Custom Order Spotlight

I get a pretty good amount of custom orders through my Etsy shop each month for mobiles and ornaments (I pretty much customize ANYTHING in shop FYI).  But I just wanted to share some of my latest custom creations because unlike my other pieces I never get to see them again once they are shipped off to their new homes.  So this is like a trip down memory lane from the last few months.

Coral, green & turquoise flower mobile with accents of pink, yellow, blue and purple in solid paper.

Coral, white, brown, light pink and yellow flower mobile in solid and patterned paper.

Beach inspired outlet covers.

Pink, turquoise, gray and purple flower mobile with solid and patterned paper with different flower sizes.

Light & dark purple, turquoise and vintage sheet music combined in a flower mobile.

Day 3 of 30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude

Day 3: Happiness

Folding origami gives me peace and happiness! I am working on a custom order for Christmas ornaments in Christmas colors, which is reminding me that Christmas is coming!!  And that makes me even happier!!

Joining the Ranks of the Employed (again)

Don't pass out or anything but I am actually doing a post and it's not a Ten on Tuesday either!!  I know I totally missed last weeks but I've had a lot going on and frankly blogging is taking a back seat.  But here I am getting ready to fill you in.

I am now employed!! To catch any of you up who don't know I have been a stay at home mom for over seven years now.  Back in August I headed back to work (part time) at a major portrait studio.  I liked it and wanted to eventually go on full time.  But that was just not in the cards for me.  I was laid off/let go in February.  So I hit the pavement trying to find something else.  Now I went to school for special education and taught in the public schools before my son was born.  I liked teaching but special education requires so much extra meeting time after school and paper work that I just didn't want to go back to that (I love staying home raising my kids but financially I have to work now) and my state teaching licence expired and in this economy I would have to get it renewed to even think about getting hired in the public school system again (money and time I don't have).  I have an Etsy business that I LOVE but working up a client base and marketing takes time.   One day my dream is become a full time Etsy seller but for now I just don't make enough.  About a month ago my husband called me up from work to tell me about a position opening at his college (he works for a local community college).  The position was for a part time compensatory education instructor.  Really just a fancy term for a basic skills teacher for adults with mental retardation and traumatic brain injury.  I thought it sounded perfect since it was in my field  but not in the public schools and part time.  So long story short I interviewed two weeks ago and was offered the position last Monday.  I have since been in to train and fill out paperwork and observe another class (to get my bearings).  The class is during school hours and only 3 days a week!  I am so excited about it.  I am nervous too since it's been a long time since I taught but I am excited to get back to it. 

So the last two weeks have been mostly focused on my new job but I have also been working full stem on my Etsy shop and trying to come up with new products but also just trying to get my work out to more people.  So here is a picture of my latest Flower Mobile.  It's a new color scheme (Black and White) but I also played around with different flower sizes and  paper material.  This one was made with some beautiful handmade paper, scrapbook paper and even some really fun clear plastic scrapbook paper.

 My Newest Flower Mobile

I also participated in a big yard sale (which also had other home based businesses attending) the weekend before last.  I didn't sell much but I got a lot of feedback on my work.  It also got my name out there which is huge.  I had my husband take a picture of the booth just because I thought it would be fun.

My Craft Booth Set up

Last week was also teacher appreciation week at my son's school (they sure didn't have that when I was teaching).  Anyway each day had a different theme.  We (the parents) provided lunch every day for the teachers and then I sent in something each day for the theme.  For example Wednesday was restocking day so I sent in glue sticks (which was on the list of things his teacher needed).  Thursday was send your teacher a flower day.  I love getting fresh flowers but I figured she and the assistant would be getting quite a few already so I decided to make some origami flowers for them and make them into bouquets.  It came out better than I expected!  So I just had to share.

The Teacher's Origami Flower Bouquet

The Assistant's Origami Flower Bouquet

The Origami Flower Bouquet with handmade tag from the side

Ten on Tuesday

 

1. What’s the one thing you always do when you’re stressed?

I freak out for a little bit.  I cry and play the worst case situations in my head.  I just sort of let the freak out happen then I feel better.

2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done for a friend?

Huh I don't know.  I really have to give that one some thought....  and I'm still blank.  My friend Jennie once made me (I know she couldn't make me but she pushed me till I relented) run through the sprinklers on the baseball field at our high school.  She really wanted to do it so I ended up going with her.  And that's pretty much how it goes with Jennie :).  It was a lot of fun but we froze after.

3. What cleaning supply could you not live without?

My vacuum cleaner.  I actaully like to vacuum and with my dog we NEED a good vacuum cleaner.

4. How long do you plan on living where you currently reside?

A long time!  I love my house and we have plenty of room so I see us here until we are old and gray and can't get up the stairs anymore!

5. Do you usually vote straight party, a mixture, or not at all?

Usually straight party but I have been known to mix it up if there is a good candidate not on my side.  It happens once in a blue moon!

6. What’s something that you love to do, but seem to never make time for?

Lately it seems to be reading.  I typically finish a few books a month but not for the last couple.  I seem to be so tired that I just head to bed instad of reading.  Or there is my Dexter obsession which has been having a major impact on my reading time as of late.  

7. What’s your favorite store to buy things for other people?

It depends on the person.  I always love Target and can usually find something for anyone there but I also love Barnes & Noble and Pier 1.

8. What’s the weather like around you today?

We are finally cooling off here!!  It got up to about 85 today and it wasn't too humid either.  So a really nice sunny day.  I just can't wait until we get to the time when the highs are in the 70's and I can open the windows for a little while!

9. What’s the worst book you’ve ever bought and read?

The worst book I bought and read is Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon.  It was badly written and I had the whole mystery/plot sloved by page 50.  I will never pick up a Sidney Sheldon book again.

10. What’s the closest thing to you that is yellow?

Some yellow origami paper sitting on my lap desk next to my laptop.  I got my first custom order on Etsy last night!!!!  Yep someone is ordering one of my Origami Flower Mobiles but in her daughter's nursery colors!  Yellow being one of the colors.  I will be sure to post a picture of it once it's done.

Special Project

I have been folding origami flowers like crazy for the last 4 days in order to prepare for a craft fair I will be selling at this coming weekend (the 17th in Garner, NC here is the website link if your interested).  Not only will be it be my first true craft fair that I have been to but it will be the first time I have tried to sell my crafts somewhere other than to family or on Etsy.  Anyway I have made a handful of new frames but I also wanted to have a few more Kusudama balls to try and sell.

So any free time I have had (like watching TV at night with James or when the kids are playing nicely ...  ha ha like that happens that often) I have been folding flowers.  Marley has seen me do it a few times and really wanted to take one of them.  So to placate her I told her I would make her some flowers when I finished with the last ball I made.  So Saturday and Sunday I only folded flowers for her.  I was going to make her a ball but I remembered I had a photo mobile kit I had gotten for Christmas.  I haven't had a chance to use it and thought that it might be really cute to take the flowers I folded and turn them into a mobile using the kit for Marley's room.  I needed 10 flowers since there were 10 clips on the mobile (2 less than I would need for a ball so that was nice).  I finished up the last one last night and clipped them to the mobile kit.  James and I were impressed with how good it ended up looking and working!!  So this morning I took the kids up with me to Marley's room and put it up for her.  

Marley's Room

You can see the mobile in the right hand corner of her room above her new big girl bed (OK it's really just her crib with the front pulled off).  Oh and she decided she was going to start climbing out of her crib last week so we had to convert her crib to "big girl bed" until we can find a real twin size bed we like.  So I am hoping the flower mobile will help her want to stay in her new bed.  The mobile looks good from this angle but the best is from the bottom or what Marley sees when she lays down.

With flash....

Without flash....

I am so happy with the results!!!  Now my son wants one too but NO flowers he says.  Hmmm... well that should be interesting.  I am going to see if there is an origami pattern for a rocket (that's not too complicated).  Or I will do stars for his.  But that's my next special project for all the free time I have....

1 Year Anniversary

July marks my one year anniversary of being on Etsy.  Now I really didn't start selling my wares until November BUT I was introduced to the wonder of Etsy about a year ago!!  Not only have I sold many frames but I have found some wonderful products and sellers in the process!  SO in honor of my 1 year anniversary I will be having FREE shipping in my shop tomorrow July 6th!!  So stop by and check it out!!

Here are a few (OK a little more than a few but it's too hard to pick just a few) of my creations that I love and that are up on my site for purchase.

 This was the start of it all!! I LOVE origami paper.  It's just so beautiful and comes in so many designs.  I just happened to have a puzzle piece paper punch & thought it might make a cool looking frame! This is also my biggest seller!

Baby Girl frame that can be personalized with a name.  SO cute (I did a boy one with the name for my Sister in law a few months back)!

 

Origami Kusudama Ball.  I love folding origami flowers and these are just so fun to make and put together.

 

This one is named Rough Around the Edges.  Again I love working with Origami paper because it's so beautiful & this was just another idea I had to use it!

This is most likely my all time favorite creation.  I loved making the flowers & the idea for the mirror happened quite by chance.