Autumn in Denver!

Posted on October 17, 2016 by jswift086

So far, Fall has been unseasonably warm these past few days in Colorado. Halloween is approaching, so I have been busy making trick-or-treat bags, mainly for my niece and nephews. Last week, I participated in my second craft/vendor fair here in Colorado. This fair took place in Centennial, and I had fun meeting other vendors and makers. Last week we visited a couple haunted house attractions and pumpkin patches. I didn’t carve a pumpkin this year, instead I painted a large sugar skull.

Of course, I am continuing to sew more handbags! I have been working on a new design, which is sewing the Colorado flag onto the tote bag using felt fabric for the C and the yellow sun. The first bag turned out good, and I am working on a few more bags using the Colorado flag inspiration but experimenting with different colors.

I have been shopping at my favorite local fabric stores, and buying so much unique fabric that I think my new handbags are better than ever! I also think I have found a new hobby, which is the paint and wine nights! On Friday, I painted an awesome picture of “Colorful Colorado” which is hanging up in my living room!

More Adventures in Colorado

Posted on September 27, 2016 by jswift086

This is another blog entry with no sewing creations; just photo creations! Last weekend, Walter and I took a trip up to the mountains and stayed overnight in the Town of Frisco. We went up to the mountains because we have heard this is the perfect time of year to see the aspens change colors. On the top of mountains is already seeing some snow. Autumn is beautiful up in the mountains, and what is even neater is to see snow mixed in the with the fall leaves. The weather was great, even saw some snow flurries on Saturday but it didn’t feel too cold. It was more cloudy on Saturday, and on Sunday was sunnier which made my photos come out even brighter. On Sunday we went on a small hike in the Town of Breckenridge, and on Saturday and Sunday we went through Georgetown which is another cute town in the Colorado Mountains.

Besides sewing, I enjoy taking photos and of course I took several photos on this weekend trip, and the photos I posted on here are my favorite. I don’t have a fancy camera, all of these pictures came from my iphone. Of course, they would have turned out even better on a fancier camera, but I think these turned out very well.

New Creations and Backpacking Adventures

Posted on September 21, 2016 by jswift086

Fall is coming up which means farmers markets, apple cider, leaves changing colors, and new creations. Although, I have been sewing new bags and pouches to prepare for another craft show coming up in October, I have made a few things for myself including the fox drawstring bag and the Fox/Colorado Mountain pillow. I was inspired by seeing a similar pillow in a local business, where the Colorado Mountains; made of felt were sewn onto the pillow.

More creations I have made the past couple months were more zippered pouches, fall market bags, crossbody bags, and cosmetic bag. Of course, the majority of the patterns included skulls!

And of course on the weekends we are still taking advantage of the Colorado Mountains, and continue to go hiking, and even backpacked up to a Ice Lake to go camping on Labor Day Weekend. The mountains and waterfalls have been beautiful. Since fall is coming up, the leaves are beginning to change. We hope to find some more colored leaves this weekend.

New Creations and My First Craft Fair in Denver

Posted on August 12, 2016 by jswift086

I have been living in Denver, Colorado for about a month now, and I have already participated in my first craft fair here last week! It took place during a first Friday at an art walk in the Santa Fe Art District in Denver. I only sold a few things, but I made a few connections and met some other great crafters. There was a big turn out at the art and craft show, and there were other great and unique vendors. This was a night market, the first one I have ever participated in. The weather was a little drizzly, but most of the rain stayed away, and it was not too hot and not too cold.

The past few weeks, I have made several new bags and I also began to sew little zippered coin pouches.

pouches

I have also visited several small business owned fabric stores in the City and outside of the City including “Fancy Tiger Crafts” and “Colorado Fabrics.” I love the fabric I located in these stores. There very unique looking and it is good quality fabric. I have began to sew crossbody bags and more cosmetic bags. I am also sewing with other material such as canvas.

I have also began to make little collar flowers for my dog! I loved how the skull flower turned out. Colorado is a very dog friendly place, and Lilly has received many compliments on her flower collars!

I have included more of my creations on my Etsy site!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JuliesJewelz086

New Decor in a New Apartment

Posted on July 23, 2016 by jswift086

Two weeks ago, I finally arrived in Colorado and we are all settled in our new apartment. The new apartment is cute and is in a great location in the City of Denver, where so many stores/restaurants are walking distance!

Being in a new city motivated me to brighten up our apartment with some new handmade home decor. I have made two new decorative pillows for the couch; one with grumpy cats and the other with pugs!

These two painted mason jars below are located in front of our window. One mason jar has a painted fox and the other is pretty purple and blue with flowers!

So far I am enjoying life out here in Colorado. I have also signed up for my first craft show here in Denver!

colorado

New State, New Chapter

Posted on July 3, 2016 by jswift086

Well, this week is my last week on the East Coast. On Thursday, I will be journeying to my new home; Denver, Colorado. Although I am very excited about this new adventure, I will be missing Virginia where I have lived for the past 30 years. I have included a few pictures of some of my favorite places located in Norfolk, Virginia, which is the last City I lived in Virginia.

naro

The Naro – which is an old and small movie theater

zekes

Zeke’s – a local restaurant/coffee shop

kitsch

Kitsch – A local artisan shop.

Last week, I participated in my last craft show in Virginia; which was the Riverview Village Days Market.

So long Virginia, and hello Colorado!

ocean view

New Creations with Old T-shirts

Posted on June 16, 2016 by jswift086

For the past few months I have been staying at my parents house in Elizabeth City, North Carolina until I journey off to Colorado next month. One day, I was going through my closet and I saw some old shirts that I have not worn since high school/college. Some shirts were too cute give away, so I decided to make tote bags.

t-shirts

So far, I have made one tote bag out of an old pink Candy Land shirt. The inside of the bag I used regular pink cotton fabric, and then I cut up another old t-shirt and braided the material to make the handles for the bag. I found this unique idea on Pinterest. I am really impressed on how the bag and handles turned out.

While I have been staying with my parents, I have been trying to keep myself busy by sewing. I have included a few examples of more creations I just made, including a Grumpy Cat tote bag and a few zippered pouches with faux leather. I have also included these creations on my Etsy site. Please go check these out along with my other creations!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JuliesJewelz086?ref=hdr_shop_menu

My Trip to Colorado

Posted on May 14, 2016 by jswift086

So, this blog entry is completely unrelated to my sewing and crafts, but I wanted to post about my last trip I took to Colorado AKA my future home! I went to Colorado for a long weekend to visit my boyfriend, and I also wanted to check out Denver and the areas surrounding the City. My boyfriend took me to several places and towns such as Red Rock, Boulder, and Idaho Springs.

The view of the mountains were beautiful and as you can see, there is still snow on the mountain top!

mountains

We also visited local shops, boutiques, and events, such as a craft fair and a Cinco De Mayo event. My favorite shop we visited was a local coffee shop that had cats roaming around in the shop. So you can just come inside, have some coffee and play with all of the cats!

I can definitely say that I enjoyed Colorado, and I cannot wait to move there in two months!!

Dirty 30 and New Beginnings

Posted on May 2, 2016 by jswift086

In April, I just turned the big 3-0. I thought I would be more depressed about it, but it turns out this is the year of changes and excitement. In February, I found out that I would be moving to Denver, Colorado. My boyfriend accepted a job offer right outside of the City. He moved there last month, but I will be moving there in July. This will be huge and an exciting new adventure for me considering I have lived in Virginia practically all my life. I am excited to see what the craft and art atmosphere the City of Denver has to offer. I am assuming that it is a lot bigger in Denver than in the VA Beach area and maybe more competitive, but I plan to continue with my handbags, participate in craft shows, and meet other local artisans in Denver.

Since I have been getting prepared to move and been commuting a longer way to work for the next couple months, I have not been doing much sewing this Spring. I did participate in farmers market in March, and I plan to participate in a couple more craft shows before I move.

farmers market

I did get a new sewing machine for my birthday – so I still have been doing some sewing. I have made several more tote bags, and I also been making some reusable market/grocery bags to sell. I have received a box full of up-cycled fabric, and that is when I decided to make and sell reusable grocery bags.

Here are some examples of new tote bags and make-up bags I made in the past couple months, and also the new maxi skirt that I made from fabric I bought from Mood Fabrics!

mermaid make-up bag

Winter 2016 Creations

Posted on February 1, 2016 by jswift086

This winter I am taking a break from craft shows so I can concentrate on increasing my inventory. I have began to sew fleece mermaid tail blankets. I have made one for myself, and I continue to make more and sell the rest. The blankets have turned out great, and they are very warm and comfortable!

With the leftover fleece fabric from the mermaid blankets, I have been making no sew doggy toys. I just braid 3 long scraps of fleece fabric together and tie knots at the ends…Super Easy! These will also be included in my inventory for upcoming craft shows.