The NorthWesternBelle

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

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...

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...