Shop: Good news and bad

The good news: I sold the 70s strawberry jumpsuit!

The bad news: I sold the strawberry jumpsuit. *sigh. But, if I didn't want it to go, I shouldn't have listed it until after Ladybug wore it!!! Oh well.

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January was an awesome month on Etsy.com. They made a huge deal about the holidays (the month of December) and I didn't sell a single thing. Then, right after Christmas my stuff started flying off the shelves! Well, figuratively anyway.

It's so much fun.

...Doing taxes on the money I earned, well, not so much fun. But who's thinking about that!?

:-)

Because I know so many people who have money for this...

really? who would purchase something like this?

source

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in other news, we're sick with the nastiest stomach flu in a century, I think. i thought it might be food poisoning because it came on so fast and hit so hard on Thursday but Jeremy came home from class sick last night.

Boo on the flu.

Longing for Haiti...

... just a few days ago my mom and I were talking about their upcoming trip to Haiti and everything in me just wants to pick up and go with them.


The 2 year anniversary of remembering the earthquake was only 10 days ago - Jan 12. (Read about our experience here, here, here and here.)

source

I'm making a book of important people for our girl and was using my best contacts to find and include a this picture of Elyse in it, but hadn't been able to access that picture. Then, I got it last week!

photo credit: M. Jensen

Then I read this post. And my heart is heavy for Haiti.


God, what can I do?

epic sewing fail.

i usually like to celebrate my successes, but I'm sorry, this was an epic sewing fail (which had the potential to be. SO. cute!)

Here was my up-cycle materials:

Click here for my inspiration. So cute right?

And the epic fail.

 (see the "bump"? horrible)

(bump from the front and bow sewn crooked.)

(the inside was too big for the outside = what a mess!)

(and i need a re-course in sewing zippers - yikes!!)

You'd have to see it in person to get the full effect, but it was an epic fail. One carefully thought through, wonderfully envisioned epic sewing fail.

Here's to not being too discouraged and trying again on something else! :-)

because our dog is weird.

...and cracks us up.

ha!

a baby gift

For my best friend's little girl, who we just (very excitedly) met, I wanted to make something special.

I found the idea here and she found it on Pinterest. (Side note: I'm totally on pinterest and still don't really know my way around ... isn't that sad or what?)

Anyway, I loved it and it worked perfectly with a four letter name like Ella and I started with the above color of embroidery thread. However, about halfway through I realized that there was not going to be enough ... and quickly changed to an ombre type look. I actually really love it!

I finished up with a pretty yellow dandelion and re-stretched it across the hoop. It wasn't quite as straight as I'd hers - my stitches must've been different tensions and the fabric different - but I still think it turned out SO cute.

The back, however, is a different story.

So I used a piece of knit (that won't fray) to cover the back... and used another uncovered ring. (The yarn covered one was cute but made it difficult to get everything together without breaking.)

then trimmed the whole thing up! Pretty sweet, huh?

experimenting with light

one of my (unspoken) goals for the year is to be a little bit more risky and experiment with my photography. if it doesn't work, it's okay. if it turns out amazing, great!

here, I experimented with lighting. the sun was shining in my bedroom windows late in the day as we were playing upstairs. Here's what we got.

Nothing amazing, but maybe someday it will be. My favorite is the last one. :-)

the purse hanger - finally hung

Remember my purse hanger?

Three months later, it's finally up. (*smiles) Yeah, it takes me awhile to do things around here, but after the busyness of Christmas, I feel more motivated ... like things aren't weighing so heavy, things don't HAVE to be done, therefore, it's much more fun to actually get them done! Ha. I'm weird, I know. Just go with it. 

{And, just for the record, the ENTIRE three months she has been driving me crazy pulling things out of the diaper bag and my purse. That little girl can pull apart or get into just about anything these days!}

So over Christmas, I broke out my amazing and infamous can of (expensive!) Annie Sloan Chalk Paint called "Old White" and painted (and distressed) the backboard we needed to use. Since it would be holding weight we wanted it to be screwed into the wall studs. Unfortunately, I'd already made the hanger before we decided this. It was too small to do reach both studs, so I just extended it with a larger piece of walnut. 

My dad taught me how to countersink the screws so it would be flat against the wall and we glued and screwed the boards together (from the back).

Then I broke out the trusty power tool (a.k.a. drill) and after measuring twice, I drilled the holes into the studs and countersunk the 2-1/2" wood screws. Yes, I did!

A big thank you to my dad for helping with this project and my husband for the use of his power tools and for marking the studs for me. 

Love that they are off the floor and out of reach! For now at least... 

:-)

happy golden birthday! ( to me )

I had a wonderful golden birthday this year. I turned 28 on November 28 and thought I was going to be waking up in a hotel after a not-so-good night's sleep and driving back to Kansas City on my birthday. But our car had other plans, so I did my hair, put on makeup and made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Boy, were they yummy.

Silpada necklace courtesy of my FIL!

cheesecake and tea in Asian china

Jeremy gifted me with a whole afternoon of thrifting (found some incredible stuff!) and my MIL paid for a haircut from my favorite stylist in Ohio. Too bad she's in Ohio - I heart her!

I desperately tried to convince Jeremy all I wanted for my birthday was a beard shave, but ... that didn't happen. Regardless, I had a great day! Thanks to all who made that possible.

New in the Shop: Valentines!

I just completed several sets of Valentines for the shop! I love making these cards, but unfortunately, no one loves buying them.

However, I will prevail! Here's a few pictures of them.

And, I guess if they don't sell, you might be getting one!! I do love you, you know...

hehe. I'm at 20 completed sales and I'm thrilled with each one. Selling on etsy is so. much fun!

See you tomorrow!

More fun stuff!

It really has been crazy around here. But, I did manage to sneak on a few more items for the shop before Christmas. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a sale!

Fun stuff like this...

Head on over to the SHOP and pick something out! (Or at least let me know what catches your eye.)

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I promise, I will be back after the new year. But taking a break really has relieved some of the pressure I put on myself. My arsenal is getting fuller ... watch out! Pictures of the tiny girl ready to overwhelm you!

Shop Update! - 12/7/11

Hey all! Just checking in with a shop update. Click HERE or click the button in the margin to go see the fun new stuff I've added!

I have a lot more to add, but for now I've listed a bunch of new fabrics like these.

And some sweet baby clothes like these:

Remember this one?! So CUTE!

So hop on over and show me some love!! :-)

P.S. We did get back a week later than expected, but all is well.