Sometimes you just have to take things into your own hands.

Because of set backs, my nice professionally designed sign won't be ready for at least a few weeks. At first this really upset me. Then it just made me mad (at myself and my poor planning). So I did what I typically do when I get mad, I did something about it.

On Saturday afternoon I started pulling the old vinyl letters off the existing sign. (I must have been pretty peeved, I did it with my thumbnail!) I got one side halfway cleared when I decided to call it a day. On Tuesday I came in armed with razor blades, a heat gun and a load of determination. In less than an hour I had all the old lettering off. It is still a mess because the Plexiglas is discolored and there is residue from the old letters but at 30mph it is barely noticeable. After a quick break to warm up and regroup, I tackled putting up my own letters.

I layed everything out on my ruled cutting mat in the back room to be sure I had enough letters (I ran out of big M's, oops.) Then I took my metal yard stick, level, masking tape and dry erase marker and lined everything up and slapped those puppies up there! (no actual puppies were slapped in the making of this sign!)

It isn't perfect, but it is better than nothing.

Not just any ol' bag.

Yesterday I spent too much time worrying and stressing myself out. I was going through a "transition" stage regarding the store. Anyone who has given birth or been with someone while they were in labor knows that the transition stage is the hardest part. That is where the soon-to-be mother starts screaming, swearing, kicking the dr. in the face and generally makes an ass of herself. (I'm basing this on my personal no-epidural, natural childbirth experiences, your mileage may vary.)

I had fallen into the trap of getting myself all wrapped up in all the little things, especially the things I couldn't control anyway. By 9a.m. I had myself convinced that I should just have a Going Out of Business sale next month instead of a Grand Opening. Then I talked with my always encouraging sister for an hour. She is going through similar labor pains with her growing business so we could commiserate and bounce ideas off each other. Then I talked with Mr. Mess and he also calmed me down and pointed out the rational alternatives and solutions (he's good at being rational when I'm decidedly not!) By noon I was spent. I did a lot of mundane computer data entry work and cruised the web for ideas.

By the time I got home I was on an even keel again. I woke up this morning determined to get to work doing all the things I could control. I reminded myself of why I started this venture in the first place. To have a place where I could share my love of all things creative with others. I came into the store today with one purpose in mind, to MAKE STUFF! When I get my sign installed, my advertising done, and the word gets out that I'm here, I'll be too busy most days to do my own thing. I still need a lot of store samples and I need to finalize procedures and projects for the classes.

I was just saying in my last post that I wanted to make some reusable shopping bags. While looking for more inspiration I found this tutorial at Etsylabs on fusing plastic bags to make "fabric". I was suitably inspired!

There will definitely be a "Recycled Plastic Bag" class added to the store curriculum soon. These are fun, cool, unique, and really easy; all the things I love about a good project. Not to mention, the materials are practically free and it is good for the environment. BONUS!

Then while doing some more "inspiration hunting" I came across this tutorial: Fabric Lunch Sack. Of course I had to tweak the design a little and (in my opinion) make it better. I didn't like the four layers of lining and outside fabric sewn together on the side seams and I knew I could do a neater job of finishing off the handle edges. My version is fully reversible too.


This bag takes a half yard of each fabric (outside and lining) and about an hour of sewing time. To make them even "greener" you could use an old sheet or a couple old cotton dress shirts for the fabric. Otherwise, it is a great project for using up some of that fabric stash we all have hiding away.

ETA:
I just spent more time putting together and typing up a pattern for this bag than it took me to make it yesterday! Here is a link to the pdf of the pattern. ecobag pattern download!

New Fabric!

AMY BUTLER ARRIVED!


My shipment of Amy Butler fabric arrived yesterday afternoon. The above picture shows the shelf holding the "Lotus" and "Belle" collections.

This is the "Nigella" collection. It is a heavier, home dec weight fabric and is wider (54").


And guess what?





There were even a few bolts of the new Midwest Modern line in there too! I'm still backordered on 5 other bolts but I'll take what I can get.

If you see a particular fabric or colorway over at the Amy Butler site that you absolutely MUST have, drop me a line, I'll see if I can get it. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd have a bolt of everything in her line.

I also have a full selection of her patterns
.

Happy Earth Day!

I feel like a poor example of Green Living lately. Used to be that I could go almost a month between gas tank fill ups on the Volvo. But since opening the store I've logged almost 600 miles in six weeks! Some days it seems like I'm making two or three trips back and forth to town to go to the shop, pick up or drop off a child from school or make an emergency ginger ale run. (I forgot to mention last week the stomach flu hit our house! Thankfully I dodged that bullet.)

I also feel like I've been generating a disproportionate amount of garbage lately. Everyday I leave the shop with the back end of the station wagon loaded with garbage. Most of it is cardboard boxes from shipments and I do recycle so I'm not a total loser. But there is still a lot of plastic packaging in some of those shipments that isn't recyclable.

In an effort to up my Green Points, tomorrow I plan to make a few Eco-Bags; fabric shopping bags to use instead of paper or plastic. I've looked at a few tutorials and patterns on the net but think I'll just draft my own pattern. I also added two classes to the May class schedule so you can learn to make your own Earth Friendly Shopping Bags.

Close Enough for Rock & Roll

Having those bolts of beautiful new fabric staring me in the face all day was more than I could stand.

I had this chair hiding in the corner haphazardly covered with some leftover home dec. fabric from my kitchen windows. It was a freebie from a former neighbor and is a nice sturdy chair with unfortunate cosmetic problems.

You can't see the grime and spots on the seat in the picture. But trust me, it's there.

So I set to work.
I started taking pictures thinking that if all went well, I'd turn them into a Slipcover 101 tutorial. But suffice it to say, I'll show you the in-process pictures but you probably would do better with a good book on how to make slipcovers properly. I know I have one somewhere in my personal library. But I didn't have it here at the store yesterday so I just kind of "winged it."


Speaking of wings, I would strongly suggest that the beginner slipcover maker avoid wing chairs. Those curvy little ears up on the corner are a pain in the butt to fit properly. Hence, mine are "close enough for rock & roll" but won't be winning any blue ribbons at the Home Dec. Fair any time soon. (You'll notice a lack of close-up shots of the finished wings!)

Another, do as I say and not as I do item would be to make a "pattern" with muslin or an old sheet first before cutting into your good (read: expensive) fabric. I have another chair in the store that I made the slipcover for year ago and that is how I did that one.

But like I said, this was an impulse project and I figured it wouldn't get too much wear and tear or close inspection by the Slipcover Police. It did however reconfirm that I really don't want to sew for others. If I were making this for a client, I'd have to be perfect and that just takes all the joy out of it!

But hey. I think it looks pretty darn cute. I have a few steps to finish it off. It needs ties to keep the sides closed where I had to leave slits so it could be pulled on and off and it needs hemmed or some other finishing on the bottom. I'm still deciding if I want to trim it out with some funky rick-rack or a ruffle.

By the way, that is the Chandelier Lace in Persimmon from FreeSpirit's Tina Givens' ZaZu line.

This Bitch Can Stitch.

I finally had a chance to sit down with my boxes of floss and a needle and stitch up a sample from the Sublime Stitching iron ons. These are so cool! I had a hard time deciding which set to "sacrifice" but ultimately went with the "Craftopia" one seeing as it fit the theme pretty much perfectly!

I have a supply of almost the entire line of patterns, plus a few of her complete kits and Jenny's fabulous book. The book is a great bargain because it has a huge section of iron-on patterns not available in her individual packets and complete instructions for beginning stitchers.


(FYI: I colored in the measuring tape with a fabric marker and then just outline stitched it with dark grey floss.)

Why my UPS man deserves a "bend and snap"

Wednesday afternoon he had to carry in three heavy boxes of fabric.
My first of many shipments from Westminster Fabrics. These are the people that bring us Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, FreeSpirit among many others.

This shipment contained two lines from Free Spirit.
The first:




Bell Bottoms by Jennifer Paganelli Nice bright retro inspired prints. I'm envisioning some adorable Mother's Day aprons or home decorating projects out of these.

The second collection:



"ZaZu" by Tina Givens. These photos don't do the colors in this collection any justice. They are rich and very current. I may just be cutting into one of these floral ones for a skirt later today.

Still on order and arriving soon is a HUGE collection of Amy Butler fabric to go with the full line of patterns I carry. I was very disappointed to find out that the second run of the new Midwest Modern line has been sold out. I'm in line to get it in July. Have no fear however, the rest of her line is available and coming soon!

New Pages Added

I spent some time today adding a few new pages to the sidebar.

First off I have our first two Teen Mess Maker Clubs scheduled in May. If you know any creative teens and tweens in the area send them a link. Please note that the second Friday of the month is for the younger tween (4th-5th grades) and the 4th Friday is for the older teens (6th-9th grade)

I also added a page explaining our Birthday Parties and a FAQ page.

Think Spring! (Product of the Week)

This is the first of a weekly feature I'm so creatively calling: "Product of the Week!" I guess I'll have to work on coming up with something better than that in coming weeks. As you can guess, this is where I'll show a new product (aren't they all new at this point?) and when possible a finished example. During the week it is featured it will be available for 20% off its regular retail price. Watch for the new Product of the Week post on Tuesday mornings.

This week I'm featuring these adorable chipboard butterflies by Doodlebug Designs. They come in two sizes and make great spring decorations. I can see a coordinating set adding a touch of whimsy to a nursery or little girl's bedroom. Or how about a flock(?) hanging over your Mother's Day brunch table?

I used two coordinating patterned scrapbook papers to cover my sample. I then accented the flower paper with paper flowers and glitter. The glitter I used came from the new Memory Makers Shimmer kits that came in last week too.

The kits come with the white chipboard butterfly, wire and wooden beads for the body and clear mono-filament thread for hanging. You supply the paper, paint, glitter or whatever to decorate the wings and your imagination! I suggest a good quality PVA glue or Mod Podge decoupage medium.



Today (4/15/08) through Saturday (4/19/08) these will be available for 20% off regular price:
Large: reg. $6.99 - special $5.60
Small: reg. $5.99 - special $4.80

Party Time!

We had our first birthday party here at the store yesterday afternoon. Thirteen 3rd grade girls came and had some good clean fun making "fish soaps", bath salts, and tub fizzies.

The party-goers got a kick out of making soap that looks like a fish in a bag from a summer carnival. But these kind don't require feeding and will never need to be "flushed."

They also had an opportunity to select their favorite fragrance to scent their salts and fizzies. It seems that Cotton Candy and Berries & Cream are big favorites among the grade school crowd.

There was also plenty of time for cake and presents as well as some energetic dancing to Hannah Montana and High School Musical! (I may have to consider sound proofing if I want to maintain good relations with my new upstairs neighbors!)

If you are looking for a fun alternative for your little Mess Maker's next birthday party give us a call - (630)443-4770. We are also planning some summer craft camps so stop in the store for a flyer and registration form.

The Wind Beneath My Wings.

Yeah, that song is sappy and I'm probably not the only bride in the late 80s that danced to it with their Father for the Daddy/Daughter Dance but it pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about my Dad this week.

He and Mom came back out here from Michigan last Friday to help me get things put together at the store. On Thursday I was really stressing out that I wouldn't be able to meet my goal of being ready for my first customers by April 11th. On Friday morning I was still operating on folding tables and all my new inventory was either stacked on the mantle or still in the cardboard boxes it arrived in. By Monday at noon, I had a new desk ($15 from the guy that moved out of the upstairs office!), a new counter and cash register shelf, a gorgeous handcrafted oak fabric display (see above), the gigantic mahogany library table that is a family heirloom from my husband's grandfather, and three slat-wall displays loaded with all the product I have so far. There were also a plethora of small jobs that Dad banged out on Monday morning before hitting the road like installing a pull out keyboard shelf to my cheapy desk and hanging some more shelves.

Here are more pictures of where we are now.





Friday afternoon I have my first children's birthday party scheduled. We're doing a bath themed craft; scented salts in a decorated tin, bath fizzies, and melt and pour "fish soap". Saturday the St. Charles Downtown Partnership is sponsoring a "Sisters Weekend" and I'm planning on flipping the "open" sign around and seeing if I can pull in any passers-by. So if you are in the area Saturday between 10am and 6pm, stop in and see what I have going on. I'm not fully stocked but with any luck the friendly UPS guy will at least bring my cash register in the next few days and maybe a few more boxes of goodies.