cup cozy Archives - Grid and Bloom

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Karen Stewart

The Craft Show Countdown

The To Do list for November is big, huge, and overwhelming as I am in the middle of the craft show countdown. I have very few creating days left before the big show and I am writing things on my list as fast as I can and I can and trying to mark them off just as quickly. I can’t keep up with this list too. It is just happening too fast. Throw in homeschooling, home maker duties, parenting and spending time with Dale, the kids and my Mom and life is WAY to busy. I wouldn’t have it any other way and I am sleeping all night long (read that as worn completely out!)

Here is the studio a week or so ago. I actually have cleaned it up last week and it looks pretty similar to this again. As soon as items are finishedÂ and tagged it moves upstairs. I do have about 40 projects in different states of completion that I need to just finish up.

I am working on scrap ornaments and quilted bibs in the photo above and it tends to get really messy when I am working with little bits of fabric.

You can tell that I am sewing and working diligently. The list was at this point at 2 pm yesterday when I stopped to run to Lowe’s for home repair items. I got back to it later and was able to mark a few more things off my list.

Yarntopia is also getting much slimmer these days. So, I can tell that I am making progress on using my supplies. I do wonder if it is actually smaller or does it just look that way since some of theÂ yarn is in different project bags.

It is 16 days to the craft show and I am in officially freak out mode. I wouldÂ also call it a creative frenzy, I think hubs would call it chaos. Today I paint the displays to make sure that everything looks fresh and clean!

The Craft Show Countdown

I’m almost finished but the paint is still wet and it looks like it might rain. It seems I take three steps forward and then two steps back.

Everyday has several jobsÂ and life keeps happening so for today I am going to work on doing the important not the urgent. Taking time out for family and life is so much more important than prepping for a craft show. I keep reminding myself… over and over… again… Family comes first, family comes first, family comes first.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Karen Stewart

The Shop is on Sale!

Everything in the shop is 30% off. I really want to start the year off with a clean slate in the shop! WooHoo! So, my desire to start with a clean slate is your opportunity and when opportunity knocks you really should answer! All this to say…shop to your hearts content!

Everything, absolutely everything in the shop, including aprons, hats, scarves, infinity scarves, blankets, cozies, ornaments, and crystal, is all 30% off! It will never ALL be this low again. I may put bits and pieces of the shop on sale but not ALL of it.

I did some organizing and cleaning yesterday and I will do more today in preparation for the new year. I can’t wait to get started on the Use Your Stash Challenge. It starts pretty soon… so figure out the rules for your challenge. It can be a short and sweet WIPS challenge or a giant 300 items in 300 days Challenge. It can be make 20 items in 50 days or you can simply finish that One thing that is driving you nuts. I am gathering my items together and planning out how it is all going to happen! This is why I am having the huge sale. I do so want to add new things to the shop this Spring! We are not going to start on January 1st. I am giving myself some time off. I have my daughter home from college and I want to enjoy her visit. I have some cleaning to do in the studio. I also need to get youngest Â daughter started with her schooling before I jump in with both feet to create anything new. The anticipation is growing and I can hardly wait to get started.

The Use Your Stash challenge is the 12 of January. You can read more about my rules for my Challenge last year here:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/01/17/1-thing-for-100-days-challenge/Â You can see most of the completed items here:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/04/14/100-items-in-100-days/

Thanks,
Karen

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Karen Stewart

Incredibly Huge, Clearance Sale in the Shop!

It is the end of year Clearance sale in the shop. It is my time to clean some things up and you get a huge savings. I do not price the blankets much lower than this, ever! So stock up on cup cozies as awesome teacher gifts. Buy some blankets for the wedding season coming up and they also make great housewarming gifts! Be sure to buy it when you see it as the items in this clearance sale will go fast!

There are cup cozies marked down.

Christmas ornaments are marked down.

Infinity scarves are marked down.

Ponchos are marked down. Â Crocheted blankets are even marked down 25%.

Pretty much everything is 25% off in this clearance sale!

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. Here is the link to my shop! www.etsy.com/shop/chocolatedogstudio

Posted on March 31, 2014 by admin

Just in Case…

Just in case… you ever really wanted a Chocolate Dog Studio cup cozy or French Press cozy, but didn’t want to pay shipping. You can now buy one here in TULSA! I’m so excited. Chocolate Dog Studio cup sleeves are consigned for sale at the New Java Dave’s, at the Farm Shopping center.

Stop by and say ChocolateDogStudio sent you!

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on March 22, 2014 by admin

Confession

I have a huge confession to make!

I bought fabric this week and bias tape and lace and other supplies.

What caused me to fall off the Challenge Wagon? An business opportunity and my birthday. First, my birthday purchases were really bought by my Mom. I have never really sewn clothes for myself because I was too rushed and did an awful job as children kept interrupting. Well, they are much older now and don’t interrupt as much. I found some beautiful fabrics that will work well as a tops for me and I LOVE the fabric. It is soft, comfortable and 100% cotton which is needed in Oklahoma heat and humidity. I also blame my daughter’s sewing class as it kept throwing temptation in my path day after day. So I was quite comfortable buying the birthday fabric.

Second, I have a business opportunity that happened serendipitously. I am super excited and can’t share very much about it. So I bought fabric for the business opportunity.

I am not counting these items toward the challenge. I am still committed to working hard on my challenge pieces. I have basted the quilt and just need to do the quilting. I am crocheting up a storm of pot holders out of the scrap washable wool yarns. I have made several pillow cases and just need to get them photographed. So, really I am down to about 16 items. Yay. The thing to remember about the challenge is that it is a challenge to use up my supplies for my business or crafting and not keep me from building my business. So, if you have an opportunity for your crafty business and you need to buy supplies: TAKE IT!

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on February 17, 2014 by admin

#39- 46 of 100 items in 100 days Challenge!

Here is a huge addition to my 100 items in 100 days Challenge! I was super productive today and many things were started and finished! A huge Thanks to my Mom! She gave me some elastic so I could stay out of the fabric stores!

So here is # 39

#40

#41

#42

#43

#44

And a couple of pot holders that I finished last week but never counted!

#45

#46

Thanks, Mom!

Talk to you later,

Karen

Note: Almost all of these are listed in my Etsy shop: www.chocolatedogstudio.etsy.com

Posted on January 17, 2014 by admin

1 thing for 100 Days Challenge

I did some serious thinking about the 1 thing for 100 days. I like to challenge myself in different ways. I am already doing the New Year’s resolution thing with exercise, house cleaning and devotional/reading time. I really didn’t want to repeat those things again. So this is my challenge and you are welcome to join me.

Here it is!

I will try to make 1 thing in 100 days using only the supplies I have on hand. I will not buy any more supplies except for thread, buttons and elastic. I am going to try to use a variety of supplies and techniques to make my 100 things. I have a 100 + item board on Pinterest if you want to see some of the inspirations for my projects.Â http://www.pinterest.com/chocodog/100-%2Bideas-for-using-up-my-supplies/

I have fabric, yarn, paint, batting, canvas, etc… I hope to make some things for our house that I have been putting off as well as come up with some new ideas for the ChocolateDogStudio shop. Â I am not going to simply make 100 cup cozies or Granny Squares. I could do that in three days.

Some of the projects that are half done will count as well as ideas that have been percolating for some time. I DO have yarn that I ordered last week and fabric that I bought before Christmas. So some of the supplies are new and some are very old. I have a bunch of vintage cottons that are screaming out to be place mats, quilts, houses or bunnies!

These adorable mice are from mmmCrafts. Â http://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/wee-mouse-tin-house-pattern-available.html

I do have tins! Do, I ever have tins!

Ticker tape quilts! Yes, I have batting and backing! IÂ have a ridiculous amount of crafting supplies, sewing supplies, art supplies, recycled materials, kids craft materials, etc. If you need something just ask. It is overwhelming to think about, dig through, sort, manage, keep organized and find what I need I have so much stuff. I do have two sets of purse handles, modge podge, bracelet blanks, animal fleece, wool suiting and several very nice larger pieces of fabric. It will be a challenge but I am more than ready. I have felt for some time that “Hoarders” could come and make a movie about the amount of craft things I have.

Here are the rules:

I must make 100 items out of the items I already own before I can buy any more fabric, or yarn.
I will take photos of the supplies while I am making the items and post to this blog. My last purchase of sewing/craft related items was last week and is yarn for a specific blanket idea.
Crocheting granny squares, circles or anything like that doesn’t count.
A completed blanket will count, a crochet flower with a pin back will count. It must be a finished item, no partial projects will count.
Plain cup sleeves don’t count, patchwork ones do! So, creativity has to be involved.
A unfinished project that I completely finish does count as I will still be getting rid of supplies
Sewing for the house, hemming curtains and recovering chairs count as long as I do not buy any supplies.
Doing clothing repairs and hems also count as they sit in my studio and take up room.
If it doesn’t work out, I will still post my fails. It is going to be a lot of stretching creatively and my sewing will cover a bunch of new ground. So I will probably fail at some things. That is ok, everyone fails from time to time.

Join in with me and post your item links in the comments. I will post your items on my blog as well. Worst case scenario we will 100 prototype items and the Best case scenario is that we will have found new uses and homes for hundreds of craft supplies that were laying around.

I haven’t been so excited in ages. This is going to be so hard and so much fun at the same time. I am also getting ready to start another challenge. It is a granny square challenge. I will share more about it later.

See you,

Karen

****Note****************************************************************************************After I posted this I started a Pinterest board for all of our wonderful projects that we are going to finish! Â Reach me via my Etsy shop if you want to be added to the Pinterest page. I will need the e-mail you used to sign up for Pinterest with. I reserve the right to remove you from the board if anything above a PG level is posted. I will never, never use your e-mail for anything else, EVER. I will personally start posting on Saturday Jan. 13, 2014!

*************************************************************************************************

Posted on January 16, 2014 by admin

Way back when…

I made these both in the 70s when I was a girl.Just a glimpse into the past. The granny square blanket I made for my Mom and the stripe I made for my Dad for Christmas. The stripe was my first original pattern and I did pretty good for a young teenager. I am trying to come up with some new patterns for the shop this week and it is a struggle.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on November 12, 2013 by admin

Cozy of the Day!

The Cozy of the Day is a cup sleeve that I pick to be discounted.

Today it is this cute Christmas cozy. I have about three of these left so get them while you can!

Cozy of the Day! $5
https://www.etsy.com/listing/86197917/coffee-cup-cozy-coffee-cup-sleeve-fabric

See you later,

Karen

Posted on September 11, 2013 by admin

Are You Afraid?

I read this article this morning as it scrolled past on my facebook feed. It hit a sore spot with me and I had to write. Anyway here is the article and then the quote that started all this introspection.

http://storylineblog.com/2013/09/11/if-youre-not-scared-youre-not-doing-it-right/

Steven Pressfield sums it up well in his groundbreaking work, The War of Art:

â€œSelf doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself, â€œAm I really a writer? Am I really an artist?â€ chances are you are. The Counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.â€

Are you doing your own thing or copying someone else’s work? Are you wondering if you are following the beat of your own drum or a rehash of yet another whatzit? I do ask myself these questions over and over again as I sew mundane things like cup cozies, baby bibs and crochet blankets.

What I truly want to do or wish to do is the very thing I am most afraid to do. Â I like sewing the baby bibs and cup cozies, but my heart is truly in design work. My heart lies deepest in working with colors, fibers and creating. I struggle to write patterns and do design work simply because the work proceeds from my fingers without much thought. It is relatively unconscious and simply flows through the arm and out of the hook. It is intuitive, and one of a kind. How can you create patterns of one of a kind creations?

I guess I will need to figure that out in the coming months. After the last three months of recuperation from surgery I am very aware of the limitations of my body. I know that my hands are not capable of crocheting more than 1 custom adult sized blanket a month. Which makes at the very most only 12 blankets a year. How can a business be sustained on 12 blankets a year? That is the question that keeps me awake at night.

Do you have any suggestions or comments?

talk to you later,

Karen

I do have to say that this has nothing to do with 9/11 nor is it in any way to take away from losses Â and grief that we as a Nation are feeling today.