Custom Items

I always tell people, if they want something that is knit, crochet, sewn or quilted, just let me know.

Here's a bit more of what I mean by that.

Most of the time, the items listed in my store are completely finished and ready to be shipped. Since my home is very small, and many things take a lot of time, it means that I have certain limits to what I can make ahead of time.

Anything I sell on my site, I can make in different colors or materials just by asking.  When you inquire about it, I will give an estimate on how long it will take. That time frame includes not just the time to craft the item, but also the time it will take for the supplies to be delivered, if I have to order them.


I love to make clothing items. I seldom have them listed for a simple reason - too many sizes! If I make a sweater to be sold, I have to pick a size, color and material, and there are many sizes, colors and materials to choose from. Unless I want to spend hundreds of hours making and storing all the possible combinations, I cannot make things like sweaters in advance.

That being said, I may, in the near future, craft a few items, use drop down menus for size, etc, and make them only when they are ordered.  If I do so, it would mean that there would be at least a 2-week wait before it could be shipped.

The point of all this is, never be afraid to email me asking for something different.

For example, if you read this blog regularly, you know that I recently made several sets of stitch markers. Someone made a comment about one set that they would make pretty earrings. The result - I made her some earrings.

It can be just that simple.

Yarn

I recently became a seller for ICE/KUKA yarns. The company is in Turkey. I have been buying their yarn for my own use for a while now, and I absolutely love it! The company caught my attention when I was searching for baby yarn in colors other than the standard pastels. ICE yarn has a very wide variety of colors of baby yarn, including primary colors, and the illusive black.

Currently, I carry 6 different baby yarns:
   

And 8 yarns of different thickness and fibers:

  

If you are looking for a particular type of yarn, please let me know. I have access to over 4000 different yarns, and may have just what you are looking for.

New Items

I added a couple of new items to the store today.

First up are some hair scrunchies;

Besides just being prettier than a plain hair band, these are easier on the hair. The yarn clings to the hair, meaning that you do not have to wrap the band nearly as tightly, reducing both damage to the hair, and less pressure on the scalp.

Currently, I am selling a set of 3 - one each in black, white and red. Of course, other colors are available upon request.

Also listed today are sets of three kitchen scrubbers;

These scrubbers are roughly the same size as SOS pads. They work well on most kitchen pots and pans, from Teflon coated items to cast iron.

I have 7 different colors listed. Of course, different color combos can easily be made upon request, in line with the black & white striped ones as seen in the picture.

Stitch Markers

As I mentioned yesterday, I added a "Supplies" category to my website. (www.originalsbyjeanene.com) Today I listed 6 sets of stitch markers.

Stitch markers are used in knitting to mark a change, so you do not have to count stitches every time. Generally, they are used to mark increases, decreases, and the start of a round when doing circular knitting.

Sometimes, stitch markers have most of them the same, with one slightly different. That is done so that, you can use the identical ones for increases/decreases, and the different looking one to mark the round beginning.

Come take a look. Feel free to leave a comment regarding what you think about the markers, or the store in general.

New Store Website!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

The move to a new website is just about complete. To celebrate, enter the coupon code, "OPEN13" for 10% off your purchase.

http://www.originalsbyjeanene.com

The site *does* have a mobile version, but you cannot purchase from the mobile site, yet.

In addition to a new site, with categories to help you shop, I will also soon be carrying Supplies, starting with yarn and stitch markers. That should be ready to go within a week or two.

Go take a look. Leave a comment below for anything you like, to problems that need to be addressed.

OT - Mis-regulation Strangles Small Businesses

 Update #3 1:33pm: UNOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE! The following was taken from an email from Lt. Craig, posted with his permission. The information below is from Dr. Priollaud. The complete and official information will be released and posted on the OSAC website as soon as it gets approved.

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I have proposed the following as our course trying to achieve the best medical practice while maintaining the good relationship between competitors and the physicians/commission.:

1. Effective 2-4-13 if you fight in any non-OSAC regulated event then you cannot fight again in Oregon until 6 months passes and your repeat (after 6 months) disease testing is negative. This was the Committee decision in November 2012.

2. From 2-4-13 to 8-4-13, if you had a past fight (prior to 2-4-13) at a venue not sanctioned by OSAC and your negative blood testing is not performed at least 6 months after this exposure then you must inform your opponent in advance that you could possibly represent a disease risk using the attached form. This form must be received by OSAC in advance (7d) of the fight and verified the day of in order to meet the requirement of informed consent without the appearance of any coercion. Your opponent could clearly choose not to fight. Since Hep C can easily persist on the mat for the entire duration of an event, a terminal cleaning with bleach solution would have to be done after every fight that included such a person.

 Update #2 12:00 noon:  After my first conversation with Lt. Craig, he spoke with the Medical Board. The official release should be today - tomorrow at the latest.

But they are offering a compromise.

Short version - New blood work will be required of fighters that fight at an event where no blood work is required. That fighter would be able to fight in Oregon during that 6 month time, SO LONG AS their opponent, at least 7 days before the event, signs a disclosure release that states they understand the situation and still want to fight.

There is more than that, but that is the bottom line.

UPDATE #1 11:30am: Just wrapped up a 43 minute conversation with Lt. Craig of OSAC. They will be issuing a Press Release about the Out-of-State blood work situation, probably tomorrow.

Mis-regulation -- and a state government leadership vacuum -- have put one Oregon small business sector in a stranglehold. As elected officials scramble for ways to create private sector jobs, one potentially easy victory sits under their noses, ignored -- halting government mistakes that actively hurt business.

A perfect example of mis-government putting the smackdown on small business is the harm done by neglectful mis-regulation by the Oregon State Athletic Commission (OSAC) of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) industry. MMA events in Oregon are controlled by OSAC, a division of the Oregon State Police. Over the past four years, OSAC's missteps and fumbles have driven the regulatory cost of an MMA event up by 138% -- from $1,200 to $2,860 -- and as MMA grows vigorously in other states, Oregon's MMA events have plummeted 82% -- from 120 to just 22. (OSAC's event-fee revenue has fallen 56%, from $144,000 to just $62,920.)

OSAC also added a swarm of new Administrative Rules, often sloppily and in violation of Oregon law. Then in June 2012, OSAC's Executive Director was put on Administrative Leave -- and the Lieutenant of the Tribal Gaming Commission now covers the duties of both Commissions.

OSAC started 2013 by doubling down on sloppy rule-making. On February 4th, they announced a rule change "effective immediately" -- with no previous notice or public comment. This new and ill-considered version of OAR 230-020-0405 Out-of-State Contests, effectively suspended an estimated 30% of Oregon's dwindling family of competitors for 6 months for the "crime" of participating in an out-of-state event -- yet there was no rule against their attendance when the event was held. It was impossible for any athlete to follow a rule that was not in place and not announced. This disorderly rule-making, and especially the "ex post facto" inventing new rules to apply to past actions, is unworthy of a state commission.

MMA Promoters have been leaving Oregon for Washington and Nevada. With events down 82%, athletes have no place to compete, leaving them without income to support their families. Professional fighters no longer have nearly as many venues to earn their purse, and both professionals and amateurs lose out on sponsorship income. Local gym owners are losing business, and many have shut their doors, as MMA athletes move to other states. Almost a dozen promotion companies have moved -- or shut their doors.

Total job losses are estimated at 125, at an average wage of $33,000 -- making Oregon $4,125,000 poorer.

OSAC's actions have cost the state's taxpayers over $50,000 a year in direct event fees, and a further loss of the 6% ticket tax -- roughly $1,620 per fight over the 98 missing fights, or another $158,760 per year.

And when OSAC cannot cover its own costs, the funds come out of the OSP budget, reducing funds available to other public safety programs.

OSAC's economic beat-down also hits businesses near the events. Athletes and fans alike need hotels, restaurants, locations for post-event gatherings, and even supplies. In smaller communities, the local hospitality businesses need that influx of customers to keep themselves going. OSAC's changes have driven up costs so much that they become untenable to hold in smaller areas, and the entire local community loses that revenue. This is just one small Commission, but their sloppy rule-making and misregulation of their industry has a negative impact (directly or indirectly) on every Oregonian.

Multiply this effect by the number of Oregon's 220 rule-making boards and commissions. How much revenue and how many jobs have been lost, when you add all these humble industries together? A half million dollars here, two million there -- it all adds up. While we are looking for ways to improve Oregon's economy, we must not just look at the huge dollar items, but look at all these little fiefdoms that are, unintentionally, putting a choke-hold on small businesses.

If you agree that MMA in Oregon should be properly regulated, to allow the industry to grow and prosper while keeping athletes and the public safe, contact your Legislator and tell them. We need our Legislators to remind OSAC to follow their own rules and stop impulsive and disorderly rule-making. Ask your legislator to consider whether the industry would be better served if OSAC's duties were removed from the Oregon State Police, and regulated like other businesses in Oregon, under the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

We need the Commission to immediately roll-back the improper February 4th rule that they had no authority to implement, and to start over, following proper procedure. OSAC should also adopt suggestions previously made to recruit and train more Officials so more events can occur. And we need a full time Executive Director dedicated to OSAC. We can stop the mis-regulation and neglectful policies of the Oregon State Athletic Commission and allow the MMA industry to grow again.

-Jeanene Hammers

593 Taybin Road NW

Salem, OR 97304

Cell: 503-432-9361

Note: Feel free to post this in it's entirety. 

Charity Fundraiser

In many high schools, at least in Oregon, Seniors have to do a Senior Project.

My daughter chose to raise awareness and education about teen suicide.

SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

From her letter:

"Depression is a treatable medical illness marked by changes in mood, thoughts, energy and behavior that affects more than 23 million adult Americans each year. It is the most common serious brain disease in the United States. SAVE's mission is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and serve as a resource for those touched by suicide.

We are asking for your help in getting the message out there and to help SAVE lives. We are in need of silent auction items for our upcoming fundraiser at (Century) High School in Hillsboro, OR. Any items or gifts would be greatly appreciated and your donations are tax deductible.

What can your gift do? It can help raise money for a cause that can spread the message to young adults regarding symptoms of depression and how to deal with thoughts of suicide through SAVE's educational programs. It can help us distribute grief packets to families dealing with the loss of a loved one to their battle with depression. It can help SAVE lives.

With your support we can reach our goals."

For more information, please email Elizabeth at hamme997@hsd.k12.or.us

I will be making a quilt and donating it. As the event itself is being held at the high school, with music, it looks like the majority of the people attending the auction will be younger - high school to college aged. I am designing the quilt with that in mind.

Thanks for reading!