Yoga Mat Bag 2.0

I've been taking Yoga classes - finally - since that was one of my New Year's Resolutions! I have found a great yoga studio - the Motion Center in Providence's Jewelry District - and an even better teacher, Rebecca Donnelly. I "graduated" from the Intro to Yoga class and I'm now taking Anusara Yoga. Now I wonder what took me so long to get started.

One of the things I really like about Rebecca's teaching style is that each week she gives us a little anecdote about her life and ties it into one of the principles of Anusara yoga - last week, our lesson was about humility. One of the ways I've been experimenting with humility is certainly through my yoga practice. Another is my experimentation with constructing a bag for my yoga mat and all of the necessary accessories....

Here's a few photos of our latest version. It's bigger than before, so I can toss in an eye pillow and a towel and any other odds and ends I need. The pockets are smaller, so my ID and tiny bits don't get lost in the bottom of the pockets. Plus, it has a key fob to keep control of the all-important car keys We like it more than our last version, but it's not the best it can be. We are already making improvements for version 3.0. Do you practice yoga? Tell us what you think of our bag....

Byhand.me

It's hard for me to navigate the many social-networking sites that feature artisans. I want to spend as much free time possible actually CREATING rather than talking, clicking, or typing about creating, so I need to get the biggest bang for my tiny amount of free time!

Lately I have been spending quite a bit of time at byhand.me which is one of the best sites!

• One of my favorite features about byhand.me is the Spotlight. It's similar to an Etsy treasury but you don't have to compete to get one. You can make as many as you like for other users to see and make comments. Here's my spotlight.
  

• Byhand.me is great because it doesn't involve selling -- you get to advertise all of your venues in one place -- so prospective customers and prospective friends can get to know the whole you!

• Speaking of prospective friends...byhand.me has great features like forums and clubhouses where you can get and give advice and support.
  

So, what should you do now? Maybe you should go take a look!

My free time is being sucked away but this has been a fun break! I'm going to go MAKE something now!

LuvHandmade.com

Who doesn't love a great feature for St. Patrick's day -- corned beef, green beer? Oh, wait, this is a new site providing great publicity and exposure for artisans while at the same time providing a fun community to meet and share.

What are you waiting for? Get over to LuvHandmade.com and check them out! This is a great social networking/community site for artists who sell on Etsy and other online venues. LuvHandmade.com offers blogs, forums, and features -- it's free and friendly -- give it a click!

Sweater Surgery - Owl Inspiration

I've been playing around with a book I recently bought called Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters. It has the cutest OWL project but of course I'm always altering the pattern in my mind even before I begin.

I posted on the Etsy forums asking for some inspiration from other Etsians and I wanted to share with you...

SleepDreamPlay shared two amazing Owl Brooches inspired by photographs and illustrations.

LittlePancakes shared this super-sparkly vintage brooch.

EverImprovingMe shared this tote with an owl's piercing stare.

PhotoTeresa shared this amazing print -- my husband is dying to know how she could get so close!

WHIMSYlove shared not one but TWO cheery springy owls!

SHAMBEEandJAK showed us two great owl keepsake boxes. I totally dig the pink and black - that's the kind of girl I am!

I would like to thank all of the Etsians who shared their fab creativity with me! I'm bursting with inspiration, it's Sunday morning, it's sunny, and I can't wait to get crafty!

Whooo Spotted Us? IndieSpotting!

We were totally honored to have one of our totes featured on the IndieSpotting website!

Their website is a fantastic collection of drool-worthy indie finds that are making me a little frightened that today's payday! Go ahead, click on the owl and check it out :)

Thanks to Catherine at Dreamland Crafts

She featured us on her blog in the pet products category:

http://madeforyoublog.blogspot.com/search/label/Pets%20Items

Go ahead, click and scroll down a little to see some of Ginger's favorite Catnip Activity Mats.

Ginger likes to stand guard over (er, lay on top of) the plastic totes that keep them clean and fur-free while they wait for their new homes. In exchange, she gets to be the model all over the internet. Alas, Ernst is immune to catnip.

Sharing the Etsy Love with SpunkByCM

Check out this fabulous bit of promotion from SpunkByCM.

http://spunkbycm.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-i-like-about-youwhat-you-like.html

I'm absolutely captivated by this gorgeous little widget! Go take a look...

I find myself spending way too much time on Etsy being captivated by all of the marvelous creativity of others...

Outtakes from the Photo Shoot

Taking pictures is one of my biggest challenges in listing on Etsy. Luckily, my amazing husband is willing to jump in and lend a hand. The cats also love being right in the middle of the action. Here's a few from our last photography attempt!

Ernst is ready to do some wiring, or maybe bite some wires.

Ginger is terrifically bored by photo shoots, and most things...

Can you see that helpful tail? Ernst is trying to get in on the action, he wants to be famous!

Recipe for a Tote Bag

I've been down and out with the flu or food poisoning, not sure which. Finally feeling somewhat human again, thought I would share this little tidbit with you...

One of the questions I get asked most frequently about Apiary is, “How long does it take to make a _________.” Usually it’s about a tote bag, since that’s one of our most popular items.

I never know what to say since we make them in batches, not one at a time. This Saturday, while I was working on our latest batch of springy tote bags I started thinking about how many steps are actually involved. Here’s what you need to do to build a tote:

Prepare the fabric - cut out the tote exterior, tote lining, and pocket material. Iron fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the tote exterior to stiffen the fabric and give it body.

Prepare the pocket - Iron the Apiary Designs logo onto the top of the pocket, topstitch the top of the pocket, serge the bottom of the pocket, press up the seam allowance.

Apply the pocket to the lining – Measure for correct placement, pin in place. Sew across the bottom of the pocket and then up the pocket to divide in two.

Sew the body of the tote – Serge the sides of the lining. Then serge the sides of the exterior.

Make a tote “sandwich” – Press the top of the lining and exterior down 1”. Nest the lining in the exterior. Line up seams and pin.

Make the straps – Cut webbing to the desired length. Measure and pin in place.

Finish – Topstitch the top of the tote with two rows of stitching setting the straps in place and triple stitching at stress points.

Voila – now you’ve got a tote! See why you should buy one from us instead of making your own??

Ritual, with an Umbrella

My Saturday morning routine is to take myself out to breakfast -- I’m rewarding myself for surviving another workweek and fueling up for a busy day of sewing. The ritual is always the same but I’m constantly on the lookout for the ultimate breakfast.

Breakfast is a difficult meal for me since I don’t like eggs – scrambled, omelets, benedicts – they look great but it’s a strange texture issue ever since I was a kid. Nancy will happily tell you how I demanded eggs when I was a baby, but along the way something changed.

It’s not easy to eat breakfast if you don’t like eggs – usually it involves a horde of side orders OR convincing the waiter that you’d really like the two-egg and hash meal with no eggs. They always look at you so suspiciously like not wanting eggs is un-American.

I have been wanting to try the Liberty Elm Diner for a long time but my sleepy, as yet uncaffeinated brain can usually not remember that on a Saturday morning. I planned ahead, I pulled up to the Liberty Elm, and then I was a little concerned that so many cars were on the street – would I be able to find a seat? I walked in and found a seat at the counter. To my surprise, a dining room opened up behind the main “diner” room and I realized there was plenty of room for lots of hungry people.

I had a GREAT breakfast. First of all, my waitress was super friendly and understood my dire need for coffee. The coffee was great, waking me up while I waited for my delicious and eggless meal. I ordered a side of fruit, which was a large cup containing an artfully sliced combination of tart apple, juicy orange, and creamy banana rounds topped with a cocktail umbrella. I firmly believe a cocktail umbrella makes anything festive, but I’ve never had one with breakfast before…

My second cocktail umbrella arrived stuck in my bagel, which was toasted with melted provolone cheese and tomato slices. I was full and happy by the time my waitress refilled my coffee cup twice more and presented me with a teeny bill ($6.05 to be exact).

I was well pleased with the Liberty Elm, just sorry that it took me so long to try the place. I’ll be back soon!

Hi there!

I'm glad you've found the new home of Apiary Designs. While we love our workroom we need to take a little time to get out in the world and meet some new people.

So who are we? My name is Megan, and I started Apiary Designs with my business partner (and my mother!) Nancy last year. Our goal is to create practical and attractive accessories and household items. We use a variety of materials including both new and vintage fabrics.

You can look at photos of our products at www.flickr.com/photos/apiarydesigns

If you're in the mood to shop, go to www.apiarydesigns.etsy.com

I'm looking forward to posting more soon...