Sublime Stitching Giveaway!

Head on over to The Cartoon Lovin' Mama
and enter for a chance to win a La Petite Embroidery Kit from Sublime Stitching. I'm really excited about this review and giveaway because I learned to embroider using Sublime Stitching products and tutorials. The giveaway ends on July 3, 2011 at midnight CST.

I Made a Scoodie!

This morning I was browsing the projects on Cut Out + Keep and saw all these projects for knitted scoodies. A scoodie is a scarf/hoodie hybrid. Since I can't knit, and have an abundance of fleece; I decided I'd sew one up. I found a tutorial on indietutes, but only read enough of it to learn how to make the pattern. I just winged everything else. If you don't know me by now, I'm not one that likes to follow tutorials because honestly reading and following instructions is quite difficult for me. I'm more of a hands-on learning type crafter, and often just fly by the seat of my pants. This was such an easy project to do and only took me about an hour to complete. The entire thing is hand stitched using a back stitch since I'm sewing machine illiterate. Since this one looks a little too Virgin Mary, I'm going to monsterfy it! I'll be sure to share it with you all once I'm finished.

Cool + Kitschy Creations Review and Giveaway

The Romantic Type has reviewed one of my Etsy shops, Cool + Kitschy Creations, and is hosting a giveaway for a $15 gift certificate to either Cool + Kitschy Creations or my other shop, House of Plush. This is the first time that another blog has hosted a review and giveaway sponsored by me, so I'm really excited! So head on over to The Romantic Type and get your entries in today!

She's Crafty: Kira

For nearly two years, I've been lucky enough to be a part of an awesome online crafting community called Cut Out + Keep. I've met tons of crafty gals there who not only show me unconditional friendship, but provide me with a lot of inspiration. "She's Crafty" will be a feature I write periodically about my crafty friends. They are definitely women you should know!

Martha Stewart meets Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  That's what I think of when Kira comes to mind.  Kira is the proprietor of Kira's Lil Shop of Horror on Etsy and the author of Crafty Loo's blog.  In Kira's Etsy shop, you'll find mostly cute, horror related crafts such as plushies, jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, and keychains.  Here are a couple of my favorite items from Kira's Lil Shop of Horror.

Vampire Apple Plush

Hot Pink Heart Necklace

On Crafty Loo's blog, Kira gives us a peek at her life, especially when it comes to her shop and her crafting endeavors.  Kira has begun sharing tutorials on her blog.  She was recently a featured author on "It Belongs to Turtle," where she shared a tutorial for making chocolate silhouettes for cupcakes or cakes.

I asked Kira a few questions related to her creative life:

 Me:  Why do you craft and when did you begin crafting?

 Kira:   I think all crafters and artists will say that they've always felt a need for it. The  feeling of just having to do something with your hands or create something. But I've been crafting since I was a kid... drawing mostly, but when I realized that I can make a lot of things I love on my own it was on.

 Me:  What is your favorite medium to work with?

 Kira:   I'm restless, I can't stick to one project very long without wanting to start something new. So it's really hard for me to have a favorite anything.

 Me:  What's a craft that you have made that you are proudest of?

 Kira:   That's hard. I love everything I do in many different ways, I don't have one specific item I love the most.

 Me:  Who/what are your biggest influences and inspirations?

 Kira:   My parents. My mom honestly is the type of person that can pretty much make anything she looks at and my dad was always doodling on things. So I would have to say they are probably the biggest influences, other than Martha Stewart...

 Me:  What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

 Kira:   Ohhhh, I have lots of things in the works (rubs hands together menacingly). I'm hoping to get some t-shirts out, larger versions of my pilla' monsters and possibly some christmas ornaments. But I'm always writing down new ideas for my shop so you'll just have to keep a look out.

 Kira also plans to veer in a direction other than just her horror related items, but don't fret!  Kira assures me that she will always be making creepy crafts.  You can keep up with Kira at her shop, her blog, and her Facebook Fan Page!  Thank you, Kira!  

The Blooming Thread

Fourth on my list of retail addictions (behind craft supplies, handbags, and shoes) are pouches. I don't what draws me to these little mini zippered bags, but for some reason I can never have too many. I recently won the cutest little pouch from The Blooming Thread. I've been entering a lot of giveaways lately in order to stock up on Christmas presents since I'm still unemployed, and was thrilled when I saw that The Blooming Thread blog was offering up this little goody as a prize. (Of course I knew if I was lucky enough to win it, I wouldn't be gifting it to anyone. This entry was purely self-serving).

I just love the fabric that Ryan, the talent behind The Blooming Thread, chose and the zipper placement on this pouch. Ryan's shop is full of these modern looking little pouches. It's refreshing to see this different style and fabric as Etsy is currently inundated with top loading zippered pouches made of Amy Butler fabric.

The Blooming Thread also carries other hand stitched items such as totes, handbags, pin cushions, sachets, and wall art that are also quite fabulous.  Ryan also has a cute little blog and Facebook fan page, where she sometimes offers deals to her fans. 

Thanks to Ryan for this giveaway prize!  I'll definitely be back to your shop in the future.

Free Stuff at Kat's!

My good pal, Kat, is hosting a giveaway over at her blog, Kitkat's Katchat. Kat is giving away the lovely earring and bracelet set pictured above which she made. The giveaway ends on 10/31. So head on over to Kat's blog to enter. You can also check out Kat's Dawanda shop, Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs,
for more of her awesome handcrafted jewelry.

Marvelous Minnie!

I was thrilled to see a red Royal Air Mail package sticking out of my mailbox this morning because I knew that it was my Cut Out + Keep swap from the fabulous Minnie Burton! I was elated after opening up the package and inspecting the contents! Here is the awesome swap I received from Minnie.

A robot candle.

A felt appliqued tote bag with a sloth on it!

A Pac-Man resin bangle bracelet

English Candy including two Kinder Eggs!

Thank you so much, Minnie! I absolutely love everything you created! If you'd like to see more of Minnie's crafty goodness, you can visit her blog, Minnie Burton Craft.

Bumpo Writes for Turtle!

My pal, Bumpo, is now a featured writer on It Belongs to Turtle! Go check out his interview with awesome illustrator, Barnaby Richards, HERE. Bumpo, I'm so proud of you! You might make something out of yourself after all! (Just kidding, you're wonderful).

Did You Notice My Favicon? Get Yours!

A favicon (short for favorites icon and also known as a shortcut icon, website icon, URL icon, or bookmark icon)

"is a 16×16 or 32×32 pixel square icon associated with a particular website or webpage. A web designer can create such an icon and install it into a website (or webpage) by several means, and most graphical web browsers will then make use of it. Browsers that provide favicon support typically display a page's favicon in the browser's address bar and next to the page's name in a list of bookmarks. Browsers that support a tabbed document interface typically show a page's favicon next to the page's title on the tab. Some programs allow the user to select an icon of their own from the hard drive and associate it with a website." (according to Wikipedia)

Confused? In Kiddo terms, it's the tiny image that shows up before the address in your brower's address bar or before the title of a page on a tab. You'll notice that the generic Blogger favicon on my blog has been replaced by a pint sized version of my logo, or MiKit, which was created for me by the lovely JMKit.

How did I do this? First, I chose my image. A favicon on Blogger is 16 x 16 pixels, so my MiKit had to be resized. I uploaded my MiKit to Photobucket, a free image hosting site, and resized it using Photobucket's editing function. After saving my 16 x 16 MiKit, I copied the direct link for the image.

Now is the fun part which I know my pal Laurel will absolutely love: HTML code!!! This is where a fabulous blog tutorial helped me out. The Curious Pug
created this super easy to follow tutorial on how to create a favicon. I had tried other tutorials previously, but had always gotten way too confused because they all seemed too complicated. The whole process probably took me 5 minutes to complete and now I have a cute little favicon to show for it! Let me know if you get your own custom favicon and if you use the tutorial from The Curious Pug, please leave her a comment on that post letting her know how helpful her tutorial was.

Featured on BuyZombie.com!

My good buddy, Stu, of BuyZombie.com has so graciously featured my Zombie Resin Necklace on his site. You can pick up this uber cool undead necklace for a mere $10 plus shipping in my Etsy shop. There is currently only one in stock, so you'd better act fast!

Thank you, Stu, for your continued support of the zombie crafting community!

Mr. Keckler Has Moved!

One of my favorite bloggers, Bill Keckler, has used up all the labels on his previous blog, Joe Brainard's Pyjamas, and has started a new one; Joe Brainard's Pyjamas (The Sequel). It's a must read!

Mr. Keckler Thinks I'm Lovely!!!

Check out this post by William Keckler. Not only am I described as lovely, but also mentioned alongside the lost execution art of beheading! How awesomely morbid is that? I dig it! Thanks, Bill! You're a rockstar!

Mr. Keckler's Commentary on Retail Establishments

I thoroughly enjoyed this fine commentary by William Keckler entitled, Crate and Barrel . . ., so I decided to share it with my readers as well. I especially enjoy his comments on K-Mart and Sears as my sister and I have always had a long running joke that the two stores have a "dirty" ambiance, kind of like CBS. I'm convinced it has to do with lighting for the most part. It's funny that they are now owned by the same company. I need to find out if CBS is part of the mix as well. Enjoy!

The Reason I'm Not Posting As Much

I have no idea if many people truly follow this blog (I'm inept at reading the sitemeter stats). I have quite a few followers, but I know I personally don't read every blog I follow. But for those of you who do actively follow and may have wondered why my posts are few and far between it's because I've started another blog, so, yes, I'm cheating on "kiddo's shenanigans" right now. It's not the most pleasant of affairs, as the purpose of my mistress blog is to journal my road to recovery from bipolar disorder. I've been on a downward spiral since 2008 and medication alone is not the answer. I've enrolled myself in an intensive outpatient mental health program which meets Monday through Friday for four hours each day. It's a group therapy setting so I'm able to share with and listen to other people in situations very similar to my own.

I decided to make the new blog in order to channel my feelings and emotions in the most effective way I know how which is writing about them. I also hope that sharing my story can help those who also may be suffering from a mental illness and feel like they're all alone; I know right now that's one of my biggest issues. I also hope to educate others who don't understand what it's like to have a mental illness. I've already been successful as one of my friends was able to learn a lot from one of my posts and asked to share it with her friends on Facebook, which I was more than happy to let her do so. I understand that my new blog may not be something that many people would feel comfortable reading. It's raw and honest, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable; which is why I chose to keep it separate from this one. If you are interested in reading "The Journey," by all means please do so. A friend of mine likes to call it "Kiddo's Road to Wellville" which I think is perfectly fitting. I am determined to beat, or at the very least, manage the hell out of this disease.

Mentioned in Zombie Gift Guide

Just yesterday, Zombies and Toys posted the "Zombie Gift Guide - Part 1." My etsy shop received the following shout out:

"Kiddo47 also has a nice selection of unique zombie-themed items. Charms, tiles, jewelry, and fun non-zombie stuff, too."

Zombies and Toys has put together a pretty extensive gift guide for zombie lovers, and that was just part one. If you're a zombie lover like I am, you'll be waiting in anticipation for the sequel(s) to this awesome guide. (Click the banner below to be redirected to Zombies and Toys).

Donna Dolls Giveaway

Visit Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for a chance to win this Donna Doll.

Social Circles Giveaway

Handmade Success is currently hosting a business/calling card giveaway from Social Circles. One lucky winner will receive "one free starter set of cards (24 cards and case- a $18.90 value with shipping."

Honest Scrap

First off, I am an idiot and it often takes me a long time to catch on. I was browsing through comments on my blog today and came across the screen name "Yahán Nabih" which I have encountered many times before in previous comments on my blog. It was only today that my dumb ass realized that this is none other than my dear friend Alejandra (a.k.a. Ale)! Ale is from Mexico, and I met her on Cut Out + Keep, a crafting community, nearly a year ago. Though we are separated by thousands of miles; I consider her one of my best friends. In the comment that sparked my "Ah ha" moment, she mentioned that she had nominated me for the "Honest Scrap" Award. So thank you my dear Ale. I love you!

The object of this is to list 10 honest things about yourself, to invite eight other bloggers, and mention the blogger who selected you.

HONEST THINGS ABOUT ME

1. Like Ale mentioned on her list of honesty, I'm a huge procrastinator. I will most likely always find anything else to do other than what I should be doing. Yes, I'm procrastinating now. (I inherit it from my father).

2. I have been holding onto the hope that a hopeless relationship that ended nearly a year ago will rekindle and I'll live happily ever after. A good friend set me straight last night, and I'm forever grateful for his honesty. Love you, Sala!

3. I am a horrible housekeeper! My bedroom currently looks like a frat boy's room minus the booze, illegal drugs, and well . . . the frat boy.

4. I have a huge crush on a guy who I've only conversed with on the internet. The meeting was not via a dating site, but purely by coincidental circumstances. He lives far away, thinks I'm nuts, but I can't help but adore him.

5. I cannot make myself watch videos on YouTube. Maybe it's laziness. Perhaps it's my ADD. If a friend insists I do so I become highly irritated.

6. I have a phobia of the grocery store. My parents occasionally provide me with groceries. Otherwise, it's heart clogging fast food.

7. The only thing I use my oven for is baking polymer clay and the stove top is sometimes used to boil water. I don't cook.

8. I have no idea what I want to do with my life career wise. Doing something creative would be ideal, but let's face it; that typically doesn't pay the bills.

9. I more than likely cannot have my own biological children. I've been pregnant twice by a long-term boyfriend in my early and mid-twenties. I had two ectopic pregnancies, lost some organs, nearly died, etc. I used to be terribly torn up about the prospect of not having children of my own. Then I experienced the terror that is my niece!

10. I've had way too much coffee today and must take a bathroom break before I mention my 8 victims. (Well that's honest. Maybe not what you'd wanted to hear, but honest nonetheless).

As for the 8 "victims," they may chose to do this or can punk out. Just kidding! Many of the bloggers I follow write about subject matter purely dedicated to their craft or are just way too busy. I will invite the following eight ladies to join in if they choose: (I apologize if I'm duplicating invitees).

Sugarlishes

Maya

Brandy

Traci

Theresa

Casey

Courtney

Holly

Custom Eco-Wallet Giveaway

Visit sweeter than me for a chance to win a custom eco-wallet from rikrak. These adorable little wallets are made from vintage fabric, so you'll be helping the environment while being fashionable at the same time!

prettycooljewels Giveaway

Visit pandacubcafe's blog and enter to win these cute little hair barrettes from prettycooljewels.


Entering is simple, just visit prettycooljewels' Etsy shop and leave a comment on the blog telling what your favorite item in the shop is. Extra chances to win are also available! Good luck!