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!

I was going through the HUGE Press section of mahardrygoods.com (if you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out!) and I was so pleased to find my huggable fruits in a post on ohdeeoh!  I’m so proud to be a part of this awesome store.

I know, I know, I desperately need to update the pages on my website but here’s a list of other equally beautiful stores that carry Janie XY toys.

34.Fourteen

34fourteen.com

Flock Shop

flockshopla.com

Mahar Dry Goods

mahardrygoods.com

Renegade Handmade

renegadehandmade.com

I’m hoping that I’m getting back into the habit of blogging.  It’s so stress relieving to take a break from that sewing machine in the cold/hot garage–a.k.a. my studio.

Today, I was a vendor at the Long Beach Sunday Market and met some AWESOME people.  I think meeting fellow vendors is one of my favorite parts about these events.  A couple of my favorites….

Pearl Helix Bracelet by Penrose Designs

Silver Elephant Necklace by Lovely and Amazing

I also got asked by a few kids (5-9 years old)  to draw some pictures of my toys for them.  I’ve never considered myself much of an artist–especially when it comes to drawing, but one girl said, “My grandma is an artist.  Do you think she’ll be able to draw Billy the Blueberry like you did?”  I was flattered, especially since Billy is just a couple of circles thrown together in a few places.

It did get me thinking though, maybe there will be a Janie XY coloring book in the works?  :)  Let’s hope so!

Oh and before I forget, let this be a lesson for all your crafters or people thinking about selling your wares at shows like this.  You may have your products, table cloth, display, etc. set up, but make sure, especially when the show is on a Sunday morning at 9 am, that you HAVE CHANGE FOR THE EVENT!

I couldn’t believe I forgot that very important detail, but I did.  lol.  Luckily, I found out that our local Ralph’s opens at 6 am and that they happily give LOTS of change.  Lesson learned.

First, it was Wilbur.  Which made sense.  He was the pioneer of the Janie XY collection.  All I wanted was a big version of him since I was so proud (not to mention surprised) that I was taught myself to create a toy pattern and sew it up!

Unfortunately, Big Wilbur will be going into retirement very soon (get yours while they’re still available here!) but don’t worry…  We’re looking for the next El Gigante plushie and you’re choosing it this time!  Due to the response I got this morning from posting the idea, I realized that just like government, we’re going to need to set some ground rules.

• Polls open at 6 am on Friday, March 5 right here on the blog.
• Polls will close at 11:59 on Friday, March 12.
• You can only vote ONCE so choose carefully!
• Share this poll with your friends!  In this case, it’s all about quantity–not quality.
• I will announce the winner on March 13 and will start sewing away and you’ll see a super sized plushie soon after!

While we’re in the spirit of community, if you mention @janiexy in a tweet (Follow us on Twitter) or leave a comment on our Facebook Fan Page during the polling period, you will be entered for a chance to win the new El Gigante plushie!  Every mention and comment will receive a number and the winner will be chosen at random.  You get an extra entry if you post a picture with your Janie XY plushie!  Winner will also be announced on March 13.

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!!

The truth is that I make toys all the time, but something funny happens between the last stitch and the time when I hit the “finish” button while listing it.  I can’t find time to take picture, pictures come out bad, Photoshop takes forever to open, and the list goes on and on.  So, you can see why I don’t list very often and when I do, I do it in bursts.  This time, we’ve got 3 new toys listed!  come and check them out!

Today is Day 1 of my Paper N Stitch exhibit.  It’s the first time I’ve been a part of something like this and it’s really exciting!  It’s kind of crazy seeing my toys up with other great artists–the kind that I admired about 6 months ago and never thought I’d get to be a part of.  It’s amazing to see the progress I’ve been lucky to receive in the past few months.  What a great start off to the new year!

Check out my exhibit here. And don’t forget to leave comments.

Yesterday, I spent the day exchanging emails with the awesome Michelle from Flock Shop in Chinatown.  She’s going to be carrying almost my entire line in her super cool/urban/trendy store.  Wow.  I can’t believe I just typed that sentence… Toys that only my friends and family knew about just a few months ago are now going to be in a store for the public to see!  And hopefully it won’t be the only place you’ll find Janie XY.  I’m in contact with a few other places too so you’ll have a nice selection of stores to find my goods.  :)  I will make sure to keep you posted!

If you’re in the LA area and want to check it out, it’s at:

943 N Broadway
Ste 103
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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.