WIP - midterms week

 With the last two weeks of school being midterms, I haven't had much time to devote to the store or just crafting in general. But I still wanted to post a few pictures of exciting things that have happened since last week. Enjoy :]

I made a dainty pair of baby pink heart barefoot sandals that I love!

We sent a hippie headband all the way to Oklahoma this last week. I was VERY excited about being in a new state!

Here is a lovely camera print circle scarf I sewed for my little sister. Just in time for our trip to Franklin TN this weekend :]!

and this was a project that I intended to make MONTHS ago, and I finally found the time to do it this afternoon. I love it. I found the idea on pinterest and printed off maps that showed my parents house, Vince's family's house, and our house is on the map in the middle :] I'm very happy about this new addition to our home <3

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W.I.P- team spirit gear

It's WIP Wednesday here at the blog, and even though I failed to take detailed photos on the gifts for holly's family, I still wanted to post this week. So rather than post on my projects I had been working on, I thought I'd post on a different topic I have been meaning to post but just never seemed to have the time last semester.

Team spirit gear! In any color(s) you'd like! As you should know by now, chelseaMADE accepts custom orders, so any item on the store or in your mind can be custom made in your favorite team's colors! Giving you a cuter style to show off your team spirit than that regular old school team apparel!!!

 these girls are such hams! lol! their team "lost" in this one ;P

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2012 Resolution Update

If any of you started reading my blog way back in January of this year, or have just browsed through the past posts since you've started reading, you'd know that this year I had made a resolution to myself. I wanted to create at least, 52 different projects within 52 weeks. Giving the fact that my store hold 50 items, and I've sold many outside of my store, and I have too many products to list in my store still, I'd say my resolution was a success! :]! Im young, so I haven't made very many resolutions, and as far as the ones I can remember making, this is the first time I have ever succeeded! I did really well in my own opinion. I'd love to show you every piece I made this year, since I failed at post each product/project like I had hoped I'd have time for, but that would just be photograph OVERLOAD! and not only do I not have pictures of every single item, but I also just don't have the time to do the editing and uploading of every thing I've made this year.  So instead, I'll direct you to my website, where you can check out a lot of items that didn't make it to the blog this year, as well as my instagram (refer to the instagram page on the blog, or view a few recent images to the right in my instagram widget ...)

Now instead of leaving you completely high and dry when it comes to images, I thought id share my favorite item of this year, that many have complimented, and my own aunt actually ended up purchasing from me at my first craft show :]

It was a beautifully hand crocheted cowl done in an absolutely GORGEOUS grey yarn that was just to die for! So incredibly soft, I almost kept the item for my self, but I figured it was so beautiful, it needed to go in the store so that people that can't DIY, could enjoy something beautiful too <3

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W.I.P. - coffee cozies, and scarfs-galore!

This week was busy busy busy!! I designed my firs coffee cozy, as well as making lots of scarfs, even finishing a WIP I've had laying around since my freshman year of college....yikes!

I'll start off with the three year old WIP! its a really simple yet classy and elegant scarf :] I uploaded two looks on Instagram and had a vote for it since I couldn't decide myself which way I wanted to go. Even though I only had two participants in the vote it helped me make up my mind even though it was a 1:1 vote ratio. I decided on the look pictured to the left. I like the simplicity of a plain long rectangular scarf since most of the items I make these days are cowls. I can't help it, they're my favorite right now :] This little darling was crocheted in a pale yellow, using a repetitive double crochet stitch. I then decided to pair it with a jumbo sized white rose broach in the front. I really like the feminine touch the rose added.






The next scarf from this week was a plain cream classic cowl. This one had a very simple stitch as well but I didn't feel the need to dress it up as it was such a nice soft texture of a yarn I wanted it to speak for itself. I have the label at home so maybe later I'll update with a note as to what brand it was and the name of the color. For now, it was soft, cream, and purchased at  Jo Anne's fabrics. The whole thing was stitched in a half double crochet.


The next picture is of the first coffee cozy I designed and finished completely :] I have about 8 more just plain colored bases done with out details sewn on or appliques made. The colors are all different, and hopefully I'll have a good image of them completed on next week's WIP Wednesday. For now, this is the only one :]




The scarf in the next picture is to die for! I just think it is absolutely gorgeous and I adore it! I bought this skein at Jo Anne's as well. I might have the skein label for this one at home too. So I'll have to check, but this yarn was also very soft and cozy. The color of the skein was a elegant fade between pinks, greens, and brown and it just worked beautifully with the pattern I made for the cowl. It was worked length wise in a connected circle vs width. The picture to the left shows a close up of the pattern.

Geez! I bet you're all thinking, when she said scarf-galore, she meant SCARF-GALORE! Hahaha :] There's only two more I swear! The next one is a custom order made by my mum! She came to visit this week and while she was in town checking out all my goodies I've made recently she decided she needed one too! or a few really, lol, but we decided to start with just one for now and make our way through her list of requests! This skein was purchased at Walmart and is also a super lovely cozy soft skein. Its colors faded rather nicely as well. I have a pet peeve sometimes when it comes to multi-colored dyed yarn because I find that many times the yarn is NOT evenly distributed color wise, and that rather bothers me. I don't want to look at the outside of the skein and think, "oh i love that!" just to take it home and have a decent amount of time into a piece to find out, eww, this yarn is NOT at all how it looked!

Last, but not least, is the Halloween inspired infinity scarf I made using orange and black yarn. It is knitted using both threads at the same time. Not much else to say about this one, just that it is super cute and you can wear it all kinds of ways! 

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W.I.P. Wednesday! - two more cowls and update on blanket!

This week I have two more cowls and a little more work on the blanket from last week. 

The first cowl I finished this week was a bumble bee inspired cowl! Worked very similarly to the puff stitch cowl from last week. Both yarns were red heart brand, and the beginning and end were worked with both yarns, then the body was worked alternating the yarns for a striped bumble bee effect! Same as last week, the stitches were very simple, only chain, slip, single, and puff used for it. I used my favorite sized hook for this one, N-9.00 mm. I have a new one in a rose gold colored metal that I bought once when waiting for a prescription to be filled. Its now my favorite hook, even though I have the same one in a regular gold and a purple. I lose things a lot so it helps to have multiple :]



The second cowl I made this week was different then the others. This one used three strands simultaneously in white and yellow red heart brand, and cannon in Indian clay. I used the grey plastic hook I described last week for this cowl as well. Once again, really simple stitches, just chain, slip, and single crochet I believe...it might have been double crochet, I'm too lazy to dig it out and look. Sorry :]



Now for the actual work in progress, its still the blanket, but I have a more updated picture for you to enjoy!

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W.I.P Wednesday! - 2 cowls, and a blanket

okay, so this week I have a couple cute pictures for you!

I finished two new cowls this week, so I guess they aren't really works in progress technically. But they are not up in the store yet, so I'll put pictures here! :] My actual work in progress is a blanket! I don't usually make blankets unless I have a friend's baby in mind. They just are too time consuming for my attention span. This one was actually suppose to be a snood, but I didn't realize it was WAY too big till is was too late, and its gorgeous, so I can't rip it, it must be re-purposed! I feel like it will probably make a better baby blanket then a lap blanket because of the already established width.

The first cowl that was finished this week was crocheted in a yarn brand from Walmart, I tossed out the skein labels, so I'll have to check next time I'm there what it was, and what color name. I used my grey plastic hook for it, I don't know what size it is cause I bought it forever ago in a set, its the typical two jumbo plastic hook set that you can find at Joanne's or Walmart, I believe I bought mine at Joanne's though. Anyways, I used the smaller of the two hooks for this project. It was actually really simple, I don't use patterns and I only used chain stitch, single crochet, slip stitch, at the top and bottom, the majority of the cowl was done in a puff stitch.The whole thing was worked in the round versus flat and having to stitch up the sides at the end.



The second cowl was knitted using two yarns simultaneously. I used a multicolored green red heart yarn, as well as a red heart yarn in black. You actually can't tell the changing in green colors very well because of the mix with black, but it still looks pretty! I used my bright pink plastic knitting needles for this cowl in size US 35, or 19 mm. I guess this week my tool of choice was plastic. The whole cowl is just knit, no purl or anything else, just knit. Then I used a crochet hook to connect the two ends.




Now for the blanket! I just love it! Its absolutely gorgeous to me. The majority of the yarn used is red heart yarn bought at Walmart, but the orange used in it I have no idea what brand it is, I'm assuming not red heart since I've never seen this shade at the store. Awhile back my mother's co-worker gave me some yarn when she stopped crafting, and this tiny bit used is from the remains of an old skein of hers that was given to me. As far as stitches and patterns, I couldn't tell you. Well, I suppose I could, but I just worked out of random stitches from my head, all kinds of stuff was used. and I'm not even sure of the technical terms used for some of the stitches I used, so I think its better if I don't attempt to explain the madness :]

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W.I.P. Wednesday - *BRAND NEW FEATURE*

I am absolutely thrilled to announce a new feature on the blog today, Work In Progress Wednesday! For now on, *EVERY* Wednesday (hopefully, things like finals get in the way sometimes) I will be updating the blog  with my latest project that i'm working on and give you guys a look at possible upcoming items for the store!

For week one, I have two projects. I went home this week and snatched up a couple started but unfinished projects, hoping to finish as many as I could before the photo shoot this weekend. The latest project I finished was a decorative cowl.

Its done in mostly redheart yarn, the coral color is a different brand, but the skein was older and no longer had a label with it so I couldn't tell you what it was. But the pattern is awfully pretty :] The finished look is like a rectangle checkerboard pattern done in single crochets, and double crochet I believe? Crochet is hard for me to describe sometimes. Since I taught myself, I kind of made up my own names for some stitches, but I believe it is double crochet for the rectangles. Anyways! I absolutely adore it! <3

The second project I'm working on today and a lovely little shawl. Its done in blue white and green, in Bernat Softee Baby brand yarn. Its so  delicate feeling compared to what I usually work with, and its all chain stitches! So simple, but I just love this look for my spring time shawls/scarfs. I love that they're light and fun for the spring time, yet when bulked up for a scarf they work lovely too!

 I want to create multiple items for my brand under the store Peace Craft Love ( the one I'm starting up with Dalana that will hopefully be up in May!!! ) that can be used/worn in multiple ways. I love accessorizing, I love hats, bags, scarfs, jewelry, everything and anything that can spruce up an outfit, and there is absolutely nothing better that an accessory that can be worn multiple ways. Right now the only accessories I have like this are my shawls. You can wrap them all different ways and wear them like a shawl, but then you can wear them as scarfs, and a bikini wrap as well. I love versatility, and I have a few more ideas up on the drawing board. I know at least one other multi-use item will definitely be available by the time we open, but you'll just have to wait to hear more on that one :] Can't spoil all my surprises in one post can I?

Now that our Spring semesters are coming to an end, things are moving really fast for the store, and I just can't wait! As soon as I have finalized information I'll let you guys in on all the fun! STAY TUNED <3

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