Hope Studios, the shop

Churning out holiday orders for the shop this month, get your order in soon if you need it before Christmas!

Click my shop button in the right column to get started. 

Have a great weekend!

Hope Studios This Week

Here are the orders that shipped from Hope Studios - the shop this week!



Whew!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope Studios This Week

A quick look at some of this week's custom orders. The Peacemaker wanted to get in on the action and take a picture of mom, so I'm here, too!

Typewriter Key Necklace!

Look at these cool typewriter key inspired beads I stumbled upon today! I love the vintage look and bought them before I knew what to do with them. I got home and decided to turn them into initial necklaces to sell in my shop.

I strung each bead on a black coated cotton rope (8 mm) and they fasten with a lobster clasp. It's just the type of jewelry I'd wear, simple and unique.

You'll notice the lovely moss I photographed with it which was a gift from a good friend who acknowledges my quirks (such as the love of moss) and feeds them.

I only have a limited supply of these keys, so it's first come first served. I have 2 of some of the letters and only 1 of others. I think I'm going to keep the "J" for me. I listed them just today at $10 apiece and they come in a unique gift box.

If you'd like to order one from my shop click here: http://www.hopestudios.etsy.com

My Paper Making Project

I know a few weeks ago I wrote about my to-do list for the week and on it was to learn how to make seed paper. Well, it took some time to get to it, but I tried it this week and it turned out pretty cool!

First, I gathered my supplies. In this case, that was a blender, some leftover tulle, scissors, 2-3 homework pages from my kids' folders, some newspaper, some dryer lint, wildflower seeds, and an old towel.

Then, I ripped up the paper into about 2 inch pieces and added it to the blender along with the dryer lint and warm water. I blended it for a bit then poured the whole mess onto the tulle I had lining the sink. After that, I sprinkled seeds and forget-me-nots into the top and transferred the whole thing to a towel. I folded the towel over the top and stood on top of it to really squeeze out the extra water and flatten it out.

Here is the finished paper! A friend of mine mentioned getting a flower die cut and making them into little tags or decorations. They will really sprout if placed into soil and watered!


Well, that's my "Martha" moment for the week. In other news, the frame business is taking off like wildfire in the past month. I'm very busy, but really loving making something of this little business of mine. I got my Etsy statement this week and I made 22 sales in April and May seems to be following suit with 5 sales already. I'm feeling a little Mary Tyler Moore right now..."You're going to make it after aaaaaaaaaalllllll!" Check me out: http://www.HopeStudios.Etsy.com

Mommy Needs a Cocktail...

Do you ever feel like you're out of control in the parenting arena? Ever hear your kids say they hate you, or you the worst mom ever? Ever feel like a cocktail by 1 o'clock on a Wednesday? I say embrace it! I made a treasury in http://www.etsy.com/ just for us!

I found as I was collecting these items for "One BAD ASS Momma" I was feeling kinship with all the mom's out there who feel like those little munchkins have gotten the best of us on some days. All of these artists relate to us and make us feel normal! Note the "mommy needs a cocktail" burp cloths! SO TRUE!

Ha ha, so look at some of these great things in my treasury and think of a friend that may need a gift or two. For a closer look, pull up a cocktail and click here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=35729

Ebay knocked on my door last night.

I've been taking a break from ebay for the last few weeks. It's a little experiment to see if my sales have been generated by my blog or etsy or just funneled from ebay. So far I haven't seen a decrease in orders...but I miss my little buddy!

I tend to get antsy if I haven't created something in a while, so I make a lot of frames with all the quotes in my head in my down time. I photograph them for my Etsy shop to keep it looking fresh. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to keep them all! (For some reason, my husband thinks 35 frames around the house is overkill). So, I guess it's time to clean up inventory since ebay sent me an email about the 1 cent sale this week!

I think I'm going to list the Heartsongs Photo Plaque and some of the Mini-Hearsongs Frames with quotes (8x8 inch) today for 99 cents and see where the bidding goes. I have to say, there really is nothing like an auction for the excitement factor! So, if you're looking for a deal, check out my auctions : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180227074419 and http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESEX:IT&item=180227080308&_trksid=p3984.cSELL.m315.lVI

For custom orders contact me at jsneill@zoominternet.net or www.HopeStudios.Etsy.com

Easter and the Lemonade Stand

I'm up and on here early this morning because it's set to be "one of those days" around here. You know the kind of day when you look at your preschooler's calendar the night before and realize the Easter Party you volunteered to coordinate is a week earlier than you planned? That's not even a hypothetical, it really happened.

So, somehow in two hours I got my things around for the big Easter party today and then shopped for all the Easter surprises because I realized I would have a helper with me on spring break all next week and no time to shop alone. Oh, on top of that I got packed for this weekend's ski trip and made meatballs and sauce for the trip.

Anyway, what I'm really excited about is an Alchemy bid I submitted on http://www.etsy.com/ last night for a cute little girl who wants a Lemonade Stand! I have the whole thing planned in my brain, and for those of you who are crafty you can try it too. If my bid is accepted, I plan to make a framework from pvc pipe and plumbing joints. I want to make a skirt out of gesso'd canvas that I paint with large stripes and lemons and a sign from the top with canvas that announces "Lemonade Stand". Having no girls in this house except my cute little dog, Pipa, I'm chomping at the bit to create something girlie!

Wish me luck! I hope I get picked from her other bids! This alchemy thing is so awesome! If you have a special request and want to receive bids from artists you can start one too, click herehttp://www.etsy.com/alchemy/ I will talk a little more next week about the guilt I feel for cheating on etsy forums with alchemy. I'm in love with it!

My Etsy Addiction Revealed.

Although I am pretty much consumed with all things Etsy at the moment, I am particularly hooked on the Treasury. For those of you who don't know, it's an opportunity to showcase the great talent you stumble upon there. I get to curate my own collection according to theme or color or whatever. It is so fun I dream about my new theme the night before I try for a new treasury and for days before hand I collect little beauties to add.

My last one was titled "Does this make my BUTT look big?" and it was full of...well...butts! A zebra butt print, cat butt earrings, chicken butt stationary...it was a hoot! This time I decided to play on my name, Hope Studios, and created "HOPE is the thing with feathers..." from the Emily Dickinson poem. I found such hopeful images and objects.

It really is like a treasure hunt and a Secret Santa rolled into one. I get to scavenge for lovely works of art and also surprise a shop keeper with being included - it's a nice validation. To get on the wagon or to view my own Treasury click here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=3830

Or visit www.etsy.com to explore on your own. It's worth the visit!

I found something great on Etsy!

I wanted to write about a great new Etsy seller today and share her product. I love it and know you will, too. She is a mom who has started her own jewelry business called Joy Beadworks. The concept behind her jewelry really jibes with my busy life and my need to streamline.

All her jewelry pieces are interchangeable! She has interchangeable sterling silver rings and earrings that can go with any outfit. I've pictured the ring here for you to see. The ring holds a handmade bead that can be matched to whatever your heart desires and replacement beads can be purchased to match all your other outfits! The same goes for her earrings - you choose for favorite style of earring and then choose different dangles!

I think it's ingenious to not have to keep track of 10 different rings cluttering up your jewelry box. Not to mention the savings of buying a bead to match your new outfit vs. buying a whole new ring. The cost factor makes collecting beads for your ring addictive. You won't break the bank so you can get something to match every outfit. The fact that the beads are handmade makes them affordable artwork to collect, as well.

This line was obviously created by a mom! To check out the handmade beads and earrings click here: http://www.joybeadworks.etsy.com/

Off to Grampa's House

Well, we're packing up the troops and heading out to Gramma and Grampa's house this weekend and I couldn't be more excited. This is how it will go down... We will start out at our favorite pizza place and the rest of the weekend will be about eating, drinking, cooking and talking and vegging! It's the perfect winter escape and the perfect reason to lay around and be babied by my Daddy. Ha ha, I'll be answering to "Jenny" this weekend and couldn't be happier!

I'll be showing my Dad my new Etsy shop this weekend and getting his constructive criticism and I'm sure some great new ideas. Maybe I'll get him to open one, too. He's an amazing artist and poet and I'm sure he could find a niche there. Hmmm, I think that will be my one weekend goal besides stuffing myself with my Dad's famous meatballs!