*sigh*

Some of the work I've been doing this week, including a custom iPad sleeve
(photos & details to follow in a few days) and the many, many needlebooks I wanted to make.
Not needed to, but wanted to. Silly me.

I've been busier this week than I had expected, and as such haven't had time to update here or really post any new pieces in either of my shops. On the plus side, I do have quite a pile of almost-finished needlebooks and pin cushions that have to be done in 2 weeks (if you live in Westman and want to start your Christmas and holiday shopping early, kick off your fall craft sale tour with the Carberry Arts Council's 'Harvest of Hobbies', September 11 at the Community Hall, located right behind the high school on Main St, from 10-3, silver collection...there, I promoted it:) ). And there's a growing list of custom orders I'm working on, too. August, for all of my derision, has turned out to be a pretty damn good month.

The downside to being so busy prepping for this craft sale is that, as I mentioned, my Cargoh and Etsy shops are both suffering. Maddy and I are heading to my parent's for a couple of days (and also to Winnipeg to visit my sister & her husband), so I should *hopefully* have a decent chunk of time to get through the rest of the embroidery/detail work that needs to be done on 2 custom pieces and the many needlebooks that seem to multiply even further when I'm not looking.

Long story, short... sorry I haven't posted much. I've been busy either developing one hell of a callous on my index finger or chasing a very stubborn and active almost-20 month old for the last 6 days. Monday, I want my life back to normal. Please :)

Forethought... not my forté

This is how I work on new designs that I haven't really dummied out prior to starting: taking inspiration from somewhere (in this case, my coupon envelope, one of those accordion deals), I'll start cutting material without measuring. Then I'll start sewing it, without a plan or consistent use of seam allowances. Inevitably, I hit a brick wall about 80% of the way through the project and either 'set it aside' to finish later (aka, put it into a very full bag I've got under the table, full of similar projects that will eventually be taken apart to reuse the material), or I'll look at the incomplete project with a critical mind and try to figure out if I can finish it.

This particular design for a travel sewing kit that I plan on selling at the two craft sales I'm in this fall can and will be finished, thanks to my mom's serger. And liberal use of either bias tape or binding, neither of which I like nor can do well. Of course, I didn't actually ask my mom if I could use her serger - a Christmas present from my dad 4 or 5 years ago that she only started using seriously when making receiving blankets for Maddy - until I'd made half a dozen of these. And I haven't told her she's putting on the bias/binding tape...mwahahahahahah. Ha.

It's shaping up to be a busy week, but not because I have a lot of work to do. Keith's been at Clear Lake since early yesterday, so it's just Maddy and I at home... so far, it's been pretty good. She's can play by herself no problem, but if no one checks on her every so often, she'll try climbing the dresser in her room or eating whatever she finds on the floor (lately, it's been a lot of thread... yay, me). Tomorrow is the first of two baking days for me so I picked up a new colouring book and crayons for her, so that should help keep her busy. And there's always the Sesame Street 40th Anniversary DVD if she gets restless. I'm not a fan of using technology to babysit my kid, but Sesame Street will at least teach her something. And she loves Bert & Ernie. LOVES them.

In between the baking and taking care of Maddy, there's always work to be done to get ready for the craft sale on Sept 11. Displays, posters, signage, business cards... so much work to do and I'll probably still be working on something right up to the start of the sale, if not during. I'm using this blog post from Mermaid's Closet as a guideline for prepping/running my table, although I have a feeling that at the first sale, I may be the youngest vendor there.

This is not the week to try structuring a work schedule that includes spending time reading blogs or checking websites for inspiration, but I've got plans to set up a specific time each week to do that, as well as a series of posts on a somewhat unrelated topic here. In due time, though.. in due time.

Stacking the deck

It's been a busier-than-expected week, but quite productive. I managed to get a whole bunch of pieces finally finished - mostly cutting hanging threads, putting buttons on, that kind of thing; also updated nisseworks' Facebook page with photos and some links to my work so it's not quite so blank; and ventured full steam ahead into the world of custom work.

Taking on four custom orders in the last week has opened a new venue for revenue (ooh, rhyming), one that I had considered, but decided against because I thought it would just lead to headaches. Well, after almost 6 months of my Etsy shop being open and only selling 3 pieces, it's probably time to start looking at other ways to use my creative skills to help pay the bills.

Hence, my Cargoh shop. Let me just say that Cargoh is awesome. Just awesome. Sure there were a few hiccups earlier this month with the jurying and eliminating sellers and all that, but they've come out ahead. I like being part of Cargoh and hope that it succeeds, and I'd think that even if I wasn't a seller there. It's got a very close-knit feeling to it, unlike some other online venues that make the seller feel like they're just a cash cow for the owners.

Then there's the request for a quote to do up some wedding invitations which came right out of the blue. Back in January, I had given Keith a stack of flyers to post up around town and pass on to people he thought might be interested. He dropped by a small wedding boutique here and they were quite happy to take 200 smaller flyers to put in the goody bags they gave to prospective brides. Fast forward 8 months, and I get an email from a bride-to-be... so I sent her a quote and a basic outline of what she can expect/what I need from her and I'm hoping to hear from her within the next week or so. I had assumed that the boutique just stopped handing them out or no one was interested, but lo and behold, someone is. Hopefully.

August has been the month I didn't expect, but hoped for. I've been really busy coming up with new designs, trying new promotional ideas, doing research, as well as selling and taking orders. Keith is leaving for a week on Saturday and I'm planning on taking some time while he's gone to figure out where I should take this little business of mine next. I've got a couple of ideas - like the paper/digital design line that I'm 99% sure I'm going to launch in the next month - simmering away, but need to figure out how to get them out of my head and into action. I know that I'm farther ahead today than I was a month ago, which is all anyone can really hope for... I just need to keep the momentum going for the rest of the year.

Slight adjustments

It's a beautifully gorgeous day here and I'm stuck inside, catching up on the paperwork for my shop that I've been putting off for 3 months.

I know, no one to blame but myself and I have to get it done today as there's quite a few listings that expire tomorrow. I plan on reviewing the pricing for everything - all 34 pieces - and will likely end up adjusting them. And they will probably end up higher than they are today... so if you had your eye on a piece in my shop, get it today before the prices go up (hint, hint).

This post from Crafting an MBA (a must-read website for any crafting entrepreneur) about making a profit with your business really hit home for me. While I'm pretty new at business-running, I've worked in businesses and know that in order to keep running, they need to make a profit; so why is it so difficult for crafters, especially those that want to make selling their wares their business, to want admit that making money is a good thing? That's kind of a convoluted sentence, but my point (and their's too, I guess) is this: why should I cut my own proverbial throat (ie. profit margin) just because I make something in my home/garage/workshop?

For me, I worry that my work isn't worth as much as I should potentially charge for it. I'm sure many others are in the same boat, especially when - like me - they may compare their handmade work to something that can be found in a major department store (for me, it's Wal-mart). They - the major stores - can make a profit by charging $5 for a piece because they can produce 1,000 of them for a fraction of the cost, thanks to cheap labour/materials/shipping; I make virtually the same piece, by hand, and can't make a profit (which I've been taught time and time again should be 40%) without charging $20. Who wins the hearts of the everyday shopper?

I've recently added a button to the sidebar from BuyHandmade.org, an awesome collective that encourages people to purchase handmade as often as possible. My aim this year is to only give Christmas gifts that are handmade... a rather brave proclamation, but one that's completely doable. Craft sale season starts after Labour Day here and there's always online shops that have some amazing ideas for almost everyone on your list. Or potentially everyone... kids generally aren't too keen on getting handcrafted gifts. Maddy has little to no choice right now... she's already got quite a few handmade toys (like these) and I plan on making or buying many, many more in the future. And handmade toys can usually go through the wash, unlike the mass produced generic stuff in stores.

Well, now that I've had my rant for the day, it's time to finally get to work on the dreaded spreadsheets and get my shop back on track. Be sure to visit my shop next week during Etsy's Christmas in July sale, starting on July 15 and running to the 25th... I'm aiming to have at least one new piece in my shop every day, along with a couple of surprises for holiday early birds. I'll be sure to post here during the sale, as well, highlighting the deals and special surprises I've got in store.

Sweltering & sewing...

A selection of fabrics I picked up during my last shopping 'spree'... is it really a 'spree' when the only 

thing you buy is 4 yds of fabric for $12? If you're saving $20+, heck yes :)

Now that June's over and July is nicely - if stickily - underway, it's time for me to start working on my craft sale projects.

As I've mentioned before, I'm going to branch out a bit and try to put together some different pieces to offer for sale at a couple of local sales this fall. I've been faithfully keeping scraps of fabric just for these projects so I shouldn't have to actually buy much - if any - fabric to do them up. Of course, that all depends on the pattern I end up using.

My mom's a faithful magazine keeper (and she wonders where I got my pack-ratting traits from...), so there's a chance I'll find something from pre-1980 to try. I've been a fan of TipNut for a while, and their collections of patterns is quite handy, and they just happen to have a list of pincushion patterns... however, I refuse to use anyone else's pattern for profit, unless given permission. But for inspiration? No problem at all.

There are some times, though, where pieces are bound to be copied, if only through either sheer ignorance or there only being a limited number of ways a piece can be made. Completely unique and original ideas shouldn't be copied... but used for inspiration? Why not? Heck, I'd take it as a compliment, if anything.  But that's just me.

Back to the topic at hand... this weekend doesn't look like it's going to be too busy, so I may actually get something done. On my to-do list this weekend:

• finally get a new blog banner designed
• finish up a few pouches that I just keep moving around and around... and around
• list a tote I've had on my desk for almost 2 weeks
• find/design patterns for craft sale pieces

Hope everyone has a good (and safe) weekend... we'll be either sweltering, starting up a mosquito smacking league or building an ark up here :)

Blood suckers

Can I tell you how much I hate mosquitoes?

They are making it really hard to enjoy what little summer we have. Because we're in the middle of the continent, far away from any major bodies of water that affect air currents, summer usually lasts 4 months AT MOST. More often than not, 3 months. It sucks.

I'm not a hot weather fan, but a nice day for me is between 20˙ and 25˙C (68˙-77˙F), sunny, with a light breeze (enough to move the leaves). Humidity and excessive heat make me grumpy and angry... and sticky.

It's been raining here a lot lately, which means we're stuck inside a lot. Because of this rain, there is lots of standing water means lots of mosquitoes, which means it's bloody annoying to be outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. We've been out a few times in the last week, covered in whatever insect repellant we have on hand, but still get bitten. So a few minutes outside end up being hours of scratching and days of scarring.

We want to go outside. We put up a fence and got Maddy toys to play with outside. I have a garden I need to take care of... outside. My city will not be spraying anytime soon, if at all...and only will mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus start appearing in the traps, and the province tells them to.

In the meantime, we're stuck inside. Today, I'm going to attempt to get some work done on my computer while Maddy plays. Depending on her mood, it should go well, but she's been rather cranky lately - probably due to not going outside as much - so we'll play it by ear.

If things go well, expect some changes to this blog. Additional pages, a new banner, some general tweaking... all depends on the clinginess of a moody 17 month old.