Artfire Seller Saved Me

I had bought a handmade gift for my brother, but it was not as described-and to make a long story short, that whole transaction took a bad turn. But another artisan saved the day. She stepped up to the challenge of making something she had not tried before, and got it to me just in time for Christmas! Without a pattern to go by, Aundie (a.k.a. Beanie Corner) crocheted a mohawk hat from a photo example.

 Check out my handsome teenage brother, sporting his beautiful handmade mohawk hat from Beanie Corner. Thanks to Andra and her excellent customer service, Justin now has a kickin' hat all of his friends are going to envy. Beanie Corner is working on putting some more great works up in her studio, and there is another hat similar to this one with wool on top.
Justin also got a couple of earflap beanies from KraftyLady . They fit really well, and my brother complains that most of the beanies he gets are too small for his head.

My Breakthrough in Red Lace

I'm always complaining about how hard it is when I do something completely new, and I need to stop that. But it was! Three days of humming and hawing, sitting and staring (do you ever do that, planning something in your head, all intense, and then someone walks by and shouts "WAKE UP!" at you, so rude. They have no idea the things they're interrupting, lol).
Anyway, the next time I do this it will be much easier. What I had sort of planned in my minds eye was much daintier, and chunkier. (The loops shorter, more large focal beads, and the whole necklace not quite as long). But I'm happy with my Flamenco-Victorian-Moulin Rouge-Ruffled Collar-Spanish Queen-Bib Necklace. Can't wait to do the next one. Gotta close my eyes, spin the color wheel, and see where my finger lands.
Artfire, Artfire, how I love Artfire! It's just come out of beta with new front and landing pages, a fantastic new Group Deal, and crazy prizes! You'll want to check that out now, to lock in a pro studio monthly rate of only $5.95. Yeah, only $5.95! But you have to sign up by October 1st, because that price will be long gone. I love browsing through all the awesome handmade gifts available on Artfire, and being apart of that artisan community is just invaluable. We have some amazing genius running the show too, who listen to what we have to say, and are very transparent about their plans with the venue. Listen to this from Tony and John podcast about the Group Deal . . . here. 
I'm so excited!