Azurerocket Shop Update!

I finally have done a small update (even though I have several things still to list from Peach Days!)

Here is a little preview

azurerocket.etsy.com

A Home For the Holidays: Clean House Challenge!

Would you like to get your house sparkly clean and clutter-free in time for the holidays?

Head over to my other blog for and join me for a game with daily assignments!

A Home for the Holidays

Sterling Silver Earring Giveaway!

I have a giveaway posted on my other blog. Go take a look!

http://azurerocket.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-first-big-craft-show-giveaway.html

Back to School Special

It's Back to School time! Get a free set of Glass Animal Magnets(either Funky or Cute) with every purchase from Audzipan Design.

Perfect for
spicing up lockers,
cutesying magnet boards,
or displaying school papers on the fridge.

This is a limited time offer while supplies last, so act now!

Etsy Item of the Day

Audzipan has a new feature!

Etsy Item of the Day has our wooden decor blocks up today.

Run over and take a peek!

Mindy Mae's Market

Audzipan Design will be attending Mindy Mae's Market this August 7th and 8th in Pleasant View. Come see all the great vendors!

New Wooden Decor Blocks

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. . ."

Audzipan's newest blocks feature this foursome of herbs. Buy them all together or separately. Notching is available for hanging on the wall.

Shop Reopening

After a long hiatus, I am slowly reopening my shop. I have a few new listings and am planning to gradually expand. Here is my latest item:



They are cardstock cutouts - perfect to use as gift tags for hand knit items or as tags or business cards for professional knitters. They are an original design by me.

azurerocket.etsy.com

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last week was my birthday and I was the lucky recipient of many gifts.

Audzipan gave me a handpainted tree tile, similar to this one in her store:
My husband bought me a QuicKutz Silhouette. If you haven't heard of it, it's like a Cricut, but you can hook it up to your computer and upload any image or font you design yourself or there are several you can download for free or a small fee.

My mom treated me to a one-hour massage and some new clothes.

My mother-in-law, and also my grandparents-in-law sent money, with which I bought all of this fabric:

Thank you, everyone! I had a great birthday! It's always nice to remember that wonderful people love me.

(Edited to add: For some reason Blogger is cutting off the side of my picture, but if you click on it you can see all the fabric. From the top, I bought ten half-yards from Heather Ross' Mendocino line and Alice Kennedy's Apple line, two 5-inch charm packs from Moda: Sweet by Urban Chiks and Woodland Bloom by Lila Tueller, then several assorted fat quarters including some Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, the lovely set on the top left that I bought in the fabric store without knowing what it is, and some Pumpkins Gone Wild to supplement some fabric I bought last year to make my daughter a fall outfit. I didn't get around to it and now she's bigger!)

Etsy Front Page!

This front page was picked by Etsy Admin. I didn't get to see it up, because it was up in the middle of the night. I am so happy to have finally found my way to the front page!

Thanks to the Flickr group Etsy Front Pagers for the screenshot.

Etsy Gift Guide

Audzipan Design's Basil Decor Block is featured in the "A Cozy Home" Gift Guide on Etsy! Huzzah!

Audzipan Design in the News

Letter Cork Decoupage Tile Sign: My newest item. Also, check out Audzipan's latest features:

Objects of Affection

CheapToday.com (Part One)

Heyifoundthis

Make Your Own Linoleum Stamp Tutorial

I recently decided to make my own stamp out of a linoleum block. I did my first lino print in 4th grade, and it's always been a favorite of mine. I documented the steps of my process so you can make your own.

1. Items needed:
-Linoleum block (found at Hobby Lobby or any other art supply store)
-Lino cutter (found at Hobby Lobby or any other art supply store)
-Mirror-imaged stamp design (very important!)
-Sharpie
-Pencil
-Wide pencil (optional)
-Wood block for mounting (optional)
2. Shade over your design on the back of the paper. I used the wide pencil to make it faster.
3. Now flip your paper over (right side up) and trace over your design onto your block.
4. Use your Sharpie to fill in the design before the pencil smudges too much. Everything that is shaded black is where you don't want to cut.
5. Now get out your cutter and cut away! Be careful with the cutter, because the blades are sharp.
6. Now test your stamp! If you see anything that you don't want stamped, get your cutter and take those spots off.
7. Your stamp is done! You can glue the lino block to a piece of wood to make stamping easier and keep your block in good shape. Otherwise, it may crack in half after it has been used for a while. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your stamp-making!

Moving Sale

MOVING SALE: 20% off until the end of the month. Refunds will be issued via Paypal after payment. We are moving and would love to give you a great deal on Audzipan Design products. New products will still be added for the next week or so, then we will take a week or so break to get unpacked.

Coming Soon: Make your own stamp tutorial.

Moss Mania

Spring has brought MOSS MANIA to Audzipan Design. I also created a Treasury on Etsy filled with lovely moss-themed items. Check it out here:

moss mania treasury

Visit the items and leave a comment!

Weekend Deal 5/9-10

Audzipan Design's weekend deal for 5/9-10 is one free glass alphabet magnet (any letter A-Z) with any purchase! Enter BLOG upon checkout. Requests for certain letters will be taken, but supplies are limited.

http://www.audzipan.com

New Items at Audzipan Design

Audzipan Design is busting out the new items right and left! Here are the latest:




Roll on over to the shop and enjoy free shipping to the USA and $1 international, every day. Mention this blog upon checkout (twoohoheight) and receive one alphabet glass magnet free while supplies last.

Whimsical Branches and Leaves Woodcut Print

Another NEW item at Audzipan Design: Whimsical Branches and Leaves Woodcut Print.
It measures 6.25" x 8.5" and is handprinted. Designed and cut into a woodblock by Audzipan!

Blackbird Painted Tile

New item alert! This handpainted blackbird tile is now available at Audzipan Design for $12. Also, shipping to the United States is now FREE and international orders are $1!

FREE SHIPPING Today Only! 4/15 International Too!

Free Shipping at Audzipan Design today only! Oh, and I am getting started on Twitter. My page is there but I haven't really had a chance to make it look great yet. Hopefully that will come later this week.

Audzipan Design Facebook Page

Audzipan Design now has a Facebook page. Run on over and become a fan!

Etsy Artist of the Week

Audzipan Design has been featured on Moondogtreasures' blog Meditations from the Moondog as the Etsy Artist of the Week! Huzzah! Run over and leave a comment!

Gettin Crazi! Giveaway!

Audzipan Design is featured this week on CraziBeautiful Women's Gettin Crazi page! Visit and leave a comment to enter to win a decorating block and set of magnets!

Drumroll Please!

YAY! Audzipan Design has a new domain name!!

www.audzipan.com

Right now it just points toward my Etsy shop, but someday it will be its own website. Now I just need to order some updated business cards! :)

Etsy Series on CBW

Hey all, I have been working on a series of blogs for Crazi Beautiful Women about Etsy. Check it out and leave a comment! I would love to know what you think and what you want to read about.

The Future of two-oh-oh-eight

Hi all! I have been meaning to address the future of our blog for a while. At first, I only meant for this to be a yearly project, hence the title. Kathbot (Azurerocket) and I have decided that we are going to keep it up and keep the name. 2008 was just our starting point! Look forward to more of our crafty postings!

Recent Stuff: Socks, Booties, Plastic Jewelry

First of all, I have been working on these socks:

The pattern is from Lion Brand (need to register for a free account to view), but I'm really not in love with it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to frog it and knit Baby Jays instead, since I found a friendlier (read: less advanced) pattern than the first one I queued. To be honest, I really didn't even know what the pattern looked like, since there are only a few entries on Ravelry for it, most of them heavily modified (including the picture representing the pattern). I was just going for a sock that will fit my two-year-old without having to re-figure the number of stitches here and there. I did get a little further than this picture - I finished the heel flap. I just don't have the heart to finish something I don't love even though I have enough yarn for two pairs of toddler socks (the yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Unicorn). I just have so little crafting time right now with a new baby right now.

Speaking of the baby, here are some booties I knit for his blessing:

Another pattern I'm not 100% fond of (I can't really complain as it was free and from a site that advocates charity knitting - Becky's Booties at Knit4Children). The booties look really cute flat, but don't fit well at all. Plus, the pattern doesn't mention gauge. I liked the tension of the fabric, but the first bootie I knit turned out way too small. I re-figured the number of stitches and made two more, but they still won't stay on. I may knit another to match the first teeny one and give it to my daughter for her dolls.

Back to my daughter, I finally managed to make her some jewelry. I used plastic beads for safety, and she seems to love it. Here are a couple of fun photos of her wearing it (I made a bracelet and necklace set):

New Wooden Decorating Blocks

The newest product from Audzipan Design is here! Get excited!! These cute little blocks can be purchased as single blocks- basil, fern, and poppy- or as a set of three. Hurry before they are all gone!

Striped Crochet Bear

This is a teddy bear that I crocheted for my daughter. I got the pattern online from DMC for free. It turned out a lot bigger than I thought, and I had a hard time finding the right colors of yarn in the right sizes and textures. Overall, though, I was pleased with the finished product.

New Gocco Project

There is a new product in the works at Mann Creative Studios for Audzipan Design. We are hoping to have it done in the next week or so, but here is a little spoiler. . . (sorry, no pics yet). Audrey designed three new Gocco designs, depicting a fern, basil leaves, and poppy flowers. They have been printed on tea-stained muslin and are ready to be nailed to wood blocks. The blocks still need to be cut, sanded, and stained. They will be listed on Etsy as soon as they are done!

What I've Been Up To Lately

Here's just a quick update on my latest projects:

With two kids now, I've been feeling like my brain is turning to goo. To help offset that, I have started writing articles for fun (and for a very little amount of pay, but it helps me stay motivated in building a writing portfolio). One of my articles was featured, and it also prompted an offer to submit an article for publication in an online magazine - more on that when it comes out. You can read my other articles here and here.

I also finally finished knitting a sweater for my daughter. I started a different sweater for her in July '07 and never got past the back panel. Last September, I started on the pattern Tulip by Lindsay Pekny. It calls for Dream in Color yarn (Classy - their worsted), but I substituted Plymouth Encore yarn for about 50% savings, definite washability, and lots of leftover yarn, but I missed out on the subtle variations in the DIC yarn. Regardless, my daughter loves it and calls it her "rainbow coat". Here is a photo of her modeling it:

I also started a pair of socks for my husband in Feza Iplik Zara yarn (it's made in Turkey) in the hopes that they will be woolly and thick, yet machine washable. It's only 35% wool, though, and the other 65% is acrylic, not nylon. I am on a quest for a worsted sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon), but the only options I've found can only be purchased in Scandinavia. If I can't find something else, my only hope is that my half-Swedish almost-sister-in-law can score me some on her next trip (which AFAIK there are no current plans for). I lost my pattern somwhere in the mess of craft room , so I am going to see how far I can get copying the other pair I knit from the same pattern. If I get stuck, I have plenty of other projects breaking down the door!

Happy Baby, Audzipan!

Audzipan is expecting a baby girl on February 15th! Here is a sweater I knit for Baby:The pattern is actually called February (by Elizabeth Zimmermann) and I knit it with Smooshy sock yarn from Dream In Color (colorway: wisterious). I got the shell flower buttons at Hancock Fabrics; they are made by a company called JHB. They are really nice quality and made in Korea of all places. I shortened the body of the sweater and sleeves for a springtime sweater and added some eyelets in the yoke for a girly feel. Don't be deceived by the size; this is the most time I've ever invested in a knitting project!