Summer Present

I finished them all. Every last commission, design your own, and special projects due out in the month of May. First I'd like to say, thank you for the business if you are one of the delightful people who ordered from me this past month. It was so very fun for me to make up a boat load of goodies and see them go to new aquaintenances and old.

I must say though, it just about killed me. Exaggeration, yes I know. But wow, I was cutting and interfacing at 11pm many nights. And this gal, she usually poops out right after the kidlets are popped into bed at 8pm.

The last month has been a whirl wind, and yet its given me the opportunity to focus on what it is exactly I love about the business and where I'd like to go, going forward. I guess I'm learning that I like the sewing...but I LOVE the designing. Sitting with stacks of fabrics and making decisions on how the clump of scraps will become something like what you see in the picture? Yes, this is me. (By the way, this is my new summer bag set, complete with cowgirl snap business card holder. Happy summer to me! Can we take a minute to bow to the pink fringe?)

This has been a bit of a true up, come to your maker moment for me in the business since the part that I like....but don't love...design your own, (where the ladies get to design their own bags and I simply make them up) pays well and keeps me busy. The part I LOVE, the designing doesn't move those bags as fast. Or should I say, I haven't figured that part out YET.

So, where does this leave me? At a cross in the road, with choices I suppose. This summer I plan to do a bit of research and perhaps some pounding of the pavement to see if there are some nice outlets for me to sell, sell, sell those creations in whatever fashion I love. In the mean time I don't know whether I'm ready to completely shut the door on "design your own" parties, which by the way is completely different than working with a client on a special commission for something custom, but I'm perhaps taking a step back from actively marketing the parties.

Ahh, there I said it. Does it have to be true now? Hee hee, we'll see.

Now, I must take my pink fringe new bag and accessories to the beach for a week. I will watch my twoladybugs build sand castles and eat more shrimp than one person should eat. Have a wonderful start to your summer everyone!