The Bluebird of Happiness

Poor Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:04:00 +0000

My poor little Bluebird Gifts! Fall is just around the corner and I have ignored my little shop woefully this last month. I know the cause - I've just opened my third shop on Etsy: The Paper Bluebird, a home for all my paper goods. I've become a little obsessed with creating new cards and hang tags for the shop and I haven't visited my sewing room in a while (except to whip up an adorable pair of curtains for my daughter's room). I have big plans though... BIG plans. I've got tons of fabric just waiting for me upstairs, and lots of thoughts on how I want to use it. And I'm still working on my onesie line for fall where I'm tying in some of the illustrations from The Paper Bluebird!

Pumpkin Tags from The Paper Bluebird

I got my brand new business cards the other day- all three shops are listed so now I can be more streamlined. It took awhile to figure out the design because I didn't want them to look cluttered, but I finally came up with an arrangement I'm happy with. Curious to see them? I tuck one in with every purchase!

I'm trying to manage my time more efficiantly. As a stay-at-home mom, the kids take up the bulk of my time right now. Michael just had his first birthday, and Grace is turning 4 in a couple of weeks. It seems so weird to me. I remember when they first handed her to me, and she was so little and squishy and pink. Now she is loud mouthed, opinionated, and obsessed with spinning in circles till she falls down. No wonder I found a few grey hairs the other day! Plus now I have three Etsy shops, so I have to set aside time for creating, managing, promoting, and shipping. I think I'm going to have to get a large calendar so I can actually visualize what needs to be done!

All in all, I can't wait for fall. I made a huge batch of homemade applesauce with lots of cinnamon and ginger the other day and the house smelled AWESOME!! It's getting to be the time of year perfect for cloves, nutmeg, vanilla and other warm, spicy smells. YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Alright, gotta get back to work now... talk to you soon!

Carrots

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:15:00 +0000

So, I'm in love with carrots lately. I love the way they look! Orange is such a great color and the carrot shape is simple and sweet! Right now I'm planning a fall onesie line for the shop featuring some of my little illustrations and I'll definitely have a couple with a carrot worked in. Right now I've got two little pieces in my shop featuring carrots... make sure you go take a peek!
Veggie lovers beware... I think I feel a radish phase coming on!!!

Visit Bluebird Gifts for quality handmade baby items, and whatever else I'm creating!

Hello Old Friend!

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:38:00 +0000

Mint Chocolate Chip Kimono Style Baby Shoes - Available at Bluebird Gifts

Okay, so it's been a very long while since I've posted anything! I know I've been ignoring this blog in favor of another one I started (gasp!- but seriously, check it out here!) but I've had a full plate and while attempting multiple ventures, I've let some things slide.

Bluebird Gifts has been doing great! I just sold a custom wholesale order of booties to a brick and mortar shop in New York. Hopefully the owner will be a return customer! It was fun picking out fabric and doing 8 different pair (although by the end I was a teensy bit itchy to try something else).

You know me, I'm always adding new things, so I'm expanding Bluebird Gifts. I finally bought a domain name and now you can go to www.mybluebirdgifts.com! Currently it will bring you right to my Etsy shop, but I hope to continue development of my products and get things running there by this time next year. While Bluebird for Baby has been very successful, I've been dying to try some new things, so I've added The Paper Bluebird- a section for my hand illustrated notecards, hand tinted thank you tags and something called booty boxes (folded paper boxes that just happen to be a perfect size to fit a pair of Bluebird Booties!). My vision is to continue expanding, adding a Bluebird Kids section, and possibly a Momma Bluebird section as well.

Be on the lookout for handpainted onesies and more paper type products... and I'm still looking for a really great soy lotion base for my new line of bath and beauty products.

Finally, I'd like to announce that I've opened a second shop on Etsy. Exquisite Image is a shop featuring my original photography and note cards. I'd love to have you come visit! July is buy one get one free month for all 8x10 prints and note card sets!

Thank you for visiting... don't forget to let me know you were here! I love checking out other blogs!

Featuring: Feather and Bean

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:19:00 +0000

Etsy is just like a box of Cracker Jacks. You open it up, and you know that no matter what, there is a prize waiting inside for you. But sometimes, yes, sometimes there is a bonus prize... a little extra treat someone slipped inside the box. That extra treat is Heather and her shop Feather and Bean. While perusing through all the little lovelies Etsy has to offer, I happened upon this stunning pair of wood and pearl earrings. So beautifully crafted, I just had to see more.

Espresso Wood and Pearl Earrings

After looking through her shop, I was hooked! I just had to know more about the craftswoman responsible...

(mama b) So what made you decide to start an Etsy Shop?

(F&B) As soon as Etsy was discovered, I wanted to be a part of it. The idea of having artists and crafters from all over the world in one place is so invigorating. My hope is to grow my business through the contacts I meet on Etsy and also to have a forum for discussing ideas. There are so many creative people... and the Etsy community is clearly passionate about what they do.

What has been your favorite piece to create?

My favorite piece on Etsy is the Rosewood Gem-cut Pendant with Sterling Silver neckwire. I adore working with wood and Rosewood is especially beautiful. There are so many colors in the grain and it was challenging to find a cut that would showcase the graining the best. I faceted the block using a technique similar to lapidary or gem cutting artists. The finished piece is simple and charming, I think, and it looks really modern and feminine to me.

Were you crafty as a kid? What was the craziest thing you ever made?

I was always a crafty kid. My mother used to sew all of my clothes and she passed along her skills to me. We would do art projects at home all of the time. Looking back, I think the silliest thing I did was when I made all kinds of household objects for my Barbie house. For some reason I was really concerned that they didn't have things like toilet paper and band aids. So, I made them! The project I was most proud of was "The Grass Family". I took some old soup cans and decorated them like the members of my family. Then, I planted different grasses in the top to look like our hair. I was obsessed with them for at least a month.

Now for the hardest question of all... if you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

One food? Only one? That would be excruciating. How about potatoes? I'm of Irish descent, so I know how to do a million things with potatoes.

Being from Idaho myself, I can't think of a better way to end this little interview!

Go check out Feather and Bean on Etsy today, and don't forget to add this little gem to your favorites!

A few more beautiful pieces found at Feather and Bean

It's a Lime EXPLOSION!

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:06:00 +0000

I am so stinkin' proud of these new burp cloths. I was tempted to keep them myself! Actually, even more than that, I'm stinkin' proud of the job I did on the photography. I'm getting to know my camera more every day. Actually, I'm also just stinkin'... I've been cleaning house all day, the kids are asleep (and so is my husband). I'm going to crawl into a tub for an hour of no noise, no anything. Oh! Anyway, this was supposed to be about my newest creation... Ah, they are lovely! It's funny though; I've been making these burp cloths lately, but I don't ever seem to have one around when me son decides his peas and carrots would look better on my shirt than in his tummy. Who knows, maybe he has a far more developed fashion sense than I... or maybe he just doesn't like peas and carrots!

On another note, be on the lookout in the coming weeks. I'll be featuring Feather & Bean, a great Etsy shop... in the mean time, go take a look around... www.featherandbean.etsy.com

The time keeps flying

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:18:00 +0000

I wish my memory were better... I don't ever want to chance forgetting this moment. Poppa was visiting today after golf, and when it came time to say goodbye, Michael went right into his arms and snuggled up... so happy and so content. Thankfully, my camera was near and I snatched it up, catching this second, this lifetime, in one little snap. I can smell baby lotion on my shirt right now... and I want to go wake up my son and hold him close. I want to thank him for giving his Poppa this moment. I want him to know that he's only been around for seven months, but he's already accomplished so much. Knowing joy, giving comfort, the value of a hug. It takes some people years to figure these things out, but my smart little man is a man of wisdom. I feel a little tear in my heart looking at this picture. I think it must be to full...

Blogging is addictive... and sock monkey is crazy!

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:22:00 +0000

Now I see... now I truely understand the addictive qualities of blogging. I could blog all day! I guess it helps that I don't mind talking about my life, my kids, my crafts with anybody and everybody! I'm really excited because I added two new things to my shop today- I started a new section called Baby Bluebird, which of course means there's new baby stuff! I made these great burp cloths, really cute and absorbant, and this mini snuggle blankie, which my son tried to swipe even though it's pink (I think it's cause it has a little tag on it and he is OBSESSED with tags). I feel like I haven't got a lot done lately because my husband just found out he got a job in Maryland, and we're going to be leaving this house in less than a month. I spend a lot of my day cleaning the house and chasing after the kids, trying to keep them from getting into everything. It's okay though, because I'm getting new ideas every day, and that keeps me busy... I can craft in my head when I don't get to craft for real. Lopsided tutu sock monkey is my latest creation. My daughter had major input in how he was created, showing her amazing creative spirit.

The sweet rushing waves of success

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Okay, I know this is two posts in one day, but I am soooooo excited! I had my first sale on Etsy! Thank you to akdaniel for purchasing one of my photo albums. It's amazing... that feeling that someone picked something YOU made out of everything, and they liked it so much, they paid you for it! Yeah!!!

My first post

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Last year my husband bought me my first sewing machine. I went crazy! I ran out the door to buy patterns and thread and pins and fabric. Ah! Fabric... each color more delicious than the last. It was like walking through a candy store. I'd been to craft shops before... I mean, I've been crafting since the first time I designed little skirts for my troll dolls to wear, then added bejeweled necklaces and hairpins (these first forays into crafting taught me to ALWAYS be careful with a hot glue gun). Later I designed cards, stationary, then jewelry. But sewing was something I'd never attempted beyond hemming a curtain. My first project was a little summer dress for my three year old daughter. It was two pieces of fabric, sewn together at the sides with ribbons that acted as straps. It was simple, but cute. Then I took on more ambitious projects. I was 6 months pregnant with my son, and hated the idea of buying a diaper bag when I could make one. I spent days pouring over fabric until I found it! Brown and cream striped canvas- all boy without being covered in pictures of dinos or trucks. I spent weeks sewing it. I was so proud of how it turned out. All the stitches weren't perfect, but it sure was strong enough to tote all the gear I would need, and then some. I couldn't stop! I was hooked on sewing. I made a mermaid skirt for my daughter, a fleece jacket for my husband, and a snuggly baby blanket for my son. It was magical watching all the pieces come together.
And then came Etsy...
We finally got internet at the house, and while looking around for new ideas, I stumbled upon this amazing community of artists and crafters. I was smitten! Now I have my own little shop http://www.mybluebirdgifts.etsy.com/, a place where I can share the things I love. It's a little eclectic but that's the kind of person I am. I'd love for you to come by and see it sometime! Also, don't forget to check out some of my favorite links to other Etsy shops. Craft Power!

Well, I look forward to blogging a little more every week, letting you know what I'm up to. I also can't wait to feature other Etsians who's stuff inspires me! For now, I've got to get back to work... my sewing machine is calling my name!