Excitement Is BREWING!!

Recently I was featured in the Etsy Storque Blog Handmade Weddings: A Simple Fairytale where my Winter Shawl was featured. Dorana Hernandez of Dorana.etsy.com put together an incredible handmade wedding featuring talented Etsy shop owners.

THEN....

On Monday August 2, tune in to Jahzara Bradley's Blog Talk Radio Show where I will be a special guest! This is definitely a MAJOR event for me as I will share a little bit of myself with the rest of the world. Don't miss it!!

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

Returning from a long vacation is never easy...getting back into the daily grind of the ole routine...homeschooling, running a business, being a wife and mother. It became very overwhelming as I thought about my upcoming BlogTalk Radio interview on August 2 with Jahzara Bradley, and the new video that I had to work on for my store, along with developing new strategies to promote my new website Yarncoture.Com AND work on a custom order that one of my dearest childhood friends placed while I was on vacation. Nevertheless I have decided to grab the reins and keep on bucking! Bessie is kicking up a lot of dust but hey, the only way I know is to keep on riding, so giddy-up Bessie....we've got things to DO! :-)

The Wedding Shawl....

Back in December I got a message all the way from the Netherlands from this wonderfully delightful woman who wanted me to make her a pink shawl for her wedding. After we got all the particulars in place, I ordered the yarn and as soon as it arrived I began to work on the shawl. We decided on using super soft baby alpaca yarn by Cascade and I have to tell you, this yarn is so INCREDIBLY soft...truly amazing! I finished making the shawl in a few days and packaged everything with ribbons tissue and then carefully sealed it for shipping. I thought to myself, "I really hope this makes it there safely!" WELL....I got a message from the buyer A MONTH LATER...NO PACKAGE!! My heart sank.. After diligently harassing the post office about the whereabouts of the package, I went ahead and ordered more yarn and proceeded to make another shawl for my customer. I kept checking with the buyer to see if the shawl had arrived. After I had completed the second shawl I proceeded to ship by FedEX but heck, they wanted $84!! I informed the buyer that I would look into shipping by another method the following Monday. On Monday, I got a very uplifting message from the buyer...the postman tried to deliver a package to her but due to the fact that she wasn't home they would try again the next day. I was on pins and needles and excited to know that the package I mailed would finally get to my customer! I was pleased to find out the next day that YES!! SHE GOT IT!! Here's what she had to say in the feedback she left:
Maryum really is the best! It took way too long for my package to arrive (I live in the Netherlands). When I contacted Maryum she started calling the post office right away. When she heard nothing she ordered the yarn and made a new shawl for me without a doubt! Thankfully the package arrived but her effort to help me was wonderful. And the shawl is the prettiest ever. Thanks!

After everything was over, I was delighted to have met such a wonderful customer..and simply grateful to have had the experience. These types of things CAN happen, but I am glad to know that the outcome was good and not disastrous!

Craft Fair Recap...

Well, another craft fair has come and gone. The North Haven Garden center hosted its Holiday Show on December 5th and 6th and the turnout was yet again sparse. We arrived Saturday morning at about 9:15 a.m. and got a spot right at the door. It was pretty chilly outdoors but because the fair was held inside the greenhouse we kept warm and cozy.

I set up my table rather quickly as I had arranged all of my items in packing containers the day before. With all of the rushing I didn't have time to make a banner for my table, so I made sure that every item had a Yarncoture tag with pricing/sizing information. One small table held all of my spa/kitchen related items as well as my daughters' famous keychains (to which they sold quite a few), while the larger table held my hats, scarves, shawls and other miscellaneous items.

I had a quite few new items that were on display that I had not yet listed in my Etsy Shop and to my surprise, I sold a couple of them! My new head mannequin "Helga II" made her debut and definitely helped me to sell a couple of hats, one of which was a custom order that I whipped up and sold the very next day!


My daughters were with me again and they were as usual the social butterflies that they are! They hit every table and sold about 7 keychains between them. It was a wonderful experience for them as future businesswomen!

Overall, this craft fair proved to be yet again another wonderful learning experience. I got loads of helpful pointers and tips from other attending sellers and met a few new friends! Some of the wonderful shops in attendance were:

Haster's Toffee
Enchanted Frog Soap

Natures Images Photography
Karma Crochet
Hats By Millinerium
Beautiful Crochet by Modest Ambition
Alicia Colina-Ashby Designs
EBRAUNNAGEL
Cut Out And Collect Designs
Three Yellow Starfish
Eye On The Sparrow Designs
Scentsy
The Pig And The Peacock
Yoga In The Pines
Fis For Frank
JMargot Jewelry Designs
Tefi Designs
and Emma Allison Designs (who by the way, made some gorgeous earrings for my daughters!)

A great time was had by all...here's to the next show!

OverWHELMED!!

That's how I feel right now... This Saturday and Sunday Dec. 5th and 6th I will be participating in the NHG Holiday Show where I will be selling my knitted and crocheted items. I've been knitting like crazy to prepare for it, and as always it seems as if there will never be enough time to knit and crochet everything that I would like to! My two daughters will be attending the show to help keep me company as well as assist in sales. During the last month I had a wonderful custom request by my dear thread mate Dorana from the MMG BNR thread. She was in need of a wrap to wear at her upcoming wedding that would take place outdoors. I was able to create this very special wrap for her. This beautiful wrap was crocheted with a luxurious alpaca, silk and wool yarn that is extremely warm yet elegantly delicate. I then received another request from a returning customer for another Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie in a beautiful cherry red silk-alpaca-wool I also had a couple of requests for a uniquely knitted and felted hat designed by Terri Barr in which the top is left open to let dreadlocks or braids spill out and hang down.





These hats were felted by me BY HAND! No washing machine was used because the hat felts up rather quickly and doing it by hand allows me to control the shrinkage for a perfect fit. I definitely will be adding more of these to my shop after the NHG show!

Etsy Twitter Team Shop Of The Week!

Made For You By Sandi is a wonderful shop filled with crocheted items, beautiful jewelry items and wonderful items for the kitchen! Sandi's felted bowls are especially cute and provide a wonderful place to put your keys, potpourri or just about anything! Visit her Etsy Shop and discover a wonderful place to shop!

!!!BIG SALE THIS WEEKEND!!!!

So I decided to have a hoot of a sale this weekend in my Yarncoture.Etsy.Com store.....

Starts MIDNIGHT **TONIGHT 9-03-09 And Ends Sunday Night 9-06-09**

15% OFF Your ENTIRE Purchase

Annnd **FREE SHIPPING** On Most Scarves!

Just enter the code "WEEKEND DEALS" at the checkout and your 15% difference will be refunded by paypal!

You May NEVER See A Sale Like This Again This Year!!

**Summer SALE**

As many of you may already know, Yarncoture has been having an incredible sale this summer! Free Worldwide Shipping is offered on most of my Scarves, Scarflettes, and Neckwarmers AND my SUMMER SALE SECTION has many new items as well. You can choose free shipping on my scarves or save up to %70 on many items in my sale section. So, what are you waiting for?? Stop on by and $$SAVE$$ !

My Daughter Made The Etsy GIFT GUIDES!!

Remember the neckwarmer and cuffs set that my daughter made?? Well, it made the Shades Of Peridot Gift Guides!! Take a look!

Vote For Me Pleeeeeease!!

I entered my Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie in the DIY Wedding Crafts contest hosted by The Martha Stewart Show in conjunction with Etsy! The more views and comments I get, the better my chances so please click on THIS LINK to view my ascot along with all the other wonderful entrants! The grand prize is the winning item being shown on the Martha Stewart Show!

Oh... My BABY!!

Recently I opened a section in my shop entitled Made By My Kids that showcases items that my daughters and sons made. Well today I listed this beautiful Flower Petals Neckwarmer and Cuffs Set !! My 10 year old daughter made this set all by herself (with the exception of me sewing on the bow) and I couldn't be more proud! Pretty soon, she's going to put me out of business, lol!!

Ok, This Is Incredible!

Yesterday I noticed a huge jump in hearts for a particular item...I checked out www.craftcult.com to see what was going on. I found out that I was featured in the Etsy Gift Guides along with ANOTHER FRONT PAGE APPEARANCE featuring my Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie!!! I am so humbled right now that I am speechless!

~Bedspread...~

On one of my beds right now....it took about a month to complete!

2ND ANNUAL ETSY **YART** SALE!!

What is "Yart" you ask?
Yard Sale + Art = YART!!

That's right! Starting tomorrow, June 10 thru Sunday June 14 Etsy will be having it's annual YART sale, so dust off those listings that haven't sold yet, destash and vintage items and join in the fun! Here's a link to my section in my shop for MY YART SALE ITEMS Regular prices will resume 12 midnight central standard time June 15, so take advantage of the special LOW prices and shop till you drop!

Can U Believe It???

I'm in ANOTHER Treasury!! I just listed these cute pink crocheted booties last night and lo and behold! They're featured in This treasury!! H20 Works featured my booties in her famous BNR treasury! What is a BNR, you ask? Well, it's a list of items from different shops. If you have an etsy shop and you want your item to be featured, just buy from one of the shops listed and your shop will replace that particular shop. It's that simple, and a great way to get others to notice your shop and what you have to offer!

Craft Showwwww!!!!

I am sooo excited!! I met with the show director at the Northaven Garden Center in Dallas this morning to show her some samples of my work and confirm my standing as a vendor at the upcoming craft show on May 2! She loved my work and I am just tickled pink! Now the adrenaline is really flowing through my veins as I try to make final preparations for the show. If you are in or near the Dallas area, do stop by and offer your support! The craft show is being held to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer awareness. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ! The Northaven Garden Center is located at 7700 Northaven Road, Dallas Texas 75230. Don't miss it!

Etsy Twitter Team Shop Of The Week!!

Talk about multi-talented! RhodesAnnalsDesigns.etsy.com has fallen into the spotlight as a wonderful shop that offers knits, crochet, jewelry and more! It's sometimes hard to find a person that can knit AND crochet, but when you find someone who makes jewelry and hair accessories, you know that you've got something special. Check out her shop...I'm sure that you'll be pleasantly surprised!

A Bit :E:D:G:Y:

Ok, here is my latest design.."The Jester"!! It's a bit edgier than my other designs which allows me to transition to the "couture" part of Yarncoture. It was handknitted in an alternating seed stitch design, and then finished off with crocheted jester-like curls on the border. It's very versatile...can be worn with the curls facing up or down and depending on how it's worn, it can definitely be a showstopper accessory. It's finished off with some very nice tangerine red vintage buttons that I bought off Ebay. Depending on the feedback that I get from this piece, I will hopefully introduce an entire line of "The Jester" in the future!

I Did It!!!

I sent my application in the mail today for my first real in-the-flesh craft fair! I am sooo nervous! If I'm approved Yarncoture will be exhibiting its wares in the Dallas area on May 2! I have to tell you that I am very nervous because it's one thing to be selling things on line....you don't get to see people's reactions to your products unless they email you and tell you that they like them. It's another thing when you see people's reactions first hand....the frowns...the smiles... it can be nerve-wrecking and I think that will be a big challenge for me to sit there and not be sad if someone disapproves of my work (I'm very sensitive). I am totally flattered that I was even invited to attend which leads me to think that there may be some people who actually will dig my designs! I'll keep you posted on the craft fair...the time, location, etc....at this point I am just thrilled!

Beautiful Additions For Spring!

I had such a blast this weekend! This past Friday and Saturday, I made four new additions for my shop! My most favorite is the Burst Of Sunshine Scarf which was made by me hand braiding several strands of yarn and then weaving them together into this scarf! Then I made The Fabulous Scarf which has a hand knitted cuff that's decorated with a vintage button. Using the continental knitting method has enabled me to knit much faster and has taken the blahs out of my knitting!