Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I will be taking the rest of the year off and look forward to seeing you all next year!

CYBER Week Sale

Have you checked out the Cyber Week Sales yet? If you missed Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's not to late - many retailers are running Cyber Week Sales including both VLL Designs and VLL Designs - FabricMuse. Here's a preview of our Cyber Week Sale.

VLL Designs

Reg. $25.99 - Cyber Week Sale $21.99

Reg. $59.99 - Cyber Week Sale $39.99

VLL Designs - FabricMuse

Reg. $23.99 - Cyber Week Sale $19.99

.

Reg. $20.00 - Cyber Week Sale $15.00

 Happy shopping!

Oversized Teal Eleganza Cowl

Presenting a fashionable, Oversized Teal Eleganza Cowl, the perfect complement to any fall or winter outfit – dress it up or dress it down. Crafted using plush, soft yarn and a combination of stitches to keep you warm and cozy even on those cold, windy days and nights.

Featured Color: Teal
Fiber: 100% Acrylic
Size (approx.): 36" Circumference, 22" (914.4mm x 558.8mm)

Oversized Crocheted Teal Eleganza Cowl by VLL Designs - FabricMuse, $48.00

Fiskars Clear Stamps

Themed sets of clear stamps with all the creativity you're looking for! These stamps are made from durable material that provides a detailed image and will not yellow over time. Use with an acrylic blocks or Stamp Press to see exactly how your design will look before you stamp it.

Fiskars Clear Stamps Reg. $9.99 ... Sale $7.49 at FabricMuse

Take additional 25% off during checkout use coupon code STAMP25OFF 

Fiskars "Aged to Perfection"

Fiskars "Latte Love"

Fiskars "For the Birds"

 

Fiskars Quotes Clear Stamps

Add beautiful quotes to your handmade creations with the Fiskars Quotes Clear Stamps. These non-yellowing stamps will make crisp and clear images on your scrapbook pages, picture albums, personal greeting cards and home decor accessories. Use these stamps with acrylic blocks for easy transfer of prints. 

Fiskars Clear Stamps Reg. $17.99 ... Sale $12.49 at FabricMuse
Take additional 25% off during checkout use coupon code STAMP25OFF 

Fiskars "Just Married" Quotes

Fiskars "Make A Wish" Quotes

Fiskars "Good Times" Quotes

 

25% Off Clear Stamps & Rubber Stamps

25% off all stamps - Use coupon code STAMP25OFF during checkout to receive discount.
At FabricMuse's Etsy store

 

 The above stamps and more - 25% off prices shown 

 At FabricMuse https://www.etsy.com/shop/FabricMuse

Colorful Winter Treasury

What a surprise when I opened my email this morning. There's something about the colors and the products that make you feel so good. It's an artistic endeavor to create such beauty. And the products - are you looking for that special gift - check these out!!!!!!

 

Treasury links: https://www.etsy.com/treasury/ODA5MTcxOXwyNzIyNjg3Njg3/colorful-winter

Curator

Grazim from Grazim

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Grazim
 

Happy shopping!!!!

Tim Holtz - Visual Artistry Stamps

Get those creative juices flowing with these Tim Holtz’s Clear Stamps featuring fun designs that have that artistic look about them. They are ready to use, just peel it from the clear backer sheet and position it on an acrylic block (not included), ink and stamp. You’re on your way to creating lovely greeting cards, posters, charts, scrapbooks, tags, and so many other projects.

Tim Holtz Stamps $9.99


 

"Life's Possibilities" Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous

"French Market" Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous

Batik: The Process of Designing Fabric Prints

Each yard of these sumptuous fabrics is unique. The fabric is hand-stamped and then hand-painted multiple times, with many different pairs of hands working on every yard. The process, wax resist then dye, can be repeated over and over again to create beautiful designs of multiple colors. Most of the work is done outside, so the weather greatly influences the results. Due to this specialized hand-process, there is a consistency to color and pattern, while maintaining subtle color variations that are so important to this traditional technique.

 ”Batiks” origins can be traced to Asia, India and Africa. The word "batik" is of Malay roots and translates “to write” or “to dot.” Although the exact origins of batik are unknown, it is most common on the island of Java, Indonesia. Batiks belonged only to royalty and families of wealth and position; it was considered the hobby of royal women. Aristocrats and royalty had certain designs identifying a family, social status, or geographical location on the island. Many of these designs have survived to this day. It is believed that certain patterns have special meanings and are thought to bring the wearer good luck, wealth, prosperity, and health.  

To see the step by step instructions and suggestions for Batiking check out' Batik Basics With Fiber Reactive Dye.

Sale of the week – Batik clearance sale $6.00/yard at FabricMuses etsy shop.

Happy batiking - Vicky 

If you try your hand at this process, please post a comment letting me know how it turned out.

Preparing for Vendor Sales Events

It has been a busy couple of weeks preparing for a table at Full Life Family Church parking lot sale. I had a wonderful time, made a lot of new friends, gave out business cards (woohoo future business potential), had a great sale!!!!!

Things I'd do different: Take a table cloth and something to hide the boxes and materials under your table (it probably wasn't as important for a parking lot sale), forget about anything that causes stress while your preparing, work daily as if preparing for an event, and don't sweat the small stuff, smile and be yourself - the customer will never know how much time you spent preparing unless you're totally unprepared.

There are many online blogs about preparing for vendor events. Just do a web search and look how many results you get. If your knew to this, do yourself a favor and read up, get prepared, know what to expect.

I wish the best to all my sister and brother sellers at events this weekend! As for me, I'm taking a much deserved few days off.

Blessings to all of you!
Vicky

What have you learned about preparing for events that would benefit the rest of us?

Crochet and It's Benefits

No one knows the exact beginnings of Crochet. However it is thought to have been brought to America by Irish peasants fleeing the potato famine in the 1840s. It quickly emerged as a less costly alternative for the more expensive lace product. It was considered to be an imitation status of the middle class; frowned upon by the upper class who could afford expensive lace. In an 1854 needlework manual, Ann Stephens said crochet was “One of those gentle means by which women are kept feminine and ladylike in this fast age.”

What are the benefits of crochet?

 The health benefits of crochet are reduced stress levels. Whither it’s the rhythmic nature of crochet, or the altered focus to what your hands are doing, crochet has a calming effect on the mind and the body.

If you are a multi-tasker and/or don’t enjoy doing nothing while waiting to see the doctor, the wait times during the many activities we take our children to, or, just waiting for dinner to finish cooking, try crochet. The mental calming effects alone are worth it, not to mention the reduced agitation of waiting. The necessary materials take very little space to carry along, a ball of yarn, crochet hook, possibly a pattern.

Last, but not least, crochet is fun! Who doesn’t like to see the outcome of what they produce: a beautiful doily, table scarf, lace edging, afghan, adorned pillowcases, mittens, hats, cowls, tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets, and so many other things. 

This was one of my favorite projects:

Lovely 26: pineapple doily, made by me in 1988

Vintage Pillowcase Set / Gold & White Crochet Edging 

by FabricMuse http://etsy.me/17Jl4L9  via @Etsy

 What crochet projects are you involved in? 

 

Patriotic King Size Log Cabin Quilt

Sometimes we are lucky enough to have creative people in our lives who share not only their lives, but their God given gifts and talents. This quilt, like it's creator and owner, is one you will want to keep around for a long time and enjoy it!

Patriotic prints and colors: stars, stars and stripes, oh, and one floral print, red, white, off-white, and blue. What a beauty! This king size quilt measures 107" wide x 98 " long. The backing and binding are made with a coordinating red floral print and quilted with a lovely modified heart pattern.

King Size Log Cabin Quilt Set 107 x 98 / Log Cabin by FabricMuse http://etsy.me/14r4DbK  via @Etsy

Craft Stamps - Good For More Than Scrapbooking

For those that are following my blog, I have just celebrated my fourth sale at FabricMuse. I know there are a lot of newbies, myself included, searching the web for ways to improve and/or promote their site, sales, and views; I'll continue blogging my progress. I am still following the steps given in my prior post "Using Social Media to Promote Your Website."

I spent the last few days reviewing and uploading stocked stamps to FabricMuse. Stampers will fall in love with Butterfly Script - a lovely combination of butterflies, script writing, and cutwork borders, and Blue Beech Leaves stamp. I can envision a handmade muslin bag using sepia/vintage brown color without any fill, and the addition of a few embellishments on the bag, complimenting the aged look. There are so many uses for these stamps - cards, post cards, crafting newsletters, art jounaling, scrapbooking, book covers, and many more. What would you do with these lovely stamps? 

 
Leave a comment. What would you do with these stamps?

Creativity is Life
Vicky

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Using Social Media to Promote Your Website

Using Social Media to Promote Your Website

Hi everyone and welcome to Fabric Muse.

My etsy store, FabricMuse, was birthed July 4, 2013. And, it has been an adventure learning about the items I sell, tracking market bearing prices, checking my stats daily, figuring out how to increase my shop views, what I needed to change, etc. And then it finally happened Thursday, August 27, 2013. I had my first sale a vintage turquoise embroidered pillowcase that was posted late the day before. Yahoo!

Excitement oozed. I created a discount for my first customer (we want to encourage repeat business), useable through the end of the year. I created a packing slip, packaged my product, took it to the post office, and mailed it off. I came back home, went online and marked my product as shipped. It was exciting. And now, we are off to the races -  Repeat the same processes again and again looking for the same outcome, a sold order.

Two weeks ago, I joined the a state based etsy team which sends daily emails to all team members of links for new posted listings. All I have to do is add the link to a specified etsy site. They also have a pinterest page for individual team member postings. I also post to my own personal pinterest board for my shop. Since doing so, I noticed my site views and listing views increased dramatically.

I have researched and read many pros and cons about using social media and decided to give it a try. Late last week I setup a facebook page that’s linked off my personal facebook. I have also started posting to Twitter and Tumblr. Every time I add a product I post to pinterest, facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. It’s hard to say where this sale came from. But, I look at my stats several times a day. Since making these changes, my stats have gone up. And . . . today, I have a sold order. 

I posted that turquoise pillowcase late yesterday. It sold within a twelve hour period. Social media does take time to post. But, from my stats, I’d say it’s time well spent.