Crafty Market Fun...

Just before the holidays, Ric, Kaitlin and I set out to sell our crafty wares at a couple of the local fairs and markets here in the area.  First we set out to the Saturday Farmers and Crafters Market in nearby Paso Robles.  Held every weekend, year round (unless really increment weather…like rain…haha!) this little market is very sweet and a lot of fun to be involved with.  While it was chilly, it was sunny and bright. 

After closing that table up around 1:30pm, we drove out to our little town of San Miguel to set up for the Christmas Electric Lights Parade and Craft Faire.  It was a great showing of all the folks in town and a great opportunity to meet some of the people who reside here.  We had a lot of fun chatting with the kids that just loved Rocket Pack Crafts and showing off upcycled goods from my side, 23 point 4 degree tilt. 

The little parade held after dark was just adorable!  We had so much fun seeing all the cars in the parade lit up, Santa on the fire truck, and the mariachi dancers of all ages (the kids were too cute!  Sorry, no good pics from it, though.)

We have since decided to continue doing the Saturday Market and have now done our 4th one this last Saturday.  With gorgeous weather, Kaitlin, Ric and I have had fun talking to people and selling our goods.  We have been working on a better displays, etc, each time, and each time we are little nicer!

Hope you had a great New Years!!  Can’t wait to share the new New Year’s thoughts and ideas with you soon!

Ash

Little upcycled gift

Today, I needed a birthday gift for a friend of mine.  I wanted it to be fun and unique but also fit her lifestyle and morals, of course.  Soo, I made this little planter of celery!

I have been having too much fun with things that would otherwise be thrown away and spray paint.  I turned a large tomato can into this fun little planter by popping a few holes in the bottom and hitting it with the ol' spray paint!  Then tying a little ribbon on for added flair.

Then, to top it off, I have tried the craze I have seen everywhere on pinterest of growing celery from the  discarded cut off bottom part thingy.  (There is likely a real name for it, but heck if I know it.)  I LOVE this craze.  I go through quite a bit of celery, and I always buy the organic kind, one because I prefer that and 2 because I know I will soon be growing a little plant of my own.

If you have not yet seen it, it is great.  Cut on the bottom of the celery, set it in a dish of water for a couple weeks (changing and adding water as needed) and viola!  Roots start to grow and from the center you start to get a great little celery plant!  Then once it gets to about this point...

I stick it in it's own little pot and watch it grow.  In a couple more weeks, I should be able to even harvest a few (all be it, small) stalks if I so desire!  For a great walk through, check out this blog post over at 17 Apart.

And like I said, I think it makes an awesome gift. 

So go have fun growing little celery plants!

Ash

Feature Fridays and IHeart Organizing!

Let me say, I am a very good political and volunteer organizer - which is my job.  BUT...when it comes to my home and the organization of stuff...maybe not so much.  

So it is a good thing that there are people in this world, like Jen at IHeart Organizing, that can break it down in fun ways for folks like me.  She has created a super successful blog off of her organizing skills.  And many of them are super fun and funky, which I love.

For example, take this cute re-do of a canister for the kitchen:

That is super cute!  Such a good idea.

I really like this this idea for organizing drawers using cereal boxes!  (Love upcycles!)

I really need to do this.  Very cool.

She also has this fun etsy store, with neat printables to help organize your life.  I want several of these.  I am sort of a a super nerd for this sort of stuff!

Of course, there is a lot more to check out!  Head on over and see how you can start working on getting more organized.  Thanks for sharing, Jen!

Happy Friday!

Ash

PS - Like checking out Feature Fridays?  Don't forget to follow the fun over here -----> :D

Slowly getting my etsy store going....

Today I added a new item to the ol' etsy shop, aka 23point4degreetilt.  It is a slow but steady process, with creating new items in the little spare time I have.  But I am getting better at it all the time, and excited to fill up the 'shelves'.

Today I added this laptop sleeve that I upcycled from an old cable knit sweater, and embellished with felt star appliqués and some fun vintage buttons.  

Thanks for checking it out!  

Happy Sunday!

Ash

Feature Fridays presents My Sister's Suitcase!

Ok, first, let's just pretend it is still Friday.  I have realized that I have to set a reoccurring time on my calendar that will remind me it is Feature Friday time!  Silly me!

But nonetheless, I have a great blog to feature this week, so a day late or not, I want to tell you about My Sister's Suitcase!  I love this blog, and I love the premise of it.  It is a blog for two sisters, Nat and Holly, who live far from each other, but love to craft and get inspiration from one another.  So sweet!

Their blog is kinda a big deal.  I mean, they have some serious followers, and have put a lot of time into their blog, and it def shows!  I aspire to someday be as big as them!  And from my perspective, a lot of it has to do with their awesome creative crafts that they share.

First, you know how much I love upcycled crafts.  Well...check out this adorable apron made from a shopping bag!   

That is pretty ingenious!  I have a few of these that are kinda on the edge of usable now, or need a little help...might be time for them to get a cool new life!

They also have a special Friday segment they do on their blog, which is $5 Fridays.  Seriously super cute items that they find cheap and make better.  For example, this lamp into a flower vase.  I am impressed that they saw the potential in this funky old lamp!

And if you go to My Sister's Suitcase Project Gallery, you will find all their projects laid out in a super organized fashion.  Like their cute series on decorating their mantle.  I love their spring mantle!

So go check out My Sister's Suitcase and tell them hello!  

Happy Fri....err....Saturday! ;)

Ash

Slowly working on my etsy store...

I have been hard at work making new goodies from the old and unwanted stuff of our lives.  But man, to get something to the quality I feel is what is okay to sell is tough work!  But I did get a few new things up that I have to share.  The great thing about making new stuff from old is that I can let my creative juices take me almost anywhere.

Here are the 2 cute little purses I just put up....

And...

I love how they both came out, but gotta say that the pink and green one is my fav of the two...

They are both upcycled from sweaters and have felt appliqués and grosgrain ribbon straps.  

I have many more fun creations coming.... Last year I had made a resolution to get the store up and running, which technically I did.  But this year, one of my resolutions is to actually make it a priority and get it really rolling.  (More on resolutions soon. ;)

Oh, yeah!  Here is my store - 23point4degreetilt.

Ash

Time off = organizing the house! Tutorial on creating cute and cheap organizing 'baskets'

I have been enjoying time off maybe a little too much.  I have been getting up early to enjoy my coffee and quiet time in the house, then working hard at re-organizing the mess that I call my home.   It is way, way overdue, and I am thankful for time to work on it.  It is going to make my life so much easier in the long run

The first day I wanted to begin to tackle the kitchen.  I had seen people organize their cupboards and pantries with baskets and I had a thought.  I am a little bit of a hoarder...hehe...in that I love to keep old boxes, tins, etc to reuse.  So, I went in the craft closet and found some boxes perfect for the job.  

First, I needed to paint them.  Good ol' spray paint to the rescue!  I chose the vintage-y green, as I thought it would match the new dishes (even though they are not in the same area...hehe.)

Then I went and bought these handy dandy metal book plates at the local JoAnns (which is not only where my hubby works, but also a 7 minute walk from my house...I know, I am a lucky girl!)

This is what I started with....

But then had the idea (I am sure I saw it on the box or something) to put ribbon through the holes like this:

So it would then look like this!

To make sure they would end up staying, I added a little glue to the back.  Any kind will work.  I had already tied the book plate around the back of the box, then kind of flipped it in place to get some glue on it, and then flipped it back.  The ribbon helped keep it in place while the glue dried.

And here are some of the almost done pieces!  In the forefront is the tied ribbon on the back of each box.

Ta da!  I think they came out great!

Finally, here is the finished product!  (Well, basically...forgot to insert the tags in a few of those book plates...hehe.)

But the book plates are perfect to give the family the labeling and organization they need to keep things in better order...something we desperately needed in the kitchen!

Happy organizing!

Ash

I know....I know...

Well, I thought I could handle it all...having a blog, working 80 hours a week, having a life and starting an etsy.  Silly me!!  But seriously, work has been kicking my butt, and even on my days off, I end up trying to take care of personal life stuff...like laundry and having a husband.  So, needless to say, my blog has suffered.

So...I am declaring a hiatus on my lovely Feature Friday...but only until the elections are over.  Then Feature Fridays, as well as my serious crafting life, are back in full swing.  AND...I now have a serious hookup to help infuse that crafting, as my hubby just became a full time manager at the new JoAnn Fabrics.  I mean, how lucky is that?

I do have to share one pic that is not the greatest, but makes me really happy.  Just a few days ago, I hit the big 3-0 in life, and threw myself a nice little party (i.e., day of cleaning the house to make it presentable enough to have people over...hehe.)  For the party, I made myself this adorable and incredibly easy bunting and spray painted some peanut butter and spaghetti sauce jars to make my mantle look amazing, if I do say so myself!

All the green and blue bottles are just spray painted on the outside and filled with water to be great little vases.  And to top it off, I got the great ceramic skull as a recent gift and the candles that totally fit with the colors and theme.  

So, things are still happening, but my posting is a bit (ok, a lot) behind, and may continue to be that way until after Nov 6th.  (Don't forget to vote! You'll make my life a lot easier...if nothing else. ;)

Ash

Drumroll please! My new etsy store!!

I am super excited to announce that I have officially opened my new etsy store!!  My new business, dubbed 23point4 degree tilt, is upcycled and recycled fashion for the masses.  I am excited at the possibilities that reusing fabrics and items allows for fashion and home items.  

Here are a few of the items you will find in my store....

My 'Camp Borders' Upcycled T-shirt skirt....

Stylish t-shirt scarf for men and women.

"Tree Hugger" T-shirt skirt.

I hope you will check it out and like a few of the items.  More will be joining them, soon!  Super exciting!  One more New Year's Resolution checked off!

Ash

Upcycling in the garden...

Since the chickens last massacred the garden, I have had to become more creative in my gardening.  As I mentioned a few posts ago, it has become all about containers for me.  I love letting my chickens roam free in the backyard too much, thus, I have basically sacrificed the back to the chicken gods, leaving me ornamental plants, and the few other plants that they won't eat, like rosemary, horseradish, dill, and several other herbs.  Hmmm....actually as I type this out, I think I now know what is going in the old vegi bed!  I will try an array of herbs and see what makes it through! hehe

Anyway, we recently made a trip to our local ReStore - BRING Recycling - and I found a few more fun things for my gardening.  One thing I really needed was a new trellis for my pretty-vining-pink-flower-plant (no idea what it is...lol) and while we were there we found an old ladder.  Perfect!!  Doesn't matter to me that you can't use it to stand on!

I draped the vine over the new 'trellis' and then added a few shelved for potted plants!  Viola!  I absolutley love it!

I have also been going through belongings trying to think of new uses.  As you might notice above, the green waste basket has a new purpose as a planter for some yummy arugula.

The other thing I found at BRING was a few lamp fixtures shade things.  Turn them over and poof!  Instant pot!

This cute white one has holes in the 'bottom' all ready for drainage where you would attach it to the light.  Set a little piece of broken pottery in the bottom to make sure all the soil stays in, then plan in style!  Here I have a cherry tomato plant and some cilantro!  MMM!

I bought one more lamp fixture shade thing, but have yet to decide what it will have planted inside.  It is more decorative with a smaller 'mouth' so I am thinking it might be ready for some flowers.

Just remember to think outside the pot when gardening!  

Ash

Things to fill my 3 day weekend

I am excited, as I was just reminded by our CFO that Monday is a holiday!! So...this made me think about all the things I'd like to accomplish this 3-day-weekend...

Here are several things I think I might try:

Need to do some baking...maybe try these yummy sounding Nutella and Sea Salt Stuffed Sugar Cookies at Cooking Canuk.

Some sewing....Maybe this wonderful dress I found at Needles, Thread and Love?

Fun repurposing/upcycling....like finding some cool, old furniture to make one of these wall mounted cabinets  I found at Plow and Hearth or...

Maybe one of these awesome globes from Blue Velvet Chair's blog (which ties into my new biz...I am getting close to rolling it out...really!)

Which reminds me of something else I need to work on this weekend...my biz! But more on that very soon.

Happy weekend!

Ash

Why I craft....

I have been working on what I would like to do for my crafting business.  A while back my sister and I worked on our own local crafting where we made recycled goods.  I made bags crocheted out of plastic grocery bags and ones that were the grocery bags melted to create 'fabric'. My sister made jewelry from bottle caps and wallets from the melted plastic.  I loved making these items, but we'd primarily sell at our local Saturday Market and last year we both started working much of the weekends.

But in the meantime, it has helped me to re-evaluate what I want to do with my crafting and how much I enjoy crafting for others.  And I know that the environment is a big factor in why I craft.  I want to make things that are original and are sustainable, upcycled and generally take away from the super-commercialized world with too much packaging and non-personal, cheaply made, mass produced items.

So is born my upcycled fashions.  I am in the re-birth stage and am still developing. But I had to share some of the beginnings....

Here you can see my 'new' yarn from old t-shirts.  I am using the 'yarn' to create new, bulky fashion items like this...

A chunky, fun scarf for the quickly upcoming fall days.

More to come soon...I am developing skirts, panties, headbands, and more.

Ash