Breathless

What a great weekend - the weather here was beautiful - I got alot of stuff done around the house and was able to work on some of my hand knit wire jewelry line - Breathless. Here is a peek at some of the bracelets I finished yesterday - They are available at The Artisans of McLean - more to come!

Weekend Deals at oblinaknit!

oblinaknit has a weekend deal for you - February 7-8th - Purchase $25 or more (not including shipping)in my etsy shop and receive a free zip it (oblinaknit will choose but don't forget to mention your favorite styles as she will try and accomodate all requests). Use code 'groundhog day' in the checkout notes.

Have fun shopping and thanks for buying handmade!

I Love Google Picasa!

Okay, I have been using Picasa for photo finishing for a few years now but I just discovered the collages and absolutely LOVE it! It is great for making one combined pic to show off all your stuff - I think this is a great tool and fun too! Feel free to post links to your own collages - I would love to see them!

Got the Sniffles?

Well, its been awhile since my last post as I have been busy restocking my etsy shop and creating new goodies in the oblinaknit home studio to get ready for upcoming markets and orders.

I have a new product that you will soon see more of in my etsy shop - a luxe travel tissue holder called 'Sniffle'. Available in many fabric combos soon - Yay more fabric to buy!

Why I Buy Handmade

I have always enjoyed making gifts for others - so it was an easy move to starting a business in making handmade items. I love the idea of buying and selling handmade - you get a handcrafted piece that typically is one of a kind, and was made with love.

The Buy Handmade website has a great list on the importance of supporting the handmade movement - check it out and take the handmade pledge yourself!

EtsyCREST Meets with Maria!

Today I got to meet my fellow etsyCREST team - well some of them. We were able to have a meeting locally with Maria Thomas, CEO to discuss street teams as well as our favorite selling venue - etsy! It was a great meeting with plenty of discussion - plus, we all got to see the faces behind the shop names of the people who attended the meeting.

Of course I got home and Ken was a bit miffed he didn't get an invite - he is still acting a bit like Naomi Campbell on a bad day (see pics below from the dog collar photo shoot) - modeling has gone to his head!

Upcoming Show in Philly!

My next show I have planned (aside from a few local venues) is in Philly at Theater 941 - The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market. There are bands and beer so it should be a fun day! I will be there on December 6th - check it out if you are in the area.

Facebook - finally!

Okay - so I think I have finally got the hang of facebook - I set up my regular page and now have a shop page to 'show off' my goodies! I like facebook's cleaner format (vs. myspace) but all those little applications still confuse me - like when people send you veggies and other things..oh well....at least its up and running! My cat Dahlia like to help out as well:

oblinaknit's facebook page

Funky Utopia Opens!

I am extremely excited to have some of my handbags in this cool new shop in Bradenton, Florida:

Shop Funky Utopia!

The grand opening was this past weekend and I wish I could have been there - Bradenton sounds like a great town! Perhaps a visit is in order once I save up some vacation time at work!

Blue Replaces Kenneth the Model - Part 2

obm


Last week I wrote about my little man Ken who helped model the test collar for Blue - a very friendly greyhound.

This week, you get to meet Blue and see him model his very own collar - he is quite handsome and loves the camera! Blue is a lovely fellow with lots of energy and he is really enjoying his new life with the couple who adopted him from Greyhound Pets of America- Northern Virginia - now he gets treats and has his own toys! His parents wanted a 2" Martingale collar for him so after they choose some very cool Japanese kawaii fabric with little hippos on black canvas, I set out to make a collar for them.

First stop, Creative Designworks - they offer a great selection of hardware and instructions for dog collars. I was able to get a set of instructions to explain the Martingale construction as well as some extra hardware in the size I needed for Blue.

The pattern I got was very straightforward and has pictures to help with the adjuster buckle and d-ring placement. I had to change some of the pattern pieces sizes to accomodate the wider collar -plus this particular fabric is a cotton canvas and has a nubby texture...so a few additional tweaks and the collar was complete!

You can see Blue modeling his new collar at The Reston Market at Lake Anne in northern Virginia. This is a great farmer's and crafter's market occurring every Saturday thru November - it is worth the short trip if you are in the DC metro area.