Just a few things....

Believe it or not, I am sewing up a storm at my house. My sewing room is evidence of that.

Yep. Those are all Countdown Calendars. Some are for the shop and some are for this...

Yes. I am participating in a boutique this year!  I've wanted to do a boutique for a few years now and this will be the first holiday season where I don't have a newborn/nursing so I thought perfect! I haven't done a boutique since we lived in Michigan so I am excited!

For all you locals come by and visit the boutique! (You can even come by my booth and say hi!) I've heard it is a fabulous one and I am excited to participate. I still have a lot of work ahead of me but I am on schedule with making everything. Lots of late nights ahead of me!

In preparation for the boutique I've also been making banners. Lots of banners. (Think Thanksgiving and Christmas.) The other day I found this great cardstock pack at Target, oh Target how tempting you are, and I thought banners! So I whipped up three Halloween Banners for the shop. You can find them here, here, and here or all the banners here. (Each banner is different, but all from the same paper collection.)

I love them. And clearly I need some fall decor for my mantel. (I love my mantel...and my husband who did all the work!)

Nothing else to report around here except it is finally cooling down in Arizona. Can we say HALLELUJAH?! (And by cooling down I mean below 100...so we still have a way to go.)

Oh one more thing. Does anyone know of anyone who does blog design work? Mine needs a serious facelift and I can do some of it but I don't have the time right now. Any suggestions?

Happy Thursday!

LeAnne

Countdown to the Holidays SALE

Yes, if you can believe it the Holiday Season will be here before we know it. It happens at the same time every year but some how it always seems to sneak up on us. For all you 'planners' out there - or if you aren't a planner but want to be - I am going to help you get a jump on your Holiday Project List. 


For the month of July I am offering all my Countdown Patterns for $5.00, regular price $8.50. 

 Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar

My most popular Countdown Calendar.  Makes a great tradition for the month of November.

In the pockets you can put the Countdown Cards, sells separately but also on sale!  Each card gives a different activity for your family to do that focuses on gratitude and family. See bottom of the post for a link. 

 Halloween Countdown Calendar

My newest Countdown Calendar, released last season. Another great family tradition!

 Christmas Advent Calendar

My take on the traditional Christmas Advent Calendar. Every family needs one of these to countdown to Christmas Day.

 This calendar also has cards that sell seperately for the pockets. See bottom of the post for a link.  

Additionally, I will be offering my Countdown Cards for $4.00, regular price $6.50. 

As I mentioned above:

Thanksgiving Countdown Cards

 Advent Cards

Get started early this year on Holiday Projects! Christmas fabric has already hit stores, and Halloween will be popping up very soon. :)


Happy Friday,


LeAnne

Destash and Inventory Sale

If you haven't noticed, my shop has been totally on the back burner lately. A little thing called life has been in the numero uno position. However, I am gearing up for new items - including a new pattern - so I am clearing out old inventory and some personal supplies.

 

All inventory sale items should be listed by tomorrow and destash items will be listed over the next few weeks. (Hopefully sooner if Etsy's system can upload a picture faster than I can type this post.) So head on over to the shop to see all the items included in the Inventory and Destash Sale. (Click on the appropriate words to see the items sectioned off.) I have some super cute fat quarter and fat eighth bundles of vintage Christmas fabrics. I love them all bundled up with twine...gets me itching to start on some Christmas projects. See aren't they cute?

I also have some fun fabrics that I am sad to let go of, but I just keep on telling myself the stash is getting destashed...to make room for new fabric?....destash LeAnne....destash LeAnne...

If these all aren't up when you click through...remember I typed this entire post waiting for Etsy to upload one set of pictures.

So there you go! A little sale for this fun weekend. Stay cool...

LeAnne

Wow and Questions Answered.

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the complements on the book. I love that you all love it and I hope enjoy making your own book. I am cutting out letters for kits like crazy. When you are done with your book, snap some pictures of your completed project and add it to the Flickr Group. I am still working on new items for the shop and of course some tutorials.

I've received several emails asking me a few questions.

When will Quiet Books return to the shop? I haven't made any Quiet Books for the shop since my baby was born in October. Sadly, I am not planning on making them a regular in stock item in the shop. However, if you want me to make one for you, just email or convo me with the date that you need it. I will let you know if I am able to make one for you. I would ideally like to have 10 business days to work on it, but still check with me either way. :)

Ric Rac and where did I get it all? All my ric rac came from JoAnn Fabrics. I either bought it in the package or off the spools in the trim section. Most of my pieces were little pieces leftover from other projects. I have just about every color because I almost have an unhealthy obsession with ric rac. Just look at my other projects...you will see.

Also, welcome to all the new visitors and subscribers! I hope I can keep you all coming back. :)

Happy Tuesday!

New Owl Totes and Looking for Help....

Finally!!! Owl Totes have arrived. This new flock will be listed over the next few days in the shop. Go check out some old favorites and some new owl tote designs! I've decided to start 'naming' the owl totes because 'Gracie' just sounds better than Aqua Owl Tote with Chocolate Brown flowers.

Leading the flock is new comer, Summer. I love this one.

Oliver is back, formerly known as 'I Love Owls'.

My personal fav is back....now known as Dot.

Bloom has returned too, made with the ever popular Carnival Bloom fabric by MM.

Last, but not least in this group is Polka Dot. Got left behind from Valentine's but still a great everyday Owl Tote.

Snowy the Owl, aka the Hedwig Tote, will be arriving in a few weeks. I have a few all cut out and ready to sew. But after making about a dozen totes over the last week, I need a little break from Owl Totes.

Oh. I know I didn't post a tutorial in February. I have a great one coming up for March, so I think that will more than make up for a lack of one.

The looking for help part.
I have plans for SEVERAL new patterns to be released over the year. I know I will need some pattern testers. If you are interested, please leave a comment below. (Make sure there is a way for me to contact you from the comment.) I will need you to, of course, test the pattern and get back to me with feedback. You will have about 2 - 3 weeks to make the item depending on the pattern. Depending on how many show interest, I may or may not be able to choose you all.

Thanks for reading,

LeAnne :)

Announcements & Special Order Information

As you all have probably noticed, I've had an increase in baby projects that I have been sharing with you. Your suspicions are correct that we will be welcoming little girl at the end of October. :) The pregnancy has gone very well and I cannot wait till she is here!

The 'other' announcement, impossible to compete with the first, is that I will be doing a giveaway on Thursday September 24th at the Krazy Coupon Lady. They are doing a relaunch to a .com site and it is going to be fabulous! Also, click through to the blog...we've done a face lift and it looks great.

Since I will be busy with a new baby, posting and new shop items will be at a minimum beginning mid-October. For those who are interested in a special order for Halloween delivery, I need to receive your order by Saturday, October 3rd. All other items that I have in stock will be available for purchase, but I will only be shipping once a week.

Thanks for all your support over the last year! It has been fun getting to know new bloggers/customers and of course hearing from long time friends.

I still have lots of fun things planned between the baby's arrival and then so stay tuned!

The Spring Thaw

Spring...I think....is finally on its way! We got a freak winter storm at the beginning of the week that left us with wet, heavy snow. Lovely. For the most part it is gone and melted...yay.

I have been asked specifically to update my blog. :) Sadly, I don't have much to blog about...I am not a very exciting person people! However, lots has been going on in my day-to-day life that has monopolized my energy and time as of late.

I hope to add some 'new additions' to the shop soon. My mind has been brewing away while my sewing machine has been taking a hard earned break. Hopefully some new owl totes will grace the shop. I also hope to write a pattern for the Owl Tote. I have finally perfected my own pattern and process for making them. They are really a fun and quick project.

Since you all were so helpful with my chocolate chip cookie dilemma, I am going to once again grill you for some ideas. (Thanks, I tried many of the suggestions and they helped tremendously.) Recently, I was asked to specifically create some 'church themed' quiet books. Any good ideas of ones that you would like to see?

One Last CPSIA Post

Okay. Just a warning, you may see this post a lot all over the blogosphere today. The part that shocked me about this information was about children's books. It is not an exageration. At all. Check out the link.

Bloggers are uniting today to make sure everyone knows about this law. (Yes. Some still do not know a thing about it.) This following was written by Etsy user chichiboulie.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too. How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students: Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader: Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all. Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade: Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist: Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper: Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur: Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector: Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy: Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy: Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act

Okay folks. I have to share some info with you. Due to the fact that this law is generally unknown to the general public, I want to offer some general info on the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act that goes into effect Febuary 10th.

Remember when all those toys got recalled because of the amounts of lead in children's toys? Well, thank goodness Congress decided to do something about. Sadly, the law was not fully thought out before it was signed this past August. The law states that ANY product intended for children under the age of 12 has to go through batch testing and be provided with a tag and certifiate saying it is lead free. The cost for this will go undetected by large manufacters, but for the little guy like me...there is no possible way I could ever afford this. As currently written, the law has no exemption for small business owners. With this going into effect myself along with many, many, others will have no choice but to stop selling children's items.

I of course want the saftey of our kids to be first. However, the law needs to be reasonable. Many of the items I use I already know are lead-free. Also most makers of handmade items only use the top quality items to produce their items.

If you at all enjoy handmade items for children, take an hour and write your congressman or senator. I submitted letters to mine online and have already recieved responses. There are places you can go for form letters or I would gladly email you mine and you can change or add as needed.

This of course is one of the many issues going on in our nation. I don't put a whole lot of personal stuff on this blog because...well that is just how I am. :) However, since this concerned my business and I know some of my customers read this; I felt it was appropriate to share. May I also add, I hope we all take the time to act in a similar way of informing our elected officals of our personal stance on the many issues facing our nation today.

Edit: Here is a great article from WSJ.