Closing Up Shop

Dear Etsy followers who may visit my blog:

I will no longer be taking birthday/celebration board orders at this time.  I have to begin a new full-time job outside of my home, and therefore, I need to close up shop on Etsy.  If you have ordered in the past, I will gladly supply you needed tags in the future.  But I will not be able to take on new customers at this time.  Thank you for your support and business in the past! I greatly appreciate the opportunity that working with Etsy gave me as a stay-at-home mom to make a little extra money and to beautify the homes of customers, along with helping them remember loved ones birthdays and anniversaries!  :)  Thank you again. 

Sincerely,

Tonya

One Day Only Sale!

Check my Etsy shop out on July 4th!  I will be hosting a one-day sale and discount my birthday boards for the national American holiday!  Happy Independence Day!!!  Let freedom ring!

Go here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCozyHouse

PS - If you place your order July 4th, please understand it will be approximately 2-3 weeks before your order ships.  Thank you!

Purple!

I recently had a customer request a purple birthday board!  She wanted darker lettering and a lighter ribbon.  I really think this is pretty!  I don't have any purple in my home, though.  Hopefully she likes it when she gets it!  Pretty unique, too!  Especially using the family last name in the title.  :)

Next to Last Christmas Order!

So the next to the last Christmas order I had left to fill went out today!  It was an order of five boards with 250 tags total.  I have been busy this season! I love it, though.  I'm glad people are interested in my product and can use it to remember the important people in their life, while adding some style to their homes.  :)  One more order to go!  But check these out!! 

Precious Moments Custom Title

I was recently requested by a customer to create a celebration reminder board using the title, "FAMILY precious moments."  I really like how it turned out!  She even ordered a second one after she received the first.  I am glad she was happy with my product.  Thank you!

A New Title

I'm still selling the custom reminder boards for birthdays and anniversaries on Etsy.  Here is a title recently requested from a customer, and I really like the way it turned out.  Thanks for looking!!!

First Shipment to the UK!

I was so excited when someone from the United Kingdom became interested in purchasing from my Etsy shop!  I have shipped to Australia a couple of times before, and even Canada, but was really excited about something going to Europe!!  I am really excited to be an international shipper, though it does present its own challenges.  Anyway, my customer wanted 6 birthday boards and over 200 tags!  I was able to get the work done and ship it and I am happy to say that he received the items, and e-mailed me yesterday that he was impressed and happy with the product.  Thank you, Etsy and customers! :)

Newer Custom Birthday Boards

I haven't posted pictures of these but I wanted you to see the custom variations I like to make and have been asked to make.  :)  Enjoy!

Blue and Green Birthday Board

I'm back to taking orders again for custom birthday boards!  Here is a newer color combo I recently put together.  :)  If you plan to order for Mother's Day, don't wait until May!  :)

Blue Birthday Board

I stayed very busy with my Etsy orders for birthday boards all the way until I gave birth to Shelby.  As a matter-of-fact, I just mailed my first international order to Australia two weeks ago to finish all the orders I received before her arrival.  I plan to resume making the boards after the holidays.  But for now, here is a pretty blue one I made upon request for a customer.  I think it turned out very lovely.

Classy Birthday Board

I had a customer want something a little different for her mom for Mother's Day.  Instead of the usual black and brown vinyl with silver accents and such, she wanted something in red and gold.  So I searched and searched my supplies and the stores and I think I came up with the perfect design for her.  Or so she said!  :)  This is how it turned out and I think it's beautiful.  I really like the gold accents instead of the silver hooks I normally use.  What do you think?

Birthday Board with Tons of Tags

I love this one! It has so many tags for a large family (she also included her daycare kids and friends) it just looks great! Thanks for looking!

Busy with Birthday Boards on Etsy

Hello! I have been soooo busy! Not only with being preggers and trying to keep my momentum up through the first trimester (now in the second), but with the kids' school and sports activities, Easter, traveling, etc. And I have had a big jump in my sales on Etsy for my birthday boards. I have sold many since the first of January, and here are a few of them. It's fun seeing how each person wants them to be customized! Thanks for looking!

End-of-Year Teacher Gifts

I decided to make some teacher hall pass boards for the teachers this year as a final gift...just as I did for Mr. Betz last year. But the fun this year was personalizing it to the teachers who will be receiving them. Adam's teacher loves monkeys and has decorated her room in monkeys since Carly had her for Kindergarten a few years ago. So I found some awesome embellishments and ribbons and went with it! I love the way it turned out. For Carly's teacher, I had to ask Carly for help. I haven't been as involved in her classroom, not for lack of trying, but her teacher is very organized and doesn't request much help. Carly said Mrs. Bitler loves dolphins and the ocean...which is evident in her classroom with shells hanging around and pictures of the beach. So that was my theme for her board. I wanted to put the title "Life's a beach" or "got beach?" on hers but I thought it would sound funny to 3rd graders and thus maybe wasn't a good idea? So I kept it simple. It looks fine. I have to say my fave of the two is the monkey board. This style board will be for sale in my Etsy shop in the near future. Thanks!

Handmade Princess Crowns

These are some of what I made for the craft show I did last weekend. I sold about half of them -- my favorites are gone, and before I got to take pictures of them, too, dang it! Anyway, the ones pictured here are in my Etsy shop. They are $10 each. It might seem pricey, but I did everything by hand. Lots of sewing, ironing, pinning, embellishing, etc. And handmade in America! ;) These are great for birthday parties, tea parties, dress-up, or to make your little girl feel so special and beautiful...like a princess! ;) They best fit 3T and up and are adjustable with the ribbon ties in the back, so no sliding off or falling off the head as the little girl moves and plays. And they are totally comfortable, unlike the cheap plastic ones you can buy at the store. Thanks for looking!!!

Ballet Slippers

I recently came upon a pattern through Etsy from Holland Designs (pattern here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/61920495/toddler-boho-ballet-flats-pattern-pdf), and I fell in love with the cuteness of the slippers! Her instructions were relatively easy-to-follow, and I might purchase the adult slipper pattern soon. (I love wearing slippers around my house and hate to go barefoot. Even in the summertime, I have to at least wear flip flops all the time around my house.) Anyway, I chose to use up some yarn I already had on hand. The off-white slippers are Cotton Tots yarn (100% cotton), but the yarn is sort of bumpy, and I wasn't sure I liked the outcome of the slippers with it. So next I tried a smooth and shiny acrylic yarn (Caron?) and I like the detail of it a little better. The color is alright, but I didn't want to have to run out and get new yarn when I have aplenty laying around. All of the buttons were purchased from JoAnn's, which I also had on hand. I used the largest toddler size instructions in the pattern to fit my 2 1/2 year old, but she is in the 90% percentile and wears 3T and a size 7 shoe. They fit her well, and she enjoys wearing them. Thanks for looking!

The Perfect Wreath

There was a special gift I received for Christmas. Well, I got a few including snowmen ornaments, some things from my hubby, and my favorite glass icicles (yes, I gave some and got some, too), but there was one that I felt was thoughtful, and also handmade! Which I give handmade so I love to receive handmade! It was the yarn wreath you see above in my new 2011 header. It was made by my friend, Sarah, who was so instrumental in helping me achieve my quilting goal in December. She was supportive, caring, and just there to listen to my gripes. I have a few of those sometimes. ;) And she's always there for me. Anyway, I love this wreath. She said she saw a tutorial on-line. It's made of yarn; burlap roses; and attached to a wooden, distressed circle. The sentiment is this: "As YOU take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, YOU improve not only the WORLD around YOU, but also the WORLD within YOU." Just perfect! (And to top it off, she added my shop and blog name - The Cozy House Crafter!) Thank you, Sarah!

Crafting Christmas Gifts - Part Two

These are crocheted wash cloths I made following the Vanilla Grit stitch found on www.lionbrand.com. I love the stitch...it is very pretty and thick so I think it makes a great cloth. I paired up my cloth creations with some soap made by a friend -- see her shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/annesgarden. I bought English Rose for my recipients, but I am partial to the Ivy Mint. These gifts will be for ladies I work with at church, Sunday School teachers, and so on. It's something small...but handmade and useful. To me, the best kind of gift. :)

Hallway Passes

I created another hallway pass board for a customer, and love the way it turned out! She wanted some bright green and pink...and I didn't have vinyl those colors. So at first, I decided to try painting the dots...big mistake! I had to sand the board back down and try something again. I borrowed some hot pink vinyl from a friend to try out the look, but I didn't have green to go along. So I decided at the last minute to try some scrapbook paper, and it turned out great! (in my opinion!) I really do like the look of it and it's soooo different from the one I created for Carly's teacher last year. I hope you like it, Annie! Thanks so very much! :)

So recently....

Hi, all! Just an update to let you know I am still crafting away. I've made a couple of birthday boards, and have a couple of orders for more. I love seeing the way each turns out a little differently. I've had to take a break from crocheting...I need to give my hands and eyes a break from those small stitches! My husband tried washing Jayna's ruffle skirt (see previous post) with a full load of clothes on regular agitation, and I about died! I did cry! But he was patient with me and helped me fix it back to normal with removing all of the balls of fuzz afterward. It looks practically new again. (You should almost always hand wash and hang dry or lay flay to dry any hand-crocheted delicate stitched items!)

Anyway, I've had a tutorial for these Hello ruffle clips (http://www.etsy.com/listing/56657865/hello-clippie-pdf-pattern) I bought on Etsy a loooooong while back, and I finally decided to give them a try. They look great in Carly's hair because she has a ton of thick hair so the clips aren't too bulky for her...it's a different story for Jayna, though.

However, I also saw a lady at a church meeting and I commented on how much I loved her pretty hair piece, and she mentioned someone related sold them on Etsy. So I came home from church, the kids were in bed, and I hopped on Etsy to check out Lou and Lee. It's a super duper cute shop...but I couldn't justify spending $18 on a hair clip (http://www.etsy.com/listing/61078433/carnival-felt-hydrangea-clips-with-hand) that I knew I already had all the materials for making on my own. So I sat down one evening and tried piecing it together. I know it's not quite the same, but I am happy with my results and I saved some money! Which we all love to do, right?! And still be fashionable! ;) Jayna wore this clip in her hair today and it looked adorable.

That's it for now, folks! But stay tuned...the holidays are coming!

P.S. - Is it just me, or does it seem the stores forgot about an important holiday?! You know, THANKSGIVING! I saw Halloween stuff, and then out came Christmas stuff...where are the Thanksgiving decor and why does this holiday seem to be skipped over??