Showing posts with label jilliene designs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jilliene designs. Show all posts

Saturday, June 29, 2013

New Things Are Happening

Welcome! 
Yes you are in the right place.  
Things look different because Jilliene Designing has had a facelift. 

I came upon this tree image (above) while skimming google images and it became my muse. I just love the palette!  So what do you think?

I have also started a Jilliene Designs Facebook page and would *love* it if you popped over and "liked" me!

Some exciting things will be happening on Monday.  I will be participating in a blog hop, which has appropriately been renamed a "Cricut Crawl." The Crawl will feature the Design Team members at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog who will be sharing 4th of July projects they have made with various Cricut cartridges. There will be tutorials and inspiration for Independence Day cards, rosettes, home decor, banners, boxes and more! In addition, many of the blogs will have blog candy (i.e.- giveaways!!) including Jilliene Designing.   I will also have an overview of the Cricut cartridge "Word Collage" which I used to make my 4th of July contribution.

So, to sum things up- Monday, July 1st:
  • Cricut Crawl
  • Giveaway
  • Cricut Cartridge "Word Collage" overview and tutorial
Have a great weekend!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Settling in to 2010

I have been off the grid the last month with lots of family time and gearing up for an amazing new year. As 2009 came to a close I was confused about my focus and what I wanted from the new year. I decided to put it out in the universe and sure enough,clarity came. My focus in the next few months will be growing my Etsy shops, spending time with my family and healing my body. Art school is going to have to be a secondary priority. I am not sure if that means taking the semester off or taking a light load of core classes on line; fortunately, I have a few more weeks to flush that out.
What I know is that being present in my life is too hard when I am juggling so much. I want time to read to my kids, take walks with my husband, get back to yoga and focus on alternative medicine to resolve my chronic pain. My creativity will still be fed through my Etsy shops but my business is at a point where it needs more of my attention so it can continue to bloom. I am blessed with clients who have lots of work for me and two Etsy shops that have exploded into flourishing enterprises. Nurturing my business and enjoying the fruits of my labor is more than enough excitement for this busy lady..

2010 has been already been fruitful. I have been busy posting treasures in my shops and shipping out orders daily. I have been getting acupuncture, physical therapy and attending biofeedback training. I have been spending time with my family and getting out of the house regardless of my pain. I have been physically active and eating much more healthy. I have recommitted to my recovery and am making every effort to live in the solution rather than the problem. I keep reminding myself that even the smallest change in direction, eventually takes you to a totally different place. I lost too much of 2009 "enduring" the pain of my trigeminal neuralgia (type 2). I want to live not endure!

That said, I am super excited about the amazing estate lot I just recently acquired. Over 500 gorgeous vintage jewelry pieces in impeccable condition. This kind of find is rare and I am committed to sharing the values with my customers. I have already listed 100 new items at wholesale or lower prices. I have had several jewelry shops buying up items to resell in their shops and collectors who are ecstatic to find so many quality pieces at such reasonable prices. It is delightful to encounter happy customer on such a regular basis. I just recently sold an item to Dr. Robi Ludwig who I have seen on TV many times. What fun!


On another note, I am trying to do something for the Haiti Earthquake relief fund. I am donating the shipping fees from each sale to the Red Cross and I am covering the shipping costs to get those items to the buyer. I felt so helpless watching the story unfold on the television. This makes me feel like I am helping in my own small way while raising awareness of the need for assistance.

With all of that in mind, I selected my "one little word" to support my efforts. I chose "healing". Whether it is healing wounds, hearts or problems, I choose to seek a solution and support resolution. Cowering to obstacles and procrastination have not been successful approaches in my experience, so I am making conscious commitment to healing, allowing for both organic and personal growth.

So that is what life looks like in January 2010. I am excited to live the months ahead and watch life unfold. I intend to be more regular with my blogging and I'll be sending out a quarterly newsletter with project instructions, vintage information and resources and other tidbits of relevant news. Please become a blog follower (on the left) if you would like to receive these e-newsletters. Happy New Year Everyone!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Upcycling on Etsy

The word Upcycling was coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braugart in their book on ecologically intelligent design, Cradle to Cradle in which they define upcycling as the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. In the world of Etsy, this term has been intermingled with other “green-centric” terms like “adapted re-use,” “reclaimed,” and “eco-friendly” causing the word to grow into a broader more colorful definition. "Upcycled" items are not limited to the many "trash to treasure" products for sale on Etsy like Urbanwoodswalker's recycled newspaper bowl.


The expression or "tag" upcycled is also used to describe pre-owned items that have been given a second life through a metamorphosis into a new product with a new value. Recycling and invention have converged into a kind of crafters schizophrenia where function, beauty and eco-conscientiousness have come together. Hand-me-downs of yesterday are dressed up and sold as responsibly repurposed. Old items carefully stored for generations are rediscovered as wonderfully vintage.


Etsy
offers all kinds on opportunities to participate in this movement as both a consumer and a crafter. There are hundreds, nay thousands, of shops dedicated to the genre of upcycled goods. Here are just a few…
Joy's Jewels - transforms antique typewriter keys into beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces


Buffalo Nerd Project - "science geek by day, sewing chick by night" - turns men’s suit jackets into fabulous purses.

and Rouge Empire who takes silk ties and reinvents them into five pocket wallets.

For those of you who would like to join in on this movement by refurbishing the old into something new either for your own use, unique gifts or for resale, Etsy has many vendors to supply you with everything you will need. In fact, there is an entire department dedicated to vintage where you can find all sorts of items to convert, reinvent or embellish with. Take these adorable vintage Grasshopper Keds from Adalaide's Homesewn for example...




...they are cute but could use a little cosmetic surgery to make them fabulous. Replace the laces with this gorgeous Vintage French Red Velvet Ribbon from Finiribbon.

Use craft glue to tuck the ends of the ribbon neatly and instead of a big floppy bow, pick up these darling vintage earrings and brooch from Merrelle Accents and attach one to each shoe.

Pin the Brooch to your purse and viola... a darling new look and one-of-a-kind design made by you!

Many people think they are not creative enough to upcycle vintage items into something new, or they get overwhelmed with the very thought and decide it is more trouble than it is worth. In an effort to dispel those beliefs, I have included a list of 20 ways to upcycle vintage jewelry in 10 minutes or less. Coincidentally, this list ties into the many wonderful jewelry pieces I have on sale in my Etsy shop www.jillienedesigns.etsy.com.

1. embellish a pillow



2. decorate a purse




3. spice up a curtain tie back

4. attach to a hair clip or head band

5. make unique napkin rings



6. dress up a candle holder

7. use an orphan earring as a gift topper instead of a bow

8. transform a pair of shoes with vintage earrings

9. arrange pieces with other trinkets to create a shadow box for display



10. adhere to the top of old jelly jars to create darling spice jars or desktop storage

11 embellish
a book or photo album



12. connect to a zipper to make a fancy pull

13. glue to paperclips or push pins


14. attach to your phone or keys as a decorative charm

15. convert into a Christmas ornament



16. refurbish an old cabinet with vintage jewelry drawer pull
s

17. liven up an old hat



18. string on ribbons and use as wine glass charm so no one looses their beverage

19. decorate a mirror



20. upcycle into new jewelry pieces!