Tissue Holder in Japanese Fabric - Linen and Cotton

Japanese fabric is the best.  I love working with cotton and linen.  A hot iron pressed against this stuff brings out such an organic smell.  It's wonderful.  Can you relate?

The print fabric was purchased online at Etsy directly from Japan.  [I can't remember the exact buyer's name, but if you really want to know, send me an e-mail and I'll dig through my records to find the information for you.]  The lining (100% linen) was something I picked up at a Yoder's Department Store in Shipshewana, IN.  They have the best staff.  And a TON of fabric to choose from.  

The tissue holder is on its way to my Etsy shop.

Something "Spring-y" For My Etsy Shop

Yes!  I was able to be creative before the end of the day!

Here's the proof.  And...it's on the way to my Etsy shop.  Wow...and only fifteen minutes to spare before the midnight hour.

Freebie Friday! - and - New Tissue Holder in the Shop

Hey bloggers!

HAPPY FRIDAY! It's such a good feeling to know we've made it through another week. However....I guess that means that we're getting closer to the big day. Christmas is just a few days away. Are you ready? Is the tree trimmed? Do you have all your presents bought and wrapped? The Crafty Dad house is abuzz with activity these days. My wife (bless her heart) is the official gift-buyer and wrapper. Although I did help accompany her on a gift-buying trip a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun. Always good to have some 'alone' time...even if it's spent at the mall.

We made a trip to Shipshewana a couple weekends ago and I found some really great fabric for tissue holders. I finally had a minute (after making a dozen bumble bee tissue holders -- thank you Kimberly for the great order!) to whip up a new design. I think it's going to be a big hit. Here's a sneak peek:

Let me know what you think. You can get a better view by visiting my shop.

Hey...it's Friday. And not just ANY Friday. It's Freebie Friday. It's the last day to sign up for the book giveaway I blogged about here.

Don't waste another minute: sign up now.

Best of luck to you.

It's the Bee's Knees

I've been working with an Etsy customer for the past several days on a special order of twelve (12) tissue holders. I shared the sample with her last night and she approved! Excited? Yes...I'm very excited to start on her order.

Here's what she ordered:

Twelve Tissue Holders Comin' Up!

Okay. Gotta run. Busy day ahead. Hey: don't forget to sign up for my Freebie Friday book giveaway.

Hope you have a great day,

It's Going to Look Like Christmas

Happy Black Friday! (Oh...I truly don't like how that sounds.)

Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one. The Crafty Dad family made the annual pilgrimage (no pun intended!) to Auburn, IN for the big feast. A good time was had by all. Lots of food, fun, family and laughter. My favorite combo-package.

After we got home, Crafty Mom made her way to the basement to supervise in the traditional "carry-the-Christmas-decorations-upstairs" event. The boys helped out as we made several trips up and down the stairs -- good exercise after eating so much turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc., etc.,

A foyer-full of decorations.

Riley is not sure about all this!

Today is the day: decorate the house. It's become a tradition. And I enjoy bringing the house to life with all the decorations. My mom was a HUGE fan of Christmas and always make the house look so nice. She passed away 14 years ago...and I miss her. Especially during the Holidays. I'm guessing she's looking down from heaven and smiling as we do what she did for so many years. Miss you Mom!

The tree will be decorated tonight. Jennifer and the boys wait for my help on that one. I am the official tree light guy. I started wrapping each individual branch of the tree with lights a few years ago. Wow! Talk about a brightly-lit evergreen. I think it looks great and we continue to wrap lights from year to year.

I'll share some photos with you later this weekend.

In the meantime...hope you find all the bargains you were looking for today. Don't forget the ONLINE sales. Speaking of which, my Etsy store is having a 25% sale on tissue holders -- that's $1.00 off the regular price!

Have a great weekend,

Sale Continues in my Etsy Shop

The 25% off sale continues.

Etsy Shop Update

Hey bloggers!

As promised, my shop has been updated with some new items.

Big Holiday sale going on now through the end of December on tissue holders. Regular price is $4.00; Sale price is just $3.00. I'm trying to keep the store stocked with good stuff so YOU can take advantage of great prices and I can move out some inventory.

Here's a sneak peek:

More updates later. Gotta get busy.

Have a great day.

P.S. Make sure you sign up for the book I'll be giving away this Friday. Just enter your name and email address in the sign-up form (over there in the right-hand column) and you're all set.

It's the Weekend!

Hey bloggers!

We made it through another week. Hope yours was a good one.

I recently changed my mailing list service here on the blog. If you signed up on the old one, I'll (hopefully) be able to add you to the new one. But....just to make super-sure you're on the list for giveaways and other cool stuff, please use the new form (over there in the right-hand column). You just need to enter your name (first and last please) and your e-mail address. It's that easy. You'll receive a confirmation e-mail. Follow the links and you're all set up.

As an incentive to add your name to the list, I'm hosting a book giveaway next Friday. It's only open to those of you that have signed up (US residents only). So...hurry over to the form and enter your info. It was a thrift-shop find so it's not new, nor is it in perfect condition. However, it is in VERY good condition (a couple small tears on the dust cover). Beautiful photos, and 223 pages. I think you will enjoy it! Here are some shots of the book.

Country Living
Seasons at Seven Gates Farm

Natural Crafts, Old-Fashioned Gardens, and Homespun Holidays

ISBN: 0-688-14466-7

Oh..and there's a 25% off sale going on over at my Etsy shop. Take advantage of some great prices now through the end of December 2009.

Have a great (crafty) weekend!

Holiday Sale

Hey bloggers!

With the Holidays rapidly approaching (and my quest to move inventory OUT of the house) I am having a sale in my Etsy Shop.

Check it out.

There will be more items listed soon.

And the Freebie Friday Award Goes To ...

Lisa !

The random number generator cranked out No. 9 and ... you were No. 9 on my list.

(Click on the image so you can actually read it.)

Congratulations Lisa! You are the first Freebie Friday winner. You'll be receiving an all-expense-paid trip to .... Whoops, wrong prize. Sorry Lisa.

You'll be receiving some of my new lemongrass-scented bath and body products:

• Glycerin soap bar
• Hand and body lotion (4.0 oz.)
• Shower/Bath Gel (4.0 oz.)

I will get your items all packed up and sent off to you as soon as I receive your mailing address. An email will be sent to you soon....please reply with your shipping address and we'll be all set!

Thanks to all of you for playing along. I had a lot of fun with this. My next giveaway includes a beautiful Country Living hardback book and who-knows-what-else.

And Lisa...I expect a product review from you. I really want to know what you think of the soap, gel and lotion.

Until next time, take care bloggers!



P.S. If you're interested in the lemongrass products (in all seriousness they are really, really nice), please visit my Etsy shop later this week and grab some before they're gone.

Spring is in the Air (and in the Etsy shop too)

In the shop.

Green and Red Apple Travel Tissue Holders

All this Swine Flu talk has people pretty nervous. I guess the best we can do is common sense.

• Wash your hands
• Stay home if you're sick
• Keep away from congested areas (congested with people that is)
• If you need to cough or sneeze, do it into your upper arm/shoulder area
• Stay informed, but don't become glued to CNN and get all paranoid about this (okay?)
• Don't travel to Mexico
  

If putting germs on your sleeve seems a bit much, perhaps a facial tissue might be an alternative.

(You knew I was going to segue into that, didn't you?)

The Crafty Dad studio is cranking out travel tissue covers in all sorts of bright, sun-shiny, fun fabrics.

Stay tuned for more updates.

A Touch of Spring Color is Needed About Now

I think snow is wonderful. Really, I do. But...I'm a bit tired of it already. So I took it upon myself to spend some time in the studio today to 'think Spring'. I came up with some bibs that remind me of springtime -- green apples and flowers. They are in the finishing touch stage and will soon make their way to either Etsy or Art Fire. I haven't quite decided yet.

Springtime bib -- ready for the sewing machine.

[01.12.09: UPDATE: Bib is complete. I'll post photo tonight.]

Weekend (Craft) Warrior

The snow is falling, coffee is brewing and we have nowhere to go until late this afternoon. So...it's a good time to get things done.

I have several WIPs (works in process) in the studio that are just begging to be completed, photographed and added to my new shop. New shop? Yes! I recently joined forces with Art Fire and have a new online venue to share my craft items with the internet crowd.

My Art Fire shop inventory is a bit skimpy right now, but by the end of the weekend I hope to have a nice selection of items up for sale. Stop by and let me know what you think. My Etsy shop is still up and running. And, I have nothing against Etsy; I just want to give Art Fire a chance. And I see huge potential with the Art Fire team.

Okay, time to get moving. Have a great weekend.


P.S. If you sell crafty things online, I invite you to sign up for an Art Fire account today. Normal price is $20.00/month. Right now, they are going for just $7.00/month. It's a flat fee: no listing fees, no fees when you sell something. They use PayPal and their studio set up is fast and easy. As a bonus, they offer some great studio stats so you know who has visited your site.

Click on the link in my sidebar to get started today!

Time To Get Busy

Need to make more of these:

Green and Red Apple Tissue Holders

Green and Red Apple Tissue Holders -cute aren't they?

Need to get off my duff and start cranking out some more crafty stuff for the Etsy shop. Perhaps tonite!

Vintage Pillowcase Tote Bag

This is on its way to the shop tonight. Here's a sneak peek:



UPDATE: 06.24.08 @ 9:48 p.m. IT IS IN THE SHOP!

Shop Update

The shop has been updated.

Etsy Shop - More New Items

More items have been added to the shop.

Stop on over.

And have a G R E A T weekend.

...go make something!

Etsy Shop

I've added a few new items to the shop. There are several other projects in various stages of completion. They'll be added soon.