Little Purple Dress

My new favourite colour is purple. It's bright, cheerful but not overpowering. PVhandscreen (http://www.pvhandscreen.etsy.com/) has some really interesting screenprinted clothing. Their Swing is in the Air dress $54 is a mix of solid purple and striped fabric and looks like it would be very comfortable to wear. I like the little added details of the ties on the sleeves and the design on the bodice.

Furry Little Friends

Gush4Plush (http://www.gush4plush.etsy.com/) has a line of adorable and quirky stuffies. My favourite is Goldfish the Cat $18. The neat thing about these stuffed animals is that they are filled with Ecofill, a product that "has the capacity to keep 3 billion plastic bottles out of the world's landfills each year". Yeah for saving the environment and getting a cute product at the same time!

Babies love handmade too

Babybomb's (http://www.babybomb.etsy.com/) Modern Retro Elephant mobile would add a nice handmade touch to your little one's room. The 6 colourful elephants are handsewn from felt and come pre-assembled on the mobile. It's never too early to get babies hooked on handmade :)

This would also make a nice baby shower gift. I like the fact that the elephants are all different colours as it could easily fit into a boys' or girls' bedroom. Yeah for gender neutral baby shower gifts!

Heads up

I always have a difficult time finding a hat for summer that a) I like and b) fits. My biggest problem is that I have a large noggin! All of the trendy and cute girly heads are usually only sized to fit people with....girly sized heads haha. Luckily for me, there are great hat designers such as PiperandPaisley (http://www.piperandpaisley.etsy.com/). Not only are their hats unique and fashionable, but they can be custom sized to fit YOU. My favourite is the Birdy Hat $48. The hat even has a removable flower broche allowing you to change the look and feel of your hat at will.

It's May 1st!

I have been craving cupcakes all week and we don't have a bakery in my city that specifically sells them. So, I've decided to turn to my trusty friend, Martha to see if she has any good recipes to try out :) I found a neat receipt for Maypole cupcakes. Here is a link if you'd like to try it out: http://www.marthastewart.com/maypole-cupcakes?lnc=ae0cdc53f03ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=collage_food_cupcake-recipes_p2

A Touch of Vintage

A couple of years back my Grandma was going through her old costume jewelry and she gave me some great pieces. She even had costume jewelry that had been passed on to her from HER mother. Pretty neat, eh? I ran across a seller today, LeeluQ (http://www.leeluq.etsy.com/) who has some really interesting vintage pieces. The Fluted Red Flower necklace $35 is an eye-catching piece that would look really great paired with everything from a simple white t-shirt to a classic black dress.

Seedless Watermelon

Summer to me signals the return of yummy watermelon. SweetBody (http://www.sweetbody.etsy.com/) has some colourful, watermelon scented soap $4.50. Wrapped in a nicely co-ordinated paper cover, it would make a great addition to a gift basket or a sweet surprise to your summer houseguests to find in the bathroom.

Strawberry Pickin' Time

Knittybittyapparel (http://www.knittybittyapparel.etsy.com/) has a bunch of adorable and scrumptious looking knit hats. The Knitty Bitty Strawberry Hat $20, comes in sizes ranging from newborn to toddler. The hat is made from a cotton blend allowing it to be worn "throughout the seasons". If you look closely you can even see the little strawberry seeds!

It's time to break out the summer clothes!

I had a little taste of spring before I left Korea a couple of weeks back. During the afternoon it was getting up to 19C (I'm not sure what it translates to exactly in Fahrenheit...but think t-shirt and jeans weather). So imagine my surprise when I flew home and saw 4 inches of snow blanketing my front lawn. Luckily the past couple of days has brought sunshine and rising temperatures. All of this nice weather puts me in the mood to break out my summer clothes. Gurliestorm's(http://www.gurliestorm.etsy.com/) Red Polkadot Rainbow Tank Top $30 looks like the perfect shirt to usher in the warm weather with. I love the little details such as the ruching and little heart button sewn onto the front. This seller hails from Australia and the shirt can be shipped worldwide.

Cute as a button

(http://www.buttonmosaics.etsy.com/) Button Mosaics makes these super bright and vibrant boquets out of buttons. The Whimsical Button Bouquet Set of 10 retails for $12.50. I love the colours that are used in it. This would be a cool gift to mail to a friend in lieu of real flowers which only have a shelf life of a week or so. These can be enjoyed all year long!

It's time for some Spring Cleaning

I've moved back to Canada and have just finished unpacking and am in the midst of organizing my sewing room. I stocked up on yards and yards of wonderful fabrics before I left Korea and now I just have to find some space to store it all. Thus, I've decided to have a little bit of a Spring Sale to clear out some of my existing stock. For more details, please visit my online store at http://www.blissbyheather.com/

♥It's Spring SALE Time. You can take advantage of some great prices as I clear out some stock to make room for new designs! 9 Pocket Bliss Wallets are now $20 (limited # available) and select Trendy Tampon Carrier are priced at $12♥

Making your own fabric labels

I like the look of personalized labels and over the past year I've bought mine from two different suppliers. One set I wasn't really happy with and didn't use, the other set is great but it takes a loooong time for them to be shipped out, so it's not the most reliable source when I'm in a pinch. isew.biz put together a neat blog post showing the results of her "handmade" labels. I think that they turned out great and I can't wait to make a shopping trip to the states to pick up some of the printable fabric sheets that she used. http://isewblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/making-your-own-labels.html

Reduce, reuse and recycle

"Reduce, reuse and recycle, don't use your car ride your bicycle" That is a song that we used to sing in grade 3 music class. It's funny how certain songs stick in your head and then pop out at the weirdest moments. When I saw this cool shirt by Vital (http://www.vital.etsy.com/) that's the first line that came to mind. This organic cotton bicycle shirt shirt is made from an American Apparel shirt. I own 3 screenprinted American Apparel shirts (not from this seller) and they are lightweight and super comfy to wear.

From Russia with love

One day I'd like to take a screenprinting class. I love buying fabric and I imagine it'd be 10 times as fun to MAKE your own fabric. There are lots of cool clothing designers on etsy including Pepperhem (http://www.pepperhem.etsy.com/) The Russian Dolls Baby Onesie $16 comes in sizes newborn, 12 months and 18 months. It's screenprinted by hand and the ink is non-toxic. Cute, cute, cute!

Greeting cards care of the Sewing machine

Moonmum (http://www.moonmum.etsy.com/) has some fantastic sewn greeting cards in her shop. The Sweet Elephant card $4 is machine sewn and embellished with a button eye. It's super cute and heck I'd even stick it in a frame so that I could enjoy it for longer than the week after my birthday.

30 is not the new 20!

I'm a last minute card buyer. You see people like me on February 14th at lunchtime buying a valentine's card, or at 8pm the night before Mother's Day. I'm not sure why I always wait so long but maybe part of the reason is because I don't usually find greeting cards to be that interesting. That is until I found Empty George's store! (http://www.emptygeorge.etsy.com/). These greeting cards having witty sayings that are guaranteed to bring a smile (or a smirk) to the receiver's face. Here's a great one to give to a friend, "Stop lying to yourself, 30 is not the new 20" $2.75.

Is it safe to eat wax?

Do you ever see products that look good enough to eat? Ok, I'll admit that I've tasted lip balm a time or two because it smelled so yummy that I was certain it would taste as good (PS it didn't!). Take a look at this Banana Split Candle $13.99 by jlocke38 (http://www.jlocke38.etsy.com/) This delicious looking design is actually three candles in one and it comes wrapped with a nice bow and card.

Cutie Cowboy Booties FREE TUTORIAL

Here is a free tutorial for cute as can be crocheted cowboy boots. Admittedly I'm not such a fan of the brown and yellow combo, but the pattern is adorable. They'd be perfect as a baby shower gift or even as a church craft show item. Here is a link to the pattern: http://hometown.aol.com/fourleafcl1064/page69.html

Keep your apples cozy and safe

Jacquelineknits (http://www.jacquelineknits.etsy.com/) came up with an ingenious idea for keeping your apples and pears "safe" and unbruised. She knits cozies for them in a variety of cheerful and vibrant colours. This 100% cotton jacket even features a cute yellow button to ensure that the apple doesn't slip out of its clothes before lunchtime! The Apple Jacket-Hand-Knit Hot Pink is $12.

Silkscreened delights

Patapri (http://www.patapri.etsy.com/) is a very successful seller on etsy and rightfully so. She designs, screenprints and sews a wide range of colourful and eye-catching home decor products. The "Your choice of Kitchen Towels" $40 is a set that allows you to pick your three favourite designs. Each towel is hand silkscreened and printed on 100% linen. These towels would make wonderful housewarming gifts although I'm pretty sure that if I bought these I'd somehow end up keeping them ALL for myself!

Here fishy fishy TUTORIAL

The great thing about the internet is that you can find a tutorial for just about anything. I love this idea of Fish in a bag soap. Kids would love bathtime if they could make one of these in advance and it'd even be a funny gift just to give to a friend. Here is a link to the tutorial: http://whipup.net/2008/01/22/tutorial-theres-something-fishy-in-that-soap/

Super cute no-knit scarf

I was browsing the Martha Stewart website again today and found another great pattern. It's a no-knit scarf. Can you believe that this beautiful scarf is made by tying knots? This would be a really great craft to do with teens, kids, or people who want to craft but haven't yet learned how to knit or crochet. Here's the link if you'd like to try it out yourself: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.0e0eb51a2e6b5ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=1e21c0b266e35110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Crafting-on-the-go

Hello, my name is Heather and I'm a public crafter. Yes, I'm one of those people you see sitting in the dentist's waiting room with a pile of crafting supplies balanced precariously on my lap. I'm still waiting for someone to invent blunt, preferably made from all-plastics scissors that I can take on an airplane with me. I wonder if they'd let me bring sewing needles on?

I've added a new design to my shop. They are project bags/carry alls which can be used to either tote around your crafty supplies or as toiletry bags when you travel. I added a little handle to one end and they zipper shut so that even the tiniest of supplies will stay safely inside. They come in a variety of patterns. This one is done in a cotton that I call Chocolate Brown and Pink $30.

An EggCellent Idea

Did you know that Easter falls in March this year? A bit earlier than usual, so I thought that I'd start to feature some cute ideas to fill your kids'....or your own haha, Easter basket with. Red Mush (http://www.redmush.etsy.com/) has some really cute Bunny Egg Warmers. You can choose from the pink, beige or blue bunny $9.95. I like the thought of giving a gift that can be used after Easter is over...well not that chocolate bunnies or chocolate eggs can't be used, it's just that they don't tend to last too long :)

Mmmmmmmm....

There seems to be more and more shops on etsy that are selling baked goods. I love browsing through the different cookies, desserts and fudges to see if any of them ship to Canada. No luck so far, but maybe one day!

I found the most mouth-watering looking cookies the other day when I was browsing through new stores on etsy. Noeldelights (http://www.noeldelights.etsy.com/) makes some yummy looking Chocolate Malt Sandwiches. One order contains 6 large cookies which will come wrapped up in a cute little bag. Mmmmmmmmm.....

Sew Cute

My first sewing project ever was a dress made for a little doll. My grandma helped me to handsew the little outfit and I remember being very proud of the finished project (uneven stitches, raw hems and all!). So I'm a little bit partial to the cutesy doll dresses. From what I understand, Blythe dolls seem to be quite the collectible item often going for upwards of $100 per doll. Academybeldam (http://www.academybeldam.etsy.com/) creates some wonderfully cool outfits for Blythe dolls. I really like the colourful fabrics and creative pictures that she takes to showcase her designs. The Blythe Elephant Happiness dress is the one outfit that first caught my eye when I was looking at Academybeldam's shop.

Patchwork Princess

This adorable patchwork skirt $37 by Gocksfrocks (http://www.gocksfrocks.etsy.com/) is sure to make your little one feel like a princess! The patchwork blocks are cut and sewn from a combination of American Jane and Moda fabrics. Gockfrocks can recreate this skirt for you in sizes 12 mos. - 6. Twirlability factor = A+.

Love Letters

Citizenfox's (http://www.citizenfox.etsy.com/) Secret Love Letter necklace $16.50 is great! The little letter says "I love you". Even cooler is the fact that you can open and close the envelope.

Citizenfox is offering free shipping for the month of February.

What's your Valentine's Fortune?

Martha Stewart is my crafting idol. Hands down, if I could have the opportunity to meet any crafter/creator, it'd be her! I found a neat tutorial that she has on her website for making these adorable hand crafted fortune cookies. I'm a fan of receiving/ giving hand made gifts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to turn down chocolate or candy :) but it's always a nice surprise to receive a present that you know someone took the time and effort to make just for you.

These fortune cookies can be stuffed with sweet messages for your loved one, or funny fortunes for your friend! The tutorial looks like it's pretty easy to do, and I bet that this would be a great craft to try with your kids or students. This craft can be found on the Martha Stewart website (which I also like to get dinner recipes from!) The link is: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.0e0eb51a2e6b5ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=ef18cb7517047110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=also_try_p4

Where have I been for the past 3 months?

My apologies for the lack of blog entries over the past 3-4 months! I moved to Korea in October and have been taking a bit of a break from etsy promotions. Also, the blogger.com site is now in Korean when I sign in, and my computer doesn't read Korean symbols so instead of the usual English words/tabs, I have a bunch of random boxes. It's going to be a bit more challenging to update my blog, but I'm going to try and make it a priority. Thanks for taking the time to check it out!

Style + Comfy factor = Replicca

I like stylish clothes, but I'll be the first person to ruin an outfit with Pumas shoes because lets face it, I can't do 4 inches heels when I'm running for the bus in the morning! So I'm always on the search for clothes that are stylish AND functional. Replicca (http://www.replicca.etsy.com/) is a new designer that I just discovered on etsy and her clothes are exactly the kind of things that I'd love to fill my closet with. She's a Canadian designer who is a whiz at putting together interesting silhouettes and colours to create an eye-catching outfit. I like her "A big red pocket of love" shirt $42.

Etsy Sellers Tip of the Day: Blogs and Etsy Mini

Hi! I've decided to start a new feature called "Etsy Sellers Tip of the Day". I know that many of us are constantly working at improving our shops so why not share some of the tips that we have learned.

Today's topic is "Blogs and Etsy Mini". My marketing budget is fairly small, errr miniscule would probably be a better word for it. Thus, I've been relying on different forms of guerilla marketing to get my shop name, http://www.blissbyheather.com/ out there to the public. One way that I've been advertising is through my blog http://www.thebestofetsy.blogspot.com/ . Most blogs are free to register and come with easy to follow instructions and templates that almost anybody could follow.

Some of the popular blog hosts are:
http://www.livejournal.com/
http://www.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogger.com/

One of the neat features that etsy offers its sellers is the ability to add an "etsy mini" to your blog. Etsy mini shows pictures of items from your shop and lets viewers who click on the pictures be taken directly to your store. If you are still wondering what it looks like, just look at the top left hand corner of my blog and you will see my etsy mini :)

How to add etsy mini to your blog:

1) Sign in to your etsy account and click on the "your etsy" link
2) In the left hand column near the bottom you will a link called "etsy mini" click on this
3) You now have the option of choosing which items will show up in your etsy mini, what size they will be and the layout.
4) After you have chosen the set-up, click "preview"
5) Near the bottom of your page you will see two boxes filled with codes. The top box has the code that you can use to add an etsy mini to your blog. Copy this code [to copy: highlight the entire code with your mouse, and click control and c (on your keyboard)]
6)Go to your blog, now these instructions are for adding etsy mini to blogspot because that is the only way that I've done it, however if you play around with your own blog you should be able to figure it out. Click on "view blog" then "customize" and then "configure html/javascript" and then paste the code into there [to paste: click control and v (on your keyboard)] and save it.

I hope that helps, I wish that I could add more instructions but now that I've moved to Korea all of my blogspot tabs have switched to Korean so I can't read what they used to say in English! Please feel free to post in the comment section if you have tips/corrections. Check back tomorrow for another Tip of the Day :)

***FREE SHIPPING SALE on SELECTED items. Click on http://www.blissbyheather.com/ for more details***

Pretty Pleated Purse in Mint and Pistachio

Purse lovers, indulge in the Pretty Pleated Purse in Mint and Pistachio $39! The front of this purse features a "kanzashi" flower, which is a Japanese style of craft that was handstitched and ties together all of the fun elements of this purse.

This bag will fit perfectly on your shoulder and has two interior pockets that can be used to store your cellphone and keys.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7565187

Let your inner Shakespeare out

MyHandboundBooks (a member of the Canadian Bookbinders and Books Artist Guild) (http://www.myhandboundbooks.etsy.com/) has come up with a wonderful collection of handbound journals, organizers and bookbinding kits.

Instead of giving your hard-to-shop-for relatives a novel for Christmas, why not consider buying them one of these unique books that they could use as a journal, sketchbook, organizer or more! My personal favourite is the Classic Brown Leather Journal $40. It has 240 pages just waiting to be filled.

InFUSED with fashion

This necklace is InFUSED with fashion! LingGlass (www.lingglass.etsy.com) from Singapore has painted a pretty design which was then fused between two pieces of glass. This looks like a versatile necklace too as it could be worn against your skin to highlight the design, or layered on top of a shirt, letting the colours of your outfit "peek through" the glass. Priced at $18, I would definitely keep this piece of jewelry in mind for the Christmas shopping season!