Fourth of July Door Wreath Tutorial

MATERIALS:

• 1 brass ring (I used a 14" ring)
• 3 yards nylon netting (I used 1 yard of each color-red, white, and blue)
• 34 feet of curling ribbon (I used a metallic ribbon to add a little sparkle)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your nylon netting into 6 inch squares.
2. Cut your curling ribbon into 12 inch lengths.
3. Tie netting and ribbon onto brass ring until full.
4. Add a hangar of your choice (I used a leftover strip of netting).

Simple as that - You're done!

PROJECT NOTES:

• Tulle may be used instead of netting, but since my wreath was going outside, I thought the netting would hold up better.  You could also use ribbons, fabric, bandanas, etc.
• Before tying netting to brass ring, I folded it in half three times so that I had a 6 inch x .5 inch strip to work with.  You can then fluff the ends after you tie it to the ring. 
• This whole project cost less than $15!  And if I had planned ahead, I could have gotten my materials on sale making it even cheaper!

I'd love to see your creations so please leave me a link!

Cross Stitch and Salsa

It's been a busy day here at Caprice Creations!  I've been thinking about creating my own cross stitch patterns for a while now.  So, this morning, after breakfast, I sat down with pencil and graph paper.  My first idea was a little too ambitious.  I started off designing an Autism Awareness ribbon, but the puzzle pieces proved too difficult.  I'm hoping to revisit the design later.  So, I chose to create an elegant cross which I think turned out quite nicely.  See :)

Believe it or not, that took most of the morning!  After lunch, Little Caprice and I made some homemade fire roasted Tex Mex salsa to can.  And while waiting for things to cook, jars to sterilize, and the actual canning process to complete, I worked on digitizing that beautiful graph that I created (yes, I am a little proud of my work lol).  This was my very first attempt at canning anything, and it was truly exciting to hear those little lids popping as they cooled :)  We were left with 7 jars of FRESH salsa!  YUM!

And while those yummy jars were cooling, I finished digitizing the elegant cross:

Now the only thing left to do is test the pattern and gets some pics of the finished project.  Hope you've had a productive Monday as well!

A Shrug for Harley

I never know what to expect with West Texas weather! One day it is sunny, 80 degrees, and we are all running around in shorts. And the next day it SNOWS! NO joke! This happens a lot here! In fact, it was a gorgeous 80+ degree sunny day today and tomorrow we are supposed to get rain showers and a high in the 50s!


With that in mind, I have a hard time planning for Easter wardrobes! I always want to let little Harley wear a pretty Easter dress or a cute spring outift, but we usually have one final cold snap right around Easter. So, this year I am prepared! We've got the pretty new dress and just in case it is slightly cold, I have crocheted a shrug to go with it! I'm hoping that by making the shrug, the weather will be wonderfully gorgeous and my time will have been wasted! :) Here's hoping!!! I got the pattern for this shrug here.

How To Be Successful At Etsy

So, day two of spring card making and guess what?!?! I only got one lousy card made! Yep! That's it! I was working on this springy card when it dawned on me, that I promised my son that I would go to the grocery store today and buy him some more Pibb...and Ritz crackers. So, I went off to ready myself for a trip into town and the dreaded grocery store...

Since I was going to be making the trip, I made sure to print a 50% off coupon for Michael's and take it with me. And since I was going to be in town, I thought I might as well stop by Hobby Lobby too. So, off to town I go...stop at Hobby Lobby to buy some yarn for some adorable baby booties that I am designing (I will have pics of those later in the week)...then off to Michael's for some bags to put my cards in for craft show this weekend...run into the grocery store...and then to the salon to get a quick trim (believe me I needed it!)...home again to help my daughter with her homework and then outside to enjoy the beautiful evening. So, now here I sit, catching up on the internet and with only one card done for the day [sigh] I don't think I will be getting those 5 spring cards completed before the craft show this weekend...But on a brighter note, here is my Friends Card:



Oh yeah! Get to the Success Tips! I completely forgot ;) OK, I am not an expert by any means! But I have been around the etsy scene for a couple of years and this is what I have learned...although I should be following my advice more closely ;) Use what you can and ignore the rest...

ETSY SUCCESS TIPS

PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE
Send at least two business cards with every order. Leave business cards every where you can think of! Get a magnet for your car. Facebook, myspace, twitter, blog, cafemom (of course). Put your link in the signature of ALL of your emails (even those funny forwards because they will get forwarded on with your info). Offer discounts to 'special' customers like facebook fans. Contests for free stuff. Carry something you make with you everywhere you go. (I keep a coffee sleeve in my pocket and use it when we go out to eat on my coke glass). Get friends/relatives far away to show off your stuff. Keep a photo brag book with some of your pics (I printed a bunch of my pics when Walgreens had a sale). Use your children as advertising (T-shirts - my mommy makes X). Offer to teach a class on your craft at a local craft store.

Then there are your pics - make them good (remove background distractions, have the right lighting, make sure they are in focus). Include something in the pic that will help customers gage the size (a coin, a coffee mug, markers) but make sure they don't distract from the pic. Customers don't always read the item description.

Make your item description concise but detailed. Give sizes, colors, any special characteristics, etc. But you don't need to tell the item's life story."

Mom Attack Monday

I am so proud to say that I am a member of the BEST street team on Etsy! The Cafemom Street Team is an awesome group of mommies grouped together to give advice, help, and even a shoulder to cry on when needed. Each week we choose a group member to attack with sells and promotion. This week's Mom Attackee is Patty's Pretty Things.




Patty loves making all sorts of things, as you will see in her shop! Plus, everything is One of A Kind! So, go check her out and support a Mommy Artist!

6 Months Is TOO LONG!

Yep! It has been 6 months since my last blog post! That is WAY TOO LONG! There have been lots of exciting things going on in the world of Caprice Creations! Let's catch up!


First of all, my sister got married in October. I was her Matron of Honor, Harley was the flower girl, and Chris was an usher for the Mother of the Bride. I was very proud of both kiddos. And my sister looked absolutely beautiful!

Me, Chris, & My Sister (Trisha) . . . . Harley & Trisha

In November, we found out that my sister and her new husband are expecting a baby in late July. Didn't take them long! {wink, wink}

Then came the holidays of Thanksgiving which we spent with my BFF's family. And Christmas which was a nice, peaceful event! The new year came and went. And we continue to trudge through life as we know it.

Sometime in January I taught myself to crochet. It was the one thing that my grandmother had tried to teach me that I just could not get. And I decided that it was time to "bite the bullet" and learn! It has turned out to be my favorite craft! (At least for now! lol)

My sister found out that she is having a BOY on my birthday! I was just a teensy bit disappointed that it's not a girl, but I plan to spoil the little girl rotten anyway! I'm getting so excited!!!

And that pretty much brings us up to the present. I've decided that the blog will be updated much more frequently now. And I hope to bring you lots of tutorials, pics, shop news, family news, and funny stuff! So tell your friends! :)

Cutie-patutie Felt Barrettes

I came across this great tutorial at Fireflies and Jellybeans and just had to share!

Materials:
Felt (scrap pieces work great!)
Barrettes (I found a box of 30 at Micheal's labeled as Quilt binding clips)

scrap paper (for pattern)

scissors

sewing machines (optional)

needle and thread

Button and ribbon embellishments

1. making the pattern: first trace around the barrette with a pencil

2. Draw around the barrette trace to allow for a seam (trust me it is MUCH easier this way! <- I didn't allow for a seam and a funny thing happened: the barrette did not fit! ) The seam allowance does not have to be very big since we are using felt.

3. cut out your pattern and pin it on a piece of felt that has been folded so that there are 2 layers. We are making a jacket for the barrette to fit into so we need 2 sides.

4. cut out the barrette jacket pieces

5. Sew the two pieces together around the sides and bottom but leave the top open so we can put the barrette into. You can machine sew or hand sew.

This is what it should look like after you sew it.

6. cut off the extra felt around the edges. Try to get close the seam but not too close that you cut it open (found that out the hard way too!)

7. Now decide what side is going to be the back (since they look the same on mine it did not matter much!) and flip up the top part. See picture below:

8. cut off the top part on ONLY ONE layer. this is going to allow you barrette to slid into the jacket.

9. now slide you barrette into the jacket.

10. Now choose an embellishment. I like to stitch through the hole on the back of the barrette to make sure that it will stay inside of the jacket.

Note: if you are going to sew a ribbon on, it is best to attach it when you are sewing the 2 pieces together at the beginning.

They are so fun to make and with just a little button, or felt flower or ribbon they turn out SO CUTE! I loved doing this because it seemed that with little effort I could get an adorable end product. I can't stop making them!

Now stop reading and go make some for yourself!!!

Ebay vs Etsy

OK, so I removed one of my beloved items from etsy and placed it up for auction on eBay. I know that I will have to drastically undersell my adorable creation, but I am willing to sacrifice it for a little promotion of my etsy store. I placed my etsy store link in the item description. I even offered free shipping [cringe]. I really hope it works to draw more people to my etsy store! In case you haven't visited, here's the link: http://capricecreations.etsy.com/ and if you'd like to see my eBay auction, click here.

Good Morning Surprise!

What a great surprise to find that you are a featured artist on another crafter's blog! That's what I found when I logged into blogspot this morning to share with you another round of great inspirations! It really brightened my morning! Check it out:

So Many Crafts So Little Time

There are SO many things that I would like to do! Painting projects, paper crafts, and even embroidery but I just don't have enough hours in the day. Not to mention that I can't get to my desk right now due to the closing of LadyBugz Boutique. Everything at the store had to come home and I'm still trying to get boxes put away. But, since I can't create at the moment, I thought I would share some of the places I get my inspiration.

http://www.tallmouse.com/ - this website has some awesome craft ideas for every season! Some are super simple (and great for kids) while others are a litle more detailed. This is a great place to start looking for inspiration!!!

Yippee!!!!

I am featured on an awesome blog! Check it out here: http://knitberry.blogspot.com/ and while you're at it, check out her website too: http://www.knitberry.com/

Yeah! But Sad Too!

Woo Hoo! Today I made my second sale on etsy! I sold my cute little Valentine Mailbox. It's really kind of a bittersweet thing. That mailbox is so cute I wanted to keep it for myself. But I am sure that the buyer's mom will love it just as much!