jump up and down

lost in summerland

 I've really got to stop saying that I'll be here more often - it's just not happening right now, it is what it is, and I'm OK with it, so it's just how it's going to be for now.  We've just been soaking up the summer - eating shaved ice and watermelon, going swimming, playing in the sprinkler, playing outside.  The weather is beautiful in the summer here - perfect temperature with occasional mild thunderstorms and not too much wind - but, it doesn't last very long so I always feel like I'm racing against time in the summer.

I've been doing a bit of worrying about Ryan's interview, but we are just over a week away, so it doesn't seem so far away now which was a large part of the stress.   Uck, I really hate waiting!  I've been watching him prepare and I feel confident that whatever the outcome is, he will have done his best.

My shop is pretty much going nuts lately - summer is wedding season and if the sales in my shop are any indication, vintage linens banners are pretty popular this year.  It's been fun, but a bit exhausting.  Most of my shop sewing happens between 9 pm and 1 am.  When it's not busy, I cut back by not staying up every night, but when it is busy, the consecutive late nights really start to get to me.  I'll be getting a break once I finish up my outstanding orders though.  I've closed it down for a bit since we are heading out later this week to leave the kids with Grandma and celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss and after that, the boys and I  will stay with Grandma while Ryan flies out for his interview.  Then school starts when we get back and summer will essentially be over - sad times!   

Anyway, just thought I would pop in and say that I'm not dead, just trying to take in all the summer I can fit in, keeping up with my shop, and trying to not think too much about our unknown future but just enjoy what's going on today!  Hooray!

in the shop

Earrings!

And here's how earrings ended up in this seamstresses' shop...I usually wear a pair of studs in my ears and I wanted a new pair for my birthday.  I searched on Etsy for a bit and then remembered that the last pairs I bought had bothered my fairly sensitive ears.  So, I decided I would make some,  thus insuring the quality of the post (I used sterling silver plated and they are great - I can wear them all day and even forget to take them out at night and no irritation).  Then it turned into making a few pairs because of the quantity discount on the posts and backs and all of the cabochons I bought were sold in sets of at least four and some had as many as a dozen.  I didn't even realize what a cabochon was until I was shopping for them.  

I've never made jewelry before, but I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last time - they were so fun to make.  Simple and rewarding...this might be what happens every time I want a new pair of earrings.  Priced at $6 per pair or 3 for $15. 

trickling in...

I'm finally putting some new banners in the shop...they should be trickling into the shop during the next week or so.  I'm so excited to be working with some of the fabrics and sheets that have been sitting in my piles.

 I've struggled with where to take the photos for these now that it is winter - the map wall will have to do.  I go back and forth between thinking that it looks cool to thinking that it looks too busy.  What do you think?  
 I've got something totally new that I'm working on for the shop too...stay tuned.

shop's open

If you hadn't noticed, I closed my shop right before Christmas.  The break was nice, but it's time to get back to business and I just re-opened today.  And the sale section is bigger than ever - lots of things that need new homes (they are getting so tired of being with me) for great prices!  I've got a few custom orders I'm working on right now, but when I get done with those, the plan is for lots of new banners.  I have so many great fabrics that I've picked up while I was on my blogging hiatus!

still here...is it too late for a merry christmas?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday.  I think I'm back.  No, there have been no disasters or even anything new and exciting going on here, just life and the holidays taking over.  We are still visiting family, but head home tomorrow.  The boys have been brimming with holiday excitement (translation: the boys have been driving me crazy with all of their emotional highs and lows) for the past three weeks and I am excited to get back home and back to our normal routine.  

I've been wanting to spruce up my blog for a while, and wasn't really sure how to do it (Sandi did everything for me when I set this blog up), so I just went for it tonight.  Was anyone checking my blog while I changed it a million times tonight?  It's a little cleaner and a little crisper.  I have long loved photo headers and so I came up with something simple and quick tonight,  but I want to get in the habit of changing my header more often, so hopefully I will learn some new tricks!  

Lest you think I had forgotten the blog forever, there have been lots of plans for blogging in the last month or so which means I did take pictures.  Here are a few to show you what I've been up to... 

Stockings (with new pictures) and a new holiday banner were in the shop.

 

I'm trying to decide if I like these wood walls as a background...at least they are real wood.

We attended the annual Christmas lights parade in our little town.  Mother nature enhanced the mood with a bit of a snow storm.

 

We played in the snow and made our first snowman.

 

I made these fun snowman cupcakes for Peter's class party.  A couple of M&Ms, a few chocolate chips, and a rolled out and cut orange slice and voila.  They were pretty delicious too. 

 We enjoyed our December and I'm excited for a New Year with new starts and fresh feelings and no more Christmas treats around the house...they have really sabotaged my healthy living plan the last two weeks!

anticipation...a shop update

The summers are just lovely here - just the right amount of warmth, just the right amount of rain, just the right amount of sun - and I have spent many an afternoon outside with a blanket and a book while the boys play around me.  But, I must admit, I am ready for a bit of crispness in the air, colorful leaves, and warm sweaters.  And I know it's just not me.  I've been reading your longings for fall and even Halloween on your blogs.  I put together a few banners this year to help me get ready for fall and even Halloween...you can find all of them in the shop.

 

your thoughts please: ArtFire

Have you heard of ArtFire?  I discovered it through an ad on one of my most visited websites, Craftcult, where you can put in your Etsy user name and easily see who has hearted your shop or items.  A very useful tool indeed...but, back to our main topic...

If you don't know anything about ArtFire, from what I have gathered in the few months I have been familiar with it, it is a website, similar to Etsy, where artisans and other sellers can sell their handmade items, supplies, and vintage items.  The big difference that I see, is that ArtFire has a flat rate monthly fee ($7 if you get in as one of the first 5,000 members, $20 if you join after that - as of today there were about 850 spots left) and Etsy charges a per listing price to list and a small percentage of each sale.   There is also a free membership, but I think that at this level you are limited to listing four items. I won't go into it much more than that - I really want to hear what other people think about it.

I joined with the intention of trying to sell my collection of vintage patterns (which has really outgrown the space I have for them in the past few months), thinking that I could do a whole lot more listing for $7 a month than if I were paying for each item.  Of course, with school and such I haven't done much with the shop, but I did list a few patterns last week.  You can see my shop here.  I haven't had many views (I also haven't listed much yet), but I'm trying to decide if I should even try with ArtFire.  What do you think?  Is there really room for another Etsy, especially with the current state of the economy?  Are the advantages of ArtFire really worth it?  I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has already joined ArtFire or has seriously thought about it.  The truth is I keep going back and forth - ask Ryan.  About a week ago I said to him, "I think I'm just going to cancel my subscription," and two days later I got on the stick, took some pictures and got a few things listed. 

And if you do decide to join because I my post (I think it's obvious I'm not trying to convince anyone one way or the other here), please use this referral link or the link on the image at the top.  If ten people join at the $7 level because of me, then my membership is free and I won't have to make a decision about whether to stay or not!

shop note

While I've been busy thinking about and planning out my pillows, I've also had a major urge to sew and the shop was out of banners and low on aprons so in the past couple of weeks I have been a busy gal.  There are several new aprons and banners that are now in the shop.  I used several of the fabrics from my latest thrift find for the banners.  And thanks to my mom who helped me put together some purses this weekend, there will also be a few new purse listings just as soon as I get them photographed. 

red letter day

I spent yesterday cleaning up after Ned - he couldn't keep anything down.  But he seems to be doing better today.  In between all of the laundry and wiping up (he is still too young to make it to the bathroom apparently), I found it nice to look at this banner that I had hanging on the wall from taking pictures.
 
This is why I love custom orders - such great ideas!  I'd been wanting to come up with a banner that was more of a general celebration banner, but could not think of a good saying.  And then this one gave me the perfect opportunity to use a lot of great red and blue vintage fabrics that I have collected.  I loved it so much, I made an extra for the shop here.  Now I just need to find some less floral-y fabrics to make our male dominated family one.

shop talk and politics

UPDATE:  Katie let me know that there has been a 1 year stay of execution on this law - hooray!  Read details here.  Now it's even more important to write to your lawmakers and let them know what you think!!

I am obviously late in the game in blogging about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act or CPSIA, so I won't say much except that this is an important issue that especially affects those of us who love handmade.  I do however, want to share a few resources that I found helpful.  First the Handmade Toy Alliance is a great resource for finding out how this issue affects you, getting updates on what is happening, and finding out how to help.  They even have a sample letter that you can use to e-mail your Congress representative or Senator (and links on where to find out who your representatives are).  This law takes effect on February 10, not too many days from now.  There's not much we can do about the actual law right now, but hopefully our views will help lawmakers make some changes so that we can still buy and sell handmade goods without prohibitive testing costs.

I don't sell many children's items, but this is affecting me in a direct way as I did buy a few girls t-shirts a while ago (like over a year ago) with intentions of putting an applique on them and selling them in my shop.  In true Jess formi, I couldn't decide exactly what to put on them and so I procrastinated...until last week, still not realizing that I wouldn't be able to sell them after February 10.  When I realized it, I rushed to get them finished and listed them on Saturday.  The appliques are from some great early Amy Butler fabrics that Sandi brought me from the last quilt market.  If they don't sell, I'll have a stash of presents for nieces and friends - at least I will still be able to gift handmade that I've made.

UPDATE:  Katie let me know that there has been a 1 year stay of execution on this law - hooray!  Read details here.  Now it's even more important to write to your lawmakers and let them know what you think!!