If you are looking for handmade items, that are earth friendly, then you should head on over to Hyenacart! This site is a collection of individually owned stores run by WAHMs (work at home moms) and others wanting to sell their crafted wares.

There is something for everyone there, ranging from cloth diapers and clothing for your babies, to clothes and jewelry for mama. Plus paper crafts, candles, patterns – and so much more! This is where I host my store Baby Blossoms, and for those who want to sell their items, it is very affordable and you only have to pay a single monthly fee, not a fee every time you sell something.

This is my favorite place to shop online! Oh, and the customers there are affectionately referred to as “hyenas”, hence my post title

I just wanted to share my favorite new shop there – Wired Up Designs! Its a brand new shop that sells sewing patterns, and let me tell you, the patterns are amazing! There is a pattern for cloth grocery bags for all you eco-women, as well as a pattern for a beautiful purse and wallet set. Plus patterns for a soaker / skirty for your babe, as well as a diaper bag. Plus, the bonus is that if you wanted to sell what you sew from these patterns, you can! I stumbled on this site, and I love it! I bought the patterns, and I can’t wait to sew myself a Lovely Lady!

I didn’t mean for this to be a spammy post, not at all! I was just so excited about Hyenacart and my new find – I just had to share!!!

Hi, I’m Gina. As do many others, I have always loved the beach. Growing up in Minnesota, though, there are few opportunities to be in the ocean, so I guess I tried to take advantage of all of mine by bringing the beach home with me. Thus I have accumulated a lot of shells, beach rocks, coral, and other beachy finds from various trips, some with sentimental value. For example, one of the rocks I used in the project was from the spot on a rocky beach in New Zealand where my husband proposed.

There are lots of ways to display shells – on countertops, in bowls, etc. But I wanted a way to look at the special ones all at once without them taking up too much space or requiring much dusting. So I decided to create a seashell shadow box.

To begin, you need your collection of shells, your trusty glue gun, and a shadow box. Mine has a lovely dark wood frame and a neutral linen background that mimics sand:

Next, you lay your shells in a pleasing pattern. You could go with a more random arrangement if you like, but I preferred to arrange them so that I could balance shape, color, and size:

Then you glue! Most of mine were light enough not to require much glue, but obviously rocks or large, heavy shells will need more. Make sure when you’re gluing (and when you lay everything out) that your shells all fit when the lid is closed. One of mine (the large on in the bottom right corner) was oddly shaped and would only balance on one edge, so I paid attention to that while gluing to ensure I glued the correct edge.

I love the finished product! I had tons of shells left over, but I liked keeping some space between the shells. I think a tighter arrangement could also be lovely, though.

Here are close-ups of the shells and the linen background of the shadow box:

So have fun with your shells! I’m sure everyone has a collection of sorts that would fit nicely into a shadow box, even if it isn’t seashells.

I’ve been dying to jump on the granny bandwagon. I mean, look at all these pictures? How can a crocheter not be inspired? This picture is what completely inspired me to get started – the colors, the shape, the way it all fits together – gah, I’m swooning!

But where to find a great tutorial on how to go about making a granny square? First place I looked was on our very own site with our very own Heather (if you haven’t done this yet and want to learn, Heather’s instructions are very clear, even for a knucklehead like me). I did great creating the ring and adding the first row. But after that, I was getting really frustrated mainly because the pattern wasn’t making any sense. So I found a different pattern – the same square, different instructions and those were just as bad. I finally (finally, after almost two hours and a hissy fit later) found a video tutorial for how to make a granny square and the visual catapulted me to my first finished granny square. Behold!

It looks a little unpolished, but after all the frustration I was just glad I was done. Normally I just give up when it gets really tough and I can’t seem to get it, but I just love crocheting so much, I knew I had to power through and I did. I would love to do one incorporating other colors, but ya know, I just don’t know if I’m ready. Someone please tell me it’s easy?

I fell in love with a pattern for an old-fashioned apron from Amy Butler’s “In Stitches” book. But let me tell you it was not as easy as it looks. What I thought was going to be a hour project turned into one that lasted on and off from late afternoon to midnight! But I am very pleased with what I learned and with the outcome. I am only an intermediate sewer and have never followed a pattern from start to finish so that was my first accomplishment. But I also learned to: fold the trim over evenly with the fabric to get the most height out of my trim, measure my pleats (instead of sewing random ones), and do this tricky wrong sided sewing that overturned to show a finished waistband. So check out it out if you are interested in sharpening these skills. The book’s directions and diagrams were pretty clear and I can’t wait to make another, which should go much faster!

My cousin Roxannah (who is a novice at sewing but still turned out a rockin’ apron) and I were pretty tired but excited about the finished product that we twirled around to show off! Please notice the towel loop above the pocket and the pleated front!

Notice, please, we spent all night sewing these aprons! Then woke up early to bake for breakfast of course! Grandma would be so proud!

I have been excitedly working on a project recently, and for a good cause – a friends’ wedding. She asked me to make a small handbag like I had posted previously for each of the girls in her bridal party that she would fill with gifts. The bride shopped with me at the fabric store and we picked out a main fabric and lining to suit each of her close friends. We only needed a 1/4 yard of each, so this turned out to be a pretty inexpensive gift per person. I added a pocket for the first time and snaps that are easily hammered into place. I hope they enjoy them- the time on my part and the careful selection of the fabric on the bride’s part.

After shopping for fabric she and I also came back to my house and made different earrings for each of the bridesmaids to match their dresses. I love feeling like a vital part of someone’s special day!

So my encouragement this week is that your craft can also be a good excuse to spend time with people. Too easily we craft nerds can hide in our studio or craft corner and shut the world out so we can “work” but it can also be a fun opportunity to teach someone about your passion or talk while you craft. Don’t be afraid to let people into your creative world! Also, get creative with what can be made for bridesmaids gifts. My sewing isn’t totally professional but I think my little bags were a practical, cute idea for these gifts. Do you have any alternative gift ideas to share?

I can’t believe it’s almost time!! Brian, Lucy and I are leaving for Nogales Monday morning. This is a picture from the Cuirim House where we’ll be staying. I am nervous, excited, scared, anxious and thrilled among other things. We will be gone for 51 days but who is counting??

The suitcases are out and filling up. Lucy’s laundry is done and her bag is almost packed. I just got this itch to sew and do more poly clay before I leave. I sorta feel like I did before I had Lucy. Like I needed to try EVERYTHING, cause when she got here I wouldn’t be able to do anything. So I should do it all now! I’m really trying to pace myself but my crafty side is taking over. I just can’t stop. Brian, can I please make some Fimo stuff tonight??

I made her this sheet/blanket from this super soft fabric. It’s really light weight and it will be nice for Mexico cause it’s so hot there. She looks like Mary in a Christmas play..

And i’ve been trying my hand at some Polymer clay techniques. I even had a “poly party” and I’m doing another one before I leave. I’m slightly obsessed. Here’s what we came up with before we baked them.

God provided all of the funds we needed for travel and we are so thankful. I put up an Etsy shop with my Cuirim Craft Fair left overs. What ever sells will go toward the rest of our time there. If you would like to order something, my mom is going to be shipping it since I’ll have no internet in Nogales. This will be quite the adventure. I’ll post more clay, knitting and sewing goodies when I get back. I just wanted to say good-bye for the summer. May your summer be filled with crafty goodness and excitement. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. If you’d like to see more Mexico pictures go here.

In keeping with the growing success of Heather’s crochet lessons, I have to share two recent projects that I’ve completed because I’m just so stinking excited about them. For anyone that knows me knows I get bored very easily, so the fact that I am sticking with this is amazing in itself and I really do feel that I’ve found my niche in the crafting world.

I made this blanket for a good friend of mine who is due with a little boy at the end of the summer. I found this yummy yarn at Hobby Lobby and fell in love with the colors and how rustic they are. I love this blanket and I loved working on it mainly because it’s going to someone I really care about. I won’t lie and say I didn’t think about keeping it for myself because it’s really big and the perfect, most yummiest lap blanket it would make, but seeing Amanda’s face when she opened it was worth it.

This next one is a bag I made for another good friend of mine for her birthday. The applique turned out completely different than I had imagined it would, but I still liked how it ended up. And it was another gift that as I look at this picture now I think, “I really liked that – I should’ve kept it.” It’s okay tho – I love giving gifts so it’s great that I get to give pretty things. Well…most of them are pretty anyways.

That’s all I can show you for now. The next few weeks are birthdays upon graduations upon anniversaries and I am making stuff as quickly as I can, but I can’t post pics until all the beauties are handed out. I absolutely love crocheting and if it’s something you’ve been wanting to learn, check out Heather’s crochet lessons and learn finally. You may find that it may be your niche, too.

I have a friend Amy who is a beading genius. I’m sure there is some official name for these people that make incredible creations by stringing beads together. I’m going to call her this for now. Here’s some of her stuff she was finishing up for the Cuirim Craft Fair. She’s a genius I’m telling you!

She spends hours on this stuff.

I swear there is a difference between “artists” like her & my friend Joanna and “crafters” like me and my girlz. I mean, Amy and Joanna actually feel their work. When they finish something it is like they have given a piece of their soul. Not me I just try it out and if it works I’m like, cool! Then I try something else. I love that there are different ways to craft. It’s not that I feel less than them or anything they are just a different breed. I’m just thrilled to see art like theirs. That they spend any time with “crafters” like us is just a gift.

I stenciled this then gave it to Amy. She spent hours beading it for me before we made it into a bag. Here’s the way the bag turned out. Sweet work Amy – thanks so much!! Brian and Kirsten are going to love it. We are going to give them this bag with the fat check we made from the Cuirim Craft Fair in it.

Brian and I were talking one night about how often he has to take out the trash. Not exactly complaining but wondering if there is any way we can get a bigger trash can. We like to keep the trash under the sink but we had to keep opening the side door to throw stuff away. He was literally taking out the trash every few days cause our trash can was so little.

This is what it looked like.

He suggested we get a bigger trash can and just put a flap up there. You know like a fast food restaurant? We popped the wooden piece out. It was just clipped in and I made a flap that can Velcro in. This is what it looks like. I just sewed some thick fabric together and glued some piece of drywall I had laying around on the back of it to make it close..

Now all we need is a Thank You sign on it. So random, but it works. He was thrilled and so proud of our little trash flap. Love coming up with this stuff with you baby.

My online store is open! Previews are up, and the items will be stocked and ready to purchase at 7pm EST! Right now I’m focusing on baby things, because that is where my interest is right now. Eventually I will expand my stock