Don't Forget :)

My giveaway ends tomorrow! Click here to go sign up and be eligible to win a box full of prizes :D

New

There are a few new things in the shop recently. I have finally listed the pattern for this super awesome sweater (and already sold a copy!) that I made for a collaboration with KatsaraYarns.

The top is very ustomizable and figure flattering for every body type :) And the yarn called for is so incredibly soft and light!*see that necklace? Its from MiaBeads, I wear it all the time, I just love it!

This beanie also made it into my shop today, I know I know, it took too long, but its here now!

So be sure to check back by the shop occasionally to see all the new, fun things going on ;)

Queen of the Froggers

If you are a fiber artist and don't read Linda's blog, Queen of the Froggers, you really should. I can't remember how I first stumbled upon it, but I now read it diligently. She has the most fantastic photos, wonderful knits and she spins up yarns that put mine to shame. I asked if she would be willing to talk to us a little bit and let us in on her life some and to my glee, she graciously accepted. So read on to learn a little more about this incredible woman and her fiber story

Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am an obssesive knitter, and am also really getting into spinning yarn too now. I love coffee, chocolate, countryside walks, cycling, my little family and Fall/Autumn.

I am self employed as a cleaner (I used to be a nurse) so that I can be around for my son after school and fit in study for my degree. I am poor but happy and spend money on yarn and fibre when I shouldn't! One day I would love to work in a museum or library. Of course I would really like to own my own yarn store.

I believe in never looking back at the past, living and enjoying the present moment, noticing the little things that give us pleasure and being nice to everybody because its easy to do!

How old were you when you first started knitting? And who taught you?

My Mum taught me to knit and my Aunt to crochet when I was 6

And spinning?

I have only been dabbling in spinning for the last year or so but am really determined to get better at it this year. I would love to spin British breed yarns and knit luxury cabled throws.

Do you do any other crafts?

I tried weaving but found it took up too much space. I sew when I get the urge. I did once make a macrame owl in the 70's too! I crochet on and off.

What is your favorite room in your house? Why?

My bedroom. Its a lovely green and is the only part of the house where crafts, toys and my husbands mountain bicycles don't seem to take over. Its spacious and light. And the yarn is hidden under the bed very neatly in boxes so no one knows.

What are the best ways you have found to organize your life and your hobbies so that you don't get too busy and quit everything?

I have learnt that I have to stick to only yarny pursuits. There is only so much I can do and yarn is easy to hide so I can have loads of it.

Blogging really helps too because it really gives me an incentive to finish things.

Do you have any other tidbits for us? Hints, tips and tricks?

If you feel that something you are making isn't right then it probably isn't. Undo it and do something else. Instincts are usually correct

You can never have enough knitting needles, circular ones are great for anything.

Don't be seduced into buying yarn or fabric unless you are sure its the right colour for you. I have a lot of orange yarn and bought it as it was cheap. I will never wear it!

I love the phenomenal photos you can see both on her blog and also over on Flickr. If you'd like to catch up with her on Ravelry, she's right here.
Thank you so much Linda for taking time out of your busy schedule to grace us with this interview!

Must. Have.

This. Scarf. I must have it. It must be mine. That is all. From Mireloom

Feature Friday - Downey Fibers

This shop has been in my Favorites for a very long time and I have to wipe the drool every time I pass by it.

The yarns are so wonderfully colorful and fun...

Each skein just speaks volumes!

The amazingly talented woman behind Downeyfibers is a mother of FIVE! and washes, dyes and spins all of her own yarn. Even those who don't knit or crochet would find something they simply must have from this shop :)

A Place to Sleep

With the recent additions (warning: link contains ultimate cuteness) to our family we have also needed to add a little to our treasured belongings (as well as keep these belongings away from the pets). One thing we do tend to share with them though is our bed. Do your pets have their own place to sleep or do they sleep with you? One of these wonderful choices on Etsy would be ideal, now if only we could convince them it was theirs!


1. From allingwelsh
2. From anniessweatshop
3. From BowWowBeds
4. From lmireilleflores
5. From gertiegearstore

And on a separate note, don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends a week from today!

Swing Dresses

Matt and I really like to swing dance. He introduced me to a form that I hadn't heard of called the Lindy Hop and it is so much fun! Quicker paced that most forms of swing but oh-so-much fun to do! I'm still in the learning phase but once I get good enough to actually dance in public (not just in our living room) I'd love to go in one of these dresses from onthetrashyside

Vintage in the Kitchen

The other day Matt and I stopped by our local thrift stores (all both of them! hehe) to look for some organizing essentials for our over-crowded apartment and spotted these beauties:

There were four of them, two large and two small. After a minor mishap on the way out the door (ceramic lid + hard floor + some lack of coordination on my part = two pieces of lid) which was fixed with the ever-important super glue we took them home, gave them a bath and they now house our flour, sugar and rice. It is a much cleaner alternative to having the bags open and spilling every time you moved them.

Super Cute

I should add this cute little trench to my list shouldn't I?

Adorable in a figure flattering shape and from the exquisite vintage closets of leasvintage, (a shop that has been in my favorites for a while now) this coat is sure to keep you warm and professional in a very affordable way ;)

Friday Feature on Monday -

So because we adopted to little puppies (see post below) on Friday, I didn't get a free minute to post my Friday Feature so I'm posting it today!

The photography in JenniPenni's shop is amazing. Its simple, fresh and occasionally moody.

This young woman from Finland has a keen eye for colors and knows how to portray an attitude.

Head on over to see all of her other amazing prints, and, as always, clicking on the above pictures will take you to the listing in her shop :)



*on a side note: don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Puppies!

Yesterday the boy and I went to the local shelter to just 'look'. Hehe. Yea, you ladies know what I'm talking about. We fell in love with these hoodlums and couldn't leave them there! So I am pleased to introduce you to the newest members of our family:

The darker one is Mona Lisa (we call her Lisa) and the lighter one is Bowser. They are both females and by my guess Lisa is about 3 months old and Bowser is 2 months.

They sure are darling aren't they?

Putting Together a Professional Look

Bored with having to look professional? Think that its impossible to be stylish, show your personal taste and yet still be taken seriously in the business environment? I've put together a few looks to help you achieve just that.

First look:
Pants are typically easier to wear than the business skirt and these wide leg trousers from refinerydesigns is the perfect basic staple to start your outfit.


They can be easily worn with a variety of tops to give them an equal variety of looks. This bright red blouse from Thrush would tuck perfectly into the high waist and show that you have spunk and style.

Finish off the look with these classic black pumps from nerdybird


Maybe add a contrasting wood bangle from inbloomdesigns, and you're good to go!
Second Look:
This time we'll start with a skirt suit from DressUpDollVintage. Adorable on its own, no?

That's why we should keep the blouse simple and classic, like this crisp white one from LittleWhiteDresser.

Keep the shoes with a smaller heel but a burst of color, these red ones from TheRubyKitten would work at work. You could still walk around without your feet screaming at you and you would feel oh-so-stylish.

And classic jewelry like a large pearl ring from beatomicbeauty or pearl necklace from ruthkim will complete this look

Love it.

'nuff said.
This Campfire Top by ForetLA is so cute, so simple and still oh-so-chic. I'd love to add one to my wardrobe :)

Raining Cats and Dogs!

Raining Cats and Dogs by HoneydewStudio

Its just pouring down rain outside right now which is very strange for this part of New Mexico (or all of New Mexico, heck). We very much need the rain, turn this litter box of a town into something substantial, grass would be nice. Although the rain does make for some interesting moped rides...which is why I'm inside right now ;)

Custom Beanie

Last Friday I received a custom order for a beanie. It was to be knit in white with maroon letters and gold outlining with a brim. I tried really hard to make this beanie perfect as it was for a member of the one and only Fraternity on campus and perhaps others in the group would see the hat and maybe perhaps want one for themselves and I think it turned out rather well, don't you?

Giveaway!

I reached 100 followers over the weekend and to celebrate I am have a HUGE GIVEAWAY!

What you can win:

• A Beanie - knit from super-wash merino and a fuzzy acrylic blend in a nice wide rib pattern so ensure that it will fit snuggly on many different head sizes and keep you warm and happy J
• A Cellphone/ipod/kleenex pouch – or whatever else you want to use it for! It has been knit in such a pattern so that it will keep whatever small item your heart desires safe and scratch free
• A Hacky Sack or Bean Bag – knit from a durable acrylic yarn and filled with beans, my hackysacks have been approved by a long-time hacker
• A book containing 10 love poems by Pablo Neruda – very sweet book, not necessarily your typical love poems, there is also a movie out Il Postino, that focuses on his work
• A half-pint of our very own Prickly Pear Syrup! – perfect for pancakes, waffles and whatever else you put delicious syrup on J
• A random assortment of teas – all very delicious and addicting
• And a few other random knick knacks that I think you should get

Whew, that’s a lot of stuff!

Want to find out how you can win?

• Visit my shop, find your favorite item and come back here and tell me what it is, or give me a critique, something constructive ;)
• Follow this blog (if you already do, please be sure to mention it in a separate comment)
• Post about this giveaway on Twitter with a link back to this posting and tell me about it
• Post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back and tell me about it

Please leave each of your entries in different comments so I know how many to count you for and please leave me a way to get a hold of you so that if you do win I can tell you! J There are 4 different ways to gain entry so hop to it!

This giveaway will be open until October 1st and on that day I will draw the winner out of a hat and email them :)

Friday Feature - MyWayToSay

For this installment of my Friday Feature series I decided to go through the Pounce feature on Etsy and find someone who has yet to have had any sales, and whilst browsing, I found this little gem of a store! MyWayToSay offers some very cool wire-wrapped rings, chic earrings and the occasional necklace.


She wraps her jewelry in velvet gift boxes and she is happy to include a special note if the item purchased is a gift!

Head on over to her store and see what cool new jewelry you can find :) And, as always, if you click on one of the above pictures, it will take you directly to that listing in the shop

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Newspaper Boy Figurine from VintageJunqueRevival

The day is here! Finally the big news!

I will, starting the month of October, be offering advertising spaces on my left sidebar, above the ProjectWonderful space. I will begin by offering 150 x 150 spaces at $10 per month for the top two spaces above the fold which will rotate sporadically throughout the month and regular spaces at $5 per month which will also rotate sporadically.

Each shop that sponsors SillyLittleLady’s Spot on the Web will receive a featured post about their shop sometime during the month that they choose to sponsor.

If you would like to sponsor this blog, please check out all the information here.

Ravelry Swap Question 1

So for part of the swap that I am doing on Ravelry we are asked biweekly questions and here is the first question:

“If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?”

I would probably buy a house first, good investment and all that ;) After that I would travel the world, visit all the places I haven't yet been (which is a lot). Then I would fill my backyard with all kinds of fiber-producing animals, sheep, llamas, dogs, goats, rabbits, etc and have a big area just for the garden part. I would build myself a studio where I could process the yarns myself, and dye them and spin them and knit in peace :)

Any left over money would go to an Elephant Sanctuary!

Picnic with Delilah

Remember back in this post when Matt and I first started hanging out and we took Delilah for a picnic? And I secretly (or maybe not so secretly…) thought that he was the coolest person on the planet for wanting to take my hamster on a picnic? Well, for my birthday, we did it again!

We packed up our munchies, some beverage, the cam-a-ra (I can’t be the only one who says it like this, am I?) and headed to a nearby park on our valiant steed (Daisy).

We took her down the twisty slide a few times, down the short straight slide and just let her run around to her heart’s content :) It was a super fun trip for all involved.

*Oh and on a separate note, tomorrow I will be announcing some BIG news! So stay tuned ;)