The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

March 26, 2013
by Tammy
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Becoming a Bag Lady



After traveling down and then back up the east coast of Florida, my Thirty-One Gift kit finally arrived today. I was getting a little jealous that the box was doing more traveling than I was during spring break. It arrived in Orlando, then passed me by and visited Miami, and then turned around and headed back up north to West Palm Beach before it finally made it to my doorstep.

I have to admit that when I first ordered the kit that my thoughts were leaning more towards the idea of getting the kit, maybe buying a few more items at a discount, and then retiring. I am sure I am not the only one with this thought, and it is not usual for people to do this.

For example, when I first became interested in rubber stamping, a friend of mine suggested doing pretty much the same thing with Stamp It Up. I can’t remember how much that kit was, probably something around $100, but I got a ton of great stamping supplies, and I am still using a lot of them today.

I never did anything else with Stamp It Up as far as selling its products though. The idea is that by buying the kit, you get a lot of merchandise at a discounted rate. If you decided to move on and actually try to sell products that’s fine, but there is no contract requiring that you do so.

While I have been waiting for my kit, I have been doing some bag lady training. (Before I keep going, let me add this old disclaimer: These are my own ramblings and do not reflect the notions of Thirty-One Gifts, which I am an independent consultant for.)

Okay…so back to my training….there is actually a lot to learn with this new venture. They give you a web site that is full of training material in both pdf form and as videos, and consultants also have a web site that includes a virtual office as well as an area for customers to shop.

I feel like when I do something I have to study it so that I understand what I am doing. However, I realized pretty quickly that one way to learn how to do this was to, well, just do it. Plus there is a great deal going on right now that ends April 1st (see the video posted at the end of this blog entry), and I wanted in on it!

I ended up jumping in and having my first virtual party. It was just a small group who participated, friends and family, and I closed the party only after a few days because I wanted everyone to get their goods ASAP, and again, I wanted to understand how to do all of this before I attempted a second virtual party.

There were a few hiccups on my end, but I had a lot of great help through my director and also through a group on Facebook. They allowed me to ask lots of stupid questions too. I still feel a little green, but I have been very impressed with the amount of training and support the company provides.

While I do not know how long I am in this for, I’ve decided not to retire the day after getting my kit like I did with rubber stamping. I don’t see me becoming a director any time soon, but I am going to give it a shot for three to six months and just see how it goes. If I crash and burn out, at least I will have lots of wonderful bags to use for my crafting and organizing needs. If I can keep it afloat, who knows?

On that note, below is the video I mentioned earlier. It shows some of the totes that are on special right now until April 1st. With a purchase of $31, you can get one of seven tote bags for half the retail price. You can either shop through my Thirty-One web store, or if you want to get some free merchandise, contact me about how I can set up a virtual party for you to host: tammypowley @ yahoo dot com.

March 25, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

Spring Break has Sprung!



Spring Break officially starts for me today! As usual, I have a long list of stuff to do, most of which I won’t manage to complete:

  • Meet up with friends and family. During the semester, I don’t have a lot of time to socialize!
  • Read a little each day. Right now, I’m reading a book now called Chasing Sunsets: A Cedar Key Novel by Eva Maria Everson.
  • Crochet, of course! I am hoping to get at least part of the Crochet Beyond the Rectangle class done.
  • More crochet, I’m still making amigurumi toys for the shelter. I’m banging out a lot of Buddy Bears right now. I also have to make some wash cloths I promised to make for my mom.
  • Get some spring cleaning down around the house. I feel the urge to purge and reorganize.
  • Spin, spin, spin! Now that all my spinning supplies have a pretty new home, I feel even more like making some yarn.
  • Bead up some jewelry – I have a few designs that have been floating around in my head. I just have to decide which to tackle first.

March 23, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

Weekend Crafting Links

ACreativeDream
There’s been a birth, and June’s created a “chalk board art” style birth announcement to mark the event!

Adding Faithful Words
Cherie adds favorite Bible phrases to her art.

Craft Bag Giveaway!
I fell down the rabbit hole, but it’s a good thing because you get a chance to win a cool craft project bag.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a no-sew Easter Bunny fabric decoration, a Zentangled Easter egg with tutorials for 3 Zentangles, a crochet loopy leaf pattern, and a recipe for creme fraiche.

Cuteness overload giveaway
Watch out for the cuteness…it will smack you right between the eyes when you see the book that Cyndi has for giveaway!

How to Decorate an Egg
Sherri shares many creative ways you can dye or decorate your eggs for Easter.

Springtime Butterfly Theme Handmade Cards
Kick your digital cards up a notch with 3D embellishments.

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Three necklaces made with a bit of old and new parts

March 22, 2013
by Tammy
1 Comment

Spindle Home in My Thirty-One Tote!

I finally have a home for my spinning supplies!




Since adding spinning with a spindle to my long list of crafting endeavors, my roving, spindle, and various other tools have not really had a “home,” other than a cheesy card board box.



When I saw a friend’s Super Organizing Tote from Thirty-One Gifts, I immediately thought of my spinning supplies. This is a huge bag, measuring 14”H x 19.5”W x 7.5”D, and it has a zipper on the top.

Of course, I do not have nearly the amount of craft supplies for spinning as I do for jewelry or yarn crafting, but I have a fair amount, enough that it was starting to be a problem. And, awesome sauce, everything fits great! Plus there’s room to spare.




I’m pretty impressed with the quality of this bag. It’s made of a thick canvas-like material with a lining that feels like vinyl. There are large pockets all around the outside, three on one side, two on the other, and then mesh pockets on either end.



There are grommets on both sides too. These are in case you want to connect another bag to the inside and use it as an inside pocket.

This is a huge, huge bag, so at least for me, it would be too big to use as a book bag or tote that I’d carry around all day; however, as home storage and yet something I can easily move around the house (because of the straps) – or heck if I ever get brave enough to spin in public – then this is perfect.

Along with this big hunking huge tote, I also got a very cool Cinch Sac. Now until April 1st, Thirty-One Gifts has a deal where if you spend $31, you can select from seven different totes and get one of them half off. Normally, this tote sells for $20 retail, but I got it for $10 because of buying the Super Organizing Tote, which retails for $50.




I’ve heard these called “day sacks” too because they are great for tossing a few items in and heading off for a day trip. It is a pretty good size, but not overly large, 18.5”H x 14.5”W, and like all the other products from Thirty-One Gifts, it comes in different colors and patterns and can also be personalized.

I thought this would make a good craft project bag because I like drawstring bags for storing projects. Plus it has a zipper pocket on the outside where you can store tools or notions.




In fact, this bag is available as one of my giveaways this month. You can find out how you can enter to win by going to this page on my blog.

I am genuinely impressed with the quality of both bags, and have to admit to being a tad excited now about becoming an independent consultant for the company. I am in the middle of running a virtual Thirty-One Gift party right now, and once I get my land legs, I hope to be able to do at least one or two web parties every few months. For anyone interested in either learning more about the company’s products or finding out about hosting a virtual party, email me at tammypowley @ yahoo dot com.

March 22, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

A Break from Red Heart Super Saver



Before I get started, let me clarify that I have nothing against Red Heart Super Saver yarn. For many purposes, such as amigurumi toys, it works great. It washes up wonderfully, and it is just about indestructible. However, I am just plain old tired of it! I have been using it to make donated toys for months now. Some of it I purchases and some was donated to my craft club. I feel compelled to use it for all these reasons.

That said….I can tell such a difference when I use something other than RHSS, and my hands really appreciate the difference. So the other day when I straightening up my office and discovered some Lion Brand Baby Wool, I was giddy with excitement. Yeah! Donated yarn that is not RHSS.

I’m picturing a pink and a blue teddy bear. There might even be enough here for a few in each color. There was another bag with some purple and some yellow baby wool, so perhaps I can manage another giraffe.

When you get donated yarn this is clean and does not smell like smoke and your club is on a limited budget, you have to take it, and if you take it, that means you need to use it. I wish I just didn’t know the difference between RHSS, well, many other types of acrylic yarn!

March 21, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

More Buddy the Bear

After making numerous teddy bears, I have noticed that my brown yarn stash is dwindling. Between this full skein of Loops and Threads and some other odds and ends of various shades of brown, I’m hoping I have enough yarn to squeeze out two more Buddy the Bears.

This is one of my favorite (and free yeah!) patterns from Lion Brand. I love how he has a little tummy on him, and the is not too hard to make. I think the legs and arms a little more fiddly than the other bear pattern I’ve made a few times, but it isn’t fiddly to the point that I don’t enjoy making them.

March 20, 2013
by Tammy
49 Comments

Craft Bag Giveaway

I have to admit to a problem I have. I’m addicted to bags. Totes, purses, sacks, small, medium, large, I cannot get enough of them. And, seriously, I do use them. So when a friend of mine showed me some products from a company called Thirty-One Gifts, well, I fell down the rabbit hole! I am now an official Thirty-One independent consultant, and I plan to talk about my new experiences as a “bag lady” now and then on this blog.

After signing up, one of the first thoughts that came to mind (other than I really want the Cindy Tote) was that I have to do a giveaway….now!

Why now? Why not wait until next month and start it at the beginning of the month like I normally do with my giveaways? Because now through April 1st, Thirty-One Gifts is having a wonderful special. If you spend $31, you can purchase a selected tote for 1/2 off. This just seems too perfect because you can buy a gift for someone and then also buy a gift for yourself.

All that said, you do not have to purchase anything from my independent consultant Thirty-One web site to enter the giveaway, but if you do, you get more chances to win. This is how this giveaway will work:

  • To receive one chance to win, go over to my independent consultant Thirty-One web site, browse the catalog, and then come back and post a comment telling me the name of a product you like, and if you feel chatty, tell me why you think it looks interesting. Do not post more than one comment.
  • To receive two additional chances to win, order at least one item from my independent consultant Thirty-One web site. For each item you order, you’ll receive two chances to win.
  • So if you post a comment and order one item, your name would go in the pot three times. If you post a comment and order two items, your name would go in the pot five times.

Okay, so what am I giving away? You can get a chance to win a Cinch Sac (pictured above), which normally retails for $20. This drawstring bag is a perfect knitting or crochet project bag, but it really has an infinite number of uses. It is about 18 1/2 inches high and 14 1/2 inches wide. It also has a zipper pocket on the front, so you can put notions in there.

Now here is some more info and disclaimer stuff:

  • I am an independent Thirty-One Consultant and the views expressed on this blog are mine alone and don’t represent the company’s views.
  • This is open to Continental US residents only. (I’m sorry, but shipping is way to high otherwise.)
  • Purchases of Thirty-One products from other consultant’s web sites or any place other than my own will not count towards entries.
  • Do not order through any parties I have set up because they are local to me, and more than likely you are too far away for me to deliver your products. If you want to find out about hosting a virtual or catalog party, contact me at tammypowley @ yahoo dot com.
  • The deadline for entry is April 19th, 2013 midnight ET. (Note that the 1/2 off deal from Thirty-One ends April 1st.)
  • During the few days after the deadline, I will randomly pick one winner. Make sure to include your email address when commenting. I will email the winner who will have two days after the drawing to reply back with a mailing address. Anyone who does not reply after two days will no longer be eligible to win, and I will draw a new winner.

For a look at the totes on special, I found an awesome YoutTube video here.

March 18, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

#12 Another Amigurumi Teddy Bear



This is charity softie number 12, which means technically I made my goal of getting 12 made for the local shelter. However, I plan to keep going and see if I can get some more made since I won’t be delivering these until after the semester ends. Plus, one of the bears I made has safety eyes. I think I am probably not going to donate that bear because there is no way for me to know the age of the child who would receive it. I would rather just be on the safe side.

This latest bear is from one of the patterns I received when I took the Craftys.com amigurumi class, and I thought I’d experiment and use some variegated yarn that was donated to the craft club. When I got about half way into this, I started to think it was going to look awful. I’m not thrilled with the results, but it is does not look at bad as I had imagined at least. He is definitely a “one of a kind.”

March 17, 2013
by Tammy
0 comments

Crafting Links to Enjoy

ACreativeDream
June’s created an art doll from an altered domino.

Adding Smiles
Cherie experimenting with adding more smiles and smirks to her mixed media girls.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there are a tutorials on how to draw barbed wire type and a wire fastener for the end of a cord necklace, an interview with Drawing Comics Lab author Robyn Chapman, and a recipe for Irish Nachos.

Digital line drawings and art quilts
The texture you can obtain from digital renderings of photos continues to interest Cyndi, and also continues to make its way into her quilts!

Fun Projects to do with Craft Foam
Did you know you can make original art stamps from inexpensive craft foam? At The Artful Crafter, we’ve used craft foam to make lots of fun stuff.

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
How to make a custom St Patrick’s Day label and card

March 12, 2013
by Tammy
4 Comments

An Almost “Real” Skein of Yarn!



It is not perfect by any means, but I’m so proud of it, my actual first practically “real” skein of yarn made by me and my little spindle!

I used Wool of the Andes roving from Knit Picks in the Dill Heather and Amethyst Heather colorways. Then after spinning each, I plied them together. I think this is only about 28 yards long, so it’s not a big guy. However, I would not have been able to have much more on my spindle. It just would not fit. I plan to attempt to make more of this same combination so that I can have enough to make something with it.




As you can see, I am in no way consistent as far as thickness, but as long as I make something simple like a scarf or cowl, I’m deeming this yarn “usable.” It is some progress when I compare it to my first skein, and this is skein number 5, so I’m encouraged.