Off to the Golden Globes!

On Jan 13-14 the 2012 Golden Globe Awards extravaganza will take place. And during that time, my lovely little felted alpaca cuffs will be gifted to ten lucky members of the press at the GBK Productions Luxury Gift Lounge. I am beyond excited! And beyond thankful for The Artisan Group for all they do to make opportunities like this possible for artisans around the world. They are simply amazing! It doesn't seem real at this point, and it's been quite the journey. I have no idea what will happen, but my hope is that I'll get increased coverage on my business and make some sales. This really is a wonderful way for me to get my name out there! I've learned a lot. Not the least of which has been to have pride in myself and my talent as an artist.

Here is a little taste of what the press will be getting. And if you ever have the joy of coming up with cute little packaging, my word of advice. Plan it all out before purchasing anything if you can. I spent loads of time an energy and money buying the perfect things. Some I used, some I didn't. I learned along the way, but had I been more efficient, I could have saved some money!

Handmade envelopes from handmade, seeded paper. I didn't make the paper. 

Labels for the envelopes ready to go. They'll help seal the whole thing up. 

My hangtags. It includes material, care and benefits of felt. Usually these get pinned to my product, but I felt it would be better in this case to put them in the envelope. A fellow artist prints the tags. 

uniquefavors on Etsy.

Front and back view of my Bio Card. They'll go in the envelope too.  Thanks Zazzle for some lovely cards!

Front and back of my business cards. I use Zazzle to print off all my cards, except for the hangtags. 

Envelopes folded and partially glued. I used rubber cement on the labels and delphinium flowers only. You only need to tear the labels to open the envelope. 

The back of the envelopes contain info on the product and its special name. Each  cuff type has a different name. 

My lovely collection (from left): Cherry Blossom, Pink Carnation, Swirling Snow, Bittersweet,  Fire and Ice, Bluebells. 

I rolled each pair of cuffs and pinned them so the shape would hold. 

My bags are made from sinamay, an all natural fiber. The "ribbon" is paper.  I love how you can see the pattern of the cuff through the bag. 

10 bags almost ready to go! 

Re-purposed Treasure

I am super excited about an opportunity I've been given through The Artisan Group! Cari Cucksey from Cash and Cari will be receiving a pouch made especially for her by me! It was created from a recycled Italian wool sweater that I shrunk and felted. The lining is from an upholstery fabric remnant. It was designed so it would lie flat against the body.

I just love the colors in this! And apparently Cari likes green and orange too! I tweeted her about her favorite colors and she responded super fast. I may have to make one of these for myself!

What do you think?

Inside of the pouch before sewing

outside of the pouch before sewing

long enough to be worn across the body

love the strap!

fabric covered button - I heard somewhere that she loves buttons!

flap up

back of the purse

Craftsyble Feature

Thanks to Betty Miller over at Craftsyble.com , my involvement in the GBK Production Gift Lounge at the Golden Globes has been featured! You rock Betty! link to feature

   

How I Made My Felted Alpaca Cuffs for the GBK Gift Lounge at the 2012 Golden Globes

The holidays, craft shows and family business has gotten in the way of posting. Really, I've had the best of intentions! I've got a minute, so I thought I'd put the first post up concerning the process of making my lightweight felted alpaca cuffs that are being gifted to members of the press at the GBK Gift Lounge at the 2012 Golden Globes. I can't believe it's right around the corner!

Felting, or more technically fulling, is a process where a piece is knit from animal fiber and then shrunk to form a tight fabric. It is durable, water resistant, warm, and can be cut without fraying. Felted wool is also odor resistant, resists wrinkles and is hypoallergenic. It's amazing what a little heat, friction, and water can do!

I started by knitting the cuffs flat. I found that I was able to do so on my lovely knitting machine (I've got a Silver Reed LK150). Love that machine! It's my first knitting machine. It's pretty basic, but a wonderfully sturdy and easy to use tool. It has also sped up the knitting of anything knit in a stockinette stitch (knit one round, purl the next).

I used a lace-weight yarn, and knit the cuffs about 2-3 times as large as they were to end up.

Because they are not knit in the round, I have to then sew them up the side. Most of this seem disappears during the felting process, if I am careful when sewing them up.

Then I threw them in the wash. For my first attempt, I used hot water. Big mistake. The two parts of the cuff sealed together, and I had to pry and snip them apart. I found warm worked better until the cuffs actually started to felt.

The cuffs were stretched and pulled into shape and left to dry.

Next step - needle felting!

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November 25th only! Free shipping on all items in my shop! No coupon needed!

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Here it is! The big reveal!

So, I'm sure you've all been waiting with baited breath for the big reveal of the actual items that I'll be gifting to members of the press at the GBK Productions Luxury Gift Lounge for the 2012 Golden Globe Awards! It's been an up and down journey. From packaging dilemas, to time changes, to just a plain inability of me to make a final decision!

I finally decided on 100% alpaca felted cuffs, embellished with elements inspired by nature. They are lightweight, so good for a variety of climes. They are perfect standing alone, or under gloves/mittens for extra warmth. I wear mine when texting, driving, typing, or when I just need that extra little bit of warmth. I really wouldn't want to do without them fall, winter and spring. There are six different styles.

Over the next few weeks, I'll explore the process used to create these cuffs, as well as what I finally decided on for the packaging. For now, here are the pictures of the final product. You can order your own through my shop! http://www.seasonsofwool.etsy.com

Can you guess the title of each cuff?

GBK Luxury Gift Lounge for 2012 Golden Globes Approach!

A few months ago I joined an amazing group, The Artisan Group. The group is exclusive, selecting only the best of the best to represent at celebrity gift lounges. As a group, we provide handcrafted products to celebrities and members of the press at events such as the Emmy's, Academy Awards, and the Golden Globes. When I first became aware of this organization, I wavered. Was I good enough? Were my products appropriate? Was it something I wanted to spend my time on? I decided to take the leap and apply. I am so glad I did! Not only is this group full of the most amazingly supportive people, but I have been pushed (in a good way) into really taking my art and my business to the next level. The group is an amazing wealth of knowledge and resources.

So, I joined. And at the first opportunity signed up to participate in the first gifting event I could - The GBK Luxury Gift Lounge for the 2012 Golden Globes. I had a couple of choices. I could create 10 gifts for the press, 100 gifts for celebrities, gifts for celebrities and a display, business card only, etc. I chose to gift to members of the press. My reasons were two fold. It was a less expensive venture for me (materials, packaging, etc.) and the deadline was right around the time of my busiest time (pre-Christmas).

Then I thought about what I wanted to gift and how I'd present it. Not an easy task. I wavered. It had to be small, yet at the same time portray what I was capable of. My first choice was to make these little felted bowls, but I just didn't think they had the 'wow' factor. But, I went with it and made the  bowls. But, about 2 weeks ago, I decided to change. Silly me. Now I'm making 10 pairs of embellished, felted alpaca cuffs or fingerless mitts (due no later than the first week of Dec). They are lightweight, and stylish, and will come in a selection of colors and embellishments. I love them. And the Christmas orders are rolling. So I'm busy! Busy is good! Just a little crazy!

You'll see my Lightweight Felted Alpaca Cuffs in my shop next week! Be on the lookout!

These fingerless gloves are similar to the cuffs, only they  have a thumb hole.