Who's Who - Homefront Style

Home is Where the Military Sends Us Sign

Shop Name: WordBoards
What do you sell: Distressed Wood Signs
Real Name: Melissa
Branch of Service: Navy
Who's in Service: My Husband
Duty Station: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Family: 1 beautiful daughter & 1 superhero of a son
Where to find you: wordboards.etsy.com, www.perfectlydistressed.com, www.facebook.com/WordBoards
An interesting bit of information about you: I'm a coffee addicted, Phineas and Ferb watching, primitive loving, Navy wife & Mom!

Ladybug Purse

Shop Name: SewLittleTimeinNC
What do you sell: Tater Bakers, Purses, USMC-themed Items, Duffels, Clothesline Bowls, Baby Items, Embroidered Items
Real Name: Ellen Shore
Branch of Service: USMC
Who's in Service: Husband (Retired)
Duty Station: Newport, NC close to MCAS Cherry Point & Camp Lejeune
Family: Husband, Bill & Dipstick (10 week old kitten)
Where to find you: SewLittleTimeinNC.etsy.com; facebook/SewLittleTimeinNC; I also sell at a local farmers market (The Friendly Market) and consign at The Village Shoppes, both are in Morehead City, NC
An interesting bit of information about you: I also worked for the USMC as a civilian for 30 years and retired in 2010. Then I started working for myself with Sew Little Time in NC. I love sewing all kinds of different items.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

One Cupcake Says Thank You (Card) - Digital File

Shop Name: Proffitt Productions
What do you sell: custom invitations, announcments and holiday cards
Real Name: Amy Proffitt
Branch of Service: married (8 years!) to husband who is active duty Air Force
Who's in Service: hubby
Duty Station: Ramstein AFB in Germany
Family: sons, Drake (3) and Lincoln (2)
Where to find you: www.proffittproductions.etsy.com, www.aproffittablelife.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/pages/ProffittProductions/144336991205
An interesting bit of information about you: I'm a degreed architect who decided graphic design was much more fun!

Navy Wife Swarovski Crystal Heart Necklace

Shop Name: Carly's Homefront
What do you sell: Military Jewelry, Pillows, Embroidered Items
Real Name: Carly Cleveland
Branch of Service: Air Force
Who's in Service: My husband (my parents were BOTH navy though :D )
Duty Station: Cannon Air Force base
Family: My husband, Matthew, Lab mix -Nessie, and kitten - Capt Miffles
Where to find you: www.facebook.com/Carlys-Homefront
An interesting bit of information about you: The military has been a huge influence on my life; I was born in Iceland at the NATO base in the 80's and watched my parents both receive their educations thanks to the VA. I met my husband when he was a senior and I was a freshman in High School during AFJROTC. We were just friends until last year in August when we decided to try dating. We got married after dating for 5 months!

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

The Great Pumpkin

Pumpkin Earrings with Crysta... HeartfeltCreat... $22.00	Boo Q Batty Pumpkin theqstore $8.00	Harvest Town- Autumn Large Q... TerisTreasure $31.00
Halloween Button Charm Brace... CandJjewelry $25.50	4oz Little Bears Gumpkin Spi... DancingBearsTe... $6.00	Pumpkin Crunch Cake SudsNSuch $5.00
Little Pumpkin Harvest Tshir... bananabearbout... $20.00	Pumpkin and Stripes Dress - ... camelotstreasu... $16.99	Pumpkin Suncatcher Stained G... ByCoco $12.50
Fall in Love Pumpkins TheClayCafe $5.00	READY TO SHIP Pumpkin & Cand... NicoleMichelle... $5.00	Handmade Ceramic Pumpkin SWCreativeCrea... $7.50
Dog Collar Scarf Halloween P... ThePupemporium $4.50	Set of 2 Orange and Black Ja... armychic4lyfe $4.00	Hand Carved Rubber Stamp, 2... gettinghooked $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

The Rosie Tee - Fitted tee featuring Rosie Riveter

Shop Name: BravoTangoTees
What do you sell: At Bravo Tango, we make that shirt that you reach for when you know you’re going to have an awesome day. Whether you are showing off your pride as a military spouse, your fight against adversity, your love for charity or your tenacious female spirit, Bravo Tango has the shirt for you. We create all of our designs in house – or with the help of guest designers. They are as unique as our customers, and each one is a work of American made art. Our printing is done by professional screen-printers.When you grab a tee-shirt and pull it on, it should give you comfort and confidence. As soon as our 100% cotton, super soft material touches your skin, you will be ready to tackle the day, asserting your personal pride through our chic designs.
Real Name: Becky Litton and Tammy Munson
Branch of Service: Becky (active duty navy wife), Tammy (veteran Army wife)
Who's in Service: Our Husbands
Duty Station: Becky - Washington State, Tammy - Iowa
Family: Our Bravo Tango family includes, our two witty and wonderful husbands, our four spirited daughters (we have two each), a crazy golden retriever, an enormous Saint Bernard, a sweet black mutt and a couple of large cats.
Where to find you: www.etsy.com/shop/bravotangotees
www.BravoTangoTees.com
www.facebook.com/bravotangotees
twitter.com/bravotangotees
An interesting bit of information about you: For years as military wives, we strove to carve out meaningful careers for ourselves between moves, deployments and babies – Becky as a graphic designer and Tammy as a social media consultant. Then one day our paths crossed through a mutual client and the inspiration flew. With a shared vision for our families, careers and wardrobe, we rolled up our sleeves in the spring of 2011 and created our own Bravo Tango! Now we have a line of patriotic couture tees we are so very proud of!

Candy Corn, Amigurmi, Crocheted

The Crochet Lady

I opened my shop February 19, 2009 and then let it sit, for almost a year! The Crochet Lady sat there very patiently waiting for me to get the courage up and start posting some of my items for sale. Finally I took the leap and started posting.
Many years ago I taught myself how to crochet from a book. As time passed and I got better with the crochet, I started to give away some of the items. People always said “you should sell your work!” My husband always called my crocheting “that knitty thing you do”. I looked at as my therapy. We are a military family. There have been numerous long deployments and the crochet was my therapy for me after the kids were in bed at night. I would stay up and work on the current project. Crochet is calming to me and I could concentrate on that and escape from the daily worry of deployment.
So now my kids are growing into nice young adults and I have more free time to devote to my craft of crochet. I spend time looking for and researching for just the right pattern and quality threads. I enjoy crocheting and working on beautiful patterns. And this is how The Crochet Lady came to be!

PS. When I was setting up The Crochet Lady on Etsy, I inadvertently entered my username…HHSIX as the shop name and now I am known as both!
www.etsy.com/shop/HHSIX?ref=si_shop



Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

NMSN Military Spouse Employment Summit

The National Military Spouse Network is the pre-eminent networking, mentoring and professional development organization committed to the education, empowerment and advancement of military spouses.  Tiffany Silverberg, a representative for the NMSN, wanted to share with the Homefront Team and all military spouses, a great oppurtunity to take a part in, helping introduce or re-introduce the military spouse to the workforce.  She states "It's the first of its kind to focus on professional, modern spouses and their portable careers." 

The following information is for the summit coming up this November in Fairfax, Virginia.

As military spouses - we are independent, self-sustaining, self-established. But we also know when we need each other.

As military spouse business owners, connections are the foundation of our business. Networking is a critical exponent. One connection can lead to another. One person who needs a gift can lead to another with a boutique that will carry your products. A buyer to a seller.

Sometimes the connections aren’t as obvious. We discover an inspiring friend from another genre or a collaborator for a project. We find someone who has accomplished more to give us guidance or is just starting out and needs some advice. Sometimes you meet someone who needs someone you know.

The National Military Spouse Network summit is the first conference of its kind – that brings together military spouse professionals and employment experts to discuss careers of all kinds – from small businesses to portable jobs. Sessions include Entrepreneurship – hosted by the owner of the award-winning Chic Envy Consignments in Fairfax, VA.

The conference will be held November 3-4, at the Fairfax Marriot, in Fairfax, VA. Cost is only $73! Learn more at http://www.milspousesummit.com/

Whether you attend this conference or another like it, I encourage you to look for those opportunities to connect. Businesses grow on the foundation of networks. They expand through webs of natural relationships. Don’t let networking become a stressful business pitch – build friendships and watch your shop thrive!

Think Pink

Breast Cancer Awareness Coas... Mitz8562 $12.00	On SALE Pretty in Pink - Lig... littlefever $10.00	Survivor Breast Cancer Wreat... CreativeDetail... $16.00
Pink and White Pearl and Cry... HeartfeltCreat... $25.00	Kitchen Towel-Pink Polka Dot HippieChickBou... $10.00	Cancer Awareness Ribbon Ster... TheTaffyBox $37.00
Pink Dahlia - Fine Art Photo... bethjt $25.00	Pink Ribbon Bobby Pin - Set ... Mitz8562 $5.00	Pink and White Leaf Kanzashi... HoldsIt $7.00
Breast Cancer Awareness Spik... RobinsCraftTre... $4.50	Spring Pink Hearts Coffe Coz... Amy305 $5.00	Pink Hearts Charm Bracelet W... SissyPretties $39.00
Guitar Pick Bobby Pins - Dar... BunnyBaubles $6.00	Pink Ribbon Peel and Stick F... smithrj18 $12.00	Tree of Life - Hot Pink Jewe... charmingladies... $10.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team treasures by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Mark Your Calendars! Huge Homefront Team Sale on November 13th!

We are having a big sale to show our appreciation for all of you who support the Homefront Team!  Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 13th, in honor of Veteran's Day.  The sale will take place from 7-10pm EST.  We want to help you get your Christmas shopping done from the comfort of your home!  Here's your chance to get unique gifts at incredible prices.

Here are the shops that are participating- many offer high quality, handmade items.  A handmade gift is always treasured.  Visit their Etsy shops and give them some love!  Stay tuned for more details as the sale date gets closer!

ArmyChic4Lyfe http://www.armychic4lyfe.etsy.com/  Jewelry and More
Quitecrafty http://www.quitecrafty.etsy.com/ Crocheted Items
Epicycledesigns http://www.epicycledesigns.etsy.com/ Custom Eurogame Accessories
TheChameleonsAttic http://www.thechameleonsattic.etsy.com/ Handmade Items and Vintage Treasures
DancingBearsTeaHouse  http://www.dancingbearsteahouse.etsy.com/  Signature Teas
HeatherStrickland  http://www.heatherstrickland.etsy.com/ Elegant Monograms
TheNaturesThread http://www.thenaturesthread.etsy.com/ Reusable Cloths
HHSIX http://www.hhsix.etsy.com/  Crocheted Items
LilSoulja  http://www.lilsoulja.etsy.com/  ACU Personalized Gifts
CamelotsTreasures http://www.camelotstreasures.etsy.com/ Fashionable Doll Clothes
ThePupEmporium  http://www.thepupemporium.etsy.com/ Dog Accessories
ChersDivynWalls  http://www.chersdivynwalls.etsy.com/ Wall and Car Window Decals
Pedalingdesigns  http://www.pedalingdesigns.etsy.com/ Custom Cards, Posters, and Graphics
SaraRubendall  http://www.sararubendall.etsy.com/ Banners and Avatars
WordBoards  http://www.wordboards.etsy.com/ Wordboards and Signs
2LittleFriends  http://www.2littlefriends.etsy.com/ Unique Accessories
RuralInspirations  http://www.ruralinspirations.etsy.com/ Jewelry
ChineseAcademy  http://www.chineseacademy.etsy.com/ Quilled Creations
NicoleMichelles  http://www.nicolemichelles.etsy.com/ Purses, Totes, and Accessories
SueRunyon  http://www.suerunyondesigns.etsy.com/ Jewelry
Sweetpeatreasures  http://www.sweetpeatreasures.etsy.com/  Jewelry
Kbails84  http://www.kbails84.etsy.com/ Paracord Wristbands
SWCreativeCreations  http://www.swcreativecreations.etsy.com/ Home Decor
SimplyLeilani  http://www.simplyleilani.etsy.com/ Jewelry
EmsReCreations  http://www.emsrecreations.etsy.com/ Shadowboxes, Picture Frames
BrankletsNBling  http://www.brankletsnbling.etsy.com/ Jewelry
CarterGray  http://www.cartergray.etsy.com/ Handcrafted Cases and Wallets
HeartmadeCreations http://www.heartmadecreations.etsy.com  Clothing and Dresses

Who's Who - Homefront Style

Every week, the Homefront Team would like to introduce you to one of the crafty members of our team.  These wonderful men and woman are the foundation to our supportive community and we would love for you to support their small businesses!

Love Bug Ladybug Tshirt or Bodysuit

Shop Name: Banana Bear Boutique
What do you sell: I specialize in making custom embroidered shirts for children.
Real Name: Mary Ross
Branch of Service: USN
Who's in Service: My DH, Justin
Duty Station: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
Family: My husband and I have two beautiful daughters, Elise and Claire, and one very lazy, overweight (who we adore) cat named Sparky.
Where to find you: bananabearboutique.com, bananabearboutique.etsy.com, facebook.com/bananabear, twitter: @banana_bear
An interesting bit of information about you: The first clothing item I ever assemble was a pair of "genie" pants for Halloween. My mom's neglected sewing machine stopped working on me midway through, so I finished them off with hot glue and staples. It was a hot mess, but it did inspire me to learn to sew. Only now I leave the hot glue and staples to paper crafting projects. ;)

Flower Power Summer Dress Size 4-5

Shop Name: Sew Fierce Boutique
What do you sell: Clothing for little girls, some baby accessories.
Real Name: Stephanie Darmock
Branch of Service: USMC
Who's in Service: Husband
Duty Station: North Eastern PA
Family: two daughters, dog "sookie", cat "meow meow"
Where to find you: blog: apocketfullofbuttons.blogspot.com Shop: www.sewfierce.com
An interesting bit of information about you: I have a BIG dragon/fairy tattoo on my back that most people do not know about, nor would they guess.


Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Paper Spiderweb Decoration - Tutorial

I LOVE Halloween.  Something about the crisp, cool fall air, added to a holiday that it's ok to be whomever you want to be just makes me smile.  So while I was shopping at the Exchange the other day, I noticed the small assortment of Halloween decorations, and wasn't pleased.  I knew it was time for me to get a little crafty and make some of my own.

I know you can buy that pack of spiderweb stuff at the store, that looks and feels like real spiderwebs, but I didn't want to use that this year.  It has a tendency to stick to everything, and with a 4 year old running around that likes to get into EVERYTHING, I knew that would be torn down in a heartbeat.  Of course, he too can ruin this decoration (a long with EVERYTHING else in my house....), but at least I can alter the height a bit and get him involved in the creating!

This project is very similar to the paper snowflakes made at Christmas time; it's really simple!  And with a little bit of sparkle (with paint) and glitter, you can have some really awesome looking Halloween decorations!

What you need:

Paper - I used just plain old printer paper, but you can use any kind you like (note: the thicker the paper, the harder it will be to cut!)

Scissors - you'll need a sharp pair, the safety kind can be used, but it will be harder to cut

Pencil

Spray Paint

Glitter

String, monafilament, or fishing line

glue stick (optional)

spider rings (optional)

First I'll show you how to make a simple spiderweb.

Fold your paper in half, so the short sides meet.

Then, fold your paper in half again, but ONLY crease about an inch of the bottom of the paper,  with the fold on the bottom.  This crease will be used only as a guideline.

This is where it gets a bit tricky, and practice makes perfect.  Fold  one of the corners in about 3/4 of the way making sure the point is at the crease you made in the last step.  Don't crease it to hard, yet, so you can adjust with the next step.

Take the other corner, and fold it BEHIND the paper, so the sides all match up.  After you adjusted both folds until they are matched, then crease each side.  If your sides are not perfect, don't fret, it will still look cool - like I said it takes practice to get it exact.

Now cut off the "ears" so you have a traditional triangle....

...like this.  Now fold the two sides together to make an even smaller triangle.

Remember where you main fold is - you can't cut on that side, or your spiderweb won't come out right.  My fold is on the left, since I'm left handed (I've annotated that in the pictures).  With your pencil, draw a swooping curve across the top and then cut it out.  Next, draw rectangles down the triangle, remembering to stop before the fold, to help guide you when you cut.  Then cut out the lines you marked.  At the bottom, you can cut off the tip, because this will be the middle of your web.

This is what it will look like after you made all of your cuts!

Unfold your web carefully and VIOLA!

You can of course stop at this point, and just glue your web onto some paper and adorn it with fun halloween decorations, like my son did.

If you think you've got the simple spiderweb mastered, and what to make a little more detailed one, then try these instructions.
Before doing this one, keep repeating to yourself, "spiderwebs are not symmetrical."  Your spiderweb doesn't have to be perfect, because NOTHING in nature is perfectly exact!

To start off this spiderweb, you will be making the normal printer paper into a square .  So fold the paper into a triangle, then cut off the extra strip, and be sure to crease the triangle.  Then fold the triangle in half, to make a smaller triangle, and hold the triangle so the widest point is facing down.   Now fold the one corner about a 1/3 of the way, making the tip of the triangle meet up with the corner.  Just like the simple one, take the other corner to the back and match up the sides, to make the triangle look like it has cat ears (PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE).  After the sides are all matched up, with creases, cut off the top ears, to make a full triangle.

With your pencil, draw a line down the center of your triangle - this line is important, because you can't CUT this line at all.  Draw your lines with how you want to cut along it, making sure you STOP at the center line.
With this style, you can get a little more funky with your cutting, since this web will be a little more detailed .  In the next pictures, I'll be showing you two examples of how I did it, so you can see what they will look like.

Here are what the triangles look like after cut out....

....and unfolded!  With this cut, there are more veins.

Now my favorite part.....the decorating!

Once you've created several webs, you're ready to decorate them.

Spray one side with the spray paint, making sure it's all covered.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle over glitter - on this one, I painted it black and sprinkled it with teal glitter.
Be sure to do this to both sides.

I sprayed my webs with black, copper and silver.  You can get a little funky and spray them with two colors, giving them a different look.

After they were completely dried, I threaded some string (in this case, some clear string for jewelry making), in two webs, and tied it off.  String as many as you like together; here I used 4 large webs on one, and 3 large with 2 mini webs on another to  make a curtain in a doorway.

Add a little personality by adding plastic spider  rings to a web here and there.

And now you have your very own beautiful, handmade spiderweb decoration!  Post pictures of the ones you make on the Homefront Team Facebook Page, and share it with everyone - I'd love to see yours!

This tutorial was shared with us by Guin from Camelot's Treasures.  Be sure to check out her store, for some wonderful handmade items.  And support all the great military spouses around the world on the Homefront Team, by searching "homefront team" on your next visit to Etsy!