<3 <3 <3 ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT! <3 <3 <3

Craftjuice.com is holding a contest right now to find the coolest crafts on the net. Right now, I am in fourth place. I REALLY want to win this thing.

The contest deadline is approaching quickly: October 31st. Please help me win!

If you feel so inclined, please click here to vote.

Thank you so much! :)

<3,
Less Than Three Designs

Vote for Me!

I just entered a contest on Craft Juice.

If you could just do me a favor and take a second of your time to go over there and vote for my item, I'd be SO grateful! All you have to do is click here to go to the page and click the word "vote" under the number of votes I have.

Thank you so much! :)

Oh boy. So it's been VERY busy lately...

I've been working on onsies for Wonder Cousins Unite. It's been a huge undertaking for me, but I'm pretty sure it'll get easier as time goes on.

In addition to this, SweetyPrize and I have been organizing a Red Room Cookie Swap. Basically, we're capping it off at about 16 people. This is a trial run, but we hope to do a huuuuuuuuuuge swap (maybe 50 people) closer to the holiday season. How it works is like this:

Step 1: Convo LessThanThreeDesigns to participate.
Step 2: Include your address and your likes/dislikes/allergies/etc
Step 3: When we reach 16 people, we will close it off, match people off, and convo you the address of your partner.

That's it! :)

In other news, I got a Treasury today. It's pretty awesome, and you should check it out!

That's about it for now. I'll catch you all later!

Forget ALL about the cards I was talking about in the last post. I've got something else that's pretty awesome... Check it out. Chat room pins!

Chat Room Censored Words Pinback Set

Oh God, YES. I'm so amused by this idea. I'm just surprised I didn't think of it sooner.

In other news, my cousin Vica (yes, the one who drew the comic strip that inspired the teeth cards) just moved to Philly to go to college, which is 20 minutes away from my house. I'm SO EXCITED. She, my sister, and I are opening our own Etsy shop called Wonder Cousins Unite. It's going to be reconstructed clothing (and we are going to have plus size in addition to regular sizes), pinbacks, plushies, purses, and maybe even some furniture. It's going to be awesome! We plan to have it up and running in two weeks or so (just in time for Christmas--haha). Yay! :)

Wow. I haven't made a new Etsy product in FOREVER...

I did revamp my shop not too long ago... I'm going to include a screenshot of the first page of my shop. You can see how the photography is changing and stuff like that. Plus, I also made an awesome new banner.

See?



So, maybe the picture's a little too small. You'd probably be better off just checking it out for yourself if you feel so inclined. That's REALLY not the reason for this post, though.

As I said before, I haven't made a new product in FOREVER. So, I was in the Red Room Chat on Etsy last night, and I was saying how I wanted to write Bryan an email completely in binary (which I did do--I used a translator. It was hard.), and another girl asked me if I was fluent. I said no, and she said that she was fluent in both binary and sign language. And of course, I was like, "That's so cool! I want to learn!" She told me that her mother was deaf, so it was really her first language. And then another girl in the room said that she, too, was fluent in sign language because her daughter was deaf. And then it hit me. Make sign language cards. So, right now, I'm in the process of making cards with a font I found that's all finger spelling. So far I have "Happy Birthday" and "I Love You". You know, the basics. I'm thinking about making some birthday invitations, though. They would be MAD cool...

I'm VERY excited about all of this. Pictures shortly. :)

In addition to all of this, I upgraded my Flickr. I'm now a pro! I'm in the process of joining lots of REALLY neat groups. Also, pictures from my Boston vacation are up there. Take a look!

I guess that's it for now. Last post left a bit of a cliffhanger... My knee is fine. It only acted up that one time. I don't get it, but I don't care. I figured out what to do for the The Crafting Patch Etsy Market, and I've started getting my stuff together for that. I'm not moving to Boston. Although my vacation was great, it is FAR too expensive to live there right now. I'd have to be homeless or something, and I don't think that'd be conducive for studying, you know? Work isn't as bad as it was before (although I did have a co-worker tell me I was fat), and I think it'll be a nice change of pace for school to start.

So, in a nutshell, that's basically it. I should be back in a while to add some pictures of the new line of cards. Yay!

Woooooooooooooow. It's been quite a long time since I last updated. What happened? Welllllll... basically life in general. I ran into some snags as far as time goes. Let's see... A list of things that have been taking up my time:

Number One: Knee Problems
Well, first of all, I've been having knee problems. I went to the doctor's office, and I found out that I have a deformed femur. How did that happen? Well, we're not really sure yet. It could have happened during an injury when I was young (but I've never had a real accident) or I could have been born this way. Who knows? All I know right now is that I have to go to an orthopedist and get an MRI, both of which I am dreading. I really need to figure all this out now, because I am 21, and I shouldn't be having knee problems for another 30-40 years...

Number Two: The Crafting Patch Etsy Market
I am going to be selling at The Crafting Patch Etsy Market in October. Because of this, I'm starting to get my inventory ready. I just have no idea how much/what to bring. Anybody have any suggestions? By the way, if you're interested in selling, I think there's still a few tables left. Contact SoCaliGirl for details.

Number Three: Possibly Moving
That's right. I might move. I've been fighting too much with my family. We have a much more pleasant relationship when I'm out of the house. Therefore, I've been looking at a ton of options for where I can go/what I can do. I need to finish my undergrad, so I really have two options: transfer or become a resident assistant (free room and board) on the campus that I go to now. I'm still trying to decide which one. The soonest I'd be moving would be January, but this requires a TON of research.

Number Four: Preparing for Vacation
My brother and I are taking a road trip to Boston starting on Sunday. I am so stoked! I have been there twice before, and I love the city (it's actually a consideration for where I'd transfer to). We're going to see two Red Sox games and just hang around the city. It's going to be great. In addition to this, we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and saw Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr get inducted. It was an eleven hour drive. We did the whole thing in one day. And by we, I mean, I drove the whole thing. It was crazy. And fun.

Number five: Work
I've been covering so many other people's shifts. Apparently, everyone else can take off two or three weeks during the summer, but if I take off four days, I get crap. What the hell? It's crazy. I turned in an application for another job, but it's a half hour away from where I live now, so I'm not sure if it'll work out. We're getting a new manager, too. And by this I mean, the owner of our store demoted our old (amazing) manager in the middle of Starbucks at lunch hour and then asked her to train the new manager. The kicker? He was the assistant manager at the owner's other branch that closed due to bankruptcy. Oh yeah. This is going to be REAL good... o_O

Number six: Enjoying My Summer
While I haven't done too much or gone too many places, I have been enjoying my time. It's great. I know once September rolls around, I'm not going to have as much time to myself, so I'm trying to get everything in now!

Well, I hope this satisfies your curiosity for now. Until next time! <3

Skiingweaver

Oy. What a day. It has been SOOOOO busy. I don't really have energy for, like, ANYTHING. All I can say is... make sure you check out my Lucky 7s sale which is going on in my shop tomorrow (7/7/07)! If you need more info, please check out the entry before this.

Since I have no entry and no will to even try to segue into this, here's an interview with a great Etsy seller. Without further ado, here is the wonderful and talented Skiingweaver!

Pink and Brown Ms and Os Handwoven Merino/Silk/Bamboo Scarf

1) Your shop name:
Skiingweaver

2) Your real name:
Kristin Kelley

3) Your favorite breakfast cereal:
I've been eating a lot of Multigrain Cheerios lately, but I really like Special K, too. And granola when I get around to actually making some (and not burning it). Crunch crunch. LOL.

4) When did you begin creating?
Well, I started weaving about six years ago, but I've been into fiber arts since college-ish (twenty years ago! EEKS! How the heck did *that* happen??). My roommate was into cross stitch so I did that for a while as stress-relief, though I got fed up with all the hokey cutie-pie designs pretty quickly. Another housemate taught me how to knit, which I still really enjoy but have a terrible time actually finishing anything. And I stumbled upon weaving more or less on my own, while I was working as a lawyer at a huge Boston law firm with way too little time for a new hobby but a real need for a creative outlet. I bought and built my little four-shaft loom, wove some really hideous dishtowels as my first project, and have been hooked ever since!

5) Got a day job?
I used to be a (very unhappy) lawyer (a litigator, no less). Now I'm a stay-at-home-mom, a day/night/weekend/forever job, I suppose, and I'm a lot happier, though probably more sleep-deprived.

6) Your inspirations:
Fellow weavers. I belong to the Boston Weavers' Guild (the oldest in the country!) and attend monthly meetings, always a huge inspiration. Otherwise, I like to keep my eyes open and really observe the colors in the world around me - I've starting dying yarn (had to stop for a while when I was pregnant with my son) and it's really amazing the color combinations you can come up with when you open your eyes... My mom's garden is a HUGE inspiration!

Stone/Fiber Mixed Media Magnets

7) Weirdest thing you've ever made:
Weirdest? Apart from those hideous dishtowels? Hmmm. Well, I did knit a pair of giant mittens once, intending to felt them into normal sized mittens... They stayed pretty giant and wound up potholders.

8) Creation that you are most proud of:
Daughter Bella (3 years old) and son Conall (four months old). :) Hope they count.

9) Explain your shop name:
It's skiingweaver because they're two of my favorite things to do! Hubby and I are absolutely fanatic skiers/snowboarders/telemarkers (I can wax lyrical about Alta for hours on end) and we've got our daughter on little cross-country skis already too. A perfect day for me would be some fresh tracks in the morning, preferably at Stowe (Vermont) followed by a productive day in my weaving studio... Hopefully someday we'll be able to move further North!

10) Final thoughts?
I'm so happy I found Etsy! The folks here are wonderfully supportive, kind and friendly. It's just a great community, I think. And it's great that it seems to be helping people get their handmade merchandise out there - I love owning something that someone has put time/thought/hard work/love into instead of just another mass-produced widget from Target.

Handwoven Wool/Silk/Bamboo Scarf

Please go visit , and keep checking back for more interviews with amazing Etsy sellers!

Lucky 7s Sale!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for (or, the moment you all SHOULD have been waiting for-- geez, pay attention!)!

THE LUCKY SEVENS SALE!

I have chosen seven items from my shop. These are the items I like the very, very best. On Saturday, July 7, 2007 (that's this Saturday - 7/7/07), I am going to be discounting these seven items by 50%!

Which items?

Here we go!

Teeth Love Cards

Tell someone you love them with this set of two adorable wisdom teeth cards. These cards are made with card stock and measure 5.5" x 4.25". The inside of the cards are blank, and they come with their own envelopes.

The picture was drawn by my amazing cousin who should open an Etsy shop of her own. Enjoy!

(And if you put the card under your pillow, you'll receive a shiny new tooth!)

Etsy Pinback

Etsy is addictive. Show your addiction with this 1" Etsy pin.

This pin can be custom ordered in any quantity and can be used to promote your Etsy shop.

Music Hearts Card

Be a songbird with this set of two cards made out of card stock and sheet music. They are blank on the inside. They are 5.5" x 4.25". These cards come with their own envelopes.

Enjoy!

Toasty Cards

Drop someone a line in the most adorable way with this set of two toasty cards. These cards are made with card stock and measure 5.5" x 4.25". The inside of the cards are blank, and they come with their own envelopes.

Enjoy!

Rock On Records Cards

Rock out in style with these two awesome cards. These cards are made with card stock and measure 5.5" x 4.25". The inside of the cards are blank, and they come with their own envelopes.

Enjoy!

Music Geekery Cards

What's the seventh item? Why... It's none other than the secret project I've been working on! But you're not getting any more information on that until Saturday!

Hope to see you all stop by my shop! Thanks! :)

Haley's Handmades

Ah. Day one of my two day break from work. Time for some serious Etsy-ing!

What am I up to? Funny you should ask! I'm smoothing out all of the details for my Lucky 7s sale. When's that going down? 7/7/07! (AKA, this Saturday!) In just a few moments, I'm going to be releasing the information as to which products are going to be on sale. It's going to be AWESOME! By the way, the secret project that I've been working on will also be unveiled during the Lucky 7s sale. Hope you check it out!

And speaking of things you should check out... Look at this shop by Haley's Handmades!

Poodles at the Piano handcolored greeting card

1. Your shop name:
Haley's Handmades

2. Your real name:
Haley P.

3. Your favorite breakfast cereal:
Trix :-)

4. When did you begin creating?
I started my business in December of 2006 but have always enjoyed art. I did art throughout high school and college and ended up with a major in Printmaking and Drawing.

5. Got a day job?
Not working for someone else, just me!

6. Your inspirations:
My favorite artist of all time is Winslow Homer and I look at his technique and compositions often. I also love Tasha Tudor and all of the crafts she does so well. And of course poodles!

Bluegrass Poodles greeting cards - set of 4

7. Weirdest thing you've ever made:
Well, I like to think of my poodle cards as unusual and not too weird, but some say differently.

8. Creation you're most proud of:
My large 3 foot by 5 foot print of Poodles Crossing the Delaware.

9. Explain your shop name:
My name is Haley and I personally hand-color all my cards, thus the handmades. I wanted a name that would grow with what I offer too and not limit what I produce.

10. Final thoughts?
Visit my etsy page or my website.

The Birth of Poodles handcolored greeting card

Please go visit Haley's Handmades, and keep checking back for more interviews with amazing Etsy sellers!

Kiley's Handmade Books

I'm officially on break! Two days off from work! Woooo! I have the Fourth of July off, along with the day after. And you know what my plans are? Sleep! Yesssss!

Things have been really great, though. Well, aside from those awful, demanding, mean customers we had in today. I'm still developing my "secret item", and plans are still in the works for the Lucky 7s sale (which will happen on the same day as the wedding of Kiley's Handmade Books, incidentally).

And speaking of Kiley's Handmade Books...

Stars and Silk Upcycled Kimono Remnats

1) Your shop name:
Kiley's Handmade Books

2) Your real name:
Kiley Watson, Will be Kiley Gwynn on July 7th of this year! Which I know is like *the* wedding day of the year 7/7/07 and really lame- but we didn't pick it for the lucky 7's. We picked it because it happens to be our five-year anniversary- and it happened to be on a Saturday!

3) Your favorite breakfast cereal:
I'm really not a cereal person. If I have to pick one it would probably be malt-o-meal. Crazy I know, I mean hot cereal is still cereal right? My big problem with cereal is I don't like the taste of milk.

My favorite breakfast is fresh fruit and a breakfast bar of some sort. For months I've been eating two apples, crisp ones like pink ladies or brae burns, but they are way out of season right now, and I had to give them up a few weeks ago. It's not quiet Oregon berry season yet so I've been struggling to find good fruit. I also have a breakfast bar with it, I usually pick those up at Trader Joe's. On the weekends I treat my fiancé and myself to marionberry streusel muffins at a little shop down the street.

4) When did you begin creating?
When I was very young. I don't even remember the first time a paint brush was stuck in my hands. My dad was an art student working towards a BFA when I started grade school. I have always been surrounded by creative people and have learned a lot from them. My favorite item I created when I was young is a glass paperweight I blew one afternoon after school. I went to a "lab school" on campus that was just across the lawn from the art school. I spent many afternoons in the art labs "taking" college art classes.

5) Got a day job?
As far as day jobs go I have a pretty good one. I am a "wholesale operations manager" for African Imports company that imports African Handicrafts. Like my fancy title I made it up myself? We are a small company and I do everything. I'm #2 and in charge while the owner is in Africa and often when she is in charge. Each of our items is hand crafted and designed by us. We have a working relationship with all of our artisans. We use recycled or "upcycled" materials whenever they are available to use; for example, our bone products are made with bone that is procured from local butchers. I have been there for two years but will leave my fancy titled job in the fall to go back to school to take a year of chemistry in hopes to be admitted to a book conservation program.

6) Your inspirations:
My inspirations for my books come from wanting to make the perfect book. Okay, thats a strange answer- the reason I got into bookbinding was to build a 3-D portfolio for admission to graduate school. I think my books show my artistic side more than the more traditional binders I know. I would like to think mine have quite a bit of flair to them.

Stamped and Stabbed

7) Weirdest thing you've ever made:
I made a Jayne hat for my fiancé last Halloween- it was great. My crochet skills are mediocre but it came out great! Very much so out of my realm of paper!

8) Creation that you are most proud of:
At this point it is the wedding books I made for my aunt's wedding presents. They were stunning, and I really didn’t want to part with them! As they were a gift for a family member they aren’t on Etsy but you can see them on my blog. I hope that as I start the books for my approaching wedding they will become what I am the most proud of.

9) Explain your shop name:
Pretty simple really- Kiley’s Handmade Books- My name is Kiley and I made handmade books- lol. I guess I wasn’t feeling very creative. The KupoKiley part comes from the video game series Final Fantasy- The Moogles (adorable little fuzzy creatures) say it- I’m a big gamer and Final Fantasy III for the SNES is one of my favorite games ever.

10) Final thoughts?
I didn’t mean for this to be so long-winded :P
Thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit about me and please stop by lessthanthreedesigns store! She’s a got some great stuff and is a great addition to etsy! Thanks!

Dream Journal Swirls and Stars Hand Decorated Coptic Hardbound Book

Please go visit Kiley's Handmade Books, and keep checking back for more interviews with amazing Etsy sellers!