new adventure... and a giveaway!!!

I am so excited!!!  I have a meeting next week with the owners of a store in the town I grew up in.  It's a sweet little shop named The Stork's Cradle.  It is filled with a few goodies for mommies (maternity wear, bags, etc.) and a ton of goodies for babies - nursery decor, books, quilts, blankets, clothing, toys and more.
Here's where I need your help!  I am pulling together some of my baby goodies to share with them in the hopes that they will want to sell some of it in their shop.  If you were going to walk into a store and buy my items off the shelf, what would you like to see?  What should I show off at the meeting - clothing and/or other items?  Hop on over to my Facebook galleries, click on categories ("threads") over on the right column, read old blog posts - whatever works best for you... just help me decide!!!  (Their clothing only goes up to 12month size).

I have also hit 40 followers and 400 blog posts.  So as a little thank you to you for sticking by me & helping me choose - a new giveaway & a coupon code!
GIVEAWAY - One of you will get one of your favorite things mentioned in the comments!!!!  A name will be chosen at random after my meeting with the Stork's Cradle owners.
COUPON CODE -  Order something from my ArtFire shop and include the code 4STORK and you'll get $4 off.

The coupon and giveaway will be closed next Monday at noon (after my meeting).

I'm still here, honest.

I've been busy working, I just don't have much to show for it here. I've been trying to figure out special sizing for a sweet 8 year old, cranking out some new embroidery designs, and packing for a BIG trip! (Don't worry - I'll share pictures!)

I have a couple posts scheduled for next week when I'm on vacation, and then I have a couple more fun things planned when I get back. I'll be doing the Tinkerbell purse tutorial, introducing you to some of my favorite new chicks & bunnies, and hopefully welcoming spring to Illinois!

See you then!

fulfill

What's your word for the year?

Mine is...

fulfill

I want my family to be fulfilled - kids, husband, extended family - let's live a life that is overflowing with abundance, generosity, and goodness.
I want my spirit to be fulfilled - through reading books, through my church life, through my creative endeavors.
I want my friends to be fulfilled - in real life and in the blogging world - I want the best for you all, and I want my relationships to grow meaningfully with you.
I want my business to be fulfilling - to grow customers, to grow new ideas & designs - and to be a special unique creative place.

(after typing fulfill over and over and over again I'm having a good laugh. seriously - does that ever happen to you?)

Wishing you all an amazingly FULFILLING New Year!!

{ check out Ali Edwards for more of her thoughts on this cool idea! She's been doing it for a couple years now. }

next...

A special delivery came yesterday.... Any guesses what I'm going to do with it?
And some more Christmas presents that I plan to play with a LOT in the upcoming year.... "One-Yard Wonders" - a Clover Mini Iron - a Pattern making ruler - and a Spoonflower gift certificate!!!! (The Vogue Sewing Book underneath the stack was a garage sale find this fall that I have yet to crack open.)
Have any of you out there ever used Spoonflower? My mind is full of lots of ideas, but I just have to narrow things down a bit & commit to a design and then figure out how to make it happen! If you could design your own fabric, what would you do - floral, geometric, bright, pastel... so much to consider!

a winner... and sorting it all out.

I only had one person enter in my 300 giveaway. Maybe nobody read my blog during those three days, maybe nobody wanted free stuff, maybe the rules were too hard, I'm not sure. Anyway... congratulations to Lisa @ Life with 4!!!! I e-mailed you... so just answer and I'll get your package shipped off!

As for the sorting it all out. I am overwhelmed by some stuff happening here at our house. I won't bore you with the details, but I just feel a little out of control. It probably doesn't help that I've been spending my sewing time doing a lot of not-so-exciting commissioned stuff & prepping for my next craft show, not creating brand new stuff. I am always happier when I can create, not just produce. There's definitely a difference for me!

I read Mary Anne's post today and it just really hit me. I try and roll with the punches - I try to be a mellow mom. I have two grandmas nearby who don't work outside the home & are willing to spend time with my kids during the weekdays when I'm stressed about getting sewing jobs done. My house doesn't have to be spotless. My husband mops! (and an assortment of other REALLY helpful wonderful supportive things)
However, I still have things I'd like to work on...
-more one-pot meals. Unfortunately, I'm not much of cook anyway & don't really like my foods all mixed together. But it sure would make life easier!
-streamline the errands/ stores/ outings. My kids like hanging out at home (which hasn't always been true for my son). I should let them enjoy their toys, playing together, etc. more often.
-better solution to the fighting over toys problem. Unfortunately, Abby's a little young to understand the don't fight or it goes away rule that Mary Anne uses.

How do you keep it together??!!!! Please, any tips would be great!

A couple other things to look forward to... I'll be posting some new projects soon, looking forward to family time over the Thanksgiving weekend, and I'll be participating in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway December 2nd.
See you all again soon!!

back on track???

I'm trying to get back on track from a whirlwind 2 weeks of beach, driving, rain, sightseeing, and more driving. I have done absolutely no crafting lately, due to vacation & the madness called unpacking and laundry since my return. I do have a couple custom sewing orders upcoming, but nothing too special or blog-worthy. (ok, well one special project for my hubby's birthday, but I'm not ready to reveal that yet.) So I just wanted to say yes, I'm here. Yes, I will be crafty again.

Cause I know you all love pictures... here's my favorite one of the kids (in the camper) waiting for breakfast. (excuse the junk piled everywhere, that's life in a camper with two little kids!)
While we were driving along one day, I decided to quick look on the school district website for something. I noticed there was a job opening for a librarian. I won't go into all the details, but I decided not to apply. I decided that being home with my kids & doing my thing here is more important than going back to work in a library. But it did start me thinking some more about what I'm really doing here... meaning in the blog world, and in the sewing business. So, indulge me a little here... I am just wondering... Why are you here? (I mean that in a nice way.) What do you love - book reviews, pictures of my silly kids, tutorials, clothing, embroidery, card making, decorating, party planning, organization tips...? What are you interested in seeing? If you could pick one thing from my artfire shop or my past projects to be yours, what would it be? (feel free to click on the sewing label on the side and browse for a while.) I'm contemplating my fall plans, and just trying to think about what to offer. And who knows, maybe one person's dream will become reality....

Thanks for stopping by my little corner today. See you around!

rave on

I am in love.
I know some people only buy fabric at the fancy quilt shops. They only buy Moda, or other names I've never even heard of.
Not me. I'm not ashamed to buy at Joann's!

So I have to share my new love... Heidi Grace Fabric. I want major yardage of all of it. I want to clothe my daughter in Heidi Grace for years to come.

This is one of my favorites. I bought some matching ladybug stuff to go with it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. It might be clothes, it might be something for Abby's room, I'm not sure. But it was just SO me that I had to grab some. (What would you do with it?)

I know it's been out for a while now, but I am just starting to have all sorts of ideas. My newest creation in the works has a little bit of thisand a little bit of this other yellow circle pattern that I couldn't find a picture of anywhere. And it is way too rainy and dark to try and take a picture for you. But a REALLY cute dress is coming up soon, I promise!

fondant free-for-all

I spent about two hours making 10 different colors of fondant. I'm making some cupcakes for my niece's birthday (Saturday) and my dad's cake (Sunday). I can't wait to show you all what I'm going to do with it! (How's that for a teaser?!)

I use Peggy Weaver's recipe - marshmallows, water, food coloring, and LOTS of confectioner's sugar. (It's the same one my friend taught me at "sugarfest 09"). I got each color done in about 10 minutes. It's so easy, and so yummy. I made some of them while Conner was at preschool, but he helped with a couple colors. It's fun for him to watch the color mix in, and he loves being helpful with the saran wrap and baggie at the end.

Here's a couple of the colors before I bagged them... they're sitting with the invite to my niece's party. Can you guess my idea?

For those of you non-Chicagoans, I just want to let you know I LIVE NEAR WILTON!!!! Yep, it's only about 20 minutes away. Even more exciting - the Wilton Tent Sale is coming up soon - May 29th through June 16th. We'll see what kind of deals I find. Maybe I'll even share with you all! Gotta make up a wish list. A couple more food colors I think, and some fondant cut-outs for sure. I'm thinking I might splurge on the fondant mat too (the one that tells you how big a circle to roll for covering cakes). Probably some candy melting molds. What would you wish for?

coming up

A couple fun things I'm excited to be a part of...

My first official be the thread PARTY! This Friday night a group of gals will be getting together at a friend's house for a sewing and decorating extravaganza.
When they get there, munchies and drinks will be served of course! But they're each going to get their own little party packet - a bag with paper, Sharpie, scissors, crafting instructions and tally sheet. (oh yeah, and my business card too)I'm thinking I might have to toss in a little piece of chocolate too. That always gets my creative juices flowing! It will be so much fun to see what everybody comes up with. I will of course, also be selling items from my ArtFire shop.

Spring Market - May 27th - It is hosted by Gretchen. She lives at 0s350 Ellithorp Lane in Geneva - if you're local, please stop by between 3:30 and 7:30. She makes bottlecap necklaces. I can't wait to see them! Nata-Leigh (my very 1st follower!) will be there with her Children's Party planning business.

If you are just a "virtual" friend - don't worry, here's your opportunity!!! Starting May 15th, the ArtFire Sew What Guild is hosting a "Pink & Green" Blog Tour. I'm not sure yet what my day is (she's still organizing) - but I'm going to have a giveaway! My first!

Last thing - I have a new button on the side! Just Something I Made is giving out free buttons and I snagged the email one - it was just too perfect. Now you don't have to look around, go to my profile, blah blah. It's just right there. Yay! (so the coming up part is I hope that there will be some fun emails coming up in my inbox!)

be the thread...the business

My business is evolving. It started out almost two years ago as a little dream called "Sew Personalized". It has expanded from personalized children's blankets to include toys, clothing, baby gear, and numerous other personalized items. I have had SO much fun making custom items for my friends and family. I was blogging about my items as I made them.

It is time to grow again. I am going to start selling items on Art Fire. I still REALLY want to do custom orders for my customers, so I will definitely keep doing that. But I have fun creating brand new stuff and I want to be able to share that with the world!
I am also reminded how much I love teaching. I held a workshop for some friends a few days ago and I had so much fun sharing my love of fabric with them and helping them create something special.

So I am taking the name be the thread and claiming it for my business. I have merged the old blog with this one.

I want to encourage you to be the thread too.
be the thread - become a stronger person by hosting your own in-home workshop (locally of course!) and learning a new skill.
be the thread - design something with me - creative custom orders are still near and dear to my heart. Those can be done long distance too. The internet is a beautiful thing!
be the thread - so many opportunities to use the beautiful materials available (and I'm not just talking about thread here folks - there are so many gorgeous fabrics, embroidery designs, ric-rac, ribbons, need I go on...?)


be the thread - sewn into something beautiful, strong, and creative.
Official launch date - April 10th.

waiting

Here's my son, patiently waiting for the 2007 4th of July Parade.

We're kind of in waiting mode around my house... waiting for my new sewing machine and waiting for the new cousin/ niece to arrive.
A waiting picture seemed appropriate today!


join us won't you...

making room

I've been busy. But I finally have some pictures to share. I'm being brave. Not so brave I guess - it's my front room so anyone who comes over has seen the insanity. Just most people don't see it when it's this bad. You'll see the vacuum cleaner, exersaucer, piles of fabric shoved wherever. You may also notice the piano bench next to the vacuum cleaner. Yes, the piano is in the front room too. It's my creative space, and since I'm really the only one (at this point) who plays the piano, it works out pretty well.

This was in progress, but still. I needed help! I had to organize and make room for my new toy, coming later this week. Luckily I had some sleepy kids and a helpful husband.

ahhh... much better. Tulle in one tub, stabilizer in another, ribbons in another, and square scraps for a special project in another.

And my fabric stash. I make a lot of blankets for friends, and try to buy fabric on sale and have choices so they get exactly what they want. But this is getting ridiculous. Gotta stop buying and start sewing!

Where all the magic happens. I didn't include my son's little craft corner, but it's next to my light colored table. That way (theoretically?!!) we can craft together. It hasn't quite happened that way yet, I usually end up sitting next to him in a really small chair doing whatever he's doing. Or we end up at the kitchen table. But we're working up to it!
The tubs underneath the dark table are for my paper crafting. They hold scissors, punches, stamps, etc. It's not a perfect system, but it works for me. When I do paper crafts I usually would spread the tubs out all over the table, so why was I keeping them on the shelf anyway? This way, I put them on the table to work and voila, I have leg room to sit at the table. Duh?!!!

Now if only my new toy was here....
patience Beth, patience....

shopping

I went shopping this afternoon. Look what I got...

The orange, green and purples are added to my collection of Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar stuff. My collection started at Christmas time with the panels & blue numbers. Now I'm hunting down some more to make a twin size quilt. I've heard there's some Brown Bear Brown Bear too. I'm a huge fan. (Did I mention I was a children's librarian? I have Curious George in the bathroom, though that may be soon changing to Dr. Seuss, and the nursery has tons of children's book art in it.) HUGE fan.

This bunch of stuff is going to be something for my son. I'm going to go through my stash for some reds & yellows to add a little color. Then I'm going to paper piece a couple instruments - an acoustic, an electric, and probably some music notes and stuff. I love paper piecing but haven't done any of that in a while. I'm looking forward to getting back to it. It's fussy work and very detailed, but so fun and rewarding!

almost done...

It's almost Christmas and I'm almost ready! Just a couple last items, and I'll be ready for the big day.

Everything is wrapped.

I am organized.

Yay.