Inspire Me

by Cheri of From Out of the Cracks

"Be optimistic. It feels better." ~ the Dalai Lama

Where does that creativity come from? What was the inspiration, the spark? Do you go somewhere to get inspired?

Today we have featured aromatherapy artist Andrea Badgley from Sacred Suds sharing how she creates "Soap with Soul". I have tried Andrea's soap, love the softness of my skin and the lingering fragrance, it all adds up to a wonderful experience Andrea has created! You can check out Andrea and her soap with soul on her Etsy Shop, Twitter and Facebook.


Andrea says, "My Aphrodite soap was born soon after I finished nursing my second child. When my daughter weaned, I mourned the loss of intimacy that breastfeeding brought, but I also rejoiced that I could finally have my body back (any other moms out there who relate to that?). I had been pregnant or nursing for four (loooong) years, and I felt frumpy, haggard, and like I had no identity of my own anymore. Someone else always needed something from me, and I felt I would have nothing left to give if I didn't give myself what I needed.

And what I needed was to feel beautiful, and sexy, and womanly in a non-Mom way. I was tired of feeling like a maid and a sherpa, wiping up spit-up and dragging babies and diaper bags and sippy cups everywhere. I wanted to feel radiant, like flowers bloomed everywhere I walked. I wanted to feel like a Goddess! So I turned to Aphrodite, "the lover's goddess, beautiful, gold-crowned, a blossom riding the seafoam... She is our darling, she who under the wheeling stars makes all things blossom and bear fruit" (Homeric hymn to Aphrodite). To me, Aphrodite (or Venus) represents the energy that we as women feel when we are confident in our femininity and beauty, and I wanted to channel that energy."

Andrea says, "After admiring paintings and sculptures of Aphrodite, and reading poetry and invocations to her, I had a wonderful image of this radiant goddess - what she looks like, how her skin might feel, and even the sound of her voice. But, because I think scent can reveal the essence of a person, or place, or moment in time, I wondered, "What would Aphrodite, the goddess of feminine beauty and sensuality, smell like?" I began blending oils, sniffing, adding, counting proportions until I crafted a fragrance blend that captured my interpretation of Aphrodite's essence: rose for love (especially self-love and appreciation), amber for sensuality, and ylang ylang for beauty. I then formulated a combination of nut butters and oils that would produce a silky, rich bar of soap. Three years later, and with a collection that has expanded to more than 25 different soaps, the Aphrodite soap still makes me feel radiant, like beauty blooms all around me."



HandmadeMN Giveaway - Evie's Tool Emporium

By Toni of Wild Dog Studio

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

Today we bring you a $20 Gift Certificate from Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium! Evie's carries a wide variety of tools for all your crafting needs... metal stamping sets, jewelry pliers, hammers, vises, bench tools, jewelry tools, craft tools and more!





How to Enter:

Visit Michelle's shop, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it.

Open to US and international residents.

Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a HandmadeMN Facebook Fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

7. Follow Michelle on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

8. Follow Michelle's blog. Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.


Contest ends Saturday, June 12, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

First of Five


Rosey Anne, the first of five new Prairie Flower girls is finished. With their bodies all nicely stuffed, they are a blank canvas; they have the potential to be anything, just like a young child.

The first doll was inspired by Raggedy Anne, with her cute triangle nose, embroidered heart, and sweet smile. I'm hoping to find a light pink gingham to make her a pretty apron. It is almost as much fun thinking about the next doll as making it :-)

Fun Friday Finds ~ May Birthstone ~ Shades of Emerald

By Jenna Halek ~ Artistic Edition

May Birthstone
Shades of Emerald
(Click on the image to enlarge)

Visit these HandmadeMN shops to see more:
Click on any of the names below
Fourth Row (Left to Right): kellybot, regansbrain, Owlshop, MaryFosterCreative

The Hot and Cold of Minnesota

by Rita Wetzel, RitasCreationsOnETSY and AndMoreBags

Do you remember earlier this month when the temperature dropped dramatically and we were concerned about evening frosts? We covered our plants, moved the patio inside, and turned on the furnaces once again.

Well, today (May 24) we have just the opposite. We are experiencing record high temperatures - they are in the 90's - for May and mugginess that we expect in July/August but never in May. We're watering the gardens. We're concerned about heat exhaustion and we've turned on the air conditioners and fans.

Do you ever wonder what Minnesotan's do to amuse themselves during the hot and the cold?

Well, Mary Foster enjoys the beauty of Minnesota's winter and captures all of our beautiful seasons with the camera. Just look at these Frosted Rose Hips!


Ann and Katie of Kitschy Knits and Embroidery worry about our kids and make sure they stay warm with their hand knit slippers.


And, MaryEllenCrafts will take care of you during the summer with her Cooling Neck Bands.


Fishing is a huge part of Minnesota summers! This has not escaped WesternArtGlass by any means. Just check out this walleye that he "caught."


And raise your hand if you have ever been to Lake Harriet for a run, a walk, or a concert at the bandshell! The bandshell is awesome up close and personal, as well as, in these notes cards from Cindy Lindgren.



I hope you've enjoyed this insight into why Minnesotans love Minnesota whether it is hot or cold!


Featured Shop - Plushroom Soup

By Sara of Auntie B Online

Jessica of Plushroom Soup is "stewing strange softies." Strange indeed, and yet so loveable. Plushies are a wonderful thing, and Jessica not only can create them with bits of fabric, some thread and a needle, she actually designs the patterns herself. Her creations are inspired by fantasy and her shop not only offers the cute plushies she has in stock, but also custom work. Let's see what's stewing in the pot...

Fernando is furious, or so his title says. How can one creature be so ferocious and so friendly at the same time? I love his squiggly arms.



Stella is precious and almost vintage-looking. She's so cheerful! This froggie design will simply steal your heart.



This is the wise, old owl. I like the coordinating fabrics and knowing look in his eyes. What a delightful addition to a child's collection of "friends."


Such squishy wonderfulness. Jessica's choice of fabrics and talent with a needle and thread is sure to delight you, and that says nothing for her unique and imaginative designs. Visit Plushroom Soup and pick up a little cutie for yourself. They make great gifts too!


HandmadeMN Giveaway - Sacred Suds

By Jessica of Clay By Clay

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

This week's giveaway is from Andrea of Sacred Suds. Andrea is giving away this Yoga Gift Set containing two of her handmade soaps.


Help your favorite Yoga-lover achieve joy, connection, and asana success with this Yoga gift set of all natural handmade soaps. Inspired by Ganesha, the Hindu Lord of success and remover of obstacles, and by Om, the sacred Hindu syllable that connects our deepest self to the All, these soaps are perfect accompaniments to any Yoga practice. Both are scented with pure essential oils, including joyful sweet orange. The gift set includes Ganesha and Om soaps, wooden soap dish, and comes gift-wrapped in beautiful cotton fabric. I smelled Andrea's soaps at the recent HandmadeMN show, and they were wonderful.


Open to US and International residents

How to Enter:
Visit Andrea's shop, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments)

Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Follow Andrea on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

7. Become a Facebook Fan of HandmadeMN. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

8. Become a Facebook Fan of Sacred Suds. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

9. Follow the Sacred Suds blog. Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

Contest ends Saturday, June 5, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!
HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

May Challenge Winner

By Toni of Wild Dog Studio




Congratulations to Sabrina of Riyah-Li Designs for winning May's HandmadeMN monthly challenge!

Thanks to all who participated in this month's challenge, and stay tuned for some great "True Love" entries coming soon!



Fun Friday Finds ~ Black & White Series II

By Jenna Halek ~ Artistic Edition

Black & White
Series II
(Click on the image to enlarge)

Black & White Series I

Visit these HandmadeMN shops to see more:
Click on any of the names below
Fourth Row (Left to Right): LollyBopBaby, wynzia, ALineofHerOwn, michelephoto

Playing Catch-up

So I've been busy: finals at Pepperdine, moving to a new house, and before the boxes were even unpacked I headed off to Idaho for some decompression time. Right this minute I am sitting in a hotel room in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. My room overlooks the Tetons and a horse corrall; I'm in bliss. But more on that later.

In my time of radio silence a lot has happened: I've sold the audio rights to the book and my agent is working on foreign and film rights, which is crazy. HarperCollins hired a model to represent Clara and shot the photos that will be on the covers for the first three books. Then they printed up a trial-run cover for UNEARTHLY and shipped it to me. I had to pretty much open the package, look at it, and then ship it back. (I wish I could show you, but I think I better wait for the big cover/launch date reveal until HarperCollins tells me. . .) Needless to say, it was a beautiful cover.

All of this is getting pretty surreal. This time last year Clara was a ghost haunting me, an image in the back of my mind. Now she's real-represented by a real, flesh-and-blood person on a real cover with real pages being printed about her. When I told my dad about Harper hiring the model (they had a casting call where over 100 girls showed up) he said: Good job! You're causing employment! I had to laugh at that. Yes, that ghost in my head is now keeping lots of people plenty busy.

So that's news. But the thing I REALLY want to write about is that I got to meet with Aprilynne Pike. In person. She came to Idaho Falls to do a reading and some school talks, and was sweet enough to meet me for dinner last week. For those of you who don't know Aprilynne (read Wings! Read Spells!), she's a HarperCollins writer whose debut novel, WINGS, spent 8? weeks on the New York Times bestseller list last year and whose sequel, SPELLS, debuted a couple weeks ago at number 4. See her awesome blog here. Not long after I got my offer from Harper I emailed Aprilynne and asked if she might mentor me a little bit, being that we're both from Idaho (Aprilynne lived in Driggs, which is very close to Jackson Hole, where my book is set) and we're both moms and writers, and all the HarperCollins people could not stop gushing at how great she is. And she and I have emailed back and forth for months, and she has given me such great advice and encouragement.

I will try not to gush at how great she is. Dinner was great; Aprilynne was friendly and fun and a font of useful information. Afterwards, I went to her reading, and I was so impressed with her easy, energetic presence in front of the crowd of adoring fans who'd gathered at the Barnes and Noble. She talked a lot about the publishing process and what it's really like (as opposed to in the movies where writers always write a novel in a montage that last a couple of weeks and then sees their book on the shelf almost immediately) and read from the book and made them laugh and signed copies and stood up to have pictures taken with them.

The whole time I was thinking: Wow. Wow. Wow. I hope I can do as well as this when my time comes. 

The next day I went to my old middle school: Rocky Mountain Middle school and watched Aprilynne do a talk. And she blew my socks right off. Middle schoolers can be (hmm, how do I phrase this?) hooligan monkey children. Do they ever have a lot of energy! But Aprilynne immediately held their attention and got them involved and answered their questions. She was, in short, amazing.

See now, I'm gushing. Sigh. The whole thing was a great big dose of reality, a "this is what's possible" moment. And it was scary and wonderful. And, oh yes, surreal. Let's not forget surreal.

Afterwards I went up to my dad's house in the mountains and spent the next few days writing, writing, writing, on book 2. And then I came back to IF for a day and then headed up to Jackson. Tetons! Horses! More on that later.

More Prairie Flower Finery

The Bleu Door pattern site ( www.thebleudoor.com ) continues to be a gold mine of patterns to adapt for the Prairie Flowers. Here are a few new patterns, all of which (with the exception of the crochet sweater above) have been adapted from these patterns.

First, there is a simple nightgown from 1920. This is made of a pale pink batiste, with a sprinkling of crochet flowers around the neck, and featherstitching around the bottom. The pattern is here:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFNightgown.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

The bedjacket is just a simple sweater crocheted from laceweight mohair yarn. I developed the pattern originally for Waldorf dolls, and have adapted it for mini-free spirits, and now the Prairie Flowers:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/Crochet_Sweater_for_PrairieFlowers.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Next is a simple shirt and jumper combination. The shirt has 3/4 length sleeves that are not set in; the neck and sleeve edges finished with either purchased or self bias trim. The pattern is here:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFBasicShirt.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

The jumper is also super easy, and from the same 1920 pattern as the shirt:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFJumper.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1


These cute and simple overalls are from a 1917 pattern. I made them from an old pair of my husbands blue jeans...the straps here were a little narrow to easily make up, so on the pattern I've widened them a bit. And added a touch of embroidery to the legs. Same simple shirt with these overalls as above. The pattern is here:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFOveralls.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Close up of the overall embroidery. A Prairie girl should have Prairie flowers blooming across her overalls :-)

The Farmers Market

by Rita Wetzel of RitasCreationsOnETSY and AndMoreBags

May is the beginning of the Farmer's Markets here in Minnesota. A weekend trip to a local market has become a ritual over the years. The locally grown, fresh vegetables and fruits remind me of growing up with all of the wonderful, tasty produce that we grew in the garden. Although, I must say I enjoy them much more now than I did as a kid!! And what is my favorite vegetable from the garden? Fresh peas - oh, they are so yummy out of the pod - they rarely make it into the veggie steamer! And my favorite fruit - raspberries!

My trip to the farmers market this past weekend yielded me fresh rhubarb for rhubarb crisp and marigolds for the flower garden!

So all of this got me to thinking about our Minnesota Etsians. What kind of Farmers Market could we come up with? What kind of produce and what kind of flowers would our market have? Well, here's a few of offerings....

We would turn to Tinab76 for the peas in the pod that I so dearly love:


And Michelephoto will bring the brussel sprouts, radishes, eggplant and more:


And we'll find more radishes at The Green Squirrel:


Like pomegranates? Well look for Cindy Lindgren!


And we certainly have to pick up our apples from Julie Meyer:


You will be able to find roses and many other flowers from Mary Foster:


Like daisies? I love them! Then stop by and visit Penguin Palace:




So visit your local Farmer's Market soon! And remember these delicious offerings from HandmadeMN!!







Eight Questions with...Sue Pariseau

Meet Sue Pariseau. Sue lives in a the south metro suburb of Farmington, but she also spends a great deal of time at her farm in SE Minnesota near Lanesboro. If she didn’t have a day job in the metro area, she'd be at the farm all the time. Sue & her husband Kevin have four adult children & three grandchildren. Kevin helps Sue tote all her heavy pottery around & calls himself her roadie; without his assistance she would not be able to participate in the quantity of shows she currently does. And he works cheap – all she needs to do is buy him pie or ice cream and let him take a nap in the shade and he’s happy. When not making pottery or selling at shows, Sue is a project manager for an electric utility. You can find Sue on her Etsy store, Sue Pariseau Pottery, & her blog of the same name.


1. What type of items do you sell in your store?

My Etsy store features a sampling of the wheel thrown and hand built functional pottery pieces I create. Most items are available immediately. However, some items, like dinnerware place settings, are made to order listings. Because pottery is so heavy, shipping costs are pretty high so I see more sales of smaller items and try to keep a greater inventory of small items in my store compared to larger items.


2. Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from many sources. One of the foremost is necessity. I make pottery for people to use in their everyday lives rather than something to be collected and used as art pieces. So, when I think of something I could really use to make my life easier, I consider if it is something I could make from clay. If I have a need for it, someone else probably does too.

3. Do you have a specific space where you do most of your work?

Making pottery takes up lots of space and is messy. I am very fortunate to have studio space in two locations. At our house, my studio shares a portion of our garage with daughter Gabby’s work space, two vehicles, all the usual garage storage stuff and a pet or two. It’s a little crowded and my husband mourns the loss of his “man cave”. At the farm, we’ve built a studio space called Old Crow Studio and a separate shed for a wood fired kiln. Old Crow Studio is my preferred workspace and I hope one day soon, it will be my primary studio.



4. When did you first start crafting?

I don’t remember not crafting. My Mom was a crafter and crafting was always an integral part of our lives. I first remember selling crafts in elementary school when friends and I would make chokers with ribbon and buttons and sell them to other students. Does that statement date me?

5. Do you do any crafts or art beyond what you sell?

Working full time and being a studio pottery part-time, I don’t have a lot of extra time left for other crafting. But I try to do a little of anything that sounds like it might be enjoyable. Does Christmas decorating count? – I love Christmas decorating.

6. What are your favorite places to buy supplies?

My favorite place to buy clay supplies is Continental Clay in Minneapolis , their employees are extremely helpful and friendly. They also have a great display area in the store featuring hundreds of donated pots from other artists which show how different clays and glazes can be used. Seeing all the various shapes and purposes is very inspirational. After that, I’d have to say my favorite place to buy pottery making tools is any kitchen store. My favorite tools are repurposed kitchen items; pastry cutter, turkey baster, wooden bowls and a strainer all make great pottery tools.



7. What is the best thing you’ve ever done to promote your Etsy store?

I don’t think I can nail down a “best” thing yet. To me promoting your store is about finding a good combination of efforts rather than one really good one. I’ve found membership in HandmadeMN and Etsy Mud Team to be invaluable. Every communication tool I use (e-mail signature, business cards, Etsy purchase thank you cards, etc) have my Etsy store address on them so people can find my store again. Like many Etsians, I use Twitter and Facebook social networks where I promote my store and my blog. And then I use Google Analytics to see what is effective.

8. What other Etsy store(s) do you really like?

My daughter’s store, Cannibal Candies, Scrub Your Butt Soap Co, because you've gotta love the name. Margotbianca because batik bandanas keep the mud out of my hair .


HandmadeMN Giveaway - Athena's Little Owl

By Rita Wetzel of RitasCreationsOnETSY and AndMoreBags

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

Today we bring you this bold, gorgeous flower ring from Corrin of Athena's Little Owl!



The bloom is hand shaped and arranged, giving the rosey pink petals a shabby chic, rustic look. It is secured on a sterling silver plated adjustable ring. This ring will add whimsical romance to any outfit!


How to Enter:
Visit Corrin's shop, pick your favorite item, and leave a comment on this post about it.

Open to US and International residents.

Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a HandmadeMN Facebook Fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

7. Become Corrin's Facebook Fan. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.


Contest ends Saturday, May 29, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.


Pansies, pinks, and peonies

I strolled around the house yesterday with my camera, and took some pictures of what is blooming. 13 peony bushes, a shrub rose on steroids, and several volunteer pinks from last year, to name a few.

Peonies are wonderful; plant them (not too deep) and they take care of themselves and bloom for years and years.

Pansies always have such cheerful faces, and the yellow ones I got this year are particularly sunny :-)

Flowers always amaze me. Why a device to lure pollinators should be so wondrously beautiful to us seems to me a signature of God.

"...if eyes were made for seeing, then Beauty is its own excuse for being..." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Fun Friday Finds ~ Very Cherry

By Jenna Halek ~ Artistic Edition

Very Cherry(Click on the image to enlarge)

Visit these HandmadeMN shops to see more:
Click on any of the names below

How-to: Geocaching

By Kelly, aka kellybot

One of my favorite outdoor activities is
geocaching, which is kind of like hide and seek with a GPS. With all our wonderful weather lately, I start itching to get outside and go for a good hunt. I documented one of my trips in St. Paul, MN -- it might help you get started on this super fun activity!

First we arrived using the GPS via car. I switched the GPS to pedestrian mode, with off-road navigation, which should enable us to walk straight to the spot. We were at a city park with paved trails so we started down the path.


The next photo is a close-up of the GPS. The start point is where we parked the car and the checkered flag marks the coordinates. The blue arrow in the middle shows where we are and the direction that we are heading. We're on a paved path so we're not making a direct line - we kept thinking that the path would curve back towards the flag. In the bottom right corner of the GPS you can see that we're .1 miles away. Once we get within about 40 feet, it will tell us we've arrived. Then we watch the time in the bottom left corner and try to get it as close to 0 seconds as possible. The GPS is supposedly accurate only to within 30 feet, but if we get it below 5 seconds, we're usually on top of the cache.


We got to a point where we were getting farther away from the flag and we found a little trail off the paved path, so we took it. We walked along the hiking trail, running into big pieces of metal and getting assaulted by mosquitoes.


The GPS led us to this area and a more experienced geocacher probably would've made a beeline for this downed tree. It took me a few minutes to look in there, which is where we found the cache.



It was tucked way into the hollow branch and covered with another piece of wood.


Here's what the container looked like. Depending on the size of the container, there is usually a log and pencil inside. Being so large, this one held a bunch of trinkets. The idea is that you are free to take something from the cache, and should replace it with something of equal or greater value. We keep a sack of plastic toys and such for exchanging.


We ended up taking a travel bug and left a large fluffy pen. The travel bug has an ID number on it and if you take it, you need to log it on the geocaching website and then deposit it in another cache. We also log our day's activity on the geocaching site, which gives us a record of how many caches we've found and keeps us from searching for the same one twice.



Have you ever been geocaching? Are you feeling inspired now? Let us know in the comments!

Bleuette fashions for Prairie Flowers

I'm not a very good pattern drafter when it comes to sewing doll clothing, so I asked Janie Hile at www.thebleudoor.com for permission to adapt some of the wonderful original Bleuette patterns for the Prairie Flowers, and she kindly said yes.

The adapted patterns for the apron and jacket above are here:

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFApron1.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFjacket.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

The jacket pattern is from 1913, and the apron pattern from 1909.


Here are the two basic A-line dresses:

Both of these patterns are from 1912. I've made them simpler than the original, with little embellishment. But that is the neat thing about a simple pattern, some lace and ric-rac, or contrasting fabric panels can change the look entirely.



http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFLong%26ShortSleeveBasicDress.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1




I also dearly love dainty underwear for dolls, so here are a couple of patterns called 'combinations,' which are just what the name implies - a combination of chemise and pantaloon. The one on the left is a 1918 pattern; the one on the right is from 1916.

Made up in lightweight batiste, with perhaps a touch of embroidery, and they are lovely underwear. In a cotton calico, they could be rompers or overalls.

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFCombinationsPattern.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

And lastly, some simple underwear; panties that can be worn under the dresses, and a dainty camisole.

http://sites.google.com/site/designbybethann/home/links/PFUnderwearCamisole.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Thank-you, Janie, for providing such a wonderful, and historic, pattern site, and for letting me use the patterns for the Prairie Flower dolls. Some styles are simply timeless, just like the love of dolls :-)

We're back in business

So I'm learning the hard way that not all document readers are created equal :-) Of course, for crochet patterns it is not an issue, but with a sewing pattern it is quite important that what you print out is scaled properly.

To that end, the Prairie Flowers doll pattern is back on the site with these recommendations when printing out the pattern:

First, use Adobe's Acrobat Reader (free) to view and print the patterns. If you do not have this reader, you can get it here (you will need to know the operating system you are using on your computer):

http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

And next, when you get ready to print the pattern, on the Print page you must set the "Page Scaling" (about the middle of the page) to NONE. This will allow the pattern to be printed out just as I drew it. If this is not the default, change it to NONE, otherwise you will get a small, blank border around the pattern that will change the scaling of the pattern pieces.

I hope this hasn't screwed anyone up. I'm getting ready to test this on both Windows and Mac operating systems (I use Linux, which I doubt many of you are using). I don't expect there to be any problems, but you never know with computers...

Back to the drawing board

This will be a quick post. When I created the PDF file for the Prairie Flowers cloth doll pattern, the pattern became distorted. I only found this out as I was creating the clothing patterns. Not sure if this is occurring when I export the file to PDF, or when I print it out with my document viewer.

At any rate, I've removed the pattern from the site for now in order to get it 'right.' If you have copied it already, I would not use the pattern and wait until I have the corrected pattern up and available. It won't take long...the pattern is fine until it gets turned into a PDF, so if nothing else I will make it available as a Word document.

I'm so sorry if any of you have already started making the doll. The pattern would still make a cute doll, she just wouldn't be quite the right size for her clothes :-(

HandmadeMN Giveaway - Wild Dog Studio

By Jessica of Clay By Clay

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

This week's giveaway is from Toni of Wild Dog Studio. Toni is giving away this adorable fused glass pendant.


This adorable little puppy was hand drawn by Toni, then scanned and used as a decal in this wonderful little fused glass pendant. The pup sits atop a light blue base, and is topped with clear glass. She’s drilled a hole and added a simple hand formed sterling wire bail from which to hang him. He will bring a little fun to your day!

Open to US and International residents

How to Enter:
Visit Toni's shop, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments)

Please make sure we have a way to contact you!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Follow Toni on Twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

7. Become a Facebook Fan of HandmadeMN. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

8. Become a Facebook Fan of Wild Dog Studio. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

9. Follow Toni's blog. Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

Contest ends Saturday, May 22, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!
HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

HandmadeMN Spring Market - Today!!

By Toni Kuffel of Wild Dog Studio

Today’s the big day! HandmadeMN is holding our first ever Spring Market from 10 to 5 today. Over 45 artists and crafters will have booths set up at the Ballentine VFW in Minneapolis. Come out and shop with us for Mother’s Day! Find jewelry, knitted and crocheted items, photos, paintings, notecards, quilted items, and much, much more.

And two lucky shoppers will win these fantastic gift baskets full of handmade goodies! Aren’t they fabulous?



Special thanks to these contributing team members:

Art of Jane * Athena's Little Owl * Bird From a Wire *
* cayenne peppy * Cindy Lindgren *
* Egret Effects * Fennel Studio * From Out of the Cracks * Kat Corrigan *
* Kellybot * KellyLynne Designs * Little Louie’s Crafts *
* LilyKat Studio * ljbe * Michelle’s Minnesota Made *
* Penguin Palace Photography * Rita’s Creations *
* Riyah-Li Designs * Sacred Suds * SB Design * Starglow Studio *
* Steampunk Vintage Design * Suz and Roo * Sweet Gracie’s *
* Sweet Possibilities * The Foxy Squirrel * Trigo * Vintage Recreations *
* Wild Dog Studio * wynzia



Here's where you can find us:
Ballentine VFW
2916 S Lyndale Ave
Minneapolis
10am - 5pm