Craftiness Is Not Optional

new prints in the etsy shop

Jess — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:32:12 +0000

New prints in my Etsy Shop! Having the best time creating and designing!

More Cross Stitch Patterns and stuff in the Etsy shop!

Jess — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:52:29 +0000

Hello my friends!

I have been working so hard on my Etsy shop this past year and a half-designing stickers and cross stitch patterns, and even adding My Darcy’s galore!

I don’t keep up with this blog very much but I am still very much creating so I wanted to share some of that with you!

Love, Jess

our home library aka the book nook

Jess — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 23:21:02 +0000

When we built our new house I knew I wanted to build a book nook/library in this nook in our basement. It’s now my favorite room in the house!

We built a base out of 2×4’s and plywood and then put together 8 Billy Bookshelves, 6 normal size and 2 smaller ones, all with the extensions. We attached them together and to the base and then added trim on the sides, top, and bottom. I tried to convince Rory to add trim to the ceiling but he wasn’t having that so I gave up, lol! I think it still looks awesome! Then I painted all the trim to match the Ikea shelf color, and also filled in the holes with spackle to make them less noticeable.

Twilight Guess Who? Printable

Jess — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:15:58 +0000

To purchase this printable click on the link below!

Twilight Guess Who? Printable

Full color Twilight character cards for the popular guess who game! Comes with our favorite and not so favorite characters-plenty to choose from for your game board! Perfect DIY present for any Twihard or book lover!

This listing is for the printable only, no physical item will be shipped! Comes with printing and assembly instructions.

YOU WILL RECEIVE:
-8.5×11 5 page PDF file with printing instructions

PRINTING
I would recommend printing at home on heavy weight card stock (110 lb) for best results.

Bridgerton Guess Who? Printable

Jess — Thu, 30 May 2024 20:25:16 +0000

To purchase this printable click on the link below!

Bridgerton Guess Who Printable

Full color Bridgerton character cards for the popular guess who game! Comes with our favorite and not so favorite characters-plenty to choose from for your game board! Perfect DIY present for any Bridgerton fan or book lover!

This listing is for the printable only, no physical item will be shipped! Comes with printing and assembly instructions.

YOU WILL RECEIVE:
-8.5×11 5 page PDF file with printing instructions

PRINTING
I would recommend printing at home on heavy weight card stock (110 lb) for best results.

Wizarding Guess Who? Printable

Jess — Thu, 30 May 2024 19:54:32 +0000

To purchase click the link below:

Wizarding Guess Who? Printable

Full color Harry Potter character cards for the popular guess who game! Comes with our favorite and not so favorite characters-plenty to choose from for your game board! Perfect DIY present for any Potterhead or book lover!

This listing is for the printable only, no physical item will be shipped! Comes with printing and assembly instructions.

YOU WILL RECEIVE:
-8.5×11 5 page PDF file with printing instructions

PRINTING
I would recommend printing at home on heavy weight card stock (110 lb) for best results.

new cross stitch patterns in the shop!

Jess — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 19:41:09 +0000

If you’re a cross stitcher, or looking to get into cross stitching, or love Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice, I have some new cross stitch patterns in the shop!

I am so excited to launch these new patterns and it has been so fun for me to get back in the pattern saddle so to speak!

These patterns are instant downloads, with great full color & symbol versions of the pattern, so you can print off whichever is your preference.

So far I have an Elizabeth and Darcy pattern, and Jane Austen herself!

Emma Lion books and mini book nook

Jess — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:28:03 +0000

Book Review corner! I have so many books to share but I must implore you to read these books, make haste! They are NOT to be missed. They will make you laugh, cry……laugh UNTIL you cry, and every emotion in between.

They are called The Unselected Journals of Emma Lion and there are 7 volumes out right now!

Impeccable writing, insanely like able characters (excepting Cousin Archibald of course), and one of the best main characters….ever, make these books instant classics for me.

Emma is tenacious, smart, kind, and always finds herself in the most hilarious situations! The books blended together in my head so I decided to review them all at once, and when I tell you, I zipped through them, I mean it. Such good writing and characters!!

I love these book so much that I couldn’t help but jump into the miniature book nook making side of things, and made this recreation of Emma’s attic garret!

So many things in this are nods to the books or little inside jokes, so you must read them!

A few little things I can link to:

miniature books

miniature bookshelf

I painted the bookshelf (it’s famously a beautiful green) with spray paint and then attempted to dry brush it with some acrylic paint to lessen the shininess. I made all the little details with wooden beads and mini flowers, jewelry bits and bobs, and my favorite little wood cutting tool, although I am eyeing this tool for future mini projects!

and most hilariously the box I used it was a wooden tissue box that I covered in popsicle stick shiplap, painted and stained to look like a tiny room!

I made the little desk out of craft wood, the candle out of a grommet piece and bamboo skewer, the rug out of some ribbon I had, and the stool out of a nail polish remover cap lol! Just shows you can look around your house for tons of little things to use in miniature scenes!

cross stitches in my Etsy shop

Jess — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 16:37:27 +0000

More new things in the Etsy shop this week! Hopefully you saw my mini Hogwarts trunks, I had so much fun making them!

I also made some Jane Austen/Regency themed cross stitches, and they turned out so cute I think! I especially love Jane herself!

I am making an Emma/Knightley cross stitch too, because they are my fave couple! Love me some Lizzy and Darcy too though!

New things in my Etsy shop!

Jess — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 16:28:25 +0000

As you all may know, every so often I get the miniature crafting bug again, and with a recent rewatch of the Harry Potter movies, I was feeling the Hogwarts vibes! So I made these mini trunks-all four houses are represented of course, and I filled them with all sorts of mini magical items! They were a blast to make and I poured my heart and soul into them! I used these Harry Potter trunks to make them, along with plenty of glue, paper, and lots of time! haha!

I have put them into my Etsy shop and wanted to share them here!

Each trunk includes:

* a mini 3d printed chocolate frog, complete with box and card.
*Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans
*Wand
*bottle of Polyjuice potion
*A History of Magic
*Advanced Potion Making
*The Tales of Beedle the Bard
*Hogwarts Express ticket
*Hogwarts letter
*Quibbler magazine
*Feather quill
*Handmade felt house scarf

The trunk itself is painted by me, lined in felt, decorated with some Wizard notions, and finished off with leather trim and the Howarts logo on top!