Chevron Napkins

I recently added these to my Etsy store and thought they were just too pretty not to share! 

If you are interested, I have a tutorial for making dinner napkins here.

Etsy Features

I have been slowly growing my Etsy store over the past 6 months, and while I wouldn't call it a success, I am proud to have sold a few things during that time. I started out with just a couple listings and now my store has over 50 items in it. I wanted to put a few of my new items on the blog, mostly because I am happy with how cute things have been turning out lately! I find that I really enjoy matching fabrics together and creating different combinations. Picking out the button to use on my card and passport holders is like icing on the cake. My small piece of the design pie.

I met a woman at Joann's a few months back (more like I was eavesdropping and butted in on her conversation with the cutting table lady) and she told me she has had her Etsy store for 6 years and that it has finally taken off. She said it starts off slow, but to keep working at it and not to give up. Her words still inspire me. The beauty of Etsy is its ability to give anyone the courage to start their own business and find joy in the creative side of life. Creating things often feels like it should be on the bottom of my priority list, but it brings me a sense of calm and happiness. I think that is something everyone should find time to experience no matter how hectic life outside their creative space becomes.

To check out any of the items above in more detail or to see what else is in my store click here, or click the tab on the upper right side of the screen that says "Shop - Etsy Store". Click the picture to see the items a little bit bigger.

New to Shades of Berry

Introducing Passport Covers!

I was playing around with my pattern for business card holders (check out a post about those here) and decided it might be fun to make a cover for passports. I don't have a cover for my passport so I thought I'd take a stab at it and make myself one first - if it was a disaster, no harm done. Turns out it was not a disaster! Check out the one I made for myself below and further below that, the ones I made for my Etsy store.

I am getting some serious mileage out of this chevron fabric.

I love this rainbow button.

And for the store:

This one has a vintage "Lansing" button I found at an antique store.

And because I can't stop myself from saying it... I put a bird on it!

Feeling Fruity

In light of my nearly successful juice fast last week (after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead"), I made these adorable fruit dinner napkins this past weekend for my Etsy store. They were so cute I had to share. They remind me of a picnic and vintage linens all at the same time.

Jewelry for Valentines Day

My husband and I have recently started a bit of a jewelry making business...

 

A few weeks ago I thought it would be a good idea to send T.J. some ideas for what I wanted for Valentines day. I sent him some links from Etsy thinking he could just order me a cute necklace or charm or something from there. Instead of spending the money, he thought "I can make those myself!" And low and behold he can - with his own twist that makes them even better. The two above are my Vday gifts... an E for Elizabeth and an adorable mini silver bow with a light pink bead on the right side. (I realize the pictures of my neck are kind of weird, so I apologize... weirding me out anyway!). Below are a few we cooked up for my Etsy store. If you want to check out my Etsy store you can click on the pictures below or click on the tab above that says "Shop - Etsy Store".

Christmas Gift Reveal - Card Cases

 

Christmas 2011 was the year of the card holders. Nearly everyone on my  list got one of these this year. I found them fun to make and absolutely adorable. I love all the options of fabrics and color combinations. I felt like I was really able to be creative when making them. I was able to make each one personal by picking fabrics I really thought the receiver would love. And they aren't just for business cards! I keep gift cards and appointment cards in mine. You could also keep cash, credit cards, or pictures in them.

This one turned out to be my favorite... the one I made for my sister. I tried to pick colors that would look good with her business cards (shown below).

This is the one I made for me. I call the striped fabric "almost chevron."

These next two are actually for sale in my Etsy Store.

The brown and green one matches the one I made for my mom for Christmas, which was also inspired by her business cards.

Do any of you all tend to do this? Find one thing you like to make and then make a gazillion of them for everyone on your list? Personally I think it is a smart plan!

Introducing Shades of Berry

A few weeks ago, after talking to a stranger at Joann's about her Etsy store, I was finally inspired/encouraged/brave enough to start my own Etsy store. It took me a surprising about of time and anxiety to choose a name. I wanted it to mean something to me, be unique enough for people to remember, yet not weird enough that people would not be able to spell it. Shades of Berry fit the bill. When I work in my sewing room I sometimes feel like everything in there is tinted pink. I have hot pink curtains, which when they are down and the sun is shining, literally tint everything pink, but also pink walls, a "pinkalicious" work table, and a pink chandelier. (Check out pictures of all those things here and here, and in the house tour pictures here). So needless to say, I see things in shades of pink. Don't get me wrong... I absolutely love it! It inspires me and keeps me creative and feeling bright.

I have been thinking in the back of my mind that this venture could be a complete failure - so I have waited until now to make the big announcement. Why now? Because last night I made my first sale! It was very exciting and reassuring. I went promptly to the post office this morning to mail the purchase. My first sale was a set of dinner napkins, my favorite set in fact. Bright blue pink and orange, with adorable birds on them. Here are a few of the other sets I am selling.

 

And some Holiday napkins.

So it is just dinner napkins and aprons for now... but more creations will be coming soon. You can check out my Etsy store by clicking on the tab above on the far right (see picture below for location) and see the items in my shop. Or click on one of the pictures above to go to that listing.

I have been thinking about opening an Etsy store for years and am happy to see this little dream come to life. Only time will tell how this story ends, but as T.J. said when I was thinking about this decision, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, Liz". :-)