Girly Purse Cake

This is a cake that I have made recently for my boyfriend’s sister’s birthday.  It was only the second fondant cake I have ever made and I had absolutely no tools (not even a rolling pin)  so it was a big challenge and it was in no way perfect but it was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.  The fondant I used was a homemade marshmallow fondant which I think tastes way better than than store bought fondant and as a bonus it costs way less!  Normally the purse would be made out of rice krispies but I didn’t have any so instead I used popcorn and made a giant popcorn ball.  The popcorn ball was much more lumpy than rice krispies would have been much smoother but in a pinch the popcorn works.  All of the little make up and nail polish pieces were sculpted with the fondant and the purse handle was a piece of wire bent into  shape and little fondant “beads” were added to make it look more realistic.  I really don’t reccommend working without any tools, it makes it so much more difficult so I would recommend at least having a cutter and a rolling pin, having the cutter will just give you much cleaner lines and make your life so much easier!

Revival

It has been a very long time since I last got on and blogged I wish I had a great excuse but honestly I started out with every intention of blogging regularly and ended up very busy with way more orders than I had anticipated on my crochet hats.   So, blogging ended up on the very bottom of my to do list and I eventually forgot about it altogether.  Now that my busy season is over and I have more than just crochet to talk about I really want to revive this blog and start sharing with you again but I have some different goals this time around.  I’ve deleted a ton of old posts that just don’t fit in with what I want this blog to be and I now plan on not only want to talk about crochet but I also want share recipes, things I’m making, cakes I’m creating, and so much more.  I would also like to include tutorials and tips on more than just crafting.  All of that said my current goal is to blog at least once a month I would love to blog more than that but we will just have to wait and see how it goes! I hope everyone will enjoy the new Jennifer by Design blog!

This Crazy Life!

It has been a long time since my last post, it seems like as soon as I got started life became crazy and blogging was the first thing to get put on hold.  So much has happened, my shop was super busy until a family emergency caused me to close it down for a while.  I am also now an Auntie which is so much fun. It’s so nice I get to play with him and help care for him but can hand him off to his parents at the end of the day so theres no pressure just fun.   Right now I’m playing babysitter in a hotel because my brother’s in the hospital after another surgery. My boyfriend wrecked my car so we are borrowing my sisters car which will work for a while but can’t be a permanent fix, luckily I don’t really leave the house so only having one car is working out.  My panic attacks haven’t really gotten any better so I’m still at home all the time unless someone in my family goes out with me.  Of course I am still crafting away and probably always will be.  I am selling my stuff at www.jenniferbydesign.artfire.com which keeps me busy but since its getting warmer out sales are slowing way down. Thats some of what’s been going on in my crazy life and now I am hoping to move forward and start posting some more blogs, tutorials, and patterns!

Why I Craft and You Should Too!

I thought I would get started blogging by telling you exactly why I craft and why you should too.  To put it very simply I craft to keep myself sane.  Since the age of 14 I have had horrible panic attacks that have slowly gotten worse over the years.  At this point in my life I have them every day but I have learned to cope with them the best that I can and crafting plays a large part in this.  Don’t know what a panic attack is? Well a panic attack is basically an abrupt feeling of terror or fear that can come out of no where.  For me a panic attack starts with a gripping feeling in my stomach that makes me feel sick, then I will start to have intense pains in my chest and the only way I can describe it is that it honestly feels like I’m having a heart attack and am going to die.  From there two things can happen, sometimes I will end up passing out and once I come too a lot of times I will still feel anxious but at least most of the feelings that I’m about to die are gone.  The other thing that can happen is that I will feel like I am unable to breathe, almost like someone is crushing my chest, and I start to hyperventilate.  This experience for me can last anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours and can be terrifying when it’s happening but since I have gotten used to it I know what to expect and it has gotten a little easier.

My first panic attack happened when I was 14 and it was one of the worst experiences in my life.  Just imagine you’re in high school on a bus with the school band traveling to a football game and suddenly you can’t breathe, you start to hyperventilate, you think you are dying, and everyone is just staring at you not knowing what to do.  I had been passing out on and off for a year before that and no one could tell me what was wrong; in fact some of the doctors had even told my mom that it was possible it was all in my head.  So, the one good thing that came out of my first panic attack that caused me to hyperventilate was that I was taken to a bigger hospital with a doctor that recognized the symptoms and finally gave me an answer.  The bad news came when he told me that even with medication it would be something that I would have to live with for the rest of my life.  In fact, I ended up getting kicked out of school for “medical reasons” for three months because they thought that I was too big of a disruption when I had them.  That was one of the hardest times in my life, I couldn’t go to school and my mother was a firm believer that if you aren’t in school you shouldn’t be running around having fun, and I had to sit in my room with nothing to do for 3 months straight.  This only made everything worse and I sunk into a deep depression and ended up in the hospital.  Since then I have gotten to the point where I have panic attacks every day, I can’t handle a job because my anxiety interferes with work, I can’t drive (panic attack + car=very bad), and my life is very limited.

So…what does this all have to do with crafts?  Don’t worry I’m getting to that don’t be so impatient and thank you for continuing to read.  Well, I have tried breathing exercises, prayer, countless programs, and tons of medication with bad side effects, and finally I picked up a crochet hook and found my escape.  Crafting is the one thing that offers me a true escape from my problems, even when I am having problems with a design or pattern when I get frustrated with it I don’t panic it becomes a new challenge.  It allows me to express my creativity and share it with other people and is one of the only times in a social situation that I don’t panic because I’m afraid I will say something wrong.  In fact when I’m talking to other crafters or anyone about my crafts I feel confidence that I don’t usually have in my life.  It also allows me to escape my worries I can just sit there and maybe sketch out a design idea or focus on something I am crocheting.  Overall it is just a great distraction from my panic and fears.

You may be thinking well I don’t have panic attacks so how can this help me?  Even if you don’t have panic attacks everyone has problems in their lives and crafting can be that perfect escape from the problems in your everyday life.  It can also allow you to express yourself even if you start with something small.  It is also great if you are short on cash and need a gift for someone, because nothing says you care more than a special gift that you handmade yourself just for them.

Whatever the reason is that you craft you need to enjoy it and get those creative juices flowing! So, please join me in my crafty life and I hope I can help you to learn a new craft and maybe offer a great experience that will help to escape from your worries and enjoy yourself!

Get ready…Get set…Lets craft!

Are you ready to get started learning about all things crafty, sharing in all things crafty, and looking at all things crafty?   If so then you are in exactly the right place! I see a future filled with free crochet patterns, crafty tutorials, tons of photos of my crafts, contests with crafty prizes, craft swaps, and so much more.

While I may not be a fortune teller what I am is a craft addict who is ready to share all of her pent up creativity and knowledge with the world.  What are my qualifications you may ask? Well, I have a lifetime of creativity, along with 6 years of crochet, a year of jewelry design, a year of sculpting clay pendants, 3 years of wedding design, 3 years of painting, and so much more under my belt just ready and waiting to share with you.

So… please stay tuned and get ready to enter my world of all things crafty!