These will make your mouth water.

A good friend of mine asked me to make these cute little coasters for her and I liked them so much (and got so many compliments on them) that I decided to make them available in my shop. I have completed the pear coasters and now I'm working on the red apples. Some other ideas I have in mind: green & yellow apples & lemons.

I'd love to hear if you can think of something that would be especially cute! I'm always up for a challenge so bring it!! Nothing is off limits and no idea is a bad one...It may become a regular item for sale.

If you'd like to purchase a set of these you can visit my shop at:

http://www.crochele.etsy.com
(direct link) http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37394015

Available in sets of 4, 5 or 6.

Thanks for visiting, come back :~)

Beautiful Etsy Treasuries!

As yet another round of Treasuries is created, Crochele has been featured in three of them! Yeah!! Okay, so one was made by me ;~) but still...


Here they are. Please take a look and visit all of the artists pages and items. Really great items are shown and they are just a very very small percentage of what you can find on Etsy!

"Spring Fever!!!" ~ http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=102600

"The unforbidden fruit"(pear) ~ http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=102710

"Blue Bear...Baby!" ~ http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=102338

 

*I've shown a picture of "Spring Fever!!!". Pictures of the others are not shown, sorry :~)

Merry Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve is bound to beat the last 2 years! Each Christmas Eve we (the family) meet at Grandma and Grandpas to be together, eat tamales (yummm) and exchange presents. Two years ago I was just released from the hospital after having my second son on the 22nd. I'd been in the hospital for over a week at that point so I was ready to be HOME. Not to mention almost everyone at Grandma and Grandpas had the stomach flu...not just upset tummy's, I'm talking full on stomach flu! Here I am tired with a newborn child and I have to bring him to meet the family for the first time with sickness just waiting to be passed on to my son. Well, there really was no need to stress about it because everyone was too sick to really care too much about a baby and he slept the ENTIRE time in his carseat in a corner :~). All in all it was a great day!

Last year was the worst ice storm we have seen in a very very long time! I mean 3 inches of ice on EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE! My son (yeah the one born the year prior) had to celebrate his 1st Birthday at home with just his dad, brother and myself. My hubby managed to make it to the store to buy whatever kind of cake he could find (carrot cake it turned out) and I just happened to have bought a couple of toys that were supposed to be Christmas presents. Again, I stressed about it and it turned out to be perfect! He loved his cake and toys. Luckily the majority of the ice melted and we were able to make it to Grandma and Grandpas for our yearly tradition!

So, here we are! So far, everything has gone rather smoothly. We made the decision to celebrate our little guys' birthday early so he got a party for the first time. I was able to buy most of the presents I needed for Christmas and we are in for a dry evening/morning. Over the last few weeks I have received A LOT of orders and a lot were special requests for Christmas pictures or Christmas presents. I can't even begin to explain how much I love to be a part of that. Whether things go well or not this year, I am thankful for my family (all of them!) and am LUCKY to be able to be with them on such a special day. I'll be thinking of my mother and grandmother who are in another state and I'll be thinking of the family I lost too soon.

I wish everyone a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Featured Etsy Shop - Marleyjanedotcom

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Marleyjanedotcom

I wanted to spotlight the shop of a very good friend of mine. All of her beautiful jewelry is handmade and I can tell you that they are all made of the highest quality! Please stop by her shop and take a look around. 

Happy Holidays!

The last few weeks have been so great! So many orders requesting items for gifts. I feel honored to be able to provide that for customers! Many Thanks!

                              Happy Holidays everyone :~)

P.O.S.H. - Pinks of sultry hues

Super cute Treasury! Check out these gorgeous pink, black and damask items! I had a really hard time choosing!

Crochele has been featured in a blog!

http://thespeckledpear.blogspot.com/2009/11/etsy-shop-feature-014.html#comment-form

My little Bus Stop Booties have been featured among some really nice green items.

Crochele is featured in Sweet CuddleCakes' Blog!

Crochele has been featured in Sweet CuddleCakes' blog! My Baby Gladiator Sandals are the featured item & are among shoes from Gymboree & Children's Place! This is an honor for me, check it out!

http://www.sweetcuddlecakes.blogspot.com/

*Scroll down to the post "10 Little Toes..."

NEW! Adorable Bath Mitts!!

Made from 100% cotton yarn, these Bath Mitts are fun & functional! Fully machine washable and dryable. I know that my children would much rather play in the tub than be washed. Turn washing into a game instead of the dreaded "come here, let me wash you"! So far, you can choose from a puppy, dinosaur & piggy. More to come!

Crochele at Hip Happening!!

Crochele will be selling items at a local bazzaar/show for NW Artisans, featuring all handmade goods! The event is happening May 9th in the Historic Masonic Lodge in Milwaukie, Oregon. If you are local, or will be visiting, please stop by! There are 2 floors of wonderful items for sale and there will be food and beverages available.

If you have any questions about this event, please feel free to contact me!

Crochele Handcrafted

EtsyKids Design Challenge - Vote Now!!!

I've entered the EtsyKids Design Challenge and it's time to vote! My entry is:

14. BABY DAISY Sun Hat and matching Gladiator Sandals

Vote for me! OR if you see something you like better, vote for that :~). The theme is "Rainbow of Colors" and there are some really great entries. Check it out and vote for your favorite!

Here's the link:

http://etsykids.blogspot.com/2009/04/etsykids-design-challenge-for-april.html

Newest Addition to Crochele Children's Line

Thanks to Delia, owner of Styledbaby Boutique, Crochele has a new style hat! She asked me if I could make something similar to one she had seen so I gave it a shot. I'm really excited about these. It's not yet available at crochele.etsy.com but it will be available there soon. I will be making a few for Styledbaby Boutique in Hillsboro, Oregon. See styledbabydesigns.com for the address and phone number.

Crochele Couture Is Up and Running!

I've finally added a couple of listings to Crochele Couture. Much more to come, for sure. See what's new:

Crochelecouture.etsy.com

Crochele on Facebook

Are you on Facebook?? So is Crochele! Here is the link, where you can keep up with what is going on with Crochele:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/advertising/FacebookPagesProductGuide.pdf

Meet Crochele Couture

Thanks for all of your help in deciding on a good name for my newest Etsy shop! (Yes, all two of you LOLOL) I've decided on Crochele Couture! The definition for couture is: The business of designing, making, and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made clothing for women. How fitting is that!!??!?! Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about it. Like I said in my previous post, I'll be selling items for adults. Yet to be determined what I'll be selling. I've just had enough requests for adult sizes of my children's items that I thought it would benefit myself and all of those wonderful customers out there! You can check it out but it's a work in progress at this point so check back soon to see it more complete.

CrocheleCouture.etsy.com

Til Next Time!!

Opening up shop...again!

I've decided to open up a seperate Etsy shop to sell items specifically made for adults. I'm playing around with the names. I'd like to keep Crochele as the first part of the name, so that people recongize the name along with my child shop.

Does anyone have any ideas?? I just can't seem to come up with something witty :). Bring on any names you can think of! If I choose the name you've come up with, I'll give you 40% off your first order in either of my shops! Pass on my blog and share the fun :)

I'll choose a name by Friday 03/20/09 so hurry and get your ideas in!!

Here is the link to my children's shop: crochele.etsy.com Some of the items will be similar for my adult shop. I'll be carrying hats, scarfs, java jackets, sweaters and some undecided items.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Michele

Crochele featured in 2 Etsy Treasuries!

I love Etsy Treasuries! Especially right now since Crochele is featured in 2 of them! Here are the links...Check 'em out.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=45630

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=46455

I love Twitter

I have recently signed up with Twitter and I'm hooked! What a great way to get your name out there and keep people updated on your business. I've had so many people add me and I've had so much fun adding people to my list. There are some very interesting people out there. I've even started following Martha Stewart (and yes, it's really her) and Demi Moore (who seems to be a very down-to-earth type of gal). If you should decide to join, or already have a twitter account, add me!

My ID is: crochele

Here's the direct link: http://www.twitter.com/crochele

At the very least, check it out. It could be a help to you and your business...Or a great way to keep up-to-date on your friends!

Finished Little Dress

So I finally finished the little dress. Here are a few pics of it! I'll post again when I've added it to Etsy and have some better pics.

Please be patient with me :)

I decided to change the look of my blogger page and it's become quite the mess! So, until I get it straightened out, please ignore my mess :). Stick with me though, I will get it figured out soon!

Michele

New Etsy Listings!

I've been updating my Etsy page for DAYS now and I think I've almost got it done. I've also added several new listings...go check them out!

I'll be adding the little white and red dress I finished as soon as I can get some good light for pictures.

'Til next time!

I'm an EtsyHooker

I am so excited to announce that I'm a part of the EtsyHooker Team! I have been seeing them and hearing about them around Etsy and I am so happy to be a part of it. I have such great expectations from this and for my business. You can search Etsy for "etsyhooker team" and see all of the WONDERFUL things Hookers make ;).

Learning as I go

I started the most adorable little crocheted dress and got about 3/4 of the way finished with it and I just wasn't happy with the way it was turning out, size wise. So, last night I pulled it almost all of the way out! Now, I'm redoing it and I'm much happier with it. This is the first dress I've attempted and I'm doing it all without a pattern or anything. Just making it up as I go. So, needless to say, it's a learning experience! I like it that way though. It makes things more interesting. Anyhow, I'll get some pics up when I am finished with it, or closer to finishing it.

Proud Member of CreateCrochet!

I've recently joined the CreateCrochet Etsy Team! I'm so excited :). What a talented group of crocheters, i'm proud to be a part of it! I just wanted to put it out there!!

Until Next Time
Michele

New Ideas

I'm widening my range of items I make. Currently, I'm working on a couple of bib designs and they are turning out really cute! They'll be pull-over type so that baby can't pull it off and it really will keep all of babies shirts clean. Not to mention pants! They have a pocket on the bottom to catch all of those little pieces baby can't quite make into their mouth :).

Second, I'm going to start working on some cute little summer dresses and cardigans. I had a special request for dresses. I'm excited to start these. I've got some GREAT ideas in mind. I'll update with some pics soon!

Til Next Time!

Response from MY vendors...

I emailed the companies that produce the yarns that I use and I got a response...From 4 of them, which I believe came from the same place, were very vague and basically stated that they would be in compliance with any laws being put in place regarding the CPSIA. I'm hoping to hear more from them in the near future. Sounds to me like they are as in the dark about things as the rest of us.

This is where the good news come in...The 5th company that I contacted responded saying that their yarns do not contain lead and that I would receive more info regarding this when the head quality guy returned from vacation. I took this to mean that they have tested their yarns and this is excellent news for me, since the children's items that I sell are made of nothing but yarn!!! I'll be getting documentation, if available, so that I am following the laws as stated in the CPSIA. I just wanted to share this info with you so that maybe it will help you get something from YOUR vendors. It's a little encouraging atleast :)

'Til Next Time

Today is a big day!

Today is a big day in our country! I'm so excited and hopeful of the things that our President Elect Obama will accomplish. You had better believe I'll be watching today as he officially becomes The President of the United States!!!!

Yet another update to the CPSIA

At this point, I have no clue how to feel about this Act that has been put in place! Frustrated, Angry, Dissapointed...should I go on or is that good? ;).

I have high hopes that things will get cleared up. It's just the waiting, and the unknown that is so hard!

Currently, I'm working on contacting the companies that produce the products I use to make my crocheted items to find out if THEY do any type of testing of their products for lead. I've contacted all of the companies and now I wait...and wait...hopefully not too long!

I'm still creating new crochet items and wait until you see what I've just created! Little baby gladiator sandels. They are SO cute! I'll get them on my Etsy page as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to stop by and see what's been added w/in the last day or two... crochele.etsy.com

Encouraging News!!!!!

As a follow-up to my last post...

I've received some very encouraging news from the owner of Styledbaby Boutique! Apperantly, the law was not written as it was supposed to have been. It wasn't meant to be so broad. It's being revised to be more specific and remove some of the things like cotton and yarn and so on...

I'm very happy about this news! I would have adjusted the things I create to fit in with what Styledbaby Boutique carries. I absolutely adore this shop and would do whatever I could to help keep it in business. BUT as of right now, I won't need to do this :). For now, things are staying the same at the boutique and hopefully soon the law will be rewritten and there won't be such stirct rules regarding testing ANYTHING made for children under 12 years old, for lead.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

-A very relieved Crochele :)

Crochele needs your help!

I've just found out that I'll no longer be able to sell my children's line at Styledbaby Boutique. In August, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was passed by Congress. This act places very strict rules on any item being sold for children and requires that any of these items be tested for lead. As a small business, Styledbaby cannot pay for this to be done and as of Feb. 9th will no longer carry children's items - NONE. This is sad news for myself, Styledbaby, customers and basically any person buying items for children. This act could potentilly raise the prices of children's goods 50% because any business selling these things must have them tested for lead before they can be sold.

Please see the following blog and read it in it's entirety. It's really important to us all! Please also take a moment to follow the link within that blog and send a letter to our Congress asking that the Act be revised. Right now, it says that even a childs shirt has to be tested for lead...REALLY??? I am all for placing strict standards on anything that a child may come in contact with, to keep them safe! I have 2 children of my own but COME ON! Anyway, please help us all out! Go to the blog and I thank you in advance!

PLEASE SEE THE THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 ENTRY:

http://styledbabyboutique.blogspot.com/