Joey and the Eggplant

Have become great friends since I introduced them almost 2 weeks ago. They like to play together, roll around together and the eggplant likes to be chewed. Joey is more than happy to oblige. It all started with a promise I made Joey when he was around 4 months old. I promised him that I would make him an eggplant for his 6 month birthday. I like to think Joey loves it. :)

It may be unnecessary to say this for those who know me, but I have recently become obsessed with amigurumi knitting. You can knit your own toys! It's awesome! How many children out there have a stuffed eggplant? I would challenge you to find one. Plus, it's so well-constructed. ;) It's soft, there aren't any parts that will pop off and choke him, and it's got a really fun stem that he can chew on and hang on to so he can swing it around and hit people.

I have the most wonderful book of amigurumi knitting written by Hansi Singh. This is the second pattern I've used from this book, the first one being the Garden Snail, which was also awesome. Joey really likes that one, too. He likes to chew on the snail's antennae. The eggplant was a super easy pattern to follow, and I would recommend it to EVERYONE. The only thing to brush up on may be picking up stitches, but there's an entire section on this in the book. Everything you need to know can be found IN THIS BOOK. It's awesome. I absolutely hate it when I get a book that has specialized stitches (triple treble crochet clusters, for example, 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet...), and you have to bring along an additional reference book to be able to figure out those wonky stitches. For my amigurumi knitting, I need only one book. It's heaven. :) The patterns are just so unique and fun, too. What child wouldn't want a stuffed jackalope? I have at least 2 other patterns currently planned for this book. I bought yarn for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster (this one's for me), and I want to make a spider for Joey for Halloween. That one may be a little late since we're A) in the process of moving into a new house and currently living in a hotel and B) I'm already knitting him a costume for Halloween. You'll have to wait and see what it is. :)
In any case, I highly recommend this book as it is wonderfully fun and quirky, and Hansi Singh is a friggin' genius. Yes, some of the patterns seem pretty challenging (I love to read knitting patterns before bedtime), but challenges are fun! It always feels good to accomplish something like this. Happy knitting!

Going green with crafting!

I'm finally finding the time to tell you how it was sewing Joey's wet bags, and I know I said I was going to do it a few days ago, but, well... life gets in the way sometimes. We had to make an emergency trip to Ohio (good emergency, nothing's wrong, but thanks for worrying), and my poor little boy is cutting his first tooth, and it finally broke through today! He's still quite a bit cranky, but you would be too if something razor sharp was tearing your gums apart trying to rip its way through your face. So don't judge.

So, wet bags. I found a GREAT pattern online courtesy of the oh-so-talented Jessica of Yarnmonster. Just for your clarification, she made an all-cotton bag so, if you use this pattern, adapt it to what you need. The link for the pattern can be found below. I made a drawstring wet bag using cotton flannel and PUL. PUL is a wonderful fabric that I used for the first time for this project. It's a thin, slightly stretchy washable water-resistant fabric perfect for things like wet bags, snack bags and whatever else you would make that you would want to resist water. Please note I say resist. Not water-proof so keep that in mind if you decide to use it. I made the bags slightly bigger than Jessica uses in her pattern, but she is wonderful at explaining how to adapt your measurements so it was absolutely no problem. These bags could also be made to be nifty little reusable gift bags. I made the 2 bags on the left, and all the diapers on the right are FuzziBunz. Great stuff, so far! I love them. We got several different colors so Joey can always look stylish in his FuzziBunz. :)

Jessica's Drawstring Bag Pattern


Below, you can see Joey modeling a pair of his FuzziBunz. He looks very cute in them, if I do say so myself. He's also very interested in his diaper bag. That's fine, I suppose. They were made to hold poop. He couldn't do much worse than that to them. Have at it, little gooba.


I sized the bag to fit Joey's diaper pail so we could continue to use our current diaper disposal system. You can kind of get the look of the PUL in this picture. It's the light blue, shiny fabric wrapped around the top of the bag holder. You do have to be a little careful when sewing this fabric as it is slightly stretchy, but it's definitely manageable. I had no problem with it, and I'm definitely nowhere close to being a first rate sewing person (whatever you call them). The only problem I had with the bag/pail combo is that between the cotton flannel and the PUL fabric wrapped around the bag holder and the piece of plastic that's supposed to go into the holder so it closes securely, the fabric is a little too thick for it to close. However, that ended up being just fine with us because 1) we put little Arm & Hammer odor eaters at the bottom of the diaper pail, and 2) since we're using reusable diapers, there is no actual poop in the pail because we rinse the poopy diapers in the toilet because I AM NOT putting poopy diapers in my beautiful green washing machine. NOT doing it. So there's really no smell to speak of in the first place. Now, I just lift the entire lid of the pail, throw the diaper components in, and when it's full, I take the whole bag out and throw everything into the washing machine. Voila. Just like magic. I'm loving this system! Plus, using reusable diapers makes me feel like a better person. So, the two reasons we're using reusable diapers: 1) wonderfully adorable fashion statement (for Joey), and 2) it makes me feel better... so purely selfish. But still okay!


I had to include King Gooba himself in some of these pictures. I put him in the midst of the bags and diapers, and he ended tearing up my pretty picture and chewing on diapers. I guess when you're this cute, you can pretty much do whatever you'd like. :) I don't think there's anything I didn't cover, but if you have any questions about this project or Yarnmonster's pattern, let me know!



Joey says: "Thanks, Momma, for saving the planet for me when I'm a much older, mature and handsome man." Go, green!

New look!

As you may have noticed, I've changed the background on my blog! I probably had too much fun messing everything up, but I think it looks great. It looks like a unicorn threw up rainbows all over it! I love it! For those of you who don't know, unicorns throw up rainbows. It's a fact, look it up.

In other news, my darling hubby now has his own craft-related blog! His craft is not nearly as feminine as mine is so you'll be disappointed if that's what you're expecting. His craft, however, is incredibly cool. To preface, who likes beer? ME! I DO! (bouncing up and down while violently shaking my arms in the air...) His craft is... BREWING BEER! How cool is that? I've tasted his homebrew, and it's great. His most recent creation was a watermelon wheat, and it's summer in a bottle. It's awesome. This is really the first batch I've gotten to enjoy like this simply because I was pregnant for, well, 9 months, and I missed a lot of it. But now I'm back in the game! Yay, beer drinking game! So if you're interested in his homebrewing hijinks, check them out at:

Beer Blog

Yes, it's seriously called Beer Blog. Now he just started it tonight so maybe give it a few days before you start expecting something, but go ahead and bookmark it. Bookmark it. Now. Well, I suppose you can finish my blog first, but THEN bookmark it. You'll be very glad you did.

I did finish both wet bags as I tested the first and completed the second today. They look great, they fit in Joey's diaper pail wonderfully, and I'll have more on that tomorrow, probably. Pictures and such, you know.

So I hope everyone has a good night. I've sent the unicorn back home after he so lovingly contributed his beautiful unicorn vomit to my blog. Bjorn (the unicorn) is wonderful for helping me out in my time of need. So go bookmark Scott's blog, and then come back later for wet bag project info! Don't tell me... YOU CAN'T WAIT!

Holy notecards, Batman!

As you may know, I've been working on a very large order. I think it's the largest one I've done, minus work I've done for craft shows, of course, but it's been an absolute blast! I got to use a ton of creative license, and I am very grateful for that. I came up with a ridiculous amount of new designs, and I have listed many of them on my site already. So, as I said, TONS of fun. I think the most fun part was ending up with a huge stack of notecards at the end.

Awesome, right? I LOVE IT! :) Anyway, I'm sure it's boring reading about how I stacked up a bunch of notecards so I'll stop. But it was fun. I mean, look at that placement!

Anywho, besides, going bonzai on my notecards, I've been working like a crazy woman on stitching some more notepads. You know what they say about crazy bookbinders... they're crazy. Watch out, right. Since I've had my bookbinding drill, I've made a few more notepads, and I've got quite a few more in the works. I'm working on a very special one that I'm making out of the very same paper I used to make Joey's baby announcements. I'm thinking about keeping that one for myself. In any case, my bookbinding drill is a-freaking-mazing. I can clearly get notepads done in a fraction of the time, and it really does save my wrists and hands. The stitching is quite a bit easier, and I'm just plain happier with my products. Go, me.


Now that I've mostly got my products solidified, I'm working on finalizing some other business-type things. I worked on some packaging materials yesterday, making myself some stickers for sealing product bags, and I got my new stamp! Yay! Now my products will all have my new website on the back. Woo hoo! While this may sound very boring to you, it's so exciting to me! I've also started making a list of new things I might want to carry. Party accoutrements! Banners, themed thank yous, cupcake toppers... Of course, I'll have to work out the logistics, but, again, I'm really excited. As you can tell, it doesn't take much. :)

Now that I'm done with this order, I'm going to get it ready to send off, and it will be lookin' good! Then I have another order to work on, and in between all this, I will get that wet bag done. I promise. I'm off today to get more fabric. Unfortunately, I did misjudge what I would need on that front. While sewing is not my first love, I like to think I'm capable. :)

So little time...

I've been making a TON of new card designs, lately, and I just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about my blog. I'm working on some great stuff, and I'm also working on adding some stuff to the shop. I had been waiting for some supplies, and I got them in the mail yesterday so... yay! Hopefully, I'll be on that soon.

In other news, I am officially a member of the Cricut Circle as I received my welcome kit with my exclusive Cricut cartridge about a week ago. I would have mentioned it earlier, but I wanted to make some things with it first. The cartridge is French Manor, and it is not available for purchase. Yep, that's right. I did say exclusive. :) The cartridge is filled with beautiful vintage, French country designs, and I'm going to have a blast with this thing. Here are a couple of the cards I've made.

This first one is obviously a 'hello' card, and I used one of the two chandelier die cuts from the cartridge. I put it on top of an embossed damask pattern I made with my epic six, and I then added some color in the pink rhinestones and ribbon. I find that I have been obsessed with rhinestones, lately, and I've been adding them to everything. This, of course, was no exception.


The second card I've made with this cartridge, so far, is a wedding card where I also used a damask-type pattern for the base of the card. Again, I used my epic six to emboss the eyelet pattern on the semi-circle, and I added a 'Congratulations' sentiment with some rhinestones. Go figure. :) I got the beautiful bird cage from the French Manor Cricut cartridge, and this card is seriously one of my favorites. I also got the birds from the new cartridge. Other than that, I pleated some mulberry paper underneath the semi-circle and added some color with the purple bow to match the card base. The thing I love about this card is how personalized you can make it. Instead of using purple, you can use the wedding colors or color-coordinate the rhinestones or the bird cage or the brads. There are SO many different versions of this card to be made.

I'm definitely working on some other stuff to make with my new cartridge. These 2 cards are not yet on my shop site, but they will be there soon. These are actually the first pictures I've taken of them, and I took them about 30 seconds ago. Needless to say, I'm already loving my Cricut Circle VIP status. This is heaven for a paper crafter.

I just bought a Japanese Screw Punch, and I'll be taking that to some notepads. I had previously been using a paper piercer to individually pierce 5 holes in 50 pages and 2 covers. This was killing my wrists and any free time I had so I googled for a more efficient way to make them. I came up with this screw punch that was both cost-effective and seemingly wrist-friendly. I'll have to let you know how true this is.

I'm also attempting to get some business cards made via The UPS Store. Holy crap, is it a pain in the behind. They're really nice and everything, but, for some reason, they can't print my business cards the way they're supposed to look, and it's driving me insane. They print beautifully at my house, and I'm wondering if I shouldn't have done it that way in the first place. Oh, well, you live, you learn. Hopefully, I'll have them soon (since I've already paid for them), and I'll be well on my way to handing them out and posting them on random public bulletin boards. I want to get the word out. EHLE CUSTOM STATIONERY IS BACK! I'm now doing more occasion-oriented cards to make myself more marketable, and I'm trying to get some advertising accomplished. I seriously suck at advertising so if anyone has any ideas, please LET ME KNOW! I would love your help and support.

Ode to My Cozy Feet

Don't they look comfy? Well, they are, and that's because I made them so! I started these slippers sometime after Christmas. They were supposed to be the slippers I took to the hospital with me when I had Joey, but that clearly didn't happen. :)

I got this pattern from an awesome book called Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick. Fabulous book, if you ask me. It's a good knitting book for traveling if you knit when you go places (I do!). There are all sorts of patterns, and then mixed up with the patterns are fun things to do related to knitting. There is a list of movies to watch that have knitting scenes, there's a way to wind down in the bathtub (while knitting, of course), there are various recipes, how to decorate with yarn, etc. And all these things relate back to knitting. I love it! I'm such a dork.

For these slippers, I used the pattern for the argyle slippers (in the book), but I used a chart from another pattern (almost-famous luggy bonnet, also in the book) and changed it to fit my slipper tops. I also picked out my own colors, obviously. :) It was a really fun pattern because there were several little pieces to knit so it didn't seem to take that long. The thing I had to work with was not having the pre-made kit to make boots (they give you the resource in the book, but the company is ancient and doesn't have a website. Plus, I'm not paying a ton of money for a kit I can make up on my own). And, if you ask me, my kit ended up being better. :) The way the book had it, you buy this boot kit, and you have plain old boring brown or black suede boot bottoms. After some research, I found that these things are usually between $15 and $50 depending on what you want. Boring! (and ridiculously expensive) I bought supported shoe sole inserts for $2.50 and covered them in fabulous fabric of my choosing. I also have some really nice leather from when my Grandma used to make slippers so I covered the bottom of the inserts with the leather and sewed it into the slippers. It sounds complicated, but it was really easy. In short, there are 2 bands that go around the perimeter of the slipper. The leather goes up in between them and is sewn and glued in there.

I also made an extra piece to make them extra warm on top of my feet. The pattern was more of a guideline for me. :) I think mine turned out awesome, though! I made them with super soft yarn, but with the fabric bottom, I can also wear them in the summer. I will say, the only thing I didn't like about this pattern was the fact that I had to assemble about a brazillion pieces. I do not like assembling. I'd rather knit everything together somehow. So, whenever you're cold, think of my cozy feet. Then you'll feel better. :)

Now that I'm finally done with these slippers, I'm moving on to more projects FOR ME! I have this bad habit of never making myself anything and also working on a million projects at once. I'm going to try to close some out. Next, I'm going back to some socks I started ages ago. Wish me luck! And don't forget about my awesome hand-knitted feet. :)

Ehle Custom Stationery Has a New Home!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for me to move on to something more... me. I have my very own space now! Yay! And it's much easier to update and change, and I feel more in control. I need to be in control sometimes, and this is one of those times.

On the opening page of the site, there's a photo gallery of lots of different kinds of things I've done. Some of them will be on the web site for sale, and some of them will not. If you see something in that gallery that you would like, just contact me using the Contact Me button on the toolbar at the top of the page. I won't bite, I promise! I hope the site is also easier for shoppers to use. Scott and I had a fun time testing it. :)

I also have a couple special offers going on for a little while. I don't know how long they'll be going on so you'll just have to keep an eye out on the main page where I'll be sure to post all the promotions I have going on. So, this special offer of which I speak...

SPECIAL OFFER #1:
For the next little while, maybe a couple weeks or so, those people who read my blog get their very own special offer. When you checkout with an order of $5.00 or more (before shipping, obviously), you get an extra %10 off! Yay, savings! Just enter the coupon code bloggerunicorn when prompted and BEFORE actually placing your order. If you need help finding it, just let me know.

SPECIAL OFFER #2:
The first 5 orders I receive through this website will receive a free gift! You don't need a coupon code for this one, I'll keep track of these.

So I hope you have fun tooling around the new shop site, and keep in mind that if there's something you see in the photo gallery or have seen in my other shop that's not listed for sale on the new one, just contact me. I'm a very nice person. :) Thanks for your support!