Yep, that's right.  Erika Elyn Creations is setting up shop at Cosa Verde.  Cosa Verde is a great site which features great eco-friendly, handmade items direct from independent artists.  You'll find most of my repurposed items displayed over at there.  Please take a look at my shop, as well as the other artists featured there.  I'm quite excited about being accepted to display my items with Cosa Verde.  I hope this will help expand my use of repurposed material, too!

Hello, hello, hello.  The Lawrenceville Petite Purse will make it's debut here shortly.  I made a prototype and I'm actually pretty happy with the way it turned out.  It's super cute, I have to say.  I'll make a few more and post them probably this week or next.  As with the Lawrenceville sleeves, they are made from scraps so nothing goes to waste.  Some will have embroidery and others applique.  Here's a few pictures and check in over at my shop to see their arrival.

September is almost over!  What?!?  It's true.  I find out if I'm accepted to the Handmade Arcade on Friday.  But I've decided if I'm not, the funds I've allotted for the booth fee are going to some advertising for this holiday season.  So really, it's a win win.
But anyways,  to this weeks featured item.  It'll be the Lawrenceville Sleeve!  Look for this collection to be expanded in the near future, too!  Here's a coupon code worth 10% off any Lawrenceville Sleeve...  LVSLV9262011

New Collection Preview!!  I made some ereader sleeves.  I'm still tinkering with the measurements but here are a few that I've made.  They have a main pocket for the ereader then a back pocket for any extra's you may have, like a power cord or maybe some little notes.  All closures are done with a zipper.  They are also lightly padded to protect your gadget and this way they aren't bulky either.  Centered in the front is a fun and beautiful fabric burst stitched in a spiral to give texture to the sleeves.  Here are some (too dark, sorry) pictures!!!

I did my September Team HIP Treasury.  Take a look!

This is my first recipe post!  The first thing you should know is that I am no cook.  I'm just a 24 year old looking for some good food.  And story begins like this...  Digging through my mother's pantry one day I found a box of Rooibos.  If you don't know what this is, it's only the best tea ever.  I once was strictly a earl grey girl, but then in college I had these two friends, they we're brothers, who would often make me Rooibos and scones.  I was hooked.  So when I found this box of tea, I just had to bake scones.


CINNAMON CHIP SCONES: 
12 Servings
25 min Prep Time
10 min Bake Time


Ingredients>
+3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
+1/3 Sugar
+3 Tablespoon Sugar
+2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
+1/2 baking soda
+1/2 teaspoon salt
+3/4 butter
+1 cup buttermilk
+1 1/3 cup cinnamon chips
+2 tablespoon butter melted


Directions>>
+Preheat over at 425 degrees
+In a large bowl, combine flour , 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cube butter, and add to mixture.  (I let the butter soften a tad before adding).  Stir in buttermilk just until moist.  Then add cinnamon chip.  (I wrote 1 1/3 cups, but add as little or as much as you like).

      What's on tap this week?  More work for the Appomattox Railroad Festival.  I'm making pouches, Kindle/Nook/iPad cases.  Oh, and Tote Bags!!!  These tote bags will make an appearance in my shop, too.  They'll be part of the Bluff Collection and will be available from October-January.
      You probably want to know the featured item for this week???  It's the Oakland Sleeve.  I designed this sleeve to the perfect minimal, but also functional accessory.  I use a Bluff Sleeve for my personal computer, but I'm thinking about switching over to the Oakland Sleeve.  20% off any Oakland Sleeve, this week only!  Use coupon code OAKSLV9192011.
      I also want to do a new collection preview this week, as well as my first recipe post!  So keep checking back!

     I'm just ending my first year of Erika Elyn Creations.  Half of that year I was juggling school, work, and sewing.  As soon as I finished school in Tennessee I packed my bags for Pittsburgh.  I image myself down the road with a little shop in Oakland where students bustled in and out.  I never thought I could live off the money from Erika Elyn Creations in its first year or so.  The money I have/do make goes right back into it to help it grow to the point that one day I will be able to live off of it.  So in the mean time, I've been searching for a job to help me pay my bills and hoping to make a little extra to put into Erika Elyn Creations, too.  
     I started that search in February.  It's September now... still no luck.  I've got turn down from soooo many jobs and a good majority I've been over qualified for.  I was lucky enough to be able to work during school and smart enough to save some money to live off of while I search for a new job in Pittsburgh.  I got turned down today for yet another job I consider myself over-qualified for.  And Mint.com keeps sending me emails about how my account is low.  Trust me... I KNOW.  Is finding a job this hard for everyone?  I thought a college diploma was supposed to help get me a job.  Only thing it's done for me thus far is put me in debt.  I really don't like that.
     So, I've spent most of the day searching job ads.  And spending hours answering questionnaires that are made up of the same 10 questions rephrased 50 different ways.  BORING. and ANNOYING.  If I'm lucky they'll send me an email thanking me for submitting my resume.
     This is what I want to tell the recruiters I talk to...

      This is going to be the first of many "Oh! That would go good with..." posts. I'll raid my closet and mix and match outfits to go with Erika Elyn Creations accessories.
      Check out this weeks match! I'm not a big fan of denim skirts. But I found this skirt at Goodwill a while back and thought I could make it work. It was long so I cut it to my desired length and hemmed it.  The sides needed some shaping, too.  The leggings I purchase white then I dyed to this shade of green. I actually dyed them for a Halloween costume a year ago. I was Poison Ivy, you know, the Batman Villain. The plaid shirt is from Target. I can't go into that place without coming out with something. Shame on my American consumerism habits. The bag, of course, is my Oakland Messenger. This is my day to day bag so I carry an off white one and it goes with almost everything. And goes especially well with this get up.

The winner of the Union Giveaway 2011 is Brooke Sledge!!!  Thanks for participating Brooke!  Congratulations!

Halfway through September already!  Whaaaat?!?!?!  This week I'll be perfecting the patterns for the new collection.  Though... this is the part in the design process that I loose sleep over.  I go back and forth over 1/4 an inch sometimes.  4 1/2 or 4 3/4??  I'll sell a dozen of them before I'm content with the decision I made.  Hahaha.
Anyways, this being Monday, we need a featured item!!  Last week I posted some new upcycled/repurposed sleeves.  So, this week the featured item will be the Bluff Sleeve-Polka Dots and Repurposed Denim.  I really would like to work more with repurposed materials.  Sometimes I feel guilty with my stacks and stacks of new fabric.  But a new goodwill is opening up near by and I'm hoping to frequent there.  Here's some pictures of the new sleeves with repurposed  materials and read more about them over at my Shop  I hope you like!

I ordered a lot of zippers and they have arrived!!  Now, I can really get to work on this new collection.  I have one month till the Appomattox Railroad Festival to start selling theses suckers.  It'll be the new collection's "soft open."  And if I make it into the Handmade Arcade for the Holidays (fingers crossed),  I'll be selling them there, too.  I haven't decided if I'll be participating in the I Made It Market's I Made it for the Holidays.  I only have 9 more days to decide before applications are due.  I've never been there before and I think I might just want to go as a shopper this year, just to check things out and get some christmas shopping done!

        Well, it was probably 5:30pm before a managed to get out of bed today thanks to something we like to call a migraine. Thankfully, I'm all caught up on orders so I was able to sleep until I was feeling a bit better. I'm still a bit fuzzy though. I went into the bathroom and hit the light switch about half a dozen times wondering why the light wasn't going on. It wasn't going on because I was hitting the switch to the fan not the light. Maybe, I'll just work on my September Team HIP Treasury tonight and not tackle any sewing. Best to avoid any silly mistakes.... again. ;)
        You may have also noticed I have a new Blog Layout/Design. I wasn't to fond of the old one and I'm not 100% enamored with this design but I think it'll due until I find something I like a bit better. I also changed up my shop banner and it now features my Shadyside Backpack. I just really love that backpack. Hahaha.
        In other exciting news, the Shadyside Backpack has been blogged! And not by me! Find the post over at Maddy Anne Designs. Her shopping for pretend posts are really fun. I love the jacket she chose and the colors all look great together. A great blog all together, really.
        I know I wanted to say a few more things, but I really just can't think of them right now. Keep checking back here. I should have a new collection preview soon, and don't forget to vote for the name of it!

The featured item for the week of 9/5 is the new Shadyside Satchel in Two Tone!!  It's a You Pick item so you can customize the color to be what you want.  Pick the colors that go with your favorite outfit!
Check it out over at my Etsy Shop.

Ode to the Beautiful Annie Clark...


Now, Now by st. vincent