Tag Archives: crafts

Goals for 2013: Factotum of Arts, Squeek Crafts

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All in all, I had a great last 4 months of 2012. For 2013, I would like to continue in much the same fashion. My goals are to:

  • Blog a minimum of 3 times a week.
  • Build up my stock in my Etsy store and sell $1000 worth of merchandise.
  • Participate in another craft fair.
  • Squeek Crafts section: Finish my four seasons quilt, a quilt for my son, and the orange and grey quilt for our room and my Christmas stocking.
  • Squeek Crafts section: Try 12 new sewing/quilt or patchwork projects e.g.. a weekender bag, something made from paper piecing.
  • Edible Delights section: Try three new recipes out per month and post them (36 in total for the year).
  • Framed section: Carve out some time to do some drawing and painting. I have 2 pieces in mind.
  • Home and Garden Design section: Finish our backyard, renovate our guest bathroom (as it desperately needs a lift).

Review of 2012: Squeek Crafts

  • I changed jobs to spend more time with my family (February)
  • Started my blog (September)
  • Opened my Etsy store – Squeek Crafts (October)
  • Participated in my first craft fair (December)
  • Sewing or Quilting Projects: Made chair bags (for my store), cushions/pillows, placemats, gift card pockets, Christmas stockings, lots and lots of coffee cup sleeves (for my store and craft fair), made my son a monster.
  • Craft Projects: Made recycled wine cork boards (for my store and craft fair), caterpillar wall display for a thank you gift at pre-school, and an Elmer growth chart (gift for a friend’s little girl), neck tie art piece (gift for my parents 40th wedding anniversary).

2012 Craft Collage

Review of 2012: Edible Delights

  • Shared some of my favorite recipes
  • Made pesto, bell pepper relish, bean salad from things in my first vegetable garden
  • Made Pies/Tarts – Bacon and egg pie, potato top pie, rhubarb apple pies, chocolate tarts, and pear tart
  • Stewed my first lot of fruit – cherries
  • Worked out to get the perfect chocolate coated strawberry without getting a flat edge
  • Got a new case of wine from my brothers vineyard – Moana Park

2012 Edible Delights Collage

Making Gift cards a little more personal

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It’s coming to the end of the year, and I was thinking about what to give my two employees who are reporting to me. I wanted to keep it simple so I decided on gift cards, even though I am torn, since they are a little impersonal.

At the recent craft fair I participated in, a customer asked if I made gift card holders (pockets) that can be reused for storing business cards or credit cards. Of course I said yes. Yesterday, I posted that customers finished order.

That request/order inspired me to make the same pockets for my employees – what a great way to make it more personal. I have one male and one female employee, so for the male pocket I tried to make it male appropriate (the blue one below). Here are their two pockets filled with a gift card, which they will receive tomorrow 🙂

EmployeeGiftCardPockets

I wanted to highlight the top pocket in the picture above, as I am very thankful to one of my husband’s colleagues who provide me scraps from one of her quilts; this is what I made from those scraps.ReusableScrapsGiftCardPockets

I don’t really use a pattern and I just randomly piece the straps together, sometimes with a color in mind. I make the pockets with strips of 7 inch fabric pieces that can be from 1″-1.5″ wide. The final width of the block is 5″ (so  7″x5″ block). I lined them with left over corduroy scraps I had, from making the chair pockets and coffee cup sleeves. Finally, I add the binding on the two ends and sewed the sides together. They take between 20-30 minutes to make (including cutting time).

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts – Finish it up Friday

More quilt projects, work in progress

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WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

So being work in process Wednesday, I have a lot of things started. Apparently, I still have more in me even after the craft fair last week.

I am in the process making the family Christmas Stockings based on their fabric choices.

Son’s Christmas Stocking (Complete)
BlueGreenOrangeChristmasStocking

Husband’s Stocking Top
EarthyChristmasStocking

An update on the 4 Season’s Quilt – Summer is now complete, the dandelions even change from yellow (Spring) to white seed’s (Summer). Only panel to go now is Fall.
ThreeOfFourSeasonsQuilt SpringDandelionsWhiteDandelions

Another project that is a custom order – Gift card holders that can be reused as Credit card holder. A quick update at 11:30 pm on Wednesday – I finished the order!!! Here are all three.
GiftCardPocket