A day in the life of a crafter.

When you can't draw an animal...

2013-04-08T22:18:00.003-07:00

OK, although I am definitely an animal lover, I've never really been into horses like a lot of people can be. But, my daughter's teacher, who takes such good care of Elodie, admired my own handmade purse I made years back and wanted to know where I got it.

After my schpeal on how I make these things, she said she'd love to order one. Problem was she LOVES horses. Well, anyone that knows me knows that I can draw and create most anything, but animals and people are a tough one for me.

We both collaborated and decided on a silhouette of a horse, figuring that would be the easiest route.

First, I started looking online for a horse silhouette image on Google. Narrowed it down to three and started sketching my own rendition.

After thinking about which one was best, I cut it out in pieces so I could use it as a template for cutting out my felt.

Now, I have to mark the space where I can center it on my the front of the purse. I do this by measuring the width and height and (because it's vinyl and I don't want to mark it up), I use my yellow fabric pins to mark the center and area of where I can place my applique. Then to make it apparent, I use plain tape to make temporary borders or a frame of sorts.

In order for the pieces to stay in place when I use the sewing machine, I need to use some fabric glue and place them exactly where I need them to go. Makes me feel like I am in Kindergarten. ;o)

It ends up looking very close to what it will end up being in the end, but after I machine sew it, the stitch and the color of the thread will change things a bit, so I have to think about how I want it to look in the end. You'll see what I mean in the second pic.

Still working on the rest of the purse and I'm waiting on some hardware for the adjustable strap, but I'll update this with the results once I'm done. :o)

****UPDATE****

I had to wait for some strap hardware, but it's finally complete!

Russian Doll keychains now in a convenient 3-pack!

2013-04-08T21:31:00.003-07:00

Thought it would be a neat idea to group 3 of these beauties together and package them up in my own designed and handmade colorful box. Discount pricing when you buy them together too! Check out my Etsy shop for more info. :o)

Handmade birthday gift for a 5 year old

2013-03-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

Here's a little something I've made a few times already. Very simple, with lots of love put into it, and the kids who receive it love it. Their very own little pillow...

Made with a mix of soft micro-fleece for the pillow and some petals, and anti-pill fleece for the stem leaf and inner petals and center. Recycled pillow Poly-fill for the stuffing.

2013-03-12T21:10:00.003-07:00

One of my latest Custom Made infant/toddler scarves. Snuggly and cute!

The originals from my lovemedo Etsy shop.

An art studio for a 5 year old? sure..why not?

2013-03-01T23:31:00.002-08:00

A little girl following in her Mama's footsteps of Crafting and her 5th birthday. What better present to give her than to create a work and play space for her to further her artistic talents.

I designed and built this "murphy bed" style table and am really happy with how it turned out. Basically it folds down to a good sized table to draw, paint, measure, etc. when in use, but when not in use, it handily folds up and locks to a chalkboard, complete with chalk rest and paper roll beneath it.
The legs are made out of a combination of an old closet pole dowel and a round ball stair banister top painted red. The legs being inserted in the closet cups creates a workable, but unstable leg system, so I will have to revert to my original design and add very small hinges on each to fold within the table and pop out when needed. It might look funny when done, but it will be a lot safer, especially since the table top is rather heavy.
To protect the table top from getting foreseen pen and paint marks, I decided to use clear/transparent contact paper in order to save some money. Plexiglass or acrylic was the other option, but definitely more expensive.

Total cost of the table: $44 ($8 for the long hinge, $10 for the chalkboard slab of wood, $10 for the table top slab of wood, $4 for the lock, $7 for the clear contact paper, $3 for the handle, and $2 for the closet cups)

The rest was re-purposed (2 by 4 wood, closet pole, stair banister tops.)

I also got her a fun magic magnetic wand to pass over the desk or floor if any pins fall. So far, they've mysteriously fallen right out of the pear pin cushion so Elodie 'had' to pick them up. Hmmm..;o)

I had already decided to buy her, her own sewing machine when she started to create things on mine. I found a steal on Craigslist for only $25! (the owner said her daughter used it just once). It is a well known Japanese brand called Janome, with the appropriate icon of Hello Kitty to go with it (one of Elodie's favorites).

One of my old handmade bunnies I used to make and sell on my Etsy shop. This one in particular was made especially for E when she was a baby.

Hand picked by yours truly. It was fun to pick out fabrics for her and I really only needed small amounts like an 1/8th of a yard (which cost less than a dollar each). I took the free recycled fabric bolt cardboards from the fabric store and cut them down to a tiny size. Now it looks like E has her own fabric store.

The cutest little iron made for little girls (Tulip), and the tiniest ironing board (from JoAnn Fabrics about $15.00 w/40% off coupon).
It's perfect because it very easy to set up, compact and the iron cools down very quickly, and E knows not to use it unless I am supervising.

The desk was something I already had a long time ago. I just added some cute and colorful handles onto the gigantic drawer for easy access. Handles were each on sale for $2.

Ikea Magnetic board and canisters to pin all her ideas and designs on.

Designed by me and handmade re-purposed wood from her too large for now Ikea bed and some limbs from my backyard tree to hold the books in. Thinking of painting them white, but might leave it as is for the natural look and feel. All re-purposed and at no cost.

Got all the paint supplies on clearance. Gotta love that!

This was a large canvas painting that Elodie did (with my guidance of course) when she was only 3 and 1/2 years old.

Russian Doll keychains!

2013-02-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Custom made while you wait.. See my Etsy shop and you choose your vinyl color and doll type/style, and "poof!", a cute little, custom made keychain will arrive in your mailbox within the week. :o)

Make great gifts..especially for yourself! ;o))..

Yo Gaba Gaba..

2013-02-26T11:46:00.001-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of Yo Gaba Gaba myself but my best friends little girl loves it, so I thought I'd make a placemat with room for utensils and a little Gaba Gaba character to keep her company.

Yo Gaba Gaba print fabric on front and re-purposed terry cloth towel on the back side, makes for easy machine washing. Character is made with soft vinyl, batting inside for stuffing, and a giggeley eyeball. Fun!

A little neck cowl for Elodie...

2013-02-10T22:17:00.001-08:00

Since we are braving the snow on the East coast this week, I thought I'd protect Elodie's little neck with a pretty neck cowl, which includes a matching flower and magnetic snaps for easy on/off. :)

and two more..Messenger Totes!

2013-02-06T00:38:00.000-08:00

Newest members of the handmade family...

2013-02-04T19:33:00.001-08:00

Cute handmade Surprise box for babies and infants (using recycled materials!)

2010-08-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

My best friend's daughter, Ella Bleu, was going to turn 1 years old and I wanted to make her something special.

When she was at my house she loved my daughter's "What's in the Box" box I bought her on OneStepAhead (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=535356), so I thought I could make her this and it would be more of a personal gift and a sort of challenge for me.

I got to use some recycled materials too like packaging cardboard, ribbons, an old French book, and some crinkly plastic bag from our bread (to make it crinkle when you push the cat and butterfly).

She loved it, but let me know what you think.

p.s. The little stuffed toys were bought at Toys R Us for just a few dollars, but Ikea has tons of little stuffed animals for cheap and they are cute too.

Cozy travel protection bag - How to make it!

2010-08-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

So Patrick is going to India for 3 weeks and probably not staying in the best of hotels, so he told me that he read in his guide that it is recommended to take a some type of bedding to protect from germs and who knows what. He wanted something light that he could easily pack away and travel with on his journey, and I thought about that "As Seen on TV" sheet sleeping bag thing. I knew that I could make it, so I told him, don't worry about a thing, I know what to do.

I went to Marshall's and for $19.99, I bought a Twin set of sheets with the pillowcase in tan color, with a thread count of 320/Egyptian Cotton. It feels soft and durable and half of the job was already cut out for me.

Want to make one too? Here is what you'll need and the directions:

Project Level: Easy
Time to make: (approx. 30 minutes-1 hour)

SUPPLIES:

Twin flat sheet of your choice (preferably a darker color as so not to get too dirty, too fast)
1-2 pillowcases (2nd one can be used for the travel bag)
8 inches of standard Velcro
Thread
Tea muslin
Embroidery thread and needle

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Fold the Twin sheet in half (outside in) and sewed it all together, except for the top opening, and about 8 inches on the top left hand side for the Velcro closure.
Step 2: Measure it for the person who will most likely use it, or if 2 people, just have the tallest/biggest person lie down inside of it and mark about 6 inches from the bottom of where their feet lie (this will give them some extra wiggle room).
Step 3: Turn it inside out and attached the pillowcase bottom to the top of one of the sides of the opening of the bag. The pillowcase was a bit shorter than the length of the twin sheet folded in half, so I just centered it as best as I can.
Step 4: Sew the velcro onto the top side area. You will have to fold over the 1/2" edge and place your velcro on top and sew it. Doesn't really matter which side (hook or fuzzy) of velcro you put on which side, but I put the hook part on the bottom and chose to have the fuzzy velcro on the top.
Step 5: Your bag is complete, but you need to make the storage bag for it, so you will need to tuck in the attached pillowcase inside the bag, then fold the bag in half, then half again. Then roll the bag up like you would with a sleeping bag. You should end up with a Tootsie-roll shaped bag.
Step 6: Take your extra pillowcase and measure your bag by putting your rolled-up bag on top. IMPORTANT NOTE: I started it at the top of the pillowcase because mine had the two-ply edge already sewn (you will need this for the robe closure to close the bag). Cut about 1.5"-2" around all sides to allot for the gerth of the sleeping bag.
Step 7: Before you sew up your pillowcase bag, you need to cut your tea muslin in a square or rectangle and either embroider your "Cozy" before you sew on the applique to your bag. Writing it out first in pencil and using back stitch embroider works the best for me.
Step 8: Center and sew your "Cozy" square onto one side of your bag.
Step 9: Put the two outsides facing each other and sew it together, leaving the opening at the top. Turn your pillowcase bag outside in and your bag is almost complete.
Step 10: Snip a small hole on each side of each seam (4 snips total). This is where you will need to insert the rope or string that will be used as a drawstring to open and close your bag. Take a medium size clothing pin and attach your rope or string to it, insert into one of the little holes you made and move it through the two-ply edge that already came with the pillow. Once you get it to the other side, tied a knot on each end (so as it won't go back into its hole), and you've completed the bag.

Sweet dreams!!

jeynreyn is having a HUGE INVENTORY/LIQUIDATION SALE!!

2010-02-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ ¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

♥♥♥HUGE INVENTORY SALE!!!♥♥♥

I will no longer be creating my ATM/Eyewear/Mirror pockets and need to move my inventory to allow for some new designs!

This is not just a clearance sale, this is me really liquidating my shop inventory. All items are the last of its kind!

Everything is re-priced at a fraction of its original cost.

♥ATM pockets were $15-17, now just $10-13.50♥
♥Eyewear pockets were $27-32, now just $25-30♥
♥Mirror pockets were $11, now just $8.50♥

Check it out: www.jeynreyn.etsy.com

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ ¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

And some fresh barrettes...

2010-02-06T21:23:00.001-08:00

Something I did just for fun..

2010-02-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Moving inventory...good things coming..

2010-02-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

It's been such a while since my last selling, but that's because I've been traveling, moving, and organizing my inventory and space.

I now have more room to work, and therefore create. Although I really love what I've done so far, I think it is time to move onto something else. I've had several ideas brewing for quite some time. I just need to see what works and what doesn't. Your feedback will prove quite valuable.

In the next couple of weeks, I will have the remaining part of my inventory listed in my shop. These are items that I actually designed and completed last year, but didn't get the chance to photograph and post them. We are talking about 8 different Eyewear pockets, 5 new ATM pockets, a couple of mini photo books, and a slew of newly designed and made Infant/Toddler scarves (which are really cute).

Here is a sample of what I have. Please check back to either my blog or shop for more info.

Cheers!
jeyn

French Countryside Home in Angouleme-drawing by Patrick

2009-08-13T09:22:00.001-07:00

The other, significant half...:o)

2009-06-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

A beautiful picture of my luvvy, Patrick, on a fresh and early morning in Chania, Crete.

Doing Renegade in San Francisco 7/18 and 19th!

2009-06-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

I'll be sharing a spot with some fellow friend sellers (KittyBabyLove and Mama's Magic Studio), this July 18th and 19th, at Fort Mason in San Francisco (see http://www.renegadecraft.com/ for more info).

This is Renegade's 2nd event in SF (usually they are big in Brooklyn and Los Angeles), but apparently it was a big hit last year, with lots of crowds and cool items to buy. I'm happy to be part of it and am feverously getting ready for it with my new items and new packaging too. Should be a good time.

Mention you saw this post off my blog and I'd be happy to give you a 10% discount!

Hope to see you there! Oh, and my 17-month old daughter will be keeping me company. ;o)

Sorry, I've been away traveling and now I'm off again soon..

2009-06-22T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks!

Sorry for the lack of posting. We ended up taking an impromptu 2-week trip to Greece in May, and since our lease is up the end of June, and Patrick is taking a break from his job, we decided to live abroad for a short while in France and Asia, starting this July.

This all came on so quickly, so we've spent the time since we've returned, just planning the whole darn thing. A lot of work, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.

Anyways, my shop will still be open for business, as I have a lot of new and really cute items already made, but just haven't listed them as of yet-this pertains to both my jeynreyn and lovemedo shops.

Items will be listed from abroad but shipped from my Mum's house in the U.S., to anywhere they need to go, so no worries on getting what you need in time. :o)

And, as usual, I am always here to answer your convos or emails, whether here or there, so fire away!

xoxo jeyn :o)

BTW-Here's a sneak peek of some upcoming items...

Neat idea for a eyewear case..an add-on strap for your purse!

2009-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just completed my newest design to add to my Spring Collection on my shop. Now comes with an Optional and Adjustable strap so you can loop it onto your purse.

et voila!

Maybe one of these will be our next house?

2009-04-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

Love this last one! I could live here..

Spring Cleaning..Etsy style..

2009-04-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning is in order and I've been wanting to do something good for my poor old shop. Its pictures are screaming--I'm not uniform!! and my banner is cute, but not really relative to my items, and neither is my bunny avatar anymore (I used to make cute little rabbits).

So, it is my duty as a shop owner to bring my shop to order and not only show off the newest designs I have coming up, but to actually post them and sell them (what a novel idea!).

Actually, I was waiting to get this neat new camera to be able to take some better shots, so now that I have it, I'm going to redo everything over.

In the next couple of weeks, my shop items will magically disappear soon for a couple hours, while I update the listings and add new pics. I already updated the pics on my Pocket Full of Posies-Sunshine case, and you can already see the big difference between it and the other pics.

Stay tuned...

Sneak Peeks at some of my upcoming designs!

2009-04-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd try my hand at purses and wallets...

Keep an eye out on my shop, for I'll be adding some new and fun designs very soon!

Pocket full of Posies Eyewear case now in Sunshine Yellow

2009-03-20T00:28:00.001-07:00

E_Sunshine_glasses_0020, originally uploaded by jeynreyn.

Perfect timing for Spring Day! Now available on my shop..
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22426384