Monday, November 10, 2008

Painting Nested Dolls

Zim's Crafts went out of business on 11/1 which is a sad day for everyone who shopped there. They were the only place I could find the blank nested boxes I need for my nesting doll sets. I was in the store in August, just after I was laid off, and all their blanks were on sale for $1, instead of the usual $5 price. The manufacturer where they got the boxes had gone out of business and they were clearing out their stock. I splurged and bought most of what they had and now have a stash of the blanks.

Of course, when I moved to Utah, I gave all my paints to my sister, Jenny, so, I'm now trying to get my paint supply back up to par so I can paint a few for Christmas and hopefully sell them. I went to Robert's Crafts this evening (I got my first paycheck from my new job - Praise the Lord for that blessing!) and all the 2 oz. acrylic paints were $.99, regular $1.39. So, I was able to get almost 50 bottles instead of the 30-35 I was planning on getting.

Now, the only thing I need to find is my purple craft box that has the patterns for the nested Nativity set I need to finish up. What is really sad is that the box is not small ... it's 19"x10"x11" and not something you'd think would just up and disappear - but it has (sigh). It's probably behind a stack of boxes that I had packed stuff away in.

If you'd like to see some photos of a couple of the sets, they're up on my etsy shop. As soon as I paint some more, I'll post photos here as the ones on etsy are from several years ago.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Crochet Uncut Published!

After a few months of hard work, the first issue of Crochet Uncut was published on the 1st. There were a few problems, mostly with formatting, but they've all been fixed. I was also able to put up a PDF version of the magazine so it could be downloaded but you'll always find the online version on the site.

The next issue is due out on March 1, 2009 with the deadline for submissions on 1/31/09. That gives you folks three months to design, write, and get your patterns tested! Theme is patterns for warmer weather, but not the heat. Non-clothing items also accepted (no theme needed).

There will also be a special issue sometime soon, maybe between the Spring and Summer issues that will deal with weddings or babies - haven't made up my mind on that one yet. Keep an eye on the CU blog (linked in the main menu of the mag) or on the Crochet Uncut forum at Ravelry.com for more information as it becomes available.