Sycamore Bye-bye

I did it. I closed my etsy shop. I've been thinking about it for a while now. Something just clicked this week and I knew it was the right time. The reasons are varied and vague but mainly I need to simplify and focus on getting my head on straight. That's a full time job, ya know.

The actual sewing wasn't more than I could manage. Between consignment, etsy and orders to friends I was about as busy as I wanted to be. My need to close had more to do with the mental energy this endeavor required. With two kids I really need all the mental resources I have left.

In addition to the conservation of my remaining functional neurons, there are numerous craft projects that I want to try. I want to craft for my girls, my family and all the other lovely kiddos in my life. Soule Mama has some fabulous ideas for incorporating children's art work into quilts and pillows. Her flickr group has given me enough ideas for a year of crafting. I stumbled upon The Crafty Crow which posts nothing but the *coolest* arts and crafts projects for kids. Not Martha has tutorials on several non fabric related projects that I'd like to experiment with. I also want to get back to my quilting. I could go on and on . . .

I'm going to continue this blog. Gone will be the posts of shameless self promotion with the not so subtle message of "hey, buy my stuff." Guess it will be simply be a mommy, food, crafting and family update blog. Unapologetically self indulgent.

The crafting community is full of wonderfully supportive and kind people. It is these connections that kept me going as long as I did. Luckily we can still visit in blog land. Needless to say, my blog will always have room to plug the wonderful and talented peeps of etsyrain ~ Seattle's kick-ass street team.

Whew. Here's to straight heads and new projects!

Simply Still - Day 3

____________________________________________________________________


Just finished this gift pack for a friend. This is the first set I've made using the tattoo fabric. Thought it looked pretty cool. Gift packs come with 2 burp cloths and a onesie. You pick the onesie and I'll make coordinating burp cloths. Available in my shop.

Coming Soon

Look at the fabric I just purchased, it's called Peace by Alexander Henry. Soon there will be some new and colorful items in my shop . . . check back.

Domo Arigato Baby Roboto

Now available in my shop.

Introducing FRANNY KATE

There is a great new shop on Etsy called Franny Kate! My friend and former teaching colleague, Lisa just started it. Like most of us she's been crafting for many, many years and recently decided to try out the crafting for cash venture. Lisa is a SAHM of two girls. She is an avid scrap booker, gardener and former preschool and elementary school teacher. I think her crafts reflect all of these things.

Franny Kate offers the most fabulous Diaper Cake, a perfect gift for any new mom. She also has little mini Baby Cakes, also a great baby shower gift. My FAVORITE items are her Big Sister Busy Box and Paper Dolls. The Big Sister Busy Box is filled with crafts and activities that will occupy Big Sister while mommy tends to the newborn. This box was invaluable to me (and my oldest) when #2 arrived.
My oldest just received a set of Franny Kate's Paper Dolls for her 4th birthday. They were a huge hit! The Paper Doll set comes with bodies, clothes, accessories, glue and glittery bling. Just look at the result~
Help welcome Lisa to Etsy, check out her shop and mark it as a favorite. You'll be glad ya did.

Rhode Island - Etsy Style

Etsyrain has teamed up with the Etsy Street Team in Rhode Island for a little cross promotion madness. I'm featuring heatherjeany and her kick ass screen printed greetings. Being a child of the 80s, the first item in her shop to catch my eye was the mixtape stationary set. Come on, who hasn't made a mixed tape or two? Her items are hand printed, using a Print Gocco. Don't know what that is? Read this. heatherjeany combines her own art with cool vintage pieces. The Return of the Octopus Beach Party is a perfect example of that. And being the cat lover that I am, I had to close with her dreaming kitten card. mew!

Valentine's Day

I've been thinking about possible Valentine's Day designs for my shirts and onesies. I'd really like to create something new, go in a different direction and actually have a few ideas (acting on them is a whole other matter, unfortunately). But for now, I'm going to make a set of the el corazon (heart), la rosa (rose) and las jaras (arrow) loteria images. I already offer the el corazon and la rosa in my shop but I'm going to take some new photos of them in hopes of capturing just how cute they really are. I keep hearing from people that my onesies are much cuter in person than on my site. It's frustrating because I feel like my pictures are actually pretty good, but I suppose they could be better. Hmmmm, maybe a solid colored background. I did that at Halloween with a big yellow piece of poster board. Thought it was pretty good. So far though, my things sell much better in person than on my Etsy shop. I plan to make a set of the "valentine" loteria images for Rising Stars one of the local shops I consign with. I also thought the Amor Tattoo onesie would be fun to show case for Valentine's Day. Wow, I seem to have a renewed energy for my little basement sweatshop endeavor. It's a Christmas miracle.