Whoa!

So, what do you do when you realize that your handmade gifts that you make only because you enjoy creating are suddenly in demand?  Whoa!

I have come out with several new products this year.  My Seat Belt Pillow was the one item that shocked me with it's popularity.  Originally, I made one of these for a friend (her daughter actually) to say thank you for watching my daughter during a long weekend while I was away.  (I knew my husband couldn't watch her younger brothers AND take her to several planned events that weekend).  My friend had mentioned wanting one for her daughter and wondered if I could make one.  I thought, Aha! A perfect way to say thanks!

So, after a little research - I created my first seat belt pillow with great ease.  I hoped she would like it.  The reception was fantastic.  She loved it, used it and I saw it in use in her car.  What a wonderful feeling.

So, she asked me if I was going to sell them on my site.  I thought about it.  I normally sell baby gifts and the seat belt pillow is mainly for older kids - the ones that are out of the 5 point harness.....not my usual Etsy demographic.  But, I figured, why not?  If she likes it, maybe someone else will too.

Whoa!  What an immediate positive response.  My seat belt pillow design is the only of it's kind on Etsy.  A clear market maker.  Now what?

Almost 20 orders later, I am still having to look back at my own scribbled handwritten pattern/instructions to make sure I make them correctly.  I am still new at making the seat belt pillow but am happy to say that because of it, I hit over 1,000 views in a week.  My best ever. 

The rush has died down almost as fast as it went up but I am still trying to catch up on the orders I already have.  Hopefully, I will just keep a steady stream of orders coming in from now on....and hopefully, some of those moms/dads-of-older-children will purchase some of my other lovely baby gifts for the people in their lives that are now having newborns....this way, I can create a relationship with those new moms and dads too...

Full circle. 

New Products!

New products galore!
I have been lucky enough to have customers request new items from me.  I guess they like what I have made (or my prices) enough to want more!  The feedback says it all. I have gotten some amazing feedback and it makes me so proud to read.  Thanks peeps!  Customer service is important to me!

Anyway - new products - The carseat canopy - the seatbelt pillow - the shopping cart cover - the boutique style burp cloths - the swaddler - the crib sheet - the crib skirt - curtains/valances - the bumbo cover - the pacifier clips - and more if you want! 

Just ask!  Check out my facebook page for more pics...

New Family Members!

I am super excited about the two newest members of the family!  Two of my cousins had their very first little babes just a day apart! Two sweet little (over 8 lbs?) boys!  Being in the business that I am in, of course, I would be excited about new little ones to make goodies for!  The first one came early and so I am scrambling to get my gift out asap - the second one is already outfitted with my Michael Miller "Giraffe Love" nursery set. 

My father is the oldest of six kids.  My older sister and I have grown up with LOTS of younger cousins and I always considered myself very blessed to have them.  Even though we didn't see each other often growing up, when we did see each other, we would just pick up where we left off last time.   The feeling of closeness was like brothers and sisters, not just cousins.

I was the first one to get married.

I was the first one to have children.  I had three of them.....

My kids are now 7, 5 and 3.  After having my third, (and being the brunt of a big joke about whether or not I was pregnant as Thanksgiving again....) the next oldest cousin had his first baby.  Finally, I am not alone!  Three years later my older sister had her much anticipated first baby (my sweet, sweet, sweet little niece - who BTW, is a huge fan of my Tiny Tag Teething Toy).  Now, all of a sudden there are two new babies to add to the fray!  Hurray!  I am no longer the one with "more than half" the kids! HA!

Cat for Hire: Isis

Everyone should have a cat as a co-worker.

They sit on your lap when you are trying to type and they purr in your ear when you are trying to listen.  Sometimes they will even try to play cute kitten with your fabric scraps.  Mine will even sprawl out on top of my cutting mat when I am rolling around a seriously sharp rotary cutter! That's smart - we should hire her for her obviously superior knowledge.

Well, everyone needs a moment to just enjoy - even when yer busy.  A cat certainly knows how to relax.  Maybe she is trying to tell me something when she wedges herself between me and the sewing machine.  Hmmmmmm.....

Thanks, Isis, for your unconditional love and your super smart moves....
You're hired!

The Grass is Always Greener

One of the downfalls of having your own small business from home is that you are never "out of the office".  I enjoy the fact that I can work at night while catching up on some Up All Night or Hell on Wheels with my husband, BUT, I also would enjoy being able to turn it off and just be free to enjoy the time with my family.  If I had an "office" job, I could be able to come home from work and give my full attention to the house and family simply because I had no choice - MY work would not be able to be done at home! 

Unfortunately, that is not the case - as I sit here after having a lovely waffle breakfast with my family, I am working.  Ooooookaaaaaaaaay, so blogging isn't technically working, but I am off to sew after this.  Simply because I have to get some work done. If I only had time to do my work at the "office", I would be more productive with my time during the week.  On the other hand - if I were at the "office" during the day, I wouldn't be able to have lunch with my boys, play basketball with them in the morning or be home to do homework with my daughter in the afternoon.  So, we pick and choose.

The grass is always greener. 

My husband is out in the family room right now playing with our youngest and I am off to sew.  Well, it sounds like I may be doing some cleaning first - what was that crash?

What Does It All Mean?

I cannot explain how things get done around my house.  Some days, I am in a good mood - energized and ready to tackle housework, laundry, cooking, kids and my own work as well.....Some days, I just wanna curl up on the sofa and play Angry Birds or Plants VS Zombies (ya know, I can't even play Words With Friends because I am so lazy those days) Today - I told myself I HAD to get work done - because it is a day off for me from the taxi driver "job" I have and because I have not made a sale in one week. EEK! The holiday is over and it is time to get back to work.  So, I get up this morning - put on my cozy unattractive sweats, shirt and enormous grey Mokee (from Fraggle Rock!?) sweater and get it on!  I don't even know where my brain was, because I got sooooo much done.  Unfortunately, my kids were little hellions today a (especially a certain Kindergartner)  Maybe it was the early release day that put everyone on the wrong schedule, but wither way - there was a lot of noise, yelling and crying in this household today.
Did I get my work done? Wow! Yeah!  I did - but how?  I just downed a beer and ate some frozen pizzas - literally threw my kids into bed and now am off to do more work.
I just wanna say - I rock!

What's Babylon and Why is is on My Computer?

Much more productive today.... 4 teethers, 3 bibs and loads of fabric purchased, cut and washed.  Clipart is still unaccessable.....just staring at me from my desktop, but not letting me see it or use it.  I dunno what I downloaded - but now my web browser has changed - (what's Babylon?).  I give up.  I think I just heard a bottle of wine calling me, gotta go.