Modern Granny Square Afghan

Hello beautiful people!

In an effort to make it easier for you to order custom afghans/blankets from Color Me Crochet, I have decided to post a collection of photographs from past blankets. Peruse, enjoy, and together we can create your very own!

Here are the Modern Granny Square afghans. They are crocheted using a custom design in three colors of your choice.

etsy.com/shop/ColorMeCrochet

A Season of Love

It's so interesting to me to watch the tides of life slowly pass by. Everything has it's time. And those times tend to come in waves!

You have the wave of graduation from high school, the wave of graduation from college, a handful of waves of engagements, and then the periodic waves of weddings.

Obviously, there are more waves that follow, but those relate to my life right now. It's another wave of weddings!

This year we have been blessed to attend two weddings of good friends of ours (and more to come!). We also spent a whole week in Chicago to visit friends! (and working remotely)

The first: my awesome roommate from college. We were best buds for three whole years! It's fun to look back on college -- the late nights of homework and studying, too much Netflix, and random conversations when you're too tired to think straight. It was awesome having someone to share all of my classes with, who could never avoid me when I had all sorts of homework questions. ;-)
The wedding was beautiful and fun, and we are so thankful that we got to join in the celebrations!

A week in Chicago with good friends, good food, and a few days of really nice weather. (oh, Chicago) It was awesome to walk around our old college campus and reminisce ... and not have homework to worry about! It's amazing how some things haven't changed a bit.

Then, a sweet friend from InterVarsity in college: one of my bridesmaids. She has always been a thoughtful and faithful friend, and found a sweet and wise husband to stand with her. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was like a surprise college reunion! It was fun getting to catch up with so many friends that we did not expect to see on our trip. Overall, it was a blast, and I am so thankful we were able to take the time for the long trip to celebrate with our friends.

Before I forget to add them to this post: here are my wedding gifts to my sweet friends. Hand-crocheted nameplates of their new family names. I love making sweet family heirlooms. Especially for such great friends!

Delightful Little Owls

Update -- Scroll to the bottom to see the newest photo! (super cute!)

-- You can find these cute owls on Etsy!

© Jessica Van Eaton

Sometimes I have a lot of trouble designing new products. Most of the time, it's because I have so many ideas bouncing through my head that I can't land on just one! Other times my perfectionism gets in the way, and all I can see are the 'perceived flaws' and little fixes that I can't quite figure out.

This time, I had too many variations running through my head!

So, I decided to make my favorite two.
(just so you know, they measure about 3.5'' tall. They are too cute!)

Which one is your favorite little owl?

© Jessica Van Eaton

© Jessica Van Eaton

© Jessica Van Eaton

If I get enough feedback, I can have one of these cute little owls in my shop by next Friday!

Your thoughts:   How do you make decisions when there are too many options?

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Update:  June 26, 2013 1:30 PM

My cousin had a graduation party this last weekend, and I decided to give her an adorable owl as a gift. I love how this little graduation cap turned out! Don't you?

© Jessica Van Eaton

Also, check back soon for an update (and direct link) on where to buy these cute owls!

I hope you are having a blessed day!

Sneak Peak

Here's a little preview of a project I am working on!

I hope to have more adorable (and complete) pictures for you by the end of this week. Don't miss out!

© Jessica Van Eaton

A Simple Update

It's funny how life can change directions in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes, it is as though you weren't paying enough attention and had to do a 'double-take' to really understand how you ended up here.

This past year has had quite the variety of life's experiences for me. Maybe not as varied as some, but it has been a little all over the place.

In March, I learned that I have a higher pain tolerance than I ever thought was possible.

I learned that my 'close to the edge' feeling of unbearable pain really wasn't all that 'unbearable', it just felt really horrible and was constantly distracting. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you wish to see it), I learned that I was not yet anywhere near 'the edge' (Those of you with chronic pain will understand what I mean). I'd have to endure a lot more pain to get to that point.

Which, to be frank, is not something I want to have to endure.
But that might just be a part of the plan for my life...

Here's how I learned those things: I tried a wide variety of prescription drugs (one at a time, over the course of six months) in a desperate attempt to mitigate my muscular and nerve pain. I put these poisons (that's what they are, in many ways) into my body, and all that happened involved a nice long list of side-effects, including more nerve pain.

Even more pain than I already had. Mind you, I didn't even consider these prescription drugs to be an option until I thought I couldn't possibly manage without them.

Apparently I was wrong.

Apparently I can go a lot further 'down' while still 'managing' to maintain my life in the midst of this pain.
I don't really think I do that great of a job at managing (I have trouble doing simple tasks: I have to choose between washing dishes or making dinner because I can't do both; I managed to get a job in the area of childcare but in all honesty my body simply can't handle it), but I'm apparently doing well enough because I can still hold a conversation for a decent amount of time before everything starts getting a little, well, iffy. It's hard to explain. But pain is incredibly distracting, even subconsciously. Things tend to get a little jumbled.

So, in the midst of my long-suffering, I have decided to turn to my 'strong-suits' and those things which inspire me most. (You know, the things you get excited talking about, and actually put a smile on your face no matter what is going on around you)

In case you don't know me very well or haven't been following along, for me those things are:

• Crocheting
• Helping Others
• Singing
• Things related to God

For the longest time, I have tried having an Etsy shop dedicated to selling crocheted goods almost purely for the sake of charity.
That's what this blog was originally linked to and titled under! (In case you were confused by the name change -- Yes, this was HelpfulBlankets!)

I'm switching it all up now.

My life tends to throw me curve-balls regardless of what is going on, so I may as well be the cause of the chaos this time.

I'm closing my HelpfulBlankets Etsy shop sometime this month, and will be merging it with my ColorMeCrochet shop. It's a one stop shop! :-)

But the side of giving will be (almost) completely separate. (most likely any of my profits will go directly to materials and shipping for the sake of giving...I can just see that happening!)

I'm going to be starting a tiny ministry of prayer, and I hope you will join me. When it's all set up, I will invite you to email me the names of men, women, children and families whom you want to receive prayer (and a prayer shawl or blanket), in addition to any prayer requests you have for them.

I am going to spend the rest of my life helping others.

And since my body isn't so great at doing that, I am going to finally start realizing (and intentionally living out) that the greatest thing I could ever do for someone else is to pray for them. God is bigger and more able than any able-bodied person ever will be, so I'm going to give it all to him ... over and over again, for myself and on behalf of others.

It's not an easy thing to have a disability.

It's even harder to feel dis-abled.

But my God is constrained by no physical bounds.
And I am going to spend my life singing His praise and living as a servant through prayer.

Health rollercoaster

In case anyone noticed, I haven't been doing a very good job at writing in this blog recently.

If you were hoping for witty and informative posts last week, Sorry!

For the past several months, I have been going through an annoyingly long process to try and find some form of 'treatment' for my chronic pain. I put treatment in quotes only because any sort of medicine or aid will only be impacting the symptoms, and not actually treating the root issue -- my CMT.

Unfortunately, my efforts (and the research of my nice neurologist) have not allowed me to find anything helpful. I've read before that treating chronic nerve pain is not an easy task, and that many with it spend years before finding relief, if not longer. Hopefully that won't be my path, but it is starting to look that way . . .

As of right now, I am slowly working my way off of a prescription pain killer that has managed to somehow increase my pain (go figure) and give me wonderful side-effects while going through the process of removing the medicine from my system (ie. slowly decreasing the dose) . . . I am definitely looking forward to being done with this medicine. The pain and frustration has been quite distracting for me, and making it rather difficult for me to find things to write about.

Hopefully I will get my photos edited soon so I can show you an awesome way to make canvas wall art with crayons!

Also, I wanted to let you know that I am still prepping for the March sale in my Color Me Crochet Etsy shop, so I hope you are excited!

Sweet surprises

God is so helpful!!

:-)

Let me explain a little bit. . . . Today I delivered a lovely prayer shawl to a sweet woman in my Bible study. She had ordered it for a friend, and I had it all wrapped up and ready to deliver . . . when I remembered that I had forgotten to put in the 'added bonus' flower pin (a crochet flower with two buttons on the back) for her friend's new shawl! I had already taken the time to tape the box nice and tightly closed (in case I needed to mail it), so I just decided that would be alright (especially since I hadn't even told her that I would be including it).

At our brunch today, I brought my own prayer shawl (with my own crochet flower) to share. Our study is following the book Praying the Names of Jesus, so we were all encouraged to make or buy a prayer shawl for ourselves. When I showed it to the ladies, my sweet friend asked me to pull out the shawl she had ordered so that she could share it as well!

While she was trying it on and showing it off, she asked if she could try it with the crochet flower to see how it might look. So, I took the opportunity to simply give it to her with the shawl! It was even the same color flower pin that I had been planning on giving with the shawl.

I wrapped it all back up nice and neat, and stuck in her box to take home for her friend.

God just always seems to know the perfect way to orchestrate even the tiniest of details!

What I've Learned

Once again, I just want to say 'Thank You' to everyone who participated in my Color Me Crochet 2013 Contest!

By the end of this week, I'll have taken down all of the Contest-related stuff on this site, my FB page, and my Etsy page. Ergo, the contest is officially done and over!

I've learned quite a bit from everyone who entered, and am excited to make several changes to my shop. First and foremost, for the month of March I will be having a Shop Section specifically for items on sale -- 20-50% off! Totally stoked to do this, as it will help me clear my inventory to make way for new items. And you get to buy stuff from my shop On Sale! :-)

Not sure if you are as excited as I am, but I hope you will definitely check it out once it is set up!

(And seriously, I cannot believe it is already February. Or that Valentine's Day is this Thursday. Where did all of January go?)

Giving

My sweet friend Hannah is hosting in art exhibition and auction this coming March!

"All proceeds from the auction will benefit non-profit organizations that provide shelter and design services for the materially poor."

Isn't she so awesome?

I've decided to donate this cool afghan that I designed:

Be sure to donate some of your own artwork, or visit the exhibition in Iowa to join in this charitable auction!

Check out the website: FO(u)R WALLS

Mysterious ways

I just have to start out this post by saying ...

God is Good!

I went to Jo-Ann's this morning for some yarn, and in search of a tube of sorts that I could wrap a nameplate around for shipping. I didn't find anything that even came close to what I needed!

As I was leaving, I spotted a man at the checkout counter who was buying a roll of some sort of fabric, and sticking out of the middle was a cardboard tube.

At first, I didn't really think much of it except, 'That is probably close to the size I could use.' Then it clicked: If Jo-ann's doesn't always sell the whole roll (like only the fabric, off of the cardboard tube), they would end up with random amounts of unusable cardboard tubes! So, I decided to go back inside and try and find someone who wouldn't be too busy to answer my rambling and random question about leftover cardboard tubes.

To my luck, there was one waiting for me under the counter at the fabric section! It is far longer than what I need for one nameplate, but once I figure out how to cut it smaller I will be able to use it for more than one nameplate!

I am super stoked about how God orchestrates even the little things in our lives!

HB Changes

It's a little sad to have absolutely no feedback on what I should do with my HelpfulBlankets donations over this coming year...

It is certainly expected, but I was hoping to have at least one or two comments with feedback. (I can hope, right?)

I guess this is why large businesses have all sorts of 'teams' that make decisions -- about everything! It makes it far easier to come up with solutions or consensus when there are multiple people with the same (or at least similar) goals in mind.

Alas, my businesses are sole proprietorships ... they are just me!

So, here is what I have decided to do with my HelpfulBlankets shop on Etsy. (Which will hopefully be a good thing in the long run, rather than a regrettable decision...)

I am going to do two things:

1) Lower the donation amount (still to the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless) to 50% over the cost of materials and shipping
2) Change the cost of each blanket to 2.5x the combined cost of materials and (expected) shipping. Anything left over after the donation and expenses will go to putting HelpfulBlankets back in the happy 'black' of budgeting. Once that is accomplished, half of anything left over will go toward buying materials for a prayer shawls mission that I will hopefully gain momentum in soon.

Feel free to leave any thoughts, opinions or questions in the comments below!

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Update: 02/01/2013

For the purpose of taxes (oh, those wonderful things), I will be considering HB to be a part of my other Etsy shop, ColorMeCrochet. It doesn't change anything for all of you wonderful people, but I would like to make it a permanent connection for future tax stuff.

In addition, all custom order blankets not purchased through the Etsy shop will not be limited to the donation requirements listed above, unless specifically requested by the customer.

I hope you have a wonderful start to your February!

More HB Changes

One year ago, almost to the day, I decided to update my HelpfulBlankets donations. I chose to not only change who the donations went to, but also to lower the percentage. It was really hard for me to lower the percentage, as someone who really loves to give, but I hoped it would give me more opportunities to give blankets away to those who needed them (I gave two baby blankets away!) and give me more 'play' money to experiment with different styles of blankets. I've had a lot of fun coming up with some pretty cool designs.

With your help, I was able to donate over $100 to the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless!

cheers! applause! hurrays!

Unfortunately, after going through all my sales, expenses, and donations, my budget analysis of 2012 ended up in the red. Not very far in the red, thankfully, but that is certainly not where I want my business to be, even if it is for the sake of charity.

So, that means more changes are in order!

Unfortunately, I don't really know what kinds of changes would work best for HelpfulBlankets.

Here are a few of my thoughts / ideas. I would love to get your feedback on this stuff!

1) Lower the donation amount to 50% over the cost of materials and shipping.
2) Lower the donation amount to 20% of the total cost (including materials and shipping).
3) Switch to a Buy One, Give One mentality. For every blanket that is bought, one blanket (or possibly, one prayer shawl) will be given to someone in need.
4) Lower the cost of each blanket to 2.5x or 3x the cost of materials and shipping. Any profit will go directly toward the current negative balance. Once I'm no longer in the red, anything over will go towards making blankets and prayers shawls for those in need (both materials and shipping).

What are your thoughts?

I could really use your feedback on this, so please be sure to leave a comment!

Upcoming Contest

Eclectic . . .
That's a pretty good description for the current state of my Color Me Crochet shop on Etsy. There are so many different items to crochet!

Last year, I had a lot of fun experimenting with my crochet! There were the basic crochet staples (hats, scarves, shawls, blankets) in as many variations my daily muse would help me create. Then there were the custom orders formed from the inspirational minds of my awesome customers! Additionally, I found myself caught in the web of crocheting with tiny string -- nameplates, earrings, bookmarks, and even adding beads!

It has certainly been a fun year of creating, but I would like to start off this year by focusing on my products and ideas that really catch the attention of you, my awesome readers!

Right now, I am working my way through the Facebook Page apps and regulations to figure out the best way for you to tell me what crochet stuff you love! As an encouragement for you to share with me, I will be giving one lucky person one of the items that he or she voted for! (some rules apply ... those will come soon!)

Be sure to check this blog and the Color Me Crochet Facebook Page on or before January 15, 2013, for more information about the upcoming contest.

I am so excited, and I hope you are too!

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01/07/2013 Update:

The Color Me Crochet Facebook Page now has the 2013 Contest Tab up and ready for sharing!

The contest is now set to start on Monday, January 14, but I was too excited to wait until then to post the Tab! You won't be able to enter any information, or comment on any photos of products just yet, but I wanted to give extra time for you to share this awesome contest with your friends!

I've also posted the Contest Rules here on this blog, for your perusal. Let me know if you have any questions, so I can make sure to answer them all before this contest starts!

I hope you are as excited as I am!

Designs: More crochet earrings!

Have you ever started working on a (fun) project, and when you finally look up at the clock you notice that hours have passed by while you were engrossed in your thoughts and ideas?

That is how I am with my crochet!

It can be a bit different with larger projects (like blankets), since there is a good chunk of time before I can finish one project and start the next. I am so excited that my 'tiny' projects take so much less time -- I can follow my ideas wherever they lead me without having to wait days upon days first. :-)

Here are a few of the earring designs I have been working on! They are all super light and totally awesome, and can be made in an (almost) endless variety of colors! (And they only cost $18 through my Etsy shop!)

I would absolutely love your feedback and to hear your own design ideas!

I expect to have even more designs to show you over the coming weeks ... I have been bitten by the 'crochet earring' bug! (Now all I need is to remember to buy more earring hooks to connect my crochet pieces to!)

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Do you love to crochet? I have a slowly-growing collection of my own personal patterns in my shop -- just for you! They are inexpensive, and so much fun to crochet. I look forward to sharing them with you!

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Would you like to learn how to crochet? If you are in my area (near Boulder, Colorado, USA), I would absolutely love to get together with you! Teaching is an exciting new part of my crocheting experience -- and I love sharing it!

If you aren't in my area, that is really quite a bummer. However, if you are interested, I would love to try and teach you how to crochet via Skype, AIM, or Google chat!

Comment below if you would like to find out more. :-)

These beauties just need hooks!

Update: I have followed my ideas even further, and love how they turned out!

The crochet diamond measures about 2.25 in vertically

This is such a fun avenue of crochet, and it seems as though the variety of ideas will never end! If you would like to crochet any of these yourself (a few are even good for beginners) please comment below. I am working on making each one into an inexpensive pattern to share the joy of crocheting something fun and wonderful you can use (wear) each day! I will put the most popular via comments at the very top of my Etsy To-Do list!

Have a blessed day!

Designs: Earrings!

The set is now online!

Every time I get an email from Etsy with tips and helpful hints on how to turn my shop into a better experience for the customer, I seem to find a list of things that simply can't apply to who I am as an artist.

First, it is really hard to price crochet items according to the traditional methods. They are so heavy in the time that I spend! So, almost everything I sell is done at 'wholesale' price, because retail would be way above anything I would be willing to pay -- even for something handmade! (That is partially due to my strange ability to be averse toward spending money...I know everything I make is well-made and valuable!)

Second, they constantly write about making your shop 'cohesive' and focusing in on one thing: jewelry, baby hats, paintings, etc.

A soft and fun scarf for any season!

I suppose my shop is (mostly) focused on one thing: crochet! However, that can lead to a very eclectic shop, as my artistic personality simply loves creating!

For example, the beautiful new earrings that I have crocheted (above). They use a lovely pale green bamboo yarn that I just had to crochet with!

Click on the links below each picture to go straight to their page on Etsy!

The variety in my shop is probably overwhelming to the average customer, but that is how I create. How am I supposed to reconcile my artistic desire to try new techniques (and get a start on my very long Idea List that somehow keeps growing) with a need to make my shop more appealing to the eye of the consumer?


Take a look at these other gems: they are so much fun to create!

A simple vase to decorate your home!

A shawl to keep you warm in Winter and stylish in Fall!

A Variety of Ideas

I had the pleasure of talking with a potential client a few days ago (I might get to crochet a few baby blankets! That would be so awesome!), and I realized that, thus far, all of my blanket sales and give-aways have not occurred within the confines of Etsy. You have never gotten to see them!

So, my wonderful readers, I have decided to share a few with you. (those that I have photos of, that is)

These are both baby blankets, with a cute diamond design across them for decorative effect. The first is solid yellow, and the second is a striped design with pink, yellow, green and blue stripes (perfect for the couple that has chosen to wait until birth to know the gender of their bundle of joy!). They are incredibly soft, and I hear that the little ones are enjoying them!

I hope these give you a few ideas for blankets and other items that we can design and make together!

Seeking Inspiration: Prayer

A new masterpiece for my shop! © Jessica Van Eaton

Recently, it seems like everyone I know to is going through some sort of struggle - whether it's in their own lives, or the lives of people they care about. It's astounding how easy it is to be overwhelmed with the difficulties we can face in this world. They never seem to end! (they just change, really)

I saw this post while meandering the internet a few days ago, and I found it to be a beautiful idea. I have just recently designed a few shawls that are soft, cuddly, and relatively light (not too warm, really, which is nice for wearing indoors!) and I really feel called to make these beautiful shawls with intentionality.

You choose the color and size! (Child/S/M/L) © Jessica Van Eaton

I would absolutely love to make my shawls into prayer shawls, but I find it so much easier to pray when I know what I am praying for!

Do you know someone who needs to be comforted by a loving prayer? Tell me what you can about their life and their struggles, and I will joyfully pray for them while making a beautiful shawl designed just for them!

I feel so strongly about pursuing this prayer-filled avenue of crochet that I want to offer a special gift. For the first four shawls that I am asked to make, I ask only that you pay for shipping (either to you or to the recipient). This is a gift that I know will be a wonderful blessing!

If you want to leave a comment requesting a shawl, please only provide basic information to help me know the timing of the first four shawls. I would prefer that these transactions be completed more privately (discretion for the sake of the recipient), either through the email on my profile page, my Facebook account, or through the Contact option on my ColorMeCrochet Etsy shop. Thank you for your cooperation!

Etsy: More Changes

Last year I said that I would be donating from HelpfulBlankets on Etsy to the Emergency Family Assistance in Boulder, Colorado.

Unfortunately, I did not do my part in researching this group, which I had said that I would do. I also said that I would volunteer in some way to further include myself and my customers in the celebration of each way this group is helping those in need. I have neglected to do that, as well, and for that I apologize to anyone who was hoping I would follow through.

This last December I finally sold not one, but two of my blankets! I am so stoked to have my blankets being used and appreciated, and look forward to making more. However, because of these sales, I have been forced to contemplate who the donations will be going to. I want to do the most good with what I have been given!

I know that I have not been putting all of my time and effort into my companies, but that will be changing as this year starts off.

I have been (unintentionally) swayed to again change who the donations will be going to. This past weekend I met a woman to works at (and loves working for) the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, located in Boulder, Colorado. She has volunteered and worked there in the past, and is now in charge of a bakery program designed to bring proceeds into the shelter. She really loves what she does, and mentioned that the creation of the bakery program was due to a decrease in funding for the shelter. I want to help change that. The shelter seems to be doing great work in the area, and I am excited to learn more about it as we go forward!

I will also be changing the donation amount to 70%, minus the cost of materials and shipping. I believe this amount will help cover the cost of any blankets that are donated directly to those in need, and will give me more freedom to experiment with my blankets.

Thank you for reading my long update! :-)

An Artist's Life Includes ... Art!

Here is my newest scarf design, for all those school-spirit-filled CU students!
I'm quite proud of the design, and hope you like it too! It is definitely a challenge both on paper and while crocheting. (I think that's why I like it so much!)

I've also been on a crochet kick in an effort to use up my scraps of yarn from previous projects. Here are two (currently unfinished) blankets that are (as of right now, but needing more than scraps to finish) completely made from yarn scraps I had on hand!

The one above is using this awesomely large crochet hook I bought a few months ago. It is crocheted with two strands of yarn at a time -- a colored yarn (blue, pink, yellow, etc) and a white or off-white yarn. I am excited for yarn to go on sale again so I can finish it!

The one below is using my dark-color yarns, with some 'pop' from gray and blue every so often. It's coming out really great, and I am looking forward to coming back from vacation and finishing it!

What do you think of my art? :-)

Ideas: School Spirit

For a little over a week, I have been dealing with some sort of flu bug (or other annoying virus). I've had aches and pains, been tired all day long and have been hardly any help around the house.

Worst of all, I haven't been able to crochet for a whole week!

Seriously, that is akin to torture for an artistic spirit like myself.

I am feeling much better this week. Yesterday I was able to crochet! I finished a blanket that I hope to photograph and post online soon, and started on another one. :-)

Even better than finishing blankets was working on a new idea (I have to utilize my pent-up creativity!). I designed an awesome way to add warmth, style and school spirit to your wardrobe.

This is the start of my newest scarf, monogrammed with my college alma mater: Illinois Institute of Technology. School name, school colors, school spirit!

It is incredibly warm, and unbelievably soft! (btw, I'm keeping this one for myself ... creator's benefits!)

What do you think?