meh, by the numbers.

Along with my crazy work schedule (two separate practices, sort-of adjunct faculty at one college and various temp jobs within a 20 mile radius) I've been attempting to get back a little to my arts and crafts roots. Whenever I have moments to spare, I've been making wine bags and tie purses. And kind of experimenting with headbands, but that's a whole 'nother story. In a couple of short months, I've amassed quite the collection: 62 wine bags and 7 tie purses. But while working on all these bags, I literally had no goals in mind. I was like "I'll upload them all to Etsy and see what happens!" Well....

Nothing happened. Which I was expecting... I guess. It's nice to have no expectations, and then when those non-expectations are shattered when someone buys something, you're super happy. But I guess I was expecting that too, and I was disappointed when no one purchased anything. Therefore crushing my expectations. Does that make sense?

So I started to embark on looking for craft fairs! Nothing is better than some solid one-on-one connections! The first one I participated in was more of a flea market than a craft fair. To be honest, most people were there looking for deals, not handmade items. But remarkably, I sold two wine bags! Then again, three people also asked me where the ties were that I was selling (which I don't sell individual ties). Then, on two separate occasions, people called my stuff decent.  Fucking decent. What the hell is that supposed to mean?  Here's my interpretation of decent.

I was supposed to participate in another fair today. It was cancelled because of the rain, and I can't make the rain date (poo). But, since that one was cancelled, it gave me the opportunity to sign up for the TRENTON PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET! The spaces sold out in like, less than 10 minutes, so I'm jazzed that I am going to be participating!

I'm trying to go in with no expectations, but you can already guess that that's going to the shitter pretty fast. So during now and then, I'd love to be able to really really work on my table display. Maybe go to the Salvation Army and get an old fashioned coat rack to hang up some of my purses! You know, make that shit look professional! Cause honestly, if I don't sell much, EVERYONE IS GETTING SOMETHING MADE OF TIES FOR CHRISTMAS AGAIN.

my first real craft show!

I had a great time at my first real craft show! I brought along 40 wine bags, 4 tie-purses, some poof ball flowers and vases that I made for the wedding, and two small paintings which you might remember: abcdef fail and anxiety.

A lot of people made me feel so great: Compliments on how clever my ideas really made me smile. It was wonderful to hear people admiring my sewing and my bags. AAAAAAAAND (drum-roll PLZ....) I SOLD 4 BAGS! I'm so glad I made more bags and spent time preparing as much as I could. I did learn a couple of things from my craft show experience.

• I need sign. I picked up foam-core to make one the other night, and I decided that it wouldn't look professional enough, so I didn't bother making one. I need to make one like I made for Bamboula. One that says something like CRAFTS MADE FROM TIES! or CREATIONS FROM TIES! or something like that.
• I wonder if I'm not being confident enough. I was so happy to talk to visitors at the table, that I didn't really "sell myself" like other people were. Is that a key to success?
• It would have been nice to have someone there for a couple minutes so I could have left to use the bathroom, or to walk around to see other peoples things. At one point, I had to pee so bad that I left a note that said BE BACK IN A MINUTE! and asked the couple next to me if they wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for me. 

All in all it was a great day for a great cause. I hope I can do more fairs in the future, and maybe with some luck, I can have some more success!

finished!

I can't believe how productive I've been the past couple of nights! I completely finished all 23 wine bags. ALL 23 BAGS! Each one is stamped with my little "Nodyl's Noodles" stamp, and has a cute little tag with the price. Over the weekend, I'd like to make a price sheet that I can frame for my crafter table. I have a really nice black tablecloth to use, too. I'm so excited, I really hope I can make new friends and customers next weekend!

FINALLY SOME PICTURES!

I didn't realize how cray I look in this picture.

more bags, more glory (part deux)

On Monday and Tuesday I began almost obsessively working on new wine bags to (HOPEFULLY!) sell at the Arc Mercer 2012 Walk-A-Thon taking place on Saturday May 18th at Veterans Park in Hamilton Township. NJ. While I didn't get my original goals done on Monday, I sure blew through them on Tuesday night. Here's what I have in the works:

23 NEW WINE BAGS!

46 pieces of fabric cut and pressed

736 inches (or over 61 feet!) of ties cut into 16" pieces for all 23 bags

2 tie-handles sewed onto each of the bags

excess pieces of tie from handles trimmed and saved to make the tiny tie for each bag

all 23 bags ironed and ready for the final sew

Also, I think I'm going to do special pricing from now on whenever I do a craft fair. Since Etsy charges the seller per transaction and per item post, I try to build those small costs into each bag. Since I'll be interacting with my (POTENTIAL!) customers one-on-one, I can drop the prices a little.

Anyone who grew up in the 80's and lived near New York remembers Crazy Eddie! I'm going to be the Crazy Eddie of wine bags.

more bags, more glory

It's been awhile since I've sewed some wine bags. But I have to get on my game, because 12 days from now I'll be setting up my CRAFTY BOOTH for ARC Mercer in Veteran's Park with only 18 wine bags! My goal is to make another 12-22 to bring my total to either 30 or 40.  I think I can do it between my other projects going on. I think it's time for me to realistically set goals again, folks.

OK. By the end of tonight I'd like to have all of the ties for the bags' straps cut out, all of the fabric cut out, and all of the straps pinned to the fabric. I think that's a fair goal to set for myself.

Here are the projects I have going on right now:
- Make a 40" tall wall-hanging F. (I'll explain later)
- Make a mold and resin cast of my left hand (... I'll explain later)
- Make 12-22 new wine bags to sell at craft fair
- Update and work on my collaborative blog for Moxy Murals with my fellow artist Mrs. Brown!

I'm hoping that I can create a post a day detailing some of the other projects I've been working on. There's a lot going on in Nodyl's world at the moment!

many things, many things.

Many things. What has been going on in my life over the past couple months? MANY THINGS. And all are such good things. I've gotten married. I've been on a lovely honeymoon with my future husband. I've been accepted to go back to school to study Dental Hygiene. Spring has sprung. Life is good. But while much of life happened, I put a temporary hold on my art projects. Much of that will be changing as I dive deeper into this new chapter of my life.

But for now, check out what I'll be up to on May 18th!!

I will be selling and displaying my wine bags and tie purses at the 2013 Arc Mercer Walk-a-Thon, located at Veterans Park in Hamilton Twp. NJ!!! Arc Mercer is a non-profit organization that provides a range of quality services for individuals with developmental disabilities. You can support Arc Mercer by participating in the Walk-a-Thon: Call Ms. Kelly Jiras at 609-406-0181 ext. 146

I hope to see you there, if not, just check back later for fun pictures of the event on my blog!

finally, some new etsy s***!

I added seven, yes SEVEN! new wine bags to Etsy today! I finished three a little earlier in the week as you may have read, but I finally was able to take pictures and post them. Somehow, I then got another rush of craft-fever, and finished sewing another four bags! I figured, HEY! Why not take a couple more pictures and post those, too?

The last four I finished were the new design I created, which is basically four ties on the outside, and a thick liner fabric for the inside. I used the zig-zag stitch to secure the four ties to one another, which adds some cool contrast to the exterior, if you don't mind me sayin'!

sew whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

I had an amazingly productive craft session last night thanks to the stimulating combination of getting my sewing machine back from the shop, sweating it out in an awesome gym session, and being scared s***less from watching The Walking Dead. Between the feelings of excitement, exhaustion and adrenaline, I was wasn't even friggin' blinking.

Yes. I do step aerobics.

No lie, I was like a kid in a candy store yesterday when I picked up my machine at Modern Vac & Sew. They literally restored my machine to factory condition. The tension is perfect, the stitches are even and quite divine.... AND! It sounds like a sewing machine again! No more k'chunk k'chunk k'chunk .... it's more like a rrRRMmmmrrRRMmmmrrRRMmmmrrRRMmmm. It's a thing of beauty. If you need repairs, go see them. <--- Look, I made a recommendation!

Word to the wise, if ever decide to take your machine to the shop, I'd recommend cleaning and wiping down your machine first, before you start sewing any important project! Oils and lubrication added to the machine during the tune-up can leak a little at first, so do a couple test runs on scrap fabric, then wipe the machine down with paper towels. You'll thank yourself for doing this. Besides, you gotta treat that s*** nice, yo.

I completed three 'original design' wine bags, complete with tiny ties and brand spankin' new fabrics! Plus, I also sewed the looped handles on seven (SEVEN!) 'new design' wine bags. I think between today and tomorrow, I'm going to write up my Etsy listing for them, and hopefully take pictures of the finished products. With any luck, they'll be online for sale by the end of the week!

And of course, I did not forget the most important part. THE STAMP. I'm thinking this should be my new slogan: "If it doesn't say Nodyl's Noodles, then that shit was ripped off."

don't be jerky.

While I was in the midst of being proud of my increased sewing productivity on Sunday night, I noticed that my trusty sewing machine was getting a little loud. Actually it was getting A LOT loud. I guess it kinda sounds like this: k'chunk, k'chunk, K'CHUNK, k'chunk, K'CHUNK... And it was jerky.

NO NO NO. Not JERKY. You know, JERKY!

[jur-kee] characterized by jerks or sudden starts; spasmodic.

It also started shaking as the speed of the stitch got progressively higher. I think my poor machine was trying to tell me something: So I decided to take my pride n' joy to Modern Vac & Sew for a little tune up. I'm sure it will be well worth it for the amount of sewing I do. I'm going to call them later today to find out the diagnosis, and hopefully they might give me a time frame on when I can pick it up!

Last night I started piecing together the wine bags. And I'm glad I did, because it took me about two hours to pin the straps and the interior fabric to the exterior! And, since I had extra tie-ends, I ended up piecing together nine new bags. Now when I get my machine back, I'll be ready to roll!

all tied up.

Figuratively. And literally. But not like that. Figuratively I've been tied up with wedding planning. And ceiling fixing. And ignoring basic responsibilities in life while watching the Food Network. Literally I'm not tied up. How would I be typing this if I were tied up?

I've been sorta off lately, needless to say. I haven't felt much like blogging, crafting, or  all the other yadda yaddas. Most people I've told this to say that it's normal for people to relax and not be "productive" all the time. But for me, not doing those things becomes literally depressing. I feel like I should be working on wine bags, poof ball flowers and be all sunshine and smiles. But when I try to find the motivation in me to start sewing or crafting... well, there is none. So I sit down instead. And think of all the things I could be doing. And I don't do anything. Except I watch the Food Network. F***ing Food Network. Everything is so ga'damn delicious.

Luckily, that all changed yesterday. I finally told myself ENOUGH ALREADY! No more excuses!

I went out and got 7.5 yards of fabric. Today, I sewed the exterior of 7 new wine bags, in a completely new design! And I cut the inside fabric for a total of 16 wine bags.

new tie pattern!

new fabric!

In other news, I kinda looked like Where's Waldo today.

don't hate.

weekend update, with Norm MacDonald

No, no Norm here. Just me. But this post should promise to be just as random and confused as his updates used to be. Remember how I was saying "Ohhh, it's going to drizzle fo'rizzle outside today, which means I'm going to craft!" this past Friday?  Well, unbeknownst to me, the weather perked up. Which meant that I didn't do a lick'a quilting that night. Instead, I downed wine and Marchiano's with awesome friends around a fire on our patio, relaxing the night away. Socializing: 1. Crafting: 0

I had better luck crafting over the rest of the weekend, which makes me think that I might (MIGHT) be able to craft in the nice weather... I repainted a birdhouse in bright tropical colors outside and hung it up in the yard. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get little birdy inhabitants. I also sewed three more wine bags, and cut out all the glass for window #1! Pictures of that will be coming soon! Not too bad for someone who was previously unproductive in 60+ degree weather. Weather: 1. Me: ... 1? Everything: 1. That's better.

Which leads me to one thing that's been bothering me: About two weeks ago, I bought clay so I could start working on my tree bark sculpture. And I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE. This is a common Jill-Problem, since I can't seem to put anything back where it really belongs. I'm hoping I didn't accidentally throw it out when I was cleaning my crafty space... Clay: 1. Jill: 0.

the balancer

Spring is a finicky season: You get luxurious bright and sunny days, mixed in with sporadic rainy dreary days. I think it's kinda funny when people complain about the rain. Is it really all that terrible? Sure, you can't do everything you wanted to outside... but what about all the things that you can be doing inside, besides complaining? And if it didn't rain, well... s***, we'd all be a little parched, wouldn't we?

When I look the big picture, the weather seems like a natural balancer for me. When it's sunny and beautiful outside, I spend all my time out in the garden. Or thinking about being outside. Or, ironically, watching HGTV shows about being in a garden. Which doesn't make any sense, because I'm inside the house watching a show about being outside the house. Any hopes of working on bags, sculptures or the quilt flies right out the window. My mind is filled with transforming the outdoors.

But on days like today where it's overcast, drizzly, dark and stormy, the reset button in my mind is clicked and I think about all the things that I can do inside. I want to race home from work, jump into comfy pants, and start on projects that will keep the wheels in my mind spinning like... well, wheels. There are three more wine bags I have cut out that need to be sewn together. There's a basted quilt that's begging to be sewn together. And there's tree bark that's sitting, waiting to be transformed into a sculpture.

Is there a point to all this? Eh, not entirely. I'm just excited to get home and get to work. If I have to depart with a point, it'd be to make the best out of every situation. I can't wait to take pictures of my weekend projects! Here's to the rain!

damage control.

In light of my most recent blog post adventure, I decided to get smart and do a little bit of damage control. One of my goals moving forward is to not let this happen to me again. (Seriously, the anxiety is getting me all verklempt.) And one of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by making fabric labels to stitch into all of my creations. Hopefully, this will deter any buyer from saying "HEY! LOOK WHAT I MADE!"  Now they can say "HEY! LOOK WHAT THIS NODYL'S NOODLES WHATEVER PERSON MADE!"  Score one for team me.

I did a little bit of Google research into how I could accomplish this. And believe me, the results were interesting!  Did you know that you can print directly on fabric from your computer printer?  I sures' hell didn't. Craft Passion gave a wonderful and really informative tutorial on this method and many others, along with the pros and cons associated with each. As a crafter, I really appreciate all of the time and effort they put into their research! While this looked like it could have been my winning choice for my fabric labels, I decided against it for one main reason: The only printer I have access to is at work. FAIL.

I quickly ruled out using iron on transfer paper. I've used it in the past for quick n' quirky t-shirts, but the quality isn't as reliable or professional as I'd like it to be. Silk screening would be AWESOME and would be my number one choice... but I haven't done it since college. And I don't have any of the required hardware. Or ink. So... no.

My final choice? This!
That's right folks.  A good ol' custom rubber stamp with the Nodyl's Noodles logo (1x2-1/2") and a VersaCraft ink pad, especially made for fabric printing. VersaCraft can be heat-set so the stamps become permanent on the fabric used, which looks like that'll give me the reliable and professional results that I so desire! Once I get my stamp and ink in the mail, I'll practice and take pictures of the results!

fraud.

(just a quick note: I'm leaving names of people and galleries out of this.)

Almost exactly one year ago, I received a request to make 25 wine bags for a woman who saw one in a gallery space off of South Street. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was elated to think that someone would like my creations so much, that they'd buy 25 of them to give out to family and friends as a gift! I promptly set myself to the task, working tirelessly to complete the job.

Flash forward one year later.

Lou and I set out to a gallery we both admired for their First Friday show: A photography exhibit by a wonderful local artist. I also brought along a new wine bag, tie purse, and my business cards, just in case there might have been an opportunity to talk and make an appointment to come back with more of my work. I recognized one of the store's employees almost immediately, as Lou and I have chatted with her on a previous occasion. After catching up, and thanking her for inspiring me to create more my new little business, she then introduced me to the store owner: I had such a lovely time talking with her. I was so flattered that she admired my tie purse, that after a flash of confidence, I brought out my wine bag, telling her that I was interested in displaying them in the store as well. She mentioned that there was another wine bag in the store, and went to retrieve it for me to see.

At first when I saw the wine bag, I felt like my eyes just didn't focus on it right. Then my stomach sank. Was that the fabric that my mom had given to me? Was that the tie that I picked out to go with the fabric? Was that the same exact design that I came up with? It was. It was one of the 25 wine bags that I had made for that woman a year ago.

"Oh my gosh. I made that. That's my wine bag." was all I could muster out. I turned over the price tag and saw the name of the woman I sold the bags to. I was shocked. And sad. I felt so stupid. So very stupid. How could someone take my work and put their name on it?

I ended up telling the surprised gallery owner my entire story: My excitement for the commission, my not-so-great transaction with the purchaser, and how everyone, literally everyone, kept telling me that I wasn't charging enough for the bags. Turns out that I wasn't. She didn't want to buy them to give out to family and friends: She saw a girl undercharging her handmade items, and saw an opportunity to make a buck off of them. And she did. The gallery owner and the store's employees believed me 100%, thank goodness, and I feel like they might have been just as shocked as I was. They had someone defraud them as well.

At the end of the night, Lou and I walked out to my car, where I promptly exploded into messy tears. My feelings of shock and sadness turned into disgust and anger: Not only for the purchaser, but for myself as well. Unfortunately, it put yet another dent in my faith for humanity. But I know there will be positives to come out of the whole experience. I think the gallery would really love to have my bags and purses in the shop. And I know I've made new friends there, too.

I do feel like I need to make  or find another charm for my necklace. LESSON LEARNED, it should say.

addicted to the sew.

As I sat down last night at my crafting table after my gym excursion and subsequent long shower, I began to think about the scrap fabric I had hidden in a shoe box in my closet. I literally have hundreds of six inch strips left over from my string quilt-top, and it seemed like such a shame to keep them cooped up in there. I pulled the box out, selected some random strips and began playing with different combinations, colors and patterns.

I don't know how it happened, or if I was even conscious while doing it... but one thing led to another, and I made four new wine bags. I just started sewing one little scrap to another little scrap, and before you know it, WHAM! I'm hot-gluing tiny ties onto the fronts of four new bags. I adore the way they turned out. It took me almost four hours to make them, which is about the time it takes me to make ten bags out of one solid piece of fabric. But the results speak for themselves: It looks like wine bags on LSD. Or the work of a crazy woman obsessed with her sewing machine. 

I think I may have a sewing problem. The first step to acceptance is admitting you have a problem, right?

package details.

I was so excited yesterday! You probably already saw that I had my first sale over at Etsy. HOLLA! After my euphoria settled into amazement, and the amazement settled into wonder, I began to think: How should I package my item?  It's not everyday that I send someone a package in the mail, and I don't want to just throw the bag in another bag, slap a stamp on it and ship it off. I want my recipient to feel like they're opening up a gift! I want them to feel special! So what to do?

Unfortunately, there's not much I can do with the flat rate box, but once she opens up the box she'll be greeted with this:

A colorful printed envelope, a thank you note, a receipt, a business card and colorful tissue paper round out the package. If I'm going to be serious about selling my crafts online, then I need to let the purchaser know how much I care, and how I truly appreciate their purchase. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing this.

celebration!

My lovely friend Kara just became my first customer on Etsy!  I'm bursting at the seams with love. She purchased one of my favorite wine bags, and I'm so glad that I can send it to her, all the way over in Germany!

bag #1 out of 10... SOLD!!

up and running!

Guess who just opened their first Etsy shop?
THIS GUY.  GIRL.  YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Visit the Nodyl's Noodles Shop on Etsy!

so that's how you do it?

I think I may have finally learned how to take a picture with my digital camera.  I learned how to adjust the settings, and I started taking pictures of... well, everything. I hope they keep getting better, I'm so close to posting my bags on Etsy!

craft night!

On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to host 3 very crafty girls for an evening filled with fun, food, wine and art.  Which are some of my most favorite things, if you don't mind me sayin'!  Some lovely items were crafted, and good times were had by all.  All in all, a very successful night!

I actually did some prep-work for our art-rendezvous on Tuesday night, since my goal was to make 10 wine bags that I could put on my Etsy site. I thought it would be so much easier to iron, cut and pin all of the bags together before our gathering, since I tend to overtake the space that I'm working in. Plus, I like to sing Erasure  whilst cutting fabric, and it's slightly less embarrassing to do that alone.  It's also slightly more embarrassing to admit that.  But I did what I set out to accomplish, and by Wednesday I was ready to assemble!

6 years of paint, plaster, latex and paper.  ...done?

detail of upper right corner

During our crafting session, I sewed and completed all 10 bags which I am thrilled about!  But, that's not all.  After drinking copious amounts of wine and stuffing myself full of tiny little hot dogs and pretzels (insert omnom here), I whipped out the ol' painting I've been casually working on for the past 6 or so years.  ... I think... I'm actually done.  For the moment, here's what it looks like. I love where this painting is at right now.  My goal is to find a place in the house where I can hang it up.  I haven't had a 'hanging-worthy' painting in quite sometime.  SCORE!