To the greatest husband...

To the Greatest Husband in the World

I would just like to publicly thank him for all he does for me. I recently decided to stop buying all prepackaged foods, and anything containing refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils. His response to this “I’ll eat whatever you cook me, honey.” He drives me crazy sometimes, but I tell you what…. That man has got to be one of the most supportive husbands ever to exist. I mean, he even eats tofu and eggplant if I cook it! He lets me do my sewing thing and tries hard not to gripe about it… he even offers feedback and critique on finished items. He does so many little things that sometimes go unnoticed…. Like make sure to get all of the heavy groceries out of the car, leaving me with the bread, eggs, and toilet paper. I can’t even begin to list the things he does for me.

Thanks Honey

I started a second blog…. One for my journey to becoming more health-conscious and green. Check it out here - http://stopeatinggarbage.blogspot.com/

Amy Butler Dress - CHECK!

I finished the AB dress.... YAY! I finally finished something for my etsy store! So much of my recent sewing has been for others... well, my daughter. She wanted this Strawberry Shortcake outfit... can't sell one of those, licensed character. Here's the dress!! I think I might make the pockets included in the price but optional. The second pic is of the back. I want to make matching fabric covered button hair clips before listing it (clips included).

One thing at a time....

I feel kinda overwhelmed right now. Not that my life is any more busy than usual, but I am a bit behind on my projects and ideas for new projects just keep flowing in before I even have a chance to finish what I've already started (or bought supplies for and haven't even started). I made a 'to do' list today (crafty stuff only) and no joke it's 14 things long!!!!!! EEKS! And the more and more I think about hair bows the more I want to run out and just buy everything needed to make every single bow I see that I like!!!!

It takes a while to really accumulate all of the necessary supplies needed to do any particular craft... and a little longer to get a good hoard of stuff. It has taken me a year to buy all of the sewing essentials (and not so essential). I've gone through some crappy scissors, stocked up on necessities (bobbins, oil, lots of pins, etc), accumulated extra stuff so I don't have to buy it every time I decide to make something that calls for it or realize mid-stitch that I need it (elastic, bias tape, interfacing, webbing). Now I'm back at square one with the hair bows. I don't have anything necessary.... well, I've got fray check and a couple of spools of ribbon... and the sewing stuff of course. I need dowels, clips, this super strength glue... Oh I just realized that I DO have clothes pins (thanks to a recent consignment sale)... not to mention I'll need tons of ribbon.

So... back to the giant 'to do' list.... not in order of priority (although I should do it that way)
1) Finish current project.... Amy Butler dress (two posts down)
2) Make a handbag for myself
3) Boho/peasant fabric - pre wash (which I'm a little worried about, it's got lots of raw edges), take sample pics, post on etsy... well first decide if I'm going to trim it down to a girls skirt or leave it long and sell something for ladies.... AAAH!
4) Make my moms curtains that were supposed to be done a week ago
5) Make Kaytlin's Hannah Montana outfit before she kills me (scored some HM fabric BTW)
6) Make myself an apron... bought fabric weeks ago!
7) Take pics of PIF (pay it forward) item and post (it's fabric scraps... PIF = free... if you're interested remember to check back soon!)
8) Make Amy Butler pin cushion using scraps from current project (for charity... oh yeah, gotta pick a charity I'll be contributing to with the sales of things like this... I'm thinking of a local womens shelter)
9) Figure out what I can make using the stash I've developed
10) Make fabric covered button hair clips to match one of the million zillion things I am working on
11) Stock up on hair bow making supplies
12) Make flip flops using the tut I found in a mag
13) Make matching jeans for awesome embroidered linen top (and finish top... just need to attach straps).
14) Take pics of two items to add to etsy (embroidered linen outfit, AB dress) after they're finished

So I'm going to tackle it ONE thing at a time... maybe two at a time :-P

First (and second) are to finish the nearly-finished things... the embroidered linen outfit just needs some capris made to match... and the AB outfit, I just need to finish the bodice and add the bottom contrast. It's going to be SEW CUTE!!! Third... take pics of those two things and get them on etsy! Hopefully I can finish doing these tasks by tomorrow evening. I'm not even going to look at the list until I finish these things!

I almost forgot.... Easter was lots of fun. I've been flickr'ing lots lately too. My flickr id is, of course, kaytiebugs. Here's a few shots from Easter.... Recognize the dress? The boys pictured are my nephews.

Hair Bows

I've been in the market for some hairbow tutorials today. So far so good. I found exactly what I was looking for - fabric covered button clips. I also found a million zillion other fantastic ideas. I just want to make some stuff to match my outfits... give them a little extra detail. I learned that E6000 glue will hold anything and I should really start stocking up on my grosgrain ribbon collection. Oh hell.... my fabric hoard is too big to allow for further purchases, now I've found something else that I simply must start hoarding. When do I get my next paycheck? ;-)

Feeling nostalgic... and another hectic weekend

I was roaming around flickr when I came across this person’s photos. A fellow Atlantan… so I had to look. Many a photos caught my eye, but it was this one which took me back to a place and time when I was a child.

... I can't paste the original pic because it is copywrighted and no use permitted... so here's the link over to the pic. Check it out.

I remember the first time I saw a passion flower. I was about 11 or 12. I was in North Carolina visiting my cousins. As a child, the beauty of there surroundings was oblivious to me… but in retrospect it all seems so quaint. Lots of greenery, a LONG gravel driveway, a little one room cottage with a fence, lots of trees, horses (although they were starved, and eventually taken away from the owners), and fresh air. I would go there for a few weeks during the summer to visit. I don’t have any sisters, so being with my cousins made me feel like I had sisters. Oh, how I do wish I had a sister. I want to have one for Kaytlin. My mom has a sister, they are… well… like sisters! I don’t know this feeling… *sad*. Back to the nostalgia…. We were walking down there extremely long driveway on a hot summer day to check the mail (and possibly bringing the starved horses some table scraps) and there it was…. The most amazing flower I had ever seen. My favorite color is purple… and it’s not often you see a truly beautiful purple flower… especially not in the wild. It (and some of its sisters) were just growing there, right alongside the driveway. I was amazed by it. I had never seen such a complex flower. I picked it, of course, and to this day I still have it pressed in an old journal… the journal I took to NC that summer.

Oh how I do miss childhood sometimes.

I really want to look into planting a Passion Flower plant. Research pending.

Now that the nostalgia is over (well, the writing about it... not the feeling) I can move on to discussing my busy upcoming weekend. My mom bought fabric for me to make her some curtains for her kitchen and guest room two weeks ago when I was at her house. I PROMOSED her I'd have them done by this weekend when they came down to visit (they live far). Umm.... well.... they're not. I actually haven't even taken the fabric out of the bag. She'll be here tonight. Good thing my house is spotless (thanks to hubby :-) ), because there will be no time for cleaning!

I've been working on a top for Kaytlin all week... but that's a post all of its own. I'm 75% satisfied with the way it turned out, but I really wish I would have done a test using muslin or some other fabric that didn't cost me a fortune. It's made with denim and this gorgeous uber-femme embroidered linen.

I also had my first two sales to work on! Yay for that! I am finishing the custom tutu tonight. Okay.... it takes 6 yards to make a childs tutu. Kaytlins tummy is about 22". The customers waist was we'll say 30" ;-). So I figured "Okay, her tummy is about a third bigger than Kaytlin's, so I'll get a third more fabric!" EEH WRONG! *immitates Jeopardy's "I'm sorry, that is not correct" noise*. I used 9 yards of tulle and I swear it only got me halfway done. Maybe it's because I'm being a lot more careful doing this one than I do when I'm making Kaytlin one (which takes me about 30 minutes because I just whip right through it). So I had to go out and buy some more.

Today was a very strange payday. Every single payday I go to Joanns.... but not today. I have TOO DANG MUCH FABRIC laying around ALL OVER my house to buy any more!!! I'm trying to make it less obvious to my hubby... you know... kinda like scooting your peas around on your plate to make it look like you ate some. I've got a basket of "scraps" in the bonus room (which is actually fabric that will hopefully one day soon be used to recreate the stuff in my etsy shop). I've got a big basket in my guestroom that has two stacks of fabric about 18" high. Then there's a joanns bag in my car (that I'll bring in once I figure out a place to put it). Then there's another shopping bag sitting on the dining room table... and beside that is my AB fabric. Don't even get me started on what's in the guest room closet. That's mostly 1/2 yard or less of fabric that I just can't get rid of. Plus there's a few grocery bags of scraps ranging in size from pretty good size to teeny enough for Kaytlin to use for crafts. Oh I forgot to mention the two bags I had sitting in a corner where I keep my sewing table. I think there's three cuts in that bag. I'm addicted. I can't stop.

I finally bought clothing to sew for MYSELF! Can you believe it?! I can't either! I looked and looked then finally found a pattern that would be figure flattering, something that wouldn't show too much, etc. Then I get it and DOH it can only be used with jersey knit fabrics. Luckily it was 40% off.... I got a pretty blue color. Blue brings out my eyes. Who knows when I'll actually sit down and MAKE it! I still haven't made that purse!

When you find something good, you tell someone!

So I'm telling you!

I recently made two etsy purchases.

1) I bought these fabulous earrings. The photos don't even do them justice! So cute! I bought them from this store - http://simplyuboutique.etsy.com/ The colors are much more vibrant when you see them. Lovely!

2) I bought my Amy Butler fabric (post below this one) from this seller and received it FAST! I paid for it Saturday morning and got it in the mail Tuesday! http://myheartandsew.etsy.com/

First sale, weekend projects, etc.

I got my first SALE!!!! First to go was the punk whimsey tutu... then within a couple of hours later, someone accepted an alchemy bid I placed, then a few hours after that I got another accept from an alchemy bid! I was packing up the punk whimsey tutu last night and just felt so accomplished, so proud! I've made things for people before and gotten paid to do it, but this was my first sale as an actual business with a name and everything. Hubby seemed to think I was a little overly-excited about it lol.

I bought this awesome AWESOME pattern last night. I can't wait to start it! I just want to ditch my current project and start working on it! I have this burgundy paisley fabric that I picked up at Joanns about a month ago. I didn't know what I'd do with it, because it's definately not something that would make an adorable little girls outfit. But I just loved it and had to have it. Now it has a purpose. Since I didn't have the fabric with me, I just had to pick a solid color for the lining... brown. It looks like it's going to be fairly easy to make... at least I hope!

Over the weekend I whipped up an outfit for Kaytlin out of two vintage pillowcases. One was a pillowcase dress/top... it comes just above the knee. With the other pillowcase, I made capris. It is sooo cute. Here's a pic of it. . It was super easy too. I think I'll write a tutorial on making a pillowcase dress from actual pillowcases. It took me a little less than two hours to whip together this outfit.

I really need to sit down and start working on some charity things. I also need to do a PIF (pay it forward) for etsy since I made a PIF purchase.

I ordered and received two yards of Amy Butler fabric. I'm sew in love with it. I just don't know what I'm going to do with it though! I can't decide! I want it to be something wonderful!

I also bought this skirty-like fabric. I really like it, but it's not "me". I bought enough to make two skirts. This pic does not do it justice, but I took it as I was running out the door this morning, so it's the best I've got for now.

This here is the longest living cut flower. I think I might write the Ginness people and see about getting my world record. This was in Kaytlin's Valentines Day flower arrangement (yes, we buy our 4 year old flowers for V-Day). It is now 3/19 and this flower is STILL lookin' good!! We bought it from the grocery store on 2/14!! PS... this pic was so much prettier full size.

I never knew yardwork was so dang hard!! We have spent hours and hours working on JUST the front!! We haven't even started on the back! At first, we used a spike aerator and seeded... well, that was a waste of time and money because it didn't take. So Matt and I got out there with a hoe and loosened the dirt in all of the bare spots (which, as you can see, there are plenty of), seeded, then gently scooted the dirt around to somewhat cover the seeds, THEN put pinestraw on top of it. Oh I forgot to mention that we had to dig dirt from this hole in the back yard and move it in the wheelbarrow to cover the uneven spots/dips along the driveway due to years of neglect (thanks to the old owners, there's a big hole which needs dirt to be put on top of and grass seed planted, we figured since it was already there we might as well borrow some dirt from it). Our neighbor let us borrow his plug aerator (more expensive, much better), so he did that too.

We dyed Easter Eggs on Sunday. In my whole life, I've never been able to get the stinkin' eggs to be as vibrant as the ones on the box. I followed the directions and everything!

AHHHHHHHH!

1) I am very eagerly awaiting my first sale! I'm not a very patient person. The clock is ticking louder and louder every day.

http://kaytiebugs.etsy.com I've added two items over the last week and plan on adding more Monday (hopefully)... sneak peek coming soon!

2) The iPod sold for like $130. Yay! Now I've only got about $80 to go.

3) I started adding photos onto flickr. Check me out...
http://www.flicker.com/photos/kaytiebugs

Sneak peek @ 'Beach Baby', smarty pants, SSSF

When I say I looooove something, it's not because I'm trying to make it sound good or promote it... that means that I really just loooove it! For example... I LOOOOVE this little 'Beach Baby' outfit I've created!!! I can't wait to make one for Kaytlin! I already had the jeans and needed to do something with them. Ta da! This outfit will be for sale in sizes 18m-4T. I'm offering size 18m to my blog readers for $15. That's a little over half price!! I could possibly trim down the elastic a bit and make the top a size 12m... but the capris would still be size 18m since they're store bought (with the exception of the added ruffles of course). This is for the sample seen in the pic and is ready to be shipped. If interested, let me know and we can either go through with an etsy transaction or you can just pay me directly via paypal. The bottom pic gives the best depiction of the color. The blue is much softer than the top two pics show. I've got to take better pics before

On to 'Smarty Pants'.... I LOVE the way these turned out. I won't be selling these (unless someone requests me to make them a pair, of course... i do have the fabric to do it with). The fabric is an argyle print flannel and the bottom is ruffled and trimmed with lace. She's also wearing the tye dye shirt we made Sunday. Note- when you tye dye, put saran wrap or a trash bag over your work area, WEAR THE GLOVES, and don't use cotton knits as this shirt did NOT want to absorb the dye (as you can see). PS- laundry on couch= I've been sewing. No laundry on couch= hubs made me stop and do some chores.... lol

SSSF (Surger Selling and Savings Fund) would be going much better if I'd stop SPENDING the money I'm making!!!!! My iPod listing ends today... so check it out. My ebay id is coachlover930.

Spring is in the air

My trees are blooming! This is our first Spring in the house... so I had no idea they were flowering trees!

SSSF Update: Coach Bag SOLD for $77!!!

YAY!!! I was shooting for $70-80. I put a $77 'buy it now' and it's GONE! I AM SO STINKING EXCITED!! $77 down, $173 to go.

I'll be listing the ipod tonight or tomorrow, so check it out! I'm leaving on about 1300 songs. From what I gather, it will sell for about $115-150 according to past sales of the same model. Remember- my ebay user ID is coachlover930!

SSSF Part 2: Mac has lots of our $$

Between Matt and I, we have two 30GB iPods and he has an iPhone that (IMO) outperforms the iPod and has plenty of room for his tunes. So really we have an extra iPod....

I'm going to write this blog as I take my mini-journey to get the scoop on this ipod... exactly what IS it?

I googled.... apparently there are a million different 5th generation ipods. I really want to find out exactly what kind this is. And apparently the apple site isn't 100% correct when using the serial # because some people in forums have newer ipods than apple says they are. So far all I know is it's a 5th generation, it plays videos, and it's 30GB.

Light bulb came on.... go to the 'About' menu on the ipod itself, duuh! Found the actual model # (because the # etched on the back is the model for ALL 5th generation ipods... there are several versions).

Alas... I found a site that lists all of the specs for my particular model - http://www.superwarehouse.com/Apple_iPod_30_GB_Black_Video/MA146LL_A/ps/1489050
Too bad I can't get on ebay at work, I'm really eager to find out how much this thing is going to sell for. Stores don't sell them new anymore (well, at least not big name stores like Circuit City and Best Buy), but when they did the retail price was around $300 I believe. Hopefully I'll get a reasonable amount out of it. Now I just need to go home, see how many earbuds I have, pick one to sell with the ipod, find the other USB cord for the ipod, find out if I can sell it with the songs on it (which doesn't exactly sound like it would be, but if there is a way then I will).

More later.....

Surger Selling & Savings Fund (SSSF): Part 1

I posted my beloved Coach bag on Ebay last night. $77 BIN or bid, it's $.01 no reserve. Check out the listing here for more pics.

In an effort to help grow my Surger Savings Fund, I gathered all of the random change from all around the house... there was a big pile on top of the washing machine, a good bit in the office, of course tons scattered on top of mine and Matt's dresser. I have also been tossing change into this Tiffany & Co. bag for a while now, it's about 2" deep with change. And there's some in a box in my dresser too. I haven't counted it yet, but I'm hoping it's at least $30. I'm really hoping the Coach bag will sell for at least $70... then I'll hopefully have $100, which means I'll be ALMOST HALF WAY TO MY GOAL!!! My goal is $250. All you ladies with $1000 machines, don't laugh :-). No, I can't afford to spend that much on a machine.... I didn't even spend that much on my living room furniture (which is still quite fabulous I must say, we got it at the Rooms to Go outlet here in Ga. for quite a steal $800)... see pic below.

Now that I've mentioned the Tiffany & Co. bag, I just remembered that THAT would have been a great thing to sell for $$! I had this awesome tag toggle necklace and matching bracelet that were originally around $600 I think (I've had it for a while now... plus it was a gift so I really shouldn't know how much it costed, but I do lol). Anyways.... here's the sad story of the Tiffany set gone missing- The set was inside my purse. I left my purse sitting on top of my car while I buckled Kaytlin into her carseat, I was waaaaay out in the boondocks. Well, I forgot to grab it. It was a Coach Carly bag so it was big and kinda floppy, and of course not zipped. It flew off the car a few miles down the road. A nice Christian woman picked it up, found my cell inside, and called my mom. I got the purse back, but the Tiffany jewelry was nowhere to be found. She said all of my things were scattered all over the side of the road and she grabbed what she saw. I don't think the lady stole it because she would have also kept the $300 bag if that was the case lol. DANG ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Hmm.... what else can I sell??? My other Coach bag is beat to hades and back due to the whole flying off the car incident, so that's out of the question. Since ebay has upped there seller fees so much, it'll be really hard for me to do what I did last year and just have a big ebay yard sale, selling any and everything that I no longer need or want that's worth more than a few bucks. We're going to have a big yard sale in a few weeks.... and we've got lots of furniture and other big stuff we're going to get rid of, but the majority of that $$ is going to go towards house improvements.... we need so many things. Well, we don't really NEED them.... but we really WANT to fix the hot tub and the big screen that the old owners left for us. With the big screen fixed, we'll be able to decorate the bonus room! Which I kinda started on last night and want to blog about, but this one is already getting really long so I think I'll leave it at that.





In conclusion.... check out my bag I'm selling, check back for more things I'll be selling for surger $$, and don't forget to check out my etsy store! Kaytiebugs.etsy.com All purchases will get be a little closer to my $250 goal!! One more thing.... if you have any tips on how I can earn a little extra cash (aside from getting a second job... I only need $250 lol) let me know. THANKS!

Here's the living room furniture I was talking about..... well, half of it at least :-P

I WILL have a surger!!!

The one and only thing that is holding me back from creating and selling absolutely fabulous custom boutique clothing is the fact that I do not have a surger. Granted, my seams are good... I zig-zag and trim them neatly. But no one is going to pay $50++ for an outfit with unsurged seams. I have so many ideas! I am constantly sketching outfits that I want to make, but I can't because I don't have a surger. Well, I COULD, but I prefer to make things I can actually sell.

So I've decided to do what I did this time last year, sell like mad on ebay. I'm starting with a Coach bag that has been sitting in my closet for a while now. Last year I made over $400 selling stuff I no longer need or could live without... in a matter of a few months. I only need $250 to get a basic surger that will perform the tasks I am looking for. There are much more fancier models out there, but I'm just looking for something to finish seams right now. Maybe once business gets good and cranked up I'll buy a better one, but only if I can pay for it with my profits.

My ebay user id is coachlover930. There's nothing listed yet, I'll post a blog later or tomorrow once I get some things listed. Considering that I've got a sewing project upstairs waiting for me, it might be tomorrow before I start listing items... plus I'm a little rusty on my ebay skills because it's been almost a year since I've sold anything there, so it might take me a while to get my listings built nicely. Can we say Auctiva?

The Store, ramblings, upcoming not for profit, etc

No sales yet, but I just started. I know it's going to take a little while before I get my first sale. I'm waiting patiently. Here are a few things I've got up my sleeve.

I finally took pics of the vintage pillowcase dress. Looking at it folded does not do it justice. Kaytlin and I had a little photo shoot today... here are some of the pics. You can find the listing here... it's a steal at $11. There are more pics in the listing.

I also made a tutu... but I'm going to wait a couple of days to list it. Supposedly it's good to scatter your listings instead of doing a lot at once. I know this isn't your typical tutu.... it doesn't exactly scream Ballerina. But I love it. It's very off-the-beaten-path. The original picture is larger. There are ribbons tied into it as well. I really like the way this turned out. I was thinking punky gothic princess ballerina. It'll be available in all sizes.... I just like the way these full length ones look. I've obviously got some photo editing to do. Kaytlin was funny... I told her to go put it on and come outside. She came outside wearing nothing but the tutu... I had to run inside and grab the first shirt I could find. She was wearing a shirt that somewhat matched to begin with. Og well... this'll work. This tutu says to me 'punky whimsey'... I think that's what I'll call it!

Just a funny side note.... I'm writing this from the breakfast table and I can hear matt belting out some song in the garage while working out. He tries to be so macho.... only I get to see the side of him that sings lil bow wow while jogging. LOL! As I was finishing this up the man beast came in and wiped his sweaty forehead on my arm. ICK EEWWWW!!!!!!!!

Next thing in the works - I bought these 18m capri jeans last year to sew something for my niece... but I never got around to it. I picked up this really awesome fabric... it's this really pretty aqua blue color with flamingos and palm trees on it. The flamingos and palm trees are in vertical lines (I'm not a big fan of lots of small scattered objects on fabric...). I'm going to make a cute top (two layers of ruffles attached to a bodice) and two layers of ruffles added onto the jeans. I wish I knew what brand the jeans were.... they were at Marshalls with the label cut out (only the size label remains). They could be expensive... or they could be cheap. No less, it doesn't matter. I won't be selling it for a huge amount since I just so happened to have the jeans laying around and needed to do something with them anyways.

Oh I almost forgot! Remember that dress I stashed and said I was going to give away? Well, I finished it over the weekend. Here it is! I won't be selling this or anything made with this pattern (well, for the right amount I would, but that amount would be HIGH because this dress was a royal PAIN)

Till next time. PS- leave me comments, I like to see who's reading ;-)

DUUH I forgot to add the 'not for profit' stuff!! I really want to start doing small things (with my scraps), sell them, and donate the profit to a charity of the month. Right now I'm thinking about selling coasters and reusable multipurpose/grocery bags. Thanks to some helpful moms, I think I've come up with a price. $10 + shipping for 6 CUTE reusable grocery bags and $7 for a set of 4 coasters. I wanted my first charity to be something eco related, but I'm having a hard time finding one that I'm comfortable giving money to. Maybe I'll pick something different instead.... plus no one gives a poo about our environment anyways. Got any other suggestions on things I could use my scraps to make and sell? Do tell!

Etsy Store Grand Opening!!!

It's official! I'm open for business!! There are four awesome items listed right now and more to be added tomorrow.

Use the discount code "BLOG" in the buyers comments section when you check out to receive 15% off your total purchase!!

:-) Advice and critique are welcome :-)