B.........askets and Babies

Every once in a while, something comes out of my hands that I personally, really like. Since being on Etsy, I've been encouraged to try a wide variety of projects, and since I'm continuing to celebrate my Etsyversary this week, I though I'd show some of my personal favs. The first picture shows Camille, one of my amigurumi bunnies that I adapted from a Lion Brand Yarn pattern, overlooking perhaps the pine needle basket of which I am most pleased. This round basket features a lid coiled around wire hexagons with a swirling teneriffe pattern. The sheath ends of a few needles form the handle.
Also, I've designed, made and sold several hand crocheted Christening dresses. It's always an honor for me to have a baby baptized in one of my dresses and I am in the process of completing another complete with hat and booties and hope to list it this weekend.
I wish to sincerely thank my readers, customers and fellow artists and crafters on Etsy for their great support. I've put a few of them in my latest treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=33563 , but there are so many more to thank! Please stay tuned tomorrow for my special blog give away and a special offer from my shop in honor of this first Etsyversary!

B.........iggest sellers

In preparation for my "etsyversary" on January 17, I thought I'd do a two-part series on what I consider my greatest successes over the past year. By far and away, the apple and pear dish scrubbies have been the most popular. These are original designs and were such fun to create and market. I attribute their popularity to their price, practical use, and originality. They are available in pairs and also by the half dozen which saves even more. Folks have told me that they like to tie these on a package as a little extra, and I even had another etsy seller, zamzamdesigns, feature these on her blog! I plan to do a blog giveaway this weekend and these might be the prize!

N.........ew Year's shop goals

Setting goals is important any time of year, but January seems a better time than most. Prompted by the Etsy Bloggers, I set out to form this year's goals of my Etsy shop. Over many years, I've learned to keep goals reasonable and considering the economy I've decided to feature smaller, practical items. There will still be some new baskets and Christening Gowns, but for now I'm concentrating on scrubbies and scrubbie dishcloths. The latter are washer and dryer friendly, and the small scrubbies can be washed in the dishwasher. Just because they're practical, it doesn't mean they can't be attractive, and they're offered in sets of two or six to keep costs down. As you can also see, our beautiful Katydid has decided to "help" me attain my goal, and posed on my make shift light box. She and her brother, Kirby, are often seen in "helpful" mode, lying on the bed as I'm trying to make it, jumping in the dryer when it's warm, and sitting on my lap as I try to craft. How could anyone attain goals without them?

P.........resenting: RoseWorksJewelry

The fabulous etsyblogger for January is Ruthie of http://roseworksjewelry.etsy.com One of her beautiful pieces is shown on the right. She has a variety of jewelry in her shop, ranging from hemp to fine crystals. She even made all the jewelry for her own wedding! I particularly enjoy this graceful pendant highlighting a necklace. Please take a moment to visit her shop on Etsy or her great blog at http://roseworksjewelry.blogspot.com to see more of her lovely work and be tempted as much as I am!

W.........e love snow.........NOT!

There have been several reasons for my lack of blogging lately...and these pictures show one of them! The first 24 days of December brought us more than 50" of snow, and although the majority of the work entailed fell to my husband, I helped some, and we even enlisted the help of my son-in-law who needed to use snow shoes to get around the side of the house to clean the snow away from the furnace vent! Sorry for the quality of the pictures, but I opted to stay inside and shot through the windows and the screens. These were taken on Christmas Eve Day, when it was still snowing. And we still have three months of winter to go!
Nevertheless, we had a wonderful holiday, and we hope you all did, too!

S.........potted Cow Soaps

Just in time for Christmas, this Etsy Blogger is offering her limited edition Candy Cane soap. She does suggest using this peppermint delight for washing and not nibbling! Besides holiday soaps she features many soap varieties, including soap for men and children. Please visit her at http://spottedcowsoaps.etsy.com to see her soaps, lotions, fizzies, hand crocheted bath puffs and much more, all created in the "heart of Vermont". And here's a special treat...she has free shipping until December 15!

K.........iller Brownies

Many Etsy Bloggers are publishing Brownie recipes in honor of National Brownie Day December 8. After a friend shared this recipe with me, my family and friends will not tolerate any other brownies. I think this is an adaptation of a Pampered Chef recipe.

You need:

1 pkg of Betty Crocker brownie mix with the syrup packet
3 eggs
2 large Symphony chocolate bars

Prepare brownies according to box using three instead of 2 eggs. Place half the batter in greased 9"x9" pan. Lay the two Symphony bars on top. Cover with the rest of the mix. Bake 35-40 minutes.