A Bow Tie Addiction

I know that I have an insane amount a bit of blogging to catch up on.  (Umm.....five months worth....yikes.)    However, lately I have been wanting to do this Sew N Tell thing that Laura's sister-in-law Amy does ever since my birthday (which was, oh, 5 months ago!) when I got my very own sewing machine!  I have been trying to sew some different projects, mostly things for my little guy.  (Including an apron and chef's hat and a Super Grover and Super Callum cape....pics coming eventually when I catch up!  I am really going to try not to get more than half of a year behind, but we'll see about that.)  Sadly, although I had good intentions of posting on Sew N Tell about them, I can't post about my fabulous little apron, the capes, or even the dress my friend helped me make last fall because I have procrastinated too long and Sew N Tell is an every Friday thing so the expectation is that you will post something that has been finished in the last week.  I am pleased to have something that I finished last week that I can post!  What is it?

BABY BOW TIES!!

They are my new obsession.  Can you tell?  These are the ones that I made last week.  Two were made as a gift for Callum's little pal's birthday, but the rest are for Callum.  Do you think his collection is complete?!  I first tried to make a bow tie for him for our fabulous family pictures (which I still haven't posted because it happened in May, but here's a little sneak peek.  

Um......cutest child EVER!!  Am I wrong?!?  

Then I decided he needed a patriotic one for the Fourth of July.  Love this boy!

And now he has enough to last him for quite some while!!  Until he needs holiday themed ones, that is!  (Visions of orange and black pumpkins are already dancing through my head!)  

I used this fabulous tutorial from the blog A Lemon Squeezy Home:

http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2010/04/bow-tie-tutorial.html

I did have to modify it a bit because my needles kept breaking because it was too thick.  Instead of the zig zag part I just overlapped the edges a bit and did a straight stitch through the middle.  Then I hand stitched the line that creates the fold.  So much less frustrating!  Have fun creating your own for your little men!!

Earring Giveaway!!

EARRING GIVEAWAY!

My friend Courtney (who featured my Etsy site on her blog a couple of weeks ago) is celebrating having 100 fans on her business Facebook page with a series of giveaways, and today's giveaway item is a pair of my earrings!  So head on over to her blog and leave a comment about where you would wear these fun, summery earrings.  Yes, it is THAT easy!  Sooo . . . . while you are on her blog enter for the darling doll tutu as well, which was the prize that went up a couple of days ago.  If you're REALLY lucky you might win both!  And, by the way, I now have a Facebook business page.  Have you "Liked" it yet??  If not, head on over!!

My Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/bombshellblingjewelry

The Giveaway:  http://sweetcsdesigns.com/archives/1230

The giveaway closes Friday, July 1st.  Good luck!

My Jewelry Journey

As I posted, last weekend I was the spotlighted Etsy seller over at the blog Sweet C's Designs.  I am quite positive that you are all sick of seeing nothing but jewelry announcement after jewelry announcement on this blog.  (I mean, come on, where are the pictures of CALLUM?!?  Don't worry . . . they're coming . . . and then you'll be sick of THOSE!  I promise!)  Nevertheless, I thought that I would post my "story" here as well, both for my records and for those of you who didn't get a chance to check out the post at Sweet C's.  So here it is: the story of my jewelry journey.

Hello! I am Sarah Westover McKenna, full time stay-at-home mom and part-time jewelry designer. I have always been an accessory addict, but I didn’t start making jewelry until about four years ago. Growing up, I spent most of my time singing and dancing, but I discovered that those hobbies are much more difficult to maintain participation in as a working adult- so in my post-college life I began to turn toward scrapbooking and crafting.

I was working as a fourth grade teacher in inner city St. Louis during my husband’s first year as a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis, and I was lonely and needed a creative outlet or hobby to take my mind temporarily away from my very emotionally taxing job. A talented young woman from my church—Jaime from Baubles and Bits --offered to teach jewelry making classes once a month at her apartment, a skill which sounded very exciting and useful to me. So I started going, and I became her most devoted attendee! My husband was relieved to see me happier and making friends, but he was QUITE appalled at the cost of getting started in such a hobby! Luckily, he shook off the initial shock and let me do my thing, because my confidence and skills soon began to flourish as I discovered this talent which I never dreamed that I possessed. Sadly, Jaime moved away, and I was left to navigate on my own.

Enter Ann from Magnolia Pearl Jewelry. Ann, another fabulous woman from my church, and I were asked to lead a one night workshop on making earrings, and while working together on it we discovered how much we loved gabbing away with one another while we worked. (It didn’t hurt that we had both recently become stay-at-home moms to darling boys who were only two days apart in age!) Ever the go-getter, Ann dreamt up a scheme for us to sell our jewelry at home shows, talked me into it, and the rest is history! Since beginning to sell, I have been constantly motivated to try new things and improve upon my designs. Last month, Ann and I each followed our husbands’ training across the country- far away from one another and our customer base back in St. Louis- but I am thrilled that my Etsy shop is finally up and running and that I can now reach out to new customers in my hometown of Denver, Colorado.

I spend my days chasing after my curly-headed two-year-old rascal and my nights and nap times creating unique jewelry for myself, my shop, and the people that I love. I adore opportunities to fill custom orders and I am particularly proud of my “Signature Necklace” line. I recently went to a bead and gem trade show and loaded up on new supplies. I can’t wait to create new “blingy” pieces to reflect my sassy, outgoing personality and which will look fabulous on YOUR neck! Watch for more Signature Necklaces to come, and snag them while you can, because they are all one-of-a-kind and I am literally stopped by strangers everywhere I go whenever I wear one out!

(It was recently brought to my attention that the reason I haven't seen my button on many other blogs may be because it was too large and because some blogs will only accept square buttons.  To that end, my new, square, petite button is now posted on the side of this blog.  Please consider adding it to your blog's sidebar!  Thank you for your support!!)

Remember Me?

Hi There!  Remember me?  Yes, I am alive!  And I have a list of events---both large and small---that I need to post about, including many of the cute things Callum has been up to over the last several months.  We also have BEAUTIFUL new family photos by the lovely and talented Emily Southerland to share.  Look forward to it, because the pics of Callum are priceless!  But, for now, I don't have time to update because I have been so busy moving to Colorado (!) and working on my jewelry business.

I am officially ONLINE now, and my Etsy shop is full of 126 items!  I also have a business page on Facebook now!  ("LIKE" me, please!  I need validation!)  Yesterday my Etsy shop was spotlighted on the blog Sweet C's Designs, which is run by my talented high school friend Courtney Staatz O'Dell.  She and I are working on a BIG surprise that will be unveiled in several months.  (Heehee!  I'm so excited---and lucky!  Thanks, Courtney!)  Check out the spotlight for the story of my jewelry making journey, and prepare yourself for family update posts in the next couple of weeks.

As part of this big business week of mine, I am also running a coupon right now for 20% off your total purchase at my Etsy shop through July 5th.  The coupon code to use at checkout is FACEBOOK20.

Here's the Story:  http://sweetcsdesigns.com/archives/1096#more-1096

Here's my FB page  ("LIKE" me....I'm needy!):  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bombshell-Bling-Jewelry/215641621808294

And don't forget to check out my Etsy shop!  Great new stuff in a variety of prices, with earrings starting as low as $3....and that's BEFORE the 20% off!!