Halloween Items 2

Today I have 3 fabulously spooky Etsy items to share with you! All should be available to buy on Etsy!

In no particular order, I'll start with this Child's hand knitted Halloween sweater, from Bebby at BebbyJumpers!

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/81832684/childs-hand-knit-halloween-orange

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Bebby is offering you 10% OFF in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code BEBBYBLOG10 - valid until 11.59pm, Tuesday 11th October 2011.

 

I featured another of Bebby's Halloween sweaters in my 1st Halloween post - take a look at that post for more information on Bebby and her shop.

I asked Bebby what inspired her to create this sweater ...

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS ITEM?

It is difficult to know what inspired me to design this little sweater but I had a small amount of yarn over from the sweater hoodie and decided to keep everything in a similar style using the black cat motif. I liked the idea of 2 cats sitting beside each other in a friendly fashion, and spitting at one another on the back of the sweater. I used popcorn stitch (or bramble stitch as we know it) because it is a Halloween/Bonfire Night/Autumn treat and gave a good overall effect to the sweater. I think it is a great design for a smaller child who may be celebrating Halloween not too far from home.

I hope my sweater finds itself a good home with a little child who is really keen on cats so that it will be worn for as long as possible throughout the Autumn and Winter. If it is looked after with the same care that I used when knitting it, this little sweater could be put away or passed onto another little child to bring delight when wearing it!!

 

 

Photographs of Bebby's Child's sweater are all copyright of Bebby at BebbyJumpers.

 

 

 

My second item this week comes from Esra of Knitella! It is this beautiful Orange and shiny black headband/ear warmer.

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82170638/orange-and-shiny-black-headbandear

Esra offers a free mini Nutella with every item! Esra says there's nothing more fun than chocolate and yarn!

 

Knitella is exactly the sort of shop which catches my eye. There is a good range of colours and styles of knitted items. Knitella's Halloween items are themed with black and vibrant orange yarns. What great strong colours - they really stand out on the page.

 

I asked Esra a few questions about her shop and herself, and here's what she said ...

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR HALLOWEEN KNIT?

I love to be current in my shop, and I try to knit something for every occasion (the ones I know about) :)

WILL YOU BE "TRICK OR TREATING" THIS HALLOWEEN?

def treating! :D

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.
My shop is all about yarnie wonders,, at fist it was all about knitting with needles and looms, but now I am adding crocheted goods to the mix :D
The shop's got a wide range of knitted goods all to complement your outfit and overall look :D

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I was in a craft fair with my friend Mel (the owner of SweetShop Creations www.etsy.com/shop/sweetshopcreations) and she encouraged me to try Etsy :) and now I am totally in love with this site! :D

WHAT'S YOUR BUSINESS AMBITION?
well for now, I am knitting for pleasure, and it gives me a LOT of joy when I see people wearing my items. I would just love for my shop to be known and to be successful :)  

 

 

Photographs of Knitella's orange and black headband/ear warmer are all copyright Esra of Knitella.

 

 

 

The third and final item which I am featuring today is this spooky acrylic painting from Sarah Kirk of sarahemilykirk.

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81578384/original-grey-acrylic-painting-dead-tree

 

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Sarah is offering you 20% OFF in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code HALLOWEEN2011, valid until 1st November 2011!

 

Sarah's paintings caught my eye. The colours in her shop seem to revolve around the natural world, with a lot of blues and greens. Nature and animals also feature in a lot of her Etsy items. In particular, the painting of the dead tree really caught my eye. There is something very spooky and eerie about this painting!

 

I asked Sarah a few questions about her shop and herself and this is what she said ...

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR HALLOWEEN ITEM?

It was originally from a project based on the post-apocalptic novel 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy which is really eerie and spooky.

WILL YOU BE "TRICK OR TREATING" THIS HALLOWEEN?

I probably won't be trick or treating this year as it would make me feel a bit old!
 

 

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.

My shop consists of prints and objects based on the artwork and illustrations that I do and are mostly surreal and dream-like observations about the world.

 

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I have only been on etsy for a few months so my shop is still very much a work in progress!

 

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS AMBITION?

I would love to become a full-time illustrator, selling my wares on Etsy as well as getting other publishing and editorial commissions. 

 

 

Photographs of Sarahemilykirk's painting of a dead tree are all copyright of Sarah Kirk of sarahemilykirk.

 

 

 

Thank you to Bebby, Esra and Sarah for providing the three inspirational items for this week's post!

 

The next Halloween inspired posting will be up on Wednesday 12th October. If you're interested in taking part, please convo me on Etsy and include links to a few of your favourite Halloween items from your own Etsy shop. If I like your item(s) then you might get to see them here! Like I did with Bebby, Esra and Sarah, I'll send you a couple of questions to answer about your products and your Etsy shop.  

Halloween Items 1

To get into the mood for Halloween, every 2nd Wednesday between now and Halloween I'll be featuring a selection of handmade Halloween items, all available to purchase on Etsy!

Today's featured item is this beautiful sweater from Bebby at Bebbyjumpers!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80861647/childs-hand-knit-halloween-orange

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Bebby is offering you 10% OFF in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code BEBBYBLOG10 - valid until 11.59pm, Tuesday 27th September.

The first thing I see when I visit Bebby's shop is the range of colours - "traditional" blues, pinks and whites, but also purple, red, green ... it's a rainbow of knitting! The sweater that I am featuring is a perfect example of Bebby's work, as it is a colourful orange sweater with an intricate Halloween motif featuring black cats. I love Halloween knits - they are the sort of thing that you could easily wear on Halloween as part of a costume or to keep you warm when you're "trick or treating", but also they're often so different and fun that you're going to want to wear them all winter long!

I asked Bebby a few questions about her shop and herself, and here's what she said ...

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR HALLOWEEN KNIT?

I like the idea of sweater hoodies on young children at this time of year, as they offer the convenience of warmth and a hood which remains attached (hopefully!) and can be pulled onto the head by the youngster when needs be. There is also a feature pocket on the front which is convenient to warm little hands in, or to store treasures in. Little ones like to run around and move about so much that it is important they can keep warm and mum may not always be available. I chose this design during the summer when I wanted to create a cotton mix sweater hoodie with a boat motif for the cold weather as I felt kiddies should still be out and about playing during these cold summer days. It has received a lot of interest in my shop, and when it was featured on EtsyLush,and received a 2nd prize at my local horticultural show in August. I decided to keep to this design and created my orange sweater hoodie for Halloween, but is also suited to anytime really. The colour reminds me of Autumn and harvest time, as well as pumpkins, and I chose the black cats motifs (which I found on Ravelry) because they are not too scary for little kids who want to celebrate Halloween. The cats are sitting in a friendly way and are also in spitting mode, on the front and back of the sweater!!

WILL YOU BE "TRICK OR TREATING" THIS HALLOWEEN?

I shall be spending Halloween tucked up warm indoors knitting a sweater for some lucky little child somewhere!!

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.

I have been told my shop looks very professional and is attractive and pretty to look at. I have so many ideas in my head but very little time to knit them all.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I have always enjoyed knitting as a hobby and get great pleasure knowing someone likes what I produce enough to want to buy and own it, to wear for themselves, or to give away as a gift. I was selling my handknits at local craft fairs (with my jams and chutneys that I also enjoy making) before I opened my shop on Etsy, and it was an organiser who suggested I looked at Etsy as there were more opportunities available for me. I knew little about computer skills but persevered and found my way around!!

Thanks again to Bebby at Bebbyjumpers for providing today's Halloween item!

The next Halloween inspired posting will be up on Wednesday 28th September. If you're interested in taking part, please convo me on Etsy and include links to a few of your favourite Halloween items from your own Etsy shop. If I like your item(s) then you might get to see them here! Like I did with Bebby, I'll send you a couple of questions to answer about your products and your Etsy shop.

Photographs in this post are all copyright of Bebby at Bebbyjumpers.

Halloween Featured Items

Every 2nd Wednesday between now and Halloween, I'll be featuring a selection of handmade Halloween items, all available to purchase on Etsy!

Please check back every fortnight to see each selection of items!

If you're interested in taking part, please convo me on Etsy and include links to a few of your favourite Halloween items from your own Etsy shop. If I like your item(s) then you might get to see them here! I'll also send you a couple of questions to answer about your products and your Etsy shop.

I will be posting Halloween items on the following Wednesdays - 14th and 28th September, and 12th and 26th October.

Distractions

This morning, with 70mph winds battering the trees and the teapot calling, I got to thinking about the distractions that come when you work from home.

I have an office job too. On these mornings, I settle in by catching up on my emails, and usually spend my day quite constructively. Distractions come in the form of phone calls and visitors to the office, most of which is work-related anyway.

At home, things change, and my biggest distraction to date is our 10 month old puppy. While our older dog naps happily, the energetic puppy sees the phrase "go and have a nap" as a personal challenge to herself - she feels that she must now stay awake for the next 4 hours while tearing around the house with her toys, eating anything she can find, and jumping up on everyone (usually straight after she's been out in the rain).

And that's not to mention the interruptions from other family members popping their head around the door, the telephone ringing (never work-related), and (on wet and windy days like today) the call of the kettle and the sofa. Even on peaceful days, there is always the increasing list of housework and other household chores that creeps into my mind every so often.

It's not always easy focusing when you're working from home, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am dreaming of the day when I can do it full time.

At least it means I don't need to leave the house early on a wet and windy day to get into the office!

But it still surprises me that I ever get anything done, working from home!

Welcome to the Jammy Designs Blog!

Hi!

Welcome to the Jammy Designs Blog!

I'd like to start this blog with a little introduction and a history of who we are and how we got here.

We are Sandra and Kerrie, a mother and daughter team with over 30 years experience between us of creating colourful and beautiful handmade items!

In the 1970s my mum Sandra went to college to study home economics. In particular she loved dress making and sewing, and these led her into experimenting with knitting and crochet. Soon she started to fill our family home with things she made, from curtains and cushions to Christmas stockings!

In 2008 my mum started knitting and crocheting scarves and hats, which she sold in the shop that she ran at the time. Passers by were drawn in by the colourful and glittery yarns that she used, and often they'd end up buying the item as soon as they felt how warm and cosy they were!

I had always been a creative individual too, and when a couple of my friends announced that they were pregnant, I decided to learn to knit too. I spent the next nine months knitting little jumpers and hats, trying out different stitches and patterns and experimenting with colours and as many yarns as I could find!

In 2011, what started out as a shared hobby began to turn into a business. We started by building up a little bit of stock and trying it out at a local producers market, where our colourful knits got a lot of attention. These weren't dull beige scarves or itchy jumpers - these were bright and fun clothing for all ages. Now we regularly attend a local producers market, and we have our stock in local shops. I think people recognise that our knits are not just different, but they are also made with love and care.

Today we also sell on Etsy. This is more my area than my mum's (I'm still impressed that she's worked out how to check her email by herself!), but I'm happy to take on the online stuff since she does 100% of the crochet and a fair chunk of the knitting!

On this blog I hope to talk about knitting, crochet, and the challenges that we're facing every day as we try and turn this hobby into more of a business. I hope that you'll subscribe to this blog, and keep checking in at our Etsy shop too to see all of our new products and new ideas!

You can find us on Etsy here: Jammy Designs Scotland

And follow us on Twitter: @JammyDesigns

Thanks for reading!

Kerrie