Ta Da!!

New format & layout for SoSaje!! Hooray!

Thanks ReLoved for the inspiration to go and pimp out my site just a little bit.  :-)  And check out her lovely blog as well!

Free design elements available at Shabby Blogs ... but I don't think they're very shabby, not one bit!

♦ D'oh! ♦ Wrong shout out above. :-) It was Regina's blog that tipped me off to the Shabby source. Got my R's crossed ... it happens sometimes!

Flitteriffic!

This was not a craft, per se, but it was a good bit of procrastinatory fun! I was looking at the Disney Fairies website for fun activities for the Tinkerbell-themed birthday party I'll soon be hosting for my three-year-old. Oh, I found some cute things ... and then got sucked into their design-your-own Fairy application. Ridiculous waste of time! But quite absorbing finding just the right style of wings. :-) So that's me, as a fairy!

Product Development Does Not Produce Pretty Pictures

My major problem these days isn't a lack of ideas for projects to work on. It's that when I've finally scrounged enough little scraps of time together to start working on one project, I have ideas for three others - all of which will require prototypes and tweaking before they can be finalized, and during which I will think of yet nine more things to make or do! I have to keep reminding myself that I don't actually have a deadline for any of these things, other than my own desire to be productive and generate a little income.

Ultimately I'd love for the shop to be successful enough that when the girls are both in school, the shop can be my job. But for that to happen I need to have popular and profitable products, and for that to happen I eventually need to finish a whole bunch more of these "proof of concept" projects and figure out which to pursue and which to abandon.

Right now my three main areas of focus are crochet, flannel baby items, and recycled/upcycled/eco bags. I'm in the middle of too many projects to count ... and have very little by way of tangible evidence to show for it! :-) But I keep scribbling in my notebook, and working up samples, refining my ideas, and hoping and praying that by God's grace I'll be able to transform this enterprise into a Proverbs 31 kind of thing.

Just when you think Etsy can't get any better ...

So I'm browsing Etsy the other night, because that's what I do, and I see something on the front page that catches my eye ... then I see something that person has "hearted" ... and so on, until I stumble on a PIF.  Pay it forward.  On Etsy, this ridiculous little phrase (based on a MOVIE, remember?!) has a whole new, wonderful meaning.  Check it out for yourself HERE.

As for now ... I've already wasted more than enough time online and I need to call it a night!

Ebb and flow ...

So I keep saying, maybe tomorrow ... maybe tomorrow ... maybe the tomorrow after that!  Finding the time (and energy!) for creative, non-essential pursuits is beyond difficult with a toddler and a baby.  Whew!  But the first time for "adult playdate sewing party" has been set, which means now I have a deadline for getting my projects to the hand-finishing stage, or at the very least tidying up the project corner to make it somewhat presentable.  Explain that to my 2 1/2 yr old who spent the entire weekend pushing the bounds of every conceivable limit while refusing to nap and catching herself a lovely little cold in the process.  (Good times!)

Grown-up Playdates

Since when is going to the grocery store by myself a treat?  And how telling is it that when asked to describe a "fond memory" from university (for a class reunion survey), the only thing I could think of was laying down on the lawn and getting to take a nap outdoors?!

But grown-ups get to have fun too, and right now I'm trying to schedule a craft party with two girlfriends to help us all make some progress on our sewing and other projects.  I've got several items nearly ready to go up in the shop, but haven't been able to force myself over the inertia hurdle to complete the final steps.  So many chores and clever ways to procrastinate.  And excuse making - did I mention that?  For example, if only I had a dedicated sewing space, I'd be able to get more work done ... blah, blah, blah.

Problem is ...

Just when am I supposed to find time to sew exactly?! I have so many ideas for things that I'd like to make for the shop - especially my big baby set: 2 burp cloths, change pad, blanket and travel toy - but haven't yet been able to. A few things are posted (and two sales!), but most are not what I would consider my "core" business products. It's frustrating, yes.  But being a mommy is my first job ... so I just need to do a better job of managing my time otherwise to make room for the hobbies.

It was love at first click!

I discovered Etsy on a Thursday - thanks to good friend "bearchick" - and spent every waking moment for the next four days online.  Every waking moment that the girlies were sleeping anyway.  It was pure ecstatic delirum, but in a very good way.  :-)  A few days later I emailed bearchick to fill her in on my new obsession ...

"Reasons I'm falling in love with Etsy"

• you can search for items by color
  
• you can search for items by birthday!
  
• they use the word "Etsians"
  
• I've been on the site non-stop since Thursday, and I have YET to find someone with other than 100% feedback
  
• the things these people are making are just so amazingly cool
  
• I am utterly addicted to this site, even though most of the things I see I'll never ever buy - it's all the great artistry of a really good craft show, with out the hassle of having to get dressed or wash my hair
  
• I think I'll have a corner on the minky Texas flag baby lovey market!  :-) 
  

Entering the world of Etsy blogging!

Well, so far tonight I have done the dishes, completed 2 1/2 loads of laundry, and re-discovered and re-animated the remains of a long forgotten blog! All part of the grand Etsy experiment, I am re-designing this blog to support my Etsy shop and share a little bit more about my crafts. It is now 11:03 p.m., precisely three minutes past my self-imposed bedtime, and I have NOT accomplished the significant list of "actual" work that I needed to do tonight ... but I sure did have fun!

Sigh, this Etsy thing (and the accompanying sewing, blogging, shopping, etc.) is going to be the absolute ruin of my to do list, I can tell.