The Colorful Art of Procrastination

I've had a stomach bug the past few days so my house is a complete disaster!  My 2 year old has literally pulled every.single.toy out and they are all currently crashed in a massive pile of mess.  Good Times!  I desperately needed to suck it up and work on the mountain of laundry and putting toys away, but since that didn't sound like any fun, I made corker hair bows, ALL.DAY.LONG!!!

The Art of Procrastination - Love It!!!

Voila!

I love all hair bows and have spent big bucks buying them for the past two years so I decided it was time to learn how to make them!  Cute little girls with colorful hair bows = CUTENESS!!!  Maybe it is because I have SO many Gymboree corker bows or because it is different than what I had growing up, I love corker hair bows the most!!!

I ordered all of my ribbon a couple weeks ago through several fabulous Etsy shops, and I watched the most amazing free tutorial on corker bows, I was very excited to get started.  First of all, don't drink the same naive Kool-Aid I did, it takes SO long to wrap all of the 1/4" dowels, SO long!  I baked ribbon all morning and afternoon long!  Then there is the business of cutting long corker strips into 3" pieces.  Again, very time consuming!

After all of my ribbon was wrapped, baked, cut and sorted, I started the assembly process.  This was the best part of all!  Don't get me wrong, although I'm complaining letting you know this project takes a chunk of time, each step is SO MUCH FUN!  

I intentionally made color palette bows so they will work with many outfits, I highly recommend this.  Although I made a lot of corker hair bows today, I already placed an additional ribbon order so I can make coordinating bows for ALL of my daughter's outfits.  Why have a few when you can have a LOT, right!?!

Pinks & Browns

 Oranges & Yellows

 Greens & Browns

 BLUES!!!

 Shades of Purples

 Blues & Greens

 Pinks & Oranges

 This shows the clip - each is sewn on, very easy!!!

 I Love My Pile of Procrastination Color!!!

I'm almost finished with a few fun, FREE SEWING TUTORIALS that will be posted in the next week!!!  Thanks for stopping by - please visit again soon!  

Happy Crafting!

My Facelift - Do I Look Younger!?!

OK, so " I " didn't have a face lift, my blog did.  What do you think!?!  I'm still very involved in the playing stage, playing with color and layout.  I would LOVE your feedback - please have a look around this blog and leave feedback, private message me (StitchStashDiva@yahoo.com), or Facebook message me.  I will send you a 10% Off code valid for two weeks as a special thank you!  The deadline for Feedback to receive your 10% Off code is December 31, 2011, however feedback is always welcome!  Thank you!

If you have general feedback, fabulous!  If not, please comment on any of the following questions that spark a response.  

Do you like the layout?

Is my blog easy to read?

I know I am lacking pictures on posts, but what else would you like more of?

Do you like my color choices?  If not, what colors do you prefer?
Other?  When you read my blog do you want to visit again soon?  If not, why?

I will e-mail you your 10% OFF coupon code after I receive your feedback.  You may leave feedback on this blog with your preferred e-mail address and I will delete your personal information before publishing, or you may comment "please do not publish."  I want your feedback, I don't need "numbers" here so whatever is easiest for you!

You can message me directly:  StitchStashDiva@yahoo.com

You can contact me through Facebook.

THANK YOU!!!  I have shipments from Robert Kaufman & MICHAEL MILLER arriving later this week...this is a great week for a discount code, just sayin'!

Hello!

Time flies!  No excuses, only because there are too many fabulous ones to share, so this post is to let you all know I'm still alive and breathing, and getting ready to invest some serious time and energy into this blog starting in January.

Pictures and FREE projects soon!  

All the best,

Tayva - StitchStashDiva

Halloween Gifting Kits

I just put together 3 "Fall/Halloween Gifting Kits" and will have them listed in my shop tomorrow morning!  Included in each kit are the following:

-3 Cookie-Mix Jar Gifts

-4 Cake-In-A-Jar Gifts

-Fabric & Materials to make 4 Potholder Gifts (2 per gift, 8 Potholders Total)

=11 Holiday Gifts Total (for about $3 each!)

Why Halloween Gifts!?!  There are so many times we want to give an appreciation gift, a teacher gift, or a hostess gift, yet it starts to feel like we keep exchanging the same bottle of wine with our friends or we are roaming the aisles of the grocery store trying to pick up a quick candle that "looks nice enough" to gift.  Tell me it isn't just me!!!

By planning ahead you are able to save money (YAY) and give thoughtful, fun gifts to the special people in your life.  Would you run to the store to buy a little thank you gift for the parent who covered your carpool obligations?  Would you run to the store to buy your child's teacher a little thank you gift for having extra patience with you child on a rough day?  Would you run to the store to buy your child's violin or gymnastics teacher a gift?  The answer, probably not!  But, wouldn't you like to be able to give them a totally unexpected yet thoughtful gift!?!

Before my family moved to Utah this past December I was a private violin teacher.  I never expected any gifts for holidays, I was getting paid, yet some families always did the "extra" little things that made me feel so special and appreciated.  Gift cards are always lovely, but I received so many fun gifts, specifically a lot of cookie mixes in a jar, and I absolutely loved putting them in my pantry!  When company came over with really short notice I was able to pull an adorable jar of delicious treats out, add butter and eggs, and voila, domestic goddess!  ;-)  OK, probably not so domestic or goddess, but you get my point! 

I have always enjoyed having holiday hot pads - it is such a small thing but it always puts me in such a happy mood when I bake.  This kit comes with the fabric and batting to make 8 hot pads, and I usually tie two together with ribbon to take as a little hostess gift when we go to dinner at a friend's house.  You never have to worry about food allergies or home decor, hot pads go in a drawer so it doesn't matter a bit if it "coordinates" at all, and they are fun!  I also love having them made up and ready to go so that it saves me the quick trip to the store to "buy another candle" or bottle of wine.  Don't get me wrong, I love wine and candles, but with a little bit of planning you can gift something thoughtful and unique, love it!!!

Trying to take pictures without natural light is so frustrating, so here is a sneak peek, and tomorrow I will take "good" pictures!  Enjoy!!!

 I'm also making Christmas Gifting Kits too!!!

More soon!!!

More Toddler Dresses!

My 2 year old is little miss smiley...when she wants to be!  Today has been such a great day, but busy, and my eager-to-smile baby girl was serving up a big side of grumpy as soon as I had her dressed and ready to take pictures this afternoon.  I will try again tomorrow!  Until then, here is one of my latest dresses featuring Michael Miller & Robert Kaufman fabric, love, Love, LOVE it!!!

 Back View

 Ready for Fall/Winter

 Cuteness!

I have SO many other patterns and projects lined up, now I am just needing more time to sew!  I have been having so much fun with these little Kimono-Style dresses that I have made them for almost all of my nieces, one more to go, and I am filling my daughter's closet!  

My favorite feature of these dresses is the reversible option, it is two dresses for one!  It seems like I never have a spare outfit when we are out and I need one so reversing my daughter's dresses has become more of a habit/pattern than I should admit to!  ;-)  

Now that fall is finally arriving I am starting to buy tights, leggings, and sweaters for layering.  We always take at least one "warm" vacation every winter and I love that my baby girl can be layered and bundled leaving home, then with a couple of outfit modifications, be ready for the beach and warm weather when we get off the plane, all without having to pack extra clothes! 

In another week I will have my holiday dresses online!  It is so much fun dressing up little girls for holiday parties and visits to meet Santa, but one month a year isn't much opportunity to get full value out of a holiday dress.  Don't get me wrong, still totally worth it!  Still, I have a few designs that are a holiday dress with an all-season reversible option.  Value!!!  Please keep checking my shop!!!

I have a FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY contest going right now - please LIKE my Facebook page and leave comments to earn additional entries.  I'm giving away a Halloween Fat Quarter Bundle - 8 Fat Quarters and FREE SHIPPING.  Good luck to each of you!  Please click here to visit my Facebook page and click here to visit my Etsy Shop!

Good Luck!!!

2 Months, 101 Sales!!!

Today marks my second full month of business and I am very pleased to announce I have had 101 sales in my Etsy shop!  This doesn't even count all of my neighborhood business!  A huge thank you to ALL of you who have shopped my Etsy store, and for all of you who are still thinking about making purchases, I hope to earn your business soon!

My Etsy shop has been the perfect fit for my life right now, and not to forget - SO MUCH FUN!  Thank you again!  As a thank you to all of you who LIKE my Facebook page I have a Fat Quarter Bundle GIVEAWAY.  This week only, September 15th - September 21st.  You have already been entered into my giveaway just for liking my page.  If you haven't yet, please do so now!  For each comment you make on my Facebook page this week you will have an additional entry.  For each purchase you make in my shop you will have an additional entry.  If you purchase 3 separate items within one purchase, you will have three separate entries.  The winner will be chosen on Thursday September 22nd, pictures to follow!

Friends, it is time to shop!!!  You will win 8 Fat Quarters and FREE SHIPPING!  A $23.50 Value!!!

Good Luck!!!

Customer Appreciation Photos!!!

First of all, my customers are the BEST!!!  When I started my Etsy shop I thought I was starting a simple online fabric by-the-yard business, a little hobby.  I had very humble goals and expectations.  Then...I opened my shop...and I am having more FUN than I ever dreamed!

Every day I have messages from new fun and fabulous people, both domestic and international.  Such a surprise, a very happy surprise!!!  Some messages are requests for custom bundles, some are requests for custom bundles and help determining how much fabric they need for various projects, and some messages are just fan mail - people who love my fabric and took their precious time to reach out and write me happy little notes.  I LOVE ALL OF IT!!!

One of my very first customers was a fabulous woman from Oregon, my former home state!  She found my shop through a Google search, then messaged me with window and crib dimensions and asked for my help to determine how much fabric she needed.  That was SO much fun!  We chatted briefly on the phone, I did a little research and math, then voila, a Reserved Listing was made!  She just sent me pictures of her son's room and gave me both her permission and blessing to share.  Thanks, A!!!

I had so much fun with all of the e-mail exchanges we had...such a fabulous lady!!!

Two or three weeks after I opened my shop I had another amazing woman message me, this time from Australia!  She is expecting a baby girl and wanted to decorate her daughter's nursery in Red & Black Ladybugs, loved my Ann Kelle Ladybug fabric, but doesn't sew yet.  For those of you who know me, I absolutely LOVE Red & Black Ladybugs!!!  Understatement!!!  My daughter's 2nd Birthday Party is a Red & Black Ladybug Themed party, woot, woot...pictures soon!  She asked if I would sew crib bumpers and a quilt for her, since she doesn't sew...yet!  I have a feeling she will be sewing in the very near future!  She too, was SO much fun to exchange e-mail with...I am so blessed and fortunate to keep meeting such amazing people through my shop.  Happy Bonus!!!

I stayed up late three nights in a row and finished the nursery bedding set for R. and she just sent me photos of her daughter's nursery!  Enjoy!

I keep meeting the most vibrant and amazing people through my shop, LOVE it!!!  I can't tell you how many times throughout the day I smile at my computer, having fun - I think YES!  I find myself also sending little messages to other Etsy shops with "fan" mail, so much fun!

My Halloween Kits are finished and will be posted in my shop this weekend!  I caught a cold this past weekend and that really slowed me down this week, not good!  I am waiting for a couple of special touches to really make my pictures pop, and trust me it will be worth the wait!  2 days, more pictures and goodies to buy in 2 days!

If you have made anything you feel like sharing please send me a note and your pictures!  I would love to post items made with fabric from my shop, but I welcome pictures of any handmade project you want to share!  I check my Etsy messages often! 

Yay!

Holiday Fever...Halloween is Coming!!!

My house has been crazy (in a good way) and my posting has been slacking...but things are about to change!!!  I am putting the finishing touches on upcoming kits for Halloween and Christmas and will have a whole LOT to blog about very soon!  Until then, here is a little sneak peek of one of the Halloween projects in the fabulous kit I'm putting together.  Fabulous, oh yes, you just wait!!!

Halloween Lap Quilt/Toddler Blanket

I absolutely love making "Stack & Shuffle" quilts.  They are SO much fun, so fast, and they are such fun to look at!

You may decorate your house for Halloween or you may not, but after you see my Halloween Kit blog post you are going to definitely want to decorate this year!!!  Soon, I promise!!!

Halloween Apron TUTORIAL

Thank you for purchasing the Halloween Apron KIT from my Etsy shop!  The following TUTORIAL is the way I make these aprons.  The Skeleton Apron Panel is a complete project alone, but as part of this kit you will create an improved "finished" product with a professional edge and a happy wash-and-wear bonus! If you have a fabulous tip you would like to share please post a comment below.  Thanks, and Happy Sewing!!!

Step 1:  Pre-Wash your fabric on cold and tumble dry on low.  Iron fabric.

Step 2:  Lay the Skeleton Apron Panel on a clean work surface, right-side up.

Step 3:  Cut out the neck ties, pocket, and waist ties.

Step 4:  Iron neck and waist ties - fold 1/4" and press, fold in half and press.

Step 5:  Pocket - Fold long seam (at Skeleton wrist) 1/4" and press, then fold another 1/4" and press.  Fold the three remaining sides over 1/4" and press.

Step 6:  Carefully place the pocket over the matching scene on the panel.  Pin.

Step 7:  Sew around three sides of the pocket (leave top open), then sew two seams, between the leg bones, to create a total of three pockets.

Step 8:  Place the neck and waist ties in position, then pin.  I pull the length of the ties into the middle of the apron panel and pin again to avoid any shifting and the possibility of sewing a loose end of a tie into a seam by mistake.  Been there done that, just sayin'!  ;-)

Step 9:  Lay the backing fabric on a clean work surface, right-side up.  Place the Skeleton Apron panel on top of the backing fabric, right-side down.  Right-sides should be together.  Pin, pin, pin!

Step 10:  Use the white edge of the Skeleton Panel as your guide and sew a 1/4" seam around the entire apron, leaving a 4" opening to turn right-side out.

Step 11:  Trim along the white edge. 
TIP:  At the 4" opening I cut a wider edge, a 1/2" edge, to make finishing easier.  I prefer to leave my opening at the bottom so I cut the entire bottom edge 1/2" from the seam.

Step 12:  Turn Skeleton Apron right-side out.  Iron.  Pin, pin, pin.

Step 13:  Top stitch 1/4" from the edge around the entire apron.  This top stitching step is very important - it reduces the need to iron after washing!!!  I take my aprons out of the dryer when damp, smooth out the fabric, then let them air-dry.  Without top stitching there is a LOT of shifting and ironing is absolutely necessary.  Just because I know how to iron doesn't mean I want to!  ;-)
TIP:  I like to make two seams, one a 1/4" from the edge, and another one millimeter inside the edge.  This second top stitching is not necessary, it is just a handmade bonus, and I like the look! 

 Voila - WELL DONE!

I hope you enjoyed this Skeleton Apron KIT!  These aprons are a fun treat for ourselves, a fabulous gift for the special Halloween-Loving-Person in your life, a hostess gift, or a unique teacher gift!  The manufacturer is completely out of the Skeleton Apron Panels and my supply is limited.  Re-order today, when they are gone they are gone!

Happy Sewing!!!

Too Cute

I stayed up late last night to sew a sample of my Skeleton Apron Kit.  Click here to see the listing in my shop.  Bundled kits are available for a substantial discount!!!

When I woke up this morning and called my husband he asked why I didn't list the apron for sale yet.  I explained I needed a model and he volunteered, such a good man!!!  When he volunteered I had the first picture in mind...

Mr. GQ

 This pose included a sales pitch for how fabulous and manly my Halloween BOO fabric is, or at least that is the story I'm telling!

One thing is for certain, we are having fun in our house!  These Skeleton Apron Kits are SO easy and SO MUCH FUN!  Please check out my shop and message me if you prefer a different backing fabric - I'm very happy to make you a custom listing!  

Happy Halloween Projects!!!

I Heart My Cricut

Do you have a Cricut!?!  I remember the first time I saw one - I thought it looked like fun but I don't scrapbook so what is the point, right?  Well, I have changed my tune, I still don't scrapbook but I have MANY reasons to own one!  

I am struggling to take good pictures of my latest paper crafts so this is only a sneak peek.  Nothing ruins a great idea faster than a bad picture, trust me!  

This is six layers of paper, two of which are the most fabulous glittery paper ever - all the shimmer and shine of glitter paper without the mess, gotta love quality!!!

I have several fabulous paper crafts to sell on my Etsy shop but until I can take a picture that makes them pop like they do in person...I will work on developing my patience!!!

I heart my Cricut machine and am looking forward to learning new techniques and playing with new mediums...so many ideas, not enough time!  Please share your favorite Cricut projects with me!!!

When Opportunity Knocks!!!

My husband had the career opportunity of a lifetime offered to him in November 2010 and he took it!  In a manic rush we packed up and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in December 2010.  We didn't know what to expect of our new city so we focused on my husband's job, and we started making a list of everything we loved about our new home.  

The top spot on my list was SUNSHINE - Portland has 300+ days of overcast skies and/or rain a year and Salt Lake City has 300+ days of sunshine a year, maybe more!  The second spot on my list was "time for hobbies."  I have had many interests and hobbies throughout my life, and now that I am a mom, I want to sew and craft all the more!  I have an insatiable need to create fun, unique things for my darling little girl!!!

Building on my "time for hobbies" theme I have opened an online quilt fabric by-the-yard shop that will also feature some of my creations.  My shop is named:  StitchStashDiva.

This blog will serve as a creative space to share ideas, tutorials, and I will be having fabulous giveaways and special offers for my readers.  On the right side of the blog is a sampling of the fun and trendy fabrics I am currently selling in my shop.  Click on the StitchStashDiva link at the bottom of the features to visit my Etsy store, or click here.  Click on my Facebook badge and LIKE my Facebook page to be updated on current products, giveaways, and special offers, or click here.

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope to inspire the Crafty Diva in you!!!

- Tayva

StitchStashDiva