Friday, October 18, 2013

Fabulous Find Friday---Have You Heard of Spoonflower?

I have been under a little stress lately so I decided to completely ignore my problems and get a little creative.   Not trusting myself with scissors, I finally tried out Spoonflower.  What is it you ask?   Well, Spoonflower is a site where you can design your own fabric, save it and then, if you love it, order it!  In addition, you can make your design public, and/or let Spoonflower sell it and even receive 10% of any of those sales!
 The process is very intuitive even for a computer illiterate like me.  It helps if you have a decent photo editing program (check out my post on Picmonkey).  You can download files or pictures in these approved formats TIF, JPG, PNG, GIF, AI, EPS, SVG and then play around with them as far as arrangement, color and size goes.  Talk about fun.....
 Above is an example of a fabric I designed using some images from the web.  I have been on an I Love Lucy kick lately.....she is so funny!  No copy written images can be used of course!  And once you have made your fabric design, Spoonflower puts a watermark on it to protect it.
It takes them about 10 days to manufacture the fabric in your design and then a few days for you to receive it once they ship.  Shipping was cheap, around 6 dollars for about 6 yards of different weight fabrics.  So it sounds like a two week design to door process.  Once I proof the fabrics I designed and ordered they will be available for sale (you must order proofs before you can let Spoonflower put them on the market).  Fabrics cost a little more than you would pay at a fabric store but you are getting something unique.  Prices start at about $16.00 per yard but you can order less expensive swatches and fat quarters (swatches are good for proofing).  If you design and then order your own design you get a discount and if you order more than 20 yards of any fabric you get a 20% discount!  So give it a try, you might surprise yourself.....and if you don't want to design your own, check out the hundreds of fabrics that others have designed.  Some are truly amazing! 
Diana

Thursday, October 17, 2013

First Day Camping Trip

We took A Frayed Knot on her first camping trip, and even though we didn't spend the night it was so nice to have her along.  My husband had put on a new back bumper since the craft fair and it was so much prettier than the old one.  We went to the nearby Mohican State Park.  After setting up camp, my husband fished and I read a book.  Then I took a nap inside on the comfy bed with my vintage quilt and fuzzy pillows.  LOVED IT!!
The next trip will be overnight but since the temperatures have fallen, it might have to wait until next year.....
Diana

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

PicMonkey--Who Knew!

I have wanted a really good photo editing program for a while now.  I have tried demos of several but none were intuitive enough (for me anyway)!  Then my friend Mary, who has beautiful photography on her blog, spilled her secrets.......she uses PicMonkey!  Best part---It is free!  I am probably the last person on the planet to know this but in case I am not, check it out.  Nothing to download, just lots of fun effects.  Plus, if you want more than the freebies they offer, you can sign up for an upgrade for less than I spend on cupcakes vitamins in one month---for an entire years subscription!  Have fun with all the Halloween special effects like the ones above.  The scary picture above?  That is a picture of our littlest grandson who is very angelic in real life but I couldn't resist giving him a more sinister aura!  I see much better photos in my future!
Diana

Monday, October 7, 2013

Discount Coupon at Our Etsy Shop

Have you been eyeing something in our shop?  Now is a great time to get it with our discount coupon that is good until the end of October.  Enter OCTOBER2013 for a 15% discount on everything in the shop!  New item are being added all the time so check back often! 
Diana

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Hebron Art and Music Festival 2013

Last weekend we did our first craft fair in years.  We started at a very small event so it would be more fun and less stress.......that was our plan anyway.
 The camper was a big hit and got so much attention!  We actually got two offers on it but I would NEVER sell her!
 Here is a picture that shows our booth and new awning.  We learned a lot this time out!  Like how to set up the awning I made.  We learned that if we did it wrong a strong wind will bring it down on our heads----twice.
 The camper doll house was a great mascot.
 A few of my favorite items.
 The camper was great for brief breaks from the sun.
 Eli and Abby helped with set up and sells.
Abby and her school friend take a moment to chat and enjoy the camper.  While our sells were slow (small festival means few customers) we enjoyed meeting people and showing off the camper!  It was fun to have the experience.  Now we will take a break and decide if this is something we want to try again......
Diana