handmade by stefanie

Last fall, I reviewed Love+Leche lotion bars ( click here if you missed it ). I'm the first to admit that I'm a bit of a product junkie, and I particularly am always on the hunt for ways to keep my hands moisturized. Working with wool sucks a lot of moisture out of your skin, and I have also been traveling a lot more for work in the past year, so a really good lotion bar can come in quite handy since it's TSA friendly for your carry-on. There's a lot to like about Love+Leche lotion bars, but first and foremost is that they work . They really do melt into your skin and are easy to use - I've tried a few other lotion bars that simply wouldn't melt into my skin as promised, and it was frustrating to say the least. My hands feel moisturized and supple, but not sticky or greasy. After a brief moment, I can pick up my project without fear of getting my yarns and needles gunked up with product. I also love that the products are natural & handmade (more on ...

I know I spent most of last month talking about Thirty-One, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the grey  Retro Metro Fold-over Bag I purchased during my virtual party. It's a good thing I ordered mine when I did, because this color is no longer available - I'm guessing they swapped out grey for natural for spring and summer, so perhaps we'll see grey return in the fall. As I've mentioned in this previous post , I am always on the prowl for a good knitting bag which can also be used for everyday activities. It needs to be durable, roomy (but not too  big!), have plenty of pockets, and a crossbody strap since it's a little more secure when you're walking around the city. I also prefer to avoid animal products (i.e. leather) whenever possible.  This bag certainly hits all of those marks, although I do wish it had just a few more pockets on the interior. The size is big enough to carry my wallet and knitting bag essentials , plus 1-2 projects. I like th...

With TNNA just around the corner, I've been working long hours and six-day weeks for the last week or so. By the time I'm ready to sign off for the day, my brain power is pretty much spent, so I've been really appreciating the simple knits this week. First, I found a nearly-finished Itty-Bitty Batty from 50 yards of Fun in my knitting basket! I gave him some ears and feet and now he's complete: I couldn't resist starting another project from the book, the Small-Peanuts Elephant . I used up every scrap of the grey and blue oddballs from my stash - in fact, I had to pinch-hit to get those legs finished. I was also gifted a skein of Spud & Chloe Outer , so I whipped up a Slope Hat by Susan B. Anderson in just one night of knitting! I accidentally ran it through the washing machine on the maximum-abuse setting - usually I choose the delicate cycle for my superwash yarns. It emerged relatively unscathed, especially considering the wild ride it went on...

Hi all! I hope you are still as excited about Thirty-One as I am (and if you aren't, I promise to return to my regularly-scheduled blogging next week)! Today, I wanted to talk about The Perfect Knitting Bag. If you're like me, you are always on the prowl for the shangri-la of carry-alls, and it can be quite a tall order to fill: lots of compartments and pockets, roomy without being ginormous and rivaling that of a suitcase, comfortable to wear and carry, and most of all....it's got to look cute, too! As I mentioned before, the cute & roomy Thirty-One bags my friend Julie had when she last visited were what inspired me to check out the website and decide to host a virtual party. As I'm sure she can personally attest, they fit the above criteria for The Perfect Knitting Bag, plus they are durable, too! There are several sizes and styles to suit pretty much every taste, and here are a few of my favorites: Retro Metro Foldover : there are two pockets on ...

For those of you who will be enjoying a tax refund this year, I hope you will treat yourself to something special! Though I won't be getting a refund myself, I like to live vicariously through others...and I may still treat myself anyway, because what better way to ease the pain of writing that tax check than getting a fun new bag for spring? If you're just joining me, I am hosting a Virtual Thirty-One Party for the next two weeks ( click here for all the details ), and today I'd like to share this month's amazeballs deal: both the All Pro Tote & Duffel are each just $25 with any $35 purchase! These bags retail at $80, and they will only be available this month ( click here to watch a short video on YouTube to see them in action). The All Pro Tote (pictured below) would make a fantastic bag for toting your WIPs to knit night! How to Join The Party You can view the Thirty-One catalog here . To place your order through my virtual party, point your browser to...

Littles Carry-All Caddy Last December, my friend Julie visited and she had that cutest bags with her - all of which were from a site called Thirty-One . She left me a catalog and I fell in love with all of the coordinated bags and storage solutions! For those of you who are new to Thirty-One, the products are sold via sales consultants (similar to Mary Kay or Avon). I've been ordering my Thirty-One goodies through consultant  Callie Woodland , and we have teamed up to bring you some fresh ideas for organizing your crafting life, both at home and on-the-go! For the next two weeks, I will be hosting a virtual Thirty-One party on this blog, sharing my favorite Thirty-One products along with organizational tips and my usual WIPs and FOs, too! Be sure to bookmark my blog, sign up for my free newsletter or follow me with Bloglovin ! Flip-Top Organizing Bin I'd like to start things out by returning to a topic that I blogged about earlier this month, when I shared this p...