Featured Photographer: Geno Photography

I really love the wonderful photographers that I get to work with, and to show them my appreciation I'd like to give each one a featured post, so expect a week of every month's posts to be dedicated to pictures of squishy newborn goodness, glowing bellies, thriving toddlers and beautiful families. I am not perked in any way to write these posts, I just like to be able to showcase each one more than just "sharing" their photos on Facebook.

Geno Photography

 

See my first post on Geno Photography here. I absolutely love working with Carrie Geno, the owner and photographer at Geno Photography. She isn't just a photographer to me, because she has also been taking my children's photos since my oldest was 6 months old (he is now almost 3!). She is an absolutely flawless prop photographer, highlighting details I could only dream of. Here are some recent photos she has taken for me.

 

 

{These two girls are daughters, are they not just absolutely beautiful?!}

 

A lot of people forget that I crochet items for every age and size {for no extra charge}, so I sent some items to her and requested a couple of photos so that I could showcase older children too. I absolutely love how these turned out! The snowy background- perfect! And I love that she was able to match her daughter's coats to the headband and hat too, it really makes each item pop!

You can purchase the earwarmer headband here, and earflap hat with flower here; just specify which sizes you need. You can also send me an e-mail at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com to get started on your custom order.

 

She also photographed some newborn stuff for me, it turned out so cute!

 

 

Don't you just love newborn goodness? Even better, these were a set of twins! Yup, really. Go check out more info on Geno Photography at her website here, her blog here, her Facebook page here, and be sure to check out more work here!

 

You can purchase the bear hat here, baby boots here, or toddler boots here. You can specify size and color for each item.

 

Happy Monday!

 









Custom Order!

It has been a hop, skip and a jump since I have posted on this here ol' blog! And by that I mean it's been about a week. Or 8 days if you are counting.

This earwarmer headband was custom ordered from a repeat customer at the Holiday Expo, and I'm not sure why (and how) I forgot to share it!

I love how natural and almost organic it seems with the cream yarn and wood button. Sweet, simple, beautiful. Just the way I like it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and spent lots of time with the ones you love!

Happy Wednesday!

 

 

For Sandy Hook

I just can't get Sandy Hook out of my mind. No one can. It is just hits too close to home.

I don't live in Connecticut. I don't know the families. But I want to help. The only way that I know how to help is by donating.

Today, December 18, 2012, through tomorrow, December 19, 2012 ending at 8am, I will be offering 20% of all proceeds from my ready to ship items to go to support the Sandy Hook victims. Items will ship Wednesday, December 19, 2012 and therefore *should* make it to homes before Christmas.

You can also check out several other small businesses that are donating (including Scentsy, Stella and Dot, and so many more) over on the blog I Love You More Than Carrots. She also has links for donating directly, without purchasing.

Check out my ready to ship items here.

Another- not so happy Tuesday.

 

Sandy Hook

Everyone has heard about Sandy Hook by now. Everyone had heard about Sandy Hook by Friday afternoon. It's surprising, it's terrifying, but worse, it's our new normal. These kinds of tragedies seem to be happening all the time, and everyone seems to be working on some way to prevent it.

 But how?

How do we prevent something like this?

Higher security in our schools? The problem is that you don't know who is coming in to commit a crime like this, or who is coming in to take their kid to a dental appointment. From what I have read, the principal buzzed him through the security system because she recognized him. She didn't think in any way, shape or form that he was coming in for... something like that.

Gun control? I don't really know where I stand here. What I do know is that criminals are not known to follow the laws, so will stricter laws keep tragedies like this from occurring?

Mental illness help? Always. It's impossible to predict who will commit this kind of a crime. In America, we can't just assume that somebody has this capability, and therefore put them away for life. Because what if they aren't capable of it? We just ruined their life. But then, what if they are, and we aren't helping them. 

Sandy Hook.

I feel... speechless. And then I ramble. I can't comprehend what has happened. Small children go home and they have no one to play with. Their sibling, their best friend, their other half- is gone. How many children feel lost right now? Their parents are doing their best to keep it together, but how many children are watching their parents, maybe even their entire family, fall apart?

How many parents go home to any empty bed? They just sit on their child's bed, hugging their favorite stuffed animal and praying that it's all a horrific nightmare that they will wake up to. Then they find themselves ready to stand, ready to walk to the living room. Only to find every little thing reminding them of the child that they can no longer snuggle to sleep. The Christmas tree with gifts that will never be opened; the TV with every news station reporting on their child. They think of the last thing they said to their child. Was it a happy morning where they exchanged I love you's before their child jumped out of the car and ran into one of their favorite places in the world? Or was it a slow, not so happy morning? Was it a grumpy morning where the child didn't want to go to school, didn't even want to leave their bed? Hopefully not. I really, really hope not. 

So what can we do?

If you believe in a higher power- then pray. Pray until you don't think you can pray anymore, then pray again.

We can support them emotionally. We can let them know that the United States is behind them, and we will help them get the support they need.

We can support them financially. I read {but I have no idea if it has been confirmed} that a funeral home in Dubuque, Iowa is providing caskets to the family of each victim. If that is true, I'm not surprised. I live in Iowa. This is what Iowans do. We stand behind the people who need it; we do what we can.

So I am going to do what I can. I don't know the details yet, but I know that I am going to help. I will get all of my information to AP from I Love You More Than Carrots by the end of today, and everything you need to know will be up tomorrow. In the meantime, if you have ideas, please send them my way. E-mail me at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com. I am going to be brainstorming all day, so I would definitely appreciate any kind of input that I can get.

My last thoughts for today, remember these names. You don't need to know the name of the murderer. You only need to know the names of the heroes {also known as teachers and other administrative staff} and the small children who lost their lives. That is it.

- Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female
- Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male
- Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female.
- Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female
- Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female
- Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female
- Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male
- Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female
- Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female
- Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female
- Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male
- Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male
- James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male
- Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female
- Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female
- Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female
- Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male
- Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male
- Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female
- Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female
- Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female
- Lauren Rousseau, 6/1982, female (full date of birth not specified)
- Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56, female
- Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female
- Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male
- Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female

It is surely not a happy Monday.

 

Custom Order!

I haven't been posting many custom orders lately, because I have been getting lots of Mickey and Minnie hat orders, as well as a lot of reindeer hat orders. I forsee lots of happy children on Christmas morning! Also, a lot of people are using my Mickey and Minnie hats to put in their "clues to Disneyland" gift, how incredibly cute is that? I wish that I could see the looks on those kids' faces!

This particular customer loved my puppy hat, but wanted different colors. She wanted to go with more of a neutral palette, and settled on green instead of brown, and cream instead of tan.

I am incredibly in love with this hat. So in love, that I may use it as inspiration for coordinating hats for my children. Yup- I'm that in love.

The green is a little bit deeper and brighter in person, this yarn just does not photograph very well at all. Seriously, the hat is beautiful, I promise. You will just need to order one to see for yourself! Remember, all orders are completely custom, and I still have just a little bit of extra time to get items shipped before Christmas!

Happy Friday!

 

Ready to Ship!

I spent all day yesterday organizing my Etsy shop just for you guys! I added a "READY TO SHIP" section, and every item in that section is crocheted up and ready to be shipped {hence the name, ha!}. Once an item has been sold out, the posting will be removed from Etsy. I do have a few of some things {two gingerbread hats, two infinity scarves, several coffee mug cozies, etc.}, so those listings will stay up until the amount of items available are sold.

I do still have time for custom orders, but I need all custom orders to be placed *this week* to be shipped in time for Christmas. I am doing my best to get items shipped as quickly as possible so that there is no "what if" about whether or not you will receive the item in time.

Now, here we go! All of the following items are ready to ship!

{momma stuff}

{little's stuff}

{18-36 months below}

{0-3 months below}

Check out the ready to ship section of my ship here, where you can directly add to cart and purchase items! If you want to purchase more than one item, use the promo code "multiples10" to get 10% off of your entire order! Shoot me an e-mail at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com *this week* if you are looking to get your custom order in time for Christmas!

Happy Thursday!

Gingerbread Heaven

"You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread {wo}man!"

I'm pretty much in love with this set. The gorgeous hat, the matching leggings {swoon!}, not to mention my beauty of a daughter; everything about it is perfection.

I currently have two toddler sized gingerbread hats ready to ship. One is a girl because it already has a bow on it. The other one does not have a bow, so I can either ship it "as is" for a boy, or I can add a bow before shipping. I can also whip up leggings or a diaper cover to ship with it.

If the toddler size doesn't work for you, then you can check out my Etsy listing for just the hat here, or the hat and leggings here. Feel free to e-mail me at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com if you have any questions, or if you just prefer to pay with PayPal. If purchased this week, then you still have time to receive items before Christmas.

Happy Wednesday!

Recap of the Holiday Expo!

As most of you know, I was a vendor at the Holiday Expo this past weekend {I only posted it on Facebook a zillion times, right?}. It was fun to see all of the vendors out there and make a few new friends! Here are a few photos of my set-up.

{I love these two hats with the wood button. They are size 0-3 months and are still for sale! Shoot me an e-mail at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com: $15 each, shipped, or buy both for $27 shipped.}

 

 Yup, I stole my almost 3 year old's {Almost three?! When did this happen?!} chalkboard. That's a normal thing for an owner of a business to do, right? Don't answer that.

 

I learned a lot about crochet, and what attracts someone to an item.

For instance-

1. The really unique and creative items catch people's eyes {e.g. the reindeer hat, gingerbread hat, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, etc.}, but just long enough to point it out to their bestie and then walk away.

2. While people around the US seem to really favor my Mickey and Minnie Mouse hats {they are my top sellers as well as my top views}, people in Iowa really don't care for them. I didn't have a lot of people who were interested in them.

3. May 2012 must have been a top month for the hospitals around here, because everyone was asking for a size 6 month!

4. The items that I love, are not always the items that my customers love. While I favored the light pink hat with the brown heart stitched to it, others favored the black beanie with the huge lavender poinsettia buttoned to it.

5. I really prefer custom work. I have a hard time trying to sell someone something that they don't LOVE. I feel awful, and my soul tugs at me and whispers to me the whole time, "Leave her alone, she doesn't like the Minnie hats, she wants something different." This is why I specialize in custom. Do NOT feel bad if you give me tons of instructions or ask a million questions. On the other end, don't get annoyed if you spend the first twenty e-mails back and forth with me asking you questions and clarifying. I want to make sure that your item is perfect. Handmade, custom work can be expensive, which is why I do my best to keep my prices low and my customer service high. 

I'm happy that I went to the Expo, but I was even happier when I came home, checked my Etsy and had a custom order waiting for me. Custom is where my heart is.

Happy Tuesday!

Holiday Expo!

I am so incredibly excited for the Holiday Expo tomorrow! You can start out with pancakes with Santa, go jump around in the bounce house and get your face painted, run through the scavenger hunt of over 50(!!) vendors to get candy and stickers, and so, so, so much more!

I will be there (one of the 50 vendors!) with so much in stock it's crazy! I currently have the following items completed and ready to take home tomorrow:

2 gingerbread hats ($30 each)

2 Mickey Mouse hats ($15 each)

1 Minnie Mouse hat ($15 each)

9 baby beanies ($15 each)

4 baby long-tail elf hats  ($25 each)

15 coffee cup cozies ($10 each)

4 earwarmer headbands ($15 each)

3 pairs of boot cuffs ($20 each)

1 thick infinity scarf ($40 each)

2 thin infinity scarves ($30 each)

1 neckwarmer with buttons ($25 each)

But, that's not all! I currently have some diaper covers in progress, and I may even throw in some leggings to go with the gingerbread hats! To die for, eh?! BUT, I won't stop there, I will also be accepting custom orders that (if paid on Saturday) will all ship by the following Saturday, December 15, 2012- in plenty of time for Christmas!

Don't forget to bring in a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots, and be entered in to win some awesome prizes!

You can check out the official details on the holiday expo here if you want to read through all of the awesome activities available and see what vendors will be there. So, bring your wallet and your kids and get some holiday shopping done tomorrow!

Holiday Expo

Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

8 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Happy Friday!

Boot Cuffs!

{Sidenote: I always thought I would be that writer that would come up with awesome titles to get people to read my article; I was wrong.}

I am loving the boot craze that is going around right now! I have seen tons of people wearing boot cuffs to go at the top of their boots, and it looks very fall-chic-cozy-cute.

I am loving the black and tan speckles in this yarn, so I accented it with black buttons. Gorgeous!

I am working on a few other pairs for the HUGE Holiday Expo at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this Saturday, December 8th, 2012! There will be pancakes with Santa, a bounce house, face painting, a scavenger hunt, over 50 vendors and SO MUCH MORE! If you are local, then I must see your pretty face there! Go check out details here.

You can purchase my boot cuffs from my Etsy shop here. Don't forget, if you order more than one pair at a time then I give a 10% discount! E-mail me at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com to get that set up.

Happy Thursday!

Meet Santa's favorite reindeer...

"Rudolph Clarice the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose..."

Okay, so maybe it isn't shiny, but it's still adorable, eh?

Isn't she a beauty?

The red nose actually sticks out, 3D I suppose you could call it. The hat is wound with two strands of yarn, so it's much thicker than my normal hats, perfect for that cold winter weather. I have had lots of people request it for a boy, and of course I will make it for a boy! It can be as simple as not putting a boy on the top of the hat, to changing the colors completely. All of my hats are entirely customizable all the time!

 

I got a little ambitious, and decided to make boots to match. The buttons on the boots are sparkly {Yup, I went glam! So unlike me! 'Tis the season!} red, but if they were for a boy then you could just request regular red buttons.

 I am in love! I made this set for my daughter to wear when she sees Santa, so I will be sure to update {with pictures!} when that happens!

Want one of your own? E-mail me at casscrochetcreations@yahoo.com, or purchase my Etsy listing for just the hat here, or the hat and boots set here. {10% discount for purchasing more than one item already applied}

Happy Tuesday!

Custom Toy Storage- Part 2

{Before I get to my kick... butt closet storage, something else is in need of mentioning. Have you heard that there will be a new spin-off of Boy Meets World, called Girl Meets World?! The original Cory and Topanga actors will revive their roles, and the "girl" from the title will be their own daughter, Riley Matthews. I first heard this on Facebook so I didn't believe it. But then I used my trusty best friend Google and discovered that the rumor is true! How incredibly awesome is this?! I am off my rockers excited. Please air soon tomorrow!}

I showed you part one of my 2 year old's toy storage last week- putting the shelf up. But today I will show you what I put on the shelf.

First, I bought some crates from Michael's (I think they were $5.99 each). I forgot to take a picture of them before I painted them, sorry, I'm new at this blogging thing and don't always remember to photograph every step. Anyways, I bought five small ones and one big one; I painted all six crates orange. I also picked up some little pre-cut/designed wood pieces (I'd say they are about 2" thick) with plans of painting them with chalkboard paint. Here they are before I painted them (shown are three for C's room and three I picked up for A's room, though I haven't actually done anything with A's yet).

I did a quick hand sanding to make sure that there were not any pieces of wood sticking out ready to give me a splinter. Then I just took my chalk board paint and sprayed them about a foot away, continuously moving my hand while spraying. I went over them twice while spraying horizontally, then once they dried I went over them twice while spraying vertically. 

 

At this point, all of my orange bins were dry and all of my chalkboard pieces were dry. I took all of the chalkboard pieces into C's room to get them ready.

Before writing on them for the first time you want to rub them with the side of the chalk, this prevents them from getting "stained" with the first thing that you write on them.

I wiped that off with a damp cloth and waited a few hours minutes for the dampness to dry. Then I went chalk crazy and started writing cool labels on each one! Annnd after my creativity subsided {or lack thereof} I glued those suckers on!

At this point I also glued on the black "C" I found at Michael's. It's not a chalkboard, though it looks like one. I've been thinking about painting that bad boy 'C' brown, to match the rest of his room, though it would no longer match the black/orange that's going on in his closet.

As you can see, I already had it loaded up with MegaBloks, clearly I have no patience! After everything was glued on and toys were loaded up into the correct crates, it was done-zo! Well, other than the fact that I am still waiting to come across two more of the little rectangles for the last two crates.

"sigh", I just love it.

Happy Monday!