On a Roll Cozies

Featured Etsy Seller for October 20th - deak kiki

2009-10-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

Kiki of dear kiki... is based in San Francisco and likes to to paint, draw, write and make comic books. She is a proud member of the Queer Etsy Street Team and blogs at http://www.kiki.typepad.com

Featured Etsy Seller for October 19th - Little Toad

2009-10-19T08:30:00.001-04:00

Little Toad's designs are original and sweet. She is happy to personalize her cards for the receiver - anything from adding a name all the way to creating a new illustration for you!

Featured Etsy Seller for October 18th - akka design

2009-10-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Laura of akka design is based in Barcelona, Spain and makes vibrant and fun jewelry with fabric, thread, and beads. Her designs are creative and cheerful. Laura is also impressively tri-lingual, and you can convo her in English, Italian, or Spanish.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 17th - TerisTreasure

2009-10-17T10:08:00.000-04:00

Teri's Treasure original designs are high quality and appealing. Teri is a mother and a military wife as well as the leader of the Homefront Street Team.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 16th - HunterToTheHunted

2009-10-16T08:17:00.001-04:00

Hunter to the Hunted's eclectic shop is warm and woodsy. She's based in Australia, and offers free worldwide shipping.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 15th - JMTolman

2009-10-15T08:34:00.001-04:00

JMTolman's work is original, a little bit strange, and quite fascinating. She sells originals, ACEOs, prints, and jewelry featuring her art. She blogs at http://Sapphirekat.livejournal.com

Featured Etsy Seller for October 14th - Melissa Pedersen

2009-10-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Melissa Pedersen makes gorgeous, one of a kind, sterling silver jewelry. Her original designs are striking and unique. She calls her jewelry "wearable artwork".

Featured Etsy Seller for October 13th - Digicute

2009-10-13T12:06:00.001-04:00

Digicute is full of super cute and original digital printables for scrapbooking, card making, and other paper crafts. All the printables can be used as many times as you wish, and the printed images can be used by small businesses, which makes them great for Etsy sellers.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 9th - Studio M.M.E.

2009-10-09T11:42:00.001-04:00

I love the pen and ink illustrations from Studio M.M.E . Megan's work is intricate and charming - a modern take on classical illustration with Victorian imagery. She also takes wonderful black and white shots with her 60-year-old Kodak Duaflex II. Three of her prints are available as lockets at a fellow Etsy seller's shop - http://www.polarity.etsy.com. Megan blogs at http://studiomme.blogspot.com.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 8th - Buster and Boo

2009-10-08T10:02:00.001-04:00

Buster and Boo sells romantic, eclectic, and cute jewelry. I especially like her vintage typewriter key pendants. She also sells stuffed animals and dolls at Woolies. All her earrings are currently on sale for only $10 USD.

Interested in being considered for a featured Etsy seller post on my blog? Please contact me with your shop link here!

Featured Etsy Seller for October 7th - Modern Classics

2009-10-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

Jaimee of Modern Classics sells dreamy and serene photographic prints. She also sells custom stationery at Modern Classics: Kids. She's currently offering a free 4x4 print with a $20 purchase!

Interested in being considered for a featured Etsy seller post on my blog? Please contact me with your shop link here!

Featured Etsy Seller for October 6th - Ravissant

2009-10-06T09:54:00.000-04:00

Ravissant, which means "lovely" in French, sells simple, feminine clothing and accessories. Many of her pieces are one-of-a-kind. She's a member of the Etsy Vegan and Vegetarian Team and in celebration of Vegetarian Month, most of her items are 25% off!

Interested in being considered for a featured Etsy seller post on my blog? Please contact me with your shop link here!

On a Roll Cozies Monthly Giveaway!

2009-10-05T16:07:00.001-04:00

Starting this month, I'm giving away one free cozy every month! The winner gets to choose any cozy in my shop up to a $14 USD value. Any one in the US or Canada who becomes my fan on Facebook or signs up for my mailing list can win. If you do both, you have two chances to win every month!

At the end of each month, I will choose one winner at random from my mailing list subscribers and Facebook fans. Each winner will be eligible again after six months. Winners will have 3 business days to respond before a new winner is chosen. I will pay the shipping cost to anywhere in the US or Canada.

To sign up for my mailing list, click here and fill out the short form. You'll also receive a coupon code for 10% off any one item in my shop! To become my fan on Facebook, click here and select "Become a Fan". If you aren't already on Facebook, you should try it out! It's free and fun.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 5th - Persistent Green

2009-10-05T12:52:00.001-04:00

Persistent Green's colorful, handmade paper goods are very charming. She also makes inspirational mixed media paintings. She's currently running a giveaway on her blog and you can have multiple chances to win one of her handmade journals - click here for the details. Only two more days to enter!

Interested in being considered for a featured Etsy seller post on my blog? Please contact me with your shop link here!

Featured Etsy Seller for October 4th - Silver Nutmeg Studio

2009-10-04T11:52:00.001-04:00

I've been sharing quite a few jewelry sellers lately, but I couldn't pass on sharing this one! Silver Nutmeg Studio has a lovely shop and she's doing a great Weekend Deal this weekend! She's offering 25% off your order PLUS a free pair of Elderberry Wine sterling silver flower earrings with every order when you enter "Weekend Deals" at check-out. Today is the last day to take advantage of her sale.

Featured Etsy Seller for October 3rd - Hot Rocks Jewelry

2009-10-03T12:43:00.001-04:00

Hot Rocks Jewelry makes intricate and unique jewelry with high-quality materials. Her work is bold and eye-catching. She's currently doing a giveaway too! You can have a chance to win earrings by becoming her fan on Facebook - click here for the details.

My 2nd treasury ever made it to the Etsy front page!

2009-10-03T10:41:00.004-04:00

So pleased that my Pumpkin Spice treasury was on Etsy's front page this morning. And no changes were made, which is even nicer I think. Look at this neat widget that Craftcult can generate -

Featured Etsy Seller for October 2nd - JulieEllynDesigns

2009-10-02T11:46:00.001-04:00

JulieEllynDesigns creates dainty and feminine jewelry with high-quality materials at affordable prices. Her color palette is lovely and muted. She also sells bridal jewelry at JEDBridal. You can read her blog at http://julieellyndesigns.blogspot.com/

Featured Etsy Seller for September 30th - Photos by Rosie

2009-09-30T11:03:00.001-04:00

Rosie at Photos by Rosie sells lovely and warm photographic prints, mainly of nature and from her travels in Europe. She's currently offering a free 8x6 print to her next customer on Etsy! You can visit her website at http://www.photosbyrosie.co.uk

Featured Etsy Seller for September 29th - Always Inspire

2009-09-29T11:43:00.000-04:00

Julie of Always Inspire creates chic and fun accessories. Her wallets and glasses cases are especially lovely. You can read her blog at http://www.alwaysinspire.blogspot.com

Featured Etsy seller for September 28th - Pretty Lizzy Lu

2009-09-28T11:01:00.001-04:00

Imagination rules at Pretty Lizzy Lu's shop. Her soft and simple toys are designed to let a child create his or her own character and story. She blogs at http://prettylizzylu.blogspot.com.

Featured Etsy seller for September 27th - Capturing Creativity

2009-09-27T10:47:00.001-04:00

Capturing Creativity runs a great card shop on Etsy. Her designs are light and sweet, and she sells awesome card making kits as well as finished cards. She keeps a blog at www.capturingcreativity.blogspot.com. Here's a taste of her items -

Featured Etsy Seller for September 26th - jacarandadesigns

2009-09-26T09:45:00.002-04:00

Jane of Jacaranda Designs is based near Toronto, Ontario and makes lovely and elegant jewelry. Many of her designs are one of a kind.

My very first treasury! - Oatmeal Dream

2009-09-25T11:43:00.003-04:00

I snagged my very first treasury, and I'm really pleased with it. Please check it out and click all the items and comment if you haven't already. I have front page aspirations! :)

Featured Etsy seller for September 25th - Emariecreations

2009-09-22T11:38:00.003-04:00

Emariecreations consists of two crafty sisters based in Illinois. Their polymer clay creations are too sweet. They also make cute fabric headbands. Here's a sample of their work -

Featured Etsy Seller for September 24th - Squidart

2009-09-22T11:30:00.004-04:00

Squid Art's photographic prints are charming and whimsical. I especially like her animal love series. She is active in several Etsy street teams and blogs at - http://squidart.wordpress.com. Here's a quick taste of her work -

Featured Etsy seller for September 23rd - J. Emporium

2009-09-22T11:17:00.004-04:00

J. Emporium has a great collection of vintage clothing and housewares. The shop is run by two friends, both named Jessica, who love hunting for "gold" at antique shops and flea markets. They each have their own handmade shops as well (http://pinestreetmakery.etsy.com and http://spectacleworks.etsy.com). Here are a few of their great vintage finds -

Featured Etsy Seller for September 22nd - Leahkl

2009-09-19T19:03:00.002-04:00

Leahkl is an Australian Etsy seller who loves working with vintage chenille and making lovely quilts and baby items. A lot of her items are one-of-a-kind due to the vintage fabric. Here are a few of her really cute items -

Featured Etsy Seller for September 21st - CAPow

2009-09-19T18:50:00.004-04:00

CAPow has a lovely and eclectic shop with paintings, prints, and photographs as well as some handmade clutches and vintage items. Here's a sample of her style!

Featured Etsy Seller for September 20th - LBGstudio

2009-09-19T18:39:00.004-04:00

LBGstudio is a quite new seller with a cute shop with items like clutches, wallets, and purses. Her items are often made with vintage fabric and are often one of a kind. Here are a couple of my favorites!

New blog feature - On a Roll's Daily Featured Seller

2009-09-19T10:29:00.002-04:00

Today's featured Etsy seller is the lovely LillianOlive! She is my total fave supply seller on Etsy. She finds the greatest vintage buttons and has great customer service.

Re-shooting all my photos!

2009-09-16T14:10:00.004-04:00

So I am in the midst of the crazy (but worth it task) of re-shooting the photos for all the items in my shop. I have done the cup cozies and started in on the Mp3 player cozies now. I bought an extra shop light for better overhead lighting and I've been playing around with the lighting/contrast in Photoshop Elements to make the colors as true to life as possible.

Here's a couple pics of my newest cozies with the new, brighter lighting -

It's been helping me get some photos on Craft Gawker, which is a really nice, juried craft browsing site. You should check it out if you haven't yet.

I won a wonderful giveaway!!

2009-09-14T15:17:00.005-04:00

I am now the very happy owner of an original 10" by 10" painting of a lovely little British Robin by the amazing Mincing Mockingbird! He has a great monthly giveaway so you can have a chance to win one too! Check out his blog for the details on how to enter, and check out his shop for tons of great prints and some originals.

Quick Update

2009-09-05T16:04:00.003-04:00

It's pretty last minute but I'm excited to be a vendor tomorrow at a local craft show! It's nearby and should have pretty good foot traffic. It's only my second craft show. Please check out the details and try to come by if you're in the Lansing area -

Lansing Old Town Underground - http://www.myspace.com/oldtownunderground

As a side note - the house did not work out. We finally got the water turned on and there were unexpected and bad problems with the plumbing, so it all just became too much. We're happy in our apartment for now but will be keeping our eyes open. I felt pretty disappointed at first but now I feel confident it just wasn't meant to be.

A great giveaway sponsored by UPrinting!!

2009-08-16T11:36:00.008-04:00

UPrinting has generously offered to give a code for 200 free custom postcards to two of my blog readers! The winners must be in the United States and pay for their own shipping (UPS ground is the cheapest option, which varies based on your location).

The custom postcards would be powerful promoting tools for someone with a small business. You could also design your own Save the Date cards if you're planning a wedding! You could even just use them for short, fun correspondence with friends and family. UPrinting is offering me a set of postcards in exchange for hosting the giveaway, and I'm excited to use them for promoting On a Roll Cozies - I'll pop them in packages with discount codes for future orders and carry some with me to give out when my business comes up in the conversation.

UPrinting's custom greeting cards are not part of this giveaway, but you should check out those too. They would be great for creating extra special invites or thank you cards.

Here are the Rules -
1. 2 winners will each receive a code for 200 free custom postcards from UPrinting.com (choose your size: 4x6, 4.25x6, 5x7; 14pt gloss or matte, 13 pt uncoated; Full Color on both sides)

2. Winners must be in the United States and pay for UPS shipping

3. Comment with your name and email address and let me know how you would use the postcards if you won

4. Giveaway ends at midnight Eastern time on September 2, 2009. I will notify the winners by email and they will have until September 4 to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck! :)

Update on our first house

2009-08-10T17:54:00.004-04:00

So, I always believed it when I heard that buying a house was stressful. But I didn't truly understand until now. It's been awful with all this going back and forth with the bank's agent.

We were waiting and waiting to hear about the estimate from the bank's approved contractor to replace the roof. We had agreed to put it in the sales price if they got the work done before closing for us.

Then the bank's agent said the cost was none of our business and to stop bothering him because the bank was paying for it and the sales price was staying the same. That seemed too good to be true, but then four business days (with a weekend in between) went by without hearing any different. So, we believed it.

Then last Tuesday we were told we're paying for it in the sales price, which felt like losing $5,000. And we've been fighting ever since to get the estimate - we want to see what we're paying for before we agree. Also, there's an issue with a shed on the garage - there's mold in it and the roof isn't up to code. It has to meet a certain standard for us to get the type of loan we've applied for. We need to know if re-roofing the shed (that they verbally said was included in the estimate) actually includes removing the mold and bringing the shed up to code. If it doesn't, it's horribly wasted money - we want to knock the shed down within the year and build a car port or make the garage into a two-car garage. We can't get that included in the sales price, but if we can at least get assurance that the work will make the shed up to code so we can get the loan then it's fine.

It's been awful and embarrassing trying to get this stupid estimate - I was told to talk to the contractor myself but then the contractor said he wasn't even supposed to speak to me let alone meet with me because the bank was his customer not me. Our buyer's agent got the contractor to agree to send the estimate to her, and that was supposed to happen last Friday (two weeks after the contractor saw the house) but now it turns out that there was never any estimate on paper and they're now supposedly working on writing up the estimate for us. We cannot begin to fathom what's been happening and why. The miscommunication and the incompentence of the bank's agent are beyond anything I've experienced before, and I have applied for and received student loans for overseas university!

Ugh. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there. This is on top of the drastically reduced hours at my day job. It's the reason things have been slow in my shop and on my blog. I'd rather be updating more often and listing more new items, but all the house stuff gets me all upset/frustrated and I start playing the Sims 3 or Oblivion IV to just tune it all out and cope. The closing date on the original sales contract was August 17, which seems like a joke now.

Hopefully in a month or so, this will all be behind us and we'll be happy and working hard on getting our house clean and cozy. It is a great little house at a great price in a perfect spot, so we're not going to let it go. :)

My free Moo cards arrived today

2009-08-06T18:46:00.006-04:00

I received my pack of 50 free Moo.com cards today! They're really nice. The promotional code from Moo.com is not quite as big or as intrusive as I had feared when I ordered them. They were definitely worth the $5 shipping.

I opted for the "green" cardstock - it's 100% recycled, 100% recycable, and the packaging is from sustainable sources. It's really nice, thick paper with a lovely matte look.

When you make a regular order, a free business card holder is included. The other great thing is that you can pick a different picture for every single card in your order. You can upload your own or choose from the available designs on the site.

I don't know if I quite like the look on the back of the card - mine are little off center and there's something that just doesn't look quite as professional as I had hoped. Also, the cost is too high for my small (teeny really) business. So I won't be placing a normal order.

But I'm still thinking about the Moo stickers! They look really cool, and they would be great for sealing up the tissue paper when I wrap up cozies for orders. You can choose up to 90 different images for a pack of 90 stickers for only $9.99 USD. The stickers come from the European Moo site, so I'm not sure about the shipping.

So I'm still on the hunt for new business cards. I'm thinking about just designing some myself and getting them printed at some place like Staples. I feel a bit wary of some online places, especially VistaPrint, and I'd rather not have to pay for shipping. I just want a nice stack of affordable, sharp, professional looking card. I'm thinking just one-sided full color so that I can have the back blank for writing a thank you note or a special offer code.

If you have business cards, tell me about them! Did you design them yourself? Where did you get them printed?

Just have to share this lovely treasury that made it to the front page!

2009-08-04T10:00:00.005-04:00

I love this gorgeous treasury titled "Adventures in Aubergine"! I'm pleased that thedoghouse included one of my iPod cozies. And I'm pleased it was picked to be on the front page - I'm not surprised!

A great way to boost your blog readership

2009-07-31T10:45:00.017-04:00

A little while ago, Heathens Hearth suggested I try out Entre Card when I was asking about how to gain more readers on my blog. And I'm really glad I did! My readership has increased dramatically since I started it, and I've also had a chance to check out neat blogs I would not have seen otherwise.

Here's how it works - First, you request to sign up. They ask a few basic questions about your blog. Basically, they want to make sure that you are for real and fairly serious about blogging. I got my approval in a few business days. Then, you add the widget to your blog. They give you the code for three different options. Here's what two options look like -

Then you create your own card. I just used a picture of one of my cozies and put text on it. Here's what my Entre Card profile looks like (it says "0 drops" because I was looking at my own profile and you can't drop your card on your own widget) -

And lastly, you have lots of fun dropping your card like crazy on all the EntreCard widgets you can find! :) I found this list really helpful in starting - it lists a lot of people who usually return the favor and drop their card on your blog, and then you can get a good list going of people who regularly drop on your blog and then you drop back. Every time someone drops their card on your blog, they have to actually visit your blog - so that boosts your views and gives you a higher chance of more comments and followers.

I sort my "drops inbox" to show only the blogs I have not dropped on that day. Here's what it looks like -
On EntreCard, people will request to put their ad on your blog. Your ad approval queue appears on your Dashboard page. There are paid ads (meaning the person is paying EntreCard, not you) and there are ads that are paid by EntreCard Credits, which are earned organically by the user dropping their card on other blogs, possbily including yours, and keeping their blog updated. I've decided to accept only EntreCard Credit-paid ads. They didn't use to have paid ads, so it's been a bit controversial. But you're well within your right to accept any kinds of ads you wish! You can reject ads simply because the colors clash with your blog and it's no problem. :)

Here's what a widget on someone else's blog looked like before I dropped my card (notice the little bar below that says the blog does not accept paid ads) -

And here's what it looks like after I dropped my card (sometimes it says silly things like "Go! Go!" instead of "thanks" but you get the idea) -

You can use your credits to advertise on other blogs with the EntreCard widget. You go to the "Campaign" tab and enter in some search details to try targeting your ads. (You can also use it find blogs to drop your card on). Then you can check out how many credits a day the ad would cost and see a bit of info about the bloggers as well as click to be taken to their actual blog before deciding whether you want to advertise there. The blogger then has to approve or cancel your request. There's quite a lag between requesting your ad to be placed and actually seeing your ad up on the blog - seems about a week for me. Here's what it looks like when you're searching for blogs to advertise on -

Some card droppers might be just be dropping their card and moving on, but a lot of them do stay long enough to read your newest posts. I would say about 9 times out of 10 when I'm looking at a blog to drop my card, I read at least the two most recent posts and sometimes I feel compelled to comment.

It's totally free, so there's no harm in trying it out! :)

EDIT - Just found out EntreCard is ending the paid ad program, which is great! You can read all about it by clicking here.

Sale to celebrate the launch of my website!

2009-07-28T10:12:00.003-04:00

To celebrate the launch of my website - http://onarollcozies.com - I'm offering all of my tweeps and blog readers 20% off your order by midnight eastern time on Friday, July 31st! Click here to be taken to my shop's home page.

All you have to do is mention this deal or just write "Website launch" in the message to the seller at Etsy check out. If you don't receive your 20% refund within 24 hours of paying, please contact me. If you want to pay by US Postal Money Order, contact me before paying so I can tell you the revised total.

Please do visit my site and let me know what you think!

Last day to enter to win a cozy!

2009-07-26T11:33:00.004-04:00

My custom cup cozy giveaway is ending tonight at midnight, Eastern time! Anyone in the US or Canada can enter to win. The winner will get to choose either a custom cup cozy or a coupon for $6.75 USD plus free shipping to use in my Etsy shop. There are four ways to enter. Click here for the details! (To enter, you need to leave your comments on the original post rather than this one)

I've been working on setting up my very own website. TheFancyLamb was chatting on Twitter about registering her domain and sparked the idea for me to check whether onarollcozies.com was available, and it was!

I decided to go with GoDaddy, and they've been good so far. I registered my domain and set up basic hosting with GoDaddy. The hubby has helped me build my site using WordPress. I'm going to be adding more links to the Great Links tab and more pictures to the Gallery tab plus eventually migrating my blog there.

Please do check it out and let me know what you think about what I've done so far! http://onarollcozies.com

Making a cheap lightbox

2009-07-22T17:30:00.009-04:00

I've been working on setting up a little light box so that I can take pictures of my items even when the sun isn't out. It's been a little harder than I thought to get the lighting right but I think it's starting to work out. Here are a couple shots done with my new light box -

It's been working pretty well for the angled shots of my iPod cozies. Taking photos of the cup cozies and of the overhead, full shot of the iPod cozies has been trickier. Here are a couple examples -

I'll keep working on it though. Getting an energy efficient daylight bulb and a shop light (like suggested in this article) really helped. Trying to do it with normal desk lamps just wasn't working for me. I created the light box out of an older box and tissue paper (like suggested in this article).

Anyone else have a homemade light box? Any tips for me? :)

My Google AdWords Adventure

2009-07-22T14:09:00.007-04:00

I've been trying to figure out better ways to advertise my shop online. Project Wonderful has been quite good, but I thought it was time to try Google AdWords. It's a small text ad on the right side bar and you pick the keywords that will trigger your ad being shown. You "bid" on the space and pay per click - more popular search terms like "iPod" come with a hefty price per click. I've limited my campaign to 5 cents per click and $1 a day to start.

My first ad didn't seem to be working at all, and then I figured out it was active but not approved yet. My best guess is that I shouldn't have used "iPod" in the ad. So I reworded it with "MP3 player" instead, and that one was approved right away. I also have an ad directed at people searching for coffee cup cozies.

The tracking tools are a little confusing at first, and they seem to update at different times. It seems that my billing summary is the most accurate about current clicks. Here's a snapshot of the overall tracking thingy though -

I'm going to work on refining my keywords and trying out different wording in the ads, but I'm pretty pleased so far. I'm not sure how to figure out exactly how many (if any) sales I'm getting from it though. I figure that if my sales seem to increase, especially if I get an increase in customers who signed up to Etsy the day they ordered, it must be working. :)

If you haven't entered yet, click here for my free custom cup cozy giveaway! There are four ways to enter.

Short update on our house

2009-07-20T09:54:00.003-04:00

Well, the home inspection could have gone worse, but it also could have gone better. Being first-time home buyers is pretty stressful.

The inspector said the roof needs to be replaced ASAP. Our agent is currently trying to reach the seller's agent about whether or not it can be worked into the sale price and paid for before the appraisal even happens. We haven't heard anything yet though.

So we're just trying to hang in there and see how it goes. I'm glad we have a really nice agent though. She seems to really be on our side and more interested in us than just her commission from the seller.

I'm already ready to get in there and start cleaning and fixing things up and making it ready to be our home!

Featured Etsy seller - LaLa Shoes

2009-07-18T14:10:00.011-04:00

Daria of LaLaShoes makes gorgeous, perfectly crafted baby shoes in specialty 100% wool felt as well as some linen options. She takes pride in making the shoes comfortable, good for baby's feet, and sweeter than can be!

She writes, "I work only with 100% wool felt that has the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate, I want my shoes to be comfortable and healthy and I want them to look good! In other words, I want to put all my efforts in something I believe in, I'll be proud of and which I enjoy to do."

As always, click the picture to be taken to the item's page. And don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a free custom cup cozy! :)

Some lovely knitted wraps and shrugs on Etsy!

2009-07-17T14:50:00.002-04:00

I'm very much an end-product knitter instead of a process knitter - I'm happier with a finished piece than while I'm actually knitting. So I really admire knitters who made big, lovely pieces. Lots of patience and effort there!

I've picked out some lovely wraps/shrugs on Etsy to share with you. These are clearly well made, and I love the color choices and style. Do you have any favorite knitted clothing items on Etsy?

As always, click the picture to be taken directly to the item's page. :)

Don't forget to enter to win a free cup cozy! Click here for the details!

Show-stopping Rococo shawl from TickledPinkKnits

Pale pink wrap with pin from Tamily

City Chic shrug from moocowhandknits

Mohair capelet from Italian Etsian Silvia66

Green shrug from tijusai

Win a FREE custom coffee cup cozy!

2009-07-17T11:15:00.006-04:00

It's time for another giveaway! This time you can win a free custom coffee cup cozy ($6.75 USD value)! The winner will pick the color and style, and I'll knit it up and send it at no cost!

The winner could also choose to have a $6.75 USD coupon and free shipping for any item of their choice in my shop.

Anyone in the US and Canada can enter. I'll be using www.randomizer.org to pick the winner by midnight Eastern time on Sunday, July 26th, 2009. I'll notify the winner on Monday, July 27th. If the winner does not respond within 3 business days, I will pick a new winner.

Here's how you can get up to 4 entries!

1. Leave a comment here telling me whether you'd like the custom cup cozy or the coupon and free shipping if you win. Be sure to leave your email address or other way to contact you in your comment.

2. Become a follower of my blog by clicking "Join this Site" on the Google friend connect widget. Once you're following my blog, or if you're already a follower, leave a second comment with your email address.

3. Tweet about this giveaway by tweeting the following - Win a custom coffee cup cozy from @onarollcozies - 4 ways to enter! - http://tiny.cc/n843z - and leave another comment here with the link to your tweet.

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave another comment with the link to your blog post.

A purple mix

2009-07-14T17:38:00.002-04:00

Creating Spotlights on Byhand.me is really fun. I just made this purple one with pics of some lovely supplies and hand made items on Etsy. Click the picture to see the spotlight on Byhand.me and click through to each item's page! :)

A lovely treasury with my yellow iPod cozy!

2009-07-13T22:39:00.003-04:00

Check out this gorgeous treasury put together by CoffeeandCream! So pleased my yellow iPod cozy was picked to be in it. I'm thinking it might be fun to feature treasuries on my blog more often, even when my items haven't made it in. :)

Scary car noises!

2009-07-10T23:42:00.003-04:00

Our car has been making scary noises lately. It's certainly getting on in years and miles (over 11 years and 120,000 miles!) so I suppose it's no surprise. I'll be sad if we can't fix it properly, and not just for financial reasons. It was actually my parents' car for almost a decade and they very generously gave it to us when we moved to Michigan from England last year.

Thankfully, my dad knows some guys at a shop who do good work and only charge us for parts and sometimes minimal labor. The flip side of it though is that we have to book it out there EARLY tomorrow, which involves getting up at like 5:30 AM! Eek! That is too early for Saturday, but if they can fix the car, it will be worth it in the end.

And of course it's the perfect excuse for a Starbucks stop! I'm thinking iced coffee with milk and a muffin - that'll be nice get-out-of-bed motivation.

So that's what my Saturday's going to look like - how about yours?

EDIT - Well, it wasn't too bad! Took a few hundred to fix (something with the brake system) and it should all be okay now... until something else happens! ;)

Our first house!!!

2009-07-09T11:24:00.005-04:00

So, we did it! We bought our very first home! It's a really lovely and cute cape cod on a beautiful and safe suburban street with an elementary school and a junior high school just a few blocks away. There's a one-car garage and quite a big, fenced-in backyard.

It definitely needs some doing up but nothing major as far as we know. We got a really great deal though and we qualify for the first-time home buyers' tax credit. We should have the inspection next week, assuming the bank gets the utilities turned on for us by then, and then close in mid-August. We're planning to have some overlap with our rental lease so that we can get in the house, have the trees trimmed, paint some rooms, and do the floors (planning to sand down and re-stain the hardwood in the bedrooms, but the sitting room, kitchen, and bathroom floors are already done) before even moving our stuff. :)

My favorite place in the world

2009-07-07T14:17:00.013-04:00

For something a little different, I decided to post about my favorite place in the world (that I've been to so far) and ask about yours. While I LOVED our honeymoon in Paris, Iceland still wins.

I visited Reykjavík in May of 2007 for a short business trip for my old job in England. Landing in Iceland was amazing! It seriously seemed like a different world. The landscape is incredible - long, long coastline, active volcanoes, and great expanses of volcanic rock that reminded me of what it might seem like to land on the moon. It was the cleanest place I have ever been as well - the roads, the streets, the buildings, everything. Even the little airport was clean and pretty! Even the bathroom in the airport - seriously! In some ways, the wide roads and bigger vehicles reminded me of America, which was nice at the time since I had been in cramped, hilly Oxford for quite a while.

The architecture is so lovely and simple with bold colors mixed in with greys and whites. It made me dream of having a little summer house with a red roof. I even looked up some information about visas when I returned home.

I found it fascinating that their language has hardly changed in hundreds of years. Though many of the Icelanders did speak English. I only had a little trouble in a Quzinos - yep, there's a Quizno's! I fell in love with skyr, which is a yogurt-like diary product. I wish it was imported to Michigan. I brought home a big, beautiful book with the Icelandic Sagas and some other writings and also a bottle of Black Death, which is a really wild and rather vile tasting alcoholic drink.

So, what is your favorite place in the world? Or, if you can't choose, tell me about one of your favorite places!

Front page excitement and some new goals

2009-07-05T16:31:00.004-04:00

Today has been quite an exciting day for my Etsy shop! First, I discovered my new yellow iPod cozy is featured as the first item in a gift guide - you can check it out by clicking here. And then my new dark brown cup cozy hit the front page for a little while! The extra views and hearts are real nice boost.

I've made up some new goals for my shop for the next two weeks. First, I am going to list two new cozies a day every day. Second, I'm going to post a new blog post once every other day. And third, I'm going to focus more on replying to tweets and commenting on the blogs I follow.

Have you ever tried setting goals for your Etsy shop or other business? Does anyone want to try to reach some similar goals with me? I'm hoping the extra effort will help during this slow sales time. What do you think? :)

Free shipping weekend! Now through Monday!

2009-07-04T10:37:00.005-04:00

You can get FREE worldwide shipping on all items in my Etsy shop through 12AM EST on Monday, July 6th! Depending on your location and purchase, you could save as much as $6 USD.

If you pay by PayPal, you'll receive a refund of your total shipping cost shortly after purchase. I'm happy to arrange other methods as well.

Featured Etsy Jewelry Seller - ThreeWishesStudio

2009-07-01T10:43:00.011-04:00

Jeanne of ThreeWishesStudio creates fun, feminine, and offbeat pieces. She often uses vintage beads and components, so lots of her pieces are one of a kind.

ThreeWishesStudio is part of the I Heart Handmade Summer Craft Show where you can get 10% off and have a chance to win a free pair of earrings. Jeanne is also particpating in Etsy's free holiday shipping, and you can find items with free shipping by searching her shop for "julyfreeship".

You can check out a recent interview with Jeanne at EyeletSageStudio's blog. As always, click on the picture to be taken directly to the item's page! And be sure to check out the rest of the shop.

Recent distractions

2009-06-30T09:58:00.003-04:00

My daily life has been in a bit of an upheaval the past two weeks! First, the hubby was away for work, then some of his family was here visiting, and we've found a house we're going to try to buy!! The house bit is the best bit. :) It's a super cute cape cod that needs doing up but no major work (unless we want to finish the basement), and it has a great backyard and little wrap around porch. I shouldn't say much more until things are more settled though. :)

My Etsy shop has been suffering a bit for all the distractions I think. I haven't been able to make or list quite as much as I want to. I'm going to be doing a custom color iPod cozy tonight, and I think I'll make more cup cozies after that. Or maybe some more options for the tea bag cozies in the hopes that they haven't sold yet just because I don't have a big enough selection yet.

I'll probably do another featured artist soon. Just saw a cute, offbeat jewelry shop on Etsy.

Featured Etsy Artist - Meluseena

2009-06-24T14:40:00.005-04:00

Lisa of Meluseena on Etsy is a lovely artist and writer. Her work is enchanting and often surprising. She has a great variety of prints and other items showcasing her work on her Etsy shop. She even has pocket mirrors and jewelry!

Lisa currently resides in Cork, Ireland but has spent time in France and is originally from Malta. Her first children's book, written in Maltese, was published in November 2008.

Be sure to check out her shop and you'll be captivated too!

My latest knitting projects

2009-06-22T13:56:00.007-04:00

I've actually started a knitting project that has nothing to do with my Etsy shop! :) I'm making a really sweet little baby cardigan with stripes. It's worked from the top down in one piece. It's my first attempt at a piece of clothing, other than accessories like scarves and mittens. I had a bit of rocky start because the pattern didn't make it clear enough when to move the stitch markers over but I'm definitely on my way now! :)

I've also learned how to do a pretty double cable. I think it looks really nice on the wool iPod cozies. I might try it in cotton sometime. I'm about done with another cozy with this double cable in a pretty, bright purple color. :)

I'm feeling pretty clever!

2009-06-19T11:15:00.006-04:00

I worked out how to make an animated gif ad for a Project Wonderful campaign! I just used some pics of my iPod cozies and made several layers in Photoshop Elements in jpg format, and then used a free online tool to turn it in an animated gif. What do you think? Click here to see it :)

New cozies!!

2009-06-17T15:18:00.004-04:00

I've started making 100% cotton tea bag cozies! They're really cute and fun. I can fit up to 5 individually wrapped tea bags in one. Easy to stick in your bag and take to a friend's house or on your travels.

I'm going to start with making them in all my usual cotton colors with this single cable on the front. I might get more creative after that. Please let me know what you think! Is it cute or gimmicky that I'm going to send along one wrapped tea bag with each cozy ordered?

Second annual Yart sale on Etsy!

2009-06-10T13:46:00.007-04:00

As part of the second annual Yart sale (Yard + Art) sponsored by Team ESST on Etsy, I'm offering FREE worldwide shipping on all orders through June 14, 2009! Shipping costs will be refunded in full after payment. Alternatively, you can request a revised invoice after checkout but before paying. Let me know if you have any questions!

Check out this Storque post to learn all about the Yart Sale.

In the Etsy Voter this week!

2009-06-09T11:35:00.002-04:00

I'm really pleased that one of my purple iPod cozies has made it into the Etsy Voter this week. Please check it out and vote for my little cozy. :) Click here for voting

Featured Etsy Seller - Desert Soapstone

2009-06-06T12:32:00.014-04:00

One of my favorite soap sellers is Kelli at Desertsoapstone. Before I was on Etsy, I didn't think I was a soap-bar kind of girl. But there's a world of difference between store-bought and handmade bar soap!

Kelli's soaps are all natural and many are vegan friendly too! She currently has an amazing deal - 3 bars for $10! Only her new, special Batik bars and collaborative bars are excluded.

The Clean Shave shaving soap is amazing! The bentonite clay in it makes shaving easy, and the scents are so lovely. My favorite is the Oatmeal Milk and Honey, which smells warm and clean.

Although it's secondary to the quality of the soap, I have to mention that Desertsoapstone's packaging is really pretty and nice. Her logo is pretty and she uses the same logo different colors to match the soap, lip balm, or perfume stick!

Kelli has a Facebook fan page and a blog, and she's on Twitter too!

It's really a pleasure buying from someone who is so obviously passionate about her products. Be sure to check out her shop! You can click any of the picutres to be taken directly to the item's listing page.

Craftcult Addiction

2009-06-03T09:49:00.003-04:00

If you've been on Etsy for a while you are probably already visiting Craftcult on a daily basis. If you sell on Etsy and haven't been to Craftcult before, you are in for a treat!

Just go to http://www.craftcult.com and enter your Etsy username to see all sort of interesting and frequently updated stats. It's a really great and easy way to see your hearts on individual items - no clicking through pages and checking every item! It also shows you if any of your items have been featured on Etsy's front page, in a Storque article in past week, or in a gift guide.

Also, just want to add that I am pretty excited to have reached over 300 shop hearts since I started in January! :)

Congrats to Jennifer S.!

2009-06-01T15:13:00.003-04:00

Jennifer S. was the lucky winner of the pretty flower earrings from Marolsha! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I'm hoping to arrange another giveaway soon!

Awesome giveaway I just came across!

2009-06-01T11:39:00.002-04:00

You should check out this giveaway! Four ways to enter to win an HP Mini 100 Vivienne Tam edition. I love my trusty iBook, but it would be so amazing to have this as well for both my husband and I to use. Here's the link to enter!

http://blissfullydomestic.com/blissful-style/giveaway-hp-mini-vivienne-tam-edition-from-intel/

Featured Etsy Artist - Spacedogstudios - and a special offer!

2009-05-30T14:09:00.011-04:00

Sarah of Spacedog Studios in Columbus, Ohio has a wonderful range of handmade books in her main shop and also sells some supplies at JunkDog. She's been successful enough to quit her day job (lucky lady!!) and has been featured in the Storque series - "Quit Your Day Job"

I just adore her bookmark books - they are so pretty and practical as well. Sarah is really lovely about letting you pick your colors and initials. Her handmade recycled pages journals are so neat and fun - full of little surprises. She make amazing themed scrap packs, and even though I don't do any scrapbooking or collage making anymore, I'm still tempted!

Sarah has generously offered free shipping within the US until the end of June 2009 for my blog readers! Just mention in the notes to the seller at Etsy checkout that you saw the feature on On a Roll's blog. After you pay, Sarah will then refund shipping costs for US customers.

Visit www.SpaceDog.us to read Sarah's blog, check out her webcomic, and be linked to her flickr page. Click on any of the pictures below to be taken to the item's page.

Less than 4 days left for the giveaway!

2009-05-28T09:35:00.007-04:00

I'm hosting a great giveaway that's ending this Sunday, May 31st at midnight! Anyone in the US or Canada can enter. The winner will receive lovely flower earrings from Marolsha!

Please check out the original post to enter!

Handmade plush items from some lovely Etsy sellers!

2009-05-25T10:45:00.001-04:00

I love all the sweet plush items on Etsy. Here are some of my favorites for your enjoyment! As always, click the picture to see the item's page and click the shop name to see the seller's main page. Let me know what you think and what your favorite plush items on Etsy are! :)

Sweet sleepy bunny from thehappyhoneybee

Cat plush with cupcake coaster from PipocaHandmade

Cute custom owls from skunkboycreatures

Little sweet ogre from stringfellowart

Lil Bitty Maple Tree from hitree

Lil Pomegrante Hoot from ManicMuffinTotes

A nice feature of my shop on Madbird's blog

2009-05-23T11:16:00.009-04:00

I'm touched and excited to be featured on Madbird's blog! Please check it out. She has some really neat item in her shop including cloth book covers, shown to the left, and some lovely knitting needle organizers, show below.

Madbird is currently running a great giveaway on her blog. You can have up to three entries for a chance to win one of her handmade business card holders! Check it out here.

Total excitement!!

2009-05-22T21:48:00.004-04:00

Etsy Finds: (Long) Weekend Deals for Memorial Day
My special Memorial Weekend sale was featured in the Etsy Finds post today! It's a great post on the Storque about special deals for this weekend only in some Etsy shops. It's already generated new interest in my shop and a few sales! There are some really great deals on there from other Etsy sellers too, so you should be sure to check it out.

Here's the skinny on my deal! From Friday, May 22, 2009 through Monday, May 25th, spend $14 USD in my shop (shipping counts towards your total!) and receive a free cup cozy of your choice! I'll even make you a new one in your preferred color if you don't see one you want in my shop. I'm generally limiting it to one free cozy per customer, but I do offer special discounts you can contact me about if you want to make a bulk purchase of 5 or more items.

Don't forget to enter the great giveaway I'm hosting! It's a chance to win a really cute pair of earrings from Marolsha. This weekend I'll be doing a themed post with some cute plush items.

Working on some new cozy styles and a special sale

2009-05-16T14:06:00.004-04:00

I've been brainstorming a bit today and trying to figure out some new cozy styles for my shop. I'm thinking about adding both ice cream pint cozies and mug cozies - they seem fun to make and useful! But it's such a shame I'll have to buy a pint of ice cream for research. :P I've also been thinking about making soap savers, but it seems like cotton might get germy and weird too quickly in the shower.

I'm definitely going to start with some new coffee cup cozy styles. The first one, which is easy enough, is my normal ribbed cozy turned inside out! (Pictured above) Hehe! I am clever :P I think I'll try some with moss seed stitch, like in my DS cozies, and maybe incorporate some ribbon.

Any thoughts on new cozy styles? What would you like to see? Don't forget I love to take custom orders!

Be on the lookout for my special Memorial Day weekend sale! It's going to involve a free cup cozy if you spend a certain amount. Details soon.

Enter the giveaway I'm hosting and find out how to get a special deal for May!

Spending money is lovely!!

2009-05-14T22:49:00.002-04:00

So I have birthday money leftover and a bit of Etsy shop money and I'm having a great time finding some things on Etsy to treat myself with. I keep wavering between finding lots of little things or just one big splurge!

Tell me about your most favorite purchase on Etsy ever! I want to check out great shops.

Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway I'm hosting and find out how to get a special deal for May!

CLOSED - I'm hosting a great little giveaway!

2009-05-13T16:56:00.004-04:00

Marolsha has generously offered to give away these lovely earrings to one winner. You can earn up to 3 entries to this giveaway. Anyone in the US or Canada can enter.

First, check out Marolsha's shop and then come back here to tell me about one of your favorite items. Second, twitter about this giveaway, linking directly to this post and comment here with your twitter profile address. Third, blog about this giveaway, linking directly to this post and comment here with your blog post link. You must leave me a way to contact you - email address right in your comment is preferred.

The giveaway ends at midnight on Saturday, May 30th, 2009. Each entry will be assigned a number by comment order and then one entry will be chosen at random using www.randomizer.org on Sunday, May 31st, 2009. The winner will have three business days to reply and confirm their address before another winner is picked.

Featured Etsy Jewelry Seller - Marolsha

2009-05-13T13:02:00.008-04:00

Marolsha creates whimsical and delicate jewelry. She strives to make "wearable, unique and fun" pieces, and I think she succeeds! I'm sharing pictures of some of her pieces, but be sure to check out her shop. She also has a nice little sale section right now. You can get 10% off one order over $20 from Marolsha's shop if you mention this blog post in the notes to the seller at checkout!

Lovely bracelet with aqua quartz glass beads

Creamy rose earrings

Necklace to match the creamy rose earrings

Necklace with 14mm fire polished czech glass beads

Be sure to check back soon! I'm going to be doing a giveaway this month!

10 great giveaways

2009-05-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

Polka Dot Moon is hosting 10 straight days of great giveaways to celebrate her two-year anniversary on Etsy. There are some really nice handmade items you could win! I'm really hoping to score the lovely soap and scrub from DesertSoapstone.

Really lovely paper goods to check out!

2009-05-09T10:43:00.010-04:00

I am a huge fan of paper stuff and lovely design, and I just had to share some of my favorite paper goods from Etsy sellers. Please take a look at their shops as well!

Follow my blog and find out about getting a coupon for $3 off or free shipping on an order from my shop! Click here for the details

EDIT - Just got permission from the lovely crankbunny to post her amazing secret decoder card. Please check it out!

A set of 15 bookplates from turtlepapers

Three mini-tag books from erinzam

A set of "Happy Birthday" cards from MichelleBrusegaard

"We've moved" cards from happygirlgreetings

Bookmark notebook personalized for you by spacedogstudios (I have two and I love them!)

"Tweet" calling cards from pasaiipaperie

Wedding invitations from GoldenHillDesign

Featured Etsy Artist - KimberlyRose!

2009-04-30T23:05:00.004-04:00

Photographer KimberlyRose has a great shop on Etsy with some lovely prints and a super 50% off sale section (which is ending fairly soon)!

Kim describes her work in her profile - "I believe most of my images would be considered digital art, or photo manipulation, rather than the standard photograph. This is because I want an image to be viewed as I see it, in my imagination. So basically by viewing my images you are getting a strange glimpse as to what goes on in my head."

Her images are striking and often dream-like. Check out some of my favorites below and be sure to see the rest of her prints in her shop and take advantage of the sale! You can also read more about Kim, her work, and her techniques on her blog - My Alternate Reality.

May Special! $3 off or free shipping for my blog followers!

2009-04-27T11:22:00.007-04:00

For the month of May, my blog followers can receive a $3 off coupon or free shipping! All you have to do is already be a follower or click to follow my blog and then contact me for your coupon code - be sure to mention the name you're using to follow my blog. You can convo me on Etsy or email me at onarollaccessories @ gmail.com. Or you can comment here with your email address. Only my PDF patterns are excluded from this deal. For international customers, this coupon is worth up to $6 USD depending on the item ordered.

I'm currently posting lots of new items, and the coupon also works on special orders!

Here are the details - Blog followers can receive $3 USD off your order from www.onaroll.etsy.com or free shipping (whichever is higher). You must let me know the name you're using to follow my blog. PDF patterns are excluded. Coupon code will be sent to your email address within 24 hours of request. Coupon code must be used by May 31, 2009. One code per customer. Coupon can be used in conjunction with any offer you may have already received from me with a previous order.

Eee! My new iPod cozy is already in a treasury!

2009-04-24T12:59:00.005-04:00

I just had to share that my new iPod cozy listed a few hours ago has already made it into a treasury! It's a really cute one too with a lovely color scheme. Be sure to check it out while it's still up!

Treasury I am in -
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=51628

Finally keeping something for myself!

2009-04-22T17:00:00.004-04:00

So at the craft show this past Saturday, I realized it was time I kept a couple of my items for myself. I picked out a green cup cozy with a yellow button I really like and do not have another one of and a squirrel heather iPod cozy with a sweet oblong button.

I have over 20 new items to photograph and post in my shop! It seems like a fairly daunting task since taking pictures is my least favorite part of the process, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

My First Craft Show

2009-04-20T17:13:00.005-04:00

Well, I survived my first craft show this past Saturday! Unfortunately, it was a gorgeous day and not very many people wanted to come to a craft show inside. I made one sale, but I did speak to quite a few people who liked my items and took my business card so hopefully I may have some custom orders from it before too long. I forgot to take pictures without the very helpful hubby in the background, and he is pretty shy so I'm posting just a couple of closer up pics!

I'm going to be getting some samples in the mail soon that I ordered of different types of Icelandic wool from a great shop on Etsy, so you will probably be hearing about that before too long!

My first time being featured on a blog!

2009-04-05T17:13:00.005-04:00

The lovely Cathy of WhimsyWireandWool has written a great little feature about my etsy shop! It's my first time featured on a blog, and Cathy did a great job! Click here to see Wire and Wool's Saturday Feature about On a Roll!

Flyer for the first craft show I'll be attending!!

2009-03-31T14:06:00.003-04:00

Click to see it full size and read all the details! :)

First Craft Show!

2009-03-20T16:01:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, April 18th, I'll be doing my very first craft show! It's from 10AM to 6PM in East Lansing, MI at the E.L. Hannah Community Center in the Conference Center Room.

I'm pretty excited! The hubby is going to come be my helper, and there's going to be a great food vendor so I don't have to worry about going out to grab lunch.

I'm knitting up a storm trying to get enough items ready so that my table does not look silly. I'm aiming for 40 items or more. I'm going to need to brainstorm about cute display ideas too. The iPod cozies and the fingerless gloves will need cardboard insert because they look a little silly when they're all floppy. There should be WiFi access so I can probably use PayPal to take credit card payments.

Anyone want to share their craft shows experiences and/or tips? :)

Lots of yellow!

2009-03-17T10:55:00.003-04:00

This week's yellow theme was intended for two weeks ago, but my appendectomy got in the way! As usual, click the picture to be taken to the item and click the shop name to be taken to the shop's home page -

Exquisite clay rose pendant hand sculpted by FancifulForm

Wonderful pillow cover from AlexandraFerguson

Beautiful, fine art photograph print from tasteslikepurple

Sweet note card from Randielise

Gorgeous golden bowls from Agru

Bright and lovely vintage buttons sold by LillianOlive

Another Quick Update

2009-03-07T17:17:00.002-05:00

I've just had my appendix out! I'm home and recovering now, but I'll need to put my blog on a hold for a little while. :)

Quick Update

2009-03-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

A plan is in the works for a new theme this week but I have been unable to do the update. Hopefully I'll be back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow or this weekend!

SpoolofPlenty is the winner of my b-day giveaway!

2009-03-01T16:13:00.005-05:00

Congrats to SpoolofPlenty who won my birthday giveaway! She picked the green hand knit tech cozy and will be receiving it very soon! :)

Thanks so much to everyone who entered and special thanks to my new followers and anyone who promoted the giveaway! I'm cooking up a special promotion for some time in March so be on the lookout!

Just one more night

2009-02-27T01:02:00.002-05:00

I am missing my husband terribly. He's been away on business since early Tuesday and had spent most of the day and evening away on Monday and all of last week Friday and Saturday. It just seems so strange without him near. I've been staying at my parents' house, and it's really nice to have that option instead of being at the apartment all alone.

I have been hoping to find the focus and inspiration to make some new items soon, but it's been a bit frustrating. I did make a new iPod cozy today in a new color, but I'd love to find something totally new (or mostly new! :P) to make. I'm trying my hand at knitting a pullover cowl. I have a yarn I like but not quite sure about the design yet.

It's funny how different and yet still the same it feels to be in my old bedroom here. My mom did it all up when I moved out about five years ago. But the guest bed is in about the same place as my old bed, and when I close my eyes, the rain on the windows sounds the same as it always did before.

In the kitchen

2009-02-25T10:05:00.009-05:00

This week I'm sharing some items you might like in or near your kitchen. Rather than choosing items that would all work together in one kitchen, I've tried to find things to match a variety of styles. I have some great vintage items this week along with handmade items. Comment to tell me what you think or to share your own favorite kitchen-related items on etsy!

Don't forget to enter my blog giveaway! Only a few days left now!

Beautiful handmade towel/drying rack available in custom colors from SawDusty

Handmade soap or sponge dish available in several different colors from CreativeWithClay

Cute tins perfect for storing odds and ends like tape, paperclips, pens (I'm not the only who keeps that stuff in her kitchen, right? :P ) From Ekohdesign

Vintage Rubbermaid sugar and creamer listed by ShopJude

Lovely tea towel from SpiceRakDesigns

Bright and cheerful pair of handmade trivets to match the tea towel from SpiceRakDesigns

A lovely pair of vintage tea cups listed by IrishWater

Gorgeous, handmade onion/potato bin with extra storage from SimplyRustic

Upcoming week...

2009-02-22T22:12:00.003-05:00

So this upcoming week sees the hubby traveling for work from Tuesday through late Friday. I am quite dreading it. I'll be staying with my parents for some of the time so I don't get all weird (I get so weird when I'm all alone :P ). The real bummer is that he needs to go on a day trip on the Saturday too, which is my birthday! And I also need to get in 40 solid hours of work for my day job. So an all around icky week.

I haven't thought of a new theme for Tuesday yet. And I'm also thinking I should really be contacting the etsy sellers up front first. I've read quite a bit of debate about it on the etsy forums. I was thinking it was okay since I always link to the item and the shop but I would hate to upset anyone by not asking first. Any thoughts?

EDITED 02/23 - I've decided it really is best to ask first and it's been going very smoothly so far! :)

Just too cute!

2009-02-17T10:20:00.010-05:00

It's time for another themed post with some of my favorites from etsy sellers. This week I'm posting lots of different kinds of items with just one thing in common - an abundance of cute!

I love cute things so please share cute items in the comments if you want - either your own or someone else's items as long as there's lots of cute involved!

(Also, be sure to enter my blog giveaway! You could win an item of your choice from my shop worth up to $12 USD)

A cheerful, little fried egg from plushoff who makes the cutest felt food!

Birdie soap (yep, soap!) from LoveLeeSoaps

A very sweet print from trafalgarssquare of her original watercolor

A cuddly little monster from LowellandSon

A neck warmer for your dog! And it's called "The Shakespeare" for added cuteness. Made by BeanTown.

Lovely, high-quality plush apple pillow from MyDearDarling - you can personalize it!

Handmade orange and lemon buttons from tinyark in Dublin, Ireland

It's alive! Eeek!

2009-02-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

I should probably get better organized before my etsy projects overrun the whole apartment! So far, it's only affecting the guest bedroom and the dining room table, but when the MIL makes the trip across the pond to visit next month, that's going to have to change. Eek!

If you're an etsy seller too, are you having the same overgrowth problem or do you have it all figured out? :)

P.S. The pic is a sneak preview of one of my new items!

A blog giveaway to celebrate my birthday! A chance to win an item worth $12 USD

2009-02-12T11:23:00.009-05:00

From now through my birthday (February 28, 2009), you can get up to three entries in my giveaway!! The winner will get to choose one item from my shop worth $12 USD or less. Shipping is free too of course!

The winner could also choose to have a similar item worth $12 USD or less made in a different color if I have it available! This is a great chance to try out one of my hand knit accessories.

Here are the three ways you can enter :

1. Comment here about which item (listed at $12 USD or less) you would choose. If you win, you can change your mind about your choice of course!

2. Follow my blog. Those already following my blog already have one entry!

3. Spread the news about my giveaway by plurking, twittering, blogging, facebooking, etc. and comment here with a link to it. (One entry for this no matter how many places you post about it, but I will totally love you and be your friend if you promote it in more than one place! )

Taking a cue from the lovely HeathensHearth ladies, I will use randomizer.org to randomly pick the winner on Sunday, February 29th. Make sure I know how to contact you!

A great blog giveaway from HeathensHearth!

2009-02-12T09:55:00.005-05:00

HeathensHearth, a lovely bath and beauty products seller on Etsy, is having a great contest right now! There are several ways to enter. Please check out the details and rules and check out their wonderful shop! It's a chance to win $20 worth of great products.

Some Dream Jewelry

2009-02-09T19:28:00.011-05:00

Welcome to my third, weekly themed post with some of my favorite items on Etsy. This week I'm sharing some of my favorite "dream jewelry" - pieces I love that I either can't afford to buy or just don't have the style to pull it off!

As always, click on the picture to be taken directly to the listing -

A beautiful necklace from jelli (aka gemheaven) with my birthstone - amethyst!

A feminine and lovely necklace that can double as a bracelet from bunnyindisguise

I love this gorgeous sterling silver and pearl necklace from Icelandic jewelery maker saedis

Eye-catching necklace from briguysgirls

Beautiful sterling silver bracelet made by divalovessilver

A bold, unique ring from cvoneschen of Wire and Wool

Enchanting earrings from andreaellen with real lava beads

A sample of bath and beauty products

2009-02-02T23:03:00.017-05:00

Hello and welcome to my second weekly themed post with some of my favorite items from Etsy! Today I'm sharing some of my favorite bath and beauty products. Please comment with your thoughts on these or suggestions of your own!

As always, click the picture to be taken directly to the listing -

Gorgeous, alluring soap from HeathensHearth with the scent of sandalwood.

A great shaving soap from DesertSoapStone. You choose from a long list of enticing scents! I have a sample of the Oatmeal Milk and Honey.

Not only was this soap from TheBeerSoapCompany made with beer, it was made with Newcastle Brown, one of the best beers around!!

Pretty Neopolitan soapsicle from AnniePoo. Looks good enough to eat but don't!

A set of tinted lip balms from LeastLikely2Breed. You should check out her hilarious (and mature) body balms as well!

Pretty and frilly heart-shaped soaps made with chocolate (yes! chocolate) from TheChocolateBath.

A cute set of six, mini heart-shaped soaps from BubblesNSuds. The edges make me think of Reeses' Peanut Butter cups! :P

Lovely lip balm from DesertSoapStone. You pick your own flavor from Lemongrass, Rosemary Mint, Spearmint, Lavender, and Ginger. I have it in Lemongrass.

A luscious, honey lip balm from HeathensHearth.

Do you twitter? I like to plurk

2009-01-30T10:32:00.004-05:00

I've been having a lot of fun on Plurk, which is a social networking site. It's like really tricked out twitter basically. I love the scrolling timeline and how comments appear organized underneath each "plurk". I also really like the notification system they use. I'm trying to build up my friends list on Plurk - I think it could be about effective as twitter at promoting, but so far I'm having more fun using it to chat with people online than promoting my shop.

If you already plurk, please post your profile link so I can add you as a friend!

Excitement! First custom order

2009-01-29T10:44:00.007-05:00

Just had to share my excitement over completing my first custom order. It was fun working on this cozy set for such a nice buyer. I would not have thought to work in black, but I really like how it's
turned out, especially with the buttons I chose.