Holiday Orders

The holidays are coming up. And as you know I've been busy with orders. I wanted to take a quick minute to remind everyone, the hat shop closes December 17th for Christmas, and the art shop closes the following Friday. This will make sure that I get you the orders in time! And I don't freak out tooooo much. Like last night when a huge order was placed, and they wanted it overnighted. I am a magician, but I'm not that good.

Both shops will reopen on December 26th.
Though, the hat shop will only be open for a few more months after that.

View More:

 

Versatile and Colorful

The other day I was thinking,

It's been a while. 

A while since I made a new hat for the shop! 

So, I decided to revamp some of the designs, and make them as versatile as possible, 

yet also as simple as possible. 

With tons of color possibilities. 

So, I worked my butt off last week making sample hats, photographing, and collecting yarn colors. 

I'm pretty excited about this new option. 

You go to pick the style of the hat, either the knit beanie, or the slouchy crocheted hat.

Then you get the option to choose your color.

You can pick between the 16 I have, 

but if for some reason, you'd like a different color.

Like a darker purple, or a brighter green...

I will go on a quest for your perfect color.

Meaning, each hat is made with YOU in mind.

I made two styles. 

The first style is very similar to a hat already in the shop, but this one is made with a thinner yarn, and slightly bigger. It's very warm, yet still light weight. I've worn this hat on cold days, and warm days and it seems to be just right no matter what the weather is! The net stitch gives it a lace like, feminine look. Which I just love. If you order one of the colors you see here, your hat will ship tonight! If you happen to order any other color, I will get started on your hat tonight and have it out by the end of this week. 

Listing here

The Second Style is also one that's been in the shop, but also slightly different. These are the basic slouch beanie.. but they are anything but basic. They might look plain, but every single stitch is done by hand, by me. This new revamped hat has a slightly tighter stitch, and is a little bit longer in the back. Meaning you can wear it on the back of your head like pictured, or you can fold the brim up for a more snug look. These hats are  great on both girls and guys. It's a very simple hat, but getting the exact color you want will make it stand out! Order one of the ones you see now, and it will ship today. If you order any other color, I will start making it tonight and ship within a week. 

See this hat here! 

Remember that each stitch is done by hand. These hats often take hours to do.

And I only knit or crochet when I'm happy so only happiness goes into them!

The result, is a happy hat, with lots of love put into every stitch. 

The custom nature of these hats make it so every hat is just for the buyer. 

A perfect gift for yourself, or a loved one.

Remember, the hat shop will only be open until this fall!
Get em while you can.. before the weather gets too cold!

Help me spread the word!
Tweet, share, or forward the ad above, or through my facebook page. 

View More:

 

When Life Hits, It Hits Hard

Wow guys...

It's been a rough week. 

Today I was brought into the office and was given the news that once again..
for the third time in 2 years...
I am being laid off.

The lady telling me handed me a box of tissues,
and I fought back the urge to ask her why the hell she thought I would to cry in front of her?
I fought back the urge to "compliment" her expensive fake nails.
Instead I laughed..
because it's getting pretty rough around here.
And things keep getting worse.
And I'm at the point where you just can't do anything but laugh.

Laugh and leave.
And that's what I did.

For the next few days

you won't be able to find me...

I'll be in with the trees, leaves and twigs.

I'm seeking some nature medicine.

I've packed up some stuff, and I'll be living in the trees for a few days.

But I'll be back, cause nothing is gonna get me down..

for too long anyways.

Remember, I've got a sale going on until Friday.

I posted the sale before I knew any of this..

but now I need it more than ever. 

Coupon code FLASH25 for 25% off everything in the shop until Friday.

This means you can still purchase stuff while I'm gone.

I may not be relisting items until I get back, after the sale.

So, if you want something, snag it quick. 

And I've got plenty of time for hats now.

And lots of art waiting for new homes.

View More:

 

Ups and Downs Of Life

Life is like a roller coaster. Especially right now. Things have been up, then down, then add a few loops.. Suddenly there is a slight calm, where you feel just utterly exhausted.. and all of the sudden. Whiplash. Back again folks. Ups, downs, loops, water splashed in your face... 

hopefully it wasn't someone else's gum, or spit. But, that's life.

 A big bunch of ups and downs. And spit from other people.

Have you noticed.. when you get off the roller coaster you are happy. You enjoyed it. Maybe moment by moment it's rough. But overall it was a pretty fun ride and you are ready to hop back on. 

And that's pretty similar to life.. 

Other than the consciously getting off and hopping back on part. 

(That I'm aware of anyways..) 

So, how can we enjoy the ups and downs? The ups are lots of fun.. but what can we do about the downs? 

Part of me wants to hide under the couch like how Wicket hides from Fireworks. 

Part of me wants to mildly freak out... cry.. take a nap.. You know? 

What can we do to enjoy the ups AND downs? 

I guess here are some of my personal tips for facing the rough times..

1. Smile. Smile. Smile. 

Smiling can not hurt you or anyone else.

Smile for 20 seconds. It releases endorphines that actually MAKE you happy.

Plus, you smiling at nothing, might actually make you laugh at yourself.. that's good too! 

2. Count your blessings.

Don't focus on what you don't have. 

Don't look around the house thinking of things you wish you had.

Focus on the things you do have.

And better yet, remember.. the best things in life aren't things.

3. Think positive about the situation you are in.

I promise there is always something positive in the situation you are in.

If it's lack of money, think of it as a game. 

Whatever bad happens, think of it as a plot twist in your story.

Be playful. Be strategic. 

4. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination.

You are on your path, learning. 

Everything happens for a reason. 

5. Remember the balance in life.

There is balance in everything. Without the downs, there would be no ups.

Without the bad, there would be no good.

I promise, this will pass. 

Good things come in waves, and therefore... so do bad things. 

Just wait. 

This list could go on and on, but I think these 5 sum things up nicely. Have fun. There is still fun to be had during rough times. Play, laugh, joke and smile.

Nothing lasts, so why would the bad? 

And also remember, there are always people who love you..
who are willing to help. 

Sometimes it's hard to ask for help..
I am the most prideful person I know.
It's very hard for me to ask for help, but when I do, 
I'm astounded by the love and support I receive. 

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

Sarah Williams

And of course.. Remember that misery brings more misery.

Joy brings more joy.

And with that, I'd like to share that I added a few more hats to the shop! 

 

 Some of my favorite hats are back, and I'm all smiles over these ones. To help with my bit of "downs" I decided to run a sale in my hat shop. 

This is a hat shop only sale. I'm offering 25% off in the hat shop for about one week. Enter the code 25SALE at checkout and get yourself a cute hat!

It's never too late to be a bear. Or a monkey. Or a pixie. Or a monster. And if you aren't into that, I've got some slouchy beanies, and 20's style cloche hats. 

Much love everyone. 

Enjoy the ride we call life.

Downs can be fun too. 

Therapy

Note: this post has random pictures from the newly reopened shop. I'm blogging from my phone and its a bit tricky to do picture placements.. 

This weekend was filled with projects, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, planting, art making and even making hats. It's really interesting to be getting back into making hats after having the shop closed for almost a year. It's fun seeing such old pictures of me, and redoing hats that I designed years ago. It's scary for some reason, and I can't quite put my finger on why it's scary. Because it shouldn't be. And it's not all scary. At all. It's good. Almost like jumping back into a memory, but knowing that things will be a bit different now. I'm getting used to going to 3 craft stores a day, and ordering bulk packaging.. And I'm hoping Sterling can get used to me saying, "Sorry, I don't want to go out, I have hats to make." 

When I was divorced, my hat business and my blog was said to be a major part of the troubles of the marriage. Because I had to run my business I never had time for him.. Which I am convinced that was NOT the major reason, but it does scare my for this current relationship. My ex hated my blog, and my photos, my art, and my hats. He made them out to be burdens, and I can't help but still feel that when I tell Sterling, "I've got to go find this yarn, then get shipping supplies, then go home and MAKE the hats.. Sorry." He always wants to know WHY I'm sorry... And I think it's just because I was conditioned to believe my joys, hobbies and creations have been a burden. 

And now I'm almost in tears for this realization... 

And I've figured out why I've been scared. And I'm trying not to be scared. 

Because ones hobbies shouldn't be a burden to anyone. And you shouldn't be ashamed or afraid to do what you love. 

Wow. Good therapy session. Thanks for listening. 

Treasure Huntes

Brad and I love adventure.
When money is a little tight we can still manage to find adventure.



Between our group of friends we started a little treasure hunt.
We have a purple Easter Egg, one person puts a prize inside and hides it for the rest of us to find.
There aren't really any rules as to where it is hidden, but the hider does give a hint once the egg is hidden.
It's been a really fun game, tonight Brad and I retrieved the egg from the top parking level of a near by hotel.

The other day, Brad and I went to find the egg that was hidden up the canyons. We got up there, searched around, only to realize someone had found it, and forgot to tell us all.

So, Brad and I decided to find more treasure.


When Brad and I first started dated, we used to go Geocaching.

Check out more info here! 

Geocaching is a lot like our Easter Egg hunt, but it's with GPS and strangers.

We decided to find out near us.

We did a search, and found out there was one within a mile.
We started hunting.

Awful picture, dirty and scratched phone.

I know, I don't take care of that thing at all.

After hiking around for about 30 minutes we finally found the cache.
Hidden away under some rocks.

We signed our names and took a toy from the box, after putting a new one in.

Who knew there are so many treasures hidden around us daily?

We also took that time to get some pictures of a new hat!
It's been a while since I added a new hat to the hat shop.

I think it's about time I had a cute little hat with a bow! 

Of course, if you don't want a kitty, I could make any animal hat with a little bow! 

I'll be adding this cutie to the hat shop later tonight! 

Keeping Balance

I would say I'm pretty good at balancing out my crafts and hobbies.  I can't go to long without knitting or crocheting, I can't go too long without painting or drawing. It is about time for some new hats to be added to the shop.
First off, a big thank you to my photographer Bradley.

I asked him to be my photographer when he had no photograph experience. I handed him my big SLR and told him the basics. Since then he has learned a lot on his own. He has become a good photographer for Talk2thetrees.. he helps make the photos good by getting me to smile.. He always tells me I'm lookin good.

This first hat is one of my favorites. I'm in love with classy hats, especially cloche hats.

This one is made of organic cotton. It includes a lovely flower on the side.

One side is a bit longer than the other to create that classic cloche look.

The cotton is also very light weight and breathable! 

This hat is perfect for warm and cold weather alike!

This next hat reminds me of strawberry cheesecake!

It's made from wool roving, and it has the most beautiful colors.
It's super soft, and lightweight.
It's a bit over-sized so that it droops a bit in the back like a slouch hat. 
This hat is one of a kind. I won't be making this hat again!
Be the first to grab it here.

These next two hats are the same style as some of my other slouch hats.
I decided to do more earthy colors.
Browns and greens are so beautiful together.

And this last hat is one of my all time favorites.
I'm in love with this one.
It's a classic cloche style again, but it's convertible!
The extra long side that gives it the classic cloche look can be turned upwards into a small bill!

And there you have it..
Jewelry has been made, hats have been made,
next on my list to keep things in balance is to paint.