been busy trying new things!

i've been busy trying to expand my crafting talent! i've made some new little ribbon princess hair clips that i found some free tutorials for and am now trying to figure things out from just pictures. they weren't as hard to make as i thought they would be, but the little pieces are a bit of a pain for my big fingers! my hope though, is that i sell some of them and that way i'll have to make more and will therefore get better at making them!

i'm also trying to move out of my jewelry comfort zone by making things that i wouldn't normally wear, but that i can sell. so far, so good! i'm really trying to build my confidence with all the different crafting things that i do. that's my goal for this year!

these updates and things always sound better in my head...the words never seem to come as easily when i'm actually sitting in front of the computer. oh well, guess it's just further proof that i am not destined to be a writer!

sew much to do!

ha ha! that's my play on words for the day! i have tons of sewing to do and lots of hair clips and jewelry to make. i'm happy that i've cut out all the pieces to get some outfits made for jordan for spring and into summer...now i just need to get them put together!

again this year, she will have more outfits to wear than she really needs. but i'm ok with that since i really do enjoy making things for her. my hope is that she'll let me continue to this for at least a few more years and one day i'll have enough sewing confidence to make her prom dress or homecoming, whichever! seems like a silly dream, but it's my silly dream!

i'm also searching out display options for the upcoming moms club sale. i would like a new, bigger table and have gotten lots of ideas from various websites and social networks that i belong to. busy, busy, busy for the next month...just taking a quick break to update my blog here!

i've also gotten myself a twitter account, since i need more time wasting things to do in front of my computer! so updates will now appear here as well just cause they can!

brand new website for me!

i finally did it...i've opened up my own online store, complete with my own domain and shopping cart feature! woo hoo! i'm so excited about it! i'm still adding items everyday but i just had to take a break to blog really quickly about it.

http://www.chunkybugdesigns.com

check it out! i'll be adding more items in the coming days and weeks in the hopes that i will have a fully loaded store by the end of the month!

the drama in making dresses!

who knew that there would be so much drama in making a couple dresses for jordan? since her birthday is coming up i wanted to make her a couple of really cute tiered peasant dresses with short little sleeves. so i went out and bought the fabric, getting only as much as i thought i needed having figured it out in my head before heading to the store. once i got the fabric home i ironed them and went straight to ripping them into the sizes that i needed...not once thinking that i should put the pattern piece onto the fabric before i rip. that was mistake number one! i had all the pieces laying on the ironing board and went to put the pattern pieces for the sleeves & bodice down on the fabric only to find out that my fabric was too short! well, no big deal i thought, i can just change the bodice and make it into a knot dress that all the sewing moms on cafe mom keep talking about! that was mistake number 2!

i had the bodice pieces all cut out, sewn together with the straps attached to the back and was ready to make the button holes on the front for the straps to go through. having never made button holes with my newer machine (i've had it for a year now as opposed to my old machine that i've had for over 6 years) i read the manual to make sure i was doing things correctly. i had everything set up with a scrap piece of fabric and was ready to go...my machine was not! the fabric just wasn't moving and the needle just kept pushing the thread in and out of the same spot! i drove myself near the edge of insanity just trying to figure out what the hell was going on! there were several moments when i was ready to throw the damn thing out the window and go buy another machine! but somehow my rational emotions took over and i fixed whatever the problem was...even though i'm still not exactly sure what the problem really was! but that whole ordeal left me not wanting to attempt button holes for quite a while so i changed the dress to just have plain straps.

And that's what the final dresses turned out to be...tiered dresses with straps! i think they turned out really cute in the end and i am very pleased with them. i have now moved on to make more clothes for her since i've gotten over the anger with the machine earlier this week! i have tons of fabric left over from last year that's really gonna be so cute for dresses since jordan has already told me that she doesn't want pants...just dresses! hopefully, i'll have no more drama with all the other things i plan on making!

i've been so lazy...

well, i'm falling down on my small job of growing my business! i was working on things for the first couple weeks of the year and even bought my own domain name from godaddy.com for the next 2 years with the full intend of starting my own website and store away from etsy. but so far, all that has stalled because i got lazy and just didn't feel like doing anything. so, now i'm back into business mode and exploring my webhosting options.

all this is completely new to me and i'm pretty close to computer illiterate so i have no idea what some of the things on the hosting sites mean! so, while exploring i'm also learning...at least i hope to be! i have kept up my etsy shop in the mean time just to have an additional outlet and to keep things on until i finally start my own hosted store. i don't even know what webhosting is and domain names are also new to me...but i'm learning and i'm putting my faith in the opinions of others and researching the styles of sites i like. so far i think i've found a hosting site i like with free basic store options...now if i can start making sales that would be so sweet!

i've realized that i'm rambling with this post and really, that doesn't bother me so much since i kinda already know that i'm the only one who keeps up with this! so for my own benefit, i'm just going to ramble! here's a couple of the newest things i've added to my etsy store!

getting back into the swing of things

for this post, i'll be keeping things short and sweet since i have tons to do! i was very slack over the last month and am now paying for my laziness with a seemingly endless list of things to catch up on! i've decided to start my own website and online shop so i'm doing all the research for that that i possibly can so that i can get some good results throughout the year...i don't hold out hope for becoming a huge success, i would just like some business and gradual growth. i've taken the first steps and bought myself the domain name for the next 2 years, just have to get around to creating the site and finding a web host!

also, i've decided to increase my inventory so i have more to offer. with that decision, i've signed myself up for creating more so that's going to keep me busy for the next month as well. with all the creating, making, and eventual picture taking and editing, my house and blogging may just fall by the wayside at least temporarily! i'll try my best to keep the house at least livable for my families sake and well, the blogging has always been sporadic so i make no apologies for not keeping up with that!

so, now i'm off to make up more bows and headbands, as well as more necklaces and bracelets...maybe i'll get to some earrings, too! i'm gradually getting back into the pre-holiday swing of things!

i'm really lazy and that's not good!

i have so much that i need to do before christmas and i'm just not into doing any of it! i had grand ambitions of making quilts for all the nieces and nephews, but didn't get them started in time and have now changed my mind and plans! i've been spending more time working on hair bows, headbands, and clips for my shop so i've been neglecting all other things...including the house! (hubby's not terribly pleased with the house neglect!)

today is already starting to seem like it will be one of those lazy days when i just don't want to do anything, but i know that i need to since i have a showing tomorrow night! i also have some sewing projects to get to for gifts they just aren't quilts so they won't take nearly as long. i also have an order for some crochet food that i need to get done this week, with a possible order for more. so i have things to do i just put them off as long as i possibly can and that's not always a good thing! oh well, guess i should get to it all, that's always the first step to change...just get up and do it!