'About' Page

I finally have a proper 'About' page on Etsy so everyone can briefly learn why my husband and I created Thermies. Thanks for stopping by for this very short post and check out this link!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/thermies/about?ref=shopinfo_about_leftnav

Jumbo Thermies Now Available

Jumbo Thermies are now available in our Etsy shop. You can jumbo-size any Thermie for extra heat and cozy comfort. Just drop us your choice of design and category (i.e. polar bear - woodland creatures) in the 'notes to seller' and we will start creating a unique Thermie just for you!

Thermies make great stocking stuffers and great gift ideas for holiday 2014. What are you planning to get for your nieces and nephews? If you aren't sure you should consider Thermies. They are an inexpensive, thoughtful and unique gift that the kiddos don't already have. Prices range from $6 - $12.

Check us out today or click our Etsy Mini site on the right side of this post. It will take you directly to our shop! www.etsy.com/shop/thermies

Thermies Make Great Stocking Stuffers

I know the weather is still relatively warm in most of the country so most people are not thinking about the holidays or stocking stuffers yet, however, I went to Michaels yesterday and they already have Christmas items on display! I couldn't believe it. Seriously, there were wreaths, stocking stuffers, fake poinsettias, etc. This is the first time I have ever seen holiday displays this early!

Crazy, but my point is that it's never too early to start shopping for great gifts for friends and family. We have already gotten lots of feedback that Thermies will make great stocking stuffers for 2014. We couldn't agree more!

Thermies will also make excellent and thoughtful gifts for nieces, nephews, friends, co-workers and relatives who you aren't willing to break the bank for! All regular sized Thermies are only $6. If you have kids yourself one stocking stuffer is already in the bag (or stocking)!

Visit us at etsy.com/shop/thermies to make your purchase today!

Etsy Shop OPEN!

We are pleased to announce that our Etsy shop is now open. Please visit the site to see our full line of Thermies. www.etsy.com/shop/thermies

We are currently offering Thermies (beautifully designed heat packs to keep cold feet warm and cozy!) in the following categories:

• Woodland Creatures
• Beautiful Birds
• Bugs / Insects
• Mischievous Cats
• Ninja / Lucha Libre
• Personalized Gifts

We will be expanding our line soon to include baby quilts and professional high-res prints. Keep checking back to find out more.

We enjoy feedback and are committed to making our products the best they can be. Please share with us any thoughts (good or bad) about our products and our Etsy shop.

We appreciate you stopping by! Thank you.

Tweet Tweet - Beautiful Bird Thermies

Who doesn't love birds? Well, actually my sister doesn't. I think it's weird since they are so pretty and sing such nice songs and can FLY! My sister would say that they make loud noises when she is trying to sleep and they are dirty! She should really change her viewpoint and opinion of birds because it ultimately lands her a really nice bird calendar every year!!! Ha ha, Sister!!

Okay, enough of that. The etsy shop is almost open (waiting on one last piece of info) so I wanted to post some of the bird sketches that inspired the bird Thermies. Not only are these bird Thermies going to keep your cold feet warm, they are going to be super cute sitting next to your pillow every day waiting to be warmed up when you go to bed!

Are you ready for color yet? I bet you are getting sick of looking at sketches. Here are a few examples of the bird Thermies that were ultimately created from the sketches. Aren't they adorable?!

I will let you know when the shop is officially open for business so you can rush out and get a few Thermies for you or as a gift! Thanks for stopping by!

Ninja & Lucha Libre Thermie Sketches

Does anyone else have a little piece of paper taped to the side of their computer with the millions of user names and passwords necessary to function in everyday life? And if that little piece of paper ever got lost would you curl up and cry for three weeks? I think I would rather have my identity stolen than lose that little piece of paper! Okay, maybe not, but still I would be a complete disaster if that thing got lost!! I use extra sticky tape for insurance!! Ha!

On that note, completely unrelated, why not combine ninja and lucha libre to make fun mask Thermies? Here are a few sketches:

I mention the user names and passwords because little did I know the amount of detail that goes into an Etsy shop. I've mentioned this before but for all you out there who want to post a few items 'quick' and make a few bucks, be warned that there is definitely more than meets the eye. I'm certainly not trying to discourage anyone but please do your homework. It's a lot of work! And a lot of accounts to set up with, yes, more user names and passwords.

Since we have two little kickin' ninja at our house Eric thought it was fitting to make some ninja/lucha libre inspired thermies. Ninja are everywhere and if you have any small-ish boys in your life you have certainly heard of TMNT (Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles for those of you who live in a cave) and Lego Ninjago!

I will be posting finished Thermies soon! Also, the Etsy shop should be opening in the next week and a half!

Cats! Meow!

This category is ironic to me simply because Eric (thermies designer) is highly allergic to cats. Eek! However, he said they were very entertaining to make even though he can never officially be around them. Here are a few sketches. Meow!

My favorite thing about cats is that everyone has a cat story. Even if it isn't their own cat they have a story to tell about a naughty cat that did something funny, strange or mean! I know you are thinking of it right now! Share your story in our comments, we would love to hear it!

A bit mischievous I do think!

I was just talking to a friend the other day who is ordering our set of four cats for her boss as a personalized gift who has 'cat' everything! It's not officially a personalized gift in the way that it has her name on it but it is a personalized gift in that she loves cats. A great gift idea in that sense!

Thermies (our Etsy shop) is getting closer and closer to opening! We have heard for a long time....oh, you should just open an Etsy shop. There are many more steps involved then I expected but we're getting there!

Thermies Inspiration

I can do a lot of crafty things well, but I can't draw. It's as simple as that. I simply can't translate what's in my head to what I want on paper so I'm always amazed and extremely impressed when I ask my husband, Eric, to draw something specific and...BOOM!...it's on the paper in a matter of seconds! Just from memory. 

Here is a sampling of some of the sketches Eric has done from the Woodland Creature category. Keep reading to find out a brief history of Eric!

Eric started drawing when he was very small and from many stories I've heard found himself frequently lost in his sketchbook for hours on end. He knew early on that he wanted to be an artist (of some kind) and gained more interest and technique from his grandmother who loved to paint with him. In my opinion it's a gift to be talented like this but Eric would probably say that he has been moved by comics, graphic novels and art historical movements that inspires his creative output.

Eric did eventually become an 'artist'. He majored in painting and minored in graphic design at the University of Arizona (Go Wildcats!), quickly started a career as a graphic designer and ended up owning his own business for many years. Later he decided to go back for his MFA in graphic design at the UW Madison (Go Badgers! He doesn't know which side he's on anymore!) to become a professor of graphic design which he is today. This is in fact his 'dream job'.

The photos you see are a sampling of some of the pages in Eric's sketchbook for thermies! We are starting with fun categories including: woodland creatures, bugs & insects, mischievous cats, ninja & lucha libre, beautiful birds and personalized gift thermies. We will be adding more creatures in the near future when I get the Etsy shop open.

These sketches are just a starting point for the final designs of thermies. Drawings are scanned and drawn over in Illustrator, made into layers and pieces and eventually filled with color. That makes it sound fast and easy, doesn't it? From watching, I can tell you that Eric makes it look easy but the process certainly isn't fast. There is much care and consideration that goes into each thermie design. We want to put only a unique and thoughtful handcrafted item in a customer's hands that will use and love their thermie on a regular basis!

We are very much enjoying the process and fabrication of thermies and hope you enjoy hearing and learning about it too!

Thermies Prototyping

Thermies are on the loose!

I'm up to my ears in thermie prototypes and I can't wait for their official release; which will be announced very soon. We will be selling thermies in our Etsy shop which I will post as a link here as soon as I hit the 'OPEN SHOP' button...so exciting!

So what are thermies you ask? Thermies are beautifully designed (by my husband) palm-sized heat packs (filled with uncooked rice) that are heated in the microwave and placed on or under cold feet in bed so one can fall asleep in complete comfort and relaxation! Doesn't that sound great?! One Thermie will stay warm for about 30 minutes under the covers. Ahh! Two thermies.....forget about it....you'll be zonked in 10 seconds flat.

Here is a peek at some of the pieces that go into making thermies!

1. Fabric of course!

I love fabric...and the fabric store. It's so homey and comforting at the fabric store, isn't it? A place that I find myself spending way too much time in and never wanting to leave. I think I literally touch every piece of fabric in the place. I'm like a kid walking by a dirty car who has to run a finger along the entire thing.

2. Printed fabric. 

We are using only 100% cotton fabrics for our thermies and are striving to use only items/products made in the USA. Support the USA! The top layer fabric is printed in our home studio, and cut, sewn and filled by me, Jennifer!

3. More fabric for layers and contrast (all cut with my favorite tool ever). 

When I used a rotary cutter for the first time I didn't know what to do with myself. I started cutting fabric just to cut it. I stacked it up to see how many layers I could cut and quickly found out that I wasted a LOT of fabric but I was having so much fun I seriously couldn't help myself. Who ever invented that thing definitely deserves an award (if they didn't get one already)!

4. Rice. Thermies are filled with only 100% uncooked white rice. 

Did you know that white rice is one of the few things in the world that never goes bad? We never use wheat, beans, brown rice, flax seeds, herbs, dried flowers, oils, scents or perfumes to fill our thermies which could eventually go rancid. Yuck! No feet would ever like that!

5. Thread. Another place I get lost at in the fabric store. 

It is a goal of mine to own every color of thread available. I would also like them arranged on a perfect little spool rack but let's face it, I don't have every color, just enough to match what I make, and they are all tossed neatly (is that possible) into a small wooden basket with a frog on the side. Boo! 

What I'm trying to get at is that all thermies have decorative stitching to add to the cuteness (is that a word?) and we also only use 100% cotton thread. I say, keep it cotton!

6. Labels and the thermies logo. I love branding!

How could we create thermies HEAT FOR FEET without a fabulous logo?! We couldn't so here it is!

Well, I guess that sums up what goes into making thermies! Thank you for looking/reading and check back soon for more.