Excused Absence

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I tell you what, last week was a hectic one.  We had one ER trip (the little guy, he’s fine) one big dentist trip for me (me, and now I have a broken temporary crown and an infected tooth – is that TMI?), and one bored kiddo (the original Bobaloo, home for spring break).  I kind of dropped of the face of the internet for a while. 

 

 

 

 

I’ve finally been putting all that brand new fabric to work!  I ended with one bolt less than I thought (the blue and orange polka dot one is out of print), but it still feels like a HUGE amount of fabric.  I love it.

 

 

 

 

The pink polka dot fabric makes just the cutest bias tape.  Speaking of, I switched around how I make bias tape this time and it was so much faster.  I usually use the continuous strip method, but this time I cut my bias strips first like this, then serged them end to end.  The serger is so fast, plus the seams didn’t get bound up in my bias tape maker like they usually do.

 

 

 

 

I’m on an apron streak right now.  I just finished up a custom Crayon Apron for an adult who wanted one for her face painting brushes (there’s a picture on the bobaloo! Facebook page) and now I’m working on new ones for the Irvington Iris Tea Room.  Doesn’t that pink polka dot bias tape look adorable?

 

I’ve got our Craft-Night-turned-Sewing-Night at my house tonight and a meeting of the Uncommon Craft Society of Indianapolis tomorrow night, then it’s time to get to work on products for Record Store Day on the 16th.  What have you guys been up to?  I’ve missed you!

Productivity

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My husband’s been off work since last Wednesday and isn’t going back until Monday.  While I love the man dearly, having him home has COMPLETELY thrown off my schedule!  Luckily he’s feeling better now and has returned to being Super Dad, so I’ve conquered a ton of projects that have been lurking around.




I took a short break from the to-do list to make a bunch of beanbags, which are for some unknown reason one of my favorite things to make.  I’m not sure if they’ll go up in the Etsy shop this time because shipping always ends up being kinda high since they’re heavy.  I’ll probably take a few over to the Little Green Bean Boutique and the rest will come with me to this year’s shows.





The unfinished project I gave you a sneak peak of a while back is a sweet Changing Pad Clutch that I made for a very special celebration over at Emily’s blog, DesignHer Momma.  Casey, a good friend of Emily’s, is a fellow Indy blogger who is expecting her second kiddo after a loooong wait.  Emily is throwing her one heck of a baby shower and the Changing Pad Clutch was my contribution.



What does this have to do with you, you ask?  Part of the baby shower celebration is giveaways galore!  Head on over to Emily’s blog to enter the $20 bobaloo! giveaway so you can buy yourself something pretty from my Etsy shop.  And tell Emily I said hi!

Hopefully this week I continue to destroy my need-to-sew list and build up some more inventory.  This Saturday will be fun because I get to meet my first blogging buddies IN PERSON – can’t wait to see you girls!

What are you all up to?  Being lazy, enjoying the (slightly) warmer weather, knocking out that to do list?  Motivate me to keep working!

Works in Progress

Tweet I've got a slew of random, half-done projects piled up on my pool sewing table this week.  The past week or so I haven't done anything start to finish, just bits and pieces here and there.

I did finish a dozen crayon aprons two nights ago during a Glee-a-thon.  Those threads take a long minute to trim so Brittany and crew helped me power through. I’m hoping to get the new designs photographed and in the shop this weekend.
 

 
Heather asked for some girly bibs to restock the Little Green Bean Boutique.  I also really need some fresh bib designs for my Etsy shop, so there are various bib parts all over the place.
 

 
I'm making an adorable blanket and baby shoes set like this one for a silent auction to benefit Building Tomorrow, a local organization that builds schools in Africa.  I still need something cozy to back that sweet Nest corduroy with for the blanket.
 

 
Last but most urgent is a surprise for someone.  I'll tell you more about this one soon, but the important part is that it needs to go in the mail by Monday.  Doesn't that Nicey Jane look great with that Midwest Modern?  I love finding new fabric combos!

Do you guys have a bunch of loose ends or am I the only one with this problem?  Share your unfinished projects with me so I don't feel so bad!

Business Cards, Wholesale, and Signing up for Propay

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I got these awesome new business cards in the mail a few days ago.  I know I've mentioned them before, but moo.com really does a great job.  This time I ordered the full-size business cards and put close-up product shots on the front.  I think they convey a lot more information than my mini cards - they'll be good for handing out to people who haven't seen my stuff.  There are six different pictures on the fronts, and the backs are all the same.

I'm excited to hand these out at the Rocky Ripple Festival in two weeks (two weeks?!  when did that happen?!).  I also want to put together a wholesale price list and some kind of little portfolio.  I'm not sure I'll need it AT the craft fair, but I've been wanting to get some wholesale info together since I started so this is a good time to do it.  However, I just wrote up an overly ambitious list of products I need to sew in the next two weeks so we'll see if the wholesale information makes it off my to-do list.

Speaking of the festival, I just signed up for Propay so I can accept credit cards.  It was surprisingly easy - it took maybe ten minutes - and super cheap.  If you sign up through this link I found in the Etsy forums it's only about $30 a year, plus a percentage of each transaction - maybe 3.5%?  I'm not sure how the money gets to my bank, so I need to dig around on the site before the show to figure out how everything works.  I know they do offer a debit card that you can use at an ATM.

Last week I dropped these super-cute aprons off at the Irvington Iris Tea Room.  I love how they turned out and I wanted to keep them all for myself.  Actually, the ruffle one and the full size one are copies of ones I made for myself a few years back.

After making these, I decided I wanted to make a few for the Etsy shop, so yesterday I whipped up a coordinating women's/girl's apron set.  They turned out so awesome.  I promised Bridget a sucker if she poses for some product pictures today, so keep an eye out for the set to hit the Etsy shop this evening!

I'm tossing around the idea of posting a book review every week on here - any thoughts?  I've been reading a good amount of crafty business books and marketing books lately, so I thought it might be helpful.  I'm reading Why She Buys right now, which is about marketing to women.  Being a woman and all I thought this book might not be much use to me, but turns out I'm learning a lot.

Have a great weekend!

Holy cuteness, batman!

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There are few things that are more adorable than baby shoes (except maybe baby feet).  The whole time I was making these little baby shoes I kept stopping and thinking, "These are so stinking cute!" 

I made one pair and then immediately decided I needed to make four more.  They have little crossover straps that close with velcro, so I'm pretty sure they will actually stay on chubby little baby feet.  I tried to squeeze a pair on Graham, but alas, he is 11 months old and no longer has newborn-sized feet.

This week I finally made my blog and Facebook page known to the world, so hi friends and family!  It feels like an important business step to announce to everyone I know that I'm starting a little business.  I waited a little while to start making everything public because I wanted to put forth a good first impression.  I read in Handmade Marketplace to blog for a month before telling anyone, and I'm really happy I followed that advice because I feel much more comfortable with the whole process than I did at first. 

I'm planning on posting a tutorial this week for one of my favorite baby shower gifts - homemade fancy burp cloths.  Don't worry, I'll be stocking them in my shop if you're not up for sewing some yourself (even though I know you can do it)!

And a big THANK YOU to all my new blog readers!  You guys rock!

A busy week ahead

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I am realizing how difficult it is to fit starting a business into the rest of my life.  This week I have Bridget's birthday party, Craft Night, and the due date for my State Fair entries.  Plus, since I am not the most on-top-of-things housekeeper, I have to clean my house (yesterday's Groupon was $50 for a whole-house cleaning - I was sooooo tempted to buy it).  How do I fit in business stuff? 

I'm trying really hard to make the most effective use of my time.  The kids nap at the same time in the afternoon, so I try to get to work in my sewing room the minute they go down for their naps.  I usually can squeeze in an hour or so in the morning while they're happily playing to check my email and work on this blog.  Bridget is also happy to do a craft or color while I cut fabric in the kitchen.  It's definitely a juggling act, but I'm getting better!

So in the midst of planning for all these events this week, I did get a few things done.  I made up a few reusable lunch bags made from cotton and lined with fleece for insulation.  It's a pretty quick project, so I'm considering selling these in pairs since they'll be pretty inexpensive.  They're nicer than brown paper bags, but a mom isn't going to be devastated if her kid loses one at school.

I also cut out some cute girl's painter's smocks.  These were about to get sewn together (which is a bit of a challenge - you can't pin vinyl together before sewing since it leaves holes) when I decided B needs a fancy Sleeping Beauty dress for her party.  Wait until you see this dress!

FINALLY some inventory!

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I've been making a lot of prototypes the past week to test out what I'd like to sell.  I like this part - it's fun to try something new, figure out what I'd like to change, and make it again.  Typically when I make something for the kids or as a gift I'm only making one, so I don't have the opportunity to change it around and make it better.  Here is a roll-up changing pad and bib I just made.  I started with this great tutorial for the changing pad and this one for the bib, both from Sew4Home.  Using these as a starting point, I'm going to redesign both and make them my own.

I don't like how the bias tape turned out on the bib.  I think the curves around the snaps are so tight that I just don't like the bunchy-ness (is that a word?) of the bias tape.  My favorite bibs of Graham's have a pocket on the front to catch crumbs so I think I'll add that on, too.  Also, I really don't like the contrast topstitching on the changing pad - instead of looking intentional I think it just looks sloppy.  I want to redesign the size and shape as well.

On a positive note, I finally have some inventory!  I've been finishing up a stack of sweet little stuffed bunnies, a copy of a bunny I made for Bridget when she was a baby that she loves.  My husband told me I had to make them.  I think he really just wants one for himself.

Yesterday I got a sweet stack of fabric in the mail, and I have two more shipments coming in the next couple days.  Oh boy, am I loving having an excuse to buy lots of fabric again!  I had put myself on a fabric buying diet until I used up what I have.  I almost felt guilty shopping my favorite fabric stores (like Fat Quarter Shop and fabric.com) but that guilt is quickly subsiding.  I'm loving the sale alerts on True Up - thanks to the last sale post, I found an Etsy fabric store going out of business and scored some great deals!

Today I'm going to set up a light box for product photos in my sewing room and finish up those bunnies.  Oh yeah, and maybe I should go to the grocery store so we don't have to eat animal crackers and baby cereal for dinner.

Back to work!

Tweet We took a little vacation this past weekend to Cincinnati.  It was the first trip with just the four of us, and aside from a little sleep deprivation for Graham, it really went well.  I'm sorta embarassed to admit that one the main reasons we went there for the weekend was so we could go to IKEA.  My daughter even said, "Can we stay here forever?"  She's my kind of girl!

I have made some progress on my business to-do list.  I ordered sew-in labels and business cards.  I finally finished Handmade Marketplace, and I'm pretty much convinced I'm just going to have to buy a copy.  It has so much good info in at that I can't take advantage of now, so I'd like to revisit it in the future.  I also started on some inventory - a sweet little stuffed toy that is a copy of one I made for Bridget when she was little.

About a week and a half ago I filled out an assessment form on the Indiana Small Business Development Center's website hoping for a little local help on setting up a business.  I'm disappointed to report that I just got an email telling me to sign up for a seminar.  I was expecting some sort of business counseling, but maybe I expected too much?  I'm going to search around some more for some help here in Indy.

I have two birthday parties coming up, so when I got the email that White House Custom Color had press-printed cards on sale last week, I went ahead and made birthday invitations for both little monsters.  Bridget, being a typical preschool girl, wants a princess party.  Graham has no say in the matter (well he says "Buh!" and "Dada!"), so he's getting a space-themed party.  I can't tell you how happy I always am with these cards - I use them for invitations and Christmas cards - and mama loves a discount.

On today's agenda is mailing in my application for a "Doing Business As" license and waiting impatiently for a shipment of adorable fabric!

The Name Game

Tweet I really got cracking on reading Handmade Marketplace the past few days.  One part that really threw a wrench in my plans was choosing a name for my business.

So a few years back, I made almost all of our family's Christmas gifts.  I ordered some personalized ribbon that said "made by sam" to cut up and use as labels.  Fast forward to earlier this year, when some of Bridget's ballet classmates wanted to buy handmade tutus.  I used the riboon lables for those, which led me to printing business cards that said "made by sam".  I thought it was the perfect name - simple, easy to spell and remember, blah blah blah.

Now back to the naming debacle.  I started to go through the steps recommended in the book.  I checked to see if the name has been registered in my state, checked the madebysam.com website, checked for etsy stores.  The name is available in my state, but unfortunately the website is for a guy making custom corsets and therefore has a scantily clad woman on the home page.  Also, there is already a made by s.a.m. etsy store that looks to be pretty big and pretty successful.

I realized I have to rename my business even though I have a stack of super cute business cards in multiple colors (I ordered on Moo - they are awesome and you can put a different design on every single card).  I hopped right over to thesaurus.com and started searching for words related to kids, fun, toys, modern, new... every descriptive word I could imagine.  Nothing seems right. 

In the middle of this, I needed to call Bridget into the room to pick up her toys.  We have called her Bobaloo since she was a little tiny thing, so I shout, "Bobaloo!  Come down here!" and a light goes on.  Bobaloo is a great business name!  It's a nonsense word, so chances are slim someone else is using it, plus I think it has that little kid feeling.

As you can see, I have a little bit of a turquoise and red obsession these days.

I searched around, and it seems to me like this name is pretty much available (except for a few minor hurdles).  I have now reserved a facebook page, an etsy shop (with a slightly different name), a new email address, and this blog with variations on the bobaloo! name.  I'll announce them all as I get them going.

I am also exploring local non-profits that help small businesses get started.  I'll give out the details on those in the future.

Bridget begrudgingly agreed to pose for a picture in the princess tutu over the weekend, so here it is.  I didn't realize until I saw the picture that the tulle looks a little squirrelly in the front - I'll have to even it out.  Now I'm working on a punk-rock inspired tutu with lots of black netting and a super cozy beach blanket/hooded towel combo.

Craft Night - Shoe Makeovers!

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Once a month I host a craft night for a group of girls at my house.  Last night, our project was making over a pair of shoes (see the awesome tutorial at Grosgrain).  Everyone's shoes turned out just adorable.  Here are mine - aren't they so stinking cute?  I think my couch is destined to have pillows out of this fabric.

I really like hosting craft night.  First, it's an excuse to be around the girls and have some adult interaction.  Second, it's so much fun to see people who thought they weren't crafty make something that they love.  We did learn a few things from last night:

• Have snacks around.  These shoes took about 3 hours and everyone was getting HUNGRY.
• Have plenty of scissors and glue guns.  Some of the time was spent waiting for tools.
• Crank up the air conditioning!

On the business front, I made up a new style of tutu the other night.  I'm selling at my first craft show in September, so I'm trying to nail down a few styles to make in multiple sizes.  I know how crazy little girls are about princesses, so I was going for the princess vibe on this one.  I'll bribe Bridget to model it so I can get some pictures up.

Handmade Marketplace is still hanging out on the end table, unread, and I've made zero progress on my business plan.  I think I'll have a little extra time today so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get to readin'.  I also starting reading the biz ladies series on design*sponge. It's so helpful and I definitely recommend checking out (not just the series, but the whole site - it's AWESOME).  It's crazy how many great creative blogs are out there - I have to stop subscribing to blogs or my Google Reader is going to explode.