Handmade By Amanda

1.16.2011

Freebies for Bloggers!

Grab the code for this button on my left sidebar below :-)

Do you blog on blogger and have a blog? I'd be honored if you'd ad my blog button to your blog :-) Post here with a link to your blog, I'll check it out and you'll get a freebie once it's been up for at least 7 days! Easy Peezy!

Sewing Tutorial #1: Repurpose, Refashion, Upcycle

The idea and concepts of "Repurpose, Refashion, & Upcycle" are all becoming much more prevalent in today's modern trends in the sewing world.

Thanks to YEARS of encouragement from my mother, yes thank you Mom, even though I resisted for MANY years, I now am really inspired to sew and learn and try new concepts related to sewing.

Two of my sewing main interests right now are:
1.) machine applique design (not brave enough for hand applique)
2.) refashioning old t-shirts into new designs for children.

Below is a jumble of pictures I'll be organizing into a sewing tutorial... This past October I actually sat down and felt inspired to try making a toddler "play" dress from old tshirts... this was one of my first things I've sewn since I was probably 13 years old... so try to keep the laughter to a minimum, this is basic, but I had to start somewhere ;-)

It's Carnival Time! Mardi Gras Appliques and Ribbons

Down in New Orleans
Where the blues was born
It takes a cool cat
To blow a horn
On LaSalle and Rampart Street
The combo's there with a mambo beat

The Mardi Gras, mambo, mambo, mambo
Party Gras, pambo, mambo, mambo
Mardi Gras, mambo-ooh
Down in New Orleans

Can you tell I have Purple, Gold and Green on my mind lately? :-)

If all goes well and "Lil' J" takes a nap then I'm planning to sew a sample of the Mardi Gras truck design (in picture above) on a white kitchen towel today... excited to stitch out this design :-)

***SAMPLE DESIGN: MARDI TRUCK UPDATE 1/18/2011***
"Lil J" did nap, but woke up SUPER cranky & w/blood in his right ear, so I had to "pause" this design on my machine while I ran around the house "like a chicken with her head cutoff", then dropped off "Miss C" at my dear sweet friend Amy's house so "Miss C" could play w/her BFF... and rushed off to the pediatrician 30 miles away after 5pm?! It was a madhouse. We survived. It's another ear infection(s). I predict bilaterl tube set #2 will be very soon in "Lil J's" future! *boo*Here's the sample design...

Also for hair-bows I have in-stock all the grosgrain ribbons shown in above picture, in addition to solid yellow and solid dark purple in 7/8", 1.5", & 2.25"widths.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Sample and Overstock sale

{Newborn Infant Camo Fleece Hat}

1.12.2011

Cross Applique Towels: Great Teacher's Gifts

Ahhh, what do you get for one of the most important people in your preschooler's weekly life? Tough question, especially since you trust them with one (or more than one in my case) of your most precious gifts, your child.

I've really been wanting to sew cross applique towels for quite some time now. Finally I decided... I'll do it! What else would be a better gift for the teacher's at the preschool that both my kids attend. Teacher gifts can be difficult, or at least for those that really want to express themselves creatively... *ahem*... okay so yes, I made it hard on myself. These are the designs I sewed, I think they all turned out great

This one is my favorite... a mix of "gothic" and modern with a raggy edge...

Now I'm thinking I should overlap 2 and see how that looks... maybe I'll sew a shirt for "Miss C" and see how it turns out...

1.06.2011

New Year & New Look

Time to "refresh" and "renew". Gonna be making changes to the blog and focusing on blog updates more often.... i know i know I've said that before ;-)

BUT this time I really mean it. I've decided to do away with handmadebyamanda.com & JUST sell in my Etsy Shop - as shown in picture above.

Why? #1 #2 & #3= $$$

This year I'm being "real" with myself and trying to understand my limits more as a SAHM with a small "hobby" business. My solution= Etsy. If you haven't heard of www.etsy.com, then you may want to hide your credit cards! It's basically a LARGE group of "shop owners" who post their items for sale in their individual "shops". It ONLY for handmade crafters, artists, & lovers of all that's handmade. So NO fisher price toys or random commercially made junk you may see on eBay. It's a NEW way to shop while supporting your local artist and/or crafty momma ;-)

12.01.2010

We were Featured on an Etsy Treasury

Woohoo! We're bottom row in center. the hairbow, of course, lol.