Art on the Avenue & My Coffee Table

Yesterday I went with my mom and daughter to the Art on the Avenue event that was taking place literally a block down from my house. So many artists set up tents to display and sell their paintings, drawing, jewelry, and crafts. There was music by this band named Flux Capacitor...I have no idea how to spell it, but it's based on the Back to the Future movie? Anyways, they were reallllly good!
Then later there was a drum circle and who decided to go down into the street and shake her booty and break it down with them? My very own 2 and half year old daughter Emily. Yes she had a crowd around her and she was loving it! I was a very proud mama.
There was one vendor that stood out to me mainly because she was the only one who made the kind of crafts that I would actually buy. Her business name is Becca Bee Designs and guess what? She has an etsy shop! I fell in love with her clothing and aprons and place mats and baby bibs and toys.

This is what my coffee table looks like when I'm in the creativity stage of my yo yo barrettes....ok maybe not this neat, but you get the idea. I match up what I want and stick a pin in it and move on to the next one until I run out of pins. I have to do this after my daughter falls asleep because she just blocks my brain as I'm sure every parent can attest to. So all I ahve to worry about is my cat thinking they're toys and jumping right in the middle of the table. She hasn't yet, but there is always that possibility.
I am working on a different kind of project that I'm getting excited about. I will post a picture as soon as my lazy butt decides to get it off my camera.
Take care!

Some Inspiration

June 17, 2008
I am still in love with my dear yo yos, but I am looking around for another new project to spark my interest just as much as these yoyos have. And I may even be able to incorporate those yo yos into whatever I do. Who knows?
So I was thinking of making either bags, pillows or something else . I've been looking all over etsy.com, flickr and google images for inspiration.
I found two things on Etsy that I love. Which, on that site, isn't very hard to do.

I found these bag at madebymolly.etsy.com.
I even added her blog to my blog to the right...
She has many designs to choose from and even lets you choose which fabric you want!

I found this pillow on Etsy as well. It is from a talented crafter names Guadalupe. I love the design and the simplicity of it. And you know I love my circles!

I have many other ideas, but I can't seem to focus on just one. I can possibly do quilts, pincushions, paper crafts...its endless! What do you think I should start out doing?

Uploaded Photos and a Craft Show??

June 15, 2008

I finally got the new photos off my camera and uploaded them to my Flickr account. You can see all of them there. I wish I had a better camera, but they came out pretty good.

So in other news I've been looking around for craft shows in my area and I think I found a good one. I've never done one before since I'm a newbie crafter so I
had to call and get some info.
It's in Leesport and I've heard some good things about it so I would be really excited if I can make it. The fee is pretty cheap (only $25 for a 10x10 space in the open) and its all day.
As I said before I've never done a craft show before so I wonder how much inventory should I make and sell for and if I should make something other than hair barrettes.... I just don't know. More research time! If anyone has ever done a craft show and could pass down some wisdom I would love to read it!

CupCake Time!

June 15, 2008

I LOVE cupcakes! Anything made that looks like a cupcake I am in delicious love with.

This yum yum delicious looking felt cupcake is made by a very talented crafter, Amanda Graff, also known as Smarmy Pants. It's a pin cushion! How cute is that?

It is 12AM, June 15th and...it's my birthday! Yes well don't all get up at once :)
I am 26 today. Yikes! I have no plans for the day. Maybe eat a cupcake or twenty...who knows?

Yo Yo Time! I have been making yoyos all day... well in between moaning about being prego and taking care of daughter. That's life!
So I already had alot of circles cut out so today I just sewed em and threw em in my yoyo box. Which, in fact, I had to convert to a bigger box because I have so many. And let me say a box full of just yoyos gives me such satisfaction...that I think it might not be normal actually.
I completed and took pictures of some finished yoyos this morning and have yet to get them off my camera. I'll have to write a post-it to remind myself for tomorrow. With this prego brain I forget EVERYTHING. So note to self: upload pics and post to blog....got it. oh yea and make cupcakes...

My First Sale!

June 14, 2008
I made my first sale yesterday! It wasn't through the Etsy site. I still have lots of work to do on getting some potential customers to my shop. No it was my daughter's therapist who comes every other week. She noticed my cramped (but stylish tyvm) crafty corner of my living room

I literally just took this photo as I write this...so no my house is NOT crooked.

and asked what I was working on. She fell in love with the hair barrettes and bought 4 for her daughters. So I made my first $12 yesterday! Yay I'm so excited :)
In my excitement I forget to remember which ones she actually bought LOL. Since every item is so different I have to make sure that I don't have the same one that I sell in person in my shop to sell. Yikes! So I had to go through all my inventory last night (thank god I numbered all of them!) and assign the numbers to the photos in my computer and see what was missing. And get this I have 5 numbers missing...and I only sold 4 which is what was left over after numbering everything! So I have a rogue hair barrette. I'll find you damn ...thing.
Ok so that was that, but I'm still happy about my sale. I bought shampoo, conditioner and a huge pack of chewy chocolate chip cookies....yum so worth it :)

My First Post

June 13, 2008
This is my first post on my new blog and I am pretty excited!
I will use this post to introduce myself and stuff like that. Let's just get it out of the way shall we?
My name is Jessica and I love art. I am a very visual person and have always appreciated looking at things and making things to look at. I am a pencil artist at heart...


but I have ventured into the craft world with my obsession of yo yos as you can see from my online shop. Here's an example of what I make:


I am a mother of a 2 year old sweet and kooky little girl, Emily Belle


and I am expecting another one this Fall.

Baby's ultrasound at 16 weeks. Rubbing its belly, dancing to "My Baby Does the Hanky Panky"...I swear!

We live with the father of my babies and life is pretty...interesting to say the least.

I have a beautiful and funny mom who lives across the parking lot from us.

She's single! Eat your heart out.

She actually might be moving soon which she claims I am trying to hex...and so what if I am?? She is my sanity and I can't let her go that easily you know.
I have 4 other brothers and sisters, lots of cousins and nieces and nephews. A big family that keeps getting bigger!
So this one was all about me yes I know, but I want to showcase other cool and artsy things I find online and my process in making new things in future posts. Come back now ya hear?
Anyone can leave comments here so gab away!