Summer S A L E ~ 6/8 to 6/28

To celebrate over 12,000 page views of my blog ~ it's a summer SALE! Visit my Craftiness by B shop on etsy, place any order over $12 (not including shipping cost) and use code: SummerLuv12 to receive 12% discount!

I hope to make some summer sales and get ready to bring in some new stock by autumn.

Crafting up new things!

Hi everyone, how has it been? Spring is quickly turning to summer weather here. Very warm weather which brings storms and the occasional tornado warning. But the weather helps my garden thrive and grow!

I have two garden boxes

my pea stalks

I've also been enjoying those great vintage Simplicity patterns I bought months back. I found some based on vintage bathing suit style halter tops. If you have some basic sewing skills you can make these! The only challenge would be adjusting the bust if you need to, which you can find help here at Curvy Sewing Collective blog.

Simplicity pattern 1426

I picked cotton prints to make these with. The pattern does call for a fabric as the lining, so you can use other fabric beyond cotton. But really now, look at the poodle print?! I want to make a bathing suit top with that print, it's so cute! And these require very little notions, it calls for either snaps or buttons for the back closure. Otherwise the straps tie at your neck or the patterns allow you to sew the straps to the back (as a traditional bra-style). 

If you are on Twitter be sure to find me on there! I try to update it weekly with a few new pictures, maybe a link to crafty projects and little things. 

2nd video is up, spring time

Happy Spring everyone! The rain has arrived and it will surely bring May showers our way. Some thunder storms are expected in my area for the rest of this week.

April showers bring May flowers

My new YouTube channel is up and running! I added a 2nd video of a DIY bunny basket you can make. Follow this LINK to view it. You need some basic sewing knowledge and sewing machine with some flat 8" x 11" felt to work with. It's a fun project for an afternoon and you can make it from your own sketch. 

finished bunny bag

And I am on Twitter sharing my photos of my handmade items on Etsy. I've only been active a short time now but guess what? I already was noticed by an Etsy page on Twitter! They saw and liked one of my tweets ~ I feel special for just a moment!

I hope to continue to update all my social media pages for my followers and fans to enjoy. I still enjoy taking special request custom orders. You can contact me via my Etsy shop if you wanted a custom order. 

First video is up!

It is up and ready for viewing ~ my first YouTube channel video! I'm so excited that I was even able to edit and make this. I know zip about video editing and found a easy, free app to use. My first video was about felting since it was a project I was working on. Here is the link to my YouTube channel and the video.

view of my channel

My channel is public and I will keep it for all ages (so PG content). I want to offer tips, tricks and how-to videos. I have a sneak peek video then the full one up. It's likely to be in that order for each new video: a sneak peek one, then the full one. And fair warning, expect to see my pets often! They are too funny and cute to not share little clips of from time to time. 

My next video might be about making a paper kite that you paint or draw, then piece together. I found a wonderful style rokkaku kite that is Japanese. It is almost a diamond shape and easy to assemble! I love going to the local park and flying my kite on sunny, breezy days. Hopefully when I finish it I can show video of it flying!

soon to be in my Etsy shop!

And listing this week in my Etsy shop, handmade flannel pocket warmers! I made mine with flannel and the back has a cute heart design. They will be a set of 2 total (as seen above). They are filled with dry lentil beans and you warm them in the microwave for 15 seconds. They are great for chilly days or even if you have cold hands in general. They are a decent size and can also be chilled in the freezer for placing on your head if - for example - you have a headache and cool compress helps relieve it. I hope to offer more like these in larger sizes, such as a eye mask style or even a neck wrap. 

Baby shower gifts, YouTube & Thank You!

This snow.... it's March, where is this "Spring" they speak of? It's probably under the foot of snow we had last night. Observe, my back deck.....

go away winter!

At least this weather came after the baby shower I attended. As always, it was a lot of fun to see my friends and spend time with them. There was dancing (our party had kids & teenagers) wonderful homemade food and conversations. I think I ate enough sweet treats to attract humming birds for a week.

two friends expecting boys

I asked each friend what colors or prints they would like. I lucked out that they each are having boys! So solid blue fleece with different flannel prints. I had enough time and leftover fabric to make each a simply teddy bear. I embroidered the faces on since these were gifts for infants. 

two teddy bears, ready to go!

I had a good time preparing and sewing the gifts. If I can make it handmade as a gift, I will. It's not just any day you can find a small local shop that sells such items. Even if you can only knit a scarf, it's a gift made by you with your hands and it's very meaningful. The recipient will be delighted by something you made special just for them.

In other news, I've decided to try my hand at YouTube. I need to set up my channel and figure out the fine art of editing videos. The first video will be showing how I mange to add ears to a felted kitty project. My methods are self-taught and work for me, so I figured I'd share them. 

I have also started on Twitter and Google+ under my shop name, CraftinessbyB. So please stop on by if you frequent those social media spots. I'd enjoy having some new followers and meeting new people. 

Where to find me online:

~ my shop on Etsy as CraftinessbyB

~ my account on Twitter as CraftinessbyB

~ my page on Google+ as CraftinessbyB

~ my page on Pinterest as CraftinessbyB

I will not have a page on Facebook as of this time. In the past I found too many 'trolls' frequented my page and harassed me. I'm a single shop owner in a vast sea of shop owners. I make quality, handmade, all done by my hands, items to sell. I do this because I have a passion for it, skills (I've learned from 3 generations of family, I have my college degree in graphic design) and a desire to offer handmade items at affordable prices. 

I also do this because I am often home bound due to a medical condition. In fact, my medical condition (known as Fibromyalgia, aka Fibro) has inspired me to began making and selling re-heatable body wraps for the neck and back. If I can make them unique, attractive and useful for those who need them ~ I will. I will try my best to offer them soon in 2015! 

So please be patient with me as I start to be on social media more, get my YouTube channel started and offer more unique, handmade items in my shop. My page has had over 11,400 views thus far ~ knowing people enjoy my blog and visit my pages inspires me to keep moving forward in my crafting pursuits. Thank you everyone! 

image from torontowlhd.ca