Fabric Scrap Journal - DIY

I created bunches of these journals a few years ago and they were such a hit, I thought I'd share my process! They are super easy & pretty. And a great way to use up fabric scraps - which, is what prompted me to make this in the first place. I've been doing so much sewing & I just can't bear to throw away even the littlest of bits...especially from my own fabric designs - which I used here! 

What you need:

• Paper journal, I use Moleskine. You need to be able to stitch through it. 
• Scraps (paper works too, but somehow I only have mounds of fabric...) 
• Thick sewing machine needle.  Gotta punch through that paper.
• Optional: spray adhesive, fray check

For this design, I wanted simple geometric, plus my scraps were extra small. I cut them down to one inch squares and laid out in a design. 

Sometimes I spray a super-duper light coat of spray adhesive on the back to help the design stay in place. But, honestly, I don't like how that stuff smells. So, for this one, I just winged it and placed them as I stitched my rows. Then, I stitched my pattern, being sure that each piece is secured. I thought about stitching a grid, but liked the vertical lines.  This isn't rocket science, just go with what you like. There's lots of threads as you stop & start each area, just trim them carefully. 

Here's a lovely leaf design I made earlier this year for a friend. I think these make super cute gifts - include a special pen, desk accessories, or a little note tucked inside. 

Happy journaling! 

Wintry Weekend

Hello & happy Monday! We enjoyed a festive holiday weekend....felt a lot more like winter. Not just the chilly mornings, but we went full out - busted out the holiday movies & even got our tree.  I love this time of year, so much excitement & joy. 

Look up there, that's my first ever attempt at pie. Jack & I snuck away into the kitchen to whip up this beauty for my hubby's birthday. Either I had really low expectations or I found the best, no fail apple recipe ever! Jack made the stars...which are sweet, and they detract from the edge that I had no idea what to do with! Oh, and it's vegan ;)

At this lovely little family farm we go to every year. Everyday Jack & I plan the farm we'll have together someday. 

Prettiest orange tree ever. 

Christmas lights + moon. Lovely. 

My little artist came up with this drawing himself. Just popped over & showed it to me...thinking I love that flower so much I might have to scan it for a fabric design!

Good Fortune

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. It's been so nice here, hanging out with family & friends - I really just love seeing the kids get excited for the little things. 

Last week, I guest posted over at Oh My Handmade Goodness, sharing my thoughts for having a Plan B during the holidays (come on over & say hello!) - it's funny, because I created this quote image awhile back, but it's something I really need to reflect on now.  Sometimes it's easy to feel like luck is something that's just out there floating around and it magically lands on some people...but more often I think it's more about being open and available when a good opportunity comes along. In business and in life, I think it's crucial to make plans, to get things all set, and when they are - when that opportunity comes around, big or small, we're ready to grab hold and run with it.  I can think of so many occasions where something awesome has come my way, but due to my poor planning or unreadiness, I just wasn't there to seize upon it.  So, this month, I'm mentally focusing on getting my little ducks in their rows and excited to see what else comes my way! 

What are you planning? What things do you feel need to be lined up? 

Have a great rest of the weekend! 



{ps. thank you to everyone for sharing my free shipping weekend!}

Free Ship Weekend!

That's right. Free shipping. This whole weekend. 

That means you can stay home. Enjoy your family. Have some quiet time. Get cozy. Shop in your pjs. 

Use code FREESHIP in my shop today through Monday, 11/26 for free shipping on all US domestic orders (big or small).  

For my international pals, since the offer doesn't apply to worldwide shipping and I can't personally deliver them (I wish!), I'll be adding in a special, extra, awesome surprise in your orders!

Hooray! 

Thankful

What's feeling thankful if you don't share it, right?  It sort of dawned on me that the word 'give' is inside of thanksgiving and that being thankful isn't something you just keep inside, it's something to give away. Tell, say, share, hug. 

I found these gorgeous cards from Oana Befort, and thought they'd make a wonderful part of our day with the little ones filling them out. But I also thought it would be nice to just fill it with 'you' and give them to friends & family. As in, I'm thankful for you... 

A few more things I'm thankful for: 

• a business that keeps me home with the boys
• my lovely customers & readers of this blog
• the support i have to take leaps...and take some spills too
• wide open spaces
• our new home
• friends sweeter & truer than I could ever imagine

and this: 

Hope everyone has a wonderful, happy, and thankful day! 

Sewing Social Meet Up

Hello, meeting up for little sewing social here, settle in and join us! 

Awhile back, I invited fellow sewers to stitch up something lovely & gifty with samples of my fabric. I've been completely blown away by what's been created and let me say that seeing an actual completed project made from my textile designs brought me to tears. Really, I was blabbering on about it all day. 

Enough about that, let me introduce all the lovely sewers meeting us here in the social. Hello to Kristen, Ayla, Allison, Sal, Sarah, Marci, and Marian!  I shipped little packages of my fabric to each of them - different combinations, various sizes with the only guideline to make something gifty for the holidays. 

Today, Sarah from Sarah West Design is sharing what she created from her pieces, my Gray Tonal Chevron and Modern Dahlia.  Look at these iPad sleeves, aren't they lovely?!  I love how the fabric colors pop against the neutral canvas.  So gorgeous Sarah! And I see they're in your shop too :) 

Her stitches & detail are magnificent, yes? 

And Allison has this lovely little baby quilt in process. I can't wait to see it completed, it's already just so sweet! I really like how she mixed in other prints and it the colors all coordinate so well. 

As for me, I've been busy stitching up lots of new bags for the shop, many featuring these same fabrics. Here's one of my favorites; a pleated clutch. I've rekindled my love for pleats and am excited to mix my print design with sewing techniques!  

pleated clutch purse

I'm also working on a wee little ornament using bits of the fabric for a very bright, non-traditional holiday decoration. I've got a tutorial to go with it, so I'll report back with that later! 

What do you think of all this sewing goodness? What have you got in the works? Lots more projects and ladies to meet, check back next week for another social meet up!




-> these fabrics are all available in my Spoonflower Shop

Newness! {clutches, cosmetic bags, and such}

Eeeps, hello! Excited to finally share all the newness I've got going on in the shop... more designs and ideas in the works, but here are some of the finished collections. 

I've fallen back in love with pleats, I used them a bit in some of my designs way back when, and then once I started playing around with this luxe fabric, I just couldn't stop pleating! These clutches are pretty as they are but I also love them with a splash of color from one of my brooches. 

Recognize these prints? I (finally!) created some of the ultra popular organizers with my own textile designs. I love big florals. I really really do.  Also reworked the design a bit, these now include another interior pocket for cards. 

Color blocking mania! I've been setting aside pieces of these fabrics to create a huge wall quilt for our foyer...but I just couldn't resist the color combinations sitting there & made these pretty geometric clutches. 

More basic zipper pouches...but better - extra pretty prints, a bit bigger size, and suede zipper pulls.  

Tomorrow, I plan on introducing you to my lovely sewing circle and sharing what some of us have been whipping up with my fabric. I can hardly wait to show you what they've made - talented bunch they are! 

Product Photography Tips

Hello & happy weekend! Recently I've received quite a few inquiries into my photography methods...so I thought I'd repost some tips I shared awhile back. They're still just as good as ever! And with the holidays coming, I'd say great photos is your very best marketing tool. I'm also sharing some of my own recent favorites, photography is a journey & something I keep working at. If you've got other tips or great photos to share, I'd love to see them, just post in the comments.  

{from 2009, slightly edited}

I remember a moment, about a month after opening my Etsy shop- after considerable photography research & after building a make-shift light box in which I sat in our bathroom & bawled. WHY! Why did these darned things come up with a pink hue?! Why a blurry mess?!

So then my Etsy photography journey began. Ah, the struggle. But- I must admit, I've come to enjoy the little photography sessions...it's like a creation of my creation.

Here's the batch of photos I took this past week & some of the tips I've used to improve my photos. Though, everywhere I look people seem to have gorgeous pics, so maybe no one needs these! But just in case! Just in case, there is a discouraged housewife out there crying in her bathroom next to a wobbly lightbox.

TIPS :

• Read your camera manual! This helped me immensely. I grabbed a coffee & spent an afternoon with Jack napping to figure out *many* of the modes & tricks. Don't know where your manual is? No worries, it's probably available online for free...check here with this website.

• Find the light. You DO NOT need sunlight, in fact sunlight can make photos look too bright & leave too many shadows. This is probably the biggest thing I've learned. ALL of the photos below were taken on a table near a window sill on very dreary & rainy Oregon afternoons. But since I account for the white balance (see below) it works!

• Manual Mode. I almost always use this. It can be found on the little dial on top of the camera. It allows you to adjust for white balance (to get rid of that pink hue. Or the blue or gray or whatever it may be) the link above gives great explanation on modes. *This discovery was the second most important thing I did to improve photos. Auto mode doesn't cut it. This blog post at Digital Photography School is extremely informative about modes. (click here)
• Macro Mode: This lets you get super duper close without your photos turning up blurry. I also use it with almost every photo I take of my products since I'm generally fairly close to them & they are small. It's the little tulip (usually) on your camera. Love it!

• No Flash! Of course, if you're using manual mode then you probably won't have a flash. But I've found that not using that flash even in auto mode gives nice photos- if you're near light. Flash can give things a kind of red-ish, halo-ish, deep effect- the opposite of lightness & true colors.

• Angles: Some items can be tricky to photograph head on, plus some products can be much more interesting when taken from an angle or different perspective. Play around!

• Nifty Tricks: I also use the "vivid color" setting and the "AWB" or "day light" mode- all found under the ISO setting feature. Look for these in your manual ;) sometimes it makes all the difference. 

• Background: I love me a white background. There's a bunch of fuss about this. Some folks think it's boring. Fine. Do something else. But I think it gives a natural effect with some very subtle shading. However, I do use different backgrounds to mix it up or to contrast white fabric. I have also started using some context (like cups & blocks & pencils) to add interest.  I'm currently working on more styled settings, but that's a whole other art form.  

There you have it! My thoughts on photography! Now, no more crying over photo sessions.

Good Stuff - Week in Photos

Popping in to say hello & share some of the good stuff going on - never mind that I just realized Thanksgiving is actually next week!

Using my Lagoon Chevron fabric, I created a super adorable baby blanket for my friend in DC. At first I planned on a quilt, but found this ultra soft organic fleece & used that for the back instead. I'm planning on make a wall quilt with this fabric too, stitching along the arrows....

Whipped up this tote for my little sister, similar to the designs I first started creating in my shop (nearly five years ago, gasp!)  It was so popular on Facebook, I'm thinking of offering it again! 

Worked on new fabric designs, like this Matisse-inspired beauty - I developed a painterly texture that gives it a whole new dimension. Hopefully it will be in my Spoonflower shop soon. I was so happy with it, I just about cried. That's how I am ;)  

Lots of custom embroidery for cosmetic bags going on, like this one in gray & red.  I really do think these make the best gifts. I've always loved seeing an "A" on something just for me. 

Developing some new pleated clutches. Not quite ready but I'm loving this Monaco Blue shade, the pleats make the color pop. I think it needs a flower though ;) 

First holiday cup of the season for me! A lovely morning out with my soy latte. Mmm.  Just what I needed to face yesterday. 

Learning to Sail My Ship and Other Things I've Learned

emily mcdowell

I sort of feel like I got ran over by a truck. Things & feelings have really blindsided me these last couple days.... everything's fine, just some little storms brewing deep inside. 

Here's a few things I've learned or relearned this week:

1. We're always learning how to sail our ships....

2. No point in second guessing after the fact. 

3. A real, squeezy hug from my boys can cure just about any disappointment. 

4. I need to focus on one task at a time, my brain will thank me for it.

5. My heart is in it. 

6. Each day is an opportunity to reinvent. 

All sort of vague and wishy I know, so much thinking here! Have you experienced any of this lately? What kinds of things are you learning?

  

Holiday Sale - Buy Two, Get One Free!

Yep, I don't have sales often, but when I do I like them to be big! And ones that I'd like myself :) 

Every year in our house it seems like there are more and more teachers, sitters and friends to celebrate, plus our family just keeps getting bigger & bigger - so I love these kind of sales, makes it easy to choose something special for each person...at the same time! Plus, you can still customize each order by selecting your own prints and colors or hand embroidery. 

Happy shopping!   www.allisajacobs.etsy.com 

Creative Spaces - Fresh Stitches

Hello!
So happy to share the creative space from the cheerful and uber-talented Stacey from Fresh Stitches. Her work creating amugurumi, crocheted little animals, is a burst of happiness and is seen everywhere - including her shop, craftsy classes, and awesome books.  I really appreciate her letting us peek inside her corner of the world, where all this amugurumi cuteness is made! 

supplies, amazing. 

a little this & that in her office

ladder for organization, so clever! I can see this working for lots of materials

finished cuteness!

I bet her Craftsy classes are phenomenal

She also offers kits & patterns

Thank you again, Stacey for sharing your creative space with us.  I really appreciate your use of colors and detail in your designs.  With all your creative moxie, you're an inspiration! 

See more of her work here. 

Quick Holiday Tips for Your Shop

Newsflash: it's nearly mid-November and the holidays are soon approaching! If you're anything like me who thought yesterday was Wednesday and was still operating as if it's October...then we could use some quick ways to spruce up our shop to prepare for the holidays.  

(And if you're not running a shop, you can sit back, relax and enjoy these lovelies!)

It's been awhile since I shared any business bits, but I guess no better time than now, right? I'll also be posting links to some of my favorite past articles below if you're up for further reading :)

So, back to our shops. Any time spent editing, improving, updating and such is always a wise investment. Right now, it can seem like our to-do list is miles long, so I'm sharing a few quick ways you can improve your shop for this holiday season:

Offer Gift Wrap Options: maybe it's complimentary or a service you charge for, but we can make it easier (and more appealing!) for our customers to make it pretty!

sweet findings

 Create Sets: Bundling your items together makes it even easier for our customers to shop & choose

sarah jane studios

Show Your Packaging: Since we need to create the overall buying experience through photos, it's so helpful to include pics of how you package your lovelies. I mean no one wants to receive their gift in shoddy wrapping, so let's show them how nicely we prepare it for shipping!

jaros designs

Give Choices and Personalize: By giving customers a choice in colors, prints, styles and even personalization we are giving that extra little special touch that makes it something to treasure

(and Etsy now offers ways to add variations to your listings, even easier!)

moi, allisa jacobs

What do you think? These are totally easy & doable right? Any other tips you can think of? 

Here's a few more of my favorite businessy holiday posts:

Holiday Checklist, cross of tasks to get your shop ship shape
Backward Planning, here's how to map out all those important dates
Craft Show Tips, tried & true :)
Open Studio Event, tips on opening your home/studio for a holiday sale