White T-Shirt Project: Green Net Design

Another refashion of sorts, last year I bought a package of men's white t-shirts. I had envisioned refashioning them into comfy tees. Well I only did two and they didn't turn out that great so I stopped. Ah quitter! Well, I am determined to finish it out and redo/help my first attempts.

I wanted my first one to be kind of graffiti inspired. I don't know why, I just did. So I got out the green and yellow fabric paints, some polyester mesh fabric, sponge brushes for stenciling, a paper bag to insert into the shirt and a garbage bag to cover the table. I put something inspiring on the tv, this documentary about models* from netflix and got creating. I put the mesh netting over the shirt and dabbed the brush over it creating a textured effect. By watering down the paint I got the splotchy areas. It was totally trial and error folks. I am no perfectionist. It just evolved. What a creative way to describe it, right?Anyway, I really like the way it turned out. After painting, drying and heat setting, I cuffed and sewed the sleeves to make them shorter. The best thing is these tees are super comfy and no need to layer which is already welcome in this humid place. *documentary was only okay, an interesting look at the inside of a model's life. not as glamorous as you might think.

Refashion: Huge Green Blouse

Happy Memorial Day! Since Steve is home during the day of late we're not really doing anything special. I hope you are though like eating hamburgers and playing in parks and maybe even camping.

So I have been a super busy little sewer lately and have a bunch of cool stuff to share. This week is going to be full of refashions and projects galore. I went to the only really redeemable thrift store in Athens last week and found 4 items that had tons of potential and needed a little bit of love. I am thrilled as adding any new item to your wardrobe really spices it up let alone FOUR! So the first one was this shirt.
It had the following things going for it:
1. The color is great. Bold and green, I don't have a lot of green.
2. The fabric is lightweight for the upcoming summer months
3. The fabric is supposed to be wrinkled which means no ironing
4. I love the button detailing and elasticy waist
5. It was $2
6. It was so large I didn't even have to try it on which is a pro because Henry waits for no one these days

Things not going for it:
1. Its HUGE

So I brought it home, washed it and got to work. I immediately took it in about 5 inches on each side, following the seams on the inside as a guide. I shortened the sleeves and the hemline.
Henry happily ran around the house wearing the extra fabric as a scarf/beauty queen sash. I later turned that extra fabric into a neck ruffle. And another fabulous thing happened this week in my life: CLEAR THREAD is a REVELATION! Love it, so convenient.
So what do you think? I know the pose is super bad, Henry insisted on being in the shot but we had to rush to get one before church since I knew after church I would be a sweaty mess (again, Henry waits for no one especially during R.S when he tries to play the piano!)
I love it and I think it will look even better with jeans and shorts than it did with a skirt. I have to admit my styling wasn't totally on point. But it also looks good belted since we know how much I love belts. Anyway, stay tuned for more this week.

More Charleston

Too many picture for just one post. I could have taken a thousand pictures of the iron work alone. Dreaming of living a Southern Antebellum life. Sigh.

Steve just told me that Antebellum life means slavery and life before the war. I would like to edit my statement to I am dreaming of a posh life.

Pin-teresting

Yes, I did it. I finally got on board with pinning at Pinterest and I am addicted. I even have Steve doing it. So if you want an invite, because I had to wait like 2 weeks for mine through the site, let me know in the comments with your email address. First four get one since I already sent one to Steven.
Don't know what it is? Well, it is another way to waste time online. No. Its a great way to catalog ideas and cool things you find around the web. Its only a waste of time if it consumes your life. I'm sure I'll abandon it in a few months when I get tired of it.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Etsy Advice: Keeping it Real(istic)

I know we shouldn't compare ourselves with others but it sure is hard not too. Well, this is both going to be a help and a hurt to you in the etsy world.

Since you've now probably been spending some time looking around etsy not only to see how your intended category looks but to get ideas on great photography branding etc, it is going to become obvious that some sellers are doing great and others aren't. I thought I would take a moment to express some thoughts on success before we get under way with more shop tips.

When I first started I had these immense visions of becoming a success overnight. Everyone would be buying my pillows, I would be sending them all over the world. I would become renowned enough to be in magazines and maybe get picked up by some design studio. Okay so maybe these were just day dreams... I did however think I would do well. Crossing my fingers I could quit the desk job I hated to do something I loved. I would see some shops doing so well, literally thousands of orders. How are they doing it?

So first we should think about what kind of success you can expect. Now why are we going to do this? Because it will help you assess your goals for your shop not someone else's. This is all about YOU. So if you are thinking you might spend a casual amount of time on this business or just want to do this for a hobby that's great. If you want to really focus a lot of time and go forward full speed ahead then that's another option all together. Honestly unless you have something that is so on trend and have amazing price points then you can get away with spending less time on this and finding success but mostly, the amount of time invested = how much success you'll have.

Even still I notice that when I am spending 15-20 hours a week on etsy I do way better than when I just kind of slack off. Now I don't want this to sound discouraging. In fact, its great to have this perspective because you can gauge your own level of success. If you want to do this because you love making aprons and have developed a cute pattern and need something to do during nap time that will give you a completely different experience then if you are doing this full time because you need the money. You see what I mean? From personal experience, I love what I do. I love that I can use my extra time to develop this hobby that is self-sustaining while providing a little extra money for my family. To me, I have given up being a 1000's of sales girl because I don't have the time (or space in our apartment) to make it that far yet. But I still see myself as a success because I have found something that works for me. Also, knowing that I still have room to grow and am always surrounded by inspiration is another success moment for me too.

But I do have some insider tips and observations. So in case you are looking around etsy feeling discouraged about your low numbers you can cheer yourself up.
1. Shops with lots and lots of sales, check out the date their shop opened. Its probably been open for years.
2. Look at their price points. Some of the items might be lower cost items which would figure for more sales. Recently I did a craft show with a friend and her products were priced around $5-7. So she was selling items left and right while I had nothing. Then I sold one item and it was $15. So again, not comparing but it is something to consider.
3. Does the shop have items that can be reproduced over and over again? Like PDF patterns or art prints? I'm not saying that those people don't spend a lot of time and effort on their wares but it is often a factor.
4. Lots of established shops have staff. Its not just one woman in her living room working away into the night while the kids sleep. Lots of shops employ interns, husbands or are co-ran.

So to sum up. Lets be realistic every once in awhile. Just come up with how you want to be successful and work towards those goals not someone else's.

What's been going on here recently

I haven't done one of these in awhile with our little day to day things so here we go. I was laying in bed thinking about it last night and decided to postpone my etsy advice blog until tomorrow. So stay tuned, more advice coming your way Friday.

-Steve is taking the "Maymester" which is a sprint of a course in 4-5 weeks. He has one class and it is from 5:00-7:45 each night. Its really nice having him around during the day. He even lets me run errands without Henry which is almost vacation-like. On Tuesday I went to Hobby Lobby, Target and grocery shopping alone for two hours. I am going to get way spoiled if I don't keep this in check.-I am reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and I am loving it. If you are in need of a read, this is highly recommended so far. (But I am only half way through so if the last half sucks its not my fault, I don't think it will though.)

-I am very happy Boston Rob won Survivor.

-About three months ago, my neighbor Joy saw some people throwing a metal storage shelving unit in the dumpster and called me to go get it. Free shelving? Yes, please. So we hauled it to my front porch where it sat for three months. I finally got off my butt and ordered the missing shelf sleeves and now we have a semblance of organization in our deck storage shed. So now if I need the Christmas lights I won't be depressed about having to take everything out of the shed to get them.

-While organizing the shed, I finally went through all Henry's old clothes and sorted by size and pitched some. While doing, I found a whole stack of clothes he can still wear. Since he is kind of small for his age, he can still fit in 12 month stuff way better then the 18 month stuff that drowns him. Hooray for 7 new pairs of shorts! And speaking of shorts, I found a pair for me too that accidentally got packed away with my maternity clothes.

-On Monday Henry had his first official boo boo. He was walking and tripped and started wailing. I picked him up and he put his face on my shoulder. Well when he lifted his head, my shoulder was wet with blood (and drool and snot). It was kind of freaky. He had cut his lip on his two teeth something I have been waiting for since he started walking. We applied pressure and let him suck on a wet paper towel and then a frozen teething thing and he was fine. My shirt is fine too as I "shouted it out" immediately.

Okay that's all for now. Hope you're all doing well.

Loungewear Dressed Up

When I am thrift store shopping I am always on the look out for things with potential. Often a particular print or fabric will stick out to me and I have to have it. Approaching the register, Steve gives me a doubtful look. Really? You want to buy that red and grey mumu?

But with a little elbow grease, hemming of the sleeves and skirt, nipping in the waist and the right accessories. A fab ikat dress for $7*. Bring on summer.

*Seven dollars is kind of steep for thrift store clothing. I usually aim way lower.

Charleston: Angel Oak

Heading out of town on Thursday we detoured to see the Angel Oak. It is estimated to be 1500 years old making it the oldest known living thing east of the Rockies. I thought it was pretty amazing. Henry liked the blanket of leaves beneath it. Isn't it crazy how small he is in comparison? This was worth seeing if you are going to Charleston anytime soon. Thanks for the tip, Celia!

Charleston: Aquarium & Beach

Day two in Charleston brought unexpected thunderstorms so we nixed going to Fort Sumpter and went to the Aquarium instead. It was a great choice as Henry could run around everywhere and finally tired himself out enough to fall asleep in his stroller. We touched stingrays and anemones, saw Alabaster the albino alligator and watched otters play in the water. Henry loved looking at all the different tanks and playing in the toy areas they had for kids. And as we were leaving someone pointed out a pod of dolphins in the river.
After picnic lunching we went back to the hotel to change into beach gear. Since the sun came out, we had planned on being at the beach all afternoon. Well guess who was afraid of the ocean? That's right, Henry. He wouldn't even get close to it and then when he accidentally got wet he would run sand all over his face so he was one slobbery-boogery-sandy mess. So we only stayed for an hour. At least we can say that all of us have been in the Atlantic Ocean now. It still counts if he was screaming the whole time, right?
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the hotel, eating dinner and milkshakes at Chik-fil-A and then driving around Charleston as the sun set. Luckily Henry fell asleep in the car and we just lifted him into his bed. Staying in a hotel with a small child is not fun but it was worth it.

Charleston: Downtown/Waterfront Park

Since Steve had one week off from school, I seized the opportunity and booked us a vacation to Charleston, SC. It was nice to escape from Athens and spend some quality time together as a family. And at only 4 hours away, it sure beats Vegas which was our standard long weekend trip while living in Utah.
We drove straight into downtown after lunching picnic style on the Town Hall lawn in Reeseville. Our hotel check in time was 3:00 so we spent a few hours exploring downtown Charleston. We parked right on the water lucking out with free parking for the day. The weather was perfect, warm but very breezy. I should have had the foresight to pin my bangs but I think you'll forgive if not just enjoy my laughable hair in these pictures. We wandered through Waterfront Park where Henry got his wiggles out from the long car ride and found lots of fun sticks to carry and dogs to pet. The neighborhood was full of drool worthy homes that seriously left me agog. Most of them have little plaques that give historical details and dates. I couldn't believe how old they were! Of course, renovated but still. Amazing. We had fun posing on cannons and cannon balls. Then we headed up through the city, walking and taking it all in. It was getting warm but there was plenty to see and lots of shade. We didn't do a tour but eavesdropped on lots of them as they passed us by. I have to admit Charleston brought out my inner voyeurism. All I wanted to do was peek in windows and into gardens. It was pretty bad. We also opted not to tour any old homes as it is pricey and we think would have spoiled my dreams of the splendors within. We walked through the Market which is full of artisans, nothing really to our taste but the buildings were original market stalls for produce, machinery and slaves. After that we headed back to the car, checked into our hotel, ate a sub-par pizza dinner and then tried to get Henry to fall asleep while watching tv. Oh how I miss tv!
Overall, Henry was decent on the trip. The messed up sleep schedule did not help and neither did us all sleeping in the same room. But he got through and was generally a good sport.