Mission: Decorate Vacation Home with Throw Blanket!

I had such a fun throw blanket home decor design mission this Columbus Day weekend, thanks to Val in Washington! She contacted me at my interior accents knits boutique, CricketsHome and asked if I could make an accent throw in custom colors to match her new vacation home. Helloooo, are ya kiddin' me?! Custom orders are my specialty because it's so fun and rewarding to make something brand new and tailored to my customer's living space. Besides, it gives me a chance to get to know people a bit better! So, of course, I said, "Yes!"

First, Val sent me some photos of the furnishings that she had so far (I fell in love instantly with those rich, warm browns!):



She asked especially that a little bit of the brights in this special collage with sentimental meaning and handmade by a friend be in the throw (yay, browns AND color, what could be better?!):



She also asked for shorter than usual fringe (9 inches instead of my standard 12 inches); no problem, Val (I offered to make the body of the blanket a bit longer to compensate)!

I sent a photo of another custom throw I'd made with shorter than usual fringe to give her an idea of proportions:

Short Fringe on Long Throw Blanket

And suggested that a blanket in a medium taupe brown like this one I had made for Beth in Germany might be a good base color and Val agreed:

Taupe Brown Rustic Home Decor Throw Blanket

Once Val had checked out at CricketsHome, I got right to work assembling the yarns for the fringe (*squeeeee* I love this part of the design process)! I picked out lots of texture, sparkles, ribbons and pom poms to make the fringe *POP*; I was careful to only make 10% of the yarns colorful like the collage and the remaining 90% in those lovely browns. This is what I came up with:



And here's the final result, Mission Accomplished (I consider it a success because Val wrote when she saw the photos, "I love, love, love it! It is perfect! I can't wait to see it at the vacation house! Yeah!
Thanks so much!")!







Thanks for stopping by and coming along with me on another fun adventure! :)
Celeste (Crickets)

Small Bubble Mailers, Eco-Friendly, Affordable and Biodegradable!

From EcoEnclose: Biodegradable Bubble Mailers
Now available in a NEW smaller 6x9 size!

We have all come to love the world’s first fully biodegradable bubble mailer! Now EcoEnclose Bubble Mailers are available in a more petite size. Their latest bubble mailer measures 6 x 9 inches and is designed to perfectly accommodate packaging needs for your smaller delicates. I love this company for my online business and they're SO affordable!

EcoEnclose Bubble Mailers are lined with bubble cushioning and are ideal for shipping flat and sturdy objects like jewelry, books, magazines, DVDs, CDs or other things that can retain their shape but need water resistance and padded protection during transportation. Shipping green speaks volumes to your valued eco-conscious customers and they will appreciate both the biodegradability and the re-usability of EcoEnclose mailers.


Their 100% Biodegradable Bubble Mailers:

Will completely biodegrade within 5-60 months.
Returns to the earth as humus and biomass.
Will break down in composting or in LANDFILLS!
Features a handy tear strip for easy opening.
Double adhesive strip that allows reuse before disposal.
Lined with 3/16" biodegradable bubble cushioning.
Are guaranteed to maintain integrity in storage and in use.
Durable, moisture, tear and tamper resistant.
Made in the USA!

Now available for immediate shipping!

Dimensions:

Perfect size for:

Price each:
6 x 9 NEW! Jewelry $.25
7 x 11 DVD/CD $.27
8.5 x 14 Small Book/Magazine $.34
10.5 x 15 Large Book/Catalog $.44

Why is the Fringe Prop Expert Now Making Baby HATS?!

For years, when asked about baby hats to match my PuffPelts™, Fringie™ blankets and Belly 2 Baby™ wraps in my photo prop boutique, I've referred photographers to order their beanies from fantastic designers such as KnitrGal, OopsIKnitItAgain, KnitWitWoolies, PDXBeanies and other favorites of mine.

I just hadn't caught the hat-making bug (and I'm a big believer in following our own, creative passion)! Besides, I felt like everything had already been done already and as you know, I will only launch a product if it's not available elsewhere.

Then....I had an urge. And I had an idea, too (this image from Lenka Green of Jammin' Swing Photography in Edgewater, Florida is of the finished hat)! :)



Top priority: I Googled to make sure my idea wasn't out there already, even though I had never seen it. Nope; I seem to have really hit on something brand new!

So, I got to knitting (I create without following patterns, so since this was my VERY FIRST hat, I was on my own to decide on the perfect yarn and the right size and number of stitches) .... initially the little beanie-to-be looked like this:



Then I stitched it together and it was really starting to look like a real hat:



But I was just getting started; I still needed to add the 'specialness' that would make it stand out from all other hats! At first it looked like a beanie with fake "hippie hair" attached, ha ha:



Then I bundled it all together to make an adorable stocking cap with a topknot tassel pom at the top (image by Tracy Joy Photography in the Chicagoland, Illinois area):



And here it is shown on a red cylinder with my matching 'Granola' cream fringe hammock /blanket )underneath:



I'll still continue to honor the hard work of fellow prop designers and credit them whenever I gratefully receive a photo of "the pics u take with the props I make," that includes someone else's hat; I love my hat-making peeps! :D And now I'll be adding my design voice to the choir if a photographer would like to order a matching hat along with their Crickets prop blankie.

As always, thank you for your support and interest; I hope you feel the love and appreciation coming from the Crickets Cribb every day!

Hugs,
Celeste (Crickets)
Get a matching hat and blanket set, too!

Nickets' FruitFetti Fusion Lunch!

So, my husband Nicholas (I get to call him Nicky or Nickets) rocks. He's super 'mazing. And I love him and how he pampers me.

This morning he was watching cooking shows on cable and got all fired up with excitement and creativity (he's the food, beverage and Village Cafe manager at Best Friends Animal Society, which if I do say so myself is the perfect job to showcase his many talents)!

He made a whole new lunch for us, (very) loosely inspired by the exotic fruits and flavors the TV chefs were using. Well, to be exact, he made this for ME since he had his wisdom teeth out on Wednesday (those who follow me on my personal facebook page will see that I FAINTED instead of taking care of him, so pathetic, lol)!

I asked him to write down what it all was so I could share. Here's what it is:

Multi-Grain Medley Rice Garnished With Sliced Fresh Avocado

Steamed Minced Garlic Green And Yellow String Beans

Summer Fruit And Vegetable Salad On A Bed Of Organic Romaine Hearts; Made With Fresh Apricots, Diced Fuji Apples, Sliced Anaheim Green Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Raw White Onion Rings, Cubed "Follow Your Heart" Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, Chopped Vegan "Gardein" Brand Chipotle Citrus Chicken, Melded With A Dash Of Lime Juice And Thick Mango Nectar Tossed With Fresh Mint And Cilantro. Garnished With Whole Bing Cherries

And here's what it looks like:



Plus ..... Ginger Lime Slush!!!



Is your jaw on the floor at all those yummy, fresh and flavorful ingredients?! I was in picnicking heaven!

But wait, there's more:

Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake for dessert!!!! Holy Goo, Batman (and that's a good thing)!



Nickets, I love you! Thank you!
Crickets

Giveaway: TWO WINNERS of MissRubySue Hair Accessory Photo Props!

Photographers and Mom-togs, I adore you for letting me design, work and play with you at my Baby Birdz newborn and maternity prop shop! To thank you, I've ordered a couple of one of a kind hair bling accessory headband SURPRISES from MissRubySue to give away (Lori at MissRubySue and I went halfsies on these, that's why we are able to provide TWO PRIZES)!

Here are some examples of other designs from MissRubySue (then below I'll share how to win one of the two, multicolor, flower headbands, each valued at over $50 each!):







How to win???

1) "Like" and leave a comment at my Crickets Creations facebook page (if you're already a fan, THANK YOU! Still leave a comment, please, to verify your entry)

2) AND "Like" and leave a comment at MissRubySue's facebook page

(OPTIONAL: You can enter multiple times by 1) "Tweeting" or 2) "facebooking" this contest and linking back to this blog post. Want more? Add MissRubySue and BabyBirdz to your Circle and/or click to "Like" our etsy shops on facebook here and here)

3) REQUIRED to ENTER: Leave a comment here on this blog once you've "Liked" both of our pages on facebook AND ALSO for EACH "optional" action that you take. Yes, each one! You are gonna win one of these puppies! Woo hoo! Go, Photog Prize Power, GO! :D

Winners will be randomly chosen from the blog comments on Monday, May 16,2011 and after we verify your entry, your stunning MissRubySue design will be mailed to you free of charge!

If you have trouble leaving a comment, please reach me at cricketscreations@live.com

Hugs and luck,
Celeste (Crickets) & Lori