50 Items in my Etsy Shop!

I feel pretty awesome right now!  I finished up another snap up billfold and it turned out AWESOME!  I think I'll keep the design as is for now unless I figure out a way to make it easier to use.  I modified the ID pocket and the over all length and it seems to work just fine for now.  I'll have to see how it goes over before I make a ton.  Maybe I should do a give-away for a critique kind of thing, so I can get some constructive feedback on it. 

My other awesomeness is that I have finally reached my goal of having 50 items in my little Etsy shop!  I get to celebrate by working on some of my new ideas for metal/leather cuffs and such:)  I am also working on a stack of large pouches to add too.  It feels good to not be stressed out about making things to fill up the shop.  I hope I can keep it up.   I am crossing my fingers!

That's it for now, back to work and all that:)

So This is What I Came Up With

This is the newest.  It's a new take on an old design that lots o' people have been asking for at the last couple of shows I have done.  So it's kind of a billfold but with the added bonus of an interior zipper pocket, and ID window, card pockets, and two hidden pockets, plus a big ol' pocket for dollars and such:)  I really like it, but it is pretty bulky right now, so I am working on the design of the interior for a bit on the next one I cut out before I'm going to start making bunches of them and listing them for sale.  I think I might have the bulky somewhat solved but we shall see.  I love the applique and how this wallet looks like it has warts!

Zippers, Snaps, and Buttons

This is my newest color combination: a very muted but beautiful one in sage green, lavender, grey, and black. I am finishing up a pouch right now that shows off more of the yumminess of this color combination. I am off to town later to find a couple of pieces of fabric, a couple zippers and some snaps that will work well with this combo because I am making quite a few pieces with these colors. I love our local fabric store. I can always find some little square of fabric that will work for my pieces and our local antique store has a great supply of antique and vintage sewing notions. Too cool! I am excited as well because the North Country Fair will be happening today and tomorrow so Ciaran and I, and possibly Mark will enjoy the local artisans' work, and some yummy food all accompanied by live local music.

Then it is home and back to work! Hopefully I will get the evening to work on stuff, I tried last night but the kid kept waking up so I finally gave up around 11:30pm. I hope the trip downtown, the fair, and our walk home will be enough to wear him out for a decent sleep tonight. My brain is fading after a whole week of this. I feel sort of dull, and uninspired, and I am sure it is due to sleep deprivation. The only word I can think of is "WHATEVER!" in big green letters and red polka dots flashing all around them when anything good or bad happens. Oh well, it's better than the phrase that went flashing through my head in bright violet letters last night when I ran foot first into the vacuum cleaner. I won't repeat what the phrase was, I don't want to offend anyone.

It's done! My first travel wallet, complete with zipper compartment on the interior. I really like how it turned out. The design of the wallet needs a few minor adjustments but I think it will work. I am having so much fun making snaps I can't believe I didn't try sooner. I hope to make a lot more in the next few weeks. As soon as I finish up a few other things then I will be concentrating on perfecting my snap an zipper techniques. I think I have it down pretty much, but I just want to see what possibilities my abilities have.

Other than that, Ciaran and I will probably take a little break this afternoon to go and check on my parents' elderly kitty Oliver, who is very old and completely deaf. My parents are in Seattle this week picking up their new puppy Duffy. My dad is so excited about his new little friend. He lost Zeke (his other dog) in November and has been so upset about it. I hope Oliver deals well with the new friend. He is pretty tolerant of everyone around him including dogs but he is so old and frail now, I hope his health holds out. So Ciaran and I will go and hang out with Oliver and keep him company for a while. He always seems to appreciate a visit. Ciaran always appreciates having a new furry friend to hang out with.

My Snappy Project and Other Things

It's all done! My first item for sale with a snap. I sat down yesterday with a brutal headache and decided to design a new wallet one that would specifically use a snap and there it is. I really like how it turned out. I am getting ready to put a couple more together. I am thinking a purple one, a green one, and an orange one. It should be a colorful week.

I have been having lots of problems with my allergies this last couple of weeks and I think they have finally zapped my sinus cavities pretty well. I have had a constant headache for the last few days and my sense of smell and taste is pretty much gone. I hate when that happens. I guess it is good in a way when you can't smell awful smells, and can't taste terrible things. It always came in handy when I was working with children because when I was like this, I never smelled all the weird kid smells.....and there is always a weird kid smell somewhere! I am trying all sorts of things to clear out my head but so far all that works well is the zombifying anti-snozzle medication. I hate it. Poor Ciaran who is having some intestinal issues this morning is reaping the benefits of having a zombie for a mom. He is fussy every two seconds but I am on a fifteen to twenty second delay. So now he is extra frustrated. I feel bad but since I am a zombie all I can do is point and groan. We are both pretty tired from being up all night so we may just stay in and relax today. Maybe I will bake something yummy for Mark and Ciaran. Oh wait, if it burns I won't be able to smell it....bummmer!

I'm Feeling Snappy!

I finally got myself a snap making kit this weekend to expand on my leather working capabilities. I started thinking about snaps as a different way to close my cuffs which I usually use a slide or button closure for. I thought it would be nice to have a snap closure to add to the mix, especially since I am working on some more manly and unisex cuffs that just don't look right with button closures. I had invested in a heavy duty rotary punch a couple of weeks ago to help make the edge sewing on a few of my wallets a bit easier on my hands. I thought getting a rotary punch and some leather needles was exciting, but the snap kit takes the cake. It involves hammering and that is one of my favorite things to do. I guess I just like to make noise. Hammers tend to be noisy while in use. Our neighbors are gonna love me! I made my first snap when I got home on Saturday and it turned out perfect! I think I will practice a bit more before I actually put a snap on one of my wallets....just to be safe. Now if I could just perfect my zipper installation, life would be just perfect.

Other than that, Mark and I celebrated our eleven year anniversary on Saturday. We completely forgot about it until we were on our way home from our walk downtown Saturday evening. We were talking about making cornish pastries and chocolate cake for dinner and somehow the subject of our anniversary came up. It was a nice night, we celebrated by eating our lovely dinner of cornish pastries and chocolate cake. Maybe next year we will remember and actually plan a celebration in advance.