Hustle and Bustle and Blog What?

So... it's the lovely hustle and bustle of the holiday season.  It seems like just yesterday was Thanksgiving... and here I am 5 shopping days from Christmas and I got nuthin.  I took a pledge to buy handmade and local... guess what... not gonna happen.  I am sure that somewhere it was handmade, but it prolly wasn't local at all!  I have been working on a few things lately, but not alot new in my shop.  I have been playing around with the idea of having a clearance section on my website www.ellajoecouture.com, where when I make one offs that maybe I don't like or something you can get them for a steal if you do like them and need them in the size that they are being offered.  So, keep that in mind and I will be sure to post when I get the page created and items listed.

Sorry it's been so long since I have actually blogged!  I am making a bit of headway in the boutique in New York, however I believe that my sales have been slacking in Texas due to my inability to keep up with everything.  Yes, I am still working on the Spina Bifida onesies.  After how long now?  They have almost all gone out, but not quite.  I still have a whole work area full of them, but I have some packages made and lots are ready to go out, but some of the orders are missing like 1 or 2 shirts due to sizes that aren't available.  Which is becoming a huge pain, because I can't send the order out if it isn't complete.  I don't know who is snatchin up all the sizes I need before I get to the store, but I do know that it needs to stop!!!

I have some more information on techniques that I have used with the Yudu... but I am sure that there will be more on that later... Maybe even later this evening.

New Website! Yee!

Okay... So, a while ago I put up an Alchemy request on Etsy for someone to help me revamp my website.  After lots of offers from free (they even provided me free instructions and their own hand made templates to do it) and other offers into the $$$$ (thousands of dollars) I just kind of let it sit there.  I knew that I needed to spruce it up a bit, but I didn't really know what I was going to do with it.  I mean, the whole point of me even starting a website was so that if someone wanted to know anything about my brand at least I didn't have to worry about a porn site buying my domain name and my customers weren't going to get more than they bargained for.  Someone was gracious enough to give me a copy of FrontPage 2000, which if you didn't know is about the most not nice software to use to create a website!  It is all HTML and guess how much training I had in that?  None.  It was a long and tedious process, but I was at least able to fix my website just to include a link to my etsy shop and then a link to this here lacking blog.

Then my computer went on the fritz.  Actually it just stopped doing anything.  The motherboard... fried.  For whatever reason.... so I had to buy a new one :(  I like it don't get me wrong, but do you know how much energy it takes to get everything on a new computer back to the way you were use to it after you had been adding things to make your computing experience more enjoyable over a 2 year period?  Well, it definitely takes much longer than I wanted to spend.

And then with the loss of my computer, also came the loss of my software to update my website... UGH!  So, I did some research... watched a random marketing video that told me about Weebly.  I already have my domain through GoDaddy.  Well, about 24 hours later, I am soooo excited to tell everyone about my new website www.ellajoecouture.com.  Please feel free to check it out.  It was sooo eaasy to do once I got the hang of things.  Maybe eventually I will even get some of my items up there for sale, but I think at this point having a consolidated place where I sell my wares is going to work out easiest for me.

My new website (www.ellajoecouture.com) (incase you haven't gone there yet, please do and give me your feedback!) even features a place where you can tell me what you want, where as my other one... didn't.  It told you to e-mail me at my yahoo address which, after I got my gmail address, just kind of fell by the wayside :(  Sorry Yahoo but sometimes you don't work so well with my Google Android phone. :(

So, it was easy!  I don't know how hard it is for other people to figure out all of this stuff on their own but for me I know that all of this sort of stuff isn't really my forte.  But anyhoo... please feel free to tell me your thoughts and let me know if you have any ideas or if I missed something on my site!

Turning 30... New York... Oh My!!!

So, on July 23, 2010, I turned 30.  Luckily for me I got to do that in New York.  I am pretty much like the luckiest girl alive.  My boyfriend surprised me with a trip so that I would have something to remember it by... like I needed the help.  But I rang in my new year with a bang in Times Square so at least I will always remember it being a great time and not a depressing one!

So... in New York... I shopped and I shopped and I shopped.  I don't think that I had ever walked so much in my entire life.  My feet hurt horribly and my crowd toleration was about non existant, which made New York the worst place to be sometimes!  But, I sucked it up and perservered!  And, found so many exciting things in all the different fabric shops down there... I can't even explain to you all the wonderful and fun things I found.  But, I did make my fall line out of them :)

Unfortunately, I didn't do much in line for the boys :(  I'm still working on that part.  And, I have been sooo busy getting everything made and lined up that, I haven't even posted any of these to sell on Etsy... or Artfire... or... anywhere for that matter.  Probably something that I am going to try to tackle tomorrow.

I came home with some awesome fabric to make a black and white Ella dress out of.  Super excited about that.

Okay, it's late, and I have to get back on a normal schedule (I really don't even know what one of those are) tomorrow to get my things cranked out and shipped and, I gotta do something to get my traffic back up on my etsy site so... Go there!  www.ellajoecouture.etsy.com

:)

Boys Tuxedo Wedding Onesie

So, I have dubbed this one of my "Wedding" onesies. Who would have ever thought there would be such things? I have noticed that this is quickly becoming my biggest seller basically because, there is just nothing out there that is cute for boys! I feel sorry for them! I have sold sooo many of these cute little tuxedo onesies that I have even suprised myself! They are super cute, and super easy! I just made them for my sister-in-laws sister's twins because there dad was in my little brothers wedding and they were absolutely adorable! Please take a look at my listing in my etsy shop here

Let's give them Something to Blog About...

Actually, will someone give me something? Actually, lots of things going on! My lil' brother is getting married in T-2 days. I am super excited for him, but I also have some more t-shirts for him and his soon to be bride for their honeymoon!  I have been looking for lots of pics to put up of the shirts that I have already made that they wore to one of their bridal showers, but they are all horrible pics... and it's kinda early, and I haven't mastered photo editing software yet... so... you can get the gist of it with this pic...

So... I have to come up with some new things to put on these t-shirts!  They are really basic, they just say Bride and Groom (respectively) with the date 07-10-10 underneath.  I made these with my trusty YuDu... the Brides is made with the YuDu Silver paint.  It's holding up okay, but not great.  I saw her in it the other day and I could tell that it didn't sparkle as much as it did when I first did it, but it was still presentable and if you didn't know what it looked like when it was first made you wouldn't know that anything had changed.  The Groom's I just did in regular white and it still looks the same as it did when I first made it.

So, what else should I put on shirts for them?  Hm... back to work!

 

 

 

 

Hi All! It's been a long long time since I have "Blogged" anything... but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy. But then again that doesn't mean that I have been productive either. So, above are a few pics of onesies that I have been working on. It's all screen printing, and I am still learning how to do it! If you read my previous post regarding all of the supplies that I have purchased and from where to work with the Yudu... THEY ALL WORK GREAT!! Everything is splendid! The emulsion that I have been using... well, it's been about what they say is the "Life" of the product... I think like 45 days... and I don't want to jinx myself, but I am still getting good use out of it. And, it doesn't look like it's gonna go away anytime soon. They say to store it in your fridge... but any room that is usually pretty dark and room temp will be fine. At least that is what I can tell. Also... when it comes to transparencies... AAHHHH!!! Such a pain! Buy them off of the internet where ever I said that I did. I ran out. So, I purchased some from Office Max... total waste! Whatever it is on them that makes them inkjet compatible is showing up as lines in my screen... and, they are the same stinkin price... sheesh! A stupid piece of plastic! Speaking of, I should prolly go and buy myself some more since I am thinking about it.

I don't remember if I have blogged about my new "Rockstar" line or not... if I haven't, you can check it out in my shop at: www.ellajoecouture.etsy.com

Please feel free to well... do whatever you want :)

Not Bad... Not Great... Not Productive! YuDu part 2

Okay, I previously posted about all of these lovely products that I had purchased for my Yudu... basically different paints/inks, emulsion instead of capillary sheets... a different squeegee. I have finally received all of those products. I received the first set from one of the websites that I purchased within 2 days and then I finally had e-mailed the other website letting them know that I had not received even a confirmation of my order and I spent like $100 so I wanted to at least know that I didn't just send that money to joe schmoe somewhere on a beach. So, that afternoon I received an e-mail from them stating that they had shipped my order that day. I have received both of them, but I have just not had the time to start playing as I had wanted. I did burn my first 2 screens today. I first used the capillary film that comes with the Yudu... but I am slightly confused, because they did not send emulsion remover which is what you use to clean the screen, but they sent you enough stuff to make 2 screens... but if you can't clean the first one then how do you make the second? And, they only send you 1 transparancy. That didn't make sense to me either. I want whatever the person that came up with that system was on...

Anyhoo contrary to almost everything I had read about making the screens with the capillary film it wasn't that hard. I burned it right the first time... I think. I did like a practice print on an old tshirt I stole out of my lil' bros old room... Really cute... on the front of a gray shirt is has a ginormous gawdy Tommy Hilfiger logo and on the back it has Ella Joe Couture twice in pink. Sweet. Anyhoo... I had put my logo two different ways on the same screen figuring I could just tape over the one I didn't want to use right? So, after making sure that both came out looking good I went to clean the screen... oh... that is where the headache started. It was not fun. Not fun at all. I don't know what I was doing wrong or anything... but it sucked... so, I flipped the screen over and started trying to get the paint off on that side... well, then the emulsion just started coming off too. So... I had to burn another screen the exact same one mind you because I didn't get anything actually done that I wanted to get done! Ugh!! And, during this process I also went to make a video of what I was doing, and apparently only when I picture lots of people looking at or seeing my video (don't know why... no one reads my blog... blah ha ha!) I freaked out because everything was so dirty because well... I just have crafty crap everywhere... so... not so good!

Anyhoo... that's a bit of a run down on how my first experience with a yudu went. Not bad... not great... not productive.

Yudu? I du... I think. Tips I figured out in the first couple hours of using the Yudu

Okay, now I am not one that usually does alot of research. All of my projects and my creations usually come from my own trial and error. Which is great for things like knowledge but not so great for things like money and time. So, I thought I would share with you what I figured out and found out and then once I get all of my materials in the mail I will take pics and put them up here so you guys can see them and let you know how everything works.

Reading the Yudu reviews was enough to know that the emulsion sheets that it comes with (2) weren't gonna work. All of the reviews talk about people ruining both that the machine comes with and then one person ruined an additional 5 more before getting her 8th to work. Which is all fine and dandy, I mean everything has a learning curve right? But not at $10 a piece. Not to mention that it doesn't even come with the stuff to clean off the screen after you do mess it up. So, if you didn't buy everything with the machine at the same time you bought the machine, you have to stop and go to the store to buy the emulsion remover before you can even try another one! I don't know about you but I do lots of my crafting at night after my daughter goes to sleep. So, it's not like I can just leave and go to the store at 10pm. Which to me would be extremely frustrating!

I started reading up and watching youtube video after youtube video on the Yudu back when I first started wanting one. I figured that if I ever saved enough up to get one I would want to know how to use it immediately... no readin instructions for this chick! But along my Yudu journey I read about the products, the prices, and the pros and cons... and on alot of them the cons... were a big list. Enough of a big list to put it on the backburner of things I was to purchase.

The problems (a condensed list):

1) The good reviews and the only people that would endorse the Yudu products were people that Provocraft supplied the machines for them to write reviews.

2) The squeegee is crap. I honestly don't know, I haven't used mine yet. But, I bought another one here : http://diyteeshirts.com/products/11

3) The emulsion screens... I guess this is where I am even a bit confused. The website diyteeshirts.com claims to have the Yudu Hack. It makes sense to me. And, all of the other videos and everything else I have watched say the same thing... okay, all of the people that actually do screen printing say the same thing. The emulsion paper is easy to ruin and expensive. There is a way to do it yourself and videos are all over the internet on how to do it. But the DIYteeshirts.com people have a kit that you can buy... not sure how much it is, either $65 or $69 and in it is a container of the emulsion and the spreader and the emulsion remover concentrate (enough to make a gallon) and an informative dvd... well... you can buy the same products on the same website minus the spreader and the dvd for $35.00 so I went that route. I got those here: http://diyteeshirts.com/products/6 and here http://diyteeshirts.com/products/36 and I got the spreader thing here: http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/product/SC16

I then purchased the transparencies from DIYteeshirts.com because they are 10 for $11 when from Yudu they are 5 for $11. And, I purchased all of my paints from www.silkscreeningsupplies.com. Because they are the ones... Ryan (he's cute) I believe that had the best videos on youtube and he told me in the videos what he was using and that it was still Yudu compatible. The reason I did not buy the squeege from them is because you buy it by the inch off of there website. Makes sense... but I just need someone to make that kind of decision for me. And the emulsion and emulsion remover... well, that is because they have soooo many different kinds. I didn't know which was right if it even mattered or any of those other questions in between. So... since the other website only had 1 type to choose from and they said that it was Yudu compatible, well... then that made it alot easier for me.

Over all I probably spent an extra $160 in materials. It seems like alot... but I got things like a pint of paint for twice the price of what I would have paid for 6 oz. of Yudu stuff. I shouldn't have to buy new materials to screen print with for a long long long time and even when I do the cost should minimal compared to what I spent at the store on Yudu stuff.

I will let you know when I get everything how it works, what it looks like... where to get it and all of that good stuff. And, who knows... maybe I will put up some Youtube videos of my own! :)

First Craft Show... What to do?

Okay, so my first craft show is this Sunday April 25, 2010. I have no clue what to do. I got 2 card tables that I can use I am pretty sure and I have someone looking into borrowing a 6 foot table for me. I need to borrow my mom's Explorer to fit a table like that... Um... probably the least of my worries! What do I take? I have no idea. It's Tuesday... half way through the day even though I have only been up for 2 hours. Late nights and recovering from the allergy problems has taken it's toll on me. I don't think that I slept a solid 2 hours any night last week because I couldn't breathe. Great. So, now since my daughter is content playing upstairs I am in fact updating my blog instead of sewing.

I have tons of onesies to make. Tons of hairclips to make. Tons of tutus to make... probably not lots of tutus... but so many things on my mind that I want to do and get done. I don't know how I am going to accomplish all of it including making a Sleeping Beauty outfit by Friday...

I also keep coming up with all of these new ideas... started a few last night because I was burnt out on my sewing machine from making a Belle and Snow White costume last week. I got about 2 hours of sewing in and said screw it. I need to do something else!

So... I don't know if anyone reads this... ever... I don't do anything exciting... I think that I got pics up once... and you have any ideas for me to do for my first show... or maybe rather if you have anything that I shouldn't forget to do :) Those comments would be most greatly appreciated!!!!!!! :)

Um... a Bustier Onesie?

So... I get my ideas from things in my wardrobe and things that I see on the morning TV shows. Usually Today has some sort of fashion segment. Which is awesome because I can get the most interesting ideas watching just a 5 minute segment. It's about all my brain can handle really. I get so many random ideas from just watching that 5 minute segment it's amazing! So... now I have in my head a bustier onesie. Now, I know that it is not a cutesy and the idea of exactly a cute onesie should be... but it sounds like fun :)

Also on my plate... Princess dresses. I have to make Belle for my niece Jordin by Saturday. Sleeping Beauty for my 2nd cousin Kyndal by the following Saturday and then I think for my little girl I am going to make Snow White... because she actually has brown hair. So, hopefully I will have some great pics to put up and show you. I am not in any way shape form or fashion using a pattern! I have already tried to make a skirt, and well... instead of a princess skirt it looks more like a princess punk rocker skirt! It's cute don't get me wrong... but not the fairy princess skirt I had in mind!

Okay... It's April 14th... I just realized I haven't done my taxes... Oops! Peace out!

Argyle Onesies Anyone?

 
 
 
 

So, this onesie as well as two others I worked on tirelessly yesterday! But, I like em!

This argyle onesie with the green was just a cotton fabric that I found at Hancocks a month or so ago and loved! I basically cut a large diamond out of it (super easy because the pattern was already on the fabric) (I actually used that fabric to make my other template!) and then like one set of the pattern in I made a fake machine embroidery satin stitch. I mean, it's not fake persay, I did do it on the machine but I did not attach it to the onesie that way! Then a little closer to the edge after heat n' bonding that argyle piece to the onesie where I wanted it I just sewed in the same green thread around it to attach it leaving about 1/5 of an inch on the fabric raw. My hopes is that after this onesie is washed the fabric will fray up a bit and give it a roughened up look to it :) I then took coordinating green embroidery floss and hand embroidered using a back stitch two other argyle pieces to complete the look :)

So, I've Never Been a Blogger...

And, by no means am I claiming to be one now. I think I actually always had so much going on in my life that I thought someone should just write it all down for me... Hm... I dunno. I have actually had several people tell me I should write a book. I got the stories, but I don't got the skill. But, I have recently (yesterday) started looking at other peoples blogs and the content and they are sooooo elaborate and there is so much to look at and so many places to wander from them... Holy crap! As soon as I start to figure one thing out you mean that I have to learn something else? No wonder I feel like I am treading water all the time! Good grief! But, also no wonder my blog gets no traffic... well, that and my general lack of topics to write about and interesting things to talk about... and... well, we could go on and on, but shouldn't I be spending this time to try to figure some of this stuff out? Yea... I'll go do that!

Blah Hah Hah Embroidery!

This blog is a recant if you will of the blog I posted previously today... Um... embroidery looks fun. I think I'm gonna give it a try... even if it is old and boring as I previously stated.

BERNINA and VIKING/HUSQVARNA Universal Foot Attachments!

I am posting this because it is information that I wish I could have found on the internet!  And, it's something that took me over an hour in a store to find out.

I bought a $20 some odd dollar ruffler foot to attach to either a BERNINA machine or a VIKING/HUSQVARNA machine, they have two kinds available... either a slant shank foot attachment or a low shank foot attachment.  Although every single tutorial I saw said that you should be able to use the attachment on a VINKING/HUSQVARNA, I infact could not.  I believe that I bought the slant skank first and then when it didn't work for either machine I went and bought the low shank one.  I couldn't get either to work on the VIKING/HUSQVARNA at all.  Don't know why... nothing lined up appropiately despite all of the tutorials I had seen that stated otherwise!

I had given up and packed up the low shank ruffler foot attachment to take back to the store.  But my first stop was the BERNINA store to see what they had in a form of a ruffler foot.  They didn't... apparently everyone else wants one too!  They were on back order with no date in sight as to when the store would actually be receiving them.  And, in fact, I was the 3rd person that day (it was only 10am!) to come into the store looking for one.  Looks like I was a bit slow huh?  So, I get there and the lady at the store was soooo nice!  She showed me many numerous ways to create ruffles without a ruffler foot... so many ways... but I wouldn't be able to repeat any of those!  Or tell you them!  Sorry, I didn't retain any of that info, because it simply was not what I was looking for!  So, I was about to have her put my name on the contact list for the ruffler foot... oh yea, did I mention that it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $110?  Yea... insane!  It would be cheaper for me to go and buy just a cheap machine with the cheap ruffler foot I had bought and only use it for that than to buy one that I would have to take on and off all the time... blah blah blah... until I told the nice lady at the BERNINA store that I had already bought a Universal (that's the word I was looking for... not generic) Ruffler Foot but it was for a low shank machine and I couldn't get it to work... AHA!!  The reason that it wouldn't work is because BERNINA's are HIGH shank machines... however they do make low shank attachments that you can purchase for $13.82.  Yea... Um... can I get one of those please?  I brought it home... put it on and installed the ruffler foot all in about oh... 5 minutes... We won't talk about the hours and hours I had spent on the two machines combined trying to get one to work... but anyhoo... that is what you need.  A low shank universal foot and a low shank attachment if you have a BERNINA!  Good luck to you!  And if you need anymore information feel free to post/ask I check this thing... alot.

I am Tired!

So, how is it that after 18 hour days I am soooo tired, and everynight I say to myself, Jen... you are going to bed at 10PM tonight... and then I look at the clock an hour and a half later still not fully convinced I did anything worth while so tired and tell myself I am going to go to bed... and I don't... then I start typing away in a blog, because I am convinced that it is yet another thing that I have neglected.  Anyone else have days like that?  I wonder if anyone has ever actually even read this?  Probably not, it's just alot of rantings anyways.  Once I do a tutorial or something, then I will feel that it is important enough for me to publicize to the world that I have created this magnificent masterpiece... but until then, it's just my rantings.

So, am I the only one that has the problem with going to the store to buy one item and then walking out with 10 projects in mind?  I know that I am not, I know that this sort of thing happens to everyone all the time, but how do you harnass that creative energy and actually find the time to accomplish all of these great ideas before you go to the store the next day only to purchase many many more things for completely different projects?  I am still working on learning to control my urges and my impulse buys and writting them down to figure out if I do infact need those items to make my name in the baby boutique clothing world!  Because chances are I won't.

Does anyone else wonder when they will finally make that one thing that everyone looks at and goes... "Holy Crap... I gotta have that"... "And, everyone else I know needs one too!"... I know that I wonder that.  Alot.  I don't know if that time will ever come for me.  I think that I will be happy making all the other things and paving the road to that time... :)

Oh yea, I don't think that I have talked about my Punka Dot Onesie at all... it's totally cute.  Check it out if you get a chance... or just check out my Etsy shop as a whole... I would greatly appreciate it :)  I even added a boy tuxedo onesie on there today... a little slow to getting it listed.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44033910 - Punka Dots

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44258999 - Tux

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EllaJoeCouture - My Etsy Shop

I am also on Zibbet at www.zibbet.com/EllaJoeCouture

And, right now I have a few items that are listed auction style at eBay just search "Ella Joe Couture"

Night all... only almost 2 hours past my bedtime... time to put a movie in... :)  Sleep tight!

Ah... It's Friday...

So, I am sure that if other artisans are trying to sell their wares on the internet that just because it's Friday doesn't mean that it's the weekend!  I always have a plethora of work to be done!  Weather I am concocting new designs or listing the ones I concocted 2 weeks ago but never did anything else with!!! (Including taking pictures)  .  So my question is... does the personal time come when you are watching your kids playing outside on a gorgeous day?  Does it come only when you are sleeping or showering or eating?  I don't get a weekend.  If I didn't have a church schedule I would probably forget what day of the week it was most times!!  So, how do you schedule in personal time while you are working so hard to get all of the things done?

All the Ins and Outs of Online... LIFE!

I know, it's been a while since I have posted anything on here. Um... I don't think that anyone is reading it anyways, so it doesn't really matter. I often contemplate if I should be doing any kind of writting because it is definitely not my forte. I don't think that I should, but everything I read online, which isn't alot, because let's face it I DON'T HAVE TIME says that it's necessary. You need to make tutorials and tell people about what you do all day long every day. Well, I don't know how much I agree with that, but I do agree that I need to spend a little bit more time working on my "online presence" than I have been. So, here is my attempt at it...

Um... last night I was talking about the equipment that I use in making my onesies... I was trying to install a ruffler foot. Um... not fun. My boyfriend just about got to see a side of me that isn't appropriate for anyone to see. But I restrained (what fun is that?). But I was talking to him about how embarassing it was that I don't have the first clue about making videos and posting them (probably because the only video camera I have is my phone). I think that I graduated HS before that part of everything was taught. And then was in college not learning anything (not entirely true) but was absorbed in that in stead of playing on the internet and learning about such things... So, I have lots of catching up to do.

Today I am trying to spend almost all day on the computer (except for when I have to go and return the ruffler foot that does NOT fit on either of my sewing machine). I know that I can't accomplish everything in one day, but my hopes are that if I get most of my ducks in a row it will come eventually. Baby steps right? Well, right now I feel like I need to be making GIANT leaps! Any tips that anyone has regarding blogging, twittering, online networking... that I haven't already read and tried to implement in someway (in my head)... would be more than greatly appreciated!

How is it that I feel that I am about 5 years behind everyone else in regards to creating my online presence? I wish I would have started this a long long long long time ago! Hopefully the term "Better Late than Never" applies here...

Blogging Day Two

So, for those of you that don't know me, I am a single mom. I was always raised with the desire to be a stay at home mom so that I could watch my children grow. I was also raised with the belief that the "man" of the house would be the provider. Well, all grown up (for practical purposes, but really... far from it) and a child of my own, I need to find a way to do this on my own. So, I started making baby clothes. My first go about it was more successful and I just did the basics. Very plain eBay listings and my stuff was flying off of the shelves! Now, my items have evolved and my creativity has expanded and my sales... well, not so much.

This is my way of tracking what I am doing from day to day to make sure that I remember that my time was not in vain.

Today I have been working on my website... check it out www.ellajoecouture.com. It has some of my tutus that I haven't listed on Etsy and it will eventually have my hairclips that I want to offer on there as well... But mainly I am letting people know my Etsy store is updated daily. Well, as long as everything goes well! My goal is to add a new item every day!

Ella today has been offered crayons outside of the bathtub for the first time. She is having a blast standing at the table with one in each hand blowing bubbles and waving them around and I am having a blast being able to watch it!

How Quickly Time Flies!!

So, as I spend my days playing with my daughter and using her as my muse and also entertaining my adorable but sometimes repetitive niece I am trying to find my niche in the handmade world of baby clothes. This seems to me to be an easy task. I always receive compliments on my creations. I love simple things that turn ordinary boring onesies into conversation pieces. And, my goal is to bring those to the general public for a nominal price. But I am having to learn how to market myself. And, with no formal experience to speak of I am out there trying just about everything... except Twitter. I just don't understand Twitter!

I have had some experience with sites such as eBay however this time around (I started making and selling my creations when I was on maternity leave with my daughter approximately a year ago, however I did not have the time to keep up with it and work full time and devote the time to Ella, so it kind of went by the wayside) I am casting my lot on a different site. Etsy. For anyone that does not know what Etsy is, neither did I. Turns out that Etsy is specifically a site for Handmade Creations, Vintage Goods and Crafting Supplies. And, an amazing site at that. I have never seen such adorable things. And, it's awesome to know that I can have a one of a kind that was not mass produced... but instead made specifically for me. It works the other way too... I love knowing that I can make custom creations specifically for my customers!

Which is why I am going to start blogging. I want my customers ideas to become my creations. I want to see your wants met with my creativity to see what comes out of it! I encourage you to check back frequently to see what all is new and where my customers requests have taken my journey thus far!