Etsy Photo Preview

Check this out! Here is a preview of one of the shots Alana took for etsy. Isn't she AMAZING?

CLICK THIS LINK to go see the picture...I don't want to post the pic here yet without her permission... More to come!

Etsy Update

Etsy, Etsy... so many things to say about Etsy. I've learned a lot these past few weeks, some good, some not so good! Still no sales yet, but BIG news...

One of my sweaters made it to the FRONT page of Etsy! That's big time, I tell ya... with the millions of items listed there, I feel HONORED to say the least.

I've been listed in several Treasuries this week by other shop owners and I made it to a blog tonight with over 800 followers, so that's exposure. All these things are great!

I've gotten emails asking if I could make a dress currently listed in a different size, which I knew may be a problem... but that's the nature of the beast I guess. If I am trying to create one of a kind hand crafted items, using 99% recycled materials there usually can't be one in every size... you know? It's something that may or may not work on Etsy, but I've gotten great feedback. People like what they are seeing, and when they tell me they are looking for a certain size, I am able to create something similar in the size they are looking for.

All this is so new, I really in the scheme of things have no idea what I am doing, but that's OK... I'm working on it and learning things along the way.

I'm adding some vintage things to the site as well to diversify my offerings. We'll see how that goes!

Some things are in the works for the fall... so I've got to be pretty busy sewing, which I love and that's good. I've said it many times: the more I sew the more myself I feel. My favorite thing to do is sew while listening to a Fred Hammond or another gospel singer on Pandora. Talk about inspiration...although, one time I almost stitched my finger to the garment because I was dancing. Scary, I know.

Today Alana of Nala Photography came over... talk about talent. She is amazing, and just one of the sweetest hearts you'll ever meet. Don't get me started on her baby yall... just adorable. We took pictures of a bunch of stuff for Etsy. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

So, things are moving. I've been praying for direction with this whole thing... so we'll see where this leads, if anywhere.

Princess Procurement

Thankfully, my soon to be 4 year old can't read all the words in this post yet... but I have a confession to make:

Gulp. Here goes nothin'.... Every single present Grace is getting from us for her birthday IS or is directly related to a Disney Princess.

There. I said it... I admit it. I am embarrassed now, but feel better that I got this off my chest.

I have no idea what other family members or friends will get Grace for her birthday, but I will be OK if every single thing she gets has to do with princesses. Why? Well, I'm not sure. She loves them, that's all she talks about and because I want her to like her gifts and feel special because we listened to and value what she thinks is cool... I don't know, I guess that's it.

Confession #2: She is getting 2 princess shirts, but they will be night-night shirts only, and I think it's OK that I am setting that boundary.

So, there you have it.

On a totally unrelated note, listen to this song. If you are on facebook, you probably saw that I posted this link there too... but man, wow... this is my prayer.

Sometimes you feel like you need a fresh touch from God... like everything around you is stale and icky. Well, this song came on Pandora today, and was exactly what I needed to hear. Like a cool drink of water and a breeze on my face... Refreshing. Take a listen. Good stuff. I love Fred Hammond.

Brand your hangers: A tutorial

Do you have any of those full-body plastic hangers??? Like this:

As ugly as they are, they do help clothes, especially little dresses, hold their shape for a display~
But who wants to have this ugly hanger as a part of their craft show, artisan festival display or open house??? I don't... so I came up with this little fix. Cover up the ugly and brand your hangers all at the same time! If you are interested, here's how I did it.

Materials:
Plastic hangers to cover
Jute or hemp string
(you could also use strips of fabric, ribbon etc.)
Hot glue gun (the low heat variety works best so you don't fry your fingers!)
Disposable plate
square of felt
fabric paint
stamp
fabric to stamp on
scissors

Step 1:

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Now its time for stamping

Squirt a small amount of fabric paint on to a disposable plate. Place the square of felt on top of the paint. This is your stamp pad. Using your stamp, press down on the felt square over and over until the paint begins to come through to the other side. Wipe your stamp clean of the paint build up, and you are ready to stamp. Press the clean stamp onto your 'stamp pad' and make sure it is well covered. Then stamp onto your fabric. It may take a few tries to get it exactly right. See below:
Once your stamps have dried, follow instructions on paint bottle, some require heat setting with an iron. Then cut out your stamped fabric and hot glue on top of your jute covered hangers.

Ta Daa! Much more beautiful.

Upcycled Love

1. totally vintage shirt from Honolulu
+
2. white cotton tee stained near the hem
+
3. elastic thread
=
lovely vintage inspired t-shirt dress

This is a 100% up-cycled creation. Grace loves a t-shirt dress, and that's good for me, because I love to make them!

I wish I had a picture of the Hawaiian shirt before I cut it off! I removed 2 pockets on either side before cutting straight across at the arm pit seam

Close up of button placket and hem

a new thing...

Take a look on the right sidebar...

" When you are unsure which course to take, totally submit your own judgment to that of the Spirit of God, asking Him to shut every door except the right one. But meanwhile keep moving ahead and consider the absence of a direct indication from God to be the evidence of Hi s will that you are on His path. And as you continue down the long road, you will find that He has gone before you, locking doors you otherwise would have been inclined to enter. Yet you can be sure that somewhere beyond the locked doors is one He has left unlocked. And when you open it and walk through, you will find yourself face to face with a turn in the river of opportunity- one that is broader and deeper than anything you ever dared to imagine, even in your wildest dreams. So set sail on it because it flows to the open sea."
-from Streams in the Desert

Yes, folks... I've done it, finally. Stay tuned... more to come.

Pray for me yall....

summer sewing

You know you've got some kind of obsession when you are watching a basketball game and wonder about the sewing techniques used to make the uniforms. Yes, I will admit, I did it.

Actually... anytime I see something that catches my eye, I don't look at the tag to see how much it costs, or even look to see if they have the size I need... I pick it up, look at the fabric, examine the seams and make mental notes on how to recreate it at home... N.E.R.D. It's embarrassing. I am sure people think I am crazy. Ok, enough with the confession: Here are a few things I've made in the last week or so.

Let me just proclaim here how much I love elastic thread and shirring. From a cost-saving standpoint, it is the wonder thread! Above is a dress I made for Harper... She seriously may be able to wear this for 4 years... with the tie straps, and the shirred bodice, it will fit almost any size. I could probably wear it as a shirt! When it gets too short, throw it on with some leggings or shorts and you have an adorable boho-chic top! Actually, Grace could wear it like that right now. LOVE it.

Here are a couple of dresses I made for the girls to wear on vacay... Again, elastic thread, awesome. I just barely had enough 'designer' fabric left over from a project to make these dresses. I don't buy designer fabric, usually because it is so darn expensive... we are talking 12$-25$ per yard and sometimes more... Ummm, no, I don't think so.
Confession #2. I broke my own rule recently because my fav fabric store had all their fabrics 50% off... but that is literally the first time I've ever splurged like that. Now I have to try out a million patterns to make sure I have the perfect one before I dare cut into that fabric-gold!

(when I tell the girls I am going to take their picture, this is the reaction I get...silly poses.)

Here's one of the patterns I am trying out. Love the round yoke, and I think I like this pattern... but we'll see. Grace's is made from some vintage fabric and a lady's skirt... Harper's is 100% vintage fabric, baby. I love that.
Ok, so if you don't care anything about sewing, I just bored you to death... sorry about that! Off to cut some more patterns.