Halloween Treasures

It's the first of September! How did the summer go so fast? I love fall, but I really, really hate that it leads to winter so I am always reluctant to be too excited to pull out the boots and sweaters. Maybe that's part of what I love about Halloween. Something to focus on looking forward rather than dwelling on summer ending. Apparently everyone else is ready for autumn and thinking about Halloween too because I'm in FIVE Halloween themed Etsy treasuries already. My favorite is Spooktacular. It's a great selection of haunting and beautiful items.

See the treasury on Etsy

My wine bottle labels are also featured it these:
Halloween is Coming!
It's Almost Halloween!
Season of the Witch
Countdown to Halloween

I really enjoy seeing what other items people pair up with my products. I'm pleased and happy to be in the company of such talented artists and interesting items!

Witchy Wine

I love wine. I love Halloween. And I am newly in love and completely addicted to anything with chevron stripes. (Many more chevron projects to come soon! One HUGE one!) Anyway, I decided it was time for new Halloween wine bottle labels since I have sold so many of the old versions. Where to start? With chevron stripes of course!

So cute! It took some work to get a skull and crossbones drawn that worked with the tiny chevron pattern, but I LOVE how it turned out. 

But you can't have just one design, so here are the rest of the new ones:

These are lot cuter and less glampire than my usual Halloween style, but I am really loving them. What else is different about these? I didn't go with specific wines in the names. This way I think they are also appropriate for a kids party for sodas or juice.

These are, of course, available on my Etsy site.

It's been a while

It's been a while. A very long while. But there are finally new totes in my shop!

I have been loving this Patricia fabric from Ikea for about 2 years now, but every single time we go, they are out. I was finally able to pick up a few yards last month and am so happy with how the totes turned out!

I have two of these for sale now and three more in progress.

Back by popular demand: Why the Caged Bird Sings totes. Same as the Patricia totes, 2 in the shop now, 3 more to come.

It feels good to get back in the sewing room. I am hoping life calms down even a little more so I can sew even more.

It was contagious!

I built a Halloween treasury on Etsy and now I'm featured in 6 treasuries!
They're creepy and their kooky, Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky, And you can find them here.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Autumn

Today's high is only in the 70s and the low tonight - in the 50s! To me, that means Halloween! So I created an Etsy treasury that's creepy and elegant mixed with a little fun. Time to start planning a spooky party. So excited!

And the winner is...

Fabulous number four!

Congratulations to Katy from The Country Blossom!

Katy will receive two totes of her choice from my shop. Thank you to everyone who entered and started following this blog and my tweets. This giveaway was really fun and I will definitely being doing another in the future.

May Day Giveaway!

Happy May Day! Remember giving and getting little treats from friends and neighbors when you were little? I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so our May Day fun was very limited. To make up for that, I've decided to do a May Day Giveaway! How would you like to win two totes of your choice from my Etsy shop?

I've never hosted one before a giveaway before, so bear with me. You can enter up to 5 times, using the methods below. Entries will be closed on Friday, May 7th at noon. I will use random.org to pick an entry and announce the lucky winner on the blog.

Very important: Leave a separate comment for each entry, please.

To enter, visit TonyaDusold.Etsy.com, come back and leave a comment letting me know which is your favorite tote(s).
Extra entries:
1 entry - Sign up to follow this blog (towards bottom of the right column)
Leave a comment even if you already were a follower. You don't have to be new this week!
1 entry - Follow me on Twitter (@TonyaDusold)
Leave a comment even if you already were a follower. You don't have to be new this week!
1 entry - Tweet about this giveaway (include @TonyaDusold in the tweet so I can find it)
1 entry - Post a link to this giveaway on your own blog

Be sure to leave your email or a way to contact you in your comments so I can let you know if you win. 

Entries to this giveaway are closed. Thanks!

Got crabs?

Not that kind of crabs!

The cute little crustacean kind. This is another Ikea fabric, but a new one for me. I have six totes in the works. I love the little row of tiny crabs that worked out perfectly to be on some of the handles. Look for these to start showing up in the shop at the end of the week.

Also, I will be hosting some May Day fun, so stop back here on Saturday to see what it is!

Simple solution

Like most seamstresses, I have piles and piles of miscellaneous fabric hanging around, some scraps, some samples, some impulse buys for projects that never came to fruition. With my new serger, I sewed around the edges of squares varying in size from 10 inches to 14 inches. Viola! Casual, every day cloth napkins. No more disposable paper napkins or paper towels for us.

I got this idea from my friend Staci who has made these, sans the serger. The reason I haven't made them before now is because I have a phobia of uncontrolled string. Yes, I said "uncontrolled string." It's really not so much of a phobia, but a general disgust, especially if it's wet or touching my skin. I can hear you wondering, "What is uncontrolled string?" Think old, fraying towels or raw edged fabric that has gone through the washing machine and dryer. I cannot stand it. It gives me the heebie jeebies. It's irrational and I have no logical reasoning behind it. It just grosses me out. But, the serged edges are the perfect solution.

These are free, eco friendly, cute and washable - with none of the dreaded fraying and unraveling.

I also put two new totes in my shop today. Both are made from Ikea fabric from the Gunilla line. These are the new, extra large, long handled versions. So cute.

Black/Multicolor

Turquoise

A tulip, totes and trama

This tulip popped up in the rocks along the front of the house. We've lived here for almost three years and nothing has ever grown out there. Apparently, this little tulip's bulb took years to finally grow a flower. It's cute, but it does look a little weird and lonely in that big area all by itself. It makes me happy though.

I was busy, busy, busy today and I feel really good about everything I accomplished. I won't bore you with the whole list, but I did finish 11 totes and started 4 more! Two were gifts, five are in the shop already and the other four finished totes will be added to the shop over the next week. Here's a peak:

Ginger Leaves

Ginger Dots

Country flowers

It's Easy Being Green

I started making the totes a little deeper, a little wider and with extra long handles. I was getting request for the really long handles over and over again so that will be the norm from here on out. Being able to put the bag over your shoulder makes even the heaviest load of groceries a little more manageable. I'm still loving my serger sewing machine. It makes the totes go so fast!

I also ironed my arm today. This is a terrible picture, but it's the inside of my forearm and the burn is about 2 inches long. I reached past the iron to pick something up and laid my arm right on the edge. For the record, I DO NOT recommend touching any part of your body to the iron. Ouch!

Sweedish Red

Just posted a couple of these totes on Etsy. I made these a little wider than normal so they are nice and roomy. Check them out! I finished 6 of the 12 totes I had in progress.

Little totes, little totes

Everywhere I turn, I can see them
Little totes
Little totes

Some women are dripping with diamonds
Some women are dripping with pearls
Lucky me! Lucky me!
Look at what I'm dripping with

Little totes!
(Best sung while drinking bathtub gin!)

I have 12 totes in various stages of completion. Tonight, my goal is to get at least half of those done. Two for the shop and four that I am making as gifts. I have been unmotivated lately to sew because the weather has been so nice. Thunderstorms are on the way, so temptation to ignore them should be low. I also want to have these 12 done, so I can move on to all the new fabric I got at Ikea this weekend. A few I've already made totes from, and a few completely new ones!

10 Things (Post #10): Write to someone who inspires you

This is my tenth and final post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

While I'm not sure how this works for the whole save the planet thing, I do agree that this can help make the world a better place by making someone's day. A few years ago, I was given a whole bunch of fun blank cards and about the same time I bought a bunch of new stationary. I went on a letter and note writing spree. I'm all out of my favorites and rarely send a handwritten note anymore. I think just having a stock of note cards, stationary, funky desk accessories and pens can inspire you to write to a few friends without the computer.

Here's some finds on Etsy that will inspire you to break out the stationary and cards to write a good old fashion snail mail letter:

1. Robot Hello notecards from Sweet Harvey Letterpress
2. Natural sealing wax from Green Craft Store
3. Swirl tree thank you cards from Designs By Adj
4. Peacock calling cards from Michelle Brusegaard
5. Apple memo pad from Naraya Bags
6. Post Script card from Enormous Champion
7. Hand Stained Mini Envelopes from Shabby Chic Shack
8. Through my binoculars notecards from Gramkin Paper Studio
9. Recycled bike inner tube journal from Pale Pink
10. Matchbook notebooks from Zany Hoopla
11. Return address labels from Posh Girl Boutique 
12. Wax seal stamp from Istanbul Designs

The volume of cards, journals and paper products on Etsy is beyond overwhelming. PicClick.com just started an Etsy search where you can scroll through everything in your search criteria all on one page. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially for searches with hundreds of pages of results.

10 Things (Post #9): Buy fair-trade products

This is my ninth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Fair-trade practices aim to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions with developed countries while promoting sustainability as well as social and environmental standards. Most fair trade products are arts and crafts or edibles like coffee, tea and fruit.

Fair-trade is one of those buzz words right now that a lot of people are using, without actually meeting any specifically set guide lines, so it's good to do a little research into a product or company to be sure they meet the standards you are after before spending the extra money to purchase a fair-trade product.

Here's some interesting and unique fair-trade items I found on Etsy:

1. Small Mahogany Ladle from Slightly Twisted Wood
2. Amate Top from Zelaya
3. 5 Tea Collection from Wild Root
4. Silkscreened Scarf from Toy Breaker
5. Tagua Nut Ring from Muichic Turquoise
6. African Shea Butter from Simple Organic Beauty
7. Paper Bead Necklace from Maid 2 Crochet
8. Coffee Sampler Set from Downtown Roasters
9. Fizzing Bath Melts from Mmmm Handmade Soap
10. Southeast Asian Spice Kit from Purpose Design
11. Handspun Yarn from Recycled Silk Yarn
12. Lavender Soap from Elephant Soap

Next post in this series: Write to someone who inspires you.

10 Things (Post #8): Use a mug

This is my eighth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Here are some great items from Etsy to help you reduce the number plastic and paper cups you use, or least stop using cardboard sleeves.

1. Tree Coffee Sleeve by Hazel Handmade
2. Owl Cup by Catherine Reece
3. Reversible Coffee Sleeve by Red Owl Designs
4. Cappuccino Cups by Page Pottery
5. Felt Coffee Cup Cozy by Megan Auman
6. Llama Mug by Patty Bilbro
7. Coffee Bat Coffee Sleeve by Bat Girl 93
8. Red Flowered Tea Cups from Open Your Window
9. Mustache Coffee Cozy by Thee Jamie Leigh
10. Hussy Coffee Mug by House of Ting Ting
11. Two Huge Mugs by Karin Lorenc
12. Button Coffee Sleeve by OC Styles Creations

Next in this series of posts: Buy fair-trade products

10 Things (Post #7): Have more meals together

This is my seventh post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

I could have done a dozen treasuries for kitchen and cooking related items on Etsy. There are so many cute, unique and beautiful items. Here are a few of my absolute favorite.

1. Yellow Recipe Box with Vintage Record Dividers by Freestyle Gifts
2. Greek Herb Blend from Kitchen Stories
3. London Tea Pot from Esther Coombs
4. Peacock Table Setting by Mary Wibi
5. Letterpress Recipe Cards by 1 Canoe 2
6. Muddler from Forest Treasures
7. Red Trivet from To Hell in a Handbag
8. Snow White Child's Apron by Lover Dovers Clothing
9. Yellow Serving Bowl from Jason Russell Potter
10. Lemon Apron by Spice Rak Designs
11. Betty Crocker Good & Easy Cook Book from Ross Road Relics
12. Kitchen Scrubbies by More Than Hats

There are so many cute aprons it's dizzying. I want an apron wardrobe now. One for each day of the week, or maybe even the month!

My MIL bought me some scrubbies similar to the ones in #12. I had never seen them before and at first I thought they were ugly coasters. They are amazing and work so well. I absolutely love them and will never be without them again!

Next post in this series: Use a mug

10 Things (Post #6): Turn off unnecessary lights

This is my sixth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Turning off unnecessary lights seems like a no-brainer to me. If you're not in the bathroom, the light doesn't need to be on. But I also don't like watching TV or being on the computer when the room is completely dark either. Solution? Light a couple of candles. They smell good and give off enough light to not be sitting in the pitch black.

The fire light is also very flattering so maybe you can turn off the TV or computer and have a make out session with your honey, lowering your electric bill while generating a little electricity yourself! (Wiggle eyebrows suggestively here - which usually is a little more creepy than suggestive!)

Anyway, here's some fire light related finds on Etsy:

 

1. Vintage Candelabra from Urban Bungalow

2. Koala Lavender Candle from Kenny Coop

3. Big Bowl Firepit from John Tunger

4. Patchouli/Clovebud Candle from Green Daffodil

5. Beeswax Tapers by Mad Chandler

6. Shabby Chic Candle Holders from Mel Dawsons Designs

7. Herbal Tapers by Crows Nest Primitive

8. Candle Chandelier from Vintage Chic Furniture

9. Candlestick Holder from Galleria Designs

10. Witches Brew Tea Lights from Dragon 06

11. Sandalwood Vanilla Candle by Soy in Love

12. Sweet Water Infused Candle by Sydney Hale

Next post in this series: Have more meals together.

10 Things (Post #5): Try to watch less TV

This is my fifth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

We have been watching very little TV lately. After a bitterly cold winter with too much time spent in front of the television watching shows we don't even like, we've had enough. Our evenings are now spent playing games together or making something. There are so many fun options for adults and kids to keep you thinking and talking for the evening.

Some ideas for games: card games like Uno, Skip-Bo or cribbage, checkers or chess, puzzles and games you may not know how to play now but are easy to learn, like mancala. Not into games? Try painting, crocheting or knitting, scrapbooking, bead work/jewelry making or sewing. I find so much peace and tranquility when I sew; everyone should have an activity like that just makes you feel happy and relaxed.

Here are some great games and art supplies from Etsy: 

 

1. Cribbage board by Wood from the Hood

2. Encaustic paint from Jamie Ribisi

3. Czech glass beads from The Blue Dress Beads

4. Squirrel family puzzle by US Navy Retired Vet

5. Multicolor wool from Spinning the Web

6. Inlaid checker board from Hobby Makers 

7. Memory game by Another Leaf

8. Alphabet stamps from Sequins and Glitter

9. Chinese checkers by Mt Furniture Trader

10. Mancala game by Timeless Wood Designs

11. Colorful buttons from Destiny Phoebe

12. Organic yellow cotton from Cedar House Fabrics

Next post in this series: Turn off unnecessary lights

10 Things (Post #4): Give your change to charity

This is my fourth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Whether you're putting your change in a traditional piggy bank or throwing it in a bowl on your nightstand like I do, those quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies can add up pretty fast. There are many eco-friendly charities out there who could really use your contributions. Find one that supports a cause close to your heart and you'll be more likely to remember to save your coins for them.

American Forests is the oldest environmental charity in the country, founded in 1875. The charity works to conserve forests, plant new trees and increase environmental awareness. Just $1 plants a new tree when you give to American Forests.

A second charity to consider worthy of your lose change is the World Wildlife Fund, which was founded in 1961. WWF works to protect wildlife - animals and plants - and to make better use of the natural resources we have. You can adopt a polar bear, support indigenous communities by buying their artwork or just give to their general fund.

Here are some selections from Etsy to give you somewhere pretty to collect that change. 

 

1. Silver piggy bank from Stuff 2 Hold Stuff

2. Piggy bank by CT Loves Paper

3. Large serving bowl from One Clay Bead

4. Square bowl from Romy and Clare

5. Wooden bank with PO Box door by Ustabee

6. Mother of pearl bowl by The Art of Lacquer

7. Orange flowered bowl by La Perla Pottery

8. Peacock vase by Edge Work Glass

9. Ceramic piggy bank by Little Pig Pottery

10. Money jug by Erin Ellie

11. Coffee cash jar by KbOriginalsetc

12. Spiral vase by CathE Glass Arts

Next post: Try watching less TV.

10 Things (Post #3): Shop Local

I'm big into shop local, especially during the summer when the downtown farmers' market is in full swing. Not only can you get fruits and vegetables, cheese, bread, meat and a huge variety of dry goods and condiments are also available. Beyond food, there are booths with clothing, plants, jewelry, art and so much more. Besides my friends, the farmers' market is what I will absolutely miss the most when/if we ever move from this area.

Alas, the farmers' markets - at least this far north - only run May through October. There are other ways to shop local by going to locally owned restaurants and stores that use raw materials from other local businesses, but you can also shop local right from your couch - on Etsy. Once you have an account, fill out your profile to include your home town or nearest larger town/city. Then on the homepage, click "Shop Local" and it will find up to 10 pages of the most recently updated shops in your area.

Although shipping within your own area cuts down on fuel needed, it still takes the proper packaging. Through the convo feature (kind of like emailing within Etsy) you can arrange to meet the seller somewhere, have them drop it off or pick it up yourself. No shipping cost, no using fuel to drive your package all over the county and you still get amazing products and possibly the opportunity to meet the creator and artist. Win, win all around as far as I can see.

Here's a treasury with some of my favorite items found by shopping local on Etsy in the Des Moines and Ames area.

1. Turquoise & coral beaded bracelet by jFrances Design
2. Hand painted mid-century platter from Odd Bits at Etsy
3. Hand printed eco binder by Urban Posture
4. Composition vintage journal by Paper Cake Creations
5. Vintage aluminum folding desk from Fusion Furniture
6. Japanese printed masking tape from Happy Tape
7. Letterpress calling cards by Sweet Harvey Letterpress
8. Wood bangle from Auryn Design
9. Argyle t-shirt by Hard Love Apparel
10. Reusable grocery tote by Tonya Dusold
11. Vegan mint soap from Two Rivers Soaps
12. Sango orange china creamer from Mary Marie

Next post in this series: Give your change to charity.