Forshee Designs

{New} Aprons in the Shop!

2012-01-25T14:50:00.000-05:00

Not long ago, I received a few new bolts of fabric, so I whipped up some aprons!

Matching Kitchen Apron Set in Flower Shower, also sold separately

Kitchen Apron in Red Paisley

Kitchen Apron in Black & White Damask

Forshee Designs is 1000!!!

2012-01-23T09:04:00.001-05:00

I am excited to share that today marks my 1000th day in business! Over the past three or so years, I have come a long way!

~701 Etsy Sales
~732 Etsy Admirers
~100% positive feedback
~2 Items on Etsy's front page
~2 Items featured in Etsy's emails (sent to ALL Etsy users)
~Featured in several blogs & other publications
~Stand alone website launched!

I could not have done any of these things without your encouragement and support! Even the smallest compliment goes a long way! So, thank YOU!

In celebration of this milestone, I am giving you FREE SHIPPING! Just use code FREESHIP in either of my shops (Main Website or Etsy) through midnight. Also, keep your eye on my clearance section and Facebook Fan page. I'll be adding things to that section at 30% off today! They may not stay, though, so get them while they last!

{Time Management} Are You Stealing Your Own Time?

2012-01-20T09:42:00.000-05:00

If you had a job working for someone else and you got caught sleeping on the job, they would probably fire you. The reason cited would be theft of time. It sounds harsh, but it's true. You've stolen time from your company. They were paying you to work and you were sleeping!

Rarely will you hear the phrase "I don't have time" come out of my mouth. I have been given 24 hours in each and every day I am alive, and I choose to make the most out of them. There is always time!

The question I ask of myself is if I want to make time for this or that. If I really really want to do something, I will make time.

I get a lot of questions about how I run my business and homeschool. The answer is that I really want to do BOTH things, so I do them. I have never felt constrained by time at all. While my son is doing his seat work, I work. There is NEVER a point in time where I'm not doing SOMETHING. (Right now he's working on math, in case you're curious.)

While I don't get paid with money to homeschool, I do get paid to run my business. If your jobs (homemaker, mother, etc.) don't pay money, try to think about the benefits that you get "paid" from doing whatever it is you're trying to do. How can you use your time more wisely? What are you doing that's "stealing" your own time? (I have some guesses...Pinterest? Facebook, maybe?)

And just for the record, I DO sleep...at least 8 hours a night.

{Sewing} Free Lanyard Tutorial

2012-01-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed writing my first sewing pattern, and I wanted to do another one! The only thing about this one is that it's FREE!

April over at Sewing Novice had an idea that we could work together on a tutorial/interview, which was just the spark I needed to actually sit down to write a tutorial for you. There's nothing like accountability to another person! Head over to April's blog, read my interview and follow her sewing journey!

I have been making these lanyards for a while and they are hot sellers at back to school time. Teachers love them! I also have kits available in my shop with enough materials to make two lanyards! They are $6.50 and that includes shipping!

So..here we go!

What you'll need:
4” of 44/45” wide quilter’s cotton
Metal clasp with a 3/4” opening
Coordinating thread

Step 1: Cut a 3” x 41” strip of fabric:

Step 2: Fold strip in half lengthwise wrong sides together and press a crease down the center:

Step 3: Open the strip and press the edges toward the center crease you just created:

Step 4: Now fold the whole thing again like in the previous step to create something that looks like a strap:

Step 5: Slip the fabric through the metal clasp:

Step 6: Unfold about 3” of each end and pin right sides together, being careful not to twist the strip of fabric. You don’t want a twisted lanyard!

Step 7: Stitch .5” seam, press seam open and trim seam allowance:

Step 8: Refold strip of fabric to encase the seam you just made. This will make a loop and will look like a lanyard!

Step 9: Pin your lanyard every 6 inches or so:

Step 10: Topstitch lengthways 1/8” from the edge of one side of the lanyard, repeating this step on the opposite edge:

Step 11: Find the seam you created in step #7 and pull your metal clasp AWAY from that seam to the opposite side of the fabric loop. Zig zag stitch the two sides of the loop together to hold the clasp in place:

You’re done!

{Homeschool} Fighting Laziness

2012-01-17T09:20:00.001-05:00

My impression of the homeschooling mother’s world (judged solely by what I read on blogs) is that everything is peaches & cream. Well, I am a realist and things are rarely peaches & cream. This is a “don’t ask me if I like homeschooling this week because I have the private school application halfway filled out” kind of a week.

Patience evades me when it comes to laziness. Why do something WRONG the first time when you’re just going to be sent back to do it correctly, thereby completing the assignment twice (or sometimes even three times)? This infuriates me because it is such a waste of time. I was not this type of student, and I cannot wrap my brain around why someone would do this. Now, I am not talking about getting a math problem or two wrong. I’m talking about the part where I read the instructions to the boy, the instructions that say WRITE IN COMPLETE SENTECNES, and he comes back with something not even close to ONE subject and ONE verb. He’s in 5th grade, folks, he knows how to write a complete sentence.

Don’t even get me started on the “I can’t find my book” nonsense.

Is there a patience pill somewhere or do I just need to start drinking wine at 9am? What do you do to conquer laziness?

Coupon Clutch Redo

2012-01-15T12:01:00.000-05:00

After designing and using one of my coupon clutches, I came to the conclusion that the closure MUST be changed. Originally, the clutch was held shut by a button/elastic closure that (upon using one for a few months) never stayed closed to my liking. So I put the one clutch I have left on clearance and proceeded to make more coupon clutches using my old standby closure: Velcro! I am much happier with this. It stays SHUT!

Click on the photo to see the new coupon cluthces!

Sunrise on the Beach

2012-01-13T09:07:00.001-05:00

There is something about being alone on the beach watching the sunrise. Every minute, the sky gets lighter and more saturated with the bright colors of a new day. Last year on my flight home from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, I had a window seat on our 6:30am flight and watched the sun creep up over the horizon from the plane. On Monday morning, I watched the real thing up close! It was a wonderful way to end the weekend getaway.

These photos (taken with my phone & unedited!) take place over about an hour, from 6:15am-7:15am:

God is good!

{New Fabrics!}

2012-01-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

I finally bit the bullet and opened wholesale accounts with several fabric manufacturers! This was a big step because fabrics have to be ordered by the bolt, which is 15-20 yards of fabric. That's a big commitment to one print, especially if it isn't popular. I chose pretty popular prints for that reason alone.

I have already received a few bolts and made some camera strap covers with them! Over the next few months, more bolts will appear on my doorstep and my shop will be full of fresh new items made with fun prints!

Here's a sneak peek of what I've got on order:

{Homeschool} Literature Kits

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you go to the section in the bookstore that houses the reading guide workbooks for kids, you will see that there are a TON of choices. Choosing the right guide for your child can be overwhelming.

I wanted to share one of my favorite lines of reading guides with you because I really like them. I don't flood this blog with product endorsements because I use great discernment when recommending something. I do not get paid to review or endorse anything!

Anyway, here they are:

The guides are called Literature Kits and come in all the standard gradeschool books that gradeschoolers are supposed to read. The worksheets for each chapter (or sets of chapters) include one "Before You Read" worksheet and 2-3 "After You Read" worksheets. I really like that the chapters are split into smaller chunks, usually no more than 3 at a time, so that the student doesn't feel overwhelmed with reading FOUR WHOLE CHAPTERS! Oh my!

Other types of work in the books are: Vocabulary, writing prompts, overhead transparencies, reading comprehension, etc.

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

2012-01-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

My baby boy turns 11 today! Yikes! Where did the time go?

We celebrated with his friends last Friday by going to Sugar Snack Shacks for treats, to the aquatic center for swimming and back to our house for pizza and trampoline jumping. I think they were worn out after all of that!

I told the kids they could get whatever they wanted at the treats place, expecting them to go crazy. Nope. They all got just a dish of ice cream. No toppings. Nothing. What in the world? In good news, my total bill came to $15 and that included a Coke for another mom and a coffee for me.

Moustaches!

New Year, New Website!

2012-01-01T10:29:00.002-05:00

Happy 2012!!!

I am excited to announce that my shop has moved to its very own stand-alone website! My Etsy shop remains, and all of my items are currently in both shops. I think the most important thing about this change is that you will now be able to purchase items from my shop without signing up for an account! Checkout is much easier!

Check it out (Click on the photo to visit the full site!):

With the new website come more features that I am excited about. Items that can be personalized have the option to add personalization within the listing:

With this change also come new challenges! I think that topic deserves its own post, so I will write about that later. Soon, I promise!

{Recipe} Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to share with you my favorite cookie recipe. These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are great for a snack or for a quick breakfast!The original recipe comes from Paula Deen's The Lady & Son's, Too! cookbook. Yes, 2 sticks of butter are used, but who's counting?

What you will need:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (Use real butter, margarine doesn't work very well, I have tried)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I just use whatever I have on hand)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (Do not use ground nutmeg. If you don't have fresh, omit the nutmeg)
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups dried cranberries (or raisins)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Get your baking sheets ready by either greasing or lining them with parchment paper. In your stand mixer, cream the butter & both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & nutmeg. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats & dried fruit.

Your dough should look like this.

For uniformity in size, I like to use my ice cream scoop to spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets. If you make sure all the cookies are the same size, you will have the same doneness throughout the whole batch. If not, the smaller ones will be dry and the larger ones may not be cooked enough.

Drop the dough by uniform scoops about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. With the pans I use (Pampered Chef Baking Pans or my Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan) and the size of my cookies, it ended up being more along the lines of 15-17 minutes. The outside of these cookies is crunchy and the inside is gooey! Perfection!

{Cleaning} Old English

2011-12-19T15:33:00.000-05:00

I am hosting people three times at my house this week, and, like any homeowner, I want the house to look as good as possible. I say "as possible" because we've had some plumbing issues and there are still holes in the ceiling of the living room. After that incident, we decided to save up to repipe the entire house with copper. Not cheap. Alas, the holes remain. I suggest you get some of your own; they are wonderful conversation pieces.

Our house is also almost 30 years old, so it takes some major upkeep. The kitchen cabinets are original to the house. Despite them being old, they are VERY nice classic hardwood cabinets, and they are a great color. The frequently-used cabinets were a little worn out and grubby:

I had tried everything to get this stuff off: All Purpose Cleaners, Goo Gone, furniture/wood polish, etc.. It was really frustrating that my cabinets looked like that! I like clean!

Today, on my weekly shopping trip, I was in the cleaning aisle (No surprise there. I love it.) when I saw these things:

I put them in my cart:

I immediately went to work when I got home. I couldn't wait to see what would happen! I was not disappointed! I used the Scratch Cover on the worn/grubby parts and just the lemon oil on the rest of the cabinets and my dining room table. They look refreshed and pretty nice! I suppose we can put the kitchen renovation on hold for now!

This stuff is now on my list of favorite cleaning supplies. What are your favorite cleaning supplies?

{Sewing} Class, Part 2

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Session Two: Napkins with Fully Mitered CornersYes, this is the project I made them start with. I know, I am crazy. But guess what? They’re coming back next Saturday and were super troopers for this napkin-making class.

Why did I choose the fully mitered corner? Well, I was going to have them start with the half miter, but the one machine that the daughter is using won’t do a zigzag stitch (it’s my old $200 Singer that I’m not paying $150 to have fixed) to finish the edges of the fabric. I couldn’t bear to have them finish their napkins with pinking shears (not the cleanest look and I can’t stand it!) so I was left with no choice.

I fed them into the fire at day 2.

I do think, though, that the focus of this project is more on exacting measurements and angles rather than actual sewing. I always tell people that sewing itself isn’t difficult, it’s making sure your measurements are spot on so that your project comes together nicely. I believe that my mind for math and OCD tendencies have served me well in sewing.

The girls did splendidly with this project!

Skills they learned:
~Rotary cutter, ruler & mat use
~Pressing up hems using the seam gauge
~Mitering corners
~Stitching a straight line & pivoting

Next session, we’ll be making some felt Christmas ornaments using some hand embroidery & embellishing techniques. It’s not the most sewing-intensive project, but it’s what they wanted to do! (For these sewing lessons, I left the projects up to the ladies--with some guidance of course). They’ll also be bringing whatever of the napkins they haven’t finished during the week. We’ll finish those up, hopefully.

{Sewing} Class, Part 1

2011-11-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

I was asked several weeks ago by someone if I would teach her and her daughter to sew. I’ve been asked this question many times, but no one has been really serious about it. They have just never pulled the trigger on actually doing it. Until NOW! Boy, was I excited! I will blog about each session, so you can follow their/our progress. I have teaching experience, just not in sewing! I’m blessed to have a pair of students who understand this and are willing to give it a shot!

I decided to do a project-based series of classes, using Deborah Moebe’s book, Stitch by Stitch. We’re not working on every project in the book, but it gave me a jumping off point to make sure I teach most of the basic sewing skills. My students having the book will also give them a wonderful reference to look back on when they are not in my ~~classroom~~ dining room.

During the first session, we reviewed the project/supply list, winding a bobbin, threading the machine, sewing a straight line and backstitching. I almost left out the project/supply list overview, but I am very very glad I didn’t. Why? Because this mom & daughter were not familiar with any sewing items. I’m not sure why I think everyone knows what I seam ripper/seam gauge/etc. is! They found it very helpful that I brought out my supplies and tools to show them exactly what I was talking about. I suppose it worked because they bought all the right things...and came back for session two. :)

Shopping Small { I'm Featured! }

2011-11-29T09:40:00.001-05:00

With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday already under our belts, there are only 26 days left to finish your Christmas shopping! Yikes! Personally, for me, this year has flown by. I’ve been looking forward to the Christmas season because I love giving unique, one of a kind items that my friends and loved ones treasure.

I also love to help {YOU} give unique items! It fills my heart up to hear that the items I have created found such wonderful homes. It makes what I do worthwhile.

Today, my new friend Stef has featured me on her blog! It’s Shop Small Tuesday over there and she is featuring my shop!

Stef and I just “met” through Twitter about two weeks ago,and we have a lot in common! She homeschools just like I do! So head on over and check out her blog!

Also, over at Overcoming Busy, is a good list of why Shopping Small is a great idea!

Pinterest Wish List for Kids

2011-11-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

My husband had the greatest idea ever. He set up a Pinterest page for Kendall (our 10 year old boy) and allowed him to start pinning things that he wants for Christmas and his birthday. His list consists of Nerf & other toy guns and video games. It's not only helpful, it's entertaining! Check out these captions. They were too funny to keep to myself.

Poor Ryan & Eric. They don't know what they're in for. They deserve it. (They are my little brothers!) ***Evil laugh***

Christmas Napkins for My Mom

2011-11-26T15:25:00.001-05:00

I've been in quite the festive mood lately. Our trees are already up, stockings are hung (even though I have plans to make new ones) and I've sewn some napkins for my mom with some Christmas fabric she bought last year. She never decided what she wanted me to make out of it, so I made the executive decision for her! I hope she appreciates my assertiveness.

Just look at those sweet snowmen. They say "wipe your mouth on me!"Yep, these are fancy napkins will fully mitered corners!

A Marti Bag for My Mom

2011-11-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I made my mom her third Marti Bag of this type. Her Marti Bags have a boxy bottom, which I altered the pattern to fit this need. I like the boxy bottom better than the regular bags that are in my shop.

The fabric is that of local fabric designer Melody Miller. Her line Ruby Star Spring is made of light linen (from Kokka) and comes on a 62” wide bolt! Whoo hoo! I really enjoyed sewing with this fabric.

I never would have known about Melody had the chance meeting of her friend Allison! I would be missing out! Apparently Allison’s kids and my kid get their haircuts at the same place (Pigtails & Crewcuts, if you’re interested) and we were all there at the same time. Allison complimented my bag I was carrying and I told her I made it, that I have a sewing business, etc. She then told me about how she and her friend Melody were working on a new fabric line and I went home to check it out! Turns out, also, that Allison homeschools her kids, so we are two peas in a pod...homeschooling, fabric-loving moms who take their kids to the best haircut place for kids. Ok, it’s the only kid-specific haircut place here locally.

Anyway, here’s the bag:

It has two rows of pockets on the inside (6 total), a magnetic snap, and a key fob! The strap is adjustable from about 24” to 50”. Whoo hoo! She loved it!

Pricing: What goes into an item?

2011-11-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

Oodles of blog posts, written by other people, exhaust the topic of pricing in the handmade industry, so I don’t plan on making this a long post. My goal in this post is to show you what goes into making an apron, my best-selling item.

Step 1: Cut out the fabric. 5 minutes

An apron is 6 pieces: Two neck straps, two waist ties, a pocket and the apron body.

Step 2: Prepare neck straps & waist ties. 10 minutes

Fold under one short end of each strap & tie, press
Then fold each piece in half twice, press both times
Attach velcro to neck straps
Sew neck straps & waist ties
Add tag to one waist tie

Step 3: 5 minutes

Finish all raw edges of apron and pocket with the serger, adding the straps in their appropriate places.

Step 4: 15 minutes

Prepare apron & pocket for hemming. This means I stand behind my hot iron, turning up each finished edge to form a straight hem. I also miter the corners that can be mitered.

Step 5: 10 minutes

Topstitch along the top edge of the pocket.
Place & pin the pocket in the appropriate location on apron.
Sew pocket down.
Hem apron along all the edges I pressed down.
Fold nicely and put finished apron in my stockpile.

So the time it takes me to make one apron after a few years of practice is 45 minutes. I wish I knew a way to make it faster, but I don't think it's possible!

Other things that I include in my pricing are:

Cost of machines & equipment (computer, camera, serger, embroidery machine, sewing machine, printer)
Materials (fabric, velcro, magnetic snaps, etc.)
Advertising cost (Etsy fees, business cards, any craft fair fees)
Taxes (ugh)
PayPal Fees
Time for non-production things: Photographing items, answering emails, listing items, planning, ordering fabric, etc.

So if you do the math, you can see that a lot goes in to making an item. I hope this sheds better light on the handmade process and why prices are sometimes higher than you'd expect. We (crafters/artists) are not people who have production lines in China, able to spit out 50 items in one hour that cost $1. We are people who work in our homes, doing what we do because we love it and want to share it with others! Nothing makes us happier than sharing our talents with you!

Festive Christmas Aprons!

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

This year I’ve chosen a wonderfully festive print for my Christmas Aprons! Pink, red and green trees are popped all over a bright white background and are sure to bring some Christmas cheer to your holiday baking and entertaining!Available in both adult and child sizes, the aprons can be purchased individually (adult or child) or as a matching set. You can even add embroidery for a personalized touch!

I also have three adult aprons left in the red fabric below. Get them while they last!

$3 Monogramming & Christmas Ordering Deadlines

2011-11-07T21:25:00.004-05:00

This week I am offering $3 monogramming through Friday at 9pm EST! You can add a monogram to any apron, bag, coupon clutch, zippered pouch, camera strap cover or laptop sleeve! At a regular price of $9, this is great discount.

I also need to let you all know about my ordering deadlines for this Christmas season.

Ready To Ship Items:

(I have about 130 of these and am still making more!)

United States:
Order by December 18--Mailed on or Before December 19

Canada First Class Mail:

Order by December 7--Mailed on or Before December 8

Canada Priority Mail**:

Order by December 10--Mailed on or Before December 11

Everywhere Else:

Order by November 29--Mailed on or Before December 1

Made To Order and Custom Items:

United States:

Order by December 12--Mailed on or Before December 19

Canada First Class Mail:

Order by December 1--Mailed on or Before December 8

Canada Priority Mail**:

Order by December 4--Mailed on or Before December 11

Everywhere Else:

Order by November 24--Mailed on or Before December 1

**Upgrade to Canada Priority Mail can be purchased for an additional $8

Microwaved! Easy! Chicken in 30 Minutes!

2011-11-02T09:15:00.000-04:00

I absolutely adore all things Pampered Chef. In my next life, I will be a Pampered Chef consultant. I have a ton of their products and am completely happy with all of them. They are awesome! I am not a consultant and no one is paying me to tell you about this stuff, I just love it!

Today, I wanted to spotlight a piece in their stoneware line, the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. Y'all, I cooked a whole chicken in 30 minutes IN THE MICROWAVE in this thing and it was delicious! I've also cooked pork tenderloin (15 minutes) and chicken breasts (10 minutes for 3) in the microwave. The meat turns out juicier than cooking it in the oven. I cannot sing the praises of this product enough. The only drawback is that it only comes in two colors. My consultant told me why and it's a good reason. The product process is long and drawn out and very few pass their quality inspection. I can't imagine the nightmare that would come with more color options.

Ok, so here is what I did: Clean the chicken by taking out the giblets (ick) and rinsing the chicken. Tie the legs together with some baker's twine or dental floss. Then, find some spices you think would be good on chicken:

and rub them on the chicken and put the chicken in the baker:Put the lid on the baker. Put it in the microwave for 30 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Here's what you get:It was microwaved!

Winner of Sewing with Oilcloth

2011-11-02T09:06:00.000-04:00

We have a winner! #8#8 is Liz who said. "How cool! That book looks fantastic :)."

Congratulations, Liz! I'll be emailing you shortly to get your address!

Coupon Clutches

2011-10-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

I had been meaning for a while to make something for myself to organize my coupons, but it took someone asking me to make something like that for me to actually do it. I really should sew for myself more often. I thought a lot about the design of this clutch, even going through two prototypes. Usually knowing exactly how I want an item to function, I can usually design on the fly. Not this time.

Now, I am NOT an extreme couponer. I think it's ridiculous that people ~~hoard~~ stock so much stuff in their homes. I have a family of three people and do NOT need that much stuff! I just look at the ad for a couple of stores and if there is something I use normally, I make a note of it and go get it at some point during the week.

Here are my two go-to sites I use to look at the ads and available coupons:
Southern Savers
Coupon Mom

I designed this coupon clutch to fit 4" x 6" tabbed index cards snugly at the bottom. I added extra room at the top, allowing for ease of filing through coupons. The button/elastic closure allows room to fill ‘er up with lots of money-saving coupons! Included with the clutch is a set of 10 manila heavy cardstock dividers.

Details:
~Dimensions: 2” deep, 5.5” tall, 6” wide at the bottom, 9” wide at the top
~Interfaced with heavy duty stiff stabilizer
~Fully linedCoupon Clutches by Forshee Designs

Modern June, Oilcloth, and a Giveaway!

2011-10-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

The book giveaway has closed.

Last winter, I was honored by being asked to be a pattern tester for a new sewing book that was coming out! The book is Sewing With Oilcloth by Kelly McCants.
I was asked to test this sweet little messenger bag:It turned out nicely and has a bunch of pockets and sections on the inside. I am probably going to use this bag to hold some of my homeschooling materials here in the office.Last week, Kelly came to Atlanta and had a booth at the Country Living Festival at Stone Mountain Park. A few days before, she was holding a book signing at Whipstitch Fabrics. I couldn't miss meeting one of my sewing/Twitter buddies in real life, so I took my mom and my friend Tara with me to get my books signed!
Mom & Tara
Kelly & Me!Oh that's right, the title said giveaway, didn't it? Wiley Publishers sent me a few copies of the book, and I got them all autographed the other night. I'm giving a copy away here on my sweet little blog!
The Details/Rules:
1. Open to US residents only.
2. Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS to enter.
3. Contest closes November 1st at 5pm EST.

Red (or blue or black or purple) Velvet Cake

2011-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that my favorite cake is Red Velvet. There are a couple of variations in recipes, but I prefer the one without cocoa. I also prefer buttercream icing as opposed to the traditional cream cheese icing. I supposed everyone else likes this combination too because they keep asking me to bring these cupcakes. So I do.This past weekend, we hosted our 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff in our cul de sac and I made some Halloween-themed Black Velvet Mini Cupcakes with bright orange buttercream icing.

The beauty of this cake is that it can be ANY COLOR. What?!? How fun is that? You don't get that with a chocolate cake!Yes, my wedding cake was PINK velvet! Yes!!! See it?Want to see it again?That's what it looks like all over my husband's bald head. Note the laughing crowd in the background!

Click HERE for the Red Velvet Recipe.

Click HERE for the Buttercream Icing Recipe.

Apple Picking

2011-10-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, we (me, my mom, my dad and my son) headed to BJ Reece Apple Orchards for some apple picking & fun.

First, we shot the apple guns. Basically, it's a tube with an air compressor hooked up to it. The nice young men who work there would load them up and all you'd have to do is aim, push a button and watch the apples fly!

Then, we picked some apples. We had to use a ladder to get most of them, but it was well worth it. The apples being picked that day were Rome Beauties. The work was well worth it and you can really tell the freshly picked from the not so freshly picked.

The orchard also has a petting farm with huge turkeys, goats, puppies, roosters & a baby cow! There was also a baby goat that I immediately fell in love with. I've wanted a little goat for a long time (I'm pretty sure my county doesn't allow such residential areas to have livestock, though) and seeing that cute little face just set it in stone. My husband thinks I am crazy.

We then headed to do some shopping. Fried apple pies, cider, local honey (supposedly helps with allergies), and apples (duh) were on my list. I didn't get any cider, though, since it had to be refrigerated, and we weren't going straight home.

After buying all the apples, we sent the boys (my son & my dad) on the hay ride. I wasn't even going to go near that thing...I'd be sneezing for days!

Here are some other photos I took that afternoon:

Custom Car Bag & Embroidered Birthday Shirt

2011-10-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about this bag! My friend Elizabeth asked me to make her a bag with three sections to sit between the two seats in the middle row of her cute new vehicle (I can't remember what it's called...it's one of those boxy SUV type cars) to hold snacks, toys, etc.. She (and her mom) is one of my favorite people to sew for because she is always asking me to do something different. It definitely breaks up the monotony of running the shop, where I make & sell the same things over and over.

I knew I wanted the bag and section dividers to be as rigid as possible so that the bag would stand up on its own. I knew that I would use Peltex for that purpose. The dividers have two layers of Peltex and the exterior has one. The exterior could have used two, but one was just fine. I used the sew-in kind because that's what I had on hand. I didn't realize it came in a fusible form until just now! Ha! That would have made things easier.

There are only a couple of things I would change about this bag and they are super minor. Over all, this bag stitched up exactly according to my plan! Yeah!

Also, Elizabeth's son Eli (my little buddy) is turning 2 this year and she asked me to make him a birthday shirt on my embroidery machine! It's really cute! I can't wait to see him in it!

Education Revelation

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Homeschooling has been rewarding, and Kendall is doing much better than he was in public school. I attribute this to keeping focus on the fundamentals such as Bible, Math, Grammar, Science, Reading, History, and Writing.

At some point it got into my head that I should be doing more. Why? Because that's what I do. I always want more and more and more. Yes, I am an overachiever. I always want to do everything, and if someone doesn't think I can't do it, then I want it even more. So I thought, "I want to teach him Latin. What's one more thing?"

So I purchased the Latin stuff. A few weeks ago, we started doing Latin. It has become the thing that we put off and put off. We are now about 5 lessons behind. It's not that it's difficult, it's that this "one more thing" has become the thing that has fallen off my plate onto the table.

Aside from Latin being the thing we put off, another thing came to pass that pushed me further on toward my revelation. I was grading papers (mostly Grammar & Math) and noticed that Kendall was not doing as well as I expected on his work. So why should he be doing something extra if he's not performing well in the fundamental classes? He shouldn't.

One of the things about public school that I hate is that they send ALL the kids to Spanish, Art, Music, etc.. Even if they are in 4th grade but read at a 1st grade level. Now, someone please explain to me how 40 minutes of Spanish is better than them spending 40 minutes working on their reading? I digress...

I realized that I was doing the same thing. I was doing it because I thought it would be neat. So, for now, we are going to stop Latin. I may go through the curriculum and modify it so that it can be incorporated in spelling, but that seems like a lot of work at the moment. All in all, it's not more important than fundamentals.

Crock Pot Recipes

2011-09-20T14:01:00.000-04:00

I was asked about crock pot recipes, so here goes. I'm posting my favorites all in one place! This links to Google docs. If you can't access it, let me know! If you have a favorite recipe, send it to me and I'll add it to the list.Not all of these are specifically written for the crock pot. Basically all you need to do is brown the meat & onions and throw everything in the crock pot.

Santa Fe Soup
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Ground Turkey Chili Stew
Shredded Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Black Bean Chicken

Vacation & Homeschool Update

2011-09-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

Wow. I haven't posted since July 26. Miss me? Here's what's been happening:

HOMESCHOOLING
Since July 26, we started 5th grade homeschooling, which is going well. Normally, I give Kendall his assignment, let him finish it, then give the next, let him finish that one, and so on. I think that this might be the reason that we end up doing school for 7 hours a day when it could only take 4 or 5. He has no incentive to ~~hurry the heck up~~ complete his work in a timely manner. So today, I am giving him a time limit on each assignment and whatever he doesn't finish will have to cut into his free time instead of cutting into my time.

Kendall is also joining a bowling league for homeschoolers. It starts tomorrow and I'm looking forward to A) this counting for school because it's PE B) him meeting other homeschoolers his age. While we try to get together with his friends from his old elementary school, apparently it is too much to ask someone to call back...so we're on the frontier of meeting new friends. I can tell that this may be a big struggle. What else can I do? Send him back to PS because his social needs aren't met? I don't think so!

VACATION
At the end of August, we (my parents, 2 brothers, 2 brothers' wives, and the three of us--that's 9 people) took a trip to San Francisco for a week! None of us had ever been there. We packed as much as possible into the trip: Golden Gate Bridge, Wine Tasting, Alcatraz, Pacific Coast Highway, Redwoods, seeing friends in Sacramento, visiting an aircraft carrier, stopping by M5 Industries (aka Mythbusters) and going to a Giants game. Here's a link to my Flickr Set of SF photos: CLICK HERE.

SEWING/ETSY SHOP
I am already getting busy stocking my shop for the Christmas season. I also have an open house/showcase planned for October 9th at my house (or maybe my mom's house--it's bigger). This is where people will have the opportunity to come over and see my work, have some refreshments and place orders if they wish. I'm really looking forward to sharing my work and hanging out with some people for a couple of hours!

I think that's all. I will leave you with my favorite photo that I took in San Francisco. This looks cool with my regular lens but I bet it would be much cooler if I had a fisheye lens!

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts & A Big Mess

2011-07-26T10:50:00.003-04:00

First, I would like to share with you that when your cheap plastic sugar container (that holds a 5 pound bag) breaks and spills all over the floor and DOWN THE A/C VENT, your Dyson will vacuum it all up. Dealing with the vent was interesting. Picture a sugar geyser in your kitchen. Did I have the presence of mind to go TURN THE A/C OFF? No. I just stood there and watched it blow like Old Faithful. Oh and you'll have ants for a week, I'm sure. We still have them.

This happened on the night that I was making the Panko Crusted Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts (or whatever they are called--their title is too long in my opinion). Here it is:

The whole process was a blur since I was dealing with the sugar geyser. Please excuse my poor photograph also. Again, I was dealing with the sugar. The only thing I'd change about this recipe: I wouldn't pour sugar all over the floor. That is all. It was good.

Chicken Caprese Sandwich

2011-07-16T09:30:00.001-04:00

First, check out these dudes (or dudettes) that were hanging out on top of the BB gun target. Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, I couldn't get my lens to focus on them very well before they flew away.

Hawks or Falcons? One of each? Who knows?

Now, for the sandwich. Of course I had to make it because it has my three favorite things: Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella & basil.

What I changed:
The recipe calls for Italian bread crumbs. I used plain and it was just fine.
I "floated" my buns, which means I browned them in a pan (set on low-medium) of butter. Think grilled cheese crustiness. Yum. Not healthy.

What I should have done:
I should have pounded the chicken breasts thinner. The blandness of a big chunk of chicken outweighs the tomato/mozz/basil combo.

Here's the sandwich! It was delicious! I give it a 5/5.

This Week's Menu

2011-07-13T13:06:00.004-04:00

I don't really blog about how much I love to cook, but I do love to cook. I mostly love to cook because it's just another outlet where I get to make things THE WAY I WANT THEM. I really hate going out to restaurants because they are inconsistent and there is no way of knowing how the food is prepared. So I cook.

I like to just choose 4-6 meals each week that I will cook. I'm not dead set on having hamburgers on Tuesday, spaghetti on Wednesday, etc. I just buy what I need for those meals, then pick and choose as I go.

So here's what we're having for the next 4 meals:
1. Chicken Caprese Sandwiches & Homemade Baked Onion Rings
2. Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes & Basil
3. Florentine Shrimp Pasta
4. Sandwiches (Tuna, Ham, etc.--we'll be at the pool for this meal)

I'll try to photograph and blog about all of these. I'm most interested in the Stuffed Chicken Breasts! Happy eating!

Tornadoes in the South

2011-07-13T09:15:00.001-04:00

I started this post a long time ago and couldn't finish it. I was overwhelmed by everything involving the tornadoes and had not had time to process everything. Our 2nd home & Kit's brother's home were damaged pretty badly, but all of our family & friends were not injured. I'll follow up with another post soon. This is not a short story by any means!

This week has been very scary and emotional for my family. As you have probably heard, about a billion tornados ripped through the south, killing hundreds and causing who knows how much in damage to homes, businesses and land. Unfortunately, my family is affected by this greatly.

My husband, a consultant, was assigned to a project in Albertville, AL. Where?! Here:

View Larger Map

They were hit by the storms on Tuesday, causing his hotel to lose power. The next day, he tried to find a different hotel and there were none available. So he drives back home. With the storms that were even worse chasing him, one county away. I was scared to death that something would happen to him and that he wouldn't have a safe place to take shelter since there is NOTHING between here and Albertville. He made it home safely.

However, which we did not know until that evening, his hometown was pretty much flattened by the tornados. The destruction is devastating. Here's a link to a photographer from that area with some photos: CLICK HERE

Foster Falls

2011-07-11T14:59:00.002-04:00

Kendall and I visited Foster Falls today to do some hiking and swimming. We were not disappointed by either activity!

First, the hike. The terrain was super steep and rocky. I would give the terrain a 5/5 on difficulty. However, the hike is short. It's about 0.3 miles or 15 minutes if you measure distance in time like we do here in the south. So overall the hike gets a 3/5 on difficulty. The scenery was to die for. Everything is so lush and green, a stark contrast to the land before walking into the woods.

I didn't take my dSLR, only my point & shoot camera, much to my dismay. Next time I will take the big camera to get some better photos. Anyway, I think I saw 4 or 5 different types of mushrooms (one was red!), lots of moss and ferns. There were also some different types of evergreen trees. I'm no botanist so I can't tell you the types of plants. As we descended down the steep path, we reached a point where the temperature went from hot (it was about 90 degrees outside) to cold. The cold was from the waterfall's cold water and from the canopy of the trees. It was nice!

Now, the swimming. I stepped one foot in that water and knew that I would not be going in all the way. It was FREEZING so I just found a rock to sit on while I supervised Kendall's swimming & rock throwing time.

On a side note, how long do you think a pair of Teva sandals lasts? I've had these for 13 years. They've been repaired a few times with some Shoe Goo, but they are still kickin'. I wore these for 3 or 4 lifeguarding seasons at our local water park, Six Flags White Water. They even have my maiden name written on the inside!

Publishing my Laptop Sleeve Pattern!

2011-07-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

I designed the Padded Laptop Sleeve a couple of months ago and the response has been great! I thought you sewers out there would want to make your own, so I created a pattern for you to use to sew your own!

I asked three of my sewing buddies to test this pattern for me. One of them is a beginning sewer and she was able to complete the sleeve without issue. With that said, it is easy enough for a beginning sewer to complete!

The pattern gives instructions to make any size laptop sleeve and includes written instructions along with dozens of photos & diagrams depicting the steps. Includes instructions for French seams! It is in PDF format and will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your cleared payment. The price is a mere $8.50! Click the photo below to go to the listing!

Padded Laptop Sleeve Pattern

Since I do make and sell these in my shop, the pattern cannot be used to make items for sale and is for personal use only.

Key Chain Clutches

2011-06-24T18:17:00.004-04:00

I just added a bunch of these to my shop! They can be purchased by themselves, with a wrist strap or with a lanyard. They are available in any of the fabric choices in my Flickr Set: Fabric Choices.

They are perfect for carrying cash, cards and will even fit a lipstick or lip balm in there with the cards! I like to use these when I go grocery shopping (especially going to Costco). I just put a lanyard around my neck with a Key Chain Clutch and go. Without having to take my purse in the store, I don't have to stay near my cart. I am free to move about! It's also convenient at checkout, especially if I'm using the self checkout.

Now for the photos!

Keychain Clutch with Wristlet in Mod Floral

Keychain Clutch in Mod Floral

Keychain Clutch, Back, in Cosmic Floral

Keychain Clutch with Lanyard in Black & White Hexagon

Pricing:
Clutch, $12.50
Clutch with Wrist Strap, $16.50
Clutch with Lanyard, $21.50

I Have Coffee Issues

2011-06-22T21:20:00.003-04:00

It is no secret that I love coffee. Good strong coffee, mind you. While I do not hail Starbucks as the all-time master of coffee, I do appreciate that they are in every major city and that my addiction/habit/appetite can be whetted on demand almost anywhere I choose to roam. When planning a trip, I look up where the Starbucks stores are located before I go if I have never been there before.

When I visit Starbucks, there are only a few drink options for me there: Drip coffee (as long as it’s a bold coffee and especially NOT that nasty Pike Place Blend), Americano (I started drinking this when they decided to only have a bold choice until noon or so--that’s another story), or if I’m feeling strange, a Latte, straight espresso or Iced Coffee. I do not drink the frozen things or teas or anything sugary. To my drip or Americano, I will add 1 raw sugar and some cream. To the latte or espresso, I add nothing. To the iced, 1 Splenda and cream. I am very specific about my coffee and I will have it no other way. Yes, Mr. Barista, I can tell when you put more sugar than I asked for. It makes my teeth feel yucky and makes the onset of diabetes that much earlier for me. I do not appreciate this. I said ONE raw sugar, not one handful.

At home, I own all the coffee makers a girl could desire: A drip coffee machine, an espresso machine and a French press. I use the drip machine most often because it’s convenient, but the press is by far my favorite. Now that I have it, the espresso machine is sort of obsolete because the press can make espresso. But it can’t steam milk like the espresso machine. I keep the espresso machine because I like to say that I have one. I hardly use the thing.

THE BEANS: Oh my. I like a nice dark roast. However, I am also a fanatic about saving money. Or not spending so much if I don’t have to. Anyway, I have been surprisingly pleased with the Costco brand House Blend (which is roasted by Starbucks--Starbucks is like WalMart. No matter how much you try to get away, you still find yourself there in some way.). It is not as dark as I like, but I compensate for that by using more beans. FRESHLY GROUND BEANS, people. Do yourself a favor and go buy a $20 coffee grinder. Grind your coffee at home each time you want to make coffee. I ground some beans about 12 hours ahead of time once and it was gross. I am THAT good. I notice these things. Pre-ground or that stuff that they vacuum seal into a brick is no good.

This whole post resulted from me stating on Facebook AS FACT that my iced coffee I make at home is better than any Starbucks Barista could make. It’s true. I’ve been asked to share my “recipe.” Ladies and germs, I don’t have a recipe. I don’t even cook with them in general. Again, I am THAT good. I do bake with them since baking requires them.

So here’s what I do:
1. Spoon about 7 heaping tablespoons of coffee beans into your coffee grinder.
2. Grind to a medium--not coarse, not fine, MEDIUM. Just like you would grind for regular drip coffee. I would rather you grind too much than not enough, though.
3. Dump the whole thing into your coffee filter and put it in the filter basket.
4. Fill the reservoir of your drip coffee maker with about 17 oz of water. Here, I would like for you to err on the side of less water than more water.
5. Turn on the coffee maker. It will now make you some coffee.
6. While the coffee maker is working, fill your favorite cocktail shaker with ice. I like mine from Pampered Chef. It’s double walled and fabulous.
7. Then fill your favorite BIG cup 1/2 full of ice or frozen coffee cubes. I do some of each. Here's mine, complete with Buzz (Go Jackets!) & a pink straw:

8. Now that your coffee is ready, pour some over the ice in the shaker with whatever sweetener you want. I don’t use regular sugar in iced coffee so I don’t know if it will dissolve properly. Shake it until the ice is almost melted. Oh, put the lid on first before you start shaking!
9. Pour the now-chilled coffee over the ice in your favorite big cup. Keep doing step 8 & 9 until your big cup is full. Top with some half & half or whatever.
10. Now, you drink the iced coffee. After you have finished, come back here and leave a comment thanking me for this goodness that now resides in your big cup! You’re welcome, in advance, of course!

Lazy Girl Patterns--Chelsea Backpack Tote--Pattern Review

2011-06-13T22:06:00.009-04:00

A friend of mine has a toddler and is in between the diaper bag/no diaper bag stage, and she requested that I make her a backpack with one strap to serve her toddler stuff-carrying purposes. I scoured the internet for patterns and we decided that the Chelsea Backpack Tote by Lazy Girl Designs would be the best option.

I love Lazy Girl’s patterns because they make sense to me. They are never anything fancy, just straightforward patterns with clear “why didn’t I think of doing it that way” instructions.

The only things I don’t like about the patterns is the tendency to leave raw edges exposed and the way the handles are attached. I ALWAYS modify those two things. To me, when making bags, even finishing an edge with a serger is sloppy. I like everything to be encased for a clean look. Now, Lazy Girl’s patterns don’t always leave serged seams exposed. Most of Lazy Girl’s bags are large and lend themselves to be able to carry a lot of stuff. The pattern instructions rely on stitching the handles to the outside with only two rows of straight stitching after the body of the bag is completed. I attach the handles to the inside by stitching over them about 10 times, then turning the bag right side out, and then I topstitch over the opening of the bag for another row of stitching. That’s 11 times that I stitch over bag handles.

**Stepping down from soapbox.**

I didn’t time myself on how long it took my to make this bag. I sort of worked on it over the course of 3 distracted days in which I didn’t get a lot done. I’m guessing it took about 2 hours.

I LOVE that this backpack has a zippered handle. It can be worn either with one strap or two straps! I also added a nice, large gusseted (for a sippy cup) pocket to the row of interior pockets. The bag itself is very roomy and I love the square bottom.

Overall, with my modifications, I love the way this bag turned out! I hope that my friend does too!

Personalized Zippered Pouches

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

I made these pouches last week for an Etsy customer. These were for her children's teachers. I thought it was such a sweet gift!

NEW! Ruffled Tote

2011-06-04T20:21:00.003-04:00

I was wandering around in Whipstitch Fabrics last week, looking for something to strike my fancy and I found this blue and green fabric! But what could I make with it? I decided to grab some coordinating Kona Celery Green and see what came of it when I got home. On the way home, I decided to make a tote with some ruffles. Now, I had forgotten how long it takes for me to make a ruffle. I didn't have a ruffler foot and I dislike making them with a machine basting stitch. I always felt the basting stitch was still too short to do this easily. So, I did the ruffles by hand this time. Then I vowed to never do that again and I bought a ruffler foot for my Janome. Anyway, here are the photos! It is also listed in my shop! I will definitely be making more of these for my shop in other fabrics.

The Details:
~14" wide x 17" tall x 3" deep
~Straps measure approximately 22" each
~Price $31.50 plus applicable tax & shipping

Tote Bag with Ruffles

Linen Napkins--Whipstich Fabrics Sewing Buddy Exchange

2011-05-25T11:30:00.003-04:00

Using the instructions in Deborah's book, Stitch by Stitch, I made these awesome linen napkins for my sewing buddy. I used the "Varsity Mitered Corners" instructions and they came out perfectly! This was my first time doing this type of mitered corner and it was actually pretty easy. I think Camille loved her napkins! Thanks to her for taking photos, since I completely forgot!

New! Machine Embroidery Bobbin Thread

2011-04-19T10:21:00.006-04:00

Over in Embroidery Supply on Etsy, I have added some bobbin thread!

Here's the description:

YLI Lingerie & Bobbin Thread is very strong with little stretch. It is excellent for machine embroidery, machine beadwork and lingerie construction.

1200 Yards per spool
100% Nylon
100 Weight
Available in black or white

Click HERE to go to the listings.

I have personally used this type of bobbin thread and it is wonderful. It eliminates tension issues and is a dream to work with. For those of you with a Brother embroidery machine who are having issues finding that 90 weight bobbin thread that came with your machine, this is your replacement! I'm very happy to be able to offer this thread.

NOTE: White bobbin thread is on backorder. I will add it to the shop as soon as it arrives on my doorstep!

241 Tote by Noodlehead

2011-04-16T21:45:00.001-04:00

I made this bag this past Friday and finished it on Saturday. I would have finished it on Friday had I not screwed up my interior zipper and said TO HECK WITH IT. Sometimes you just have to stop and come back to a project. The strange thing is that I always mess up the things that I have done a million times. You know, the things I should not screw up.

Anyway, the pattern is the 241 Tote by Noodlehead and overall it was pretty easy. There are two options with this bag: One calls for the side pockets and one has two zippered sections on the outside of the bag. I wanted to do both, actually. I think doing both is certainly feasible but I wasn't sure how the corduroy fabric would behave with the zippers. Since those would have been on the outside and I didn't have much extra of that fabric, I decided to forego the exterior zippers and just go with the pockets.

The only issue I had with the pattern is sewing the side panels to the main panel. The instructions say to use tons of pins and I found that to be cumbersome so I just lined up the panels as I went. They didn't line up exactly but I don't think I can tell now that the bag is finished. I'm sure I will get better at this the next time I make this bag.

Yep, there will be a next time! I can't say this for a lot of patterns. I love this bag. It's the perfect size and I love the exterior pockets! I carried it Saturday and today and it's a great bag.

Have you sewn this bag yet? I'd love to hear your comments/issues.

Laptop Sleeves, Coming Soon!

2011-04-16T10:18:00.005-04:00

Back in February, I posted photos of the laptop sleeve that I made to match my Cosmo Bag.

Here are some photos of the sleeve I made for my friend Tessa (She is a fabulous photographer. If you are in or near Atlanta, she is your girl!) for her birthday this year:

I didn't like the way mine sort of stuck out, so I changed the closure from a magnetic snap to velcro to streamline it a bit.

The sleeves that will be in the shop will have an exterior pocket to hold file folders, cords, mouse pads, etc.. I am working on getting samples sewn up and photographed this week. They are available for any size laptop (including Netbooks/iPads/Kindles/Nooks/etc.) They should be in the shop by the end of April!

SHOP UPDATE: 70% of the items in my shop are now ready to ship. My goal is to move more toward everything being ready to go, and I have made more progress than I anticipated! I still have plenty in my clearance section as well. The widget below is a little slide show of my clearance section:

Bad Week, Part 3

2011-04-09T12:01:00.002-04:00

Continued from Part 2.

I finally got the pot holders & coasters listed! I am quite proud of these because I incorporated two new skills.

The first skill is combining two prints. I am mainly a print + solid kind of a girl, but I know that people like coordinating prints. Doing this regularly is one of my goals for this year. The second skill is binding. I am now 120% confident in my binding skills!

The pot holders measure 7.75" x 7.75" and are $21.50 for a set of two. The coasters are 4" x 4" and are $18.50 for a set of four. Both have InsulBright on the inside for heat resistance. Click on any of the photos to go to the listings on Etsy.

The obvious choice to coordinate with this fabric was a yellow floral, but I went outside the box and chose this sweet aqua gingham. I love these!

Pot Holder in Pop Floral & Coordinating Dots

Pretty Coasters!

Bad Week, Part 2

2011-04-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

Continued from Part 1.

Thursday afternoon, I spent photographing the pot holders & coasters. Then I moved back up to my sewing room to edit. Kendall was upstairs with me playing on his computer and nosing around in my business. After a while, I heard something that sounded like wind. I immediately dismissed it and turned my music way up to drown out the noise. I am such an idiot.

This went on for about 20 minutes until I needed to go downstairs to do something. There was water rushing down the wall of my house. RUSHING. WATER. I realize at this point that I have no clue as to where the water shutoff is in my house and my husband is out of town in meetings all day. I call him over and over and over and over, no answer. Water is still rushing. Kendall finally chimes in that he thinks "it is in the garage." He showed me where he thought it was, helped me move stuff out of the way and helped me with the ladder. All with a busted, swollen face. Turns out, the kid knew the location of the valve. So between the time I heard the noise and the time I got the water off, it had probably been 30 minutes.

Luckily, my dad had just gotten off work and came over and capped off the leaky line but not before punching a large, medium and small hole in my ceiling. When he stuck the hammer in the first spot in the ceiling, more water and sheetrock came gushing out. It gushed for about 20 minutes. That's how much water was still in my ceiling.

We have water at our house with the exception of one toilet. I think we can manage with that for a few days while we contact plumbers and pipe replacement people to get bids on replacing all of our pipes. We have polybutylene piping, which was shown to be defective in a class-action suit. Unfortunately, we are not eligible to get any money from that because our PB pipes didn't have issues within some time frame.

Meanwhile, I burned my hand on the heating element of our toaster oven and somehow injured my other hand. And our lawnmower is broken so we have the Amazon rainforest in our front yard.

Anyway, here are some photos of my mess:

Part 3 will be the post about my pot holders & coasters. Yep, I finished them.

Bad Week, Part 1

2011-04-09T11:27:00.004-04:00

We took this week off from homeschool because A) it's spring break week in our county so I thought Kendall would want to hang out with friends B) and I wanted to add a line of pot holders and coasters to my Etsy shop. Kendall chose to go to a baseball camp Monday-Wednesday so I took the opportunity to sew like a mad woman. I spent half of Monday sewing. I had some residual things to do from last week first.

Tuesday, I sewed like crazy and went to the grocery store. Wednesday morning I was so excited because I had made great progress and I was thinking that I could have the pot holders & coasters finished, photographed and listed by Wednesday night. As I was driving to pick up Kendall, I got a phone call. It was another mom at baseball camp telling me that Kendall was hit in the mouth with a baseball and that teeth were loose. Nooooooooo, not loose teeth! You see, he just got his braces off a couple of months ago. Also, my little brother was injured in the teeth when he was about 8 and is still having dental work done at age 25. I could just see my money being flushed down the toilet.

When I got to the park, he clearly needed stitches. I rushed him off to the ER, where he received 5 stitches on the big cut inside his mouth. On the way to the ER, I had the presence of mind to call his orthodontist who said to take care of the cut first. He then said to try to put his retainer in and that it would put the teeth back. Riiiight. As soon as we left the ER, I knew that the retainer thing couldn't happen so I called him back. He said to come in and he would see if he could move it back with some more braces. Again, money flushing down the toilet.

The orthodontist waited for us even though his office was closed. When we got there, the office staff was gone. He put braces back on and was hopeful that the teeth would make a full recovery. He recommended seeing the regular dentist for xrays to check for fractures/root/nerve damage. At the end of that, I asked him if they would just send me a bill since the office girls were gone. He told me that he was not going to charge me for the braces. WHAT?!?! I couldn't believe it. How generous and kind. I want to do something for him but I don't know what. Suggestions? The next day we saw the regular dentist and there is no root or nerve damage, thank God.

I did not take photographs of the injury. It was gross.

Part 2 of my bad week is coming shortly!

Placemats

2011-03-23T10:41:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! You haven't seen much activity from me lately because I've been busy! I've been focusing on homeschooling mostly, and I have been doing some non-Forshee Designs sewing work. Colleen at Some Art Fabric asked me to make some bag samples for her, and I've also been doing some pattern testing for an upcoming sewing book! I delivered the samples to Colleen without photographing them! Oops! You'll just have to take my word for it that they were fabulous.

Yesterday, I made some new placemats for my table. The fabric is called Dandelion in raspberry from Patty Young's Flora & Fauna line. I wish I had more of this so I could make some napkins! I'll be doing that soon, don't worry!

I'm Somebody Now!

2011-03-02T19:27:00.003-05:00

First, enjoy this clip from The Jerk:

Now, we can move on with the blog post.

I'M SOMEBODY NOW!!!

Well, I've always been somebody. However, yesterday I feel like I'm on the Etsy map. First, I was part of a treasury that made Etsy's front page at 7 am:

Thanks to Lara Lewis (www.laralewis.net) for adding me to the treasury and Kelly McCants (www.modernjune.com) for letting me know I was on the front page! I don't get up that early so I never would have seen it!

THEN I was included in an Etsy finds email that went out:

(click the photo to see the full email)

All the hoopla resulted in almost 100 shop hearts and oodles and oodles of item hearts, which is fantastic! It feels good to be somebody!

More Pot Holders!

2011-02-17T17:01:00.005-05:00

A few weekends ago, my mom and I were in Whipstitch and picked out some great fabrics from their remnant bin! There was just enough to make these sweet pot holders.

I absolutely love the look of a coordinating/contrasting binding, but the only way I knew to do it was to handstitch the back side. I hate doing it! It hurts my hands and takes forever and makes me go batty, and you know I LOVE long projects. NOT. So, I tweeted my frustration, just because that's what I do when I get frustrated. Someone out there cares. Trust me. My twitter friend Belinda, also known as @BGMom1, cared enough to help me out BIGTIME! She walked me right through machine stitching the binding, which was fantastic. I couldn't be happier with the results!

What do you think?

I adore that black and white houndstooth!

The pot holders are now available in MY SHOP!

I love this Buttercup Bag

2011-02-12T10:31:00.001-05:00

It's in my Etsy shop. Click the link to go to the listing!

MacBook Pro Sleeve

2011-02-10T17:42:00.004-05:00

I made this laptop sleeve for my precious 15" Macbook Pro. It also matches my Cosmo Bag!

See how happy my baby looks tucked in to its special sleeve?

I finished mine with a small magnetic snap, but it could be done with velcro, a button or even without a tab.

This project was super easy and I've made a special formula to figure out how much fabric to cut for both openings on the long side or the short side!

Should I add these to the shop? I'm thinking that if I do, I will show a couple of examples along with some fabric choices since there are so many laptop sizes and shapes out there.

Big Swamp Full of Life

2011-02-04T15:26:00.002-05:00

After we visited Robert is Here, I took Marti (my sister in law) to Everglades National Park. The Everglades cover quite a bit of Florida's southern tip. The park is huge, has many many entrances, and I doubt anyone could ever see it all unless it was their job to do so. I wish it were my job. When I see these wetlands, I want to explore and see everything is has to offer. Just the plant life alone astounds me. There is so much information about visiting the Everglades, so I won't bore you with what we did. I will just give you the goods! Enjoy!

Robert Is Here!

2011-02-04T14:22:00.004-05:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with sewing. I thought you might want to know what else I do besides sew. Yes? No?

Last January, my husband and I ventured down to Ft. Lauderdale for a three-day weekend getaway. We decided to visit the Everglades and on the way to the specific entrance we chose, we happened upon this fruit stand called "Robert Is Here." They advertised key lime milkshakes. If you know me, you know about my love for ice cream and coffee. You ask me if I want ice cream or coffee, the answer is always yes. ALWAYS. I had to get my hands on this milkshake and check out this place with the oddest name in the world. We got the milkshakes. Key lime pie + pie crust + ice cream = heaven. Turns out that this fruit/milkshake stand also has a zoo in the back. I didn't have my camera with me, though, so I didn't get any photos!

So this year when my sister in law and I were planning our we-need-to-get-the-heck-out-of-dodge vacation, I suggested Ft. Lauderdale. It's warm and that's all we were looking for really. I took her to Robert Is Here to get a shake and to take photos of the animals. If you're ever near the western side of Everglades National Park, stop by and see Robert. He really is there. You will love it and so will your kids!

Post on the Everglades (along with some cool photos) coming soon!

Style Stitches Challenge--February

2011-02-01T13:28:00.003-05:00

January's challenge was a success! I love my Cosmo Bag and I've even already used it on a trip as my very large "personal item" on a flight. The bag fits everything I need and fits under the seat on a plane. Enough said. My bag was even featured on JemJam's recap of the January challenge!

Go on over to the Challenge's Flickr group to see all the other lovely bags!

For February, we are creating the Reversible Everyday Shopper. I will be gifting this one (to a very special person--wonder who it is?!?) since I have 8 billion shoppers like this one. Ok, maybe not 8 billion. It's more like 8, but (as they say) Eight is ENOUGH!

Labels: Important Business Tool

2011-01-25T12:24:00.007-05:00

A few days ago, a lady won one of my items in a door prize basket. I attach my labels to EVERYTHING I make, and she went to my website to see what else I had to offer. She then emailed me to tell me how much she liked it and then inquired about a custom item. She also took it upon herself to share my website with her friends.

Why is attaching labels a MUST DO?
It's like adding a permanent business card to your item! It gives the owner of your item instant access to your information. If a friend asks them where they got the item, the information is right there. No more, "Oh I have their business card somewhere...". Remember that people love, love, love instant gratification and getting your information into their hands immediately is NEVER a bad thing.

Why not just include a business card or two in my packaging?
The short answer is that people throw business cards away or lose them. Include them anyway, though. Business cards are important to have, but they are pretty much trash.

Where can I get labels?
Etsy has many many options for labels, not just for fabric items like mine. You can get custom sticker labels printed also! The labels I use are woven and look just like something you would find inside clothing and purses in stores. They are professional and people always comment on how cool they are!

Now, let's go through the scenario with the nice lady from the first paragraph had I not attached a label. ***crickets chirping*** That's right, there is no scenario then. Maybe she loves it and tries to find out where it came from, but eventually she would have lost interest and just enjoyed her item.

Another scenario: Attaching a business card w/ribbon, no permanent label. Since the purchaser of this item was not the end user, there is no guarantee that the end user knows where their item came from. The purchaser could have removed it before giving the item away. With this scenario, it ends with the end user either not knowing or throwing your card away once they've unwrapped it.

The scenario from paragraph one is ideal. This will not happen with every person. You may not know that it happens either. If I spent $80 on 600 custom labels and I get 2 new customers from that, it's worth it.

300th Sale Giveaway! A Winner!

2011-01-22T11:05:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered for the $25 store credit and for those who have made my business a success!

Using random.org, I chose a random winner!

And the winner is #8, who is Brandi W., who also happens to live down the street from me! Congratulations! I emailed Brandi around 10:30 this morning and she already spent her $25! She got the Pink & Black Paisley apron and added her monogram. (She loves monogrammed stuff!) I hope she doesn't mind that I "borrowed" one of her Facebook photos!

New! Lanyards

2011-01-16T13:50:00.004-05:00

I have made a few lanyards in the past, so I thought they would be a good addition to my shop!

Stats:
120" long, .75" wide
Silver color metal clasp, easily attaches to your keys, work ID, etc.
Price $10.50

I'll be adding more fabric choices soon, I was just so excited to share that I had to get the ones I had done up already!

These are also able to be personalized!

You can find them in my shop or email me to order! (aprilforshee at gmail dot com)

Style Stitches Challenge--January, Complete!

2011-01-11T13:44:00.002-05:00

Well, I was right. You can fit a small farm in this bag. My computer fits perfectly! I wish the bag stood up on its own, though, which is my fault. I'm not sure what I was thinking by not adding more stabilizer.

I changed two things about the bag and added a few things. (I hardly ever make something without altering it.)

First, the side pockets were these long, skinny, useless things. So all I did was add a row of stitching to close it up so that it can be used for SOMETHING other than long skinny objects.

Second, the interior needed more pockets. I added pockets for pencils/pens, my wireless mouse, and my handheld GPS (Nerd Alert: I like to geocache. If you don't know what that is, check out the geocaching website: www.geocaching.com.). Third, I stitched up the center on one of the huge pockets to make 2 big pockets.

What do you think?

300th Sale Giveaway!

2011-01-10T09:51:00.010-05:00

Back in October, I was about to hit 200 sales. Well, I hit 200 on November 15. Then...I hit 300 on January 7! I couldn't believe it!

To celebrate, I'm doing another giveaway! I'm giving away a $25 credit to my Etsy shop so that you can pick what you want!

Here's what you have to do. (I'm going to make you work for this one!)

1. Be a fan on my Facebook page OR follow me on Twitter (use the buttons on the right sidebar to get you there)--1 entry
2. Tell a friend to be my fan or follow me. They have to do one of these for you to get credit!--5 entries
3. If you have an Etsy account, heart my shop.--2 entries

Leave a comment for each individual item that you do. If you are already a fan/follower, you still need to leave a comment. If you refer a friend, leave me their name so I can check! If you heart my shop on Etsy, leave another comment with your Etsy username!

That's it! If you have any questions, let me know!

Contest will close on January 25 at 10am EST!

10 Years Old--Where Did the Time Go?

2011-01-10T09:17:00.003-05:00

My boy turned 10 on January 3rd! This makes me feel old. In 5 years, he will learn to drive. Holy smokes!

Since we're homeschooling now, I decided that he could invite some boys over to play & eat since he misses his friends a lot. Four boys came over and they played games, played outside, had pizza & cake.

They couldn't believe that I made this cake! They loved it! Do people not make cakes these days? I hate the cakes at grocery stores! Gross!

My aunt and uncle came over to lead some indoor games. The best game of all involved a shower cap covered with shaving cream on my uncle's head. The boys were supposed to throw Cheetos at his head to see how many they could get to stick.

When it was almost time to go, I had them open their goody bags because I wanted to see if they really liked the pencil pouches I made them with their first initial embroidered.

They were a hit! Again, they could not believe that I sewed these pouches! They even complimented my fabric choice. I couldn't have asked for a better reaction. I'm thinking these would be a good addition to my shop, no?

Style Stitches Challenge--January

2011-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

For January, we are to make the Cosmo Bag from Chapter 1 of Amy Butler's Style Stitches:

I think that this bag will be my new computer/carryall bag. I have plans to add some different pockets than what's indicated in the pattern. I have lots of things I must carry, you know. I'd like pockets for my: Mouse, handheld GPS and cord, mouse pad, iPods (yes, I have two), iPod cords, computer charger, pens, notepads, SD cards, etc.. Because I might need all of those things at once and must carry them all at all times, right? Anyway, the bag is big enough to carry a small farm so I shouldn't have an issue. I just have to make sure that the pockets are the right sizes and that I reinforce all the seams. I'd hate for it to break, causing all of my pretties to go crashing to the ground!

I've already traced my pattern onto freezer paper and labeled/marked all the pieces. Now, the most difficult part, I have to choose some fabric. I bought some corduroy from Melanie at Above All Fabric a while back, just for the purpose of making a computer bag. I'm thinking that the lining will be hot pink and want to try to find some matching orange Kona cotton for the handles. If it doesn't match almost exactly, I will go with brown.

Do you have any other ideas about handles? Or what else I should put in my bag? I guess I could carry around my little dog, huh?

New Sewing Machine!

2011-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about it for a while and I finally did it! I bought a new sewing machine! I did about 10 minutes of research and figured out that the Janome 3160QDC was the machine for me. I walked right in to my favorite place to buy machines, Ashby Sewing and asked for it and bought it all in about 10 minutes. Normally, this is not the way I make any purchase, much less a big one like this! I like doing things away from the norm sometimes I guess!

So here are my favorite things about this machine:

It's quiet enough that I can watch my Netflix shows on the computer and still hear the show!
The automatic thread cutter (how did I survive without this?) saves me a lot of time and hassle.
It has lots of special stitches, even about 5 different buttonholes and a grommet stitch.
The quilting platform (I don't know what else to call this) makes it easy to move the fabric around when sewing aprons.
Did I mention that it's quiet?

I am sure that I will find more reasons to love this machine as I sew with it over the years!

Here's a stock photo:

Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge

2011-01-01T09:23:00.003-05:00

I lack the ability to just sew things for myself. By the time I think I have time, something comes up or I'm tired or (insert your own excuse here). It's never a priority. When I saw that JemJam was hostessing a challenge that goes through the new book (Amy Butler's Style Stitches) I got for my birthday, which was December 1st, that I have yet to even look at because (you know, insert your own excuse here), I signed up immediately. You don't really have to sign up, per se, but I tell myself that I've signed up for something.

You can go over to JemJam's blog to see all the details. There is also a group on Flickr you can join to post photos of your monthly bag/progress. Oh and there are prizes from my virtual Twitter friend Melanie's fabric shop, Above All Fabric.

And last, but not least, here is the button you can grab to post on your blog if you want to join us!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T21:39:00.003-05:00

Christmas was more fun this year than it has been in the past. I've been super busy, which means I'm super happy, which means things are great!

Here are some Christmas Coasters I made for my mom. They are 3.75" square and have little quilty lines all over them. Each one is different!

And here are our Christmas stockings! I made one for all nine of us! My parents, brothers, their wives and then the three of us. It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it! They were a hit!

Another view, before opening gifts:

And after the gifts:

And no Christmas would be complete without the Red Ryder BB Gun:

He hasn't shot his eye out yet, thank goodness!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Quilted Christmas Placemats

2010-12-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

I made these placemats for my friend Stephanie's mom for Christmas. I couldn't post earlier because she is my friend on Facebook and might read my blog, so I kept the photos to myself until now!

I used Michael Miller's Holiday Trees in Red and a layer of fleece interfacing. I made them like I make potholders. I am quite thrilled with my non-expert quilting on these! Even though I have an even-feed walking foot, my fabric always feeds unevenly. Not on these babies!!! I pinned the heck out of these so that the fabric wouldn't move. Fantastic!

All the Best Things are Handmade

2010-12-22T11:33:00.003-05:00

I have long had a love for handmade things. Knowing it was made by a person and that there probably aren't a whole lot of something makes me happy. When I shop, I like to find the things that no one else would have. Here are a couple of photos of handmade ornaments on my tree:

I spent ages playing softball (and I still play on a couple of teams). This is an ornament my mom got for me in 1992 from a vendor at the Yellow Daisy Festival.

As a kid, I went to a very small private school and we always got to go on the coolest field trips. We went to Frabel, a glass blowing workshop here in Atlanta. I have been smitten by their pieces since I was young. My mom got me this ornament a few years ago. She also got me one of their floral pieces for my college graduation. (Be jealous!)

And this post would not be complete without a photo of what's going on in my kitchen right now:

Yes, I am making cinnamon rolls from scratch. Again, be jealous! Or just come by and have a cinnamon roll with me!

"My Clearance Section" or "Please Buy These"

2010-12-21T16:07:00.003-05:00

I don't know what's wrong with these Christmas Aprons & Towels. Did I make bad color/fabric choices? Did people stop liking holiday-themed items? Who knows? All I know is that they didn't sell this season and that I've marked them down by 40%.

Here's a sneak peek! Just click on the photo to go to the clearance section :

Christmas Ordering Deadlines

2010-11-25T11:31:00.002-05:00

Here they are!

CHRISTMAS ORDERING DEADLINES:

11/26--African, Central and South American orders, will ship by 12/3
12/1--ALL Other International Orders, will ship by 12/10
12/9--Custom Orders, will ship by 12/21 via Priority Mail
12/13--Regular Orders, shipping by December 21 via Priority Mail
12/15--Regular Orders that you wish to pick up, must be picked up by 2pm on 12/21 (I will put it in the mail if you can't make it by then)
12/21, before 2pm--Ready to Ship Items, will ship 12/21 Priority Mail

Thank You!

2010-11-25T11:23:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I am very thankful for my customers who pay me to do what I love! I get to work when I want, in my PJs with my music at whatever unreasonable level I choose. For that, I thank you! To express my gratitude, I have cooked up a few deal options for you:

For every purchase of $25 (does not include shipping or tax), you will get a free key wristlet! Use code 2010FREEWRISTLET when ordering. I will include it in your order when I ship it!

For every apron purchase, you can get a free monogram! Use code 2010FREEMONOGRAM when ordering. Make sure to include your font choices (see them here: http://forsheedesigns.blogspot.com/p/embroidery-fonts-designs-pricing.html ) and your text choice.

These offers cannot be combined, you must choose one or the other. Offer is good from Nov 25-Nov 29 at 11:59pm. You must include code to get the offer.

You can go through Etsy (there is a spot for the coupon code when checking out) or you can email me to order! aprilforshee {at!} gmail {dot!} com

Next, I will be posting my Christmas ordering deadlines. It's coming more quickly than you think!

And, as always, let me know if you have any questions!

I Did It! 200 Sales as of Today!

2010-11-15T12:52:00.002-05:00

Well, it happened overnight. I got my 200th sale in my Etsy shop.

It was much less exciting than I thought, but I am happy with my sales number being nice and even at the moment. I'm sure it will change to 201, 202, 203....soon (actually it just changed to 201 as I am writing this!). After all, it is Christmas gift buying season and I am already busy!

No one guessed November 15th for their date in my 200th Sale Pool, so sad! I took the entrants' names and put them in alphabetical order:

Amy
Brandi
Elizabeth
Erica
Ginger
Janimal
Karen
Kathy
Kelly
Lana
Melanie
Rebecca

And chose a random number between 1 and 12. It was:

The winner, Kelly, will receive a large zippered pouch! I had to give something away! Thanks to all those who entered!

Be sure to go over to the shop and check out the new items I listed in the past week. I have camera strap covers, key wristlets and lots of new aprons. There are also a couple of new Buttercup Bags. Most of these items are ready to ship!

Custom Baby Blanket

2010-11-08T21:14:00.004-05:00

My mother in law asked me to make a baby blanket as a shower gift for a baby girl. I don't really DO baby/kid stuff, but I knew I could come up with something. I'm always dying to use a lot of girly fabric and do some sort of girly embroidery. She pretty much gave me a blank canvas to work with, which is good and bad. Good because I had freedom. Scary because I really wanted the recipient to love it.

Last week I was in Chattanooga, TN and googled "Chattanooga, TN quilt shops" and out came a link to Sew Bee It, which is in Ringgold, GA which happens to be on my way home to Marietta! They have a great selection of fabrics (and yarns!) and I will definitely be going back. The ladies helped me choose two prints that would go together (I am not good at this) and made me feel right at home! We chose some Kaffe Fassett fabric with a minky fleece from Moda on the back. I also used the minky fleece to do a flower applique on the front. So soft!

Ok, so here's the blanket:

Christmas Aprons!

2010-10-31T11:11:00.004-04:00

Christmas Aprons are up in my shop in the SEASONAL section! Keep in mind that I have a very limited quantity of these. Once they're gone, they're gone! Below are some photos of the matching sets, but they are available individually. (I just didn't want to post too many photos here on the blog!)

Key Wristlets Are Here!!!

2010-10-30T15:17:00.002-04:00

I made up a bunch of these Key Wristlets for the New Salem Mountain Festival and they were hot sellers! They are super handy. I am currently carrying one in the Sherbet print and it has made it a ton easier to find my keys in my big bag. Keep in mind that these can be made in most of the fabrics in my shop, so if you don't see the one you want, just ask!

Here's a linky to where you can see of them in my shop: CLICK HERE

Enjoy the photos!

Don't forget to choose a date for my 200th sale pool! Winner gets $20 in Forshee Designs Dollars!

200th Sale Pool! Winner gets $20!!!

2010-10-25T10:33:00.019-04:00

Right now I am at 178 sales in my Etsy Shop! Obviously, the next benchmark is my 200th sale! So what I've decided to do is let my Facebook Fans/Twitter & Blog Followers pick a date that they think I will receive that 200th sale. Each person gets one date and vice versa. You can either leave a comment, email me (aprilforshee at gmail dot com) or leave a Facebook comment with your date choice. I will keep the list updated below!

RULES:

1) Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

2) You must follow me on Facebook, Twitter or my blog.

THE PRIZE: Whoever chooses the correct date wins a ~~$15~~ $20 gift certificate to my shop that can be used toward anything there, including shipping.

November 11
November 12
November 13
November 14
November 15
November 16
November 17
November 18
November 19--Rebecca
November 20--Brandi W.
November 21
November 22--Amy M.
November 23--Janimal
November 24
November 25
November 26
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1--Erica P.
December 2
December 3--Ginger
December 4
December 5
December 6--Lana D.
December 7--Melanie C.
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11--Kathy S.
December 12
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 18
December 19--Karen F.
December 20
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24
December 25
December 26
December 27--Elizabeth
December 28
December 29
December 30
December 31

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-13T14:24:00.005-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, celebrated by those girls and guys who walk for days for a good cause. I have a couple of pink ribbon embroidery designs that would be perfect on a solid-color apron, a koozie, a zippered pouch, etc.. 20% of the proceeds from the sale of any items with pink ribbon embroidery will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! This will be the policy all the time, not just for October!

Small Zippered Pouch w/Pink Ribbon Embroidery $12.00

Large Zippered Pouch w/Pink Ribbon Embroidery $18.50

Adult Apron (any fabric, any color) w/Pink Ribbon Embroidery $25.75

Koozie w/Pink Ribbon Embroidery $8.50

Just email me and let me know what you would like! aprilforshee {at!} gmail {dot!} com.

Craft Fair vs. Online Sales

2010-10-13T13:06:00.004-04:00

This post might get long. I have a lot to say. I will start by saying that this post is in no way a bashing of craft shows. It is just to document my experience so other people can learn from it. I LOVE craft shows.

This past weekend I set up my booth at the New Salem Mountain Festival. It was supposedly a big show with 8,000-10,000 attending. So I figured that maybe 1% of those people would buy from me. That's 80 people, at about an average of $20/sale equals $1600. I thought that might be a stretch so I put $1200 in my head for a sales expectation/goal.

Here's how the weekend breaks down:

$85 Booth Entry
$50 Gas
$20-30 Food
6 hours to load/unload/setup/breakdown/load/unload
4 hours of driving

For $600 in sales. And I'm not even counting the money I put into my display since that is not a specific cost to this particular show. So now let's put a dollar amount on my time. For custom orders, I charge $15-20/hour depending on the difficulty of the project. Let's say I got paid $15/hour this weekend. I worked a total of 26 hours, which amounts to $390.

So taking sales, less the costs, my business profited $45. And that's probably a stretch since I didn't even count the hours I spent sewing the products. Also, I did not include my dear husband's time. He helped me all weekend and I didn't even really ask him to do that.

To sum it up, I just don't think these craft fairs are for me. I don't think they are worth the time and stress (I lost a ton of sleep last week getting ready and worrying). To test this hypothesis, I will be spending $135 on relisting on Etsy and possibly some advertising spots on a few blogs to see if I can get $600 in sales from that. This will take away the driving and setup time and time spent sitting on my behind at the fair, giving me a better profit margin.

On a not-so-sour note, I met these two fun ladies! They have nicknames for each other (and everyone at their work, I learned) and wanted koozies with their nicknames stitched on them. They were so sweet and I was glad to have met them. Turns out that Robin lives a few miles from me!

My House is Full of Craziness

2010-09-30T10:48:00.002-04:00

I read somewhere that crafters should take three times the amount of stuff they want to sell to a craft fair. WOW. That's a lot of stuff. I took that statement to heart because it makes sense. The rationale behind it is that you never want your booth to look empty.

For the past several weeks I have been buying fabric, cutting out fabric, and sewing fabric . I think almost every room in my house might have fabric or finished products in it. When I look at all of it, I feel that I have enough...but...I always feel like I could make more. My husband says I'm too hard on myself, and I say that I can do better. Did I mention that I also homeschool our 4th grade son?

WHAT. AM. I. THINKING?

I signed up for the New Salem Mountain Festival (a big craft fair) a long time ago before I decided to homeschool. Had I known I would be homeschooling, I would have passed on the craft fair!

Alas, I have a week and 2 days until the craft fair. I still have about 20 aprons, 10 camera straps, 30 makeup bags and a couple of purses to sew. I think I need to re-evaluate this! There's no way I can get all of that done and maintain any ounce of sanity.

Needless to say, next week will be a slacker week as far as homeschooling goes.

Facebook Fan Page Maintenance

2010-09-20T07:39:00.005-04:00

This is just a quick post to explain how Facebook Fan Pages work. Or don't work, for that matter. They are not the same as regular Facebook personal profile pages. Oh no, that would be too easy.

When someone writes on my wall, comments on a wall post, comments on a photo, comments on a comment on a photo or wall post (you get the idea), FB fan pages DO NOT send notification to the administrator of that fan page. Unless...the admin "likes" everything on their page. Then the admin looks like they just love themselves to pieces.

As far as photo comments go, there is a page the admin can go to to view the comments made on the photos. They are not in order of date of comment, they are in order in which the photo was posted. Yikes. So if I posted a photo 6 months ago and you just commented on it today, it would be put with the other photos that were posted 6 months ago, not with today's comments. I have to go and fish for these comments, checking my photo comments daily.

As you can imagine, this gets very time consuming and cumbersome. Keep in mind that when you comment on a Facebook Fan Page that the administrator probably won't see it unless they are stalking their page almost constantly. Send them a message/email/text (or you can also call--my phone number is listed on my fan page).

So...as of this morning I have deleted any photo comments that were not made in the past week (sorry!) or so. People have asked questions about price, etc. All of my pricing can be found on this site under the "Product Pricing" tab unless the item was a custom order. If you want to inquire about those, please email me. aprilforshee at gmail dot com I will work to update my photos with the appropriate link (blog post, pricing page, etc.) so that there is no confusion. Feel free to continue to comment, though, as I will check that photo comments page almost daily. I will respond to them and after a week or so, I will delete them! I think that may be a good way to manage the comments.

Have questions? Let me know!

Patty Young, American Girl Dress

2010-09-15T12:55:00.004-04:00

Patty Young first grasped my attention when I discovered her Mezzanine collection of fabrics for Michael Miller Fabrics. I became obsessed with the Gothic Flower print (and I still am!). I have a very popular Buttercup Bag in my shop made from fabrics from this line.

Patty also has sewing patterns for little girls and their dollies! Now, I do not have a girl to sew for and I generally do not care for pastels, frills, lace and the like. This is why I love her patterns. Even though I don't have a real girl to sew for, I have an American Girl Doll (I have Molly). Many of my friends still have their dolls from when they were children also...and their daughters and nieces have them too!

A friend of mine asked me to make a Mini Kyoko for her niece and I jumped at it! We carefully chose four fabrics and some ribbon for a nice dress for the Felicity doll, who is red headed. Sewing the dress took me about 2 hours. The bulk of that time was dealing with the tiny bias tape and the tiny gathers in the skirt. I have big hands that do not get along with tiny things. I do recommend making your own bias tape, though, as it looks better and can be whatever fabric you like!

I am completely pleased with the way the dress turned out! I might make my Molly one. The only thing I would change is that the next one will be made with some of Patty's fabric!

Oh, and I got to meet Patty Young a few months ago at Intown Quilters here in Atlanta! I even sat in traffic, which is something I swore to myself I would never do since I retired from working downtown, so I could go meet her. She had a new line of knits coming out and gave a talk about how to sew with knits, which was very informative and helpful! The videos of what she presented are on her website.

Enjoy the photos!

Molly in the Mini Kyoko I made! (I guess she was tired of being in her Georgia Tech cheerleader outfit?!)

Patty & I

Above All Fabric

2010-09-09T22:27:00.005-04:00

Melanie at Above All Fabric asked me to make some zippered pouches to show off her new zippers that she is carrying in her shop! I stitched them up today and couldn't be happier with the results!

The following fabrics were used:

Melanie has an informative post about sewing with zippers in store for her blog next week. You won't want to miss it!

Two large pouches

A view of the weird quilting I did on this one.

Medium-sized pouches, about 3.5" x 8"

A coin purse

What I Did Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-08T16:51:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I sent my husband and son out of town so I could sew. I needed some uninterrupted time to get ready for the New Salem Mountain Festivalwhich is in one month. I have lots and lots of these made, but none of these.

So I ended up making 9 Buttercup Bags and 3 Marti Bags! I also made one of these. Here are the pics:

New Salem Mountain Festival

2010-08-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

I am happy to share that Forshee Designs will have a booth at the New Salem Mountain Festival in Dade County, GA this year! Dade County is where my husband is from, so I'm sure to have lots of family and friends stop by!

From the festival brochure:

The New Salem Mountain Festival started as a celebration at the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn – some people think the most beautiful time of the year – when brilliant color of the trees provides a glorious background for beautiful and exciting works of art.

The Mountain Festival emphasizes quality. Artists, craftsmen, and musicians – many local are carefully selected from the best agent available. You will discover here many visual arts – paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor; pottery of earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain clay; quilts made in our own community by internationally appreciated quilters; other textiles; weaving and stuffed toys so well made as to warrant people calling them “soft sculpture.” There will be woodwork, jewelry, and various other works in traditional expression and in experiments with newer artistic, industrial arts.

The purpose of the New Salem Mountain Festival is… to be a FESTIVAL, an organized effort to bring together a variety of art, crafts, music, dancing, so that each member of the family can share special pleasures to delight the senses.

Today, in our world of changing experiences, what was once community – held traditions have in many instances been lost to factory work and dehumanized processes. Now it often takes a special effort to locate fine objects made by folks at home. Our efforts are culminated in this our Mountain Festival, and we invite you to come and enjoy the beautiful made–by– hand works and their makers that we have gathered in celebration.

If you want to know more about how you can participate write George “Doc” or Faye Nichols, 805 Cherokee Trail, Rising Fawn, Georgia 30738. Telephone (706) 398-1988. Email: NSCIC@aol.com. Fax (706)398-1988.

Fun for the old and young, come spend the day. Food and drinks on the grounds. Food booth sponsored by the New Salem United Methodist Church.

October 9 & 10, 2010

Saturday – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sunday – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

(E.S.T. each day)

Admission - $5.00

Children under 12 FREE

ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL, DRUGS, OR PETS ALLOWED.

The New Salem Mountain Festival is located on top of Lookout Mountain between Trenton and LaFayette, Georgia, at the New Salem Community Center, 12477 Hwy. 136.

Koozies Are Here!

2010-08-25T19:25:00.003-04:00

Pictured below is a can koozie. They can be embroidered on one or both sides. I love mine!

They are $8.50 and include basic embroidery (see Embroidery Services for other options) on one side, $10.00 to have both sides embroidered (both sides do not have to be the same)! Shipping is $2 for one and $0.50 for each additional koozie. As always, people in GA have to pay sales tax which is 6%.

Also available are beer bottle koozies! I'll be getting some photos of those up soon!

French Seams & Zippered Pouches

2010-08-24T09:18:00.003-04:00

I make small zippered pouches/coin purses/whatever you want to call them. I have not been happy with the way the interior ends up. So...I took a look at one of my Vera Bradley (yes, I still have VB things even though my stuff is a lot cuter and I can make something for myself) coin purses and AHA! French Seams! So I studied it for 2 minutes, and I was able to replicate the way they are put together. Easy enough. I will definitely be using this technique from now on because I was soooo happy with the result.

Enjoy the photos! This pouch is a specific size (5" x 7") that my mom requested. I think she's using it for receipts. Oh, and it matches her purse that I made for her!

New Embroidery Designs

2010-08-21T16:54:00.002-04:00

I have been working on getting some burp cloth/onesie/bib set examples done for you to see! They are turning out quite nicely. Look for the photos to come in the next week or so.

Also, I bought these these the other day:

Contest Winner!

2010-08-16T16:57:00.003-04:00

You lucky, girls, you! Whenever I host a giveaway, I usually post about the giveaway on many other giveaway blogs. Well, I was busy and lazy this weekend so I didn't. That left my giveaway with 10 entries, which included multiples from a couple of entrants. My laziness=better chances for you!

And the winner of the coin purse giveaway is Robin Stallings!

She was chosen at random by the random number generator at random.org:

Congratulations, Robin!

College Football is Coming!

2010-08-16T15:20:00.005-04:00

How great are these aprons for tailgating or grilling out on game day? Or every day?! These aprons are one size fits all with adjustable neck straps! You can even add an embroidered name or monogram for the perfect personalized game day apron! I can get other teams' fabric so please let me know what team you'd like! Most larger universities' fabrics are available.

Team aprons are $25 ($55 if you want a UGA one...just kidding...Go Jackets!...not kidding about that!) and to add a name or monogram is $6.50. Shipping is $3 for the first apron and $1.50 for each additional apron. 6% sales tax will be added for Georgia residents.

A New Look!

2010-08-16T09:19:00.003-04:00

On Friday, I discovered that blogger actually allows more than one page on a blog. Awesome! I can have my own little complete information station right here! So I set to work...I got a new background design and I added some pages. My intention was to have a tab for all of my services with pricing, photos, etc. It was going to be fantastic!!! Turns out, however, that these additional pages do not allow any of the fancy blogger gadgets that the main page does. It would add the gadget to every page and I didn't want that! So I mentioned my woes to my husband and he went to work. I did not ask him to do this at all. I even told him not to worry about it because it was taking so much time.

I think, in all, he has probably spent about 10 hours figuring out the code to pull my photo sets from Flickr into those extra pages. I am so grateful that he did this because it looks AWESOME!!! The only page that still needs some work is my Product Pricing page. The only issue is the pricing difference between purchasing from me directly or purchasing through Etsy. I don't want to charge everyone the same. I have a plan, though, so no worries! It will be finished later today I believe.

So check out the new tabs at the top and tell me what you think!

Also, I will be posting more personal stuff on this blog. Maybe you already know me, maybe you don't. I like to read about different peoples' lives so I assume that other people want to know about my life. Thoughts?

And go enter my giveaway....HERE.

Giveaway Time!!!

2010-08-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for a giveaway. Enough said, right? This one is a small zippered change purse. OR you can put whatever you want in it. I use mine to hold my debit/credit cards. Scroll below the pictures to see the rules.

Rules:
1. You must leave a comment below for one entry.
2. You must follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/aprilforshee) for an additional two entries. Please leave a separate comment saying that you follow me on Twitter.
3. Include your email address in your comment so I can tell you when you win.
4. Contest open to US and Canada only and closes on Monday, August 16 at 5pm EST.

Happy Winning!

The Marti Bag

2010-07-30T16:04:00.002-04:00

I have made four of these bags so far and the owners love them! I have named it The Marti Bag because I made it for my sister in law Marti first! This is the style of purse that I am currently carrying also and I think this is the best size for me. Not too big, not too small. Lots of pockets and an adjustable strap. The dimensions are 13" H x 16" W.

Here are the photos of three of the bags:

This one has two shorter straps and a boxed bottom:

The vast array of pockets (those are two pen holders there on the far right) and key holder:

The inside zippered pocket and magnetic snap:

My Sewing Room

2010-07-29T21:18:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of my sewing room, in case you are interested! The color is Fame Orange from Sherwin Williams. It's much brighter in person!

My table with my machines: embroidery, serger, regular machine. Nothing fancy at all.

All my stuff. Scrapbook albums, fabric, sewing project queue, scraps, buttons. Everything.

Embroidery Thread & All Purpose Thread

My vintage sewing box that my husband scored on eBay when we were just dating.

My cutting table/desk.

My son, Kendall, at his desk doing his math classwork. This is where we homeschool.

Another view of the cutting table/desk and the machine table.

Hexagon Quilt by My Great Great Aunt Ada

2010-07-12T11:11:00.000-04:00

My Great Great Aunt Ada lives on a farm in Michigan. She quilts. By hand. Yes, you read that correctly. BY HAND, people! Here are some photos of the quilt she made for my sister-in-law Marti. It's all hexagons, even the sashing. I can't even imagine how long it took her to piece this quilt with her 94-year-old hands.

New Etsy Embroidery Supplies Shop!

2010-07-10T19:33:00.001-04:00

I've looked on Etsy before to purchase supplies to use with my embroidery machine and the only thing I found was random people unloading what they didn't want out of their personal stash. Hello opportunity! I immediately reserved the username Embroiderysupply!

It has taken me several weeks to photograph the threads and get them ready to list. Who knew that editing colors to get them just right would be so time consuming?

Anyway, the shop is up! Click here: EmbroiderySupply on Etsy.

Here's what I have in stock (even if it's not listed yet on the site):
Sulky 40-weight Rayon thread, 1100 yard mini king cone, $4.80 (retails for $9.50)--color card here
Polyester 40-weight thread, 1100 yard mini king cone, $5.50 (retails for $10)--color card here
23" wide by the yard 1.8 oz (med. weight) tearaway stabilizer, $1.5/yard (retails for $2/yard)
10" wide by the yard Solvy (the stuff you put on top of towels, etc. when you embroider, $1.10/yard (retails for $2.75/yard)
7"x7" Solvy die cuts, $2.75 per set of 30 (these are not available in retail stores that I know of)

You can email me at aprilforshee{at}gmail{dot}com if you need anything or you can buy through Etsy!

Marti's Birthday Purse

2010-07-08T10:40:00.000-04:00

My brother's wife loves presents! She loves any presents for any reason, anytime. Her birthday is on July 4 and she did not hesitate to put her order in early (I think she asked for it in February or March) for a purse for her birthday gift. She said she wanted a summer print with an adjustable strap. Done. When we got to her house this past Monday, she met me in the driveway and I couldn't wait to give this purse to her! I made her open it in the driveway! She loved it!

I failed to take photos of the inside, but it is lined in the color called Ash from Kona and is interlined with fleece interfacing as well as a layer of heavy duty stabilizer. It has a zippered pocket on one side and multiple other pockets on the other side. I included a lobster clasp also for her keys. It closes with a magnetic snap. You, too, can have one of these for $55 plus tax & shipping!

Custom Laptop Bag in Amy Butler Fabric

2010-07-05T10:28:00.001-04:00

I made this bag for my sister-in-law's birthday and am extremely happy with the result. It's incredibly beautiful and sturdy. I even bought my first even feed walking foot so that I could somewhat quilt certain sections of the bag. It's not traditionally quilted, but I needed the extra stitches to hold the bag together nicely. I didn't realize how much thread I would use while doing this...I ran out twice! Next time, I will get 3 spools of thread instead of 1!!!

The bag has a large zippered section on the outside back of the bag, two pockets on the outside front (under the flap) and two pockets on the inside. It has a flap that has two magnetic snaps to keep the bag closed. It also has an adjustable strap which is nylon webbing covered with fabric. The entire thing has a layer of fleece interfacing as well as heavy duty stabilizer.

The fabric is from Amy Butler, one of my favorite designers. Did you know that Amy Butler has decorator solids also? Well, I used some of the Leaf color!

I am excited to share the photos with everyone as I believe that this might be the best thing I've ever made. The only thing I would change is that I would not line up both sets of interior pockets together as it creates way too many layers of fabric/fleece/stabilizer and was really difficult to sew through. Yep, I broke two needles.

A Custom Backpack!

2010-06-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

Last year, for her birthday, my mom and I pitched in together to buy my favorite (shhh, don't tell the others) cousin a Vera Bradley backpack. Two weeks later she took it out on a boat and it got battery acid on it. I guess she got tired of carrying the battery acid backpack because she asked me to make her one to replace it. She picked it up today so I did a short photo shoot!

Do you think she's happy or what?