The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

January 15, 2014
by Tammy
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Confessions of a Messy Jewelry Designer

Since my leaving About.com as the “guide” to the jewelry making web site over there, you may have noticed that I have not had an abundance of jewelry related writing over here on my personal blog. Admittedly, at first I just needed a break from all things jewelry. After writing at least 2 jewelry articles a week for 15 years, yes, a break was nice. However, I have lots of design ideas rolling around in my head and also sketched out in one of of my many design books. It will be nice at some point to actually write up “how to” jewelry directions without the restrictions of a template, required word count, required number of links, and so on that I had to do when writing for About.com.

In fact, I could say this is why I have not posted any projects here recently. Yes, I could say that, right? But that would be such a lie because this is the real reason I have not made any jewelry recently:




And this is just one example of the “mess” that is my jewelry making work area. Of course, I could find a place in my house that is not this freakin’ messy and spread out over there, but the guilt would be too much for me to handle. So instead, I have kept the door closed to where this is located, and each weekend I tell myself that I’m going to get in there and get to it. I’m going to organize, clean up, clean out, and get cracking!

Tell me I’m not alone when it comes to having not even one inch of space available on your jewelry bench. Eee gads!

So kind readers, please stay with me. Enjoy some yarn goodness and other crafts I may post here until I have the energy and courage to take control of the jewelry design studio from Hell!

January 12, 2014
by Tammy
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Cold Weather Craft Links

Art Bead Scene
Check out Brandi’s gorgeous colour palette for this month’s challenge piece!

A Bead A Day
Ringing in the new year with new jewelry? Lisa’s sharing a new icy project.

ACreativeDream
It’s a mail art call!!! Come on over and join in!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Participants of the Inspired by Reading Book Club share their creations inspired by “Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart and “The Journey to the East” by Hermann Hesse.

Carmi’s Art/Life World
Carmi utilizes a “saved” crazy quilt block and turns it into wearable art in this special blog post.

Resin Crafts Blog
Wondering what is better to mold with? We have a post showing you how great Jewelry Clay and Jewelry resin can be!

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Making tiny jewelry takes just as much thought and planning as designing full sized regular pieces. See Jean’s blog for the details!

Beading Arts
The new Bezel Effects paints make a great centerpiece for bead embroidery!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has come up with a fun variation on the ever-popular infinity scarf!

Fishers of Men
Cherie uses the “Fishers of Men” passage to help create mixed media prints.

Eileen – The Artful Crafter
Knit and crochet combine in Red Heart Sashay Yarn. Did you know you can create “crocheted” scarves, shawls and the like without picking up a crochet hook?

January 11, 2014
by Tammy
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Naw, I Don’t Need No Swift N Ball Winder



I keep telling myself that I do not need to spend the money on a swift and ball winder. Then every once in a awhile I have an unruly skein like I did today. I don’t even know how long it took me to finally wind this ball after I got it tangled at one point and had a pile of yarn barf to deal with. At least, I caught up on some podcasts.

The colorway is called “Metamorphosis,” and it’s the “Show Stopper” base, 80% superwash merino/10% nylon/10% cashmere from Leading Men Fibers. It is destined for fingerless gloves.

January 10, 2014
by Tammy
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Why I Amigurumi

Crocheting amigurumi (aka stuffed toys) is one of my favorite techniques. I usually have at least one amigurumi project in progress all the time. I like the challenge of trying a new pattern, but at the same time, I feel pretty sure I will be successful when I attempt a new one because, at this point in my crocheting career, I have made dozens of these. And, for the most part, the technique is pretty much the same as far as counting stitches and increasing and decreasing. I’m not saying they are perfect in any way, but generally, the outcome is okay. For example, here is one of my most recent “new to me” patterns that I finished, Phil, the Groundhog, designed by Stacey from Freshstitches.com.




I made him right after finishing another bunny, like the pink one I made not that long ago. This time, I made the same bunny but used Knit Picks’ Wool of the Andes in blue berry held double. (I really needed a break from acrylic yarn!)



A second reason why I like to make amigurumi toys is because….they are just so cute. I have to admit that the cuteness factor is a big draw, which is why I don’t making duplicate toys. Who can resist making a cute bunny or giraffe?

My third reason is the best: I donate finished amigurumi to a local women and children’s shelter, so I can be reasonably sure that a little boy or girl will enjoy playing and snuggling with each toy I make. Last year, I was able to crank out 18 of them.




I am not sure how I managed this exactly because this year I feel behind. I have made 6 so far, and a club member has made 2 to add to them. I have one bird that is almost done, but that just brings me up to 9. I delivered the last batch in early May last year, so if I want to reach the same number, I need to get cranking again! I know I’m putting this pressure on myself. While the shelter did enjoy the toys and I received a nice thank you note, it’s not like they are calling me up demanding more toys. But, again, it is part of the challenge. I should finish the bird either tonight or tomorrow, so that means 9 down and 9 to go!

January 8, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

Getting Organized for 2014, Sort of


One task on my holiday break to-do list was to get my home office organized. I would show you a “before” photo, but that would be way too embarrassing. Let’s just say “dang, girl, it was a hot mess!” As a Thirty-One consultant, I have been slowing gathering products with this in mind, a Caddy here, a Fold N File there. In fact, I’m still waiting on my outlet order that has a wall hanging unit and another bin that I will also use in my office. But for now, I’m pretty darn pleased with the results. It took me about half a day and half a box of kleenex (oh the dust!), and voila, it looks amazing. And I feel like I am so much more productive.

Here are a few close up photos to show what I did.


The Fold N File on the left I’m using for my school paperwork. This is handy because, if necessary, I can tote the entire thing to my school office, or I can just pull out a few items I need and bring those with me. Plus, yeah, I can finally use the shelves behind it for actual books. I have my school books in the middle and craft books on either side. Some of the craft books I plan to review on my blog, so it’s nice to have them right there ready for when I’m ready to write about them instead of hidden under piles of stuff.

To the right is a Littles Carry-All Caddy with my tissue, pens, calculator, lip gloss, etc. I love these caddies! In fact, I ended up getting three more for my desk. See the photos below:


They hold all those little items that tend to be all over my desk, and I can keep them contained now. Plus, I can move the caddies around if I need to spread out. I pushed the handles down when I don’t need them.

Along with craft books, I have an assortment of jewelry items that need reviewing and/or used in future projects. These were originally crammed in a tacky plastic basket and had dust all over them (yup, I have dust issues in my house!) Now I have them all in this Your Way Junior Cube and Lid. I have the clear side facing me, so again, I won’t forget about them, and the lid helps keep the cats out and the dust down. I think the taupe gingham print looks good with the purple theme I have going on. These cubes are pretty cool and are one of the new products in the Thirty-One spring 2014 catalog.


Then there is the overflow to deal with. Here is a Medium Utility Tote, which was a special during November. It is not available right now, but I’m hoping we will see these again either as a special or in the summer catalog. I have magazines and small project bags in here plus yarn on top. To go along with the purple theme again, this print is called Awesome Blossom.


And…more overflow includes 3 large bags. The center one is in a retired print, but it is the Super Organizing Tote. I am working on finishing up a jewelry book update as well as writing a book about Florida literature, so I have all the paperwork, books, etc. in this bag. The other two bags are full of yarn and works in progress.

Oh, and did you notice my office assistants on top of the desk and the empty boxes to the side of my computer? Of course, I have to save room for my cats.

Now I have the organizing bug and hope to be able to make something happen like this in my craft room. Since doing the jewelry book update, it has been a wreck! While I would much rather spend my time crafting than organizing, I have to admit that getting organized feels so good and is totally worth the time.

What about you? Do you have organizing plans for 2014?

January 7, 2014
by Tammy
1 Comment

Book Review: How to Start a Home-Based Etsy Business

As you may or may not know, I have dabble over at Etsy.com for awhile. I pretty much have lately just tried to sell my pdf jewelry making tutorials, but in the past, I have sold finished jewelry, kits, and supplies. I have found, like most business endeavors, that the more time you put in the more money you can earn. But, “time” is not something I usually have an abundance of, so I tend to spend time on it when I have some and then pull back to just a dabbler when it just doesn’t work for me.

Since I joined Etsy has a seller, lots of changes have happened. They usually tend to be controversial in the crafting world, and so people are not very happy about it. Whatever you say, though, about Etsy, love it or hate it, you have to admit that it is still one of the market leaders when it comes to selling hand-made items, supplies, and vintage products.

In a new book written by Gina Luker, she tackles the what, how, when, and why of becoming an Etsy shop owner, hopefully a successful one too: How to Start a Home-based Etsy Business (Home-Based Business Series) . Unfortunately, as I write this review right now, her shop is closed while she is on vacation, so I was not able to see it. However, her sales are impressive, 4,950.

I received an e-copy of the book, and felt is was very thorough, full of nuts and bolts information. This would especially appeal to anyone who is not very familiar about how the site works. In fact, before I opened my own shop, I have to admit that it took me a long time to get a feel for how it all worked, so this can be a real time saver since she sets it all out for her readers. Generally, I found her approach very helpful, again especially for anyone very new to Etsy or selling on line. One little thing I would have liked to see added were photographs. For example, in the section on “Perfecting Your Photography,” it would have been nice to see examples of good and bad photographs.

If you have been thinking of opening an Etsy shop but had problems understanding where to begin, then this book could get you started in the right direction.

January 5, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

Resin, Polymer Clay, Vintage Images, and Beads

A Bead A Day
Special sparkly gloves call for special sparkly earrings! Lisa is sharing the results of her trip to JoAnn’s, etc.

Resin Crafts Blog
The combination of transfers to resin clay and a resin glaze can result in some spectacular pieces!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Using a lap grinder, Andrew facets polymer clay to create really cool, geometric beads.

Eileen – The Artful Crafter
Are you looking for copyright free images for your artwork? You ought to know the ins and outs of vintage image copyrights. Usage restrictions may depend on where you find the images.

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean writes the story of the very first piece of jewelry she made for 2014…”The Viola Pendant”, and tells how it came to be designed and named.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has a review of a new book on working more paint into your mixed media work…everything you need to know!

Beading Arts
Cyndi finished up her last piece for the 2013 Bead Journal Project! On to 2014!!

God Gives Us Each Gifts
Cherie makes a print about the spiritual gifts God gives each of us.

January 3, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Journal Giveaway from Pretty Things



Lori Anderson from the Pretty Things blog has “the” perfect giveaway for the new year: journals. Now before you say that you do not have time to journal…wait…These are five year journals with just a few lines for each day, so you end up just having to write a few sentences. You are not committing to writing pages and pages of text, just a note every day about your life. I think that is pretty cool and doable for most people. Plus, it would be neat to sit back five years from now and read it.

Entering is pretty easy, but you can head over to her blog and get the details. As usual, Lori has another very cool idea to share with the creative community. Good luck!

January 1, 2014
by Tammy
1 Comment

My Jewelry Book & Others for $2.99 1/1/14 Only!



Quayside Publishing has a sale going on today only on a number of craft books, including one of mine, Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings. This book is out of print, so it is kind of nice to see it is still kicking around, at least digitally now. They are all Kindle versions and are just $2.99 today. Here are the other books available during this sale:

Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters (Domestic Arts for Crafty Girls)

PatternReview.com 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips: Top-Rated Favorites from Sewing Fans and Master Teachers

Water Paper Paint: Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media

Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers

Creating Glamorous Jewelry with Swarovski Elements: Classic Hollywood Designs with Crystal Beads and Stones

Jewelry Lab : 52 Experiments, Investigations, and Explorations in Metal (Lab Series)

December 30, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

Sprucing Up YouTube Channel



I had to go with “Craft Princess” for my YouTube channel because it would not allow me to use “Crafty,” but hey, I have a channel, and it is growing. I have a smattering of craft videos I have made over there, and I hope to make more. I just finished getting it a little better organized. So take a look when you get a chance: Craft Princess YouTube Channel. I am checking into upgrading my video camera and basic video set up so I will have a tripod and a few extra bells and whistles. If you think of any craft topics you would like me to cover, let me know!