Made by You Mondays

Today I featured my crochet pumpkin post from this weekend on Made by You Mondays over at Skip to my Lou.  Lots of fun crafts and ideas to check out!

Crochet Pumpkin

This week has been crazy!  I've had so many projects to finish and fell a little behind.  I don't think 12 hour work days really help though.  One thing I did finish this week was a crocheted pumpkin! 

I found a video on youtube on how to make this pumpkin.  You can view it here.

Made by You Monday

The other day  I  made myself a cute little crochet flower hair barrette.  I wore it to work the next day  and because of it I have a ton of orders!  Mostly from people I know, but this has given me a nice big boost of confidence and I can't wait to reopen my shop!  Here's some pictures of the custom orders I finished this afternoon.

If you like these I will be listing some on Etsy starting tonight.  I also can make custom ones with any color combination.

21st Birthday!

Saturday was my 21st birthday and my fiance and I had so much fun!

We went to a bar in Waco at midnight for a drink and then spent all day Saturday  in Austin, TX.

We did some walking around during the day and went to the state capitol building and got to look around inside.  It was fun I just wish it had been a little bit cooler.

We had some Chicago style pizza (we loooove Chicago) and then went out drinking on 6th street. 

It was a great weekend!  We even ended the night with flaming dr. pepper shots.

August Gift Swap

I participated in another Etsy Texas Crafters gift swap.  This month the theme was red.  I made my partner 5 crocheted roses and decorated a vase to put them in.  Here's how it turned out!

I got the idea for the vase from Heaven Baked Sweets from her post here.

The roses were super fun to make and I hope to make more soon for other items.

New Etsy Banner

I just made my new etsy banner, let me know what you think!

You can view the larger version here: ZandDArt

Some Etsy Rambling

I've been a member on Etsy for over a year now and think it is one of the coolest sites ever!  I listed a few items starting back in January/February and have been trying to learn more about the handmade market the online market.  So far I feel like I've learned a lot but still have a ways to go.  I've been working on a lot of new items lately and hope to revamp my shop throughout September and start listing all the things I've been working on.

I would love some advice though...

What's the best way to promote?
How did you turn your hobby into a working business?
Any tips or tricks?

Thanks and I hope to have lots to post in the coming weeks about my etsy shop!