Embroidery Back in the Shop

The 2 weekend show at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti is now over and my embroidery pieces are back in the shop. Well, not all...thankfully.

I bid farewell to these two pieces, for they shall be missed...

But we can soon say hello to more of these....

I received a request for one from a previous customer who loved her first one. It has been on my mind to make some more anyway. Perfect timing :)

Sorry I have been MIA

It has been an unusual & fuller month than I am used to. Every time I think I will just sit down & write a post...I get distracted or something comes up. So this morning I just told myself to write...even if it is just word vomit. Yucky thought I know, but accurate.

The end of last month was when the ride began. Grandma got Bronchitis and at 98 years old you need someone around to make you take your medicine...just like a kid :) Just as spunky too. So hubby & his sister took turns staying with her, all day every day, until their parents came back up from Florida for the season a tad early.Grandma went to stay with them right away. And that is when she decided enough was enough. She had zero appetite & often happens when you age - you shrink but your esophagus does not, so it was difficult to swallow regardless of appetite. She got really weak, very tired, but was still with us mentally. She was ready. She told us so. The family was always by her side 24/7. The hospice doc told us it would only be a few days. It was amazing to be with her so close to the end. My MIL and her twin were with her at the very end. She lived a wonderful long life & went out on her own terms - ready, willing & with those she loved at her side. Her memorial service was full of vibrant colors & laughter - just like she wanted.

Hubby had to do the service the day after grandma's memorial, so all week we were doubly busy with family & him writing. It was oddly perfect timing given the subject matter though. Talking about grandma was just right for the sermon - made the service that much more moving.

Now I have a large cross stitch to finish for her. That was the deal. I got to have the scroll frames as long as I finish her piece. There are actually 2 and luckily the one I said I will finish has a chart...the other is a mystery. But it now looks like a creature wearing steampunk goggles, so I might go with that theme. Thankfully she did not give me a deadline :P

Then there is all the little stuff that gets in the way of a schedule...which I kinda suck at anyway.
The little guy - who turned 5 this past weekend! - started the soccer season during the past month. And we are so glad that he goes willingly this time around. Not fun when you have to take a mopey one to practice.

And to show off his goodies, because he asked me to show my friends on the computer...

The oldest, well, I guess his schedule only got altered by having to watch his little brother from time to time more so than usual.

And me. I am happy to say that this past month I received some custom orders :) Well, one order had been around, but it was only a couple weeks ago that the fabric choices were finalized. Which got me thinking about changing up or at least having a set "procedure" for custom orders. It can get quite difficult to chose fabrics when people do not really know what they want. Although, it is so fun window shopping!

These are the fabrics she decided on for her bridal party's gifts:

So hopefully I will get back to my regular blogging. But I may still fall short at times since I decided to put me first at times so I can work on, well, me...making me less of me anyway...particularly around the waist-hip-thigh area would be preferred :P

Holiday Hiatus

I have decided to take a break from the computer for the rest of the year. You may see a scheduled post or two, but not likely. I am also taking a break from sewing...pretty much. I may sew something for myself, but that's not work, so it doesn't count. Do you remember the holiday stuff I wanted to make? Well, it didn't happen. I was busy, but with custom orders. I decided to give myself a break & not worry about skipping my list of to-dos since custom orders trump the list.

Lists...since both my boys landed on Santa's good list, tomorrow morning should be fun. I love watching their faces light up when they rip into the goodies under the tree. Hubby was on the good list too...even without the house help that he used to be so good at. We don't really do gifts to each other, we have the boys get us stuff instead. Is a 4 year old helpful with this endeavor? Um, no, not really. So we still kind of get each other stuff :) But on my list for this Xmas...for next year to have more help around the house. Should be easy right? After all, it costs nothing and nobody has to make a trip to the stores. Well see....

...see you soon....

Week in Review

Sunday June 7:

Craft show in Ann Arbor with other Etsians - MICE (Michigan Indie Crafters of Michigan)...my mom went with me...and I had a custom order near the end of the show for a small zip pouch to hold his wife's USB flash drives

Monday:
Not much of anything...and liked it!

Tuesday:
Did a happy dance when I got a request for a last minute custom order for a bridal party...took tons of photos (which I am still cropping & resizing)...oldest had his last full day of middle school - why doesn't he look happy about it? hmmm, maybe because mom surprised him at the front door with a camera lol!

Wednesday:
Went to the store to get the fabric for the custom order...and otherwise just hung out with my boys..reorganized most of my fabric - used comic book boards to wrap them in & put on the shelves like books

Thursday:
Cut out fabric for custom order after I went back to the store for a different selection (guess I jumped the gun...but hey, I needed purple fabric anyway)

Friday:
Zoo time once again! funniest part: it was the last day of school for the oldest, who forgot his key - so he called me, rode up to the zoo to get said key...just so he could go home to do nothing & veg...but we wrangled him into joining us for the dinos...ironed on the interfacing in the evening

...oh, and had to cage the oldest for key forgetting...

Saturday:
Hubby watched the little guy so I could sew sew sew!!! Custom order complete! Took all day, literally - I only stopped to eat & um, other necessary things...

(I'll get the rest of the dino pics up on Flickr soon)

Etsy Day

Today is Etsy Day. What is that? Well, it's a day for us to celebrate everything Etsy. If you've been here before, you know what Etsy is. If you are new here...hop on over there and check it out. Just click on the cute sun or over on the right where my shop shows. BTW - it's pronounced like Betsy, but without the "B".

Do you love originality? Uniqueness? Craftyness? Handmade goodies? Vintage yummies? Or even supplies for your own crafty endeavors? Then Etsy is the place for you. I have been a seller there since late last summer...and a buyer a bit before that. There are thousands of shops selling everything from bibs to bags to buttons to beds.

Looking for custom wedding items? You can find them there...even the dress...try Exquisite Gowns - beautiful work! Need clutches for the bridesmaids? Well, I can help you there (did you catch that post on my other blog?)...but cake toppers? Try Spirit Mama - they are adorable, customizable & totally fun! Looking for custom invites or Thank You cards? Check out J. Leigh Designz! Lingerie for the honeymoon? Yup, that is there too.

Need jewelry for that special day? or any day? So many great shops to choose from...each one different than the next...casual & quirky to classy & precious to vintage & girly...here's just a few to whet your whistle: Roseworks, Poor Robin, Superior Stones, Beaded Tail, Nature Manipuated, Unique Commodities, Rose Creek Cottage, Stormy Designs, Thyme 2 Dream, Tulips Treasure Box, A Keepers Jackpot, Storybeader, You've Got Maille, 3 Rexes, ...and these are just the ones off the top of my head!

Personally...I think you should just register there...that'd be a fun function..."favoriting" items could work for a wish list to send out for a wedding or baby shower :) I know I use it for birthday & Christmas lists. And to show off pics from that wedding or shower...try Memories For Life Scrapbooks...she does awesome custom work!

Want to see some great finds fast? Hop over to my treasury blog & you will find tons of Etsy goodies.

So, what are you waiting for? Hop hop hop....and shop shop shop...

Check out some picks from these shops below (here and here)

Post Office Woes

I have decided to never go back to my local post office. This was not the first time that I have received such abysmal service, but it is the last. And it was almost an exact replica of the previous sucky visit.
I understand that the post office jobs are notorious for being a not so great place to work. But does that mean they need to take it out on the customer? I have worked on the other side of a service desk before, I understand how some days can be with nothing but one rotten tempered customer after another. It starts to get to you. But I never assumed the person approaching me was a jerk, or an idiot or someone not worthy of my assistance. This is how I felt as I got to the front of the line.
I had a package to mail out to Australia. This is something I have only done once before. That visit went great....it was at a different location. The woman asked me what I needed, informed me how to fill out the customs form, inquired as to which level of service I wanted it sent...she treated me like a customer, not like some dolt standing in front of her that should already know exactly what to do.
This visit...not so great. She made eye contact just enough to scowl and grunt to me to come on over. Then she just looked at me. With a very "well, what are you waiting for" look on her face. I was not even sure where to put the package...there was bullet proof glass everywhere & a door that slide up on either side of her. I assumed this is where the package went - but could not tell which side would be hers. She just shot mean eyes and pointed rudely to the door on the right side. As she walked over to the door she rolled her eyes and sighed. The door was, apparently, not all the way down on my side. How did I know this? She was shaking the door on her side and almost growling. Gee, sorry, it looked down from my side. It was actually stuck on something she had placed on top of the midsection.
She continued to weigh it and measure the box to make sure it could be sent in "regular" mail. She asked me if it was the right size. Huh? I don't work there, how should I know. She tsked and sighed again as she calculated the dimensions. I guess it was okay because she proceeded to punch stuff into her machine thingy. She never even asked me how I would want it mailed...express, first class, priority (I may not work there, but I do know there are many levels). She told me the price...it sounded a little higher than I had seen from the calculations on the USPS website. So I asked her how much it weighed. There is no way it was 1lb 15oz...the thing felt like I forgot to even fill it. But at this point - I just wanted out.
You may ask why I didn't ask for a manager or anything. Well, the only other person there seemed to be just as bad as my lady. There was a man there this whole time who was waiting to talk to someone about his PO box. They seemed to have no idea how to help him. How do I know this? Because between scowls and growls, she kept leaving to go talk with the other employee about his request. Oh, and about what she was doing that night. And once about her no good man.
Nice. I thought the employees were the ones that know how everything is supposed to work. And that they are there to assist the customer, who does not work there and therefore not know how things run. I guess nobody told her that. Because she kept treating me like I should know what to do.
So - off to the next city for post office needs next time. Better yet, I'll do it all online with a carrier pick up like I usually do...now that I know I can fill out the customs form online.