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.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve written. Let me tell you, that was hands down the craziest December I’ve ever had. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but still, certified crazy. After Unique LA, I had at least 5 stores email me asking to carry my toys in their stores. (I’m currently in Flock Shop right now and I’m working with a few other stores) Then my sister came into town (which on its own is already a handful lol) and we did some VERY last minute holiday shopping. I mean, we started wrapping presents on the morning of the 24th. We usually have it all ready at least a week in advance.

Then, something awesome happened. I checked out how many “hearts” I had on my Etsy store, not something I obsess over, but it’s always fun to see. I noticed I went from something like 70 hearts to 160 in about 3 days. It got me wondering why the sudden spike… I figured that it was from all the exposure from Unique LA, but I, like most people in the world decided to google myself. I found that Etsy included me in their blog post! Tommie the Tomato was featured in “Cute Explosion“. After that, I was receiving orders everyday instead of every week!

Things have calmed down since the New Year. But, on a personal note, Sergio and I have a New Year’s Resolution Goal that we’d like to keep this year. We usually never do these things, but I realized that I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 22 years now and I haven’t done a lot of the things that even tourists have done. I’ve never been to Venice Beach, haven’t visited Universal Studios since the Flintstone movie came out over 15 years ago, never been to the Hollywood Bowl… You get the idea. So this year, I’m going to prove that LA is packed with culture and do everything that I can to explore it this year and the rest of California if I get the chance.

We’re off to a good start! We spent New Year’s day in San Diego with my cousin and walked around Balboa Park over there (so pretty!) and over the weekend, I (for the first time!) walked down Melrose and picked up a few toys from Kid Robot–Sergio has decided he’s going to collect the Futurama vinyl toys they have since I gave him one for Christmas this year. It may get expensive since it’s a blind assortment–which means, you don’t know what you’re buying ’til you open the box. It’s like collecting Pokemon cards all over again…

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

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.

Just as I was about to write–no, film a tutorial of how to block your lovely knotted work, I plugged in my iron and found nothing. Nothing. That’s right. My iron is broken. No one knows how. Seems to be a mystery, but I guess that’s not important because the fact still remains that we need a new iron. Any suggestions? I need some serious steaming power on it.

Itty Bitty Pretty in Pink and Stripes, $2.35

You know when you find a nickel on the street and it somehow makes your day–even though you can’t really buy anything for a nickel anymore?  But just knowing that maybe this nickel will even out your coin collection to be worth $10, or knowing you’ve walked away with something you didn’t start your day with.

Itty Bitty Mini Owl Cards, $2.20

Well, that’s how I feel about thank you notes.  Usually, when I purchase  or trade something on Etsy, my favorite part is opening the package and finding a simple “thanks!” included with my awesome item.  It always reminds me that there’s a human on the other side of this–the human that made what I now own.  That’s why these mini thank you cards are the perfect fit to lift up anyone’s day.  Give them their “lucky penny”.

Snowy652’s selection of mini cards will give anyone in need of pint-size stationary exactly what they’re looking for.

‘63 Classic Note Card Set by Lil Epic Prints, $30

Here is what I imagine my life 5 years from now to be like.  I’ll be married to my dream guy (the kind of couple that would win the grand prize at the Newlywed game), we’ll have a house in a quaint town that’s small enough for people to know who you are, but big enough for them not to be in your business.  Every room in my house will be decorated differently, we may have a Great Dane named Pony or a Pug named Lars (I haven’t decided yet), and we would have this stationary with our last name printed on it–so we as a couple can use it!

This stationary says everything about me and my future husband in its design:  we like cars, we LOVE classic cars, we find neutral colors like gray exciting, and we enjoy handwritten sentiments.  So, when I get married, you know what’s going to be on my registry…

My boss had a baby shower in July and since then we’ve been busy writing thank you cards to everyone that attended, sent a gift, or couldn’t make it but sent their best.  In other words, lots and lots of thank you cards.  Since we’ve already gone through so many sets of them (Papyrus must be happy with us!) I’ve come to realize how important it is to have a good set of thank you cards in your stash.  Why are these so cool?  They’re pretty neutral!  Anyone can use them and not feel weird (there are a lot of girly thank you cards out there that the man in your life won’t feel comfortable using) AND they’re good for any occasion:  baby shower, wedding, birthday, your dog’s birthday, “thank you for not completely running me over with your car”, the list goes on and on.

Bird Thank You Cards by Oh Clementine $10

From Left: Yellow Zombie Bunny, $16.50; Anni-Bear, $20; Brown Zombie Bunny Keychain, $10.50

What an appropriate name for this Etsy store.  ”Every treat in this shop is knitted and filled with love.”  And, I’m falling in love with each knitted plushie on here!  Plushies range from $5.50 to $20 and at those prices, I know what you’re thinking… How can I resist now with those prices?!  Exactly.  Oh, and as if you’re not already sold on this great deal, I spoke to the creator, and she’s just as sweet at her toys.  Check out Knitted Love to see the great selection of knitted cuties and other awesome items in her shop.  Can’t choose?  My personal favorites are the zombie bunnies.