Keep Calm? I'm Trying ....

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Sometimes silence is not golden but agonizing. With no steady work this month, I'm becoming a bit panicky. I can't seem to beg for work. No one is responding to my e-mails regarding one area of my business, and there are just a couple of studio orders on the calendar.
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I know better. I know that success comes hard in whatever field one is in. Keep moving forward, keep working with goals in mind, and keep your eyes open for all opportunities and be willing to take what comes. I've done it before, and it's true. However, it's been years since I've been worried about whether I am doing the right thing, and it's hard to be there again. If it wasn't for needing to earn an income, then I'd be set!
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I have a lot to do, if I could just concentrate and not stray from the goal. The holiday fairs begin next month. The first weekend of October, I'm heading to Atlanta for a Fall Fest & Craft Fair that I've been invited to participate in, so I need to sew up ready-to-go items and think on my displays and merchandising.
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Because I have so many "talents" and equipment, I feel responsible to being able to make and embellish anything and everything and can't seem to find my niche right now. There are so many great ideas out there, and I can do nearly all of them but just don't know where to settle.
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The new Somerset Home magazine has some wonderful and smart craft ideas using wood and paper. Maybe if I do something completely different, I could get my fabric brains in order again. However, this isn't the time for that -- I told myself. Now is the time to prepare for the holiday rush, and there will be a rush -- there always is. Boy Scouts motto: Be Prepared! Current pop art advice: Keep Calm and Carry On. Or, in my situation, Keep Calm and Sew Stuff!
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Look! Have you seen these collapsible baskets around? They have been all the rage for the last year or so and can obviously be monogrammed and/or embellished. The vendor I use for blanks just started stocking these. Also, I have the pattern to make the fabric portion of the basket, so one could switch out basket covers according to the time of year or event. .



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The "Keep Calm and Sew Stuff!" embroidery design sewed out well and is very pretty on this linen. I'm going to list the embroidered fabric panel to be created in colors and fabric of your choice in my shop. The design can be ordered in two different sizes. The larger size is 6.5 x 3.5 inches, and the smaller one is almost 4 x 2 inches. And, if you have a shop or sell at the craft fairs, remember that you can order fabrics embellished in nearly any design and sew them up into your own custom items for sale.

The finished pillow cover is listed as well. How else might I use this design, both large and small? Well, embellishing tote bags would be good for crafters to carry projects around in. Let me write that on the to-do list ...

Pink, Green, & Preppy!

A couple of weeks ago, Shasta of My Blonde Reality stopped by my shop and requested a custom order for monogrammed European pillow shams. I asked her to check my flickr site and available fonts to decide what she would like as well as to check out the blog. A little later, she responded with enthusiasm and said she had blogged about me at her site. I linked over and met a whole new world of bloggers. Good night! At the time, she had around 450 followers. Two weeks later, she's even more popular. Needless to say, my blog stats rocked that day, and I have "met" a number of new blog ladies who aren't necessarily crafters but are definitely busy in the career world, homekeeping, babies, upcoming weddings, fashion, shopping, and shoes! Name brands I've only heard of on the repeats of late night "Sex In The City." These girls have them!

Along the way now, I've also discovered that my favorite color combination of pink and anything plus a preppy look are back in a big way. These gals are crazy for pink and green and Lilly Pulitzer and Vera Bradley. Entire wardrobes are planned around new pieces in their favorite designers, and now I long even more for the curvy lean figure I had a mere 20 years ago! (I"m working on that; hopefully you will see the results soon!)



To celebrate pink and green and to participate in the only way I can right now, I came up with some pink and green designs in hopes of attracting a new set to my shop. I have already been crocheting this scarf design over the past month but decided to add a bit of a stripe to give the girls something to coordinate with all things Lilly. When brainstorming for product names, calico*lilly popped up, and there you go.



I've had this great blue-green paisley in my stash for a couple of months. Lined in pink, these wristlets fit the bill, I think.



And what about this new font and frame set (seen at the top of the post and above in black)? Actually, I bought it last fall but just loaded it in last week. It's the Martha Stewart classic embroidery designs pack. It sews out beautiful. There are laurel leaf frames, too. I'll have to embroider out some towels next.



Here is one of the shams I made for Shasta. She picked a great font. So nice and crisp in this large setting. It's very gratifying when someone makes a request, and I am able to say, "Yes, I can do that!"

Keep Calm & Sew!

I'm so excited about this embroidery design. What should I make first? A tote? A wall-hanging? Apron? Pillow. Of course. I'll start with the pillow. I have to keep calm and clean the kitchen first though..... Oh, and you know, I can switch out the words there and do "keep calm and carry on".... Don't you want to order one for your sewing area?



Have you been by my photo set of embroidery designs available? This is just a small portion of designs I have in my library. If you are thinking of sewing up something special for someone but want a bit more pizazz, consider ordering some fabric embellished with one of my designs. If you're looking for something specific, e-mail me, and I'll try to find it for you.



Another fabric storage bucket, this time embellished for some USC Gamecock loving tailgaters. Love it! I've got a listing for a DYO - design your own - fabric bucket in my calicodaisy shop.

This would be a great gift for your little one's teacher. Size it down a bit, embellish with something like "Mrs. Smith's Book Club" and fill it with a stack of books for her classroom. I better go write that down in my "to do" ideas.



So, if you're reading this far, you are probably one of my blog friends. Push has come to shove, and I have to get going with making calicodaisy handmade a full-time business. I have NO, none, ZIP, (insert frightened!! here) large, everyday, transcription accounts anymore. I haven't worked steady in two weeks, so my last big billing just came in. I have small project-work accounts but none that keep me busy full-time anymore.



This is really what I've been preparing for over the last five years while building up calicodaisy handmade, but the time has arrived for me to put my actions where my mouth and energies have been. I've started making cold calls -- friends first this week to practice. However, I have a growing list of contacts and will be starting to e-mail, call, and market myself to fill my studio calendar. OR, I'll have to get an outside job, and I just don't know what I am anymore and I'm not sure I know how to work with others well. Thus, I'm praying hard for courage and success and walking forward into the game of sales. If you have any friends who love the type work I do, please consider passing my name and links on. If your friends order anything, have them tell me you sent them, and I'll keep track so I can "thank you" appropriately down the road. Thanks!

calicodaisy Open For The Holidays!

It's time to start taking holiday orders. Due to the time it takes to create custom orders, the sooner we get started, the better for everyone, my family included!
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I've created a calicodaisy Holiday Catalog 2009 catalog to inspire ideas for your Christmas gift-giving list. Items aren't limited to just those listed, however, these particular items have been popular in the past. I'll keep adding as I come across previous ideas.

This ornament will be a gift with purchase of $100.00. It's a whimsical monogrammed door hanger. It measures about 6" tall by 5" wide with a ribbon hanger that fits around the doorknob. However, it will be darling hanging off any little hook or on the tree.

Consider one great item for everyone on the list! It's an easy way to cross off all the names and share a lovely item with your friends and family. One suggestion is monogrammed pillow covers. Even though it's the same gift all around, each could be customized to the recipient's taste.

Classic:
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Modern:


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Applique / Embroidery Design with Name:
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OR
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Be sure to check out the embroidery design and font sets on my flickr pages. I have many more designs than just these, so if you have another idea in mind, please contact me.


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A number of my blog friends are already sewists, but maybe you'd like to order some embellished fabrics for your projects. In the past, customers have ordered holiday, monogram, and trendy ideas sewn out on fabrics of their choice and then created a finished project on the other end. I'm sending out the vintage bird (above) on a square of blue linen today.
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Make your own door hanger or other holiday project with this design:


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Jacquie made this last year with a Christmas design:
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Stephanie used this one for her tea swap:
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Michelle made pretty quilts with fabric she sent me:
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Nanette included a sew out of a beehive in her blog heading and a teapot in a table topper:
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Here is an example of an embroidered quilt label:
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There are hundreds of quilt label ideas designed for holidays, birthdays, events, and matching labels for traditional quilt blocks.
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I'm like a little factory waiting for orders now. I think I've done just about all the designing and prototypes and preparation that I can think of. Push has come to shove, and I'm going out to make some holiday sales!

I Went To See Harry ....

.... but met Julie & Julia instead! What a great movie! It is so smart and interesting, witty, and the cinematography is wonderful. You have to go see it on the big screen; it will be worth it.



Due to the three-day weekend and having finished a couple of big deadlines this week, I decided to take myself back to see HP and the Half Blood Prince. We saw it opening night, there were a lot of people, and I missed Snape's house while I was in the ladies' room, so I wanted to go back and sit higher in the stands to watch it. However, show times were incorrect on the website, so no HP when we got to the theater last night. Thus, Julie & Julia. I'm so glad it turned out that way. Otherwise, I would have waited for the DVD.



While getting ready for fall shows, I am rediscovering items that have been put aside for a number of months. Halloween and pumpkins and owls are coming to the top of my list now. The owl on the reversible pinafore above is so great. I enjoy making that design.



The owl-applique scarf above was created for my first swap. I never finished the one started for my daughter last year. I should do that ....



My big deadline this past week was an order for an eight-pack of bridesmaids' wristlets designed to match their gowns and the New Orleans theme of the wedding. The bride sent the fabric, which is a lovely shade of beigey-gold with fleur-de-lis scattered about. The embroidery thread I chose shows a bit bright here due to the flash. It was a very nice amber gold. I am thrilled that the bride googled certain words, found another wristlet pack I made in the spring on my flickr site, and then convo-ed me through my shop.



I had to hurriedly take the photos. I wanted to do a better job, however, my son came home from the dorms, walked in, and said, "Mom, you need to take me to the hospital. I feel terrible!" Five kids in his dorm have tested positive for H1N1 -- or so someone says.... Anyway, I assessed his symptoms, told him to wait a few minutes while I photographed and packed up the order above, and then we went to his physician's office. Right now, it has more of the appearance of the beginning of a cold, the first-month run down of a new, busy college schedule, living with new kids at the dorm, and muscle aches. On the other hand, that is the developing symptoms of the swine flu, so we are on a watch out. I don't think the worst, but one has to be vigil. He is taking some big antihistamines and an anti-inflammatory. I (and the NP) told him to rest well, eat well, get some sunshine, and disinfect the bathroom and common living areas (right!). If he doesn't feel better by tomorrow, we will call again. Just another thing to think about .....