New Years Goals -- It's Still January, Right?

Am I too late to post about my New Year's resolutions?  Would it be ironic if one of those goals was to post on my blog more regularly?  Admittedly, I did promise myself that I would post at least once a month, so I am getting this in just under the wire.

Now that I think of it, today is actually the first anniversary of my launching this blog and my Etsy shop.  I did start off with lofty goals of weekly posts, but that had proven too hard to sustain.  I have had lots of ideas, just not enough time to follow through.  Then once you let it go a while, you start thinking that  you need to have something "important" to say.  Sorry folks, nothing important here.  I'll just be babbling.

Felted swirl coasters --one of my latest Etsy additions

Seriously, I did write myself a very, very long list of goals for 2013.  They are definitely goals, not resolutions, and they fall into three basic categories:  career, family, and personal -- although not necessarily in that order.  First, I was accepted as a vendor in the 2013 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, so my business goals are to build up my inventory and to build a fabulous booth to show my felted creations.  Second, my youngest son's bar mitzvah is late this spring, and I've got lots to do to make the event as special as he is.  Lastly, my personal goal is to get back in shape.  I'm a health and fitness nut, but I let things slide last year.  So for today, I'll share what I got accomplished this January.

My First Craft Show

I was thrilled to hear that I was accepted for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, which will be held May 4-5, 2013.  I got the news in December, and it really motivated me to felt up a storm.  Now I have a booth to build!  My goals for January were to keep felting (check), list a few things on Etsy (check), write at least one blog post (um, check?), and get started on this booth.  I really had no idea what is involved in building a booth for a craft show.  I could just go with a couple of tables and wing it, but I really want to look more professional and create a space that feels like my own little shop.  

My tablecloths match my business cards

At the beginning of this month, I did many hours of online research to see what other people have done.  I didn't want to spend a ton of money, because I don't know whether craft shows will be something that is both lucrative and enjoyable for me in the long run.  Ultimately, I decided that gridwalls were the way to go.  My chrome walls, along with all the legs and hardware, are sitting in my basement, waiting for me to get up the nerve to try to put them together.  I also ordered tablecloths in a variety of colors to coordinate with my Zazzy Peacock logo color scheme.  I got really lucky, and the colors are perfect.  I got purple fitted tablecloths for rectangular tables, a light green round cloth for an accent table, and some turquoise cloths that I hope to hang on the grid walls.   So look for a future post, where I finally attempt to assemble my gridwalls and hang cloths on them!  

I have lots more to do -- including ordering a banner, creating displays, figuring out how to mark prices, lighting, etc. -- but I do feel that I made very good progress for the month of January.  Check!

The Bar Mitzvah

I had done so much to get ready for my son's bar mitzvah over the past two years, only to realize that it was fast approaching, and I was falling behind.  This month, I finally hired a photographer, Josh Barry.  I love his website!  I also got a menu from the caterer.  And I talked to a stationery company about printing the invitations that I designed months ago.  I also made great progress on party favors and entertainment.  Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing -- I found my dress!  It's gorgeous, and I'm so excited to wear it.  The only problem is that the dress fits very well right now, which kind of takes some incentive away from my fitness goals.  ;-)  

I'm not sure how much I'll post about this bar mitzvah before the big day (because, you know, I don't want to spoil the surprise for my guests), but I'll be sure to post all about it after!  For my older son's bar mitzvah three years ago, I made the centerpieces myself and did some other crafty stuff.  So maybe I'll share that in the coming months.

Personal Fitness

Ok, I'm leaving my personal fitness goals for last, because that is not something I would normally write about and I might put some of you to sleep.  Just for background, I love working out at home with exercise videos.  I've been doing it for decades, since the days when they were actually videos not DVD's.  Years ago, I started out with The Firm and then moved on to Amy Bento, Cathe Friedrich, and Jillian Michaels.  Over the past few years, I have done P90X, P90X Plus, ChaLean Extreme, TurboFire (although always as a cardio supplement to other weight training programs), and Jillian Michael's Body Revolution.  Far and away, my favorite instructor is Chalene Johnson.  I have been doing ChaLean Extreme and TurboFire for two years now and don't think I will ever get tired of them.  Her workouts are incredibly challenging, but she is so motivating that you work harder and have fun doing it.  So that's what I'm doing now -- a hybrid of her two programs.  Plus, I throw in some P90X because that's what my husband is doing, and I like to work out with him when I can.  

The other equally important part of getting in shape is eating right.  I am a big fan of Jillian Michael's book, Master Your Metabolism, and I try to eat as clean and organic as I can.  One thing I don't agree with Jillian Michaels about is calorie requirements.  I have found, through years of experimentation, that I actually need to eat more to lose weight.  Yes, you heard that right!  I am a small person, only 5' 1", and my BMR is only 1265.  For a long time, I was eating 1300 calories a day (while training very hard), and although I would lose weight at first, I would very quickly plateau and neither my scale nor my waistline would budge no matter what.  Eating too little clearly slowed down my metabolism.  When I did P90X, the program said I should eat 1800 calories a day.  That didn't work either!  So I experimented, by slowly dropping my calories down from 1800.  And I found, miraculously, that if I ate 1500 to 1600 calories a day of clean, nutritious food, the weight dropped slowly but consistently week after week -- until I actually got six-pack abs for the first time in my life.  When I did that I was carefully counting calories and writing everything down, which drives me a little batty.  So right now, I'm approximating 1500 calories without being totally anal about it.  We'll see if that works.  

One last thing about fitness (since I probably won't write much about this again) is that it is much better to track your fitness my taking measurements rather than getting on the scale.  Right now, I am hardly losing any weight, but my jeans are much looser.  That is because I am gaining muscle weight, while I lose fat.  At this stage, one is offsetting the other.  At some point, once I have gained enough muscle, the fat will start coming off even faster. Part of this is that the muscle itself burns more fat, and part of it is that as you build strength and endurance, you work out much harder and burn more calories during cardio and strength training workouts.  If you get in really amazing shape, who cares what the scale says?  I have to say that I am much calmer and more confident now in my ability to get fit.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that I am much happier and have lots more confidence and energy when I'm exercising and eating healthy?  It's not just about looking good in a dress for a special event, but let's face it, that is definitely a bonus.  :-)

My Cutest and Most Versatile Felted Hair Accessories Yet

Zazzy Peacock felted hair accessories available at More Than Paper
Designs include ladybugs and rainbow hearts and peace signs

This week, I am very pleased to announce that some of my cutest girlie hair accessories ever are available at a wonderful, well-established online retailer, More Than Paper.  As the name would imply, More Than Paper carries way more than a great selection of custom stationery.  In fact, they offer such a variety of wonderful gifts and stellar customer service, you'll want to peruse the whole site and do lots of your holiday shopping there.  But first, check out my exclusive Zazzy Peacock offerings at More Than Paper.  The fun and colorful woolen hair accessories will make terrific gifts for all the girls and teens on your holiday list.   Each is available as a headband or a combination hair clip/ ponytail holder.

Zazzy Peacock Rainbow Heart hair accessories

What's a combination hair clip/ ponytail holder?  Well I'm so glad you asked!  (Can you tell I'm super excited about this?)  I recently came up with a new and original way to make my needle felted hair goodies so that the same little ladybug or heart or peace symbol can be used interchangeably as either a hair clip OR a ponytail holder.  And your little girl can change her mind and swap it back in a matter of seconds.  All I did was to felt a loop onto the back of the felted accessory and --voila! -- it can be used with a snap clip or a hair elastic or with anything else that creative girl in your life can think of!  I keep thinking about that big drawer of ribbons my mother kept when my sisters and I were girls.  How fun it would be to thread one of these adorable felted hearts onto a beautiful satin ribbon or a soft thick rope of woolen yarn.   . . .  Ah, nostalgia gets me every time.   Anyway, I hope you get the idea:  these are really fun and versatile.  Each one comes with both a snap clip and an elastic ponytail holder in coordinating colors.  But of course, you can also use your own or anything you like -- that's the beauty of it!

Zazzy Peacock "Sherbet Swirl Hearts" in pink, purple and orange, 
showing the unique felted loops on the back

And that was the real impetus for me coming up with this new multi-functional hair accessory.  I had been considering offering ponytail holders for a while, but I was concerned about the elastics not lasting.  Maybe it's just me, but my hair is very thick so no matter how high the quality of the elastics and scrunchies I buy, they just don't last more than a few months tops.  I didn't want my customers to buy a beautiful handmade felted ponytail holder only for the elastic to stretch out or break.  So, I came up with this loop idea.  It worked great!  Then, I quickly realized that the snap clips could slide through the same loop too.  Actually, if I make the loops just a little bigger, little girls could probably wear these as finger rings!  I'm also working on some similar products for teens and adults -- felted accessories with triple functionality that can be used as brooches or hair clips or  ponytail holders.  Look for those soon in my Zazzy Peacock Studios shop on Etsy.

Thanks for looking! Have fun holiday shopping for your loved ones!

All Zazzy Peacock Studios designs and images are © Jill Newman 2012.  All rights are reserved.

Holiday Sale on Unique Felted Zazzy Peacock Gifts!

Happy Thanksgiving!  To celebrate the start of the holiday season, I am having a holiday sale in my Zazzy Peacock shop.  Now through Cyber Monday, use coupon code TDAY10 to get a 10% discount.  I think my one-of-a-kind needle felted creations will make very special holiday gifts for your loved ones.  Thanks for looking!

Zazzy Peacock Abstract Teal Felted and Beaded Jewelry

Zazzy Peacock Felted Wool Coasters with Swirls

Zazzy Peacock Leopard Print Swirl Jewelry and Accessories

Zazzy Peacock Orange Art Deco Felted and Beaded Jewelry

Zazzy Peacock Color Block Bangle Bracelets

Peacock Motif Accessories from Zazzy Peacock Studios

Breaking into the Retail Market: Putting My Felted Goodies into the Customers' Hands

I've been so busy felting and juggling all the other aspects of my life that I've been neglecting my blog.  And, as usual, I have a backlog of felted goodies that I have yet to list in my Etsy shop.  The truth is I've been a bit disillusioned with Etsy.  I think people need to see and touch my felted wares in person.  Ideally, I'd like to do craft shows, but the lead times are long.  I have an application in to do the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this May, but I'm getting antsy to get "out there" now.

Zazzy Peacock needle felted cell phone and camera cases soon to be available at Leila Jewels in Potomac.  These are a unique one-piece seamless construction with a magnetic snap, created through an elaborate process of needle felting and wet felting the wool fibers until they are very strong and durable.  And each one is truly one-of-a-kind. 

Zazzy Peacock Abstract Felted Rings

So, I've decided to explore retail options.  I'm excited to say that I just left 25 items at a beautiful local shop that really shares my modern sense of color and design.  They sell gorgeous jewelry and gift items!  Seriously.  The store is Leila Jewels in the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac, Maryland.  They will be selling several of my one-of-a-kind felted gadget cozies, some colorful rings, a few intricately felted and beaded bracelets, and some of my fun purse hooks.  

It feels really good to open new doors and explore new opportunities.  I appreciate Deb Shalom of Leila Jewels giving me this chance.  Wish me luck!  If you're local, please stop by and check it out. 

Time for me to start cooking now. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Zazzy Peacock felted purse hooks with my signature animal print swirls

An example of my intricately felted and beaded bracelets with matching rings.
The sparkle of the crystals balances the earthiness of the felted wool.
The silver-plated lace edge settings add a vintage touch to the modern designs.

  

Fun Felted Color Block Jewelry for Summer

Needle felted color bangle bracelet and rings

So, I’m happy to report that somehow just admitting I was stuck got me unstuck.  Within a day or two after my last post, I had completed twenty new felted jewelry items for my Etsy shop.  By Friday, I had managed to list seven of them.  I know that doesn’t sound like much, but man, it’s a lot of work to create a listing on Etsy!

I focused on my latest designs – my own take on color blocks.  I'm really not one to follow trends just because they're "in."  But I just love it when a design that is very much my style is actually “in style.”  Lately, I’ve been enjoying all the animal prints, peacock feather motifs, and now – color blocks. 

I’ve been painting color blocks and geometric designs for years.  So I thought, how fun would it be to felt color blocks?  With needle felting, I can create such versatile pieces in just an incredible array of rich, vibrant colors.  And when something like animal prints or color blocks are “in style,” it’s fun to add a splash of high fashion with colorful jewelry -- without committing to a whole new wardrobe.  Am I right?

So here are some of my new felted color block rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces – perfect accessories for this summer season.  Hopefully, I’ll get some more listed this week.  Thanks for looking!

Zazzy Peacock color block jewelry set -- necklace, post earrings and rectangular ring

Another colorful geometric bangle bracelet and needle felted rings

Related posts:  Needle Felting:  Love at First Poke

                       A New Hook for My Colorful Animal Print Swirls

All Zazzy Peacock Studios designs and images shown are © Jill Newman 2012.  All rights are reserved.

Stuck in a Holding Pattern: Felting without Finishing

I’m stuck.  Stuck, stuck, stuck.  It’s not that I haven’t been creative and somewhat productive, but I just can’t seem to finish anything.  I have needle-felted and wet felted many colorful little pieces over the past few weeks (I counted 62 in all), but I can’t seem to get myself to make them into finished products.  They will eventually be rings, bracelets, hair clips, etc., but for some reason, I just keep starting new projects instead of finishing these.  Actually, come to think of it, I do have about a dozen finished products sitting around, but I haven’t managed to get those listed on Etsy.  That would involve taking and editing photos and writing detailed descriptions – not that difficult, but I can’t bring myself to do it.  Every day, I just reach for the wool and start poking something new.

Oh yeah, and by the way (in case you hadn’t noticed), I seem to have writer’s block as well.  And here again, it’s not that I haven’t written anything, it’s that I can’t seem to finish a blog post.  Last week (or was it the week before?), I wrote a post, but I never published it.  I typed up a rough draft, but then I didn’t get around to the final steps of revising my writing and adding the photos and links for it.  And I had taken the photos weeks before that but never got around to editing them.  Ughhh!  What is going on with me?

I’m hoping that writing this -- and yes, publishing it! -- will snap me out of this holding pattern and get me moving forward again.  I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of what’s holding me back, but I think I just need to push past it.  

Some of my unfinished felted Zazzy Peacock creations -- hopefully, soon to make it over to my Etsy shop.

Finding Inspiration at the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

Wow, it’s really hard to stay on track when life throws you curveballs!   Metaphorically speaking, I’ve been off my game the last few weeks.  Among other things, my youngest spent five days in the hospital with a skin infection and allergic reactions to antibiotics. Needless to say, I spent the week fretting over him, sleeping on a foldout hospital chair, and arguing with doctors.  I could write a whole blog of advice on how to advocate for your child in the hospital, but I’ll cut to the chase:  If you can go straight to a specialist, do that!  The pediatricians didn’t know what to do with my son, and it took a few days and transferring to another hospital to see the specialists who knew how to treat him.  If I had taken him directly to a dermatologist’s office instead of to the emergency room, chances are we would have greatly shortened the hospital stay or avoided it altogether.

After being so strong in the hospital, I promptly fell apart as soon as we got home – migraines, back spasms, etc. – and spent the better part of the following week in bed.  By this past weekend, it had been two weeks since I painted, felted, blogged or exercised. (Have I mentioned I’m an exercise fanatic and that it keeps me sane?)  I needed to turn things around and get back to doing the things that make me feel good.  Luckily, it was Mother's Day weekend, and I could get the family to do something artsy with me without too much complaining.  So we headed to the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival for some fresh air and inspiration.   And it seems to have done the trick.  I spent all day yesterday needle-felting and remembered how therapeutic it can be to poke soft, colorful wool with a barbed needle.  I even managed to do a little photo shoot, even though that's not my favorite thing to do.  And here I am today – writing again. :-)

Here are a few examples of the wonderful work by the talented and inspiring artists we saw this weekend:

I absolutely flipped over this table by Douglas Durkee of Infinity Furnishings!

Tanya Tyree's Raku sculptures are so beautiful!

The black and white photography of Chris Coffey is simply breathtaking.
My husband has a few of these on his Father's Day wish list.

We actually bought some beautiful photography by Edward Holland and Mark MacKinnon. I'll share those too once I get them up and take some photos myself.  Thanks for looking!