Crafty Snowday!

Good afternoon ~ Hope you are all wrapped up warm out of the cold, I just can't believe how chilly it is out there, I think snow would be much more fun if a little more heat were involved and a lot less ice!  

It does make me laugh at how panicky people get when they think there is a chance they won't be able to get to the shops for a couple of days   Thursday night, on a quest for buy a few essentials, I stumbled into Tesco. I admit I had totally forgotten it was due to snow that eve, and although I had heard rumours I didn't really believe it would happen!  As I wandered the aisles I noticed how busy it was, there were far more staff out, filling the avenues of shelves with produce.  It took a while for the penny to drop as to why it was so busy, the SNOW!  Oh my word, the shop was heaving, people rushing around filling their trollies with necessities such as toilet rolls and beans.  The thing that made me laugh however amongst all the madness was that of all the things for people to feel essential to buy in such a situation were custard tarts! I mean honestly, have you ever been stuck in the house for a whole day and thought you were going to slit your wrists if you could't get your hands on a custard tart? Well??  I confess that I have never felt this worried, I have never felt the need  to sink my teeth into the custardy tart, in fact I have never really liked them.  A strange thing over came me all of a sudden, the immediate need to own a custard tart!  I must be missing out,  All those shoppers must know something I don't, Maybe they have healing or calming powers, maybe they de-ice your garden?  I will put it on my list the next time snow is forecast  Toilet rolls, beans and custard tarts!

We did get out and enjoy the snow, (without any custard tarts)  We even managed a walk through our local forest, it was so beautiful, and barely touched out there.  It was tremendously inspiring aswell!  

I managed a little crafting in between snowy adventures.  Here is a SnowBob!  He is so friendly and an awful lot warmer than a real snowman!!

I have also been busy creating AlphaBobs! They are learning to spell right now, here is a small band of Bobs who have managed to arrange themselves correctly without loosing their letters!

Believe me it took a long time to organise them!!!

If you would like to follow any Bob related news their facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bobs/411736175550743

My latest creative achievement however is this fab bag! I love it!  It is made from upcycling my daughters old jeans.  She grew out of them years ago and i saved them as I loved the decoration so much, so glad I did.  All the pockets are useable and it even has a large one inside.  The strap is extendable and even the buckles are recycled!

xx 

Pinterest

How to use Pinterest


Pinterest is a social network for creating virtual pinboards, and, I must admit, my new obsession! In fact their definition is that it ~

'lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favourite recipes.'

I think that Pinterest becomes an extension of your personality, it demonstrates the things you like in a visual way which can inspire not only you but those who follow you.


Pinterest works in a similar way to face book, you have a main wall ~

Here is a copy of my wall. this is the starting screen and will be personal to you depending on the people you choose to follow, just like your wall on Facebook shows you what your friends have been up to. You can comment on these pins or repin them onto your own boards.

I think step 1 in this post however should be how to open an account!



Opening an account 

 1, First go to http://pinterest.com/ here you will find a button 'Join Pinterest' Click here and you will be taken to a new screen.



2, Here you will have the option to join using your Facebook or twitter ID or to use your email. ( i have recently had a bug issue with my account which I think was due to downloading an unofficial app on my phone and although I hadn't put in any login details it managed to locate my Facebook details and access my Pinterest account. My warning here is 1, don't download any apps unless official and 2, don't use your Facebook account as a login just in case.).



Select how you wish to register your account. I will use email here to demonstrate. You will need to make sure that your password is not weak or it won't let you register. An idea for your user name could be to use your business name! doesn't hurt to get it noticed as much as possible!




4, Create your first board. This screen asks you to choose what sort of board you would like to create, I am going to select find craft ideas. Once selected it gives you optional board titles. If you wish to create your own from the start click on 'something else' this one produces a box for you to enter whatever title you wish. Once chosen then click 'create board'.






5. Here you will be asked to follow 5 boards that inspire you ~ When you select a category it will give you the option to choose a specific board. (this has been improved since I joined as you had to just choose a category and this filled up my wall with far too much stuff!). Select one of the boards and click follow. you will need to do this with 5 different boards (they don't have to all be in the same category, choose anything which interests you.)

Once you have selected 5 then click next.


6. You now have a page similar to the first image on this post, this is your homepage. The images you see are things people have pinned from the boards that you selected on the previous page.


So now you have an account! But now what??? I mean it all looks very pretty and vaguely interesting but what can I do now?...


Well the world is your oyster now!

Each picture has three buttons at the top ~ Repin ~ Like ~ Comment. If you like the the image and wish to keep it then press repin, if you want to just like it (like on facebook) click like and if you wish to leave a comment the ... you guessed it, click comment. Below the image are the details about the pin, the original pinner and the board you found it on, you will also see any comments which have been made about this image.


Now here is the clever bit!!!! of you click on the image and then click it again it will take you to the original website that it was pinned from! This way you can read about it or see a tutorial or watch a video, basically whatever the original source has to offer!


RePinning

To Repin a picture click on the Repin button, here you will be asked where you wish to pin it. There is a drop down menu which will show all your boards and also gives you the option to create a new one. Select your choice and click 'Pin It' (If you wish to change what is written in the description field and then now is your chance, remember though that this will be what it is described as from now on, so if it is repinned it will stay like that unless someone else changes it. You have up to 485 characters to do this in). This Pin can now be found on the relevant board.

After you Repin you will be asked if you wish to follow a board which featured that pin, if you want select follow, if not move the curser outside the box and click and it will take you back..


Boards


Now you got a board automatically when you registered but you can create loads of them, you could have one for craft ideas, one for wedding plans, even one just put aside for pictures you have found of one armed lego men! You can also have up to 5 top secret ones which noone can see apart from you! (perfect for all those cunning plans!)



To access your boards select your profile picture in the top right of the screen.



Here is my new screen. Here you can see my profile information, my boards and how many people I am following as well as who is following me, (not many at the moment!)

To create a new board select an empty slot. If you want to browse through your board then select it and if you want to rename your board or grant access to someone else to pin on your board then click 'Edit'.


Searching

If you want to search something in particular then you need to head back to your homepage. Click on the Pinterest logo at the top of the screen. In the top left of the screen you will find a search box, pop in the thing you wish to search and it will bring up any boards, pins or even people with those words in it's name. You can then browse to your hearts content. You can follow people, follow boards, repin pins etc or just have a good old nose around.

UnFollowing

Say you have selected a board and no longer wish to follow it, maybe as the contents keep filling up your wall with things which don't interest you. Then you will need to go to your profile and select 'following' ( located on the bar below your profile) Here they have been a little sneaky! to unfollow a board or a person the button to do so is in a fade out grey and not immediately noticeable. In fact it looks like you can't select it, but you can, so do so!

Pin It

There is a wonderful Pinterest gadget which I wouldn't be without, the 'Pin it' button! It is totally ingenious. Basically what it is is a button that sits on your link bar in your browser. When you are browsing the net and come across an image or a site that you want to remember then you can pin it onto one of your boards. There are limitations however, you can't pin images from Facebook which I think it due to privacy (so I agree with that) you may notice some pages on Facebook however that have an option to pin pictures, my page http://www.facebook.com/ReJenisis has such a link if you want to go and have a look. So how can I get this amazing button??? well here is a quick guide.

1, First off go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and select about and select 'Pin it'.

2, Once on this screen you will need to click and drag the pin button onto your bookmark bar. A button will appear! It's as easy as that!!


3, Well you have the Button but now what to do with it. Best way to try it out is to visit a website, if you have a blog why not go there. Click the 'Pin it' button you have just put on your bookmark bar and it will work it's magic. After a second or two a new page will pop up containing all the pictures you can pin. Here is a example ~

4, All you need to do is select the image you want to represent this web page or just the image that you want to remember. Like when you Repin a picture within the Pinterest site you are given the option to change the description and you can choose which board to pin it to!


So that is about it! I think! Everytime I wrote something about Pinterest I kept remembering something else, there are so many possibilities so just explore. You can pin all the images of things you have created and once you have a few followers you will find that they will see each pin you place.


A few things I have found ~

• People who are interested in your products will also want to know a bit about you, don't just post about one thing, be diverse, show your many sides! You will get more followers this way.
• Make sure if you are Pinning something that isn't self explanatory that you add instructions, or even comment about why you posted it as you will forget!
• People who follow me often have boards that I am interested in too so take a look around their boards as well.
• If you have a few friends on Pinterest then why not create a group board so you can pin things that you think may interest them! Not only will they be able to see the things you pin but they can pin on the same board too. To do this select the board you want to share and go to edit, here there is an option to add a friend, just add their user name and hey presto!!
• You can tell people on Facebook or Twitter about the pins you have added, this is great to advertise your stock and a few other bits but don't go crazy, there is nothing I hate more than a wall filled up with one persons pictures and anecdotes!

I am sure there is so much more I could say, but not sure I can think of it right now! So far this (what was meant to be a quick thing) has taken me the best part of 4 hours (interrupted only by a waking baby!) so if I think of anything I will post later.

I do hope this has been of some help to you and that you take the plunge and join me on Pinterest as http://pinterest.com/bouncytigglet,


Happy Pinning!!

Jen xx

Published!!!

Well my first visit after leaving hospital with my beautiful baby girl, saw me popping into Tesco to pick up the latest copy of 'Craftseller'.  I love browsing the pages to look for new ideas, business advice and general crafting gossip.  This time however I opened the pages to discover, to my total shock I might add. a picture of one of my upcycled pieces.   After much screaming and excited squeals and of course after making everyone in the house come and see, I discovered that it was a star letter which had won a £10 voucher! Yeah!!  Here is an image of the article,

What a great boost. As if that wasn't enough however I have just discovered that another magazine I get called 'Simple Homemade' has posted an image of one of my signature necklaces on their website as an example of what some of their readers had been creating! It may only be one pic, and no name mentioned but if the image is clicked it goes straight to this blog!! I am still excited!! My first external link I think.

Both these have come about through the wonders of Pinterest!! I totally love the site and all the things it offers.  In fact I think my next post will be a tutorial on how to set it up and use it.  There are so many wonderful ideas out there and I want them all!!! (cunning laugh!)

Red Flower bag commission

Well nearly the end of yet another week and a week closer to my due date! arghhhhh!  Still managed to get a little crafting done this week!  Here is my latest bag, a commission for a very good friend.  

 This two tone flap over bag is so great! I am just so pleased!  The bag is all padded with adjustable straps and as always recycled from reusing fabric!  Even the buckles and buttons are recycled.





This is the inside, showing the pocket detail and the two tone effect with the fabric!

This is my second go at a flap over bag and I have been so pleased with the results.  The only thing I really need to combat now is the fastening, It really needs to be adjustable so it can fasten no matter how much is in the bag! That will have to be my mission for the day!

My main intention for this lovely Thursday is to relax and play with my new birthday present! a Sizzix! something I have had my eye on for years! I am so excited! I def need a slow day so a quite crafty one will be ideal!  I am sure I will post some more creations soon!

Latest Upcycled bag!

Well what a creative morning! Short of nearly destroying my old sewing machine I managed to create this bag! I am really pleased with how well it turned out.

The dimensions are approx 30x20x12cm and has an internal pocket and security clip.  Everything except the thread and wadding are upcycled so a mega eco bag!!

The design was partly an existing design I had made up earlier this year, an addition of production from another pattern I had acquired and then further adapted to make the handle adjustable and the flap over the front! Really wasn't sure how it would turn out but thrilled with the result!

Now all I need to do is make a note of what I did so I can make another one! lol

Another recent make I keep meaning to share was a commission I did last week, I couldn't blog about it until the birthday girl had received it but as she has now here goes!

A pink bottle flower necklace with matching earrings.  The necklace has a little extra something however and there are little dancer charms around it! Especially for a dancer!  Sorry the pictures aren't great, I finished it late at night and had to post first thing so no time for good light! still hopefully you can get the general idea.  Here are the dancer charms close ups.

The Bobs new blog!

The Bobs are now live!!!! Come visit them at their very own blog!

http://thebobrevolution.blogspot.co.uk/

New ReJenisis bags

Well I realise I have been totally terrible in keeping my blog up to date! thought I would post a couple of new pics. I have been busy experimenting with new bag designs and here are two of my latest creations!

Both these bags are made from upcycling unloved fabrics! the top bag has such a lovely soft lining with inside pocket and safety clip to attach your keys or phone (or child if you so wish!)

the bottom bag I have adopted as my work bag! I love it!  Whenever i make something new I try to use a sample to make sure the design is right and comfortable.  This bag has been great but I have learnt that the handles need to be a little longer, I like to get a bag over my shoulder sometimes and these are a little small!  The top bag has longer handles and is much more comfortable.

Top bag is currently for sale.  I will set up a new ReJenisis page soon so include everything available for sale and prices!