Get Inspired - Sea Me Blue

Can you tell I really want to go on vacation? My summer vacation to Bermuda is getting closer and closer! If you're stuck in an office like me, here's what you can do when nobody is looking...

Sit down and get comfortable... close your eyes...
(wait, read this first, and then try to remember what this says, and then do it)
Forget the deadlines.. forget the email you have to answer... picture blue... hmm... so many shades.. sea blue.. sea...
I can see the movement, the waves... the waves gently stretching onto the sand... You can feel the warmth of the sun on your face.. Shhhhh... Shhhh...

The seagulls are squawking in the distance... Shhhh.. Shhhh... The warm water is reaching your feet...
One of the seagulls is getting closer, carried by the warm wind.. Shhhh... Shhhh... It's getting closer and closer... "What? What do you want?" you say to the seagull as it squeals loudly in your ear and pokes you hard with its beak on the shoulder.
Yep, that's really your boss shaking your arm and asking you to come and see him in his office.
On second thought, don't do this at work. I'm considering marking this post "not appropriate for viewing while at work".

"Sea Me Blue" by TwistedThreadAndHook - Inspired by Studio70Seven's necklace. 

Boho Gypsy Necklace // Long ... Studio70Seven	Mini Note Cards Teal Cream B... CreativeDesign...	Aqua Pillow Cover Circles Ge... ShellsForMySuz...	Sea Green Star Stained Glass... GrimalkinGlass
Ceramic Pie Plate - Tan and ... MudbugCreation...	Sea Green Crystal Earrings -... CamilleMarieAr...	HASTINGS Minnesota The Dam u... TheOldBarnDoor	Layered Statement Necklace S... KalimayaShop
Ceramic Love Birds Wedding C... DesertArtsPott...	Reclaimed Sea Green Wool Han... AlisonsWorktab...	AQUA WATERS . 5x3mm czech gl... BeadKnead	Green Clver Intuition New Mo... statements2000
Pale Sea Green Ceramic Lotus... dgordon	Druzy and Sea Blue Chalcedon... SelahVie	Tiffany Blue Boutique Bow...... LChicBoutique	Blue and Green Bubble Sea Cr... sewcutegiftsan...

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

My Etsy teammates are also in the "vacation" mood as they put together beautiful sea and ocean inspired collections:

Here's one from Suzanne and Melissa

"Coastal Blue" by PookieandJack (Suzanne and Melissa)

iPhone Case, iPhone 4/4S, iP... SoulCenteredPh...	Water Lover Blue Handknit Bl... QuietStorytell...	Blue Seagull on Sterling Sil... BijouxEmmElle	Large Pitcher - Ceramic, Spe... MudbugCreation...
3D Blue Beveled Glass Snowfl... SNLCreations	Note Card, blank, stationery... sagewest	Winter Photography - Winter ... TheOldBarnDoor	Painted Picture Frame set, f... jensdreamvinta...
Set of 6 Marbled Wool Needle... Stitchcrafts	Silver Starfish Necklace wit... practicallyfri...	Cute Little Driftwood Shelf ... BloomingGoddes...	Sunflower table runner, patc... granniesragged...
Guppy, original watercolor p... ORIGINALONLY	Button Shell Door mat - Naut... TwistedThreadA...	Nautical Photography, Ocean ... LongForgotten	Antique Rusty Architectural ... MyVintageAlcov...

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

And another sea inspired collection from my Etsy teammate, Rosy:

"Sea inspired blues" by Rosy B

RAG QUILT throw, HANDMADE, t... hinterlandquil...	Rope Rug For Your Nautical T... TwistedThreadA...	Turquoise Flower, Turquoise ... ButtonTopSugar...	Fish earrings - ocean blue e... sparklecityjew...
Coastal blue & orange trio o... ShadoBox	Retro Vintage Aqua Flower D... alyssabethsvin...	Ooak Polymer Clay Sea Horse ... TammyPryce	Clownfish Reef Box in Polyme... StarlessClay
Mini Tic Tac Toe Game.... 4-... MyHappyHobbies	Wedding Favor Jar Shower Ide... AlohaCakesbyAn...	Summer Days Necklace ChristasCollec...	1 Lampwork Murano Glass Seah... WhispySnowAnge...
Vintage Tin Aqua Sea Shell C... WeeLambieVinta...	New TRENDY Girls Hat Denim N... BOOGITYBOOGITY...	Beads crochet rope bracelet,... MadeBySunflowe...	Coastal Decor Large Cast Ir... happybdaytome

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

My new Storenvy shop, Lu & Ed's 3-year Anniversary and giveaway!

• Love handmade?  Check
• Support small business? Check
• Crazy about unique and custom made? Check and Check

That's me!  I would also add to my list - passionate (or obsessed - depends on who you ask) about crafting.

And there are so many others like me.  Just recently, I joined a great group of crafters that have an online shop on http://storenvy.com.  While I had an online shop already, I felt I was a tiny grain of sand and no matter how different I tried to look, I was getting lost in the full beach of sand, rocks and bigger rocks.  So, I decided to open a Storenvy store, Twisted Thread and Hook and I'm starting big with the help of Lu & Ed.  I still have my Etsy store and will keep both stores open as each of them have some good things about them.

Lu & Ed is celebrating a 3-year anniversary of her successful Storenvy shop.  I could not be more happy for her and I hope that I would be able to do the same in 3 years as well.

And what is the best way to celebrate this big accomplishments?  Share it with the fans and everybody who can put a check on any or all of the bullet points at the beginning of this post.

What does that means?  A HUGE giveaway!
The contest is open from 12AM EST 4/7 to 12AM CST 4/13 2013.

Go to Lu & Ed's blog to check out the details:

There are 18 prizes donated by different small business owners.  They are worth over $250 :)

One of the prizes, is my purple dream catcher:

Whether you just love to shop, or you are a passionate crafter ready to sell your creations, sing up on Storenvy.com to be part of this great community.  Then check out these great shops that graciously offered their creations for this giveaway in celebration of Lu & Ed's great success.

Lu & Ed

"Mon-stors are eco-friendly toy storage solutions for kids! You can hang them from a door, in the closet, or even in a car - and have your kids feed their Mon-stors toys, laundry, jackets and gloves or anything you need extra storage for!"

The Mollie Shop

Custom Mollie dolls - "Mollipops, Mollie Moe Bows, and Mollie Dollies!"

Little Green Guy

"Little Green Guy features handmade plush toys, sculptures and adorable monster themed art!"

anomic apparel

Melli's Yarn Works

"Melli's Yarn Works features my loom knitted items! From hats, to scarves and wrist warmers as well."

Just For Littles

"We make little something specials for your special Littles! Did you know-Monster Banks love nomming on coins and helping Littles learn counting! They're also proficient at scaring away boogeymen."

The Individuality

Need help creating the individual look for your shop?

"The Individuality is based on just that, Individuality. We believe that you should control the look and feel your design need presents. The best way to do this, custom designs by The Individuality geared towards your choices."

Sew Beastly

"Sew Beastly's products are handmade, ruffled accessories with sustainability in mind. Products feature my signature textured ruffle. Scraps are given a new life by repurposing them into the "Scrap Me Pretty Collection"."

A Single Dream

"I design handmade and custom jewelry with lots of sparkle and personality. I am influenced by a variety of styles from Boho to Victorian, and often look to vintage jewelry & clothing as an inspiration."

Impistry

"Impistry is the action of making goods & art using Imps as the focus. Each item that passes through the digital doors of this shop is unique, handmade, and given a 'spirit' during the creative process."

Gipson Wands

"When you're not just looking for A wand, but Your Wand. GipsonWands makes Harry Potter inspired "Magic" wands. All Wands are handmade from naturally dried locally sourced trees or salvaged lumber with a hand rubbed oil finish."

Steam Crow

"We make Good Monster Goods: Books, prints, art, comics. For you. Since 2005."

Violet's Buds

"Handmade accessories for you & your little flower! Violet's Buds strives to be green by upcycling, repurposing, and making the most out of all our supplies while creating a unique item for you."

Krmbal

"Krmbal is an indie brand dedicated to eco-conscious choices & partnering with small businesses. Take back your t-shirt! We donate a portion of all sales to Kiva borrowers to help others build their small businesses."

The Gnarly Whale

"We strive to provide low-impact, minimal ingredient beauty, bath, and body products to dudes and dudettes around the world."

Streeter & Co.

air fresheners - "We offer products that are quality products that only we would purchase ourselves.  If we wouldn't buy it, you won't find it in our store.  That's a promise"

Frankensticth Productions

"Frankensticth making one of a kind handmade storied monstas since 2003"

Twisted Thread And Hook

Handmade crochet jewelry and wall & window art. I mainly use fine thread to achieve unique, delicate results. I also make crochet rugs and mats using thick rope-great for nautical theme decor.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas - Vintage and Handmade from small businesses

What Else Can You Do With Easter Egg Dye?

 Our tradition is, as in many families, to dye eggs for Easter and decorate them. This year was no different. My 3-year-old and 5-year-old were very excited. At the end, it ended up being a 2 day project.

What you would need:

• cups with prepared dye left over from dying Easter eggs
• popsickle stick or a straw
• plastic shopping bag
• glue stick
• card stock

Day 1 – Dying

We had a monster egg decorating kit. We put each of the 6 eggs in the containers with different water color. After they were done and dry, kids decorated them with orange hair, pipe cleaners and stickers, By the time I took this picture, two of them either fell on the floor or got smashed on the table so only 4 are shown:

I thought it was wasteful to just dump the dye only after dying 1 egg in each color. I started thinking what else we could dye. Hmm.. how about paper towels and cotton balls? So that's what we did.

Paper Towel - I ripped paper towel into narrow, long pieces. Kids dipped one end in whatever color they wanted while holding to the other end. Some strips, we dipped one end in one color and the other end in a different color so we could see how the colors mix in the middle. I think I forgot to mention, this can get a little messy...

After each strip was done (no need to squeeze access water), we lined them on a plastic shopping bag and left them overnight to dry.

For couple of strips, instead of dipping, we took a popsickle stick (you could use a straw, too) and dipped that instead in the dye. Then we dripped the dye on the towel which gave it a more colorful look:

Cotton Balls – These were a little bit more messy. We did similar thing as with paper towels where we dip them in the dyes. However, it was necessary to squeeze out some of the water unless you plan to wait forever (in kids terms) for them to dry. It also helps if you stretch them out some so they can dry better. Couple of our cotton balls that I did not stretch too well were still wet the next day.

DAY 2 – Collage

The next day, when paper towel and cotton balls were dry, we ripped the paper towel into small pieces.

Each child got a piece of paper (card stock works better since it's thicker) and a glue stick and they they started gluing. It's better if glue goes on paper (not the paper towel or cotton balls) or it can get very messy (paint dissolves and cotton sticks to the glue). I told them to create whatever picture they want. 

My son created a beach, ocean and sky with the sun – he's excited about our upcoming vacation in Bermuda! Originally, the sun was the Bermuda island, but since it ended up between clouds, he decided it's a sun instead ;).

My daughter just had fun using the glue and making nothing in particular (on both sides of paper :)).

And that's my creation using leftovers kids didn't use :)

One other thing that's so great about this project for mom or dad... It takes a while to glue small pieces of paper towel and cotton balls, so it could give you some extra time to get those dishes done :)

If you decide to do this project, I would LOVE to see the pictures of the finished projects.  You can share them on my Facebook page.  Let me know how it worked for you and your kids.  

Crochet Rope Rug - My ToDo list #2

I'm happy to say the year started well at least when it comes to my Crochet ToDo list.  I already accomplished task #2 on the list which is the biggest (though not the most difficult) one - crochet rope rug. It found a great spot in my sun room. We just had a party for my daughter's 3rd birthday and the rug passed the test :) One of the guests at the party made a suggestion that it would also look great as a wall decoration. The weight would have to be taken under consideration, but I can definitely see it on a wall as well.

My eyes needed a break from the fine thread and tiny hook I've been using lately to make jewelry. I thought it was a perfect time to try making a rug using the largest hook I could find and a heavy rope. To give you an idea of the difference, here is a crochet chain made using the rope and the fine crochet thread.




My  inspiration came from the mega doily rug by Ladies and Gentlemen.

I ordered 100% cotton rope (and found out it’s much more expensive than yarn!) and was very excited when the large spool was delivered to my house.

As soon as I opened the large and heavy box, I started working on my new project.  I found a simple doily pattern in the shape of flower from BURDA Special magazine - Geschenke häkeln E 167. With slight modification, this pattern was a great fit for a rug.

I was making good progress, when my project came to a halt. My huge crochet hook broke.  I had to take a couple of days break while waiting for my new crochet hook to arrive.  

When my new, red crochet hook came , I was off to work again.  My son was very eager to see the rug completed. He already had his ideas of where we could put it.  At 5 years old, he’s my biggest supporter of my crochet obsession :o).  

And almost 900 feet and 13 pounds later, the 4 foot rug was completed.  At the end, my eyes did get a break, but I cannot say the same for my hands and wrists. Still, I want to make another one and already have a different pattern in mind :)

I did decide to treat it with Vectra 22 rug protector (contains NO silicon or fluorocarbons) which hopefully will help with clean up of any mess my kids may make. I did some research on rug protectors and decided to go with Vectra. It seems it's a little better on being environmentally conscious and should be better to use around small kids in comparison to other more well known products on the market.

If you are looking to buy an already made crochet rope rug, you can find it for sale at my Etsy store.

Finished product modeled by my two munchkins.

 

http://twistedthreadandhook.blogspot.com/