Craft: Shadow Art

My wonderful daughter asked me for some paper the other day while the boys were playing nicely in the livingroom.  So, I gave it to her and she started cutting shapes out of blue and pink paper and glued it onto white paper with a glue stick.  Blue on one side, pink on the other.  Noticing what she was doing I asked her, "What do you think it will look like if we put it up on the window?"  "Let's try it and see," she says.  So we did and here is the result.

Pink side against the glass...

Blue side against the glass...

I love the organic shapes she cut out, but you could do this with any recognizable shape or random paper cuts work too for a more abstract approach.

To cut the shapes, she cut oval-ish shapes out then folded them in various directions and cut on the crease (like when you make snowflakes).

Some things we noticed about this project:
It looks different depending on which side is next to the glass, or even different still if it's on the table.

Overlapping shapes from one side to the other has a nice effect.

We both love it!

I'd love to see your work if you try this with your kids (or just by yourself).

Keep it crafty!

Kristin

Featured Artist: Heidi of Little Tadpole Designs

Say hello to the very sweet Heidi, owner of Little Tadpole Designs and fellow team member on both SAHM of Etsy, EtsyKids and Christian Artists Street Team (CAST) teams. She is offering you, my wonderful readers, 10% off any purchase from her shop when you use the coupon code BLOGLUV10.  This offer expires next Monday night, so you only have one week to get in on it. 

Custom Binky Leash

What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  My creations revolve mainly around babies and preschoolers right now… because that’s what my children are!  I have a 28 month old and an 8 month old and they are most definitely the inspiration behind all that I do.  Soon after my son was born, I made my first Cuddle Blankie and binky clip for him… and things just “took off” from there, pulling me along with it!  It is very exciting to me to look at a need my children have, and come up with a unique design for satisfying it that is adorable, functional, offers something “different” than the conventional, and is of high quality.  In addition to the blankies and soother clips, I make mitten clips, Snap Belts for preschoolers, fun infant-sized and pretty flower hair clippies, and one-of-a-kind crocheted dolls & toys.  I’ve already got a few NEW things “in the works” that I will be adding to my shop in the very near future.  I love variety… of materials, designs, ideas.  It’s what makes it fun!

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today.  It seems that I’ve never really been “cut out” for the daily 9 to 5… but I never imagined that I’d be able to use my creative talents in the way the I am now able to thanks to Etsy.  It was always my husband and my plan that I would be a stay-at-home mom and I don’t miss “going to work” in the least!  I love making “stuff” though and I guess I do need some outlet for my creative energies that doesn’t involve the kiddos.  I still feel that my shop is really my hobby even though I spend a lot more time at it than I originally imagined.  Perhaps that is the difference when it comes to doing something you really love to do… it doesn’t seem like “work”!  That’s the way it is with being a mom, and with my little business (most of the time at least!). 
       Before we had children, we had our dog and cats and my first small business venture was pet-related and it was a very good endeavor that I was proud to pour my time and energy into until we moved to a new home.  That experience was what got my feet wet and really showed me that having the freedom to create my own job was the way I wanted to go.

Cuddle Blankie "Circles"

What is your vision for the future of your business?  I have pretty modest goals.  I’d like to be able to balance things so that when I’m inspired with a new design I will have the funds to buy what I need and continue the creative process without having to dip into our family budget.  Because I don’t have any other income, it really feels good being able to have my shop support itself.  Pretty much every sale goes directly back into getting what I need to make more items and I’m happy with that.  Of course, I wouldn’t mind having just a teensy bit of extra for myself… after all, I also love to SHOP on Etsy!!

Tell us about your typical day.  My day usually starts with getting my son breakfast and then seeing what is happening online while he eats.  Often I even have the freedom of both hands as my daughter is getting more and more able to entertain herself too!  Later in the day, during little miss’s naptime, I follow up on anything that I started in the morning.  My husband is always wonderful about being a helping hand with the little ones in the evenings so I can run to the post office or put an order together for mailing.  Then, after the youngsters are in bed, I can do some creating!  It’s really just a matter of fitting it in here and there where I can.  Some days I get lots done… some days not so much.  It’s a juggling act really!

Are you trained as an artist?  If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  I have to give most credit to my mom.  She taught me the basics of sewing and crochet when I was a little girl.  Most of it I used sparingly until after I got married and even then I kept it pretty basic.  I actually just picked up a crochet hook for the first time in years only a few months ago!  I’m no good at all at reading and following patterns… so I just try things that I think should work and usually they do!  Most of my family is pretty creative and isn’t afraid to try working with new materials or different styles of activities… and that helps to push me to experiment.  

Crocheted Shanice Doll

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through? (gardening, music, performing arts, writing, creative ‘foreign’ language expression etc.)  I love to paint.  I haven’t picked up a brush and palette for many years but I really want to get back to it.  Something else I really enjoy is building things.  I’m slowly building up the variety of tools I own and very much want to try making wood art (also known as Intarsia) like my Grandfather does.  I’d also like to try my hand at some simple furniture making.  I don’t really have any time to develop new skills right now because the kids are so young and my focus is on them… but as they grow up I hope we can learn some of these things together.

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  There are so many things!   J  I really feel that there are so many thing that I don’t even know that I don’t know, ya know?  Really though, I’d like to continue working on my photography and internet skills.  I’ve gotten a lot of help from fellow Etsians but I know there is a LOT more that I can learn and play around with to have my shop be represented the very best that it can be. 

What steps are you taking to ensure your products follow applicable child safety laws?  Because I’m in Canada, we have similar but not exactly the same requirements that crafters of children’s items are faced with in the States with regards to labeling and testing finished products.  However, I believe strongly in the intent of the child safety laws on both sides of the border and because the items I make are first and foremost made for my own children, this is something I consider in every design.  I have checked with the companies that I buy from to ensure that the materials I am using either have been tested according to current Canadian & US standards and have the documentation to back that up, or are already exempt according to the legislation.  This satisfies the intent of the laws and I always make sure that if an item has small parts or may present a safety concern it comes with a caution to that effect.   I’m sure everyone will agree that children are too precious to take risks with and their safety should always be considered first.

Be sure to check her out in the following places on the web:
www.littletadpoledesigns.etsy.com  
www.littletadpoledesigns.ca  
www.facebook.com/LittleTadpoleDesigns

Keep it inspirational,
Kristin

Craft: New Bows Available Now at Love in Bloom Boutique

It has been a while since I added new items to my shop so I added a couple...
Keep it Crafty!

Kristin

Show Stopper

Show Stopper (Too)

Craft: That scarf I started...

I finished that scarf I started a while ago, so I thought I'd post it for you to check out...  I'd love to read your comments since I'm thinking very, very seriously about adding a crochet section to my store in the near future.

Keep it Crafty!
Kristin

Craft: Sunny Circles Sun Catchers

The current art on my kitchen window was getting pretty faded after being up all spring, so this is what I did to replace it.  Yeah, I did it by myself without help from the kids this time because I had a pretty rough day with them and I just needed to chill a bit after bed time.  (It worked wonders, by the way...)  Tomorrow, I will let them have their way with the tissue scraps and all will be well in our house again. :)

What you need to do this yourself:

Waxed Paper

Liquid Starch

Scissors

Bowl

Paint brush
Paper Clips
Tissue Paper Scraps (I recycled some from a party)

Sharpie

Place to Dry your finished piece
Tape or Hole Punch and Ribbon

I folded one sheet each of red, yellow, white and pink tissue into rectangles about the size of a half sheet of paper and traced three different size circles onto two of them.  Then I stacked them two high so I could see the circles on top of each stack and added paperclips around the design to help hold the paper together and keep it still while I cut them out.  Squares, triangles, or just torn up scraps work well too, but I really wanted circles this time. 

Paint liquid starch on your waxed paper and add one layer of tissue circles.  Paint over them with more starch working from the center out on each tissue circle to prevent distortion of your shapes.

Add more layers of circles, overlapping them as desired until you get the look you want.  Using more layers makes a sturdier end product, which is important if you want to hang them or use them as gift tags.  (You can write on the paper with a Sharpie!)

Put a couple of heavy books around the edges to prevent curling and let it dry....

Trace various sized circles (or your favorite shape) onto the waxed paper with a sharpie and cut out. This paper cuts fast with little resistance to your scissors so it is easy to make mistakes.

Carefully remove the waxed paper from your tissue sun catcher.  If it doesn't all release, it is okay  because when you put it up to the light, you can't see the traces of waxed paper anyway.   (Unless that's the place where you wrote on it with a sharpie!)

I didn't like how mine hung with ribbon, so I ended up using some clear tape on the back to stick them directly to the window so that they laid flat.  I SO love how these turned out and would love to see pictures of your creations if you decide to make some too.

Keep it crafty!
Kristin

Foundation row single crochet...

     One of my best friends, Karly of Just Dandy Creations, taught me how to crochet a few stitches a couple of months ago, and I instantly fell in love with crocheting.  It is such a soothing and quick (depending on what you are making) craft that I try to get a few stitches in every day.  There is, however one thing in crochet that I loathe... the process of making a row of any type of stitch onto a chained row using the traditional method because it is painstakingly SLOW! Because of this, I never tried to crochet a scarf or start a blanket or any real clothing.  
     One day at nap time, I was looking on You Tube for some different things to add to my crochet repertoire and I found a video on doing the foundation row single crochet.  I won't name names, but the video was enough to get me in trouble, and not enough to do anything meaningful with. I followed the instructions exactly (at least, I think I did) and it unraveled completely.  I was pretty bummed, because I had gotten my hopes up that I might actually want to make a scarf one day. 

Beginnings of a sweet girlie scarf...

     You can imagine my delight when I stumbled onto this awesome tutorial and video on Future Girl's blog.  It is such an easy to follow video tutorial, that I decided to share it with you even though it is a couple of years old.  This method is nice for lots of reasons, but my favorite reason is that it is SO much faster than trying to get the hook into a flimsy little chain without it twisting up like crazy because you are actually making the chain row and the first single crochet row at the same time.  When you get to the end of your row, you have a much more substantial portion of your piece done and it is much easier to work with.  Anyway, here's the picture of the scarf I started using this technique... (Shh! Don't tell my daughter... It's for her!)

Let's Get this Party Started! AND Featured Artist... (Ok, it's me... but I wanted to tell my story too)

Image Courtesy: The Felted Kitten

I was thinking about how we could get this blog a little more exposure, since I'm going to really work at it now.  So, I thought we should play a game:  You get a point for doing each of the things listed below and putting the links to show it in your comment to this post, up to a total of 10 Points... Winner gets a free item of their choice from my shop.

    1) Follow this blog if you aren't already doing so, one point to you if you are already
    2) Blog, Tweet, Facebook or use other social   media to spread the word about this giveaway with a link to this post...
     3) Add my badge to your blog or other website
     4) 'Like' my Facebook page and post a comment there with the name of your favorite item currently in my shop
      5) 'Follow' me on Twitter and post a comment there with a link to your favorite item currently in my shop

Just like in school, you have to show your work... So don't forget to comment on this post with the links to what you did.  Whoever has the most points by Midnight PST on Friday, July 15th wins.  If there is a tie, the winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good Luck!

Image Courtesy: Love in Bloom Boutique

Hey, so here is the interview I did with myself.  Maybe it's a little schitzo... but oh well!  Mostly, I wanted to tell a little of my story and give people something to check out while they are thinking they may want to be featured on this blog.

     What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I make boutique style hair bows and ribbon flowers and am dabbling in other areas soon (I hope) to be introduced to Love in Bloom Boutique.  I started making accessories, because I had a hard time finding things that weren’t too grown-up or filled with too many other colors to go with my daughter’s school uniforms. I have since ventured into many other colors and love making sweet adornments for girls of all ages.

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today. (What instances helped give you the confidence/motivation to pursue this as a career?)  I have always loved playing with color in it’s various forms, from art projects to clothing and makeup choices to light… I love playing with it!  I always wanted to do something creative but just didn't pursue it for lots of reasons.  Anyway, I kept trying to figure out what creative thing I could do for the first five years I was a stay at home mom and finally happened upon this.  I kept getting compliments on what I was making, so I started a little business and here I am.

What is your vision for the future of your business?  Right now I’m just trying to make it through the stage of life where all of my kids aren’t in school yet, so for the short term I’d like to make a couple more good wholesale contacts do a few small shows, and pick up my sales on Etsy and I’d like to branch out by making more types of items (because I like to mix things up a bit). In the more distant future, I'd also one day open up a brick and mortar shop with all kinds of wonderful handmade items.

Tell us about your typical day.  There is always something different happening for me just due to having young children. But in general, I check and briefly respond to any e-mails and convo’s in the morning, work on my blog or making things at nap time and spend three or four nights per week working on designs after the kids go to bed.

Are you trained as an artist?  If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  I am not trained as an artist. Oh, how I would have changed that if I could re-live my college years!  It’s laughable how little formal art education I have, but I have learned that anything you want to do can pretty much be found in a free tutorial on YouTube or elsewhere on the web.  That being said, I have experimented quite a bit and significantly altered what I learned about making bows (and tutus) with much better results than just following a tutorial verbatim.

 In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through? (Gardening, music, performing arts, writing, creative ‘foreign’ language expression etc.)   I love pretty things of all types, so I have a little cottage garden I scratch around in.  I think it’s fun to decide how to mix colors as well as forms, scents and tastes outdoors and often solicit my kids for their ideas.  I also wrote a children’s book that maybe I’ll pluck up enough courage one day to try and have published, but for now I enjoy it with my kids.  I love to cook delicious and healthy things to eat too.  But most of all, I love the beauty and richness of American Sign Language, Deaf culture and the Deaf themselves.  I am regularly involved with interpreting music at the church I belong to and will be starting back to school this fall and working toward the goal of completing the Interpreting Training Program at a local junior college one class at a time.

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business? I’ll be working on managing the work-life balance better for sure.  Long nights in the basement may be fun and productive for the time, but cost much in what I can give my kids the next day.  If any of you have any helpful tips on this, let me know.   ;)

What steps are you taking to ensure your products follow applicable child safety laws? Safety has always been something I have taken seriously.  Because of this, all my items are made from a combination of items that either don’t require lead testing or are certified to comply with lead regulations.  I test items to see if they meet choking hazard regulations and label items for age appropriate use with the idea that parents should be informed enough to make great choices about small parts for their littlest ones.

Where can we find you?                                                                                                                                                                       Http://www.loveinbloomboutique.etsy.com  

Http://www.facebook.com/loveinbloomboutique

Http://twitter.com/#!/loveinbloomshop

And of course, here on Live Love Bloom Craft!

Keep it crafty!

Kristin

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Congrats to Heather Smith who won my Rockstar Bows on Max and Magnolia's Facebook Giveaway! Here's what she had to say about what she won, "Hi, I recieved my amazing bows today that I won from you through max and magnolia! Thank you so much!! They are even better in person!!"

You are so very welcome, Heather!!

My first Blog post!!!

I am so happy to finally get this off the ground!  I have thought about blogging for a long time, but didn't think it would be so easy... I was wrong!  Oh well, life goes on and it starts now.

I plan to do the following with this blog as time and sanity permit:

• Live: Share tidbits I've found that help me in everyday life from dealing with my kids to cooking to having a happy home
• Love: Promote handmade businesses/makers that I think are really cool and whose specialty is making great things for kids and/or the homes they live in
• Bloom: Share the things that are growing me as a person/business owner/maker on this crafty journey
• Craft:  Share things I've made, pictures, and tutorials I find on the web that inspire me to get my craft on!

If you are a handmade business owner who specialises in children's goods or home decor items (or if you know someone who is) and would like to be featured on this blog,  please e-mail your request to me at kristin@loveinbloomboutique.com  I will be sure to send you an interview questionnaire once I develop it. ;)  Please don't get mad if I don't choose to use your interview... you win some and you lose some, but you never know what will happen unless you try.

Feel free to let your friends/fellow makers know about this blog if you think they would be interested in what I'm doing and let's rock the net together!!