Jack Frost was here.

 

As my kids say, he came upon a winter's night and painted all my windows white. It was a nice morning to remember the Waldorf school we left behind when we moved here, and to share in some sparkly morning magic.

Children are quiet sometimes, too.

linen pant by scandeez

I have three kids. I work in the children's retail market. I've seen my fair share of brightly colored loud children's items. I've enjoyed many loud moments with my children (who have often been described as "loud" by family and friends). But sometimes, sometimes, all is quiet. Can you hear that? No? It's beautiful this silence, softness.

As a visual artist, my mind sometimes craves quietude. My eyes enjoy a place to rest. In this spirit, I gave myself a challenge.

felted baby shoes by thecleverkitty

My challenge: Create a quiet children's treasury to promote EtsyKids. You may know that I am a member of an Etsy team (a community of artists with similar products or interests) called the EtsyKids Team. I find it necessary and inspiring to be part of a community of artists dedicated to creating things just for children, but I find it tiresome to be bombarded with pop POW "zing!" - sometimes I want to celebrate the quiet.


There are many wonderful kids' items created by my team members, and it was difficult to choose just the right level of "noise."  I loved the process of making a treasury. Items that I snatched up right away slowly got shoved to the back as I found a new direction.  I am pleased. I hope you love what I have created here - may your eyes find some rest.



To find handmade items just for kids, search for the term "etsykids" using Etsy's search engine and you will see thousands of options.

Treasury Tuesday - Blue is the color of the week!

Shades of blue bring me peace.  It's also my daughter's favorite color at the moment. Apparently, many other Etsyians are thinking about blue right now, as every new treasury featuring me this week centered around blue.  Enjoy these beautiful, peaceful collections!

And so it begins. 2011, that is.

a place for everything, and everything in its place

There is something about this time of year that makes me want to clear my mind and clear my work space.  During the rush of the holiday season, my mind is cluttered with shipping deadlines, product stock, custom orders, and lots and lots of emails.  In past years, I have woken up after this chaos to a mountain of fabric scraps, shipping label sticker backs,  and a very fuzz-filled sewing machine.

This year is different: my first professional holiday season living near my mom. She is a great studio manager, and takes care of those things that I often put off; She refolds fabric after cutting it (what?), sweeps nearly every day after she is finished working (what is that?), and organizes all those little trinkets that my children like to mix up.  Best of all, she keeps me company and makes "going to work everyday" something to which I really look forward. Unfortunately, she left last weekend for Key West, where she will live on a sailboat for a good part of the winter.  Aghh!  What's a girl to do? 

Well, I'm working. Hard. Usually January brings with it a slower pace.  Sales slow down, special orders are not as urgent, and people are generally calm and less chatty.  This year, however, something is in the air!  I received a wholesale order last week that I'm rushing to finish and ship to Australia. The Mississippi Children's Museum has me working on some new goodies.  I've been asked to make some adjustments to several felt crowns so they will fit adults (who knew?), and Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect asked me to run a special promotion this month for their readers (bring on the sales, people).  No breaks for me!

Sooo.... my resolutions this January:
Remember to sweep.
Remember to sleep.
Remember to call my mother.