long live the coupon.

Artfire has stunned us again with another great feature available to it's sellers - coupon codes!

Just in time for the holidays, you can now use a coupon or gift certificate in Artfire shops (participating shops only) to receive discounts, free shipping, free gifts, or more! No more waiting for modified invoices to receive a discount. At checkout you simply enter the coupon code you have for that shop & the rest is done for you.

In honor of this exciting new feature Broken Hallelujah is offering a special (and it won't last long!). On order totals (including shipping) above $35, receive 20% off! No items are excluded.

Use coupon code letsgoshopping at checkout to receive 20% off orders of $35 or more.

Available for a limited time only. Offer not applicable with any other specials or sales.

Now let's do some shopping!

back to school.

Everyone seems to be headed back to school around this time of year. While I'm not headed back myself, I still love shopping through fun back-to-school items. Here's some great handmade items perfect for heading back into the classroom (or just oogling).

These adorable apple name tags are perfect for labeling items on the way back to school and making sure nothing is lost. Plus they are so bright & cute! You can find them in MiChiMa's etsy shop for only $3.

Sleevy's beautiful crochet notebook sleeves are officially drool worthy. They are offered in wonderful, sophisticated color schemes and heading back to school is the perfect excuse to pick up one today. You can find them in sleevy's shop for $50.

And finally, you can't go back to class without a great notebook to doodle in. This one Baghy is gorgeous leather embellished with a wonderful flower-esque design. You can find this (and other wonder journals) in Baghy's shop. This one is only $32.

weekend fun.

This past weekend I had a really great time exploring some of the goodies Wilmington has to offer.

I finally remembered on Saturday morning to head to historic downtown Wilmington to check out the farmers' market that runs through December. The market offers a lot more than just farm fresh produce, however. I found fresh bread, beautiful cut flowers, and even craft booths. I picked up some wonderful fresh produce - including green tomatoes to try making my own fried green tomatoes - and some beautiful cut flowers to brighten up the apartment.

After the market I headed off to the beach. This weekend Hurricane Bill was blowing by off coast. Luckily we didn't have any real impact from the storm other than some major surf and currents. I wanted to comb the beach and see if Bill washed up any good shells, but sadly didn't really find much. Even though I went at low tide, the large waves kept the water above the shell line making a bit difficult to spot shells. It was a beautiful day at the beach though enjoy the waves and the sea breeze.

It was a lovely weekend, and I'm already counting down the days till the next one. I hope everyone else had a nice weekend and has a great week ahead.

keep it colorful.

Brand new in the shop! A new line of coin purses that includes these adorable little mini purses.

These fun purses were an idea from my mother who found some fun crochet coin purses on the internet and thought I should give it a try. So I researched the little frames (which can be quite expensive!) and bought some bright, tropical yarns to make fun patterns and color combinations. And these little purses were born!

Although they are small and adorable, they have an unsurpassed durability. The tight knit and durable yarn means these little pouches will last through many shopping sprees while keeping your purse just an tiny bit more organized. They hold a good deal of change so you won't be digging around the bottom of your bag looking for direct change. Plus, they're small size makes them great stocking stuffers for the upcoming holidays!

And already I've had great feedback about these little purses. The first couple I listed in my shop have sold right away, so I have more planned and already ordered a few more frames which should be arriving soon.

I've had so much fun designing and making these little pouches and I can't wait to continue. Check out the Artfire and Etsy shops to order your very own mini coin purse today!

riding the train.

Today and tomorrow I'm riding the Artfire Crazy Train. It's a great promotional tool where members of the crazy train work together to promote one Artfire Artisan for two days. We all get together and promote for each other using blog posts, twitter updates, facebook sharing, and other great promotional techniques. And it's finally my turn! Horray!

A few people have already written wonderful blog entries about me (like here and here) and others are sharing items in the Artfire forums (here).

It's all very exciting and it really gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling to see others working to promote you and your work. A big thank you to everyone involved in the Crazy Train. I can't wait to see where this ride will take me.

august showers

August is one of the rainiest months here in North Carolina and my flowers are loving it. I picked up some new flowers when I moved to town because I couldn't stand to have a bare deck even if it already was August. Luckily, Wilmington's long growing season meant there was still a bit of variety to choose from before the winter pansies had arrived. And now they are soaking up the rain and when the sun comes out it makes them sparkle.

tutorial: crochet headband with flower pin.

Some of my favorite crochet projects are ones that are easy and quick. There's an instant gratification in making something yourself in just a short amount of time. So I've decided to share an quick and easy crochet pattern with you all - my herringbone crochet headband with flower pin.

Supplies

Just a wee bit of yarn - this is a good project for left over scraps. Make sure the yarn is something comfortable to wear against your head. I used Lion's Brand Vanna's Choice Yarn (100% acrylic) in a pretty rose color.

Size G crochet hook

Metal pin back

Plastic button

Scissors, hot glue gun/thread, etc.

Stitches

This headband uses one of my favorite stitches - the herringbone half double crochet (hhdc). Here's how you do it: yarn over, insert hook into next stitch, draw yarn through stitch and first loop on hook, yarn over, draw yarn through both loops on hook.

The rest are just single chain.

Pattern

Note that this pattern is completely adjustable for different sizes of heads (children through adult) and different sizes of headbands (skinny, fat, whatever you like!).

Ch 21. (This will be the tie in the back, so make it longer or shorter if you like.) OR you can just leave a stretch of yarn un-used (as in the picture) to use for the tie. It's up to you.

Sc. in last ch. Ch. 1. Turn. (1 sc.)

3 sc. in the 1 sc. from previous step. Ch. 1. Turn. (3 sc.)

2 sc. in first sc. Sc. 1. 2 sc. in last sc from previous step. Ch. 1. Turn. (5 sc.)

2 sc. in first sc. Sc in next 3 stitches. 2 sc. in last sc. from previous step. Ch. 2. Turn. (7 sc.)

7 sc. is the width I've decided on for my headband. If you would like yours to be skinnier or fatter adjust the above steps to reach your desired width.

Now, you simply hhdc across each stitch (skipping the very first stitch as your ch. 2 serves as the first stitch of each row). Then ch. 2 and turn. Make sure to crochet a hhdc in the top of the ch. 2. at the end of the row for a total of 7 hhdc in each row. Keep repeating the rows until the headband fits around your head from the bottom of one ear to the other.

Once you have reached your desired length you have to decrease the headband down to 2 single chain.

At the end of the last hhdc row ch. 1 and turn.

Sc. 7. Ch 1. Turn. (7 sc.)

Sc2tog in first sc. 3 sc. Sc2tog in last sc. Ch. 1. Turn. (5 sc.)

Sc2tog in first sc. 1 sc. Sc2tog in last sc. Ch. 1. Turn. (3 sc.)

Sc2tog in first sc. 1. sc. (2 sc.)

Now simply chain 20 (or however many you chose to chain at the beginning) to make the other end of the tie. Finish and tie off. Tuck in the loose ends.

Now for the flower.

Ch 2.

10 sc in 1 ch. Slip stitch to first sc to form a circle.

Sc 1 in first stitch. *Ch. 2. Skip 1 stitch and sc. 1 in next.* Repeat around until you have 5 ch. 2 loops. Slip stitch in first sc.

In first ch. 2 loop - 1 sc., 1 hdc., 2 dc., 1 hdc., 1 sc. - to produce petal. Repeat in each of the 4 remaining loops and then slip stitch to first sc. Tie off finish. Tuck in ends.

Then using a hot glue gun or thread attach the pin back to the back of the flower and the button to the center.

You're done!

Enjoy! And if you have any questions, let me know.

can you feel it?

Can you feel it in the air? Autumn is coming!

Okay, perhaps you can't feel the crisp evenings coming quite yet, but I can bet many of us are wishing for the cooler temperatures and warm, comforting foods that accompany the season change.

Autumn is on the horizon, though. Soon it'll be time for kids to go back to school, ripe crisp apples, and changing leaves. I've been working hard to get my shops ready for the upcoming season change. New hats, scarves, scarflettes, and more are coming to help keep everyone stylish and warm this fall. I am working on some new designs as I type in great colors and luxurious fibers like merino wool, angora, silk, and more!

I'm also beginning to take custom orders for the holiday season. It may seem early, but it's wise to order far ahead of time to ensure I can get the order finished in plenty of time for the holidays. If you are thinking of ordering anything custom, please think about doing it soon. Custom orders are first come, first serve.

In the mean time enjoy the rest of the hot summer days ahead of us. And keep your eyes here for an upcoming fall giveaway!

We've made it!

We made it! After three days of driving we've successfully arrived in Wilmington and have most of the apartment unpacked. I'm still waiting for internet access to get installed in our apartment, so I can't count on the consistency of when I'll be online. I just wanted to update and let everyone know that we've made it safely and we're settling into life.

Both of the stores (Etsy and Artfire) are open again, also. Same great items as usual with some newbies coming soon.