Happy Post Holidays!

I hope everyone had a good holiday season. Guess New Year's is still left. Today was pretty warm (close to 40) so I played outside with my nephews. I'm going to really feel it tomorrow! I'm already starting to get black and blue and somewhat sore. Oh well. I don't do that often. Maybe I should!

The picture above is Dinky laying by my heater. He spent some quality time there last weekend when it was so cold. It's kind of his play area. My mom and I also made some homemade treats for Dinky this weekend. Mom found the recipe, so I can't take credit for that. Hopefully they won't irritate his stomach. I'm sure he'll still make himself sick with routine changes though. With any luck, he will grow out of that!

I know I said before I should have a couple new Duckies to list on Etsy after Christmas, but it's looking like only one might be listed within the next week. I think it'll depend on how early my sister and her family leave. I'm also making a black chihuahua amigurumi for myself because I can't find any black chihuahua figurines or stuffed animals. Then I need to do 4 baby shower gifts. I'll try to add new items to the shop while I'm doing those projects.

Dakotas Treasury

I snagged a treasury this morning. So I thought I would promote my fellow Dakotans on Etsy. Check out the treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=28021 I've included both North and South Dakotans. There is some amazing talent!

Also, be sure to check my shop after Christmas. I have two new Duckies I will be listing. Plus I have some ideas for a couple more keychains. I'm excited about them!

Have a good Christmas week!

Bad, bad me

I've been terrible about updating my blog (and my website for that matter). I have no excuse and no energy, haha. I work the later shift at work this week, so hopefully I'll be able to get rested up this week. I'll need to! My nephews will be at my parent's house during Christmas. I'm excited to go home, even though it's really close to where I live, and I do go there quite often. It just seems more like Christmas at my parent's house. I'm weird, what can I say?

Speaking of Christmas, I bought myself this awesome shirt from applenoggin. She has the cutest stuff!!

In case I'm really bad and don't update this before the end of next week.....Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Going to be an Interesting Weekend!

Tomorrow I'm going to my nephew's birthday party out of town. That should be fun, he's turning 5 years old. His birthday party is going to be in a McDonald's at a play place or whatever it's called. I'm hoping to finish up my Christmas shopping tomorrow too.

However, later Saturday it's supposed to start snowing and blowing and we're in a blizzard watch starting Saturday night into Sunday. Fun fun fun! Gotta love winter in South Dakota. Then the beginning of next week, we'll be lucky to get above zero for a high! I'm not sure what to do with Dinky when it's so cold. He doesn't like to go potty on papers in here. Should be interesting!

Maybe I can get a new duckie done or two. I should restock the gnome keychain as well. We shall see! I also want to make a girly duckie, but I'm not sure what kind of girly duckie to make. Hmm...

Visiting Professor

Meet the newest addition to the Duckie family, Professor Duckie! Though, I'm torn if he's a mad scientist or just a geek or a professor. Either way, his glasses were handmade by me and there's a "pen" in his pocket.

I today off, so I tried to be productive. I donated some clothes to the Salvation Army, and finished up Christmas shopping, for the most part. I also finished this guy. Oh, and I started my Christmas cards. I guess I did pretty good today!

Sneak Peak

This is a sneak peak of a new Duckie I almost have done. He/She just needs a finishing touch. Maybe you'll even be able to see the Duckie this week, provided I can find what I am looking for tomorrow. I really like this particular Duckie. I hope you will too!

I also have another Duckie body finished (my "blank canvas"). I'm hoping to start outfitting him tomorrow. I have a really good idea for him. I just hope I can figure out everything I want to do!

This is quite the ambigous post. But like all good TV shows (or movies), all of this will make sense in time. (I obviously watch too much TV and too many movies.)

I should head to bed. My dog doesn't think it's fair that I stay up later than he does.

Stay tuned everyone!

Art Appreciation

Do you appreciate art? Pierre the Painter does! He is determined to be the next great abstract painter. Pierre is just one of the new duckies that are making their temporary homes in my Etsy Shop. Will they find a permanent home with you?

It's been cold here lately. I suppose it is December. Speaking of December, can you believe how fast it's going? It seems like Christmas will be here in no time!

In other unrelated, sporatic thoughts, I love The Big Bang Theory. I got the first season on DVD last week. It is so funny! If you want a good laugh, I would definitely recommend watching the show.

Useless Information

Here's some useless information about me:

1. I grew up in a town of around 300 in the middle of nowhere South Dakota.
2. I've been crocheting ever since I was little. I always say since I was 7 years old, but I don't know for sure how old I was.
3. I played flute for 9 years in school.
4. One of my favorite movies is Dick. It's a fictional story about who Deep Throat was in the Watergate Scandal. (The fictional story is much better than the real story.)
5. I have a gnome and pink penguin fetish.
6. I have an addiction to new music.
7. My favorite band of all time is Garbage. My current favorite band is Within Temptation.
8. I have a strange facination with watching Twinkiechan ebay auctions. (I hope that's not creepy.)
9. I love to watch cooking shows on Food Network even though I hardly ever cook.

Now if there's ever a Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit question about me, you'll be prepared. (Hahaha.)

Ho! Ho! Quack?

He knows when you've been bad or good, well, if you're a duckie anyway! Santa Duckie has flown down from the North Pole to check on all the little duckies. Good thing he got here before the snow hit!

In other news, I've been trying to teach Dinky to lay down. He couldn't figure it out today. He just kind of gave up and went over to where he saw me get the treats from. He definitely can sit good though!

I also got my apartment decorated for Christmas. I would take a picture of my tree, but it's blue tinsel. I'm not sure the pictures would turn out the best. We'll see though.

Suppose I should head to bed soon. Today was my first day back at work after Thanksgiving. After a 5 day weekend, it's hard to get your endurance up for an 8 hour day! Just kidding!

Supersize Me!

Meet the newest addition to the Duckie Family, Larger than Life Duckie. He is 7 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 6 inches beak to tail. He's quite cuddly. I was a little worried while I was making it. It's harder than I thought to enlarge a pattern so the proportions would be the same. I want to make a mini duckie sometime too. Though it might not be mini, it might be just smaller, time will tell. I've decided to just make duckies to stock up my shop and not worry if I'll end up with a small duckie army.

Also, I've been horribly neglecting my blog. My goal is to post once a day again, like I did last year. We shall see if that happens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a little late in the day, but I want to wish all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for following and reading what I have to say. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Don't have too much fun tomorrow!

Treasury again!

I got another treasury. I think this is the 2nd one I've made in the year I've been on Etsy. This time, I decided to make a deer treasury. There are such cute deer on the site, I had to do it. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=23428.

I almost have the front done on a sweater I am working on. I hope to make lots of progress on it this long weekend.

Travel safe everyone!

Here's to Trying New Things!

My hours just got cut at my full-time job, effective the week after Thanksgiving. I will be working 32 hour weeks instead of 40. It could be worse, I could have gotten laid off. Plus my benefits are pretty much staying the same. But now I'll have an extra day off. So I thought, what a good time to try a few new things to get my shop name out there.

I started Project Wonderful a couple weeks ago. It is not free, but it's not really expensive either. Since I started Project Wonderful, I've noticed a few more views, hearts, and two sales. I'm not sure if that's directly related to my advertising or not. But my two sales have paid for my advertising expenses so far. Not too shabby!

I also thought I could do a few more free things to get my name out there. So this morning, I just started Twittering. I can see why people think it's addictive! You can follow my Twitters right here on the blog. It would be awesome if you would follow me on Twitter too, if you're on there.

Brr! It's cold out there!

It's perfect time of year for a beanie! This beanie is currently available in my Etsy shop. It has been Upper Midwest cold weather tested. You can't see it the best in this picture, but there's a slight spiral pattern in the hat. There's also a ribbed band to keep your ears warm. I made a bright pink and grey hat for myself. I'll definitely need it!

Etsy Anniversary and Thanksgiving Sale!

Hello, hello!

I can't believe tomorrow is my one year anniversary selling on Etsy. Crazy! In one year (as of tonight), my mom and I have had 41 sales and 277 hearts. I think that's pretty good!

To celebrate my anniversary, all of my duckies (except for the patterns) are on sale until Thanksgiving! The specialty duckies are now $12, the regular yellow duckie is now $8, and the angel and devil duckie set is now $17.

Have a good week everyone!

New Etsy Purchase

Check out this fawn necklace I just bought this morning from Tizzalicious. Isn't it cute! Orange is of course my favorite color and I've been having a thing for deer lately, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because there have been so many cute deer I've been seeing online. Such as the Bambi plush in EnnaDesignShop. She also has a ton of other cute plush and animals.

On the Project Wonderful update, I've gotten 10 clicks on my ads so far. Currently, my ads are on 3 different blogs/sites. I've also noticed I've received 4 more hearts since I signed up for Project Wonderful. But I don't know if that's directly related to the clicks or not.

Turkey/Wonderful

I made this Duckie for my mom for Thanksgiving. She had a cute name for him, but I can't remember what she called him. Anyway, I think Duckie looks really good in his Turkey garb.

In other news, I signed up for Project Wonderful last night. Project Wonderful is a website that you can advertise on different blogs and websites. Be on the look out for my ads. I'm thinking I'm going to give it a trial run for a month or until Christmas, or until the money I put in my account there runs out. I have noticed a couple more views since I started advertising. Plus I figure it's a good way to get my name out there.

Also, Dinky is recovering fine from his surgery. He has been playing like he didn't even have anything done on Friday. So that's good. He hasn't been too impressed with the snow though.

Blizzard!!

Well, not really, where I live anyway (right now). It's just raining here (actually, I just looked outside and it's snowing lightly now). But western South Dakota really got socked (or is still getting socked). I heard one place had 32 inches this morning and there are 60 mile an hour winds. Crazy! I guess it is November though, so it's to be expected. I heard we're supposed to have a hard winter this year. Poor Dinky and poor me too! (I do have to mention that one of the weather guys this morning about said there was a Wizard Warning. I found that funny.)

Speaking of Dinky, he got fixed today. He's currently still at the vet. I can pick him up in a half hour or so. The vet's office called me at work and told me he was recovering fine, so that's good. I'll be happy when he's all healed up I think.

Now onto the reason for the pictures above! This little Duckie is ready for Christmas with a Santa print shirt and a red ear flap hat. I had an urge to make an ear flap hat for a duckie and I thought this was the perfect duckie to make one for. I think he turned out really good. This little Duckie is now available in my Etsy shop.

New Items Coming Soon!

The pictures above are just a teaser of the new items coming soon (or in the case of the pumpkin pin, already in) my Etsy Shop. Keep checking the shop for ornaments, yo-yo Christmas trees, pins, more Snow Babies, and more winter edition Duckies. I'm really excited! I will also soon be listing something you can wear on your head, whenever I can get a good picture of it.

In other news, Dinky is getting fixed at the end of this week. I'm kinda nervous about it. I'll be very happy when it is over, I think.

The Amoebous Plushie

This is my new sewing machine I was talking about earlier. I picked it up yesterday. Yeah! Now to just master the thing, or atleast not have to call my mom because I can't get it to go around a curve. Anyway, I think it's a cute little machine. Sitting in front of the machine is "The Amoebous Plushie" (my first project thingy that wasn't straight lines or spirals). I should have called it the bone like shaped plushie, but who's being technical?

This turned out neither cute nor pretty nor strangely cool.....

But Dinky likes it just fine anyway! (I'm not sure how long it will last though....)

I decided tonight that I have this strange need (problem maybe?) to want to learn how to do new things. This doesn't sound bad right now, but I have a tendency to get frustrated or lose patience and go back to what I can do well (crocheting). I really hope this doesn't happen with the sewing because I have some cool ideas of plushies and things I want to make. Maybe that's the real problem, I have these big ideas and then when I don't get to the point to do them fast enough, I drop it and go back to crocheting. Mom thinks I'll be able to figure this whole sewing thing out though.

Radio Silence...again.

I haven't posted for a while again. I really need to start posting on here more often. Not too much great has been going on. I went on a business trip for work a couple days last week. We got our first snow (grr) but it didn't stick around, thank goodness! My sewing machine hasn't come in yet. I'm thinking I might end up making plushies more on it than clothing. But maybe that's just because I'm not sure good I'll be at sewing clothing. But I did tell my sister I would make her some flannel Rudolph lounge pants. Time will tell I guess!

I'm so mad at myself too. I ordered some mini cards from Moo.com and aparently I didn't spell Hooked right. It made me mad. I could have sworn I double checked the spelling! I also thought the yellow of the logo didn't come out right, so I'm going to put a colored background on the cards this time.

Well, I should get busy doing something. I need to start being more productive!

Shop Updates and Am I Crazy?

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

I wanted to let everyone know that Home Hooked now ships internationally. I have the shipping set in my Etsy shop for most items. If you don't see it on the item you want, just convo me on Etsy and I will find out the shipping costs for you.

So, I've been thinking that it would be cool to make my own clothes. So today I put down a deposit for a sewing machine. The store I am buying it from didn't have a new one in stock. I'm excited. Though, I'm kind of scared because I'm not the most proficient sew-er in the world. But I guess I'll get better with practice. I think I got bit by the Project Runway bug and all of the awesome clothing I see on Etsy.

I got a really cute sewing machine though. It's a Baby Lock Audrey. I told Mom it reminded me of an Ipod Nano because it's got most of the features of this higher priced regular sewing machine, but it's more compact.

I'll have to keep you updated on my progress. I'll let you know when my clothing line is available. (Lol, I think I am crazy!)

South Dakota State University Duckie

Here is Jackrabbit Fan Duckie! My sister works at South Dakota State University (and I graduated from there) and she wanted a Duckie to have at work. So I made this South Dakota State University Duckie. The ears are sewn onto the beanie and he's got a Jackrabbit t-shirt on. I think he turned out good!

I've kind of run out of my ambition steam. But I should keep going because my luck, if I stop, I'll end up selling a bunch of Duckies before Christmas. Then I'll be scrambling to fill my shop. And who knows, I might end up having an army of Duckies. There could be worse things!

Buzz, Buzz

Meet Bea the Bumblebee! She's an adopted member of the Duckie family. She has a curly stinger, which you can't see in this picture. Making a bee was actually my mom's idea. She is so good!

I hope you like her!

And the Rock Goes On

Meet the latest Punk Duckie available in my Etsy shop. This is more of a punk grrl. My headphones used to be attached to my head, so I wanted a Duckie to have headphones too. I love it. My wonderful sister (who made the icon for me) made the the wires for the headphones for me.

Speaking of rock, I purchased the new Cruiserweight CD from Itunes. It's called Big Bold Letters. I haven't listened to it yet, but I can't wait to. Another awesome CD I bought is The Silent Force by Within Temptation. I absolutely love it! If you like a girl fronted symphonic rock band, you'll love Within Temptation. Check them out, both of them!

Logo!

My wonderful sister made this logo for me. She did awesome! I love it. I'm planning on putting it on address labels, on stickers for the boxes I ship my creations in, my website, and anywhere else it will make sense. Yeah! I'm pretty excited to have my own logo.

I hope everyone else likes it as much as I do.

Rock on!

I haven't mentioned much about Dinky lately. Or maybe have, I can't remember. Anyway, my mom made him this spiffy little lounge chair for him. He really likes it. He really hardly ever just chills out on it like he is in this picture. Normally, he's pawing around on it, or playing on it with a toy. I thought he looked cute in this picture though. Dinky loves to cross those paws! And, should he ever get the inclination to read, he has a nice selection of books at his fingertips!

I now have a Duckie especially for thos rockers out there...Punk Duckie! He's got a white tipped green mohawk. He also accessorized with a beak ring (it's a bit hard to see in this picture) and a tie dyed necktie. He's defintely ready for his next gig. If he goes over well, you may see a couple more rock/punk inspired duckies. I have a couple ideas I'm excited about. I'll see how things go.

Crisp Fall Air

I just got in from taking Dinky out. It sure cooled off! It's really not that cold, but it was just like in the 70s during the day. But anyway, I have a point with all this. Duckie knows winter is right around the corner in our neck of the woods. So he/she is getting ready! He/She has already bought his/her hat and scarf. Bring on the cold! Wait, no, I don't mean that.

Snow Babies are Available Again!

Snow Babies are now available in my Etsy shop again. I currently have the two shown listed, but keep checking the shop for more colors. This year, there will be a few fleece hatted Snow Babies. They're super cute and a little bigger than last year. I'll also be listing some Winterized Duckies in the coming weeks.

Retirement Home Duckie

Gertrude is out for a day on the town. She's got her purse and her cane and she means business!

This is a Duckie I made my sister. It was her idea to make an old person Duckie. I glued this Duckie on her feet slightly tilted by accident. When my sister saw her, she thought of an old person Duckie immediately. I love how she turned out. She is my favorite Duckie for sure. My sister made the cane for this Duckie, by the way. And I bought the glasses from Hobby Lobby.

I also have a Snow Baby listed in my Etsy shop. I'll post some pics of them later.

I'm a Bad Girl

Well, not that bad really. I bought myself a new orange Ipod Nano though. And that in itself isn't bad, except there's nothing wrong with my current Ipod Nano, except it's black and it doesn't have those new features. I'm mostly excited this new one is orange. I've wanted an orange one ever since I bought my first Ipod Mini! I'm terrible. But oh well, I had a difficult day at work today, so I deserve it. Right?

Hopefully, I'll have some new Duckies to display in the near future. Oh, and maybe you'll be able to see Dinky in his Halloween costume!

Jack-o-Lantern Duckie and Newsletter

This Duckie is dressed up as a Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween. His outfit is complete with a pumpkin lid hat. He is now available in my Etsy Shop. He will most likely be the last Halloween Duckie that will be listed in my shop. But I'll see.

I am also proud to annouce that I now have a newsletter that I will send out when I add new items to my shop. I will also send out a newsletter with general updates as I deem neccessary. Email newsletter@homehooked.com to sign up for the newsletter.

Friends for Life

This is Dinky's best friend Stinky. The first night I brought him home, this was one of the first things he played with. I didn't intend for it to be a toy for him, but he took right too it. Dinky and Stinky have been inseperable ever since.

So now you know how insane I am. I actually named Dinky's stuffed animal. But I figured I needed to call it something other than "his toy" as he has lots of toys. After much thought and consideration, and the amount of spit the stuff animal had accumulated, I decided on the name Stinky. It has a perfect ring to it!

Today, I made a flying trip to the town where I live to get some "bland" food for Dinky from the vet. He's been having an upset stomache lately, and it has started to concern me. Anytime he doesn't eat, it concerns me. And of course, I was at my parent's house this weekend. I gave him some of his disgusting smelling bland food, and he did eat some of it. I don't think he's used to moist food. I did have him on dry dog food. Hopefully this helps!

Now I should get to work on Duckies. I have lots to make and a ton of ideas for different ones!

Go Speed Racer Go!

Dinky's new favorite toy is a little matchbox Nascar. He started playing with one when we were at my parents' house with my nephews. My sister let me bring one back. At first he couldn't remember what to do with it, but then he figured it out. He even knows how to move it. He either pulls it or pushes it with his paw, or nudges it with his nose. He likes to chew on it the most though.

Olympic musings (random blabber): I kind of got sick of watching swimming. It's great that Michael Phelps won all of those golds, but it got kind of monotonous. I liked watching the gymnastics, but they were always on late. So I went to bed before they were over, so I wasn't crabby the next day. I also liked watching the diving. But I wish NBC would have showed more variety of sports instead of always the same thing in the evening. I suppose they had other sports on during the day while I was at work. Oh well.

Trick-or-Treat!

The Duckies are ready to go Trick-or-Treating! Are they coming to your house? All three are now available in my Etsy shop. These are the first projects, other than the bunnies that I've gotten done since I got Dinky.

The poor dog is scared now because there's a line of nasty storms heading our way sometime this evening. Can't say I blame him, except he doesn't want to eat now. And I was going to work on training him to "come here". Right now, he goes running and teases me when I ask him if he needs to go outside. So I'm thinking I won't make much progress since he won't want any of the treats I was planning on using to bribe him. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Halloween Witch Duckie

I have a new item in my shop! I just finished Halloween Witch Duckie tonight. I'm really happy with how she turned out. It was awesome to finally accomplish something and add something new to my shop. Keep looking for new merchandise for both Halloween and winter.

Progress!!

Yeah! I've made some progress on the bunnies for my co-workers and friends who are pregnant or have just had a baby. These two are for one lady who just had a baby girl, and one who will be induced at the end of August. The one on the left is for a baby boy, obviously. The other one is for a baby girl, obviously. I wasn't planning on putting bibs on them, but I needed to try to figure out how to incorporate Jeff Gordon into the pink one. The lady is a Jeff Gordon fan. So my mom came up with the idea of bibs. I couldn't find pink Jeff Gordon fabric in the town I live in. But my mom had this fabric from something she made for my sister. So there we go! I think they turned out good. This picture doesn't do them justice.

Now, I only have 4 (or 5, if one chick is having twins) more bunnies to make for my friends. But atleast they're due at the end of the year or next year. I just remembered another family friend who was pregnant. Then I'm going to make some to put in my Etsy shop. Speaking of my Etsy shop, I really need to get my butt moving. I'm thinking about making 3 Halloween themed Duckies. Then I need to start making my Winter Duckies for both the Etsy shop, and for a craft show my mom goes to. And I need to get that Pug cross-stitch picture done before Christmas. I'm not so sure that's going to happen now.

Dinky has been entertaining himself quite well now. He just thinks he wants to go outside every 5 minutes after I get home from work. And the one time I don't take him out, he goes on my floor. Oh well, there's a puppy for you I guess!

New Projects!

Hello, Hello!

Today I realized how many of my friends are pregnant. I used to make afghans for my friends who were pregnant, but I don't really have the time to do that any more. Especially since I have 4 friends I need to make things for. So I decided to make them amigurumi animals instead. I'm thinking I'll just make bunnies, but I'm not sure if I'll decide to branch out into bears. I'll have to post a picture of the one I'm making for my friend that's due in August.

Dinky is very close to being housebroken and I'm starting to trust him more. So I might start being more productive on the Etsy/craft front. Let's hope so!

Long Time No Blog!

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've blogged. Dinky has been keeping me more than busy. But his potty training is coming along! I wouldn't say he is potty trained yet as he has accidents in the house still, but he's gotten better about going outside. And he's sort of started telling me when he needs to go out....should I pick up the signs. He gets very distracted outside though, but the progress is encouraging. He has also gotten better about playing by himself. He still loves attention though! I think he misses my family on Monday, since it's just the two of us during the week.

Maybe sometime soon, I can start working on my stuff again. I hope so!

Dinky is a Weird Dog

So Dinky became inadvertantly playpen trained. I'm not sure how it happened, but he refuses to go potty outside. I only had him in the playpen I borrowed from my friend with the pugs the night I got him (last Thursday) and then the next day while I was at work (last Friday) as well as two more hours while I was at a jewelry party. (He made a royal mess the two hours I was at the party, so I decided to train him to go potty outside. Plus, I couldn't stand the smell.) So all this weekend, and today after work I've been working with him to go outside. But he won't go! So I get concerned about his bladder and put him in the playpen and he goes right away.

Then today, I was talking to my mom, and he started pawing to get into the playpen. So I took him outside, and surprise surprise, he didn't go. So then I took out the playpen, and he kind of went nuts because he was in the playpen, and could see outside, but couldn't get out. I brought him back in and called mom, and he started pawing again. So I put him in the play pen, and he went right away.

I go to my parent's house quite often on the weekends (pathetic, I know) and I do not want to haul a playpen. What am I going to do? Does anyone have any tips on how ot break him of the playpen?

Meet the Newest Member of the Family!

Meet Dinky! Yes, I did get permission from my landlords, just last week actually. I was going to wait to get Dinky today, but one of my friends at work convinced me to get him Thursday. He is quite the cutie. And he seems pretty mellow and laid back for a chihuahua. He is three months old, well, almost 4 months. Now onto the task of housebreaking him. I need to get trained too, because I don't know what signs to look for to know he needs to go outside. But it's only been a couple days, so I don't expect miracles quite yet. I have looked online about housebreaking a puppy, but it's all so confusing! And it's got me scared that by my being at work all day and not being able to come home to take him out at lunch, will make Dinky have some bad habits....

However, until I can get him somewhat trained and so he plays by himself a little better, I probably won't get much accomplished on the Etsy or the gifts for my friends front. But oh well, I can deal with it!

EtsyHookers Team Challenge #2

I decided to enter this Duckie in the EtsyHookers Team Challenge #2. It's a rainbow challenge. I thought this guy would fit right in. If you want to check out the other entries, go to Etsy.com and type in etsyhookersCC2 for a tag search.

Gnome Duckie

Here by popular demand! I finally decided to finish the Gnome Duckie last night. All I had was the beard left, I just couldn't get myself motivated to get it done. I really like how he turned out. Right now, he's keeping the amigurumi Gnome company. They look rather cute together. The Gnome Duckie is now available in my Etsy shop.

What I'm Working On

Hello, Hello! I thought it would only be fair to show you what I've been working on. I bought this cross stitch pattern from Crystalyte925 on Etsy. Definitely check her out. She's got the cutest patterns! The best part about the pattern I'm working on is no back stitching! Yeah!!! Back stitching is my least favorite part of cross-stitching. I'm making this pug puppy for a co-worker of mine for Christmas. I check on her pugs once in a while when she and her husband are out of town. She is a pug fanatic, so this will be perfect! She also has told me I could bring my dog over to her house while we're at work.....That is should I get the nerve to get one without my landlord's permission. If I only knew I wouldn't get evicted, I would have gotten one today. But they haven't called me back yet and it's been at least 2 or 3 weeks. Ugh....

In other news, I recently found out Shirley Manson of Garbage is going to be a series regular on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That makes me excited! I love Shirley Manson! She is so awesome! She's been my idol ever since high school. I also found out she will be releasing a solo album this year. Yeah!! I can't wait. But anyway, I'll have to start watching Terminator.

I'm Still Here!

I was doing so good updating this almost daily there for a bit. But I've been lagging lately. Lagging in everthing Etsy it seems like. I did have a quite a few sales though. And I did just sell a yellow Duckie. But I feel lazy and not ambitious at all! That's not to say I'm not doing anything. I've been working on a cross stitch picture for a friend that I bought off Etsy. I'm making it for a Christmas present. I thought I should start early on it! However, I haven't crocheted for a few days. Which is weird for me! I normally crochet every day. Oh well, I guess a break doesn't hurt anyone.

I promise as soon as I get my ambition back, I'll have something new to post. I'm almost done with a particular project I was working on before I became lazy.

I also need to get my butt moving on promoting my shop again. I'm stumped on how to promote the wonderful items Mom has made. Hmmm......

Fish Tissue Cozy

Fish Tissue Cozy - Bottom
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked Creations

Hello! A new line will be available in my shop starting this weekend. This is the first of four tissue cozies. The fish tissue cozy is currently available in my shop. These, of course, were made by my mom. I can't sew very good at all. But Mom is awesome! These cozies are made for a travel size tissue pack (one is included with a purchase of a cozy). However, you could even put some loose tissues in the cozy. Keep checking the shop for the other cozies!

Treasury and Memorial Day

My Frightened Fruit Kabob was recently included in another treasury. I've lost count of how many it has been in. I think this treasury is super cute. It would be really cool if it made it to the front page of Etsy. A girl can dream can't she? Thank you miasophia!

I would also like to take some time to pimp my mom's goods that are in my shop. She has awesome merchandise perfect for the 4th of July or any patriotic person you know! She has some spoons and a fork painted with a flag, such as this sugar spoon. Painted silverware not for you? How about a patriotic pin. Once again, there are a few different ones to choose from, such as this heart shaped flag pin. Are you just not interested in flags? Maybe you need something to put your cell phone or mp3 player in. Mom has also made some shirt shaped cozies, such as this Asian print one. Check them out!!

Have a great long weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

New Patterns Available!

The Duckie bunny ears, bikini, and tutu patterns are now available in my Etsy shop. Now you can outfit your Duckies! These patterns are sold all together. They will be available separately as well as together with the Duckie pattern (I'll be listing that later today). I hope you like them!

A (final probably) update on the dog situation. I asked my landlord again last night about getting a chihuahua. I told them that I found out the puppy would be fine in my apartment (in the bathroom) while I'm at work. The lady said she needed to talk to her husband and would call me back last night. But they never called me back. I'm thinking she was trying to think of a nice way to tell me no. But I guess we shall see. If she never calls me back, then I'll forget about the dog.

Have a good weekend!

I Survived!

Hello everyone! It's been a really long time since I posted on here. I've been playing with my nephews and now recovering. I don't know how kids have so much energy! As I'm sure you can guess, I haven't accomplished much. I am working on something for my shop that I will most likely be able list next week. With any luck anyway!

I have been working on my magna drawing. It's not perfect by any means and is really my first magna person I've drawn. He's not my original idea, it is a dude from the book I bought.

This Isn't Just for Eating!

Silverware isn't just for eating anymore! You can now decorate your home with these decorative forks (and soon to come spoons). Each piece is one of a kind. My mom (with masking help from my sister) did a fabulous job. The fork is now available in my Etsy Shop. The spoons will be coming soon!

I should also note that I will be on "vacation" from Tuesday, May 6th through Tuesday, May 13. I'll be helping my mom watch my two nephews (age 1 and 4, please pray for us). So I'm not sure how much of a vacation it will be. But it'll still be fun. However, due to that, I will most likely not be able to ship anything until I get back. Unless it's something Mom has made.

Also, an update on the dog situation. I talked to my landlords last night. They stated that I can't have one, well, in more words than that and for a different reason than I thought they would. I wish I could be like my friends and get one anyway. But I'm too much of a good girl. So I guess it's a no go for right now. : ( Tear.

I want a dog

A chihuahua to be exact. My family had a chihuahua mix. And ever since I moved to my current apartment, the thought of getting one of my own has kind of been rolling around in the back of my head. Recently, I've been thinking more seriously. And this weekend has got me wanting one really, really bad. For the past few days, I've been checking in on two pugs for a friend at work. Today, I went to a birthday party for a dog that another co-worker has. One person brought her teacup chihuahua that she just got. And then another person who was at the party went and got one too. Now I really, really, really want a chihuahua. A regular one though. I'm afraid a teacup chihuahua would get lost in my apartment.

Here are the cons. My apartment contract says I can't have pets without permission from my landlords. I've been a really good renter. But I'm not sure if they'd agree. I'm trying to decide if I'm serious enough about a dog to ask. However, I don't want to get too serious about wanting one in case they say no. I live in a duplex and my neighbors are chain smokers I'm sure they way the smell wafts over here. Maybe I should just call my landlords and find out and be done with it.

The worst part is I even have names picked out if I get a dog. Lelu for a girl (from the Fifth Element, of course) or Chevy for a boy. For the car, not Chevy Chase. Even though a drive a Ford. Then I can say I own a Chevy. :D I'm not sure if I want a boy or a girl. And I don't really care the color.

What should I do???

Canadian Shipping Now Available!

Happy Weekend!

I have updated my Etsy shop so I now offer Canadian shipping. (And international shipping, by request).

In other news, I rented Juno last night. I've been wanting to see it. It was pretty good. I don't know if it's something I'll eventually buy to watch over and over. Maybe if I can find it used. I did really like the music and the story line and the look of the movie. Ellen Page was excellent. And I am a huge Jennifer Garner fan, so of course, I thought she was good.

Gnome!

This gnome is my newest creation. I thought he turned out quite good! The Gnome Friend is now available on my Etsy shop. I've been working on him for quite a while. He is the first amigurumi in my shop that has split legs. I weighted down the feet so he can stand on his own. I'm not sure if you can tell on this picture, but his hands have little thumbs as well.

I hope you like him!

Not Snowed In!

I did get out of town yesterday. The Interstate finally re-opened around noon, so I headed out shortly after that. I saw 13 vehicles in the ditch yesterday. Thank goodness I didn't end up there! Things are melting nicely now though. I didn't have any problems getting to my house when I got back today. Hopefully the snow will be gone until winter now!

I got myself a Magna drawing book yesterday. It's a kids book on how to draw Magna creatures. I figured it would be easier to start learning with than drawing people. I'll have to see how it goes. I'm pretty excited. I took a drawing class in college and got an A for effort. But I was never really that good at drawing realistic things. What could be less realistic than creatures I think of in my head?

Update

I just heard on the news we got 10 inches of snow. So I was a bit high in my estimation. That's still a ton of snow for the end of April!

Snow is a Four Letter Word

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..... Except Christmas is 8 months away, or 4 months ago, however you want to look at it. You guessed it, we got another snow storm today. This one I didn't even hear about until this morning, but it still didn't sound major. Boy was I wrong! We have atleast a foot of snow, maybe even a foot and a half. And of course, I wanted to go somewhere this weekend. Hopefully, I'll get there tomorrow. Apparently, it's supposed to stop snowing tonight and is supposed to be almost 50 degrees tomorrow. We shall see.

I was really afraid I was going to get stuck at work and have to sleep there. Thank god the lady that sits beside me has a 4 wheel drive and was going to her sister's who lives near me. I don't think they let out work early because no one could go anywhere unless they had 4 wheel drive. It's so bad and widespread that the Interstate from the North Dakota border to the Nebraska border is closed. Crazy!

Trudging through snow took a lot of energy out of me, so I have a feeling I won't be too productive tonight. Snow walking is good exercise though!

200 Hearts!

They like me, they really like me. Well, 201 people have hearted me on Etsy anyway. I think that's a pretty good milestone to have reached. If you're one of the people who have hearted my shop or one of my items, thank you! And if you're one of the people who have made a purchase from me, thank you, thank you! Thank you for feeding my crochet habit and also for preventing my apartment from being over-run by amigurumi. I promise I will have atleast one new picture of a new amigurumi sometime soon to make this a bit more aesthetically pleasing instead of all of these words.

Busy Weekend

I have had a tiring weekend. My younger sister and I helped my mom and dad watch our two nephews. I will definitely have to recover from this weekend this whole week. Due to that, I don't really have any new in my shop. I am working on a new amigurumi, but the arms will take more ambition that what I feel like I have right now. I'll work on him tomorrow.

I did sign up for Indiepublic this weekend. I really like the look of it. Plus they have very stylish templates and the advertisements are not overly intrusive. They also have a library of information which I fully intend to use.

Treasury!

I like looking through the treasuries on Etsy. It's so cool to see what people choose to put together. I also think it's cool to see the gold star letting me know one of my items is in one. I haven't been in a treasury for a while, so it was a nice suprise to see my Neptune Alien Keychain was chosen to be part of the treasury to the left. Thank you OfftheHookHats!

Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to become one of those Etsy sellers who list merchandise that gets snapped up quickly. I'm guessing it just takes time and hardwork and more exposure. I have also been trying to think of ways to promote off the internet. There's a craft show my mom goes to in November that I'm going to try selling some of my merchandise at. But that's a long time from now. And she said mostly older ladies go that craft show. I've thought about hanging up a business card at work. But I don't really feel comfortable doing that. I'll have to keep brainstorming!

Wardrobe for your Cell Phone

Make room in your closet for....shirt cell phone cozies! My mom made these cozies. I think she did a great job and what a great idea! The flame shirt is currently listed in my Etsy shop. That's my favorite because of the bright colors. But she made one for everyone. The red shirt has an Asian print. Each shirt has a button or two. These cozies can also be used for MP3 players and other small electronics.

Check them out!

Gnome Keychain

This is it! This is the gnome keychain I made for myself. I just can't help but smile every time I look at him. I decided to make one for my Etsy shop too. I hope he can make someone else smile as much as he makes me smile.

I should get to work on Mom's Mother's Day gift. I haven't been especially productive today because I had an unfamiliar and uncontrollable urge to dust and organize this morning. Weird.

Woof Woof

I'm so happy! I finished a bigger project today. My sister latch hooked the doggie to the left. And I sewed it together for her. It's not perfect by any means (the sewing, she did an awesome latch hooking it!), but I think she turned out pretty good! I won't see my sister until next weekend, so I have the doggie on my futon so she can watch tv or watch outside while I'm at work.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to redo his nose, but I'll see what my sister thinks. She's quite a large dog! Practically lifesize it seems like.

I also made another little project for myself tonight. But I'll probably post that tomorrow because I'm going to list another one I'm making in my Etsy shop. Just looking at it makes me smile!

Today, I also decided I needed some new music. So I went semi-crazy on I-tunes. I bought a song by She & Him (a band or duo or whatever with Zooey Deschanel as the singer) called "Why do You Let Me Stay Here". Which is a bit different that I normally listen to, but I like it. The whole album has some songs that are a bit too country for me. But Zooey Deschanel has an awesome voice! I also bought an album from a band called Girl in a Coma. It was only $5.99 and I'm a sucker for cheap music and unknown (to me anyway) bands. I love finding bands before they're overplayed on the radio. I haven't listened to the whole album yet, but it's good so far! It's an all girl trio. I'm also a sucker for bands like that too. And the last song I bought was "Fake It" by Seether. I didn't really like it at first, but it's grown on me. So hopefully my new music addiction is satisfied for a while.

Stay tuned for my post tomorrow!!

Oh! I about forgot......Congratulations Jimmie Johnson on your win! The last few laps were really stressful to watch, but totally worth it!!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked Creations

I just finished this two scoop ice cream cone keychain. I'm don't eat a lot of ice cream. But I do think this keychain looks yummy! And bonus, it won't melt! This is also an excellent way to use up my scrap yarn. Yeah!

Another thing I'm screaming about is.......a blizzard warning!!! You read that right. We've had more storms and snow since Spring started it seems like than we've had all winter. I would be ok with something like this in March, maybe even the first day or two of April, but not now! Crazy weather.