And more changes

So, guess what!

I'm moving to Virginia!

It's something that we have kind of considered in the past once my husband got closer to finishing up grad school, but after some discussion we've decided to just do it. It's going to be sad for him, but he will be able to focus on his work without distractions, especially since he has exams coming up next semester. I will be able to find an actual decent job and I will have lots of support from my parents. Also, once my husband is done, it's going to be nice that I'll be settled somewhere and we don't have to worry about moving and finding a job. It might sound weird to some that we're choosing to live in different states, but grad school makes everything about family life complicated.

Here are a few things I will miss about Oklahoma

Our campus. But I admit, we haven't actually been up there to walk around in forever. That's a picture of Mila from 2010 when we first moved here. 

Our spring weather. Yes, call me crazy, but I will miss this. 

Okay, that's all that I can think of. I've met some great people here, but I always like to think that I'll see friends again. 

Work Distractions

This is why some days I get nothing done at all. I'm too busy making rainbows.

Changes, changes

A couple weeks ago I mentioned a possible job opportunity. I didn't get it :(

To be honest, I was more devastated than I wanted to be about it. I knew it was a possibility I wouldn't get it, but they initially contacted me, and I was way more optimistic about it than I ever am about anything. I usually hope for the best, but don't expect it, and this time I wanted it so bad that I knew I would get it. Nope.

Oh well. I always try to be positive about things, and I realized I'm not a crafter. Up into my early 20s, I was really into art. I actually planned on going to art school, but went to community college first to get my gen eds out of the way. I regret so many things. It didn't seem realistic and I changed my major like fifty times afterwards. Life started to happen, like having Mila and also juggling school and work and eventually there was no more time for art. I've decided it's time to get back into it.

So this is my announcement that new things will be coming to Mila & Belle. I will still offer onesies. They have always been my best seller so if you need one, I would love to still be your go-to onesie maker. I just really want to get my creativity flowing again. I like my onesies, but I'm limited to what I can put on them since it really doesn't make sense to charge over $25 for a onesie. Pillows are fun, but they don't excite me. Hoops get a lot of love, but not enough buyers. I'm excited to share some new things that I've been working on. I don't want to give anything away quite yet, but I will be previewing some new things soon!

Behind the Scenes: photo shoots

A few weeks ago I talked about the importance of photos when selling online. Since I try to take as many photos as I can outside, the girls join me for some fresh air play. I compiled some of my favorite "behind the scenes" photos with my little helpers. 

This is Polly. She's always watching and likes to crawl out the living room window. 

I've recently started letting Mila use my camera. The next two photos are her own and I thought they were cute.

And there she is snapping away.

This one is my absolute favorite. I couldn't see the pictures as I was taking them since it was too bright to see my phone screen. This made me smile when I went through my pictures inside. 

Annabelle picked me a clover bouquet. 

The ponies almost always join us. 

Photo overload, I know. Since staying home still feels fairly new, I enjoy every moment of it. There's a possibility that I'll be going back to work, and if so I'm really going to miss this. 

Craft Show Lessons

I was very excited to do this last show this past Saturday, but it turned out to really not be the crowd for me. I learned from the previous show I did and made changes I thought appropriate. But it only really works if you're at the right show. I'm new to this whole show thing and I thought my work would fit in nicely at this show, but I was kinda wrong. I've heard bad stories about craft shows and the customers, but I was lucky that my first show had the right people. I just didn't bring all the right stuff. This time was different. If you actually read this blog, you probably know what I do, but if not here's a reminder. I hand embroider everything. Some things I can knock out no problem. But overall, I take my time. Sometimes I'm just stitching along and I notice a stitch twenty stitches back that looks wrong, so I go back and fix it. This happens a lot. And sometimes I have to redraw my picture, because it looks totally different embroidered than drawn. I put a lot of thought into my work. You may not understand the work and that's okay. Just keep in mind that with any art, there is a lot more unseen work that goes into making a finished product.

So here are two things to not do if you happen to go to a show and you see a vendor who hand makes her/his work:

1. Do not tell your friend/daughter/sister/whoever that they could make that. Yes, they probably could, but will they? And can they do it exactly the same way? Embroidery is not difficult, but it takes time. And each embroiderer is different in their work. I try my best to make my work original to me and if I see something similar, I either forget the whole idea or turn it into something different.

2. Leave the price alone. Don't haggle. Don't say something is overpriced. If you don't like the price, that's fine. Don't buy it. You have no idea how long it takes to make something. I know the value of my work. In fact, I under-price sometimes. Now, I'm talking about handmade stuff only here.

There are probably more, but these are the two things that really hit me the other day. I know some of the people didn't even realize that their words and actions were offensive, but they were.

So remember, be respectful.

And if you are a seller, make sure you go to a market where your work is appreciated. No matter what you make, there is a market for everything. This was kind of a hard lesson to learn, but at least I broke even plus a little bit more. I understand my target market better now. If you realize you need to make a few changes, do it! Listen to the target market you feel your work speaks to.  If this is your passion, don't give up on it. Learn from it.

It's been madness

The past two weeks have been pretty hectic. I wish I could say it's all the preparation for the Indie Trunk Show that happens to be tomorrow, but some unexpected (good) things came up so I've been busy working away at that. I don't want to go into details because I don't know if I'll get it, but it includes a possible really cool job.

But yes, the Indie Trunk Show is tomorrow. It is only my second (third if you count the art walk I did in January, but it seemed more casual and wasn't as intimidating) show, and I'm really excited about it. I learned a lot from the first show and while my sales were where I expected them to be, I hope the changes I made make a huge difference. I'll let you know next week!

In other news, Mila got a Creative Kid award at school. She's definitely my kid. She and Annabelle have actually been playing together lately. My husband finally finished up the semester. Yay! And my sister got me this book, which should be fun to read.

 

I've never heard of it, but the title reminded her of me. haha

Also, my apartment is a big mess since I've had to neglect my duties and hopefully I get some motivation to start cleaning up. This is my desk right now.

Do you like my D.A.R.E. eraser? I've had that since the 5th grade. 

And now I've got to get back to work!

Some Afternoon Chalk Art

This past Sunday we had some fun with chalk thanks to Annabelle. The girls were playing outside and she ran off to another building's breezeway where she and Mila were playing with chalk the day before with some neighbor girls. When I got her back home she said she wanted to play with "colors". So I sat out there with them for like 2 seconds before I felt the urge to get involved.

I first saw similar drawings on Pinterest and I thought they'd be really fun with the girls. Mila loved it. Annabelle just wanted me to draw outlines of her. The best part was when my neighbor walked by while I was trying to balance on my rolly desk chair to take pictures of Mila. 

I cannot tell you how nice it feels to be able to spend so much time with them. Maybe it's because I spent the first three years of Mila's life busy with school and then worked a job I hated for almost two years, but I truly love this time with them. It does get hard some days when I just have a billion things to do (like yesterday), but I think I've done a pretty good job balancing it all. Except housework. That can wait. For now we will play. 

Weekly Finds: Grad Gifts

I wish I could say my husband was done with school, but he's not... Oh well.

Do you know someone graduating? Whether it's high school, college, wherever, I went and found some of my favorite graduation gifts.

Compass Necklace from Susi D. Jewelry

I love this because throughout life we will go from one journey to the next. This necklace is such a cute reminder of that as one journey comes to an end and another begins.

Oh the places you'll go Card from give with joy

I think this card is so lovely, I'd frame it.

To Do Notepad from Greenere

Lists are great, and it's especially nice to have a notepad that helps you prioritize. Your grad will be thankful to receive such a useful gift.

Leather Luggage Tags from dogdog goose

If you know a grad that will be doing some traveling, these luggage tags are a great gift. Aren't they beautiful?

Map Picture Frame from ekra

This frame is so cool because you can choose up to 20 places. This would be so thoughtful for maybe a military brat who has moved his/her whole life, or maybe of all the places the graduate would like to visit.