Life in the Craft Lane

Long time, No see!

2010-07-11T23:40:00.003-04:00

When you are as busy as I am, time just flies and before you know it you havent blogged in 16 months! I simply can not believe it has been over a year since my last post. It's sad, really, because I like photographing various things and blogging about them. It's one of those relaxing just-for-me things that exist in this world for which I do not find time.

The major change since my last post is the addition of our two little furbabies, Sprinkles and Isabella.

Sprinkles was a birthday present for my husband's birthday in June of 2009. We loved him so much that I decided to contact the breeder and ask if she would be having any more litters in the next year or two because I wanted to eventually add a little sister for Sprinkles. Much to my surprise she told me she had a female puppy that she was going to keep but her husband said no. She was ready to go to a good home. Long story short, this female turned out to be the litter mate of Sprinkles! We picked her up later that day and havent looked back.

Sprinkles and Isabella immediately clung together and have hated being apart ever since. They are the light of my life. I never thought I would love them as much as I do. They're part of our family and are not less important than any other person I know.

Starbucks

2009-03-16T02:24:00.003-04:00

So, this is what happens when you sell cool supplies and had coffee twelve hours ago and finished a lot of the work you had on your to do list.

I have been dying to play with my little wood people but have not had the time or energy. Tonight I had both and made this little ballerina! I have to admit, I got the making-ballerinas-idea from my aunt, but this little girl is all mine! I can not stop looking at her. ♥

Fun Times

2009-01-29T08:04:00.004-05:00

I am probably the person who likes winter the least. I cant stand the cold, wind, mess, greyness and coats. Yuk! However...I do have to admit that it can be beautiful. Some of you know that I have recently moved into a cute little house from a crappy little apartment and I want to share some of the pretty winter views from my office window.

Naming

2008-09-01T10:02:00.002-04:00

I created these awesome gift tags but I am having the hardest time naming them! I can name other people's items lickety split, but for some reason Im not getting anywhere with these.

More Little Nighmares

2008-08-16T22:08:00.006-04:00

I got another request for a batch of covered matchboxes. I was thrilled! Although the process of making them is incredibly painstaking, they're just too amazing when they're all finished!

This time a request was made to somehow make a box in which to place a little bunch of matchboxes. Thus, this way-too-cute bunch of pictures! ♥

My baby!

2008-07-15T21:58:00.008-04:00

After months and months of staying up late packing my Etsy orders (which I love but I also have a more-than-full-time job) I finally saved enough money to buy the digital camera I have been wanting!

No more point and shoot for me, I got a real life, honest to goodness digital SLR! I must say that I LOVE it! The difference it has made in my ability to take good pictures is fantastic. No more buying film, getting it developed, fighting with the photo people because they did something wrong, wasting film, not knowing if a photo turned out or not. I have been reborn and Im SO excited!!! My interest, passion, and love of photography has been renewed big time! I can not stop playing with this camera, it's just awesome! Yaay!

The Cutest Little Nightmares

2008-06-01T12:32:00.004-04:00

I had a request for paper covered matchboxes (with matches). I absolutely LOVE the end result but they were a little bit of a nightmare to make. I hand cut the cover paper for each box, added adhesive and stuck the paper to the box, and then cut the ribbon and tied it. Doesn't sound like much, but try it! You'll be throwing these sweet little babies out the window in no time. They sure are cute, though!

Before. And After.

2008-04-27T13:40:00.003-04:00

This is what happens when you live in a one bedroom apartment and decide to open three online businesses. Yikes!

London, Baby!

2008-04-23T15:03:00.006-04:00

My boss called me on Friday and asked what I was doing June 17 to June 20. (Im a nanny.) I joked and said, "I dont know, I'll have to check my schedule." She informed me that she had been invited to the Royal Ascot in the UK and that her husband was invited also. Then she said that she would need babysitters (plural) because she wouldnt go without her daughter. I said, "Babysitters? How many do you need?" Then she told me that my husband is invited to go also...which is a good thing because I wouldnt have gone without him.

There's so much to do before we go! I dont even have 5 days worth of clothes to pack!! So, Im going to have to do some shopping. Such a shame.

Wish me luck! My poor husband has never been on a plane, so we're excited! This is another memory that we'll talk about for the rest of our lives. If you're reading this, please send good vibes into the universe for a turbulence free flight. ♥

Becoming More Professional

2008-04-20T21:45:00.003-04:00

I have always been rather professional in demeanor due to many, many years of customer service related jobs. This has given me a serious advantage in running my Etsy shops because I have dealt with the nastiest people already in other jobs so I am more equipped to do it with my own business.

However, this isnt about that. This post is about LOOKING more professional. There is only so much you can do to appear more professional in an online store. If I sat here in a business suit every day, it probably wouldnt do much for my shop. Actually, it probably would have a detrimental affect because I would be grumpily tugging at my panty hose and jacket collar all day. YUCK!

When I have sent the items out from my gift shop, I have always known it was important to wrap the packge so that it looks like someone took great care in wrapping it. I started slowly with nothing at first, and then adding custom stickers, business cards, and thank you cards to the package. Then I decided to start using header cards and that really made me feel like a real store! (I felt like the Velveteen Rabbit!)

However, as much of a difference as this all made, I still felt like something wasnt quite right. Then my wonderfully talented husband designed me a new header card and I finally felt like all was right with the world! They are so elegant and clean. I just love them!

Now, the only problem is that I need to change my business card, custom stickers, and thank you cards to match!

My Badly Designed Kitchen

2008-04-05T10:30:00.006-04:00

We are living in an apartment which is on the first floor of a 1912 house. I have a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen. All the necessities, no elbow room. My kitchen is such an aggravation for me because there is literally no counter space. This frustrates me to no end. There is one whole wall which should be covered with cabinets and a counter. But no.

My solution was one of those self assembly island thingies to give us a little more counter space. My wonderful, darling, sweet, thoughtful, loving husband surprised me with one for my birthday and I just LOVE it! I was so surprised and excited...and it provided more storage space, too!! But one wasnt quite enough. So, then my equally loving and thoughtful mom gave me money to buy another one and I just put it together last weekend. I still wish I had more counter space and cabinets, but this is definitely getting me by for now! Thanks Jeremy and mom!! ♥

My First WEDDING Order!

2008-04-04T00:22:00.005-04:00

I have always wanted to make something for someone's wedding but never had the opportunity. I bid on a job in the Alchemy section of Etsy and got it! I was so excited! The bride wanted her monogram turned into stickers to close the ribbon on her favors. Three-hundred and fifty of them!

I LOVED doing these. I printed them on textured cardstock and then made them into stickers. I just wrapped them up and they'll be shipped out tomorrow. Thanks for the opportunity, Kathy!! ♥

Iridescent Wings

2008-04-01T22:13:00.012-04:00

I'm not quite sure why, but I LOVE dragonflies. I know I am not alone in my love for these extraordinary creatures. They are magnificent.

I happened to be looking at the front page of Etsy when I saw a new listing pop onto the page. It looked like a pile of gift tags but I wasn't sure. I was interested enough to click on the picture and I was delighted to find these from AmyLiz!

Her shop is so beautiful! Even her supplies are presented beautifully. Her items have this vintage aesthetic that is just completely charming. Hers is one of those shops that you just have to use the gallery view when looking through. But I digress.

I immediately fell in love with the stamp on these tags, and that's saying a lot because I am not a big fan of stamping and I am quite picky in general.

I sent her a message asking if she could make me some of these that said, "Thank You" so I could include them in my customer orders. How perfect would that be coming from The Crafty Dragonfly!? She was quite accessible and we sent message back and forth for a little while late one night. She had tags that were smaller which was actually more to my liking. To make a long story short, this is what I ended up with! I am in LOVE with them! They are so perfect. The craftsmanship is outstanding and the quality is impressive! I couldn't be happier and I will absolutely be returning for more of these!

On another, somewhat related note, I sold a set of these yesterday. They were one of my favorite creations and I'm so pleased they have found a home.

Inspiration

2008-03-30T21:10:00.006-04:00

It seems like the very best items that I make are requests directly from my customers. These magnets are one example. I received a message asking for glass magnets made from a vintage map of the California coastline.

Not being able to locate a vintage map of any coastline, I turned to the Etsy forums where Sherry Truitt (http://www.sherrytruitt.etsy.com/) saved me! She said she had an atlas from 1936 and she would send me the page of California!

My customer was THRILLED and she absolutely loved the aesthetic of the map...a day later and we had the gorgeous magnets in this picture. They are almost 2" in diameter and go all the way from Mexico to Oregon. Of course, they are backed by a super strong neodymium magnet. ☺

This was definitely a situation where it was very handy to have both a supply shop as well as my main shop. She was able to go to my supply shop and see all the pieces of glass I have available to make these magnets with. She picked her favorite, I laid them out on the map to get approval of the position of them, and voila!

I Have Turned to the Dark Side

2008-03-29T18:11:00.001-04:00

Or so some say. I opened a shop on Etsy back in September (http://www.jenniferaboston.etsy.com/). It was originally meant to give me an outlet for selling my photography cards. However, once I listed a few pictures I kept seeing things sitting around my desk that I made and saying, "Oh, I could list THIS!" and "Oh! I could put THESE on there,
too!!" Soon I had a ton of things listed in my little shop and the photographs definitely took a back seat to everything else. They're still back there.

Most recently I opened a second shop for selling supplies (http://www.thecraftydragonfly.etsy.com/). I had gotten so many inquiries asking about where I found the materials to make my items but I didn't want to reveal my sources. I tried listing the supplies in my main shop, but I didn't like the aesthetic of it. So, shop number two was born. And boy, did that baby grow quickly! In just five short weeks I have sold over 340 items.

A lot of people say that it's "selling out" or "joining the dark side of Etsy" and they may be right. However, I'm enjoying it so much! I love connecting with people, providing outstanding customer service, and packing up every one's orders. I just love it! Now, if I could only do this full time I would be on top of the world!!

Love

2008-03-28T00:44:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have one of those sickening, mushy, lovey dovey love stories that single people hate. I hated them too when I was single. I think I still do hate them. Hmm, I have said “hate” three times and I’m talking about love!

We met in 2003 when we were both attending Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. It wasn’t love at first sight, but love followed shortly after. We were married in an amazing outdoor ceremony on October 2, 2005. This is the man who has my entire heart devoted to him and who always will. He is the man with whom I am meant to be as long as we both shall live…or for as long as he’ll have me.
But this blog isnt about that.

It’s about everything. It will give you a somewhat edited peek into my life, my personality, what I love and what I don’t. Hopefully I will be motivated to update it once in a while. Until then…

A Breath of Fresh Air

2008-03-28T00:21:00.001-04:00

I am making a sincere attempt to have a blog. In the world of blogs I feel lost, like I should be participating. So, I’m going to try. Although this is a weak start, I will soon be bringing you pictures and stories from my life as an amateur entrepreneur. That’s the best way I can describe myself and the main subject of this blog.

I think the problem I had before was that I had three blogs going at the same time and I NEVER wanted to update anything because then I had to do it three times! I get bored easily and this was something that did not appeal to me. So Im starting over and hopefully this clean start will give me the desire to include my thoughts and images of the world around me.