Wholesale Orders Galore

All of my intentions to make items for my Etsy shop are being trumped by wholesale and custom orders. It seems like every time I finish one another one comes in. Believe me I am not complaining. It's just making it difficult to find time for much of anything else. Of course, it doesn't help that I am majorly sleep deprived from staying up all night Saturday night. So I have been in bed at 8:30 pm the last two nights.

Here's some coffee cozies I finished last week for an order.

I really want to start offering more supplies. I managed to get together and photograph some blank coffee sleeves and some wool pieces. Now I just need to put them up in the shop. Hopefully they will be up by the end of the day.

These are the wool pieces.

These are the blank coffee sleeves. They just need to be embellished.

I have some other WIP that I will post tomorrow.

Happy Crafty Tuesday everyone.

Campin' At Fall Creek Falls

We took the kids camping for the first time this weekend.

We did some hiking.

We saw some pretty water falls.

My sister-in-law and broter-in-law with my nieces posing for a scenic photo.

We took a break for a little snack.

We ate dinner and s'mores. Enjoyed a nice campfire. Put the kids to bed. Chased a skunk around the campsite. Stayed up pretty much all night with cold, restless children. (not photographed)

But we survived.

A little tired and cold, but still smiling.

Nothing a camp fire can't cure though.

And my Best Shot......

Visit Tracey for more Best Shot Monday.

Put Your Thinkin' Caps On

I started my little shop last year on a whim. I had no expectations for it. I just hoped to have a little extra money to help out with Christmas. I never anticipated that I would be doing wholesale orders. It never crossed my mind that I would be featured in a magazine. Don't get me wrong. I can't quit my day job, but I do want to step things up a notch this year. I read this post by rikrak last night and it has me thinkin'. I really need to think about branding, packaging, and staying focused on a few keys products. This is where I need your help. If you could answer all or some of the questions below by leaving a comment or sending me an e-mail, I would really, really appreciate it. This means all you lurkers out there too.

1. What three words would you use to describe my work?

2. I am thinking about selling my owl pattern as a pdf in my store. Do you think there would be demand for that? What would you pay for it?

3. What would you like to see more of in my store? (cozies, patterns, kits, supplies, softies)

4. Do you think I should have 2 separate blogs? One for the kids and photography and one for crafts?

I do have more questions I want to ask you all, but I will leave it at that for now. I am working on new headers for my blog and store, but I am going to wait on your feedback before I finish those up.

You guys are the best!!! Thanks for helping me out.

Back to the Grindstone

I had a week or so with no sewing obligations. It was nice, but now I am back to the grindstone again. I have been brainstorming about Christmas ideas and trying to gear up for the holiday season. I also had a custom order I finished and now I am working on another wholesale order. I did get a chance to add a couple of items to my shop. I also experimented with a new gadget pouch.

Coffee Cozies for the shop.

The custom order I finshed.

The gadget pouches. They have a little zipper in the back. You can go to the shop to see more photos.

I have some ideas for ornaments that have a pocket on the back for a note or gift card. I just need to work out a few kinks. I am thinking about posting a little tutorial/pattern at some point.

Happy Crafty Tuesday everyone!!!

Pumpkinfest

Every year our town has a Pumpkinfest. There are tons of vendors, food, candy, and fun stuff for the kids. After naps on Saturday, we headed downtown to join in the festivities.

There was also.......

a big ol' huge pumpkin that Miller obviously did not want to pose in front of.

a sweet little cow.

an adorable cowgirl.

a beautiful pirate.

a spooky Lightning McQueen race car driver.

pumpkin carving

a shady and a tad bit scary Fair.

After Pumpkinfest we grabbed some Mexican food, then went trick or treating.

We went to a historic part of town that gets thousands of trick or treaters. It is pretty cool to see all these really old, huge, historic homes all decorated. None of my photos came out really well so you will just have to take my word on it.

I decided to steal Dawn's idea of a Dulce fairy. When we got home, we let the kids choose a few pieces of candy to keep and left the rest for the Dulce fairy. Harper was very excited that it worked. She kept saying that it was so magical. The fairy left $10 as payment for the candy. Not too shabby for a bunch of candy.

Banana Nut Bread Oatmeal

I have been on a major oatmeal kick lately. It has been my breakfast of choice for the last several weeks. This morning I decided to make oatmeal for me and the kids. I usually throw in frozen berries for Miller. The berries cool the oatmeal down and Miller loves blueberries. Harper just prefers brown sugar. In an effort to change things up and serve the same thing to everyone, I came up with this recipe. I served it with a side of walnuts and chocolate chips. I thought the kids would enjoy adding the goodies and mixing it all up.

Banana Nut Bread Oatmeal

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats- not the instant or minute kind (I used the Greenwise brand from Publix)

1 cup water

1 cup almond milk (any milk will work)

1 banana sliced thin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

chopped walnuts

chocolate chips (I used about 10)

Bring the water and milk to a boil. Add the oatmeal and reduce heat a little. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the oatmeal begins to thicken. Add the sliced banana. Mix until the banana incorporates into the oatmeal. Add the cinnamon and vanilla. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Makes 2 servings (3 if you are feeding 1 adult and 2 kids)

Pre-Birthday Party Manicures