Surprises

I know what you are all thinking. Stefanie who? I have been absent for a while. I have nothing to offer as far as excuses go, just the usual family stuff. December and January are hugely busy months for our family. I believe that those two months will be my "Sit quietly and reflect on the year past and to come, and enjoy my family." sort of months. I hope everyone is okay with that. :)

I have struggled with creativity lately, with doomy gloomy weather, and some bothersome health issues. Nothing to go into tremendous detail about. Just... blah. I have worked in bits and pieces, but do have so many ideas I want to see to completion. I am not normally a person who has UFO's, but I confess. I have too many to count. Progress comes in many forms though, and I will get there.

I have had so many wonderful, terrific, perfectly lovely things happen in the last couple of months. I will try to share more in separate posts, but since this one is titled "Surprises", I guess I'll stick to that.

My husband threw me the swankiest, coolest, most awesome surprise party ever. The venue was perfect, with velvet chairs in my favorite color, silver vases filled with bright orange gerber daisies, a three tiered fondant covered cake of delicious flavors, foods of all shapes and sizes... *sigh* Loved every minute, but the overwhelming feeling of love and support from family and friends was the best. I cried. I am so blessed. Truly truly blessed.

The next big surprise for me came yesterday when I was with my sewing group. One of my friends said she had a hard time finding my blog. So another friend, without missing a beat, grabbed her IPad. She types in Sweet by Stefanie G, and voila! Something comes up, she shows it to me and, recognizing the logo, said, "See right here!" I did indeed recognize the site. But it was not my blog.

It was my website.

It even took me a moment to digest this new tidbit. Yes, the site is live. Yes, it is still the same disappointing site it was months ago. Part of it is my fault, the photography, the delay. BUT I did not launch this. I called the provider, and indeed, they said I hadn't launched, they didn't know how it became live, but it did, and now what to do? We have a plan of action now, and I guess nothing kicks you solidly into gear than a surprise like that. :-/

Speaking of surprises, if you are a customer and found that you could place items into a cart that went nowhere, I am so terribly sorry. Please email me and I promise to make it right.

If you are a wholesale house who thinks that the site isn't a best representation of me or my brand, you are correct. I haven't made too many mistakes, but this sure feels like a doosy. Honesty, there it is.

So there you have some new thoughts and surprises. It's time for some new photography, and much business catching up. But when you know it's time, it's definitely time. Somebody hit the "launch" button, and it wasn't me. I may not have been ready before, but it is time to pull my big girl panties on and get to work. I would call this a "Serendipitous" event. I will embrace it and make it good.

Enjoy your day!

Twelve Boxes of Goodness!

Twelve boxes of pattern deliciousness arrived today! They are so lovely, and came at a great point for me. On the edge of despairing and lamenting that it seemed like light years away, I now hold them in my hands and couldn't be happier. There are five designs we will launch with, and each will include a little "Sweet Treat by Stefanie G.". Inside the pattern is a QR code that brings you here, where I will periodically post recipes and DIY's. I still have some things to learn about blogging, like how you can download some freebie PDF patterns!

The fabulous five...

Paisley Bouquet, an embroidery pattern that has multiple designs included, and multiple project instructions as well. The directions can be as basic as a simple back stitch outline, or a completely filled-in look. The point is that you get to "make it your own" no matter your skill level.

The Big Top Circus Set, one of my favorites! It includes a tight rope walking mouse, a baby elephant stuffie, and a big top pillow, who's flaps tie closed or open. Opened up it reveals a sweet little elephant applique.

The Reversible Commuter Bag, a bag I pretty much carry everywhere now. Fully lined, with numerous pockets for cell phones, and all your goodies, a cross-the-body strap, and of course, reversible. Included is the instructions for different pin options as well. Versatile enough for a diaper bag too!

Fritzi Bear, a sweet little guy that looks completely different depending on your choice of fabrics. Perfect for beginners, or anyone looking for a little fun in their sewing repertoire!

Big-Eyed Owlette Set is another trio of patterns. A party hat, a place mat that has instructions to turn it into a pillow, and a cutie pie owlette holding a bunting. The whole alphabet is included, so the bunting can say whatever you would like, pictured is "happy birthday"! It's a "hoot" to make! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

So there they are, and I am now blogging, Facebooking, Pintresting, my pattern joy now. Website soon? No doubt. A few product photos, a little more information, a shopping cart addition...

Cannot wait.

Enjoy your day! :0)

Sneak Peek!

Meet Fritzi. He is debuting in my half size patterns! This is a super easy pattern, wonderful for beginners. I wanted one that my younger daughter would feel confident making, and they turn out so cute. My friend made hers very scrappy, and I want to post a picture if she'll let me as another cute option! This is just one of the half size patterns I will be offering on the website!

A close up sneak peek at a baby elephant stuffie, she's a part of the Big Top Circus pack!

Another sneak peek, this is a part of the Owlette Set! (this is the "cheater applique" on the place mat/pillow)

My graphic designer has been working so hard, as have my testers. We are still on track for a website launch soon. I am thinking though that I am so excited, I may launch with less than the five I was going to! I have five in the works, by the way, Fritzi as a half size pattern, an embroidery design, (half size as well) and three full size. The three large patterns include the Reversible Commuter Bag, the Big Top Circus Set, and Big Eyed Owlette Set.

Also on the website I'll be offering sewn goodies, and fabric sets. (More of nicely packaged de-stashing) I am also in talks with a local company about helping me produce something else, that is a perfect compliment, and so sweet, but I'll share that and what it is when I know for sure we're going to do it!

So there's your sneak peek, I am off to enjoy the sunshine, and do some fabulous photography!

Enjoy your day!

Moving Ahead

No great picture today, just a great update!

My graphic designer, who is the best, really the best, has been diligently working on my patterns. She is great about nicely putting the pressure on me by finding our printer. We are moving forward with premium packaging that we feel will really (boy I use that word a lot) showcase my patterns and products. I of course created more work for myself by adding more patterns to the existing ones. By that I mean you will definitely be getting more bang for your buck.

So excited. And over-caffeinated.

In addition, I am in talks with a local company to help me produce the sweetest little bakery box of goodies! I would share more, but some things just need to be a surprise. I love surprises.

That is all for now, I'm off to the drawing board. Literally the drawing board, LOL!

Enjoy your day!

What a Great Sunshiney Day!

So happy to have some sunshine today! Yesterday and the day before were very snowy, so much in fact that I had a completely different opening post, as I started it then. It went something like this...

We woke to a winter wonderland today, silent and still. The traffic quiet, the ground covered, and the sounds of the world muffled by the new blanket of snow.

Sounds so beautiful. It was, for oh, say the five minutes it took to come up with that and have a few swallows of coffee. Then I had to wake my late for school middle child, "un" bury the truck to drive the oldest to school, and console the youngest when he realized we were not in fact going to grandma's, but coming back home. *sigh*

Having said all that, however, I had a great day yesterday! I met with my graphic designer about the pattern covers and contents, and wow. We were so on the same page, she threw out great ideas, and really seemed to understand my aspirations for my patterns, my demographic, and all that feel good type of stuff. I have a list of things to do as long as my arm, but I am so excited I seriously cannot sleep at night. Hoping for an April website launch date, which may be a bit ambitious, but we'll see! I worked on my new embroidery pattern, and I love it. Hopefully you do too, here's a little sneak peek...

I'm working it up in fabulous jewel tones today, and got to meet with part of my sewing group today. The hostess with the mostess made a wonderful chicken noodle soup and hot french bread, yum! We chatted and sewed, and I made a little discovery not too far from her house. Ben Franklin. Yes, the store loaded to the gills with... stuff. I can't really explain the quantity of products in this store, but it doesn't matter. This one has fabric. Not like my favorite, The Top Stitch, but it actually has Riley Blake, Moda, Studio e, and more! I was a little surprised to find those little gems in this big store of, well, stuff. So I bought one fabulous piece. (I do try to support local when I can, so I restricted myself. :0) Speaking of fabulous little stores, I found a sweet little stitchery store. If you are into cross stitch, or embroidery, visit Haberdashery. Or if online, they have their own sweet cross stitch designs to check out! So, check them out! www.haberdasherydesigns.com But while you are online checking them out, please visit my favorite local shop and see why I love it so much. www.thetopstitch.com

 I'm done shamelessly plugging a couple of my favorites now, so here's a little looksy at the colors of my upcoming poppy embroidery design. I discovered bamboo floss, and a wonderful selection of linen. Can't wait to start this!

By the way, that hot pink isn't a part of the motif, but I really couldn't pass it up, soo pretty!

On a MUCH different note, I have a big soiree coming up on Sunday with my girlfriends. Look for a tutorial and lots of pictures of yummy mini treats! Taking photos as we speak, actually... (Good grief Pinterest is killing me with dynamic ideas.)

Enjoy your day!

Gloomy Day Embroidery

Nothing makes a girl (this girl anyway) happier on a doomy gloomy day than a drawer full of colorful floss! The possibilities seem endless, and today was the day to work on those embroidery patterns. I have started some wonderful, "sophisticated funky" designs, and some sweet whimsical ones. I can't wait to share those with you, but right now I'll just share my little project.

A name tag. I need one for a work day I have coming up. I am lucky enough to work a meet and greet event at The Top Stitch, featuring Anna Maria Horner. I am even luckier, in that I get to participate in her Patchwork Prism quilt workshop! I'll use the name tag not only for this event, though, but for other shows I may do in the future. I wanted it to reflect me, what I do, but not be so huge as to be a purse sized name tag on my chest.

Here's the smallish project! Now to trim it, and sew it onto a lovely gold fabric, possibly embellish it a little more, add some buttons... Geez, by the time I'm done it will be the perfect example of "overdone". Yeah, I better stop sooner than later. I'll share the after pic soon!

Do you like the 1990's rose color of my hoop? I remember buying it with some other supplies when I got my first apartment. I was 18, and so eager to create things for my new little (and by little, of course I mean TINY) abode. I have other hoops for sure, but this one gets used the most. I learned to embroider when I was young. I don't know how young exactly, but I distinctly remember my Mom showing how to do the perfect french knot. I think I french knotted EVERYTHING. I was so proud of my new skill. She also taught me to sew, that I remember being in 7th grade. I made the prairie style skirts that were so popular then. (Wow. So dating myself in this blog post.)  Other students didn't believe me until I showed them the hand stitching that attached the lace to the bottom of the skirt. They were very impressed. I fell in love with sewing, and stitching, and all things crafty.

So you now know some random stuff about me. :0)

Enjoy your day!  

My Pinterest Inspired Jar of Conversation Hearts

I wanted to make each member of our family their own "Jar of Hearts", but put my own spin on it, and make them something that we would continue to use...

You see, I have teenage girls. Two of them. One is fairly good at communication, but the other, not so much. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to find out the details of a day with the younger one.  Some of you know how that is, right? Me: "How was your day?"  Teenager: "Mmm, fine." Me: "Anything interesting happen today?" Teenager: "No." Me: *Sigh*. That's about how it goes. Most days.

The older is a bit better, usually she freely spills the drama, the details of the day. *Unless. The drama involved her. Then she is sad and withdrawn, and will want to talk, just not in front of any other family members.*

So while spending an inordinate amount of time on my favorite site ever, Pinterest, I came across a jar of hearts idea. Basically it was a Mason jar filled with simple little puffy hearts, that you could place anywhere to let the person know you were thinking of them. Lunches, instrument cases, etc... What a neato project! Easy and quick. But I wanted to make these little hearts a bit more, well, conversational. So I made a list of words for each family member. Some words crossed over to all three kiddos, especially the words of encouragement, like awesome, proud, dream. Some words were very specific to that child, their nicknames, favorite book, etc... (By the way, my hubby has a whole different set of hearts, with inside jokes, nicknames and others) Each set of hearts is in their favorite color. Their main heart is embroidered with "Love", in their color, on a red background. Each child also has a heart that says "sad". This is an important one, it means that they can leave their heart in place where I will find it. I will know who's it is because of the color, and I will know that one of my children is sad, they need me to know, and they can come to me when they're ready. My oldest struggles to maintain her composure when she's sad, and this lets her off the hook from trying to talk before she's ready. (Poor kid is so much like me that way.) They can leave me their "love" heart to let me know they love me, and I can do the same. I can leave the "awesome" heart on their pillow with a piece of candy for a job well done. I will leave the "love", and their nickname hearts together to let them know that no one will ever love them more. No one will ever share that name with them. Our little secret. Each jar has a postcard with each word and what it means so they'll never forget.

The hearts were so easy, just cut out with pinking shears, layered wrong sides together, and sewn around the whole heart with a little fluff of stuffing in the middle. By the way, I just used a Sharpie for the writing. I don't plan on washing these, and I did the writing before they were sewn.

These were the Hubby's hearts. He loved them. :0)

That's all for today, Happy Valentine's Day! It's another doomy gloomy day today, lots of laundry and housecleaning to catch up on. I did however, have a wonderful brunch out with Mr. Perfect. I'm enjoying my day, go out and enjoy yours!

Happy Birthday Owlette Pattern!

This little cutie will be off to testers on Friday! I am starting to get feedback from my testers on three other patterns, so far all very positive! It is so inspiring for me to see people do my patterns in their fabrics of choice, put their own spin on them. Hoping to get the four patterns off to the graphic designer next week, to put them into a fabulous looking, consumer friendly format.

As usual, I'll keep you posted!

It is a gorgeous day today, really that sunshine can keep shining on, the computer portion of drafting patterns is a lot more fun with it!

Enjoy your day!

Valentine Bear

I completed this sweet Valentine bear from an old chenille sweater! He turned out super soft and huggable. He was created from my Fritzi Bear pattern, which is about ready to send to the printers! (Gee I'm not excited or anything) I love re purposing the old into something new to love.

I hope she loves him, I almost don't want to give him up.

Enjoy your day!

What a Neato Project!

I made these for a good friend of mine, my stylist. We used to trade product for hairstyles when I had the bakery, and even for almost 2 years after that, until I decided that baking and decorating from home just isn't as fun as it used to be. (Insert frowny face from her here. Add one from me for having to tell her.)

She approached me with this project not too long ago, and originally it was all supposed to be paper. I wanted to step it up a notch since I do love my fabric. The budget folders are paper, and then laminated. The holder is an outer fabric, a lined fabric, and both are pressed with a fusible interfacing for stability. I can do a tutorial here for them, it just can't be right now. In a couple days maybe? (I have another order going out, a bright red Valentine bear, sweet!)

I'm considering making myself some, after I find out if placing your money in pre-designated budget folders works. I know it will work for her, she's uber organized. Me? Not so much. My version of saving money is sending my husband to Costco instead of going myself so I'm not tempted by all the wonderful things they have. Go for milk and eggs, come home with milk, eggs, wine, cookies, yoga pants and a blender. Oh, and more wine. :0)

Enjoy your day, I'm enjoying the bright winter sunshine and hot cocoa made from Nutella. Who knew THAT would be SO good!

Frustrated.

I so wanted this post to be the pictures of my latest projects. Instead, I miscalculated a critical piece of one, sewed it up, and whoah. Not happening for the project intended. Still super cute, but not at all what I needed for a PAID ORDER. *sigh* Luckily this doesn't happen often, but when it does I get so frustrated that I give up for a while and retreat to Pinterest in search of the much-needed inspiration I crave. So that's where I've been today.

Where my son has been, however, is all over the house. With his big trucks. Crushing goldfish crackers. ALL OVER. Insert another sigh here. I have a hard time crafting when my house is mess. I don't know why, but it's like house cleaning is what I view to be my "real" job, still. The whole stay at home Mom thing I guess. So. New plan. P goes to my Mom's tomorrow, so if I clean up the goldfish mess tonight, I can start fresh first thing. Look for new pics tomorrow, after all, (I'll use the phrase I use for my girls all the time)

...Tomorrow is a new day.

Enjoy yours :0)

Sneak Peek at the Ruffle Vest

It turned out super cute, I'm working on sizing now. Since it takes me about five finished projects to work up a new pattern, there will be more! I am thinking Voile next time for a softer, even more ruffly look.

It's really difficult to take a nice picture of yourself, by the way.

Enjoy you day!

Here We Go With Another HUGE Catch-Up Post!

Whew! It's been a crazy, wonderful, (mostly) spectacular couple months. I should apologize for not blogging more, but with three birthdays just in our family and two more (niece and nephew) parties, plus Christmas and all that jazz... You get the picture, BUSY! And I love it. (mostly) The above picture is my beautiful daughter and I at a craft show in the fall. Where I purchased that gorgeous hat. I love felted wool, wish I would have bought another! Hailey supports me in everything I do, and I'm pretty sure this is the child we count on to not put us in a home when we are old. ;0) I'm going to do lots of pictures and updates in this post as it's been a while, and I promise, I. Have. Been. Busy.

A huge shout out of thanks to Grandma Wanni and Papa, and Nana Lana who watch P. so I can still be busy! Love them!

We had Madison's birthday the 7th of December, and Phoenix's the 8th. Combined into one big party for the family. We did a Candyland theme, as they both love their sweets! The cake was three tiers of candy bliss, and there were jars and dishes of asst. candies all over. I wish the cake had turned out better, but when you add that much candy and color to something, it's, whoah. A lot going on. I should know this by now, right? But the kids had fun, and that's what it's about anyway! So I'll post a picture anyway, even though it's not a favorite.

And a couple pics of the kiddos...

Madison giggling because when I said "One, two, three... Happy (insert the song here)" She thought it was time to make a wish. So she did. And blew out all twelve candles!

P saying a big "Thank You!"

Madison beyond excited for the book she's wanted "forever". Our little bibliophile pretty much only asked for books this year. :0)

For Christmas I so wanted to take the time to make everyone in our little family a special present. For the record I put some of Madison's own art on a pair of Converse shoes. They turned out awesome, but she is wearing them right now, so you'll have to trust me that they are cool, because there is no picture!

I made my husband a sign out of an old wooden ski, that says "Happiness is a large, loving, close-knit family... In another city. (It's a quote from George Burns, and an inside joke for us, in case that came off as rude...)

Hailey loves Alice in Wonderland, and her room has that theme. So I made her an art doll of the Mad Hatter, which she LOVED!

I made a fuzzy hugable blankie/softie for Phoenix. He immediately took to him and we call him "Pete".

*Love*

My Hubby and took a trip to Portland, just for a couple days, as he now does service and repair of Janome sewing machines. He had training there, so P. and I tagged along and went to The Children's Museum, and the Portland Zoo. It was a cold, rainy, blustery day, but when we got to the zoo, it cleared up. All of the animals were out and about, and the zoo was all but deserted. It was great!

He had such a good time! We had a nice lunch, with I swear the BEST latte I've ever had. He had cocoa, just to be clear. :0)

Hailey had her 14th birthday a couple weeks ago, and in keeping with the "Alice in Wonderland" theme, this was her cake.

I wish she didn't look far older than 14. But that's a Mom thing I'm sure!

On to my sewing! I promised I was busy, so here are some pics to prove it!

Happy Birthday Owlette...

Fritzi Teddy Bear...

Elphie Circus Mouse, not a great picture, and she'll be holding a felt bouquet I bouquet I believe...

Some fabulous pins I'll be offering for sale on my soon to be website...

My personal favorite. :0)

And just because it makes me smile. :0)

Now my time is up, as I heard a crash from my sewing room. My sweet curious boy is into things again. *sigh* Until next time! Enjoy your day, it's snowy, sunshiney and sparkly here now. *Love*

Hooray for Photographer Friends!

I wanted to publicly thank my friend Kristyn for photographing my bags, as they posed a huge challenge.  There were three, not really coordinating together, and being reversible, we needed shots of the three in reverse as well.  She took so many great shots that I had a hard time choosing! (Still having a hard time, so here are a few of my favs!)

I love how this one captures both bags and the different flowers you can do!

You can see how hard a decision this will be! If anyone has any thoughts, do share!

I'll be finishing some Christmas Mice today, with pics to follow...

Enjoy your day!  :0)