New Additions to the Shop

   I just wanted to give a little update on some new Halloween hoop art and a trick-or-treat bag just added to the shop. 

  I love the You look lovely hoop art. When I saw this piece of fabric I immediately thought the guy skeleton was telling the girl skeleton, "You look lovely". This is a one of a kind hoop. I won't be making another like it.

      The two little owls are so cute! They look ready to trick-or-treat. I can hear them saying Happy Hootoween!

     The trick-or-treat bag is a unique, one of a kind bag. All the Halloween decorations on the bag are hand stitched. It may be used year after year and makes a memorable keepsake.

      That's just a few of the new additions. I've been working on Christmas ideas. Right now I'm stitching 2, Let It Snow, snowman Christmas ornaments. These are restock items and will be in the shop next week! So back to stitching! 

     Until next time! Enjoy your weekend!

                                           - Jennifer

      

     

What's New?

     The flowers have bloomed, the trees have leaves, summer is right around the corner. It seems like I was just talking about the constant cold weather and snow. How time flies! I have been busily designing new designs and stitching away. I thought I would take a break and let you know what Jenny Lin Creations is up to.


                                                                        We added quite a few things the last couple weeks. I've been busy designing and hand stitching new cards. We have a Graduation 2014 Card, a Birthday Card, and a 10 pack of Thank You Cards. I also have plans for Father's Day Cards that will be available next week. These cards are unique and fun, and make memorable keepsakes. 

                                     


     
     Along with the cards, I've also been working on a few hoop art ideas and some more onesies. We recently added a Play Ball Sports Theme Hoop for a child's room. I love outline stitching different fabrics and I thought the baseball theme suited this time of year. I also added two Established 2014 onesies. One long sleeve and one short sleeve. I'll be adding a 2015 within the next month or two.




     




      My mom has been busy as well. She has knitted some fabulous organic washcloths that will be added to the shop soon. We will have two, 4 packs of washcloths in various sizes. She has also been working on a project knitting afghans for wounded soldiers. We can only hope these beautiful afghans can provide a little comfort for our American Heroes. 

     In business news, we have recently decided the Made Freshly site isn't for us. So over the next few weeks our inventory from there will be added to our Etsy shop. We have an Oriental Hand Bag and another cute Child's Bag to add, along with a few other fabulous creations.

     We have so many ideas and so little time. I have about a month left with my 2 day a week part time job. I'm looking forward to jumping in even more into the shop and it becoming a full time job for me. I want to spend time at my sewing machine and bring all these ideas I have to life. I want to give more of my time to our fiber shop Little Bit of Heaven Fibers. I'm looking forward to being busy and creative over the next couple of months!

     You can check out our fabulous creations at Jenny Lin Creations and for more frequent update follows us on facebook.com/jennylincreations.

Thanks for visiting!

                                 - Jennifer

   

First Tutorial Make Your Own Needlecraft Valentine's Day Card

     I'm trying out my first tutorial on a Valentine's Day card I made for my husband. Every year since we were teenagers I've made him a card. Usually the kids and I get together and draw and color cards. This will be his first needlecrafted card.

 Materials

• heavy card stock or pre-made blank card
• floss 
• design of your choice
• nice stationary for the inside of card
• glue for paper
• materials for needlecrafting (needle, scissors, etc.)

     I chose card stock and cut it down to 9 1/4 inches by 6 1/4 inches.

  I made my pattern from overlapping a heart I had drawn. You can design something simple, or just write the word love. I used a pencil and drew right on the card. You may want to practice first. Pencil markings tend to show even after using an eraser.                               

After the design is drawn on the card I use the needle I plan to stitch with and puncture holes along the design. Try to space the holes out evenly. 

I stitched the heart in the center first using pink floss and stitching with a back stitch. I then did the purple heart next using the back stitch, but when I came to where the hearts overlap I went under the pink stitch. I did the same for the blue heart.

After I stitched the hearts I used a piece of premium stationary and cut it down to the same size as the card. I then used paper edgers to cut a 1/2 cm off that. 

I then used Rubber Cement and glued the stationary to the seam only. I use Rubber Cement because it doesn't leave any traces of glue. It has a nice finished look without looking goopy or wet where the glue is. I'm sure there are other glues to use, I would test them out first. By using the glue in the seam only the receiver can still see the uniqueness of the card.

Entwined Hearts Card

There you have it! A nice needlecrafted Valentine's Day card made from the heart!

Now my first tutorial is finished. If you have any questions just leave a comment!

                                                      -Jennifer

Busy in the New Year!

     Time really gets away from me. I come up with blog ideas then run out of time to put them together. I really want to keep a better track of blogging. I feel like it's a history of Jenny Lin Creations and down the road it would be nice to look back on it to see where we've been.

     What have we been up to? Well quit a bit. My mom has an Etsy shop, Lil Bit of Heaven Fibers. Her shop carries roving and hand dyed yarn. She took about a year off and is now back. Lil Bit of Heaven Fibers is now an Ashland Bay dealer. My mom and I are reworking her shop and plan to reopen it in February.




     Also my mom and I have opened a second shop for Jenny Lin Creations. You can not only find our creations on Etsy but also at jenny-lin-creations.madefreshly.com. We are excited about having a shop with Made Freshly and new opportunities for Jenny Lin Creations. Neither shop will carry the same creations, so check them both out.

     As for me, I have a few projects in the works. I don't want to say too much about these projects because they are still in the planning phase. In the mean time I've been working on Christmas ornaments. Yes, I know it's January and I'm mentioning Christmas. I'm trying to get a head start during down time while I plan new projects and wait for supplies. I'm trying to be organized and a head of the game. We will see how long it lasts.

     I believe that's everything for now. I'm going to try to post more often. I have some tutorial ideas I'm thinking about along with other post ideas. So, keep warm and thanks for stopping by!

                                                - Jennifer
     

             

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Stocking Update!

     I did manage to finish my daughter's stocking before Christmas. Well, most of it. I finished the stocking itself in the nick-of-time Christmas Eve. The cupcake with her name on it was a few days later. The stocking was a kit I put together but it is all hand detailed from cutting out and appliqueing pieces, to stitching the face, making the hair, even the cording was hand detailed. I will say this is the hardest kit I've done. I love the way it turned out and my daughter couldn't be more pleased! Here are a few pics, sort of start to finish.

         

                          Now it's time to start some new projects. I'm thinking Valentine's day!

                                                                                     -Jennifer
         

Looking Ahead in 2014

     Another year has come and gone. Time goes by so fast. As I look back and reflect on Jenny Lin Creations I think of all the things we've learned and all the things we still have to learn. There are so many things we want to improve. We are so excited about the possibilities that 2014 will bring us.

     There are two sides to Jenny Lin Creations, the crafting and the business. On the crafting side we want to expand. I personally want to learn new techniques with fabrics and become stronger in the skills I already have. I want to work with new materials and learn to use a sewing machine. (Yup, I admit, I've only used a sewing machine once and I was in 5th grade.) My mom and I have so many fantastic ideas we can't wait to create and share them with you.

     On the business side, we want to expand here too. We plan to attend several craft shows in the area. My mom and I are working on another project ( more on this later ) that includes my mom's original Etsy shop. I've read books, magazine articles, blogs, forums, anything I can get my hands on dealing with Etsy and small businesses. I still feel like I have lots to learn. The two words, small and business, should never be put together. A small business is a huge undertaking. I know 2014 will bring more learning opportunities and challenges for both my mom and myself, but we are looking forward to it.

     A new year feels like a fresh start. You can clean the cob webs off of the past year and get a new perspective. My mom and I are really looking forward to the next year and all the possibilities for Jenny Lin Creations. We can't wait to share whatever those possibilities bring with all of you!

     What are your possibilities for 2014? Will this be your best year ever?