Productivity on full tilt.

It was a “short week” since we had Monday off but we have managed to eek a lot of productivity out already – and it’s only Wednesday!

Birdie #2 and I finally delivered two projects today. One was a batch of etched awards for a local elementary school and the second was…THE ballet studio order. It is finally done and if we never see another Peter Pan shirt, it will be too soon. I promise to get photos and post about it soon…they really did turn out kinda awesome.

I sent my tax paperwork off to our tax man today, too. Hopefully we will get good news again this year, confirming the fact that it was a good idea to buy our house. (I already know it was…but as the house list of projects gets longer, I sometimes wonder.)

And finally my car is back in the driveway and legit with the state of California again. My registration was due last week but I hadn’t taken the car in – and couldn’t since I didn’t have it – to get smog tested. So check, and check! Done.

But the very best piece of productivity came from Birdie #2′s “great idea of the day” yesterday while we were in Hobby Lobby doing some recognizance for our next big project (we are the decorating chairs for the big SEF fundraiser next month – so SG peeps, buy your tix right now!).

Laundry is the bane of my existence. I used to loathe unloading the dishwasher, but I’ve kind of resigned myself to the fact that I need to do that each morning, like it or not. But laundry…grrrr….laundry! On any given day walk into our living room and there are stacks of laundry waiting to be brought upstairs and put away. I have one laundry basket that I use to carry laundry down – or out from the laundry room – so the girls are often left to carrying their “stacks” up to their rooms. Sometimes they make it and sometimes half of the stack is even still folded when it gets put away.

So Jamie’s idea (we tease her about having only one good idea per day, but in reality she has MANY good ideas!) while we were in the spring aisle at HL – why don’t we just get each of the girls one of their own little baskets in their own favorite color and then fold clothing directly into their basket. They can carry it up (because it is kid-sized) and it gets put away and brought back down so they will get a fresh batch of clean, folded laundry.

We’ve used it the past two days and it is kind of amazing how such a little thing can make such a big difference in an otherwise dreaded chore.

photoI’m sure it is just the novelty of something bright, pretty and new – but so far so good and nobody is bucking the new system.

 

Crafty Tuesday

Today’s Crafty Tuesday I would like to dedicate to my mom. As I was sewing like a mad woman today I realized that I learned many things from my mom, but what an incredible gift she gave me by teaching me to sew. Not only is it a very useful hobby/craft to have – but I can make money doing it, too!

Okay, so there is no chance J. will be quitting his job and retiring just yet, but I did make a tidy little profit at the Boutique last Friday – enough to make a pretty big dent in our Christmas shopping bills. I was pleased, and it was very fun, too.

Here was the dress lineup…

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We sold all but four of them. And then Em claimed one of them when I got home, so I have three left. I might just give them as Christmas presents.

My absolute favorite dress (made from an Anthropologie tea towel) sold as I was pulling it out of the bin to hang it.

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Two of my other favorites sold, too.

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So the dresses sold well. And Jamie sold a bunch of her aprons. She also sold some personalized Christmas jammies, too. Addie got the sample pair – she has worn them every night since she got them. She loooves them.

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I also took orders for SUPERcapes. So I’m supercaping this week to try to get the orders done in time for Christmas. I finished three today, so I think I have six more to go? I am loving the princess capes lately, though. I found these rhinestone beads for the top of the crowns…they are pretty sweet.

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I had a lot of fun putting together the marketing and merchandising goods for Two Birdies, too.

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So those are the goods from over here. Thanks again, Mom for the many sewing lessons and trying to teach me to be patient as I rip out yet another seam. I appreciate it very much.

How about you? Got some good stuff to show today?

Crafty Tuesday

Good crafty morning to you all. I have some goodies to share, but I need to be quick because I have a whole pile of sewing that is beckoning me from the craftroom.

I made these tees for my three nieces who are about to all be big sisters (again!) as they wait for their new little brother or sister. The ETA on Baby is Monday the 23rd, less than a week! Eeeee!! We are all so excited to meet the newest little one!

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And then I made a few little onesies for the babe, too. My favorite is the lower left one (with the bird, of course). I expect many photos of these until I can get there and get my hands on that baby. Mmmm…I can already smell the “baby smell.”

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And I have been trying out some different tags and packaging for our stuff when we sell it.

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And we have finalized the logo. We simplified it a little bit – we’ll use the border/bracket for “big” logos, but when we need a smaller, simpler logo – we’ll take it off. The blue is still not quite right on the web version here, but we are definitely going with the cleaner, more modern font. I like it and think it will work nicely.

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Now I just need to go sew some stuff to stick labels and pricetags on! I have finished six or seven of the pillowcase dresses, but I don’t have a one of them photographed. I’ll do a whole dress edition next week, so stay tuned.

Happy Crafting!