Wow. I can’t believe this is TOMORROW. I’m giddy, nervous, skeered, excited… And do I have everything ready? Gee, of course not. Not yet. So close, yet SO far away. Thankfully it’s a four day event, whatever I forget/don’t complete for tomorrow’s set up and preview, I’ll make darn sure I have ready for Thursday morning.

Dahara Dreaming’s FaceBook Events has this all set up, but here are the awesome details:

Columbus Convention Center
400 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio

Hours:
Wednesday: 4 - 6pm
Thursday: 11am - 6pm
Friday: 11am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 4pm

And since you’ll be looking for us (hehe), here’s what to look for - COLOR.  Sort of like this (our setup from last Saturday at Yellow Springs Street Fair) - main difference here is that there will be yarn. Lots. Of. Delicious. Yarn. It’ll be everywhere. All the products of Dahara Dreaming, Wildflower Skin Care, I Dye Yarn, KaeBrook Kreations and Angel Squares will also be there - Knitters Connection said to just bring everything. Gotta love that!

Shout out to the hubster too, our tent braces snapped. On three sides. With duct tape and extra bags of sand that poor baby stayed up the entire time. Thanks too, to Yellow Springs who told us just to leave the busted equipment for street cleanup.

So, Knitters Connection 2009 starts tomoorrow, yo!  I so hope to see y’all there, whether you knit, crochet, spin, or just want to see something new.

Oh - and side note, my harvest bag that I previewed in my prior post debuted at Yellow Springs — sold three of them. I am one proud pattern creator. Since each one is unique, here they are.

I must  be crazy because I’m seriously trying to churn out 4 more by Thursday. Crazy. Yep. And lovin it.

Keep dreaming, friends. It’s like hope, it’s eternal, it’s strength, and it’s beautiful.

Wow, that is tomorrow morning! I’m so excited! Sad thing is that my brother, who I believe reads this blog, asked me if I was going to be there tomorrow. I just thought, well, suck. I didn’t get the word out.  I’m lagging in my blog - though I do have it on FaceBook.  You can find me on Corey Street, next to the general store.  I’m the booth with tons and tons and tons of color.

There’ll be lots of new stuff - but as I’m inventorying right now, I can’t even photo to sneak peak ya. I know, I’d be bummed too.

Hmmm - I do have a photo or two of some things I’ve been working on. One sec…

Here’s first ever pattern design all by yours truly - the Harvest Bag. This is just the mock up, and is unpressed. Be gentle with her. She was through a lot.  Her progeny, though there are only five, will be at Yellow Springs with me.

I will have Wildflower Skin Care’s new Body/Rescue Balm - oh man is it ever amazing. The beeswax makes those awful dry/scaly spots feel all normal again.

My hand dyed ruanas (aka wraps) in cotton / bamboo velour - some with shibori stitching. Here’s one that I still have yet to finish the edges. Still cute as hella!  Like that picnic table in the background dontcha.

Bunches of other things, but more importantly, I need to get it all together to take with me. See ya there — and keep dreaming.

This has been one of those great weeks. With the exception of Sunday through Wednesday night having giant golf balls covered in shards of glass going at breakneck speed through my head, it was fan-tas-tic.  Even days of migraines can’t mitigate the goodness that was this week.

Why? Well, figured out I am super-duper sensitive to the sun and heat. Got myself some excellent electrolyte supplements to put in my water so I don’t have the whole hellish headache gig going on again  - thanks to Chuck from Raisin Rack.  Why else? I finished re-skeining all my currently dyed yarn.  I wrote a pattern for baby/toddler booties out of bulky yarn (it will be free here - I’ll post it either tomorrow or Monday).

The daughter and I went to JoAnn’s and she had so much fun looking through the pattern books. Sigh.  A girl after my own heart.

I went to Creekside with daughter and hubster (which is incredible considering his work schedule of late).

Went to the Franklin Conservatory Butterfly Exhibit with my daughter.

We played the final chapter in Changeling last night with our friends (Julia of the Goblin Toybox was the GM, Jenise from Happy Squash Toys was a terrific brain-eating Redcap).  I just got all the laundry folded (six loads, no less).  My father’s trip to the emergency room was manageable and he’s doing fine.  We planted our flower and strawberry plants Thursday evening.

And today, today, is good. Finishing up some jewelry, getting some yarn in the soak for dyeing, writing this blog, working on a custom order form for my shows, drinking a cup of tea, the hubs and daughter are napping, and I’m about to start cutting into tons of fabric. What have y’all been up to lately? For good or bad, it’s worth a telling.

Keep dreamin’, I’ll be back in twenty-four or forty-eight. With or without sleep remains to be seen.  I leave you with a photo taken by the daughter:

The Daily Etsy, Friday 12/19/2008

The time has come to segue into Christmas or Holiday posts. But since I’m not all ’bout the red and green and shopping till I drop, I’m gonna do the holiday posts a bit different.

9 Days of Holidays - What the Holiday Spirit Means to Me.

Day Four - Traditions

A few days ago I blogged about our cardboard tree.  Well, today we painted it. And talked about the holiday traditions we are beginning / continuing in our family.

Sigh. Isn’t she lovely? All those stars and circles and candy canes were painted, markered on by the little one. The rest of the ornaments are all gifts we were given that we kept when we got married. There are a few more in our Christmas box, plus our tree skirt, but this is it.

Our newest family tradition - to paint / decorate / recreate / redo our christmas tree every year. And get our little one to paint all the wrapping paper every year like she did for this year. Some we kept to frame - it really is pretty. Wonder how long we have before she starts turning us into the labor law officials.

What are your traditions? What do they mean to you? Let me know!

The Daily Etsy, Tuesday 12/16/2008

The time has come to segue into Christmas or Holiday posts. But since i’m not all ’bout the red and green and shopping till I drop, I’m gonna do the holiday posts a bit different.

9 Days of Holidays - What the Holiday Spirit Means to Me.

Day One - Peace

Yeah, there’s a symbol for it. But for real, what it means is this:

Peace among people.  Acknowledging our differences so we can work together.

Peace of home.  Whether that be in rural, downtown high rise, a concrete jungle, or suburbia - and still treating the earth with respect.

Peace of mind. Whether it be in meditation, an evangelical church, raking the yard, at a headbanger’s ball, at the bar; all that matters is where the mind is at.

Peace of self. Makeup or no. Real haircolor or manic panic. Ears pierced or body pierced. Short or tall. Latino or Native American. Baggy clothes or tight. Thrfit finds or high end retail.  Curly hair or bald. Smoker or vegan. Love thyself so that you may love others and that others may love you.

Peace of a person. Honor the litttle ones. Don’t stop disciplining or being the parent; do try to not hurt their bodies so they can respect their bodies and the bodies of others.  Talk to them as little people - because they are. They’ve just had far less experience than we walking upon this earth.  Treat them as you would have them treat others.

Peace in the little things. What makes you content? Find it, do it, be it. Reach out, connect. Whatever your budget, whatever your style, find things that reflect you.  No magazine can dictate that for you.  Wherever you live, find people - one or two, or a whole group, who do things you like to do. And enjoy yourself. It is okay. The holidays are not meant to be stress and fear inducing weeks, but loving reminders of the precious things in our lives.

Peace out, yo.

The Daily Etsy: Thursday, December 11, 2008

Dude. Empty and broken beer bottles are ugly. So when someone can turn them into this:

Okay, so maybe the bottle wasn’t broken at first;  however, it was empty.  And the artist at Western Art Glass’s Shop turned it into a pair of beautifully soldered earrings in the shape of an Elm Leaf.  Six small pieces of broken glass turned into beautiful, wearable art whose origin you would not even think to be an amber beer bottle. Stained glass methodology applied to the 3 R’s in a most magnificent manner.

Next time you have a beer, recycle or send to Western Art Glass.

… is to create.

Magical Monday: Monday, December 8, 2008.

I picked up knitting when someone I greatly admire showed me the things she created. I was in awe. I’ve since knit quite a few things - scarves, hats, socks, sterling wire, bracelets, sweaters, and shawls.  I’m even working on a sweater for me, finally.  So, this holiday season, my husband and I decided to make gifts for everyone.  Which meant me. Which I was okay with. Mostly.

What we settled on were felted slippers. The same someone who helped me learn to knit helped me find a great pattern to use, Fuzzy Feet from Knitty.com - we picked colors for everyone and the list was made. Guess how many pairs I was to knit. Five? Nope. Seven? Nyet. Ten. Ten pairs. Uhm. Well, when there’s a will, there’s a way.  I’ve completed two pairs so far - one for my husband and one for my Aunt Carol.

For my husband (an almost surprise - never tell a three year old what you’re working on if you don’t want it advertised):

hubby's slippers before felting (yarn from 100PureWool.com)

hubby's slippers after felting

For my aunt:

Aunt Carol's slippers before felting (yarn is 100PureWool.com and heel/toe yarn is KnitPicks.com)

Aunt Carol's slippers after felting

A few other things I finished for the holidays ‘08:

Grandma A's scarf, yarn dyed by me! (matches a hat made last year)

Grandpa A's scarf, yarn dyed by me! (matches a hat I made for him last year)

What’s the big deal, you might ask.  Well, it’s the reason why I spotlight items made by other folks on my own blog, when I sell my own products. Handmade is magic in action; handmade supports a person, a family, a small business. Handmade is what everything was before the industrial revolution.

Don’t get me wrong, I buy and sell PlanToys, eeBoo products, and use them to augment or include in my own products. I buy coats from stores because I can’t afford a handmade and don’t want to make my own. But the other stuff, clothing, bags, jewelry, greeting cards, toys, paper, coasters, blankets, curtains, household items, pottery, is phenomenal.  Each item is unique and beautiful. There’s quite a bit of fugly out there too, but much is a wonder.

So in making our gifts to give, I feel as if we are passing on a bit of that magic, of creation, of the thought “we made this for you and only you.” And we hope that the folks who get their felted slippers feel “wow, that was made for me and only me by someone who loves me.”

That is magic, that is the spirit of handmade, and, especially, the holidays.

The Daily Etsy: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Simple, useful, eco-friendly, and wonderfully bright: I showcase felted coasters.

These are all made by hand, needle felted from merino wool (needle felting is using this tiny barbed needle to push what looks like pillow stuffing, only prettier, into the desired shape). Comes in a set of four and is just cute to boot.  Other coaster sets and other felted items can be found in Umbellifer’s Shop.

My first tutorial! Yay!

I’ve been cranking these out, so in lieu of making a Magical Monday post and a Daily Etsy for today and yesterday, I figured I’d share in the tute love.  Besides, I don’t have energy for much else at the moment - the three year old is going through some mental growth spurt that isn’t allowing her (or us) to sleep. We’ve tried. She’s tried!  Eight hours of sleep for three days does not a happy three-year old make.  Well, happy parents - she’s doing just fine. Figures.

Anyway - I’m going to show you how to make these:

Why, you might ask, would anyone make chalkboard ornaments? You might not be asking, but my dear spouse did. He likes them, but just doesn’t get them. So, some quick answers - they’re fun! You can make them in any shape and fabric you desire (not just my funktastic toadstool).  The kids can draw on / decorate them over and over and over again.  They’re great gifts for those with kids; they can also be used as big gift tags (mine are about palm sized, or whatever else you can think of.

Materials You’ll Need:

- chalk cloth (some JoAnn’s carry it, you can order online also from Vogue Fabrics)
- fabric of choice - wovens only; I’ve used flannels, regular weight, as well as nearly home-dec weight.
- lightweight iron on interfacing
- spray adhesive
- eyelets (or just use a round buttonholer from your machine)
- ribbon
- permanent marker

Here’s how to:

First, draw and cut out your shape. I use freezer paper - it holds up to many a tracing. If you plan on doing these en-masse on a regular basis, you might consider getting a stamp made out of your shapes (like Rubber Stamp Press or The Star Box on Etsy). Then, with the wrong side of the chalkboard cloth, with the shiny side of the freezer paper down (it won’t skid this way - I kid you not), trace your design with a permanent marker. The marker won’t bleed through.

Here’s what you’ll have - a handy dandy, ready to cut shape. Cut out with some good scissors. Don’t worry, chalkboard cloth doesn’t fray.

Here’s your cutout - all nice and curled up.  Don’t worry, by the time you’re all done, they’ll lay flat as can be.

Have your chosen fabric all ironed up, then iron on the lightweight interfacing on the wrong side (usually the lightest weight will do; I used Pellon 808 or 809 - I can’t remember which one this is).  With the wrong side / interfacing up, spray the adhesive on and tap the chalk cloth cut out onto it. Do not get any adhesive on the chalkcloth. It doesn’t like to come off.

The chalkcloth will lay nice and flat - cut the shape out of the fabric. It’s better to err on the side of caution and cut a little extra of the fabric side.

Take the cut out piece to your sewing machine and use a stitch you like - you can straight stitch, use a decorative stitch, or a zig zag stitch (which is what I chose).  I do recommend stitching fabric side up - it’s much easier to see.  You can almost see the zig zag stitching I used below.  In hindsight, I’d probably use black bobbin thread and the coordinating spool thread.

Now, snip the threads. Punch the eyelet through, and string the ribbon. Ta daa! All done

I hope you’ve enjoyed.  You can also buy these in sets of four in a few days from my Etsy shop, Dahara Dreaming. Come on, like I wouldn’t have a little self promotion.

Yeah, coming back Monday night at 11pm and then catching up on general housework, mail, emails, bills, packing and shipping after essentially being gone for the prior 5 days took a lot of time.

So I may be back, but I miss my grandmother terribly; due to geological circumstances, I just can’t be there right now.  The viewing was wonderful; seeing all those that knew and cared for Grandpa left a warm, resonate note on the love of family in my heart.

The funeral service was beautiful. Seeing the casket with the flag draped over it brought home how real him being gone was, his gruffness, his love, his pride, his ethic - and that was my breaking moment.  Still brings tears to my eyes.  I can’t wait to go back and talk for hours on end to my grandma about the two of them.

So, in thinking on my grandpa and all that he’s taught me, even long distance, I’ve closed down all my shops to revamp everything.  The blog will continue (yay!), and the shops will be back up in about two weeks - better and functioning at a level that’s exciting to me and everyone that visits.

I’m breaking up the products I manage for other mamas into their own esty shop and trying to figure out how to manage the clothing / yarn / silks / jewelry I create - break up or keep together?  Comments on that would be divine.

And, in honor of my grandfather, I’ve been lighting a candle for him and my grandmother each night.  Which leads us to The Daily Etsy after three. long. days. off.

Today’s Daily Etsy is from oneblackbird’s shop, aka Diana Fayt’s Shop.  These glowbowls are sensationally simple and beautiful.  They have an innate handmade, textural appeal that is undeniable; simultaneously elegant and earthy.  I would love these in my bedroom, living room, even outside (if I didn’t have to worry about high winds).

They are extremely delicate and hung on wite cable that helps the appearance of floating in air, one on top of another.

The ambient lighting during the evening hours is soothing and soft; perfect for dinner, dinner parties, a relaxing evening, romance, evening yoga practices and so on.  The light sculpture during the day is quite lovely with the soft white color of the clay, though I will say I do wish they came in other colors.  Perhaps they can be painted?  That’d make an amazing personalized gift for nearly anyone.

They come in strands of five, seven, or nine bowls.  And while I want one yesterday, I’m not assured they’d be safe from the climbing adventures of my three year old just yet.

These appealed to me greatly; they’ve been in my Daily Etsy file for quite a while.  They were beautiful prior to my grandfather’s death, but even more so now in memorial.  They’ll continue to be beautiful art, useful and appreciated, in the years to come.