Still Playing "Catch Up"

We're back and I am now trying to get caught up with all the details that a week away from home bring! Sometime this week I'll post a few pictures and go more in-depth on what we did, but for right now I am concentrating on getting the house and my shop back in order. I also have alot of catching up to do with my family and friends. I hope everyone is happy, healthy and doing well!

Etsy Withdrawal

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.”
~Abraham Maslow

We are leaving to visit with Gary's parents in Myrtle Beach on Sunday and I am going with mixed feelings. It will mean 6 days away with no access to a computer (Gary's parents don't have one and I, unfortunately, do not own a laptop...yet), 6 days of no sewing and 6 days of no Etsy (sigh of compliant resolve)! I will however, be taking my sketchpad and pencils with me in order to work on 3 or 4 new designs that have been rattling around in my head for quite some time now. It's difficult working on new designs when you are fulfilling orders and trying to keep up the housework, laundry and errands that need tending to. I'm hoping this time away may still prove to be a productive interval for me. I am deactivating the items in my shop until my return just in case someone misses my shop announcement and places an order then wonders why their items are not arriving.

Making sketches and putting down ideas comes quickly, but when you begin working out the pieces of the pattern, that takes time and patience, not to mention some mathematical proficiency. I feel very fortunate to be adept in math and enjoy it, too. Some people don't realize the considerable amount of math that is required when you are working out a design. Making sure that things add up and that everything is in proportion takes some skill and if you're "mathematically challenged" it can become very daunting work.

Arizona aka Zoni

Anyway...back to Myrtle Beach. We are taking Arizona with us. She's 7 now and very well behaved so she shouldn't be too much for Gary's parents to tolerate. They are both 80 years old and don't seem to have the patience they once had with children. When we go out to eat with them they tend to become annoyed very quickly with the children that are at the restaurant. They either cry to much, talk too loudly or don't sit still and mind. They also complain about the "loud" music in the restaurants. I wonder if as we age we lose the ability to ignore the background noises and going's on that most of us are able to tune out or ignore.

Before closing, I just wanted to add some pictures of my friend Angela's beadwork. The name of her shop is Bedfordbeadworks and she makes some really amazing lampwork beads. I have never been a big fan of lampwork beads because it can have such a sloppy look to it if not done well, but her craftsmanship is so precise and clean that she has turned me into a lampwork entusiast. You can visit her shop here. Let me just inform you that you may have to go through her sold items to see her work. She doesn't keep items in her shop very long because they sell so quickly.

I am now off to get the many things that have to be done before we leave taken care of. I hope everyone has a fab day!

More Neat Stuff

So, yesterday I mailed out my first sold Kirei wristlet. I wound up reimbursing the nice lady who purchased it part of her money in exchange for a little market research. I want to find out what she thinks of it as far as quality, style and value for her money. I think it was a fair exchange and the information that I will receive in return will be invaluable. I want to be sure that I price my items fairly, not just for myself but for my customers, too. I may do that with a few more of them, but I'm not sure yet.


Steph sold some more of her new pendants yesterday and listed a few more last night. One of my favorites is another "Green Eggs And Ham" one. She sold the first one she listed after just an hour and I hope this one does as well for her.

I came across a 2 great buttons that I think every "true" Etsian would love. The name of the shop is Allegrae and she has some really fun buttons as well as Alice in Wonderland items. Anyone that knows me knows that I am an Alice freak. The buttons are only $1.60 each and you can find them in this shop here.

Another great shop is called itsybitsyteenytees. It is run by Andrea who I have had the pleasure to meet through Etsy. She handpaints t-shirts and other items for your wee ones.

She also has a cute little tutu that would look adorable on any aspiring ballerina. You can visit her shop by clicking here.

Neat Stuff

This is a new illustration that my friend Cookie Sunshine (aka Donna Childree Gotlib) did called "Waitstaff Magic". When I saw it yesterday, I fell in love with it! I have purchased several of her illustrations that will be going up in my sewing room. Most of the one's that I have deal with sewing and fabric, but I just love what this one says about appreciating servers and all that they do to make your meal more enjoyable. If you get a chance, check out her blog here or visit her Etsy shop here.



And my step-daughter Steph has added some new items to her shop. She is now making pendants on bamboo tiles and I think that they are turning out quite well. You can visit her shop here. Following, you can see a few of her new pendants:

More New Items To Come

I have been so busy fulfilling orders that I haven't had time to work on new items. The past 2 weeks I have been able to get out some new fabrics and finally finished up with my Kirei wristlet, but I want to get out some of my Snappy Card Cases to go along with the slouch bags and wristlets. I haven't decided yet whether I like the straight front or the curved one. Maybe I'll make a few of both. Today I'll be working on 4 bags that have sold over the weekend.

I have been ordering new fabrics for the fall bags and I will be getting some of those out this week, (I hope). I can hardly wait...Autumnal colors are my favorites! There's a new designer that I have come across, Kaffe Fasset, and I LOVE his fabrics...the colors and designs. I want to make a few items using his fabrics and see how they go. The first one I will be trying is called "Turkish Delight" in the color "Mink".

TA-DA! FINALLY...KIREI IS HERE!

I have been working on my Kirei wristlet/clutch pattern for quite some time and I have finally got it to where I'm satisfied enough to list a few in my Etsy shop and see how they go. Kirei is Japanese for beautiful and/or clean. I think that is the perfect name for this little cutie. I might still make them a bit bigger, but the size I have it now works out perfect on a 44"-45" fabric. It also works perfectly on a fat quarter. I try to make my patterns "work" well into the fabric size so that there isn't so much waste. I may also use a lighter batting since I have been spending so much time cutting the batting from the seams to reduce the bulk. Very tedious and timestaking work, not to mention boring. I would also like to explore a different shape for the flap. I think I may have it follow the body of the clutch and flare out a bit on the sides. Check back later for updates.

Sales have been steady, I'm averaging at least 1 sale a day. Last weekend I sold 6 bags and spent the better part of this week fulfilling those orders. Trying to work in new patterns is tough when all your time is spent fulfilling sales, but I was able to complete 2 Kirei bags yesterday and another one today. I used Amy Butler's Nouveau Trees for the first one. I had purchased that fabric several months ago but felt that the color and pattern were "too much" for a large slouch bag. I think it worked very well in the Kirei size bag.

I also made the Hedgehog bag yesterday and the Russian Nesting Dolls one today.