I was featured in an Etsy email today!

I wouldn’t have known if my friend Casey did not tell me about it! I know it's not anything that glamorous, but it's really important to me! Any publicity is good publicity, right?

The email was about shopping locally... and there was my "I love you" piece under the Detroit category. How awesome!

I Love You (Hand Painted) Wall Hanging

That's so exciting! Perhaps it will direct more traffic to my shop, since I'm still slow and shy about marketing myself.

Tiny DIY: How I turned a romper into a shirt & a pair of shorts

Yesterday I was up at 4am for work, which was not lovely. Not quite lovely at all. Why you may ask? Well, simply it was because at work we had to do inventory. Taking inventory of the store went smoothly, considering my coworkers and I were quite sleepy. I had been working at UO from 4:45am-1pm yesterday, and even though it was only an 8 hour shift I was ready to curl up in a ball and go off to dream land. But I wouldn't allow it. I had to keep myself awake until a decent hour to actually go to bed. So what did I do? 

Well, after hanging around at work I decided to go to the Levi's store that is a level below UO. Sadly, that cute little denim store is closing. Apparently the entire company is downsizing, and this location has been getting rid of their stock. I've been putting it off to check out what they had left, and luckily, right now it's 75% off the sale price. You betcha I got some great deals.  One of the denim items I bought was this cute little romper:

It's a size small, which is fine up top, however it doesn't provide enough room for my booty. At least enough room where I would be comfortable to wear them in public. The back pockets are so cute I almost didn't have the heart to cut up the romper.

But the romper was on sale for $54.90 with an additional 75% on top of that. So I came to terms of cutting them, and decided on keeping the shorts for a hot day. Also, I realized that whenever I wear rompers I either experience droopy bum syndrome and/or unfortunate wedgies.

I paid for the romper a little over $14 including tax. Sounds like an excellent deal to me to get a pair of shorts and a shirt. Oh, and to iterate how much of a deal it was, it's the Levi's brand. Totally worth it for me considering the price of cotton is going up.

Yes, of course, I have to include an obligatory pet-getting-in-on-the-DIY-action photo. Here's Berkley making sure that I don't screw up as I prepare to cut the romper.

I cut the fabric right above the elastic waistband. I decided to keep the edges raw because I feel it just might be extra gnarly once it has more wear.

Unfortunately, after I cut the romper in half it left a funny puckering blouse-y poof in the back. It was cute when it was still one piece, but I figured that the shirt would look small on me if I left that feature. So I came up with a solution to tame this silly poof.

My solution was to measure up two inches along the side seams and cut. Then I stitched across the seam above where I made the cut to prevent future ripping.

Then I measured an inch from the slit, and then drew a diagonal line from that point to just below where I sewed.

Now with these little side triangles the little back poof can lay calmly. Hoorah! I can't wait until I get to try out this sucker. When I wear it I can feel a little like Rosie the Riveter, except for the fact that it's not a jumpsuit, I'm not building any machinery, and it's not the 1940s. 

Now I have to wait for Summer to come around to wear the shorts. 

---

P.S. I apologize for the crummy photo quality. I was using my laptop's camera because I just passed down my 6 year old DSLR to my sister to learn on. Until I can upgrade my equipment, this is what I have to use. Lame.

P.P.S. I've decided to keep this version of the blog until further notice. I think that if I update the tumblr version, it might make it easier for me to update here. You think? I hope it works out. Feel free to follow me on tumblr if it's more convenient for you.

I want to apologize...

I want to apologize to my readers and to myself for my lack of updating. What have I been doing all this time since my last post? Well, since my post in August I have vended at the DIY Street Market in Ferndale. It was my first time, and it was great! It was a huge success, and I couldn't have done it without my friend Shannon. Literally, I couldn't. I guess she could say the same for me, but without her I wouldn't have been able to get accepted -- without me she couldn't have physically done the fair.

After the DIY Street Market I got in a little crafting slum. I was pretty much burnt out and decided to just focus a bit more at work. There were much changes and many openings to be full time. So I worked my keister to be impressive to my managers and I finally got around to updating my resume. And guess what! It worked! I got the promotion and I am full time, and so my official title is "Women's Accessories Team Lead." So far it's been pretty decent, and I think the title has given me a boost of confidence. I'm not saying I let the title get to my head because I'm still pretty much like my other coworkers. I just have more responsibilities.

So there was my promotion and the intensity of holiday shoppers, I've been more busy and tired. Which provided enough reason for me to be a couch potato. I did do a little of crafting, but that was just strictly for Christmas presents.

It's a new year and I have new ideas for what I want and need to do with my life. I want to keep blogging to help keep myself motivated, but I find myself not liking using this platform. I tend to use tumblr everyday, even when I'm not posting I'm on it getting my updates on my need to look at pictures of animals, music, crafts, fashion, nerdy-goodness, and more. So I have been thinking of moving made w/ love to tumblr. By no means am I going to delete this blog, because I'm sure I will reference to it, but this site seems to be too high maintenance for me.

One thing I'm unsure about is that I already have a tumblr for crafts as inspiration for others, and I was thinking of just using the.working.hands. as made w/ love, but I don't know if I want to transition that to be personal. I just don't know how to figure it out. If you read this, could you give me some insight? Much thanks!

love,
Jenni Loo

Whale, Whale, Whale... What do we have here?

Okay, this is pretty nerdy of me, but I finally made my first treasury on etsy and it's whale themed. I only say nerdy because of the play on words. I was inspired by this beauty:



See what I mean? I think it clever! Whale, anywho, the other reason I picked whales as my theme because the blue whale and the beluga whale are in my top five favourite animals. Why do I have a top five? I have no idea.



Take a closer peek at the treasury and make sure to check each shop. They have very cute treasures!

love,
Jenni

Yellow + Blue = Green

Sometimes I forget that I have a giant favourites list on etsy. When I stumble upon my list and look through the many pages I get excited with how many treasures work so well together in so many different ways. One theme I noticed with some of my favourites is colour; more specifically yellow, blue, and green.


Quail stack - Three little birds - Blue, green, yellow - 8.5 x 11 art print by lulufroot


Vintage 1980s Lemon Carnival Striped Pleated Silky Skirt via clevernettle


Vintage Note Pad Holder in Retro Olive Green and Faux Bois via Cheeky Chic Vintage


Vintage cotton fabric via One Small Summer


Michigan by the wheatfield

xo Jenni

Current Obsession: Sea of Bees

Right now I can't get enough of Sea of Bees. I sort of have been aware of this lady's music, but I never really bothered to check it out until now. I've noticed this summer that I very much so have been listening to a lot of folk/country/acoustic-y music. Female vocalists included. So clearly, I'm a sucker for Julie's music. I am currently obsessing over this song:

Sea of Bees "Marmalade"

Enjoy!

xo Jenni

It's been one year

It's been one year since my best friend has been put to sleep. I believe I have healed since her passing, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss her.



I still keep thinking that she's just napping in her favourite spot in the other room. It's been a year Molly, and I still hope that you are no longer experiencing pain.

love,
Jenni

Crafting Blues...

Hello dear readers & made w/ love followers!

What has little ole Jenni Loo been up to? Well, nothing much except for a little of this and a little of that. School, work, and trying to be crafty. I feel like summer is going by too fast and I'm not really having the chance to enjoy it. I feel like I'm rotting away because my time is spent mostly at work and partly at school. I'm tired all the time and my health hasn't been the greatest so I'm a bit weak.

My plate keeps getting more and more piled up on it, and it seems a bit overwhelming to figure it all out. Some problems are mine, but one problem seems to be for everyone in the crafting "community." I put community in quotes because there just seems to be a lack of one in the Detroit area. Some might want to argue about that or agree and are afraid to step forward to say, but right now I don't have the energy to explain myself.

But speaking of crafting, I've been doubting myself lately. This past Sunday I vended again at The Rust Belt Market in Ferndale, but by myself this time. I can say it was a day that caused many stresses to my body. Physical and emotional. It was a hot, hot day and my booth was in front of a window, and even with curtains on the window (and AC) I still burned up. I woke up late that day and had nothing to eat -- nor did I have time to pack a lunch. I was by myself so it wasn't easy for me to step away to go grab a meal. I was dizzy. I wanted to vomit. I had the shakes and the heat almost made me pass out. All the negative emotions I was feeling was definitely not helping my body. I certainly have to thank my friend Shannon for supporting me. If she weren't there as a friend and a good luck charm, I definitely would have had a break down or packed up early and left.

To be truthful, I did tear up a couple times because of my doubts and my realization of the day. That morning when I was setting up my booth I thought that it was too colourful. I actually said to the woman (I never got her name) running the candy booth next to me "Sometimes I think it looks like a rainbow exploded on my table." I didn't mean it in a positive way. My table is bright, and it always seems to be crowded with too cutesy treasures that I make. It didn't help that my little shop was between a candy shop and a pastry shop. All the sales went to them, which made me think that I was in the wrong business. Plus, so many people just walked on by without even pausing. My realization was that I was exposing who I really am with all these bright colours, animals, prints, and designs I use & create. Only a few people seemed to understand and appreciate how much of myself is in each piece I make. I have never felt so vulnerable selling my treasures before. I felt worthless and talentless.

Quite a bit of my friends (from school and work) and my aunt & uncle actually stopped by, which helped me out emotionally. Though, most of my sales of the day were from my visitors. Please don't be surprised when I say that I think they felt obligated to buy something from me. My goal for the day was to break even, which I was close to achieving that goal, but that still didn't cheer me up. I mean, vending at The Rust Belt is the most expensive place I have ever paid to take part in. To some crafty businesses the fee is no big deal, but to a college student with not very much money it is a big deal. I only did vended alone because there was a Green Fair taking place next door and I felt that promised extra foot traffic. But even with the added extra attendees I still think no one liked my stuff.

My friends tell me I shouldn't think this way and I am talented, but I'm just going by what I have seen from stranger's reactions. I know I have to find my market and talk to people about myself more, but that's just something more that I don't want to have to stress over about. I just want my work to speak for itself. There's more I can go on about, but I'm just not feeling up to it. I thought I would share, that is all. I will post some photos of my booth if anybody is genuinely interested.

xo Jenni

Don't worry! I'm still here!

It's Summer! Isn't it amazing! I say so, but unfortunately my Summer so far is consisting work and school. I'm down one job (Did I mention that I no longer work at the Hands-On Museum?) and I'm taking four classes, and all my time is just being taken up with the feeling of being tired. Not the bee's knees.

Anywho, I wanted to mention that I will be vending with my friend Shannon of Comfortably Lovely at The Rust Belt Market in Ferndale on July 9th. All those in the Metro Detroit area should stop by! Here's a silly little flyer I made:



I'll probably update my etsy shop after the event. Stop by if you can!

xo

Friday Night

So I'm supposed to be at this photography event that is being held at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, but people have bailed out on me. So I'm all dressed up and I'm hanging out on the couch. As usual. Sigh.



Aside from my bike ride today I've been reading and taking little naps on the couch all day. So now couch time is spent with hand embroidery. I'm sure everyone is having a more exciting Friday night.

Love,
Jenni Loo