What's New on Etsy

I love this coat! It is by MaionFashionDesign on Etsy. I saw it on the front page and I went to her store to check it out. She is Croatian and she doesn't just design coats, she designs dresses and jewelry too. Beautiful stuff, Maion! I love watching Project Runway and seeing all the innovative designs. I have to say, Maion's is better than anything I have seen on the show yet.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaionFashionDesign

What I Remember About Last Year

As Tina knows, it was a banner year for me in 2009. And not in a good way! My husband of 20 years broke my heart by leaving me in June of 2009. However, I have since recovered and am looking forward to this year as a new beginning with our shop. Tina and I have started showing new items and my most favorite thing - the thing that gives me the most joy is that I am painting again and they are small wonders to me that make me happy. Because they are small (bookmarks and cards) they don't take much time and I am all about instant gratification! And (for those that are interested) all hope is not lost on the marriage front. I am allowing him slowly back into my life and we will see how it goes. Stay tuned!

NicoDesigns Rocks!

I absolutely love these shoes by NicoDesigns, the featured seller this month! I actually commented on them when they showed up on a Found Handmade treasury too! Not only do they look comfy and cozy but they are cute as a button with the little rose embellishment. You can find them here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32259350. But that isn't all you can find at NicoDesigns. Not by a long shot. There are beautiful purses and totes and the most adorable pin cushions ever. Good luck with your shop Nico!

New Item! Aprons

Okay, well I am getting somewhat discouraged by our lack of sale on our bags despite the fact that i think they are adorable. Therefore, I am trying to branch out into the apron arena. Loaded with patterns (and heaven knows i have the fabric), i set out to make my first apron. While it looks very cute off; the pattern must have been cut for someone with either an extremely long neck, or an enormous bust-line, (neither of which i have). Therefore, i have to figure out what adjustment i need to make for the strap that goes around the neck so i can make one that will actually sell! Why do pattern people do that? It's like when someone gives you a recipe and leaves a key ingredient out! Oh well, i am determine to find out the answer so we can launch ourselves into "Apron World"!

Plumbing Nightmare

There are two things that strike fear in my heart; plumbing problems and car problems. In fact, a dear friend of mine and i agreed that the main reason to get married would be to have a husband to deal with these issues. Sadly, my husband is very good at relegating the problems back to me. The kitchen sink has reared its ugly head and backed up, thus causing the washing machine to overflow. I called the plumber who ran his little "snake machine" only to find that the plug was still there. Today he is running some other expensive machine through the pipes, but he has warned us that he thinks the pipe has deteriorated to the point of non-existence. We are now talking about jackhammers destroying whatever potion of my house that sits over the disgusting pipe. Dollar bill signs are dancing before my eyes. Also, with no washing machine, i am facing going to the laundry mat with tons of clothes to wash.. the picture doesn't get much grimmer as far as i am concerned. So are the joys of house ownership!

The Closet From Hell

Yes, I decided I could not start the New Year with the closet from hell hanging over my head. So I tackled it today. However, the closet from hell beat me! I took everything out and reorganized it. I tossed stuff I was never going to use again and I even put my idea sketches/pictures in a binder so the papers wouldn't just be shoved anywhere. Pretty impressive, no? Not when you realize I did not even attempt to condense/organize the dresser from hell that is IN the closet from hell. This dresser has every craft project that I started and didn't finish. It has pipe cleaners, old Christmas cards, Counted Cross Stitch patterns and materials, trim of all kinds, pins, pens, pencils, and anything else you can possibly think of in it. It is a NIGHTMARE! So I guess that is what I will be working on tomorrow. The deal with myself was, no fun stuff (like making bookmarks, cards and purses) until the closet is done. I guess I could let myself off on a technicality but it kind of feels like one of those things that is going to be so rewarding when it is done. I think. But maybe not. We'll see what I decide tomorrow!

New Year, New Goals

I am all about the marketing right now. My friend Judy turned me on to guerrilla marketing. I had never heard of it so (of course) I googled it using "gorilla marketing" cause that's what it sounded like over the phone! At least I can laugh at my own cluelessness! Anyways, kudos to Judy for that. So yesterday I printed up some cute bookmarks that had our website on them, snuck into the library and planted them in library books! I felt like a criminal! Especially when 3 library ladies appeared to be following me from aisle to aisle (I realized later it was not a subversive plot to remove my bookmarks - they were just shelving books...). I am planning on going again tomorrow. So many books, so little time.

My New Years resolution is to really work on expanding our business. My greatest accomplishment would be for Tina to make enough money at this side job for her to quit her day job. Hey, I dream BIG! Tina is the dearest person in the world and if she sometimes gets overwhelmed with the challenges in her life, she's entitled. Trust me.

So one of the gorilla, I mean, guerrilla sites said that you need to use your friends as advertisement because they come cheap. I called my friend Brenda (who is a teacher) and asked her to set some of the website bookmarks in the library of her school. She was happy to do it and she offered to set them out in the teacher's lounge too - something I hadn't thought of. Tina is usually the idea person, not me.

Anyway, I will blog about how it goes. If even 1% of the library bookmarks yield a visit, I am sure we will get some new customers, because our stuff is awesome!