A few weeks ago, I got a convo from an Etsy buyer asking me if I would make her a custom toy… I’ve received convos like this before, but most of the time, they really just want one of my designs in a larger size or it doesn’t end up coming through because the buyers expectations of quality can’t meet the price they expect to pay.  (I love a challenge, but it’s hard to deliver a good product when buyers expect to only pay about $30 for at least 10 hours of work.. ouch.)

But, this custom order went through very smoothly.  :)  She asked me to make a kettle bell (don’t worry, I didn’t know what it was either until she sent me a link–it’s basically a weight that’s a ball with a handle) and I figured that after some minor pattern adjustments, this was something we could definitely work out.

I’m really proud of how it turned out!  It’s pretty big at 11″ x 11″ and I’m very satisfied with the felt applique I made and hand stitched on the back.  Check it out!

Buffy the kettle bell is the toughest physical trainer out there. She’s worked with celebrities, royalty, and CEOs, but her favorite clients are the nice “Average Joes”. She’s loyal and will stay by your side as long as you need her–but really, who would let go of this cutie?

I love how the applique turned out.  I chose a font I liked (I used Rockwell which you can download at dafont.com for FREE) and sized it to what I needed in Word.  To save some ink, when to Font and check the outline box since I only needed the shape of the letters to be printed out.  Then I cut the letters out and traced it onto the gray felt with a disappearing marker (you can buy it for a few dollars at Joann’s.  TOTALLY WORTH IT.)  And here comes the time consuming part, I hand stitched the letters onto the finished plushie with a simple backstitch.  Hulu helped me pass the time.  I watched last week’s episodes of Parks and Recreation and the Office.  :)

Want one of your own?  Send me an email to jane@janiexy.com and I’ll re-list it for you!

Ever since my dad took a business trip there a few years back (probably more like 10+ years back–scary that I can remember that far) it’s been a place I’ve been wanting to visit.  Unfortunately, with between making toys, a day job, and other things, I myself can’t go yet–instead, I sent my toys!

I was so excited to receive an email from Renegade Handmade (I am such a huge fan of the Renegade Craft Fair and just looking at their website puts me in the Disneyland of handmade goodies) saying that they wanted to carry my plushies in their store!

After finally getting all my inventory replenished, I sent out  box of all the fruits and I just received word that they’ve landed safely in Chicago.  Just to see how “official” I am now, I headed over to their website and found my logo under their “Artists” section.

And here I am!  Right now, I’m only available in their retail location, not on their website.  So that’s why you won’t see any shop items when you click there.

So if you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to stop by and tell me how it is!!

For those of you who follow my Facebook and Twitter updates, you know that I’m going to be in my first big craft/indie show, letting thousands of people see my toys up close and personal. *deep breath* Just the thought of it is so nerve wrecking! But, I digress.

Luckily, the owner of a consignment store where you’ll be finding my toys in next year (let’s say she’s my friend too since she’s so sweet!) is hosting a trunk show in Burbank to give the community a little teaser of what her store will be like and she invited me to be a part of it! If you live in the LA area, or will be here December 3, come check out Bare Sole (from 5 pm – 9 pm and meet me and about 11 other artists/crafters that will be in Papermoon Boutique (coming soon!) early next year.

And, if you live in the LA area, or will be here from December 5-6, please make sure to also check out Unique LA. I know that a $10 cover charge sounds steep, but here are a list of pros and cons for you to consider.

Pros:

• Variety. You’ll see me and about 300 other vendors.  That’s right.  Three Hundred.  So you’re bound to find something you’ll absolutely fall in love with.
• One Stop Shop. Get all your holiday shopping done in one place.  As I said, there are 300 vendors, and there are even 50 eco-friendly vendors for you tree huggers (or the tree huggers in your life).  So, what I’m trying to say is that you’re going to find something there for just about everyone.
• Freebies. Every guest gets a cool tote bag designed by the same folks that brought you those iconic Obama posters.  Not a Democrat?  Well, it’s not like it’s going to have Obama’s face on it, so no worries!  Also, you’ll enjoy free drinks, workshops/classes, and a photobooth with awesome props taken by a professional photographer.  And just so we’re clear, all of those things listed in the previous sentence were FREE.
• Trendy. This is not your granny’s craft fair.  Most of the artists and designers there are young people like myself.  I know this because I met at least half of them last weekend.  So, don’t expect needle pointed cats with butterflies resting on their noses, a quilt designed with Billy Rae Cyrus’ mullet in mind, or Precious Moments inspired paintings of children.  DO expect, lots of unique tshirts (most are on limited runs), dia de los muertos paintings, lots of eclectic jewlery, and cool toys *ahem*.
• Locally Made. 99% of the wares you find at this fair are made right here in the U.S. of A.  None of that China stuff.  And the only sweat shop labor you’ll find is from the artist themselves.  But not in the depressing sweat shop connotation, but rather in the “I am the person that made this and I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this… in a non-gross way.  Ya feel me?”

Cons:

• You may have a hard time deciding what to buy because of all the good stuff there.  It’ll be like AM/PM for your aesthetics.  Too much good stuff.

Lord knows I can go on and on about this, and really anything else, but I’m not going to.  I think you get the idea.  It’s going to be awesome.  I’m going to be there.  And you need to be there too.

Living in L.A., I’ve grown extremely tired of “pet people”. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals, but I think it’s a bit excessive to carry your dog in a stroller, put rain boots on it (in LA! When does it ever rain here), etc.

But when I saw this, I couldn’t resist. If I had a furry friend, I would definitely be tempted to order this from IttyBittiesForYou.

My toys love each other.

I know.  I was M.I.A. for… oh, I don’t even want to count how long it’s been.  It would depress me.  But I come with good news.

I’ve been busy preparing for the Unique Los Angeles show I got accepted to.  (woo hoo!)  I’ve been sewing up a storm in the studio (a.k.a. garage, a.k.a. extended kitchen–we have an extra fridge there…6 people in a household need all the fridges we can get!).  I have a few  new toys to add to the collections, all fruits and veggies.  Now that the show is about 2 weeks away and I’m just about done sewing all the toys, I’m starting to think of little tiny things I can bring… you know, to widen the price brackets.

OH, so much to do, but it’s nice to see my blog again… It’s like coming home and telling my family about my day.  Except that I can’t see you guys and I have no idea if you’re listening.  But it’s just about the same in real life.  haha.

Anyway, check out my store!  I’m still working on it, but here’s what I have so far!

http://janiexy.bigcartel.com

Oh, and since you are all lovely readers, enjoy 25% off your order when your enter “janiexyrox” in the discount code field.  :)  Tell all your friends!

I’m fairly new to the contact paper world.  In fact, I bought a roll of super cool stainless steel looking contact paper and had it sitting in my closet for months before I knew what to do with it.  I know, it’s shameful.  But after hours of online window shopping one day, it dawned on me.  This stuff can make anything look like a million bucks!  My first project:  classic clear vases.  Although they’re pretty on their own, with the help of some sticky paper, it now looks modern, fresh, and well…expensive.  Here’s what you need:

A rotary cutter or scissors, a ruler, an X-Acto Knife, maker or pencil (not pictured), and of course, contact paper and the vase

Measure the area you want to be covered.  I only wanted the bottom half of my vase to be covered, so I measured up to half of it and cut.  I decided a on a cool river rock pattern because the design is simple, modern, and cutting it out would be easy.  Then, carefully stick your new design to the vase being careful not to make too many bubbles or creases.  If you run across a bubble, with your X-Acto knife, just pierce a tiny hole and flatten.

Tada!  Enjoy a fresh new vase with minimal cost!  Ah, I ♥ crafting.

Pom Pom Flowers Tutorial by Domestifluff

I love Dandelions.  They’re probably the daintiest weed sprouting on your lawn and just the thought of them reminds me of my childhood–I honestly believed that if you made a wish on them it would come true.  But, I like many humans suffer from allergies, so it’s not always fun to play with them.  You can still get the look and it’ll last longer with this project from Domestifluff.com.  (By the way, how cute is the name of that website?)  These can make some great home decor accents, gift toppers, and much more!  Best part, no allergies.  Unless you’re allergic to yarn, wire, or creativity.

Remember that infinity inspired scarf I started working on last week?  Well, it’s done.  No, it didn’t take me an entire week to finish it.  More like a total of 6-7 hours.  I just took very long breaks in between.  Breaks that lasted days.  So, as I approached the end of my ball of Simply Soft black yarn, I decided to give it a test run and see how much more I needed to go.  I was surprised to find that I actually liked the scarf very short and after I attached a few buttons, my infinity scarf turned into more of a cowl scarf.  It’s all good.  I’m also going to call it the t-shirt transformer because my plain outfit looked a lot more put together after I threw on my new scarf adorned with awesomely cool gold buttons I found in our luxurious design studio (aka our garage).

Sometimes I steer away from crochet magazines because their patterns are often… tacky.  I’m sorry but they are.  I might be the color combinations, the pattern itself, or the photographs with the perfectly coiffed models and plastic smiles.  But Crochet Today (I’ve discovered) is a great magazine for young crochet addicts like myself.  There are lots of cute patterns and the colors are inspiring.  Sergio just bought me their latest issue that features over 30 projects and as they advertise, they are very quick and easy.  I can’t wait to get started.

But that’s not what I’m writing this post about.  No, this post is about the free pattern advertisement on the back cover of the issue.  A crocheted “Snuggle Blanket”.  I’m not a huge fan of this, although I’m sure it’s extremely warm, I just can’t get over the concept of a blanket with sleeves.  I’m sorry.  I like my blankets rectangular and without a pre-designated space for my arms. What really made me laugh was that they have this pattern for everyone in your family….

The traditional Snuggle Blanket Sizes.  Adult and Kids.

For Baby/Old Person in recliner look-alike.

And don’t forget Barbie.

The baby in the green snuggle blanket does look incredibly comfortable though…  I may start to change my mind.

Amy, the awesome writer of Mod Podge Rocks, not only has a website with tons of project ideas featuring the popular medium but she’s also hosting another giveaway.  This time, she has six–count ‘em, SIX, copies of Rosie O’Donnell’s Crafty U.  All you need to do is follow her blog or twitter (do both and you get 2 entries!) and winners will be picked at random next Friday.  See the post for more information.

And if you don’t like Rosie, you should enter anyway because 1) you won’t regret visiting Amy’s blog and 2) it’s a free book.  What do you have to lose?