International Picnic Day!

Did you know June 18th is International Picnic Day? Picnics are pretty much the best thing about summer. You can have a picnic almost anywhere and with anyone. Even solo picnics are fun.

Stuck indoors for picnic day? No problem! A cheerful lunch bag and napkin can bring a smile to your face and make lunchtime a little bit special, even if you’re tied to your desk at work. Here at Sparkle J Designs we believe even common meals like weekday lunch can be made fun with just a bit of effort.

To celebrate this glorious holiday we’re offering 15% off all picnic items in the shop! Lunch bags, napkins, mason jar cozies, even party banners! Use coupon code PICNIC2013 at checkout to receive the discount. That coupon code is valid until midnight tonight.

Happy picnicking, everyone!

A Quest for the Hunkiest Fabric

A couple of months ago, I saw a blog post that linked to this fabric. I apologize for not linking the original blog post, but I did not bookmark it, and I can’t remember now which blog it was. [EDIT: Thanks to Amanda Schmidt for the link to the original blog post in question. Go check out the rest of those awesome fabrics. You won’t regret it.]

This fabric, ladies and gentlemen. This fabric.

Just look at it. Bask in its glory. Old Glory, that is. Jesse (the husband) has taken to calling it the Hunky Heroes of History fabric, and he’s right. I’m quite partial to the reading and reclining Abraham Lincoln with the bedroom eyes.

As I said, I became aware of this fabric a couple of months ago, and stupid me I did not order it when I first saw it. Realizing how close we are to the 4th of July and how I’d love to have some aprons made from this fabric for the upcoming farmers market, I knew I needed to buy some ASAP. JoAnn was having a sale – PERFECT! Except the fabric was sold out all over the place.

I took to Twitter and Facebook to ask my crafty pals if they’d check their local shops for me. I had friends and fans checking JoAnn stores all over New England and as far away from me as Maryland, Alabama, and Indiana! Many could not find any in stock, but some of them managed to find some and were willing to buy it for me and ship it.

I found one local store that had some in stock (according to the online fabric locator thingie), but when I arrived I couldn’t find it with the other patriotic fabric. I admit I sort of stammered and blushed my way through asking a clerk to help me find it. She responded “Oh, I know the one. It’s amazing.” It turns out, however, that one of the managers also thought it was amazing and hid it so that he could buy some for a quilt that he was finishing. I magnanimously left three yards for his project and took the remaining six for myself. Well, and for my customers.

I found the perfect apron pattern for this fabric. And with a stars-and-stripes motif flounce at the bottom, it’s going to be FABULOUS! Just wait and see!

Thanks to everyone who helped me find this fabric. You all are the bees knees, the cat’s meow, AND the cat’s pajamas!

Cheers!

Party Time!

We recently added a new section to the shop: Party Time!

Most of the things we make are food related. Lunch bags, napkins, mason jar cozies, etc. We’re also big fans of the summer picnic. With summer swiftly approaching in the Northern Hemisphere (though Massachusetts still has chilly mornings and the occasional frost), our minds are in full-on picnic party mode.

The first item in the Party Time section is one of my favorite things to sew pretty much ever. Nothing says “party” quite like a cheerfully charming party banner. I just love choosing all the different fabrics that go in to each one. I get positively giddy picking out all the stripes, dots, floral, stars, plaids. If I could wear a party banner without tripping all over the place, I would. That’s how happy these make me.

Whether you’re planning an indoor party or one outdoors, these banners will add that little something extra to make your guests smile. We currently offer a choice of 8 different color schemes:

1. Rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple
2. Sunset: Red, Orange
3. Citrus: Yellow, Green (Similar to the one pictured above.)
4. Celestial: Blue, Purple
5. Night Circus: Black, White, Grey
6. Patriotic: Red, White, Blue
7. Primary: Red, Blue, Yellow
8. Grab Bag: 12 different fabrics of my choosing

Of course, if you’ve got something special in mind, we’re happy to make a banner just for you in your choice of colors. Each banner is 9 feet long and consists of 12 triangles in 6 different fabrics. Choose the “grab bag” option only if you want me to pick out 12 different fabrics for you, in any color and pattern I feel like. MWAHAHHAH! *ahem*

Things are very exciting around the sparkle j designs barn these days, and a party banner is the perfect way to celebrate.

Cheers!

And the winner is…

[Note: this post was supposed to go up on Saturday, but I somehow bungled the post scheduling. And with the show this weekend, I didn’t notice that I’d messed up. Thanks for your patience, everyone.]

And the winner is… Lorien!

Congratulations! The random number generator picked your comment, so you’re the winner of the mason jar cozy and Cuppow lid contest! *Kermit Flail* YAAAAAAAAY!

I’ll be contacting you via email for you to pick out your cozy color and (monogram color if you want that option).

Thank you all for playing along. Keep your eye out for more contests this year, as I do love a good giveaway. If you didn’t win, you can always get yourself a mason jar cozy in the shop.

Cheers!

CUPPOW! They’re here!

We’re happy to announce that sparkle j designs now carries Cuppow mason jar drink lids!

Cuppow lids are a super easy way to turn your mason jar into a travel mug. I love drinking out of jars, but they’re not easy to take on the go, what with all the dribbling and spilling. I first heard of Cuppow when I was working a gaming convention and saw one of the other vendors with a Cuppow’d jar. It was love at first sight, I tell you. And when we added jar cozies to the line of lunch-related products, we knew we’d have to offer Cuppow lids to customers as well.

To celebrate the new addition, we’re having a giveaway! You could win a personalized mason jar drink cozy AND a Cuppow lid!

Exclamation points!

To enter, leave a comment below stating the following:

1. Your favorite food to bring to a picnic.
2. What size lid you want (regular OR wide-mouth). Please note that the regular lid is blue, and the wide-mouth lid is clear. Contest is for one cozy and one lid only.
3. You’ll be asked for your email, but it won’t show in the comments if you don’t want it to. We just need a way of contacting you if you’re the winner. Plus, don’t you want to choose what color cozy you want?

Better hurry, because you only have until midnight tonight to enter. We’ll be announcing the winner on Saturday.

Good luck and happy sipping!

Coming soon

I love drinking from a mason jar. I don’t, however, love when I pour in boiling water for my tea and I burn my hands. I’ve been wanting to make a mason jar cozy for ages, and I finally settled on a design. Turns out it took me so long because I was complicating things by over thinking it, like one does.

Here’s a sneak peek of the mason jar drink cozy that will soon be listed in the shop. Choose your favorite colors for both the felt and the embroidery. Want it monogrammed? No problem! Each one is hand made, so you can expect a unique cozy just for you. As always, if you want something special just let me know. I love custom orders!

These cozies are great for hot & cold beverages. If you like the sip top lid pictured above, you’ll soon be able to order those from me as well.

Prices for the cozies will range approximately from $7-$10 (depending on the complexity of the embroidery design) and $8 for the sip top lid. I’ll post here again when they’re up in the shop.

If you want to place an order now, feel free to email me your request and I’ll send you a PayPal invoice.

Cheers!

Big announcement!

Sparkle J Designs is growing! I guess it’s in the air, being springtime in the Northern Hemisphere and all.

Do you know a game store that needs awesome flat-bottomed dice bags? Tell them sparkle j can help them out. Wholesale pricing available for orders of 25+ bags. I have two bag closure options available: two string (shown above) and a one string with toggle closure (not pictured). Custom printed fabric is available.

Bulk ordering is not limited to just dice bags. I can do bulk orders of lunch bags and napkins as well.

Big plans are afoot this year. Spread the word! sparklejdesigns[at]gmail[dot]com

For me?

Since changing careers, I have little time or energy to make things for myself. All of my crafty ambition goes into making things for work – either contract sewing or selling my own wares. Having a making-stuff job is fun, but exhausting.

Here are a few things I’d like to make for myself, given that I ever get the time:

• A mason jar cozy. This one from Miso Crafty looks pretty great. (Thanks to @cavecibum on Twitter for the recommendation.) I recently bought a Cuppow and need a jar cozy for hot beverages. I will have the classiest grown-up sippy cup made from a jar ever.
• Fun food. Remember when I used to make bento box lunches all the time? So long ago. We still use the boxes, of course. Now we just cram leftovers into them with little artistry. I put together a bento-themed Pinterest board for more inspiration.
• Speaking of Pinterest, I want to make any one of these cross stitch designs. Half of my idea book that I carry with me contains things I want to put in a cross stitch sampler. I have a problem.
• Summer clothes. Before it warms up, I’d like to find time to make a few more things to add to my wardrobe. Tops and skirts, and a dress or two. No links, just a few sketches at the moment.

What are you making these days? I mean, what are you making for you? Regardless of whether you’re in the crafty business, finding time to make stuff for yourself is difficult. How do you make time for it in your busy life? Got any tips to share? I’d love to hear them!

Happy crafting!

Little Creature, Big Adventure

Little Creature is going on an adventure! Would you like to host him as he travels the world? Join the Facebook group if you want in on the fun.

When you receive him in the post, you have two weeks to take photos of/with him before you send him to the next recipient. Don’t forget to sign his travel log and to share your photos in the FB group! And it would be quite fun if you included a wee trinket or postcard or something from your town for the next recipient to keep.

I wonder how far he’ll travel?

Crafty Twitterpal Swap of Awesomeness: March 2013

Greetings, CTSoA-ers! (Perhaps I should’ve given more thought to this acronym. Oh, well. Onward!)

I have assigned your partners for the swap. If you did not receive a Twitter DM from me regarding this, please let me know. You have two weeks to make something and send it on to your partner. As with previous CTSoAs, how you go about the swap is between you and your partner. The two of you need to decide if you want your swap to be a surprise (which I think is the most fun) or not. It often helps to ask your swap partner questions that may give you a better idea of what kinds of things they may like. If you plan on sending food items, please ask your partner if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies. Whatever you send, it has to be handmade, whatever your medium.

The theme this round is tiny things. Interpret that as you will. Have fun with it! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #CTSoA when talking about the swap on Twitter. There aren’t that many of you this round, but it fits with the tiny theme I suppose.

If you have any questions, ask away! If you’re seeing this past the 23 February sign up date, don’t worry. There’ll be more swaps this year for sure. Happy Swapping!