all that jaz

Fabric Flower Headbands

2013-04-17T23:49:00.002-04:00

Over a year ago I wrote this post. I did make some hair accessories but ended up posting the unused fabric onto my destash shop. I had some yo yos that I did nothing with and most recently decided to take them apart and make this. I'm really happy with it and have made a few more similar ones. I've been using up a lot of my fabric covered buttons as well so I'm happy about that. Here are some flower headband and a few other items that can be found in my shop.

It's A...

2013-01-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

Last wednesday we found out we are having a girl. I am now a little over 16 weeks. I am very excited to get to use all the clothes my mother saved from when my sister and I were babies. I wasn't expecting to find out the gender, see 3D images, or to go home with anything. They gave me a disc with some pics and even a couple of videos.

Our little girl!

Packaging

2012-08-31T23:00:00.099-04:00

Packaging oh packaging. So I have tried to keep prices and shipping cost low by making earring/ necklace cards and putting them in plastic zipper bags and this has worked.

Then I bought these cute little pouches which I love. I've started wrapping them in tissue paper and sealing with a sticker. I have a bunch of blank stickers from years ago and will either print/ stamp my shop name, thank you notes, etc. I really enjoy cutting out little squares rounding the corners and adding trim with decorative paper punches. I like it so much I think I'm going to start paper crafting.

I only used small boxes when something is delicate, since it cost more to ship then what I charge. I've decided though to use boxes more offend now for jewelry especially for sets. I added a little decorative sleeve to dress them up a bit. I especially like the way the small kraft boxes look and maybe it's just me but pulling that little sleeve off to open the box makes it extra fun and special, lol. I also like that I am finally getting around to using all the scrapbook paper I bought a while back, plus one sheet goes all long way. Don't those tiny buttons look so adorable in that box!?! Add the little sleeve and it is just the cutest little package. The earring cards are up cycled card board. I like to upcycle when ever possible, it cuts down on cost but most importantly reduces waste.

I'm still working on/ upgrading my packaging but so far am happy with it.

"Swag" for Etsy Craft Party

2012-08-23T12:56:00.033-04:00

Tomorrow is the world wide Etsy Craft Party. I will be attending the one in Tampa's Ybor City which is being organized by a friend and a couple other people. There will be vendors, music, food, and of course crafts. I'm sure it will be an awesome free family event. The first hundred people will receive a free swag bag filled with goodies from etsy sellers. The "swag" I contributed was simply a coupon code for my shop and can be used in all of my etsy shops.

Here are a few pics of my handmade "swag". I printed, trimmed, punched, and folded a whole mess of these little match book type thingies.

The back has the link to my shop and a coupon code.

My mother the wonderful person that she is stapled 2 individually wrapped life savers into 80+ booklets. She is always such a great help.

Even the little guy helped out by packing them the bag for mommy.

Southwestern Inspired Necklace From Upcycled Beads

2012-08-04T10:06:00.002-04:00

Here I showed you a few things I made with some beads taken from an old shirt. This is my most recent project. I started on another pair of earrings but have been so busy I haven't finished them yet.

I really love this necklace and its boho chic, southwestern appeal.

This is the shirt that that beads came from.

Linking up to tatertotsandjello.com weekend wrap up party.

Upcycled Beads

2012-07-16T03:09:00.006-04:00

My aunt gave me this old shirt of hers. I immediately knew I was going to reuse the beads that adorn it. There is still so much beads sewn on but I got tired of removing them.

These make great little bead caps.

These are prefect for attaching cabochons. I was been able to make this necklace with them.

So far I've also made a pair of dangles, and a pair of studs. I have enough beads to make one more pair of earrings. I love the southwestern boho feel they have. You can find them in my shop.

tatertotsandjello.com weekend wrap up party.

upcycled fabric covered button necklace

2012-07-06T20:34:00.003-04:00

Not only was this top handed down to me from my aunt too big it had a seam that was coming undone. I was going to add it to the donation pile but I thought I could do something crafty with it. I ended up with this fabric covered button necklace. I'm not a floral print type of gal but I really like this necklace and have plenty of fabric to make a whole mess of other things.

You can find this necklace here on my shop. Be sure to become a fan on facebook to get discounts and to check the shop announcements for any coupon codes.

Enjoy your weekend!

craft fair

2012-05-21T22:29:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday I did another craft fair. I shared a space with a a couple of buddies and didn't have to pay any vendor fees since I was providing the canopy (sweet). It was a great day overall but not a very good day for vending. There were not many attendees and the other vendors didn't seem to be getting much action either. I honestly do not mind at all. It was nice to hang out with some new people and most importantly it was awesome for my son to interact with other kids. I was so happy at how well they played together and really glad he enjoyed himself. He did have his moments though. He was very, very upset about not being able to spend the whole day in the bounce house.

I didn't take any pictures of our set up, I suppose I was preoccupied with having such a good time. Here are a few pics I do have. As you can see I went through a few of ideas for display.

We had two large tables, so my display ending up looking much different then this which I am happy about. My necklace display got blown over by the wind. This sweet little kid rushed over and asked if he could help. Later on one of the kids knocked into the table and the 3 tired display went crashing to the ground. I def need to think up some new sturdier display ideas.

This is pretty much how I packed up everything.

We woke up a little later then I wanted. I really did not want to waste any time trying to "force" him to get dress and I knew once we got there dressing him would be a breeze, so in the carseat he went with just a diaper. I gave him that bag of cookies and he just stared at it till he fell back to sleep lol.

up cycled re purpose domino

2012-05-05T09:15:00.000-04:00

After a few of my failed domino projects (that dimensional glue and diamond glaze do not work for me) I was trying to figure out what to do with them. I didn't just want to add a chain and call them necklaces. I bought these chandelier components and realized they can be adorned with rhinestones after that I wanted to bling everything out. So why not the dominoes!?!

Here are a few pics of what I've done with them.

The two finger rings were a big hit at my recent fair.

Of course I had to add some of my beads to make these earrings extra special.

These little glue on bails are great for making necklaces.

I love love love them!

There aren't many left but I'll be slowly adding them to the shop.

Re purposed Picture Frames

2012-05-03T00:25:00.001-04:00

Frame that has been hanging around for years.

I spray painted it white, took the canvas print off the wood frame and replaced it with a piece of canvas drop cloth from walmart.

Stuck some thumb tacks on the wood and hung some necklaces on it. For my craft fair I stuck the earrings right in the canvas to hang.

I like this layout better then the one I used at my recent fair.

These little frames were $.99 at Ikea.

This once a painting that failed so I took the old canvas off and added the drop cloth. I really like how everything turned out and I like the neutral color of the cloth as a back drop for my colorful creations.

up-cycled chandelier crystals

2012-05-02T19:11:00.001-04:00

Remember when I bought this chandelier and spray painted it black. Then I used the crystals as Christmas ornaments. Most recently I have used the crystals in my jewelry making.

Here are a few pieces made with re purposed/ up cycled chandelier crystals.

jack skellington plugs

2012-05-02T19:03:00.001-04:00

Aren't these the cutest!?! For a while my sister kept suggesting I make plugs for my shop. Also she loves The Nightmare Before Christmas. So of course I couldn't resist making her a pair of Jack Skellington plugs. She is going to love them!!!

Coming Soon

2012-05-02T16:40:00.003-04:00

Like I mentioned before I had a lot of stuff that needed to be added to my shop. Most new things were sold over the weekend and I never got around to taking pictures of them. I'm still waiting to list things till the next fair which is May 19th. I had to remove a lot of stuff from the shop since they were no longer available, I don't want to have to do that again.

Here are some pics of new stuff.

Packaging

2012-05-02T11:30:00.001-04:00

I made some scratch off tickets to give out at the 3 day craft fair but I suppose in all the excitement I forgot about them day 1. On day 2 we just put one in each of the little bags. I got lots of compliments on how cute everything was and how it all matched.

Craft Fair Day 3

2012-05-01T01:48:00.001-04:00

The event was from 10am-5pm on the 3rd day. I was exhausted to say the least but happy that it would be a short day. My mother, son, and I headed to the fair. Later our hubby's joined us.

The night before was a good sale day and with less merch I was able to use a smaller table which I'm super happy about.

My mother being amazing!

Inside my canopy looking out.

It was another great sale day. Some good friends of ours passed through and I felt so honored. I feel incredibly blessed to have such a supportive family who came out and kept me company and helped along the way. I am so extremely happy with the outcome and my experience.

Craft Fair Day 2

2012-05-01T01:44:00.009-04:00

At the end of day 1 I was nervous about leaving my tent up over night. My mothers husband did an awesome job pinning all the table cloths together and enclosing the tent. I did take my merchandise home though. On day 2 my mother, son, and I headed to the fair at 8am. The event was from 10am-11pm, not what I was originally told. I later learned that a few of use vendors where all told something different.

I was so worried about my canopy but it held up great!

The second day was great! My mother was such a big help. Every time something sold she rearranged everything. What also made that day great is that my husband was able to join us. He took our son to play in the park and bounce houses. I'm so glad they had a good time and got to enjoy the festivities.

To my surprise a few friends I used to work with and haven't seen in years came by. It was so great to see them. It really made my day.

The girl across from us kept looking at my stuff. She finally came over and asked if I would like to make a trade. I gave her a pair of studs I knew she was eying for free. Later on I went over to see if I wanted to trade anything. I let my mother pick since her birthday and mother's day is coming up.

She also gave me this awesome business card holder that I just love!

Day 2 I bought my lamp from home. The people around us were so nice. One lent us tape to tape down our cord and the other let us use a generator that they were borrowing from someone else. It was really a great fun experience!

By the end of the night we were all there, my mother, her husband, my husband, son, and I. We stayed till it ended. It was a great sales day and kept picking up as it got later. It was wonderful to have my family with me. I really appreciate them.

Craft Fair Day 1

2012-04-30T08:36:00.001-04:00

This is day 1 of the 3 day craft fair I did. It was a bit slow for all of us vending but still it went really well. I'm so thankful to my mothers husband who helped me out all day. The 1st day was from 4-10.

I used plastic tables cloths from walmart to make these curtains. I really like the way it came out.

This is not exactly how I planned on setting up my display but it still drew attention, which is what matters.

This brush kept him busy while I was setting things up. It did have leaves when we first got there. Every time he plucked a leaf he ran over to me excitedly saying "I found a leaf!" He was so well behaved and had so much energy. He did not nap till we where on our way home.

This was my favorite part of the display. I got this frame along with a few others when I was working at the photography studio. I gave it to my mother law, she has had it for years and done nothing with it. I really want an ornate frame but didn't want to buy anything new and couldn't find one anyway. I asked her to have it and painted it white.

Being a good little boy.

Live band. Good music.

I didn't expect this event to be this big.

Friends my son made. The daughter kept coming over to check out my stuff.

The application to this event said electricity would not be provided so I assumed (like other vendors) the park would be lit at night. There were light post but the one near us was out. I was slightly annoyed that when we got there, there was electricity to be used. This was not the only misinformation I received about this event. I did have my solar power lanterns from Ikea, though I really like them, they were not enough. The ladies across from us lent us 2 little lights but they also where not fully prepared for this. A few of us did end up packing up and leaving a bit early but didn't miss much else apparently.

ABC's and 123's

2012-04-23T23:35:00.000-04:00

When my son was turning 2 back in November I wanted him to know how to blow out the candles and tell people he was 2 when asked. I repeatedly asked him "how old are you" then held up his 2 tiny little fingers and said "two". He caught on pretty quick but didn't want to show off at his party lol. Soon after I taught him to count to five. I pointed each finger while counting and pretty soon he was counting the number of fingers I held up. Before I knew it he was counting to 10 and recognizing, and reciting numbers every time he see them. It was such a surprise when one day I caught him sitting on the floor counting his blocks!

I have been singing the ABC's to him since he was an infant. He has a foam mat and a few puzzles with the alphabet. I showed him the letters, named them, and he repeated. When he turned 2 he received a few more items with the alphabet and we really got to learning. He know, recognizes, and recites all the letters in the alphabet and has actually started to sing them recently. It's so awesome and when we are out and about people are impressed by how much he knows. Also, more recently he started singing twinkle twinkle little star which I think is amazing!!!

He's super good with his colors, foods and shapes. Even knows and says pentagon and trapezoid. Amazing right, I know!

I few things he says that are just too funny - "pick em up" when he wants someone to pick him up. "get outta here" "a boo boo hurts". "you ok?" when ever I say "ouch". "ahh watch out" this is hilarious when he's in the shopping cart. "help stuck" "i'm jumping" "i'm crying" so cute. "get way from me" lol and more recently "no, never". Seriously this kids cracks me up.

blah

2012-04-13T00:52:00.002-04:00

blah blah blah. busy busy busy. i'm super backed up. i still have stuff from the craft fair that are still packed and need to be listed on my shop. can't keep up with the "mom" groups i belong to on facebook. one group is for buying and selling which is great. i've been able to sell some unwanted stuff and that feels like progress in clearing up some space. i have finally gotten around to doing what i've been talking about for so long... up cycling. i have been up cycling beads, bows, and ribbon for some time now but now i've made stuff out of all the junk i've collected. stuff like hardware, bottle caps, game pieces, bullet casings, toilet paper rolls, etc. I'm sure my husband is happy to see those things leave his garage. there are a few craft fairs coming up. i'm hoping to do a few and am waiting to list any of my new stuff in hopes of selling them at a fair.

well this is all the time my toddler has allowed me, gotta go pay him attention.

Pom Poms... gone wrong

2012-04-07T08:35:00.001-04:00

As if I don't have million other things that need to be finished I started another project last night. I have this tank top, it gets around. Got it over 3 years ago, wore it, I'm sure my sister has worn it once or twice, gave it to my mother. It has a hole or maybe two and recently she was discarding it. Needless to say I took it back and have been saving it for some up cycling. When ever my son sees the shirt he says "nana" and wants to wear it. For me it was amazing that he remembered her wearing it and knows it's hers. I'm starting to feel bad because it has been cut up and still he want me to put it on him. So I do, and it has holes and is missing pieces, and yet he happily wears it around the house because it's "nana"s". I digress. I intended to cut it into strips and make braided bracelets with button clasp. Last night I tried making some pom poms. Failed! Well I made them but they aren't very nice.

They could have been so cute.

Was going to use them for hair clips, but um, that wont work.

This didn't come out as I hope either.

Well at least my fabric covered buttons rings came out nice. Made a few in different patterns/ colors and some matching ear studs. Maybe one day I'll get around to adding them to my shop, along with a bunch of other items that are waiting to be listed. And just realized I need to cut and shape my nails.

Now to take my son Easter egg hunting. Enjoy your weekend!

Tibetan Silver Chandeliers

2012-04-04T19:12:00.002-04:00

when I first ordered these components I didn't realized the in small indents perfect for adding rhinestones, so that what I did!

I think all these markings give them character and also give them a vintage/ antique feel. I also think they have a Bollywood feel to them

I love them so much! I've never made a pair like them before. I love adding the rhinestones and can't wait to make more in other colors!

2012-04-02T19:41:00.002-04:00

Going through that box of embroidery floss and knitting supplies prompted me to go through and organized some of my stash. Here are some pics of a few things I rediscovered.

bunch of ribbon that I've only used very little of. I really like that stripe ribbon. used it for this brooch and this one. Oh and I've used some of that red ribbon here.

these were all from some sort of packing, gift bags, etc. I figure they could be up cycled.

Some bows from packaging. I had a few others and used one for this necklace I made back in January for St. Patrick's Day. Oh BTW it's one sale now, you should go check it out :). I'll probably make more necklaces like it.

The tulle was bought 3 years ago (sheesh) for my wedding. I've been getting around to using it for things like my fabric covered rings.

I think these plastic bags are my favorite, especially that blue polka dot one. I've been pro casting the project that are are (for no good reason) but I might finally get around to using them.

I wonder what I'll find if I keep searching through my unorganized mess of craftiness.

2012-04-02T12:02:00.003-04:00

The weather was so beautiful this weekend and perfect for yard sale hopping. My LO was so well behaved the whole time, did not complain once.

I almost didn't buy this. I'm glad I did. It was a steal!

Here's what's inside

So much of these embroidery floss, some never used. These I was able to untangle and salvage.

This I did not bother with. Maybe I'll try later.

And last but not least this little fellow was hiding in the box.

1st Fair

2012-03-28T19:16:00.004-04:00

Last week I mentioned how I happened upon a craft fair and rented a space. Here are a few pics.

I like the idea of having this small book case on top of the table to give it more height and create more space but was concerned about having so much stuff to unload and set up.

I really liked the idea of this but saved myself the stress and figured I'll do it next time when I have more time to prepare.

When this idea was done I really liked it. The necklaces looked really pretty hanging in between the doilies but I decided not to go this route either.

This is what my table ended up looking like. I was done setting up with an hour to spare, so I made a few more things and added them afterwards. My little doily banner did not last long. The wind kept blowing the table cloth up and the double sided tape did not hold, so I just took it down.

I started a bunch of these the night before and finished them off during the fair.

I found a paper punch in this lace pattern and thought it was perfect. I did all these cards plus a bunch for my studs the night before as well.My mother kindly punched all the little white paper bags I bought for packaging.

I think I'm gonna get another one of these towers just because I like it so much and think two would great on my table!

Next time I think I'll have a few of these standing on the table instead.

I moved things around as things got sold.

I love this earring and necklace tree and might paint it white.

This is me, proud, and having a good time.

There were four of us right next to each other. Oddly enough I walked around speaking with other vendors but did not speak to my neighbors. I had my mother and son with me and it was a great experience for all of us. I really like the venue. There was an area not being used but had some seating and from time to time my mother or myself took the little one over and he enjoyed running around and climbing. There were other kids there and was really just a nice out door event for everyone!

Preparing for a Fair

2012-03-18T19:36:00.003-04:00

So I happened upon this event on Saturday, went back and forth whether to do it or not and then just went ahead and reserved a space. I have to be honest I was super nervous at first. This will be my first craft fair, I wasn't sure if I even had enough products, business cards, etc. Life has gotten in the way this last month and I totally have not been preparing to do a fair anytime soon. Also I had no idea how to go about finding up coming events. Anyway, I'm not nervous anymore. If nothing else It will be a fun day with my mom and son. The event is a little over an hour from where we live which isn't terrible but it's next week, YIKES!

Between yesterday and today I have been trying to figure out packaging and display. I do not want to buy anything new since I'm not sure if I'll enjoy this and do fairs in the future. This is what I've come up with so far.

i would love to do an all white display, with maybe some doilies and lace to make it pretty and feminine. i bought the tired earring tree last week and spray painted it white. the pictured frames we painted black about a year ago. the little glass plates were from the previous home owners. i spray painted a few black and glue them to candle stick to make cute little platters.

made these today

will be painting these plates and possibly making platters out of them

made these earring cards today

made these last night, still have a few more i'd like to make in other colors

so far i love it! can't wait to have more room and add all my pieces

I'm just hoping that the heat won't ruin our day. Now to get back to work and figure out how i'm going to transport all this. Wish me luck!