New Years Resolutions

It's nearly the end of the year. I haven't been blogging much I know, I've been spending time with family and away from home. But now I'm back and it's time to get this back on track.

So here's my new year's resolutions.

1. Start a new blog and the Panda a Day project
2. Post a new item every day on etsy
3. Collect enough art through the year to have my first art show
4. Teach an art class
5. Get some wheels! Time for a car finally
6. Become a Saturday Market Regular Vendor
7. Make my crafting friendships stronger
8. Meet more cool chicks
9. Stop doubting myself so much
10. Prove to ME that I can do it
11. Make lolly-tots my full time job and my design my part-time job
12. BE HAPPY
13. Meet more awesome guys and just let life work itself out
14. BE MORE PATIENT
15. Fall in LOVE with LIFE. All over again.

What are yours?

Merry Christmas!

I've been visiting the family all this week and having a blast. I'm tired as hell but wow I have so many stories to take back with me. The drive up was fun and me and my brother Pat escaped the snow of Portland just as it was reaching it's worst on Sunday night. It was so beautiful there and it was sad to leave it all behind because where I am in Grants Pass it was only raining!

I spent all Christmas Eve with my friend and her family making Christmas cookies for presents. yeah baking! As we were baking the snow started falling! We had a white Christmas and I am so happy that the snow followed me here.


Today during Christmas Brunch the snow started falling again! Me and my brother Pat started singing "White Christmas" and we got the whole family to join in. We cooked up a big breakfast for the family and kicked everyone out of the kitchen.




Tonight we are cooking dinner with Grandma and finishing off the holiday with some one on one family time. This has been just the break I needed and I feel so revived, refreshed and loved. I love them all so much even though they irritate the hell outta me!

Merry Christmas to all of you and Happy New Year!


Love and kisses,
- Mary

Crafty Wonderland Holiday Sale!

We had so much fun at the show this weekend. The roads were icy and we didn't know if anyone would even show up, let alone want to shop for handmade items. I am shocked, inspired and amazed at how many people made it out. I asked people as they came by and the said they hiked in, bussed in, maxed in, because they had COMMITTED to coming to this show! There was a line of 100 people out in front when we opened.. the free grab bags went FAST.


It was so fun to talk to old friends, one of them my awesome boothmate Autumn of Autumn's Comfort Candles. The scent of her candles tortured me all day as the scent wafted my direction.



I got to chat with Leah of Leah's Glass Creations. I finally got to see her mobiles in person. We had no idea we had set up right in front of her so it was a treat to have her behind us to chat with all day.

I was really inspired by all the work I saw there and so happy that Portland supports their handmade artisans. A lot of them were saving their money and time to do their final Christmas shopping with us. They know where the good stuff is!

It was a bit difficult to figure out how to set up my booth, but each time I get better at it and it looks less and less like a bit vomit pile of color. hehe.




Thanks to everyone that made it out through the snow and ice! You are the ones that keep us going and encourage us through these difficult times. I'm so happy that I have such awesome crafty friends and comrades. This was a really nice end to the year and it makes me shine inside when I feel all this love around me. You are all so wonderful and thank you so much for all your kind words.

I'm still going strong and will be updating with some new items in my shop this week before I head off to Christmas. Happy Monday to you all! I hope you enjoyed your snowy weekend (all you Portland peeps)

Vector Snowflakes

Free download of an ai and pdf versions of these vector snowflakes. Perfect for cards and illustrations. Plus I love the blog they are on: Vector Art. Check out the rest of the site for more freebies.

Found over at the super fabulous How About Orange blog.

Awesome Ornaments

It's so cold and dark and coooold here in Portland Oregon today. It's morning but it's dark like dusk. It's so depressing.. and slow at work. I will fight it today though with a little Christmas spirit and looking at pretty blogs and pictures. I found some really cute ornaments I would like to share with you. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this fish. It reminds me of the Dr. Suess fish in the story books. Doesn't it?


Found over at mmmmcrafts blog.

Found on flickr: FeltSewGood

Found on flickr: Vivika's Felt Creatures

Cinnamon Ornaments

The girls were busy last night crafting away! My friend K came over and we spent hours painting our cinnamon cookies. I tried my version using this recipe. I used a little too much applesauce in my mix so they took longer to dry and came out a darker color. I didn't have any white glue so I used wood glue. I figured you can use any amount of cinnamon (I only had a quarter cup) You just have to follow the basic ratio, 1 part cinnamon, 3/4 part applesauce and a sprinkle of Cloves and Nutmeg. Puff paint was used to decorate, there were also versions with beads and sprinkles. I took these two with me to work to put on the tree we have here and photographed them on the way.

Sammy The Panda Gnome

Sammy likes to climb trees so he can see over the backyard fence. It's rather drab here on the ground but when you go up high you can see forever! He has high hopes that someday he will get to see more of this world and travel beyond the yard.

Maybe you can take him on an adventure?
he's available in my shop today!

Mardbert the Panda Gnome

Mardbert's going on an adventure. He has his bags all packed and ready to go. Hi ho, hi ho and away he goes!

available in my shop here.

Gift Box Tutorial

I found it! This little tutorial shows how to make the gift boxes I used to make with my mom as a kid. The best way is to finish it up with a ribbon and make it look like a little present. It can also be used for small gifts and treats (stocking stuffer ideas? oh yeah!)

Christmas Ornament Ideas

This Christmas season I find myself tucked inside crafting away with the heater purrring and the sewing machine humming. I just can't get enough of Christmas crafts! Here are some ideas that I want to try out this week. I'm having some friends over for a craft night and hopefully we can try a few out. I have memories going way back of nights spent with my Grandma and mom cutting away at last year's holiday cards and making them into boxes and wreaths. Looks like these are all kid friendly as well so you can sit down with your little ones and share with them a new tradition.

This idea would work great with recycled holiday cards and paper scraps. I've seen versions with lights in the middle. I also spotted some for sale at Ikea. Why not make your own though? So much more fun. Directions can be found here at mmmcrafts blog.

I found this nifty little idea over at a really cool blog: Handmade Holidays through the year. It was originally from Martha Stewart and you can find the tutorial here. I have a lot of buttons around the house and I am sooo going to try out this idea. I wonder how it will look as a rainbow?

One of my favorite blogs: how about orange, shares with us some of her holiday stockings from last year. These designs are very modern and I think would look great as mini stocking ornaments.

Lastly I would like to share this great little tutorial from Yummy Pancake. I am going to make these this week for sure, I already have the spices and the applesauce. I've never made them before so this will be a learning experience. I'll be sure to share what I do manage to make!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Remember the most important thing this year is to spend time with the ones you love, that's the best gift of all. And crafts is a way of bringing people together.. now more than ever is the time to sit down and craft your heart out. Just make sure you do it with friends!

Busy at work

I've been busting out some Pandas this weekend and they will be available in my shop this week. Busy busy busy! It's a panda factory here!

Free Gift Hangtag

Download an 8.5"x11 template here. (Right click on the link and choose, save to desktop)

Don't forget to send me images of these guys on your presents!

Bunny Applique

I have exploring the world of applique this year and I'm loving it. This is one of my designs a little happy rabbit. I would sell this shirt but I love it so much I'm saving it as a showpiece. I have a few shirts for toddlers that I sewed up with this little guy. If you visit me at Crafty Wonderland you can see them!



She is made of felt, parts handsewn and machine sewed onto the garment. This is a great way to glam up a garment.

More to come soon!

New Shirts Available

I've been busy updating my etsy shop with some new shirts. In the future I won't be offering adult shirts at my shows because it's hard for me to bring them all and they don't get displayed properly. So the best way to get adult shirts is either go to my website: www.lolly-tots.com or check out my etsy shop for one of a kind and discount deals.

Here are the new shirts available in my shop. More to come!

Crafty Wonderland

I am participating this year in the Crafty Wonderland's Super Colossal Holiday Sale. I'll be there with fellow crafter Autumn of Autumn's Comfort Candles. Come and visit us and get some great deals! I will be offering a HUGE sale of my baby onesies for only $10 each. Also the Panda Gnomes will be there!


http://www.craftywonderland.com/

Panda Gnomes!

I had a fabulous Thanksgiving this year. I took some time off and crafted away the weekend and got to see a lot of friends. I am SO excited that it's finally Christmas and I can put my new holiday decorations up in my shop. This year I came up with the idea to make Panda Gnomes.

Each little gnome came out unique so I will be uploading more of them this week as I photograph them.

The first in the series is little Thomas. He comes with two little mushrooms made out of polymer clay and hand painted. You can find him now in my etsy shop.

These little guys can be used as just for display or a hanger can be added to put him up in the tree!

This is what I was doing ALL Sunday. I can't wait to finish all the rest of his little family. Some of them came out so fat!