We interrupt this program...

Taking a break from all the wedding madness (which, to be quite honest, hasn't become nearly as mad as I expected) to bring you a preview of the newest additions to the SnuggleBirds family. SnuggleBirds is my new label for sweet little bird-shaped purses and other bird-themed bags, wristlets, and pouches.

I am clearancing out JunkMostWondrous so I can focus solely on SnuggleBirds in 2009. I had a decent run with JunkMostWondrous, but let's face it, folks: the amount of 'collected and assembled' jewelry on Etsy far outweighs the demand for the product. I averaged about one sale a week in 2008. Not too shabby, but barely enough to break even on supplies, packaging, shipping, advertising, listing, and renewing, not to mention compensating my time.

My hope is that SnuggleBirds will be something fun, different, and unique. Part of my new business plan also dictates that Etsy will not be my only selling outlet. I am looking into other online venues, as well as area B&M locations. So without further ado, I give you a sneak peek at some of my new products, which I hope to release in January 2009:

These guys are cut and ready for detailing and assembly!

Gingko Garden with purple:

Pink Lemonade with purple:

Honey Harvest with yellow:

In the works!

Palace Peacock (will have green lining & wing pocket):

Mushroom Meadow (will have green lining & wing pocket):

Also on deck, posh puppy prints and pretty birds!

My Handmade Wedding, Part II: The Invitations

I had NO idea that wedding invitations were so complicated. I set out to make my invitations with the idea that I could embellish some blank cards and print my message inside. Apparently, I was very, very wrong. There are generally at least three envelopes involved, extremely specific wording, and the terror that you will be forever shunned by society if you fail to follow protocol.

My cousin and self-appointed (and indispensable) wedding planner, a seasoned veteran of several weddings including one of her own, helped me navigate the treacherous waters of "DIY" invitations. Together we selected an "invitation suite" (and evoked the wrath of a Michaels store associate as we opened the box to see how everything looked). I chose the one as blank as possible, so I could add my beautiful red bird embellishments from niklindesigns1225.


I spent about 12 hours of labor on 40 invitations. The most time-consuming part by far was doing the calligraphy for both the addresses and return addresses. Oh, and as for my least favorite part-- remember that episode of Seinfeld where George is getting married, but his fiance dies from licking the cheap envelopes? Well, I didn't die, but I did get a paper cut on my tongue.

When I was FINALLY done, I sealed my envelopes with these gorgeous bird stickers from digitalpaperie.



I think the finished product turned out wonderfully and although it was a lot of work, doing it myself both saved me money and allowed me to create exactly what I wanted.

My Handmade Wedding, Part I

I have about two months to pull together a wedding. Why, you ask, when most people plan their weddings a year ahead, would I choose to have a wedding two months from now? Well, the progress of my relationship has been a bit unconventional from the start. Rather than having an official engagement, B & I decided to elope. Then guilt set in, and I said, "why don't we have a civil ceremony and have our moms as witnesses?" Then somehow we decided to get married in one of those cutesy little chapels in North Carolina. That way, we could invite our close friends and family. Somehow the whole thing just spun out of control and led to me practically having a nervous breakdown as I wailed, "There is no way we can pull this together."

And so we decided to get married in a church (as B wanted) and invite whoever we wanted. However, in light of the economy in general and our own finances in particular, we decided to make it a laid-back and informal affair. No army of bridesmaids, no Vera Wang gown, just me and B and the people we love.

Given my crafty streak and our mutual love of quality, handmade goods, B and I decided that having a strong handmade factor in our wedding was important. And so I will be blogging about it each step of the way, sharing our great handmade finds with you.

Look for my next post about our handmade wedding invitations, which will combine my craftiness with the talents of another Etsian.

Finest Feathers in Green and Gold

Etsy's Treasury feature allows users to "curate" their own list of 12 items plus 4 alternates. You can only make a Treasury when the number of lists drops below 333. Treasury slots are highly coveted because 1) they are fun to make and 2) there is a small chance that your Treasury will be chosen for the front page, giving the curator instant fame and glamour. Or at least a little extra exposure.



Today, the Treasury list dropped below 333. Over 500 people were waiting to jump on a slot, and most of them were successful. In the short, seconds-long window in which the slot was open, the number of Treasuries jumped from 332 to 803. That is by far the highest number I've seen; no word yet as to whether that's an official record-breaker.



I was one of the lucky "few" that snagged a slot. I love doing bird treasuries because there are so many beautiful examples of avian arts and crafts on Etsy. I decided to narrow my theme to a particular color scheme as well, choosing green and yellow as an homage to high summertime in the South.



Here's my Big 12:

To check out the other 700+ Treasuries, visit http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php

Finally Finished!

My Singer and I heaved a collective sigh of relief today... we finally finished the owl purse. There were times when both of us almost gave up, but we made it through. As a reward for my Singer, I'm going to dethread her, take her apart and give her a good cleaning and oiling, change her needle, and then let her rest for a while. I was also glad to retire the ironing board and free up some space in my catastrophe of a craft room.

So how did the owl purse turn out? I'll pick up where my last post left off.

I finally got both sides lined



and I added a coin pocket:



The final product (I went with a button closure- still not brave enough to attempt a zipper):



It's far from perfect. For example, one side is bigger than the other. All things considered, it's not too bad for a first attempt. I am only mildly embarrassed to be seen with it in public.

My Latest (Amateur) Sewing Projects

My spankin' new Singer Prelude has been getting quite the workout since we moved. Thanks to our nosy (and noisy) neighbors, I decided to tackle the issue of window treatments first. Up to this point, my biggest project had been the ugly brown book pouch. I was a little intimidated, but figured I might as well try. I got some great tips from the nice craft lady at WalMart's fabric counter. (Yes, I know, we're all supposed to hate WalMart and shun anyone who patronizes the place, but short of driving 80 miles, it was my only source for affordable fabric). Given the selection, I picked out some real doozies. I think this teal Chinese dragon print is my favorite:

That curtain was a brilliant innovation in window covering design (please read with tongue in cheek). The back door in our rented house is brand new, and I was pretty sure the landlady would not appreciate me installing hardware right off the bat. Luckily the door was also metal. I just sewed magnets into the top.

My other curtains were a bit more traditional (and time-consuming). The process got tedious at times, but I think it was a good learning experience. I felt ready to tackle another big project: making a purse.

I chose an adorable, butter-yellow Hot Couturier owl fabric with a rich, chocolate-brown satin lining. Perfect for fall, assuming it all turns out alright.

Keep in mind I have never worked with or even seen a pattern. I decided to try my hand at making my own. It couldn't be that hard, right? This is what I came up with:

I guess I didn't screw up too bad, since it yielded four fairly uniform sections, plus a strap and button flap:

That's all the progress I've made so far. Time to really take the plunge: I'm even going to attempt a zipper.

Major Makeover in the Works

I am a huge fan of home makeover shows. I am slightly obsessed with "before and after" pictures. Since I'm living in a brand new place and making a career change, I think it's the perfect time to give my shop a big facelift. I'm currently designing a new banner and avatar, and I'm planning to take my shop in a slightly different direction. I'm working on building up inventory that showcases the Appalachian influence I hope to reflect in my jewelry. As they become available, I will be posting updates and new pictures here at PossumBlossom.

This means a lot more flora- and fauna-themed pieces will be appearing, and I will be incorporating some antique components as well.

Items in my current inventory that don't quite fit with this new direction will be put in a special clearance section at rock-bottom prices. I hope to unveil the new & improved JunkMostWondrous around the first of August. In the meantime, I'm offering free shipping on all my current stock. If you have any suggestions for the makeover, leave me a comment!