Isn't It Spring Yet?

It's been a long, cold, snowy Winter.  And I am so looking forward to not seeing any snow outside!  I know, I complain every year about the cold and the snow but it's really been a bad one this year.  I can't remember a Winter in my entire life that has been this cold for this long.  They're calling for 40 degrees over the weekend.  I do hope that it's the beginning of a warming trend.  The snow piles are so high here, it's hard to get out of driveways and parking lots!

My sister saw 7 Robins about 2 weeks ago in her yard but I've yet to see one.  But I keep my eyes open whenever I go now because one of these days, the Robins will be everywhere!  Of course with all the snow we've had this season, it'll be July before they can find any worms to eat!  LOL!!!!

I turned my computer on to blog yesterday and I had no DSL service.  I spent over an hour checking the filters on my phones and trying new phone lines to each phone and finally I realized it wasn't my DSL, it was that I didn't have a dial tone.   I then spent 1 1/2 hours on hold (on my cellphone) with the phone company only to have to go outside, in the cold with the snow melting off the roof and hitting me in the head, while I do a  test on their equipment!  I had no dial tone out there either so I had to call back again (another 1/2 hour on hold) to get a service guy out here.  Thankfully, it's fixed now.  But it's just crazy how much of my day was wasted when I could have been stitching!

Anyway, I finished up the stitching on one of my little cat dolls:

I have a few more of these to stitch on.  I'm doing a craft show in May and thought it would be nice to have a basket full of my cat dolls.  But I like to alternate small projects with larger projects so my next piece will be another purse:

I mounted this one on the frame this morning.  In a little while, I'll sit down with my stash and pull some lace and trim pieces for it.

And I'm thinking that sometime this week, I need a sewing day.  I need to piece some more projects to stitch on and I haven't put any miles on my treadle machine lately.  I so much love to sew on that machine.  I love my electric machine too but I use that one for finishing.  There's really nothing like sewing on an antique treadle!

And isn't it so beautiful to look at?  I just leave it open all the time because I love to look at it. 

Kitty and Me Designs on Pinterest

I was offered the opportunity to convert my Pinterest account from a personal account to a business account.  So now, if you follow me there, you'll see my pins posted by Kitty and Me Designs instead of Pamela Kellogg.  Kind of cool I guess but I confess, it did make me laugh.  It's really not much of a business.  More like a hobby for my mom and I.  We just like to make things and we just can't keep everything we make.  Anyway, just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you.

In other news, I started stitching on my Gypsy Purse but I didn't get very far so I'll share an update on that tomorrow.  For now, I finished a special order door hanger:

I don't take on too many special orders but this was a door hanger and I like making those so it's done and ready to ship to my customer.

I also made 2 more Needle Felted Brooches:

I printed up another sheet of vintage images yesterday.  Mom and I are planning on doing a couple of craft shows this year and I want to have a bunch of them ready for the shows.  I'm going to need some more roving soon.  I can order some from Etsy but there are Fiber shows in our area coming up so I hope I can attend those.  I'll have to ask my sister if she can go.  There's one in Grayslake Illinois in June and another in Jefferson Wisconsin in September.  I'll probably order some from Etsy and then buy way too much at the fiber shows because I love craft supplies and that's just the way it is!  LOL!!!

Book Review - The Handmade Market Place

A few years back, who would have thought there would be a book available on how to sell handmade items online, at craft shows and in brick & mortar stores?  Handmade is all the rage these days and I think it's going to continue to grow.  People are tired of mass produced, poorly made, big box store items.  People want quality.  People want things that will last and things that are made with love and care.  Shoppers are looking for a more old-fashioned way of life and they're starting with buying handmade.

I picked up Kari Chapin's "The Handmade Marketplace" over the weekend.  It was an easy read, filled with warmth & humor and I can honestly tell you that Kari doesn't miss a thing!

This book covers everything from branding your business (I didn't understand what that was until I read the book) to dealing with taxes & paperwork to advertising both online and in the real world.

Kari discusses photographing your work, blogging, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and how to choose which online marketplace is right for you.

Loaded with tips and helpful suggestions from some of the most successful crafters in today's world, I strongly recommend that if you plan to open an online shop (or if you already have one) or if you plan to work craft shows, farmers markets and the like, this book is a must read.

I was thankful to find out that I've already been doing much of what Kari's book covers but I learned a few things and I'm thrilled to have a handbook where all the info is in one place.    If you love making things like I do, pick this one up.  You won't be sorry.

Before I head out today, I'll leave you with mom's latest creations, Victorian Halloween Tussy Mussy's:

These are available here.