...a few of my favorite things...

by Christine of Prayerbedes

Top Row: Sweet Dreams Bath Tea Soft and Flirty Fingerless Wrist Warmers

Ruffled Pink Tweed Scarf Beret in Pink

Middle Row: Amber, Rose and Ylang Ylang Soap Double Pearl Cocktail Ring

Clean In-Style Cleaning Gloves succumb.earrings

Bottom Row: Delicate Pink Flower Earrings Henry Kelsey Rose Note Card

Wedding Day Dangle Drop Earring Warm Hugs Hot and Cold Neck Therapy Pillow

HandmadeMN Giveaway - Crazy Busy

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

Today we bring you this awesome purse from Stena of Crazy Busy. Check out Stena's shop on Etsy for more great bags, scarves and artwork!



This bag is for the everyday angel and devil in all of us. It was created using an old pair of denim pants and a tie for the handle, and has a heavy duty snap closure just behind the original pants button. The Stafford tie is hand sewn to the bag and is extra long. This purse has 5 exterior pockets, and is embellished with an angel/devil patch and a small charm which was specially made for this bag! Stena has also included a mini Capri sun business or credit card holder and a larger Capri Sun bag. The card holder is lined with orange fabric, and has a velcro closure. The larger Capri sun bag is made from 4 pouches zigzaged together and has a zipper closure. This unlined bag has a place for all of your treasures!


How to Enter:
Visit Stena's shop, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments, or just click here.)

US and international residents welcome!
Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a HandmadeMN Facebook Fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

Contest ends Saturday, January 16, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!
HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

January Challenge - Winter

By Toni of Wild Dog Studio

This month's challenge theme was "Winter". Check out the great entries below, then scroll all the way to the bottom to vote for your favorite! The winner will receive an advertising spot on our blog.

Voting ends at midnight on January 17.



Buried Acorn - 8 x 10 Photograph

Submitted by:
manda marie designs





Winter Blues

Submitted by:
KomfyKozy












Snow Angel

Submitted by:
dmalia









Mr Snow Ornament

Submitted by:
embe







Winter Mint Soy Candle

Submitted by:
hjjonsgaard







Cotton Candy Yeti

Submitted by:
Plushroom Soup












Snowbound Rose Hips 8x10 photo

Submitted by:
Mary Foster Creative







Falling Snow Reusable Lunch Bag with Sandwich & Snack Bags

Submitted by:
And More Bags

Vote For Your Favorite Now!

Fun Friday Finds ~ Baby New Year

By Jenna Halek ~ Artistic Edition

Baby New Year

(Click on the image to enlarge)

Visit these HandmadeMN shops to see more:

Click on any of the names below

First Row (Left to Right): notapotato, scissorsavvy, SweetGracies, michaelangela

Second Row (Left to Right): TheEliMonster, JustAnotherDay, roundbottombaby, laurabrownart

Third Row (Left to Right): Fandangled, LollyBopBaby, XOHandworks, createdbykristenm

Forth Row (Left to Right): catchastarcreations, TheHobbyRoom, lovealwaysxox, VidaBabyBoutique

Freeing Your Creative Mind

by Sue of Sue Pariseau Pottery

My son, Zack, is a fellow blogger and during a recent visit home from school, he and I discussed a common problem we share. It seems we both occasionally have trouble coming up with topics for blog posts. My blog is about pottery and though I sometimes deviate to other topics, I often feel I’ve covered all pottery topics and lack for a creative direction to take my blog.

Zack, being the thoughtful person he is, gave me a book for Christmas titled Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone. This book is a fairly easy 200 page read providing “the secret to freeing your creative mind” and includes a CD with guided meditations. Who couldn’t use a secret to freeing their creative mind?

I’m only a couple chapters into the book, but I already see how this information could spark creativity in my pottery work as well as my blogging. While it is certainly targeted at writers, the information is easily adaptable to any creative pursuit. All of us can lose our creative energy when faced with deadlines to get projects done and the tedious paper/computer work of running Indie Businesses.

My drain on creativity is my home work space. It's a cramped and crowded garage mostly of my own doing. Chapter 15 is about creating a sacred writing (pottery) space. I'll have to pay special attention to that chapter.

If you’re struggling with writer’s block, creative freeze, or artistic burnout, consider a little diversion into Thinking Write to unleash your creativity.

8 Questions with...Jessica Puckett

By Kat of The Snuggery

Meet Jessica Puckett. Jessica lives in Northeast Minneapolis with her boyfriend, three dogs and two cats. When she isn't busy sewing plushies she makes her living as an editor. You can find Jessica on her blog, Plushroom Soup and her Etsy store, also Plushroom Soup.

1. What types of items do you sell in your store?

Strange softies! Think zombie critters, sea monsters, yetis, and boogeymen pretending to be harmless bunnies.


2. Where do you get your inspiration?

When I first started making plushies (as part of the craft duo Crabtree Studio) in 2006, most of my inspiration came from the barnyard and backyard. While I'm still very much inspired by the natural world, Plushroom Soup relies more heavily on the mythology, fantasy, and folklore tales I have always loved. I like to twist these tales and thoughts and infuse them with pop culture references and my own strange sense of humor.

I like things that are just a little off-kilter. I also like challenging traditional notions like plush needs to be cute, or that plush is only for children. When looking at my creatures, I want people to maybe think twice about these ingrained notions. Embrace the quirky. We're all a little bit odd, and that's okay.

3. Do you have a specific space where you do most of your work?

My craft room! I am so lucky to finally have a dedicated space to crafting. Most of my life, my crafts just spilled out of random corners, or at the worst, made eating on the dining room table completely impossible. Having a full room for crafting can be a blessing and a curse, though. I'm not forced to keep things tidy, and having more space means I accumulate more stuff. I recently did a deep clean of my space, though, and it was freeing! I need to remind myself to that seasonally, before it becomes an overwhelming chore. A clean room, a fresh space fuels creativity so much more than clutter (or outright disaster!).

4. When did you first start crafting?

I come from a crafty family, so I've crafted my entire life, but I didn't start creating plushies until about three years ago. I was on the hunt for a cute plush alpaca, but couldn't find a handmade one anywhere. So I decided to make my own. It was a funny little thing, but it opened a floodgate of new ideas that needed an outlet. So I kept designing and sewing new critters, refining my skills as I went.


5. Do you do any crafts or art beyond what you sell?

Too many! I've dabbled in cross-stitch, quilting, painting, and photography. I like to sew clothes and gifts for friends and families. I needle-felt, and sometimes use those skills to embellish Plushroom Soup characters. I adore knitting (if you're on Ravelry, find me under Pucky) and spinning; I'd say they're my favorite crafts. I'd love to find a way to balance them with the crafting I need to do for Plushroom Soup, but sadly, they always take a backseat to cute creature creation.

6. What are your favorite places to buy supplies?

Crafty Planet is hands-down the best place to buy fabric in the city. And Matt and Trish are so sweet, which is an added bonus. They're also extremely well-connected to the local craft community, so they're great people to bounce ideas off of as well. For simple supplies, like thread and sewing needles, I tend to go to JoAnn's, Mills End, or Hancock. Most of my fur I find at S. R. Harris. I buy my safety eyes from Etsy seller Enami Eyes, who handpaints the eyes in a wide array of super fantastic colors and styles. I can't say enough good things about these eyes--they're the best I've ever found.

7. What is the best thing you've ever done to promote your Etsy store?

I really haven't done enough to promote my store. I know I need to do more, so this is something I'm working on. I've been working on building a web presence and networking with all the amazing artists out there. I was super reluctant to join Twitter, but it has helped immensely with the networking part, and it's so easy!



8. What other etsy store(s) do you really like?

This is a tough question to answer--there are so many talented artists on Etsy, and I'm sure I will leave someone important out. KitLane (added bonus: she's local!), Melissa Sue Stanley, A Little Stranger, Girlsavage, Moons Creations, Hine, Cutesy but Not Cutesy, Follow the White Rabbit make the most amazing plush. BlackApple, lolley, melissamoss, joojoo are amazing visual artists. I Love Grey Skies and everyeskimo are full of fantastic miscellany. I covet almost every dress in the Calendar Girl Vintage and Timeless Vixen Vintage shops. My Etsy wishlist is quite extensive and out of control, so if anyone fancies sending me a surprise pressie. . . . :)

If you are a member of HandemadeMN and want to be featured in 8 Questions email me at katbaro @ yahoo dot com.

HandmadeMN Giveaway - Mary Ellen's Crafts

By Toni of Wild Dog Studio

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

Today we bring you a great White Crocheted Angel from Mary Ellen's Crafts!



With the cone underneath this angel is perfect for the top of a Christmas Tree or to stand alone on a shelf. She stands about 6 inches tall and is made of entirely of crochet thread (except of course for the cone). Her wings and halo are startched for support.


How to Enter:
Visit Mary Ellen's shop, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments, or just click here.)

Open to US and International Residents!

Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a HandmadeMN Facebook Fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

7. Become Mary Ellen's Facebook fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your facebook name here.

8. Follow Mary Ellen's blog. Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

Contest ends Saturday, January 9, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

Fun Friday Finds ~ Shades of Blue & Green

By Jenna Halek ~ Artistic Edition

Shades of Blue & Green
(Click on the image to enlarge)

Visit these HandmadeMN shops to see more:

Click on any of the names below

First Row (Left to Right): lucedivetro, notapotato, lucedivetro, KomfyKozy
Second Row (Left to Right): kellybot, cayennepeppy, fromoutofthecracks, LollyBopBaby
Third Row (Left to Right): mountgigantic, WarmHugsCornBags, VidaBabyBoutique, pickleberries
Forth Row (Left to Right): rainydayyarnshop, RitasCreationsOnEtsy, maryellenscrafts, palettepassion

Flag Banner Tutorial

By Corrin of Athena's Little Owl

Every once and awhile while exploring Etsy, I'm enamored with a banner made of pretty little flags. Whether the banner is made up of triangle fabric flags with vintage looking letters, squares of cardstock with hand stamped messages, or some other pretty arrangement, I usually fall in love. What a great way to declare, well, really pretty much anything. When I started contemplating a new sign for craft shows, I couldn't resist attempting the flag banner.


Now, I could've placed a custom order with any number of etsy sellers. However, like many crafty people, each time I saw one of those banners I started to think about how I could make it myself. Not only do I love projects like this, I needed my banner fast, wanted it to be as inexpensive as possible, and I wanted to give it my personal touch. (Go handmade, or go home, right?) Overall, I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It took less than an hour of my active time to make, only cost about $9, and is as cute as can be.

First I had to decide on the types of materials I would use. Fabric or card stock; stencils, stamps or free handed letters; ribbon or twine, etc. Based on cost, the number of letters/words I wanted, and the look I was going for, these are the supplies I decided on:


One designer mat pad (18 sheets) of 4.75 x 6.75 inch "vintage patterns" cardstock
One 2 oz tube of black acrylic paint
One 3/8 size camel hair paint brush
Two 1o yard rolls of hemp cord (I used about 15 yards)
Hot glue gun
scissors
paper towels/newspaper

Keep in mind, most of the following steps can be followed even if you choose different materials, i.e. fabric instead of cardstock, stencils instead of freehand letters, etc. Just adjust the method a bit to fit your chosen supplies.

First, I separated the card stock sheets and arranged 15 sheets in a pattern I liked (using this pad was rather handy - no cutting involved, and each sheet was the exact same; a perfect rectangle. I believe these are normally used as backgrounds for photos in scrapbooking.)

Next, I took one of the extra sheets to do a test run of the letters. I decided to free hand paint - all those handwriting classes in college were finally going to pay off (seriously. handwriting. all part of the joys of becoming a teacher.) Once I had the style I liked, I moved on to my chosen "flags". I was painting one letter per flag, and found that even, long strokes worked the best for the letters. Once the basic shape of the letter was formed, I "antiqued" the edge by removing excess paint from the brush, and then I ran it lightly over the edges of the letters. Once completed, let the letters dry. The bottle of acrylic paint says the dry time is 15 minutes. I went for a run while I let the paint dry; gotta love multi-tasking.

Next I needed to attach the flags to the cord. I decided that I would keep each word of my shop name, "Athena's Little Owl" on separate cords. Since it's a fairly long name, I figured this would be easier to manage, and would give me more options for hanging. The other handy thing about the cardstock I used are the white "tabs" at the top. I left this on the card stock so I could use the excess to help secure the flag to the twine. If you're not using card stock like this, you may want to leave an extra 3/4 inch or so at the top for this step. I cut the cord so that 4-6 feet would remain on either side of the flags for tying.

Basically, you want to line up the first flag along your cord, fold over the white "tab" at the top, put a generous strip of hot glue in the crease of the fold, and also along the bottom of the tab. Quickly and carefully put the cord in place, and press down to adhere. (See pictures below for these two steps) I left about 1/4- 1/2 inch between each letter to allow the flags a little room for different hanging styles. Repeat this step until all your flags are attached. Take care that you're going in the right direction with the letters; I had one little mistake I needed to fix :).

I gave the glue a little time to dry, and then displayed the final product. Give this little project a try, and display your shop name with pride!

Inspire Me

by Cheri of From Out of the Cracks


“God blessed you with talent and children…He must have thought you could handle both” paraphrased from a customer.

Where does that creativity come from? What was the inspiration, the spark? Do you go somewhere to get inspired?

Here is our featured HandmadeMN artist Jodee Hansen Fiedler from Palettepassion where she creates hand painted silk scarves, accessories, bags and décor. You can also check Jodee out on Twitter and flickr.

Jodee says the inspiration for this scarf came from their first “child" Buster Doglas. “Being a Sheltie, we knew he would get a full thick coat although we were surprised by how much it would shed ! He has been with us a long time and his coat has changed as he matured. It started as soft caramel brown when he was a puppy but then darker brown and black emerged, and now some gray. I’m amazed by the way the colors intertwine and the way the wind across his fur creates such unique movement. I thought it might be a fun experiment to see if I could capture those qualities on silk.”




Jodee says she started with a blank white silk scarf. “I applied several layers of brown and black pigments until I had the right nuance of color and motion. Then I dry brushed white highlights which also helped give the effect of depth and strands of hair. I was very surprised and delighted by the results. The palette is versatile and would complement any wardrobe, even if you’re not a dog lover! I think more experiments lay ahead.”

Buster Hand Painted Silk Scarf