About Me

me!I’m Sam, which is short for Samantha, and I am a Mechanical Engineering major at Case Western Reserve University in the class of 2012. I am sole proprietor of my sewing business, Fluffyland, a shop filled with handmade cuteness. I am Catholic and I love going to Mass. My home is in Northern Virginia, but I’ve adopted Cleveland as my second home despite its terrible weather and consistently gray skies. I have two younger brothers and a dog named Pepper and the best parents ever.

When I’m not buried in homework, or going on adventures with my friends, I’m usually sewing, because that is what I love to do (see The Sewing Story). I also love fabric shopping and thrifting (which can be rather equivalent, since I usually thrift in order to find garments I can re-create), but I hate shopping at the mall. I’ve been a soccer player my whole life, and though I’m not on a college team, I’m always up for a pickup game. I love playing cards, especially euchre and spades, and I passionately hate Monopoly. I can knit straight lines, so I usually have a scarf going while I watch TV (the Office!). I’ve never figured out how to crochet, but I haven’t tried very hard since I really don’t need another craft.

I really just love making things. I have a Print Gocco that I usually end up singing to because I love it so much. I have also done some screenprinting and find it both extremely stressful and extremely gratifying. I took a ceramics class and greatly enjoyed it because I got to work with my hands in a n entirely new way. I absolutely love photography, both film and digital, and going for walks with my camera keeps me sane. Despite all my crafty endeavors, I can’t really draw. I doodle on occasion, but I’m not a pen-to-paper artist.

I love baking and inventing new food combinations, especially anything involving coconut, or pie. Did you know that the Spanish word empanar means “to wrap in bread or dough”? I think this glorious verb could improve pretty much any food. All of a sudden, anything’s a pie.

sleeping beauty’s castle, disneylandrandom likes:
old things, whales, disneyland, buttons, typewriters, moccasins, lemon bars, cute, swings, disney princesses, cozy hoodies, hello kitty, action movies, summer breezes, peaches, owls, climbing trees, spicy food, kurt vonnegut, pie, pokemon, jeopardy!, vacuuming, airplanes, puddle jumping, driving with windows down

random dislikes:
socks with holes, roast beef, taylor swift and equivalents, sappy romance movies, giant textbooks, most tv shows, wearing sandals, pencils without erasers, chemistry, perfume, sleet

24 Responses

  1. Sara Moore says:

    Sam,

    My name is Sara Moore and I work as columnist for HandmadeNews.org, an e-newspaper dedicated to news of the handmade world. As part of our featured blogger program, we interview different writers from blogs all over the web. We’d love to have you be one of our featured bloggers. If you would be willing to conduct a brief interview email, please let me know.

    Thanks,

    Sara Moore
    Main Feature Columnist
    HandmadeNews.org

  2. Jenn says:

    Hi Sam! Would love to advertise CraftsAcademy.com
    crafts video contest to your readers…can you contact me?

    Thanks!!
    Jenn

  3. Hi, Sam! I was looking for chewing gum wrapper bracelets we would make as a kid in the 70s (yeah, I’m old). I wanted to show my 16 year old daughter how to make them and I realized…today’s gum HAS NO WRAPPERS! Or at least I haven’t found any yet. Maybe an environmental thing? I dunno…but anyway.

    We are a crafty family, and one thing I think you don’t do is polymer clay. (Admittedly, I haven’t combed over your site completely, but, you know). I wanted to recommend you try it, you’d be great!

    Have a great one,
    George in Cali (my dad is from Akron, Ohio).

  4. Abby Elaina says:

    I love your blog. Tons of really cute stuff.

  5. Laurie Lee says:

    Hi Sam! I have a small sewing invitation to you and would love to explain it. Would you mind dropping me a line?
    Thanks!

  6. Hi Sam!

    Hello and greetings from All Things Labels! We stumbled upon your blog and wanted to reach out to you.

    We are promoting our company by offering free samples of our stock and custom-made woven labels for you to review on your blog. We offer stock size and content labels and custom woven clothing labels at affordable prices and low minimums. Our straight cut woven labels (name labels) come in a variety of designs and colors and different options including heat seal and sticker backs.

    Please contact us if you would like to review our products or post a free give-away to your members. Please check out our website http://www.allthingslabels.com or visit our Facebook Page : http://www.facebook.com/allthingslabels and twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/allthingslabels.

    Thank you very much and we hope to hear from you soon!

    Many thanks,
    Lisa Shin
    All Things Labels

  7. Alidivinas Prusokas says:

    Hi Sam,
    I would like to use the images of one of your tutorials: the ‘Starburst Wrapper Bracelet Tutorial’ in my ICT GCSE project and I require your permission.
    It will be a short video and will not be uploaded onto any sites.
    Thank you in advance.
    Nice blog by the way :)

  8. Dee says:

    My name is Dee and I blog at Seams Sustainable (http://seamssustainable.blogspot.com). You don’t know me but I’ve nominated your wonderful blog for a Versatile Blogger award. To see the details, please visit my blog after today. No hard feelings if you do not wish to participate, have already received this award, or just don’t do awards. I understand. Thanks, I do love your blog.

  9. I just fell across your website. I saw the news clip about the star burst wrapper dress on Yahoo. I love it and it landed me here. Watch here I come. This is the kind of things that my mom and I would love.I lost my mom 2yrs now and I really miss her so if you don’t mind if I come and check out your site. As a teenager I use to make things out of gum wrappers. It drove my mom crazy but she loved the things I made for her and her friends. When I got older it was things from cigarette packs I did not smoke but knew a lot of people that did so I did that. Tried to teach my step-daughter but I could not remember how to make them all fasten together so she just made a really long chain (dad made her get rid of it when he married his new wife)She’s no fun anyway}. So thank you for getting me started again. Take care and keep up everything. Dreams do come TRUE Mary in Cincy.

  10. Marie says:

    I have just discovered this blog-and love it!!! I love arts and crafts since I was small, and I still do. When it’s a rainy day I’m definitely going to try some of this stuff. You really are an amazing person. I am just going to say, I have not gone through your whole site, but I think it would be interesting to learn how to make friendship bracelets. You know, the ones made out of string, with knots. I love your blog and can’t wait to read more!!! XD

  11. stephanie says:

    Sam!

    What an incredible job you have done on your blog! I stumbled across it while reading a story about starburst wrapping since I used to make them out of gum wrappers all the time as a kid.

    I am currently serving in the Peace Corps and always looking for inexpensive, everyday products to use for my girls arts & craft club. I thank your for your ideas as I will be using some of your ideas as a reference for my club! Thank you!

  12. Hi,
    Just a quick note. I’ve been an artist, pattern maker for clothing industry, bridal business, and now am producing original jewelry made of seedbeads & beads. Life is constantly changing, enjoy the Lord’s blessings

  13. leia's mommy says:

    What an amazing idea! It is so refreshing to see young people be creative. I enjoy your blog it’s inspiring :)

  14. Emmy says:

    Hi Sam! Love your Blog Please Tell Marie Above comment that I can make The Bracelets she is asking about! :)

  15. Emmy says:

    Btw when will your shop be back up?

  16. Emmy says:

    Thanks! hope to see the whole shop soon!! Good Luck with everything!

  17. Emmy says:

    Can I please have a link to your Etsy shop? its coming up blank!

  18. Lenore Levine says:

    Sam . . . . You are an amazing young woman with so many interests and talents. I see that you love buttons! When cleaning out the home of a 94 year old relative, I came across cards and cards of old buttons in her unfinished basement. I didn’t have the heart to give them away and brought them from Pennsylvania to Florida. Reading your blog makes me want to share them with you. Would you like some vintage buttons? I admire you and wish more kids of today were like you! Happy sewing and creating!
    Sincerely, Lenore (65 years of age)

  19. susan says:

    sam
    what a wonderful and inspiring blog!!!

  20. Lenore Levine says:

    Sam . . . I am always thinking of you when I see something vintage and crafty. I am now in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a month. I came upon some vintage magazines at an auction yesterday. The bidder bought the carton of “The Workbasket and Home Arts Magazine” from the 1960’s – 1980’s and then decided that he didn’t want them and threw them in the trash bin. I fetched them out (with much difficulty) and brought them home thinking that you may want the issues. There are zillons and the total weight will be heavy. I ask that if you want them, they are free to you, but you would have to pay the postage. Are you interested? Check these vintage magazines out on line (Etsy, etc.). I can mail them book rate, but I am sure that they will still cost around $20 to mail. They would make great wallpaper for your craft room (as you suggested with the vintage buttons.) Let me hear from you soon as I fly home on July 31. Hope all is well with you and that you continue to be creative and imaginative!
    Lenore Levine, Boynton Beach,FL

  21. Lynne Demmery says:

    Sam, just sent you an email with your answer to Montreal. If you don’t get it, email me again and I’ll forward it through here.

    Lynne

  22. Rachel White says:

    Hi Sam,

    My technology company is launching a new ice management software called Narwhal and I love your tiny Narwhals! I realize it’s just you doing all the sewing, but would you consider doing 100 tiny narwhals for our product launch on Dec 3rd? If so, could you please advise the cost? Thank you, love your work!

    Rachel White

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