Tuesday Top 12 - Masks on Etsy

1. Spider Kanzashi pirate Mask by ccaspia
2. Fire Spirit Mask in Shimmering Gold w/Glitter Accents by artisanmaskers
3. Leather Moth Mask in Irridescent Greens and Blues by beadmask
4. Rainbow Toucan...Half Face Mask...Masquerade Ball by vintagetrading
5. Ivy Mask...Handcarved Original Leather Art Mask by Merimask
6. PDF Crochet Pattern - Party Halloween Carnival Mask by ozarknomad
7. Ribbons and twigs by prizmgirl
8. Lacy Leaf leather Art Nouveau mask in orange by TomBanwell
9. Wood Shaman Mask (Om) by CrimsonSpark
10. Crochet Masquerade Halloween Mask OOAK by mycrochetgarden
11. Black Halloween Cat Mask Paper Mache by sanssoucistudios
12. Autumn Leaf Handmade Leather Mask by kennosborne

Etsy Monday - Handy Hands Corner

Circle in the Dark / Embroidered Bag

This week's Etsy Monday featured seller is the very talented Magda of Handy Hands Corner. She makes gorgeous hand-embroidered bags and the most beautiful batik fabrics. I was introduced to her shop while on the Etsy forums the other day, and instantly fell in love with her work. Her embroidery and batiks are stunning, and I love the minimalistic style of her bags.

 

Magda has taken a moment to answer some questions about her work and share a bit of her inspiration with us. Without further ado, here's what she had to say.

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Wool Room Music - Bowerbirds

This week I wanted to feature an amazing band called the Bowerbirds. They're a trio from North Carolina, made up of Beth Tacular, Phil Moore and Mark Paulson. They're considered "nu-folk", a genre which I'm loving at the moment. I found them on YouTube originally - I'll share the first video I saw of theirs here. Their sound is warm and so rich, with beautiful vocal harmonies and a gorgeous instrumental combination of guitar, bass drum and accordian. Other songs I particularly like are "My Oldest Memory" and "Bur Oak", both of which are from their debut album "Hymns for a Dark Horse."  Here's "In Our Talons" - enjoy!

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Tuesday Top 12 - Birthday Cards

It's my birthday today, so I thought I'd do an appropriately themed Tuesday Top 12. Enjoy!

1) Robot BIRTHDAY Cards - BDAY by lrhbindustries
2) BEST WISHES, 3D Craft Card by twistywish
3) Bake Me Greeting Card by Juliapott
4) Happy Birthday Letterpress Greeting Card by twoguitars
5) Summer by EllaParry
6) Happy Birthday Mums Card by floraandfauna
7) But your birthday invitation said smart casual by ableandgame
8) Happy Birthday Circles Letterpress Card by paperdragonfly
9) Happy Knitted Birthday by fuzzywork
10) Happy birthday letterpress greeting card by smockpaper
11) Happy Birthday To You Pop-Up Card by tracychong
12) carnival happy birthday by afavorite

Etsy Monday - Twisted Silver Jewelry

Today I have to privilege to share the incredible work of Mel at Twisted Silver Jewelry. She creates gorgeous wire-wrapped jewelry, unlike anything I've seen before. She combines amazingly creative wire wrapping with stunning gemstones to create absolutely stunning jewelry.

Mechanics of the Ocean

 
Mel was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about her work, her process and inspiration. Let's see what she has to say!

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Featured on Etsy's front page!

My Caramel Diamond in the Rough fingerless gloves were on the Front Page of Etsy this morning! Unfortunately I missed seeing it, but I found a screen shot on Flickr to share. It's always exciting to be on the Front Page. Big thanks to pixelcurious for including me in this gorgeous treasury!

Check back shortly for the relaunch of my Etsy Monday feature!

The Button Drawer (.com)

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some buttons from a site called The Button Drawer. I'm going to pretend I'm not the last person to hear about this site, although I could be totally wrong. I got my order today and I was very impressed, so I thought I'd pass along the info in case it comes in handy for anyone out there searching for buttons!

These are the buttons I needed, desperately, and the reason I found buttondrawer.com in the first place. I used them last year for my crocheted cowls, and when I ran out, the store I bought them from was not able to get any more in stock.

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Wool room music - Blitzen Trapper

I've scored a sweet ipod touch for my birthday (thanks Mom)! My old nano gave up the ghost a while ago and I've been without an mp3 player for way too long. I'm very excited, and to celebrate I thought I'd kick off a new little blog feature. Music is my other passion, and I'm always seeking out new bands and artists to get into. I thought I'd share my newest finds (and old favorites) once a week for you all to check out if you'd like. I'll put songs up in the form of YouTube videos, because that's the fastest way to jump right in and listen!

Today I'll start with the very first song I listened to on my shiny new ipod. The band is called Blitzen Trapper, and the song is called Furr (from the album of the same name). They do have other good songs too, but this one is just amazing. For whatever reason, this is the first song I wanted to hear when I turned on the new ipod. I've also included the lyrics after the video (click link to full post). Feel free to comment, let me know what you think, or recommend new bands. Hope you enjoy it!

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Black Mustard is now on Facebook!

I've set up a Black Mustard Fiber Arts fan page on Facebook! I'm still poking around to see how it all works and setting things up, but feel free to check it out and if you like, become a fan! This is a great way to get updates on new products, blog posts, promotions and more right to your Facebook homepage.

Click the screen shot to visit the Black Mustard fan page - hope to see you there!

Top 12 - Bags and Purses on Etsy

1) Auvenier XL Bag with Removable Straps by iragranteco

2) Batik Plaid Amy Butler bag by hoganfe
3) Bent walnut tote by tealandgold
4) Tree in autumn Hippie bag by bamboobag
5) Blue leaves - Large corduroy shoulder bag by helisengezer
6) Plonkas II clutch - retro by dalinda
7) The Flap Bag - short linen taupe and lime by Karin Birch
8) Ruffles in grey with leather strap - shoulder bag by lovejanice
9) Chariot horses bag by manibarr
10) Point of Light. Reusable Lunch Bag. Sand by shoofly
11) Colorful high basket by mishidesign
12) Shaggy Coffee Tote - large by ShaggyBaggy

The story of my model search

I thought I'd share the story of how I found my new model for my Etsy pictures with you all. I think it'll be of interest either to other Etsy sellers or designers who are looking for someone to model their work, or just to anyone who needs a little inspiration when it comes to stepping out of your comfort zone. Here's how it happened...

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New for Fall!

I'm very excited to have listed the first of my new Fall items in my Etsy shop! Thanks to my wonderful new model, Isis Wright, I now have some great pictures to show them off. It's hard to resist the temptation to list them all at once, but in order to be noticed among all the great artists on Etsy, it's better to spread them out a bit. Here are the first two, which went up in my shop yesterday and today!

Cream Baby Alpaca drop stitch scarf

I can't even begin to describe how soft this yarn is! It is pure luxury against your skin. I plan to make more of these in quite a few colors in the next little while!

Brown Alpaca/Kid Mohair lace shawl

I love Fall colors, and this shawl is perfect for keeping out the chill now that the nights are getting colder. I used a razor lace pattern (one of my faves) to add some feminine detail without making it too frilly. We also photographed this shawl in olive green, which will be in the shop early next week.

I am so glad to have found Isis and I seriously cannot stop knitting now! I'll be writing more soon about how I met Isis and the great things that can happen when you step outside your comfort zone.

My first shoot with Isis Wright

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting with model/actress Isis Wright to photograph my new pieces for Fall. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to have someone of her beauty and talent to represent my pieces! It was an absolute treat to work with her, both in terms of the shots we got and the vibe we had with each other. I was a little nervous to meet and shoot my first "real model" but she is such a genuine person and really seemed to enjoy wearing my pieces, and I felt extremely comfortable with her. I am looking forward to working with her again in the future, and my mind is racing with new project ideas! I thought I'd share a few of my favorite shots from our session. I'll start listing these pieces in my Etsy shop this afternoon, and continue over the next few days! I could say a lot about each of these photos, but I'll let them speak for themselves.

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Wonderful Warm Earth Tones on Etsy

I was able to snag a treasury on Etsy last night and I thought I'd share it here as well! I'm a huge fan of earth tones, especially this time of year.

In other news, I think I've secured a new model for my knitwear! I'm very excited :)

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Late night knitting success and a blog feature!

I stayed up knitting till 3am last night. I'm liking this enthusiasm! I've had some delicious chunky Baby Alpaca in my stash for a while and I wanted to come up with a project for it. It's the same yarn I used last year for my button up cowls, but I've always wanted to use it for a full-length scarf as well. I wanted something simple that would showcase this amazing yarn and accentuate its softness. Yesterday during my brainstorming session I decided I would try a simple drop stitch scarf. I cast on and finished last night (hence the 3am bedtime!) and was very pleased with the results.

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Getting back on track

This is just a quick post because I'm really trying to get in the habit of blogging regularly. Hopefully the quality of the posts will improve once I get back in the swing of things! I wasn't able to photograph my knitted shawls and neck warmers on the weekend as I'd hoped, but they're all blocked and ready to go. I probably won't get another chance until this weekend now, but in the meantime I've got my mother-in-law's camera to familiarize myself with. And I've cast on for another cowl, so I'll get that ready for the weekend as well.

Last night I finished another pair of gloves and put them up in my Etsy shop this morning. I really enjoy these gloves as a quick and satisfying knit. I've stocked up on all the colors I used last year so I can restock the shop with those while I'm waiting to photograph the new stuff, as it's looking a little bare. Then, I think I'll pick up a few more colors of the merino I use for the gloves and try out a new pattern I've been playing with. There's no such thing as too many gloves this time of year I think! Here's the pair I finished last night.

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Camera set-backs, power knitting and yarn store excitement

I am so ready for Fall. We've had a couple of cooler days and I've been bit by the knitting bug again, big time. I've been working feverishly on new items for my Etsy shop... and then staring at them in frustration because I don't have a camera to photograph them. My camera bit the dust during the summer when I was at a music festival for the weekend. It didn't get damaged, it just stopped working. It won't turn on now even with brand new fresh batteries. Apparently it's a common problem with this model of camera (note to self: research technical issues before buying next time). The good news is, my birthday's coming up in less than a month and a new camera is at the top of my wish list. The bad news is that my birthday's still almost a month away, and I'd really like to get my Fall pieces listed now (insert foot stomp here)! Luckily my mother-in-law has come to the rescue. She's lending me her sweet digital SLR camera to use this week! So now I'm getting excited - I'm weaving in ends, blocking and getting props ready!

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Playing Catch Up

Photo by Josef Stuefer

This is just a quick post to say hello and let folks know I'm still alive and well. I've decided it's time to renew my blogging efforts (again). I have let it slide once more since I haven't really been doing a whole lot in the way of crafts this summer. For one thing, the record heat we've been having has not exactly made me want to have hot wool in my hands, and pretty much all of the things I do require me to do that in one form or another. Also, I've actually been quite busy with personal stuff this summer, from weddings to music festivals to family reunions. It's been a lot of fun, but it'll be nice to ease into Fall and a pace that's a bit more relaxed. And I'm really looking forward to dedicating more time and energy to my crafts and my Etsy shop again. I'm working on some great pieces for Fall - mini-ponchos made from Alpaca and Mohair and squishy, colorful Merino neck warmers are the first of many warm snuggly things to come. I love Fall and Winter for the chance to really explore my knitting and spinning, and I can't wait to get going again!

In the meantime, I've said that I want to make this blog a bit more personal and offer a whole view of myself, my thoughts and my life. So I am going to do some posts that aren't necessarily related to Etsy. I'll probably start by writing about the things I've done this summer. There's no time limit on telling stories of fun times, right? Thanks to those who still read this sad little blog... I hope to have more interesting posts coming at you soon! Wish me luck!

Green Means Go - Handspun SW Merino yarn

It's taken a little while but I've finished the yarn I was working on spinning from my own hand-dyed roving. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out!


"Green Means Go" is 179 yards of sport/fingering weight SW Merino 2-ply. So soft and squishy! I've just added it to Black Mustard Colorworks, since it's made from fiber I dyed myself. I'm really liking this color combination!

Next I'm going to try another single-ply yarn. I may start this evening after it cools down a little. Wish me luck!

My first single-ply yarn!

That's right, I finished my first singles yarn and I'm pretty proud of it! Ta-da!

I've been wanting to try making a single-ply yarn but I've put it off because I found it pretty intimidating. I know that to make a decent singles yarn you need to treadle slowly, and I tend to spin at quite a brisk pace. So I didn't know if I'd be able to achieve a nice low-twist yarn. But lately I've been working on being okay with making mistakes. Coaxing myself to try new things even if I can't be sure I'll do them well. I had just received some gorgeous BFL dyed by Kristin at All Spun Up on Etsy, and I couldn't wait to spin it. The colors are quite dark and they're over-dyed on ecru and natural brown mixed BFL so I thought it would be a good fit for a single-ply yarn. I had a feeling that using this for a 2-ply might muddy the colors a bit. Here's a picture of the roving (borrowed from the Etsy listing).

The stars aligned and I managed to produce a yarn that I'm really happy with, especially for my first try. Don't get me wrong - I still love a good squishy, sproingy 2 ply. But I can't believe how soft and fuzzy this yarn is! And it symbolizes a personal triumph for me - I conquered my inner perfectionist who normally would've chickened out. And especially with such gorgeous fiber - I admit I was a little reluctant to risk ruining it. But I pushed on anyway and I'm so glad I did!

Considering it's my first single-ply and the colors are completely "my" colors, I think I'm going to keep this one. This is the first yarn I've spun that I really can't quite bear to part with. It's hard to imagine it with the heat we've been having but I think I'll make a pair of mittens for winter. I want to make something that makes use of the fluffiness of the yarn. And it only gets cold enough for full on mittens a few times a year where I live, so I'm thinking they'll last me forever! I'll be sure to post pictures of them once they're done (probably in the Fall).

I can't wait to try another singles yarn! I'm pretty excited about this so you may see a few singles skeins in my shop soon (although I also just finished the 2-ply SW Merino I've been working on, which will be hitting Black Mustard Colorworks tomorrow). I think I'll make a few more that are pretty uniform in thickness like this one until I get comfortable with the speed, and then I'd like to try to spin a nice even slubby thick-and-thin singles yarn. Wish me luck!