New! Jenni B Originals Soldered Charms

Just in! Take a look at the new line of Jenni B Originals - Glitz & Glam

Soldered charms are becoming more and more popular. The new Jenni B Originals Glitz & Glam line takes unique designs and styles and turns them into wearable art. See some of these charms in my shop here and here and here.

One thing that make the Jenni B charm line unique is the ball on each corner of all the charms. They all come with a clip to allow you to attach your charm to your favorite necklace, bracelet, keychain, purse, zipper, etc. Chains, bracelets, and necklaces can be purchased separately from the charms as well.

Go ahead . . . get GLITZY!

Introducing Utah Snow Days: A Holiday Shopping Tradition

The only good excuse that I can come up with for not blogging for so long is that fact that I've been working away at the newest Utah tradition . . .

. . . Introducing Utah Snow Days: A Holiday Shopping Tradition. This is going to be BIG, friends! I am speaking to all you girlfriends of mine that live in Utah. Get ready for November 12-14, 2009 because you're going to have a TON of fun!

My favorite small stores up and down the Wasatch Front are opening their doors to the Snow Days shoppers for this three-day event with discounts galore and even darling charms (different charms at every store) that come FREE with your Utah Snow Days ticket. Build your own C-U-T-E charm bracelet as you collect them all, friends! If you visit all of the participating shops, you can turn in your ticket with your personal information for an incredible grand prize drawing (and runners-up prizes as well!).

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER FOR UPCOMING INFORMATION at www.UtahSnowDays.com!

The fact is, it's no small secret that I LOVE shopping. And now I want to share all of my favorite stores and finds with YOU!

UtahSnowDays.com is not ready for viewing yet, but it will be within a couple of months. In the meantime, if you would like to participate in Utah Snow Days as a store or as a shopper, I'd love to hear from you!

Why is it called Snow Days? Because every year my mom and sisters and I get together for "Snow Day" and go to all of our favorite shops from sunup to sundown to see the latest in holiday gifts and decor. We want to share our Snow Day with all of our fellow Utah girlfriends.

So come one and come all . . . get yourselves ready for three fun-filled days of shop-til-you-drop. I'm giving you a heads-up so you may just be ready for November!

Introducing the Jenni B 2009 Spring Line!

Take a look at the new items that are now available for wholesale and retail!

German Glass Glitter has inspired me to come up with several new products for Easter. I can't wait to show you because Easter is right around the corner!

Mmm . . . This was my first glass glittered creation. It's an egg box with tiny pleated pages from an antique book and a touch of pink seam binding. They come in these pretty colors: silver (shown), pink, light green, and light blue.

These glittered egg ornaments are already selling in my Etsy shop and I've had several wholesale orders already. Again, tiny paper pleats and seam binding for hanging. They're perfect to hang on your Easter tree!

The mini glittered eggs come packaged with this French vintage book shred. So adorable! The eggs come in pink, silver, green, blue & gold. All the ideal Easter shades.

And these trees are just perfect for Easter. One of my customers had this to comment about these hand dyed and embellished Bottle Brush Trees: "The trees are just perfect and exactly as described. Just beautiful!" They come in pink, light green, aqua & cream. Little glittered eggs, pearls, and mica flakes are added for the final touch.

Happy Easter Decorating from Jenni B Originals!

Spring, Spring, Spring . . .

. . . Is almost here! The Daffodils, Dogwoods, and Forsythia will all be blooming soon. It's the perfect reward for enduring a long and dark winter, don't you think?

While you're waiting for your beautiful landscape to reappear, here's a list of ideas I've compiled to help ward off those Winter blues:

1. Wear red. If you're like me, the color of choice for the cold season is black. But there are so many great colors in style this season that will bring out your bright side. Red, bright blue, & purple are all in!
   
2. Take a hike. Or just a little walk. Getting your blood pumping through your legs will bring color to your cheeks and a boost to your creativity while clearing your head. I should probably take my own advice on this one.


3. Spring clean early. You'll be ready to enjoy the weather if you get to your Spring cleaning a little early. My advice would be to pick one day of the week to dedicate just one hour of deep cleaning. Starting from your top floor and working your way down to the basement, take one room (or floor if you have time!) and clean for one hour. Keep focused and don't stop until the hour is up. Set a timer to motivate you!


4. Add a little color to your surroundings. Though it's just bhech outside, it doesn't have to be the same inside. Bring home some fresh flowers from the grocery store to enjoy throughout the week. Try taking big, brigh blossoms and arranging them in a short vase to set on the table to enjoy during meals.


5. Be inspired. Just looking at pretty photos of Spring can bring something warm to your heart. Take a look at this flickr search of Spring Flowers. However, don't get carried away and look at all 553,513 images!

Tutorial: Make a Giant Heart Valentine!

This year, give your Valentine something special! A Giant Heart Valentine. Handmade items are always treasured and this one can be saved from year to year!


This is my first tutorial on my blog, so enjoy!

Materials needed for the Giant Heart Valentine:
Tissue paper or large piece of newspaper
Scissors
Pen or pencil
Poster board
Tulle in pink or red
Decorative paper
Glittered letters
Seam binding or other ribbon
Paper medallions or other decorative elements
Ribbon for hanging
Hot glue
Glue stick

1. First, trace a large heart on a piece of tissue paper or newspaper. It’s easiest if you fold the paper in half and draw half a heart along the crease of the paper and cut it out with the fold still intact. Make sure your heart is big enough; 18 - 22 inches works well. Trim as needed.

2. Trace the heart pattern twice onto poster board and cut out the two hearts.

3. Cover one of the hearts with your desired paper. I chose vintage sheet music.


4. Turn the heart face down and gather tulle and glue it around the edge of the heart with hot glue. Just work it a little at a time!

5. Glue the other heart on the back of the papered heart, sandwiching the tulle between the two. Hot glue works great for this as well.

6. Embellish your Valentine as desired. I put on some gold paper lace and red seam binding, then I just added glittered letters that spell out “I LOVE YOU”

but you can put on any phrase you’d like.

I also attached the letters to some paper medallions covered in mica flakes.

Tip: Arrange your letters how you’d like them on the heart before gluing in place to get them evenly spaced.

7. Punch two holes in the top of the heart and thread ribbon through for hanging.

8. Write a special note to your honey and sign and date it. Give it to your sweetheart!

Now, get to work and surprise your special someone.
I've already had requests for three more of these!

Time for a Rest!

Meet my little friend. He's cuddly and he's cute, but he sure does like to get in the way of things! My cat, Butty, absolutely loves to come and take a nap right in my work area. Why, oh why, does he do this?

I decided to take some photos on different days to demonstrate his friendliness. Notice how he is in pretty much the same spot every time!

I personally don't like to lounge or nap on scissors, wire cutters, glitter or ribbon. But Butty sure doesn't seem to mind!

I think I'll sign off and take my own little cat nap. The icy rain outside certainly doesn't warrant any work to go on inside, right?

And We Have a Winner!

A big congratulations to the Corgi Dog Mama. She won herself a set of 12 Valentine Cupcake Picks. And I want pictures of the finished cupcakes!

Here's her comment: "Well aren't those lil' picks just the cutest things? Who wouldn't love those little treasures? Simply divine!"

Valentine's Day Projects

First of all, don't forget to enter the giveaway below! The contest ends on 1/23.

I couldn't wait to share my latest Valentine's projects with you. I haven't had this much fun crafting in a long time! First of all, look at this fun L-O-V-E garland. I've been wanting to make something like this for such a long time and it finally happened. Large cupcake wrappers, tulle, crepe paper, and mica flakes are a few of the ingredients of this lovely confection. I put it up on Etsy in case it wants to find a permanent home.



Then I made up these little tussie mussies. I had done a number for Christmas and I sent them to my mom to show her and she ended up buying the whole lot for herself. Hopefully I can spread the love a little wider this holiday. Tussie mussies are a great alternative to the regular old gift bag. A small token or favorite Valentine treat would fit perfectly amidst the excelsior.


Mica flakes, rhinestones, seam binding and neat paper - some of my favorite mediums! Each even has its own coordinating tag for a personal message.

Create something fun for your love this Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Giveaway

Valentine's Day is the perfect holiday to spread love and joy. What better way to spread love than to have a blog giveaway?

These Valentine's Day Cupcake Picks will add the perfect touch to your little treats. The winner will receive a dozen varied styles.

Here's an example of what your cupcakes will look like when you add the pick. Wouldn't your guest feel special if she had one of these at her place setting?

Growing up, my mom always cooked up a beautiful Valentine's Day dinner. She would dress the table exquisitely and there would be a gift for each of member of the family on our chairs. I certainly did feel special! I'm sure if her children still lived under her roof, she'd decorate our desserts with these picks!

Just leave a comment and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. The winner will be drawn on 21st at 5:00 pm EST. Good luck!

Back Into the Swing of Things

You know how when you haven't blogged for so long it suddenly seems difficult to type a few lines to let your friends know how you are doing? That's what I think has been happening to me anyway. I'm glad to be back!

The holidays seemed very extended this year and it feels great to get back into the swing of things. Time to get to work! I've been busy creating some exciting things for Valentine's Day and I'm excited to share them with you. Photos are coming soon.

Here's some exciting news that I probably could have shared quite some time ago: my Marie Antoinette Faux cake that I posted about for the Marie Antoinette Birthday Soiree is going to be featured in Stampington & Comopany's one-time publication, Marie Antoinette, due out this Spring! And not only will it be featured in the publication, but also in the Spring 2009 issue of Artful Blogging. Yay! Here's a photo:



And that's not all! I just did an interview for Utah Valley Magazine and I'm going to be in an upcoming issue featuring 50 people in that area (or from that area) that are on the move with their businesses. Exciting! 2009 is going to be a year full of celebrations, I can tell already!


Question for my readers: What are you excited about that's happening in 2009? Spill!