crafts

A wishlist

December 7, 2016 filed under: Etsy, holidays, lists!

It’s the time of wish lists and gift guides around the blogosphere and I personally enjoy these kinds of post. I know, I know, Christmas is not all about the gifts and I wish I was someone who would completely forego the Christmas shopping madness, but I also have to admit that I love shopping for small gifts for my family and friends around this time of year and I equally enjoy putting a little wish list together for myself.

My biggest wish – as always – would be to spend time with family and friends for Christmas, but since this won’t be in the cards this year (again!), I am going to fill my holiday season with all the holiday cheer I can get my hands on.

Sharing a little wishlist of pretty (and functional) items that I’ve come across is part of that. Those are all really just “would-love-to-have” items. Some of them are totally reasonable and maybe in my future budget, some are just things that caught my eye, but which I probably won’t get (right now or ever). Some might be a gift inspiration for you. Who knows?

1) These above knuckle rings are so pretty!! I have to figure out what size you wear on this part of your finger though – ha!

2) I haven’t 100% decided yet which way to go in 2017, but I am leaning towards the Inkwell Press Planner again. I’ve had it for the last two years and it really works well for me. I am not that fond of next year’s cover choices, that’s why I haven’t bought one yet, but I think I’ll make a decision soon.

3) I found this Boho long Tiny Star Necklace while browsing Etsy recently and I just love how versatile it is to wear. If you know me, you know that I love stars (I have a stars necklace and even wear a tiny star piercing in my ear scapha) and this would be just a lovely addition to all my star-jewelry.

4) It’s that time of the year when you can use an extra layer of warmth. These Leg warmers seem perfect for yoga or just hanging around the house.

5) Yarn! One can never have enough yarn and I’ve become a bit of a yarn snob. I won’t buy just any cheap yarn anymore and prefer the higher end cotton and wool blends. This one is so beautiful (in teal, but also in a bunch of other colors!). What’s your favorite (dk) yarn to work with?

6) I love my current iPhone 5s, but it’s 3 years old now and I think it’ll be soon time to upgrade. Besides the missing headphone jack (not sure how I feel about that yet), the iPhone 7 seems like a really sweet gadget.

7) One of these days, I am going to invest into a Cricut cutting machine. I just hope that I would use it as much as I think I am missing one right now. Who has one and can give me some feedback?

What’s on your wish list?

Friday Facts

May 20, 2016 filed under: Friday Facts, knitting

I’m working today and while I am very thankful for my flexible hours (I’m making up some hours that I “borrowed” as vacation time when I took my trip to Germany in March), this week feels extra-long to me and I can’t wait for the weekend to start.

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It almost hit the triple digits for the first time this summer here in the central valley and I am scared what that will mean for my (evening) workout routine. I probably have to switch to the gym or try to run early in the morning (which is not my preference at all). Are you a morning workout person? Or do you prefer the afternoons/evenings like me?

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I’m slightly obsessed with my new project: “designing” my own knitting pattern. I’ve been researching stitches and other patterns for inspiration and it’s been fun. Which reminds me, I haven’t shown you my last finished project yet. Here you go.

What are you working on right now?

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This weekend is going to be low-key overall. We’re getting pizza tonight, I’ll bake bread and make new granola and run my usual errands tomorrow. On Sunday morning, I’ll run another 10k race (more for race practice than for anything else) and the rest of Sunday will be free to relax.

What are your plans this weekend?

What’s on my needles: Groovy

February 22, 2016 filed under: crafts, knitting

It’s been a while since I had peace of mind for knitting, but I started again slowly after the new year. There is almost nothing more relaxing (to me) than knitting a few rows at the end of the day. The repetitive motion (and the added benefit of actually seeing your work grow!) are hugely satisfying to me.

I recently finished a couple of smaller projects (that I will show you some other time), but right now I am excited to start a new piece with one ball of yarn from my 100 Farbspiele (German for: “100 color plays”) stash. Those balls of yarn have a long color gradient ( > 500 yards per ball) and come in a variety of beautiful color schemes.

Long gradient yarn is kind of hard to find in the US (let me know, if you know of any source that has balls that run at least 700 yards), but I am lucky to get my supplies through my aunt and mom from Germany from a small business called “100 Farbspiele”. The yarn is hand-dyed, has 3 to 6 plies (strands) that are unplied (does that make sense?) and made to order, so it usually takes a while to get your hands on this yarn (processing time is about 4 weeks), but the yarn is so beautiful and fun to work with. In fact, it’s a bit addicting (I have four other balls of gradient yarn that I am dying to use.)

I’ve wanted to knit a Groovy, a triangle shawl, for the longest time and finally started a couple of days ago. The color scheme that I am using is called “Under Water”, which has beautiful blue and aqua shades.

The finished pattern will look like this:

This is my Mom’s work and she used the color scheme “Irland” (which is similar to the one I am using, just more green-ish). The fun part about this yarn is that you can start it from either end and that way you can decide how you want your knitted item to look.

I used to buy just any cheap yarn from Michaels or Joann’s, but I’ve become pickier over the years. I prefer lighter weights and higher quality yarns now, because they’re just more fun to work with and you’ll just get a qualitative better and more beautiful final piece.

What’s your favorite yarn? Are you working on something right now?

20: Friday Facts

November 20, 2015 filed under: Etsy, Friday Facts, NaBloPoMo

I had an entirely different post planned for today, but sometimes, life gets in the way and things don’t happen… so a “Friday Facts” post it is and it’s not a bad thing because I have some random things I want to share with you.

On Sunday, I’ll be running my first official race, a 10k. I hesitated for a long time to sign up, but when my friend Susi asked me if we wanted to sign up together, I saw an opportunity and jumped on it. I’ve been training for this race for a few months now and I am excited about the experience. Wish me luck!

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Mark your calendars, friends! This is your opportunity to snatch up some lovely handmade items during our Black Friday Sale at our Etsy shop “Four Hands Creations“. The sale will go over the whole Thanksgiving weekend (Friday the 27th through Monday the 30th) and you’ll get 25% off your order with code “TAKE25”. Maybe you need some handmade cards for the holidays or a lovely banner to decorate your home. We also have some items that would make lovely gifts for some special people. Come on by!

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I have sung the praises of ePantry before and I want to remind you that there is still time to give ePantry a try. If you use my referral link, you’ll get a $10 credit and a free Grove Collaborative soy candle when you place your first order. This is a great incentive to try them out if you were curious about their services. If it’s not for you, there is no obligation and you can cancel at any time. I warn you though, you might fall in love with their products, the hassle-free home delivery (on your own schedule), and great customer service!
Do you want an example? I ordered handsoap (among other things) in my last order and they sent me the wrong scent. When I contacted customer service about an exchange for the scent that I ordered, not only did they send me the correct scent immediately at no additional cost, but they also let me keep the other bottle of handsoap. I’ve been a customer for almost a year and I am very happy!

Have a lovely weekend!

Labor Day Sale

September 5, 2015 filed under: crafts, Etsy

We’re having a Labor Day Sale over at our little Etsy shop this weekend. I thought I’d share this in case you’re looking for some cute handmade stuff that works great as gifts for family or friends or a treat for yourself. My friend Dina makes beautiful, customized banners and coffee cozies, I’ve been working on personalized cards and knit items.

Come one over and check out our shop!