Falling off the wagon and climbing back on

Perhaps you've noticed that a week went by without anything new popping up in my store. Perhaps you haven't. Either way, I noticed, and here's the story that I'm sticking to:

I love to sew, and I don't want sewing to become stressful or just something else to squeeze into my very busy day. I don't want to ever feel pressured to make something, and that's how I was feeling last week. I ran into 3 days that were slam-packed with things to do from dawn til dusk (and beyond dusk, I'm usually catching up on recorded TV shows). And then I ran into 2 days of blissful weather where I needed to wind down from the busy week. Then yesterday- slammed again. Today, not so much :o)

I'm happy to say that things *look* like they're calming down a bit in my schedule (but you know how deceptive looks can be...) I actually started working on this dress last week, but between finishing up customer orders and everything else going on, I only got to finish it this morning. Ta da! Lilo's Luau, size 3T (or a top fo a slim 7/8), ready to ship.

I have 2 more Williamsburg costumes to list, one for girls and one for toddlers. I'm still waiting on pictures for those. This weekend, my boys costume was chosen for a treasury highlighting the anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride. The treasury has ended, but you can see the link here on Jane's Glorious Hats blog. Thanks, Jane!

What About Your Friends?

I am so blessed to have a great supportive group of online designer friends- the ABSD street team on etsy. I have known and worked with many of them for over 3 years, and am constantly amazed at the new things they come up with. Since I didn't think of anything exciting to do for my 2 year anniversary on etsy (and, honestly, I didn't even list anything for probably another 6 months after I joined, so the anniversary thing is not a big deal...), I am going to dedicate this post to the recent creations of my awesome friends.

Tip Top Applesauce makes the most adorable baby hats EVER! This one was featured on an episode of TLC's A Baby Story! I love getting to those cute little babies wearing her hats almost as much as I love checking out her new designs!

My friend Lindsay hasn't had much time for sewing lately... she's been too busy blogging! Check out Living with Lindsay for some amazing decorating ideas that don't cost a lot of money and can be done by just about anyone!

Several of my friends have recently completed new eBooks... check out The Pretty Baby Boutique's Sami Dress pattern. Did you know the Tie Dye Diva does more than tie dye? These are two of her latest patterns- aren't they adorable? But don't stop there- her shop has even more patterns and ready to ship creations as well!

Les Tissus Bows just completed a tutorial for her fabulous raggie bows. She's also hosting a fun contest on her blog- pop in and check it out!


Those are just a few of my friends... this was a fun post and I'll do it again to highlight others, but in the meantime you can find all of our listings by searching ABSD on etsy.

Here fishy fishy...

Last night, I made this super cute knit set for etsy. I haven't made anything from knit fabric in a long time that I almost forgot how fun and easy it is to work with! How cute (not to mention COMFORTABLE!) would this be for a summer beach trip? The sample listing is size 3T, but I will make it in any size from 12m-5T in this listing. So although I didn't list it last night, I made it last night and listed 2 things today, so I'm still up-to-date with my April Challenge. Only 17 new things left to list... yikes! Does that number seem overwhelming to anyone other than me?

Peek-a-Boo Pleats!

I am SO excited that my first eBook is finally finished and listed in my etsy store! You can find it right here, but if this one happens to be sold already, don't worry. I'll be re-listing often and you can just check my store to see if it's in stock. Youcanmakethis.com is also reviewing my work, and I hope to be selling on their website soon!

I've already got an idea in mind for my next pattern, but may have to wait until the April Challenge is over before I find the time to work on it!

Twice the magic

Since I missed out on one day of listing this week, I am making up for it with a double listing tonight!

For any little girl who is heading to Disney (or wishing she was), I have made this Magical Vacation sun dress! There is a sample listed in size 4, and a custom size listing for any size, 12 months though girls 8!

I also noticed that my 2 year membership anniversary on etsy is coming up on Monday. I'll be thinking of something special for the occasion and welcome any ideas you may have!

Hanging my head in shame

Sigh. I din't even make it a full week! I went to bed last night without getting a new listing up for my April Challenge, and actually woke up at 4 am thinking about it :o(

To be fair, I have been very busy in and around the house. I am working on orders for a customer, celebrating my baby's 5th birthday today, cleaning the house for the in-laws' arrival this weekend, administering end-of-year tests to my older boys, and other general daily duties. I think I will try to get TWO things done and listed today.

On Sunday night, I listed this custom sized boys colonial costume (girl and baby versions coming as soon as I get pictures!). They're great for school plays or trips to Colonial Williamsburg. On Monday, it was this cute citrus lounge set in size 3/4. Wish me luck for TWO listings today!

Day 4- Saltwashed

The colors in these fabrics reminded me of the saltwashed hues you see on houses along the North Carolina coast. Wouldn't this be a darling set for your beach vacation this year? Capri and butterfly top set, size 5/6 here in my etsy store.

I'm done and it's not even 4:30! Maybe I'll get a head start on tomorrow's outfit. But more lifely, I will take my pillow out back and take a snooze on the trampoline while I smell the freshly cut grass. It's a gorgeous afternoon here!

Pay it Forward Friday

There's a great little thing on etsy called Pay it Forward (PIF) where you list an item in your store for only the listing fee of $.20. It's a great way to offer something unexpectedly nice to someone out there, and all the lister asks in return is that the recipient list a PIF in their etsy store, or do something nice. Pretty simple concept, huh? If only the rest of the world were this nice :o)

I head a REALLY long day that involved me making some very kindhearted decisions this morning before I fully woke up. In the span of less than 30 minutes I had committed myself to coaching my son's t-ball team (even though I know nothing about t-ball) and offering to watch my friends' 5 children, along with my own 3, at her house all afternoon. Needless to say, that didn't leave me very much time for sewing and I was very worried about failing the April Challenge on only day 3! So I pulled out this little jumper I made last year when testing the eBook for my friend the Tie Dye Diva and listed it as a PIF in my store. Happy Friday- the few minutes of it that are left!

The jumper is a girls size 6; you can find it here if no one has snatched it up already. The pattern is available for sale in eBook format in the Tie Dye Diva's store (link above).

And speaking of eBooks- I finished mine yesterday and it is off to the testers. Yippee!

Spring sparkle on Day 2

Day 2 and I'm still going strong :o)

This skirt is covered with fun sparkles and will come with a pink tshirt or tank top with butterfly applique. It is 14 inches long so will fit a range of sizes from 3 or 4 up to 6. I will make the shirt in the size you choose. Check it out here in my etsy store!

Designer ADD and the April Challenge

I've been having a bit of designer ADD of late. I have tons of fabric and ideas, and every time I wander into my studio I seem to get overwhelmed. I'll pick up a random fabric and cut 3 pieces of a pattern before I get distracted and move on to something else. Obviously, this does not result in many finished projects. Add to that the fact that I just got back from a week and a half road trip with my boys and was rushing to finish up customer orders before that, and, well it's been a LONG time since I've added anything to my etsy stores.

The guilt set in today, and I cut out the rest of the pieces to go with 3 that I cut out 2 days ago, and found that in a matter of hours, I had a completed item. I was so pleased with my little jumper and embarassed at my laziness that I issued myself

THE APRIL CHALLENGE

For the month of April, I plan to list at least one new item in either my Monkey Doodle (kids clothing and costumes) or Bibidi (all things baby) stores on etsy. This is a HUGE challenge for me. I am optimistic, but not positive I will succeed. I'd love for you to cheer me on as I sew- leave comments if you have any ideas about what you'd like to see me work on! Also, since most of my listings will be OOAK's, I have to ask you to bear with my not-so-great photography skills. Believe me, all of my effort is poured into sewing your outfit, not photographing and photo editing :o)

So without futher ado, here is the entry for April 1 (no foolin!), a fun little dog and cat themed Farbenmix Vida jumper, size 3T. You can find it here.