2.4.14 Treasury Tuesday

   Starting today, each Tuesday I will be featuring an Etsy treasury I created.  I love creating treasuries and I don't do it often enough, so I hope this little bit of added structure will help get me motivated to do more.  Themes will be based on holidays, current events, trends and just what ever inspiration strikes me.  Etsy is a treasure trove of wonderful items and treasuries are a great way to discover hidden gems.  Hope you enjoy them!

   This week's treasury celebrates the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.  They start in just a few days and my family is excited.  Living in coastal California, we don't get snow, so most of these events are unheard of for my children.  These boys love sports, so it's a fun experience to learn new things and see who wins the gold.  Last Winter Games, curling was the family favorite.  I wonder what sport they will favor this year?

You can see this week's treasury HERE.

DIY Hair Pin Display

As promised I am back to detail how I made one fantastic display piece out of and old picture frame, ribbon, fabric and hot glue!  (I apologize for the lack of pictures, but as you will see below, it was late at night and my mind was not functioning at full capacity!)

I ran across this blog post from Hip To Piece Squares in my search for creative display pieces for my upcoming craft show.  She used thick ribbons to beautifully display fabric covered button hairpins.  I pinned the post and vowed to come back one day and do this myself.

Fast forward a few months, and it's 11pm, the night before my first craft show of the season.  I suddenly realize I have no way to display my adorable hairpins.  I remembered this blog post, but had no thick ribbons or foam board, and a trip to the craft store at that time of night was out of the question. So I improvised....

I had an old 8x10 picture frame lying around that was missing it's glass due to an unfortunate household incident.  I took out the backing board, cut a piece of fleece the size of the board and then covered the board and fleece with a piece of linen blend fabric.  I pulled it tight as I could and hot glued it in place.

I had no thick ribbon on hand (of course!), so I used two strips of thinner ribbon placed close together.  I pulled them tight and hot glued them in place.  I would suggest measuring this part, since I eyeballed it and due to sheer exhaustion that night, mine are less than equally spaced apart.

I wiggled the backing back into the frame and I had a lovely display piece made from items I happened to have on hand at 11 o'clock at night.  I then proceeded to fall into bed, exhausted but excited for the next day!  I ended up selling many more hair pins than usual, and I can't help but believe it was due to my great new display piece.

Craft Fair Display Ideas

I just had my first craft show of the holiday season and I had such a fun time trying out some new display ideas!  I've been scouring Pinterest for weeks now, looking for new ideas to display my work WITHOUT spending a fortune.  (You can see my Pins here.)  Some of my display pieces are from the dollar section of Target, random household items or garage sale finds.

The first new items I used this weekend were a pair of cream colored shutters.  I had seen a blog post on Quiltish about using shutters for display, but cheap shutters aren't always easy to come by.  But I got lucky and happened to do a drive-by past a neighborhood garage sale and there out front were these beautiful shutters.  Painted off-white, in good shape, and only $10 each!

Once I got to my show, I wasn't sure how I was going to use them.  I ended up using them as height elements in the back of my display and hanging purses and totes from the corners.  Next time I want to get a little banner to hang between them with my shop name, like one of these from Bekah Jennings on Etsy.  I've been drooling over her banners for a while now!

Here are a few other display ideas from items I had lying around the house:

Elastic hair bands displayed in an old fish bowl. (RIP Goldy)

This tiered cupcake stand from Cost Plus World Market is now a mini wallet display.

Drawers make great display containers.  This drawer is from an antique sewing machine cabinet and it fits my tissue cozies perfectly!

I'm always on the lookout for great display pieces, and I would love to hear ideas you have in the comments below.

My next post will detail how I made a hairpin display from an old picture frame, some fabric, ribbon and hot glue!  Look for it soon!

Exciting Changes!

Some changes are in store for Blue Room Creations, along with the other artisans of Universal Mama!   We have decided to move our online home to a new website with links to each of the individual artists Etsy shops, photos and our blogs.  You can see our new site by clicking the banner below:

We are really excited about how this site came together!  You can shop by clicking on the Shop link at the top of the page.  We will list new themed items at the beginning of the month, and then add new items all month long, so check back often!  We also formed an Etsy team, Universal Mama Team, that will allow you to search for us as a group on Etsy.

Universal Mama was established in 2004 by a group of artisans with a focus on beautifully crafted items for children.  Today, our offerings still include toys, dolls, and cloth diapers, but have expanded to include products for the entire family.  Our spirit of providing inspired handmade items and top-notch customer service remains the same.

Our new site officially launches tomorrow, August 1st, and to celebrate we are having a special promotion.  We want everyone to get used to exploring our Etsy shops, so we've devised a little scavenger hunt for you all.  Click on listings throughout each of our shops and find ten with this image in the listing:

Send us an email at universalmama@ymail.com with the links to the ten listings, but midnight PST on August 3rd.  All correct entries will be entered into a random drawing for a $20 gift certificate to any Universal Mama vendor. The winner will be announced on the Universal Mama blog during the week of August 6th.

Happy hunting!

Recharging Creativity

For the last month or so, I have been trapped in creative funk, so to speak.  With the school year winding down and summer starting, schedules got changed and I found my sewing time rapidly disappearing.  I had had a few shows in May and had been working like crazy to get last minute stuff done and my studio was a disaster zone.  After the shows, I threw my stuff back in and shut the door.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

The more I stayed out of the studio, the harder it was to jump back in.  Finally this weekend, I tackled the project head on.  After a few hours of cleaning, straightening and folding fabrics, it was much more presentable in there.  Not perfect, but at least I could walk in it again.

I knew I should probably make something to stock in my shop, or finish an unfinished project, but I just didn't feel like it.  I was facing a crafter's version of "writer's block".  Staring at a room full of materials and possibilities, but not knowing where to start.

So I did what I usually do when I get to feeling this way.  I make something just for fun.  Just for me.

First up was this fun, patriotic Pennant, seen here gracing our living room mantle.  I'm not usually one of those "pennant people" that love them for any and every occasion.  You know those people on Pinterest that pin everything pennant related? That's not me.

Don't you love the quilted flag? My mom made it for me when I traveled to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 with a group from my school!  It's been a part of our Independence Day decor ever since.

But 4th of July seems to be one of those pennent appropriate holidays, at least in my world, and this was a simple enough project to get me started.  Simple fabric triangles, (I didn't even finish the raw edges) and some ribbon and ... Viola!  Instant patriotic flair!  If I could have found my pinking shears, that would have been a nice touch, but alas, my studio was still a bit disheveled.



Once my creativity motor started running, there was no stopping it, and I quickly moved on to another project or two.  I started a voile shirt for myself, but got stuck on the pattern instructions, (sewing clothing is not my forte), so it got put aside for now.

I also tackled a project I've been meaning to do for 4 years now, since my studio was finished.  I had this cute white chandelier hanging in the center of the room with plain white shades.  Well, those shades are plain no longer!

 Using modified instructions from this blog, some pretty fabric and a glue gun, I prettied up those boring shades.  The first one I did was a bit wonky, but by the time I did all five, I had mastered the technique and only had one glue gun burn to show for it.

I'm pretty pleased with the effect.  I know the light will be dimmed quite a bit when it is on, but I have stronger task lighting around the room and during my early morning quiet time, the shaded effect will be quite welcomed.

I'm feeling quite accomplished now that I've gotten some things done that I've wanted to do for a while.  This upcoming week I hope to get to work on some new items for my shop.  Now that my creative side has been recharged, I have lots of ideas!  Now if I could only find the time to do them all with two kids underfoot! Hmm... maybe they need another week at camp this summer??

Summer is A'Coming!!

Are you ready for it?

We've had gorgeous weather this past week, so I'm feeling like I'm ready for summer to begin.  But then I realize I only have 2 1/2 more weeks of kids in school to get all my "to-dos" done, and I panic!  Not Yet! It's a Catch-22, isn't it?

So for the next few weeks, I will be preparing for vacation.  Finishing up projects, stocking the pantry and freezer (grocery shopping with kids is just torture!), planning activities, etc.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to this summer is spending more time with my oldest son.  I feel like we hardly see him now that he is in First Grade and at school all day and activities all afternoon.  I'm eagerly anticipating just hanging out with him.

We are planning for a relaxed summer for the most part.  We have one big trip planned (Legoland!), a few camps scheduled, camping with grandma and swim lessons.  Hopefully we will have time for a few fun day trips as well!  We are blessed to live in beautiful area that has so many fun things to do which are close-by.

Now that the kids are older, I don't get to take along a giant stroller to stash all my things in.  I hate lugging a big purse to the zoo or the amusement park, and really, I don't need most of the things in it.  That's why I love this hip pack!  It's just big enough for your keys, phone and a lip balm.  And it's WAY cuter than a fanny pack!  

Available here at Universal Mama.

I just have this one instock in my shops right now, but I will be working on adding more in the next few weeks.  The pattern is from Ali Foster on Etsy.

Another thing I like to put in my hip pack is a mini wallet, with my ID, cards and cash.  I almost exclusively use one of these in the summer months because it's so easy to toss in a pool bag or slip in your pocket.  Summer is all about being carefree, don't lug around a giant overstuffed wallet!

Available here in my Etsy shop.

So how are you preparing for summer?  Are you excited about the break in the routines, or does the lack of routine frighten you?  I know I usually can't wait for summer, and then halfway through, I can't wait for school to start again!  Let me know what you are planning for or most excited about and I will draw a winner for a special "Get Ready for Summer!" surprise!  I will pick a name on Friday, May 18th at 3pm PST.  Good luck!

Time flies when....you're CRAZY busy!!

Has is really been 8 months since my last post???  

I promise to be better about blogging more regularly.  Really.  I promise.  Really I will.  OK, who am I kidding, I can't guarantee anything nowadays!  But I will try to pop in here more often.

Life seems to have taken over and is rolling right along.  Kids in school, activities, sports, and church and community events seem to take up all of our time.  I'm looking forward to summer just as a break from all the running to and fro.

Of course, two weeks into summer vacation, I'll be screaming and begging for some structure and routine again! LOL

Business-wise, I'm excited about a new craft show I'm participating in next week.  The Stitch Market is being held in San Luis Obispo, my old stomping grounds and I'm excited to visit friends and family while selling my wares.  If you are in the area, I encourage you to stop by and say hi!