Is it too early for Valentine's Day and Spring?

In my workshop, it's never too early for Spring! I've been busy designing, and came up with this adorable rabbit. I can't decide which photo should be the "first" photo on Etsy (you know, the one that shows up when people search). Next, I'd like to make it in dark grey with lime green stitching. I'm out of green thread at the moment, though... And, a few eggs to get you in the Easter spirit! Rabbit and eggs are currently only available to my wholesale customers ~ sorry!

I've also been crazy busy making up hearts for the Valentine's Day season. My mom found some amazing fabric and has been helping with cutting and putting in windows for me. I just love these psychedelic hearts~

I built a reindeer!

Well, I was part of a team that built this mammoth of a reindeer. It was a lot of fun! We made it as the main attraction on a Christmas parade float for our school. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the parade today because I was home alone with 3 kids, and just couldn't fathom taking them all by myself to a crowd in the snow...

We started with the pattern for a small wooden yard ornament deer, enlarged and traced it to create a frame for this guy (and doubled the torso pieces). Then, we covered it with 11 yards of faux fur - machine stitching and hand stitching, stuffed it with newspaper, and secured the final touches with a staple gun. Awesome, huh? The head is hinged and swings back and forth, too!

Have I disappeared? Not quite.

I am back, at least temporarily. November was a crazy month. Let's recap:

1) Still getting over a cold that has lasted now for over 10 days...

2) Renewed my driver's license. The day before it expired.

3) Celebrated a milestone birthday.

4) Had record sales. which caused a virtual meltdown.

5) Found out I am pregnant with #4 (even though I have an IUD) . Sometime around Memorial Day or later (they think) I'll be carting around 4 kids. It's a good thing we have a minivan. And a babysitter.

Kiddywampus!

I am so honored that my I Spy Bags have landed a spot in the quirky toy shop at Kiddywampus in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It sounds like such a cool place - I wish I could visit! The owner, Amy Saldanha, chose to carry my rocket ship, cupcake, and robot I Spy Bags. From her website: "...kiddywampus is an interactive, inspiring shop and art studio. Created by a lawyer and mother of three, kiddywampus aims to provide a selection of the most unique toys, books, and accessories for arty, curious kids."

Above is a picture of the "shop" part of the store. Kids are allowed (in fact encouraged) to play with the toys, and parents don't have to worry about saying "don't touch that!" What a mother's dream!

Kiddywampus also hosts classes (theater workshops and fine art classes) and parties in a spacious on-site art studio, where the techniques of Jackson Pollock serve as inspiration, and kids fling and splatter paint all over the place! (and the best part... they clean it up for you).And, drum roll please... when you purchase something from Kiddywampus, you are making a donation to charity. Yes, that's right! She announced in September 2007 that all after-tax profits will be donated to charities benefiting children. She has already partnered with Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

If you are ever in the twin cities area, please stop in! Then come back here and tell us what it was like in person, because we ALL want to know :)

Is it too early for Christmas?

I'm usually one of those people who complains about Christmas decorations coming out before Thanksgiving, but working in the world of retail and wholesale brings Christmas a little early! I have all kinds of goodies up my sleeve that I can't wait to implement and tell you all about! For now, a little taste of Christmas....

The goldfinch takeover

A few weeks ago, I took these pictures through my studio window (so they are a little blurry...). For about four days, there were 8-10 goldfinches outside my window at any given time. The sunflowers were just going to seed, and the birds were having a hay day!

For your princess...

Introducing my new princess crown. I'm excited about this one! I'm breaking the mold of my usual crazy shapes and doing something I think will appeal to all those girly-girls out there! It has been a real process figuring out the bugs - and the photography has been a bit tricky. I tried photographing it on white so I could essentially erase the background and do some fun photoshop background, but my computer was having a hard time distinguishing between the background and the crown, so I gave up on that. Then I photographed it on a black background to try the same method, but ended up with a black outline/shadow all around that made it look very obvious that it was cut out. So, for now, it is just on black, but I'm working on some other options to have a better picture for my website, wholesale brochure, and press sheets.

Mississippi Children's Museum

One of the things that has kept me so busy over the last month is a very special project for the Mississippi Children's Museum. I was contacted about my ability to put together a special I Spy Bag that would be like "Mississippi in a bag." After several weeks, many excited phone calls, and lots of "email tag," I came up with an I Spy Bag inspired by their adorable rocket ship logo.The actual logo has a space needle top which was problematic and left out, but I am very pleased with the result! The museum is in the final stages of development (actually being built as we speak), and they will be using these bags to promote the museum and generate excitement about all that can be found there. I was told "we want people to play with these bags, then visit the museum, and be like 'Hey! I saw that in the bag!'" They presented an original list of "dream" items - some were quite a challenge! With some creative thinking, a few custom photo tiles, and some serious searching on my part, we came up with a fabulous list very tailored to their museum and state. Some of the fun things inside include a shrimp, tugboat, globe, space shuttle, and local road signs.

It was a huge order to fill, and I am thrilled to have it finished and shipped out. I've been told that the promotional bags will be revealed at a week-long fundraising event that began yesterday, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they are received! They are already talking about a scaled down version to carry in their gift shop :)

This was a really FUN project to work on, and I hope to generate some excitement from other organizations that could benefit from such a specialized item. To learn more about the amazing Mississippi Children's Museum, please visit www.mississippichildrensmuseum.com. If you are interested in hiring me to design an exclusive I Spy Bag for your organization, please send an email to thosegreathousewomen (at) gmail (dot) com.

Preparing for Halloween!

Sorry, I've been on blogging vacation. The good news is, I have new products to show you! I'm finally getting into the Halloween spirit (my mom, too), and we have several new designs to showcase...
Even one just for autumn:

Rare Bird Finds

Today I was tipped by a customer that I had been featured on a shopping blog called Rare Bird Finds. It is a really great site, and I encourage you to visit it! They have picked some really unusual and fun things, and you can even sign up to receive a daily digest of picks in your inbox.

Another great thing made from MY supplies!

I just have to share this really cute I Spy Bag that a recent customer made. She purchased one of my DIY I Spy Bag supply kits (comes with the fabric label, awesome trinkets, and pellets). I am so impressed! With a rapidly flooding market of I Spy Bag makers, this one stands out as a little different. I love the quilt block method of making the front panel, and the fringe is something I've never seen before on this type of toy. Way to go Tracy!


If you would like to make your own I Spy Bag, click here for a list of available kits from my shop! Then send me a photo so I can see your handy work!

It's here! I'm in a magazine!

My mother-in-law called me today and clued me in that she saw my I Spy Bags in Real Simple Family while browsing magazines at the grocery! I promptly drove to the grocery and bought my own copy.

Real Simple Family is a special edition of Real Simple Magazine, and my bags are featured in an article called "24 gifts for $50 or less." My shark bag and whale bag are on page 78.

Now I need to figure out how to make up a press kit!

A Powerhouse of Greathouse Women

Well, I have returned from a week long (working) vacation! It was sweat-shop central in my mom's kitchen while I was visiting... Mom and I powered through almost 150 specialty I Spy Bags in about 6 days! I wish my sewing machine could record mileage... Just how many yards of stitches do you think that is?


In other news, my 4 yr old daughter, Etta, has turned into quite the little entrepreneur! She has started making cat toys out of I Spy Bag scraps - she calls them "strips." She sews them herself, then one of the adult Greathouse Women doubles it back and secures the bell. She has already sold out of the first batch, but has been busy making more since we returned from vacation. Each toy comes with a handmade tag with an original cat drawing by Etta herself. We will be listing some on Etsy very shortly!

Don't you wish you had a picture of the first dollar you ever made?

*&%@$*!

Who wants to help me sort?

More blooms!

It's a cool 70 degrees out right now, and my zinnias are popping! I'm also thrilled to see some of my pink sunflowers showing their faces along with the yellows that popped last week. The cosmos are still looking a bit sparse, but I bet when I get back from vacation in a week, they'll line the walk just as I imagined they would when I planted them...

Speaking of vacation, I'm really looking forward to visiting my mom and staying in the old farm house where I grew up. I know the landscape will be inspiring, and *maybe* I won't work too hard! My kids are ecstatic about seeing the kitties and swimming in the pool.... and it will feel just like home since I'll be bringing my sewing machine with me :)

I love seeing new homes that my items have found...

The very talented Barbra from AllAboutTheButtons created this sweet little ACEO using a boot she bought from me at High Pie Supply! I love seeing what other people make with the things they buy from me! I especially love that velvet ric-rac...

Ah, the art of being an Etsy mom...

I was recently asked my thoughts on being a stay-at-home-mom who sells items on Etsy (in relation to a Storque article). Although my ideas weren't published (they chose a different angle), I thought I would share this with you!

I find this to be such an interesting topic. When others post about it in the forums, or discuss it in passing, the general theme seems to be "selling on Etsy gives me an opportunity to be at home with my kids."

This is not exactly the case with me! Having grown up with an artistic mother of my own, I simply want my children to know that same sense of artistic confidence. After all, I truly believe that anyone can be creative - it's just that most people find their creative self to be a stranger lost somewhere in childhood.

My Etsy shop, Those Greathouse Women, began as a way for my mom and I to work on something together. I always imagined that I would raise my own family near our old farm in Southern Indiana, but life never plays out the way we imagine... I find myself very happily married to a wonderful man who happens to be tied to a job that dictates where we live. Alas! My mother and I are no longer in close proximity. Her own surprising life changes have taken her in other directions as well. She spends part of the year living on a beautiful sail boat in Key West, where she has the freedom to play out other artistic dreams and keep that creative spirit alive. We are Those Greathouse Women, and we struggle to find a clear artistic direction because we love to do so many things. We started our shop to have a way to connect, to continue to create together, and after a love affair with Etsy and realization that perhaps we could be a part of Etsy's dream we decided to sign up...

Four years ago, I became a mother. Now I have 3 children! It's funny how becoming a mom myself made me see my own mother in a new light. In our almost daily phone conversations, I share little stories about the kids, and my mom shares stories about me when I was that age. She remembers the fear of babies underfoot while sewing at the sewing machine - and trying to help by pushing the foot pedal! Now I have a few little "helpers" myself.

The more I get involved in my own business, the more I recall nostalgic memories of being a child in my mother's house. The rhythmic sound of the sewing machine, the smell of the glue gun, and the click click of the iron as it moves across the creaking ironing board. My mother's workshop was an awesome sight! As a child, it seemed to be mountains of colorful fabric, bins of miniature treasures, and rainbows of ribbon. I can remember spending hours with my brother sorting vintage buttons by color and putting them in the tiny drawers of our old repurposed baby dresser.

I wonder what kinds of memories my own kids will have of me? When they catch sight of my studio door open, a look of mischievous wonder spreads across their faces. Can they sneak in before I catch them? I imagine it must be like a candy store to them. I have my own mountains of fabric, and hundreds of miniature treasures line the walls in tiny drawers and bins. Finished I Spy Bags lay in neat piles on a bookshelf, while the unfinished ones lay in chaos on my sewing table. I imagine it is hard to have a mother who makes toys for a living, and yet they can't play with them all. I have learned that my own kids need their own I Spy Bags (usually they get the prototypes!), but it does nothing to deter their longing for the little piles on my shelf of finished products.

While others may say that they sell on Etsy to spend more time with their children, I find it to be more of a release to get a break from my children! Yes, I get to stay home with them... but I was doing that already (and getting a little stir crazy with all the baby talk). Now I get to stay home with them AND do something fun for myself. It's just an added bonus (YES!) that I get to make a little money doing it. The business is really taking off now, and yet perhaps it is not the right time. I'm feeling torn between business success and "being there" for my kids. They are still quite young, after all.

I guess my limits and priorities will be tested with this fall's holiday rush as I attempt to fill orders (while keeping in the Etsy spirit of doing everything myself). Does it count if I make my kids work for me? Maybe they could sort some buttons. More likely they would eat them. Or throw them. Or flush them down the toilet. Just another day in the life of an Etsy mom...

How does your garden grow?

The buds are finally peeking out, and I'm hopeful that I'll actually have flowers in a few days! After pulling all existing landscaping and replacing the sidewalk last year when we moved in, this is the first time that the house doesn't look naked!

Of course, the neighbors think I am crazy. For weeks they thought I was growing a vegetable garden right smack in the front of the house. Yeah. I think some are still wondering.... What can I say? It was less expensive to plant hundreds of seeds than to buy one bush that would look lonely and bare all summer. Maybe next year we'll get into the "real" landscaping. For now... bring on the sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos!

On setting up a sweat shop...

Of course you must know that I can't possibly make everything myself. I have plenty of free labor around the house. I only hire the best and most experienced pattern makers and cutters.

My oldest designer (age 4), created her own cupcake pattern (out of recycled boxes just like mommy does), traced it, and cut out a front and a back piece of fabric.

Then she saw something shiny and moved on to the next project. I guess that's what I get for not even paying minimum wage...

Her coworker plans to work twice as hard in half as much time so he'll still have time to do some weeding during his break.

A slice of summer

Introducing the watermelon - featuring an entirely new construction method and innovative wrap-around window!

A juicy preview...

What do you think is the perfect summer icon? I know what! I've made it into an I Spy Bag! As soon as the sun comes up (and I feed all three kids breakfast, change diapers, start some laundry, and *maybe* brush my teeth), I'm going to take some photos and list it in my shop. If you want to know, check my shop tomorrow (Friday)! A little thinking outside of the box led me to develop an entirely new construction method, which I am thrilled about... Stay tuned.

I made the front page of Etsy!!!!!!!!!

Today I casually glanced at the front page and... OMG there I was! It was surreal. Okay, so one of my I Spy Bags wasn't on there, but some train beads from High Pie Supply. I'll take what I can get!

Just one more reason to love Endicia...

As you already know, I'm in loooooove with Endicia. I haven't been to the post office since, well, I can't remember the last time! Shipping has never been so easy, and I don't have to waste gas and time driving to and waiting in line at the post office.

Yesterday, I discovered a whole new reason to love Endicia. A month ago, I sold some beads to a customer in Canada. He emailed me yesterday asking what was going on with his order since he hadn't received it yet. Well, 1st class international packages don't have tracking numbers, so normally I would have been out of luck. This has happened to me about 3-4 times, and each time I felt inadequate due to the lack of information I had to give the customer. All I could say was "check with customs - I mailed it on XX/XX" and hope that he/she believed me.

WELL! All I had to do with this order was go to my postage log within my Endicia software, and copy the log information. Since Endicia connects directly to the USPS for each transaction, a customs number was generated on the spot, and I was able to give that number to my customer. He can now go to the local customs office and actually have something to give them to help locate the package. The log also shows exactly what printed on the label, so he can check to see that I sent it to the correct address, and it shows what day I printed the label and on what day it mailed (no guessing here). No trust issues. It is what it is.

Of course, I have yet to hear back from him on whether he received his lion beads... I suppose Endicia can't prevent lost packages, but it certainly improves customer service from a seller to a buyer - for ALL types of packages.

My house cleaning leaves something to be desired...

This past weekend, I decided that I needed to do a bit of house cleaning - mostly in my workshop - but the rest of the house could use it, too. I knew that my cleaning left something to be desired when, upon seeing me vacuum the living room, my 4 yr old daughter said "Mommy, are we having a visitor?" Hm.

The workshop/studio was beginning to feel a big claustrophobic. I was drowning in a mountain of fleece, and no longer able to efficiently work. Why haven't I been posting regularly? Well, I had to clear a space in front of my keyboard just to be able to type! For the past 6 weeks, my husband was out of town... I kind of "let it go" as it were. He returned on Thursday, so now I have no excuse - it is time for an overhaul!

I go back and forth on whether I should share pictures of the total chaos of my studio.... I have to consider that maybe you are a customer, and maybe you don't want to know the craziness into which your product was born. Or maybe you do want to know... It's not like I have food or anything in here... although you might find a half empty (or half full?) water glass lying around. I have this terrible habit of not throwing away trash when it would be so simple to do so. For example, I use USPS Priority shipping envelopes (that come free from the PO), and they have this little strip of paper that you pull off to seal them. Instead of taking an extra second and throwing that into the trash where it belongs, I tend to leave it right on my desk, usually until enough build up that they begin sliding to the floor. THEN I think - hey maybe I should throw these into the trash? Why do I do this?

Of course, like many artists who prefer to work in total chaos, I know where just about everything is at any given moment. Or, at least, I know the general vicinity. Just yesterday, I sunk my hand into a pile of fabric and pulled out a circle punch (yes, for paper) sight unseen and just about spot on. I knew exactly where it was! Last night, my husband asked "where's the tape?" Oh, right here honey (as I stuck my hand under a pile of stabilizer scraps and felt around like someone looking for their eyeglasses)...

I seem to have the same problem with my purse. Everything but the kitchen sink? Who needs the sink when you've got hand sanitizer?

A picture is worth a thousand sales!

I've noticed that recently my photos are starting to seem quite blah (for lack of a better word). I love the products, but they just aren't coming through. Photos, photos, photos are what make a product sell, so I decided it was time for a photography makeover.

I have Photoshop, so I have no excuse! I have begun with just a select few, but I plan to rework some others (some day). Maybe some day I'll write a little tutorial about how I used Photoshop to "knockout" my photos and add a new background, giving them more visual interest and "pop." For now, I'll just show you my finished photos:

Sweet

Okay, so I know I'm supposed to blog about more than just my new creations... but I'm finding that I just can't get enough of the design process lately! Can you blame me? It really is much more fun to make new things than to remake the old things....

Robot design finished!

I had to come up with some creative ways to use my sewing machine, but I finally achieved the look I was going for with this little guy! Hope you love him as much as i do.

New Robot I Spy Bag!

This prototype belongs to my son, but I'm giving you a sneek peek at my latest and greatest. Watch for this guy to take my shop by storm next week!

Real Simple news!

It's official! and I quote: "the I Spy Bags will be featured in the aug/sept
issue of Real Simple's special family issue."

Holy cow.

Etsy's "My Favorites"

On Etsy, where I sell my goods, there is a featured called "my favorites." While you are browsing, you can mark specific items or specific shops as favorites to return to later. This may seem similar to other e-commerce sites, but it is quite a bit more complicated and political than that!

Commonly known as "hearts" by seasoned Etsy-goers and addicts, these are used in several ways on the site. It is such a wide-spread phenomenon on Etsy that it is even commonly used as a verb - to heart someone.

At first glance it may seem that giving someone a heart simply means that you like their work. However, people heart for several different reasons. Some sellers heart others on their team, or Etsians with whom they have become internet friends, and use it as a major social networking tool. Still others use it as an advertising ploy. Look for shops that might be run by your target buyer, heart them, and then wait for them to check you out. I have not done this myself, and I was surprised to learn about it in the forums! For new sellers, anyway, this might work, though! Some people heart shops that they plan to copy from (bad heart). Some items receive hearts simply because they fit into the image of a treasury that a person is creating. And sometimes, people do what they call "heart you back" - if you heart them, then they simply heart you back (it has nothing to do with anything, just seen as a courtesy by some sellers).

I remember when I first joined Etsy and I was thrilled every time I received a heart. I would click click click away, investigating every person who hearted me. If they were trying to get me to look at their shop, they were successful. This week marked my 600th heart. Needless to say, I no longer check out who hearts me.

I personally mark favorites for several different reasons. I don't plan to go back and purchase every single item that I heart, nor do I plan to make a purchase from every shop that I heart. Sometimes I mark favorites to keep in mind for gifts for others, or to show to my mom later, or to put in a treasury, or I like a material that I want to keep in mind. Usually, when I heart an entire shop, I like more than one item, or I like the way the shop is run, or the descriptions are written, or I want to tell my mom about it.

Periodically, I think it is important to go through your hearts and do a bit of house cleaning. It is just ridiculous to have hundreds of shops marked - there is no way you would ever go back to them. I actually love this infrequent ritual of going through it all and clearing out. I get to see what is new, I am reminded of shops that I had forgotten about, and I almost certainly get new ideas to spark my own imagination.

To stay on top of my favorite items, I'm going to try and put a few on my blog every once in awhile. I don't want my favorites to get... stale.

Here are a few things I marked because I simply love them:

Those Greathouse Women

Web Browsers - a review, and keeping 3 shops straight on the same computer

When I opened my second shop, GreathouseHardware, I found it quite impossible to keep track of which account I was logged into when I was posting in the forums, sending convos, and the like. I learned from another Etsy seller that the best way to keep track of 2 stores was to use 2 web browsers.

Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't even realize that I had a choice about web browsers. I just clicked on the little "e" (internet explorer) that came with my computer and there was the web. Now I learn that there are different programs that allow you to view websites, and that those programs can actually make the page look different? Whoa.

After a bit of research, I learned that Etsy is apparently best viewed (and developed for use in) a web browser called Firefox. So, I went to the website and downloaded the free program. Can I just say that I love it?!!! For one thing, it bugs me on Etsy that the links aren't "live" meaning when someone puts their website or blog in their profile, I can't just click on it and go there. I have to copy and paste it into my address bar (that little box at the top of the screen where the web address is located). Firefox automatically turns it into a link for you. They call it linkification. Firefox is smart like that (they have hundreds of other add-ons, too - still free). The other thing that I really love is that Firefox automatically spell checks everything that you type - anywhere. So, when I'm typing in the forums, or a message to someone, or even filling out a form, I get a red squiggly line under the word if Firefox thinks it is misspelled. Just think of all the typos I've avoided....

So, I have Firefox as my default browser now, which means it is automatically used when I go to the internet. When I turn on my computer, I open Firefox with tabs for my shop on Etsy and all the related accounts (Flickr, Gmail, Hotmail, blog). Then I open the other web browser, Internet Explorer, for my mom's shop and all the related accounts. This is wonderful because all I have to remember is Firefox=Those Greathouse Women, IE=Greathouse Hardware. Then I never have to log in and out or remember who I am when I'm emailing someone.

Whew! Just when I had all that figured out, I decided to open my newest shop, High Pie Supply. Now, I figure I need a third web browser. I do a quick search on Google for web browsers, and I can't believe how many there are! I finally decide on one called Safari, which I guess is developed for Mac computers (which I love but due to certain circumstances right now I have to use a Dell). You wouldn't believe how much different it makes the web look. I'm still getting used to it and I can't decide if I like it or not. I just really had no idea that web pages could look so different simply depending on which browser you were using!

Here are a couple of screen shots of the same page on Etsy:

As viewed on Firefox:



As viewed on Internet Explorer:


As viewed on Safari:


If you can't tell much of a difference, try clicking on the photos and comparing. You definitely see more of the web page itself by using Safari, but I don't care for the style of the drop down menus and the fonts.

I suppose it has a lot to do with what you are used to, but I found switching to Firefox very user friendly, and I absolutely love it (after spending umpteen years using IE and Netscape). I especially love linkification and spell check!