Winter is not gone yet my friends!

I am one of those strange freaky people who LOVES Winter! It's my favorite season, by about a hundred million miles! #1 reason - VERY few bugs in Winter! I hate bugs. and in the cold snowy months they go away! I don't have to deal with them flying into my hair while I walk the dogs... or sneaking down from the light fixture above my desk and ending up no more than two centimeters away from my face! Both have happened... BOTH more than once. I HATE BUGS!! So I love Winter. I also love all that fluffy  beautiful white stuff. And before you say it's because I work from home and don't have to go out in it... I drive my son to and from school every single day, in addition to typical errands, and I really don't mind driving in it. While I do love other seasons as well (except Summer, UGH I hate the heat, and the BUGS!) I always dread the end of Winter, when all the pretty white snow gets all gross and dirty and then melts away. Eighteen days ago we had more than a foot of snow on the ground (I blogged about it here).

Two days ago I took the pictures for this new listing in my shop, where you can clearly see the snow was all but gone! :( Yesterday the only snow left on the ground were the quickly melting mountains (now nothing more than mole hills) left behind after they plowed the parking lot.

This is outside my front door today...

that's right... the snow IS BACK!!! And I couldn't be happier! ;)

Monster Monday

Welcome to another episode of Monster Monday! This week's super talented Etsy plush maker is one of my very favorites. The JaeBird! It was her monsters that actually started my collection and they probably {definitely} out number all the other monsters on my desk combined at least two to one.

The little ones are called Uggles and MAN are they addicting! I won't divulge the actual number living here on my desk and in other parts of my home... needless to say it's probably more than any one person needs. Which is why I gave some to my kids for Christmas and even gave my mother and sister an uggle each from my very own collection. because I had so many I couldn't even fit them all on the desk and still have space to work. It might be embarrassing except for the fact that they make me smile every day, sitting there looking all cute and colorful while I work. So I make no apologies. I've even gotten my sister and nieces/nephew addicted and I happen to know that the Easter Bunny will be surprising all of them with an uggle in their baskets.  ;) Ok, so you probably get the point. :) Here are a few pictures of the uggles that live with me...

this is Gretchen, she was my very first and still my very favorite uggle. I love her crazy colorful fur!

the ones with the zombie eyes are among my faves :)

these uggles guard the buttons in my giant button jar ;)

but uggles aren't the only monsters you can find at The JaeBird. She also makes all sorts of bigger monsters, like Boggit. I LOVE his antlers!

as you can see, he's quite a bit bigger than the uggles!

Lucky for us, The JaeBird herself agreed to answer a few questions so we can get to know the woman behind the monsters! Read on...

-Tell us a bit about yourself.
About 15 years ago I stopped going by my birth name and insisted everyone call me “Jae” instead. Only official documents hold the secret to my real name. Currently, I am attending college for Accounting and am running my little shop on Etsy called “The Jae Bird.” Random facts about me: I am 4’9 (and by height standards alone I can be considered a dwarf, however I do not suffer from dwarfism), I am obsessed with hot pink and lime green together, I am a closet nerd (I heart star trek), and I am intrigued by tattoos and plan on getting full sleeves done.

-What is your shop name and is there a story behind it?
The Jae Bird has no real story. “Jae Bird” is just something that random people always call me. When I signed up for Etsy, I really had no idea what I’d be selling or if I would be selling anything, so I tried to be somewhat generic in my username. However, there is a story behind one of my main products, “Little Uggles”. I am always teasing my little dog Pixie and always saying she’s hideous (when in fact she is adorable). One day I started calling her a Little Uggle as a variation of “ugly”. I liked the sound, so I started naming my small cute creatures that.

-How did you get started making monsters?
It all started in February of 2010---there was a terrible snow storm that left me bored and in need of a yeti friend. I doodled a little drawing of a yeti and went to my craft space to try to replicate my drawing in plush form. A couple of hours later my yeti was born and I decided to take silly pictures of him in the snow. From that point on I was hooked on making monsters.

-What inspires and motivates you to create?
My mind is always racing with new ideas---not just plush. I also write music, poetry, design clothes, and am always looking for new things to try. As far as my plush---I am inspired a lot by colors, seasons, animals, and sci-fi. I very seldom draw my monsters anymore, but just make the pattern and see where it takes me. Most of the creation process is random and whatever I feel like at a particular moment. Sometimes people will give me suggestions that help me think out of my comfort zone.

-If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
Simple----time travel. I probably wouldn’t use it for any sort of awesome crime fighting but rather just to go on mini vacations. Ever since I was a child I have loved the idea of time travel (thanks to Back to the Future) and always wonder what things will be like in years to come…or were like in the past.

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Foods----sushi, raspberry anything, cheese (in almost any variety), dark chocolate, and ravioli (or other cheese filled pastas)
Tv shows----Heroes, The Office, Psych, WWE Raw, and The Soup
Bands----As Cities Burn, Matisyahu, Johnny Cash (not really a band but he rocks), Dead Poetic, and Underoath

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
Miss Demented (AWESOME wigs), The Poppy Tree (cute paintings and prints), and Glowbies (amazing little polymer clay creatures by a very talented 10 year old). Please note I am in love with a million shops but these 3 I probably stalk the most.

-One year from now, I hope...
To be better organized, have participated in at least 1 craft show, have way more unique items, and have made enough money from my Etsy shop to purchase a home. That last one is a pretty big goal, but anything’s possible!

-Where can we find you on the internet?
Etsy---jaebird.etsy.com (plush) and thejaebirddestash.etsy.com (destash supplies)
Facebook--- www.facebook.com/TheJaeBird
Email---TheJaeBird@gmail.com (I don’t check this as often, though, so facebook or etsy are the best ways to get a hold of me.)

As an added bonus we've even been lucky enough to get a super fun behind the scenes sneak peek of The JaeBird and her workshop!

check out all that fabric! *drool*

the beginnings of what looks to be a very cool uggle! I see zombie eyes! and guess what, he's in the shop now!! check him out! LOVE!

it looks like your monsters are a little out of control Jae, be careful! that one on your head has some big chompers! ;)

Thanks a bunch to Jae for giving us a peek behind the scenes at The JaeBird. Now everyone go and order yourself some monsters!  :)

see you next week...

the return of Friday Favorite Finds!!

Friday Finds is back and it's all new and improved! ;) In the past  for my Favorite Finds post I would choose one or two sellers on Etsy whose work as a whole I just adored, but I've decided there are SO many awesome things to share that I need to share more than just two a week. SO from now on, I will be sharing a handful of favorite things, each item from a different seller, every week! I may or may not have a theme each time, but for this first week back, I most definitely do! Lately I've been drawn to jewelry. I don't wear much, if any, unless I'm going out somewhere (which doesn't happen often as a single mom who works from home) but I seriously love some of the super fun rings I'm seeing on Etsy these days and find myself wanting to expand my very small collection! ;) Here are just a few of the rings from my favorites folder...

Sterling silver Handmade - Life is crazy, Candy baby - Pink Fused Glass adjustable Ring by LaNinja

I just LOVE this ring. I love the cotton candy pink color against the dark metal band and that scallop edge all the way around the stone is just TO.DIE.FOR! SO cute!

Oh happy day / Oh crappy day ring set - acrylic by Weasel Factory

I've been seeing these 3D acrylic laser cut rings all over the place. I don't know how comfortable they would be to wear but some of them are super cute. Like this set! I love all the tiny details - lightning and sunshine against the clouds. Adorable!

heart ring size 7.5 by Jewelry by Michal

perfect for Valentine's Day! ;) I love the shape of this heart ring and that beautiful deep red color of the resin stone. pretty pretty! From the last picture in the listing it looks like it might sit a little crooked on the finger and I like that too! :)

book worm word ring by Dreaming Tree Creations

how cool is this?!?! the word love is actually cut out of a book and then sealed in resin. I love this!! As a HUGE book worm myself I would love to have something like this. it's so unique! even better, you can special request other (short) words if you don't want it to say love... like READ or BOOK or BOYS (lol I have three of them) or CUTE or well, the list goes on. depending on who you're buying it for you could pick a word that means some special to both of you. I love it!! :)

magenta dichroic fused glass adjustable sterling silver ring by Desert Fire Designs

GORGEOUS stone! I can just imagine how sparkly it must be in person. and I love how the band twists around instead of just the standard ring band. super fun! :)

candy cane vintage lucite and sterling silver ring - your size by Minty Fresh Fusions

I am 100% head over heels for this ring!! That fun stripey stone! *HEART* The scallop edge (again)! *GASP* Even better... click on the link, because one of the other pictures shows the ring from the back side where you can see the genius who made it cut a heart shape into the metal behind the stone. it's like a secret only you know about when you're wearing it! I have been eyeballing this ring for a while and though it's a bit of splurge for this single mom who really has no use for such pretty things, I seriously hope to set this one on my finger and call it mine some day! :)

Well, I think that's probably enough for this week. ;) Check in again next Friday to see more of my favorite Etsy goodies!

The first official Monster Monday!

I've decided to start a new feature here on my blog. I've been wanting to share some of the super awesome plush creatures that I've found through some uber talented Etsy sellers, but I didn't want to turn Friday Favorite Finds* into an all plush feature. So this is my solution! Every Monday I'll share one of the plush monsters from my collection as well as an interview with the creator. :)

First up is actually the newest addition to my family of monsters. His name is Quarx and he's a Cake Monster. ;)

Quarx with one of his new friends here at MandeeFranee manor. ;)

I'm not even sure how I managed to find him on Etsy amongst the many, many other plush monsters. But I'm SO glad I did. He's so unique and SO well made. I really love him! The seller - Bearmojo - has a number of fun monster goodies for sale... purses, wallets, pillows and CAKE! They've got a great variety of colors available and if you know someone who likes monsters... or cake... you'd better hurry on over to the shop before they're gone! :)

 

I was able to hook up with the genius minds behind Bearmojo and they were kind enough to answer a few questions for me. :) Read on to learn a little more about this talented duo...


-Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Andrea I am a costume designer and all around creative crafty person. I formed Bearmojo with my wonderful, amazing boyfriend Todd. We are both employed full time and spend our free time together creating the world of Bearmojo.

-What is your shop name and is there a story behind it?

The story behind Bearmojo starts even before Todd and I met. I was a couple of years into college when the whole “internet Electronic mail” phase started up. Since I was and am completely inept with computers my then roomate was helping me to get an email address and up to date in the world. Well, since my last name is Bear we decided to try all the usual names: Abear, AndreaB, etc. All of the usual combination of names were already taken. In a nod to the great Austin Powers we decided to add Mojo onto Bear and sure enough it was available and I have been stuck with that email ever since. So, when Todd and I were deciding what to name the business we both decided that Bearmojo was the perfect name because its unusual and stands out from a crowd, while still being easily remembered.

-How did you get started making monsters?

I seem to have an addiction to buying fun, cute, crazy, bright colored fabrics and Todd joked that I needed to start making stuff to sell to support my “problem.” Since there seems to be no Fabrics Anonymous meetings for me to attend I jumped at the idea. Soon Todd was trapped in my craft web and now he spends his free time cutting out pieces and helping with all aspects of the business including fabric shopping and design. We’ve gotten to the point where we can’t remember who thought up what anymore.

-What inspires and motivates you to create?

Everything! Life, television, nature, we never know when the sparks of creativity will start a fire. It could be anything as innocent as driving down the road talking about the day and all of a sudden one of us is, “what about...” and the rest is history. Right now we have so many ideas we just need to clone ourselves to get it all done!

-If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

This is a very dangerous question, and our lawyer has advised us not to answer. Just kidding! I know I should want something that would make daily life easier but I really really want to be able to breathe underwater and swim really fast. Todd wants to be able to see the future at least a couple of days to see the winning lotto numbers.

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Food:
Pizza
Cake
Ice Cream
Beer, beer is food, right?
Fruits (this is Todd’s mine are the all the others)

Tv shows:
Firefly
How I Met Your Mother
Face Off
Psych
Pawn Stars

Bands:
David Bowie
Violent Femmes
The Ting Tings
Mustard Plug
Mrs. Miller

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

This is tough, but I know Twinkie Chan is definitely in the top three! And I would have to say The JaeBird and Triquimoches, if you haven’t seen them you should definitely check them out.

-One year from now, I hope...
1. Living in a place with no snow
2. Bearmojo large enough to suppport at least one of us
3. Have acquired said super powers from previous question
4. Writing answers to many more questions from many more interviews
5. No seriously what is up with all the snow?

-Where can we find you on the internet?

We just started a Facebook page www.facebook.com/bearmojo we also have a new website which is in its baby stages, www.bearmojo.com and of course at bearmojo.etsy.com.

Not only did they answer our questions, but they even agreed to give us a little peek behind the scenes at Bearmojo! Check it out...

be careful Andrea, those teeth look sharp!

looks like this monster wants a bite of cake

a whole herd of cake monsters! Todd looks a little nervous!

maybe if he shares a bite they won't get rowdy?

monster wallets!

what a workshop!

Thank you so much Andrea and Todd for answering my questions and letting us take a peek inside the inner workings of Bearmojo. I wish you all the luck in growing your business and I can't wait to see the new monsters you'll create in the future!

Don't forget to check back next Monday to see more super fun monsters!!

*speaking of Friday Favorite Finds... look for it to be making a come back this week! :)

Blizzard 2011!

I know it's been a while since I posted here (almost a month, wow). I've just been doing my very best to get caught up on orders. I'm still plugging away but I wanted to share a few pictures from yesterday's big Winter storm! This is the most snow I've seen since I moved here almost 6 years ago. I have been dreaming of snow like this! I LOVE IT! There are places in my front yard where the snow hits me at MID THIGH! It's so awesome! :) My kids went out to play (twice) and I walked around taking some pictures.

The snow plow left a MOUNTAIN of snow and the boys decided to dig through to the other side. They didn't actually make it because the center was solid ice, but they had fun trying. :)

this is the sidewalk right outside my front door. that ruler is about 14 inches and the snow is over the top of it! we did have maybe 4-5 inches already on the ground when the storm hit, but we definitely got a good 9 inches or so. and some of the drifts are WELL above this! 

 it was starting to get dark at this point so the pictures kinda suck, but they're so funny I had to include them. Connor came inside and told me to wait 1 minute then come down to the end of the field where the deepest snow was... and to bring my camera. when I walked out there (which was NO easy feat, this is where it's up to my knee and even my thigh at some points) I didn't see them anywhere... until I got closer. lol they dug these trenches and where just laying inside waiting for me. goofballs! they're actually deeper than they look here, I had to hold the camera up above my head to get this shot. but the next couple pictures give a little better perspective.

even thought this one is really blurry, I had to keep it. it cracks me up!

I just love how FAT all the birds look with their feathers all fluffed up in Winter! :)

you've got to click on this one and view the full size image. you can see a bunch of individual snowflakes along the top edge of that pile of snow. it's SO pretty!

Carter sitting on top of the snow plow mountain...  it was taller than my car!

Now the kids are back to school, much to their dismay. The snow looks GORGEOUS this morning in the sunlight, all glittery and sparkling! :) And I am off to get some more sewing done!