Warning ~ Sappy Post

Ok. So anyone that follows this blog has by now seen that I have joined the Etsy community. I must admit that I am thoroughly addicted to the forums. It has awakened my creativity, though, and have even designed my own sweatshirt. There is one thing about Etsy that I wasn't expecting to find:

Friends.

Today is a great example. I am currently having a problem with a bill from the hospital for a procedure I had done that I don't feel I should have to pay. I was quite worked up about it; was even in tears while on the pone with my insurance company.

I decided to post a little rant thread on one of the forums. See, Etsy has an Etc. forum to post anything that doesn't have anything to do with their other forums. I wasn't expecting any responses; I just wanted to get the frustration out.

To my surprise, the thread went to a second page. People were posting their support and advice. This started another round of tears. But this time, I was crying because I was frustrated, I was crying because people I didn't know were giving me support.

So, in this entry, I don't have anything to promote of my own; I'm just promoting the great people I have met through Etsy.

Thanks, guys!

New Listing!

Just running a quick entry; another may be entered later tonight...

The hoodie that I talked about yesterday is up and for sale in my Etsy shop! Here's the direct link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8759889. Check it out!

I'm really loving how it turned out. When it sells, I'm going to have a really hard time letting it go! But, I've got to remember that's why I'm selling what I make; it's nice to see something that I produce is being enjoyed by others.

I've already started on my next hoodie. Still not telling what style, but I will tell you that it involves a snake, white and snake-skin cotton.

Have a good night (morning?) all!

Finished Projects!

Well, I finally finished two projects in my little sewing corner! I'm so very proud of myself. I also took pics of the Princess's dress as promised before.

First, I'll post the pics for Princess's dress. She even wanted me to add a crown to it made of iron-on rhinestones to show off her royalty.

Next, we have her new bathrobe. Story behind this is...when I got out of the shower one day, I put my bathrobe on. She thought is was SO pretty (even though it's about 10 years old and a lot of the terry has pulled out making it look ratty. But it's comfortable and warm!), that she HAD to have me make her one. Then, of course, it had to be pink. Since I had leftover material from her dress, I made it with the same material. Here's that...

Finally, we have my next Etsy listing. This is a hoodie made from a T-shirt. I cut and fit the shirt to create the back of the hoodie. Added some black fleece for warmth. And found Alexander Henry's "Skulls on Fire" in orange to coordinate with the fire on the back of the hoodie. I think it came out pretty cool!

The next project I'm working on will be a white hoodie. For that, white fleece and black and white snake skin cotton is involved. That's all I'm revealing for now. Hopefully will have that done by the middle of the week.

Ta ta for now!

Charlie

I'd like to introduce you all to Charlie. Charlie is the model that my DH made for me. He models the hoodies that I make.

This version of Charlie came about after I tried to make a pathetic one with 10 gauge copper wire and a couple of 2x4's. That one worked, but DH said he could make me a better one. That's when I took a trip to the local home improvement store to get some PVC pipe and fittings. After about an hour, this Charlie was born.

Charlie is great. He's not as moody as a human model. He never talks back to me. And he stays where I put him. Poor thing, though, he's been outside and it's been a bit chilly here. I've moved him into the garage to get him out of the weather now. Once I'm done with the hoodie I'm working on, I'll move him once again; this time inside where it's nice and cozy. But, Charlie never complains. In fact, he's the perfect man! LOL!

Here he is modeling the hoodie I made DH for Christmas...I used an old Harley T-shirt we had found on eBay and some Alexander Henry fabric (that's the red skulls) as well as fleece.

And here he is modeling the hoodie I made for my 2-year-old son (Curly in this blog, named for his beautiful curly hair). His hoodie was made from the back of DH's shirt, blue flame fabric and a mottled fleece that is actually inside-out because I liked the "wrong" side of the fabric better than the "right".

When Princess's (my 4-year-old daughter) dress is out of the wash, I'll show that Charlie can model girl's clothes, too (he's a bit of a cross-dresser, but he doesn't seem to mind). I made Princess a really pretty dress and jacket from pink flannel and pink fur.

Well, now that you've all met Charlie, it's time for me to go to bed. 'Nite all!

Etsy

I stumbled across this wonderful new website a couple of weeks ago. It was mentioned on Rachael Ray's talk show and I decided to check it out. It's www.etsy.com. So, I figured ~ hey, I make things, why don't I look and see what this site's all about.

Well, I checked out what kind of stuff is on there. It's like a huge craft fair on the Internet! Everything on there is made by the individuals that have shops listed with them. I joined ~for free~ so I could post on the forums. I asked if what I have to sell is OK to sell on Etsy. I explained that eBay kicked my listings off because I use certain shirts to take apart and reconstruct. I was told I could.

Next step was to check out listing fees and the like. It only costs 20 cents to list something for sale; and the listing is valid for 4 months! Once it sells, I think they charge 3% or something like that. I can use PayPal for payment or accept other forms of payment. It's pretty much the same as eBay except that everything is listed as a buy-it-now -- no auction format. I even get my own storefront free of charge!

So, I listed the three corset halters that I had left in my inventory. So far, people have only been looking at my halters. But, everyone who has stopped by has told me that they're really cool. I'm told that the first sale is usually pretty slow in coming. So, I hang out in the forums promoting my wares. My husband has been listing bike parts on eBay, so I added a link to the storefront in his listings. Hey, anyway that I can promote, I will!

So, while you're checking out my shop, check out the others on there, too. There are tons of really talented people selling things!

http://www.jerz.etsy.com

Going Home

Hubby called me from work yesterday. He wanted to know if I wanted to move back to New Hampshire. They're looking for more help in his field of work. He's an automotive technician for Ford. My job can be anywhere. They have the orange box everywhere now.

Part of me wanted to say, "Yes! Yes, of course I would LOVE to go home!" I almost cried to think that he'd want to move up there. Then, I thought, it really wouldn't be the same. I've been out of my hometown for more than 16 years now. I've spent half my life in the state I live in now. All my friends, save one or two, have moved away. One of my best friends has recently had a baby and she and her husband have settled in my old hometown to raise their little family. Another of my friends is now in upstate Vermont. Another in southern California. Others are in various places around the country. Some stayed in NH, most scattered.

Then I thought of our little expanded family here. My mother-in-law, father-in-law, mom and brother-in-laws family are all here. It would kill them if we moved away. It would really kill my mom. She's established herself in her own house, has her own circle of friends; I really don't think she'd move again.

Then I thought of all the crap I'd have to pack. And, moving that far, I'd hire a moving company. Then, I thought, would I really want to move that far again.

I've lived in New Hampshire, Washington state and now here. I've been to one coast and back in one lifetime. I really don't think I'd want to do that again.

Of course, now would be the perfect time, given that the chitlins are not in school yet. But, that's really the only reason I can think of. I love our little house here. I love the plans we have for it. I like our neighbors; I like where I work; I love my friends. I really don't think I could rip my roots up again.

Then Hubby chuckled a bit. He was never serious in the first place.

New Venture

Well, I've started a new business venture. As a mostly full-time stay-at-home mom, I have to come up with new ideas that I can do while home with the chitlins and still earn money. One can only put in so many hours at a part-time job before paying for child-care and my paycheck just won't cover that!

So, I have started selling "reconstructed" shirts on eBay.

I have found that I can sew here and there during the day and still play with Princess and Curly. Princess even "helps" out with scraps. She likes to "make" her own shirts by pinning scraps together. I'll even sew some together and she thinks it's great! Curly helps out by stomping all over the fabric as a lay it out to cut.

So, if this takes off, I've just added another notch in my belt as a busy, "non-working", stay-at-home mom. "Non-working", now that's a laugh!