A few of my favorite things!

It has so long since I have had the time or taken the time to blog here. Life has been a hot mess this year of one thing after another. The kids are getting older and more activities are involved so they keep me in the road and out of my blog and sewing room.

I have just finished my "busy season" in my Christmas shop. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, http://www.mrsclaussewingroom.etsy.com/. I try not to get into it much on this blog out of respect for a large number of my friends who don't celebrate Christmas, but you know, its business :)

Going to be working on some new projects in the coming year. I am scheduling some time in my sewing room each week and I am going to stick to it.

You know there is nothing like spending your life in your sewing room for 3 weeks, only to find out you have been undercharging for all your products after the season is over. I think one of the hardest things to do is price your items. There is a HUGE difference between pricing on Handmade items and retail items. I try to keep my prices reasonable. But I have found that for the custom work I do I have greatly under priced my work.....oh well, balancing act....still gonna work on that :)

I have a few minutes here at my computer before we run out for some goodies. so I decided to share a few things from my favorite shops.

First up, beautiful jewelry, from Sky Hawk Designs! http://www.skyhawkdesigns.etsy.com/ This lovely Snowflake Howlite & Crystal pendant

I LOVE kaleidoscopes!!!! All types all sizes, all colors, just love them and this lovely shop is full of them. http://www.crowsfolly.etsy.com/ I just fell in love with this one in their shop!

I have never been a coffee drinker, until about the last year, and now I love it! I don't have to have it every day, but with some sugar and fancy creamer, you can twist my arm to drink it :) I found this lovely shop in a chat room one night and I just love their hand thrown pottery, especially this mug! http://www.bigskyartworks.etsy.com/

Okay last thing for today, I love braided rugs, my grandmother had them in her living room and dining room the whole time I was growing up, but it is a dying art. This shop has some beautiful examples of handmade braided rugs and I found this one particularly beautiful. http://mrsginther.etsy.com/

Thank you all for following me over the past year! Best wishes to you and your families.

Jennifer

Fall is coming

Can you feel it in the air yet? I said to my husband today as I looked out on the backyard through the pouring rain, autumn is on its way. He laughed at me, realizing that we were standing in the kitchen up to our elbows in 10 quarts of tomatos to be canned. Surrounded by green beans, cucumbers, squash and an assortment of other veggies from the garden.

There may be at least 2 more months of harvest from our little home garden, but I still stand by the fact that the late summer rain that is rolling in is a definite sign :0

I love Autumn! It is my favorite time of the year, a time when there is a crispness to the air like a sweet apple when you bite it. When you can smell wood smoke in the air and smell the boiled peanuts as you cruise down the back roads.......it is coming, I can smell it, I can hear it, and I CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!

I can't wait for my creative juices to begin flowing again.

The never ending struggle

I am currently at a place where I find myself every few months, with so much going on in my life that I don't have time to craft, create, or even imagine. I envy the women who seem to find the time to do all the things that they want, or even need to do.

So I haven't been creating lately, and to be honest I am not sure what, if anything I want to continue to do with my shop. Nothing is selling, no matter how good the picture, how cute the fabric, how I manipulate the price.....just no luck. So I am taking a few weeks to decide whether or not I am going to continue on Etsy, at least with the Jenjie shop.

Last Christmas I did fairly well with stockings, so I will hang out a little bit longer with Mrs Claus Sewing Room shop.

I have a ton of fabric and I do truly enjoy sewing......what to do, what do to???? Do you have thoughts? Please share them with me.

In the mean time I want you to all know how much I appreciate the fact that you read my blog. I am going to continue finding Etsy items I love and sharing them with you.

Happy Crafting & shopping!

Jennifer

Mother's Day Gift Guide

For me there is no one more deserving of recognition than my mother. She is my hero, my guide, my friend. So in honor of all mother's and in a hope that I can help you get some shopping done and support Etsy artists, I am happy to present my Mother's Day Gift Guide.

Our first item was a very super cute owl made from re purposed kitchen items. Focus on Art uses all sorts of items from tea strainers, to bottle caps to create these amazing little owls. Stop by and browse through the many versions of these lovely creatures at Focus on Art http://www.focusonart.etsy.com/

Next we have Jewels For Hope, this is a family run business where everyone does a little bit to contribute to this diverse shop. Simply lovely items including, necklaces, bracelets, rings, crochet items, all are reasonably priced, I promise that you will find something you will love here. You can find them at http://www.jewelsforhope.etsy.com/

Do you have a crafty Mom or Grandma, or maybe you want to suggest this for yourself. Sarah's Stitches has a lovely spring print knitting needle organizer. It would make the perfect gift for the knitter in your life. You can find this shop and browse all her lovely items, http://www.sarahsstitchesmi.etsy.com/

Another lovely jewelry selection is this Natural Olive Jade Tiger Eye necklace, the lovely green colors remind me of a rolling river and would make a wonderful accessory to any wardrobe. Handspun Jewelry has a large selection of beautiful jewelry at extremely reasonable prices. http://www.handspunjewelry.etsy.com/

Fused glass is something I had never seen before Etsy, or maybe if I had I didn't know the beautiful creative process that goes into making these wonderful items. My Sassy Glass, http://www.mysassyglass.etsy.com/, has some of the most lovely fused glass items I have seen. I am sure that you will love this item called Tennessee Waltz:

Is relaxation on your list? A gift from Sensual Scents Bath & Body will hit the spot. My favorite is lavender so I picked the gift basket filled with full of goodies scented lavender. This shop has everything from candles to laundry soap, http://www.mbell34.etsy.com/

Lilian Eve Designs has so many lovely items that I spent a little bit longer than normal browsing through this shop. I was drawn back to these pillow cases many times, their lovely colors just POP! http://www.lilianevedesigns.etsy.com/

Have a coffee lover in your life? Stop by Mystic Moon Creations http://www.mysticmooncreations.etsy.com/ Try a crocheted coffee cozy instead of the ho hum cardboard ones you find in your local coffee shop. These are eco friendly, last forever, and make a fashion statement at the same time!
Imaginary Girl is a vintage and jewelry shop full of fun and interesting pieces, so many lovely things to choose from. This beautiful item is a 1940's brooch full of beautiful stones on a silver chain. Stop in and visit this lovely shop at http://www.imaginarygirl.etsy.com/

Scarves are on my list of favorites, if you are a follower of this blog you probably know that because at least one seems to appear on every gift guide. This shop Yard by Yard Knits http://www.yardbyyardknits.etsy.com/, has some of the loveliest scarves I have found on Etsy. The Carnival Criss Cross Scarf is full of brilliant colors and a wonderful unique pattern. There is no greater love story than that of a mother and child, so from The Ruby Rhinestone, http://www.presleysmom07.etsy.com/, I chose these Blue Willow Love Story earrings.

I don't know a single mother or grandmother that doesn't love to show off their kids in pictures. What better way to show of those smiling faces than a Brag Book! Find a lovely selection at The Scrapoholic Shop: http://www.thescrapoholic.etsy.com/

Now then, go do some shopping! Your Mom deserves the best and you can find that on Etsy. Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, Grandmas, Nanas, Nannies, Aunts, or whatever you call that special woman who has made an impact in your life!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

I am still looking for shops to feature in my Mother's day gift guide. Do you have an item you would like to have added? Just comment here and include a link to your item and I will add you to the new addition.

Thanks,
Jenjie

Wow

I was just looking at my blog and realized I haven't blogged in 2 months! That makes me really sad because I love my blog and I didn't realize it had been that long. My home computer died in January and I was using a loner for a while but I was unable to blog. The good news is I am back, I have a new laptop and I am super excited about getting back into the groove of things.

I am gathering shops for a Mother's Day gift guide and I will have that put together and posted in the next couple of days, so keep your eyes open for that one.

Have a wonderful week!

Jenjie

My most favorite time of the day

This is my favorite time of the day. It is early, at least for my household, morning and everyone is still in the bed. The house is completely silent aside from the thumping of my fingers on the keys as I type this blog. I can even hear the radio from the basement as I sit here, muffled and vibrating with the occasional moany sound when someone hits a high note. It is here in this complete silence where I can envision that next thing I will create. It is here that clarity visits me and erases the chaotic thoughts of motherhood and responsibility.

I have found since I have become an "at home Mom and homeschooler" that this place in time is where everything is going to make sense to me. When I commuted to work, I had 2 hours in the morning of silence to pray, sing, think, reason and 2 hours in the afternoon to clear the chaos of the day away. Now while I don't miss that commute AT ALL!!!! I miss the silence.

I need the quiet for my brain to hear my heart and complete the circle of creativity. So here on this chilly Sunday morning before I wake anyone I can see new designs in my head, I can jot notes about ideas, I can blog about the process which I love.

Happy Sunday Everyone! Hope it is quite and peaceful for you too.

Jennifer