The NorthWesternBelle

In early February I started seeing this picture on Facebook (their algorithms are obviously on point). Pretty quickly after I saw it (like, literally the next day), my mom's best friend posted it to my wall and asked if I could do it. She wanted two for a pair of sisters. After some research and back and forth, she settled on Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn in three color combinations, which is seriously gorgeous. It was like Christmas all over again when it showed up! Dragonfly, Stained Glass and Tidal. I most likely overbought, but hey, that's perfectly okay because I really want to make myself something out of it. I bought the pattern from  Felted Button  on Etsy. Turns out the blanket is built from individual motifs that are joined as you go.  Building the blanket each scale at a time was actually not as time consuming as I thought it would be, though it still took me most of February to do it.  The color combination is really beau...

Well, it's December 31 of my first official year of operation; I officially launched my Etsy store at the end of March. The first official sale occurred on March 31, 2014 and is actually a pretty funny story: my college roommate scooped up one of the very first vintage afghans I listed for her gender-neutral nursery without even realizing that she was buying it from me. That's the beauty of the internet, I guess LOL! After that first sale, business was slow going until about August. Just when I was starting to lose faith in the whole online retail business thing, vintage blankets started flying out of inventory via eBay and Etsy sales. October was a particularly good month thanks to a bunch of handmade capes that the lovely and talented Taiza P contributed to the handmade inventory and the Jack Skellington Beanie . November and December weren't bad either, thanks to the Crochet Death Star pillow that everyone loves and needs. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the f...

Oh man. October was such a good month! I'm honestly sad to see it go, and not just because I love Halloween a lot (I do, it's true). Are you ready for picture overload? Because we're rounding up a selection of items that sold during October. To start with the best (that's how I roll), I got to make several of these awesome mini Death Stars: They are so fun and come together pretty quickly. I also got to make several of these bad boys: Amazing. I love these nerdy items so much! I am also currently making the first one of these pillows that was ordered in November. It will ship out this week. Speaking of which, my most favorite tie blanket of all time was purchased and shipped this week: A lucky skull enthusiast in NY scooped this gem up. Guess that means I'll need to keep an eye out for another amazing Tuesday Morning deal on the jolly roger polar fleece. We also sold all but four of our cape & cloak inventory, plus two custom-made cloaks,...

I'm happy to report that the momentum that started at the beginning of October has only continued! Yesterday, October 20, we received a record-breaking five orders, for six items, before noon! Check it out: So awesome! Three of those orders were for capes, which are shipping out today. The other two orders were for handmade goods: Another Death Star and TWO matching Jack Skellington Beanies for 1 year old boys (which, seriously? CUTE!). I'm not going to lie: getting orders for three handmade things at once is a little intimidating. I've structured my Etsy listings so that production time estimates allow me some room in these types of situations. I'm planning to have them all out by Friday at the latest. It's Tuesday, so that's totally doable, considering I already have the supplies on hand. I will probably have to buy more polyfil stuffing...the Death Star pillows take about half of a 12 Oz bag each, but I'm pretty sure that I've got at least t...

Two custom orders off, one more to start and finish to go! I seriously love these Death Stars. What nerd doesn't want one of these? They look awesome, even naked! But the finishing details really make the pillow complete.  You can snuggle with this thing all day and night! My three-year-old totally approves! The buyer told me it will be a Christmas gift. So, Merry Christmas, fellow nerd!!  I also finished and shipped out this wicked custom Jack Skellington Hat.  My first use of the ANGRY EYES! It's for a little boy's Jack Skellington costume. I hope he loves it! He turned out with plenty of attitude, and I love it! One more, just for fun... Yes. Rocking it on Etsy so far this month and LOVING it. Get your custom orders in and keep me busy making awesome handmade shenanigans! Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

Got an order last night for one of the PILLOW sized Death Stars! I am probably going to have to buy more dark gray yarn. Which means a trip to the craft store :) I am totally excited to make another one! I think this time I'll actually use a smaller hook on the super laser so that it is the right size proportionally. This one is still awesome, with its SUPER size super laser. The next one is going to be even better :) So, I'm off to get started on it! Have a fabulous Monday =D Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

I love October. I do! It's true. I love it a lot because it means that a) I can start wearing comfy sweaters again and b) HALLOWEEN is coming! And this October I've got a new reason to love it: sales! On Tuesday of last week (September 30) I told Taiza P. that the first pre-made cape would sell on Etsy before the end of the week. And I was right! It's like I've got ESPN or something. We actually sold two capes; this lovely sheer striped one that Taiz made a few years back: And the custom Skeletor cape was paid for and shipped out. I might love this picture of my hot hubby modeling it for us too much. He was pretty stoked that we were making a Skeletor cape. Also, I ended up making TWO (yes, TWO) mini Death Star Plushes last week. I really love making them, and can pretty much get one completed in a day (granted my three year old can be persuaded to entertain himself). On my first mini death star I stitched the trench in with the details. On the one ab...

Received payment for a made-to-order one of my most favorite things ever this morning! Yup, that's right; one of these: I'm really excited to be making a new one (you thought I was kidding about keeping the first one, didn't you? Well I wasn't!), and should have it finished by tomorrow. I'm so glad that I get the chance to make crochet goodies for complete strangers! Until today, sales on Etsy have been limited to vintage items (afghans & buttons). So, getting an order for one of my handmade crochet items is probably more exciting to me than it should be. I have a feeling that the 2014 Holiday Season is going to be profitable for The NWB. Keep those custom orders coming!! Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

If it weren't for YouTube, I'd still be crocheting in straight rows and nothing else. I'll just get that out there up front. I love YouTube for the fact that it hosts videos of ANYTHING you might be interested in learning how to do. Along those lines, I was recently randomly browsing crochet videos and came across this video by the Crochet Geek that I instantly fell in love with. Crochet cats? Sign me up! I gave it a shot yesterday; the video is a bit long winded for me, so I went to the web site and found the written instructions. It's basically three rows of shell stitches (2 DC Sl 2 DC) in each color with a drop stitch for the arms on the first row. They really do look like cats! So awesome! This reds with gray combination was turned into an infinity scarf...Infinite Cats! So awesome. I'll be getting this beauty listed on Etsy ASAP! I've also already got plans for an afghan for my BFF, who is a self-proclaimed crazy cat lady. The sc...

The prototype Death Star Pillow is complete and is available now on Etsy! Front view... Back view... I seriously love this! I think on the next one, though, I'll use a much smaller hook for the super laser. It's not quite proportional like it should be, but it's still pretty awesome. Building such a big sphere requires a LOT of counting, and this one ended up being about 24" inches in circumference. I could probably get away with making a 25 in one by using slightly bigger hook. I like how tightly this one is weaved, though. Get one today for your most nerd-tastic friend or family member! C'mon...who doesn't love Star Wars? Besides my Aunt, who thought the "death star" was a real thing. She gets a pass, though, because she is other wise awesome. The miniature version is also available on Etsy as a made-to-order item. I'm still thinking that I'll have to keep the mini prototype, but the full-size prototype is probably going to...

After I posted the link for our Jack Skellington beanie, an old friend of mine contacted me on Facebook to find out if I could make one for her Boston Terrier. The pic above is the reference she sent me. I've never made one before, but it doesn't look too complicated. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a free pattern for a doggie beanie, but I figure it can't be too difficult. I'm excited to get started on it! I will keep you all posted on the progress. Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

I just love the Nightmare Before Christmas, and I loved it BEFORE it was all sorts of popular (shut up, Hipster). My three year old has started asking to watch it repeatedly, though, so we'll see if I still love it as much as I do by the time he gets tired of it. The process can take months, but I'm thinking my love for it will persevere. In the mean time, I'm making these awesome Jack Skellington hats in all sizes! You can place an order for your custom hat on Etsy. Get it in time for Halloween by placing the order before October 15 . Processing is two to three business days, and shipping is via USPS Priority Mail. All hats are built in durable acrylic yarn that is fully washable. I have 15 years experience with crochet, and all ends are securely sewn in. Specify what size and finishing options (ear flaps & ties, contrasting finishing edge, added elements like a poof ball at the top!). All sizes from infant to adult XL are available, and each hat will be uni...

Yeah, I'm a huge nerd. So, this happened. I was at work yesterday without any polyfil stuffing to finish my pillow-sized Death Star . So, to pass the time, I made this Death Star hat, which turned out swimmingly! Am I seriously the only one who thought of this? Because I haven't seen any others on the Internet. So, if you end up with one of these awesome things from one of your crafty friends, you're welcome! The construction was pretty basic: an adult sized hat made of acrylic gray yarn, worked in rows, with ear flaps (which, I will probably leave off the next one). The super laser is just a flat, three-row circle, also worked in rows and with an invisible join to finish it off. The detail work is sewn on in a lighter gray. With all the stitching, this hat ended up being a Teen/Small Adult size. I'll be getting a listing created for it this weekend, so stay tuned! Update: it's for sale now!  https://www.etsy.com/listing/204203754/crochet-death-star-beanie...

That's no moon... It's my new favorite crochet item EVER! So, the fabulous George Takei posted a picture of a crocheted Death Star pillow a few days back on his Facebook page. Basically everyone I know proceeded to send it to me/post it on my FB page/ask me about making one. The nerd in me couldn't resist. She never can. I seriously am in love with this tiny one. It's approximately 6" across (16" circumference). I made it using the Mathematically Perfect Sphere pattern I found on Pinterest. The super laser is just a flat circle, and I stitched on the details based on Google Images of the Death Star. I'm keeping this one for myself because I love it so much. It seriously makes my nerd heart swoon. I did also manage to locate the pattern for the pillow-sized one that Mr. Takei loved so much, and BONUS! It was free on Ravelry (pattern by Patricia Castillo). It's taking me a bit longer to finish, since it's going to end up being about 2...

I really love my current schedule. At my real job, I work Sunday through Wednesday, 10 hours shifts. This gives me Thursday, Friday and Saturday off each week, which is seriously fantastic. I usually manage to get some crafting in each weekend, but it's not often as much as I'd like. Between cleaning my house (a constant struggle), my three-year-old and the hubby, I'm lucky to actually finish any projects. This weekend the bestie and I decided it was time for a craftathon, and we went for it on Friday. She spent most of the day cutting fabric for a commissioned quilt. I spent most of the day organizing my crafting headquarters (aka, the living room). I don't have a before picture because it was really bad before, but here's the after: Yeah, that's the massive ripple blanket that I've been working on for about a year...it's 99.9% finished. It's going to be done soon..... Anyhow. I managed to compress all of my finished handmade product i...