Etsy Tag Monday: Giraffe

Sometimes you just have to keep your head above the ground. As far as possible, hope for the best, and don't hide. So comes the Etsy tag of the day: Giraffe.

Wouldn't you want to be taller than everyone?

You can dress your baby up to resemble a giraffe, though without the long neck. This adorable cap by CapeCod Consignments can be yours, if you know how to crochet. For a reasonable $2.95 you can own the pattern.

So this listing is for a custom piggy bank. Andrew and Ella Designs will custom paint you a white ceramic bank...so if you want, you can get the giraffes! They have other personalized items as well, check it out.

The colors are vivid, would be a great addition to any kids room. Its different as I dont see alot of pastel originals posted anymore, but it brings me back to my OG crafting days too. Silly Lily has a bunch of these, and I imagine if you bought more than one, you could have quite the jungle.

Nini's Handmade has knit this lil beanie, and embellished it with a giraffe that has been handstitched on (craft after my own taste). I kind of love this giraffe design, and I think it has inspired my next design.

Even I would consider using this journal for my everyday use. Complete with pencil pocket in the front, the journal speaks for itself. Nico Papergoods has other journals for adults as well, but if I buy, I'm sticking to the kids journals.

Stop Motion Fun

What fun this video is! Its amazing what you can do with ALOT of time and ALOT of photos, and a catchy ooompa song in the background.

Friends of the Farm- LuRoe

Today I am going to start a new segment, where I introduce my crafty friends. My real life friends of the farm. Meet Lucia:

Lucia has her own Etsy shop called LuRoe Accessories. With some additional time on her hands, and living in scenic Colorado, she is now able to focus more on her gorgeous handmade jewelry. Her shop continues to grow fast, and I love seeing whats next.


1. What made you want to start crafting?

I have always been slightly crafty, and I actually went to fashion school and found that the hands on stuff was more fun to me. I hate relying on a machine to make my art. I have always found crafting to be very relaxing, a way to center myself.

2. Is jewelry your passion? Or do you see yourself moving beyond jewelry and doing other crafty stuff?

Jewelry is the thing I feel the most inspired to do. When I start making something I usually don't know what I am making and then my hands just kind of take over and it's almost like the jewelry makes itself! I have dabbled in other types of crafting and would like to learn to knit, but when it comes down to it I am just very inspired when it comes to creating jewelry.

3. Im always curious where people prefer working. What is your workspace like?

Well that's something I love about making jewelry, it's a very mobile craft and can easily bring what I am working on just about anywhere. I actually find that I enjoy making jewelry while watching movies or TV.

4. Alright then, what are your Top 5 TV shows?

Some of them are no longer on the air, but I have them on DVD and could watch over and over again. The office (US version), Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Twin Peaks, Arrested Development

5. Just because I want to know..who is your favorite Muppet?

I love animal!!! He does and says what ever he feels.

6. Any advice?

My advice is to just allow yourself to be inspired by every day things, nature, people, art and take a little of that to inspire your creations. And just remember that there are no rules, so push boundaries and do what makes you happy!

Check out some of Lucia's creations!

Brown Checkered Caribou Earings

Blister Pearl Necklace

Green and Purple Wire Wrapped Hoops

Etsy Tag Monday: Mother

Mother's Day is around the corner, and there are a TON of treasures to buy for your mom on Etsy. What is better than a handmade gift that you made? A handmade gift from someone else! And away we go...

I thought this print was adorable, and said it best. You can get this custom print from Studio Schatz. Look at the cute little girl hanging on!

These cute charms are available to spell out any message you want to give to your mom! These pewter scrabble tiles can spell out Mom, Love, or even her name! CandyTiles has a ton of great pendants to share!

This is something I have never seen before but think its absolutely beautiful...Its made out of two paper bags! Its a photo album from SweetDdesign. Cute and affordable!

Cute Mothers Day card!! Raggle Fraggle has a wide collection of custom made cards for a ton of occasions. Do it!

Lastly, this hand stamped pendant by CinnimonStick's can be made to say whatever you want! Kids and family names, meaningful phrases...whatever. Super thoughtful, and super personalized.

This shop has a lot of different types of personalized jewlery, so i suggest checking out the whole shop.

a new addition...

Welcome Gertie to our family! Mick and I finally got the kitten we had been searching for. After all our frustration and failed attempts, today was the day. It was fate. I called the SFSPCA in the morning, and they let us know that there were a few kittens in that day, so we raced over the bridge and fell in love right away. She was perfect. Her name was Ruby. There were a few there with jewel names, but the one that was available was her. The kitten had to be ours. Ruby said so.


She is playful, cuddles in our arms and falls asleep, and already has let Brody know how she feels. That will take a few days of assimilation, but I think that they will be fast friends.



We will be calling her Gertie (Gertrude), but Ruby will always be a part of who she is.

fat quarters

I had a field day the other day on eBay, and bid on a bunch of listing for fat quarters.

What Is a Fat Quarter?

A fat quarter is a one-fourth yard cut of fabric that (usually) measures 18" x 22" instead of the typical 9" x 44" quarter-yard cut. The longest side's dimension will vary if your fabric is not 44" wide.

Why Would I Want a Fat Quarter?

A fat quarter gives you the opportunity to cut larger chunks of fabric than would be possible from a regular quarter-yard, including strips that are twice as long on the fabric's (less stretchy) lengthwise grain.

A fat quarter offers more versatility, whether it's for patchwork or appliqué. Quilt shops know that fat quarters are popular, and usually offer a wide assortment of them, pre-cut and ready to go.

You can use fat quarters for strip piecing by making extra strip sets from shorter lengths of fabric until you've cut the number of segments required for the pattern.

I got my first few delivered, and I cant wait to start on some projects! We need some larger pillows for the couch, and some of these are perfect starts to some baby blankets! Hooray! Can't wait to get more and show you those too....First project soon.

Letterpress video...pretty cool

Hellooooo May. Thanks for following my blog if you are a reader. I get excited everyday to see my numbers go up. I want to spread the word further, and try to work on giving you more content...so lets start the month off with an interesting video about a process I can only hope to experience.

I know that this is way beyond my monetary means, but the process of letterpress is awesome and old, and is a really cool way to watch someone make a poster. I was looking at one of my regular blogs, OMG Posters, and came across this video. Watch and see the magic.

Letterpress Poster Printing from Joshua Gerken on Vimeo.

You can see some of this guys work at MikeyBurton.com.