Spring Koffermarkts in Thalwil and Schaffhausen

My "Koffer" filled with lots of paper products and cute Easter goodie bags

Lots of goodies for Easter baskets :-)

Sorry for the lack of posting recently... It's been busy, busy, busy around here with the new shop, The Creative Café, and preparing for two upcoming Spring Koffermarkts. For those of you who do not know what a Koffermarkt is, it is a special market where handmade products are sold and displayed in suitcases or old trunks. So if you are looking for unique, handmade gifts in an unusual and artsy setting, a Koffermarkt is the place to go!

I will be participating in the following Koffermarkts over the next two weekends:

Handgemachte Unikate aus dem Koffer - Koffermarkt Thalwil
Date: Saturday, 21 March 2015
Time: 11-17
Place: Schützenhalle, Dorfstrasse 65, Thalwil (parking lot across the street)
Link: http://kreatives-koefferchen.jimdo.com/frühlings-koffermarkt-thalwil-21-03-2015/

4th Annual Schaffhauser Koffermärt
Date: Saturday, 28 March 2015
Time: 10-17
Place: Schaffhausen Hotel Kronenhof, on the Kirchhofplatz in the old town part of Schaffhausen*
Link: http://koffermaert.blogspot.ch/p/offnungszeitenpreise.html
* Parking is limited in the old town, so public transportation is the best way to get there.

The pictures above show my Koffer and I'm still busy making a few more goodies!

Hope to see you there!
J x

The Creative Café Grand Opening

Mark your calendars for March 3rd and stop by to say hello, have a drink with friends and browse through our collection of unique, handmade products, furniture and stamping & scrapbooking supplies! We will also be having demonstrations of some of the products for you to try out.

Looking forward to welcoming you in a few weeks! 3 weeks and counting down...!!!

J xx

Coming soon....

J Blume Bags, Tags & More will be opening a shop in Thalwil, Switzerland starting in March!!!!!!

It has always been a dream of mine to have my own shop and this year my dream will come true! It all came about just before Christmas when I was going for a walk in the town I live in and walked past a cute little shop that I've always liked because it had a variety of refinished furniture in the windows. The only problem was, this shop always seemed to be closed or by appointment only... Well, this time there was a sign in the window saying that they were looking for people interested in joining them - so, after a couple days of building up my courage, I called! And once I met the amazing woman responsible for the gorgeous furniture in the windows, I got more excited about the prospect of actually fulfilling my dream.

Our shop will be a collaboration of creative women sharing the space and the days, giving us all the perfect opportunity to "test the waters" with a retail shop, without having the full responsibility of having to man the shop every day of the week. Starting in March, Rachel, from Seize the Stamp, and I will be working together to have the shop open two days a week (Tuesday/Thursday), and will have various events, including workshops and pop up sales, that will take place either on those days or other days of the week depending on the event.

All the furniture you see in the picture above is from Jamais Vu and will be for sale in the shop, as well as used to display our products, including cards, stamping and scrapbooking supplies, bags, gift sets and much more.

More info on our grand opening will be coming soon!

I will also be participating in the following Spring markets in March:

Saturday, 21 March 2015: Spring Koffermarkt in Thalwil (Link to page)

Saturday, 28 March 2015: Spring Koffermarkt in Shaffhausen (Link to page)

I'll post pictures of the trunk I am refurbishing for the koffermarkts once I get a bit further on it.

Lots of exciting stuff going on (hence the radio silence this month)!!!

Have a great weekend!

J x

2015 is here!

I have loved the above quote/image for several years. I found cards with it and have one hanging just over my desk to remind me of all the things that I should be striving for. In looking back over the past few years, I feel pretty good in what I have accomplished, including several of the items listed above:

- quitting a stressful and emotional job to focus more on doing what I love,
- not watching as much TV
- seizing opportunities when they come up
- and, meeting new people who are also excited about what they do.

Some of the items are still a challenge for me, though..."stop over analysing"...that is a hard one to conquer as I am continually analysing what I should do rather than just taking the step to do it. I plan to work on this point this year and have already taken some "tip toe" steps to change up my business in the coming year. More to come on this point :-)!

To start 2015 with a clean slate, so to speak, I've been busy doing the following things to clear some of the clutter that was bogging me down:

1. E-mail cleanse - I had more than 1000 emails in my inbox that were driving me crazy. Now I have 4, all of which are pending an action. This one action has already made my month!

2. Organize files on my computer - are you the type to just save files to your desktop so they are easier to find? Well, that was me...especially since I got a new Macbook this past year and am still figuring out some of the basics of how to save the files where I really want them to go! I had LOTS of things on my desktop and have now managed to organise it to only have 3 folders for my business stuff, "Projects", "Blog pictures", "Business stuff". This makes it much easier for me to find the documents/files that I need.

3. Blog refresh - as you can see, I played around with my blog during the holidays and have added a few things and freshened it up a bit. What do you think?

4. My office - it is always a bit of a "work-in-progress" because I love stamping and sewing and, therefore, have DOUBLE the stuff... I can never seem to toss out that scrap of fabric OR scrap of paper. The goal this month is to sort through my entire office and (hopefully) get rid of things I haven't used for a few years or that are no longer my style. Maybe I'll have a big 'ole scrap party and invite all my friends to see how we can creatively use the scraps :-)!

5. Business admin stuff - this is the stuff most people hate to do. I was an auditor in my former life so one would think I would be better organised than others in this field...but, I still hate to do it and, therefore, put it off. Well, I read about an accounting program called "Wave" that helps you keep track of your income and expenses, has an invoicing program and even allows you to upload your bank and/or credit card statement to fill in your transactions (among other things). It's free to use and seems pretty simple to get everything organised. My favourite aspect of it so far is the Wave Receipts which allows you to download an App to your i-Phone or smartphone where you can take a picture of a receipt (say, for supplies you purchased) and it will automatically process it for you and record it in the accounting package. Can you say awesome?!?!

With the above completed (or almost complete), I can now focus on growing my business in new channels in 2015. This will include attending more markets, trying to get into a couple of shops in the area where I live and just seeing what else may come along. I'm a firm believer that things will come up along the way that are "meant to be"! I'll keep you posted on what new ventures I am up to!

HAPPY 2015 to you all and I hope this year is also full of "clearing your clutter" and taking "tip toe steps" to reach a new, exciting goal!

J x

Market success!

The 2nd annual Christmas Market "Around the World" was a success yet again! We had 15 vendors selling a variety of products for customers to choose from. Here are a few pictures of the event!

Carla from Paper and Party Love

Luz Maestro baby gifts, children's clothes

Dennise Camara Jewelry

Rachel from Seize the Stamp

More photos can be seen at the Around the World blog here. 

Finally, here are a couple happy customers wearing their new aprons! They were so adorable running around in them :-)! 

Have a great week!
Jx

Wax Cloth Totes and Coordinating Zipper Pouches

I've been busy the past couple of weeks making some new bags for my upcoming Christmas Market and thought I would share my wax cloth collection with you as a little treat for the end of the week! I have totes that are lined in coordinating cotton fabrics with a side pocket and coordinating zipper pouches that are perfect to carry the essentials in.

The inside has two side pockets that are perfect for credit/business cards

Have a wonderful weekend!

J xx

2nd Annual Christmas Market "Around the World"

It's that time of year again!!! We are excited to hold our 2nd annual Christmas Market "Around the World" on 6 December (see details above).

We've set up a website this year to allow you get to know the artists that will be participating in the market.  Here's the link when you want to check it out! We will all be adding posts to it over the coming weeks to show you our products, so be sure to check it on a regular basis!

Looking forward to seeing you on 6 December :-)!

J x

Easy DIY Christmas Packaging Ideas

I love pretty little packages. I mean, what girl doesn't like a gift wrapped in cute paper and tied up with twine, ribbon and other little embellishments like buttons, stamps and doilies? As you can see from previous blog posts and my Facebook page, I've already been busy making some kits for my Etsy shop and market :-)!

With Christmas just around the corner (7 weeks and counting...), I thought it would be fun to have a post on some easy DIY ("do it yourself") packaging ideas you can use to dress up your Christmas or Advent gifts.

1. Use fabric instead of ribbon 

Using a cotton fabric, make a cut on the selvedge edge of a piece of fabric (the long side that is "bound" along the edges) about one inch from the edge, or however wide you want your ribbon to be. Tear the fabric from the cut all the way down to the bottom and pull off the extra threads.  Do both sides if you want it to look "shabby chic". Alternatively, use shearing scissors (the ones that have the zig-zag teeth on them) to cut the fabric piece to the size you want. Use in place of ribbon to tie around a box, envelope or package.

Here's an idea for packaging using a wide fabric ribbon
(this will be the packaging for my Child Apron & Baking Kits :-)!).

2. Decorative paper envelopes for gift cards

Use a template (you can find loads on Pinterest) or a Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch Board to make adorable little envelopes for gift cards. Decorate the outside with stamps, ribbon, doilies and top with a tag and small wooden clip. Here are some I made with the SU! punch board for my Etsy shop and Christmas market.

3. Brown Bag It

I love all the brown paper gift bags that I see popping up on Pinterest all the time. Who knew those brown paper lunch bags could be so cute!! You can stamp on them, print sayings or images on them (check out this tutorial I found on Pinterest), make the top edge scalloped using a punch, and then top them with whatever you have on hand, such as, scrap papers cut into flag bunting, punched Christmas trees or hearts, doilies, lace, tags and the list goes on and on...!!  Here are examples from three different kits I made for Christmas. Each kit includes all supplies to make 5 gift bags (one design per kit). As you can see on the bag on the right, I made my own fabric ribbon to tie the bag closed.

4. Scrap fabric & paper gift tags

Cut out tags using kraft-colored paper (I normally cut my tags to be 2 inches wide by 3 inches high, but you can cut them in any size you like). I have this tag punch from Stampin' Up! that works great for creating the tops of the tags. Then you can decide if you want to use scrap fabric or maybe you have a lot of scrap decorative paper from other projects...or use BOTH! Glue or sew onto the tags in a random way, add some text of your choice (either using stamps or printing off your computer) and voilà, you have a unique gift tag! Here are a couple cute ideas I found on Pinterest.

Adorable vintage flair paper and fabric tag from Love Stitching Red Blog

Check out these amazing Chrismtas tree scrappy tags from tracyBdesigns on Etsy

Pinterest is overflowing with ideas. Check out my "Packaging Ideas" board for loads of DIY packaging inspiration.

I hope this post has inspired you to get creative for the upcoming holiday season!

J x

Updated Flickr Photostream

After many months of having this on my "to do" list, I've finally managed to update my Flickr photo stream for what I've made this past year.

I have to say, it shocks me to see how busy I have been this year!

Here's the link if you would like to check it out! Link is also on the right tool bar if you are interested in checking it out every so often.

Have a wonderful weekend!

J xx

Who loves zipper pouches?

I DO!!!  They are so practical to have around to carry all those little things that tend to get lost in the big bags that are now so trendy. Ladies and girls alike (and boys, too - think Legos...) can never have too many zipper pouches!! Which is why I've been busy sewing some for my Etsy shop and to start stocking up for Christmas, because we all know that it will be here before we can say "Boo" (wait that's Halloween...well, they do put Christmas stuff out in the stores at the beginning of October now don't they?!?!)!!

These pouches are the perfect size for travel-sized toiletries, a do-it-yourself card kit for a child, pens and a small sketch book... the possibilities are endless! 

If you find you have a few minutes, check out the rest of the bags I've made in my shop! More are cut and in my "to do" pile and will be listed as soon as they are completed. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!

J xx

My Etsy Shop is OPEN!!!!

YIPPPEEEEE!!!  After many months of having this on my "to do" list, my Etsy shop is open for business!! More listings will be added as I get the pictures taken and I hope you find some time to check it out and let me know what you think!

J Blume Bags, Tags & More on Etsy

Happy Sunday and have a great week ahead!

J xx

DIY Gift Wrap Kits

Happy Bird-day!

Summer is over (it was over before it began in Zurich...rain, rain go away!!!), school is back in session and it is time to get back to work! I'm excited to be back in my office and working on some new DIY Gift Wrap kits to sell in my Etsy shop.

I don't know about you, but I just love receiving a gift that is in a pretty little package. There are so many amazing ideas on Pinterest that I am always pinning (see my packaging ideas board), so I decided it would be fun to use all the bits and bobs lying around my office to create little kits so you can also make beautifully packaged gifts for someone special in your life.

Here are a few of the packs I've come up with so far. I plan to have them in my Etsy shop by the end of the weekend :-)!  Each kit will come with the following:

• 5 handstamped paper bags
• 3 meters of twine
• 5 tags (of varying designs and styles)
• 3 wooden clips
• 3 white paper doilies
• 5 different buttons 
• variety of punches (butterflies, bunting flags, flowers)

A little bit of Paris

Sunshine on a bike

I'll post the finished packs once I get them loaded to my shop! 

Happy Wednesday and see you soon!

J xx

A bit of this and a bit of that

Hello! I've been wanting to post some of my latest adventures over the past few weeks but as I sit here attempting to clean my office (that I could no longer stand to step foot in due to the extreme piles covering EVERY surface...), I realized that life has been so crazy that I haven't blogged anything in almost a month. So, this is going to be my "catch up" post to let you know what's been going on!

We had fun at our Summer Market on 6 June, with several people popping by in the morning to see what all was on offer. Here are a few pictures!

One happy customer :-)! 

The weekend of the market was my daughter's 8th birthday. I still find it hard to believe that my baby is now 8 years old... She is a child that is generally always on the move (currently using stilts she received for a birthday present to walk all over the house and beyond...) and is always being silly and trying to make people laugh. It was only fitting that she wanted a circus party! I ordered some amazing invitations and printables from Carla at Paper and Party Love and we had 10 little girls running around our house like circus clowns.  We had a photo booth and various carnival games that the girls seemed to go through in record time (Note to self for future: organize party elsewhere so someone else can entertain and clean up!!). Here are a few photos of the highlights (you can also check out Carla's blog to see the invitations and printables more clearly).

Miss A wearing her new flip flop shirt handmade by Luz Maestro!

Clowning around

Table decorations

Walking around the house on her new stilts!

We've also been taking advantage of the beautiful weather in and around Zurich by going to the Sihltal to play along the river, pick strawberries and cherries at the Sunnehof farm and go hiking with Daddy on Father's day in Brunni. I have to say that I am exhausted and it is not even summer yet... Three more weeks of school and then the real fun can begin!

I wonder why it is that we can never get a picture without someone being silly?? Hmmmmm...

We met a friend along the trail

Panoramic view from top of our hike

She ate too many cherries while picking them and they started growing out of her...

Perfectly ripe and ready to make jam

Hope you are having fun too!

J xx