oblinaknit hits the road for Independence Day!

It's official - oblinaknit will be a vendor at Bazaar Bizarre in conjunction with the Larchmere Festival on Saturday July 3rd in the Cleveland Ohio so get your summer plans in gear and prepare to accessorize!

This is my second time doing a Bazaar Bizarre show in Cleveland and I am oh-so excited yet again - I had a blast when I was there this past winter and cannot wait to see more of the city this time - don't tell my work, but I plan to make a LOOONG weekend of it....after all, this may be my only chance at a vacation this summer!.  So..... if anyone has suggestions on where to go and what to see...let me know!

See you in the Cleve!

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....

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

Allium is Open!

Hi all - I have been out of touch for a bit and busy making new goodies for my etsy shop and shows...but I couldn't resist telling you all about a great new shop in Beacon, NY.

The name of the shop is Allium and it is a wonderful new boutique that carries a bit of everything (including some of my goodies) along with a plethora of other handmade items. The shop owner, Lauren Whyte is quite the hostess - I have yet to meet her, but I love chatting with her about the shop through email - I can't wait for my next NYC visit so I can pop in to meet this absolutely fabulous person and see the shop!

I am including some pics so you can check it out if you aren't close enough to visit - Allium is located at 442 Main Street in Beacon NY - a short trip from the city on the Metro North Blue line - a great day trip for the summer!