hurricane Sandy stole my show

(christy, me, kelly)

can i even tell you how much work it is for us to get ready for a 2-3 day show??

and then...hurricane.

people "weather panic" here on maryland's eastern shore.  seriously.

2 inches of snow calls for EVERYTHING being closed, snow plows, salt on the road, etc.

well, the locals definitely did not disappoint this weekend.  only a few die-hard shoppers decided to brave the perfect fall weather on saturday and shop.

saturday night, more than half of the vendors packed it up and headed for home (out of towners who were scared that the bridges off of the peninsula would be closed due to sandy)

(wallets that are amazingly getting even better!  they now hold so much more:)


we show up on sunday to a craft show ghost town, and the poor non profit organization who puts this shopping event on (mostly grandmotherly ladies) have been stressed to the max.  i went over to offer them some encouragement...

and they tell me that in addition to the show basically falling apart and them loosing their fundraising opportunity they had to evict a naked man from the bathrooms this morning! 

lovely.  so that's why the sheriff was out there...

anyway, the show closed early on sunday when the rain started...killed our sales.  boo.

i am like a super busy homeschooling mother of 3!!!  this is really the ONLY big show i do a year.  yuck.

(cute wristlets that did not have a chance to sell)

so...obviously we are jumping into an even bigger show this coming weekend to try to recoup our time/investment!

duh.

yeah.  i really don't know what i am thinking here...i just signed up 2 days before set up (which is tomorrow, pray for me!)

but then again, if not for the hurricane, we would never DREAM of trying this show we slipped into last minute.  who knows?  perhaps it will be an even bigger success for us than the one we normally do!

(onesie dresses that i actually did sell most of...wish i had these when my girly was a babe)

how was your weekend?

surgery, vacations, and craft shows

hi everyone!

first of all, thank you.  for praying for our family and my son and his surgery and recovery.

everything went great for him...fantastic outcome with his surgery, he gets a whole year in between this time (yay!)  we are all so excited to have an entire year uninterrupted by surgery!

we have decided to kick it off with a vacation:)

our family will be heading south on saturday to spend a while in a gargantuan beach house in the outer banks, north carolina.  perfect.  i can sit on the deck and watch my guys surf fish:)  we will get to spend some time with my husbands parents and perhaps his sisters too.

this is super significant for us because we haven't taken a vacation or even any time off as a family except for surgery in over 6 years!!

in other news...

i am also in the midst of preparing for my largest craft show event that i do all year.

and, oh yeah--it starts the day after we get home from north carolina!

i am up to my eyeballs in awesome ideas for items i want to make and don't have time to.  so i'll do what i can and leave the rest!

i am also trying my hardest to grade, record, and get our next set of homeschooling lesson plans done before i leave...

so even though i may look like i could be reading something relaxing and enjoyable here, i am really just being a teacher...

and as much as it pains me to say, i promise to take pictures of the vacation and the show to share with you lovely folks.  i seriously just need to get over my phobia of the camera already!

in a weird place

yesterday our family packed it up and headed back to Johns Hopkins for my little man's next pre-op appointment.

more x-rays, {and i have a secret fear that he may literally glow by the time he is done with x-rays}
more blood work
more testing

i don't know how he feels about facing all of this....again.
is it common place to him?  is he afraid?

i'm not sure.

i'm also not sure how i feel about all of this.  it's strange.  it's weird to go to an appointment with a surgeon and talk about putting your child under for hours, opening him up and adding metal bars, tweaking and adjusting as if he were a car...at some point i felt like i was discussing an "upgrade" of some sort that could be special ordered.  only...i'm not.  this is my youngest son, and his body, and his life.  and the composure!  i have found some very odd detached space in myself where i live in the facade of calm expressions and politely answer questions and give little nods outwardly.  where i can endure the talk of what is to come without getting light-headed or panicky.  like i need to box up my boy's mommy and put her away for a few hours behind closed doors so that she can't melt down.  whew!  really, really strange.

and the difference for my son is plain.  the first surgery he had no idea what lay ahead for him.  we were able to talk about it with him often to try to "prepare" him.  this time he knows.  we aren't discussing it much.  i'm afraid that i'd just be reminding him of what is waiting for him.  it may feel like that heavy sense of dread when you know a punishment is coming your way (i.e.: wait til your father gets home...) but right now he is just in the dreadful waiting part.  things are becoming more real as we prepare now...our family is officially on "quarantine" as we try out best to keep all family members in perfect health leading up to his surgery.  mommy is forgetful and her brain isn't holding water.  mommy is forgetful and her brain isn't holding water. we are discussing what to bring, where we will stay the night before, how to best keep him occupied right up to the minute!

* aside--folks, we are not video game people at all.  therefore, our children (against their wishes) are not video game kids.  BUT.  we bought our boy a 3DS just for the waiting.  there is nothing like sitting with your child for hours in the pre-op area in a thin blue hospital gown with teddy bears on it and thick, non-slip socks and watching the anxiety and emotions play across him.  THIS is why we bought that handheld video game.  and it's the best money we ever spent:)

will you pray with me?

against complications and infection?
for doctor skill and wisdom? (my boy has a rare condition and this is sort of experimental treatment)
for peace? (for us parents, for him, for my other 2 children we will be leaving at home)
for a good outcome?


as for me, i am praying that i would be a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to me.  He has seen fit to  trust me with this child, with this experience, with some heart-wrenching, with trials of many kinds.  Oh, that i may be counted faithful in all of these things and that our little lives and experiences would bring Jesus glory and that His goodness would shine through our lives.

happy fabric day !

this is exactly what my dear sweet friend (who lives across the street) wished me today!

today was the day i was greatly anticipating a huge (for me!) fabric delivery from the big brown truck.  120 yards of beautiful prints!

in the past, i have anxiously looked out the window every 10 minutes all. day. long. waiting for him to pull up in front of my house and deliver fresh new bolts of uncut pristine fabric just waiting to be rolled around in  neatly stacked in my studio;)  only several times the truck didn't come by until after dinner, or worse still--one time the lovely fabric made it all the way to my hometown and the ups personnel scanned the wrong barcode and sent it back to south carolina (where it came from) instead of putting it on the truck that would have stopped at my house.  very disappointing.  indeed.

today i was determined NOT to be so anxious and act like my children on christmas eve.  after all, anything could happen and it may not even arrive today.

the kids and i had a lovely day!  after lunch, i settled down on the sofa with my 3 yr. old littlie to read a few books and with quite a herculean effort managed to stay awake til the last sentence!  {nothing can make me sleepier than reading to my kids after lunch...it calls for either an espresso or a nap, pronto!} my snuggly little girl and i decided to just cuddle and close our eyes for a second...

and then my 10 yr. old screams mommy! your fabric is here! the ups man is bringing up a huge box!

naturally i was immediately refreshed and hopped up so quickly that i almost deposited my little girl right on the floor!

i am impressed, mr. brown truck delivery guy!  thank you for being so early on a fabric day:)

i called my friend to come take a look at the yards of new textile lovliness, and she commented on each one and wished me a happy fabric day! although, she did wonder if i had projects in mind for some of these prints...??

nope.  i buy what i like and think about what to make with it after it arrives and lastly consider if it is anyone else's taste and would even sell in my fabric shop:)  a little backwards, i know, but there it is.

and now....the fabrics....

sinister swarm in flour {these are moths!}

sundials in happy

cell structure in americana

migratory lace in seaweed

field study coordinate in saffron {so cool with the arrows}

mind's eye in tambourine

fine feathered in whisper {really, how lovely is this?}

specimen in struck {huge and awesome print!}

now i just have to discipline myself to finish all of the work on my plate (4 custom orders this week) before i cut into this!  that kind of stinks, but it does make for excellent work motivation:)

Thoughts

things on my mind...

i need to finish choosing homeschool curriculum for the boys as they move into 5th and 3rd

i can't wait to order new fabric for my shop!

i really want to babysit for my sister {who has a 5 yr. old wild boy and 10 wk old twin girls}, i'm certain she needs a date

i have an ottoman i re-inherited from my mother and i really want to sew a new cover for it.

i need to pray and be prayed for...our son is undergoing more invasive surgery in less than a month

i want to gather up good stuff to deliver to the children at johns hopkins

my summer bible study i've been hosting only has 2 more sessions left and i want to plan the next one

my dear friends husband has suffered a major heart attack and is waiting to hear if he could be a candidate for a transplant.

i was too unmotivated today {lazy} and now tomorrow's plate is full, full, full

perhaps the reason my one of my favorite hymns is "I Need Thee Every Hour" is because it is so true.

fabric sale

Sale!

head on over to my online fabric store to get some yardage on sale:)

i'm making room for brand-new beauties that will be arriving soon!

i'm also a little bit bored with left-overs from my handmade shop, so look for some deep discounts on those coming soon!

hope your summer is being fabulous to you & yours!

my love of all things swedish {and Sweden loves me back}

yep, i love swedish design.  every last bloomin bit of it!

lots of white.  clean, modern patterns.  bright colors.  makes me smile!

i {heart} ikea.



i {heart} the swedish chef from the muppets.



and i am crushing on lotta jansdotter's newest fabric collection (also swedish, wink!)



so now i have a little story to tell...

several months ago i was contacted by a lovely photographer in sweden who came across my work and wanted to know if she could possibly get her hands on one of my clutches for an upcoming photo shoot.

i thought about it for like a split second after seeing some of  her amazing photos.  Em specializes in pin-up style and retro photography.

time went by (and i forgot about it)...she emailed me.  the magazine that she was doing the photo shoot for was postponing it.  she was disappointed but graciously offered to return my merchandise.  what? don't worry about it, i replied.  keep it and if you end up using it--great!  if not--no big deal.  you may certainly have it if you wish:)

well, a little more time passed, {and of course i forgot about it} and viola! i get a sweet, sweet email from the the sweet, swedish Em.....

the photo shoot is done!
it is on the newstands:)

{that is my lovely little chevron clutch in green}

i can't tell you how much fun it is to think about shipping items all over the world!  and this is just an added kick to my own personal fun-fest!

photographer: Emmelie Aslin

model: Lovisa Fhinn

co-model: Sofie Gode

see more of Emmelie's work here

independence day

red, white, and blue pancakes for breakfast:)

not difficult, but super delicious!

the berries are ones that we picked and then froze.

somehow they taste soooo much better than the bags of frozen ones at the store?

little paper star decorations for my children's drinks:)

they get a kick out of the little stuff, people.

then i neglected to photograph anymore of our activities on this 4th.

but it was easy and lovely and relaxing and spent with our family.

there was perhaps, a wee bit of a chess match involved:)

and yes, that is harry potter chess.

we also spent a decent amount of time discussing the birth of our nation.

we just visited George Washington's home {Mount Vernon}, which is amazing and fantastic btw, and since that was fresh in our minds, we had a lovely experience to help make it all real.

i pray that our nation would continue to be free and that we wouldn't readily give up to our government what was so hard won.  remember: the government exists to serve the people, not the people to serve the government.

linking up with kim & katy here

Thrift Exchange!!

hey y'all.  you've got to check this out!

awesomeness...thrifty style!

i'm in, are you?  {click on the button on the right hand side to see what's up}

thanks so much to the lovely bloggy ladies who cooked this up;)

choosing wisely

"my first priority is my family, not my business" -Marie

i have said this a thousand times to myself and to others who ask why i haven't done such-and-such yet {whatever the bigger opportunity is or logical next step for my little business happens to be}.

every day i get to make decisions, mostly small ones, that will tell if i really believe what i say.  nothing earth shattering, i assure you ;)  just picking my little pony over blogging, using that 'witching hour' before dinner time to actually make dinner instead of cutting, sewing, or shipping.  scrapping today's to-do list in favor of taking the children to the movies {yay!  i love it when i shock them} sitting in a rocking chair in my husband's garage and just hanging out while he re-organizes out there, just because i know he likes it.

{wait a minute...add them all up and i guess it is earth shattering.}

loving is something that is sometimes seen as boring.  oh, it's glamorous to be in love with like, your sweetheart when you are dating or newly married.  but what about the real life loving?  the love that folds laundry and closes her book up to watch yo-yo tricks being performed, the love that gets up at 5 am every morning and heads out for 12-15 hours of hard and dirty work and never complains?  the love that sneaks up on us and we are tempted to take for granted daily?

i have several hours each day to invest in either relationships or business

this past week i was contacted by a buyer for a major, major big deal place in our nation's capital.  she loves my work!  can she carry it in *the place*?  how many could i make, and so on.

at first i was shocked.  then, i was super excited!  this would be an opportunity that no one in her right mind would walk away from!

luckily for my family, i'm not in my right mind:)  i said 'thank you, but no'.

you see, saying 'yes' to this opportunity would have brought me both recognition and money.  but it would have meant saying 'no' to many evenings with my family.  i would be stressed out over meeting a deadline and working like an assembly line {which i abhor! cut, cut, cut, interface, interface, interface, sew, sew, sew, and now the personal touch is gone!}

at the end of it all, saying yes to this deal would NOT have been what was best for my family.  i don't ever want to gently shove my children out of the way for work.

relationships don't bring us paychecks or praise, but they are what truly matters in this world.  our relationship with God and man.

"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." -Jesus

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Jesus

now, i firmly believe that God made me with this 10 mile wide creative streak that i brandish daily and He wants me to use it.  but it should be used to bring Him glory, not me.  He is faithful and He is wise and loving and kind.  and the same week that i decided against this "once in a lifetime" opportunity, i got another offer from a teeny little vegan shop in Canada :)  she loves my work, can she carry it in her place, and so on...i sat back and asked the same set of questions.  is this best for my family?  will taking this offer compromise my everyday acts of love for my family?  can taking this offer provide me with an opportunity to use my creative talents {hopefully thereby glorifying the author of all creativity} and keep me from seeking recognition?

yes!

i am soon to be carried at Canada's smallest vegan shop {seriously, it's only 7 feet wide!!}  and i couldn't be happier!

two is better than one

i have twin nieces!

this is me squeezing the stuffin' out of them on their birthday:)

Molly Beth and Pearl Marie

how a 'minor' holiday became meaningful

ok, saint patrick's day is fun (except when you are in grade school and some jerk wants to pinch you all day long because you forgot to wear green)

i gotta say that it's never been of great importance to me though.

but then we spent last year's st. patrick's day in johns hopkins hospital while our 7 yr old little boy underwent a huge surgical procedure inside his ribs.  the first of many.

when i was packing and planning for the first surgery, i made sure i had plenty of "fun" things, including tons of silly, green st. patty's day items:)

oh, how much i did not know.  about the procedure and how it would affect my son.  how he would be so completely consumed by pain that nothing else mattered.  how we would try to make it minute by minute and get by reading the encouraging words written to him from friends and family inside of sweet cards.  he would lay there with silent tears rolling down his little boy cheeks and i would hold his hand and wish with all that is in me that i could carry a piece of his pain.  i think every parent knows that feeling at some point.

needless to say, the silly green st. patrick's day stuff i had brought was not going to mean squat to us!  what helped the very most was the myriad of cards and little gifts that had been showered on him by loved ones.  when he was at his worst, he would ask me to read him these cards.  it not only meant alot to him and somehow helped him cope with the pain, but it meant the world to me as well.  it is impossible to describe how very grateful you feel towards others when they reach out and love your child.  my husband and i were beside him through it all, but the friends and family back home were there for him in a way that we could never be.

being in johns hopkins isn't like being in any other hospital.  people fly from all over the world to be treated there.  hopkins sees cases that are rare, difficult, and require specialists and expert care.  being on the school aged childrens level is a very emotional experience.  i dare you to enter and not shed tears.  i dare you to not be moved and feel so very humbled by the state of your priorities.  just try to look a beautiful child in the face who is struggling for health or life or healing and worry about anything else.

i loaded up all of the oversized shamrock glasses, flashing shamrock headbands, enormous dr. seuss style striped hats, and green necklaces and headed straight to the nurses station.  please, please give these things to the other children, i said.  our son doesn't really feel up to it.  the nurses were surprised--and very pleased to go door to door and bring a little silly gift to each of the children.

later that st. patrick's day while i was sitting next to my sleeping boy, i saw a little girl shuffle by our door in the trademark non-slip socks, hospital gown, teeny-tiny pint sized walker....wearing an enormous green and white striped dr.seuss style foam hat and a huge grin!

i couldn't help but be so thankful to my sweet God who knew what we would need (even if we didn't) and knew what the other little children would need as well.  i am thankful that i could be used to bring a little joy to the other children even if it wasn't premeditated.

because of that, i have purposed to bring along something to help ease the suffering of the other children in the hospital each time we are there for more surgery.  there are children, like my own boy, who are in so much pain/discomfort that the only thing they can do is watch a movie.  the hospital has a movie library for them, but they don't often have the most recent movies.  i am going to bring some with us in september to add to their library:)

now, for me, st. patrick's day is a very, very, special day.  one chock full of meaning and lessons learned.

this st. patrick's day, i am so thankful for my son, the surgeries, the hospital, the other children, cards, nurses,  movies, silly little gifts, and the God who is big enough to care for all of us in just the way we need.

what's up?

i am planning a baby shower for my sis, who is expecting twin girls!  could there be anything else dearer to plan??

i think not.  i am joyfully writing out invitations today (and yesterday, the day before, etc. cause my hand cramps after about 10)  i hope to wrap it all up by tomorrow:)

 

the shower colors are really lavender and purple with a splash of orange, but i'm stretching things just a bit with the invitations because they are so happy!

next up, i have been busy with wallets.

you know what's weird?  for the past 3 weeks, i have sold huge quantities of yellow and grey items. the only thing not yellow and grey is featured below:)  perhaps someone didn't get the early spring shopping memo?  just kidding!

but seriously, it's got me wondering if some great fashion house proclaimed yellow/grey combos are it for spring...

what are you up to?

an unlikely start of a handmade business

for some time i have been thinking about actually starting a series of conversations about being an artist and seller in the handmade marketplace.  i hope to cover a range of topics with the express intent of being helpful to others on the same path.  i hope you will join me in these Handmade Conversations.

to start this off, i am going to share with you the unlikely beginning to my own handmade business:

i started my own journey from "creative d.i.y.er" to independent business owner in 2007.

at that point, i had given several handmade gifts that garnered the response "you should definitely sell this!"  to which i replied with the standard eye-roll and yeah right attitude.

then, in 2007, a woman i went to church with approached me about making baby items for her soon to be opening baby and children's boutique.  that was my start.  i had never really seen myself selling the things that i liked to create.  i was already busy being a stay at home, homeschooling mother of 2 active young boys, and they were my absolute first priority.  but this opportunity felt "safe" and risk-free and i decided to try it (mostly because she was sooo persistent) and my husband and i figured that if it didn't work out, no harm done!

and actually, it didn't work out.  ha!  it turned out that she and i had very different ideas about how we would be working together, and i let that "business opportunity" fizzle right out!

BUT...

before i had a chance to write off the handmade business endeavor, i found myself asked to sell handmade baby items at 2 other local baby boutiques.  you see, i was pregnant with baby #3 and was popping in these other two shops to do some shopping of my own.  in each case, the shop owner complimented something i was using that i had made and then the conversation about selling my handmade items at their shops started.

over the next couple of years, my list of baby items grew extensively due to these two shops being so encouraging and asking me to make items that they wanted to carry, but perhaps didn't like what was available on the market.  they had so much faith in my ability!  i would then go home and start brainstorming and drafting patterns for these items.

because selling my items wasn't really my idea in the first place, i never beat the bushes.  i didn't knock on the doors of businesses or make phone calls, print business cards or have a web presence, advertise or research or even make a business plan.  instead, i strove to keep it small, intimate, and manageable.

the evolution of my business has been gradual, organic.  i opened my etsy shops.  the baby shops both closed within a year of each other.  my own baby girl is growing up.  another store would call me.  mommas are coming to me for other things that they want for themselves. the items that i enjoy making are changing.  then another brick and mortar shop calls me and i take it into consideration.  and so on...

you see, for me, being an indie designer and business owner is wonderful and scratches that creative itch that i constantly have.  and to be honest, i would love to devote more time and energy into this area and really grow my business instead of trying to reign it in and keep it small.

HOWEVER.

i constantly put my business and those creative drives in their place!  God has given me non-negotiable priorities to attend to first.  a relationship with Him, my marriage, caring for and homeschooling 3 awesome kids, running a household.  these come first!  at the end of my life i want to have put the first thing first.  i refuse to rob my family of time, love, attention, and energy to pour it into a business.  i will not trade the years that i have with my children at home for my own career advancement.  there will be time enough when they have gone to pursue my creative passions in earnest and see how far it will go.  for now, i am extremely humbled by the small successes in my business and count myself blessed to have the opportunity to exercise the creativity that God has given me.  i think that all of these experiences and skill building that i am gaining while my children are small are preparing me for something big when the time comes.

this is how i started, and this is my own personal view of my business and how it fits into my life.  what about you?  i'd love to hear how you got started and where you are headed!

giveaway winners

so my dears, i didn't forget about the fabric giveaway (as some of you may suspect) i was just experiencing a great amount of technologically impaired frustration with blogger.

eh-hem.  we worked it out;)

alright!  without further explanation, i would love to finally give something away!

Congratulations to Kristen!

you have picked up a $20 gift certificate to my online fabric shop!

Congratulations to Stephanie C.!

you have won a huge box of studio fabric scraps!

girls, i will email you with the details!

enjoy! and go get your craft on!

attack of the chicken! (a true tale)

my oldest son was asked if he would please look after my parents chickens while they are out of town for a couple of days.

he was thrilled. {manly responsibility!  looking after living things!  looking after a set of keys!}  pure awesome:)

my dad picked him  up a couple of days ago to show him the ropes, where everything was kept, how things were to be done, etc.

no sweat!  we ourselves had 2 pet chickens up until one died of natural causes...then the other one died of unnatural causes.

(baby girl playing with dum-dum and cluck-cluck last year)

anyway, today we drive on over to my parents house (about 25 mins away) and park in the driveway.

my son looks at me with huge eyes and says "i forgot the keys"

pft!  what? how could you be so irresponsible? (yes, i have a tendancy to react immediately)

ok. heart check on mom.

put the van in reverse and head back home with all three kids in the van.

get home. grab keys, grab book (for son to read during all the driving), go through drive-thru (it is now lunch time) head back to care for chickens.

Now, my dad had stressed  to my son that this batch of chickens were easily scared and he had to be very careful to walk slowly, make soft clucking sounds, etc. to keep them from hopping over the fence.

after a quick lunch, he heads out to do the job.  15 minutes later he comes in the back door stunned and almost in tears.

apparently, one chicken wasn't buying into his "nice guy" act...it stalked him and didn't let him out of it's sight.  then, without warning, it jumped up on his head freaked out!  clawed, scratched, and somehow injured his neck.

if it had been me...that chicken would have been in the pot for dinner (i say this as if i confidently know how to kill, clean, and pluck a bird, which in fact, i do not)

he stayed calm, didn't freak and left the coup.

my mom called later to inquire as to how he made out.  i relayed the dramatic story...she felt awful!  but do you know what made me laugh the most?  she asked who the culprit was. as if i can tell one from the other!

my son, also, did not get a good look at the guilty chicken.  no matter.  he is not going back. ever.

turns out that if you are 9 and get attacked by a chicken, you kind of lose your liking for them as pets/egg layers.  can't blame him.

i think we'll have chicken for dinner tonight:)

*btw, have you entered my fabric giveaway?  there's just one day left...enter now!

overheard in my kitchen today...

my precious 8 year old boy, while making himself a fluffernutter sandwich, says to me

"the bread is almost gone; there's just the ankles left."

i paused a moment, trying to decifer what in the world he meant and then it dawned on me...he meant the heals of the bread {ends}!  stop. it.  sooo funny.

i love my little boy:)



2 year anniversary and something for you!

no, i'm not referring to my wedding anniversary...

2 years ago today, (that's right, valentine's day) i officially opened my online fabric shop, FOUND Fabrics for business!  let me tell you, it has been an awesome experience.

i started out with just 10 bolts of fabric:

"filigree" cool colorway



"filigree" warm colorway

now, 2 years later...

i have over 40 different fabrics in stock and have carried a variety of at least twice that!  this is quite an achievement considering that i do not operate on credit at all for my business.  that way, i am never stressed about selling it.  i choose fabrics that, if i never sold any of them, i would be happy sewing with them for my handmade business, FOUND by Marie.  in fact, i regret to admit that i have sometimes been dissappointed a little when a customer buys like more than half a bolt of one of my favorites:)

here are just a few reasons that i love retailing fabric:

hand-picking lovely fabrics from brand new collections

meeting other handmade business owners and supplying them with designer fabrics for a couple of bucks under the msrp. (every little break on fabric counts, especially if you are intending to resell it in a finished item)

the excitement of shipping all over the world!  my children love to ask where each package is going!

i get first dibs on all of the fabrics that i want most:)

being able to donate materials for fundraisers

and many more...

in the last 2 years:

401 sales were made

to God be the glory!

because sometimes, being found on etsy can feel like an impossibility

i have many thoughts on things i would like to share about having an online etsy store, but first things first...

discount time! giveaway time!

to celebrate my 2 fabulous years in business, i will be giving away a $20 gift certificate to my fabric store for you to use on anything you like!  you can enter by:

following this blog, visiting my shop and picking a favorite fabric, favoriting my fabric shop, passing along the word (do you blog, tweet, fb, whatever? mention the giveaway for an extra entry)

make sure to leave me a comment for each entry, and i will draw a random winner in a week!

i will also be drawing a secondary winner who will recieve several pounds of fabric studio scraps!  perfect for small projects:)

lastly, use coupon code TAKETEN at checkout to recieve 10% off your order!

rejoice with me and go get yourself some fabric, girl!

for all of your business and support these last 2 yrs:)



i'm a sponsor

hi there!

did you know that i am an official sponsor of hannah's blog, happy days ?  you should defintely go over and say hi.  you will be encouraged.  really.

i am such a non-tech person by nature.  i prefer the intimacy and connection of face to face or voice to voice.  but, when my friend hannah decided to abandon the eastern shore of maryland in all of it's glory, for the frozen tundra, i had to keep up with her on her blog.  like, for 2 years.  finally, she convinced me to blog (ugh).

it's pretty obvious (to me) that blogging wasn't my idea...but i think i'm starting to make peace with it.  just takes time.

anyway, she did a lovely post highlighting her sponsors for Feb, and you can see me there!

 

fabric gossip

so, i am going to give you the run down about what is happening in my fabric world.

yes, i have designated a whole section of my brain to textiles:)

because i am design-y and fancy like that.

i'll start with a little gossip:

did you know that fabric design maven Amy Butler's husband, David Butler has started his own fabric line?  no?  well, now you do!

this was so interesting to me because, as an artist/designer myself, i love to see how my own work compliments the amazing work my husband does.

here are a couple of prints from his line:

very masculine.

and like i said, so interesting to see what spouses create alongside each other.
( i probably should note here that Amy Butler has a new spring line arriving in april...and it is a palette of all neutrals...hmmm)

being a stone's throw from spring in the retail world, new collections are arriving!
check out this one from uber bright fabric designer Jennifer Pagenelli:

lovely, isn't it?

this is but a small sampling of what is going to be available soon...

but alas, i cannot buy all the fabric in the world {yet}.  my business is tiny, and i am forced to choose.

and this is what i fell in love with:

the first fabric collection from scandinavian designer Lotta Jansdotter:

so so nice.  simple. clean. modern. lovely.

and in my opinion, perfect for spring sewing!  watch for them to appear this season in my fabric shop.