bejeweled by oblinaknit

I have finally opened a jewelry shop to showcase my creations - whew!  Welcome to bejeweled by oblinaknit - I am in love with my new banner, cards, and logos from artinsomnia on etsy - she was fantastic to work with and I highly recommend her for your graphics projects.

The new shop is a bit empty while I prep for my upcoming show in Cleveland, but I am hoping to pop a new piece in from time to time so you all have something sparkly to peruse and enjoy!

See you soon!

It's Almost Here!

Well, okay it's still 2 months away, but The Bazaar Bizarre in Clevelend is approaching fast!  Yours truly is working hard on stock and new designs to bring to the Bazaar Bizarre West for the December 12-13th show.  They have also added a second show in East Cleveland - so check out the dates and mark your calendars - see you there!

oh, and if you are a fellow facebook junkie - you can view the invite and more....

Have You Heard of the Lunch Bunch?

I love facebook - I use it for my business but also to stay in touch with friends. I love discovering new shops as well as new artists and recently found Ana Bagayan. Her art has quickly become one of my favorites.

Ana is also one of the duo who make up the Lunch Bunch
- they pack and deliver lunch once a week to the homeless in Los Angeles, California. And, when there are funds left over, the Lunch Bunch reinvests it in the form of clothing and other supplies that the homeless community can use. I was more than impressed and decided to donate what I could for their lunches that week and future weeks.

I love to keep up with their blog and read about their progress - I hope you will too - its a great way to stay in touch with new friends!

I'm Baaaaack!

Well its been another long break since my last post and I am still dealing with the parental units and their health issues but things are getting better - day by day - hopefully things are settling down and I can focus on these upcoming shows:

I will be at The Reston Market every Saturday through October 31st form 8AM - 2PM so come on out for a great day at Lake Anne - there is a farmer's market adjacent to the craft market so it makes for a fun day!

My big holiday show this year is The Cleveland Bazaar Bizarre - December 12 & 13th so I am looking froward to that road trip as its partially the only thing even close to a vacation for me this year - so we are hitting the Rock-n-Roll museum as well on this trip - woohoo!

I am working on some new designs and can't wait to share them with everyone!

Road Trip!

The Pittsburgh Craft Collective is having a show at The Union Project over Labor Day weekend - Crafts-N'At - stop by and shop!

My Favorite Iced Coffee - A Tutorial!

Well, it is finally warm and not raining, so what could be better than enjoying my favorite Vietnamese Iced Coffee! I had always ordered this yummy treat when out a local Vietnamese restaurants, and then, I discovered I could make it at home!

It is very simple, just gather the following ingredients and wares:
Cafe Du Monde ground coffee (it's the one in that bright mustard-color can) - you can use other coffee but I have found this is the most popular used by restaurants here in the area)
Condensed milk - I favor the 'black & white' brand from my local Thai grocery - but you can choose your fav!
Metal individual drip coffee maker - these can be found in restaurant supply stores and are easy to find in the Asian grocery stores here

Okay, so now we have everything! Grab a tall glass (check to make sure your metal coffee maker fits on top) and add about 1/4-1/2" of the condensed milk to the bottom (I prefer less as I do not like my coffee really sweet - but add it to your taste as you test out a few coffees yourself!)

Place the metal drip cup on top of the glass (leave the filter insert out) and spoon in 2 heaping teaspoons of coffee.

Add the filter on top (do not press down to compact) and add your hot water - I have a Japanese hot pot that keeps water at a high temperature all the time - I love it - great when you need water for tea, oatmeal, etc and you never have to deal with boiling it.(My cat Dahlia loves the hotpot too - she thinks it is her new hot date!)

I add enough water to the top of the rim, and then a bit more for some extra yummy coffee - once the water flows through the coffee grounds into you glass , carefully remove the metal drip container (it will be hot from the hot water - doh!).

Now, before you do anything else grab a spoon to mix the milk (which is layered on the bottom) and the coffee - stir and swirl til you get all the condensed milk mixed in,

Grab some ice (I like to buy the big bags of ice from the grocery since I go through so much ice during summer making these)and fill your glass, add a fun straw, and you have a yummy, Vietnamese Iced Coffee to enjoy!

Feel free to add any variations you enjoy in my comments section - this is the recipe that works for my taste and I would love to hear others!

It has been a while since my last post - I got a phone call a few Saturdays ago that my mother was taken to the hospital - she is back home now and recovering, however the weekly trips are taking a toll on my creativity. I want to thank everyone on facebook for their support during these times! I was able to make some new earrings for my bejeweled collection - Enjoy!

Day 5 Da Vinci Mode Challenge

Well, we are going strong with our 365 day challenge and have made it to DAY 5!

Da Vinci Mode 365 Challenge

I am starting a new challenge with a group of friends I met on facebook - we just finished our 30 day challenge to create something every day and post about it - whether its a studio organization, a new project idea you started, or actual items you made - its all about having fun and creating every day. The first group started out as a 30 day challenge and some of us wanted to keep going - so we did!

Our group can be found on facebook and is described below:

"We are a fierce group of individuals seeking to live more creatively on a daily basis using Leonardo Da Vinci as our role model. We vow to hold each other accountable, to inspire and to push ourselves in new creative directions."

See you there!

Spring is Finally Here!

This past month in northern Virginia we have had some pretty crappy weather days - but what a wonderful few days/weekend we are having! My plants are thriving and my cat Dahlia loves sunning herself on the window sill! As the weather gets nice, I am starting to make some things for myself in between sewing for markets - I am hoping to make at least one new thing for myself per week so check back for pics!

The Reston Market - Coming Soon!

Hi all - just a reminder that market at Lake Anne in Reston, VA will be starting the first weekend in May! The adjacent farmer's market will begin the 2nd week so come on out for a beautiful day of great vendors - hope to see you there!

And for those of you who are not in the northern Virginia area, there is a great site to locate farmer's markets close to where you live - Local Harvest - they have info on local CSA as well - check it out!

Another Etsy Favorite

Hi everyone - today's post is about one of my favorite shops on etsy - Skin Journey. I discovered this great shop last summer and have been buying my facial care products there ever since. Mika of Skin Journey recently revamped her line and it is even more fabulous than before! I use the facial cleanser and creams, and I love, love, love her facial scrub.


Skin Journey also offers an array of delicious smelling whipped body emulsions, a fab foot cream and scrub, and the best lip balm every - I buy these for gifts and get raves every time - try one for yourself!

City Paper's Best of DC 2009

Congratulations to Beth Baldwin of tigerflight for winning top honors as best local crafter and tinaseamonster who came in second....and guess who came in third - oblinaknit - that's me!!!! My sincere thanks to everyone who voted - I truly am honored that I placed in the top 3!

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated - DC rocks!

Congratulations Julia !

Julia was the winner of one of my Botanica Totes via The Wickedly Chic Sunday Night Giveaway. You can sign up for emails and receive future giveaway info at Wickedly Chic.

Congratulations Julia - your new tote is on the way to you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

oblinaknit is offering 17% off all items (not including shipping) in my shop in honor of today - just put "leprechaun' in your etsy checkout notes and I will send a revised invoice. if you want to go ahead and pay, I am happy to refund the 17% to your PayPal account

have a wonderful day!

This offer ends at midnight PST (that's 6AM Wednesday for us folks on the east coast!)

Emerald City - Here I Come!

I have been adding to my wire wrapping skills and came across a wonderful seller/shop that is one of my newest favs on etsy - solivio. Not only does she offer great tutorials on more detailed wire-wrapping, she has some fabulous semi-precious beads! Her other site - make101 - has additional tutorials and a wealth of information for jewelery designers.

These are the emerald earrings I made using the techniques from one of her tutorials - I think I will be keeping these all for myself!

It's here, it's here!!!!!!

Okay - maybe it's the coffee I have been drinking ALL DAY, but I am very excited to announce the first of my patterns available for sale in my etsy shop! I managed to get the PayPal widget onto this blog as well so people can purchase the pattern directly from here if they would like - the widget adds some time to the page loading - anyone have any thoughts?

The pattern is for my Sniffle Travel Tissue Holder and it would not have been possible without the graphics help of my friend from etsy - flashwithclass - she is the best and the first person I go to when I need banners, ad logos, web design help - absolutely wonderful to work with!

This is the first in a new line of patterns I am working on - it is perfect for beginners with a basic knowledge of sewing. You will need to know how to straight stitch and zig-zag stitch with your machine in order to complete the project.

This pattern can be a jumping off point for your creativity. You are welcome to make the tissue holders and sell them online and at craft shows. I encourage you to add your own embellishment to the pattern - there are all kinds of great trims and buttons out there!

The Sniffle pattern makes use of smaller pieces of fabric - you just need two (2) pieces of cotton fabric that are at least 7 x 7" (to lay out the pattern template), along with scissors, pins, thread, 1/2" double-fold bias tape, an iron and a sewing machine and you are good to go.

Breathless - Part Deux

Introducing the Breathless Necklace - a stunning, airy creation in my 'oblinaknit bejeweled' line - this one incorporates sparkling Swarovski crystals with a sprinkling of black spinel and ripe red rubies for the glamor gal in you!

These knit wire pieces grace your neck and are custom made to the length you want - be it a choker or a collar necklace. Available exclusively at The Artisans of Mclean and in my etsy shop as a custom order - Contact me for details and pricing.

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!