Busy week of vending!

The past couple of weeks have been really busy, I wish I was better at balancing my blog posts and work.  Somehow, I still can't figure the best way to structure my day to get everything done that I'd like.  But I am working on it.

This past week I was featured as an artist at Sports Optics, a really cool artsy optical shop on the strip of Tennyson for First Friday.  While I didn't sell anything, it was a lot of fun, and I was asked to come back in February.  I am also able to leave my artwork at the shop for 1 month, which would be a great way to get it on display all the time.  I am excited about that at least!  Then I had planned my Holiday Gift Sale yesterday, it was at our house and I had all of my items available, plus a new friend Marci from Barefoot Regalia came and joined me as well.  I had visions of lots of people coming to the homeshow, lots in my neighborhood, friends and acquaintances.

However, that was not the way it played out, unfortunately.  We could count the number of visitors easily, and while they did spend some money, it wasn't the turnout I had hoped.  I guess I know for next time, right?  Had to give it a shot, but I don't know if it was worth the time I put into it.
Now, I am working on finishing up Christmas gifts...I don't want to post too much about those until the family opens the gifts..but I love how they are turning out and wish I could post the pics!  This year we are going to be staying in Colorado, and won't be able to see all the items being opened up.  Speaking of those gifts, I should really get to work on them and I'll post pics soon!

Hot Crab Dip - From Aunt Chris

My sister and I :)

Josh and I went home to Michigan this past weekend for a friend's wedding and to visit with family since we aren't going home this holiday season.  We had a great time even though it was a very quick trip, from Thursday night through Monday night.

While we were there my grandmother was asking what to do with some crab meat she had in the fridge.  I love crab, it's one of my favorite foods that I rarely get to eat.  She wanted to make a dip from it to use as an appetizer when she and my grandfather make the trip to Newaygo this weekend.  I suggested this recipe from my Aunt Chris (I had a recipe wedding shower and use some religiously).   Here is the recipe:

Hot Crab Dip
7 1/2 oz of crabmean, frozen, or can or imitation.  (Much better with anything but imitation)
1 Tablespoon milk
8 Oz cream cheese
2 Teaspoon Worcester sauce
2 Tablespoon green onion


Combine Cream cheese with milk and Worcester sauce.  Drain crabmeat. Add to cream mixture along with green onions.  Put into small baking dish, back at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through, serve with crackers.
This is for 1 serving of the dip; if you are serving more than 4 people then double the recipe.
I also often add sauteed garlic and onion, or I just throw it into the mixture when baking
You can also serve with chips or bread.  Very yummy and a party favorite!

Things to keep you Cozy!

Rainbow Ear Flap Hat, available on my website.

My crocheting habit hasn't stopped in weeks, and I have been hooking up a storm!  Crochet is so easy to create and shape items, I love it!  Here are some of my newest creations.  Ear Flap hats are great for winter activities, skiing, snowshoeing, etc and keep you oh, so warm.
I have also been crocheting super thick neck warmers, or cowls, whatever you'd like to call them.   I love the cowl for hiking, it doesn't add too much bulk or weight, plus they are so tall and cozy that I can pull them up to cover my ears on a windy day!  Keeping warm with less bulk is always key on a hike, or snowshoe expedition.

Art Expression in Photography

It has been 8 months since I quit my full time job, and 2 months since I haven't had contract work and I am solely relying on income from my business to support our lifestyle.  Not having any other job has really made me focus on running a business solely and it has really shown me my major fault.  Time Management.  I have a hard time balancing sewing, crocheting, custom orders, orders for my site, computer time to add items to etsy, website, artfire, and promote, as well as daily duties regarding the house, cleaning, cooking, etc.   And last week, I realized that I *have* to set time aside each week for a solo hike and photography session.  It's one thing that I love to do by myself and with the dogs, it brings me peace and meditation.  Below are a few of my photos from the last 2 weeks.  They are available for sale in my etsy shop here.

Left:  Solo tree on the cliff, reminds me of myself a solo hiker on a trail :)

Right:  Belle politely waiting for me at the top of the stairs at our neighborhood park

Cactus and burning bush, well, that's what it looks like to me anyway.  Colorado is famous for it's earthy subdued tones, so to see a red tree or bush is exciting!



New Crochet items great for Fall and winter!

Maroon hand warmers and hat, size small, youth

I have been busy crocheting this fall, and I am in LOVE with this craft!  I learned to crochet years ago from a gal I worked with in Ann Arbor at an Assisted Living home.  Her name was Elena, and we worked in the lock down Alzheimer's unit together.  Our female patients all used to know how to crochet or knit, but their dexterity and memory was so affected that they weren't able to craft anymore; but they sure loved to watch us crochet!  So, Elena taught me and I started a project to make a blanket; I brought that blanket in each day I worked and the elderly ladies "oo'd and aah'd" over it each time.  Even though the blanket was 7-8 feet long and only a few inches wide; what was I thinking?  To this day, I never finished that blanket; it's about 4 feet wide now and makes a comfy dog bed :)

I stopped crocheting after college for several years, and started knitting for a period in between, but didn't love the knitting.  Recently, I came back to crocheting and I am again 'hooked'!  Crocheting offers a lot of variety, you can modify patterns easily, if you mess up it's easy to take out, and it's just so, so, so fun!

My current line of handmade goodies are crochet items that you can use for the outdoors; hand warmers, neck warmers, ear warmers, hats with ear flaps and many of the items are lined with ORGANIC BAMBOO FLEECE!  One of my customers is quoted saying; "The fleece is so soft, I think this is what a cloud feels like."

Here are a few of the newest items, more to come!  Message me if you are interested!

Neglect!

Taken at Nora Fabrics and Fiber in Westcliffe, CO, etsy

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated here!  The past month has been a mix of busy and bordeom and I am trying to deal with this mix while staying at home and being productive.  My contract job ended September 1st, and since then I haven't had any steady work, so I am staying at home trying to grow my business and take care of the house.  Unfortunately, business has been really slow this season, and I am just trying to make ends meet and earn enough money for our bills each month, unsuccessfully.  But, just because things are slow doesn't mean I am giving up!
I am currently offering a "make me an offer" Sale for all clothing, if you like an item, make me a fair offer and it's yours (plus shipping).  Message me if you are interested, here is the link to my website.

I have been adding photos to my new etsy shop that I have taken during hikes and other times and I hope that maybe I can sell a few.  I have always loved taking photos and it's really fun to display my favorites.  Also, do you know that I have another blog, a hiking blog that I update bi-weekly?  Well, you should check it out here.
Last weekend Josh and I had our 6 year wedding anniversary and we took a trip through the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado and spent time camping and hiking in the area with our new Chalet.  We had a blast and I took numerous photos; here are some of my favorites.

Reflection on the water, find in my etsy shop

Beautiful aspen trees; looking through the Aspens in my etsy shop

Leaves on the trail, remind me of cross country season!

Self portrait on our hike to Spud Lake

Our Chalet :)  We love her!

Rock sniffing some wild animals on our hike to Spud Lake

Views of Ski resort at Sunset.  wow!

Aren't we cute?



Our new camper, Miss Chalet

We bought a camper today ~ we have been looking for about a year for a small, reasonably priced, camper that we could tow up mountains in Colorado.   I love tent camping, and don't plan on stopping anytime soon; but we can't camp in the winter and sometimes it's nice to be off the ground and out of the rain.  The Chalet is hard sided and foldes up into an A-Frame; it has a double bed on one side and twin bed that converts to a kitchen table and seats.  There is also a propane stove and sink; plus, the best part is a small portable potty!  The potty wasn't a necessity, but it sure will be nice to not run outside and pee in the woods; in the middle of the cold Colorado nights.  Twice, I have had coyotes around me when going to the bathroom outside and that was pretty scary!   A potty will sure be a step up in the world!

Plus, I am a little worried about having kiddos in a tent, and I don't want to give up camping when we have a baby; or when I am pregant.  We are excited to take it out this weekend; after the farmers market on Saturday.

Here are some more pics of our Chalet.

I will recover the cushins right away, and we already started painting over the crappy wall paper.

This is the double bed/couch.  I will again re-finish the cushions.

Inside, its pretty sunny, but bad curtains and stove and sink

Fun in Breckenridge!

Views from the 4x4 drive road; sharp cliffs, scenic views.

At the end of August my family came out to visit; and I have been planning on blogging about it since they left.  Finally, I found some time!
My parents and sister with her new hubby Cody came to Denver along with my parents friends Bob and Marsha.  We drove into Breckenridge to stay in a condo for the weekend to do some hiking, shopping and spending time together as a family.
My parents flew into Denver on Wednesday and we drove up to Breck that evening sans Josh who was still working and going to drive up with Laura and Cody.
It was nice to spend some time with my parents, just the three of us; we had a great lunch at the Backcountry Brewery in Frisco (recommend the Wheeler Wheat beer!!) and a drive up the mountain pass outside of Breck up a 4x4 drive road for beautiful views of the mountains and lake below (photo above).
Thursday we explored the town and waited for Laura, Cody and Josh to come up that evening; then we went out to dinner and prepared ourselves for our long hike on Friday.

Is the head tilt genetic?

My dad, sister, Cody, Josh, myself and Bob hiked a 14er; Mt. Lincoln via the Kite Lake route on Friday, as this was the best weather day of the weekend.  This is the second 14er my sister has hiked, and the third for my dad and the 9th for Josh and I.
Overall the hike went really well, everyone except for Bob Tighe reached the top, but he had been battling a bad cold and made it to about 14,000 feet, but not to the peak.  The hike went better than expected, with everyone making it safely with no altitude sickness and only minor falls.
On Saturday we were all a little tired and sore from the hike, and we stayed nearby the condo, shopping, drinking and taking a ride on the free Gondola in Breck to the Alpine slide on the ski slopes.  As a kid I loved the alpine slides in Kentucky and on the East Coast when I had ridden them before, I remember being completely fearless on the dips and turns.  It was really fun to try it out again as an adult; it took a few minutes, but I did get my fearless nature back and flew down the mountain, yippie!!

The theme for Saturday; sit at a bar, drink a beer.

My favorite part of the day was w hen Laura, Cody, Josh and I went to Joe's Dive bar for lunch, (it was not a dive bar, it was really good!) they had great pizza, a super great bartender and atmosphere.  From there the festivities continued well into the evening as we bar hopped and had fun; ending the night in a Sorry tournament that I lost every time.

On Sunday Cody, Laura and my dad were up early to catch a flight; my mom who is newly retired stayed until Wednesday.
We had a great trip with the family and hope they come out again soon.  Here are a few more pics from the visit.

On the Summit of Mt. Cameron!

pretty pic of my mom.  thats me way in the background

mmmm, beer

My parents at the Reservior

Gondola ride up the mountain to alpine park

Josh and I after a few beerz on Saturday

Where did August go?

I cannot believe we are already into September; this summer really FLEW by!  Just 6 months ago, I quit my job and took a 6 month contract position from home working just 16 hours.  Now, that contract job has ended, summer is over, and its time for autumn, holidays and winter.  Today I went into the office to turn in my laptop and other items and said a 'goodbye' to the ladies in the office; they were all so easy to work with and kind, it was one of my favorite jobs.  But I am glad to have a little time off.  I have such a long 'to-do' list that I really need to get to work on; plus I haven't had much time to work on my new organic Colorado Girl accessory and clothing line.

Along with work and the farmers market, we had a very busy July-September.  We had two wedding, my sister's in Michigan and a good friends in Colorado, my family came out and visited us, including my new brother in law who joined us for a 14er hike, my 31st birthday, and trying to squeeze in camping and hiking before it becomes too cold in the mountains.   While it's been a summer of fun, it's been busy and eventful, and I am looking forward to some down time this fall to bake, garden, and do some sewing and crafting for myself.

New hiking wrist warmers.

My latest crafting obsession is crocheting!  I learned to crochet years ago in college, I made a huge unfinished blanket, some scarves and then I put away my hook for knitting needles and sewing.  I don't remember what it was exactly that made me stop crocheting, but it must have been sheer madness to change over from the hook to knitting needles, and it feels great to have my old, faithful crochet hook back.  My grandmother on my mom's side was a whiz with the hook; she made all of her grandchildren and even great-grandchildren blankets that each of us cherish.  While I lack the patience to make a blanket, I have been making wrist warmers, neck warmers, ear warmers, scarves, and creating my own patterns  for these items to best suit the Outdoorsey Girl.  Check out some of my new items on my website and I would love to hear what you think about them!  Lots more to come.

Busy weeks of vending!

The past couple of weeks have been really busy, I wish I was better at balancing my blog posts and work.  Somehow, I still can't figure the best way to structure my day to get everything done that I'd like.  But I am working on it. 
This past week I was featured as an artist at Sports Optics, a really cool artsy optical shop on the strip of Tennyson for First Friday.  While I didn't sell anything, it was a lot of fun, and I was asked to come back in February.  I am also able to leave my artwork at the shop for 1 month, which would be a great way to get it on display all the time.  I am excited about that at least!  Then I had planned my Holiday Gift Sale yesterday, it was at our house and I had all of my items available, plus a new friend Marci from Barefoot Regalia came and joined me as well.  I had visions of lots of people coming to the homeshow, lots in my neighborhood, friends and aquaintances.   However, that was not the way it played out, unfortunately.  We could count the number of visitors easily, and while they did spend some money, it wasn't the turnout I had hoped.  I guess I know for next time, right?  Had to give it a shot, but I don't know if it was worth the time I put into it. 
Now, I am working on finishing up Christmas gifts...I don't want to post too much about those until the family opens the gifts..but I love how they are turning out and wish I could post the pics!  This year we are going to be staying in Colorado, and won't be able to see all the items being opened up.  Speaking of those gifts, I should really get to work on them and I'll post pics soon! 

Hot Crab Dip, from Aunt Chris

My sister and I :)

Josh and I went home to Michigan this past weekend for a friend's wedding and to visit with family since we aren't going home this holiday season.  We had a great time even though it was a very quick trip, from Thursday night through Monday night.  

While we were there my grandmother was asking what to do with some crab meat she had in the fridge.  I love crab, it's one of my favorite foods that I rarely get to eat.  She wanted to make a dip from it to use as an appetizer when she and my grandfather make the trip to Newaygo this weekend.  I suggested this recipe from my Aunt Chris (I had a recipe wedding shower and use some religiously).   Here is the recipe:

Hot Crab Dip
7 1/2 oz of crabmean, frozen, or can or imitation.  (Much better with anything but imitation)
1 Tablespoon milk
8 Oz cream cheese
2 Teaspoon Worcester sauce 
2 Tablespoon green onion 


Combine Cream cheese with milk and Worcester sauce.  Drain crabmeat. Add to cream mixture along with green onions.  Put into small baking dish, back at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through, serve with crackers. 
This is for 1 serving of the dip; if you are serving more than 4 people then double the recipe. 
I also often add sauteed garlic and onion, or I just throw it into the mixture when baking 
You can also serve with chips or bread.  Very yummy and a party favorite!  

Things to keep you cozy!

Rainbow Ear Flap Hat, available on my website. 

My crocheting habit hasn't stopped in weeks, and I have been hooking up a storm!  Crochet is so easy to create and shape items, I love it!  Here are some of my newest creations.  Ear Flap hats are great for winter activities, skiing, snowshoeing, etc and keep you oh, so warm.  
I have also been crocheting super thick neck warmers, or cowls, whatever you'd like to call them.   I love the cowl for hiking, it doesn't add too much bulk or weight, plus they are so tall and cozy that I can pull them up to cover my ears on a windy day!  Keeping warm with less bulk is always key on a hike, or snowshoe expedition. 

Pink hand warmers, great for that hard to shop for teen/tween in your life.  Available on etsy for just $20!

Hand warmers and hat and scarf set on etsy. 

Super thick and chunky neck warmer.  This is great for the hiker, or outdoorsey person this winter season.  Handmade buttons and a beautiful crochet edging gives versility and style. 

Art expression in photography

It has been 8 months since I quit my full time job, and 2 months since I haven't had contract work and I am solely relying on income from my business to support our lifestyle.  Not having any other job has really made me focus on running a business solely and it has really shown me my major fault.  Time Management.  I have a hard time balancing sewing, crocheting, custom orders, orders for my site, computer time to add items to etsy, website, artfire, and promote, as well as daily duties regarding the house, cleaning, cooking, etc.   And last week, I realized that I *have* to set time aside each week for a solo hike and photography session.  It's one thing that I love to do by myself and with the dogs, it brings me peace and meditation.  Below are a few of my photos from the last 2 weeks.  They are available for sale in my etsy shop here. 

Left:  Solo tree on the cliff, reminds me of myself a solo hiker on a trail :)

Right:  Belle politely waiting for me at the top of the stairs at our neighborhood park

Cactus and burning bush, well, that's what it looks like to me anyway.  Colorado is famous for it's earthy subdued tones, so to see a red tree or bush is exciting! 



New crochet goods ~ hand warmers, ~ neck warmers ~ hats and more!

Maroon hand warmers and hat, size small, youth

I have been busy crocheting this fall, and I am in LOVE with this craft!  I learned to crochet years ago from a gal I worked with in Ann Arbor at an Assisted Living home.  Her name was Elena, and we worked in the lock down Alzheimer's unit together.  Our female patients all used to know how to crochet or knit, but their dexterity and memory was so affected that they weren't able to craft anymore; but they sure loved to watch us crochet!  So, Elena taught me and I started a project to make a blanket; I brought that blanket in each day I worked and the elderly ladies "oo'd and aah'd" over it each time.  Even though the blanket was 7-8 feet long and only a few inches wide; what was I thinking?  To this day, I never finished that blanket; it's about 4 feet wide now and makes a comfy dog bed :)

I stopped crocheting after college for several years, and started knitting for a period in between, but didn't love the knitting.  Recently, I came back to crocheting and I am again 'hooked'!  Crocheting offers a lot of variety, you can modify patterns easily, if you mess up it's easy to take out, and it's just so, so, so fun! 

My current line of handmade goodies are crochet items that you can use for the outdoors; hand warmers, neck warmers, ear warmers, hats with ear flaps and many of the items are lined with ORGANIC BAMBOO FLEECE!  One of my customers is quoted saying; "The fleece is so soft, I think this is what a cloud feels like."

Here are a few of the newest items, more to come!  Message me if you are interested!

Crochet Thru Hiker warmers in Mustard Jess; with fleece lined ear warmer.

Black unisex warmers with wooden button on etsy

Chunky grey hand warmers and headband, on etsy

Chunky grey hand warmers and headband, on etsy

  

Maroon fleece lined hat and Thru Hiker Maroon Warmers

Blue unisex warmers on etsy

Slouch hat, this hat rocks!