Happy New Year!

2010 was an amazing year for us!

Isabelle turned 2!

We were blessed with baby Juliette!

Thomas' career is steady and we have fingers crossed

for some awesome news in early 2011!

My Etsy shop withstood a long break during my preterm labor

and I'm opening another shop this week, A Quiet Stitch!

My brother & his family were blessed a healthy baby girl!

My father's career is also steady and allows my parents to visit often!

We said goodbye to a dear friend, my feline baby Spike.

We know that you're chasing scorpions in Heaven!

I won several cooking contest and blog giveaways.

Woohoo!

2010 - I don't have much to complain about..

We are blessed, so blessed.

And 2011 we can't wait for you and whatever awaits..

Make it WOW in 2011

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday this season,

whatever holiday you celebrate!

For most of December I entered Michael's weekly craft contests.

The premise was each week they would announce 3 mystery items,

and you have to create something from it.

I didn't win - at all.

My ego was a little bruised (okay, a lot bruised),

but I had tons of fun!

I found it to be really creatively stimulating and I'm bummed it's over.

Soo..in an effort to keep the fun going and be more dedicated to my blog,

I'm making it WOW in 2011!

What is WOW you ask?

It's "Work One Wednesday!"

Each Wednesday I will announce mystery items or theme.

You & I will do it!

There will be prizes each week!

And a fabulous end of the year prize..

How do you join?

You have to follow my blog - you gotta keep up with the good stuff!

You don't have to do it every week, just when it sounds fun.

Each Wednesday morning I will post the challenge and the prize.

You & I will have till Tuesday of the following week to make it and post it.

You can post it on your blog and leave a link.

You can post it on a photo site and leave a link.

You just have to have some way of letting us all see it.

You don't have to make it a tutorial (but you can!)

I will be judging entries based upon the WOW factor.

(And no, I'll never win..but I will have a blast with you!)

Got it?

Go!

***WOW Week 1 Challenge***

Mystery Item Challenge - yarn and at least 1 magnet

The prize - A customized pom pom hat from my store.

Any size - any color

(acrylic or wool)

Come check one out!

Unique Holiday Gifts

Before I became a seller on Etsy,

I was punch-drunk in love buyer!

They have the most fabulous unique gifts.

I'm always so amazed by the creativity.

For this holiday season, save yourself the headache of the mall

and help the little (wo)man on Etsy!

Not only will you have an awesome handmade gift,

you can enjoy shopping in the comfort of your own home.

Today, I bring you one of my favorites!

I love unique tights and socks, and Etsy seller post

knows how to delight me!

Check out these awesome Octopus tights.

I sure hope Santa puts some in my stocking!!

Cookies!

First cookies of the 2010 season with Isabelle!

Because she doesn't care if they are fancy,

she cares only that *she* made them!

It's Not Too Late To Vote

Well, it's not too late to vote for me at least!

I'm entering into Michael's Crafting Contest

and here is my Week 1 Entry.

The premise is to create a craft with 3 mystery craft items each week.

This week it was: ornaments, beads, and ribbon.

My girls of course were my inspiration!

A faux fur created wreath (Isa adores fur!!)

A pearl bracelet to hang it up on the door.

And decked out in pink boa feathers, platinum, and more pearls!

Want to help me win a crafty cruise?

First you need to have a Facebook account

(you have one don't you??)

And then go here: http://apps.facebook.com/michaels-challenge/

You can search for me by name (Jennifer R.)

and if you click "like", you'll be doing me a huge favor!

Thanks so much!

Want to know how to make the wreath?

Want a tutorial?

Let me know and I'll post one up!

Inspiration

When Isabelle was born, I created a mini quilt for her every month.

Now that Juliette is here, I don't have the same amount time to devote to both girls, but I really wanted to continue with little monthly gifts for both of them.

For November, I knew that I wanted to make them hairbows with matching shirts.

My mom and I think it's pretty cute to dress them alike,

and well since soon enough I'm sure they won't let us - we have to take advantage now!

The hairbows were super easy. Just some felt, ribbon, and hot glue.

(My husband said they looked like the NBC peacock..husbands..)

And the tees were super easy too!

There is an Etsy seller that makes shirts with turkeys on monograms,

but I thought it was super cute on the "T".

T for turkeys.. and my girls are turkeys!

Want to make them?

Need help?

Let me know and I'll post a tutorial.

Gobbles!

Open, Open, Open

Yes, I have re-opened my Etsy shop!!

What new ideas and items are on the horizon?

Photography props for kiddos, tweens, and teens.

Sultry items for boudoir photo shoots.

And of course I was inspire to do lots of maternity props!

Right now I'm at a 2 week lead time

(I'm still figuring out how to wrangle 2 under the age of 3

and I still need lots of cuddle time with Creampuff)

Let the Holiday rush enfold!!

20% off until Dec 1st for those that mention

*creampuff*

in the notes to seller

(discount made via Paypal refund)

Halloween!

Amen, Isabelle

This year Isabelle started a pre pre-school at a local church.

She has learned so much and loves it so much.

We can not say enough positive enough things about this experience for her.

Every once in awhile she'll break out in a new song, sentence, or dance

that we are pretty sure she learned at school.

The latest is especially sweet.

Out of nowhere yesterday,

Isabelle told T and I,

"God is great, God is good.

Let us thank him for this food.

Amen."

Amen, Isabelle, Amen.

CreamPuff

How do I excuse my looonnngg absence?

In a single, sweet word - Creampuff

Nope not the yummy dessert treat, the yummy new addition to our family!

Our darling Juliette was born early this October.

(after 5 weeks of pre-term labor)

Yup, that's right!

5 weeks of daily contractions, bed rest, and stress.

((Thanks to my folks for staying 2 months to help us survive!!))

However Mother Nature agreed that 5 weeks of "labor" is just mean,

and I had an EASY delivery!

3 pushes and she was in our arms.

We are so much in love with her.

Isabelle has become the best sister ever!

And my recovery has been easy, peasy - so we've been doing lots of fun activities!

Our first trip outside the house.

We went to Daybreak to feed the ducks!

Lots of sleeping (well, Juliette has been..)

Our first visit with friends!

Our trip to the pumpkin patch at Wheeler Farm.

And a trip to the Zoo with Daddy & our playgroup.

I'm so in love and so happy being a mom to 2 beautiful girls

that I will probably put off re-opening my Etsy store till November.

Creative Friends Make Work Fun!

I met Viv earlier this year when she did Isabelle's 2nd year birthday photos.

She was so sweet and great with Isa!

I had known of her for awhile since we are both members of a local photography group.

(Since I've had Isa, my own photography has been shelved )

Well we just clicked and have been working together since.

She is an *awesome* photographer and has done a bunch of photo shoots lately

to help generate some new photos for my Etsy shop.

Here are the fruits of her labor - which can be purchased at my store.

And check out her site!

You will love her work!!

Zzzzzz

Isa must be having a growth spurt.

She's been doing a lot of new things this week,

and she's being such a *pain*.

I hate to say it, but when she goes through a little spurt,

it usually leaves me desperate to book a single, one way flight to Bora Bora..

I've spent way more time this week napping when she naps.

I know, I know..

I can hear you..

I need to nap - I'm in my 7 month of pregnancy..

It's just hard to be resting when I have so many new ideas,

and I know my life is only going to be all the more crazy in a few months.

Alas...

I'm going to take a nap.

Here are some photos from the shower of my wonderful mother and I!

Baby Shower For Miss Julie!

When we found out that we were having another bouncing bundle of pink,

I totally didn't expect to have a baby shower.

I figured if we had a boy then we would need some rough 'n tough items,

but I literally saved everything from Isa's babyhood.

Of course my family and friends

couldn't resist another pink baby shower though!

My mom and one of her best friends, the Original Martha truly outdid themselves.

The invites and boot favors were perfect for Julie's vintage cowgirl theme!

We had it at Dear Lizzie's in Alpine.

This place is every big girl's fantasy.

A frilly, sweet boutique with a quaint little tea room.

We spent the morning dining on tasty morsels and laughing over the trials and tribulations of motherhood. And then I was bombarded by the most thoughtful and adorable gifts!

I'm so lucky that my girls and I are surrounded by so much love and support!

((And no, I didn't get a single picture of myself or friends..

but I will be hopefully getting mom's photos soon and will post them!))

ACP Design Team Challenge - July #2

I love tussie mussies!

I bought a ton of vintage yarn cones years ago to make some.

They are still in the shipping box.

I drool over all the styles!

From shabby chic Victorian to the holiday styles,

but I had yet to make one.

Well enough is enough.

The 2nd July ACP design team challenge

was to create an item that included either black or white, and 2 other colors.

Since I'm heavily preparing for the Halloween season, I went

with: orange, grey, and black.

*And of course adding an ACP charm!*

And because I forget what I've bought in the past,

rather than break into my pristine shipping box full of yarn cones,

I opened a modern chipboard cone from Darice.

It came together really easy.

I have an area in my inventory room right now piled with

Halloween ribbons, trims,papers, and more.

However, I could not for the life of me find the wood balls I know bought years

ago to fill the gap at the bottom of the cone.

Luckily I had some awesome large grey glass beads

that fit perfectly in the hole with some good ol' glue

Love it, love it, love it!

I'll be adding to my Etsy store later this week.

It's a perfect decoration for the home

or as an extra special gift container for the wickedly sweet goblin in your life.

The Experiment

The Problem:

A family that is "teched in and tuned out"

Kiddo - addicted to videos

Mom - addicted to the Internet

Dad - not addicted, but gets sucked in to TV and/or internet like there is a force field

The Hypothesis:

Removing the TV, Videos, Internet, etc for 1 day a week will improve

the family connection and decrease the addiction on the other days.

The Results:

I checked emails and Etsy (my work) before either Thomas or Kiddo woke up. I was on for less than 10 minutes total. And yes I Twittered and Facebooked.

On Saturday we did not plop Isa down to watch "Dora" while we made breakfast and did our morning routine. Kiddo asked for it once or twice, but the response that the TV was broken seemed to suffice.

Thomas did go on the internet in a non-approved time (before Isa wakes, Isa's nap, and bedtime), but he jumped off right after getting the phone number he needed.

The Star Wars force field did not suck him in.

We had a fabulous time at Thomas' work carnival in the morning.

In general, Isa loved the undivided attention and did not seem to miss her videos.

I checked emails and Etsy again for about 10 minutes while Isa napped.

We did not sit Isa down to relax with a video before bed.

I read her a large pile of books and Thomas got her ready for bed.

We did awesome!

There were plenty of times I could have snuck on the Internet without notice, but I didn't.

There were times that Isabelle got bored,

but rather than a quick TV fix she found something to do.

I felt less guilt as a parent.

*****

We're hoping to do this 1 day/week for the foreseeable future.

We are going to reduce our cable service to the bare min and HBO

(come on, let's be realistic - I NEED HBO!)

Today, Isabelle was beezerko to watch some cartoons, but

our total TV time was at least 1/2 of what was the norm.

I didn't check my laptop every free second I had.

I feel good about this.

Technology is not the enemy, but it can quickly and easily consume us.

It breaks my heart to know there were times that Isa was tuned it to a video

and both Thomas & I were sucked into our personal laptops.

Our time together is something we should never take for granted.

It's important to balance the power of technology

with the power of a REAL connection.

If you're reading this and telling yourself that it sounds great,

but your family couldn't survive tech free for even a day..

I say to you, that your family may have the most to gain from it.

You won't die.

You're children won't die.

It will be okay.

It's 24 hours.

Breaking News - A Maternity Sewing Pattern That Is Not Hideous!

My baby shower is just around the corner and I really wanted to make my dress.

I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars

(which is what it takes for a super cute maternity dress)

and I didn't want to wear a black Target dress

(which is ALL they seem to ever have.. )

I know, I know.. you don't believe me.

You've gone to the sewing store and looked at the pattern catalogs for maternity clothes,

and what did you find?

A forgotten and cobwebbed section.

I know.

I've been there.

And the few patterns that still exist are convinced you want to spend your days feeling more like a blobless entity. Really, how many boxy tops and leggings do we'll all need?!?

Thank the Heavens we live in the era of blogs.

I found that Kwik Sew has a few patterns that are not totally without style.

(P.S. I can NOT find the blog that inspired me..if it sounds like yours - let me know!)

So I decided to sew my own!

My ultra generous mom bought me the super cute cotton fabric - which was no bargain deal..

but alas you get what you pay for in the fabric world.

And this weekend I got it done.

About 4 hours of work, about 4 yards of fabric (oy vay!), and a zipper.

I love it!

Kwik Sew writes fabulous patterns!

They go the extra step and write out the details of what makes the difference between looking homemade and handcrafted - and yes there is a difference :D

Can't wait to show it off at my baby shower!!

(and yes there will be pics of me in it..lol)

If you been putting off sewing clothes, I recommend trying a Kwik Sew patterns.

I've worked with almost every name brand, and I'm most impressed with them.

Lenz Monzters Will Eat You Up!

Have trouble getting the kiddos attention at the photo shoots?

Are the kiddos afraid of your BIG camera?

Tired of searching in your camera bag for a toy?

My Lenz Monzter will ease those kiddo struggles!

It fits over your lens.

There is a squeaker in their tongues.

It's bright and camouflages your camera without obstruction.

It's totally custom and handcrafted.

It's available!

Holiday Monzters will make their debut this month!

Maternity Leave on Etsy - Dates to Know

MATERNITY LEAVE NOTES

* I will not be taking custom orders from September 20-October 15th

* The shop will be closed from October 1st-October 15th

* I will be taking a very limited amount of custom orders from October 15th-January 1st, 2011

!! Please keep this in mind and order your holiday items early!!

Catching Up

Oh my.. Time does fly!

I can hardly believe it's been months since I've posted.

Well.. I had 3 blogs and think that overwhelmed me.

I am now starting my 7 month of pregnancy and that definitely overwhelmed me.

I've decided to condense all my blogs into this one.

I'll tag each post so if you want to skip to Etsy, cooking, or family

you will be able to quickly.

In brief here's the news from the last couple of months..

Isabelle

She is doing awesome! She is a chatterbox. Loves to sing and will be starting dance classes in August. Isabelle is very excited about the upcoming birth of her sister, Julie.

We had 2 summer vacations in Park City, 2 Thomas the Train rides,

a visit to WA for cousin Maggie's Confirmation, a visit from Nana and Myron,

and visits from Gaga & Gigi Bird.

She was sick for about 3 weeks this past month, but

all the blood tests revealed is that she had some sort of virus.

Right now I can hear her giggling in Gaga's lap, so all is well :D

Julie (Juliette)

I'm starting my 7 month of pregnancy.

It has not been an easy pregnancy.

I won't go into the details of every crazy detail, but let's just say I'm eager to meet my angel and have my body get back into some sort of normalcy.

We are bouncing back and forth on the name Julie or Juliette.

Our angel is named after one of the most life loving women I have

ever met that was taken from our lives much too young.

We are starting work on her nursery. Lots of Riley Blake cowgirl fabric and vintage western.

It is sure to be envied by all the other rodeo queens!

And no Thomas is not disappointed to be blessed with another beautiful, loving little girl.

Cooking Contests

I've won somewhere around 11 contests in the 2 1/2 months I've been entering.

The biggest prizes have been a check for $250, a $400 Le Creuset pot, 2 Magic Bullets,

and lots more fun things.

Thomas has even gotten into the action and started entering grilled recipes.

We have our fingers crossed he'll win a grill this summer.

I've taken the last couple week off from entering. During Isabelle's 3 week sick stint, we didn't know what was wrong and it was impossible for me to focus on anything but my angel.

Etsy and Other Crafts

Etsy is slow during the summer so I have been building up my inventory.

There are currently lots of baby cocoons and hats that are ready to ship.

I'm also really enjoying getting back into sewing, and have been adding a lot of new type of items.

I will stop taking custom orders mid-September and take a maternity leave for the first 2 weeks of October. From mid-October to January I will be taking a very limited amount of custom work, but I will add a lot of ready-2-ship items.

I'm doing a lot of craft challenges right now and have started entering quilt contests.

I'm still creating designs for A Charming Place. I was also finalist for Vanna's Choice yarn contest. I'm currently working on another Lion Brand yarn entry.

Personal News

I was nominated and accepted a director position for the Junior League of Salt Lake City. I'm still doing sub work at the local libraries.

Thomas has really gotten back into mountain biking since our last trip to Park City. He is busy moving his home office, since that room is to be Julie's nursery.

Wooh.. Lots of info.

I'm hoping to be blogging more now that I have 1 blog to care for..

but we'll see...

I'm on Twitter/Facebook daily and post weekly to my Flickr account

if you would like more pics!

Life is what happens when you think you'll have time to blog.....

April #2 ACP Challenge

Go Read A Book!

For this week's challenge, you must create an accessory that is related to a book.

My inspiration was "Alice in Wonderland", though my color choices are more from Tim Burton's film.

I used a book mark base, extra large DIY button, fabric, and ACP teapot charm (I cut off the loop).

Have fun!

April #1 ACP Challenge

As a design team member for A Charming Place, ACP, in the month of April I will be creating a challenge each week. Want to participate, just register on the site and dive in!

Here we go..

It's the Stash in a Flash!

You know what this weekend is? Easter!

Yes ya'll, your first challenge is to use what you have in your stash (no last minute runs to the craft store..lol) to create an Easter or spring accessory.

You can make something for your hair, jewelry, cell phone charm.. you name it! Just use what you have in your stash and make it spring-y!

Have ?? about my project.. I used 3 different flower embellishments, an awesome ACP silver tone flourish charm, and it's secured with a silver brad. The flower was then hot glued to bobby pin bases.

I'm Back...

I apologize for the long break. So far so good!
No cancer cells were detected and the pregnancy is going well...

Back to work we go!!

I will be making some changes to the shop this Spring.
I started my Etsy shop to fulfill two purposes
* to feed my creative spirit
* to help support my family

Lately I've started to feel like I'm losing the creative spirit part.
I will continue to offer the items that are currently in the
store and add a few more of that nature as time allows.

However, this Spring I will be moving into more
sewn and quilted items.
Everything from full sized quilts to fiber wall art.
I hope you enjoy these new offerings and feel as refreshed by
the change as I do..

For your patience and positive energy, I will be
offering a discount that is good till the end of April.
Buy any item and receive the 2nd item 25% off
(discounted item must be of equal or lesser value)
Please mention in the notes at check out - "April Showers"

Medical Hiatus

My blogs will be on a medical hiatus for the near future.

The baby is safe, but there is a nodule in/on my thyroid.

Right now my hands are full with morning sickness, Isabelle, Etsy orders

and a growing list of medical appointments.

I'm still on Facebook with updates and occasionally on Twitter.

Hope to be back soon!

Shake Your Shamrocks!

Yes I know it's not even Valentine's Day yet,

but you awesome photographers like your props early don't you?

To gear up for St. Patrick's Day I am discounting the

"Sweet Pea" cocoon to $35.00

((You must mention "shamrock" in the checkout notes))

This deal will be good till March 17th!

Refund will be made via Paypal.

** And I do have 1 in stock right now! All additional orders are taking 1-2 weeks.

Don't be caught without green this March! **

Feb Challenge #1

As a member of the Design Team for "A Charming Place"

we participate and create challenges each month.

I totally recommend checking out the site,

getting involved on the forums,

and using the challenges as inspiration.

I will post tutorials for each of the challenges I create or participate in.

Our first challenge of this year was:

*Create a Valentine card using hot glue as an accent, NOT as an adhesive

*and of course "charm" it up.

So here is my journey to "You Make My Hear Soar"

1. A number of the other girls had success

with squirting hot glue into molds and using

that as an accent. I'm not one of them :/

I tried hot glue.

I tried not so hot glue.

I tried freezing the glue.

I pleaded with the glue.

I put the glue in the corner to think about

the stress it was causing me and moved on.

2. Can I say how freakin' impressed I am with Making Memories paint?!?

It has been ignored and in cabinet forever!

Still works fab!!

(I even found it this morning with the cap off.. thanks hubs.. and it still works!)

I bow down to MM paint..

Anywho I painted a microscope slide card sides & insides buttercup yellow.

Luckily that went as planned..

3. I don't have pictures of everything that happened next and for good reason.

I took the glue out of the corner and decided to try a new way of reasoning with it.

This time I freehanded hearts on to a nonstick craft surface and let it dry.

I then slightly reheated the tops with an embossing gun and

poured silver embossing powder on top.

**Note, don't have the gun on while sprinkling the powder.. um yeah it makes a mess.

I absolutely adore the gunmetal appearance it created!

Here is the cover with my "gunmetal" hot glue heart accents

and the inside is "charmed" up!

I am waiting for my new shipment of charms, so I was left to use my angel wings.

But for Valentine's Day I think angels are quite appropriate!

***Side Note***

We found out last night that we are 1 month pregnant!

We were "supposed" to get preggers in a couple weeks in Vegas during our

5 year anniversary trip.. turns out the joke is on us!

It's gotta be a little boy

So Much News..

I apologize for the lapse, I was blessed with non stop activity.

Had a fabulous time in Park City for Sundance

and then we were off to Disneyland.

Right before I left for Disneyland, I found out that I made

it on the Design Team for A Charming Place.

I'm so excited!

I have a bunch of ideas on how to incorporate these

super fun charms into my products on Etsy.

And lastly I didn't do even close to 1/4 of the projects for Etsy

that I wanted to for Valentine's Day.

I guess it's time to start on St. Patty's Day.

Everyone loves an Irish girl..

But I am happy to announce that there are a few new listings.

Check out these super posh furry cocoons!

Cupid's Kiss

Faux Fur trimmed Oatmeal

And.. here's a deal

$50 on any stork pouch!

Just mention "Cupid" and I'll refund the money via Paypal.

Local Etsy - Friday Favorites

My bad..

I thought I could get a day of snowboarding in at Park City

and be up for blogging.

At 31 I'm either too old or too out of shape to snowboard..

I feel like a rusty version of the Tin Man.

A day late, but here are my local Etsy favorites!!

ruffle pillow pdf file (by V and Co) by uptownjane

BIBITTY SPANISH ALPHABET SET of 26 LETTERS-NOW IN LARGER 5X7 SIZE

by bibitty

Caterpillar Handspun Novelty Beaded Art Yarn by GreenwoodFiberworks

This Much--ONE POSTCARD with envelope by sarahjanestudios

M.I.A.

I'll be back to blogging tomorrow.

It is Sundance Film Festival week here in Utah.

That means snowboarding, films, gawking, and partying.

(and usually in that order!)

Come back tomorrow for some local Etsy favorites!

Bring it on!

I have *always* wanted to be on a Design Team!

*ALWAYS*

Maybe it's the desire to be validated, to be acknowledged, or something else.

But to be quite frank, I've never really put my heart into an entry call.

So I did this time..

Here is my "Angels in the Garden" entry.

The Design Team is for a company that sells charms.

It is my first bib necklace and I'm in L-O-V-E.

Not sure if I'd make these for Etsy since the market is quite saturated,

but who knows maybe you'll see more in the shop..

Hope you love it!

And send me some of the positive vibes,

it would make my 2010 to be on a Design Team!