Shopping Sugarlump's

I haven't blogged in a long while...

2008-10-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

but that isn't surprising given my work schedule. I'll try to do better.

Stay tuned.

No whine warning needed.

2007-03-22T17:08:00.000-06:00

Ok, sorry for the rant/whining in my last post. I think I needed to vent.

I'll be posting on my knitting machine adventures soon. I actually made a few things, then my hem broke. A new one is backordered. Mine still works and I have my small hem, so I think I'll knit up a skinny scarf soon. It has to be a skinny scarf 'cause I don't have much of what I want to use. It's a wonderful hand spun cotton yarn - all natural, no dyes, etc. I only have 1 cone. I've been saving it.

We'll see what happens...

As a side note, there was a thread going on Etsy today (not the first) about knitters prices being too low. This is one of the reasons why I don't list my knitting there. Maybe with the addition of this machine I'll list some stuff.

Again, we'll see...

Why must I be so busy???

2007-03-22T11:23:00.000-06:00

My life runs at the speed of light. I have so much to do and hardly ever a moment to myself. Ugh! Is it like this for everyone? I mean really?

I know I do it to myself. I don't have to go to school, but I do. I don't have to homeschool my son, but I do. I don't have to have an Esty shop, but I do. I could go on and on. Yikes. I need some *me* time - quick!

Snow day!

2007-01-16T17:07:00.000-06:00

Snow falling on our trampoline.

Still iced over.

2007-01-15T14:48:00.000-06:00

Today has seen the worst of the ice cover yet. The sun is shining, but very little has melted. Here is a view of my car from my side porch. That's not snow - it's solid ice. There's no driving today. I'm sure the roads are covered in black ice.

On a productive note... I've started a baby blanket on the knitting machine. I've learned the proper term for a machine knitted item is "hand loomed", if it was made on a non-industrial, home knitting machine. Hmm. Hand loomed. I like that. It sounds better than "machine knitted", which sounds like there was little to no artisan involvement.

For any naysayers against knitting machines, all I have to say is try it. Not only is it fun, but it's still tedious hand work. It just requires different skills than hand knitting. It's going to be great combining the two skill sets into a finished garment.

Craft books. I have a few.

2007-01-14T20:30:00.000-06:00

I did a little organizing while getting my drink on this afternoon.

I love craft books. I feel I need to hoard them - like yarn and fabric. According to my husband, I hoard a lot of stuff. Either way, I have plenty and more still that can't fit into the shelf "designated" for my craft books.

Lambrusco

2007-01-14T20:29:00.001-06:00

Lambrusco
Originally uploaded by sugarlumps.etsy.

Sometimes, cheap wine is a delicious treat. Since we're in the middle of an ice storm I decided to have some wine and clean.

By the way...

2007-01-13T14:28:00.000-06:00

The post below was made via Flickr. Upload your pics, click them, & blog'em. How handy is that?!?

Baby it's cold outside!

2007-01-13T14:27:00.001-06:00

Iced Berries
Originally uploaded by sugarlumps.etsy.

What the? This is Texas, known for it's crazy weather, of course. We have ice on this 13th day of January 2007. Nice! I've been out in it most of the day. I love this weather! Now, I can actually wear one of the scarves I knitted up.

Away too long, but I've got new toys!

2007-01-10T13:16:00.000-06:00

I made the decision to go back to school, full time, while trying to homeschool my son, take care of my 3 year old daughter, run the household, and a business. Something had to give - Etsy & crafting.

I removed most of my Etsy listings and stopped making things. I really hated it. That didn't stop me from shopping, though. During that time I purchased a new Griffon glass grinder and a Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine (Deluxe). I got the Bond just the other day.

The glass grinder was a no-brainer, must have item for me, but the knitting machine?!? Where did I get an idea for that? Simple. I am a very busy knitter that craves instant gratification.

I decided to try a "hobby machine" before I go spending big bucks on a better model. So far, I've cranked out 2 scarves and one hat. None of these projects took over a couple of hours each - including machine set up, etc. Needless to say, this machine is my new favorite toy!

More Bond USM info: The reviews on this machine are mixed, but I took a chance and I'm glad I did. Some people feel using a machine is cheating. I was one of those people. But, given what little time I have to spare, I don't want to spend 6 months on a child sized sweater! You don't have to know how to knit to use the machine, but it helps. I'm still in the process of making all the patterns in the provided book (as Bond recommends) in order to learn the basic techniques, but when I'm done I'll be branching out into more complicated stitches. Stay tuned.

I'm not sure I'm making any head way.

2006-08-01T15:02:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been several days since I posted something here. I figured it was about time. I'm swamped, no matter what, so taking a few minutes won't hurt.

I managed to submit my ad for the Craftin' Outlaws event. (pic will be posted soon) and I've got 14 of my 50 promos ready. Several more have been foiled & need to be soldered.

I'm having trouble saying "no" these days. With the summer slow down on sales, all I've thought about is promotion. I want to get this monkey off my back so I can turn my focus back to my shop & my incomplete website. This is going to require a lot out of me because I just registered for fulltime classes this fall. It's been 15 years since I left college. I hope I can manage it all now that I have a life. Whew!

So, I had a little contest...

2006-07-17T15:29:00.000-06:00

I had a little contest going in the Etsy forums last night. I asked folks to help me define my style so I might have some fodder for my Craftin' outlaws ad. I let the contest run 'til this morning. We have a winner: Chromosapien, a fellow crafty Texan. She'll have her choice of one item, from my shop, as a prize.

In other news, I received a package from another fellow Etsy member! 12g copper wire. I've been waiting for this. This may be just the thing to get my creative juices flowing again. I also foiled 14 Loteria pendants for my Craft Promos promos - all for the Craftin' Outlaws gig. It's all about promotion for me these days. Sales are slow, so I'm using this time to get my name out there, in people's minds, for the busy season.

I found some stamps, but that's about all I've done.

2006-07-16T15:54:00.000-06:00

I scrounged my stash & found some Australian postage stamps for the custom piece. I've sent the customer a pic & hopes she finds one she likes. I had better stamps, but alas... I've used them! The customer requesting a new pendant had already bought one of the older pendants - that's why she came back. I love repeat business!

In addition, I had a few fellow Etsy peeps come by & read my new blog. I had several very kind & helpful offers for Australian stamps if I came up short. I may yet get to take someone up on their offer, if the customer doesn't care for mine. Thanks to all!

This may work after all.

2006-07-16T10:17:00.000-06:00

I'm happy with Blogger, so far, from just the little playing around I've done this morning. I don't have the luxury of time on my side to have an eye catching blog. Bless those that do, but it won't be happening here.

Speaking of my time deficit, I have so many things on my plate, I can hardly think. I've got to find some Australian postage stamps for a custom order pendant, get a full page ad ready to submit for the Craftin' Outlaws show (http://craftinoutlaws.luckykat.net/), get 50 promos ready to ship to Craft Promo (http://www.myspace.com/craftpromo) - who's putting promos together for the Craftin' Outlaws show, work on my new online shop, and make more stuff.

These tasks are all on top of running my household, as well. What make some of these tasks even more difficult than they need to be, is my lack of PHP skills to customize my Zen Cart and the fact that the Outlaws ad needs to look decent after being printed in black & white. I suppose I'll just pull my hair out soon and let something slide. What I need to do is prioritize because I'm at the point of having so much to do & not knowing where to start, that I DON'T start. Yikes.

Getting the ball rolling.

2006-07-16T08:52:00.000-06:00

I have 2 blogs at Typepad & never use them. It's a pity, 'cause I pay for them. I thought I would give Blogger a try this morning. If it all works out, I will close the Typepad blogs & work from here.

Stay tuned for further developments. I'll be blogging about my Etsy shop & my (soon to be) main shop.