Paper, Paper, Paper Everywhere!

When my boyfriend goes with me to a craft store, he usually does his best to get me out of the store without buying any paper.  I love paper!  Patterned paper, colored paper, textured paper... it's all just fabulous!  I see a pattern or color and just start thinking of what I could do with it, what other patterns I could put it with and so on.  Now, my wonderful boyfriend tries to get me out of the craft stores before I buy any paper because he knows, just as well as I do, that I really don't need any more paper.  I will probably never use all the paper I have now, and deep down I really know that.  But I see something new and just can't stop myself from wanting it... hahahaha.  This leads me to what I was doing today.  I was browsing through the new products on Scrapbook.com and came across a product line I had not seen on there before called Websters Pages.  They have some fabulously styled papers and ribbons and I thought I would share them with you here.

Finishing Projects...

Today was spent working on and finishing up a few projects.  The first project I was finishing up was a framed mirror for a buyer on Etsy.  The second project was a sign for my mom.  I love my mom to death, but she can be overly picky... hahaha :)  She has not seen the "no soliciting" sign yet, but I'm hoping that she doesn't find anything wrong with it since it's beyond the point of changing.  So my fingers are crossed :)  And since my time is very limited today, this is all I'm writing... I have included photos of the two projects for today... enjoy :)

A very girly order...

It's Monday and I think this week will be a good one :) Over the weekend I received an order for a custom ladder trinket chest. The buyer described her niece as "a diva in training" which meant this trinket chest was going to be super girly... just what I love!

All of Sunday was spent working on the ladder chest and getting it just right. Papers of pinks, greens and yellows were used, flowers were put on the knobs and the little girl's name was put down the edge. And I have to say, when it was all done, I loved it! I think it this little girly trinket chest is my favorite by far :)

Here are a few pictures of how the ladder trinket chest turned out for little Gianna :)

Bags and Purses, Purses and Bags, I love them all!!

Yesterday I started cleaning my little studio apartment and going through all my dressers and my only closet to get ready for my boyfriend to come stay with me for a few weeks. By the end of last night I realized 3 things. 1.) I had held on to too many clothes... I have 4 garbage bags full of clothes to give away. 2.) I have an admitted obsession to shoes. Finally, 3.) I found out that I also have an obsession with bags. Now when I say "bags", I mean hand bags, purses, duffel bags, backpacks, and so on. I really didn't realize how many I had until I was cleaning last night... I just kept finding them and saying to myself "Where have you been all this time?"

I love small handbags and large ones with tons to pockets to keep everything and cute ones that no one else will have. After realizing that I had a ton of handbags and so on in my living space, I also realized I had saved a ton on Etsy. So, I thought I would share one of my obsessions with you all and show you some of the fabulous finds I have found on Etsy.com.

Handmade Stylish Handbag in Retro Style with Ribbon
by MariesCornor

X Large Tote/Messenger Bag with Floral Pattern
by MariesCorner

BIRD CALL-pleated handbag/tote/purse made with Paula Prass Michael Miller Fabrics
by purseona

Grab and Go Wristlet/Mini Purse/Cosmetic Bag/Bridesmaid Gift
by Dollbirdies

Herringbone Harris No More
by breagha

Olive green Chiffon Flower Handbag
by mojospastyle

Sassy Linen Tote/Messenger in Garden Green
by Kinies

Large Tote with Japanese Blossoms
by MariesCornor

Grey Chiffon Ruffle Flower Handbag
by mojospastyle

Modern Hobo in Bright Summer Floral
by maddikayhandbags

Large Size Coin Purse Made From Flourish Large Floral Medallions by Studio e Fabrics
by MimisCrafts

Bird on a Limb Shoulder Bag
by LBArtworks

French Market Bag...charcoal black ruffle tote from down de bayou
by bayousalvage

My Tiny Space...

It's been a miserable day today, tons of rain and now it's super duper humid outside. So, I decided that since I have done all my errands and chores for the family I work for, I would work on my living space. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I am a live in nanny and have a small studio/apartment in the family's house. I feel like I am constantly cleaning and tidying up stuff. My boyfriend thinks it's because I have too much stuff in a too small of a space. And I am thinking that he is right. The space was good when I started working 8 years ago, and held everything nicely and neatly. Over those 8 years though, I have accumulated more furniture, started a craft business and got 2 cats. So, in order to solve my space problem, I am going to start a major cleaning project. Drawers will be gone through, closet will be emptied, magazines tossed, and anything I haven't touched in months will be gotten rid of! Or at least that is the plan... hahaha :) There is one other reason I need to do an over haul cleaning of my area... my boyfriend might be staying with me for a little while he looks for a new apartment or house. I, or should I say we, will need all the free space I can muster up in my tiny area.

So, with that said, I am off to do a little cleaning before heading out to pick up kids. I hope you have a fabulous day and wish you tons of smiles :)

Too Hot to Be Out

If you are living here on the east coast this week, you are probably trying to survive the heat just like I am. I moved here about 9 years ago from Shelton, WA and am still not use to the summer out here. I know this heat is not all that normal, but it is nothing like the weather I am use to and miss.

So, in trying to stay away from the heat I have been working on up-dating my Etsy page and my own website. Many new items have been added (that took a ton of time) and I was reminded why I was putting it off... hahaha :) I also worked on a present for the girl I am a nanny for. Caroline is turning 15 this coming weekend. She is a very talented artist and is looking to going off to college in a few years to get a degree in art. Caroline is also an amazing photographer. She doubts her abilities sometimes and feels she should know the ins and outs of her camera in order to take good photos. I keep telling her that anyone can know everything about their camera and take a decent picture, but it's the person that has the creative eye that takes a great photo even when they don't know much about their camera. This leads me to her birthday gift...

I felt that if Caroline saw her photos printed in a book that she would see how good she is at photography. So I went in search of an online publishing site and I found Blurb.com. It has a free program to download to allow you to design your book with different fonts, colors, layouts, themes and so on. It's great! I asked Caroline to send me 40-50 of her favorite photos she has taken. I put them together in a coffee photo book for her.

I was going to keep it as a surprise for her, but just couldn't and had to tell her why I asked for all the photos. Her face completely lit up and she was/is so excited about it. Even though she won't have the book for a week and a half she said "Wow, it's like I'm a real published artist!" That is exactly the response I was looking for. I know she is an extremely talented girl and that talent is going to take her far, I just hope her confidence in her talent keeps growing.

I have included some of her photos on here to share with you all.

A Hot Hot Weekend for a Craft Show

Good morning! I am happy to say that I final have internet again!! After spending over an hour on the phone yesterday with Comcast to fix a problem that should have been fixed on Monday when the technician was here. But it is all up now and we can move on... hahaha :)

This past weekend I was at a craft show/flea market. This was the first event I was attending by myself, which made me a little nervous about setting up the tent and really nervous about how I was going to get a bathroom break! Luck was on my side though and a space on the covered walkway opened up so I didn't need to set up the tent. As for the bathroom breaks, that was also not an issue since I was next to the nicest vendor, Peggy, who watched my booth while I ran to the restroom quickly.

This was probably not the best weekend to be at an outdoor show, it was HOT HOT HOT out! The temp was well over 90 and super muggy on Saturday. Not the best for my items since they don't really handle moisture very well. But they are all dried out now and as good as new :) I think the heat kept a lot of people inside and not out at the show. I had a lot of interest in my items and people really seemed to appreciate the work that went into them. As for sells though, I got some interest in custom orders and made an even trade with another vendor. I also made a few contacts with other fabulous vendors which is always a plus and makes for a decent show.

Now this trade I made was for the cutest zebra print poofy skirt for my little niece. I know she's not big enough to wear it, but when she is, I think she'll LOVE IT. I mean, what little girl doesn't love a fun skirt to twirl around in! :)

Well I am off to pick up Jonny from tennis camp and then take him to art camp... he's a very busy boy :) I hope you have a fabulously sunny week!




~Jennifer :)