spreading myself out

Lots of mini collections going out to boutiques these days. Besides Milwaukee, Little Ocean is also now in Texas, Maryland, Kentucky, Illinois, and soon to be in Oakland, CA at a store called Bella Vita.

It feels good to get myself out there. But I do feel like I'm figuratively spread too thin. It takes me longer than I plan to get these orders and collections together, and I'm neglecting my etsy store. Not to mention, I've got two shows coming up in a few weeks with no inventory ready! I guess I should keep on with it though, because after Christmas things will slow down. I'm just behind and feeling stressed because of some yucky yucky illnesses in the house. (I just changed pukey sheets, rocked a whining babe back to sleep, and dispensed Tylenol to 3 people all in the past hour. I feel like I'm running an infirmary!)

I will get caught up. I must! Art vs Craft on Nov 28th is going to be awesome, and then I've got Renegade Holiday Show on Dec 5th & 6th. There are so many great things I can't wait to sew up. I just have to get used to 6 hours of sleep each night.

happy halloween

I was burried alive.

tehehe

My ingredients; flour, mud, leaves, plastic spiders, and spirit gum.

Mara was a dead princess. Makai was a puppy dog. Matthew was a poor tired man who had to re-roof a house all weekend with a bad cold.

Yum

I often use food coloring to combat childhood boredom in my home....and....Matthew often uses the wrestler pose to express his excitement for life in general.

Done and Done

My very first wholesale order ever. 20 fabric belts. For a sweet boutique in Texas called Enid

I never made 20 of something all at once, so I was a little intimidated, but I think it went fine. I set a good price on them when I first featured them at Renegade, so they're affordable, but still totally worth it for me wholesale. I have a couple on etsy, I should throw some more in the shop.

Happy birthday to me!

Yesterday I turned 27. This was waiting for me in the dining room after I dropped the kids off at school.

One might describe Matthew's giftwrapping style as imaginative.....






Chocolate, fiction, and YES! The complete 24 volumes of The Family Creative Workshop published in 1974. These books have EVERYTHING! Origami, brewing, tatting, canning, papermaking, gardening, printing, beading, beachcombing, astronomy....not to mention the BEST retro photos and illustrations! My favorite part so far is the index book where there are dozens of reference charts like metric conversion tables, stain removal per fabric type charts, natural dyebath recipies and compatable materials (just what I'm looking for)!

Thanks sweetie!

apples and chilli

Every fall we take the kids up to Minneapolis to visit Josh, Mary, and Gabrielle (Matthew's brother and his fam). I love spending time with them in their beautiful home. Gabrielle and Mara are only 3 weeks apart in age, they're buddies. Plus I just like the city. But as a bonus, we always drive up the weekend that they host the Annual Apple Picking and Chili Dump.

You may be wondering what a chili dump is. Well, Josh spends the afternoon after we get back from the apple farm baking cornbread. Then around 5pm or so, guest start arriving. With them, they have a container of homemade vegetarian chili. Each of the containers are emptied into a huge pot on the stove. We eat. Then more of J&M's charming friends roll up on their bikes and empty their containers into the pot. We eat some more. The chili gets awesomer and awesomer. Then Jeff shows up and I am thankful that the children have already eaten because the chili is always too spicy after he dumps. The backyard fire is lit, the barrel is emptied, conversations get nostalgic, good times ensue.

Anyways, here are some of this year's pictures from the farm.

mara my model

Mara was a good girl last week. She worked very hard to follow my directions while modeling my new children's clothes. I now owe her some My Little Ponies. More pictures here.