Shower Gift & Favor Ideas

If there's one thing I've learned after attending three Bridal Showers in my honor and planning a wedding (& thinking about hosting parties in my own house), it's trying to come up with cute & creative little gifts without looking like you ran to the Box Store up the street.

The first shower I offered to help the hostess with the game prizes. I made one set of hotmits, like these:


and one dishcloth/hand towel set.

Making these as prizes started my gears turning and I thought about all my friends to whom I've eagerly given matching sets (hotmits, dishcloths & a hand towel) as house-warming gifts when they make a big move.

Hand towel
Hotmits Pair

And I wondered, "How cute would these sets also be as bridal shower prizes (or favors in small set-sizes) or even baby shower gifts?"

The hand-towels are also the perfect size for burping cloths and they get washed in the same load.  Not only would they be cuter than the boring white towels, but, instead of handing them down to another new mother, these towels could be repurposed as hand-towels when Baby no longer needs burping.

washcloth/ dishcloth

What else have you discovered in your own projects that you hadn't thought of before?

PS - check out this one of a kind you-know-who-lives-in-a-pineapple-under-the-sea character I made for a 5-year old boy for Christmas a couple years ago.  I told him he could use it as a bath-toy/ washcloth :]


First Towel Set!


It's finally here!  A kitchen towel set in the shop!


I've made many sets, but never had the time or motivation to make a set "just because" (even if it is for the shop).  It seems like I needed more motivation and a little extra inspiration for a specific someone to push me through the marathon of knitting a whole towel set versus a fun sprint of dishcloth-ing. ....


I'm especially in love with this color palette.  Yay for cool spring colors!  :]


The First Strawberry!

We had our first homegrown strawberry this morning

I picked the left one; the right one is still ripening.

and it was delicious!  The freshest, juiciest strawberry I've had since we lived in the townhouse and I had to leave my strawberry patch in 2011.


Yay for the first harvest of the backyard garden :)

Flower Weekend at the Market

Being a big fan of Homestead Soaps , I was approached by Lori to make a few soap savers to offer her customers and I jumped at the opportunity.  She has such a wealth of knowledge, I am incredibly honored to get to work with her and hopefully learn a thing or two about selling in person (vs. online).

Fast forward three weeks to Memorial Weekend, it is Flower Weekend at the Downtown Toledo Farmer's Market.  I joined Lori at her table Saturday and sold seven soap savers on the first day!  Sunday, nothing sold (I wonder if it was a completely different clientele?) and Monday three more sold (yay!).


This Thursday she also sells at the Perrysburg Market so we'll see how they do with a different group of people.  Any suggestions?


Next, I need to get a few listed online.  I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend :)

Starting the Garden for 2013

Last Friday I finally started some seeds and planted one of our raised beds with beets, kohlrabi, kale and spinach.  Although it was a chilly 45* degrees and I'm sure I was a sight planting seeds in my winter coat, all four seed packets insisted I can plant "as soon as the ground can be worked."  So that's what I did. 

Here's hoping they grow and no bunnies or deer or robins get to them before me.  :)

Pictured is a hand-me-down from my father.  But I’m thinking about getting this next year: Quick Start Germination Tray with 2" Dome

Seeds started: 4 rhubarb, 4 butternut squash, 4 bell peppers, 4 yellow crook-neck squash, 8 broccoli.

What are you starting in your spring garden this year?

 
Annie sig_Contribute.jpg


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Christening Set

While in Gatlinburg, TN with my husband's extended family on his father's side, I continued on my baby sock marathon with a few variances.

1.) I made a pair of socks in white


2.) And, to break up the sock monotony plus to go along with the Christening theme, I tried out a bonnet pattern that's been on my list well over a year.


I was surprised how quickly it whipped up and may have to try it again with the proper hook size (I was using one size smaller than the pattern called for) for baby gifts.


Now I guess I have to find a dress pattern to go with this set.

Teaching Knit & Crochet


Source

Starting Thursday, April 4th I will be teaching knit and crochet classes at the craft store where I used to work.  In April, we are starting off with the basic stitches (Knit & Purl stitches for the knitters; and single, double, half-double, and treble for the crocheters) and I hope to add more classes like double-point needles (knit) and chevron shell stitches (crochet) to the class list for May.

I'm thinking knit wrist warmers & baby hats would be great starting projects for double-point needles and crochet baby blankets in the chevron shell pattern.  What do you think?

As for the basic classes, I think crocheted phone cozies and knit dishcloths will be the quick & easy projects to wet one's appetite for useful and fun projects.  Thoughts?  Pattern suggestions?

Source

Please let me know if anyone here is interested in taking a class as I am trying to get a feel for dates/times that work best for everyone as well as what stitches/ patterns spark interest.  Any suggestions or advice when it comes to teaching?  This will be my first time formally teaching a class that isn't at a high school club meeting among peers so any advice is welcome! :)

Pricing for Profit

I feel like I'm always circling around how to make my shop better, my items better, and blog more.  And with a new opportunity starting (which I'll be blogging about next), I've really dropped the ball on this blog due to the demands and re-strategizing of my time.  I'm hoping I'll settle into a new routine soon that will include regular blogging.

But until then, I just had to share this inspirational (and my new favorite) video seminar I just finished.  Thank you Etsy :)

etsy on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Update 4/30/15: A friend of mine shared this article by an Ebay quilt seller on her pricing strategy using PERCENTAGES of her time + materials instead of paying herself an hourly wage.  I found this to be a worthwhile read + proceeded to implement her formulas in a Google spreadsheet of my own.  
**I'm sharing my pricing formula so as to be more transparent as a seller + to educate my customers into what is included in the price asked.  Please respect this vulnerability + comment tactfully.

Update 5/2/15: Pricing Like a Pro - with a worksheet to accompany you as they work your pricing strategy through a trial + error exercise.

How do you price your items for sale?  Please share any links in the comments below.

Longies in the Shop!

They are finally up + available for purchase.  :)


I admit it was like pulling my own teeth to sit down + edit pictures.  I was anxious to just hit the publish button about two or three days ago but I had pictures + measurements to finish up.


Hopefully I'll be able to improve my longie photographs soon.


I have a couple more colors on their way.  Anyone looking for a particular color?
Happy Groundhog Day, tomorrow!