The Robot Couple...

New in the shop today!!! Charlie and Sadie the robots...

 ... and the most snuggly mermaid & chenille baby blanket:

Today I've also been busy with the "other stuff" in our shop: titles, descriptions, shipping, tags, etc. Etsy is constantly improving the listing process and search engine, which means I am constantly having to edit my listings. While this is work for all of us on Etsy, it's worth it!!! By the Holidays it should be so much easier to find what you're really looking for! Yay!

I'm also brightening up our photos so you can get a better look at what we're creating. I discovered that the white-ish quilt I used as a backdrop when we first opened shop had a slight blue hue to it and was causing my photos to look too cool. Then I switched to another white-ish quilt which had dark blue threads through it. I never thought they'd show up since my 50mm lens usually blurs everything (other than the focal point) nicely. BUT! The threads cast shadows in the photos, making the background look too dark. Soooo... I've recently found an OK solution for the time being. Two white foam boards. Ta-da. Smooth white milky backgrounds. :) I know this kind of info is interesting to other sellers on Etsy, so I plan to post something showing how I photographically capture my items.

Well, it's date night for the hubby and me tonight! Totally last minute but definitely MUCH needed. I'm thinking sushi and a movie! :)

Later!
-Brook

It's August! We're Baaaaack!

We're sewing sewing sewing! We didn't get much done while we were away... vacation was WAY too relaxing. ;) Today was all about robots. We cut out 7 new ones in our old favorite minky colors (red, yellow, green, purple) and new colors (blue, aqua) that Brook bought in LA. Tomorrow Brook is working on new rag quilts and lovey blankets and Joan is sewing up some pretty plushie mermaids... and in the following days... well, just wait and see.

Our store will reopen tomorrow. Yippie!!! It was nice to have a little break, but we are definitely ready to get busy again. Our creativity is bursting! Every time we talk about Snookums & Me we come up with a new idea for something to make. We are having fun with our new creations and look forward to filling the shop with them as the days pass. Hopefully we can sew as fast as Santa's Elves so our shop will be filled in time for Holiday shopping. LOL. :)

Oh hey, if you're curious, just a little FYI: the way Etsy works (especially for newer shops like ours), we will never put a whole bunch of new things in the shop on the same day. We find that spreading out our new items over time to generates more views and attention for our items. :)

In Los Angeles!

The Snookums & Me store on Etsy.com has been temporarily placed in Vacation Mode. That means our items can't be browsed or purchased until we return. The store is scheduled to re-open in late August. After the store re-opens, we will be stocking it with lots of new & adorable items for your little ones! Mermaids, baby dolls, super heroes! :)

I'm in LA right now visiting friends and enjoying the beautiful weather! I have a trip planned to the fashion district and several fabric stores. YAY! I'm excited to buy new materials for us to create plush toys with. Hopefully I can find a few fabrics that will inspire something new, too.

Hope your summer is going well! Thanks for checking in with our blog. I'll update later with some pics of what I find on my shopping trips.

-Brook

Soaking up the Sun Instead of Sewing!

Hello! The shop is getting empty because we've gotten lazy! :) Too much Florida summer sunshine calling us out of the house and away from our work. But, as our shop is getting emptier and emptier we decided we'd better get out butts back in gear. You will be happy to see what's been going on with Snookums & Me this week.

I (Brook) sketched out a quick and simple baby doll pattern a few days ago. I was looking for a dolly to make using a great piece of salvaged fabric I found at a local thrift store. The fabric is so adorable... it was a baby changing table pad cover from around 1980. It had a few pale yellow-ish stains on it that I worked hard to remove, but didn't budge, so I cut my doll from the un-stained areas of the cloth. Then I gave her a little oval patch of a face from peach velour, a cute removable elastic waist skirt, and endearing polar fleece blue pig-tails with rainbow satin bows.

The pattern wasn't the best from the beginning... her head was a little flat and wide, her legs were wider apart than I expected, and her arms were too narrow. This is always how it goes when I draw a new pattern. There's always the "victim" plushie that I make to test it out. Sometimes there are two victims (in this case... I didn't get bothered by the legs until I made the second doll). But, thankfully, the victims are still cute and my daughter will love her baby dearly... flat head and all! :)

Here is the second doll I made from the pattern. The arms and head are corrected in this doll, but the legs are still too much like a wrestling or football stance. LOL! :) The skirt covers up the legs so it's not that big of a deal. This doll is being sewn for a friend's daughter. I love the blue bird fabric and matching blue hair. Once she has a face she'll be the sweetest dolly friend. Like her? I hope you like her because I have two more cut out to sell in the store. This is such a simple and easy pattern, so the plan is to eventually sell it in the shop so you can create your own dolly from whatever fabric you love. Fun, fun!

 Seeing stars? I have something SUPER planned for this fabric! Just wait 'til you see it... I have to thank my friend Katrina for the idea. ;)

Mom (Joan) above working on our second mermaid doll at my house today. Wow, we have labored over this mermaid pattern! Editing it, tweaking it, enlarging it, figuring it out. And, if I don't say so myself, it makes a LOVELY doll. Unlike any other mermaid doll we've seen on Etsy! We finished our first mermaid and sold it the very next day! She is here: Mermaid Dolly (sold). In fact, she sold so fast we didn't even have time to properly photograph her or list her in the shop. Hopefully our upcoming batch of mermaids will steal people's hearts just like she did! :)

Hahaha... just noticed that Mom's pincushion is in the photo above. See it? It's this HUGE rectangle of felt covered with an assortment of poorly attached buttons on the side. I made it for her when I was a little girl. She has always used that pincushion from that day on. It's great... it holds a billion pins. :)

Anyways, off to play Beatles Rock Band with my hubby. I recently bought a microphone so I can sing along when he plays guitar. It's hilarious!

Later!
-Brook

Been Busy...

We've been busy busy busy! :)

Newly listed:







Hmmm... Where do I start? Let me first tell you that although our shop is hardly a full page we are working on new stuff everyday. Also, there are items just sitting here waiting for me to list. I'm doing it slowly... perhaps too slow at times!

More ROBOTS are in the works!!! YES! :) On Thursday, Mom and I sat in the sewing room and made a big mess. Haha. We have some new robots planned out in new colors and patterns. They are going to be SO cute, and we just know you will love them. Robots with a bit of spunk, in orange/blue/red/yellow, green and blue, another girl robot... oooh. Wait till you see. I will post some sneak peeks as we sew them & stuff them.

Also, for Spring we are introducing our next handmade original plush toy. A bunny rabbit unlike any your eyes have ever seen! That little fuzzy hopper bunny will steal your heart! Beware! ;)

Finally, the scrapbook pages are coming. They are! I have been busy setting up shop but now that I'm in the groove of things I will get back to the paper crafts this week. Look forward to seeing some Spring/Easter, Earthy/Organic, and Robot themed pages for photos of your kids (or beloved friends, pets, and family members).

I'm toying with the idea that it would be fun to do some small paintings for the shop as well, but I'm looking into printing options to make it more affordable than having to sell the original. Once I've looked into that, there will be some art available as well.

Well, if you made it all the way to the end of this update you are awesome! Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and say "hi". You know, so I don't start feeling like I'm having a conversation with myself into an empty room. Because I have NO idea what that's like. ;) LOL.

Happy Monday!

Woo-hoo!!! The shop is OPEN!

Yes, my friends... the shop is finally open! I am sitting here at my laptop just workin' away listing our items with such pride and joy swelling up in my heart. Our works of love... *sigh* growing up so fast... leaving the nest...

LOL!

Seriously, though. We HOPE they will "leave the nest" and find a home soon. See that BIG red square on the left that says "visit the shop"? Click it and check out our Etsy shop if you have a minute, of course it will only take a minute because I only have 2 items listed right now... hahaha. :) But don't worry, before the day is over I will have more. And then tomorrow there will be more. And so on... ;)

And if you REALLY love us (or even if you barely know us) please sign up for our fancy-schmancy E-mail Newsletter! I crafted up something really pretty and I'd love to share it with you... of course, you can always unsubscribe if you decide it's not something you want in your inbox. The Newsletter will be sent every couple of weeks and includes special offers only for subscribers. The form to sign up is on the left hand column of the blog.

Alrighty! Back to work for me! More tomorrow...

Some friends you might like to meet...

Here is a sneak preview of just one of the wonderful things we've got in store for you. These are the characters we've been sewing up for your delight (and the delight of your little ones). Our plush robots are soft & loveable. Each one has a unique name with personality to match! They are the perfect size for hugging!





Soon you will be able to take one of these snuggle-bots home. After some hold-ups, we are finally ready to open shop. :) We are soooo excited for you to see our labors of love. Our Etsy shop will open on Monday, February 22nd. Hopefully you will see something you like.

Keep checking in on our blog! In the coming weeks we will be having more sneak previews and giveaways to celebrate the shop opening. Be a friend! Leave a comment and let us know what you think. We're also new in town.... please help us out by spreading the word. :) You can become a follower of the Snookums & Me blog or by linking to us with our fan banner on your blog... "followers" and "fans" will have even more chances to win! More details to come soon!

Setting up shop!

Mom and I are busy busy busy setting up our Etsy shop. I am making cards and mini scrapbook albums and mom is making stuffed robot dolls and soft lovey blankies. We are sooo excited about selling the things we love to make. It will be fun to meet other crafters and share our handmade treasures with others.

Stay tuned, we'll be posting sneaks of some of our creations in the next week or so!