Knotted Love

Ok, as if I needed one more hobby (I sculpt, paint, throw pottery, draw, sew) to add to my list, I have done it again... knitting. I have always wanted to learn this beautiful art form that also brings a daily functionality to the finished product.

As I am an incredibly visual person (artist), I cant tell you my favorite color, because I love all of them. I confess, a favorite pastime is to expand the color palette or swatch boxes on Photoshop & try to pick my favorite color. I still can't. I love the intricate, swirling moods they place me in at the moment I see each color. I swear I was on the color-mixing committe in God's art studio (lol).

So with my passion for color confessed, I have fallen in love with several shops on etsy & am particularly enamored with the following items:

This Hand Painted Superwash Wool-Nylon Sock Yarn by SeeJayneKnitYarns is such a beautiful blend of cool purples & blues, I can just imagine the visual dance I would do with this yarn & some knitting needles. She has a shop full of incredible hand-painted yarns and really fun stitch markers.

Another shop that is full of eye candy is homelab. I have fallen in love with these Fingerless Red Gloves. The button accents are a great addition. Homelab also has amazing Cable Knit Fingerless Gloves (a similar pair to the ones seen in a certain vampire film), Shrugs & Scarfs.

This adorable Pink Pea in a Pod by forthetiny makes me want to have another baby to swaddle in such a warm cozy pod, or just knit a giant one for me to cuddle up in on cold nights.


I LOVE socks & have a strange fetish for knee-high & toe socks. So, diving into knitting, I bravely (or foolishly) have started a pair for my first project. I am stumbling my way through them, but hope to one day be comfortable enough to do more than just a simple K2, P2 Rib stitch & move into patterns like this beautiful pair of socks by FearlessFibers which have a lace panel with a diamond motif bordered by bands of a mock cable twist stitch. All I can say is wow.

So, to all you talented & fabulous knitters who have been perfecting the art of twisting yarn into intricate patterns, I take my hat off to you as I join your ranks - the newest of newbies & look forward to posting more about this "knotted love" that I have found.

200 Sales!

A great milestone for me - I just had my 200th sale yesterday, & am ecstatic at the success of my small little business. It is also a big event, as my shop turned 1 year old just last week!

I look back to last August when I decided on my business name, signed on to etsy & started timidly listing items. I have to say that I laugh a little at myself at my ineptitude at the beginning. I knew very little about running a business, making up for that with many late nights reading business models, blogs & attending every Newbie Chat in the Etsy Virtual Labs I could. I owe many thanks to Danielle at etsy for her expertise & patience with me, as I think I asked the most questions in her labs for several weeks & I'm sure she was relieved when I felt confident enough to stand on my own two feet. Bless her!

I still remember the unbelievable rush when I made my first sale - a Ham Sandwich Lunch set to a wonderful customer, who still buys from me. Funny, but I remember thinking "wow, someone really likes something that I made enough to buy it?" I still smile to myself & call my husband each time I make a sale - he is sweet enough to be as excited as I am. I don't know what I would do without my "Idea Man" & my best supporter. I thank all of my customers who give me these excited smiles with my husband each time.

Well, a year & 200 sales later, I am more excited at the prospect of the coming year. I have many new designs in the works, much more business experience & am a much more streamlined & confident seamstress. Though my business is growing, I still remember the reasons why I started in the first place - to rid children's toyboxes of mass-produced, toxic, junk-plastic toys in favor of toys that educate & encourage imaginative play. I love the thought of over 200 children around the world playing with a toy that is made with all the love that seams can hold.

What I'm Working On Today...

Today is busy! I have been blessed with a very large wholesale order for a toy company & am frantically getting ready for the final production push. After weeks of negotiation, calculation & emails, I am ready to get sewing. But first comes the massive orders of felt from Joann's & Joggles.com.

This order is very different, as all the play food is going to be made with wool felt & wool stuffing. I usually work with polyester eco-felt, so this will be a wonderful challenge. These toys will escape CPSIA regulation because of the natural materials used, & so far, I love the feel of the wool felt - it is very strong & doesn't stretch like the polyester does. I may think about adding some wool felt food to my etsy shop soon.

I have found a wonderful company back East in Pennsylvania called Earl Woolen Mills that sells the best wool filling. I found them through a google search & related blog links. They don't have a website, so I called & spoke to a delightful woman whom was very helpful in helping me order my wool batting. I can't wait to receive it!

So today, I am finalizing my fabric order, sewing 30 little handstitched "Popcorn" labels for popcorn bags & am prepping to tackle the 360 popcorn kernels that need to be sewn. The stacks of felt on my desk is almost overwhelming! I am so happy to be so busy.

This is Me

As I browse etsy & other handcrafted sites, I often wonder what type of people are behind the genius crafts they create. So, in effort to see what all of you out there are like, here's a bit about me.

25 random things about me:

1. I started my business because I was tired of throwing out Lead Recalled toys, & wanted to offer my kids toys that are educational & safe.
2. I love to paint with watercolors & would do it every day if I had the time.
3. I regularly get my butt handed to me in chess by my husband, but am able to beat him if I fight dirty.
4. I love Futurama - I usually watch an episode every night before sleep.
5. If I had super powers, I would want to fly & be able to read people's minds.
6. I love to watch people. I don't naturally interact well with others, but am fascinated by watching them.
7. I am terrified of centipedes - even small ones. Working on a Hawaiian papaya farm with "finger-thick" centipedes will do that to you
8. I cant drink milk, eat Chinese food, red meat or pork - they make me puke.
9. I would swim laps every day if I could. I plan on having my own pool someday.
10. I have a bizarre love of toe socks.
11. I love ferrets & will have a dozen some day.
12. I regularly stumble over & twist my words. I absolutely can't say words like "buck futter" (from Saturday Night Live) or "have a pheasant-plucking day" - I get into big trouble!
13. I am absolutely head-over-heels, completely, irrevocably, & utterly in love with my hot sexy husband!
14. If I could invent anything, I would invent a time-freezing machine so I could enjoy stages of my kids a little longer - they grow way to fast for me.
15. I want to be a painter when I grow up.
16. I was a pitcher in softball for 9 years when I was younger.
17. I grew up with boys & am a huge tomboy - though my girlfriends now that I am older are definitely the best!
18. I never eat junk food, soda or candy - except really good gourmet dark chocolate.
19. Orchids are my favorite flower, but I can't have them in my current house because our salty water kills them - as I've proven at least 14 times so far. I have to endure the silk ones for now.
20. I love my sketchbook. It is filled with drawings of my kids, my feet, & flowers.
21. If I could go back to college, I would study Dietetics & become a Nutritionist.
22. I love flyfishing & am fortunately married to an expert fly fishing guide, though I regularly out-fish him!
23. I suffer from severe "buyer's remorse" & regularly put items back before checking out or return them - even if I need them, because I can't handle the sticker shock.
24. I love being outdoors - biking is my therapy.
25. I am extremely shy & hate walking into a room full of people.

Well, that's me - now I tag YOU & would love to read about you in the comments section!

Candy Dreams

I just can't stay away from chocolate - I will admit it openly... "Hello, my name is Rebecca & I am a choc-o-holic." Even my play food business cant escape my chocolate addiction. So here is the newest item cooked up in the Bug Bites sweet shop: Chocolate Candy Bars! Just please don't lick it, the fuzz doesn't melt in your mouth...

This life-sized bar fits into its felt wrapper perfectly & is held inside by a velcro tab - so much fun for Little Chef's, my daughter loves to carry her bar around, wrapping & unwrapping it. A future Willy Wonka someday?

Now, if you want to try the real thing - I highly recommend Green & Blacks Organic Ginger, Organic Mint & any of their Organic Dark Bars. For a real twist, & for the adventurous chocoholic like myself, try Chuao Spicy Maya Chocolate - spicy, tingly & ooooh so delicious! Now, off to my chocolate stash to indulge!

Breakfast Buffet

With a busy summer season of Farmer's Markets, craft shows & kids fairs, I have been creating new items like mad & am excited to add 2 of my favorite breakfast items to the Bug Bites kitchens - Cinnamon Rolls & French Toast. Just seeing these makes me want to bust out my flour, eggs & cinnamon & get baking! I have always been a breakfast-person & love making my own culinary loves come to life in felt.

I have a spectacular recipe for Cinnamon Rolls that I thought I would share so you can make your own real versions of these breakfast favorites!

Quick Cinnamon Buns
Filling:
3/4 C. packed Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Cloves
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Tb. Unsalted Butter, melted

Dough:
2 1/2 C. all-purpose Flour, plus extra for the counter
2 Tb. Sugar
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1 /4 C. Buttermilk
6 Tb. Unsalted Butter, melted

Glaze:
3 Tb. Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tb. Buttermilk
1 1/2 C. Confectioner's Sugar

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat both a 9" nonstick round cake pan & a wire cooling rack with vegetable oil spray.
2. For the Filling: Combine filling ingredients in a bowl until mixture resembles wet sand.
3. For the Dough: Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk & 2 Tb. of melted butter together. Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed (dough looks shaggy), about 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter & knead until smooth, 1 minute.
4. Press dough into a 9x12 inch rectangle using your hands. Brush dough with 2 Tb. of remaining melted butter. Sprinkle dough evenly with filling, leaving a 1/2 inch border, then press firmly into the dough.
5. Loosen dough from counter with a scraper & starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 8 pieces & place in the pan. Brush with the remaining 2 Tb. melted butter. Bake until edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
6. Use a knife to loosen buns, flip onto wire rack then turn upright & cool for 5 min before glazing.

Courtesy of America's Test Kitchens

Unintentional Environmentalism

I am not an environmentalist. I repeat, I am not an environmentalist... but am I? Now, please don't misunderstand, I LOVE the earth & strongly believe in taking care of Her, cleaning up trash, recycling, using less packaging etc... I just don't want to be labeled as a radical, card-carrying, save-the-planet, stop-global-warming-neo-nazi Al Gore fan - because I am NOT. What I am, however, is a very earth-conscious, pro natural-living mother who is trying each day to do my part to lessen the impact of garbage & pollution. Leaving the planet a better place for my beautiful children.


Example #1: I use 100% Recycled Eco Felt in all my BugBites Toys. I believe that we shouldn't be afraid of toxins, lead & other nasty garbage in our children's toys. I am an advocate for soft, tactile play food that teaches good eating habits & care for the earth through play. What better way than to play with recycled post-consumer plastic bottles? http://bugbitesplayfood.etsy.com

Example #2: I use Cloth Diapers on my baby. This actually started out of desperation at the rising cost of diapers - $70 a month, money I thought could better be used elsewhere (flyfishing trips or buying orchids). Doing my homework on how to cloth diaper also enlightened me on how much damage conventional diapers really do. It is estimated that a child will go through 9,100 diapers in 2 1/2 years of diaper wearing. see Verybaby.com for more: http://verybaby.com/faq . Imagine the landfill space that one child's diapers takes up - by the way, conventional diapers DON'T biodegrate, especially when wrapped tightly & then placed in individually twisted sausage-sections of plastic bag. If only the Diaper Genie® magially made diapers decompose as well... PLUS disposables never look this cute! I found these darling diapers from monkeysnugglesdiaper at her shop on etsy: http://monkeysnugglesdiaper.etsy.com


Example #3: I use handmade Cloth Wipes on my baby. Figure the cost of cloth diapers plus the cost of wipes that just go in the trash - you might as well wipe your child's bum with a dollar bill each time & toss it in the trash... Reusable, cute & much sturdier than the thin, don't-wipe-too-hard-or-you'll-be scrubbing-ick-out of your-fingernails, store-bought wipes... need I say more? I found these adorable wipes from Bundled on http://bundled.etsy.com

Example #4: I use Cloth Lunch & Sandwich Bags. Again the cost of lousy ziplocs that just end up in the trash made me rethink the logic of ziploc. I make my sandwich bags with a nylon inner fabric & cute cotton prints on the outside. They work so much better, are easily washable, & take about 5 minutes to sew myself. These are from Britgaldesigns at http://britgaldesigns.etsy.com

Example #5: I use Cloth Feminine Pads. Okay, I am the biggest hippocrite in the world on this one. Growing up, I had never heard of such a thing & thought "eeeeew gross!" at first, wondering why anyone would ever try cloth menstrual pads. However, after finding out the hard way for years I never knew that I was actually allergic to plastic maxi pads, suffering each month from uneccesary infections & discomfort. Natural cotton is a million times better next to your skin than cancer-causing SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, DIOXINS, & TRIBUTYL TIN (TBT). Besides, if lovely, soft, natural cloth is good enough for my daughter's bum, why not mine? These cute pads are from an etsy seller named Pleat - see her shop here: http://www.pleat.etsy.com

Taking stock of some of my habits over the last year, I have come to the conclusion that I am inadvertently a serious advocate of "Green" living. We all would do better to improve our lives, pocketbooks & of course Mother Earth by switching from harmful, cancer-causing, chemical-laden plastics & synthetics to natural renewable fibers like cotton & bamboo. Go Green!