B-day Mae Pt. 2

I made two extra skirts to go with the Mae doll that I made for Mike's great niece's b-day. She took Mae out of the gift bag, exclaimed how cute she was, and then put her down and went to the next present lol. I think she liked her though. There was just so much chaos going on with so many kids and so many other presents to open. So, hopefully when things settle down, she'll take a liking to Mae.

B-Day Doll

Mike's great niece's 6th b-day is Saturday so I made her this little Mae doll. Isn't she adorable?? Another design from Bit of Whimsy dolls. I just love them! This is the third Whimsy doll I've made this month--two for b-days and one for Christmas.

Squirrel Checkbook Cover

Just finished this checkbook cover for a customer from my etsy shop. She wanted something with squirrels that would depict her new business so this is it! I think it's adorable fabric. She actually bought it and sent it to me so I only charged her $3 to make the cover.

I truly enjoy doing custom orders. It challenges my creativity and makes me feel so satisfied when I make something unique for a customer.

Custom Orders

I'm going to be kept busy soon. I have quite a few custom orders to work on. Two of them are from my Sassy store. One is a checkbook cover w/squirrels (she's providing the fabric). The other is for a shorter purse organizer. They're both quick projects so won't take me long.

I also have a few other custom orders to fill for a lady who had ordered a few purses, totes, wallets, and checkbook covers from me last year for Christmas gifts. She's ordering more this year. So far, she wants coloring bags, notepad holders, litter bags, and visor organizers. Mostly small things. They won't take long either.

Now all I need is the time especially since I will be working two jobs in the next couple of weeks with no days off.

Florabelle

Here's Florabelle! Isn't she cute? She's another Bit of Whimsy pattern. She's a Christmas gift for my niece. She was so fun and easy! I added some extra touches to her also: the ribbon bow and collar, eyelashes, and a nose.

You may be wondering why she's holding a stuffed pickle. Well, it's a bit of a joke you see. When I asked my niece (she's 12) what her favorite things were so that I could make her something she'd like for Christmas, she said she liked monkeys and pickles. I told her I wasn't sending her pickles so she said, "How about a monkey with a pickle?". She's a bit of a smart aleck.--so here's her monkey with a pickle!

Small Notepad Holders

I've finally finished my smaller notepad holders for Christmas!! I'm VERY happy about that. They came out wonderfully well I think. I will definitely have to make some of these to sell. I think they'd not only be handy to carry in your purse, but very unique as well!

My Birthday

Today is my 41st b-day! Yay me!! Haven't really done anything special to celebrate. I believe the older you get, the less you care about making a big to-do about b-days. At least that's the way it is with me. But, here's what's happened so far today:

Mike made biscuits and gravy for breakfast (he even went to the store at 7 am to get the biscuits).
We went to the shooting range (always fun).
He took me to Compadres for lunch.
I took a nap.
I did laundry.
My Boogie Face called me (he's my great nephew--that was great!).

That's about it. Normal day lol. Tonight is the Steelers game but unless we go to the firehall, we won't be watching it. Can't get the channel that's airing it. Bummer there. Good thing it's just pre-season or I'd be mad.

My First Whimsy Doll

I'm so excited!! I made my very first doll from Bit of Whimsy! I decided to make the guinea pig for my great niece's 5th b-day--didn't she turn out cute? I realize her ears aren't exactly right, but I think that just adds a bit of character to her. I even decided to make a carrier for her so my niece could tote her around if she wanted.

I must say that the Bit of Whimsy designs are very easy to follow and fun to make!! You should check out her patterns. I have a link for her etsy store on my blog. If you're not a sewer then that's ok--she also sells premade dolls.

Reorganizing

Yesterday I finally got up the nerve to move my filing cabinet containing my patterns to the bigger room upstairs. No problem moving it after I emptied it, but then I decided to reorganize the patterns a bit.

I have cross stitch, plastic canvas, some sewing, and some scrap booking patterns in the cabinet (it's a taller four drawer). I already had them in categories (i.e. animals, dolls, home dec, etc) so that wasn't a problem. However, I did go through them all and tossed some (don't worry--they were all freebies I printed out on the computer) that I didn't think I would use.

After doing that, I found room for my shipping supplies (envelopes, address labels, etc.) that I use for my etsy stores! I was pretty happy about that since I had all of it in a plastic container before. Now it'll be easier to get to and find when I have to send something I sold on etsy.

Now all that's left to do is to clean up the aftermath. Why is it when you decide to reorganize or "clean up" that you end up making a bigger mess? It's a good thing I have Thursday and Friday off!

Oops!

I was making the small notebook holders this afternoon and I didn't make them big enough. I forgot to take into account that they were going to be folded in half. I'm glad I only made one before I figured out my mistake lol. So, I'll have to remeasure and try it again! Will post pics when I get them right.

Christmas Litter Bags

I got all my litter bags finished yesterday for Christmas. Yay me!! Now all I have to do is make small notebook holders for the girls, a checkbook cover for a brother, two purses, a monkey, and a tote lol. Sounds like a lot but it's really not. I'll be done WAY before Christmas! That makes me feel so great because I can concentrate on making more things for my etsy shop!!

Promotional Opportunity

I received a convo earlier today via my etsy shop. There is a group called The Spotted Box and they asked if I'd be interested in donating some of my sachets to put in their gift boxes. They make these boxes up using handmade items from a number of crafters and then sell them once a month on their website.

You have to donate 20 items (they can be different items) and send it by the first of every month. The boxes include a list of all items and the stores or sellers who donated them. I believe this is a wonderful promotional opportunity for me. I am going to try it and see what happens. I plan to sign up for Sept's box.

Pixie Doll & Other News

Well my first try at my own doll pattern didn't work out so good. What was supposed to be a pixie looked more like an alien lol. Back to the drawing board!

In other news: I had to see an orthopedic today because I've done something to my knee. Needless to say, I may have torn my cartilage. So I have to get an MRI taken on the 29th and back to see the doctor the 11th. If I didn't tear the cartilage, then it's physical therapy for me.

Pixie Doll Part 2

I worked on my pixie doll last night. Had to do some revising. The legs and arms were a bit too small width-wise so had to make them bigger. Also had to redo the hat. I got the revised arms finished but still have to re-cut the legs/shoes and hat and put them together again.

Surprisingly, I didn't get frustrated at all this. Must be because it wasn't hot in the house since we got our air put in yesterday. Very excited about that.

Pixie Doll Part 1

I've been thinking of trying to make my own doll patterns. I decided to start with a pixie doll. So, I made a pattern for one a couple of weeks ago. I haven't been able to get much further since I was concentrating on getting those notebook covers finished.

Anyway, last night while watching TV, I decided to get my fabrics together and cut them out for the doll. And that's what I did. I'm hoping to work on it today sometime. We're getting air put in the house today so it depends on how long that takes.

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about making the doll. I'm sure I'll have to do some tweaking along the way, but I think it'll be ok. We shall see. If it turns out ok, I may give this prototype to my great niece for her b-day. I will also post a pic of it on the blog.

Notebook Holders

Teens are so difficult to make/buy for!! I was racking my brain (which on some occasions doesn't take too much of an effort to do) trying to come up with something that my teen nieces would like and could use.

Well, this is what I created for them: notebook holders. I found these really great notebooks with designs I thought they would like and made a holder based on their dimensions. Instead of matching fabric to the notebook designs, I decided to use their favorite color schemes/themes. This way, no matter what the notebook looks like, the holder will always be a favorite of theirs.

I am also planning on making smaller sized holders to sell in my etsy shop.

Litter Bag

After buying a new vehicle, I decided I should have a small litter bag for it to catch those scraps of paper, gum wrappers, and receipts. This litter bag was so handy!!

I decided that it was handy enough that everyone would want one, so I made some for gifts and some to sell in my etsy shop! Go check them out--there are litter bags for men and women!

Coloring Book Totes

These are some of the coloring book totes I've made for my nieces and nephews for Christmas. I also have some for sale in my etsy shop--great gift ideas!!

Why a Blog You Ask?

I decided to start a blog for all my customers, family, and friends so that they can share the experiences of my creative process. In this blog you will discover what inspires me, where my ideas come from, and the joys and disappointments I may have while trying to make a new creation (sometimes it's not as easy as I'd like it to be!).

I welcome all comments and suggestions and don't mind constructive criticism. After all, we all have different ideas and ideas are what inspire, or what should, inspire us to do our best. So even if you're not a crafter, I will still welcome your advice! Don't be shy!

I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope it doesn't bore you to tears!