Nataliemae Rocks!!!

My Etsy finds for this past Sunday were mainly inspired by this happy eggplant; he really was just sooo happy, I fell in love with him! And so naturally, when nataliemae.etsy.com, the creator/seller of the this fine plush friend offered to do a trade, there was no way I could say no!

I want to share this because am so impressed with Natalie's work. This experience embodies everything I love about buying handmade. She is super-friendly but also sincere. The packaging was lovely, the item itself is lovely (not to mention eco-friendly). And there were some awesome handmade extras included in the package! It definitely had that personal touch.

This has really inspired me, as a seller, to go that extra mile. (It is something I will be working on!)

Please enjoy this short photo documentary, entitled,

"Unwrapping the Eggplant"

(creative name, eh?)

"hello, there!"

fin.

A Gardening Primer for Mandi, Issue No. 1

This is a special "series" of gardening instruction/tips especially for my friend, but hopefully they might be of use to others as well! The down side is that I really don't know what I'm talking about, but that doesn't mean it won't be helpful! Right?

(I may not actually have to tell you much, because a lot of information is included with the link to the planting schedule that I found for you! However, I am sure questions will arise later on and you will need my expertise then.)

First: Decided exactly what you plant so you know how much room you'll need. (Spacing & etc. is also included with the chart.)

Second: Make the husband till up your garden space. Iffin you ain't got access to a tiller, you (meaning he) can just turn it over with a shovel. It takes a little while but it's not so bad. But don't till if the ground's wet. Also, make sure it's in an area that will get a lot of sunshine!!

Also: I am guessing you'll want to be as organic as possible, which is good. I don't think most gardens really need a lot of fertilizer, the most we ever use is animal poo, and some manner of plant food when we transplant. (But we might get a soil test, in case we happen to be lacking something, which I'm not too worried about.) But once you get your ground worked up, get some sheep or goat poop!

{My mom thinks that because of baby and whatnot, a smaller container garden might be easier for you. I don't know! I told her that was up to you, you just need the facts.}

Here is the link to planting times, etc, for your zone (5): CHART

Okay, that's it for now. I don't know if that was terribly helpful, but it's the kind of stuff you should be thinking about now.

And if I said something COMPLETELY STUPID, please let me know!! It is a possibility. :)

Gypsy Lace

I have enough sewing supplies to last me for quite some time. Why is it that I always find myself getting more?

{Some lace from a $2 remnant

bag at Needle Nook Fabrics. There

was a ton of lace, it was a

HUGE bargain!! :D}

Finished Baby Sweater & Then Some

FAIL: I never made the fry bread. I will, it's just that I didn't happen to do it when I said I would. It was soooo dreadfully dreary on the weekend. I cannot be held responsible for such weather, and I cannot be expected to do anything other than nap and dine upon frozen pizza and similar delicacies during such weather!

However, I DID finish baby's sweater!!! Yay! I think it is adorable. Now I just need to begin my next baby project...(although I won't be posting anything about it until after mom receives it.)

In other knitting news...well, there's not much more. I realized I did something really stupid on my second sock, so I just had to quit working on it for a while. But now I've fixed everything and am ready to go on. Also, I have been messing with the pink yarn I finished recently. It has a nice squishy feel. It may become a scarf.

And...I love this combination! Today I made this simple little round pouch (you'll be able to see more views once I list it in the shop). But anyway, I really like the burlap together with the lace-printed vinyl. It seems very "gardenish," like it would be a nice fancy place to store your seed packs.

Etsy Finds: Still Waiting...

I am OBSESSED with spring!! And summer for that matter. I don't want to hurry the seasons, but a little sunshine would be nice! It is still dreary and drizzly and there's ice hanging off of the dead, brown leaves. Honest, I'm not complaining.....just giving the reason for today's finds. :)

A Happy Eggplant by nataliemae

Heirloom Carrots with Personality by utilitarianfranchise

Baby Socks Photo by brownrose

Organic Zucchini Seeds by Thebearfootshaman

Concrete Fairy Cottage by blithegardens

Prairie Dress by BeezeNeeze

Bubble Gum Pink Hair Bows by shellystout

Paper Pot Maker by WoodElements

Sun Hero Fiber Batt by pumpkinhaus

Green Striped Pillow Case by TaylaBDesign

Sweet New Stuff

New at Folk:

Tea Party Accoutrements Coasters - $12

New at Sugarpickle:

Bubble Gum Lotus Breath Bracelet - $12

I thought I had something more to post but I was WRONG!! I wanted to take a picture of my finished Easter dress (yay!) but it has been so dreary and drizzly that all I could do was shop a little and eat and nap. :/

Come on, spring!

OH and I almost forgot-- the winner of the Unicorn Promenade pincushion is

MELISSA!!!!

Melissa has a lovely Etsy shop, PerryJayne.etsy.com, where she sells ADORABLY embellished children's clothing!! Please check it out, if you have little ones you will have a hard time not finding something you have to have.

Also, take a peek at her sweet blog!

Soap Bubbles

I have been finding hearts everywhere.

I'm going to try to make fry bread.

First--y'all need to check out the awesome UNICORN PROMENADE Pincushion Giveaway before Saturday! Enter to win! Plz?

Second-- I wanted to take a second to write down a fry bread recipe my friend, Connie, just gave me over the phone. I thought I should write it out legibly before I am unable to decipher the scrawl in my notebook. And I thought my readers might like to see the recipe, so here it is! Or part of it, anyway. I believe Connie has such a feeling for it that she doesn't even bother measuring out the ingredients! So she gave me the approximate proportions. I think I'll be experimenting this weekend. Try it with me and let me know how it goes!

Connie's Traditional Native American Fry Bread

2 cups flour

1/4 to 1/2 cup shortening (lard is said to be best, but I'll use Crisco!)

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

warm (not hot) water

Mix ingredients together; add enough water so that the mixture is a stiff dough, thicker than biscuit dough. Form it into a ball and let it sit about 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out very thin, about 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Cut into strips, about 2" to 3" wide. Use your finger to poke a hole in the center.

A cast iron skillet works best for cooking. Fill it 1" deep with oil. The oil should be very hot. Drop your strips in to brown. They will brown up quickly, in about 40 seconds. Flip to cook the other side.

Connie recommends that you eat them with honey, stew (highly recommended), or use as a taco shell with meat, lettuce, etc.

{ I can't wait to try it! }

photo courtesy of the queen of subtle on flickr

Giveaway No. 8: Unicorn Promenade Pincushion!

Good morning and happy Tuesday! I am pleased to present my latest giveaway, in honor of the re-re-opening of my other Etsy shop, SugarPickle!

Because SugarPickle has a slightly wilder style than Folk, I thought I should create a giveaway that reflects that, hence the Unicorn Promenade Pincushion with a pink & magenta flannel top and gold bling bottom. Ten new, unused, coordinating straight pins will also be included.

Here's how to enter:

1st entry= To enter once, simply follow the blog, but make sure you leave a comment here to let me know you're following!

2nd entry= visit the shop, folk.etsy.com, have a look around, and come back here to let me know which item (or items!) is your favorite.

3rd entry= mention me in your blog, twitter, etc. Be sure to let me know in a comment. ;)

Basically, each comment is an entry, so if you're doing all three of these things, be sure to leave three comments! :) The winner will be drawn sometime on Saturday, February 20th, using a random number generator, and I will contact the winner via email, their etsy shop, etc, to let them know they've won. GOOD LUCK!

Strawberries N Cream

Spun from wool purchased at my visit to Mid States Wool, on my drop spindle--since that's all I have at the moment!

I tried another amateur Kool Aid dye job, with grape. It looked like this and made me think of squid guts (I've never really seen squid guts):

I figured I'd get a grayish purple........

...then I rinsed it. The blue came out, the red stayed--sort of!

This is such a lovely, delicate, sugary pink.

Not bubble gum sugar, but more like

strawberries n cream. I love it.

Sugar Pickle Sneak Peek

Sometimes you just feel like you're spinning your wheels. At least, that's how I've been feeling lately! It seems like I'm busy and working but not seeing any real results. I know they'll come eventually, but I hate that fruitless feeling in the meantime!

Here is just a tiny preview of some of the things I've been working on--new items for SUGARPICKLE! I think I'll "re-launch" next week.

And speaking of next week, next Tuesday I plan on having another giveaway!! Stay tuned!

Happy weekend!

I have a box of pony beads...HOLLA!

WOW...there is still snow on the ground.

I can't wait for

S P R I N G !

Until then, I'll just have to make due with the color from my new box of Pony Bead Extravaganza! What am I going to do with a box full of matte rainbow pony beads? What can't I do is the question. The best part is that they are indeed made in the good ol' US of A.

I wanted to bring you some Etsy finds today but I am so excited about so many things and have so much to do and can't seem to get anything accomplished, so I must be brief for now! Enjoy the rainbow!

Currently On the Needles...

I wish I could remember what kind of yarn this is. I think it has bamboo in it. It is on its way to becoming another pair of wrist warmers!

This is going to be a baby sweater (I hope!) for a special little someone!! I couldn't resist this fun little kit from Plymouth Yarn. (And it's okay if mama sees this because I am going to be sure to make many other surprises for her little bean that will actually be surprises!)

This acrylic mess on size 50 needles is part of an experiment of sorts for my zine I plan on publishing soon..hehe.

And of course this is sock number two. I had feared second sock syndrome, but fortunately haven't been experiencing it this time!

Midnight Snow

Another late night for me...

Just when I had gotten

used to the snow being gone,

I look out the window

and realize the trees and ground are

covered with it!!

But it looks so incredible falling in the streetlight.

If only my little camera could have

captured the way it really looks!

Help Me Make 400!

Show your love and help me make my 400th sale at Folk.etsy.com by Sunday, February 14th! (Valentine's Day, or, International Quirkyalone Day, if you prefer!) :)

Selected items are on SALE now!!! ALSO--is there something you like that isn't on sale? If you purchase it and include a note to the seller that tells me you heard about my sale here on the blog, I will give you 10% off that item via PayPal refund.

♥ Click { h e r e } to find the sales. ♥

photo courtesy of

JustPuff.etsy.com,

your source for adorable,

original ceramic art!

Cropped Cuties: Pattern Available Now!

I am getting crazy with the blog posts, I know. Averaging 2 a day now. But I just wanted to share my latest item: instructions on how to knit these!

Now Available at Folk for $3.

Inspired

Dishtowels like this almost make doing the dishes fun!! Keep in mind, I said almost...

I actually found this cutie at a local craft sale. All hand-embroidered, $3. Yep, just $3. Some little ol' ladies made these to benefit their church. Incredible. I wish I would have bought more. (But I did buy some crocheted scrubbers at the same time, which I also LOVE.)

But anyway...I've been surprisingly productive this morning! I'm feeling pretty good. It almost looks like spring outside. Not that anything's blooming or warm or sunny, but there's just this feel. Maybe because I know it's coming. I dunno.

Also, I feel inspired today. This week has been long. Yesterday I felt completely drained of all creativity. I couldn't even think straight. Last night, I couldn't bring myself to do anything remotely constructive, so I sat in front of the computer and browsed at some craft blogs (something I don't keep up with enough.)

And now, miraculously...I feel like some life has been pumped back into me! One of my particular favorite sites that I've (re)discovered is Dooky Blog. It is the blog of the genius behind Junkprints. I don't know what it was, but it really got me going. She talks about fashion and craft, but also about life, too. I just love her attitude. Check it out.

Dear Sugarpickle...

04 February 2010

Dear Sugarpickle,

Again, you sit neglected, forgotten, unused. Items are not added and listings are expiring. I believe last time I checked, you held 3 items.

I had good intentions of making you into a charity shop of sorts, a recycled goods center, etc. Yeah, yeah, I'm still doing that stuff. But I have different plans for you, as you sit there--always showing great forbearance of course, no matter what task I put you to.

No doubt you have noticed that I've been fascinated with bizarre fashion these days--more so than usual. Soon, or maybe not so soon, I shall re-stock you.

I don't know when, but someday your virtual walls will be lined with spandex and chartreuse and items worthy of tags like "funky" and "weird" and "disco."

I promise I'll keep in touch. Just wanted to write and let you know I haven't forgotten about you.

Always yours,

Leanne

Green Spikes...

{or, A taste of things to come...}

I predict that this year will definitely hold some weirdness, at least for me, anyway. As I've already mentioned, I don't usually like to share projects like costumes until they're completely finished, but I really, really like what I'm seeing so far!! And the best part?? Even I don't know how it's going to finally all come together. I'm currently awaiting the arrival of some fabric from a cool specialty store I found online...

And these?? This is what I wanted to share today. Green vinyl spikes, of course. For my costume. (Duh.)

Just so you get a better idea of the size:

Painted Purple Sock

I have just completed the first sock from this yarn:

And it looks like this (well, this was before I sewed up the toe, but you get the idea):

I absolutely loved the way this yarn looked before I wound it up into a ball and began knitting with it. I still love it, of course, but it just seems so beautiful, the way the hand-dyed yarn's colors fade and flow into each other. Why is it always a shock to me when it changes in the knitting? But, like I said, I still love it. This yarn is so soft and squishy.