happy monday

Hello hello lovely peeps, its back to work Monday!...lots of things have been going on, but mostly in my creative brain (mini vacations are great for that!). I'll be sharing a few snapshots of our festive season tomorrow, and later in the week sharing whats in store for Sparky Jones 2014!

Happy New Beginnings!!

Just a quick note (i'm still trying to be on holidays!) Happy New Beginnings friends!!!

I love this part of the year - not because i'm a crazy party animal, nope...i don't think i've seen midnight for a couple of years now (me + my old lady pants) :: giggle...but because i love the 1st of january!!  This means the 'christmas crazies' are officially over ~ YiPpY!  People get back to their normal selves, the stress is over, the eating frenzy has calmed (well kind of) and its the one time of year you can really give yourself a break + have some real time off of what ever it is you do.

To moi, the 1st of January means the slate has been wiped clean...you get a fresh start - you might have messed up a couple of things in 2013...but who cares..its 2014!  So this means you get to make a new exciting list of things you want to accomplish for the year, throw in some new adventures + new crazy goals and tada,  you are completely re-energized and ready to really give life a go...

So i might post a couple of snapshots here + there, but we'll be officially back at work on Monday the 6th January, so

au revoir.... enjoy this time with your families/peeps/pooches + making your new wonderful lists of crazy adventures!

last little packages

Just packaged up some gorgeous lil Sparky Jones Accessories for a very supa dupa special order ~ oh la la how absolutely exciting! And since my table is full of wrapping papers, ribbons + frou frou tissue, i thought i'd pretty them up, so they looked extra cute under the Christmas tree! Note the retro sewing pattern for tissue..wink. 

Anyways the other reason for showing this lil Sparky life tidbit, is i've found another setting on my camera that i'm really crushing on right now. I changed a dial here, tweaked a # there, up'd the ISO…and voila, a whole new world opened up. I was getting really frustrated + stumped on the photo's i was taking, i felt like i wasn't really learning or getting better….so what better time than Christmas to play with your  old/new toy! 

The give ~ away project.

Okay so here is the deal.. 

I have 3 pairs of Betsy Jones earrings to give away! And why is it a project….well because they are perfect lil gift to be passed onto someone that is dear to you! (kinda like a pay it forward, act of kindness thingy!) Yes, i'm making your christmasing life excitingly easier + all you have to do to enter this sweet lil contest is like ...'the Give Away project' post on the Sparky Jones Accessories Facebook page + in the comment section…write your most  f a v o u r i t e  christmas word…..could be ho ho ho or joy or any of those cheery festive words! Now unfortunately it might be a touch late for those international folks, but we might just be able to squeeze in the shipping deadlines to the Canada + the US :: HoooRay! 

 So good luck my friends…..oh so how is the lucky winner chosen?? well for the most fantabulous word of course!!  So be creative...

NB :: Competition will close at 3pm(PST) this afternoon,  so that i can hurry down to the Post Office + ship that cute lil parcel stat!

only when.

Only when you have too much to do, do you find the time to got through your cotton spool bin ~ wink!

Stocking the shelves.

Well this is my lil suprise..i've been busy stocking the shelves of our tiny boutique ~YiPpY! I'm still organizing, fluffing, sprucing up + labelling goodies..so make sure to have a look-see often!   So i  had been keeping this splendiferous Mae Jones hat for a rainy day + many of you peeps on the intro-web...were saying...'well come on...giddy up + put them in your shoppe'!
 I have a couple of different hats for you, but i only have what i have, so there are only certain sizes in certain styles, and all will be final sales...so make sure to take the right measurements of your noggin!

S p a r k y   J o n e s   s i z e s ::
Small:: 21 1/2"(54.5cm) - 22” (56cm)
Medium::22 1/2”(57cm) - 23"(58.5cm)
Large:: 23 1/2”(61cm) - 24"(61cm)

N B :: It really is important with hats to take note of the sizes!!!!!

h o w   t o   m e a s u r e::: use a tape measure - or if you don’t have one, you can use a piece of string or cord......... wrap around your head, just over the ears.....not too tight though, you don’t want to give yourself a headache!!!! Then place the string against a ruler to find out your head circumference
The hat bases taper in to contour head shape, so they will fit if you are a little under these measurements!!!!

oh...+ don't forget there are some other lovely deals too

The Businessing card.

The businessing card ~ love em, + what a splendiferous way to show off your new branding, wink wink!

I usually use GreenPrinterOnline, although i was wondering about Jukebox Print, but i have always deep down wanted to try out Moo, so as learning new things is on the list for 2013.... Moo won! Big smile!

Now i received my businessing cards in the mail a week or 2 back, got to say i love with whole experience of printing with Moo. Their website is fun,fun,fun...easy to use and they have way too many inspirational things on there :: as in...i wanted to order 100 different things! Its a great site to look around if you are stuck for ideas + to see what other cool peeps in the design world are up to aswell. Anyhoo i was very impressed as my shipment arrived before the due date, and all packaged up real cute like!

So have a look around + if you enter this wonderful code::

http://www.moo.com/share/79tn9t

you'll get a nice + fancy 10% off your first order!

 

I'm going to try + design some postcards for Christmas, and then there is the 'Baby Thank You' cards i never got around too::giggle. At times i wonder who ever started that silly tradition(i'm thinking it must have been someone sans babe!)

Good Day - Big Grin

Okay my weekend project is still in production mode! ~ all cut out, pintucks sewn + ironed...looking pretty darned good so far! Can't wait to get really stuck into it tomorrow!!(got a couple of other things burning in my mind that I want to get started, like NOW:: giggle)

Anyways, life is always happy when the Mr brings home a pizza sized Apple, Raspberry + Rhubarb Galette from Joy Road Catering plus vanilla icecream (i'm still working on that one too, although I have made better progress on the galette than the project ~ whoops!) but I have to say today things got even better ~ I found something I've been looking for + wanted for a long time!!!

Over the last week I have been visiting some bookeepers + accountants for my businessing needs..and today I have found the number nerd for moi, and this makes me so so so happy. She's a bigtime professional .....but supa funny, really down to earth + what I love about her most, she is 200% passionate about her job - she loves numbers so much I think she could even gobble them up. Most numbering peeps lose me at 'hello', after that i'm daydreaming about fabrics, hat ideas + delectable notions ~ but this one, we talked numbers, spreadsheets, accounting software, business goals, taxes and on + on...and by the end of it, I was pumped with a big grin ready to take on the world with my new love of numbers.

So was I glad that I put in the time to secretly interview numbering folks for a future relationship ~ like only a crazy woman would...yep, you bet ya.  I don't feel completely overwhelmed, I feel excited + I will now have someone in my backpocket to help me when I need it and is as passionate about my business as I am.  Onward + upwards my friends...

The July Book Collection.

The July Book Collection is made up of some materials i've been thumbing through this month.

 

Well as I've been thinking about what to actually put in my wardrobe, my Stitch with Style magazine is the perfect place to get a lil inspiration + patterns!!  Every year my parents get me a subscription to a magazine for my birthday(at the beginning of the year)...so this year I thought i'd try a sewing mag to help me get back in the saddle.  And that collar, how absolutely gorgeous ~ and what is it made from :: vintage hankies!

 

Next book.....the Handmade Marketplace  by Kari Chapin.  I've had it for a while now, but I thought it would be a good book to re-visit this month, theres bits + pieces that are super helpful, and a touch different from  Craft Inc which I read last month.  Its also illustrated by one of my big time girl crushes Miss Emily Winfield Martin.

 

And the last book....a Little Golden Book of Hansel + Gretel which was my Mr's from many moons ago.  Funny how those gold spines can bring back to your childhood.  So we decided to read it to Bea one day (even though she is too little) + I guess I had forgotten the storyline for some reason....'oh my' what a horrific story!  Thanks goodness for cute vintage illustrations of pudgy lil kids!

Sunday drive

Its been so so hot, so our Sunday Drive (which we decided to do on Saturday!) had to include water.  So we headed to a beach/lake just outta town - ended up being the perfect place, not too many peeps, shady trees, and grass to set up shop ( I love sand in my toes, but little people, eating + sand don't go together so well).  What was also pretty spectacular was the ocean of water lilies on part of the waters edge ~ perfect for foolin around with my camera. Infact a bride + her entourage showed up to take their wedding photos in a row boat amongst the lilies....so thought it would be best to put the camera away, as I didn't want to come across as a random crazy stalker. 

Anyways was a special day for us, as our lil baby Bea turned 9 months old, so really she is double her age, if that makes sense.  Funny how the 9 months in your belly  seems to take forever.  Well I have to say she is a pretty good little friend to have ~ she is a crazy talker + dancer, but quiet in a crowd, loves to eat anything/everything + is completely obcessed with her tongue, think we'll keep this one :: giggle.

 

photos::

1.   the ocean of Water Lilies

2.   leathery leaves + elegant flowers

3.   Families, beach towels + flip flops against the the lovely scenery of emerald lake water and     orchards.

4.   New bathing suit

5.  lots of swimming with Daddio

6.  The drive home, we passed by fields + fields of  pretty pink Echinacea

7.  Quick tub time before bed

the new do



As i'm in the mood for sprucing things up ~ thought I should get a new + improved do too. I had contemplated chopping it all off, as there is a lil monkey in my life that likes to hang off my hair (i'm pretty sure I have a couple of bald spots from my locks being wrenched out!)...but I like having long hair too much. And we are also heading into summer, so its good to have some options of wearing it up or down :: so I got some new 'totally loving them' heavy bangs!  Such an easy cut to care for too, twist + go, and sometimes a lil zip zip on the front with the straightener.

 

I got the giggles the other day at how much haircuts can be compared with your own life (shallow but true)::

+ Your hair changes over time(especially with pregnancy + mummyhood hormones) - adapt + move on, quit trying to do the same things as in your 20's

+ Same haircut all your life (kinda like me) - you need to take a risk! who cares if you mess up, wear a hat + try something else next time

+ bad haircut - okay you made a huge mistake, but your hair + you will grow.

+ good haircut - are like a best friend, they always make you look + feel good.

+ highlights/perm - are like ex boyfriends...seemed like a good idea at the time, and they take forever to go away.

 

So I'm hoping to take a few more risks in the future ;)

Happy Day

Today is 146 years for Canada, + 3 short years with my sweet Mr!! :)

Hop, skip + a jump

Well for this reason + that reason, we are spending 3 days on Salt Spring Island, which is a bit of alright! And the 3 hour ferry ride from the mainland, gave me a great opportunity to work on my photography :).....so will be posting more snippets as soon as I can!

Sparky update + forecast 2012

Righto - well i have had a million things going on in my head for the last few months, so i thought it was about time leak some informations out!!
First of all - gots to say not much has been going on in my Etsy shop of late due to my trying to work on designing new some new goodies + working on the Sparky business plan , so sorry about that...but i thought that january/february would be a great time for doing that stuff, as its usually pretty quiet
Second on the list of news, is i decided to open up a 'Pop Up' shop with BigCartel for a whole month...just as i like to live on the edge:::giggle....have a bit of fun, have a crazy assignment for a month (giving yourself assignments is a great way of getting out of the february blues - which i always seem to suffer from...ahhhh gloomy winter!) I'd also wanted to take BigCartel for a test drive too...its pretty cool actually, shows a lot of information about #visits to your shop and products - and its supa easy to use...so if ya not a techno geek like me, thumbs up!!

Anyways to concentrate on what i need to for the year ahead - i'll be closing my ETSY SHOP this SUNDAY 19th FEB....so in like 6 days - for a whole month!! The 'POP UP' shop will still be open, as ....well i need to make some room in the Sparky HQ's for some new goodies, and what better way to do that than have a sale!!

And lastly i want to tell you about the Sparky forecast...i'm giving myself a goal of one year and at the end of the year i will either keep the Spark alive, or have complete satisfaction that i gave my dream a shot + tick it off my bucket list (life is really too short ain't it!). Being in business i'm going to be honest, is bloody hard!! To be creative when you are stressed out is not so easy, to beat yourself up comes quite naturally(mentally that is!), to do things the hardway many times before you learn the better way is frequent and to compare yourself/products to others is a daily thought!! (i love etsy, but etsy is really bad for that!) So why am i telling you all of this...well i think its really important to show people that you are actually human !!

So as i am giving myself one year to have 'here's a great product' and turn it into a better fantabulous flourishing business (think i want to be better than great, like kinda famous, but not pompus and arrogant like)...
but i might need to some help - so tell me what ::
-you think could be done to achieve that
-what works for your business
-what you see could be fine tuned a bit
-is there anything missing
-what products you love most

and most of all....be honest!!...if you don't want t0 leave a comment on my blog..you can always send me some mail me over at :: jemima@sparkyjones.ca

righto sorry about the long long post...i told ya i had a lot on my mind!!!
bye bye for now:: lil jj
ps:: its really late now...might have to post a goody in the 'POP UP' shop tomorrow - opps!!!