Mamas*Little*Treasures

What's Up With Your Wardrobe?

Every morning you stumble to the closet, take a peek inside at the jumbled, crumpled, and disorganized mess, and then you wander away mumbling something about "not having anything to wear." We all do it at one time or another. Of course, some of us are so organized and in control of everything in our lives, including our wardrobes, that perhaps this little scenario doesn't play out in YOUR home very often, but as women we all have days when we just don't feel "good" about our clothing. For others, it just might be that we no longer even take that peek into our closet, because now that we work from home, we can just work in our jammies all day! That's fun for awhile, but eventually we all have to get dressed sometime!

There are lots of reasons that we go through this little ritual. It could be that you've gained weight or lost weight; maybe you just don't have the money to go out and buy new clothes to fit your realigned body. Perhaps you have accumulated so much "stuff'" in your closet over the years, that you just can't wade through all of it to find something that still fits, that you like, and just happens to be the right season. It is also possible that, if you are anything like me, you have worn your "favorites" until they are threadbare, and you just don't want to invest the time or money looking for something else that will be your next "favorite." But in the end, those of us who struggle with this frequent drama, know that it can be a real discouragement, trying to get dressed so that you feel good, look nice, and have the confidence to face the day.

 
If you are in the midst of the "mid-winter blues," one thing that will bring back a spring in your step and a bit of hope in your heart, is to update your wardrobe. But NOT by going out and racking up a huge debt on your credit card or busting your budget! The inspiration behind my little Etsy shop, "Tatters to Treasures," was this very situation. And since I have spent my entire life shopping in "thrift shops," it was just natural for me to find some great deals and then share them with my customers. I grew up wearing "hand-me-downs" from friends and neighbors (and even strangers sometimes, too!), and then as a teen-ager I had great fun sewing my own clothes, or fixing up a "new" dress that I had found at the thrift shop. I remember my mama telling me about the sweet little coat that she made for me when I was just a tiny girl . . . . . she bought a ladies large coat for 25 cents, cut it apart and used the fabric to make me a winter coat!

 
As a mom, I frequently would take thrift store garments and "recreate" them for myself and my children. Of course, I'm not sure they appreciated all of that at the time, but now they realize that when there isn't enough money to go around for everyone to have everything brand-new, this was one way of covering all those pesky bases that mamas need are responsible for! Now, my little girls love to go to the thrift store and we find all kinds of amazing items! My theory is, "Why go to the mall and pay $120 for a dress that I can buy at the thrift store for $5.00?" Of course, I may not always find the PERFECT outfit in my size . . . . but it definitely leaves room for lots of creativity!

And so, out of my love of all things vintage, and my life-long interest in "upcycling" and "recreating" clothing, I've built a small online business offering vintage, "Almost Vintage," and hand-embellished, upcycled, and recreated garments, shoes, and accessories. I hope you will stop by my little Etsy shop, "Tatters to Treasures," and see some of my newest creations. Thank you for your interest in "Tatters to Treasures," and please be sure to email me if you have a custom order you would like to discuss.

Nina @ Tatters to Treasures

www.tatterstotreasures.etsy.com 

Angel Journal To Make for Mother's Day

This was a custom order but I wanted to share it with you in case you are thinking of making something special for a Mother's Day gift.  These crazy patch journals are fun, easy, and can be as elaborately embellished or as elegantly simple as you want to make them.  I've already sent out lots of the eBooks for making these crazy patch journal covers, but if you want a copy of it just leave me a comment.  I'll be working on several more in the next few weeks, so when they are finished I'll post pictures of them right here for you to see.  They will also be available in my Etsy shop if you would like to purchase one, but really they are great fun to make.  No two are exactly alike, so this is a unique gift that will be treasured by the recipient.  You might even want to make one for yourself! 

Don't forget that there is a FREE quilt project tutorial on the Ruby blog.  It is an appliqued bookmarker and all the instructions and templates are right there for you to print off and make your very own Berry Berry Bookmarker, designed by Rochelle Martin of Cottage Quilt Designs. 

And then, you will want to get the next issue of Ruby for Women because Rochelle will be starting the first block in the "Gardener's Delight" quilt project.  It will consist of eight different blocks, with all instructions available in the next eight issues of Ruby for Women.  When you finish this project, it will make a gorgeous throw or wall hanging for your home.  Oh, and one more thing . . . we now have a Facebook Fan Page for Ruby for Women.  Stop by and join our fan club and we'll keep you up-to-date on all of the exciting events going on at Ruby for Women!

Crazy Patch Journal Cover eBooks are going out today!

Just a quick update on my progress with the Crazy Patch Journal Cover eBook . . . I finished it up last night and will be sending it out to everyone who has requested a copy.  If you are interested and haven't left me a comment yet, just pop into the comment section and leave me a note.  I'll try to get them all out yet today, but I have to go to school for Valentine's Day parties this afternoon, so we'll see how far I get with my emailing project.  If not today, I promise to get them out tomorrow   ;o)   I'm working on a tutorial for next week on making ruffles by using a lightweight cord and zig-zag stitch.  That was requested by one of my readers, and I promised her I would post that next week, so be watching for it!  Also, you won't want to miss the next eBook that's coming out!  It will have instructions on making a darling little wallhanging for a child's room . .. . but it could actually be used to make a sophisticated and clever wallhanging for your own room, if you want to be adventurous   ;o)   Hope to hear from you soon, and be sure to check back next week.  ~~  Nina

Back to the Writing Desk: Want to Make One of These?

Now that I've had a couple of days to express myself a little bit    ;o)  (controversy is always good for generating traffic!) . . . . I'm ready to return to writing my eBooks.  Several of them, in fact, are in the works.  The first one I've committed to finishing up is the Crazy Patch Journal Cover.  It's really simple, fun, and can be as creative as you want it to be.  And the best part is that you can use up some of those scraps of fabric, ribbon, lace, braid, beads, and buttons that we all have stashed in a drawer somewhere in our house.  Yes, I really do have a couple of "junk" drawers where I toss the stuff that I don't know what else to do with. 

These journal covers can also be made any size you want. So, for instance, one of the things that I am planning to do (along with about 10 million other things!) is to make covers for my girls' scrapbooks.  I have been scrapbooking for several years, and the books that I originally bought when I started are the kind that are really very nice but the covers are rather boring    ;o)   At first I thought I would just use the same color scrapbook for each kid, including my older kids.  I ran out of colors.  And then as I went along and added more books to each child's collection, I could no longer find exactly the same book. So they didn't match anyway.  Why bother??? 

But if I make a cover for each of the scrapbooks, even though they won't be exactly the same, I can do a couple of things to easily identify them.  I could just color coordinate them, which was my original plan, but this time I would be able to make sure that whatever color combination I choose can be duplicated.  I wouldn't need to use all the same fabrics, but if I choose red, white, and blue for my youngest son's scrapbooks, then no matter how many books I eventually fill (you know, wedding, first baby, second baby, third baby . . . . . ), I can always choose a combination of fabrics that are red, white, and blue.  The other thing that I might do is to applique each child's name on their books.  Or perhaps kind of a combination:  matching color combinations, with the child's initial on each book.  We'll think about that. 

The original reason these Crazy Patch Journal Covers were created was in response to a journal swap that I participated in a couple of years ago.  The stated goal of this journal swap was to be as creative as you wanted to be, and incorporate a bit of "yourself" into the journal that you would be sending to your swap partner.  As I thought about how I could do that, it occured to me that, since my particular artistic focus is typically fiber art / quilting, making a cover for a journal would allow me the opportunity to do what I love and share it with someone else. 

This technique would work for covering any book that you love.  It would work for a Bible cover, or an art journal, or a treasured childhood book that might be showing signs of dilapidation.  If you are a very organized person and use a daytimer, when the original cover starts to wear out you could either spend another $30.00 on one of those fancy ones, or just re-cover the one you already have, and pop in a new package of paper, and there you are! Going green and being frugal all at the same time.  Maybe I should make a cover for my ancient Betty Crocker Cookbook. . . I love to use that thing (when I get around to cooking), but it really is starting to fall apart after so many years. 

So, here's the deal:  if you are interested in this eBook, I will send it to you FREE during the month of February as a Valentine's gift from me to you   ;o)  All you have to do is leave me a comment and I will send it out to you as soon as it is finished (probably next week).  Beginning on March 1, though, I will be listing it in my little Etsy shop and sending it out to other websites where it will be for sale.  So if you want to get it for FREE you need to leave me a comment anytime until the end of this month.  I've had several requests for this eBook so I'm doing my best to keep up with whatever you all are wanting to make!  Email me your ideas, suggestions, and questions and I'll try to post them right here so we can share the fun of creative discovery!  Have a great Thursday and be sure to take care of yourself . .. . we need you around here!    ~~  Nina

      

More Monday Projects: Sweet Sachet Pillows

How is it that a week can just fly right by and I didn't even see it?  This past couple of weeks have been filled with so many other demands on my time that I barely remember the fleeting moments since last Monday.  Oh well, it's Monday again   ;o)  and here I am, trying to catch my breath and get back to doing what I love.  Here in my little Cyber Corner of the World I can share all of my creative projects and ideas, as well as tell you all about the fun things that are going on.  For today, however, I'll just share a couple of things with you . . . . here are the sweet sachet pillows that I'm making for Valentine's Day.  These are for the Eclectic Artisans Team Valentine's Challenge. 

I've been wanting to make some of these ever since Grandma brought us a couple of these wonderful warming pillows that are filled with dry corn.  On these bitterly cold, frosty nights, it really warms up your toes if you take one of these (very practical) little bags of corn, pop it into the microwave for about 3 - 4 minutes and then put it in your bed down by your frozen piggies   ;o)   Warms you right up! 

Well, I thought how fun it would be to make something similar, but a bit more feminine (of course!) that could be used for those of us who sometimes experience migraine headaches.  These pretty little sachet pillows are filled with rice, so they work the same way as the corn does, but the rice doesn't have that homey, cornbread smell.  Which is not a BAD smell, it's just that I thought I could use rice and then add some sachet beads to make the pillows smell really nice.  Kind of like aromatherapy in a bag! 

So, I experimented with several different designs, and I have many more ideas in my head (as usual!), but here are the first three that I made.  I wanted to make a simple pillow that could be used without the little pillow case, but also have the pretty covering so that these pretty pillows could be kept out on your bed or dresser. 

The plan is to make one of these for each of my daughters with their initial on them to make it more personalized.  These are great for warming up and placing on your forehead when you have a headache . . . . I especially use mine with a sinus headache.  Just one  more fun way to make the world a more beautiful place!  I'll post the tutorial later this week,  so please stop back soon because I have lots more news to share with you about new eBooks, tutorials, and even an eZine project that you could get involved with if you want to.  Hopefully this week will slow down so that I can at least remember what happens   ;o)   Chat tomorrow, N

Who's got time to make a list?!?!

OK so Mondays are the day to get my week organized.  Write up my TO DO list so I don't forget anything.  But here it is already Tuesday morning, and I haven't even had time to make the list!  What do you do when you think your day is going to go one way, and then all of a sudden, the phone rings and everything changes?  At least I've learned to roll with whatever comes my way, but still . . .

So today I am trying to finish up the things that needed to be done YESTERDAY as well as try to tackle a few of those things that are calling to me TODAY.  And the first thing I am going to do, is MAKE MY LIST   ;o)  I've decided that if I start the list here (kind of like I did two weeks ago), BUT I keep it posted and update it weekly, or daily, or whenever I actually accomplish something.  I really hope that I can accomplish SOMETHING today! 

I have been having so much fun this month, with my big kids coming to visit the first two weekends of the month.  And tonight we are driving to the airport to pick up a cousin who is traveling from British Columbia to stay for a week.  Well . .. ..consequently, it will be AT LEAST next week before I can return to anything resembling a schedule.  But I'm having fun!   So I will try to be realistic with my expectations, but I still need to maintain some level of focus.  You know how it is to run a small business; if you blink your eyes twice or get the flu, or have house guests for a week, suddenly everyone forgets you are out here.  No worries, because whenever we jump back into the business of running a business, it doesn't take long to re-connect with all of our friends.  I'll soon be off to tackle a couple of these projects, but here goes:

JANUARY

1.Update my online shops -

*  Posted eight new listings in my Etsy shop yesterday 

2.  Write two new eBooks 

*  Finished the "Mommy and Me" apron eBook 

*  Edited photos for the Crazy Patch Journal Cover eBook 

3.  Submit eBooks to new sites  

*  Set up new account at Cotton Spice ePattern Shop  

4.  Set-up business plan / marketing / inventory / invoices, etc 

*  Bought a new binder with dividers   ;o)  

5.  Design two new children's garments for 'tween collection  

*  Made two sketches  

6.  Research availability of information available for creating patterns for children 

*  Checked Amazon and only found one book on creating patterns for children, and it was written in 1951.

There . . . . . now I am going to try to get something finished up (like the laundry and pay the bills!) before I have to go to the airport.  My goal is to continue to update this list and see how much progress I can make this month.  The problem might be that I will actually ADD new goals before I can finish the original ones.  But that's life, I guess.  If I ran out of things to do, I might just sit around and watch TV all day.  Probably not!  Have a great Tuesday, and remember to share your weekly plans and goals and share a link with me.  I'll try to visit you and see what you're up to - uh-oh, there's one more thing to add to my list.  See?  

PS these photos are of a few of the new listings in my Etsy shop . . . . vintage treasures for frugal mamas!

 

Imelda's Closet: Shoes are taking over my world!

In previous blog posts, I've made reference to my "thing" with shoes.  And since I'm not qualified to psychoanalyze myself, I decided that I probably have all of these shoes because I rarely had nice shoes as a little girl.  Who knows . . . . I'm sure there are millions of women who have always had beautiful shoes, and still have closets full of them as adults.  Whatever the reason, I absolutely LOVE shoes and I have found that when I embellish a pair of shoes with buttons, beads, and lace, I usually sell them   ;o)   Especially the beaded bridal shoes!  They have received quite a bit of attention wherever I post pictures of them, and I've made several custom orders for brides who want a pair of these beautiful shoes for their wedding. 

 So, even though I rarely actually wear a pair of fancy shoes (working here at home, and all), I do have a closet full of gorgeous shoes, most of them already embellished, but many are also waiting for my next surge of creativity.  This week on the Eclectic Artisans Etsy Team, our theme for the blog ring is "How Do You Store Your Inventory."  Here are a few pictures of some of my current inventory, as well as some of the shoes that need to be transformed through my creative magic!  Many of my artistic endeavors also include vintage clothing that are hand-embellished with ruffles, buttons, flowers, beads, lace, ribbons, and anything else I find that could turn an ordinary skirt or jacket into a vibrant, unique object of wearable art. 

Although we now live in a fairly small cottage by a lake, I do have a room of my own (didn't somebody write a book by that title???), which also has a tiny closet that I use to store my embellished and vintage items that are available in my Etsy shop.  There is also an old, well-worn cupboard that I now use to store most of my embellished shoes while I am trying to decide what to do to dress them up.  There are also hand-embellished purses, as well as a few hand-decorated art journals in there . . . . but mostly it is shoes.  In one basket I have several hand-embellished purses stored in large zip-lock bags. 

After I have an item listed in my shop, I print out a copy of the listing to include with each item and keep them together in one of the zip-lock bags.  At first, I decided to keep the items stored in plastic bags to prevent them from being bumped whenever I rearranged inventory, but I soon realized that if I didn't identify exactly which item was in the bag and match it up with the order, it could get kind of confusing.  Especially if I had listed six different pair of "ivory beaded bridal shoes," and the customer did not realize that there were so many to choose from!  Including a copy of the listing has really helped me to get my orders out with much less anxiety on my part   ;o)  and so far the customers have all been happy with their purchases! 

I also have a basket on the top shelf of the inventory closet where I keep all sorts of embellishments . . . . ribbons, lace, beads, charms, vintage buttons . . . . . and that kind of inspires me to come up with amazing new designs for all of my hand-embellished vintage items.  Another project that I've been working on is to make the sheer fabric bags that I use for shipping the embellished shoes.  I like to have them made up ahead of time so that when I get an order, all I have to do is pop the pretty package into a shipping box, print out the invoice, address the box and I'm off to the post office.

One day I hope to have a larger home office, a beautiful studio, and the PERFECT inventory storage system. But for now I am quite content with my corner "office" in our little cottage, with just a tiny closet and old cupboard, and the sewing studio that I share with my sweet hubby and all of his music paraphenalia.  At least I've advanced from storing everything in baskets in the corner of the bedroom.  But then, I'm sure that no one else have ever done anything like that!  Check out the other artisans at the Eclectic Artisans Team blog and see how they keep track of all of their treasures   ;o) ~~  Nina

Ruffles are (frequently) a girl's best friend! Ruffle Tutorial Part 1

Back before the CPSA legislation went into effect, I used to make all kinds of ruffly, twirly, girly dresses, pants, jumpers, pinafores, tops, and even ruffled and appliqued jeans.  That was great fun, especially since I had been doing that kind of sewing for many years, and I was also sewing for our two girls anyway.  I discovered that there were lots of other moms and grandmas who liked to buy all that feminine stuff for their own little girls.  Eventually I decided to write up my ideas and designs into eBook patterns so that instead of ME doing all the sewing, I could help other moms do the sewing themselves.  That has been great fun and quite successful, with several of my eBook patterns available for purchase at YouCanMakeThis.com   

Now that there are all of the legal hurdles and obstacles to overcome if one wants to continue to design / create / sew items for children under 12 years old, I just can't be bothered with all of that bureaucracy . . . . so, since I love to write my eBooks and apparently there are a few moms out here who want to learn how to make some of my designs, that will be the best way for me to pursue my love of designing and sewing - and of course, I LOVE to write and chat with anyone who wants to learn how to sew for their children!  One of the questions that I have gotten fairly frequently is on the topic of making those yards and yards of ruffles that everyone seems to want to put on everything. 

I have put together a simple ruffle tutorial, but of course, it will depend completely upon the type of sewing machine you have.  If you have been a seamstress for very long, you probably either have a machine that has a specially fitted ruffler foot, or you have purchased a generic ruffler foot for your machine.  Or, perhaps you have learned how to do ruffles without a ruffler foot . . . . so this tutorial is really for anyone who is a beginner at making ruffles and just doesn't quite know where to start. 

The old-fashioned way that I have always made ruffles is to run a long, running stitch down the length of the fabric that I want to make into a ruffle.  The easiest way to do this, I have found, is to cut a length of fabric TWICE as wide as you want the finished ruffle to be, plus 1/2" for seam allowances, and the length should be approximately 1 /2 - 2 times the length of the finished ruffle you want to create. 

Now, for simplicity, I typically just cut a strip of fabric off of one end of my fabric . . . . . unless I need a REALLY long ruffle (which you will need if you are putting a ruffle all around the hemline of a dress or skirt, for instance) in which case I will cut two or three strips of fabric off of the end of my piece of fabric, DOUBLE the width I want for my finished ruffle, plus the seam allowance of 1/2".  So, that would look like this:  One strip of fabric, approximately 5" wide and 42" long (typically the distance ACROSS the end of a piece of fabric), would make a finished ruffle approximately 2" wide by 21" - 30" long (with 1/2" seam allowance taken from each side of the strip when folded in half lengthwise).  OR, two or three strips of fabric, each 5" wide and 42" long, stitched together end-to-end to make one, long strip, approximately 4" wide and 84" - 126" long. 

Then, fold the strip of fabric in half, lengthwise, so your strip is now 2 1/2" wide, and press.  Of course, if you want a wider ruffle, just make your strip wider by the measurement you want added, just be sure to keep the 1/2" seam allowance for each side of the folded strip.  Now, it depends on whether you want a finished edge ruffle or a raw edge ruffle when you decide where to begin your stitching! 

If you want a finished edge ruffle, you will stitch along the RAW edges (folded together) of your strip, with a running, straight stitch (often called a "gathering" stitch), with the setting on your machine for the longest stitch available.  On my machine, that is a length setting of 5.0 on a scale of 0.0 - 5.0, and "normal" being 2.5 - 3.0.  Run this row of stitching all along the length of your strip of fabric, approximately 1/4" from the RAW edge, from beginning to the end of the strip. 

It is helpful in the beginning if you run TWO rows of stitching along the edge of the strip of fabric, very close to each other but not touching, so that when you pull the gathering stitches up to create the ruffle, you will have a "back-up" thread to pull in case one of the threads breaks.  Eventually, however, you should be able to do this technique with just one row of stitching . . . . when you get a feel for how firmly you can pull on the threads without breaking them!  If you are doing a VERY long strip of fabric into a ruffle, you might want to start and stop the gathering stitch at the end of each section of your strip.  That way, you are more likely to be able to pull the stitches into a ruffle without breaking them. 

Or, if you want a raw edge ruffle, simply reverse the placement of the rows of the long, running, gathering stitch, and place the stitching 1/4" from the FOLDED edge of the strip of fabric.  Then, once you have your  row(s) of gathering stitches running all along one edge of your folded strip of fabric, be sure to leave a few inches of thread on either end for pulling to create the ruffled effect you are looking for.  You can create ruffles that are just slightly gathered, to ruffles that are generously full, or you can create ruffles that are tight and almost "curly" simply by adjusting how closely and tightly you pull the threads. 

It is helpful to tie the threads together on one end, then pull the threads from the other end until you get the look you want, and then adjust the fullness to accommodate the garment to which you will be stitching the ruffle.  That is one major advantage to doing ruffles the "old-fashioned" way.  You can adjust the length of the ruffle to fit whatever you are working with when you create ruffles this way. 

Using a ruffler foot is so much easier and quicker, but you will get a uniform "gathering" on your ruffle (which is a good thing!) but the finished ruffle might not be exactly the length that you need for your garment, and then you will just need to finish the ends differently than you will when you gather your ruffles using this "old-fashioned" technique.  Of course, this really isn't the OLD "old-fashioned" way to make ruffles . . . . you can also make them by running a long, gathering stitch all along the edge of your strip of fabric by hand-stitching, but using the machine for your gathering stitch really does work great! 

You can also do a double-edge ruffle by using the same technique, but stitching your long, running, gathering stitch down the MIDDLE of a strip of fabric.  You could even layer two or three strips of fabric, run the stitching down the middle of the layered strips for a really full double-edge ruffle.  It really just depends on what you are making and the look you want to achieve.  The finished edge, folded fabric ruffle is perfect for trimming the hemline of a skirt, jumper, or dress, or even the hemline of a t-top or blouse, and the hemlines of the legs of jeans. 

The raw edge, folded fabric ruffle is cute for embellishing items along a seamline or down the front of a blouse, or perhaps even down the outer leg seam of a pair of jeans.  Another way that I want to try the double-edge ruffle is on a hemline.  I think it would be a fun addition to a skirt, instead of the more traditiional, finished edge ruffles.  In this picture, I have used the double-edge ruffle along the neckline of a top and then brought it down the front.  I then used the folded, raw edge ruffle (made from a lightweight polyester fabric so it will not ravel or fray) to make a double-rosette that I attached just below the double-edged ruffle at the neckline. 

Now, if you want to use a ruffler foot, it is important to get one that is made for YOUR machine.  My first ruffler foot was a generic make that was made to work on most any machine, and it did a great job.  But I wore it out!  The generic type is not very expensive, and can be purchased at a fabric store or online sewing store.  When I got my Bernina machine, I purchased the ruffler foot that was made specifically for that particular machine and it was much sturdier and easier to attach than my first one. . . . . . but I have now worn that one out, too!  So, I'm in the market for a new ruffler foot! 

The ruffler foot is a little gadget that attaches in place of the regular presser foot on your sewing machine.  The simple version (because I'm not a sewing machine expert or a mechanical genius) is that you run the your folded strip of fabric through the ruffler foot and a little lever pushes another little doo-dad at various intervals, causing a small fold of fabric to slide under the needle when it comes down, thus creating a tiny tuck in the fabric.  This can be set to "tuck" every 12 stitches, every 6 stitches, every single stitch, and so on, depending on the type of ruffler foot you have. 

The tucks, or little gathers, are very uniform and this process is very quick and easy . . . . until your ruffler foot breaks, and then you have to revert to the "old-fashioned" method, like I have been doing for the past two weeks since mine just kind of went on strike.  Here are some links to places you can purchase a ruffler foot, but you might want to give the "old-fashioned" technique a try, just in case you ever have to use it! 

Ruffler Foot:  Home Sew, Inc.

Ruffler Foot:  Nancy's Notions

Ruffler Foot:  Joann's Fabrics

So, there is a quick look at some ways to create all those ruffles.  Later this week, I will post the tutorial for finishing off the ends of your ruffles, both for the ruffles you make with the ruffler foot as well as for the ruffles you create using the "old-fashioned" technique.  Just remember, there are a million and one different ways that seamstresses have been doing these kinds of things over the centuries, and this is just what has worked for me.  I'm sure the professional designers and those who create the couture designs for "Project Runway" might frown on my down-home, "I figured it out myself" techniques, but if you are wanting to sew for your family and don't have the time or the opportunity to go to college to learn how to make a dress for your 4 year old . . . . the simple little tricks that this Mama has been using for a long time really do work quite well! 

Please email me if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer and help you figure out whatever it is that you are working on.  I'm off to finish up the eBook on making those fun little aprons, so come on back later this week so you can make an apron for yourself and maybe one for the little one at your house.  Chat soon, N

 

 

 

Vintage Market Team White Sale January 10 - 17, 2010

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Search VMTeamWhiteSale on Etsy to see all of the shops who are featuring sales this week, January 10 - 17, 2010!

 

Here are a few beautiful vintage items from my shop, Gossamer Wings Studio, that are on sale this week: 

 

Vintage 80s Ivory Sweater with Woven Black Neckline Embellishment and Bow

 

Vintage 70s - 80s Ivory and Lace Pajamas Undercover Wear

 

 

Vintage 80s Ruffled Lace Ivory Blouse

 

Vintage Etienne Aigner Ivory Bone Heels with Cut-Out Detail Size 10M

 

Sweater Shrug Ivory Sequined with Vintage Button Embellishment Size Small

 

 

Vintage Cardigan 80s Does 50s Ivory Sweater with Pearl Embellishment

 

Vintage 80s Ivory Blouse with Tucks and Lace Collar

 

Vintage 80s Ivory Long-Sleeve Blouse Villager Size 2 Petite

 

Snow Drop Hand-Embellished Sweater

 
 
 
 
 
 

Happy Monday Morning! Let's Get Organized!

      
     
I am so ready to get back on a schedule, on a healthy eating plan, and get caught up on the simple things such as house  cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and bill paying.  Well, not that those are my most favorite things to do with my time, but I always feel better when I know that those things are taken care of.  The chaos and excitement of the holidays eventually just wear me out   ;o)  and I need "normal" - whatever that means! 

One way that I want to try to be more productive this year is to set monthly, weekly, and daily goals.  I know that I won't always accomplish everything that I strive for (I'm one of those mamas who typically put 20 things on my list, accomplish 19 of them, and then whine about the fact that I didn't finish that one, last thing on my list!) - so I am going to try to be realistic with my expectations.  Reality tells me, however, that if I aim for nothing, I will always hit it!  

So, with that in mind, I thought if I post my goals publicly, perhaps I will have more motivation for getting them accomplished.  If you want to join me, post your weekly goals on your blog every Monday, and then stop back here and post your link.  If we encourage and support one another, it might help us make great progress in 2010. 

            
    
Here's the beginning of my list of goals for the new year:

January:

*  Organize all of my business "stuff" - although I'm a pretty organized person, this is one area where I haven't been as orderly as I need to be.  I have everything I need . . . . . somewhere here in this file cabinet!  I'm going to get it sorted, organized, labeled, and easily accessible so I can keep accurate records.

*  Update all of my online venues and get my shops stocked.  This has also been kind of a mess while I was working away from home, but now that I am working full-time from my home office, I have the time, energy, and determination to get all of this up-to-date.

*  Set up a new marketing plan.  Nothing elaborate, but I'm thinking about a once a month newsletter to all of my past customers, or something like that.

*  Establish a plan for my projects.  I've been just creating whatever seems to strike my fancy at any given moment.  Now I have to decide which projects are priority, such as writing the new eBook that I've been planning for the past six months!

        

That's just a beginning . . . . so for this week I need to work on stocking my Etsy shop and editing all of my listings.  Start the eBook, and work on the refashion project that I have waiting for me in the sewing studio.  Oh . . . . that reminds me . . . . that will be part of the "Wardrobe Refashion" project that I'm participating in.  I'll tell you more about that tomorrow!  In the meantime, if you want to join me in getting motivated for the new year, just post your link and I'll stop by and cheer you on!  Chat soon, Nina