Posts Tagged ‘blog’

Fillable Egg Linkbacks

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

By far the most incredible thing about starting this blog has been seeing other people making things with my patterns/tutorials. (I also think it’s curious that for the most part they don’t comment or use trackbacks or pingbacks, so I have to hunt them down myself.)

But it’s thrilling. It’s the best confirmation I could get that my ideas are making a real contribution to, uh, creative knowledge? I’m going to have a pattern published in One Yard Wonders this fall, but really? Seeing someone has actually taken the time to make something I’ve designed is even better. (Presumably the book will result in someone making my box pattern, but it’s so much less likely that I will ever find out about it.)

So thanks! Here’s my own list of linkbacks to the awesome people who have made my day by sewing some of my stuffable eggs:

Gingini

Gingini

Makin' Projiks

Makin' Projiks

Fleurinette

Fleurinette

Mountain Mama

Mountain Mama

mikausa

mikausa

Made for my 4

Made for my 4

If I missed you, or you don’t want to be here, please let me know.

Chain Letters and Blog Awards

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Ginger of Loves To Dream sent me a blog award. And this is dumb, and not her fault, she has a sweet blog, but it kind of ruined my evening. Who makes these things up? Ever since getting my first chain letter, in the mail no less, I’ve hated the you-must-do-this tone, and the sometimes subtle sometimes blatant message of if-you-don’t pass this on, you are some kind of looser, will have horrible luck for the rest of the day, or are just no fun. This one in particular pats itself on the back for being ‘cleverly-worded’ while at the same time praises the people propagating it for being uninterested in self-aggrandizing. Huh. Who are you Mr. Awesome-Invisible-Patronizing-Voice? Seriously, who writes these things? Am I being mean? Sigh. I’m just bitter about how these things always make me feel. So, yah, I’m not passing this one along. Someday maybe I’ll make, or get, an award that says, ‘Hey, I like your blog! If you feel like it pass forward the message to some blogs you like, spread the sunshine.’ With no you-musts, you-have-to, or you-will. Because I guess I’m a billy-goat or something. I should do it today to balance out the karma, but really, that’s what leaving comments on other people’s blogs is for, which I try to do on a regular basis, and I’ve already wasted enough of my evening stewing over this, and I have to go put my daughter to bed. Excuses Excuses. End of rant.

But hey, if you’re reading this, maybe, if you feel like it, if you have time, and it isn’t too much trouble, because I never want to make work for people, go and leave a nice comment on someone else’s blog, telling them how awesome they are. Every day this week if you’re feeling really motivated. If you’re feeling super motivated, take jojoebi’s Comment Pledge. I thought that one was such a sweet idea.

Give-Away Winner

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

I compiled my list, got several headaches over several days reading all of the blogs that got suggested, became so grateful for people who actually suggested duplicates because that meant I didn’t have to read another blog but I couldn’t stop because I am compulsive. After making my list, checking to see whether they were naughty or nice, adding some names 0 times, about half the commenters didn’t read the post at all, not surprising I guess, some names once, some names twice, a few names three times, although I wasn’t sure whether to curse them or reward them, because, more blogs…, and I didn’t finish until last night, but not checking it twice, because, not again(!), I held my breath and rolled the dice.  Congratulations Lois from Kansas!  And thank god it’s over.  I have learned my lesson.  Never ask a question if there is any chance that 166 people might answer it.  Okay, okay, really, I got such a lot of great education sites for my daughter, that I guess, twist my arm, it was worth it.  Maybe I haven’t learned my lesson.  Moving ON. (And leaving the italics behind.)

What did Lois win?  I don’t know, because she had to go and ask for a surprise.  Which means now my head is full of plottings, and schemings, and here I thought I was done with the whole thing!  So she won’t get what I thought I was giving away, she might get something wonderful, and she might get something awful, but either way, she’s brilliant, because the best part is the surprise anyway, and then you can chuck it if you don’t like it.  So you’ll all find out what it was next week after she’s gotten it, because what’s the point of a surprise if you find out ahead of time?  Sheesh.

Give-Away Day/Week

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Comment this week, get a chance to win free stuff!  I know, I know, the Sew Mama Sew rules specified Give-Away *Day*, but this is a weekly-ish blog, so that just wouldn’t be fair around here.  So comment anytime in the next week, comments will close after my daughter goes to bed on Tuesday the 9th, and a winner will be announced the next morning, after I get through reading the comments.  

But not just any comments, your comment must contain the name of your favorite craft blog, and if you want to get a double chance to win, also include the name of your favorite blog or website for fun educational games or crafts to do with two to three year olds.  Because that’s what I need more of around here.  :-)  I don’t expect everyone to have one of those, that’s why it’s the bonus chance.  I’ll print out everyone’s names once or twice (or heck, maybe three times if I really like your blog suggestion) and have my daughter draw one of them out of a hat.  So it’ll be random, but perhaps skewed towards my favorite responses.  Because I get to make the rules.  I never get to make the rules… hahahahaha er, maybe I need to go to bed.  But I’m not done yet.

What do you win?  What do you want to win?  You should put that in your comment too, because I’m curious what everyone would pick even if they don’t win.  Your choice of one of these super cute walnut babies (100% wool felt, cotton embroidery floss, polyester stuffing & one genuine local pesticide free walnut shell) to hang on your christmas tree or tuck in a doll house (that’s what my daughter does), or a set of 12 felted ravioli (ecospun felt made from recycled plastic bottles and cotton filling).  I’m obviously scatter brained, because my natural fiber craft is stuffed with polyester, and my plastic felt is stuffed with cotton.  That’s just what you get around here.

I wanted to start an Etsy store, that was my motivation for finishing these four walnut babies (I would have made the babies, but never lined their shells properly because that isn’t as fun).  But in the end it takes me too long to make them to sell for any reasonable price.  From start to finish they take me three hours I think, tiny tiny stitches, although it’s a bit hard to time, since I have a two year old my crafting is done in 20 minute intervals half of them at the playground.  But if I were to follow pricing formulas, just for wholesale I should be paying myself something like $10 an hour which works out to $30, then with outrageous x2 or x3 calculations for retail that would come out to something utterly ridiculous.  I’d be perfectly happy with the $30, but I can’t imagine anyone paying that.  So instead I’ll give them away.  Because free is better than underpaid, or, um, something.  Yah, it’s past my bedtime.  Maybe I’ll open an Etsy store next week, but really, I already have at least two jobs and I need to be kinder to myself.

Walnut shells. What would you do if you had a bag of walnuts from your friends tree? They must be crafted with. Next I want to make sailboats. Too many projects. Too few hours until my daughter wakes up. Must go to sleep.

So leave me a comment, I *will* ship internationally, make sure to get your email address right, give me a craft blog and an education blog and tell me what you’d pick if you win.  I’ll email the winner for your address on the 10th. And check out Sew Mama Sew if it’s still December 3rd to see a list of other blogs having give-aways.

New Craft Blog

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Yay!  I drew a header image last night, and I am ridiculously proud of it.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to install reCAPTCHA, and, oh, I’ve forgotten now.  Actually write something?  Hmm.  Oh well.

Anyway, I’ve been blogging for about six years now on livejournal, but I’ve been reading so many ‘real’ craft blogs recently, and going through a bit of a craft renaissance myself, since mostly quitting my job to stay home with my two year old daughter.  That and getting to go to Tokyo and buying way too many Japanese craft books, sugoi!

Oh, putting craft blogs I love in my link list, and getting rid of the defaults.  Right, that was what I forgot!  Time to go to the farmer’s market now though.  WordPress is so fun, I wonder if there is a todo list around here somewhere?