Thursday, June 24, 2010

quick update

ok so these babies i finished up today....
however, i have under 7 mins to get to work, so the photos.................not so hot!!!!


























and all the backs look like this!!!
i'll try and take better photos tomorrow!!!
bye for now
little jj






Monday, June 21, 2010

It's finally the 1st day of Summer!!!

Ok so i am starting on some summer colours for the hats........since its officially the first day of SUMMER!!!!! yippy!!!
and so i was totally inspired to make....................the newest Kinn Jones Hat......'Peppermint Breeze'. I had some khaki upholstery fabric......and i looked thru my stash of grandma donated bias binding..................and BAM....it just jumped out at me...peppermint green and khaki..........an oddly perfect match!!! So i covered some buttons in a tealy green vintage silky lining fabric...and i had a mint green upcycled cotton for the lining to complete the combo!!

had to sneak in a full hair shot...................really good hair day!!!!.....
'when you got it - flaunt it'...a quote by Jean...my most lovable sparky grandma

I actually used an Organic Cotton Jersey band for the lining, its the most yummy sunflower seed colour....although i forgot to take a photo of it!!!
Check them out in the shop.....available in small and large......just sold the medium this afternoon, to an unsuspecting birthday girl on Vancouver Island - lucky her!!!


And I have posted a Jemima Jones to celebrate the sunshine :::

I found this most kitschy cool sampler of a vintage upholstery fabric......so hells, why not make a gorgy lil clutch outta it!!!! And of course my favourite turf green tablecloth is used again for the strap/handle and trimmings, topstitched with thick aqua to complete the kitsch!!!

Also just dropped some Sparky Jones Milly Jones headbands off at Propeller today.............i packaged them up in their Kraft boxes and upcycled pattern tissue paper to keep them safe and look cute, and rode my bike Nelly to drop them off..........................COZ ITS THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER AND ITS NOT RAINING!!!!!
This is going to be Waste Wonderful Wristlet week.....................so i'm hoping to post some new colour combos by the end of the week!!!!
bye for now
little jj

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Its a hereditary condition apparently

Well its official...............i found out today that my condition is hereditary..........yes it runs in the females in my family, and my case seems to be quite severe, which is unfortunate at such a young age as it is only going to get worse over the years!!!


Its called 'unabletositdowness' and today i found out the affects of when you do actually sit down.......it was horrible, and i vow never to do it AGAIN!!!! No word of a lie, i fell asleep with a corn chip hanging out of my mouth......and when i woke up - i was in a lack of sleep coma!!!!

I call my Mum a 'squirrel on speed', my sista is pretty close to her, and now i understand why i have never seen them sit down !!!

So i decided to try feel better for going for a ride with muttsy, get some oXygen into the brain cells. I'm riding along and i see a fella i haven't seen for a while.....and in my head i was thinking.....'shit i hope he doesn't stop coz i don't think i can pronounce my name right now'....................so did he stop...................yeppers!!!

He chatted for while, and then realized there was no response.........so i just informed him a was having a quiet day(that must have really freaked him out as that doesn't happen very often!! ) So he asked what was the matter.............

I just said - well i think i just need to clean my house and then i'll feel better, life just seems a bit chaotic right now (one of my friends had used this very descriptive analogy the other day.....'i think someone let a tasmanian devil lose in my room...i walked in and it was totally trashed!!! which is what my whole house looks like right now and probably my brain too!!)

So this fella said :: oh yeah i'm totally the same, after a good clean up you'll feel better, i'll let you go on your way then.
Off i went - cruising along on Nelly (my bike) with muttsy trotting beside me.....when all of a sudden, this fella is also cruising in his truck along side us too!!! So i stop................he hands me a piece of paper............and says...........just if you need it!!!

I read it and it says.................


'This ticket is good for 1 session of(2 hours) of house cleaning' and his phone number. I think if i had of known him a little better i would have broken down in tears!!!! But since i was out in public, i had better keep face and just laughed that ended in a big smile.

Now i'm back on track after a lil oXygen, mental support and a bike ride.

So i finished up these Kinn Jones hats yesterday - A chap had ordered one for his girlfriend, so which ever one he doesn't love 150%, i'll post in the shop tomorrow. Everyone seems to just love this particular hat which is fantabulous since it was the most 'out there' colour scheming i have ever done!!!



Bye for now
little jj in a clean house!!!



Wednesday, June 9, 2010

new

So i finally got around to posting the ' Cutesy denim and Red upcycled Kepp Jones in the shop .....in a small and large!!! The buttons on each one are slighty different, so i got inventive with my photo editing!!
The denim on this character is a really nice dark denim and i just had to use the belt loops somewhere ::: i think it worked out quite well!!!!

I'm nearly finished some more hats too!!! I have made some Kinn Jones in some exciting fresh summery (if thats how you spell it) colours.....so i'll be posting them in the next couple of days, so check back!!!
Mission 'Knuckle Down' seems to be going quite well.....and drinking yerba mate is really helping me along - although that stuff TASTEs furry and not pleasurable to drink at all, but sacrifices had to be made to get going on the 'to do list'!!!
bye for now
little jj

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Tourist in your own town

Okay so i know i'm supposed to be getting down to business ::: but .....this was too good to pass up!!! I also work in a restaurant............yeppers, anyways long story short, our boss/friend gave us the opportunity to be a 'tourist in our own town', but i think it was just a great idea to get out of the restaurant, try some new wines, and get some education about the wines we are selling!!
So Kenny rented the 'special bus' and became the DD!!!(poor guy, he doesn't look very excited does he!!)
First stop - NK'MIP in Osoyoos for a bit of wine and brunch

Hester Creek Winery
for wine and lunch



And our favourite....StoneBoat Winery......GREAT WINE, awesome setup and cute gardens!!


Last stop Jackson Triggs, with some wine info from a special friend/ wine maker/cheeky Aussie Brooke


And this is my new favourite person in life, Carmen.........she is better than cable......VERY entertaining(specially after a day full of wine tasting) and has great makeup tips!!!

Now all my fun is done for a while!!!
SEW, SEW AND more SEWING for moi - AND THATS IT!.....Now that i have written it down i have to follow through with it right
bye for now
little jj








Wednesday, June 2, 2010

A cute lil red number

So one of the fellas i used to work with ordered a hat for his wife.......as she had just successfully finished a course.....he was going to buy her a 'congrats' pressie ::: very cute!!
Her fav colour is red....and that happens to be one of mine too....so i cut up a pair of denium jeans......and this is the result:



I have a small, medium and large....but i just have to find out what size she is before i post em!!
bye for now
little jj

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A choose your own Adventure

Well the greatest thing about being self employed is that everyday is a choose your own adventure!!! This can also be a bit of downfall i have realized.....as my pappa always says " well j, you really can't expect to burn the candle at both ends and expect not to burn out". Well pappa all i gots to say is ' I'M GIVIN' IT A GO!! '........................but......he could actually be onto something, not that i would admit that to him!!

So the other day i flew down to Vancouver to meet one of my Australian friends at the international airport. It was a totally awesome getaway and definitely made me feel like i make alot more $ that i do. The flight down there was fantabulous as i sat next to a really inspiring lady, who herself had just taken the leap from employed to self employed as an impressionist artist ::: if only i could remember her name now (you always think you will remember don't you).

So i met up with my friend and we rented a car, to drive back to my lil house in the Okanagan, a good 5 hours away. So we didn't just rent a car..................we rented a blinged out Lincoln Navigator......and lets just say...when i grow up, i want to have 5 kids just so i could justify having a vehicle like this one!!! The whole drive back......we didn't talk about life, our families, work......we were just totally pumped about all the gadgets the spaceship we were driving had. A tv in the back, automatic seat positions/windscreen wipers, sidesteps to help you get in and out of the thing...................sun roofs, reversing viewing screen and a wicked stereo!!!!

Just like kids again we had the bestest time over the silliest things ::: definitely sad day when i had to say goodbye, especially to the Lincoln Navigator!!!!
Definitely needed to wear a Sparky Jones hat this day - the rain was playing havoc with my hair!!!


So after my 'live it up few days' i had to go to one of my part time jobs which is being a dirt monkey tom boy
Okay i don't really do that - but this HUGE piece of machinery is on their property, and i was covered in dirt - so it just seemed like the perfect trucker tomboy photo!!!

So to keep myself sane, get away from my sewing machine and being covered tip to toe in threads......I am a gardener for 2 different people (I'm actually a horticulturalist in the grown up world!!). I have been gardening for 'Janette' and 'Martin' (i just changed the names for privacy sake- giggle) for a few years now i guess, but this year they are getting some major work done as they had to have their yard ripped up for pipes, wells and all kinda stuff i don't know about as a renter!!

They live up in the hills or the clouds i should say and me and muttsy(aka daisy) love working up there - its so quiet and peaceful, and all you can hear is the sounds of squirrels, an occassional car or mountain biker and your thoughts!!! I even saw my first Moose up there............such a cartoon like character-they really are amazing!!

Here is muttsy on Bear Patrol...............although she keeps getting beaten up by the farm cat.....so my chance of survival from a bear attack is not lookin so good!!!


So i thought i'd take some photos of the 'now'......i've nearly finished designing, planting, transplanting. And then at the end of the season i'm going to take some 'after' photos, coz i think its going to look just beauty!!!

On this particular day i even got the pleasure of listening to 'Janette's' son play the piano -and he is quite the talented pianist (He can also drive a bobcat too - which really came in handy today!!)

So yes 'Janette' i love working for you !!! Not only do i enjoy the gardening, but i love that you are both soooooooooooooo cheeky, you let me do what i want(and pay me for that!-weird, but i'm going to run with it) and you feed me!!!
L.O.L

so when i drive down the hill, muttsy and I take in all the fresh air we can before i head into the sweatshop!!
However i think i might need to knuckle down - i have a very big 'to do' list right now, what can i say -
Life can really get in the Way !!!
Bye for now
little jj