post-christmas update

so what's new? well, let's see...

1. i had a day after christmas sale where everything was 15% off, but never fear! i am holding a general end of the year sale now, with 10% off everything in my shop!

2. i bought jmacc's falling leaf hobo bag. it's mine. you can't have it. i ♥ it fohevah!!!1!11one!1!

3. made a couple of earrings, want to make more! i've got some ideas for my silver wire :) i brought my hammer and baby anvil all the way to hawaii, gotta put em to good use eh?
my forest angel earrings
my epimeliad earrings

4. made a mushroom book! hee hee. badger badger badger badger...


i have four more book blocks that i've put together, so i just need to get my lazy bum up and make the covers for them!

5. i bought 4 yards of gray felt, and i am going to be making a cloak! ordered this cute cloak clasp because i am a hugenerdomg. i'm a little skeptical about the felt (no wool fabric at the FABRIC store --sure, i'm in hawaii, but really? no wool? really?-- and no gray fleece, which i think would've hung better) but that's okay, it's all for fun! maybe it'll turn out fantabulous and i'll sell some online! ...hyeah, right. maybe if someone buys me a sewing machine first. ;)


s'all for now! i'm going to curl up on the couch with some tea and read me a book!

etsy texas crafters contest

phew, i'm on a roll! the other day i participated in one of the texas street team's treasure hunt contests, and won! out of the list of possible prizes, i chose from the team's shop and got the taste of texas grab bag, a promo box filled with goodies from the team's members!



hurray for street teams! i can't wait to finish looking through all of the shops, and check out all of the promos and coupons from everybody!

my dad = my spokesman

my dad was chatting to a friend of his at work about how i bind books, and she requested i make one for her friend, who had just had a baby.

unfortunately, my dad didn't ask for any specifics, like if the baby was a boy or a girl, so i decided to make two books for her to choose from:



she ended up buying both!

(the one that says "eva" on it originally didn't, i was going to put "baby" on it in felt but my dad snagged it before i had gotten to that point and brought it to her. luckily he called and asked me about it so i told him that if she liked that book that i could cut out whatever words she wanted, so she asked for "eva 2007".)

and then she requested one more, for her "not-girly" friend. so i made this out of some new fuzzy paper i had just gotten:



my dad also showed her my asian inspired book ("just in case"); it had been sitting in my closet because i had taken it off of etsy after my grandpa's pecans exploded in my suitcase and gotten oil on its cover... you couldn't really tell after i wiped it a few times with water, but i knew it was damaged and just couldn't sell it in good conscience.



she bought both.

go daddy! XD


on a side note, look at my books together:


i do not seem to have my own "style". i'm still trying to decide if this is a good or bad thing haha!

BEST Holiday Books! Treasury

check out my very first treasury, featuring lovely (holiday style) books from the best team! :)

experiment: bag

my sister gave me some fabric and little bag handles from japan (she visited during the summer), so i decided to experiment and make a bag! ...and also because i was having bag indecision (although i ended up buying jmacc's bag from my little bag feature that i posted a short while ago as a christmas present to myself hehe).

so! here is what i came up with:

i sort of just made it up as i went along... i didn't use a pattern, and i got lazy and didn't make any sort of lining haha! i figured the canvas was sturdy enough ;) but i think it turned out pretty cute! well, so long as you don't look at the stitching on the inside (i didn't feel like hunting for my mom's sewing machine, so i hand-stitched the whole thing) XD


see? back-stitching is never really pretty on the other side haha! but for my first bag, i like :3

oh pooh, i just found another bag on etsy that i like! woe is me!

the best holiday sale!

seller of the month - fringe

Dennice Mankarious - California - USA



WHO (Your name, general description, any random bit of info about yourself, a vague sentence):

Dennice Mankarious, wife, mother, sister, daughter. fiber fanatic. perfectionist.

WHAT (Tell us about your shop, the items you make):

i design scarves, cowls, shrugs, capelets, shawls, lariats and many other items. i have a wide range of fashion styles from high drama to urban prairie to appeal to everyone, i hope. i feel that accessories make the outfit, and are a perfect form of personal expression. i make my creations in hopes that whoever wears one of my items will feel self-confident and divine.

WHERE (Why do you sell on Etsy?):

i sell on etsy because it's the perfect venue for my life style. it gives me a lot of freedom and the site is designed in such a fabulous way that you can give your shop your own personal style very easily. it has been an excellent learning experience for me and i have been very successful on etsy. plus, i'm my own boss. yippee!

WHEN (When did you start making handmade items? When did you start selling on Etsy? Any tips for current/future sellers?):

i started selling my creations several years ago, but not seriously. i didn't become focused and serious until i joined etsy back in January of this year. my humble advice to sellers is to do your research, take pride in your work, take good photos and list frequently. etsy's wikki has wonderful articles to help everyone who wants to take their shop on etsy seriously. it's how i did it. i didn't have a mentor, i just read everything i could lay my hands on that etsy had to offer me.

FUN (Whatever you feel like talking about. A favorite shop or item on Etsy, a website you think others should look at, why butterflies and toe socks should rule the world):

i have many shops and sellers that i adore here. i will say that leavesofglass, talula, boringsidney and bayousalvage are my top four. and they are all run by exceptional businesswomen.

Aaaand…RANDOM QUESTION! If you could live in any shaped house (a round house, a hexagonal house...), what would you like to live in?

i think of all the shapes out there in this big, beautiful world i would choose a u-shaped house with squared corners. the inside of the "u" would be floor to ceiling windows overlooking the center of the "u" which would have a swanky pool and lounge area. yep. a girl can dream can't she?

Featured Items

trans-canada etsy team contest prize

as mentioned in a previous post, i won the trans-canada etsy team contest! i would like to show off their fabulous prizes here! i received...

...a pair of adorable catnip mice from 4paws

alas, i have no kitties, but i'm going to use them as christmas tree ornaments until i see my uncle's kitty again! ...i hope catnip lasts that long!

...a fluffy coffee condom (i think it looks like a corset... and want to wear it as a bracelet!) from caffeinatedcrafts


starbucks beware!

...pretty little earrings from mieldesigns


i love the lapis lazuli stones on them!

...a whimsical bird hanging art piece by tanisalexis and a precious stuffed bunny by her sister shop, mwahcreations

the bunny smells like lavendar! hee!

...an eco-chic vintage leather necklace by tomatedepingles


the clasp has a little leather piece attached... what a cute detail!

...awesome feather deploy earrings by neawear


they're delicate, but super sleek! can't wait to wear them out!

...a butter soft leather book and fun leather cuff (which i am totally going to wear on my ankle instead!) by myhandboundbooks



unfortunately, i forgot my wonderfully beautiful fluffy scarf by stircrazycrafts back in missouri :( i had already integrated it into my wardrobe, so when it came time to pack for hawaii, i put it aside... boooo! i promise i'll post a special entry just for the scarf :D it's very warm, and will definitely be put to good use when it's blustery outside! hurray for handmade scarves!

happy holidays everybody!