Traveling, Transitions & a Two Year Old.

A personal update on my crafting and creating blog?!

Yes but I'll keep it short and I promise to cut in and out of pictures and updates on what's new in the shop. 

Not just a part of a matching set anymore!
This orange and cream bow-tie is now available for
purchase on its own and just in time for Easter!

I want my customers and loyal supporters to know that I take my little shop seriously, I do want to keep up with it and make it a priority in my life. Just not a major priority. 

I started January off with some technical difficulties on the Etsy end of things which gave me a good excuse to shut down, take a break and recuperate after two weeks of Christmas celebrations and traveling throughout Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.  

As they fixed the bugs a week or two into the new year, I had intended on bulking up my inventory and getting right back in the swing of things. But, maybe you haven't heard, I'm pregnant. And, all of a sudden, that nesting bug HIT and hit hard! I didn't want to spend my evenings making bow-ties I wanted to spend my evenings making hair bows and headbands, stitching embroidery patterns for my little lady... etc, etc. 

New Vintage Floral print available in a headband for your little lady!
Jude & Co is now offering headbands for individual sale. 

And then, bam. Our little family was hit with a crazy unexpected twist. We received news that a townhouse we placed a (then rejected) offer on in October was now available for us to make a bid on if we wanted to as the listing agent had chosen our previous offer as her second choice. 

Due to a series of ridiculous events, we were told that we'd need to close at the end of February or beginning of March (re: we'd be moving while I am at term with the pregnancy). And, as crazy as we are, we did it! It has been one of the longest and most emotional-roller-coaster-esque times of my life! 

(OH and Jude, himself, has officially turned two years old!) 

And here we are, I'll be 37 weeks on Sunday with our little girl and we should be closed on our house by the end of next week. 

OH, and Jude and Co. is still open!

In fact, even with the chaos that has ensued and will continue for the next few months, it will remain open!

Although, in lieu of taking some sort of Maternity Leave and closing the shop, I will not be taking any custom orders until I am confident that I can handle the work load with our new family situation. 

But, I've thought about your needs and have some fun St. Patrick's Day* appropriate 

(Or an early earth day accessory?) ties available now for purchase! 

And for those of you planning ahead there are some great prints for Easter as well. 

(Come on, those Easter outfits are begging for a spring-time accessory!) 

And, in honor of our little lady who will be joining us so soon, you'll find quite a few more options for bow headbands that can be bought as part of a matching bow-tie set or on their own. 

Thank you so much for supporting Jude & Co.! 

Have an idea for a style or print I don't have? Let me know! 

Head on over : www.etsy.com/shop/judeandcoshop 

*To get you going on your fun holiday outfits, use code STPATTYSDAY for 20% off your next purchase! 

(Code expires March 8, 2015) 

Two Year Old Birthday Stats Chalkboard!

16x20 size JPEG file, can be made in any size. 

Digital file the customer can print on their own. 

Color scheme and theme can be changed

Often when customers have an idea of what they're looking for they don't have exact specifics. 

If this is the case, I like to make their lives easier and give them a few options to look at and help us figure out exactly what they want. Here are a few examples of the samples I sent the customer before reaching the final design : 

Sesame Street Party Poster (Decoration)

Sometimes I am asked to do unique projects a customer may not know how to do or simply may not want to spent the time doing. This request was for a poster that would be used as decoration during a party to go along with the Sesame Street/Elmo theme. 

The customer also sent me a picture of the invitations so I was able to match the colors and style of the poster to the invitations and already existing plans. 

PS - Can you guess that it is for a  *2*nd birthday and the birthday girl's name starts with *H*?

Creativity for that one belongs to the parents :) 

16x20 poster sent as a JPEG file for customer to print on their own. 

Color scheme and size can be changed. 

Baby Shower Invite Samples

While the average project lends itself to my making up to three samples for the customer to sift through and figure out what they're looking for, sometimes I find myself willing (and wanting) to make more. 

These situations usually arise when the customer is willing to pay more, has extra time or has given me a project that I feel will expand my own collection and experience. 

With a simple desire for a "baby shower invite for a shower with no real theme but will have be on Valentine's weekend and will have the color scheme of pink and chocolate" I had a whole realm of possibilities on my hands. The result is the following: 

(All samples were designed to be 5x7 JPEG files that the customer can print on their own)

Sesame Street Gymnastics Party!

5x7 JPEG Digital file the customer can print on their own. 

Color scheme and age can be changed. 

Often when customers have an idea of what they're looking for they don't have exact specifics. 

If this is the case, I like to make their lives easier and give them a few options to look at and help us figure out exactly what they want. Here is an example of one of the samples I sent the customer before reaching the final design : 

Jude and Co. Launches!

Some of you may remember "Jilli Ruth Crafts" and the handmade treasures that came along then. 

Well, it's still me, but I've found a new focus - and one that is certainly much more applicable to my needs over the past year and a half.

I hope you'll still support me in this new venture as I am excited to use my creativity & passion for crafting to help you find gifts for your sons, nephews, grandsons or friends 

(and even some female family members every once and a while!)

You can find the "official" store at :

www.etsy.com/shop/judeandcoshop

Also, you can find JudeandCoShop on Instagram or on Twitter @JudeAndCoShop for the latest projects and listings added to the shop.

A Blueberry Pie Experience

This was the first year I have ever spent the 4th of July at home. 

Growing up, my family always went camping with my mom's side of the family over the week of the 4th and had a fun celebration around the campfire or watching fireworks. And since I've been married, we've spent the day at my Husband's grandparents house celebrating with a big family-filled cook out. 

Yet this year, thanks to our busy traveling schedule and lack of funds, we spent the day at home. 

While I missed everyone and hope to jump back in to old traditions next year, it was really nice. 

And having hours to fill however we pleased I was able to decide to make a pie at the last minute! 

(We were being joined by some good friends for a little dinner cook-out that evening.) 

When deciding which pie to bake, I realized the most fruit I had were frozen blueberries and, since I had never even tasted a blueberry pie before and it seemed a patriotic choice, blueberry pie it was! 

(And after all that, I needed to buy more blueberries anyway... but it was worth it!) 

I found a simple recipe on-line here and made it my own! 

After measuring out the berries, I laid them out to dry.
I used 6 cups of berries instead of 4.

For the pie crust I used my favorite pie crust (adding only cinnamon & a little extra sugar). 

I also used frozen blueberries, so I rinsed them in warm water, drained them and laid them out to dry while I made the crust. 

I prepared the crust in the pan and prepared the top crust.
(Picture taken before I used small star cookie cutters for the shapes
this was done here before putting on top of full pie).

After preparing the crusts, I whisked together the rest of the filling ingredients to pour over the blueberries. 

I used 5 Tbsp of corn starch to ensure it stayed thick.

Once all of the filling was mixed, I filled the pan and covered it with the top crust and a few extra star shapes for a decorative look. Next, I brushed it with milk and sprinkled the top with sugar!

Placed on a baking sheet and with the edges covered, it's all ready to go in the oven! 

It came out beautifully! 

I was glad I made the decision to forego the lattice top crust and try something different, 

it felt much more appropriate for the holiday.

Everyone enjoyed it and I think I found my new favorite pie! 

Since I've made this I've been craving it and have almost baked another one about 3 times... 

unfortunately we haven't had any guest over and I just know I'd have no trouble eating it all myself! 

The pie was served about 2 hours after it came out of the oven. While it held its shape nicely, by the end of the evening there was no juice leaking out at all. This is a great pie to make a day ahead of time!