lessons from a babe

 

a pile of colorful holiday books, courtesy the local library...

i brought these books home so that we could have a few new stories to read, but didn't expect to be so entertained by the fascination with which olivia explored them. a baby's first encounter with library books...the pockets, the little cards, the shiny outer covering. this turned into an entire afternoon's activity. we did eventually read one story, after it seemed she was satisfied with her inspection. a reminder to me of all the little things we adults don't even notice anymore as we are rushing to get to the destination. babies can teach us so much about slowing down. appreciating the little details. taking your time. enjoying the journey.

 

 

 

one last oliver.handmade update...for now

i promise this is the last post for awhile about oliver.handmade and tomorrow i'll get back to some other subject matter...such as the simple, cozy holiday decor that my mama helped me with in our little house or some of the decorating, gifting, and baking projects that i hope to tackle this week.

but just one little announcement to make...oliver.handmade onesies and tshirts can now be found at poe studio. if you live around charleston or happen to pay a visit to our fine city, you must stop by this adorable shop and check out the handcrafted children's clothes, non-toxic toys and irresistible shoes. so irresistible are the shoes, in fact, that it looks like santa (a.k.a. grandma "gigi") will be leaving a pair for olivia under the tree this year...

and on another note, have you ever realized what a difficult word "irresistible" is to spell?

holiday sale!

 

the december days are quickly sliding by, which means the christmas holiday is inching closer and closer! now that i'm finished with my shows, i have switched gears and am trying to focus on what each of my loved ones will recieve this year. my hubby and i have vowed to buy handmade and/or locally made for each other, which is great and all, but i'm having trouble figuring out what to get. no last minute trips to williams-sonoma for a cookbook or the gap for the trusty ol' button down shirt this year! any ideas?

for you, i am offering a SALE in my shop! all holiday onesies and bibs have been marked down, including several that are ready-to-ship, as well as a few other selections from the "early" days. come and get 'em while they're hot!

budding entrepreneurs?

 

 

 

 

barbara and i had a lot of fun at our combined booth at the daniel island holiday festival yesterday. we were very happy with the way our set-up looked and decided that we are one day going to open a shop full of our handmade goodies, hopefully recruiting some of our other crafty pals. so stay tuned.

the funny thing about this show was that although it was significantly bigger and longer than the other show i did earlier this week, i actually sold a little less. i think there is something to doing smaller shows that can be more successful. at the bigger show, although we didn't really have any competition as far as our actual product, there were so many more vendors that even if people like your product and intend to come back and buy, they may a) spend their money elsewhere; b) forget about you by the time they get the whole way around; or c) just basically get wiped out by the whole overstimulating affair before they make it back to you. but the plus side is that a lot of folks took our business cards, and other vendors shared that they often recieve good business a few months down the line this way. also according to some other vendors, this year is very slow due to the stellar state of our economy. lots of browsers and not as many buyers.

but all in all, the shows were great fun and a great experience. now i'll be glad to fulfill my little etsy orders and concentrate on other things, like making my babe some special first christmas keepsakes!

enjoy your sunday.

simple, meaningful jewelry

when i first discovered this wide world of blogging, one of the first blogs that i was drawn to was this one. lisa leonard shares her beautiful photographs and sweet stories about her children, including one special needs son. in addition, she makes and sells jewelry, such as the necklace that you see here. you can personalize the jewelry to make a one-of-a-kind, special keepsake.

simple mom is having a giveaway this week where you can enter to win your very own lisa leonard original, as well as some other other meaningful jewels!

success!

 

well, my first show was a lot of fun and i am very pleased with the amount that i sold. it was also a wonderful experience to meet the other artists and talk with customers and browsers. i think that i could really get into this avenue of business, and would like to find out more about selling in a farmer's market.

now i am preparing for my second, and larger, show on saturday, so must get back to sewing.
have a great day!

 

 

 

today!

i have been busily preparing for my very first venture into the world of craft shows (artisan market? art show? i haven't decided which term i like best yet). i am excited and anxious to see how it goes! every free moment in the past month or so has been spent either sewing or preparing in some other way (making postcards and flyers...painting my sign...spreading the word...tagging and ironing...procrastinating on facebook). i have sixty onesies and tshirts to take with me, plus some bibs and holiday cards. i'll be happy even if i only sell a few (although i'd be happier if i sold a bunch!) i see this as an experience, to spread my name, to learn what works and what doesn't.

if you're in the charleston area, stop by and see me at lowcountry local first's holiday bazaar today! in addition to the artisans selling their wares, there will be food from local restaurants and musical entertainment. is there a better way to support local artisans and the local economy while scoring some cool gifts?