I finally got around to taking and posting a bunch of photos today, which means that there are lots of new items up at AnneArchy.

For Blythe:

and for people:

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Woot! I sold my first two Blythe dresses on Etsy! They are two of my favorites that I've made so far, which is affirming.


They are also both patterns that I improvised (based on a general idea from Puchi Collective) and that I embellished with metallic doodads. Since I made these I've played with my pattern a little bit more and already made another version that I really like (pics soon, just haven't gotten around to it yet). I think I may play some more this afternoon, as I have some more xmas fabric that I haven't tried yet and since Thanksgiving has passed, now's the time to use it.

I've had these dressed posted to Etsy for a few weeks, but I just yesterday changed the shipping to offer a deal (free shipping on the 2nd+ items) - I'm not sure if that made the difference, but regardless, I'll take it!

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I've been feeling so crafty lately! I think that happens especially when the weather starts getting colder and I have less to do in the garden.

I found this Acorn Dress fabric at JoAnn and thought the little acorns were just perfect for autumn. I feel like the orange button compliments the fabric really nicely even though there's nothing in the print that is precisely that orange color. It works! I also think that this color palette works really nicely for Willow's coloring (make-up, hair, etc.). She goes well with fall, my favorite season, hurrah!

This Cherry Pie dress was almost completely improvised. I re-altered a pattern that I'd previously altered for the top and then just made up the skirt and ruffle as I cut it out. I'm very pleased that it turned out! At first I couldn't find any ribbon that worked colorwise but then I found this felt rick-rack ribbon and it was just right. I think it gives the dress that little something extra that makes it special.

More photos at Flickr.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I've been knitting a lot lately and have finished a few more projects.

This is the Her Majesty Scarf. It's made of really nice yarn (a splurge for me) and is SO soft. I almost kept it for myself but decided to list it after all.

I've also made a few hats, which I really like because I can easily improvise a pattern and then just keep on going until it's done.

Grape Jelly Hat. My inspiration here was to use a pattern that would break up the stripey nature of the yarn a little bit, but still show off the beautiful shades of purple. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Bluebell Hat. This one is SUCH gorgeous yarn that I wanted to let the colors of blue speak for themselves and not interfere by using a stitch pattern. This yarn is unbelievably soft and a little stretchy, so it's perfect for a roll-brim hat.

Zappy Hat. I had no idea what the variegated yarn would look like until after I started knitting and I thought it was pretty neat! I like that the different colors ended up in varying shaped swatches.

More photos on Flickr.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of making Blythe-sized dresses. Working on such a small scale is different than making clothing for myself - but it goes so much more quickly! Today I took a little under two hours and made two dresses.

The Froggie Dress:

The froggie fabric above was from the nursery section at the fabric store, but I thought it was so cute, and not too juvenile. I'm pleased that I was able to center the frog on the front of the top without too much trouble.

And the Tick Tock Dress:

I thought the clock motif fabric was appropriate for autumn. The leaves falling make me realize how quickly time is passing these days. I'm also quite pleased that I'm getting the hang of making my own patterns and modifying those others have created. When I bought these buttons, I wasn't sure if they'd be too big for Blythe's scale, but I think they work quite well.

UPDATE: The Tick Tock dress is now available for purchase on AnneArchy (Etsy).

More photos on Flickr.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I finally caught up on photographing and posting a bunch of hats I've knitted over the last who-knows-how-many months. Voila! Click on the title for the Etsy link, or on the photo for the Flickr.

Got the Blues Skull Cap


Red Stripe Hat


Forest Floor Hat


Grey Swirl Hat


Twilight Sparkle Hat


Plums Hat


Smashed Blueberry Hat


Purple Swurple Hat


Iris Hat


Spring Crocus Hat

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I was struggling with what to be for Halloween this year, and it was suggested to me that I dress as Coraline. How perfect is that?! So I started putting together a costume. For reference, here's what she looks like:



So my list includes:

yellow slicker
wellies
red skirt
red and grey striped tights
dragonfly hair pin
red messenger bag
blue hairspray

I've had quite a lot of good luck so far:


I ordered the messenger bag (yay, Etsy!) and yellow slicker (yay, cheap!) online, and I already had the wellies (not the right color, but I'm not going to buy an extra pair of wellies just for this when I just got a new pair - unless someone has seen some yellow wellies for an unbeatable price?). The dragonfly isn't actually a hair clip, but I can make it into one.

Now I need to find some tights and pick up some blue hairspray. I have a reddish brown corduroy skirt in my closet that will work unless I find something better. It's all coming together!

Bonus follow-up to yesterday's pirate dress post: Logan making a pirate face:

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I have a birdhouse hanging on the red maple outside our front window, but it has never attracted any actual birds.

It's a cheapy from Joann, and I don't doubt that it was manufactured without any thought to the actual needs of birds. I thought it was cute without being cutesy, though, and it does bring a little bit of color during the winter. It's getting less and less red over time, but anyway.

I'd like to get some more birdhouses to try to attract more birds to our yard. I don't doubt that planting a garden out front will help, but I think that having birds nest in our vicinity would be neat. So, of course I head for Etsy to see what lovely items people have created.


This ceramic birdhouse by npayne is appealing in its simplicity. I generally prefer ceramics with a shiny glaze but I do like this one.

Speaking of simplicity, this mushroom shaped ceramic pottery birdhouse by mudpuppy is nothing but:

It's slightly on the retro side but I really love the all-white glaze and the contrast of the crackle on the cap.

Perhaps it's because I'm enamored with the idea of keeping bees, but I totally dig this beehive birdhouse gourd by HouseofGourds.


Speaking of keeping bees, I'm not convinced that I'll be able to make that happen anytime soon. In the meantime, though, I might pick up one of these Mason Bee Box Hives by andrewsreclaimed to attract them to the gardens.


Finally, I'm not a cat person but this one was too creepy not to share:

The Bad Cat Calls Birdies Birdhouse is by GourdKin. I wonder if they'd do a custom Boston Terrier one for me?

I'm still on the hunt for skull birdhouses but they seem to be pretty hard to come by. If you see one, please let me know!

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I'm thinking spring, even though it's not here yet, and though I've never been a big fan of lawn art, I am really drawn to garden gnomes right now. Lucky for me, Etsy comes through!

Finger puppets are always awesome.

This set of Mycology Gnome Finger Puppets is so cute! The detail stitching around the shapes is nicely done and I love the color palette scientificculture used. I'm a fan of this retro but not kitschy style.

I do love a cute bobby pin.

These Garden Gnome Bobbies by DoorMouse are cute! They're maybe a little big, and the way I wear them, the little guys'd end up sideways, but I do like them. At first I thought they were plastic, but they are actually cotton!


How can you resist this sullen little gnome by Badbird? He's got attitude, and I like it.

This guy is creepy!

He's the creation of sqrlbee, and his name is Felix. I would like to purchase him to sit on my desk at work, where he could make sure that I stay on task. Or else!

Should I get to the point where I'm motivated to (a) teach myself to do more than a basic crochet chain stitch and (b) make a gnome for myself, I could purchase this pattern for an amigurumi garden gnome from AmyGaines.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Fellow Michigan youth librarian Morgan Doane kicks ass in many ways, one of which has just been highlighted in the Grand Rapids Press:



Morgan creates one-of-a-kind handmade dresses for Blythe dolls, and while she's gotten a lot of attention from Blythe enthusiasts and craft bloggers, she is finally getting some mainstream media attention. Go, Morgan!

Check out her photos at flickr, and get some of your own at her etsy shop. One of the coolest things about Morgan's crafting is that she donates a portion from every sale to local animals in need.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

I decided that I wouldn't use any disposable gift wrap last year, and I did the same this year. I forgot to take photos of most of the stuff I made gift bags for, but I did snap pics of a few items before sending them to relatives we wouldn't see in person. I actually used a lot of stash fabric this year, which is a bonus. A few of the bags I made were from fabric I bought as remnants at Joann - I would never usually pay for expensive silk, but in remnant form, it's quite affordable and the right amount for gift bags. I also got some holiday napkins at quite a discount and used them in pairs to make bags. Joann also had their usual pre-holiday markdown on holiday ribbons.

I'm quite pleased with how my holiday gift-giving came together this year. I made gift bags for everything, I gave many hand-knitted gifts, and I purchased quite a few other gifts on Etsy. I love finding gifts that are unique and supporting handcrafters is awesome!

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Check it out! Craftster gal Lunique created this kickass fish bag. No pattern, just time and creativity! Yet another item that begs to be available on Etsy. I love the scale and fin detail and the contrasting fabric. Were I to make one I'd choose a deep red Asian silk brocade for the parts that are yellow above, and black for the blue, with the scales in red thread. I'd select a silver purse clasp and silver buttons for the eyes.

via Craftzine

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Margaux Lange creates jewelry from doll parts. They're creepy but cool. Check out her Etsy shop and own some for yourself.

via Craftzine

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Cakeyvoice created this sweet knitted Ash. (You can own it, too, through the magic of etsy.) Evil Dead and craftiness: two great tastes that taste great together.

via Craftzine

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

doe*c*doe has created some VERY neat artwork just perfect for craft rooms. I love the 3D aspect and am so impressed at how creative this is. You can get these on Etsy!

via Craftzine

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Check this out! Etsy seller ArtReverie created this sweet skully birdhouse to fill a need: the need for awesome birdhouses. I've been looking for some non-cutesy yard art and this is really appealing. This seller also has a creepy cool Skull Face Planter. I hope there are more similar items soon! Makes me want to take up pottery, except I'm too lazy for all that equipment.

via Kiss My Aster

Originally published at LibrariAnne.