new blog [letters & loops]

I have started a new blog for my cards & yarn crafts called letters & loops.  I am working on a logo / branding for the new blog and an Etsy shop and hope to have merchandise in the shop soon!  I plan on maintaining this blog still, but I will put all craft related stuff on the new site.  It's up and running now, but I don't have any content on it.  Check back soon!!

I need your help!

I have been putting it off for too long now, but I really need to get an Etsy shop up.  What's been keeping me from actually doing it is the fact that I couldn't think of a name that I LOVED.  So after mulling this over for long enough now, I have come up with two names that I think would represent the bulk of what I would be selling - cards & knitted / crocheted things [at least for the near future], drum roll please...

"Letters & Loops"
I like this one because of the "faux" alliteration and it rolls off your tongue nicely.
 [OR]
"Loops & Swoops"
Nice and catchy, sort of rhymy... 

Each name has a component that represents a product that I would feature in my shop, it should be self - explanatory [if it's not then I have a problem & I need to rethink these...]  

I would appreciate your feedback, so drop me a line either on here or via email [melis.jensen@gmail.com] with your thoughts.  Here are a few pictures of the type of things I will be selling for your consideration to help you make your decision. 

Thanks for your help!!


p.s. - This is not to discount the invaluable input that I have already received from all of my friends & family on this subject, I just thought this was a good way to get a larger sampling of what everyone thought at once.  :)

Gingerbread

This was my first solo attempt at making cake balls.  I wanted to make something festive and easy to enjoy on Thanksgiving, so I chose a boxed gingerbread cake mix.  You bake the cake normally and let it fully cool and then break up the cake (with your hands) and mix in about 3/4 of a container of frosting.   

All mixed up and rolled with cream cheese frosting, ready to go into the freezer for about 45 minutes to set up. 

I speared the cake balls on a wooden skewer before dipping them in melted white chocolate that I colored with green food coloring.  After they were all coated in green I popped them back in the fridge for a little bit and then topped them off with more white chocolate and red sugar!  I wasn't able to coat the cake as evenly as I would have liked, but I think the mini muffin liners complete the look.

Still here...

I know it's been quite a while since I updated you all...  October was VERY busy!  Nicks parents came for a visit the second weekend for the U of A v. Oregon State football game.  They brought 2 other couples with them too.  Unfortunately, the Wildcats lost, but I was kind of happy that the out of towners got a win.  And the game didn't disappoint either, it was back and forth the whole game and wasn't decided until the final seconds!  We had a great time visiting with everyone and had AMAZING weather too, did lots of outside activities and even took my M-I-L to a ZUMBA class.  We also made two trips up to Phoenix, once for a Lewis & Roca retreat and then for an investment club meeting.  We had to movee out of our place by the middle of October, so during our last trip to Phoenix we rented a Uhaul and picked up all of our stuff [that friends and family so graciously stored for over a year!] that was scattered in various places all over Mesa / Scottsdale.  Which included getting all of our wedding gifts!!  FINALLY!!  We even made a pit stop in Tucson and cleaned out our storage unit too!!! 

I seriously felt like it was Christmas unpacking all of the Crate & Barrel gift boxes!!  I had to stop myself at one point to make sure Nick had a chance to take part in the fun...  :)  And now I feel like we have our own Crate & Barrel store in our kitchen!  Between unpacking all of the gifts and buying new stuff to fill our home up with, I feel like the Return Queen!  I have been at the Super Target so many times first thing in the morning, I am surprised they don't know me yet!!

So now we are all unpacked and settled in our new house.  I am busy trying to get it decorated for the holidays, but that's going slowly...  We will be getting a Christmas tree [fake, much to Nicks dismay] in the coming weeks!  I can't wait!!!  It will be the first Christmas we will get to decorate for as a married couple!!  Last year in New York our studio was so teeny and we were gone in AZ for 3 weeks so the most I did was make Nick an advent calendar.  [Which I need to get working on!]

I have been busy crafting away!  My friend Brittney's brother is in the military overseas and she thought it would be nice if a bunch of us sent him and his troop Christmas cards.  Here are a few pictures of the cards I made to wish them a happy holiday!

 

I have been working on designing our Christmas cards too.  My mom gave me a great scrapbooking book that has a ton of craft projects for the holidays which has given me lots of ideas!     

My good friend Alice had a baby boy earlier this year so I made him a blanket, this was my first crocheted project!   Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Sweet Baby James with it, but here is a picture I took while I was working on it.  It's more contemporary looking than most of the other blankets I have done in the past.  You crochet each band and then zig zag stitch it to the next strip.   

The thing I am obsessed with now is knitting cowls!  My first one was a mobious cowl which I knitted on circular needles that has a half twist in it.  And I just finished another one that is super chunky and can be worn around your neck bunched up or pulled partially over your head.  [I will post pictures soon!]

swap party

Yesterday Nate Berkus did a segment on his show about swap parties!  I love this idea!  It's green, economical, and you get the chance to get something new that a friend would otherwise throw away.  Plan a get together with your girlfriends and have each person bring 5 items that they don't want any longer and take turns auctioning off your pieces.  To get started pass out $150 of monopoly money to each person, this is what they will use to bid on items.  The first person displays their item and gives a little background on the piece they brought, then they pick a starting point to start the bidding off.  Then move on to the next person, and you get the idea, until everyone has gotten rid of their stuff.

A couple of guidelines:
1.  If you are re-gifting something, make sure that the person who gave it to you first will NOT be attending the party.
2.  Themed swap parties, kids stuff, books, ex gifts, etc...
3.  For a clothing swap, try to invite similarly sized people. 
4.  Make sure that all items are gently used and clean before they are brought.

I love, LOVE, LOVE this idea!!!  I think I will be organizing one of these for the Christmas holiday!  Friends beware!!

Here is a link to Real Simple's article on how - to organize your own swap party!!

sneak peak

Here is a little preview of what I have been working on the past few days to sell in my shop on Etsy or elsewhere...  I built myself a little light box to improve the quality of the photographs, but I still have a lot to learn.  I have been brainstorming trying to come up with a creative name, but am not excited about anything I have come up with just yet.  So if you have any ideas about what you see here or my design aesthetic please feel free to share!!

clothes pin decorated with handmade paper flower

handmade paper flower with rhinestone center

thank you card with clothes pin attached

paisley card with flowers and clothes pin attached

clothes pins with handmade flowers

handmade flowers and clothespins

miss you card

I have many more cards "stockpiled" to put up for sale as soon as I figure out a business name.  And a new blog to follow too focusing on all my crafting projects!

Summer 2010

Ok folks, I know it's been a while since I have updated this here blog!  We are enjoying our new home in Tucson.  Nick has settled in to his job at Lewis & Roca and is LOVING it.  There are quite a few people that Nick attended law school with at U of A that are still in Tucson, so it's been great getting to see them again and that has made the transition easier. 

Since it's been a while, I decided that I would catch up with one entry with all that we've been up to!

At the beginning of June we had the pleasure of attending our friends Ed & Sacha's wedding at Tlaquepaque (where we were married last year!).  It was so nice to be up there and enjoy the setting and all that Tlaquepaque has to offer and not have all of the stress from our wedding, but it definitely brought back so many wonderful memories!!  Our friends Shane & Karyn were at the wedding too and it was great to be able to hang out with them, we had a couple of late nights catching up and a day trip to Slide Rock. 

Rachel and her friend Mandi have an annual clam bake over the 4th of July which they started last year.  We were so bummed that we were unable to go last year because of all the things going on (bar exam, wedding preparations, etc...), but we were able to make it out this year!  I was so excited to see the girls and baby Caleb again.  Rachel and Brian bought a giant flat screen tv and PS3 right before the holiday so Nick and Brian pretty much spent the weekend vegging out on the couch playing video games, they were in heaven!!!  On the 4th, we woke up early and went over to Mandi's house to meet everyone and walk over to the Huntington Beach parade.  Mandi is an interior designer too and makes invitations, needless to say her house is super cute and she always has everything planned down to the tiniest detail.  She made a basket of muffins to take to the parade for us to devour while we waited for the parade to start.  After the parade we went back to Mandi's house and were joined by some other families for the clam bake!  They had pools, slip & slides, and games all set up for the kids!  We ate outside and basked in the crisp California air and munch on great food all day!  In the evening we made s'mores and camped out on the front yard ready to see the fireworks!!!  Such a great holiday, but our time always seems to go TOO quick when we are with the Keranens!  

 

On August 8th we celebrated our first wedding anniversary!  The night before we went out to dinner at Janos at La Paloma in the foothills nearby.  We both opted to do the taste of San Francisco that the chef was featuring which included a tapas offering with 10 bite size entrees / appetizers to sample!!  Kind of funny, the other two couples sitting in our section were celebrating anniversaries too, 3 & 30 years!!  Then the next day we barbecued burgers with a creamy blue cheese sauce, wine from our wedding, and our wedding cake!  I was nervous about eating the year old cake, but it was yummy and we didn't get sick!  :)

     

The second weekend of August we went to Denver, Colorado for one of Nicks law school buddies weddings.  I had never been to Denver and was pleasantly surprised!!!  The downtown area has been revitalized and kept up very well.  There is a free shuttle that runs down 16th street that makes it easy to get around.  I loved walking around and looking at all of the architecture!!  Most of the law school clan made it out for the wedding, so thankful to have the wedding to unite everyone after a year!  And maybe we will get to do it again sometime next year as another couple got engaged that weekend!!  Our last day there we went to a local bar and had lunch on the patio and then walked around by the Rockies stadium and sat on a bench to people watch while the game let out and then we went to a rooftop bar. 

That's all for now!! 

I have been working on making some cards to put in my new etsy shop, stay tuned for more information on that...  :)