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.

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 :)

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 :)

Coasters...

It's just a short post today. The family is getting ready to go away for a week, so everything here is very hectic to say the least. In my down time though I have finished several sets of coasters. And I have to say, I am pretty proud of them! Especially since they were the only thing that sold at the recent show... hahaha :) The mom that I work for even bought two sets to take up to Maine for the family. I thought that was very nice of her to support my crafting. Below are a few photos of some of the coasters. Have a fabulous day and always smile :)

~Jennifer :)

If I hadn't started making the coasters....

This past weekend I participated in a craft/vendor show that was supporting a Girl Scout Troop in Souderton, PA. My boyfriend did not come along with me this past weekend. I told him that he didn't have to since I was going to be leaving at 6am. And he completely agreed with me when he heard the time... hahaha. I did have some help though. Jonny, the little boy I nanny for, came with me to help and keep me company. We were on the road by 6am and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast, which Jonny loved! We arrived at the event just a little before 7am to start setting up. For such an early morning, Jonny was doing well and being a huge help in unloading the car and trying to come up with ways to set up the table and arrange the items. There was one thing he was disappointed about... the show was inside and not outside (which I was happy for). After everything was set up and in it's place I took one last look at the table... and noticed I couldn't find Jonny, that is until I looked behind the table again. I found him sleeping on the job! ;) I couldn't really blame him though, if I could have laid down for a nap at that moment I would have! :)
The show itself was kind of slow. I only sold one item, one of the coaster sets that I had just started to make. I met a lot of nice people and had a good time over all. Jonny kept me entertained and occupied, and for the most part he behaved as well as I could expect him to after waking up at 5:50am.

This week I will be working on coasters and trinket chests and also trying to come up with a design for a sign for my mom, oh, I'll also be working also... should be a fun week :)

New Project and Kids off for the Summer

I know I haven't been on here in over a week, I have just been super busy with my job (kids are out of school so I now have no free time) and I have also been working on a new project. I have started making coasters out of tiles with either using stamps on them or doing gel transfers.

Jonny's last day was this past Tuesday... He was done at noon. When I walked up to get him I was surrounded by Jonny and his friend Lachie. Jonny wanted Lachie to come over for the a playdate. And how could I say no to him on the last day of school. I took them to get pizza, then water ice to keep them happy. I had to go to the market after that and they were great helpers. I would tell them what I needed and they would go find it. It was like a treasure hunt for them! Then when we got home, they played outside, went swimming, designed and made a coaster set, went and played tennis, made cupcakes, and finally watched a little tv while having dinner. They spent 6 and a half hours together and got along the whole time. It was a good day for those two... hahaha. And apparently Lachie told his mom it was one of the best days ever... That's a pretty big standard I now have to live up to for a playdate... hahahahaha.


The coasters/tiles have been a challenge for me. First let's go with the stamping. I read a lot about stamping tiles and coloring them in. Everyone said that you needed to bake the tiles after stamping to heat set the ink. I did that. Then I went to color in the image with chalk. Well, apparently heat setting does not completely dry the ink, because it smeared on my first tile. Into the trash that one went. On my next try I colored the whole tile with chalk, then stamped over it and baked it. The ink was still a little wet to the touch so I sealed it with one coat of an acrylic sealer. The seemed to set the ink and still allowed for the tile to absorbed some of the moisture from anything set on top of it. So I think I have figured those out. I just need to figure out how to make the chalk darker when I am coloring in the stamps. Any suggestions?

The second type I have been trying is doing a gel transfer onto a tile. Over the weekend I tried it with a print from an inkjet printer and one from a laser printer. Everything I had read said that the laser printer would work best, and well it did. I have also read that using photo paper and an inkjet printer works well, so maybe I'll try that next week. Since I do not have a laser printer, I decided to try using some of my scrapbook paper to do a gel transfer, and what do you know, it worked out really well. After rubbing off all of the pulp until just the image was left I covered the tile with epoxy resin. They look really good and once I get the edges all smoothed down they will be ready for the show on Saturday.

Jonny is done entertaining himself so I am needed to come up with something for us to do... hopefully he doesn't say no to every suggestion I have ;-) I have included a couple of pictures I took this morning of the two tiles I used the gel transfer process on. They are still a work in progress :) I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday and have something fun planned for the weekend!

~Jennifer :)

My Absolutely Adorable Little Niece

My sister sent me the absolute cutest pictures of my little niece Madeline yesterday. Plus it doesn't hurt that she is completely adorable with her big blue eyes and head full of hair. She is bigger and cuter in every picture that I see of her. It does make me sad though that I am so far away from them and only get to see little Maddie (that has become her family nickname) in pictures. But hopefully I'll get to see her this summer!

The pictures though say a lot about Maddie. In every photo of her she is alert, eyes wide open, expressive and happy. I think she is going to be a very smart little girl. And I do think that my sister will get her wish of knowing what a little her will be like! I hope she's ready for that! ;) My sister and brother-in-law are doing a wonderful job in being new parents though, and I don't think Maddie could really ask for better ones.

It was the photos that made me want to write this post, so I thought I would share two of them (with my sister's consent of course)...



This one is one of Maddie in the bathing suite that my mom knitted for her. My mom told me that when she saw the photo she got tears in her eyes... She is such a proud grammy!

And here is one of Maddie wearing the headband that I made for her to go with the necklace that I made my sister for her first Mother's Day. She is just too cute!!

This brings me to the end of this entry. I have to get back to my nanny job and also finish up a frame for my mother that she requested for a photo of Maddie. I hope you have a fabulous day and that wherever you are it's cooler then it is here in PA today... the high 80's and humid... fun ;) Here's wishing you a cool day!

~Jennifer :)

It's Monday... and all is well :)

So this past Saturday I showed my wares at the Trenton Ave Arts Festival and it was a great experience, I even made a profit this time... hahaha. The show was huge, the biggest one I have been to yet. Tons of people, lots of music and a lot of fun... even if it was a long tiring day.

The night before, with the help of 8yr old Jonny, I was able to pack everything into the subaru. It was a tight fit, but with the creative suggestions from Jonny, I was able to make everything fit... even the all important table that I actually forgot about and had to pack up Saturday morning... hahaha :)

Saturday morning I woke up early, printed off directions and left with my boyfriend John in the car with me. I had really no idea where this show was in the city and neither did John, so it was good that I printed off the directions since both of our phone GPS navs couldn't get a single. We arrived safely though and set up the tent and all my wares in the right space (we double checked several times... hahaha). Everything looked good, even if the sign was a tad crooked and the shelves leaned a little due to the very uneven cobble stone road we were on.


For this show I had gotten a folding pegboard display wall to hang my mirrors and hooks on. It looked good... and then a gust of wind came up and blew it down. I think I might have let out a scream when it happened but I'm not sure... hahaha. I ran over and slowly started to lift up the display. In my mind all I saw was all the glass and mirrors shattered on the road. But as I lift the display I saw that nothing was broken or damaged beyond repair. I was so amazed and relieved!! The other crafters and vendors around me were such a help in giving me string to use to tie the display to the tent and picking up everything that fell, and to them I am so so grateful. I was even more grateful when it happened again... Yes, it happened again even though it was tied in place. The string was that really slippery kind and I think with the breeze rocking the display back and forth it just loosened the knots enough to give out when a stronger breeze came along. But again, nothing was damaged and everyone around really helped me out.

By the end of the show I had sold 5 items and actually turned a profit... first time that has happened... hahaha :) So to me, it was a very successful outing. And the breakdown of the display and tent went very quickly. I really couldn't have asked for more :)

Sunday was spent not doing a whole lot... hahahaha. My feet needed some rest after standing for 8 hours straight and I just needed to relax and sleep a little. Sleep is always good... hahahaha.

I've included a couple of pics of the booth along with the leaning shelves... hahahaha. I hope you have a smooth Monday and great week!

~Jennifer :)

Trenton Ave Arts Festival... Only 5 Days Away...

It's Monday and my second big arts and crafts show is this coming Saturday... and Saturday seems to be approaching faster then normal. Even though this is my second big show, it's going to feel like my first. The Malvern Blooms show was my first, but with the bad weather and small turn out, it wasn't that big. The weather for the Trenton Ave. show is suppose to be nice, and they have had huge turnouts the last few years, so even though this is my second large outdoor show, it'll probably end up feeling like my first.

Before the last few shows, I felt the need to make a ton of items to build up my stock and to have items to show that were not on my website. With this coming show, however, I don't feel the need to do that since there was such a small turn out at the last couple of shows, my inventory is still at a good level. I'm still working on some new pieces for the show though... I just can't go without anything new... hahaha :)

So since I am not acting like a mad beaver working on frames or home decor pieces, I feel a little more relaxed with this show coming up. The kids I nanny for aren't seeing as much paint on my hands. And I am a little calmer around them... which I am sure they appreciate... hahahaha :) And since I am not making one project after another, I think I'll be able to be a little more prepared for the show... I'll have my items marked with prices before the show, they'll be better organized in their boxes, best of all, I'll be less frazzled... hahaha :)


The youngest boy I look after, Jonny (8), has been asking, on the verge of begging, to come to the show with me and help. He wants to sell my items for me, because in his words "I'm an excellent sales person Jenn, you need me to come!" hahahaha... He even told me that he wanted to walk around the show with one of my pieces to try to sale it... of course I told him that would not be safe or a good idea at all... but I still thought it was very sweet of him. Even though Jonny won't be at the show with me (it is my day off from watching him... hahaha), he will have a presence there, he has designed one of the gift tag sets which he is very proud of. He is even more excited by the fact that if those tags sale he gets the money from them. So for him, I do hope those tags sale this coming Saturday.

With all that said, I am off now to do a little nannying and to work on some magazine holders. Have a fabulous Monday and enjoy the little things in life!

~Jennifer :)

Flowers Always Bring a Smile

It is a gloomy, wet Wednesday here in Haverford, so I thought I would bring a little bit of color. As I mentioned in my last entry, the children that I nanny for were going to plant 4 flower pots for their mom for Mother's Day. This has become a tradition over the past 5 or 6 years that I have been with this family. In those years, I think it has rained on most of the Fridays before Mother's Day, and let me tell you, trying to empty out pots and then plant the flowers in soil turning to mud is a tad difficult, and well, a little more messy... hahahaha. But this year on this past Friday the weather was gorgeous! No rain. No wind. Just sunshine and warmth. So planting the flowers was a breeze.

When the youngest boy got home he was excited to go out and get a little dirty planting the flowers. He pulled the bags of potting soil to the pots. He picked out which flowers he wanting going in each pot. He arranged the flowers around the Hibiscus trees, rose tree and one rose bush the way he wanted them. And then it was time to plant. We planted the trees, then put the flowers in around them, then filled it all in with the dirt. He was so very proud of the his job and knew his mom was going to love all the flowers.


I normally get to see the mom's reaction to the flowers and what the kids have done. This year, though, she got home late and I had left a little early to go with my boyfriend to see his parents for the weekend. So I had no idea if she was pleased with the outcome.

When I got back Sunday night, I stopped in to wish the mom a happy Mother's Day. She was all smiles! She told me she loved the pots and the rose tree especially. She had actually thought that we weren't planting the pots for her this year since she had not heard anything about it. So she was extremely surprised to find the pots filled with flowers and the fountain running (I had cleaned that out earlier on Friday). She loved the colors, but she especially loved the work and thought that her children put into picking and planting all the flowers. (Okay, so the two older ones, 17 and 14, didn't help plant anything, but they did give input into the colors of the flowers and what kinds... hahahaha).

As for my gifts that I made my Mom and sister for Mother's Day, I don't know what they thought of them yet. I kind of mailed them late... part of the life of a nanny is running out of time to do your own errands... hahahaha.

Okay, that is all for this early Wednesday morning. To brighten up the gloom of the day I have included a couple of pics from Friday after the little boy was done planting his mother's flowers for her. I hope they brighten up your day and bring a smile to you.

Have an absolutely wonderful day and know that anything is possible if you only believe!

~Jennifer :)

Mother's Day Projects...

This weekend is Mother's Day, it's also my sister's first Mother's Day. Nicole has only been a mom for a few months, but I can already tell she is going to be a great one... maybe even as great as our own mother. This year instead of sending my mom flowers or making something that she has seen before I decided to do something different.

This year I have decided to make my mom and my sister Nicole necklaces. I have recently become obsessed with making my own fabric flowers, so I thought I would use them in the necklaces for my mom and sister and also my boyfriend's mother. I am not sure they will wear the necklaces, but it's the thought that counts right? hahahaha I think they, being the necklaces, turned out really nice, in fact I would wear them myself if I were to keep them.

After making these gifts, I now know why some of the pieces I see on Etsy are so expensive... they take forever to make and can really add up in price when buying the supplies. And it's because of that that I think I'll stick to my frames and collages :)

As for the kids that I nanny for, they are doing flower pots for their mother for Mother's Day. I was out this morning getting the flowers and ended up finding a gorgeous rose tree that I know the mom will love! And the kids will have a lot of fun planting all the flowers today after school. I wish I had a photo to post of the pots, maybe tonight I'll have some.

Well, I think that's it for now. I have some photos of the necklaces I made this past week, let me know what you think :) Have a fabulous Friday and an absolutely wonderful weekend and Mother's Day!!

~Jennifer :)