I have reached a level of success that I didn't know was possible

My business....it's good. Don't get me wrong, it is a LOT of hard work. My neck, collarbone and arms are SORE from handling 6+ yards of fabric at a time. The part of the process that makes me sore is hanging 6-12 yards of wet fabric on the line. It's hard work but the pay-off is that I don't have to iron the fabric before I cut out my unpaper squares. I'm sure a bigger operation wouldn't go through the steps of pre-washing, drying and then hanging wet fabric on the line. I do it because it makes the end product better. I have tried taking short cuts in the interest of saving time...and the results were not desirable.

Anyhow, I am not getting a whole lot of sleep. I am constantly working or doing research or ordering supplies. Every ounce of extra energy is going towards this business. And I'm excited. I believe in my product and I am tickled with the amazing feedback that is rolling in.

I bought a slightly used industrial serger from a couple last night. They had plans to make some sort of dog products but they put the project on hold and decided to outsource the work. They knew a little bit about how to operate the serger but not the level of expertise that I would have gotten if I had purchased from a dealer. At 50% of the retail price, my husband and I will muddle though it. And yes, I said my husband. This serger is way beyond me at this point in time! It's like man equipment, for sure! It's seriously fast. Like faster then my hands can manipulate a 10" square piece of fabric. I am hoping that with practice, I will get better! It's not fully set up in my studio just yet so I can't start that process just yet.


I have also ordered an electric rotary cutter and I'll be looking into an industrial iron. My beloved Rowenta just isn't cutting it anymore.

I have approx 100 orders to fill. My short-term goal is to do 18 orders a day. That will catch me up, exceed my customer's expectations on shipping and place me in a good place next week when we leave for a 5 day vacation/mini-reunion with my husband's 3 sisters and their families. We are heading to Virginia, driving...not taking the camper.

I took a couple hours last night to finish up loose ends. I owed 2 packages that I owed to gals from an online bb. One was for photo magnet buttons and some unpaper towels. The other was for 2 toddler outfits. I have one more photo magnet button order to do and then I can 100% focus on my etsy orders. Here are the 2 outfits that I made. My ultimate goal was QUICK yet cute projects and these went together super fast. And I think they are adorable. And I'm pretty sure they would fit Lily so I'm a little sad they aren't staying here! LOL


Now I'm going to get a bit religious and delve into a very sad subject. Read at your own risk.

Today is the 4th anniversary of the unexpected death of our youngest son, Nolan James. It is not a day of celebration, like his birthday, but a day of mourning. A day to reflect on what we lost and the horrifying details of June 17th, 2005. I miss him and still feel an unmeasurable sense of loss and sadness. I just know that he would have been a very special 4 year old if he had been allowed to stay here with our family.

I have spent the past 4 years holding God at arms' length. Actually, I think I tried to throw him right out of my life with the sheer magnitude of my anger geared towards him. I obviously couldn't budge him. He was still there, watching me. I told myself that he did it with indifference because he obviously didn't care about ME since he allowed my precious son to die. That wasn't the God I knew.

I feel like God is making it clear that he does care about me and that he is guiding me towards success with my business. I can't really claim any credit for it. There are so many people that work hard, make a product and then struggle to find the right audience for it. I am no different. It is things that are outside of my control that has driven traffic to my store. I'm not a marketing expert. I don't know the right words to say to close a deal. I've just put myself on the line, like so many others.

I guess that all I'm trying to say is that this success makes me feel like God is trying to reach out to me and offer a proverbial olive branch. That he does care and that he is calling me to do this work. So I will work. And maybe I will try to start forgiving him. Maybe.