Every day is different

I am pretty much stuck at home today, without 4-W-D. Yesterday I had set my mind on spring crafts and was going to retire my thick yarns until next fall, but life in general and the weather are just so unpredictable. I sold about 6 hats within a few short hours.

I started a shopping bag made with recycled grocery plastic bag and it really was a struggle first since it's a completely new medium to crochet with. It doesn't have any give like yarn and I have set the half-finished bag to the side for now and I am back to make new hats.
As always, I use my own patterns and construction methods since I have crocheted for so many years, but I got inspiration and ideas on how to prepare the plastic yarn at Needlepointers.com

Time for Creativity

If you have experienced a very good sales time before Christmas you may (or may not) encounter a slower phase at the beginning of the year. Even though my sales keep on coming in it's not comparable to the pre-holiday sales. It takes some time to adjust because a business owner easily gets used to effortless selling. The crafter may actually embrace the slower time as it sets time free for new creations.
I have taken a sketch book and wrote down my random ideas that pop up in my head constantly. Usually I don't realize most of them, but have made a list of new things to try. As I am pretty much emphasizing on one handmade product (hats) it may be fruitful to broaden my designs for an all-year-around buying audience. These days (it's still January and winter has not left us yet) I have come up with new crown designs, it's a blast to leave the conventional paths and just experiment with shapes and embellishments. The picture shows a large tam with ornamental crown pattern. I love this more elaborate style and it's a pretty addition to solid unisex tams.
I'll be happy to share some recycled projects soon, besides new summer hats.
Browsing the internet for some business advice and help for small business owners, I have come across this article which talks about "Five Things To Do When Sales Are Slow":
REVISE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
CONDUCT YOUR OWN MARKET RESEARCH
WRITE ARTICLES OR GIVE LECTURES
EDUCATE YOURSELF
TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
For further reading check out www.Onlineorganizing.com

Finshed work -- the cotton doily crown tam

Just a quick update with the finished snood hat.
Available at Purple Sage Designz online store for hippie hats and more.

Work in progress -- Spring cotton doily tam

Preview of new designs: tams based on vintage doilies, created with strong cottons but with a delicate and breezy feeling. Translating the playful doily into the tam design with no further frills.
Spring is in the air today and Sid and I went on a little road trip through rural areas of neighbor counties. We were daydreaming about getting a small piece of land by a river or with a pond and create a close-by weekend getaway, totally secluded and 100% country. Actually we'll look into the market this coming week and see how much our dream would cost and what's out there.
After all, right now is a buyer's market and what can be more substantial and of lasting value than land. I see so many possibilities of organic gardening and growing a lot of our own food.

Slow and Introspective Days

Hello friends, I have a lot of time on hands these days. My beloved little Saturn gave up on a cold night and needed to be hauled into a repair shop with a wrecker because there was "no spark" anymore. This left me pretty much stranded at home.
The last quarter of the month is usually a slow month for every business, so, orders were scarce and I had the chance to round up all these unfinished projects. I finally kicked myself in the behind and listed them in my Etsy shop. More to come as I have procrastinated taking pictures for the whole month of January. It was a much needed break after Christmas, but it's time to fire up again:)
This afternoon I will attend a Native American sweat lodge ceremony and pray for a good year.
2008 started in a weird way for me, not really bad, but a little bit on the bumpy side. I just had another big dentist bill in the mail box yesterday. And this doesn't include the upcoming teeth extractions yet. And my little Saturn will cost me some $$$, too.
Our son moved from Idaho back to Oklahoma and started a new job. He stays in my hubby's craftroom which has been quickly transformed into a little bedroom. Well, Sid's computer equipment and desk has been moved to our bedroom for the meanwhile. Clint will look for his own place once his paychecks come rolling in. I enjoy having him at home. A tansitional phase for our family these days.
I need to think spring and start sewing again since the demand for warm tams will get less with each month. But our low temperatures make it hard to develop this energetic "spring fever".
There is a life without a car. But it's a hobbit's life at home more or less, but coming from Germany where I did not always own a car, it's not such a big deal. And it has been promised to have it ready by Monday anyway.
Slow days can be a blessing if you embrace them and just let life take its course.

Friday Music Video -- Tracy Chapman -- Fast Car

Thrifting versus Ebay

So I am receiving all kind of packages these days, USPS, FedEx, UPS, and they all contain vintage aprons. It's amazing how different the feeling can be when you open the package, from "wow" to "wish I'd have never spent a penny on that one". Since there are more to come, I will just see how successful my bidding adventures will turn out overall. What always amazes me is that the thrift-stores are at the pulse of trends, it never fails. The 2 or 3 aprons that hang there are priced very high, and the shape isn't pristine either. Usually they are gone in a flash though.
A hot trendy vintage item is hard to come across. Off to making my own aprons? Yes, I think so. Some of these very old faded aprons will serve me as templates, this saves time and I don't need to prepare a pattern. I wish I knew what the next trend will be, so, I would get ahead of everyone else and buy the items now, cheaply, because, boy oh boy, trendy vintage can cost a buck!
(The above picture shows a pile of vintage aprons that I am very happy with)
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Well, I found tons of great stuff at "my" thriftstore in town. None of the finds is probably a trendsetter, but everything is useful for future projects. (And some coolio clothes that just need to get tossed into the washer and look amazingly good)
- vintage serger thread cones, 5 big bags, poly and cotton, all different colors, a huge saving even though it was not half-off day.
- Macrame cord, will be used for bag and belt projects, I cannot knot:(
- crochet book with amazing patterns, 1970
- sewing patterns, very nice
- ribbons and laces, some craft ribbons to package my products, looks so much nicer than the Dollar store ribbons
- 80s sweater with batwing sleeves, wow, what a cool thing, I hope this trend will come back.
More skirts and tops, I think I got the first batch of "new" arrival T-shirts and blouses for this season, because it's still freezing and cold. Strangely there were no decent sweaters but a few.