Saturday, December 25, 2010


I love making bottlecaps!
I now use resin circles to seal them so there is virtually no drying time and no bleeding.
I have loads of graphics from initials to sports.
I also make custom caps with photos/names/etc. so ask me.
I sell these, in finished form with a necklace,
on Etsy for only $3 each.

And if a graphic can fit onto a cap, it can usually fit onto a 1-inch glass circle as well.
My glass circle necklaces start at only $6 on Etsy.



Visit me online at
www.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com
or in beautiful middle TN at Etc. on Main Street, historic downtown McMinnville

Thursday, June 24, 2010

New product line coming soon: Kids Love Mail character letters

Kids Love Mail character letters

Children love to get mail. My 5 -year old enjoys checking the mail every day, always hoping there will be something in it for her. To actually receive a piece of mail addressed to her is a true joy and really makes her day. It's such a simple thing to send a letter but in our world of text messages, emails, and Face Book, it is quickly becoming a lost art. Yet children can learn so much from reading or composing a simple letter. It is an activity that boosts creativity, penmanship, proper grammar, and can be downright enjoyable. That is especially so if the letter the child is reading comes from a friend or pen-pal.

Thus an idea was born.

As a homeschooling mom of three, I appreciate any chance to squeeze in some educational activities into my children's day. I know the few times my children had pen-pals they were excited about it. Unfortunately pen pals don't always write back faithfully and before long, we find that all correspondence has stopped.

As a small business owner specializing in hand-crafted products, I am constantly aware that a hot selling craft may become tomorrow's least desired object once the general population learns how to copy the product for themselves. I have two Etsy crafts stores and most of my sales come from the same two items: lip balms and bottle cap jewelry. Most everyone I know in the teen/tween realm has learned to make caps already, so I anticipate that in a few years, this current fad will die out. I am always on the lookout for a new product, a new idea. Because we homeschool and live on one income, I try to find ways to be able to stay home in my God-given role and still be a little bit of a financial help-meet to my sweet husband.

As a Christian mom, I long for good role models for my children. Especially for my daughter who is growing up too fast in an age of often less-than-ideal Hollywood women to model herself after.

When all these ideas merged (and with some help and ideas from fellow WAHMs over on the www.bizymoms.com network), I decided I could try to meet all these goals with one new simple idea: a character letter writing service for children.

You've probably seen ads where you can send x amount of money and get a letter from Santa at the North Pole or a letter from the Tooth Fairy. This is a similar idea but so much more. I have spent a few sleepless nights developing a series of characters to interact with your children by mail through one-time letter sales or via a yearly subscription service.

Just to give you an overview of what is to come, I'll have two services geared towards different ages.

The first and most basic service will be seasonal monthly letters to children ages 4-8 or so. These will be from characters such as Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but also Patty the Leprechaun, Hug-a-Bug, Sally Sunshine, Lady Liberty, Bubbles the Clown, Frostina the Snow Princess, Hoppy the Bunny, and more. Each letter packet will include some sort of coloring sheet or activity page, the personalized letter to the child, and fillers such as a simple craft kit, stickers, balloons, notepads, pencils, etc. On the child's birthday there will be a special letter with a small gift enclosed. Children will be encouraged to write back or draw pictures to send to me (the character) which will be acknowledged in the next reply letter. This is an early start to reading and writing letters and hopefully will plant some seeds in young minds. When my children were little I bought a subscription to a company that sent an educational packet by mail. They so looked forward to getting that little packet in the mail. I would be delighted to find out my character letters were sparking the same kind of interest in another child.

As excited as I am about the younger letter service, my heart is thrilled over the idea I have for my older character letter service. At present I will only be marketing it towards tween and elementary girls. It will not only plant the seeds of letter writing but will also be a way I can encourage girls to be godly and be their best. I am calling it the BFF Club and I am looking into getting a graphic artist to draw out the 6 characters I have floating in my head.

Meet the characters:
Chloe-fun-loving, friendly, popular, a true friend who throws the best parties
Lily-a dreamer, artsy, crafty, creative, always has a vision and sees it through
Laurel-loves to read and is an excellent student but also makes time for hanging out and having fun
Star- a naturalist and animal lover, she likes to take care of God's world and all the living creatures in it
Adrienne-a fashionista and shop-a-holic, wants to be a fashion designer and live in Milan or Paris; she teaches girls how to be cute and trendy while dressing modestly
Alex-fitness and sports are where its at; she teaches girls to be healthy and fit and to glorify God with their bodies

My newsletter software will allow me to produce a nice letter from a different girl each month. The characters will share all sorts of things from tips on doing well in school to themed-party ideas to recipes and volunteer opportunities. There will also be a Bible verse to memorize each month and a section called "Hear it, Learn it, Live it" where girls learn to apply the memory verse to their lives. Another regular feature will be the "Be a Better Me" section where each character learns to work on an aspect of her life to be more godly. For example, Chloe is everyone's best friend, but sometimes she feels caught up in the other girl's squabbles. What does God's word say about being a friend? About being a peacemaker? As Chloe examines her own life and its problems, she will be able to give practical advice to other real girls like her who might be going through a similar experience. Short articles and graphics will hold girl's attention. There will also be links to safe websites where girls can learn and grow and receive free items.


On top of all this, each letter will include something fun--a small trinket or gift, a craft kit, a homemade beauty product safe for young skin, a jewelry item, etc. And on the child's birthday, parents can request a custom letter from the character of their choice written to the child, along with a birthday gift. The BFF Club is part character letter service, part pen pal service, part craft club, all rolled into a fun, Christian theme. It will available soon atwww.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com so be sure to check it out.

I welcome your feedback and comments on this endeavor.

Blessings,
Lynn



Tuesday, May 11, 2010

great items on etsy

Check out these two Etsy stores. They both have super-friendly ladies running them. Favor8Favors donated items to a burned-out family she didn't know, even went to far as to mail them a package with clothing. She has some cute sewn items and engraved items.
And SoBeBotanicals offered to trade items with me on Etsy, something I had never done before. She has some neat makeup items and mineral makeup.

www.SoBeBotanicals.etsy.com
www.Favor8favors.etsy.com

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Items to be sold in Etc! on Main Street

So excited to be approved to have my crafts and b&b goods sold in Etc! on Main Street in McMinnville. I am currently crafting, bagging, and tagging about 40 items to put in, from glass necklaces to soaps to lip balms. Hope to have all items in by the end of this week. Go by and visit if you get a chance. They are located across from the fire hall and have a lot of pretty things to sell. The painted plaques are adorable! Tell them Lynn sent you.

I also was invited to join my first Etsy team. I am still learning what it involves but hopefully it'll mean even more exposure.

Held a two-day promo at www.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com and racked up about 40 sales. One sale was for 20 caps! That's what I'm talking about. Thank the Lord for the blessings.

Nick is away at church camp in Florida while the littles and I pet-sit for the youth pastor and his wife (who are also on the trip to Florida). While on the trip Nick spent the first 24 hours with ice pick headaches and bad nose bleeds. Day two he thought he broke his toe. I wonder what today holds? Hopefully safe fun! Back home here it's been an experience taking care of the two tiny bundles of energy on top of my dog and her six pups, crabs, fish, frog, and two cats. Is this a zoo or what? I am thinking of charging admission. :)

In between all that and recent Easter fun, my new shop at www.whimsylanecreations.com is in the works. It will feature a drop-down menu that will make it much easier to order personalized items and give discounts than it is on Etsy. Plus it will be ultra-girly!

Take care until next post,
Lynn

Friday, March 19, 2010

give away!

Celebrate spring with me at my new blog. :) Lots of hand made b&b goodies just for YOU! Details here:

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Give away, hurry!

GIVE A WAY!!



You don't want to miss this! Jennifer, over at The Trendy Spot
is hosting a give-away this month for this adorable, hand-made cloth baby doll and a super-fab new key chain/mini change purse she just invented. Gotta get one of these ladies! If you are on-the- go but don't want to mess with lugging a purse, this is for you. This is Jennifer's take on her own creation:

"A fabulous new item! The other week we went to a concert at the Sommet Center. I didn't want to carry my purse for obvious reasons but since I was the driver, I needed my license, insurance card and of course I needed my cell and money. So, I drug my purse along with me. When I got home, I had an idea in my head and set out to create it. So, this is what I came up with... A small keychain/ID holder that has plenty of room for your debit/credit cards and money and a roomy pocket on the back for your cell phone!"


Go check her out and tell her Lynn sent ya. ;)

Friday, February 26, 2010

Sampler Village


Both my shops will have samples in the March and April Sampler Village boxes.
So go check it out and order your awesome sample box today!
www.SamplerVillage.com

Thursday, February 4, 2010

starting new blog for my bath and body products

Magnetic bottlecap necklace set


Round glass pendant made with beautiful Chiyogami paper


Letter "S" pendant in "Tres Chic" style


I have two Etsy stores. One is Whimsy Lane Creations and the other is Sugar Sweet Bath Shoppe. I am still in that stage where I am trying to find my crafting niche. I love to make many things and trying to narrow it down to a particular market and craft is kind of tricky. I intend to keep working with many mediums for another year or so, and test the waters to see where my best sales fall. At that point, it may be time to eliminate one shop.

In the meantime, I hope to get back into blogging more frequently. I also intend to start a totally separate blog for SugarSweet. I would like to find the time to add some recipes, how-to, and hold some contests. We'll see how reality goes!

Thanks for reading and watch for the new blog soon!

And don't forget: to see all the graphics I currently have available for necklaces, please visit my Shutterfly site at:

***NEW*** I also bought some adorable stick family graphics so I can make personalized stick family pendants and necklaces for YOU!
You can see the sample graphics here:

Blessings!
Lynn