Update & Back In Business

In other news, I've separated from "The Man" and moved into a very small little place about an hour away. There's barely enough room for myself and the wonder dog's crate. But we're keeping up with our fashion experiments. Unfortunately, the wonderdog tends to be more involved than she'd like to be merely due to proximity.

I hired my mom to take care of the business books and she's gone Etsy nutz. I should have known that Etsy would get under her skin. We now have several shops and are expanding as we speak. Check 'em out!

DeChon Desings

Princess Katie

South Paw Creations

Three Generations

Lot's Knot

Esther's Other Job

We've got one for grown up clothing, one for kids clothing, one for supplies, and one for all the items that we can't figure out their particular category. Then there's also my daughter's shop and my mom's quilted items too! Really, with Christmas comming up we've got something for everyone. I'm stoked.Since she's been in charge, sales have doubled and we've been in 4, COUNT EM! FOUR, treasurys!

Now I just have to clear off a small space to sew and I'll be able to contribute more. But first things first. HALLOWEEN! and costumes, costumes, costumes.....pictures to come.

Treasury! Treasury! Treasury!

DeChon Designs made it into our first ever tresury on Etsy. I tried to get a picture of it on the blog but I wasn't quick enough! Phew! Those things go so fast!

There is no Fairy Godmother Treasury.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php?id=1181807533516U5006477

I've Been Busy

In my shop I sell nurse hats. I got the pattern from a friend of mine that asked me to reproduce her favorite hat. The difference between this hat and others is that it has an adjustable elastic band in the back. They're fairly easy to make.

She brought me this adorable fabric and asked me to make more, and said that she would sell them for me.

I'm excited. I went through my stash of 100% cottons and found these other cute fabrics - ballerina hippos, monsters, frogs and stripes. I also found this great wholesale place for sewing notions too! http://www.wbcindustries.com/leather.html So I've ordered elastic and more cordlocks and I plan to make 100 or more hats! They sell for $10.00 each! Let me know if you'd like one too! I like to wear them around the house to clean in. They keep my hair out of my face and they're colorful.

The other project I've started on is the next in my "list of things to do." I bought this exquisite pattern from a seller on Etsy and at a Going-Out-Of-Business sale at a Hancock Fabrics here in town, I found the perfect fabric for it. It's either silk or rayon and very lightweight. I'm not sure if the wearer would need a slip with this dress. I'll have to stand the dummy in front of the window after I've got the skirt on the dress to find out. If it's too sheer, I'll put in a black or blue skirt, already attached. This dress will also feature my first attempt at covered buttons. I think they turned out great! Also, since my button-hole-er is broken on my machine, the button holes will be lined, very chique, very couture.
While I was making this dress, my daughter really wanted to help out. Well, since I'm going to sell this dress, I decided that she could make something of her own. Arizona is very hot right now and this fabric is super light and slippery cool, so I told her that we'd make pijama bottoms for her out of some of the remaining yardage from the dress.

I was so proud of her. She traced the pattern, cut it out, pinned it, sewed and serged the edges. That's a very large committment for my flitty daughter. But we had to laugh, because her seam allowances were so big that the shorts came out WAY too small for her. She tried to put them on anyway and looked like a stuffed sausage. Even my husband was giggling. So....Citrus the bear got new pijama bottoms. Citrus is the bear we made together when she wanted to go to Build-A-Bear workship and I wouldn't let her. I just couldn't see spending the money on a pre-fab bear when we could make a bigger, better one all by ourselves. Citrus is not for sale. I can make teddy bears, but only on special occasions and for good causes. Don't get me wrong. I like to make stuffed animals. But if I don't draw the line somewhere, I end up making bears, curtains, car covers, plush photo albums, and whatever else anyone asks for.

On another note: I have new items in my shop! Check it out!

Promise to Inventory & The Lack of Stuff in My Shop

I've promised myself and several other people that I'll create an inventory of items that I have for sale and items that I still have to make. My husband has volunteered to help me with this. Is this an adventure that he should join me on? I'm afraid that he'll want to throw away things that I want to keep or that he'll decide that I never need to shop again or start another project again. I was very excited that he was interested in helping me...but the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe I'll keep my mess to myself.

On another note; I've brought great numbers of people to Etsy to check out my shop. I've found out that most people are shopping at Etsy...just not my shop. One dear friend was even honest enough with me to tell me that my shop seemed a bit empty. This is all understandable, because Etsy isn't my full time job. It's also understandable because all of my products are made with the utmost care and therefore take a while to create. So with the fact that I'm only "creating" my art in my spare time and that each piece takes a while to finish...I can see how the shop would look empty.

Has anyone else ever noticed that your loved ones tend to eat up all your profits? DD wants the retro girls bag and some earrings too. If DD gets something, SDS will want something too.