Happy February Everyone! And Welcome to my Blog.
Well, the news doesn’t seem to change all that much and while I keep a wary (or is that weary – either would work) eye on what’s happening here and around the world, I try very hard to remember there’s only so much I can actually do about any of it so…I do what I can and just try to focus on the good things I have in my life like my great husband (we’re going on 47 years this year), my sweet doggie and my pain in the butt cat and the fact that I live in one of the best places on earth with wild nature right outside my backdoor. Life is good.
I hope you have similar ‘goodness’ to embrace in your lives.
Now, on to my shop news. Old Raven on Etsy is GROWING. I remember when I first opened with just a handful of handmade items, my goal was 100 listings. I’m happy to say I’m well over 300 these days. But sometimes it seems like I’m in a revolving door…I list an item and I sell an item. Still, I’ve managed to gain listings, adding Vintage and Antique to my product line was a biggie. And now I’m exploring needlework kits and they’ve been doing very well in my shop. The only problem is I want to keep every other kit I find (I forgot how much I love doing cross stitch) so I’ve had to be stern with myself and get those kits listed as fast as I find them so I’m not tempted to add them to my personal stash. As it is, I’ve already got enough stitch projects to keep me busy until somewhere around 2050.
First up:
For all you folks out there who think you can’t possibly be ‘crafty’ enough for needlework – take a look at this cute “beginner’s” kit. Every thing you need is in there and I love how they put the floss on clear bobbins – very clever. These types of kits are a great way to dip your toe into the world of stitching – you might be very surprised!
And ‘oh my gosh’ these little ballerinas are (sorry, but they are) adorable! Yeah, you know some little girl who would LOVE to have these on her bedroom wall and handmade gifts are the best!
For those who like the look of the ‘crewel’ technique better, this is a good kit to get you going.
The art of M.I. Hummel will never go out of style. Just look at the faces on these two children.
Now this kit is from the 70’s and whoever was responsible for the ‘cover’ shot must have missed his ‘how to’ class in advertising. So I’ll give you a peek at the charts inside:
These are lovely projects with lots of detail that, sadly, that bell pull on the cover totally fails to show. If you like Oriental, this is a very hard to find pattern/kit.
This is a fun pair of kits with a real retro vibe. A coordinating table runner and 4 placemats – all in that Country Fruit pattern. These will add a little cheer to your breakfast table!
This pair of pillow cases kit is especially for all you Shabby Chic folks out there. So sweet. And, wouldn’t these make a perfect gift for the new bride and groom?
And last but really not least…this is an Elsa Williams kit for making a footstool. Talk about rare and hard to find, this kit ranks right up there with Williams ‘Enchanted April’ kit of which I did have one in my shop for about a week before it flew right back out.
Everything is in the kit including the wood base for the footstool. But what some might not notice at first glance – this is the ride of Paul Revere which puts the Colonial art style, colors and stitch method into much better focus. This is one of those ‘heirloom’ pieces that get handed down from one generation to the next. But if you make it, it’s your to enjoy first for a good long time – sorry kids, you’ll have to wait your turn.
Here’s the link to my shop Old Raven on Etsy, take a look at my front page to see all the other ‘new’ listings I’ve been busy adding over the last week.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldRaven
That’s it for now, I need to get back to photographing, listing and packaging.
Please take care of yourself and stay safe. And thank you so much for reading my blog. – Kriss
Old Raven Creates 