Some Mom's and I were talking

So, I was talking with some other moms...and we concluded our son's gym bags stink...I mean really, really smell. I cleaned out my son's washed everything cleaned the inside of the bag and placed one of my Scentsy travel tins inside. In a day, what a difference it made~ wow! Not, the cure-all mind you. But, it made a fantastic difference. I chose clean breeze. It's nice!! Try it! And, better yet...this month (FEB '10) your purchases are 10% off! Many of the combined packages are not 105 off as it is already a savings but this one is! And so are the 3 packs of scents, 6 packs of scents, 6 packs of car candles (car fresheners) and 6 pack of room sprays (makes a great little gift with a card!)

Earlier Front Page Glory~

This beauty was shown on the front page of Etsy just about one week ago~

Made the Front Page of Etsy This Morning~

New Features Offered!

I'm getting asked more and more frequently.....So I'll soon offer book and product reviews as well as affordable advertising on my blog. If you have an interest in something please send me a note! mwilsonatblackfootdotnet

I Love My Pet Scentsy Warmer for February 2010

Take a look a the new warmer for February! It's aSweet little thing!

On sale now at 10% off during February along with Vanilla Suede the new scent. Let me know if you'd like a sample!

Living a Handmade Life --Feature!

Thank you so much for including me along with these little arty beauties, Teri!!

Some Great Sugar Cookies

Made Sugar Cookies yesterday with another mom's recipe! Shhh!! Check them out! Very sweet!

All Scentsy FALL/WINTER 10% OFF

You are going to want to stock up on scents this month~ all products from my entire FALL/WINTER catalog are 10% off. This saving s adds up quickly and in the end you 'll be glad you have more fabulous scents to choose from, having spent a little less along the way. If you have a favorite scent and are worried it may be discontinued in the next catalog coming in March, I'd would order a brick now, really. It's one pound of your favorite scent at 18.00 with no worries of running out any time soon. I'll be sure to order myself a Sunkissed Citrus!

Full sized warmers--now 27.00
Mid sized warmers --22.50
Plug-In styled warmers 13.50

Send me a note if you would like a sample of the newest scent: Vanilla Suede, shot to you in the mail! Send me your mailing address at mwilson@blackfoot.net !

Something New! Welcome Canadian Shoppers! Woo hoo! If you are from Canada and want to enjoy Scentsy products~ shop away! Just click the icon at the top right to choose your country. Your sweet and wonderful scents are just a few clicks away!

Evro's Luminescent Lamp READY TO SHIP

A perfect selection for anyone loving warm hues, earthy designs and luminescent lighting.

Last day for free shipping within the USA

Just a quick little reminder~ Free shipping for this last day in January and I'll send you a free Scentsy car freshener in Berry Blush with the fist order placed today and one other scent sample to sniff! The free shipping from my shop does not include lamps or lampshades, wedding products or fabric~ sorry!

What Goes Into a Handbag--Meet Creator JennJohn

How did you choose your patterns for your products?

I had my husband reverse engineer a handbag he bought for me when I discovered it felt like parts I could buy at the local craft shop. I made a handbag for my sister in law with that pattern for her birthday and quickly depleted all of my Interior Design fabric samples to make several more for friends and family. Then I found a necktie messenger bag pattern on a D.I.Y. website. I loved the different colors, patterns and textures incorporated into one bag. I started massing neckties by the hundreds and was creating necktie handbags as fast as I could to fill orders. Then something strange happened...the season changed. I was left with hundreds of dark colored neckties because my customers were now interested in lighter, brighter colored bags. I sat down at the drawing table and designed a pattern that still used the shape of the neckties but could take advantage of fabrics again instead of neckties. Viola! I created the pattern that I use now. As the fashion trends have changed over the years so have my patterns for my sizes and styles. Now my large hobos are my best sellers. By popular request I am returning to the necktie bags soon... Tiedcottage will house my one-of-a-kind necktie handbags...stay tuned!a>


Beyond your lovely fabric choices and quality craftsmanship~ what do you see as making your purses special?

I build each of my color schemes for my handbags as I would design a room, house or business for one of my Interior Design clients. I utilize the principles and elements of design, (such as texture, scale, color, form, light and space), to achieve the look and feel of each of my bags. I like to think of my handbags as professionally designed spaces or rooms for on the go.

Have you always sewn?

No, not always, I was too busy painting or drawing. I learned the sewing basics at an early age by watching my mother sew small projects. I never really found a need to sew and did not develop it until later in my life. The sewing process seemed to take too long, I used to be so impatient. Can you believe I actually stapled together Christmas stockings one year instead of sewing them? Oh the horror!


I'm someone who doesn't REAllY sew, I'm enchanted by the process and admire those that do~ but I don't know if I have it in me. Though I have made many elastic waist skirts from pieces of aged curtains and vintage fabrics...and have designed my own fabric too!I have learned that many quilters and seamstresses are artists in other ways. Do you feel that's you?

Absolutely! I love the design process the most, not the sewing. The design is the part I crave, hunting for the fabrics. Sewing it all together and selling it in the form of handbags is really a cover to fund my fabric addiction. When friends and family found out about my sewing ambitions I was plagued with alterations, outfit and drapery making requests. I politely tell people I sew very well in straight lines, that's it. That is truly all I have in me for the sewing process, straight lines for handbags.


Are you able to sew each day?

For the last year I have. I have to, my business demands it. (congratulations!! woo hoo!)

When is your magic hour to create?

It has taken several years for me to admit this to such a large forum, but I am a recovering night owl. I really love the serenity the night time provides. Not too mention, it is almost impossible to completely recover from the schedule of several years or bartending...

Did you grow up around creative parents?

I have very creative parents. My mom made me "over the top" birthday cakes every year. Her cakes were better than the presents I would receive. She was always crafting Christmas ornaments, bedroom decorations and toys for me too. She was the one that taught me the value of a one of a kind handmade creation and making something out of nothing. I don't think she ever had the luxury of buying new pieces and parts, they were always found or donated. I remember my dad making pretzels, wine, seashell mirrors and leather flipflops and belts all within a years time. He was the one who taught me one creative outlet is NEVER enough.


Personally, I find it difficult to place a lot of my own artwork around me. I have a few pieces up but not many. And I have loads of stationery around ( I don't seem to list within my own shop) But, I rarely use it. When I do...I feel like I have stumbled upon a real treat! (yeah I'm a nerd) How many of your own purses do you have?

That's a great question...not as many as you would think. My personal handbags do not stay mine for long...my family has a way of confiscating them from me, which is fine because that gives me the chance to advertise another color scheme. I have also had people literally buy the bag off my back! On several occasions I was left with a brown paper bag full of my belongings. True story! Otherwise I am surrounded by several of my other creations, paintings, furniture, draperies, lamps, recovered chairs and sofa makeovers, seashell mirrors, and other colorful random repurposed and redesigned items.

Do you have a favorite color combination right now?

I can't say I have a favorite color combination at any moment, because I love ALL colors! I can't just pick one. It is more about the fabric combinations for me. For instance, I am gearing up for a "Worldwide Tour" with my handbags and I am collecting fabrics from all around the world. I am in love with fabric from India! I have always been enamored by crewel embroidery, the texture, patterns and colors are fantastic! I used to cross stitch and really appreciate the amount of devotion each piece takes. So I am really excited about the opportunity to use these foreign fabrics in concert with staples like linen and denim to create some gorgeous one-of-a-kind handbags.

Are you seeking the next fashion trends for inspiration?

I watch the trends for size more than anything. Size does matter, lol! I was right on track with the "colors of the season" for some time and they were never the big sellers. Ultimately people buy what they love regardless of what the magazines tell us to..my fabric shopping trips are no different, I buy what I love. I just cross my fingers everyone else loves them too.

I would like to take this time to share Jenn's links~ please take time to get to know her!

Jenn's Etsy shop, , Jenn's blog and Jenn's website . I am concentrating on my Etsy shop more than my other sites...they have a much bigger advertising budget than me :)


What are a few of your favorite online stops during the day or week?

I can not live without: Craftcult
It is a great tool for anyone who sells on Etsy.

And another Etsy related favorite: Craftopolis

It is all about the great Treasury Lists on Etsy. Making Treasury Lists is newest passion, it is a great way to showcase other artists on Etsy while exercising my graphic design muscles.


Jenn, let's talk about the names of unique names chosen for your handbags!

People always ask about the names of my handbags...I started bartending again part time after staying home with my newborn daughter for six months exclusively. I felt the need to communicate with adults and loved the opportunity to make money while doing so. It was about that time that my handbags really started to gain attention. I was getting requests for catalogs and websites and just MORE! So that is when I really put all my efforts into a "made to order" operation. I complied several color schemes and referred to them as "tans," "browns," "greens," etc. I got really confusing, really fast! I was lamenting over it one night while the bar was slow, I was watching a electrician put in our new fabulous drop pendant lights over the bar counter. I will never forget when the narrow spotlight from the pendants magically illuminated an Apple Martini I had just made a customer. That was my "A HA!" moment! How beautiful the green from the drink was against the dark granite surface, it was sparkling and glowong just like a green sequin fabric I used in a bag...APPLE MARTINI! That's it! I'll name my bags after drinks! My bar customers loved it of course, they were my biggest fans! It was so easy from there to give all my color schemes names, Cosmopolitan for the "pinks," White Russian for the "tans" and the rest just followed. I know hundreds of drink recipes and there will always be hundreds or thousands more to choose from.

Jenn, can you tell me: what would you be doing if you weren't sewing and selling handbags?

Besides returning to Interior Design, I really would love to make custom cakes. There has been an overwhelming popularity for cake making in the last couple of years and I hate to be so unoriginal, but I have always been surrounded by great cakes! Cake making is another passion of mine. I have brought tears to peoples eyes with some of my custom cake creations for their special day. I know my husband's engineering mind teamed up with my design skills and pastry know how could create a fantastic business using fondant and icing!

Above you'll find a few of my favorites, I did not realize that they are each Jenn's pleated bag design! But, I love them and here are the links to them shown from top to bottom.

MOCHABERRY LATTE / large pleated hobo

GREEN ICED TEA / small pleated hobo
GIRLIE MARTINI / small pleated hobo


Jenn~ thank you for taking time to share yourself with my readers!
Thank you Mindy for your interest in jennjohn!

Evro's Neighbor Large Print by Mwilson on Etsy

Free shipping through the 31st of January for items shipping to the USA. Exclusions are wedding items,lamp products and fabric.


Evro's Neighbor Large Print by Mwilson on Etsy

Random Images from my own shoppie

Some items from my recent Etsy Faves

Online Workout?

Okay, so for the last twenty minutes or so I enjoyed a bit of exercise with some videos from Slimtree.com Crazy? Whatever, it got me moving and I'll try some more tomorrow without sound so that my family can continue to sleep while I try to burn off fudge and sugar cookies.

Meet Author Jennifer Greenleaf!

Maine Living: One Writer's Perspective:

Can you give my readers a synopsis?
This book is a compilation of articles I wrote in 2001 that have since grown stale on the Internet. My goal: gather them all up, and breath new life into them. I wanted to give my readers a glimpse into what it's like to live in this great State of Maine from "one writer's perspective." Readers will walk away with information, bits of history, entertainment, and diary-style writing.

You have several titles, Jenn what made this one special for you?
This particular title is special for me because each piece of writing featured in this text was written as events were unfolding in my life, as I wanted to learn new things, and as I experienced new things. I was a young mother, so each piece of writing also holds memories of what I was doing and how I was caring for my children at the time.

What were some of your biggest challenges while writing Maine Living?
When these pieces were originally written, I was living in a small duplex in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. While it's a beautiful area filled with excellent touristy things to do, it's a difficult place for locals to live "off season." We experienced a lot of power-outages from ice storms, we had to do a lot of walking with babies in strollers because our car was unreliable, and things like that. Each time I sat down to write, I used those challenges to fuel whatever I planned to complete that day.

After the project's completion, did you think later about something you should have included?
I should've done more town and city features because there are a lot of interesting and unheard of corners in Maine that deserve some attention.
Who is your biggest cheerleader?
My children! They want to bring my books in to show their classes during "sharing time" and "show 'n tell."

What blogs do you like to read?
My list is lengthy, so I'll give you the short and sweet version:
http://www.creativelyselfemployed.com/blog.htm
http://therenegadewriter.com/
http://thewritermama.wordpress.com/
http://somethingshewrote.blogspot.com/
http://flibbitygibbet.blogspot.com/

Were your parents creative types as well?
My mother used to be a "crafter" and worked the Maine Made Craft shows. My father used to be a computer science teacher, but he liked to draw when he was very young.

We know what you do well; what is something you struggle with?
Time management is my biggest hiccup right now. I find myself focusing on doing things for others or for the household during the majority of the day, which ultimately leads to very little writing time. This is a problem I'm consistently working toward fixing, though.

Jenn has a busy life as a mother of two, a stepmother to one, and soon will be a "kitty mommy" of three kittens!

She adds: My family inspires the majority of my writing and book ideas, which is such a gratifying feeling. Each time I hold a copy of one of my books, or see something published online, I can't help thinking, "I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this if it wasn't for them."

Please ask for Jenn's books at your library, and visit her sites to learn more about this hard working and creative lady!

Jenn's Facebook Fan page


Side Note: Check back in the next few weeks to learn a little something about one of this author's other titles.

101 Mixed-Media Art Projects, How-To's & Ideas: A Beginner's Guide to Art With No Rules!

Writing Blog:
12 Publications in 12 Months Blog:
Happy 2010 Jenn~ I'm wishing you great success!

Free shipping for the first seven days of 2010

Go USA: Free shipping for the first seven days of 2010 January 01, 2010 thru January 07, 2010 purchases within the USA! Exclusions are Lamps products and wedding stationery!

If you pay and shipping was included, your shipping will be refunded!

Meet Author K. M. Groshek

Recently, I had the opportunity to get to know Kim Groshek, she is a beautiful, creative and driven woman. I asked her a few questions about her book release Bug's Trip to The Store and I'm so glad she could share some time with me enabling my readers to get to know her somewhat too!

What prompted you to write the book?
I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book since i was little. I almost forgot about it for many years, it would come up in conversations during the past over 26 years, then two years ago, I set a goal to run a half marathon in 25 states. Through the journey accomplishing this goal (in 2 years) I attended a writing workshop in Colorado, which helped me realize that I could write creatively. I have 6 professional technical articles published, for my career but that is much different. So, during my travels, I journaled and an idea hit me on my way to Vermont. This is when I wrote my first draft of the first book in the series. From there I illustrated and refined the draft several times. I knew this was going to be good when, after my half marathon, eating my fresh soup in a restaurant overlooking Lake Champlain, I read my draft to an 8 year old and ask him to give me his honest opinion, if I read my manuscript to him. I watched as I read my book to him and he was very intent and listening, absorbing every word. After I was done reading it, he nodded profusely, saying he really liked it. So, then I followed the rest of the publishing process as other authors/illustrators do.
Were you able to have insight to illustrator or illustrations used?
Yes, I have an art background. It was something I went to school in college for a short while over 20 years ago. I basically put my art on the back burner since then, doing many craft type projects (selling things at craft shows and so on, but that was the extent). I brought my art out again this past year, because it was time. Yes, I illustrated my book, I used magic marker, then transferred into Photoshop and did the rest in Photoshop.


What is your favorite part of the book?
Favorite part of the book, really all of it, since the bug character, is really coming alive from my imagination. That is the neat part about it! I do have a picture that is really cool, I’ll see If I can attach it so you can see how that rings true in the picture.

Are you working on other projects involving writing?
Other projects, yes, I have 2 more books in the works, the 2nd book, called Bug meets his friend is going to be published in Feb and the 3rd book Bug goes through the maze is all illustrated, I am working on the manuscript as we speak. I also have a fire prevention series, called Floyd the Fire Truck series, which I am presenting to the insurance industry in January, which will include an online book and some games. I am also starting to kick off writing a Y/A novel, ideas are being kicked around, not sure if this will be a series or one book. I plan on working on the Y/A project during 2010. This will be my main focus besides traveling for promoting my book.

Kim's Message: I feel the message in my book is a good one and that is important to me to help readers learn perseverance, determination and resiliency will help them overcome any obstacle. Staying strong and being creative in the process.

Closing:I'd like to ask my readers to go to their local library and ask for Bug's Trip to the Store by K.M. Groshek, let's help her get the word out and her book in more libraries!
Please visit Kim's site's to get to know her further along with two new covers for upcoming books, which can also be pre-ordered!
http://www.kmgroshek.com
Blog: http://www.kgroshek.blogspot.com
Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/kmgroshek

Now taking Canadian Shoppers!

I'd like to welcome my Canadian Shoppers to my Scentsy Site! Shopping for Scentsy recently opened up to the Canadian market and I'm glad to now offer the Scentsy shopping experience to my neighboring Canadians!!

Excited for my new molds--Scentsy and Berry Blush Meltdown!

As you can see the new warmer for January has an adorable design, perfect for any tween and also Valentine's Day! If you purchase the warmer during January you'll get a 10% discount! It's just enough that you can spend that savings on an extra bar of Scentsy wax!

I had ordered new molds to create my Scentsy samples of Berry Blush>>> (January's new Scentsy scent) I'm hoping they'll be here so I can begin the meltdown on Thursday! Woo hoo! I got a note they've been shipped, so we'll see! Scentsy is a new company, just celebrating five wonderful years of business. Now is the best time to become a consultant! There are so many areas where the product needs featuring and that's were you can play the part, earn an income selling an amazing product that so many people love!