Fellow Crafters: 2nd Annual Softies Awards April 19, 2008

Alright, well I have five pillows all set and ready to be sewn up tomorrow.  And I have five more designs in the works.  I think I might just pull this whole thing off.  Hooray!  Of course, Sunday I have to clean the house in a MAJOR way.  All my craft stuff is everywhere, and Hubby returns on Monday night! 

In other news, check out the amazing entries for the 2nd Annual Softies Awards.  There are tons of entries from Etsy crafters.  It’s really amazing to see what they can come up with.  Here are just a couple of my favorite entries (seriously, it was really hard to decide which ones to post here!):

 scraps by i piccolini di gaia

 loricus the elefoof by julie of gleeful things

Definitely check out the flicker group.  There are so many softies to fall in love with there!

 

Inspiring Me: Eninaj April 18, 2008

Thanks for the comments about the moo card designs!  I can’t wait to order them on Monday.  I’m actually using the ordering as a bribe.  I set a goal of 10 pillows by the end of the weekend.  So, now my reward for finishing will be some lovely moo cards.  Hooray!

Before I get back to working on said pillows, I wanted to share with you a little love for a fellow Etsy crafter.  I added Eninaj to my favorite shops list as soon as I spotted one of Janine’s laser cut circle scarfs:

Unique and lovely and warm…a perfect combination in my book!  Janine also has lots of beautiful jewelry available in her shop, including the Green Necklace with Pearls shown below. 

Awesome, right?  Seriously, with the stuff you can find on Etsy, why would you ever shop anywhere else! 

Ollie & Junebug: Moo Card Designs! April 16, 2008

So I spent last night working on some Ollie & Junebug business cards.  I want to be able to use them for regular purposes but also as thank you’s and hello’s on my packages.  Here is what I have so far in terms of designs (click to see larger version):

        

Are they too simple?  I’ll add product shots or something in the future probably, but I was thinking it might be a good idea to focus on branding to start.  What do you think?

Inspiring Me: Stevester April 15, 2008

Apparently I’m the last one to find this shop…since Stephanie has already sold almost 1500 items (holy goodness!)!  But, just in case one of you other newbies out there hasn’t found it, check out Stevester over on Etsy.  Such creative designs on T-shirts and bags.  Here are two of my favs that will definitely make it on my wishlist this year:

 

Agapanthus- Womens Scoop Neck Top:

 

Penguin Canvas Tote:

Ollie & Junebug: The Irish Wife April 15, 2008

Well, I’m missing my husband so in honor of him being in lovely Ireland, I wanted to share two lovely finds from Etsy:

From CKgalleria:

From Emily Elizabeth Jewelry:

I’m busy working on some fabric flowers for my pillows over here.  Hopefully I’ll have lots of pictures to share with you all in the days to come! 

Ollie & Junebug: Finding Fabric Online April 14, 2008

I started working yesterday on a pillow using the Amy Butler fabric I ordered from Fabricshoppe.  It’s always hard for me to make the first cuts into fabric though.  Especially beautiful Amy Butler fabric.  It’s an art piece on its own.  Oh, I wanted to ask…does anyone buy there fabrics online?  If so, where do you buy from?  Who has the best selection of fabrics to choose from?  I can find a lot of what I am looking for on Etsy, but there are still a few odds and ends that I would probably need to hit up a bigger supplier for.  Thoughts? 

Alright, well I’m a sleepy girl!  I spent my day with a very active 2 year old, and well, she wore me out!  Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

 

The Ollie & Junebug Shop Takes Over April 12, 2008

Well, the husband is off to the Emerald Isle for a while so I’ve taken over the house with all things Ollie & Junbug.  My goal is to get 12 pillows done by the time he gets back.  A lot, I know, but I might as well go for it while I can!  I’m also trying a new art project to tie in with the pillows, so we’ll see how that goes.  Oh, I saw Amy Butler card sets at Michael’s today!  I was like…”I have that fabric and that one”…very cool!  I wonder if she has more than just that or if she’s going to soon.

Anyway, I grabbed some lovely orange and grey packaging items…along with a few random things for my pillows.  Hopefully this will be a very productive week for the shop!

Inspiring Me: CakeSpy.com on Etsy April 10, 2008

I LOVE cupcakes. I’m not sure if I will ever be able to convey via the written word just how much I do love cupcakes, but I do. This painting is adorable and can be found on CakeSpy.com Shop on Etsy. Perfect for a whimsical kitchen or a little future baker’s bedroom.

Ollie & Junebug WIP: Applique Pillow April 8, 2008

This is my first attempt at working on an applique pillow.  At this point, everything is just pinned together because I’m not sure about the background fabric.  I’m wondering if another color will allow the applique fabric to stand out more.  Maybe a contrasting color like pink or something?  Or should I stick with a color in the applique flowers?  So many decisions to make!  It’s hard because all of these pillows that I work on this month will be the first in my Etsy shop, so the pressure is on!  Any thoughts?

Inspiring Me: CreativePal on Etsy April 7, 2008

Yes, it’s been awhile.  I had to take a break from my etsy crafting to make some exciting birthday presents.  April is the month of birthdays for me.  Everybody has one month a year where half their friends and family all have birthdays and April brings present showers every year for me.  So, while I would love to at least post some of the projects I’ve been working on for my loved ones, I will have to wait until May in case they stumble upon these posts.  For now, I would like to let you know who is inspiring me today:

You have to go through this site for yourself: CreativePal on Etsy. It took me about half an hour to decide to post the one that I chose above, but it was a tough decision. Absolutley wonderful pieces on this site. Check it out!