Persephone's Awakening

She went away. Temporarily.

October 17, 2009 · 1 Comment

Ladies and gentlemen, I leave for Paris in less than a week, so please, if you are looking for Persephone, visit me at my other home:

She Went Away

With affection, I ask you to take care, be well, and enjoy the remaining sunshine before Winter sets in.

xoxo Jen

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Autumn means more flowers (and scarves).

October 11, 2009 · 6 Comments

It’s officially Autumn. I guess it has been for almost three weeks now (good bye summer *sob*, hello autmn cardigans *yay!*)

Oodles of Flowers Button Brooches

To welcome in the season, I have been making use of rainy days to create new flower scarves. Since I am in a smaller space, I can no longer justify my huge collection of yarn. In an effort to pare down the excess, I’ve been whipping up crocheted flowers from the tiny balls of scraps that I have salvaged from my own projects and those of others (as well as those donated to charity shops).

A friend asked me to make her some small flowers to use in her scrapbooking adventures. I did a bit of research for pricing, and am now selling them in my Etsy shop (20 for 10$ US). Each flower measures approx. 1.5″ in diametre and is made from balls of scrap yarn that have been rescued from the forever doom of the garbage dump. (Above left)

(Above right) You’ve seen these before – the flower brooches that I have also used scrap yarn to make. These also feature three vintage buttons per brooch, and are for sale in my Etsy shop for 5$ US each. You chose the colours, I make it for you!

Double-strand scarfI also finished the blue + green scarf for Rewind Consignment Clothing in Calgary. This scarf was birthed from the lowest drawer in my yarn dresser. Some yarn was purchased new for other projects (scrap yarn), some was frogged from other projects (farewell, ugly patchwork blanket I made in highschool). It’s a mishmosh of colours blending together to create a new family of seaweed and mermaid eyes.

Single-strand scarfGuess what else I did? Finished another scarf. This scarf was made for a boutique in Chatham called Anna’s Gifts and Home Decor. She will be selling my scarves, and this is the first I have completed. Because it is one strand, it is half the cost of my other scarves, so 24$. It was made with random balls of yarn I have purchased over the years for other projects, and the light green colour comes from a placemat that I frogged. It was such an ugly placemat, but I loved the shade of green!

Next on my list?

- re-join the TransCanada Etsy Team
- bleach/spray paint remaining tshirts
- complete four more scarves for Rewind
- complete 3 more for Anna’s

Off to do stuff. Happy Turkey Day to my fellow Canadians!

→ 6 CommentsCategories: chatham · crochet · etsy

Four ways to wash your armpits…

October 5, 2009 · 2 Comments

…with handmade soap and bath products, of course!

With a mom who is a Homeopathic Doctor, I have learned the value of using products without chemical additives. I have recently discovered a few great companies throughout Canada that produce armpit-washing devices (aka soap) that follow the handmade philosophy.

1. I converted to LUSH a few years ago, and while in Ireland I dreamed of working in their highly-scented shop. Alas, it was not to be, as they were not hiring until after I left. Instead, I lather myself in their delightful “Honey I washed the Kids” soap. (And solid perfume). Yummmmmm.

2. Faerhaven Soaps, etc. are produced in a wee village about 40 minutes from my home… in their home which is made from STRAWBALES! The creatrice grows the majority of her own ingredients (calendula, anyone?) and names each soap in  a way you won’t forget.

3. Suds of Luv is produced in my hometown, using coffee beans that are roasted in my hometown (and are organic AND fairtrade!) The owner of this wee business, Tracey, is really great.

4. This isn’t soap, but since I seem to have aching muscle each week from my gruelling (and fabulous) Tuesday evening adventures, I have recognized the need for Epsom salts. MythicalMatters is a Toronto-based business that is very environmentally aware. I just purchased the ‘Smells like a day at the Beach’ bathsalts. Excited. And the Xmas Tree room spray. I do like a good yule-smelling living room. Especially with bunnies involved.

Hope you enjoyed this run-down of great bathroom products. Enjoy!

→ 2 CommentsCategories: Exploring Time

Persephone’s Awakening in a Treasury!

October 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Check it out!

TwentySix7, who is a member of the CK Etsy Team, snagged a Treasury this morning. It’s a very challenging thing to do – everyone covets a treasury because it’s from these that Etsy selects the items on the front page.

THIS IS GOOD NEWS!

To help her treasury (and my items) get noticed, I encourage you to visit Etsy and leave a comment on the Treasury, as well as click on each of the items. And get your friends to do it, too. The more popular it is, the more likely we’ll get onto the front page of Etsy!

What does it mean to be on the front page? Well, the front page is where you first enter Etsy. That means that any of the items there are viewed by thousands of people each day. That’s great exposure! Even if the item that I have featured in the treasury does not sell, it at least is being seen, clicked on, etc. by many people. This could result in future purchases, which is always good for my wee little enterprise.

Moral of the story – I would really appreciate it if you left a comment on the treasury. If you do so, and then leave me a comment on my blog to tell me about it, I will give you a coupon code for free shipping on any order you place in my shop.

Thanks for your support!

Jen

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