Hooray for new items!

(click the photos for more info!)
I finally got a chance to photograph two new makeup bags today and just listed them about an hour ago! I hope they sell!



My penpal cuts lots of fabric at once and then sews lots. I've always made one item from start to finish before starting another one. But the fabric cutting in one-fell-swoop really seems to work, so hopefully I will get more things up and posted soon! I'm finishing up a new pillow tonight! I hope to list it tomorrow!

Oh, and speaking of my penpal? Her birthday is coming up in about 2 weeks and I NEED to send her really random goodies from Etsy. I have no idea what to get her! There are so many gift possibilities on Etsy! The pressure's on! =) I like a challenge, though.

I keep meaning to pick up the tiles I ordered from Home Depot to start making coasters and I keep forgetting. I know it's only 6pm today, but I'm still in my PJ's. Maybe I will pick them up tomorrow after work, since I will already be outside.

My very good friend Dorian and her girlfriend Becky are moving into my apartment and I could not be more excited! I get to cook and we will have craft nights. I hope they will inspire me to make more things! I gotta get ready for the holiday season!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Crafting for me...

This week was a good week as far as Etsy goes. I sold 2 pillows and a makeup bag, shipped them out yesterday. I made a few things as well.

I like turning my sales around and purchasing things off Etsy. I most recently found a pattern for an Amy Butler tanktop in CatyLouQuilts that I have been eyeing. I finally purchased it yesterday:



I looked through fabric in FabricStash's Shop and picked out one of my favorite prints, the VW Sole in the blue colorway:



I have yet to find 1" buttons and I still have to purchase the interfacing, but I am so excited about this project! I've never sewn any adult clothing before and have definitely not sewn anything for myself. I used to knit things for myself on occasion, but sewing? nope. I'm SO excited about this project. I will definitely post photos once the pattern and interfacing arrive, as I have a feeling this project will take a few more weeks. =)

So that is not where my Etsy shopping spree ended. I bought a few postcards from EricHou but can't show you which ones as my Etsy penpal reads my blog on occasion. (I'm such a tease!)

And I finally FINALLY purchased two buttons from ButtonEmpire. I've been eyeing Button Empire's buttons for quite some time. Can you guess which ones I purchased? Fine, I'll show you. =)





I am SO excited about the "The Revolution Is Being Handmade". It'll be more exciting once I make myself a tote bag.

I'm currently sporting a not-so-handmade but eco-friendly bag from MoMA. I just realized it isn't for sale on the website. That's too bad, it's a great design. I will try to describe it. It's a black flat tote bag made of spun fibers from recycled plastic bottles. It's got a great graphic white image of four different types of plastic bottles on one side. Just bright white silouhettes, I've gotten lots of compliments already and I only purchased it a week ago.

Today I am meeting with a friend in SoHo for some shopping. I'm looking for a bathing suit, a pair of shorts and a gift for a friend. I hope to find some cool postcards or notecards for my Etsy Penpal, and maybe some fabulous prints for inspiration so I can come home and make more things for my shop.

I should probably shower and figure out what to wear. I'm meeting her early afternoon.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Etsy Hunting...

I've mentioned before that I have a penpal. She recently found my blog, so I can't write too much about my handmade purchases to send her until they are already in the mail. Otherwise, there's no surprise!

TheSeaWithin and I have very similar taste in stationery. Every time I think I've found something fun to send her, two days later I am receiving something from her on the same postcard. I think it's hilarious.

She lives 3000 miles away, we've never met, we lead pretty different lives and somehow we both have Yoshitomo Nara postcard sets, Jill Bliss' Native Flowers stationery and most recently I received a postcard from her of similar nature to the notecard I was in the process of sending her. (Except I can't for the life of me figure out what I did with the envelope!)

So far the things I have purchased from Etsy are not things that she has. The robot notecard a while back? That went over nicely.



I've been eyeing BoyGirlParty's notecards for a while now and lo and behold, I receive a postcard with BoyGirlParty's artwork on it! So I quickly snatched up the notecard set on etsy. They are different images than the ones TheSeaWithin purchased.

The notecards came on Monday and I immediately wrote one out and sent it.

BoyGirlParty was a great shop to purchase from. Her cards arrived very quickly and carefully packaged. The artwork is fun and beautiful and the cardstock is professional. I highly suggest purchasing from her.

I am currently trying to decide if I should go back to sleep and cancel on dinner with a dear friend or try to force myself to get up, shower, dress and head out. It's a cold rainy day and on top of that, my meds are causing me to be nauseous with no appetite. Doesn't make for a fun dinner date w/ a good friend.

I really want to sew. I keep looking at my fabric and my sewing machine and back again. I just can't focus for that long.

I hope these side effects subside soon!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Three Day Weekend!

Good Morning!

I have tomorrow off from my fulltime job for Easter, which means I am in the middle of a three-day weekend! Awesome!

I haven't updated in a while (Bad Taina!), but I will give a summary of what's been going on in my handmade world:

Last weekend I bought a bunch of speckled chocolate M&M eggs to make birdsnest cookies for tomorrow and proceeded to eat a whole lot of chocolate, leaving not enough for cookies. One day I will learn that planning anything having to do with candy in advance doesn't work in my household. =)

I listed an owl coin purse and a leaf coin purse! I'm so stoked about them:


(Click photos for more info!)



The owl fabric makes me smile.

My spring fabric came in from FabricStash and I LOVE it! 4 half yards of different prints. I prewashed it all and cut clutch pattern pieces out of them, leaving enough fabric for more coin purses and maybe even a few makeup bags.

Yesterday I went downtown to Mood Fabrics on a hunt for heavy duty interfacing in white. No such luck. They sent me to a place on 39th Street, I asked for heavy-duty fusible interfacing, the employee swore it was fusible, I stupidly took his word for it, brought it home and nope! Doesn't fuse. I have no idea what I am going to do with this stuff. I'm using my black heavy-duty interfacing now, which doesn't show through, so it's not that huge of a deal, but I was partial to my pellon. I will have to order some online. le sigh!

My cards from MagicJelly arrived a couple days ago! She's such an awesome artist. I'm going to send one to my Etsy Penpal, Nadine.

I made my first clutch ever last night. I'm so excited by it! I think I'm going to keep it for my Easter outfit and make more for my etsy shop. I'm actually not religious at all, but Easter and Christmas are the two days my family gets dressed up and has a big dinner.

Okay, it's 10:30am, I want to make another clutch, list it, and head to the farmer's market for organic eggs to dye tonight.

<3 Always,
--Taina

She's back!

Good Afternoon!!

After a very crazy/hectic/chaotic week, it's Tuesday of a new week and I'm feeling great!

I received a letter from my Etsy Penpal yesterday. She's such an inspiration. Not only is Nadine attending grad school AND training guide dogs, but she makes a tremendous amount of new items in her spare time and is selling tons! I came home and sat in front of my sewing machine and made two new makeup bags. Including one out of the Fishy fabric I purchased from FabricStash! So exciting!



I have paypal $ burning a hole in my creative pocket. I "hearted" at least 4 listings of FabricStash's today. If I sell one more makeup bag, I will be able to place a nice order for fabric AND buy more fusible interfacing. STOKED!

The second item I made? Another pink bird makeup bag, I have yet to photograph it, though.

As usual, all photos are clickable for more info. I'm off to work and then home to make MORE THINGS! Hooray!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Tropical Flowers

Hello readers!

So two weeks ago I went to the NY Botanical Garden and took some really fun photos of plants in the tropical and desert sections of the Conservatory. The smell of summer, flowers blooming, the warmth, it was all incredibly uplifting on what was a cold/dreary Winter day.

Two nights ago I was going through my fabric and was drawn to this black and white tropical flower print. I matched it up with a red zipper, red thread and red lining and instantly fell in love with the result, which I just listed this morning:

Item #10 of January's 20:


(Click the photo for the listing on Etsy.)

Oh, and I now have an Etsy penpal! Her name is Nadine, and her shop is: http://theseawithin.etsy.com

I sent her a postcard and she sent me a notecard. I'm trying to think of fun handmade things to send her. For a while I was making envelopes out of fun paper, so I think I will send her a note in one of my sushi envelopes.

I love receiving things in the mail! One of the many reasons I love Etsy, purchasing things and having them arrive in my mailbox.

<3 Always,
--Taina