Getting Ready for March and April

In what seems to be a never ending quest to justify my constant creating I, along with my sisters, are planning another 2 months of selling at the Mohave Trading Post in March and April. We were pretty pleased with how things went in November and December so we'll do it again in the Spring hoping to get customers that are local as well as the snowbirds before they all head home around Easter. 

Above you can see that I have finished up some more hanging towels. These are all in gray for those who like only neutral colors for their kitchens. I will have about 50 to choose from. I also crocheted all the cotton cone yarn I had into potholders. These blue and green colors, the pastel and the bright were both my best sellers. This spring? Who knows but hopefully folks will still like them. Those little bags with the white ties you see are soap pouches. I use them myself and they are great for helping you hold onto a slippery bar of soap and to use your soaps to the last sliver easily. Those will go into a give away basket we keep near our Square checkout system. We 3 all make little items to go in the basket and are a gift to anyone who makes a purchase.

Below is my latest hot off the hook cotton summer scarf. These are so perfect in the summer when you find yourself right under an air conditioning vent. They are just enough to keep your neck and shoulders comfortable. This one is not in colors that I typically would choose to wear myself but crocheted into the scarf I think it is very pretty. As usual with me I am showing it to you with the ends still needing to be woven in and it also need a good press to open up the lace a bit more. 

So that's it for me right now. What have you been making, reading or watching? I would love for you to share in the comments!

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

Etsy Turns 13

Through highs and lows, good times and bad Etsy has managed to become a teenager. I remember reading about the site on blogs in 2005 and was so thrilled someone had made something for crafty people.

To celebrate rather than have cake I am having a sale. Although I offer free shipping for orders over $25 the idea of a percent off sale is new to me. I thought about what I should offer and came up with 40% off. I wanted to make an offer that makes it worthwhile for folks to come by my shop and look.

This all ends on Friday and I wouldn't want you to miss out. I will not be offering such a steep markdown again this year. You can shop for dishcloths, headbands, market bags, hats and potholders at CozyAtoZ.etsy.com.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Shop News "CozyAtoZ" on Etsy

I spent time this week getting all my finished hot pads listed. BTW, just wondering, do you call them hot pads or potholders? For no apparent reason I use both names with no favoring one name over the other.

These hot pads are real kitchen tools that can last for years. I used a smaller than normal crochet hook so the created fabric would be thick, dense and strong. The final stitching makes these double layered and closes up the potholder and I added a hanging loop for convenience. 

Made from 100% cotton these won't melt like those made with acrylic yarns. Of course they can be burnt if kept to close to flame or electric cook top elements. With the double layer these could also be used as a trivet to protect counters and table tops from hot pots or pans.

Two sizes are in the shop right now. The smaller ones are about 6 inches square and would be great for anyone. If you have larger hands or plan on using them often under larger pots you may find the larger size of 8 x 6 inches to be what you need in your kitchen.

While you would certainly consider using these in your own kitchen like I do, they also make great housewarming or bridal shower gifts or something for your favorite cook.

I love making and using these potholders using a vintage pattern that I have lost somewhere in my piles of patterns. I plan on making more in other colors so it's a good thing I have the instructions memorized.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Twitter Manners, Etsy Shop News and a Photo of the Day

What's on My Mind?

Today once again I ran up against one of my very few pet peeves on Twitter. Mind you I don't have many complaints. Most days I enjoy my time spent tweeting, retweeting and seeing some amusing or amazing or thought provoking things. I share sellers on Etsy, Artfire, Ebay, Amazon, Bonanza, and the occasional Ecrater seller. I post things from my Feedly sources about news, science, tech, art and more. I sometimes share tweets from National Parks and the area I live in. I share a lot!

Back to that pet peeve and I hope I can explain this well. If not ask in the comments and I will try and clarify if anyone cares. Here goes. When I retweet someone's item most times I will get a mention thank you or a retweet. I don't care if they retweet one of my own items or one of the other amusing, amazing or thought provoking things they can find on my timeline. What I don't like is if they retweet their own item from my timeline. Why? Well to me it is selfish. Retweeting is about spreading the love. By retweeting their own item they have missed a chance to make a new connection, share something new, enjoy the good karma that doing something nice brings. There you have it.

Etsy Shop News

I did get the rest of my potholders listed. The first round of them were a generously sized 8 by 6. I have started working on more of them. The next sets will be a bit smaller and about 6 by 6.

My current coupon code expires in a few days on the 31st. No one has taken advantage of it yet. That saddens me a bit. If this is the way it goes, I may not bother doing a coupon code again. Most of my sales just seem to come out of the blue. I don't really have any idea how I get found but am extremely thankful every time it happens.

Photo of the Day

Jim actually took this one so I want to give him credit. The first spring we lived in the Jackson Hole area a group of these guys strolled through the neighborhood. It seemed to happen each year in May. The day of this picture there were about a dozen in the group. What I remember being surprised about was that they strolled around making no noise. I was expecting the ground to shake or something. 

Til next time.

Enjoying Fall, Cozy on Etsy Shop News, Photo of the Day

What's on My Mind?

Fall and all the changes it brings is definitely here in Jackson WY. The lovely red and gold leaves are off most of the trees, removed by wind and rain and the first snows of the year. The weather changes each day and even each hour. Something in me doesn't really enjoy the cold cloudy wetness that autumn brings. I have never minded the cold dry winter days here when the air sparkles like diamonds though. Strange, I know, that is just the way I am. What is new in your part of the world?

Cozy on Etsy Shop News

My coupon code SHOPEARLY20 is still active until the 31st of October. I would love to see folks taking advantage of that code for early gift shopping. 

I have put one of the potholders I made in the shop. I have some other colors to get listed. (on my to do list for this afternoon among other things) These are from an old pattern. I used a smaller than normal crochet hook for the cotton yarn. This makes a potholder that is very thick and that will do a good job of protecting your hands. I have seen other shops use acrylic yarn for these but I don't. Cotton will handle the heat without melting like acrylic can. Who wants melted plastic in your kitchen? Just sayin'. These are nice and large at about 8 x 6 to give good coverage if you want to use them for a trivet under a hot pan to protect tables or countertops too.

Photo of the Day

When I walked along the National Elk Refuge Road recently some of the male big horn sheep were grazing and stopping a lot of traffic. I did not get a picture that day but am sharing one I took from a couple years ago. I love watching these animals!

Til next time, take care and stay cozy!

So Handy!

My first crocheting lessons were from my mother making rag rugs. It is something I still enjoy doing and I have been saving up fabrics, old worn clothes, sheets and tablecloths to make some new ones. Some of them may show up in my shops someday and some of them will be just for me.

What I never really thought of doing was using the strips to make other things. The variety is endless. On Etsy I have seen rugs of course as well as bowls and bags. The simple little project I wish I had thought of is potholders. Some of the nicest ones I have seen are in the shop Sally Rags.She has some great colors and a hanging loop to keep it handy. Her crocheting is thick enough that these could do double duty as a pad for hot dishes too.