So Much to Do, So Little Time!

This month has been extremely hectic for my family. I am currently working on filling an order of 12 pair of baby booties by mid June, which should not be too difficult. I also have to replenish my supply at the Green Store in Belfast. The last time I checked, they were down to just 3 pair. I just completed three burp cloth and onesie gift sets, and need to begin stock piling some home made items for 2 craft fairs that I will be doing in October. If that's not enough, we adopted a dog from the Humane Society that we had to put down a few weeks later because it had some severe health issues. Then, there's the stuff that goes along with having three kids.

However, in spite of all of this craziness that's been going on, I've found some time to work on expanding the products that I make to resell. I've been experimenting with Mai Tai baby carriers. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Moby, but there are just some things that are difficult for me to do with it when I'm in public due to my stature. So, in an effort to cure the problem of having to run out to the car to feed the baby every time we're out, I've been searching for something that will allow me to keep going and still keep her happy. Last night, at midnight, I finished making my prototype of a Mai Tai carrier. It not only worked very well, but it fits my husband (an extra bonus), AND I was able to nurse in it. The only thing that I decided I would add was a "hood" that can fold over the top of her head to keep that aspect as discrete as possible.

Prior to that, I began experimenting with making some very simple diaper covers because the baby is out growing her newborn ones. I used some PUL and Fold over Elastic, with some Aplix "velcro" for the enclosure. Those were surprisingly simple to make and took me just a little over 45 minutes to make. However, for the craft fair, I won't be selling them. I am hoping to share a booth at one of the shows with someone whose main product is cloth diapering, and believe me, she's far more proficient in the construction of covers, AIO's, Pocket Diapers etc that I will probably ever be.

Another fun thing I've made is a Baby Shower Bunch. A Baby Bunch is nothing more than some artificial flowers with some rolled up baby items (onesies, socks, bibs, baby hats etc) all tied up together in a beautiful and presentable way.

My favorite so far, has been pillow case dresses. I scored some great deals at the Goodwill in Belfast last weekend, and did a little bit of sewing and added some simple embellishments, and VIOLA! A gorgeous, dainty little dress was born! That project took little over a half hour and was very easy to make.

Ribbon flower bouquets are another craft I've been testing lately. I remember as a little girl, my grandmother made these once. She made some roses and some daisy's, put them on something that looked like a lollipop stick, but for flowers and made a bouquet out of them. They are very simple, and easy to do. It's all done by hand, so I'll probably put a tutorial up on that sometime soon.

While I feel completely blessed that it appears that my "hobby business" is growing to the point where I'm able to contribute to our family's income, I find myself a little more stressed. I have a theory that creativity inspires more creativity. In other words, the more I make just for fun or to sell, the more I want to make because it makes me think of all kinds of other things I would like to do. It's so hard because crafting is a very expensive hobby, and there's only so much time in a day, PLUS, I am using my kitchen table. So, I try very hard to not get ahead of myself and I keep writing down ideas that I'd like to try so that one day when I get the time, I can do them. I've also begun bookmarking sites on my computer that have tutorials to crafts I'd like to try, and I just realized this morning that I have just over 100 sites bookmarked....oopps!!! :)

Well, that's all for now. Keep watching some tutorials to appear. I will be making an effort to blog more often as things settle down in my neck o' the woods.