Monday, March 30, 2009

A day of work

Today is going to be busy. I've had a sell on etsy on Saturday so I will be shipping it today (going to ride my bike), and I have 3 projects to work on for some classes.
I am eating some cookies from the recipe I posted before and they are so hard! My little sister made them and left them in the oven for too long! She does not know how to make a good cookie.

I've not an drawings for a long time now but I think I might start up again. Here is my deviantart page:
http://iwakami.deviantart.com
I am also selling most of my work so if there is anything that someone wants all you need do is send me a message to see if I still have the piece. I still have many more drawings as well from a few years ago when I drew them, I am just slow to take the pictures then post them.

Nice sales on etsy recently, and I've also decided to do some sales myself. I am selling my quilts with free shipping. Most under $30 so come check it out.

Better Homes and Gardens
I love this magazine, it is great! Also, I peruse the online every now and then for ideas, and this one is interesting. I am a neat freak when it comes to organization, so here is a bathroom organization detail.
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/storage/bathroom/bathroom-storage-ideas
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/bathroom/planning/make-a-small-bath-look-larger

Friday, March 27, 2009

Crafty Weekend - And amazing Good Cookie Recipe

Well, its been a while since I have done a post, so I will be a little more creative with it besides just what I'm doing. ^_^

Found a few new ways to get my etsy shop out there to the public like the forums, here, twitter, craigslist, I hope that it works in the long term, because it has worked really well in the past few days since I've started these things.

There is a Craft Fair @ Chesterbrook Academy Elementary in South Florida, I think in Davie off of Sheridan and 75 or something like that. Someone invited me to do a table with them and I agreed. It has been months since I've done a craft fair and I am looking forward to it tomorrow. I hope lots of people come, it will be a good experience and tons of fun!

Also, I think I will every now and then add random recipe's, tips, and other information here as a sort of sharing thing.
Like my Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

Ginormous Good Cookies
2 C Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 C unsalted Butter / Melted
1 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar
1 TBSP Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 C Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Sift flour, baking soda, salt - set aside
3. In bowl - cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar until well blended.
Beat in Vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.
4. Mix in sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in Chocolate chips by hand w/
spoon.
1/4 cup size balls - 3in. apart
5. Bake 15-17min.

These cookies are AMAZING! I love them. No offense to my mother, but hers would get crunchy and stale pretty quick, and these stay moist and are ultimately the best cookie's I have ever had.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Moving! BIG ETSY SALE!!!

It is fairely official. I am going to move to Ogden, Utah in 2-5 or so months.
I am selling all my quilts on www.bekahsquilts.etsy.com for outrageously low prices in the hopes of selling them all really soon. I also made a few more quilts, they are really quite pretty.




Anywho, I have to go do some homework and also get together some further information to prepare the move.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

New

For the longest time (years) I have made my quilts with the top square pattern, batting middle, and most often flannel for the back. Not so anymore. I have started to make quilts that only have two layers. A top square pattern and then an extremely warm and fuzzy and completely fun fleece back. I made one for a some boys in a family that love the University of Miami, and the quilt was totally cool, and the second one I made is pink skulls and for valentines day (it really is a nice one too).





These are still very comfortable compared to the other quilts, but a bit more soft. I like these a lot also because I wouldn't have to worry about buying batting for them.
I am laying off quilt making for a little bit. The economy is not going so well as pretty much everyone knows - though not everyone feels it quite the same - and sales are not up to what I wish they were or what they could be if people were more inclined to spend money.
Today I have an interview for a job. This is another reason why I will put off making quilts specifically for a while. If I get this job then I will be able to pay back all the savings I used to buy the materials to make the quilts in the first place. I have a few supplies though to use in my room still, like fleece, and fabric (which I am using to make skirts - and with leftovers small squares that I will use to make scarfs to use with the fleece.
For crafters right now, especially quilters the main issue is making a quilt that is just right for the individual, the right pattern, size, materials, everything! So you really make something you like and hope someone else will like it too.
Be aware! It is a tough start, you may have to wait for people to know who you are and your product before sales pick up and people trust your product.

Lazy Day

Well, seeing as this is my very first blog there is quite a bit to blog about. And since today is a lazy day, it will be some pretty ordinary information.

To start off with, I decided to get a blog to raise awareness about Etsy.com and also my account in the hopes of raising sales and having to pay for school for myself personally. I also just need somewhere to write things down since I dont particularly like to write, typing is the next best thing.

I am an artist, and within the past 5 years I have stretched my interests from just drawing to 3-D, textiles (quilts, clothing, etc), and even more crafts like jewelry, scrapbooking, refridgerator magnets, and other things.

I presently attend the local college for various reasons, cost is the main one. I am fortunate enough to have a scholarship but it does not cover summer courses, and will not cover expenses once I transfer to a University -which is why I sell my arts.



I do however have a very lovely mode of transportation - my used bicycle. In that picture is all the quilts I have sown (over 50), a bookshelf filled with all the books that I have accumulated over the years, and my beautiful bike which someone gave to me a few years back, all shoved into a very tiny corner. It has new inner tubes and treads, but recently I have had to take a gear shift piece off because it got bent and was making it impossible to ride my bike. So I hate it but I love it. I do not own a car, but this bike gets me most places, and anywhere too far the city bus can get me most of the time. I wish I had a car, but it is out of the question for the time being, at least until I can get a job or if I am able to sell more handmade items online.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a great church. I am not sure what I would be doing or where I would be without it, its a big part of my life and a very good guidance. A lot of people dont like us because they hear rummors that are false and out of proportion, and just a little bit ago someone called to tell my father that someone had gotten into the building last night and went into the chapel. Up font there is usually a table with flowers in front of the stand, and whoever got in threw the large vase with flowers onto some pews and shattered leaving glass and water in a large area. Also a bunch of hymnals were thrown all around. Its so sad that someone would do such a thing, no matter what church it is.

I guess I have nothing else to say for the moment, I need to check up on my etsy account, and maybe post a few more quilts and other things. At some point I will need to go to the grocery store and pick up hot dog buns and milk. I am in charge tonight while the rents are away still late, its a bummer. I've also got to print some primary papers out offline, and dog sit for someone this weekedn. Yay, lots of fun. >_<