Happy Birthday to Me!

I decided to do something new this year, and celebrate my 33rd birthday this week with a blown head gasket in my car. Boo hoo.

So, I decided to run the biggest sale ever in my Etsy and Bonanza shops! Use coupon code "GASKET33" for a whopping 33% off your order!
www.designsbymisschris.etsy.com
www.bonanza.com/designsbymisschris

Don't delay, the coupon expires this Sunday, 12/12/10.

And needless to say, I think I'll go back to my old way of celebrating my birthday. One blown head gasket is more than enough!

Thank you,
~ miss chris

New Upcycled Item - Vintage Skirt Purses!

The other day an idea popped into my head. Why not try making purses out of vintage wool skirts? They're already lined, and since I'm rather lazy when it comes to sewing, that was a bonus for me.

So I felted some skirts, cut and sewed them - and here are the results! They have pockets on the sides, perfect for your keys, cell phone, or anything you need easy access to. The flower decorations are actually brooches you can take off and wear by themselves, if you so desire.

I really like how they turned out. I have the purses available for purchase at Gallery 141 in lovely downtown Lancaster, and will be carrying them in my online shops soon. 

I would love to know what y'all think of them!

~ miss chris

© 2010 Christina Hofmann. All rights reserved.

Custom Stocking Stuffers

I have a new item this holiday season - custom stocking stuffers!

You pick two, three, or four items from the following list:
> bumpy washcloth (these are great as dishrags too!)
> flower face cloth
> face scrubbies

> re-usable cotton balls

All the items are my own designs, and are made with 100% cotton yarn in my pet-free, smoke-free home.

Here are the links to the listings in my Etsy shop.
You Pick Two http://www.etsy.com/listing/59314447/you-pick-two-custom-stocking-stuffers

You Pick Three http://www.etsy.com/listing/59315601/you-pick-three-custom-stocking-stuffers

You Pick Four http://www.etsy.com/listing/59316238/you-pick-four-custom-stocking-stuffers

Happy Holidays!
~ miss chris

Art in the Ballpark

Last Saturday I partcipated in Art in the Ballpark, a benefit fundraiser at Clipper Stadium here in Lancaster, PA. The event raised money for a the Antonio Forte Transplant Fund.

It was a beautiful day, in spite of how chilly it was when we set up at 6 am. :) And it was fun to fill up my tables with my new product lines.

Bracelets and hair clippies,

One table was almost completely filled with all my plarn creations.



dish doodads, a wallet, and even a market bag -



all made out of plastic shopping bags!



It's also fun having more color on my tables. I love seeing such bright colors. Don't the face scrubbies and cotton balls look cute in their mis-matched pyrex bowls?

 

Usually I hang scarves and market bags on the frame of my tent for some vertical visual interest. However, sincewe were set up in the baseball stadium concourse, I didn't have my tent. So I hung them on a drying rack instead. People can't seem to resist touching the scarves!





It was a great event for a worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who came out and gave us their support!

Another new creation from the mind of miss chris!

So, I've been having a blast making things out of plastic bags lately - bracelets, dish scrubbies, wallets, and hair clips. Today I ventured into a new realm: art with plastic bags!

I had an idea to try making a big flower with lots of petals, and I think it turned out really well! It has 18 curly petals, and a big gold button in the middle.

I think it would look great on the lapel of a coat or jacket. What do y'all think?

I made some holiday dish doodads too. Stop by my etsy shop and give them all some love!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56887244/recycled-red-plarn-flower-brooch

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56848528/plarn-dish-doodads-christmas-holiday

Holiday Washcloths

Recently I won a bid to make a pumpkin washcloth for a customer's son. I created the pattern and completed the pumpkin fairly easily.  She was so happy with it that she asked if I could make some other holiday washcloths too!



I ended up creating patterns for a snowman and snowflake without too much difficulty. The snowflake is a modified version of a lace ornament. I adapted it, enlarged it, and put it on a wintery blue hexagon. 

She also wanted a turkey washcloth for thanksgiving! I thought about it and thought about it, and when I sat down with my crochet hook this morning it turned out really cute on the first try. Gotta love it when something in my head comes out my hands exactly the way I imagined it!

Here is a picture of all four washcloths. Aren't they cute together? Which one is your favorite?

Huge 50% off sale, three hours only!

Hi everyone!

Be sure to stop by my Bonanzle booth this afternoon. I have over 70 items that are 50% off! The sale is only three hours long, 2pm-5pm eastern. Get some holiday shopping done early!

www.bonanzle.com/designsbymisschris

Back to School with Friends Sale!

Yesterday was International Friendship Day - the perfect day to start the EtsyFriends Team's latest promotion! It's called the "Back to School with Friends" sale, and it runs for the month of August.

Lots of shops are participating, with all sorts of items. You can find them by searching for the tag "b2sfriends" on http://www.etsy.com/ or here is a link to the team's blog:
http://efpromotions.blogspot.com/

I set up a special back2school SALE category in my shop, where everything is already priced 25% OFF! No coupon code needed, and no minimum purchase required. You'll find a little bit of everything! http://www.etsy.com/shop/designsbymisschris?section_id=7164577

Don't forget to smile, and be thankful for your friends!
~ miss chris

Pretty in Purple, Part 2

So, earlier this month I wrote about making a purse for a friend at work. Well, she asked if I could make a wallet to match, and of course I said yes!

Once I started crocheting, I decided to make two opposite wallets. One is purple with green trim (like the purse), and the other is green with purple trim.

I wonder which one she'll pick?

Lucky Me!

I have been featured on a wonderful new website called "Meet and Greet the Artists!" There is a lovely interview about designs by miss chris, and pictures of some of my work. Click here to take a look:
http://www.wix.com/MGArtists/MGArtists

The website also has a tab for current sales and promotions, which contains a link to my back2school sale on www.designsbymisschris.etsy.com.

A huge thank you to Margaret for her vision in putting together a great website, and in allowing me to be a part of it. I'm a very lucky girl!

Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the site!

thank you,
~ miss chris

Custom Gemstone Necklace

I was cruising through the custom requests on Etsy last week, and one for a gemstone necklace caught my eye.

I put in a bid, and it was accepted! After emailing pictures and rearranging the stones as needed, this necklace is the final result.

The necklace contains an array of gemstones: Amethyst, Quartz, Garnet, Bloodstone, Smokey Quartz, Carnelian, Amber, and Magnetic Hematite.

I also made a matching 2 inch extender, to make the necklace more versatile. She wants to be able to wear it everyday!

Now it's on its way to its new home in Hawaii. I hope she likes it!  :)

My Recent Treasuries on Etsy

Several months ago, Etsy opened up one of the treasury sections for people to create lists anytime they want. This pleased me, since I never seemed to be able to be online at the right time to create one before.

Here are some lists I've created.

Clean up your act!

Lots of yummy soaps and related accessories

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c375d4fa90a6d9150c37b03/clean-up-your-act

Me and My Gang
Selections from fellow members of the wonderful EtsyFriends Team
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c31eb440a006d9183166f6f/me-and-my-gang

Better the 2nd Time Around

An eclectic collection of recycled, upcycled, and repurposed items

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bec7f9d58976d91bed8e5d3/better-the-2nd-time-around

Paper or Plastic?
Recycled paper and plastic creations
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bec842f2d6e8eef0e8154b3/paper-or-plastic





In case you can't tell, I had a blast putting these together! It's amazing what people can make by hand, don't you think?

Thank you to the following Etsy artisans who allowed me to feature their items in this post!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LilacAve
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sosorosey
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Trigo
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bellavioletta

~ miss chris

Pretty in Purple

A dear friend of mine at work has a love of purses that borders on obsession. She asked if I could make her something in her favorite color (purple), and this is what I came up with!



I crocheted it with Stitch Nation "Full o' Sheep" 100% Peruvian wool yarn. The purple color is called "plummy" - how perfect is that? I added the green trim as an accent, and then felted the purse in the washing machine. It's the first time I've used that brand of yarn, and it felted well.

I took it out of the dryer, folded it and stitched it together, and what was once a rectangle started to look like a real purse! I added a strong magnet clasp for easy opening and secre closing.

   

I love when I see something in my mind, and it comes out my hands just right! I'd love to know what you think about it.

 Happy Friday, everyone! Have a great day today, and don't forget to smile.

~ miss chris

Project 8 Completed!

Well, I did it! I made a washrag every day for the past two weeks. I'm going to make one more, and then ship all 15 down to the Gulf Coast to clean up wildlife impacted by the oil spill.

Reaching my goal is satisfying, and I know the washrags are for a worthy cause. Plus, it was a great way to use up odds and ends of cotton yarn!

These pictures are of the ones I made this past week. They look pretty all lined up together!

I am still running fundraising sales in my Etsy and Bonanzle shops, at least until the end of July. Be sure to stop by!

http://www.designsbymisschris.etsy.com/

www.bonanzle.com/booths/designsbymisschris

Don't forget to smile, and have a great day!

~ miss chris

Project 8 Update

Here is a picture of the washrags I made the past four days. In addition to making a washrag a day for Craft Hope's Project 8, I have also decided to run fundraising promotions in two of my online shops.




From now through July 31, 2010, 25% of EVERY sale on http://www.designsbymisschris.etsy.com/ will be donated to the cleanup effort!


There is also a "Gulf Coast Wildlife Cleanup" section on www.bonanzle.com/booths/designsbymisschris where 25% of the proceeds will be donated as well. See something you like in my booth that isn't in that section? Let me know, and I'll move it over there for you!



Any of you doing something for the relief effort? I'd love to hear about it!
~ miss chris

A Washrag a Day Wipes the Oil Away!

Hi there everyone!

Yesterday I found out about Craft Hope's Project 8. They are collecting handmade cotton washrags and handtowels to clean dolphins, turtles, and other wildlife that are dirty with spilled oil.

I decided to try to make at least one washrag every day for the next 2 weeks! Here's a picture of yesterday's and today's. (and please excuse the quality of the picture - my camera died last week, so I am forced to use my cell phone instead!)



Here's the link to Craft Hope's website, in case any of my fellow crafters are interested in participating.
http://crafthope.com/2010/06/project-8-gulf-coast-oil-spill

~ miss chris

Mini Garden Tour

When I got home from work the other day, a heavenly scent was wafting down my alleyway! Turns out the honeysuckle had started blooming. So I decided to do a little walk around my garden, and took some pictures along the way.

These begonias always make me smile, with their big leaves and delicate flowers. They remind me of tiny orchids.

The vegetable garden is coming along nicely. Two kinds of leaf lettuce, and green beans, with some rogue violets along for the ride. This weekend I'm going to transplant the baby plants I've been growing on my kitchen windowsill!

And it looks like it's been a good spring for mulberries - the tree is abslutely loaded with fruit! Anybody know any good recipes??

 ~ miss chris