cleaning out the cobwebs.

the last couple of days have been weird. sort of disorganized and discombobulated. i haven't gotten much done, and feel unmotivated. not good. so, i thought i would clean out my studio corner. i have been moving a couple of storage totes of projects and fabric around the house for a few days and i realized i needed to organize things. i have to do this at least once a month. i'm not working with very much space and it doesn't take much (a couple good frenzied searches for that grey canvas) and it's all out of whack. my big idea was to take pictures and show the improvement. although.....

during the clean-up....

after. much of the magic that was done cannot be seen by the naked eye.

.........can you tell the difference? maybe not, but my brain will, and everything should work a lot smoothly tomorrow. now, if i can manage to not stay up 'til 3 am watching 'breaking bad'.......

pure bliss....

quitting my job and working on really starting up my business has been the best decision i have ever made. i don't remember a time when i have worked so hard and had so much fun. it's great being home with adella all the time, and she is so good.
i get up before her most mornings and have a strong cup of tea or 2. i open the computer, check on everything, while thinking about what i need to do that day. sometimes i start cutting and sewing before adella has made a peep, sometimes i don't start until 10. either way, there is something about owning one's day that makes me so much more productive than any kind of a schedule. sure, sometimes the daily household needs get mixed up in my loosely woven plan of creating, and i find myself doing the dishes when really, there are so many pants i could be cutting out. it's a small price to pay for the luxury of choosing the rest of my day.
money might be tight, but i would much rather be with adella than send her off to some stranger while i work for someone else. i'll never get this time back, and i am so grateful to spend all day with her and be there for all her firsts. i am so grateful that george barely batted an eye when i told him i was quitting my job and staying home. it has actually worked out much better for his hectic school/work schedule.
finding what you love to do and taking a chance to make it into a job is so liberating, it's pure bliss....and it's all mine.

thanks, val kilmer

i cooked my first bird ever yesterday! it turned out pretty darn good. i used a cajun spice blend on in, and also made cornbread stuffing and cream biscuits, all from a southern menu. the hardest part about cooking the feast was getting the timing right. having everything done (and hot) at the same time is tricky. but, it worked out pretty good. and we had plenty of good, cajun spiced gravy. one of my thanksgiving pet peeves is not enough gravy.

notice the tie napkins that i got as part of a trade at the milkworks show!

adella fell asleep right before we ate, she was tired from playing so nicely by herself all day (as i cooked.) she was so good, just running around the house with the dogs, dancing, making minimal messes. she liked the cream biscuits right out of the oven. 

sleeping on aunt susie.

sleeping with mr. eel.

it was a great day! we decided to have a themed movie marathon, and we each picked a val kilmer movie. i chose 'top gun' at the last minute, susie brought 'real genius', george chose a wacky movie called 'american cowslip-a redneck comedy.'  i wonder if val kilmer is his real name?

successful saturday.

saturday was a success! people bought stuff! that I made! it was great. nobody bought anything for the first hour, and i was beginning to panic, but then.....one person bought something, and set the ball in motion.
it was hard to set up with such limited space, you would think a five foot table with lots of wreath stands and wire-rack-type-things wouldn't be hard, but i had more wares than i thought.

the shoes and bugs were big sellers, but i only sold one crown, which i was surprised about. i thought those would be a hot item, they are so unique. 

for the next event, on saturday (already?!?) i think i'll make some little wool pants, burp cloths, and more tag blankies. someone bought me out of tag blankies.....you know who you are!

the other vendors had some great stuff too. i traded a pair of shoes for a handmade wool hat for adella and 4 dinner napkins with ties appliqued on them. it was great to do something for Milkworks, vendors donated 20%.  thank you to everyone who came out on such a cold day to support your local artisans and a great community resource!

eek!

well, tomorrow's the big day. my first public event selling my wares. i'm excited and nervous and keep wondering what people will say about my things. i have almost everything packed up and i shouldn't have forgotten anything, thanks to my new clipboard that holds my trusty lists. (thanks mom, for the clipboard, and the talent to make lists upon lists upon lists....)
i had a major malfunction in my shoe pattern, but i ended up with more shoes than i thought i would, i just had to make some last minute adjustments. they are looking good! i have 3 sizes, which i didn't even plan for, it happened naturally from altering the pattern so many times.
off to bed, i hope i can get some sleep.....i'm so pumped up!

pretty sharp.

i got these new scissors from george for my birthday! they are AWESOME! they're spring loaded, which is why they have the gold hook on them, to keep them closed when i'm not using them. super sharp, in more ways than one! thanks, george!

wipe out!

today i made cloth wipes. and boy, did i make them. i started to feel like a factory worker. my mom is loaning me her serger, which makes the wipes a piece of cake. but i made about 80 wipes. that's a lot of serging.

thanks mom!!

 the holiday boutique at milkworks is ONE WEEK AWAY!!! and the next saturday after that is a launch event for a maternity clothes website, then the circle me 2 day winter collective. i hope i can make (and sell!!) enough stuff.

wipes before.....

wipes after!

i also worked on 3 cute brushed corduroy dresses tonight. i feel like there is so much i still have to do....oh, wait, there is. more shoes! my goal is to make 6 more pairs to add to my "stock." and felt "play" taco kits, and lavender sachets and tag blankies.....it never ends.

is it working?

linking this blog to my facebook has cost me my morning. blarg.

testing the waters.

i'm trying to link up my facebook, etsy and blog. it's tricky.

back in the saddle again.

hello! it has been MONTHS since i have posted and a lot has happened. i quit my job (yikes) and am now staying at home with adella and sewing full time. it has been the best decision i have ever made. a couple weeks after i quit, i started my etsy store and have lined up 3 holiday boutiques! those should be great exposure. i decided i had better start blogging again, to have another way to get my work out "there." so stay tuned, folks, we're about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

fancy skirt.