I wanna make that! Jewels in Knitting.

This is the coolest detail ever. I saw this in Esprit some weeks ago in Hamburg before we left. I would love to knit jewels into my pieces.

I think the way to do it is to thread a whole load of beads onto the yarn before you commence knitting and then pull them down once in a while, into a stitch. I will have to try it out. Anyone got tips for me?

PS. Are you into buying handmade? Yes? Then you should check out the amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Sixteen - Giveaway!

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New in: Gift Certificates

Etsy Stock Take - Week Sixteen

UPDATE: Don't post your links here anymore, please go over to the latest Etsy Stock Take. I plan to do this at the end of every calender week, so look out for the newest link-up opportunity!

This week the Etsy Stock Take is full of news!

Etsy Stock Take:

Firstly, I have been rather busy knitting. Now knitting is very time intensive and doesn't normally yield anything for my shop as my knitting projects are usually earmarked for someone before I start. 

So I have no items to list this week. But I know that regularly listing new items is important for getting an Etsy shop noticed by Google. So I was wondering what to do about that and then thought that perhaps I can offer gift certificates... 

So I put together a new image using the same font as my blog (I'm trying to create a more cohesive look) and a lovely photo of Provence in the the South of France that I took last time we were there. That goes nicely with my lavender items.  Have you ever thought about offering gift certificates in your shop?

The shop gets a name change:

Secondly,  I decided to change my Etsy shop's name! Now it is LifesJewels to fit in with the blog. I would love to take on more custom orders and I think that using the blog to show what I can do will help with that goal in the long term.

100th post giveaway!

Thirdly, this is my 100th post! My blog is very young, I just started it last year in the autumn. It's been a bit of a journey and I still have A LOT to learn and improvements to make. But I am very excited to have made it this far. In celebration I would like to offer a craft book to one of my readers!

The book is:
Chic and Unique Beaded Jewellery edited by Naomi Abeykoon and published by D&C.

It includes a run down of the needed materials and techniques for making beaded jewellery and many great projects by several designers. It's brand new, I have only leafed through it :)

To enter the competition, please leave me a comment with some feedback or advice on what I can do to improve the blog, LifesJewels (Etsy shop) or how to attract more custom orders. 

It'd be great if you followed me on Twitter too - @KatEzat ;)

The author of the best piece of advice will be the winner! I'll announce the winner in next week's Etsy Stock Take and you can enter until then. This is open to anyone, I'll happily post the book internationally.

Sneak Peek!

Meanwhile please link up with your shop items as usual, you know what to do!

Oh, and don't forget that last week LeAnn offered us all a 10% discount in her shop LeMaisonBelle with the coupon code: JEWELSONSTRING10. Go and check it out!

See you next week,

Kat :)

Join me:

I hope that you fellow Etsians will join me in showcasing your new items each week. I will post my progress every Sunday, but you can join in with a live list anytime!

You have 2 options:

 

1. For those with time to blog: 

 

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), title it Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list. Then create a link from here to your blog using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. Then we can find your post :)

If you like you can pick up the Etsy Stock Take blog button from the code in the sidebar on the right.

 

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  

Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post (you can put up as many as you like!).

It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below. 

It seems that there have been some difficulties with the Linky widget. If you have problems, please let me know and I will give you a hand. I will list each week's stock take on my Etsy Stock Take page. Please go and have a browse...

Let's show our support for each other craftwise!

I'm hoping that my goal of listing one item a week will be a powerful motivator and a source of Etsy promotion for us all.

How to: Beaded shoulders - Jazz up a Jumper.

 

I beaded a jumper! 

I bought this top in a sale some time ago, pure cashmere, a bargain. But it just wasn't doing it for me, the colour was a bit meh, and I only wore it once or twice.

Then I saw some gold coloured seed beads in my local supermarket when still living in Geneva, Switzerland (they have amazing craft stuff in their supermarkets!) and I knew what I had to do.

I hand-sewed the beads on, not pulling the thread too tight. I followed the shape of the shoulders and didn't really plan where to start or stop, although I did try to get the two shoulders even and matching.

Now I really enjoy my cashmere jumper and it has become a wardrobe staple, the beads make all the difference, adding a certain je ne sais pas.

It makes sense to me to modify clothes that I already have to make them work better for me, rather than constantly buying new stuff, or dumping things that I'm not wearing much. Especially when it is a high quality item or fabric.

I wonder how others work their wardrobes...