Tag: Chocolate Dog Studio

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Vacation time

This time of year I take some vacation time to enjoy my family and spend time not connected to a laptop or a project.  I am pretty close to burn out by this time of year and it helps me to spend time with family. We tend to pull in pretty tight as a family unit this time of year. October and November are increasing in intensity and then add in the Christmas season, it is pretty overwhelming.

Vacation time

I have completed the bi-annual gifts for the dogs. I sewed new dog beds up for them. The one photographed above was created for Sebastian, our son and daughter in law’s dog. He is a little smaller than ours and fits quite nicely in his new bed.  Vacation time

It needs some paint but I liked the fact that it was printed with the bulb brand on the front so I left it.

Vacation time

Our dogs loved the new bed as well. Here they are testing the finished product.

My kitchen has been in a semi-useful state the past couple of days as we were changing out the lighting. The old fluorescent fixtures needed changing out as the ballasts were bad and half of the bulbs bad. Here is a photo in a half done state. Vacation time

Removing the ceiling texture is next on our list. It is looking much brighter and I think the LED lights will save us some money.  I was worried that the construction would put me behind on Christmas cooking and baking but I think it will be ok. I worked on some other things that needed to be done. This Christmas is just family and the kids are here to pitch in and help.

We have been watching The Great British Baking Show and I am inspired to try baking some new things. So, baking is in the plans for today.

There are great sales happening in all shops and I will keep them open but they won’t be shipped until after Christmas from the Etsy shop. Vacation time has come and it is sorely needed. The time to putter in the kitchen, clean and decorate just a bit more is badly needed.

I will be back before the New Year with a round up post and then BOOM 2016 will happen. There are wonderful things in the works for next year and I can’t wait to tell you. There are new projects, new plans for both shops, new designs, tons of bright new yarn already waiting for the crochet hook! I pray that your Christmas is merry and bright! May you have the peace and joy of the season, may you renew old friendships and make new ones!
Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. If you still need to shop you can find the shops here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateDogStudio

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolatesBabyShop

http://www.amazon.com/handmade/chocolate-dog-studio

 

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Recover your Card Table Tutorial

It appears as though hubs and I have entered into the redo or maintain your stuff phase of life. My card tables were in sad shape after years of school projects and art projects. Simply covering them with tablecloths didn’t change the fact that they looked awful. I have had this little idea percolating in my mind for awhile.  I have recovered a card table chair and there would be no reason why I couldn’t recover a card table the same way. All it would take is the laminated fabric or vinyl for the top. I already had the tiny staples and staple gun left over from the chair recover (or so I thought).

Recover your Card Table Tutorial

 

Doesn’t my table top look sad, ugly and dirty. I did clean it and it just doesn’t get any better.

Pretty much all card tables have a little layer of padding under the vinyl. You can see it in the photo above where it is cut. I saved this padding to reuse as it was already cut to size and not in too bad a condition. It is the thin packing wrap that

The supplies you will need are.

  • safety goggles
  • Staple gun and short staples
  • Enough vinyl for the top or laminated fabric
  • scissors
  • staple pulling devices ( we used everything from a staple puller to pliers and a flat head screwdriver)
  • 2 small shallow bowls or jars for screws and used staples
  • scissors and craft knife
  • phillips head screwdriver

Keep in mind that small children and these tools do not mix well. This is probably the reason why this job didn’t happen any sooner.

  1. Measure your card table top and while you are measuring check to see if your table top screws into the base and legs.Recover your Card Table Tutorial

See the little brackets that are riveted to the table top then then screw into the metal table base.

Now you know if your card table is able to be recovered.

Buy your vinyl or laminated fabric for the top.  I tried to buy a non- stripey design so it wouldn’t matter if I lined up the stripes perfectly. Un-aligned stripes drive me crazy over time. I chose vintage looking Paris postcards.

Put your card table upside down on your dining table or the floor. It is easier on your back and your knees. Using your phillips head screw driver remove all of the screws.

Recover your Card Table Tutorial

Take the legs off of the top and set them aside. Then start to remove all of the staples any way you can. Take a photo of the corner so that you can see how the vinyl was stapled in the corners.

Recover your Card Table Tutorial

It was stretched really tight and stapled a bunch.

Remove the vinyl and place your choice of top face down on your work surface. Place the padding on top and then your table top. It will make a sandwich with the top face down, then the padding and lastly the table top also face down.

Cut the top about four inches longer than you need on all four sides. This gives you something to pull on when you are stapling. We will trim the extra off later.

Staple one time in the middle on the first side.

Then I pulled the Paris fabric tight on the opposite side and put one staple in the table (through all of the layers) also in the middle. Then work one on each side of this first staple alternating opposite sides. Leave the corners alone for now.

Then staple the other two sides.

Recover your Card Table TutorialIt will  be stapled on all four sides with no corners done about 1/2 way through.

If your staples don’t go all the way in then you can get a hammer and tack them down firmly.

Then do the corners the same way as the photo stretching and stapling as you go. I tried to staple little bits instead of big folds of the vinyl.

Take the craft knife or scissors and trim the extra vinyl just on the inside of your staples away from the table edge.

Put the table base and legs back on your table top and put the screws back in.

 

Recover your Card Table TutorialSee Tom put the screws back in for me. He also did most of the work but that happens at my house whenever I get out the tools. He did a great job and I just did other things.

Recover your Card Table Tutorial

I also have vinyl left over to do the chairs as well. So I am pretty happy about this project.

Things I would watch out for before starting.

  1. make sure you have enough staples for the staple gun before you get started.
  2. Make sure the staples you have fit the staple gun you own.

The top isn’t as tight as the original top but it isn’t wrinkled and the laminated fabric stretches more than the vinyl did. It looks good and is easy to clean. It gives new life to an old table and keeps me from wanting to buy a new card table. This is good since we have two tables and they both needed recovering. It keeps them both out of the landfill.

talk to you later,

Karen

 

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Today is all about Table Covers

Today is all about table covers as I work to create table cloths for the craft show. I have a wide variety of  fabrics and textures to use and I need to figure out a way to use them creatively without buying anything new. My supplies consist of

  • burlap. real burlap bags that I have washed and dried three times
  • canvas …left over from sewing the slip covers on the couch
  • a white bedskirt that has eyelet ruffles and embroidery all in shades of white
  • white tulle left over from the wedding
  • off white and white muslin left over from a variety of crafts

I just need to figure out the most attractive fabric layout so I can stitch up these table cloths.. That is the challenge for today. We will see how it all goes together.

Today is all about Table Covers

Some bunting or banners would also work well in white and off white colors. We are working with neutral colors. We hope that these colors will stick in the background and all  the items to stand out more. The balance might be off color wise but I can’t tell until I lay out the colors and see.

I really don’t want to buy any more fabric but we will see how it looks when I’m done.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

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14 days left and two full weekends!

It is Friday and I have 14 days left and two full weekends. I am spending one day with my family, one day at Church and taking a date night as well. I was getting worried about getting everything done until I completed my inventory. I do have my back up help lined up for the show so that is a great thing.

I still have tons to do and today my focus is on boot cuffs and getting supplies for packaging. The image of what we buy is so much wrapped up in the packaging and styling. Things that look average somehow change their image with labels, tags and packaging. How can you tell the difference between a scarf, boot cuff, and infinity scarf when they are all set out on a table? This is what I am trying to solve.

14 days left and two full weekends!These are a couple of pairs of boot cuffs in process.

Sitting here in my living room and looking at the trees outside my windows. There are about 20 trees out there but what do I see the red, yellow and orange trees. That is what I want for my products a chance to stand out from the crowd. Tags and labels help but packaging can also make a huge difference. I have been to craft shows where all the knit stuff blends in together. It is hard to figure out what each piece is. Packaging and labelling is the way for me to solve that issue. It will also keep everything from look messy.

Talk to you later,

Karen

You can find my items on Etsy here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateDogStudio

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolatesBabyShop

on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/handmade/chocolate-dog-studio

and at The Affair of the Heart in Tulsa on November 20-22

I am also found on Instagram  here https://instagram.com/chocodogstudio/

but right now you can find me at home churning out lovely items for you and your family!

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What Did I get done in October

 

Last month I listed everything I got done day by day for the Christmas selling season and in preparation for the craft show. It helped me keep track of how I was doing and how much I had left. I always feel that I am not doing enough. This will be like a food diary; a true picture of how much I was getting done to prepare. I still have my to do list for the month.

  1. Make Menu and Grocery list
  2. sew buttons on cup cozies 
  3. Stiffen  all crochet ornaments
  4. cut out Tardis baby bibs
  5. cut out flannel baby bibs
  6. sew flannel baby bibs
  7. sew 37 cup cozies now cut out 
  8. Sew Tardis baby bibs
  9. add ribbons to all ornaments
  10. Crochet 4  men’s hats
  11. Crochet 2 Women’s rose hats
  12. Crochet 5 Granny Stripe Scarves
  13. Crochet 5 Granny Square Scarves
  14. Crochet stars
  15. Crochet hearts
  16. Sew 10 superhero capes
  17. Sew 10 aprons
  18. Cut out 8  aprons
  19. Organize my side of the maker space
  20. Sew 6 flannel baby blankets for crochet trim
  21. Sew pillow cases for crochet trim
  22. sew 3 craft show aprons
  23. Sew 20 burp cloths   I’ve currently sewn 16
  24. finish owl hats that need eyes, wings and beaks
  25. Sew tags on all the scarves and hats
  26. Anything else I can think of!

Oct 1.  Thursday

  • Sewed, topstitched and buttoned 57 cup cozies
  • Sewed eyes on Minion 6 minion hats, and 1 ninja turtle hat
  • Did the hand work on 7 heart ornaments

Oct. 2.  Friday

  • 20 minutes posting on Hootsuite

October 3 Saturday

  • Posted on Hootsuite

October 4 Sunday

  • took the day off and made cake!
  • listed 3 items on Handmade@Amazon

October 5 Monday

  • Listed 24 items on Handmade @Amazon
  • sewed patchwork bibs yellow 6 they are ready for batting and backing!
  • shipped order
  • dropped off hat…

Tuesday

  • sewed 10 patchwork bibs  (lots of work but they are really cute.)

Wed.

  • Crocheted 2 hats 1 teal and 1 copper

Thursday

  • Cut threads and finished quilting on patchwork baby bibs
  • Sold two adult blankets and 1 baby blanket

Friday

  • listed 10 baby blankets on Amazon/handmade

Saturday! Tons done today.

  • Figured out the craft show display
  • started painting some of the craft show display pieces
  • watched more of the Influence/Impact summit.
  • we have watched about 10 of the interviews so far and the knowledge we have gleaned is incredible. I love the fact that it is free!

Sunday

  • Cut and pin Burp clothes
  • watch Influence and Impact Symposium
  • Crochet head band
  • work on crochet triangle scarf/shawl

Monday October 12 Columbus Day

  • Iron and sew burp cloths
  • I put the tags on and cut the threads
  • Finished three blanket scarves
  • watched Dave Ramsey on Influence and Impact
  • Started crocheting a hat
  • wove in the ends on the teal hat

And THEN the week happened….

Saturday and Sunday

  • worked on displays and floor plan for the craft fair.
  • Spent time with family and enjoyed the weekend.
  • Date night on Friday night and went to the Vintage Market Fair, twice! Once on Friday and once on Saturday.
  • I had breakfast with friends, lunch with my Daughter in law and Dinner with Dale. When I told him I had eaten every meal out. He said not to get used to it,  but we had a great date night.

It is now Monday again, the 19 of October!  :0)

  • 3 headbands finished
  • 1 scarfy shawl or shawly scarf
  • 1 sweater/poncho in reds/pinks/brown
  • crocheted/finished three hats, black/white, red/white, black/white, rust,
  • finished one owl hat

Tuesday October 20

  • Crocheted three hats
  • sewed tags on 30+ hats
  • took inventory of hats completed and tagged 67 hats total

Wednesday

  • wrote blog post
  • working on crochet hats
  • posted on hoot suite

Thursday October

  • Tagged and inventoried hats
  • put belly bands on cup cozies
  • sewed 10+ coffee press cozies
  • sewed hot pads

What Did I get done in OctoberThe guinea hens stopped by our house this morning.

Friday

Dale picked up d rings for me… they were the wrong size

Saturday October 24

  • cut out 10+ aprons and linings
  • Sewed 2 aprons
  • sewed 4 pot holders
  • cut apron straps
  • sewed buttons on 8 coffee press cozies

Sunday October 25

  • Did absolutely nothing for the business.
  • Switched all the kids beds around in Preparation for Thanksgiving.
  • Cleaned and vacuum the guest room and closet.

Monday October 26

We are getting close to the end of this month. I am doing a bad job of documenting my work. I am getting loads of sewing and business things done.

  • I got Square up and running again on my phone. It allows me to accept credit cards
  • cut out linings for aprons
  • cut out baby bibs
  • sewed 14 baby bibs
  • Set up Hootsuite for the week
  • sewed buttons on 3 coffee press cozies
  • received the order for d rings…. they were the wrong size
  • ordered more d rings online
  • crocheted one baby bow tie

Tuesday

  • top stitched 14 baby bibs
  • cut out baby bibs
  • sewed bow tie baby bibs
  • added snaps to baby bibs
  • Total number of bibs finished today (
  • cut out capes (
  • crocheted man’s hat

What Did I get done in October

Wednesday

  • sew capes
  • sew aprons
  • cut out superhero capes

Thursday

  • Finished 12 capes with tags
  • Sew ties on aprons
  • Take a huge long nap followed by going to bed early and sleeping all night!

Friday the 30th of October

  • sew aprons
  • iron aprons
  • Compassion village
  • family game night with homemade pizza! The pizza was great and we started a new game. It was hugely funny or we were being silly.

What Did I get done in October

October 31st

Here we are right at the end of the month. I did get more done than I thought I did. I am starting a new list for November and I will get that posted soon.

Talk to you  later,

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

I have found a secret for sewing bias tape to make ties or loops. I was sewing pot holders and I need to be able to sew the hanging loop. I usually use ribbon but I have a ton of bias tape. Both my Mom and my Mother in Law had tons of bias tape and I inherited it. I usually use wide double fold bias tape but this stash bias tape is really skinny. Here is my tutorial on how to sew bias tape.

You need one of these pressure feet for your sewing machine.

 

Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

Here is the edge stitch pressure foot or the stitch in the ditch foot. Put the bias tape in past the feed dog so that it will be starting about an inch in on the bias tape. Adjust the needle until you get the stitching right where you want it.

 

Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

I hold the bias tape down and do not pin. You can sew rather slowly and do a good job. Stopping for pins is a pain and makes your sewing a bit more jagged. I advise practicing on scrap bias tape.

Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

I always sew the open edge first.

Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

It is much better than I usually do sewing without this pressure foot.

Tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape

Here are both sides sewn. You can see at the top of the photo that if you don’t pay attention the sewing can still get wonky. So, pay attention… the pressure foot isn’t a magic wand for perfect edge stitching but it does help a huge amount.

It has been a wild morning as we found our dogs roaming the neighborhood. After a mad dash for shoes, a quick trip in the car, they are finally both home. It gets the adrenaline running in an unpleasant way. We are all now WIDE awake and a tad bit grouchy. The dogs are happy as they have had an early morning run and breakfast!

 

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Being Boss

  • Sometimes being self motivated and your own boss is an issue. This week I am doing a good job of being boss. I feel the craft show looming down on me. I am so worried that I won’t have enough stock that I feel like I am working overtime. Taking time off to play or be social is truly hard for me, so I tend to work all the time. Then I face burn out.

If I look at my work as play then my attitude is much better. So, this week while playing. I finished up these colorful and fun hats. I love them.

Being Boss

I sent my daughter in to yarntopolis (my yarn storage) to pick another color for the same style hat and she picked light blue. They are so much fun to crochet. The colors change all of the time and that makes it quick work. I have also been busy hand sewing the  tags on a bunch of the crocheted items.

Today, I am cleaning in the makerspace and getting the next round of sewing organized. I am waiting on some supplies but I will sew pot holders and coffee press cozies today. I also need to do cut capes out so I can get them sewn. All this planning is overwhelming but I am using my Kanban board as a reminder of what needs to be done, what is in process and what remains.

Talk to you later,

Karen

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The Sampler Blanket

I made time to block the sampler blanket this week. If you are following me on Instagram you will notice that I have also started putting a border around each square.  Here are some befores and afters of the blocking process. If you have never steam blocked acrylic yarns you really should try it. It does a great job of heat setting nice straight edges and giving the granny squares their final shape.

The sample blanket

 

They sure look all wadded and out of shape. I started blocking them on my ironing board a few at a time.

The sampler blanketThey started looking so much better. I don’t always block my granny squares but these desperately needed it. The sampler blanketI used a ton of pins and my steam iron. I was really careful not to touch the iron to the yarns as it would melt. the squares all turned out to be about five different sizes when I was finished blocking them. Which was a nice surprise. The sampler blanketThis was going to be one creamy sampler blanket with no other colors but I just couldn’t leave it alone. Here is one with the borders that I am putting on each square. It will be much easier if I end up with squares that are all about the same size.The Sampler Blanket

 

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

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July’s to do list

I am already writing July’s to do list. Yay, it is the first week of July and I am on a roll, actually I am on the couch resting my knee as it is not happy with me today.

I have hit a wall on being creative these days. I am tired and grumpy a lot of the time. I hate taking pain meds as they tend to drug me up. I have been up since early today and it has taken quite a bit of energy. I have spent  huge amounts of time on Pinterest yesterday and today but I am not inspired to do much. So this to do list may be shorter than normal.

Here is what I have been working on and what I hope to finish this month.

My organization to do list. We have accomplished more than is shown on this photo. It is a much shorter list now.

July's to do list

 

My sampler blanket

July's to do list

 

I hope to finish about twelve to 20 crochet hats. I want some to look like these but I also have some new designs running around in my mind.

I am also wanting to finish my quilt before I have surgery.  It is at this stage right now. July's to do list

I have quite a bit of quilting left but if I work hard on it a couple of mornings I might get it finished. I have several patterns that I want to write. There is this granny square blanket pattern that I want to write. That is a ton of work for the next two weeks in July. We are still in the middle of changing around our den to a maker space.

Talk to you later,

Karen