Runs on Coffee and Cream

It's been ridiculously hard getting back into sewing since Emma arrived. Between being tired, mentally and physically, having less free time, and feeling drained creatively, it's tough to go into the craft room and create things.

So what got me back into the swing of things? How did I sew and prep for my shows this past Summer?

First, just applying for shows (Fan Expo was paid for last year while I was still pregnant so I had no option to back out) lit a fire under me to get sewing. I didn't want to waste money and I didn't want to miss out on the shows I was signed up for. Graphic-con, Harry Potter charity event, and Fan Expo were shows I wanted to be at.

Second, having an amazing husband who would volunteer to be on baby monitor duty in the evening or during naps so I could put on my headphones and zone out while I sewed was a great help. I had no excuse to not try to get some things done.

Third, just doing it. Did I really want to go sew when Emma finally fell asleep for her afternoon nap? Nope. I wanted to sit on the couch with another cup of coffee and read my emails. But forcing my butt in the craft room and starting on projects actually helped me get my creative juices back. Finishing a pouch that I thought turned out great, or finding adorable scrap fabric I forgot I had made me excited for creating again.

All these pouches are for sale in my Etsy shop!

I've realized that for the next couple of years my sewing habits will never be the same as they were pre-baby. I'll have to head to the craft room only during naps, bedtime, or when Adam can help out. I'm going to be extra tired from now on, and some days I'll have to drag myself towards my sewing machine. But that's ok. I've streamlined the shows I want to sell at. My plan for 2019 is definitely low-key on the craft show front. I want to just create for the fun of it and to keep my Etsy shop updated and to gradually build up stock for the biggest show of every year - Fan Expo!

So my goal for the fall season is to get my Etsy shop completely updated. This never happens because I get too busy but with no more craft shows for a while, this is something I should be able to accomplish during daily nap times.

I updated my shop with 8 new pouches this past week and I have loads more to add. Check out my shop and keep an eye on it over the next little while for more new items!

When I haven't been exploring our new city or working on International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club, I've been busy sewing new products for upcoming comic conventions. I have two more this convention season and I'm really excited for both of them.

These are some of my finished products from the last month:

New Pillowcases


Pouches




This is new fabric that I bought recently and I love it!


Pillows


Tote and Hobo Bags



Kitty Kickers


This upcoming weekend is my next comic convention, ConBravo! I've never done it before so it'll be interesting to see what it's like. It's so nice that it's in Hamilton so I don't have to drive far from my parents' house. I'll be sure to take lots of photos over the weekend!



If you're going to ConBravo! this weekend, come find me in Artist Alley!

xo Jen

Last month I came across this awesome Etsy shop, Pixel Closet. The shop is filled with the cutest fused beads accessories! I'm in love with all the keychains in the shop! The LSP one is definitely my favourite. And I don't know about other cat owners, but my one kitty enjoys eating plants so we don't have any in our apartment. This only makes me want the Piranha Flower or Fire Flower even more!

Cross-stitching keeps popping up in my life.... a friend took it up, a family member started doing it again, I'm seeing it on Etsy and Instagram. But one of my favourite things I came across was this Etsy shop: Wee Little Stitches. And not only is the husband and wife team behind this company super talented but they're also local to me!

I had a really hard time narrowing down which cross-stitch patterns to post here because there are so many amazing ones. So please check out Wee Little Stitches' Etsy shop and keep an eye on their Facebook page where they post new patterns often!

I look forward to learning how to cross-stitch one day and trying out these patterns!

xo Jen

This year looks to be a busy one for my crafting. Right now I have 3 comic conventions booked for the year and there's a couple more I'm considering applying to. There's also a few craft shows in the Fall and early Winter that I hope to do as well.

Comic Conventions I'll have a table at:
* Toronto Comicon - March 9-10
* Niagara Falls Comic Con - June 8-9
* Fan Expo Canada - August 22-25

I've already started sewing and stocking up for these shows. I have learned that you can never have too much stock and whatever I have left over can be used for the next show. Plus, I want to keep my Etsy shop updated so I should be able to post new items every couple of weeks throughout the year.








I've also listed a few new pillowcases in my Etsy shop.

I'll be listing some new pouches over the next week, so watch out for them!

xo Jen

Recently I connected with a fellow geeky crafter, Sarah Jean, through Twitter and Etsy and I completely fell in love with her designs. Her company name is Synapse to Synapse Designs and she makes cross stitch art accessories. Her Etsy shop is filled with geeky, retro, cross stitch designs.

The twitter universe introduced me to a really great lady, Kristy, who is quite the Star Wars fan. After posting a picture of some stockings I was working on, she put dibs on one of the Star Wars stockings. So along with the stocking, she also requested a Star Wars tote bag. I was more than happy to work on her request and send off a Star Wars package.



I used up most of the Star Wars fabric I had, so with the scraps I sewed up a few coin purses to put up in my Etsy shop and to send one along with Kristy's order.



Conveniently, she just received her package this week which worked out since I had planned on blogging about this custom order today... oh how wonderfully it all worked out!

Go check out Kristy's awesome blogs,  Indie Girl Blogs and Kristy's Star Wars Friday!

xo Jen

The holiday season is underway for me... I have a good chunk of my Christmas shopping done, I purchased wrapping paper and Christmas cards (with kittens on them!) tonight, and my Etsy and custom orders are increasing!

I recently updated my Etsy shop with all my zipper pouches I have on hand. There are 28 in my shop currently. Earlier this week I photographed all the pillowcases I have so I will be starting to update my Etsy shop with those later this week.

And remember, if you are looking for a specific item or fabric, send me an email at sparklegirl.jen@gmail.com

On Facebook, I currently have a giveaway going. I will be drawing a winner at the end of November to win any zipper pouch of their choice from my Etsy shop. So head over to my Facebook page to enter!

Finally, I'm offering 10% off in my Etsy shop with the coupon code: HOLIDAYS2012

Happy Holiday Shopping!!

xo Jen

I have been wanting to make my own skirts for quite some time now... at least a couple of years really. At the end of August, right before Fan Expo, I finally made my first skirt. I made it from a dark, Spider-man sheet that I had. It was actually much easier than I expected it to be and I had very few problems making it. After posting a picture of it on Instagram after finishing it, I felt pretty confident with the result since it was getting pretty awesome compliments.



For my first skirt, I'm very happy with how it turned out and I've been wearing it regularly. 


Trying out new crafts and hands-on projects is so much fun when the finished project turns out good. Obviously, there can be a bit of frustration or even some flaws with the end product. But when you're happy with the end result, it is such a great feeling!

A friend of mine wanted to try experimenting with mod podge and all the comics we had lying around (specifically, the free comics we get at conventions). So we bought some headbands online and tried making some comic headbands. I made the X-Men (Wolverine/Cyclops) and Spider-man headbands. Mary made the rest. She even started to get all fancy using scrapbooking papers as well.

These were our two first headbands - X-Men and Superman!



I then tried making a Spider-man one which I wasn't super pleased with the finished result. Not to sell anyways, but I'll definitely wear it.


Mary's newest creations:


We brought the headbands to Art Crawl a couple of weeks ago and they were a success! I'm definitely excited to make more.

Have you tried any new DIY or craft projects lately?

xo Jen

I feel like I started prepping for Fan Expo Canada a long time ago.... Maybe 6 months ago I started sewing pillowcases to get ready. It paid off starting early though. I have more stock than ever before. I'm really happy with my tote bags and pouches. There's so many I'd keep for myself (I'll see what I have leftover). And my pillowcase selection is great. I have everything from Sailor Moon to Star Wars to Power Rangers to Pokemon.

I'm excited and nervous for Fan Expo this weekend. I'm always nervous for the first day of a show. Getting to the venue, registering, finding your table... it makes me nervous.

 
New banner!

 
My coat rack is FULL!

 
Kitty kickers
 
Finished pillows:
 

Some of my favourite tote bags I finished:
 

These are just a tiny sample of what I'll have with me at Fan Expo. And within 2 weeks after the show I should be doing a giant Etsy update of what I have leftover.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!
xo Jen