Kibbles 'N Knits on Facebook

I've been posting lots of fun links I find on blogs like Colossal and Kottke over on my facebook page instead of posting them here.  Find me on facebook if you are interested in seeing all of my links.  It's a lot easier to post links on facebook than on blogger because the link shows a photo over on facebook!  Blog posts without a photo are generally sad.  It takes about 5 seconds to post a link on facebook and I like that time commitment.

Bracelet Turned Necklace

I made this necklace this morning. I'm so pleased with it! It's really quite a departure from what I usually wear (and design).

I like that it's asymmetrical. I like how much there is to look at. It makes a great sound, too.

Made from: parts of 2 thrifted bracelets, new wire and chain (and jump rings). It cost me about $2.50 and an hour of my time.

Man Fashion

I am really enjoying The Midwestyle: a blog about men's fashion.  Midwestyle is curated by a team of fashionable and funny midwestern men.

Their recent Back to School/Work post was really fun.

 Men's fashion is often overlooked on Etsy.  I admit that I rarely make anything for men.  That being said, I had a garage sale this weekend and a man bought one of my bracelets.  I hadn't considered it unisex but when he put it on, it looked great!

Go check out The Midwestyle and pay more attention to men's fashion.

Gold

Hi everybody! I am so happy to be back. The power supply for my laptop quit working so I've been without my computer for about a week. I've borrowed my husband's computer to do my work (getting ready for the school year!) but otherwise I haven't spent much time on the internet. Honestly, not a bad thing...

I made a couple new necklaces and took a new, bold bracelet out for a spin. The pictures show the necklace I made from a Spanish peseta I brought home from my study abroad in Granada, Spain. I have a bunch of coins from the different countries I visited back in 1997. I'm planning to make them into necklaces and rings. All those countries use Euros now so these coins are purely sentimental.

The other necklace (the chains) is actually a thrifted choker and a bracelet. I clasped the ends of the chains together and made them into a necklace. (I never liked the bracelet and the thrifted chain was too short.) Don't be afraid to turn bracelets into necklaces! It takes about 1 minute to pick them out and link them together. Plus, you don't have to keep them as necklaces. Try it!

Handmade Arm Party

I woke up and decided I should just wear all of my friendship bracelets. I added some of my stretch bracelets and a bead chain.

Here's the whole look all together. I wore it with my 50s-style sweater top and a floral skirt. I'm telling you, you should give the arm party a try. Here's a tutorial from A Pair and A Spare to get you started.

How to turn earrings into a pendant necklace.

There are jewelry opportunities everywhere, people! Keep your eyes open for beautiful beads on broken necklaces, earrings that could be pendants, chains with broken clasps (they can be easily replaced).

Get some basic jewelry tools: jump rings, clasps, and pliers. You can be designing your own jewelry in no time! (I bought my findings and tools at Michael's. Basic jewelry supplies are in many craft stores - even fabric stores!)

How do I remove the ear wires? With my nipper tool!

What are jump rings?

Layering necklaces is a trend right now. This was my first attempt and I think it went well!

Oh, the tassel necklace? Thanks for asking! I just finished that yesterday morning. I love it.

Garden Fence

OK, this is going to be difficult to explain. I didn't take any how to pictures.

My garden is in the only sunny spot in my yard. There is one corner that gets more sun than the rest. I wanted my tomatoes to go into that corner. However, I needed access to that corner and I needed a fence. I had to figure out a way to use that corner but also fence it in.

I fenced in my garden using plastic chicken wire. I sunk some fence posts in at 3 - 4 foot spacing. The chicken wire is sunk into the ground so no animal could dig under it. Instead of permanently attaching the chicken wire to the fence post I made little bungee straps to hold the fencing to the fence post.

I can un-latch the bungee cords to lay down the fencing. When the fence is layed down I can step on it, kneel on it, and have access to the garden boxes. Because it's plastic, it doesn't hurt to kneel on. When I'm done with my planting (or what not) I just lift the fence back up and bungee cord it to the fence posts. This way the fence can be right up against the box, taking advantage of the sunniest spot in my garden. It works like a charm.

The straps that hold the fence to the posts are made of bungee cord (pretty thin) and hex nuts. Measure out approximately 6 inches of bungee cord. Thread the bungee cord through the hex nut and tie it off using an overhand knot.

Feed the bungee through the fence, around the fence post, and back out through the fence. Wrap it over the hex nut and it'll hold the fence to the fence post.

Square Foot Gardening

I have had a garden for three years. It has grown from just a couple containers to four 4' x 4' boxes.

The tomatoes are in bloom.

The basil was looking sketchy for awhile there. We had a very rainy and cloudy June. July was good to the basil.

As you can see...I'm a little lazy about weeding the paths. :) I use Square Foot Gardening and I've been very happy with it. I get great yields and it's easy to do.

Tweenbots

I saw this on Etsy's blog and I'm in love with these little bots!  Tweenbots are little robots that need human help to reach a destination.  Go check out the website and watch the video.  They are adorable.  It's really sweet to see so many people help them out.

Photo is property of Kacie Kinzer of Tweenbots.

Dear Photograph

"Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present."

If you haven't checked out Dear Photograph you really should. The posts are sometimes funny, usually sweet, and sometimes very sad.  Here's an example of what you would see out there.  Go see Dear Photograph!  (P.S.  Tell me if you submit a picture.  I have been trying to come up with one to send in.)

Dear Photograph,

I hated it when grandpa said, “let’s let the TV nap and go for a walk.” Funny how I miss those walks now.
Ariel

Kibbles 'N Knits on Facebook

Hi everyone!  Kibbles 'N Knits is on Facebook, now.  I opened Kibbles 'N Knits on Etsy in 2006.  At the time, Facebook wasn't a popular marketing tool.  I remember quite a few sellers had MySpace accounts but I don't remember hearing a lot about Facebook.  I've been seeing more and more sellers with Facebook pages and I decided to jump on that bandwagon.  Come like me if you like my blog or shop!

And because a blog post without a picture is a little sad...

Here's a picture of one of my button rings.  I have sold more button and tile rings at my sales than all my other jewelry combined.  Seems like I might have hit on something desirable.  I love wearing the ones I made for myself!  Update:  I did it again.  After I took the photos of this ring and listed it on Etsy I just couldn't stop thinking about it!  I unlisted it.  It's mine, now.  Does anyone else do this with their crafts?

Garage Sale Treasures

Have you noticed that I love garage sales?  I like thrift stores, too but the real fun (and real bargains) are at garage sales.

Look what I found this past Wednesday!  (Yes, Wednesday.  It's actually a pretty good day to go garage saling.)

All four of these pieces of jewelry only cost me $5!  I am in love with the two brooches.  I really like the necklace and the bracelet was purchased because it's trendy.  I don't know if I'll wear it.

It's so bold!  Rope and chains (and big bracelets) are really popular right now so I'm going to give it a shot.  What do you think, is this bracelet a winner?

New Thumbnails

I just went through Kibbles 'N Knits on Etsy and redid my jewelry thumbnails.  I forgot that the thumbnail picture is absolutely key in getting anyone to look at your items.  That first photo needs to be compelling.  The center square of the photo is what shows up as the thumbnail.


The jewelry category on Etsy is absolutely saturated with items.  So many people make jewelry!  I hope my new thumbnails will help draw more views and purchases. 


I used picnik to edit my photos (crop, exposure) and create the before and after collage.  I've been really happy with picnik. It's free (with optional upgrade to premium) and it's very easy to use.  I think I'll keep on with it.

Garden Lantern

I made this lantern vignette last year and I still love it. I bought the lantern at my local Home Goods store. It's meant to hold a candle but I wanted a more permanent piece. I bought a bag of shells (I live in the midwest - not so easy to get lots of shells here) and filled up the lantern.

Hang your lantern from a shepard's crook and you'll have a beautiful garden decoration.

Mine sits in the front yard.

Other ideas to fill the glass globe: marbles, broken pieces of china, little toy animals, faux flowers, a wad of christmas lights (to light up at night)...What else would you fill the lantern with?

New Shop Banner

The old banner (above) was a good representation of the things I used to sell in my shop.  It had examples of my patches, knitting, and baby clothes.  I do plan to make more patches and do some more knitting but I'm not going to stencil baby clothes anymore.  And, I don't currently have any knitting in my shop so the banner seemed outdated.  And, I wanted something lighter.

Enter the new banner!  I really like how it turned out.  The gray in my picture matches the gray on Etsy's pages.  Part of me thinks the banner doesn't stand out enough because it matches.  The other part of me thinks it looks great.

Coil Necklaces

I love these necklaces.  I made one for myself and I wear it all the time.  It looks great and I get a lot of compliments.  I probably shouldn't say this but I really think these will sell well.  I'm not betting anything on it because it seems like I can never tell what other people will want to buy.  All I know is that I love the one I made myself so much that I think everyone should have one!  :)

Fiber Art

I am an avid reader of the blog named Colossal.  It's an art blog and it's total fun.  I just saw this post and since I'm a fiber artist I wanted to link to it here.  Kaylee Hibbert has made amazing textile art that looks very much like spirograph art.  Go see it!