ahhh handmade!

I was really hoping to have a week of vacation to make things for my shop in June, but my worker's comp trumped that. It's amazing how this works...I was stuck at home and depressed, not even being able to sit for any decent length of time because of the swelling of my left foot and I was too down to make things. Which is really quite dumb because the thing that makes me feel best and really myself is when I am being productive and creating...What a terrible downward spiral those 2.5 weeks were!

Towards the end of the last week, just before returning to work, I made these two pairs of baby shoes:(Click photos for more info!)


Pink woodgrain! One of my fave fabric patterns.




But I'm back! And I have no plans other than a few work and education-related after-work activities and some serious yoga classes to attend in the next two weeks. I have a decent-sized custom order, 8 cupcake makeup bags for my boss's bridal party gift totes. I want to get them done even though she won't need them until early September. I ordered the fabric, so hopefully I will have them finished in a week's time or so. That will be nice, one more thing out of the way. My retro aprons are never going to be finished!

I have a week's vacation set up for the first week of August, going to a family reunion of my dad's side of the family. It should be a BLAST, I'm trying to decide if there's enough room in the car for my sewing machine. It would be nice to get some stuff done. I will have to close up shop for that week, which is a little scary, as August tends to do pretty well. I may just announce delayed shipments instead.

In other handmade news?

I made a pair of pretty sweet (if I do say so myself!) coasters for a friend who has become quite dear to me quite quickly as a thank you for keeping me sane through mid-contract negotiations. I used out-of-print Loteria fabric on ceramic tiles, modgepodged the fabric cut to fit, then polyurethaned them so they are completely waterproof. I'd never tried polyurethane-ing fabric before, and it seemed to work pretty well. I paired that with a bottle of Maker's Mark and now when I come over, my friend shows me he has them every time, which makes me smile to no end.

I made a 0-3 month dress and a 3-6month dress for the new babies in my dear friends' lives. My buddy Greg who works in Security at MoMA just had a beautiful baby girl named Paayton Grace. I can't wait until her tiny chubby body fits the 0-3 dress, give it a week or two and I should have photos! For Tamsin, a co-shop steward, I made a 3-6 month dress because she's got maternity leave for 4 months and I thought she'd be able to get some use out of a larger size. Tamsin gave birth to a very healthy Flora Zoe on June 22nd. I know she will send me photos when the dress fits, but that will be in quite some time.

Well, time to go back the fulltime job that pays the bills...lunchtime is over! Photos to come soon!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Birdies!

I finally got my worker's comp. claim #, but nobody's been assigned to my case yet. I'm feeling a little better just knowing it's being worked on. I was feeling pretty darned hopeless this morning.

I ordered 5 new yards of fabric from FabricWorm, so be on the lookout for new things soon! I bought this New Michael Miller below and can't wait to make pillows and baby shoes with it:



My landlord is supposed to be painting my apartment, I've lived in the same place for 3.5 years, so apparently it is time. I still have not heard back on when, and I'm living in a state of not wanting to put anything up until the painting gets done.


Because I've been lying in bed a lot resting my injured foot, I decided to finally put up the vinyl birdie decals I bought from Elephannie a few months ago. I know I will have to take them down once the Super paints, but I will just buy more. In the meantime? I get to wake up and see these little guys above my closet and they make me happy. I need more happiness. It's so easy to wallow and find myself depressed over something stupid that leaves me fairly immobile for (so far) 4 days.

On top of that, the front runner in the boy dept. is causing my mind to question my attraction to those who are unavailable, and the union stuff never stops, the grievances just keep coming!

My poor little toe! The little guy was never able to fend for itself. =P

I was able to make a new pair of baby shoes last night and listed them this morning. They are super sweet and I hope somebody snatches them up quickly, as the print is definitely one of my new favorites!


(click photo for more info)

That's been the extent of my creativity unless you count planting more herb seedlings on my window.

If I had more money, I would go on an Etsy shopping spree, but I just paid rent and bills and am feeling less than comfortable spending more money on myself. So I've just been 'heart'ing everything in site. My poor attempt at a play on words. ;)

Well I'm going to try to drag my sewing machine to my desk and make at least one more pair of shoes. Productivity makes me happiest.

What I wouldn't give to have a hot glue gun handy! I'd at least make recycled magazine page coasters. I wish my hardware store delivered. I don't know why I have no hot glue gun but approx. 100 hot glue sticks, a mystery for the ages...?

<3 Always,
--Taina

How good it feels...

...to be making things again!

After almost a month hiatus from making anything new for my shop, I finally sat down and created these adorable baby shoes:


(Click photo for more info)

I also cut out the fabric for another pair I hope to finish tomorrow morning before work.

Wow, I'd almost forgotten how great it feels to make things for Etsy!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Lazy Saturday...

I had all of these things I planned on doing today and got nearly none of them done! I did spend some time on my computer and got some stuff done there.

I finally updated my Flickr account to where I want it to be! I created an account years ago and all the photos were terrible and it just wasn't fun, so I revamped it, deleted all the really old photos, created sets of self-portraits and things I've made for Etsy...added myself to some groups, found a few contacts...Yay! I'd been putting off fixing it up for a while.

I also sat at my sewing machine and made a pair of baby shoes for My shop:


(Click photo for more info)

And now I'm going to clean my apartment, order a veggie burger and make some more stuff.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Febrrrruary!

The good thing about it being incredibly cold this month is that it is only the 6th and I've already made a few things for my shop. It's too cold to stay out, my apartment is nice and warm, which makes it quite a nice environment for creating things.

I made a few pairs of baby shoes and a throw pillow. I listed the throw-pillow yesterday and it already sold! I love when that happens!


Birds and Blossoms pillow.

And I made my first pair of organic baby shoes:


The outer fabric is 60% organic cotton and 40% organic bamboo, and SO SOFT! =) I love it! I plan on making other things with the fabric.

The same day, I made these sea turtle baby shoes which I think are totally sweet:


And today I made these cute baby shoes as I am trying to create more gender-neutral baby items:



Tomorrow I plan on listing at least one new makeup bag and coin purse, and possibly a throw pillow, so stay tuned!

<3 Always,
--Taina

I <3 sewing!

I always wonder what other people's work areas look like. I'm still revamping mine, so I will be posting a photo or two every once in a while.



This is the sewing machine I most frequently use, it was my mother's. My dad actually got it for my mom as a present in the 70's. The brand is "New Home". It's super basic; zig-zag, straight, reverse, buttonholes...I got it fixed up after my mom let me borrow it. It weighs at least 30lbs and is mostly metal, and thankfully has a great carrying case, because I dragged it all the way downtown by subway to a mom&pop shop to get it fixed and cleaned. It now works like a dream! Let's hope my mom never finds a reason to want it back! =) There's something to be said about older sewing machines.

Speaking of...my other sewing machine is a 1947 Singer that comes in a table. I inherited it from my grandmother once my grandfather passed away. It's actually what the "New Home" is resting on. I use the small table when I make small things, like baby shoes and coin purses. Anything larger? I move the New Home to a full desk an old roommate gave me. I will take pics of everything soon.

Here are my newest baby shoes, item 5/10 for January:



I'm off to sew up 6 and maybe 7/10 for the month of January.

<3 Always,
--Taina

January 3/10 and 4/10

I've been cutting tons of fabric recently and finally sat down at my sewing machine late last night to stitch fabric pieces together. I told myself I could watch "Baby Mama" only if I sewed the entire time I watched it. I have had "Baby Mama" from Netflix for more than two months and still hadn't seen it!

So while watching it, I made two pairs of baby shoes:

The pair above is definitely one of my favorites I've made so far. I think they are just darling!



(As always click the photos for more info!)

And right now? I have FIFTY items in my shop! I don't know if I've ever had 50 items in my shop before. I have another showcase date coming up in a couple weeks, so hopefully I will sell some of these items!

So today I hope to sew a couple more pieces. First? I have to go to the Post Office. I now have two penpals and I feel like I'm slacking! I already missed the drop-off time for my corner blue mailbox and I should probably drop off my netflix dvds. eeps!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Le sigh...

I have not blogged in a few weeks! eeps! I have a blog coming up about Operation Santa, I sponsored 6 letters, 8 kids in total. I still have to scan in a couple of the letters for the entry, so it will have to wait.

I bought a few things on Etsy this week. First, two half yards of fabric from CatyLouQuilts:


Turquoise Quilt Pirates


Sky Blue Cupcakes

I think they will make super cute make-up bags/pencil cases and maybe even a pair of shoes.

I also have had my eye on this ring for quite some time and finally bought it:


I can't wait until it arrives!

Christmas was gooood. I made my mother a drawing of her as a little girl letting a dove fly free. My dad got a refurbed GPS from me and I gave my brother clothes. I'd wanted it to be more of a handmade x-mas but my shop's sales picked up a bit, work picked up a ton between union work and my job, and I just had no real time to sit down and make things for my family. The handknit striped tie on size 1 knitting needles for my dad may NEVER get finished! Maybe I will give it to him for my birthday.

My dad got really into "Hobbit Birthday"'s. When a hobbit has a birthday, he celebrates by giving gifts to others. I like the idea of that, and it gives me two more months to finish his tie!

I missed the Bust Craftacular here in NYC, which I was very disappointed by. I was super sick and depressed because of being sick so I skipped it. The good news? My roommates went and bought me blue fabric with turtles on it that will make some super cute baby shoes. I hope to make a pair tonight!

Also, I'm really into this whole burlesque idea. I've been pondering it for quite some time, years, really. I think it would be fun to do the silly performances, not the really serious ones. I also think it would be great for boosting confidence levels.

I haven't been feeling so great about myself recently. I stopped working out, I'm eating tons of junk...and because of it, I'm feeling sluggish. So starting tomorrow? No candy for a month! and starting tonight? exercising every day for at least 15 mins until my birthday, on Feb. 24th. Yesh. That's the plan. And maybe burlesque classes... =) How awesome would it be if all of my burlesque type stuff was handmade? I think it would be pretty sweeeet.

Time to go cut some fabric and sew! Later Gators!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Sales still thrill me...

Yesterday I made a pair of baby shoes out of this really great green fabric with a leaf print on it:



I sold 3 pairs of shoes in the last 24 hours! You would think after selling more than 200 items, I wouldn't be happy but not thrilled. I am THRILLED by each and every sale. It's such a great feeling to make an item by hand and actually have someone be so interested in it that they are willing to pay for it.

I'm hunting for some gender neutral and "boy" fabric, as I'm continuously being asked for shoes for baby boys. So stay tuned!

<3 Always,
--Taina

New baby shoes!

Hooray! I sold a pair of dragonfly baby shoes and made another pair. I also just listed these really fun and colorful yellow shoes:


(Click photo for more info)

I cut the fabric for 3 more pairs of shoes and another pillow last night. I plan on sewing another pair of shoes tonight and the pillow tomorrow morning. I have a Showcase date on Etsy starting at midnight EST tonight. I hope it generates some good views and maybe even a few sales!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Heart To Heart

I just threw down ::gasp!:: $110 for a portable GPS system for my dad for Christmas. It's all he wants, he expected to buy himself one and I had to tell him to trust me and not buy one for himself, which sucks because I really really wanted it to be a surprise. I'm hoping he forgets over the next month or at least feigns shock.

If you know my dad, please please don't say anything to him! Pretty please? I bought him the Magellan 3250, refurbished from TigerDirect.com. It was $89.99 plus a $17.99 extended warranty and $1.99 shipping. Egads! I always question myself repeatedly when I spend that kind of money on something. Looks like I will be eating whatever is in my cupboards until I get paid on Thursday.

I bet you are wondering what this post has to do with "My Handmade Life". I am getting there... =)

I just listed my new item for today, not a minute too soon, as there's only 5 mins left of "today".


(Click photo for more info!)

The fabric I used is called "Heart To Heart" which I thought was a great name and fun colorful pattern for baby shoes. My hope is that I can post at least an item a day through December, hopefully generate more sales and be able to sponsor more underpriviledged children through "Operation Santa" this year. Last year I sponsored 8 letters from children and parents, 11 children in total and it felt AMAZING. I really hope to sponsor 12 children's letters this year.

So many of these kids write just asking for a winter coat or new shoes because their single parent has no money for them. It's heartbreaking but heartwarming to know I can help. Last year I had a letter from a single unemployed father who couldn't afford warm clothes for his 3 young daughters. It was fun buying coats, gloves, scarves and toys for them and knowing I was making a difference.

So here's to hoping I sell more items! Tomorrow before work I hope to finish a pillow out of new fabric, photograph it and list it.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Finally catching up...

I've been SUCH a slacker with making new items for my Etsy shop. I finally listed a new pair of shoes today:


(Click photo for more info)

My hope is to make something new every day to list. I'm going to make a pair of heart shoes next.

I find I'm much more productive in the mornings than the evenings. I think it may be because of the instant gratification of being able to photograph and list the item immediately instead of making an item at night and waiting until morning to list it.

In other news? I just bought a notecard and postcard from Charliemotel.etsy.com and fell in love w/ one of her illustrations:



If I sell at least one item this week, I will buy it. Here's to hoping!

<3 Always,
--Taina

Hooray for sales!

Now that I'm listing something new everyday, sales are picking up a bit! I sold 3 items this week, not too shabby for the economy being as awful as it is currently. I sold two pairs of baby shoes (one custom order). and couldn't be more thrilled!

Here's my latest pair of baby shoes, I <3 the dragonflies!


(as always, click the photo for more details!)

I'm currently making origami boxes for them out of thick square baby-themed scrapbooking paper, to make them as adorable as possible when I ship them this afternoon. I just think they'd be perfect with shoe boxes to match.

On the list of things to do today?
1. photograph latest baby shoes.
2. make one more pair of baby shoes and photograph them.
3. make origami shoe boxes.
4. package up items to be shipped.
5. Go to the Post Office.
6. Take an hour nap?
7. exercise with new Pilates ball & dvd.
8. Meet up w/ Bette this evening

<3 Always,
--Taina

New Shoes!

I'm on a roll with the new shoe pattern!

My migraine is completely gone and I couldn't be happier!

I've got a kids showcase date on Etsy for the 13th and want to load up my shop w/ lots of stuff. I'm SO GLAD I get out of work @ 5pm. I'll be home by 6pm, make apple butter and sew more booties. w00t!

Here's the lastest pair:


(Click photo for more info)

I can't wait to make more! I just ordered some organic cotton/bamboo fabric from CatyLouQuilts and hope to get my hands on some polartec fleece (it's recycled) to make organic baby shoes.

I can't think about my fulltime job because my mind is clouded with visions of handmade things dancing in my head.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Baby Shoes - my first pair!

Yesterday I had the worst migraine, I'm not going to go into details but it was NOT pretty. Once the migraine started to subside late afternoon, I found myself very down that I hadn't been productive, so I cut lots of fabric and made a few pairs of baby shoes. I photographed 3 pairs this morning but only had time to list 1 of the pairs. They are super cute! I brought them to work and my coworkers all "oooooh"'ed and "ahhhhh"'ed at them. I've got a few orders already for custom sizes!

Here's a photo and link to the pair I just listed this morning:


(Click photo for more info)

They are fleece-lined, so warm and snuggly for colder months and made to fit 0-6 month olds! I'm so thrilled with them!

I can't wait to get home from work tonight to list the other two pairs!

I want to make origami boxes for them out of scrapbooking paper. I think they'd be super cute.

<3 Always,
--Taina