one artsy mama: April 2011

4/30/11

{featured}

Miss Brenna included my bows in her lovely treasury filled with adorable goods for little ones.

Check it out, it really will make you want to ditch the birth control!

4/29/11

{friday find}

Spring is slowly moving in & I would love to have these to wear as the weather warms up!!

Oh my goodness, where have I been?

I only have 5 weeks left in my pregnancy, eek! And I can not believe how unbelievably busy my life has been this past couple of weeks!

I have been busy waddling around & trying to keep up with it all-

*fun filled showers
*doctors appointments
*nursery furniture shopping
*sewing crib sheets
*crocheting baby blanket
*reading loads of baby books
*organizing baby clothing & diapers
*birthing classes

I really can't believe I only have 5 weeks left!

4/19/11

{feature:blooming brenna knits}

Please let me introduce to you Rachel!

Rachel is a knitter & make the most adorable little designs.

How did your shop begin?

I recently moved, with my husband, to Milwaukee and I started working night shifts as a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit. The combination of staying up late often, living in an apartment (and not having yard/house work to do) and having a smaller social circle lead me to knit a lot more than I have before. My grandma taught me to knit several years ago and I had gotten out my needles and yarn when a friend had a baby or when my brother wanted a new hat. After we moved, I was reminded that I really enjoy the creativity and calmness of knitting ... and it also became apparent that I was running out of people to gift knitted things to. So, I started Blooming Brenna Knits in February. My hope is that my little shop will be an extension of something that I really like to do and that it will encourage me to continue to create and make cute things.

What is your creative process?

I like looking at an item and figuring out how it was made and then recreating it later, usually with some variation. Recently I made a little pink and white hat that just didn't look quite right. It bothered me and I thought about it a lot - in fact, I was surprised at how much I thought about that little hat. I came up with a few solutions and one worked quite nicely. I sometimes use patterns but I also enjoy starting a project and seeing where it goes.

What has been your biggest crafting disaster?

Gauge. I never ever knit to find my gauge before starting a pattern. I have learned - after much unraveling - that if my gauge is off at the beginning of a project, it will not magically improve. Once I knit an entire sweater for my cousin and the pieces didn't fit together at all. I brought it to my grandma and she said "you didn't check a gauge did you?" Nope.

What are your current projects?

I have been sewing a bit more and I am really excited about that. I have been making some shoulder bags and some baby things (wash cloths and burp cloths). Some of those things may pop up on my store after I have tried them out on friends. I am also working on a baby sweater that will be part of a gift basket I am putting together for a silent auction.

*Any advice for those who want to start their own shop?

Hmm ... I think I am too new at this to actually offer advice. My general goals are to keep making new things and to learn or participate in something new each week. So far I have created treasuries, joined a few teams, promoted an item in the children's showcase and done this blog feature. Thanks Eleise!

Find more of Rachel here-

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