It's HER fault!

I'd like to start this off by saying that this is all Corey's fault. I was on the phone with her last night when I got to my mom's to pick up the kids. Therefore, she distracted me. This caused me to lock my keys and my purse in the car. Luckily my mom could loan me her car for the evening so I could go home. But wait...I don't have the house key either. (locked in the car) Ah, but I DO have a set in the vehicle that's been parked at my mom's since the fall because it died there after a craft show and we've been too lazy to get it fixed. (Yes, my mom is a saint) But it's dark and I can't find the keys. So my brother Cody brings me a head-light and gets himself a flashlight and we set in to find them. Can't find them, can't find them, can't find them...give up...turn around one more time...there they are! Woo hoo! Then I drive home in my mother's luxury mini-van (can't figure out any of the high tech gadgetry) and realize that Laurel's stuff for school is in the car. (tote bag, carpool number) So I wake up early to make her a tote bag she can bring (ok, this is my fault...a normal person would have let her use any number of free-already-made totes that are lying around everyone's house). I have this lovely bit of purple canvas (see last blog), and it just screams MONSTER. So here it is...the "A MONSTER ATE MY tote bag." I blame Corey...or should I thank her?

Fun with canvas!

I bought some bright colored canvas the other day for a couple of projects I was working on; first pink, then purple then blue. So I had little bits of each left over, enough to make one small project (if I really used every bit). I've been wanting to make some of the easter basket ideas that have been swimming around in my mind as well. At first I'd planned to make them out of flannel because the flannel was on sale and they had some great spring shades. BUT, something kept bringing me back to that colored canvas. It's just so vibrant. The blue just became a whale in mind, and that's where Luke's basket came from.

Laurel I wasn't so sure of. I drew a bunch of designs for her, thinking she'd pick a bunny or chick. Instead she picked the pig. I was pleased as punch because the bright pink canvas would make a perfect pig. But I was a little confused since she's never shown any interest in pigs. Later in the day she divulged that she picked the pig because of a story I told her about a little plastic pig that poops candy. (True story, they keep them at the front of the Joann's stores so when you're waiting in line you can't help but look at the little pigs that poop candy when you pull on their tails) Anyway, this is why she picked the pig. I think her brain train went something like this pig-> poop-> candy-> easter-> basket. Aha! And she knew what she wanted. My brain train often works that way as well. Jon thinks it's hilarious (if not what somewhat confusing).

Don't Fall on Me!!

Besides filling orders we're trying to get our lives, our house, and just about everything else in order. It seems we've spent every weekend trying to organize one area, only to destroy several more. I need to call the TLC Clean Sweep crew and tell them I'm in desperate need of a whole house clean up job. (Come on, it's a small house...I think you can handle the whole thing!) We don't even mind helping, we just need someone to keep pushing us in the right direction. It does make me wonder why I bought so much stuff over the years. Which is strange, because for people who know us we are a very tightly budgeted family, we don't buy that much stuff! Of course some of it predates us as a couple...a lot of it is gifts from our wedding, from having kids, etc. Unfortunately no one gave us a bigger house, so all of that stuff has no where to go but up. (And I don't mean the attic, it's already full...I mean up into tall towers of stuff balanced oh-so-carefully so as not to tip and fall and crush us all)
So in between cleaning and filling orders (and working and taking care of kids) I've also been trying to play around with some designs for canvas storage baskets/bags. The goal is to make something cute, relatively free standing that can be used as whatever it needs to be. Larger ones for toys and laundry, smaller ones for knick-knacks. I made one yesterday that is SO big (not on purpose) that I could carry Laurel around in it...standing up...and barely able to see over the top. It wasn't my intention to make it so big...but that is what prototypes are for. Getting a feel for what works and what doesn't. Essentially you should be able to pick it up like a tote, set it down on the ground and have it keep it's shape, and then when you're done hang one of the straps on the wall and have it look cute and decorative. If this works out I plan to have a couple in each of the kids rooms, a couple in the living room, and maybe some smaller versions in the kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Just an easy way to clean, pick up and organize while looking cute. This is the goal, we'll see how it turns out. In the end I'm sure you're asking...why don't you just go buy baskets like normal people? And that's a good question. Partly because we're cheap, a little because I think it will look cute, but mostly because we're trying to get things off the ground and free up some living space. We'll just have to wait and see how it works out.

In the meantime I've also been working more on the graphics side of the business...cards, etc. I've expanded on the digital Candid Memory cards that I was working on. I like the simplicity of the designs. So here are two I did up with my two scallywags. The goal will be to sell singular cards for special occasions, plus packs of cards for general stationary, thank you cards, etc. I think a pack of cards personalized with pictures of someone's kids would make a good mother's day gift. It's simple, cute, personalized and inexpensive. But, maybe I'm too biased. I need one of those friends who is totally honest who would tell me whether something looked stupid or not. (Actually, I have one of those friends...but I'd be afraid to ask her because she might say they ARE stupid. And really, I don't want to hear that!)

Front Page Dreamin'

I want to get on the front page of ETSY. It's a pride thing, but I do. I think I'll feel validated if I can see that someone at ETSY likes something enough to put it up there. I know, I should feel validated because people keep buying from me. And I should feel validated when they post positive feedback. And I DO...and it makes me so happy that people like my stuff and stop to tell me so. BUT I WANT TO BE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF ETSY. Sigh. I've decided that rather than sit and mope I'll just keep designing new things and posting them, and one day my hard work will pay off. I've got a couple of new things so far...my monster jingle ball, that was fun to make. (And fun to play with...Laurel and I have been throwing that thing around for days) I also made a bag for my niece's 5th birthday. I've been wanting to do a fabric version of my Candid Memory Portraits, but I just hadn't really had a chance to do it. So I decided that's what I'd do for her, a bag with her face on it. I had planned to do stitched eyes, but Laurel was insisting that I use buttons instead. (She and I went to see Coraline on Sunday so she's currently obsessed with buttons for eyes) I even have these garrishly oversized bright colored buttons that she puts on her eyes and calls herself the "Other Laurel." I love that kid, she's so funny. She can make me laugh no matter what is going on. Even in the midst of getting in trouble she can make a funny face and I can't help but laugh. I'm doomed...she has the upperhand and she knows it! In any case, I was able to get Jess' bag finished AND I got to use some great fabric I've been hoarding for just the right project. I was pleased with the outcome...though I'm looking at it right now, and the more I look at it the spookier the eyes look. I can only hope that Jess hasn't seen Coraline...otherwise it might give her nightmares. Hmmm...I didn't think of that.

Personalized Valentines Cards

I've been working more with my card designs so that my paintings have a more marketable platform to stand on. Laurel's Valentines were helpful because it forced me to sit down and play with some new designs, and make some new templates. The final draft of the Valentines are below. I was pleased with the result, and so was Laurel...which of course is vastly more important. I think she was proud to give out the cards that she had worked so hard on with me.



It was also my sister's birthday this week, and not knowing what to buy her I ended up waiting until the last minute. She's got a bit of the artsy bug as well, so I put together a personalized sketch pad, pencils and a tote to fit it all. I was pleased with the design that made it easy to slip the sketch pad in and out, plus kept all the colored pencils organized and easy to get at. She seems to like it, so that made me happy. And of course I took production photos of it and posted it as a gift set.



When I get a chance I'll make one for myself as well. I'm going to modify mine so that it has room for all of adult stuff...no no no...not ADULT stuff, I'm not a porn star. My sister is only 12...so she doesn't yet carry a wallet, keys, phone, etc. Therefore I will need to make a tote that has a compartment for my sketch pad and a place for pencils...since I prefer to have my pad with me at all times (you never know when ideas will strike you); but it will also need to have a place for phone, keys, wallet, etc and still be useful and organized. Plus, I have this incredible handpainted fabric I bought over the weekend and I can't wait to use it on my new bag! I love it so much I want to wear this fabric...and I might if I ever had a chance to make something for myself!

Hoppy Valentine's Day!

Here's the almost final draft of Laurel's Valentines. She painted the sky, the grass, the frog and the heart. She was really excited about the layout. The only thing I need to change is the font and we're ready to print them out for her party.

Ok, so the new store isn't ready to open yet. The "little things" that needed to get done before it opened proved to be much bigger than I thought. I always underestimate the amount of time it's going to take to do all the things I need to do. Maybe that's why I'm always playing catch up in my life. I can't imagine a life when I wasn't always running behind, not prepared, getting ready, etc. What would it be like to just be one of those people who has it all together? That must be sort of relaxing to know that the house is already clean, dinner made, laundry washed, folded and put away, kids bathed and in bed and the orders are filled and ready to ship. That is SO not me. My new schedule is baking at night and sewing in the morning. I try not to let either interfere with my kids so I don't bake until bedtime and I try to be up sewing at 5AM. Of course some mornings 5AM is 6:45AM, and Luke wakes up around 7AM. So it doesn't always work out the way I think it will. But I'd rather be burning the candle at either end then to miss out on hanging out with my kids.
So the recipe line up for Just Us Chickens is slowly getting solidified. There is an inherent learning curve with new grains. Will they taste good, will they look good, do they bake the same? So far so good. The most surprising favorite so far has been the Chicken Feed Shortbread. It's part of the no Gluten line, but it's always nice when a product tastes good enough that you eat it just because you want to, and not just because it's Gluten free. It's almost like a crispy-sweet cornbread. It has a rustic quality that I really enjoy.
At the same time I've been working on more bags for the promotion. I've been having fun doing projects with no purpose. It's allowed me to free up any constraints on colors, shapes, designs, and just have a little fun. Today I played around with some felt flowers and I was pleased with the results of both. I'll post pictures soon.