Pattern for Sale!

Patterns For Sale!

I have finally listed my very first pattern for sale! Actually, it's 3 patterns included on one PDF format document. I wrote out the patterns for my thread hearts, then had two testers try them out to make sure there were no errors. Now I have them listed for sale in my ArtFire Shop.

I plan on writing out more patterns, like for my baby mary jane booties and maybe some hats too. Soon I may have an entire section in my shop devoted to patterns. Please check out my shop and see my creations. Thank you!

WEEKEND SALE

SALE

I'm having a 10% off sale this weekend in my shop! It's a great time to order gifts for Valentine's Day, with plenty of time to arrive plus everything is on sale. I have scarves, hats, shawls, cozies, bookmarks and much more! Here are some offerings with prices.

Blue Soft Capelet Shawl

Was 40, now 36

Jesus Is My Valentine, Cross Bookmark with Heart in Red & Pink 2011

Was 4.00 now 3.60

Red Coaster Sleeve for Cup, Can or Bottle Cozy

Was 3.00 now 2.70

Red & White Hat w/Flower for Women & Teens

Was 16.00 now 14.40

(if you buy the matching scarf you'll get another 10% off both!)

Red Lacy Heart Bookmark in Thread

Was 3.00 now 2.70

I'm having a SALE this weekend in my shop, 10% off everything. Thanks for stopping by, come to my shop, MattsCraftyWife, and see what else I have in stock!

New Baby Hat

I made this hat today for my niece. I don't make baby items too often, because I quit selling them when the laws made it almost impossible to make and sell them. Now I have a sweet baby niece, so I get to crochet baby items sometimes for her. She's a real life baby doll, and I can't wait to see the hat on her. Things always look cuter on her than on my ugly toy babies! This is a lacy hat with a scalloped border and a beautiful flower on the side. I truly enjoyed crocheting this sweet baby hat for her. I hope she and her mommy like it!

Book Giveaway

My friend Amanda is having a giveaway on her website, The Price of Trust. She's giving away Charlene Baumbich's novel Divine Appointments. The link to the giveaway is Divine Appointments Book Giveaway. If you want to enter to win, all you have to do is comment on the post. For an extra entry, follow her on the website and post a comment telling her you're following. It's really easy and would be a wonderful win!

Amanda Stephan is an author, and her book is The Price of Trust. I won a copy of her book earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I've recommended it here on my blog and on FaceBook many times since.

Thanks for reading my blog, have a blessed day!

Featuring Bears Graphics

Featuring Bears Banners & Graphics on Etsy & ArtFire

Lily Business Card, Banner and Avatar Set on Etsy

Tuscany Rose Business Card, Banner and Avatar Set on Etsy

Elegant Toile ArtFire Studio Digital Design Set on ArtFire

Cherry Blossom ArtFire Studio Digital Design Set on ArtFire

These are just a few of my favorite picks from her Etsy and ArtFire shops. She has lots of awesome sets to choose from, plus she'll work with you to do a custom order! Not only does she do business card designs, avatars and banners, but she designs website buttons, vinyl banner printing, postcard printing and logo design! She is amazing and I've seen her designs all over these venues. Take a look at her shops: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bearcengic and

http://www.artfire.com/users/BearsGraphics I am sure you will love her designs as much as I do! I can't wait to revamp my shop with a custom set from her in the near future!

New Feature Tomorrow

Watch out for a new feature tomorrow! I'm working on it but won't have time tonight due to church. I'm looking forward to going and worshiping the Lord tonight, then going out for some dinner! Have a blessed night.

Anastasia

Featuring Sweetheart Studio

Featuring Sweetheart Studio

I love this shop, it is so colorful and bright. I feel cheery when I visit! She carries many lovely handmade items, like pendants, magnets, and hair pins. I have several items from Sweetheart Studio and love all of them. They are well made and even more stunning in person!

1 inch Domed Glass Pendant-BLUE DRAGONFLY-

Above is one of Sweetheart Studio's pendants. The colors are vibrant!

Frosty Pink and White Small Picture Frame

This is such a cute little picture frame!

Bottle Cap Magnets-3 Blue Butterflies

She has many magnets, some are bottlecap ones with gorgeous pictures like above.

Big Glass Magnets- Love Heart

This is another kind of magnet, a very large glass magnet with brilliant colors and designs.

Red Rose Hair Pin Christmas Bloom
Her hair pins are fantastic. I have a pair and they are even more gorgeous in my hair than in the pictures. Great way to dress up the hair.

Check out Sweetheart Studio on ArtFire. She also has a shop on Etsy by the same name, Sweetheart Studio, and a shop called Abbasgirl that carries stunning Christian gifts.

Reading

I've picked reading back up again recently, and had to recommend some authors that I love. I'm reading Robert Whitlow "Deeper Water" right now and totally loving it! He is an awesome author, and I've been reading him since his very first published book. "The List" is his first book and it is such a thriller, really keeping your attention through the entire book. His webpage is here http://www.robertwhitlow.com/robertwhitlow.html

I read "The Price of Trust" by Amanda Stephan earlier this year after winning a copy of her book from her blog http://www.thepriceoftrust.com/. It was a great book, with suspense, mystery, romance and much more. I couldn't put it down!

And of course, my wonderful friend's book "Redeemed" by Candance L. Lawson is one of my favorites that I have to mention. Here is where you can find it http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60247-807-7 I passed her book around and everyone who read it loved it. It's a Christian romance but isn't too sappy like some romances can get. A most enjoyable book, and I hope she writes more so I can read them.

Working on Patterns

I've been working hard on my first set of patterns to list in my shop. I have a few testers trying them out to make sure they make sense and isn't any confusion in them. I hope to be able to list them in the next week. The first one will be a set of 3 hearts, and I will list it around $3.00 with no shipping since it will be digitally sent. I'm really excited about this new venture for my business! If this set sells well, I will be writing out more patterns to put up for sale as well. Keep your eyes peeled for my new patterns at MattsCraftyWife on ArtFire.

Thanks for reading!

Anastasia

CFoA Creations!

I'm a member of Christian Friends on ArtFire guild and wanted to showcase a few that I found while browsing through listings looking at blue items. There is some great talent here! This group is fairly new and everyone has been so nice!

Ladies or Teen Blue and Brown Arm Warmers Size Sm or Med.

by LuvnCrafts

Flaming Sun - framed original 7x5 acrylic painting

by QuirkyDameDesigns

Blue Cloisonne Necklace Set

by AussenWolfDesigns

Toy Stuffed Soft Fish Baby or Toddler Boy or Girl

By NanasHands

Sunrise Photo of Red Beach, New Zealand

By NewCreatioNZ

Check out these wonderful shops, and check out CFoA if you would like to join on ArtFire!

Valentine's Day Gifts on ArtFire

Some beautiful Valentine's Gifts from wonderful Christian Artists on ArtFire! Lovely hearts, red roses and more are perfect gifts for someone you love.

Autumn Love Wood Cross

Big Glass Magnets- Love Heart - by Sweetheart Studio

Roses Forever Lampwork Pendant

I Love Soap Heart Heart Love Spell type

Beautiful Heart Necklace made of polymer clay

Handmade Valentines Cards Set of 5 Pink & Brown

Check out these wonderful shops on ArtFire and support Christian Artists!

Adding Patterns to My Shop

I'm thinking of adding patterns to my shop. I have made several crochet patterns up over the years and people ask me for specific patterns often. I wrote some out and need testers to make sure there are no errors and everything is understandable on my pattern. If you are interested in testing patterns, leave a comment here. The first patterns I might add are some pretty lacy hearts as shown in the photo. I think patterns would be a nice addition to my shop, and they are easy because no shipping costs are involved since we're in the digital age. Check out my shop and see what I have to offer... and check back soon to see my new Patterns Section!

Featuring Ellie Lee

Ellie Lee Photography and Art

ACEO Limited Edition Print Spring Orchard With Tulips

I am featuring this wonderful shop today, EllieLee on Etsy. Vicki owns this shop, and has lovely art for sale, including photographs, paintings and digitally altered art photos. Take a look here and see some of my favorite items in her shop!

ACEO Lupine Monhegan Island Maine Ltd Edition Print

ACEO Psalm 107 Give Thanks

Folk Art Style Eagle and Banner Isaiah 40:31 Art Print

Browse around in EllieLee's shop for yourself and see what she has to offer! She also has a vintage store at Ellie Lee's Attic!

New Item

This weekend I took a break from the hats & matching scarves that I've been doing. I focused a bit more on Valentine's Day by making the 2011 version of the "Jesus is My Valentine" cross bookmark. I came up with my first "Jesus is My Valentine" a few years ago when I was selling on Etsy. I sold several of them, so the following year I made another one in a slightly different pattern. Those sold well also, so I have kept up the tradition every year now. I called this "Jesus is My Valentine" because it is a cross with a heart in the middle. This year's version is a shell pattern in pink with a red border that has points at each corner of the cross. It is finished off with a tassel on top in both red and pink and a red heart in the middle. I hope you like my new cross bookmark. You can find it in my MattsCraftyWife shop on ArtFire.

Featuring Ingrid's Creations

Ingrid's Creations

I love everything in Ingrid's Creations' shop! She makes the most beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other jewelry. She also makes beautiful bookmarks with beads and crystals. If I could I would buy every single item in her shop! She's not only a fabulous jewelry artist, but she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. We became friends a couple of years ago after we met on an Etsy Group. I am no longer an Etsy seller but I'm still friends with Ingrid. Check out her shop at Ingrid's Creations.

Pink & Black Flower Bracelet and Seed Glass Beads and Swarovski Crystals

She has many bracelets to choose from, all of which are deliciously stunning.

Fuschia & Rose Pink Princess Silver Dangle Earrings

Ingrid's earrings are all totally gorgeous! She uses only the finest materials, Czech glass, Swarovski crystals and more. I love this pair above, the hearts dangling are so cute.

Antiqued Gold Maple Leaf Necklace

Ingrid makes many beautiful necklaces in different styles. This one is one of my favorites, with a golden leaf and swarovski crystals. Very lovely for autumn, or any time of year.

I love Ingrid's bottlecap necklaces like the one shown above! They are so cute, with an image in the center and swarovski crystals dangling. This one features a chocolate heart truffle in the center, with brown and pink crystals. The bottlecap hangs on a sheer hot pink organza ribbbon, thin chocolate brown ribbon and a thin hot pink ribbon.

Check out Ingrid's shop, and while you are there, buy yourself a treat!

My Daughter's Shop

"All Is Calm" SOLD

My daughter has an ArtFire shop that I'd like to share with you all. She has won one award in the county for her art, and is up for another one this year! She has a few paintings for sale, like the one shown above, the night scene. She gets better and better each year, and sold a painting today actually!

Enchanted Forest

She also makes bookmarks, repurposed out of greeting cards, scrapbook paper, or cardstock. Sometimes she uses paint on them, sometimes not. She uses the money she makes on the bookmarks to put toward buying painting supplies.

Snowman

So every time someone buys a painting or bookmark, they are supporting her young talent in painting.

Faith

Please check out her shop on ArtFire, ForeverDawn17.

My Shop Sale

MattsCraftyWife Sale

I am having a weekend sale that is only for my blog readers. I will not be putting this code anywhere else, just here on my blog! If you use the code BLOGSALE when you check out you'll receive 10% off your order! Just go to MY SHOP and purchase what you want. During checkout it will ask if you have a coupon, that's when you type in BLOGSALE to get the sale price.

The 10% off if you buy the hat & matching scarf at one time is still good too, so you will save 20% if you want a matching hat & scarf w/flower. That 10% off will be refunded through Paypal unless you contact me first to ask me to change the price before you check out. :)

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you take advantage of this thank-you sale that I'm doing just for you!

TinksTreasures

Tink's Treasures on Etsy

Victorian Poetry Necklace

I stopped by my friend Debi's shop, TinksTreasures, and had to share some pretties I found there! Her jewelry is stunning, she's a very talented artist. The first thing to catch my eye was the Victorian Poetry Necklace. The deep red color really pops against the white background and the attention to detail is amazing!

Weight Watchers Points Counter Bracelet

These bracelets are a very popular item in Debi's shop, because they make it so easy to keep track of your points when you are dieting with Weight Watchers! What a beautiful way to stay on top of a diet.

Azure Couture Necklace

This azure couture necklace and earrings is gorgeous with the deep greens and blues. It reminds me of the ocean.

All of her work is high quality, beautiful and everything is priced reasonably.

RIP John Dye

John Dye from "Touched by an Angel" has passed away. He had a heart attack on Monday, and was only 47 years old. Rest in peace, John. You will be sorely missed.

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/john-dye-touched-by-an-angel-star-dies-at-47--2105

Break Continues..

I posted yesterday about taking me-time and relaxing instead of "working" (I say it that way because I love my work and it doesn't feel like work!) Now I have to say, I'm taking more me-time but not of my own choice. I have back troubles that come and go, and they came back again last night. So, I slept most of the day thanks to my muscle relaxers. Now I'm resting on the couch and will stay here until things feel better. No crocheting for work, maybe I will snuggle up with a good book! God bless you all.

Break time!

Sometimes we all need a break from our work. I woke up today and decided to play hookie from my "job" and have some me-time! My job is something I love, and am passionate about, crocheting and knitting items to sell in my online shop. I truly enjoy doing it. I have fun coming up with color combinations for my hats & scarves. I like to come up with new patterns. I love to do the actual crocheting & knitting! Even with all of that, I still need to take a break from the shop once in awhile. Without me-time, I lose myself in my work. I need to take time to do things for myself, to pamper myself and focus on me. Even in those times, I still crochet & knit most of the time, just for myself or my family instead of my shop. Right now, I'm working on a knit scarf for myself using a beautiful, silky bamboo yarn in sky blue. I hope to finish it today so I can wear it tonight to church. Don't forget to take some me-time in your life! It refreshes the body and soul!

~Anastasia

Winter is Here

Keeping Warm

Winter is in full force now, with snowstorms bombarding as far south as Georgia! Stay warm, wear your hat & scarf, put on some mittens and layer up. Cozy up by the fire with a shawl or wrap and read a book. I offer all kinds of winter wear essentials, just check out my shop. I am making affordable hats & scarves in a luscious, soft yarn that will keep you nice & warm. They are not only affordable but stylish and super-cute!

God bless you and thanks for reading my blog.

Affordable can be Beautiful

I am working diligently to make affordable yarn creations such as scarves and hats to home decor. I of course not only want to make them affordable, I want them to also be beautiful! I recently listed several hats and scarves in my own lacy pattern that have accent flowers. They are only $16 each or $28.80 if you buy both at one time. Thankfully I sold one set yesterday, so I hope I'm onto something! I'm keeping my prices low while still making it profitable to sell my items online. Come to my shop MattsCraftyWife and see what's new!