, check out the <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2010/12/free-pattern-raspberry-beret.html" target="_blank">Raspberry Beret</a> and the <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/free-pattern-cup-cozy.html" target="_blank">Cup Cozy</a>. </div>
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Peace on earth! And goodwill to all you beautiful people! </div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-42419145096745948532012-12-18T21:53:00.000+00:002012-12-18T21:58:26.273+00:00SweetShop Creations wins a Liebster Award...<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So I was tooling around my blogger dashboard, clicking through and catching up on some of my favorites and suddenly saw...my name? Well, not MY name, but SweetShop Creations. The lovely Libby at <a href="http://artisticexpressionsbyelisabeth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Artistic Expressions By Elizabeth</a> nominated me for a Liebster, a cute blogging award given to blogs with less than 200 followers to encourage them to keep calm and carry on blogging. I've been focusing on blogging more consistently lately, so it was nice to see that somebody has been reading and wants me to keep it up! Thank you <a href="http://artisticexpressionsbyelisabeth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Libby</a>, and happy holidays!</span><br />
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Now for some basic information...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzZsAVuF91HwE_M1cRw8nN_hovaMY6DUrnKm6pJoZKVr-CVG7OGoTnvJ3gkVwtqqyE4Oli436oK505ogzzAHVrI_MhgMPzInPShO_1jBXvAnBDdQqfSrMlpr06sdB70_KQR38DC5oLUE/s1600/liebster+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: initial;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzZsAVuF91HwE_M1cRw8nN_hovaMY6DUrnKm6pJoZKVr-CVG7OGoTnvJ3gkVwtqqyE4Oli436oK505ogzzAHVrI_MhgMPzInPShO_1jBXvAnBDdQqfSrMlpr06sdB70_KQR38DC5oLUE/s1600/liebster+blog.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; background-color: white; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><u>The rules:</u></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5. Please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you!</span></i></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Questions:</span></b></u></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What is your favorite craft? </i>Probably crochet. I've dabbled in a variety of other crafting techniques, and that's the only one that's stuck.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>How long have you been doing that craft? </i>Thinking about it, probably about 5 years! That's surprising...I still feel like I only learned yesterday!<i> </i></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Who taught you this craft? </i>My grandmother taught me how to chain stitch many years ago on a family camping trip...but I didn't learn how to make actual garments until about 5 years ago when I picked up a pattern book.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What inspires you to keep crafting? </i>To be honest, I just like making things. I am a DIY princess and will always try to make something myself first or jury-rig it before buying...and when I do buy, I always look for the handmade or crafted version first. Even so, my inspiration sometimes runs low--when it does, I simply trip over to my local craft shop, buy a lot of stuff I really don't need, go home, and discover that what I actually want to do is make 600 things out of the supplies I already have.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What are some of your favorite blogs related to your craft of choice? </i>Ooh, good question. I love looking at <a href="http://that1girl734.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">That1Girl's</a> crafting picture blog--she's so FAST and makes all kinds of things. <a href="http://onebrowncrafter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">One Brown Crafter</a> is great for discovering new and like-minded crafters across the blogosphere. <a href="http://sixskeinsunder.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Six Skeins Under</a> is great for yarn lovers. To be honest, most of the other blogs I read have to do with fashion or visual arts--I don't really read too many blogs about yarn crafting.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What is one item/tool you would love to have to make your crafting so much better? </i>Time. No, really...I think I'd be a much better, more prolific crafter if I just had more time. I have materials aplenty, I just wish I had two or three unrestricted hours twice a week to do nothing buy make stuff.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and why? </i>Right now? I want a week in a resort in the Bahamas. No reason, really...just that I've never done a resort style vacation before and it's cold here!</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Where is your favorite place to shop for craft-related items? </i>I tend to e-window shop on etsy a lot...but I really like boutique yarn shops. I move and travel a lot, so right now there's no one place that I can recommend. There's one in every city, you just have to hunt them out.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Do you sell your items or make them just for the love and joy of crafting? (If you sell your items, where?) </i>Lately I've been making things just for my personal enjoyment, but in January I'll be putting my <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">etsy shop</a> back up and there will be some original creations available there.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>How long have you been blogging? </i>This blog has only been around since 2009 or so, but I personally have been blogging since back in the MySpace days. I originally got into the arts scene as a a writer, so I was quick to embrace the blog.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Have you ever attended a blogger's conference? Would you?</i> No...I've never had a blog successful enough (or interesting enough, really) to warrant going to one...but if I ever get the opportunity I'd love to go. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now to nominate some folks...</span></div>
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<a href="http://that1girl734.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">That1Girl</a></div>
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<a href="http://sixskeinsunder.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Six Skeins Under</a></div>
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<a href="http://asoratti.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Asoratti</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ummm...anybody want to nominate themselves?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you accept this award(or nominate yourself for one) and blog about it, please leave your url in the comments section so we can all get an idea of who you are!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh...almost forgot....here are my 11 questions...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. What type of crafting do you do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. What are your favorite color combinations to create things in?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. How long have you been crafting?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. Why did you start? Did anyone teach you, or did you teach yourself?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. Have you ever successfully taught anyone else to craft?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. What other crafting skills do you want to learn?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. What do you like to do besides crafting? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8. What is your favorite internet craft source?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9. If you had a crafting soundtrack, what songs would be on it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10. What's the story behind your favorite hand-crafted item?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">11. What's the one question you always ask other crafters when you meet them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So there we have it! Thanks again Libby for nominating me...peace, beautiful people!</span></div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-11469121893428266882012-12-17T07:00:00.000+00:002012-12-17T17:43:38.685+00:00Lorene from Akhu Designs; SweetShop Interview!<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Happy Monday
SweetShoppers! This week we’re featuring yet another interview with of the SweetShop
C.I.A.(C.rafters I. A.dmire), culture diva Lorene Rhoomes of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkhuDesigns" target="_blank">Akhu Designs</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8ppt3frT5HoUhA5luD4-RLmE04O7NI9eX2WmeNp1omPvcti-VqavuU2raOWz82oLW2PdGmMBvEHeBOLfhEjJtQ9_BCGMbDt2Rt5b4SWWGVxogwpFfvupumXg0x7x9-gROF0iujge1itv/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8ppt3frT5HoUhA5luD4-RLmE04O7NI9eX2WmeNp1omPvcti-VqavuU2raOWz82oLW2PdGmMBvEHeBOLfhEjJtQ9_BCGMbDt2Rt5b4SWWGVxogwpFfvupumXg0x7x9-gROF0iujge1itv/s400/010.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lorene, surrounded by some quality <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkhuDesigns" target="_blank">Akhu Designs</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I met Lorene twice,
actually, in very different contexts. The first time we met, I stopped her while on a walk through Manchester and complimented
her on her gorgeous hair (she and her son both have beautiful locs!). She was
walking in one direction, I was walking in the other, I’m a sucker for a great head
of natural Afro hair, and I never really thought I’d get to know her any
better.I was just blessed by her confidence and great personal vibe and wanted to return the favor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imagine my surprise
when Esra, aka <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/" target="_blank">Asoratti</a> (<a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2012/12/esra-from-asoratti-sweetshop-interview.html" target="_blank">interviewed here last week</a>) invited me to a Manchester crafter’s
networking meeting and there was Lorene! We introduced ourselves to each other
and struck up a fast friendship that hasn’t suffered at all from being suddenly
separated by 4000 miles. I’m very happy to be featuring her here today on the
blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So, all that said, let’s
get into the Q&A, SweetShoppers…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Hi
Lorene! Can you first tell us all about yourself? Where are you from? What do
you do? How did you learn to sew and design?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Greetings Mama! My
name is Lorene Rhoomes and I was born and raised in London. For the past
6 years I've set up home in Manchester. I recently launched my own
business Akhu Designs, making home furnishings, accessories and other
items from <a href="http://www.thewrendesign.com/the-story-behind-african-wax-print-cloth/" target="_blank">ankara</a>, which are traditional African wax fabrics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hail from a family
of seamstresses on my mothers side but never showed any interest in learning
how to sew myself until about 5-6 yrs ago. As a child I would watch my mum and
grandma sew but I was only ever interested in playing in their button boxes or
draping myself in the colourful fabrics. When I moved up to Manchester I
enrolled in a dressmaking class at the ALC (adult learning centre)
next door to my sons school and never looked back. In hindsight i guess it
wasn't a case of IF I would ever learn to sew but WHEN. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>I
think many of us have had that experience of learning how to craft many years
after seeing our mothers and grandmothers do so. I think this ties in a bit to the name of your company...can you also tell us about that? What does your business name mean?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I called the business
AKHU which means "the shining ones". They are the immortal souls of
those who have gone before us, our ancestors. Whether we choose to acknowledge
it or not, our ancestors play an active role in our lives, guiding and
teaching us through the legacies they have left behind. I wanted a name for my
brand that would pay respect to those whose wisdom exceeds our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Equally the logo had
to be strong and just as meaningful as the name. The sun and its rays represent
positive energy and brightness and the feather of Ma'at represents truth and
wisdom. If you know who you are and where you come from and always remain true
to yourself then you can always look forward to a bright future. So that's what
the logo represents: <b>A BRIGHTER FUTURE</b>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFm2fuqj9PKxlxHUkInb2usDkP5oI0fO9SCndxw8sDBucFMFmD0jhx7mSUHDHSUyI6Gm3ephEMQSHoxGG18qVgYd7tj4T4FiswcdarJyjaaHp8Al83srAOICuIqfm5CEbqQhj74jgzlns/s1600/392224_363002843770994_939978955_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFm2fuqj9PKxlxHUkInb2usDkP5oI0fO9SCndxw8sDBucFMFmD0jhx7mSUHDHSUyI6Gm3ephEMQSHoxGG18qVgYd7tj4T4FiswcdarJyjaaHp8Al83srAOICuIqfm5CEbqQhj74jgzlns/s320/392224_363002843770994_939978955_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkhuDesigns" target="_blank">Akhu Designs, bringing you the vibrance of Africa!</a></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>That is actually a really deep answer, and I appreciate you elaborating on that. How
do you think culture and ancestry influence your work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was raised by a Jamaican
mother and Nigerian father in a very traditional African household, so culture is the
backbone of who I am today. It naturally spills out into all aspects of my
life and especially in my work. I grew up in a house laden with positive
African images, a plethora of African history books and an array
of the most exquisite fabrics and foods.<i>(Bloggers note; me too, although my cultural ancestry is slightly different. Fist bump to Lorene...but now I'm hungry and need to go find my copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Listen-Children-Dorothy-Strickland/dp/0440415551/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1355433626&sr=8-3&keywords=listen%2C+children%21" target="_blank">Listen, Children!</a>)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Life was always
vibrant and my love for ankara has always been there. My mum used them to tie
us on her back as babies, they were used to decorate our house and we wore the
most elaborate luxurious costumes made from them at times of celebration. It
was inevitable I would choose ankara as my primary design fabric.<i>(Blogger's note; Lorene makes everything from pillowcases to makeup bags to bedspreads to shirts and beyond out of this amazing colorful fabric...)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-5CVvxSCYTdjYPUfhM82bLAaoUn1sMnpxpld-7G9wTxkxyM54jBfpwe91BJEpIYIoVEj0m-YUCMR_6ywve0_zfXY29SomsES27QkjWt2NBpDdCe6EzqHgqtuxcFl7fv1PdE0ZVGxjNZm/s1600/682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-5CVvxSCYTdjYPUfhM82bLAaoUn1sMnpxpld-7G9wTxkxyM54jBfpwe91BJEpIYIoVEj0m-YUCMR_6ywve0_zfXY29SomsES27QkjWt2NBpDdCe6EzqHgqtuxcFl7fv1PdE0ZVGxjNZm/s320/682.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Akhu Ankara designs...order <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkhuDesigns" target="_blank">HERE</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>What
inspires the things that you design from ankara?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>I</b> get inspiration
from just about anything and everything. Colors and textures stand out
for me so nature is a huge inspiration. Autumn is my favorite time of the year
because there are so many colors and different types of weather, everything
is constantly changing. I'm also greatly inspired by African culture. W</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">e are
such expressive people in our music, the way we dress, how we move, our
resilience and in our creativity. Despite the struggles we have
encountered as a people we remain strong, beautiful and still we rise!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Yes, we do! Speaking of rising...what are some of your business and creative goals for this
year and beyond?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In terms of the
business well... having launched in late July, it's still only a baby so the
only way is up! I have had such a positive response so far to my designs,
the fabrics and many people want to learn more about the culture and
traditions in West Africa (where my family is from and where most of my fabrics are
sourced). If I can give people a positive experience or educate them about our
culture through fabric then hopefully they will want to learn more about other
aspects of our community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would love to
eventually have a space where people can come and do workshops and learn more
about the history of Ankara as well as trying out some of the traditional
techniques...and of course I want people to purchase some of my designs too. I want
people to see that Africa is more than a continent plagued with poverty
and disease as so often portrayed by the media. We are
a talented, extremely resourceful, well educated, cultured and
beautiful people and I for one am proud to be African!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">On a personal note, I</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> am a mother of five
and it was important for me and my partner to involve our children in
the process of starting the business. We wanted them to see that
no matter how many responsibilities you may have in life anything is possible
provided you are willing to put the hard work in and sacrifice certain things like SLEEP!! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I have never been
happier and probably should have done this years ago!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thank you so much Mel for interviewing me. Stay Blessed n Beautiful! x<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Well, thank you very much for the interview and best of success to Akhu Designs!</b></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lorene is a fun, vibrant person, SweetShoppers, and I own several of her designs...they're awesome! They truly do bring a ray of African sunshine into my life and I highly recommend her work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you want to buy your very own Akhu Designs item click <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkhuDesigns" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To follow Akhu on Twitter click <a href="https://twitter.com/akhudesigns" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for Facebook, click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Akhu-Designs/363002657104346" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></div>
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<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-31309444885030184652012-12-14T19:15:00.000+00:002012-12-14T19:15:00.164+00:00SweetShop Patterns: Cup Cozy(repost)So here's a final web repost of a pattern before I start posting some fancy new patterns for the holidays. As always, you can download a nice tidy pdf version of this <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/view/?e15xo02gvcrvqlq" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white;">Cup Cozy</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W_5cWGJdESmIxVXa4QLkOy6c00NYPPchQnTO5DIkaWEm1ogZTjjmLkKRY64zhyphenhyphenUbdnWMEHJuN-x0PM-WQxszSM9ArQC4lnOBcwFiGlQFraFaxpVwBtI4X5_DlJA7rSAl3ok0qs3QQuAw/s1600/IMG_8251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W_5cWGJdESmIxVXa4QLkOy6c00NYPPchQnTO5DIkaWEm1ogZTjjmLkKRY64zhyphenhyphenUbdnWMEHJuN-x0PM-WQxszSM9ArQC4lnOBcwFiGlQFraFaxpVwBtI4X5_DlJA7rSAl3ok0qs3QQuAw/s1600/IMG_8251.JPG" /></a></div>
<b>Difficulty:</b><br />
Beginner<br />
<b>Materials:</b><br />
25 grams worsted weight yarn<br />
K(6.5 mm) hook<br />
Yarn needle<br />
<b>Stitches:</b><br />
Chain stitch: ch<br />
Half-double crochet: hdc<br />
Picot stitch: for this pattern, a picot stitch is sc, ch 3, sc in next stitch.<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
Row 1 : Ch 12<br />
Row 2: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc to end(11 st)<br />
Row 3: Turn, hdc in back loop only to end. (11 st)<br />
Row 4-23: Repeat Rnd 3, creating ribbed pattern.<br />
With wrong sides facing, mattress stitch ends together to form ring<br />
Row 24: Join yarn at top of ring, sc in row ends around ring.<br />
Row 25: Picot stitch 12 times around.<br />
Row 26-27: Repeat 24 and 25 on bottom edge of ring.<br />
Weave in loose yarn ends, slip around cup containing your favorite hot drink!<br />
© 2011 Melissa Watkins/SweetShop Creations<br />
MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-17387821615790817172012-12-10T03:00:00.000+00:002012-12-10T18:12:08.429+00:00Esra From Asoratti; Sweetshop Interview!<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Happy Monday SweetShoppers! Last Monday's interview with<a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2012/12/adrienne-from-afro-triangle-designs.html" target="_blank"> Adrienne from Afro-Triangle</a> was pretty well received, so I've decided to feature another member of the SweetShop C.I.A.(C.rafter I. A.dmire) on the blog this week...my friend and co-conspirator in all things crafty, Esra of <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/" target="_blank">Asoratti</a>!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Before we get into the interview, I want to give a little bit of background on Esra. When I met her two years ago at a knitting group, she was a loom knitter, new to the city, but very interested in creating her own business. To toot my own horn a bit, I introduced her to <a href="http://etsy.com/">etsy.com</a> and it has been AMAZING to see what she's accomplished through sheer creativity and drive. In two years, Esra has taught herself to design in a variety of techniques aside from her original loomwork(including extreme knitting and crochet), built a truly formidable network of crafters in the Manchester area, and created not one, but TWO impressive, recognizable online knitwear brands. To put it bluntly, Esra is AMAZING and has certainly inspired me to step up my creative game and business savvy! If you're a beginner crafter trying to make a business out of your passions and hobbies, Esra is the lady to look to for connections and advice in Manchester. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That said, let's find out a little bit of information about the lady of the hour herself...</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq3i1l08spbSnxdZE5fmUwbObfeTsQ3Ph6IDYwoFut5hyphenhyphenH769HTU06zInnxPe32UOYJaUipBtiJZ6tZu3FIopDE4FRkHhaPOD4WtyZgAZkl7xp6gU3rKS45tEUjzU5pmJnlMxqjAFrh9K/s1600/621546_10101857015547851_912823843_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq3i1l08spbSnxdZE5fmUwbObfeTsQ3Ph6IDYwoFut5hyphenhyphenH769HTU06zInnxPe32UOYJaUipBtiJZ6tZu3FIopDE4FRkHhaPOD4WtyZgAZkl7xp6gU3rKS45tEUjzU5pmJnlMxqjAFrh9K/s320/621546_10101857015547851_912823843_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's the pretty lady in white. Photo credit; <a href="http://www.mickcooksonphotography.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mick Cookson</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hi Esra! You've been a long
time friend of SweetShop Creations, but you've recently undergone a lot of
changes. Can you tell me a little bit about who you are now and who you used to
be?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hi Mel, Thank you very much
for this awesome opportunity! :) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I used to be Knitella, which was
a more playful simple brand and it looked very homey, made of just acrylic
yarns. It was easier to start with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now, I am <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/index.asp" target="_blank">Asoratt</a>i. I design
and make high quality handmade accessories, where everything is made with
merino wool, 100% lambswool, or a blend of premium acrylic. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Why did you decide to make the
changes?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As I grew a little bit as an
entrepreneur, my perspective changed, and my goals developed, so it
had to be done :) </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What kinds of yarn and what
kinds of pieces do you love to create the most?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My favorite kind now is merino
wool, it gives really nice results, and it feels so soft. I enjoy making baby
sets, the ones with headbands and slippers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8Zqk2plKTBflDbu5VTrV0lZBdNp36aLaHkh2i4v-V8ZJHx5egffdmErL-U5Bd4ICRjE5bZp3H0BDRdzzwtKccPkH7olM77kHWQqK4iyMfldIdet5YOQ8glak-318FQNr603XoPiavNsT/s1600/KNIT_PRODUCT091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8Zqk2plKTBflDbu5VTrV0lZBdNp36aLaHkh2i4v-V8ZJHx5egffdmErL-U5Bd4ICRjE5bZp3H0BDRdzzwtKccPkH7olM77kHWQqK4iyMfldIdet5YOQ8glak-318FQNr603XoPiavNsT/s320/KNIT_PRODUCT091.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparkling Princess headband and slipper set...an Asoratti original! Purchase this <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/sparkling-princess-headband--slippers-set-380-p.asp" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I also love to make bow
headbands. They are my best sellers by far. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw1df96MY9FQPrB_lYO_WrQhLa-LGuGfjNfvOTE2_GQssDqE3oUKzLFf7sey-bKyV3LO4mWrL9e8ExfaNjOhh4VMlTO0AeXdTEZKyDvDz-2DRRYc5X-jtLwEQ8DWLEGHRJZxvoj-OE0Nn/s1600/MCP_KNITELLA270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw1df96MY9FQPrB_lYO_WrQhLa-LGuGfjNfvOTE2_GQssDqE3oUKzLFf7sey-bKyV3LO4mWrL9e8ExfaNjOhh4VMlTO0AeXdTEZKyDvDz-2DRRYc5X-jtLwEQ8DWLEGHRJZxvoj-OE0Nn/s320/MCP_KNITELLA270.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another original...the Christmas Merino headband. <a href="http://www.asoratti.com/headbands-52-c.asp" target="_blank">Purchase it, and others here.</a></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What sort of creative plans do
you have for the future?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I would love to start making
knitted/crocheted home accessories. That will be my next big step. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What inspires you? What makes
you want to run home and dive into a tub of yarn?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Yarn, different fashion
trends, the seasons, seeing creative products--all of that inspires me. Not to
mention the great sense of accomplishment I get when I finish a
piece. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Do you have any special events
or promotions coming up that you want to talk about?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I haven't done any big events
this year other than the brand re-launch last month, but I always do giveaways
every once in a while, so keep an eye on the newsletter<br />
</span><a href="http://www.asoratti.com/newsletter-subscription-12-w.asp" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">http://www.asoratti.com/newsletter-subscription-12-w.asp</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and on the FB page:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Asoratti" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">https://www.facebook.com/Asoratti</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So there you have it, folks! A brief but very informational interview with Asoratti. If you want more info on Esra or her brand, or if you want to purchase some of her items, check out the links below. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Shop: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.asoratti.com/" target="_blank">www.asoratti.com</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>FB:</b> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Asoratti" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">https://www.facebook.com/Asoratti</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Twitter:</b> </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/Asoratti" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">https://www.twitter.com/Asoratti</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You can also find Esra on Tumblr,
G+, StumbleUpon, Pinterest and Instagram. Just search for the username Asoratti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thanks for the interview Esra, and happy holiday sales to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Peace beautiful people! Keep your eyes on the blog for more interviews!</span></div>
MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-9822621779427621442012-12-07T18:55:00.001+00:002012-12-07T18:55:44.156+00:00Progress...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSEJ1CcwykZ0BtVacVViizxO_HvLYaZLOH7FUf7qoPwHNCTNnDihdGcHLs94WA55LvVGSmjuKDESI2XrWg6EBh65KuuQdykC-bjwEk_UsHLPeaJShCEcZJ9iDFNMctOrgxERdmX-CIvjs/s1600/2012-12-05+18.30.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSEJ1CcwykZ0BtVacVViizxO_HvLYaZLOH7FUf7qoPwHNCTNnDihdGcHLs94WA55LvVGSmjuKDESI2XrWg6EBh65KuuQdykC-bjwEk_UsHLPeaJShCEcZJ9iDFNMctOrgxERdmX-CIvjs/s320/2012-12-05+18.30.10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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...is slow...</div>
<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-11082806824322540882012-12-07T08:00:00.000+00:002012-12-10T19:19:52.722+00:00SweetShop Patterns: Raspberry Beret(repost)So I haven't been onto ravelry in ages and when I do log in after a many month absence, what do I find?<br />
<br />
A <i>ton</i> of messages from people who aren't crazy about having to go to a third-party site to download the Raspberry Beret pattern.<br />
<br />
Oops. Sorry y'all.<br />
<br />
I understand, and I'm sorry for not updating the patterns to an online source earlier. I like the format of a downloadable pattern better personally, but I can understand wanting the easy access of having the pattern displayed online and concerns about strange downloads. With that said, I've decided to make my ravelry patterns available as blog entries as well as downloads.<br />
<br />
This means I'll be posting new patterns soon, but first I'll be reposting the old ones...starting with...<br />
<br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;">Raspberry Beret...</span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08Jiwr_fDszlZdqw3bpcJbAwYQZi2VkyTw-bNLl-qg0QkKQMBDBT2BrNJTaiqbW1g_TwNQz__3irVanQK3AWf34WO4hteLu8Hd81Mj92i9waCmyGVMZawC_wTMll8vWv7K_6sO23g5xmR/s1600/72250_486513608254_5932105_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08Jiwr_fDszlZdqw3bpcJbAwYQZi2VkyTw-bNLl-qg0QkKQMBDBT2BrNJTaiqbW1g_TwNQz__3irVanQK3AWf34WO4hteLu8Hd81Mj92i9waCmyGVMZawC_wTMll8vWv7K_6sO23g5xmR/s320/72250_486513608254_5932105_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Difficulty:</b> Advanced Beginner</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Materials:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">2 skeins <a href="http://brownsheep.com/yarns/lamb-pride?view=category" target="_blank">Lambs Pride Bulky</a> in Strawberry Shortcake<br />N(9mm) crochet hook<br />Band elastic<br />Yarn needle, sewing needle and thread</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Stitches:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Chain stitch: ch</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Slip stitch: sl</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Puff stitch: pff st(for help on how to do a puff stitch for this pattern, click <a href="http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-crochet-a-puff-stitch.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Half-double crochet: hdc</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Triple crochet: tr</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Directions:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 1: Ch 6, join with sl st to make ring</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 2: Ch 1, 10 pff st into ring, join</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 pff st in each st around, join(20 st)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 4: Ch 1, *(2 pff sts in next st, 1 pff st in next st), repeat from *around, join (30 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 5: Ch 1, *(2 pff sts in next st, 1 pff st in next 2 sts), repeat from * around, join. (40 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 6: Ch 1,*(2 pff sts in next st, 1 pff st in next 3 sts), repeat from * around, join. (50 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 7: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join(50 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 8: Ch 1, *(2 pff sts in next st, 1 pff st in next 4 sts), repeat from *around, join. (60 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 9: Ch 1, **2 pff sts in next st, 1 pff st in next 5 sts), repeat from * around, join.(70 sts)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 10: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 11: ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 12: Ch 1, *(1 pff st in next 5 sts, pff st 2 together), repeat from * around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 13: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 14: Ch 1, *(1 pff st in next 3 sts, pff st 2 together), repeat from * around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 15: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 16: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 17: Ch 1, 1 pff st in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 18: Ch 1, 1 hdc in ea st around, join.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Rnd 19: Ch 3, 1 tr in ea st around, join. Don’t fasten off.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Weave elastic through row of triple crochet carefully, making sure not to bend or twist. Sew ends of</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">elastic together with sewing needle and thread—be sure that sewn bit of elastic is on the inside of the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">hat brim to make it easier to cover.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Using same hook and yarn, carefully cover elastic as follows: Ch 1, go into bottom of first tr crochet</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">stitch(on top of round 18 hdc) [*yo, pull through. 2 loops on hook. Yo, go through bottom of next tr</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">crochet, yo, pull through. 4 loops on hook. Yo, pull through all 4 loops, yo, go into bottom of same st]</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Repeat from * until all elastic is covered, join with sl st. . Be very careful not to bend or twist elastic</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Weave in all ends.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">© 2010 Melissa Watkins/Sweetshop Creations</span><br />
<br />
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If you make your own Raspberry Beret, don't forget to comment and post a pic of it here! Peace beautiful people!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-75969028182656473592012-12-05T17:54:00.002+00:002012-12-07T18:44:36.681+00:00SweetShop Workshop; The MC from Get Your Crochet On!: Hip Hats and Cool Caps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSLx5BHgjRcNWM_Bj5229n1YT4cqTvgSkzgMyBm31dINKfG-HOQP4w4T38Qi4mlY6v1bpjKnCttIQpXgKv4K4lrP6m75ySnKaOU-O5inpv2X9dNxRhsKk4ifKK09ttPZVCSBSNprUwEnM/s1600/2012-12-04+23.56.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSLx5BHgjRcNWM_Bj5229n1YT4cqTvgSkzgMyBm31dINKfG-HOQP4w4T38Qi4mlY6v1bpjKnCttIQpXgKv4K4lrP6m75ySnKaOU-O5inpv2X9dNxRhsKk4ifKK09ttPZVCSBSNprUwEnM/s400/2012-12-04+23.56.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Remember how I said I wasn't going to do much with the shop but <i>was </i>going to share more of my personal crafting on the blog? Consider that promise kept, beautiful people. What you see here is a snapshot of my latest personal project--a version of The MC hat from Afya Ibomu's funky pattern book <a href="http://nattral.com/natural-health/vsop.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2&category_id=1" target="_blank">Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats and Cool Caps</a>. I recently was given quite a lot of fun new acrylic yarn and due to moving a lot lately, find myself low on hats.<br />
<br />
I'll post new pics when it's finished, but for now, I have a few quick thoughts on the variations I'm including;<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Afya Ibomu must be an *incredibly* loose crocheter because I always have to go up a hook size or two to match her gauge. The pattern calls for a 5.0 mm hook. The hook pictured is a 6.5. (BTW, I got that hook in a long-ago January sale haul, blogged about <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2012/01/no-one-on-corner-hascrafty-swagger-like.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li>
<li>The pattern also calls for starting with 4 sc, joined into a ring, which is then crocheted into. That's a pretty common start for hats or any pattern crocheted in the round. However, that still leaves a small hole in the top of the hat. I guess that's not usually a problem, but I have an afro, and nothing ruins your daily cute like having afro popping through the top of your hat via a coin-sized hole. I much prefer the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvjYPFBP85c" target="_blank">magic loop</a> technique because you can close the hole, so that's what you see here. I'll draw it all the way closed when I've finished the hat.</li>
<li>Last thing for now...the stripes and color combination. The original pattern doesn't include striping instructions, so I'm just winging it by switching colors when I feel like it. I don't know how I feel about the color combo just yet though. I wanted to try something new, and had some pretty gray with a slightly pinky taupe undertone. I don't have enough for a whole hat, though, so I decided to match it with a light floral yellow. In theory it works. In person it looks...okay. We'll see what happens when the hat is finished, I guess.</li>
</ul>
I'll post more pics when this hat is finished, beautiful people. Meanwhile, hope you're all having a great day--feel free to share in the comments what *you're* working with.<br />
<br />
<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-60768786892569228292012-12-03T16:31:00.000+00:002012-12-07T18:45:49.069+00:00Adrienne from Afro Triangle Designs: An Interview with one of the SweetShop C.I.A.(C.rafter I. A.dmire)<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">If you follow<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SweetShopCreations" target="_blank"> SweetShop Creations on Facebook</a>, you’ll know that I often post about a select group of awesome artists, crafters,
and designers that I like to call the SweetShop C.I.A.(C.rafters I. A.dmire.)
Usually my admiration extends to a reblog, a Facebook photo of an incredible piece of
work that they've done, and sometimes a reciprocal “like” from the object of my
<s>obsession</s> admiration, but that’s it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So you can imagine how excited I was I got
the chance to actually meet up with Adrienne Norris of <a href="https://afrotriangledesigns.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Afro Triangle Designs</a>
and talk shop. I’ve known Adrienne for a few years—we swing through a few of the
same social circles in Denver and have a few mutual friends--but we’ve never really gotten a
chance to talk art and business in depth before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’m a firm believer in networking and promoting other people's brilliance, so I asked Adrienne if I could share an interview with her here
at the SweetShop blog and she agreed. So, without further ado, SweetShoppers, I
present to you...Adrienne Norris of Afro Triangle Designs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vd8sZ-qPj_V1qQvZTAx7HCaVGaX2AWVdl1vMnir5HH_eZE7xtuQLUonKzNGQxdeHZLt7ncxfQOem9ZoFX3SOuivwzKLvuYJ51aT-DDxKiVeWD9ykSPWHWgbJT_GLPOsp-QCa21W7Fe9X/s1600/adrienne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vd8sZ-qPj_V1qQvZTAx7HCaVGaX2AWVdl1vMnir5HH_eZE7xtuQLUonKzNGQxdeHZLt7ncxfQOem9ZoFX3SOuivwzKLvuYJ51aT-DDxKiVeWD9ykSPWHWgbJT_GLPOsp-QCa21W7Fe9X/s640/adrienne.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of Adrienne Norris. Shirt available for purchase <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/106125677/mos-def-t-shirt-available-in-long-and" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br />
Welcome Adrienne! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you
from, where are you now, where are you going, that sort of thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Well, I was born on
the island of Barbados (which is in the Caribbean, for those who don’t know) and
came to the US when I was 5. I lived in New York with my mom, grandmother and
brothers until I was about 12, when we moved to New Mexico to live on the
international school campus my dad taught at, the <a href="http://www.uwc-usa.org/" target="_blank">Armand Hammer United World College.</a> So I’m Bajan by birth, but American by culture.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>When I was 17, I had
the opportunity to attend the <a href="http://www.uwcad.it/" target="_blank">United World College of the Adriatic in Italy</a>,
which is part of the family of international schools I grew up in. What should
have been a two year experience turned into only one, though. I mean, it was
Italy and I was 17. Studying just wasn't a priority. So I had a chance to start
over at the school in New Mexico where I graduated with my International
Baccalaureate degree. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>After that, I joined
the Marines to be an Arabic linguist and spent 5 years doing what people told
me (sort of) and translating “things” from Arabic to English. Sorry, if I gave
you more details, I’d have to kill you. ;)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>These days, I’m working
as a freelance artist here in Denver, designing t-shirts, business cards,
logos, as well as drawing and painting portraits when I can. I would love for
portrait painting to be my primary source of income.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b>
<br />
Can you tell us a little bit about how your life inspires your art?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>People fascinate me.
I think that’s why I love drawing faces so much. We all have the same five
features – two eyes, a nose, a mouth – but they can be configured in so many
different ways to make each face we see so incredibly unique that even twins
who share almost identical genes, can look different from one another. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I am also amazed by
what the human body is capable of whether it’s pull-ups, hand stands, or flips.
That we can use our muscles to create enough momentum to launch ourselves into
the air is astounding to me. </b></span><span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b>(Blogger's note; Adrienne hasn't mentioned this, but she's also a very capable capoeira practioner!)</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
And tell us about the art, too. What are you working on now? What is your
artistic background? What's your medium?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I would say that a
lot of what I love creating most, the portraits, is self-taught. I remember sitting
for hours on guard duty sketching faces from magazines, photographs, even
military ID cards in an effort to master capturing a likeness. That doesn't mean I didn't have formal training, though. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I took a number of
art classes during my early school years, and after leaving the Service, I
attended the Art Institute of Colorado for my degree in Media Arts and
Animation. This opened the doors of the digital art world and has allowed me to
earn money as a graphic designer.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>As far as medium
goes, I love pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylic paint, each for different
reasons. I call ink drawing the strategic placement of lines. I love the
challenge of creating depth in an image using lines alone, though there is no
such thing as a line in nature. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I love the delicacy
of watercolor, a medium that has a mind of its own, that lends a certain
brightness to your subject when you’re done. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>And I love the
traditional look I can achieve with acrylic. The thicker medium calls to mind
most peoples’ idea of what a painting “should” look like. </b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpag1eRouks8GF95UOm4oqhzLRrRWB57He2zEiKRaZaQBUHeQggiwu5x8-_itRrO3iBn1YqcoENrqO5k92SwBSSURaSxbwPIheTejieDKR5OulOtOG2TmK6qYhX8VadTnHqGJgj1mZhoB/s1600/portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpag1eRouks8GF95UOm4oqhzLRrRWB57He2zEiKRaZaQBUHeQggiwu5x8-_itRrO3iBn1YqcoENrqO5k92SwBSSURaSxbwPIheTejieDKR5OulOtOG2TmK6qYhX8VadTnHqGJgj1mZhoB/s320/portrait.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Afro-Triangle original watercolor portrait. Find out more <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/116438184/your-portrait-in-watercolor-8x10" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #993300;"><br /></span>
<br />
Do you feel your art connects the different cultural and social influences in
your life? Can you tell us more about how if it does?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I think it does. My
tendency is to draw or paint realistically, so most of my work is based on
photographs. Most of these have been photos I have taken myself, of friends or
of people in a place I happened to be. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I think I also
capture the universality of what it is to be human. I love painting expression
and no matter where you are in the world, what your cultural background, our
expressions hold the same meanings. A frown means you’re unhappy about
something, a smile expresses joy. We are all working with the same five
features.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b>
<br />
What's your favorite work of art(either by yourself or someone else)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>It’s so hard to pin
down one specific piece… Yeah, I’m gonna have to pass.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b>
<br />
Can you tell us a little about your etsy shop? What kinds of items are
available there?(Quick note, SweetShoppers...etsy is an online craft and design bazaar. If you don't know about it, you should!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>I am very new to
Etsy, so my shop is still growing. Portraits are the main listing right now. I
offer custom portraits in a variety of media, as well as a series of what I
call Geek-tastic celebrity portraits in which I have drawn characters from my
favorite sci-fi/fantasy television shows and movies. There are also a few of
the t-shirts I have designed and printed so far.</b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ0r3dU_HDhauzrt2emA5RHsm03VvEKg_K4uCTUVGVmpUYzz1OmCQzfgQsBcvn7ckjXZT6O54GoH1mD0nMnrMa7T5z5a3T8MjcFIkDrVtmmNv02UcGbrqFJyWzqsiFnAUv9Ii-P3-OSNQ/s1600/supernatural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ0r3dU_HDhauzrt2emA5RHsm03VvEKg_K4uCTUVGVmpUYzz1OmCQzfgQsBcvn7ckjXZT6O54GoH1mD0nMnrMa7T5z5a3T8MjcFIkDrVtmmNv02UcGbrqFJyWzqsiFnAUv9Ii-P3-OSNQ/s320/supernatural.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any Supernatural fans in the house? Purchase this one and more like it <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/116148740/dean-winchester-8x10-original-sold" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #993300;"><br /></span>
<br />
Have you got any live exhibitions coming up soon? Can you tell us anything
about that? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Glad you asked! I have a
show starting on January 1st at Love Sick Ink, a tattoo parlor off Broadway and Iliff. </b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b> It runs until January 31st and it would be great to see new people there. </b></span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Keep an eye on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AfroTriangle" target="_blank">Afro Triangle Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://afrotriangledesigns.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">website</a> for more information.</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b><br /></b>
<br />So there you have it, SweetShoppers--hope you enjoyed being introduced to Adrienne as much as I enjoyed doing the interview. If you want to know more, check out the official Afro Triangle Designs website <a href="https://afrotriangledesigns.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and like and follow on Facebook<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AfroTriangle" target="_blank"> HERE</a>. If you want to purchase your very own Afro Triangle Designs shirt or portrait, check out the etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AfroTriangle" target="_blank">HERE</a>. There's also some very cool shirts available to purchase only on the <a href="https://afrotriangledesigns.wordpress.com/designs/" target="_blank">official site</a>. Many thanks to Adrienne for your time and best of luck with your future art and business!<!--[endif]--></span>MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-27635231923140380432012-11-29T12:00:00.000+00:002012-11-29T12:00:00.163+00:00Taking good pictures...I've been struggling with my photographic mojo lately, and thought I'd share some dismal failures in the photography department to show you what I mean.<br />
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I made a gorgeous headband/fingerless glove set for a client who <b>didn't</b> want the items worn by a model but <b>did</b> want pictures of the items. Given that I was in the throes of an intercontinental move and had no real work space, I pulled out my trusty camera, a suitably colorful last minute surface, and came up with...<br />
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This. What, pray tell, are those lumpish purple things? And the background? My bedsheets and other assorted messes. How dreadful.</div>
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My first thought was that maybe the shot would be improved by being a little closer on the items. So I tried again and got...<br />
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Well...it's certainly closer. At this point it was about 1 am, and I was rapidly giving up on consciousness, so I gave up and sent the client the second image and promised better quality ones when I had a chance to take some daylight photos. </div>
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Surprise, surprise...she bought the items based on these images. </div>
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I guess I'm making this post to reassure myself and fellow perfectionist crafters that sometimes, it's more important to get the content OUT there than it is to make sure it's perfect. In this case, the client had a pretty good idea of what she was getting and really just wanted a photo to confirm the order was done. There's no way I would use this image for an etsy listing or any other promotional effort if they weren't already spoken for...BUT I guess I'm learning that not everything has to be magazine ready to sell.</div>
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I still WANT everything to be magazine ready, of course. But it doesn't always have to be. </div>
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Meanwhile, I am reading blogs and watching videos on how to become a better photographer. And sharing my mini-failure up here to solicit commiseration from other crafters, bloggers, and sellers...have you ever had something that you just *couldn't* get right?</div>
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Peace, beautiful people!</div>
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MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-77417176596022679732012-11-21T02:00:00.001+00:002012-11-21T02:04:41.298+00:00SweetShop Creations is still blogging...Hey friendly neighborhood SweetShoppers! Don't know if any of you have had a chance to peek at the <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">etsy shop</a> or the <a href="http://twitter.com/SweetShopCraft" target="_blank">Twitter</a> lately, but I'm taking a little break from online sales. I've just completed a very definite intercontinental move and am thinking of doing some different things with the shop. That means there won't be any SweetShop items available in the shop until after Christmas, but never fear...you can always contact me for a custom order <a href="mailto:sweetshopcreations@gmail.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> if you have a specific item in mind or buy an Etsy gift card <a href="http://www.etsy.com/giftcards?gclid=CNLf6ub33rMCFcxAMgodk14Atg&utm_source=adobe_g&utm_medium=us_ppc_w&utm_term=voucher-gift_b&utm_campaign=Gift-Cards-&-Related-Keywords_Gift-Vouchers&ef_id=UKwx7QAAWYY@4jdL:20121121014413:s" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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I'll still be blogging here about all my personal crafting in the meantime. Trust me, now that I'm not making loads of ready made hats, I'll be doing TONS! I still haven't finished my <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.com/2011/09/making-myself-sweater.html" target="_blank">winter sweater from last year</a>!<br />
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In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of a crochet turkey courtesy of <a href="http://www.crochetspot.com/" target="_blank">Crochet Spot</a> and check out the pattern <a href="http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-timothy-the-turkey/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Cute, isn't he? </div>
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Peace, beautiful people!</div>
<br />MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-38712505360492833582012-05-22T20:10:00.000+01:002012-11-21T02:02:46.016+00:00Handmade Product Update: Pamper and PreenSo I thought I'd do a quick update on Pamper and Preen's Honey Caramel soap, which I reviewed last week. I've been using the soap about a week or two now, and a few things have become obvious;<br />
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1)I won't be buying this soap again. The next two items are why.<br />
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2)It is, ultimately, VERY drying. Although at first it didn't seem to have much of an effect, prolonged usage has turned me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. Personally, I have dry skin and I HATE that tight stripped feeling I get after using a drying product. I've had that after every shower so far this week, aand I don't like it. Thank God for cocoa butter.<br />
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3)It doesn't last long. I've been using the bar of soap for two weeks, and it is less than half the size it initially was. I'm very careful to store my soap in a covered dish, so it's not stray water causing this.<br />
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Overall, this was nice to try, and I'm glad I could support a local handmade seller with a stray £5. But I won't be doing it again.<br />
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Peace!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2518001647263168809.post-14800148752551476312012-05-17T16:37:00.000+01:002012-05-17T16:44:04.287+01:00I Buy Handmade: Pamper And PreenLook, at this point I'm not even going to bother apologizing for how long it's been since I've updated this blog. I'm doing a full-time MA, I have a part time job, and I also have *Bill Cosby voice* FIVE other blogs. Count them, <a href="http://mamalazarus.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">one</a>, <a href="http://oldjournalsforjesus.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">two</a>, <a href="http://quoteofthewhenever.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">three</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/mamalazarus" target="_blank">four</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/mamalazarus" target="_blank">five</a>! And while that's really no excuse for being a lazy and unreliable craft blogger...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.<br />
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So what's brought me out of Dreadful Blog Silence? Another excellent handmade vendor, that's what.<br />
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So, as you can imagine, I spend a lot of time on <a href="http://www,etsy.com/" target="_blank">etsy.com,</a> perusing other people's wonderful wares. As you can guess from the SweetShop mission statement, I am vey passionate about handmade items and supporting sustainable development, wherever that may be. The third leg in the tripod of my personal stance on buying and selling is supporting local makers and sellers as well. So, usually, my trip to etsy starts with me clicking the "Shop Local" button on the left hand side of the page.<br />
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And that is how I came across <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/PamperandPreen?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Pamper & Preen</a> soaps. Usually I buy handmade items because of a personal connection to the maker or particular aesthetics or ideals. This time, it simply was a matter of hey, I'm out of soap, they live in Manchester too, and I have 5 extra pounds in my account this week.<br />
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I bought Pamper & Preen's <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/92113906/honey-caramel-honey-caramel-coconut" target="_blank">Honey Caramel Cold Process soap</a> for £2.85 plus an additional £2.46 shipping. YIKES at the shipping, right? Especially since they're right around the corner, practically. But because I've recently been <a href="http://sweetshopcreations.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/good-bad-and-downright-frustrating.html" target="_blank">all but forced to charge exorbitant shipping rates for my own products</a>, I feel a bit more charitable about such things and went ahead and paid it. For the most part I'm glad I did.<br />
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The Honey Caramel soap looks pretty much it does on Pamper & Preen's site...so no surprises there. It has a deep, sweet fragrance with hints of vanilla and coconut as well as honey and caramel. The bottom edge is scattered with a sprinkling of black seens. I'm not exactly sure WHAT they are, but they're great for exfoliating and they haven't turned my skin green yet, so they don't bother me. This is what it looks like unpackaged;<br />
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I bought this soap because I have dry, sensitive skin and I need something that cleans my grimy self without turning me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. This soap pretty much fits the bill...it gets me clean. It smells lovely, although the scent doesn't stick around for very long. And while I haven't been using it for very long, it hasn't dried out my skin, which I definitely appreciate it. I do slather on a thick moisturizer afterwards though, so if you aren't an after-bath lotioner, you might not have the same results.<br />
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I hope it doesn't sound like I'm damning <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/PamperandPreen?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Pamper & Preen</a> with faint praise...I'm not intending to. It's a beautifully made bar of soap, and while it doesn't exceed my expectations it meets them very well. If you like handmade soaps and want to pamper yourself with a lovely scented bar of soap, I'd recommend giving <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/PamperandPreen?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Pamper & Preen</a> a visit <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/PamperandPreen?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Peace beautiful people!MDubyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13913579463878805956noreply@blogger.com0