Rave - Super Cute Wristlet

On this dreary Thursday morning, I thought I'd brighten things up with a quick rave about one of my most recent Etsy purchases, this adorable little keyring/wristlet thingie by FancyFerris. It's the perfect size for my keys, credit cards, business cards and cash; and the wrist strap is comfy and the perfect length. The ingenious elastic sides make this the perfect expandable wallet. It's not quite wide enough for my iPhone, but it doesn't matter. It's still the only thing I need to take with me for a quick trip to the store. And it was a life-saver at the State Fair a few weeks ago.

I'm big on "compartmentalizing" my handbag. Instead of a junk-drawer situation, my bag contains three handmade zipper pouches - one for snacks (I'm a mom after all); one for emergency stuff like eye drops, kleenex, lip balm and hand sanitizer; and another for the gym. Yes, it's a big bag. Here's one of my faves from AbbaDabba Bags:


Some of my other go-to sewing geniuses include My Beautiful Girl and Pyong Bricole.

Wordless Wednesday - Parking FAIL

Sheesh. Where's this kid when you need him?

Yummy Marshmallow Pops You Can Make at Home!

Looking for some sweet, family-friendly fun for Halloween? These ingenious marshmallow pops are the perfect "mommy and me" kitchen activity. Check out The Mama Dramalogues for the how-to!

Artisan Feature - bijouxbead

This week's featured artisan is Darlene of bijouxbead. A fellow mom, Twitter buddy and incredibly talented Canadian jewelry artist, Darlene creates stunning beaded necklaces. I experienced the beauty of Darlene's work firsthand last Christmas and was truly amazed at the intricacy and precision of her work. Many thanks to Darlene for participating in this interview!

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
I am a jewelry artist from Toronto Canada. My work is represented by several galleries, and I have a small shop on Etsy.

What 3 phrases best describe your work?
Distinctive Wearable Art

What inspires you?
Canada and its inimitability

What drives you to create what you do?
The charitable work that I am able to do through Bijouxbead is the #1 reason I enjoy creating.

What makes your work unique?
My work is highly detailed and very distinctive. The entire necklace collection is multi-stranded and one of a kind featuring glass metal and stone, the bracelet collection features semi precious stone and handmade silver clasps, and the earrings are designed to compliment the bracelet collection.


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Achieving balance is my ultimate goal, isn’t it everyone’s?

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I am not sure where this business will take me; I have been very fortunate up until now, and I’m still on a huge learning curve.

Where can we find you on the web?
http://www.bijouxbead.com

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Great Gift Idea: Sundae in a Bag!

Some particularly lovely friends of mine took me to brunch for my birthday recently. One such lovely friend gave me a particularly ingenious gift. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for creative gifts for friends that don't require me to know the recipient's clothing size or which books she's already read.

This gift is quick to put together, relatively inexpensive and positively oozing with charm. A fun (but cheaper) take on the ever-popular gift basket concept, this clever gift is basically a sundae in a bag. Here's what you need:

1. Cute gift bag
2. Cute bowl(s) - one for each member of the family
3. Big bottle of chocolate syrup
4. Fancy sprinkles
5. Little jar of maraschino cherries

Voilà! In a pinch, you can grab everything at Target on the way to the party. If you're feeling crafty and have some time, use enamel paints to personalize the ice cream dish for an extra-special touch. Who wouldn't be delighted?

Wordless (kinda) Wed. - Eye of the Tiger

Here's a little Wednesday present from my 4-yr-old. Make sure your volume's on.

Artisan Feature - NeverEver

This week's featured artisan is Emma of NeverEver. A costume maker by day, Emma creates adorable children's clothing and toys for sale in her Etsy shop.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Emma, and I live in Sydney, Australia. I am a costume maker for 3 days of the week and for the rest I run my baby and children's label, NeverEver.

What 3 phrases best describe your work?
Cute, handmade, fun!

What inspires you?
Different things every day. Gorgeous children on the street, vintage children's books, lovely fabrics, seeing a beautiful garden or an artwork, going to bookshops and craft stores. Even browsing Etsy gets me inspired to get up and do something!

What drives you to create what you do?
I like seeing children wearing cute, well made, and thoughtful clothing. I really dislike all the branding that children's clothing gets slapped on it, and I like to see natural fibres and clever fastenings.

What makes your work unique?
My use of applique as a decorative technique makes my bibs and onesies quite particular, but I think it is my choice of fabrics that really makes my work stand out. I love a fun print and bright colours. Also, the retro feel to my patterns make my items a little different to your usual.


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
My work takes up a LOT of my life! I find that I have to make sure that I schedule time out to watch a movie or do a jigsaw puzzle, or else I would happily keep sewing and working online! I would love it if I could work regular hours and be able to switch off at night, but I often find myself working until late into the evening!

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
Ideally, I would like NeverEver to be stocked in some more stores around the world, so this would mean giving up my part-time job and focussing all my energy on creating new designs and finding great fabrics and trims. I would love to be successful enough to have my own studio that is seperate from my sunroom at home!

Where can we find you on the web?
Etsy http://neverever.etsy.com
Blog http://nevereveremma.blogspot.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/nevereveremma
Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/NeverEver/37460701577?ref=mf
MadeIt (an Australian site) http://madeit.com.au/neverever

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.