Monday, September 27, 2010

Lens Pets and their bigger siblings...

I know it's pretty hard to tell just by looking at a screen how big or small something might be, even when all the info is in the description. There have been a few issues recently with customers purchasing the standard size Lens Pets and finding they don't fit once it arrives. The first thing I want to make sure everyone knows is that I am ALWAYS happy to exchange/return/re-make an order if it arrives and you find you don't like it, it doesn't fit, etc. I will do whatever I need to do to make my customers happy. :) I am very easily accessible and I reply to messages very quickly in most cases, unless I'm sleeping. Not only do I respond to queries on FB and Etsy but my email is posted here on my blog (under the CONTACT ME tab), on my FB page (under the info tab) and in my Etsy profile. It's not hard to find me. So please, please, please let me know if you're unhappy with anything. Because I will do my very best to make it right! :)

That said, I wanted to officially introduce everyone to the LARGE Lens Pets. There is a section for the big guys in my shop plus an upgrade option that can be used to order any of the pets NOT in the large section, but I'm afraid some people don't notice it there. So I thought this would be a good way to get the word out. :)



The difference between buying a standard Lens Pet and buying a large Lens Pet is this:

STANDARD ----------VS---------- LARGE
  • standard pets are made using a (new) store bought hair scrunchie
  • large pets are made using fabric and elastic... I sew them myself creating a much larger version of the 'hair scrunchie'.
  • standard pets fit well on lenses up to the basic 50mm (I use a Tamron 28-80mm lens for all of the pictures in my shop)
  • large pets will fit that same 50mm but have a lot more fabric and stretch so they will also fit the bigger lenses and lens hoods that professional photographers may use
  • bells are the only add on that will work with all of the standard pets
  • large pets have the option to add a squeaker, a music button and/or a bell... the squeaker and music button will be put inside the body of the lens pets and are hidden in the fabric.
Some photos for comparison... large on the left, standard on the right. The same camera and lens are used for all of the pictures (Nikon N65 with Tamron 28-80 lens).





ALL of my standard Lens Pets can be upgraded to large. The color availability is a little different (check the large upgrade listing for a list of colors), but for the most part they're the same thing, only bigger. :) SO... now that you know the difference between standard and large, if anyone has any questions or comments feel free to post them here. If you have an open order that hasn't shipped yet that you'd like to upgrade or if you've already received your order but would like to exchange it for the larger size, please contact me. I can be reached through convo on Etsy or by email at m.zelenka (at) hotmail (dot) com. :)

Saturday, September 25, 2010

CIC Saturday!

Another week, another 9 fabulous colorful finds from the talented Crafting in Color team! :) If you've been paying attention you might notice I'm going with a rainbow theme, one color at a time, and this weeks color is YELLOW of course! Beautiful, bright, sunshine-y yellow! :) Here goes...


and the list of crafty ladies that made all of this week's yellow goodies...

(As always, if you click the shop name you can see everything each artist has for sale, if you click the item name it will take you directly to the item pictured here)

and don't forget to check back next Saturday for another batch of colorful handmade goodies!!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday Favorite Finds!!

I missed my Friday Finds post last week but I'm back on the ball and ready to share some amazing Etsy artists this week! :) I have A LOT of plush designers in my favorites because I am a total sucker for stuffed animals. BUT I'm also trying to mix it up a bit realizing all of my readers might not be as wild about squishy little toys as I am. ;) SO this week I share two NON-plush making artists... first up:

I LOVE fun food! I make fun treats every chance I get. But THIS is something I could never do at this skill level. The cookies Linda makes are PHENOMINAL! They don't even look like cookies! In fact, if I had one in front of me I'm not so sure I could bite into it! They're just too pretty! 

My very favorite set... this big bunch of sugary girlie-ness ;)

BUT as a mother to three boys, I can totally appreciate the sheer awesome-ness of these...

I haven't ordered any yet, but I am SO going to! Maybe for Valentine's Day for the boys and I to share. :) She does say in her shop policies that she accepts custom orders so I'm going to have to come up with something super fab. I'll definitely share here when I get them! And if YOU order some, SHOW ME! Leave me a link! I wanna see!


Super awesome Etsy artist number two is the uber-talented...

Seriously. The cards and notepads offered by Wide Sarcasm Sea are hilarious! I've got a few items in my favorites but the very BEST thing, is this TOTALLY RAD birthday card...

*and the inside is even better, get over there and see for yourself!


This card totally reminds me of friend Tricia from junior high, who has sent me some of the THE BEST birthday cards ever. I wish I had found it in time for her birthday this year... but next year! She's so getting this one! ;)



And... that's it for today's rendition of 'Friday Favorite Finds'. See you next week with more super fun finds!



(Please Note: I have been in no way compensated for mentioning these shops. All statements are entirely my own opinion based on my personal tastes)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SALE!!

Today is my birthday, so for ONE DAY ONLY (September 21, from 12:00am EST - 11:59pm EST) all of my Lens Pets are 15% off!! If you've been waiting to make a purchase, wait no longer! If you want to add to an order that hasn't shipped yet, just add a message at check out. Once you've paid through Paypal I will refund 15% of your purchase price.

Happy 35th Birthday to me! ;)

Saturday, September 18, 2010

CIC Saturday!

Last week was the first installment of this colorful weekly feature. (see those lovely RED items here) This week I have chosen a mixture of super fun ORANGE items from the other team members. This definitely makes me think FALL! Check it out...


And here are the genious artists behind all of these wonderful pieces


(hint: if you click the shop name you can see everything each artist has for sale, if you click the item name it will take you directly to the item pictured here)

don't forget to check back next Saturday for another batch of colorful handmade goodies!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

One AMAZING Artist!!

Because I completely forgot to do my Friday Finds post today I'm sharing this instead. While I was sitting down eating some dinner tonight I was surfing Craftgawker looking at some super cool stuff. Through a link to a blog called Ink & Vine Leaves I discovered this INCREDIBLE sculpture artist named Dalton Ghetti! Mr. Ghetti makes micro sculptures... on the tip of a pencil! YES! You read that right... A PENCIL! The same #2 required for filling in those little bubbles on tests in school! These are AMAZING, check it out...

the ENTIRE alphabet!

I can't decide if that saw or that teeny tiny hammer is my favorite

the detail is STUNNING! you can see the tiny 'holes' for the laces people!!

you've got mail! ;)

how unbelievable is this one?! how do you sculpt two hearts linked together like that?!?! WOW!

Tell me you are not picking your jaw up off the floor right now! I have never seen anything like this and I am just completely blown away by its absolute sheer awesome-ness! :)

So... have you seen anything amazing lately???

Saturday, September 11, 2010

CIC Saturday!

Another new weekly feature! This one will run in conjunction with some of  the other Crafting in Color team members on Etsy. Each Saturday I will choose a handful of some of my favorite goodies from other CIC team members. I decided I'm going to choose a different color to feature each week (because I'm OCD like that) and this week the items I'll be sharing  are bright, beautiful RED! AND since 3 is my very favorite number, I decided to make a collage with three rows of three. Besides I can share loads more of the fun stuff this way! ;) So here it is, the very first official CIC Saturday share!


Left to right, starting from the top left corner, here are the brilliant crafters that made all of these beautiful items...

(hint: if you click the shop name you can see everything each artist has for sale, if you click the item name it will take you directly to the item pictured here)

don't forget to check back next Saturday for another batch of colorful handmade goodies!!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Favorite Finds!!

Week Two of my new feature, Friday Favorite Finds!! I do have plans for other weekly features, just haven't had the time to put them into action yet. So be on the lookout, they're coming soon!

Ok... on with the fabulousness of Friday Finds! ;)

This week I went in search of handmade artists on Facebook and made friends with a bunch of awesome talented people. My first favorite find today is an artist who I not only found on Facebook, but is also on the Crafting in Color Etsy team with me!

She makes the most AMAZING jewelry using paper of all things!! This is definitely a unique find and something you have to see for yourself! I haven't made my first purchase (YET! that is) but I have a number of items in my favorites that WILL be joining my family sooner, rather than later. ;) Here are a couple of lovely things from Paper Demon Jewelry...

she has a number of different color combos available in this style but I LOVE the red/orange/yellow together!

ok, yes I like orange! ;) again, she has a few different colors of this particular style of necklace, but I love the orange paired with the copper wire. and remember... that orange background is PAPER! So cool!!

Definitely check out her Etsy shop and follow her on Facebook to keep up with all the new goodies she has to offer!


It's no secret that I'm a fan of BRIGHT, splashy, fun COLOR. This shop most definitely fits the bill! Amazing artwork in the most brilliant colors and the amount of detail in each piece just astounds me!! Not to mention you can order prints or cards without breaking the bank. I think Santa may be ordering a few prints for me this year. ;) They would be just lovely brightening up my desk area! It's possible I may actually have the entire shop contents in my favorites, so it was very hard for me to narrow it down here. But because this one is just full of color from corner to corner and edge to edge, it's got to be my #1 favorite!!

click on that bad boy and check out the DETAIL! It's positively stunning!!

I wasn't able to find a Facebook page for B Connor Design, but I'm thinking she needs to get one going so all her fans can gather in one place!! :) I'm first in line!

And... that's it for today's rendition of 'Friday Favorite Finds'. See you next week with more super fun finds!




(Please Note: I have been in no way compensated for mentioning these shops. All statements are entirely my own opinion based on my personal tastes)



P.S. I completely forgot to mention last week that you can find The Jae Bird on Facebook. Go 'LIKE' her! She's awesome!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Lens Pet MINIS!!

THIS is the big thing I hinted at a couple weeks ago! A new addition to the Lens Pet™ line for all you point and shoot users out there, Lens Pet™ Minis! I've added 8 designs to the shop and they're all ready and available to ship right away! I'll be adding more as I make them, but as always I'm happy to offer custom designs (contact me for color availability).  This new mini size Lens Pet™ will fit a variety of point and shoot type camera lens sizes. It will not fit ALL P&S cameras, some lenses are too small even for this tiny guy. If your mini arrives and you find it does not fit your camera please contact me. As always I will do everything in my power to make sure the customer is happy with the purchase. :) FYI: when in use, this Lens Pet™ mini may interfere with the on board flash, depending on the layout of your camera. To avoid having an issue, only use your Lens Pet™ mini in daylight/brightly lit areas to avoid the need for a flash.

A few of the minis match their standard counterparts, but some are all new designs!!

I hope everyone likes them! :) I for one am a fan of anything tiny and these definitely fit the bill! ;)

Friday, September 3, 2010

Friday Favorite Finds!!

I decided I wanted to start posting some regular weekly features here and since this was the first feature that came to my mind, I decided it should be the first. to be posted Unfortunately I completely forgot it was Friday until just now, so I'm sneaking it in with just a couple hours left in the day.

Every Friday I will chose a handful of sellers and/or items from my Favorites folder on Etsy! I have QUITE a large folder of favorites so we should be able to keep this up indefinitely! ;) Hopefully it will inspire all of you to support the artisans of Etsy and buy handmade!

This week I'm going to share two sellers whose goodies have recently found their way into my home. They sell super cool AWESOME things! ;) Ready, set, go...

  • TheJaeBird: Amazing, top notch quality. (and the seller is totally sweet) :)
she makes THE CUTEST little one of a kind plush monsters and I am totally and completely head over heels with her line of Little Uggles.  I try not to buy things I don't really really NEED, I try really hard (ok maybe not that hard)... but I tripped into her shop on a stroll around Etsy one afternoon and haven't been able to leave! And the rainbow colored fur of Gretchen had me hooked from the minute I saw her. I mean seriously... how could you resist this face?!?!?


Yeah, I know, right?! Now she lives on top of my computer monitor where I can look at that wild rainbow-y hair every day! SO... if you need a monster, or someone you know needs a monster, or maybe you know someone who doesn't really NEED a monster but might maybe just LIKE a monster... go see The Jae Bird!

  • ButtFreckle: seriously... if that name doesn't get you, the product will!
I have always had a thing for stuffed animals. The more unique the better. And BRIGHT colors are totally my thing so you'll probably see that theme quite often too! I'm not even sure how I found this shop but OMG if it didn't have me rolling. BUTTFRECKLE?! Really?!? The things she sells are actually just called Freckles, but the name ButtFreckle comes from the fact that each one has a special glass bead sewn on the rear. ;) I don't have mine yet, but he should be on the way and soon he'll join Gretchen on top of my computer monitor.


The BEST thing about these cute little balls of fluff... each one has a different name. Seriously. And some of those names are down right hysterical!! Like my friend here... his name... CANDY FACE SUGAR CAPUCHIN. I'd say it's pretty fitting, wouldn't you?! ;) So if you work in a boring blah cubicle, or a big fancy office... and you need a little fun to brighten up your desk that won't take up too much space (and can be hidden in a drawer during important meetings with your boss), I recommend you check out Buttfreckle!


So that's it for my first Friday Favorite Finds! Don't forget to check back next week for more super cool Etsy goodness! :)



(Please Note: I have been in no way compensated for mentioning these shops. All statements are entirely my own opinion based on my personal tastes and recent purchases)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

LIMITED EDITION!

I'm SO excited about this one!! I've been hanging on to these awesome tie dye scrunchies for MONTHS! I finally decided to squeeze a couple in while I was working on orders last night and I love how they turned out! I only have a handful of these scrunchies and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get more so I think I definitely need to keep one for myself! ;) I just LOVE the bright colors! If that's not eye catching I don't know what is!!

ETA: these three designs have all sold, but I will be listing more soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Introducing... PETE, the parrot! ;)


and one of my best selling designs, the crazy face

FISH FACE!




That said, some of you may be wondering if this is the new addition to the line I mentioned a week or two ago... and the answer to that is, NO! I still have something else up my sleeve! :)