A Special Request!

I often make special requests for friends and family that don't make it to Etsy, so I'd like to share a recent one.

Eight months ago, one of my best friends gave births to twins, a boy and a girl. For her baby shower, I crocheted little caps out of the softest bamboo yarn, one blue and one pink, of course. Everyone loved the softness of the bamboo (which, if you have never felt it, you would not guess came from a tree!)

After the babies were born, my friend called me to say she wanted me to make blankets for the twins out of the bamboo yarn. I delivered the blankets yesterday. The twins both loved their cuddly softness and fell asleep clutching them. (My heart sang!)

Here is Gabriella's:

And this one is Aiden's:

Sweet dreams always, little ones!

Has Anyone Seen This Yarn?

This is my favorite yarn ever!

It looks like an English garden, with shades of pink, rose, lavender, purple, and green.

But it's discontinued and has apparently been in my yarn stash so long that I can no longer find any trace of it. I'm pretty sure it is Lily Sugar n' Cream brand cotton yarn, but it may be Peaches and Cream. Either way, I want more!

This little cup was made from the little bit I had left. I ran out of the yarn before I could finish covering the cup, so the bottom (which can't be seen) and the inside are solid purple. (Sorry, this cup is not for sale -- it sits on my desk and holds the little papers with words for the Fabulous Friday Finds. Similar cups are for sale at The Lavender Lizard.)

So here's my plea to the yarn gods: Please, please, please bring back this yarn! Please....

Fabulous Friday Finds -- Tank!

Nouns can be funny things in that they have wildly different meanings. This edition of Fabulous Friday Finds is a perfect example:

I asked my boys for a list of 20 or so nouns from which I would randomly draw one in order to choose the Finds from Etsy. (This is our new method of selecting the Finds, which eliminates me waiting for them to get home from school on Friday because I had forgotten to ask for the word at breakfast.) So what's the first word I pull from my little cup?? Tank. Yep, tank.

I'm pretty sure this is what the boys had in mind (wooden military vehicle patterns from JandDWoodcrafts):

Or maybe this tank (in the form of soap from saltsmansoap -- hey, that's a great boy gift!):

But to me, a tank is an article of clothing, something for a sweltering summer day in South Texas. This gorgeous silk tank from LotusLuxuries fits the bill in a dressy, date-with-your-sweetie, kind of way:

Or this lovely tank dress from louderthanwords (honestly, it could not look more comfy -- this is sooooo on my wish list!):

And if I had a daughter (or for that matter, could knit) I would certainly make this sweet little tank (knitted pattern from pixiepurls):

(Be sure to check out all of the photos on this knitted tank pattern -- the variations are adorable!)

Since daughters are not in my future, maybe I can learn to knit for the granddaughters I hope to have some day (a long, long, loooooong time from now.) Then their daddies can think of tanks in a new way.

ETC Has Secrets!

Monday, February 16 is the day for ETC Has Secrets! What's a Secret? It's a free item with purchase of selected listings of participating ETC shops. That's right -- a FREE item! So find the listings with Tex the ETC Armadillo, purchase it, and receive a free item (check each listing for details of the free item.)

I have 2 Secrets hidden in each of my shops, so please visit either The Lavender Lizard or The Lavender Ladybug to see which listings are offering a FREE item!

Today's featured participating ETC shops are PinkPearDesigns and HandmadeWhimzy. I have recently decided to spotlight shops that participate in ETC events, and I chose these 2 shops because, honestly, they are among my faves! I just adore everything Tricia makes! Her jewelry at PinkPearDesigns is romantic; her photos are knockouts!

Tricia's other shop, HandmadeWhimzy, is not too shabby, either! Here you'll find more jewelry, as well as beaded bookmarks and handpainted items. Tex is hiding in both shops, so good luck finding him. I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchases!

Thanks, Tricia, for participating in ETC Has Secrets! You are a terrific team member!!

Fabulous Friday Finds -- Sandstorm!

Today's edition of the Fabulous Friday Finds is brought to you by my 7yo, who thought up the word "sandstorm". Actually, that was his second choice -- his first choice of word was "hail" as in icy precipitation, but waaaay too many listings at Etsy were called "hail to the ___", and there were very few precipitation-related "hail" listings.

So "sandstorm" it is!

My first find is this hauntingly beautiful photo from LarryNicosiaPhoto. He's a new seller to Etsy, and many of his photographs have a desolate quality. And since I love being at the beach when it's cloudy and grey and a storm is coming in, this particular photo really spoke to me.

This original abstract piece from kellyvanhook is appropriately titled "Sandstorm." The color and texture recall the blinding nature of a sandstorm.

I just love the swirly colors of this handmade lampwork bead from blackriverbeads. It almost looks atmospheric, like the planet Jupiter. Gorgeous!

What happens when yarn gets lost in the desert? According to WhirligigYarns (from Boulder, Colorado -- where I was born!), this is the result -- a delightful mix of yellow, pink, taupe, and brown:

On a personal note, I once found myself in a sandstorm. We were on a chartered bus heading from Dallas to Colorado for a ski trip. It was raining in Dallas when we left. We hit the sandstorm in the panhandle (the bus had to stop on the side of the highway because the driver couldn't see anything), and it was snowing in Durango, Colorado when we arrived. That was the weirdest precipitation day ever!

Fabulous Friday Finds -- Computer!

Today's finds are brought to you by the word "computer," chosen by DS2, who is no doubt a child of the computer age.

The first item I chose from Etsy is a laptop sleeve, because in this day and age, travelling with your laptop is often a necessity. And how sad would it be if your laptop was damaged. This laptop sleeve was made by annyandme:

And when you pull your laptop out of its handmade sleeve, it makes an impact with this gorgeous graphic decal from michellechristina:

But let's not forget about the lowly desktop computer you leave at home, the one you depend on day after day. How about a set of lavender and flaxseed pillows to both decorate your space and keep your wrists from fatigue through the hours of blogging, posting, commenting, Etsy shopping, etc. The pillows are found at HomeGrownPillows:

Also your desktop deserves a special mousepad from billoneil. What a great way to brighten up your desk!


And how cute is this memory stick from 123smile, made from real Legos! (And I loooooove legos!)

Without a doubt, my favorite find this week is this sweet baby bib from colbylanedesigns:

I predict the child who wears this is a computer whiz in the making! Remember, it's the geeks who rule the world!

Tune in next Friday for more fabulous finds!

ETC First Monday -- February 2nd!

It's unbelievable how quickly January went! But that just means we have another Etsy Texas Crafters First Monday to look forward to.

I decided to start featuring participating sellers so you would have an idea of the types of shops that belong to ETC. Plus, it's not all about me! (Well, it is sometimes...)

I have chosen two shops to feature -- a newbie and an oldie, plus the ETC Team Shop. The newbie (to me) is SayItOnASign. These 2 signs are among my favorites, mostly because they so apply to me and my family:

SayItOnASign's special today is free domestic shipping (US) on all signs!

The "oldie" is Thistlecraft, but she's not really old -- she's just the first person I met through ETC because she is our intrepid leader. And leading a team of over 700 is quite a task! Plus, she makes all kinds of items. This is my favorite scarf in her shop:

And she creates one-of-a-kind collage cards out of CDs! What a great way to "go green"! Here's an example (which would make a terrific gift for a teacher!):

And Thistlecraft's First Monday sale is 25% off all items!

Let's not forget about the ETC Team Shop! Here you can find pieces donated by ETC shops, like this unique necklace made by StaceyDawn:

The sale at the Team Shop is 50% off all items! The necklace won't last long at that price! So shop early and shop often, because these specials expire at midnight Central time!