NiceGirlNotes- Cute Stuff Sale

Okay, so I am very, very excited to announce that I am going to be participating in the NiceGirlNotes- Cute Stuff Sale this Saturday night from 8pm-10pm EST.

With that said, I've been working like a maniac to prepare. No joke. I'm offering 21 items up for grabs, all at 25% off! Plus, there will be a sweet coupon code that you can use after the sale in my shop and all of the other shops that are participating. I worked for hours and hours and hours cutting fabric, sewing, ironing (I have an insane burn mark on my arm from that....) ignoring my husband (sorry, babe). I even worked as long as I could during the impromptu blackout that we had here last week. (I did eventually run out of things to do without power, and went and had a flashlight barbeque with friends, although it would have been way better with candles from LilacAve instead of military issued flashlights and nerdy headlamps.....). Then my supplies were delayed, and then even more delayed from the blackout. So, I frantically searched all of the local stores to find the stuff I needed, but to no avail. One fabric and craft store claimed to still be without power, and was closed, another didn't have any zippers, another had zippers, but in every color but the ones I needed.... Eventually, I got it all done, and hopefully you guys will love it. If not, there should be plenty of other stuff for you to LOVE. The lineup is fantastic! You can check out the lineup and the details about the sale on the NiceGirlNotes blog!

New!

As promised, I've been working very hard to get some new goodies made, and added to my online shop. I've been slow to add them all to the shop, but here are some pictures....







I've also finished a couple of new pleated hobo purses....
And this is my first with an adjustable strap!

And this one is a solid black one made from linen, with adjustable straps!

Awesome find!

I wanted to share something with you that has nothing to do with sewing, fabric or my shop. Basically, one of the things that I have been struggling with lately is remembering whether or not I've taken my medicine. I literally find myself dumping out my medication and counting it at least 3 times a week lately because I just can't remember if I already took it or not. Silly, right?? Well, people keep suggesting that I get one of those pill boxes with the days of the week and just use that to help me remember. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It makes me feel like if I go and buy one, I suddenly turn from 29 to 89 with that one small purchase. So, I've just continued to struggle. Well, yesterday, I was in Seaport Village with a friend when I stumbled upon the solution!
While in Urban Girl Accessories, my friend found the cutest pill case ever. It's made by Fluff, and I love it. I do get that if you take the pill case out of the fun zippered pouch it's in, it is one of those plain boring pill cases, but that fact that it's hidden just makes me feel better about it.

Updates galore

First things first, my sewing machine has been broken for quite some time now. The good news is that it is being repaired as I type this. The bad news is that it's going to cost both arms to fix. Well, maybe not both arms. It's much, much less expensive to have it repaired than to buy a new one, and, with the amount of abuse I put that thing through, it's actually held up beautifully. I should have it back by the middle of next week, and if things go according to plan, I will have some new things to add to my shop soon. I've been using the time since I dropped it off to work on cutting fabric, and prepping everything, so that all I need to do is sew, sew, sew once I have it back. :) Here's a sneak peek of what I've got ready so far....

The pile on the left is the fabric for 7 new pleated wristlets, and the pile on the right will be turned into 3 new pleated hobo purses. I do hope to get some more fabric cut before the machine returns so that I'll have plenty of new goodies to introduce to my shop. I am going back into the hospital for another surgery at the end of the month, so things will slow down a bit again after that. If you have any requests that you'd like to see, please feel free to let me know!!

HF Community: Monday Meetups

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch the homefront blog for a few questions that you can take, post and answer on your blogs and then link back to the HOMEFRONT BLOG so that we all can come around and visit.


This adventure is open to everyone! You DO NOT have to be a part of the Homefront Team. We just ask that when you leave your link here, you have a post that pertains to the set of questions.


1. What song is your personal anthem? If you don't have an anthem a favorite song will do.
Not really an anthem, but "Gunpowder and Lead" by Miranda Lambert gives some insight into how I think.

2. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
I love, love, love roller coasters. I am, however, terrified on heights, so I spend the entire time I'm in line freaking out about it. My favorite roller coaster ever is at this amusement park in New Hampshire (where I'm from) called Canobie Lake Park. The roller coaster is one of those old wooden ones that creaks and sways and makes the whole experience even more terrifying.

3. What was your favorite restaurant at any of your past/present duty stations?
I don't have a favorite restaurant at a duty station. There is a lot of fast food on base, and I don't eat fast food if I can help it. However, there is a place called Mowi Wowi here that makes some delicious coffee.

4. Where is your favorite place to go for supplies?
I love going to craft shows where I can find fabrics that aren't the same fabrics that everyone carries in the stores. I also love checking out the smaller local shops where the owners remember who you are. That always keeps me coming back.

Sick kid...update

As I mentioned Monday evening, I had surgery on Tuesday morning. I thought that I should pop back in and give a little update. From what the doctors told my husband, the procedure went well. Everything ran smoothly and there were no complications. I'm still quite sore, though, so I'm confined to either the couch or the bed, per my husband's orders. It's still too soon to know if the procedure did anything to help me yet, but I should know once the initial soreness goes away. Hopefully, I can get back to sewing in a few more days. In the meantime, my shop is still open, and my husband is in charge of packaging, and shipping any orders that come in.

Sick kid....sick kid.....

In the morning, I'm going to the hospital (again) for a procedure. As I've mentioned before, I'm a sick kid. One of the conditions that I have is called Interstitial Cystitis. Basically, the lining in my bladder is stiff. It doesn't stretch the way that it should. Instead, mine tears. (If you're interested, here's a link to the Mayo Clinic's section on IC http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/interstitial-cystitis/DS00497). I take medication, which helps, and see a physical therapist several times a week. I had to stop working outside the home, and have become the public restroom expert among everyone I know. :) I've also tried several treatments. Some have helped, some haven't. In the morning, I am having botox injected into my bladder. The idea is basically that the botox will block the sensory nerves in the bladder so that I won't be in so much pain all of the time. It's a fairly new procedure, and from what I can tell, the recovery is rough. So, basically, if I'm MIA for a bit, I haven't run away. I'm probably just resting..... Don't worry, though, I'll be back as soon as my husband says I can..... :)

A day at the zoo

My husband came home from deployment not too long ago, and he's just now taking his leave. Since I have surgery next week, we're staying here in the area. The other day, we decided to take a trip to the San Diego Zoo. It was nice and cool outside, which was perfect weather, and since it was the middle of the week, the zoo wasn't too crowed. It was wonderful. The San Diego Zoo also offers free admission to active duty service members who show a valid military ID at the gate.

Welcome to 2011

As we are now a few days into the new year, I thought it was about time to update my blog. The holidays here have been wonderful. My husband made it home from deployment a few days before Christmas. As any military spouse will tell you, getting to spend any holiday with your spouse is an enormous blessing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. :) While we didn't get to go back to visit family, our Christmas was full of laughter, good food, and wonderful friends.
New Year's Eve was very low key for us. We talked about going out, and when it came down to it, the hubby and I decided to get Chinese take-out and a bottle of wine. We spent the evening with each other and with our dogs. It was a wonderful way to start 2011.
Now, as for the business......I've been reading a lot of blogs where people post their business goals for the new year. I think that's fantastic. However, for me, my business goals will always be dependent on my health. My goals are to put my health first, to not push myself physically beyond my limits, and to work on my shop when I can. Of course I would love to continue to grow my business, participate in new shows locally, and continue to introduce new designs. I am optimistic that I will be able to do all of those things, but I also know that above all else, I need to take care of myself. After all, what good is having a successful business if I'm too weak to enjoy any of it?? So, if I don't post for a bit, just know that I'm still here. :)
With that said, here's wishing all of you a wonderful, prosperous, and HEALTHY new year!