Etsy Shop Feature: LoveLeeSoaps

I received a package in the mail this morning, an order I had placed from a shop on Etsy, I was sooo excited. It’s the first time I had bought soap from Etsy before. Here's my experience!

The shop is LoveLeeSoaps (I’ve edited out her phone number on the business card, since it may be best not to post that for security reasons) check it out here; http://loveleesoaps.etsy.com/

This is the item I purchased, Lilac Hippo Soap. I purchased this on Sept 13th and it arrived today, Sept 29th.

First look into the envelope:

What I found! Inside there was the hippo soap, wrapped with tissue paper, a business card and a little free gift, or token of appreciation! I really love it when sellers include free gifts with their orders. It really adds to the excitement of receiving your purchase.

Here’s the little guy, who was a bit bigger then I anticipated, which is always a bonus. He’s about an inch thick and from nose to tail he’s just under 4 inches long. He’s a gift for a friend (who may read this and will instantly know that it’s for them, but I’m ok with that) so I didn’t open the wrapping on the soap, I did find a little crack in the plastic and took a small sniff, the lavender scent is VERY nice!

At first I smelled this guy and really wished that he were chocolate so I could eat him.

But making the safe assumption the he was soap, I brought him into the bathroom to test him out (since the hippo is a gift for someone and didn’t want to ruin him, but did want to give my readers an idea of how the soap feels). It was so soft, and silky, I was excitedly attempting to work up a very photogenic lather, when it proved it’s silkiness and shot out of my hand, and landed in the toilet bowl. I know soap is self cleaning, but I couldn’t bring myself to fishing out that little gem. So now I’m sad with my loss, but pleased with my purchase.

And this was my experience with LoveLeeSoaps! I'm in love with the novelty style soaps in their shop, and also think the prices are great along with the low cost of shipping, I think I'll be buying from them again.

Goddess Pixie Pleated Bag

I just listed this bag. I think it’s stunning. When I saw the fabric in the store, I hesitated to buy it; it was a little more expensive then I tend to buy fabric for, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t find a good complementary colour for the lining and several other fears. But I loved it, and took the risk. I think it’s one of the nicest bags I’ve made yet.

I named it ‘Goddess’ because it has a special quality to it, something feminine but beautifully unique. It reminds me of the Greek Goddesses. Maybe it’s the silver threads that add that mystical touch. Whatever it is, I think it’s a good name.

I hope other’s love it as much as me. Check it out here.

Holiday shopping has surely begun, and I've been happily sewing myself silly. Lots of work to do to make the most of this season, including my own gift giving.

50’s fashionista

I should have been in my prime in the 50’s. I love the movies, the fashion and really love the look of this new 50’s inspired Paris fashionista handbag. I just need a name for it that really suits it’s look.

Winter is coming, so this bag is made from a fantastic black and white plaid wool fabric. It reminds me of classic 50’s black and white high gloss shoes.



I'll be posting this on etsy soon, hopefully people there will love it as much as I do!

Monday Again

It’s been a long weekend, and a busy one. Don’t get me wrong, I love being busy. It’s been hard to come up with new designs or colour combinations when I’m getting lots of orders for the ones I have already posted. I’m still working on my consignment request; hopefully it’ll be one very productive week.
Here is a nice little pile of my card holders ready to be mailed out with orders.

I’ve finally gotten an excuse to make a bag out of this fantastic wool fabric I found. It’s still without an accent button, but I’m so excited about this bag I needed to post it. I’ll be making more like this for sure.

My studio is starting to come together, still need some storage for my fabric. It’s either store it or sew it, and I can’t sew that fast. Hopefully I’ll get some nice shelves soon, so far the Rubbermaid bins are working, but not convenient. Every day that passes is one day closer to our furniture arriving.

I Believe (in Cressie)!

Here is a great video about the lake monster (affectionately called Cressie) in Crescent Lake (Robert's Arm, my home town) that aired on the Discovery Channel. It’s very well done, I’m impressed with it. Though the vibrant descriptions of evil eels leave me slightly unsettled, I swam in that lake every summer of my youth, I don’t think any of us like to think that whatever’s out there could be dangerous. Great episode though, I wish I had seen it actually aired.

I’m in the process of filling orders, and took a little time to make some fabric cases for my business cards from my scrap pile. Here is the first one;

I’ve got a large consignment request that I’m excited to fill, and as soon as possible since optimum shopping time is ahead. Got to love the Christmas season!

In Transiton

The days go by so very fast. It’s astounding how little time there is.
I’m still getting adjusted in our new location; keeping busy sewing really helps with that.
Here’s the diaper bag I mailed off yesterday.

The Inside

Here’s a shot of our living room, in transition. We’re using a futon we had for the basement since our sofa set still hasn’t arrived.

I’ve also only had time to make one curtain panel; hopefully I’ll get a chance to finish the other soon (you’ll notice in the picture it’s across the window, since it’s the only privacy we have for that window). I want to add a little more colour too, though I really love the green and turquoise that I’ve managed to bring into the space so far. We’ll see what happens with the look of it all when the new sofas get here. We’re still busy unpacking things, putting things on the walls, etc.

Soft Dreams and Sweet Lullaby's (Treasury)

Ok.. So, it's my first treasury EVER. I'm allowed to be a little excited, ok, a lot. And I know people don't usually post photos of their treasuries unless they reach front page, but I wanted to celebrate my accomplishment anyway. I don't know if it's got what it takes to get FP, but I do have my fingers crossed! I just love these items! Click here, and see it up close..

Thee Good Things About Fall

EDIT: SUPER exicted about my first treasury! Drop by and let me know what you think!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=25630

It always seems as though Sunday is the most exhausting day of the week. The kind of day where you want to have a really fantastic nap, and not the kind where you doze while watching a movie or watching your husband play baseball on his beloved X-Box 360, but one of those naps where your body feels like it’s gone completely lifeless and you wake up having drooled a very embarrassing amount on your pillow.

It's a very beautiful day today, if I weren't so tired I might go out and enjoy it a little.

I made this bag yesterday, as a special Etsy request. I loved the colour combination so much (I’ve a thing for teal and grey) that I cut out extras and will post one on Etsy and another on Facebook within the next day or two.

There are three good things about fall, and only three.
1. It means that hockey seasons is teasingly near
2. Christmas is around the corner (which is fantastic for business), and
3. There’s the scent of loose-leaf paper (crisp and white, waiting), sharpened pencils, brand new books being opened, a life time of knowledge to absorb.

I love school, not High School that wasn’t overly entertaining, but University. Sadly I’m not a part of the atmosphere for the second year in a row, the soft sigh of the study area of the library, the shuffle of feet and the constant crackle of a page as it’s being turned. The smell of books, old and new, lining the shelves. Five floors of books, full of words telling you something you didn’t know before.

.

Some of the books are written by kooks, those who’re poorly credited in their field of study as dreamers who’ve written wildly sceptical conclusions, and even those are something to treasure. Not because they’re true, but because they exist: because someone thought it, and wrote it, and dreamed it, and because many don’t believe it. It’s a part of history because of that.

.

The idea of someday being back there, that place of peace and knowledge, excites me. I’ll be the old lady lugging around piles of books from the stacks into the silent area, day after day. Meet me there in 50 years, we’ll get coffee. I’ll be on divide between floor 5 and 6 (if it’s still there then).

Oh, I believe I’ve said too much about my book-wormy-ness. I think my pillow is beckoning to me, or was that a good book. I guess I’d better figure out which it is!

I mean a girl just can't go to Sing Sing with a green face.

I’ve finally finished some orders (it’s been a busy week), custom diaper bags. Here’s the one I posted a few days ago, with the pretty button,

I just finished another one too, I’ll post a photo of it when the buyer lets me know what button’s she would like on it.

I got an email for a pretty large order this morning, I’m stoked, or thrilled, or over the moon (whatever the kids are saying today).

The weather here is terrible for taking pictures of my products lately. Rain and wind, and when there’s no rain there’s angry wind. If I were to bring a bag outside, it’d blow away. I don’t have a light box set up, and it’s pretty difficult to set up a like box for my bags, since they all very in size and show best when hung from their handles. Maybe I can figure out something creative. I really love the colour of the walls in my studio (you can see it in the photo above), maybe I could use that as a background.

I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's as I was sewing this morning, it never fails to affect me in different ways, today it's the fashion (and the danish Audrey's eating as she window shops).

Today is one of those days where I have this huge pit in my stomach. I’m not sure if I’m hungry or nervous. Maybe I’ll make some food in case it actually is hunger, though it feels more like nerves. Then it’s off to the post office.

Who am I?

Well, after a suggestion in the forums to create a profile for my etsy site, I did. But I wasn't happy with the rushed version, so I threw something new together. I think it reflects me alright.

I’m a 25 year old that could pass for a 14 year old. I get lots of random people walk up to me and ask how old I am. Restaurants hesitate to serve me coffee, theatres won’t let me in to see scary movies, and people talk to me in a high-pitch and dragged out tone while they tilt their heads and smile nicely.

I have a husband, who helps me combat the masses who accuse me of being a child. Though, he’s short and fair faced which makes both of us look like teenage boyfriend and girlfriend who do everything together.

My husband is a pastor for youth, I enjoy being involved in his job and am thankful to Etsy and the other venues I sell through that I can work at home and still have time to do the things I really love. I mostly organize events and fun things for children and teen girls.

I’ve an obsession with coffee and I currently live in a community with no coffee shops (I expect my coffee percolator to sigh of exhaustion and give up living at any time).

I love to read, anything that stretches my mind, and teaches me something new. I’m not a fan of romance books, though I guess I could read one if forced. I like living in another world in novels, not depressing states of this world. I read a lot of non-fiction as well. When it comes to non-fiction, I hate books that say the same things in different ways, or something that tells me something I already know.

When I walk into a fabric store, I HAVE to touch everything.

I get oddly attached to inanimate objects and tend to name them, which only serves to enhance the attachment.

I’m slightly OCD. I love to sing loudly (but not well, my husband is the musical one) and dance around to some of my favourite 80’s tunes (Much to my husbands annoyance). I’ve got a growing dvd collection, I love to buy a range of movies from the classics (An Affair to Remember, anything with Audrey Hepburn) to somewhat newer classics (Indiana Jones) and super hero movies (Fantastic 4, Spiderman, X-Men) along with movies like Oceans and Bourne.

I’m a little too noisy. All while I was growing up, and even now sometimes, I’m embarrassed by my own voice. I talk and talk, and sometimes talk loudly and fast. Some days I’d wake up and tell myself, that today is going to be different, today I’ll be the soft spoken, kind and gentle kind of person that I want to be, a resolve I was never able to keep.

I finished a diaper bag today, I think it's be best one I've done yet, really neat and I think it's very gender nutral. Here's a link to a photo of it, my computer is being weird and won't let me open the "add image" box. I'll be back to edit it in later.

Exhausted

I've been so busy the past few days that I haven't had time to update my beloved blog. Sad.
I've got some orders that really need filling, so before I can make something new to showcase, or put up on etsy I need to finish these requests.

Here's a treat, hopefully you can forgive me.

Waiting and Waiting...

Another day… STILL unpacking. I called today to check up on our furniture which was scheduled to be here two weeks ago. They told me it wouldn’t get here till Sept 29th!! Yikes! Looks like we’ll be living out of boxes and suitcases for a while yet. Sigh.

Whoooo.. they heart me, they really heart me! My shop is showing that 100 people have 'hearted' my shop. I know for many 100 isn't a lot, but it's a landmark that can cause happiness!

I’ve a need for shelving, of some kind. I’ve designed a cutting table that my dad is working on building for me, and the ‘legs’ of the table are similar to bookshelves (he’s not exactly sure when he’ll get it finished and have the free time to visit me, he lives 6 hours away). So I was kind of banking on those for storage, now all of my fabric is organized in large Rubbermaid bins, which work somewhat successfully, though it’s a pain to get the fabric in there in such a way that you can easily find everything. My poor ironing board is acting as a cutting table, and shelf as well as its traditional use as an ironing board.

Another day, another bag for Facebook (this one will be uploaded to the group soon).


Sold a bag last night, it’s always thrilling, like winning the lottery. My husband thinks I’m nuts, I run into the living room (or wherever he’s hiding) and jump up and down, spin in a circle and announce my success. Yes, I’m aware I resemble a 5 year old.

It’s a little ‘odd’ to move to a small town, where everyone KNOWS who you are because you’re new and they were somewhat expecting you. They don’t seem too worried that we know that they know who we are. It makes me feel a mixture of amusement and paranoia.

Back to Kenny (the Kenmore sewing machine), I’ve got two diaper bags to finish (YAY for having orders to fill!!)

Brownies

In the midst of sewing and promoting and unpacking, I decided to do some baking.
Here are some brownies I had wanted to try making for a while. It’s the first time I’d baked with the new oven, and every oven bakes differently. So they’re not perfect like Martha’s.

But they looked pretty good, and taste fantastic. Mmmmm.

I made a few new bags to put on Facebook, hopefully people will like them enough to buy. Christmas is coming up; I can’t really imagine finding cheaper and more unique gifts. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

"Cherry Tree"

"Trendy"

We didn’t have much furniture when we moved, only a book shelf and a bed. Hence, we had to purchase a lot of new furniture, which is exciting. Though, we’ve been waiting a long time for it to arrive, so while it feels like we’ve been moved for a while now, it’s taking a long time to truly settle. Hopefully it’ll get here soon.

Sunshiny Day

A colourful bag for a beautiful day.
The sun is shining, there’s a slight breeze, just enough to make the leaves rustle. There isn’t a cloud in the sky from my view, and the sun is HOT. I just finished photographing and listing this guy on Etsy and Facebook (I’ve made two so far).

There’s some great colours on the inside of this bag that reminds me of summer, and late night adventures into downtown St. John’s. I think it still works for fall, it’ll definitely make those winter days a little brighter.

You can buy it either on Etsy, or check it out at Facebook.

As for the sun, in a way it’s too beautiful to stay indoors, but my credit card statement is too terrifying to not take this time to create new things. Yet, look how tempting the view is from my back yard.
I’m very excited to announce that the lovely Kara has decided to have her wedding the 8th of November!


I’m so excited to have the opportunity to help her with her wedding, like she helped me with mine. I’ve finished making flight reservations and only have a few plans left to make before then. So excited to be spending a week back in my ‘home town’ and enjoy some late night adventures, visit my handsome nephew, and eat mounds of nachos.

Back to the grind, see if we can make a dent in that credit card statement!

Finally all Moved...

Wow…
It’s been a week (that felt more like a month) of suitcase living and frantically searching boxes for those ‘misplaced’ packed items.

(a shot of our U-Haul driving behind us)

We’re in a bigger house (some photos to come eventually), which is great in some ways, and a little weird having everything distributed so much around the space. Like my husband who has set up ‘office’ in the basement, while I set up my studio in the main floor. I’ve got great vocal cords, and can yell better then most, but in order to actually talk to him, I’ve got to walk down into the big-empty-dark basement.
(So happy to have all of my sewing things in one space tho)
After a whole week (half of which was spent holidaying at the in-laws), we’re finally settling in. There’s still some furniture to arrive, lots of pictures to be hung, and even more to be organized.

(A Sunset view from the In-Law's living room, Saturday night)