I heart custom orders!

A few weeks ago, a former coworker of mine asked me if I could make a makeup bag for her friend's birthday. I was so excited! She picked out the fabric (Alexander Henry's 2D Zoo in Sage), and said she'd love turquoise or yellow for lining and zipper. Well, I thought turquoise and yellow might be a bit much, so I used a white zipper and turquoise canvas for the lining and I love how the finished product turned out! I will have to make more of these for my shop.



Today? I'm off to drop the bag off at work even though it's my day off. Cara doesn't work with me anymore, she works in a different department in the same Museum. Then I'm off to Mood to buy some muslin and a 20" zipper for the dress I want to make and then to my parents' place, as my cousin Andy is home on leave from Afghanistan and I want to give him a huge hug before he goes back.

<3 Always,
--Taina

My Etsyversary!

Today marks my Three Year Etsyversary. Yup, that's right, I registered my shop on Etsy on September 10th, 2005. I was planning this big promotional sale and just kind of...forgot? It sneaked (snuck is incorrect, btw) up on me this year!

Looking back to the very beginning, this was the first item I ever sold:



A handknit baby hat made from microspun acrylic yarn for $12. I sold it on Sept. 28th, 18 days after registering my shop name, and 17 days after listing my first item.

I remember how thrilled I was to have sold something! I remember checking my e-mail and seeing that sale and practically jumping for joy! I was beaming! I called everyone I knew who knew I knit.

I STILL do a happy dance every time an item sells, three years later! It feels sooooo good to be recognized as having made products that people want to own or give as gifts. It's an amazing feeling.

I hope to reach 300 items sold by Dec. 31st, 2008. We will see if I can make that goal come true! Here's to hoping! I am off to make some things for my etsy shop!

Happy Etsyversary to meeeee!

<3 Always,
--Taina

My latest artsy endeavor...

I've been eyeing various Lomography cameras for quite some time. MoMA just came out with a MoMA exclusive Diana F+, it's the same as the Diana F+ for sale on Lomography.com but they changed the blue to "MoMA Red", an actual color MoMA has the rights to.



Two years ago, my dept. at work had a Lomography contest. We got to choose between the Supersampler or the Fisheye and our theme was "Spring Fling". I won runner-up and received a Fisheye camera as my prize.



Last Thursday, we were just told we are having another contest, this time using the Diana F+ , a Lomolito, or the Fisheye 2. The theme is "New York Surreal". The deal is that each employee interested in entering the contest gets to borrow one of the cameras with a roll of film for 4 days. We then enter our undeveloped roll of film as our entry to the contest. Of course, because I want a Diana F+ so badly, I bought a ton of film and have been shooting all sorts of things. I have yet to use the roll given to us for the contest and have to return the camera on Tuesday. I will be buying MoMA's version of the Diana F+ the day I return my borrowed camera.

I am super excited about the contest and seeing how these photos turn out. Lomography will process our film, put our photos onto a CD and send them back to us after choosing their favorite 3 photos from all of the entries at the end of this month. The prizes are cameras, but not the Diana F+. Instead they are colorsplash and sampler cameras.

When I get these first two rolls of film developed, I will most definitely post some photos. I just created a profile on lomography.com, I look forward to their monthly contests on the website as well as the tips and tricks from other lomo users.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Organization and Squirrels

Once I put together my fabric pantry, I went through tons of large and small lidded plastic tubs of fabric, zippers, notions, thread and tons more sewing-related things. I then proceeded to organize and refold all of the stuff and then put them into my new pantry. This took at least an hour, it was incredible. I have fabric I completely forgot about! Yards and yards of it! It's almost a little insane.

I then realized I am not unlike a squirrel. I buy all of this fabric and hide it away in plastic tubs in case, I don't know, all fabric stores in the world cease to exist? Then, months later, I find fabric I'd completely forgotten about. Squirrels are known to do this with nuts. They burry them for later and occasionally forget about them.

So here's my latest creation from fabric I'd forgotten I had:



As always, you can click the photo for more info.

I love this fabric, it's named "Caribe", I'm guessing after the Caribbean Sea. The colors are so reminiscent of the ocean. My brother's name is also Caribe, after the Caribbean indians and the sea. I once thought I'd make him pillows for his dorm, but they are not really his style, so I opted not to. Maybe if he has a kid one day, I can make something out of the fabric for the child.

I found other fabrics, too. Things I can't wait to use, so stay tuned to my shop for new things in the upcoming days!

<3 Always,
--Taina

I bought a fabric pantry!

I know most people do Spring cleaning and it's August. I'd been going through a tough time recently and am on the upswing from it, creating this immediate and important urge to purge all things I don't need in my home. ALL of them. I want to go minimalist in my home. Now, usually these feelings are fleeting, so I think that I should follow suit this one time and see where it leads me.

All of you who make things by hand probably know how easy it is to feel the need to buy as many supplies as possible. I have gone through these weird crafty phases, a sort of handmade Attention Deficit Disorder.

Since stumbling upon Etsy, I have knit and collected tons and tons of different types of yarn, needles, and notions.

I then decided I wanted to get into paper goods and I bought envelope templates and fancy papers and envelope glue and made envelopes and flatcards.

Then I saw a show on TV on how easy stained glass is and decided to try my hand at stained glass. Enter cabochons, 30+ stained glass squares and rectangles, glass cutters, oil, solder, soldering iron, copper tape, wire and suction cups. Okay, stained glass? Not easy at all! I have the solder scars to prove it.

I then took a pillow making class and started collecting fabrics, threads, and pillow inserts. Then makeup bags and coin purses, add to my collection of fabrics and threads, I now have tons of canvas, interfacing, zippers, felt squares, pinking shears, and fancy fabric scissors. Let's not count the numerous measuring tapes, rulers, yardsticks, sewing machine needles, fabric tags, googly eyes, fabric paints.

Now, picture me in a large (by NYC standards) 2BR apt, with a roommate, two sewing machines, a full-sized ironing board and two bookcases of craft books.

HOLY COW. Crafts have taken over my LIFE!

I have plastic Sterilite, Muji, and Rubbermaid bins for everything, so it's all organized within them, including ones for my completed projects, but I've always wanted to have my fabrics out so they remind me to get cracking at the machine.

I have 3 days off this week (today through Saturday) and am using the time to organize it all into a 5ft x 2ft x 1.5ft wooden pantry with doors that I purchased from Target today. Once I get it all organized in one space, I can use all the plastic bins to decide what books, clothes, dvds and other things to donate or list on Freecycle, making a happier, more organized, creative minimal space where everything has a place and that place isn't in every room in my apartment.

I cannot wait! I am thinking of how to decorate this very boring beech-colored cabinet. I was thinking maybe stencils. I will post the project once completed. I can't wait!

<3 Always,
--Taina