Holly Days.

I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long! I've been spending so much time with my family who came to OK from California and Florida. I've hardly finished anything but Christmas presents over the past two weeks. But making presents gave me a bunch of great ideas for things to make for the spring. I'm so excited to keep making things! My goal for the spring is to make short-alls...

some more skirts...

and some dresses like Binki's...

Binki Shapiro from Little Joy <3

I know I'm being ambitious considering I only have 97 days before I leave for Basic, but I don't care. I'm gonna do it. I can't wait to get started! I can hear my fabric calling my name, and I must answer her beaconing call. 

Ta ta to all!

Love,

Kristen

Shoot shoot! Bang! Bang!

I just finished a photo shoot with my wonderful friend Teri, and got a bunch of great photos. I just posted some pictures that I got with my digital camera on Facebook!  We went to a barn down the street from my house. That's the great thing about Oklahoma. There's metropolis all over, and sporadicly placed barns and fields. So romantic. Once I get my film, I'll post those pictures from today. For now, here are some of my favorites that I got with my Nikon. 

Handmade scarf, skirt, and sunflower broach

Handmade TOMS bag

Handmade scarf, handband and skirt

My sweet friend, Teri. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
 It wouldn't have happened without you.

For Alli: Custom Purple gauges

So I finally finished Alli's gauges! I have two swirly options. I personally love both of them. A lot. Which is rare, because I don't typically like how my gauges turn out but these ones are super fab. They're size 14 gauges, they're lightweight, and really durable ( I know because I already dropped one of them and it didn't break!).

Here's what the S swirls look like on. 

S swirl profile

Here are the Eye Swirls on.

I named them Eye Swirls for a reason. XD

Let me know what you think, Alli!

xoxo, K

Conditions

The past few days have had their highs and lows. Some of the highlights have been from working with Jack. I love him so much, and fort building has become a daily activity for us now. Last week, I built him a tiny fort and he asked me to join him for a picnic inside of it. I crawled in and told him I felt like Alice in Wonderland when she eats the cake that makes her grow in the rabbit's house. He asked me "You mean like the mushroom she eats that makes her grow reeeally really tall?" and I said yes. So now he refers to his fort as his Mush Room. I drew him a picture of his Mush Room last week, but he wanted me to draw another one today. So I did and we collaborated on the coloring job. So very fun.

Jack Jack's Mush Room

Jack Jack (he helped me color)

Another highlight would be that I sold two scarves yesterday to my friend's mom and she said she'll probably buy more for Christmas presents! My scarves aren't the fastest thing to make, but I thoroughly enjoy making them. I can crank out two scarves in one afternoon while watching a baking show on TLC or Dexter on Netflix. It's what I love to do, so why not solicit what I'm good at (not to mention in love with)?

 I read an article this afternoon about young entrepreneurs that was posted on Yahoo!. It was really interesting to read precisely what I've been theorizing as to why it's easier nowadays to start an at-home (or online) business than it is to get a job for people with a college education. The obvious first influence is the economy. It sucks. So competition is fierce in the job market, and turn-over is lower than it's ever been. But now you have to figure in the experience your fellow competitors have (The Baby Boomers) in your work field. This also happens to be the age of information, so a Bachelor's degree doesn't mean what it did twenty years ago. It's not that college got easier, it's that our resources have expended exponentially from the Dewey Decimal System and card catalogs in your public library to Google, Wikipedia, .org and .edu websites. I feel old when I think about the fact that I did the majority of my reports growing up in school using the World Encyclopedia set that my mom purchased when she started homeschooling us kids.

You can learn almost anything you want to now just by getting online. There's e-courses in everything from blogging to healthy relationships, cooking to financial investment. There's a Youtube tutorial video for absolutely everything. You can earn a Bachelors degree online, for goodness' sake! If you have the internet, a credit card, and ambition, you're on your way to learning about and doing exactly what it is you want to do with the rest of your life. 

This is the point I am at. I have the internet and some college education, plenty of ambition, time on my hands, and a little bit of money to lay down as an investment. It honestly does not feel like a real job though. I wish I could set normal business hours for myself, but I don't know how I would do that. I'm creative at all hours of the day, so the flexibility I have of doing this at home all the time is phenomenal. It gives me the opportunity to make sure my product is up to my standard of excellence. I'm not going to put my name on something that looks like crap or is poorly constructed. If I was buying something handmade from someone, I would expect near-perfection.

If You Give a Kristen a Debit Card...

I have a bag of Chex Mix sitting six inches away from my left hand as I type. If it weren't so conveniently placed, I probably wouldn't have eaten anything except my morning peanut butter toast. I am so ecstatic about For the Time Being Ltd. and Christmas right now that I cannot contain myself. I just spent more money on fabric, tools, and supplies than I have in my entire life (in one craft store trip, anyway). But Broadcloth was on sale, which meant I needed to buy elastic to make some gorgey vintage floral-patterned skirts for spring! I found some precious, tiny corked glass containers, which meant I had to get some chains and jump hoops to make some wish necklaces. And the binge continues as such. Me shopping in Hobby Lobby is like reading "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" because one thing leads to another. Before you know it, I'm signing a contract as the new franchise owner of the freaking store (which I'm telling you will happen one of these days). I was chatting with the fabric tech at Hob Lob about how much I love that store. We agreed that investing in stock would not be a bad idea for moi.

Sculpey: soon to be gauges

Thread, elastic and fabric background: soon to be skirts!

Chains, jump hoops and teeny glass bottles:
soon to be necklaces!

Bamboo yarn: soon to be cowl scarves!

Here is a list (because I lurve lists!) of the items soon to come on my store:

• Wish Necklaces
• Floral knee-length skirts
• Black and cream stacked cowl scarves
• Felt broaches
• Floral felt coasters (Nonna's genius idea)

That is all that I can think of for now, but I assure you, you will see all these things come to pass.

I love you! Thanks for reading my bloggity blog! It means soooo much to me that you care to read my babblings.

xoxo,

K

Busy Bee

Today was a super productive day. I started ironing, pinning, and sewing the flag bags before I checked my Facebook, made coffee and peanut butter toast OR went pee. That. Never. Happens. But it paid off because I'm almost done with all of the bags. I just have to sew up the sides of the outside, attach the handles and the lining, and do a final press. And bam! I'll be done. I can't wait! I pressed, pinned and sewed non-stop from 9 this morning until 5 this evening. I felt like I was going to go crazy because I was so dead set on finishing today, but I got as far as I could before having to leave to watch Jack jack and Titus. I'm pretty sure I'm getting a callous on my right index finger from using my fabric shears so much. Did you even know that was possible? Because I didn't.
Tomorrow's objectives are

• make and bake another batch of opaque swan gauges (with a few pair of swirly purple ones for Alli)
• Finish construction of Flag Bags and post on Etsy (for $30 each)
• Work on Up-cycled Teesh Rasta scarves (currently in the process of making two)

I never realized precisely how time-consuming it is to make all of these things by hand and with care. I am a very detail-oriented person, and I hate to do sloppy work. I detest sloppiness so much that I would rather give up on a project than complete it and it turn out looking carelessly incomplete. I have always loved painting, crocheting, sculpting, drawing, writing and sewing, but it never dawned on me how quickly they eat up time because I've always done them in my free time. So, now that I am trying to be productive and intentional with each day, it's a bit difficult to not feel like I'm not meeting my own personal expectations. This is a process though, and I have to keep reminding myself that real, lovingly completed art is not completed instantaneously. And I know people appreciate that, which is why I already have so many supporters wanting to purchase my bags, scarves and gauges.
If you are reading this, I cannot fully express my gratitude for you reading all the way to the bottom of this blog. I'm writing this at an indecent hour, and the fact that you've trudged through this writing with me means so much. Thanks for caring. :)


Con Mucho Amor,
K

Three cheers for productive days!

I've been working all day on the flag bags and baked a batch of gauges. Only the color ones turned out. I used some opaque sculpey and they turned golden brown, which isn't what I was going for.

Flag bag: bodies and handles

Sunshine gauges (14g)

Hot pink swirls (14g)

Lemon yellow swirls (14g)

There's plenty more gauges to come! Be on the look-out. 

xoxo, K

Seven Swans

This evening, my objectives are as follows:

• Make seven pairs of swan gauges
• Make a few trial pairs of lemon yellow sun gauges
• Finish my very first up-cycled t-shirt scarf
• Start on TOMs flag bags

This is indeed a very busy evening for me. Sadly, I just found out that I'm missing the Nutcracker performance at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center tomorrow evening to watch Jack and Titus. I was uninformed about tomorrow evening's performance (that I've had a ticket for for the last two months) when I obligated myself to babysit. Tomorrow shall be a fun and productive day regardless, for the morrow is Friday! And Friday means Fridate Crafternoon with Francyne, my partner in creativity! She's chalk full of ideas, and simply talking about art with her inspires me. Our friendship has always had this charm, and I am so grateful that she is still a part of my life and art. Our sweet friendship is 15 years strong, and it's been so cool to grow up with her.

When I finish all my objectives for this evening, I will promptly post photos.

xoxo, K

Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady

Today was a really great day. I watched Jack Jack, the coolest 4 year old ginger kid to walk the planet. We watched Disney channel, read Dr. Seuss books, had a pillow fight, and drank hot chocolate.

This is Jack eating a chocolate muffin.

While he was playing with his Star Wars themed Disney action figures (best of both worlds sorta thing), I was busy cutting away and making yarn.

I made a decent amount of light blue, then proceeded to crochet it into a third of a scarf that will soon be posted. I know I say that a lot, but it really is a matter of time before I can finish custom orders, finish all my new pieces and upload them on my Etsy. The biggest problem I am currently facing (which isn't a real problem at all) is all my friends are putting in orders with me now. So I'm trying to complete those in a timely manner, in addition to working on new product ideas. But, after next Tuesday, I won't be working with Jack until January, so that gives me a solid three weeks to get ahead of the game. I am having so much fun!!! I feel like I'm getting into a serious relationship with this whole business thing... and it's everything I've been looking for in a job. I am so glad that this is all happening. :)

On a different note, I went into my recruiter's office today to sign my official contract for my Broadcast Journalism job that I'll be doing once I finish up Basic in June. I signed for six years. Officially. It hurt a piece of my heart knowing that I'm going to be twenty seven the next time I am free as a bird to do as I choose (unless I get married and have a child, and I pray that doesn't happen in the next six years). I've always been a free spirit, but I know that the freedom and desire to share beauty in my heart will not be extinguished by a little bit of structure. The Air Force is the chillest and most academic of all the branches, which I'm super stoked about. I loathe academia but I love learning so much that I am willing to serve actively for six years in order to get school paid for. I want to learn about everything, and they'll let me do just that! How ballin' is that? 

Although I am truly terrified of commitment, I know this isn't something to be afraid of. I know I'm going to love it. I'm really competitive, and the work environment I'll be in will be very conducive to ranking up. Apparently chicks rank up faster than dudes cuz' they feel the need to prove themselves, which is cool. The day I graduate Basic, I'll already be an E-3, which is two ranks above everyone else. (Hooray for college credit!) And when I graduate with Honors, I'll put myself that much farther ahead of the curve. I am just so excited about this time of my life. I was dreading April 5th two weeks ago, cuz I thought I was going to have to wait til then to occupy my time, but a certain life event happened, and the inspiration and motivation to do something with this chunk of time has not stopped. It's amazing what a good break up can do for a girl!

Jah Love,

K

Scarf scarf!

Bamboo yarn cowl scarves! Soon to come on My Etsy!

Bag-O-Scraps

It's chilly out today, so I'm making as much t-shirt yarn as possible to make some cute lil scarves. My goal for this winter is to make sure all my beloved ones have a warm neck. It's a work in progress but, nevertheless, progress is being made. I'm in the middle of the first season of Dexter right now, and it's a really great show to watch while cutting teeny strips of fabric. He's so meticulous. It's rather inspiring(ish). I just cannot wait to actually have my line-up finished. I should have had this Aha! Moment at the end of the summer so I could be working on my spring designs right now. But I'll get there soon enough. I have enough time on my hands.
I used to tell people that I work part-time and chill full-time because I haven't had a real job since August when Camp War Eagle ended. But now I can't really tell the difference between chillin' and working. It's really difficult for me to transition from being constantly on the go to constantly having huge gaps of time to occupy. If I was an empty-headed person, I would have hit depression's rock bottom months ago. But isolation has been a gift, a small piece of time to realize I'm not the most important thing in my world. So for now, my energy will remain focused on my newfound romance with t-shirt scraps. And doing so to glorify my First True Love.

Also, I just made a MARVELOUS discovery, thanks to Google images! I'm so giddy right now I can hardly contain myself. American Apparel now sells a Bag-O-Scraps of all their most popular printed fabrics! In an effort to cut costs and waste, they're saving the big pieces of fabric that would normally be thrown away. And at 8 dollars a bag, this is a dream come true. I was just talking to Francyne (my long-time partner in creativity) this weekend about how I need to find a way to get a hold of combed cotton. It's the specific method of cotton processing that American Apparel uses. I wanted this kind specifically because it's a lot softer than regular cotton knits and turns out as fabulous yarn. I didn't want to buy it by the bolt because that would not be enough variety, and buying individual AA t-shirts just to cut up is simply foolish... not to mention that it would totally go against my goal of recycling textiles. God is so good! Things like this are more than coincidence. This is precisely what I was looking for and I simply stumbled upon it. I am so in love with you, Jesus.

True Love,
K

P.S. I forgot to inform you that my four TOMS flags came in a day early!!! They're 19x30" heavy canvas flags and they're going to make the sweetest totes you've ever seen.

Newest accessory idea: TOMS cape
(Probably wouldn't fly though...
 Why did I have to inherit my Dad's sense of humor?)

These babies will soon be made into something useful. I cannot wait!

Ideas and Such.

I sketched out some ideas that have been river dancing in my brain for the last week. It was so good to see them inked and rendered on paper. It feels like I get one step closer to achieving my goal of letting you see the final product when I sketch. Like it's a matter of hours before it's going to be finished. I love doing this so much. It's such a blast to get to work with my friends and family on ideas. They are a lot of fun and a lot of great help to bounce ideas off of. I truly cannot say thank you enough for the support I'm getting from everyone. I posted on Facebook earlier about t-shirt donations and an old family friend messaged me and asked how many I needed. It's so incredible how good people are. What's more, it's incredible how kind the people are in my life.
Knowing that I have such a great support system inspires me to try new things and keep exploring creatively. As a young designer, it has been difficult for me to find precisely what I want to portray stylistically. If I'm putting my name on something, I want it to reflect my imagination and ingenuity. I am a very daring and versatile person, but I know not everyone is like me so I'm doing my best to bridle my creativity and trot in one direction so I can really get somewhere creatively in the next five months.
It's a process. Because not everything is going to be easy or fast. But this pace keeps me grounded and stress-free, which is the goal. My sketches from today have a cutesy, gentle vibe with softer colors, some Rasta flavor, and really quirky pieces with vibrant color schemes. I think that about sums up all of my original designs. Like ever. My objective with this project is to absorb as much inspiration as possible from music, books, people, design and media, then compact it into basic accessories, favorite dresses and skirts.
Making cute things is not difficult. Convincing people they're cute, however, is. I want the things I make to look killer and super adorable on anyone, from the middle-aged bank teller to the 13 year old pop diva. I want my pieces to be so versatile that anyone can see it and be like "Hey! That's adorable. I would totally wear that." The hard part about doing that is making sure that my designs aren't as boring and tasteless as flat bread. They have to be chic and subtle, but with a smart edge to them.
I follow the blog abeautifulmess.typepad.com which is written by Elsie Flannigan, and she is pretty much my ultimate inspiration. She is living the dream and I'm totally excited for her. She randomly posts pictures of things that inspire her, so I think I shall begin doing that also. It's like storyboarding and brainstorming all at once! Here goes my first few inspiration shots.

New Beginnings.

I am so excited about my online business (if that's what you can call it) taking off. I crochet non-stop these days and it's so much fun! I've had several people order gauges, scarves, and bags so it's simply a matter of time before I get caught up on the custom orders and start putting up accessories online. It's crazy how fast this is taking off but it's a matter of pacing myself and working around the clock to get everything done in a timely manner. I love creating things and I love doing it for people. So why wouldn't I love doing this, ya know?
Anywho, I figured I would track my voyage into the unknown of the business world so I can look back on my entrepreneurial experience and see where I go wrong, what I do right, and keep this as accountability to make sure I'm making progress everyday. After all, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So FtTB Ltd. is my elephant, and this blog is documenting the feast. Pray for me. I'll need it.

Con Mucho Amor,
K