Trying my hand at designing

Carla over at Half Dozen Daily got me super hooked on her cork.  So, I am trying my hand at designing a few things.

You would laugh to know how I did this one!  It included chip board, a ruler, a ceramic coaster and pen.  LOL - whatever you have available huh?  The chipboard was for my template and the coaster was to get the curve.  It worked.

Not too bad!  This is a card wallet - I did not want to just say business cards because I found it is good for gift cards - they are thinner than regular debit/credit cards (though those fit as well) and I thought it would be a very unique gift card holder - for a gift!  Instead of buying paper that will just be thrown away, even the holder could be used.

My question for you all - what would you like in cork?  I was thinking about a bi-fold and tri-fold mens wallet in plain, chocolate and black cork - maybe even mixed, a women's small wallet, a passport wallet and a luggage tag.  Not to mention, I would make the hand sanitizer holders and maybe some key fobs out of it.

The only bummer thing is I cannot find an American supplier that has the variety Carla's supplier does.  So, I paid the exchange rate and international shipping.  I can only hope someone picks it up sooner than later.  Right now, here I can only get the cork-printed fabric - not the actual cork.

I am in completely love with this cork - so soft and easy to work with.  I am going to go crazy with it!

OK, here is the yard

As I promised - LOL - here is a picture of the yard.  DH is working so hard on it - we have not hired anything out.

For a reminder, this is what it looked like when we spread rye grass and laid down straw before winter hit. 

Now, here is what has been going on!

It really changes the whole look of the land!  I was surprised.  It makes it look smaller and cozier.  I like how the fence and plants are softening it up.

So far, he has installed the fence, planted 3 Natchez crepe myrtles (I like the white and the mottling of the bark in winter), 4 gorgeous hibiscus with HUGE yellow, purple and red flowers, 4 dwarf bottle brush bushes, 5 low height silvery grasses and 4 foxtail ferns.  We need to get a few more to finish the row and some thing for the front of the house.

We are putting in wooden dividers for the grass area and the beds.  I wanted a much more organic look than more stone.  The house was really looking cold with the white concrete driveway, the crushed concrete driveway, all brick exterior and stone front.  Too much stone!  Once the crepe myrtles grow, it will look stunning!

As for work,  this morning was a doozy.  This one woman had been messaging me about a widower who wanted to get pillows made for his kids and him.  Well, late last summer one of my customers died of cancer and I wanted to do something, but I had never met or talked to her husband, so I did not know how to approach them.  Well, I asked this woman this morning who this was for and lo and behold, it was my customer.   So, I only charged her for the pillow stuffing, not the work.  This lady who died was a beautiful person who I looked forward to seeing every time she came.  She was just a wonderful person, so I don't mind doing the work.  Her husband wants a quilt as well, so I will be doing that soon.  I am not sure what I am going to do about that.  I have to charge something, but most of the cost is my time.  Maybe I will just discount it deeply.

Then I made another peekaboo as a test.  This is the cutest one so far!  Look at her little tail!  This is my favorite picture!

This is how she looks from the front.  Just adorable!

I wish I had little ones.  I told my husband, we would have never bought a single stuffed animal if I could have done this back then.

Have a great weekend you all!

Coming up for Air....Work

I am more than busy - which is good - if you are working, you are not spending much money.  At least what you do spend is given back to you plus some.

I called it a night just a few minutes ago.  I need a night off right now.  Putting in 12 plus hour days with homeschool and work.  Some of the work is trying to build business back up.  If you are not marketing, then things go quiet quickly.  I even so much as shut down temporarily.  I had one customer call and ask if I would do her a favor (because I shut down) and make her other son's tshirt quilt.  Good grief.  I have been back for over 6 months.

So, she was quite surprised when I said I was in business.  She immediately turned around and started to tell everyone.  That is why I have to work so hard right now to get the word out there.

What's on order?

1.  2 Hatchling Egg Baskets - These are the cutest little stuffed eggs.  I am selling all 13 for $40, $35 through this weekend.  They are getting a pretty good response for them just being out a couple of days.  Next year, I will do much better.  (if you are interested, you can shop at my website www.threadedlines.com - I cannot ship stuffies to Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Massachusetts because of their stuffed animal laws? )

2. 6 of these hatchlings, but in specific colors and animals.

3. 3 baby memory quilts - 2 not so bad and one is awful - I tried to tell her that you cannot use all red, but she would not listen.  It is not good at all.  I am not even going to post it on my website.  These are almost done - I just need to put the borders on one, quilt them all and bind them all - maybe 1 day worth of work left.  They are lap size at best.

4. One T-shirt Quilt - average size - between twin and full.  About 35 shirts.  She is picky about the fabric, so we have to get that settled before I can start on it.  The swatches are on order.

5. Five memory pillows for a mom that passed a few months ago.  This is a friend of the family that has order them - although I have not started, it will not take long. Pillows are super easy, even with clothes.
 
That is it right now.  I have 6 Hatchling baskets ready to go, so hopefully more orders will come in this weekend.  If not, I am not worried.  I will give them to a family that cannot provide Easter to their kids.

On other news, I am now a tester for a designer.  That means I get her designs for free!  YEAH!!  It is all the peekaboo stuffies and some other things I have not started yet.

I need to get a rhythm down so I can blog, grade, teach, work, cook, clean, visit, relax, but it seems there are not enough hours in the day.  Tonight, I quit early. 

DH and the kids are planting the hibiscus, drawf bottle brushes and some ornamental grasses outside right now and I am drinking champagne.  We did not get enough plants this weekend - we were short 1 set of everything, but we are getting there.  We planted 3 Natchez Crepe Myrtles and 1 Meyer Lemon tree over the weekend when the in-laws were here.  It really softened all the brick and stone on the outside of the house.  I promise, I will try, try, try to snap a pix tomorrow.  The fence is up and it really changed the whole look of the yard.

Miss you all bunches - I have not even read blogs I have been so busy.  Tomorrow morning - you will all hear from me!  I will catch up!  Gotta run - dinner to make!

Slow Tuesday

My morning was fraught with one crisis after another, but a little too personal to share here - gross though.  Glad its over and cleaned up! LOL  That is the one good thing about messes - they can always be cleaned up.

Anyway, got settled into my chair for a cup of coffee and sat on some heat for a little while.  My hip is giving me fits right now.  It will pass, it is the payback for last week and standing all weekend.

Yesterday, I did get all the kids' work graded and planned out for the next 6 weeks. Since we had internet (albiet slow - it is like the turtle - it gets there eventually!), I was able to set up the 6 weeks of science assignments online.  On Friday we get to go get pond water and a couple of other water sources for comparison (tap water, rain water puddle), do a wet mount and look under our new compound microscope.  They are going to be fascinated!  I am not sure if they have ever seen a wet mount before with all the little organisms swimming.  I really hope we get the flagella as well as the  cilia organisms.

I got some work done, but mostly on the computer updating my website and getting the shipping rates sorted.  That is a pain in the behind, but I can print shipping labels now from paypal, so this will make it easier.  I also updated Pinterest and Twitter.  Now when I post to instagram, I will post to twitter at the same time.  I will have to manually update Pinterest, but that is fine if I post at the same I am working with the website -  it won't take 2 minutes.  So, now my business has a Facebook page and group, I am on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.  Any where else good?  Right now, Instagram is the best of them all, but the Facebook crowd would go ballistic if I did not post there regularly.

Today, I am taking it a little easy because of my hip.  I need to rest it for this weekend when my in-laws come. 

Tuesday to-do:

1. Run the embroidery machine - mostly it is just set up, then let it go.
2. Run to the post office.
3.  Marinate the beef for fajitas
4. Iron shirt to interfacing

If I get that done, I will be good to go.  On top of homeschool of course.

You all have a most magnificent day! 

End of February Numbers

I am late getting this to you because 1) we were having MEGA internet problems that barely allowed me to check email much less get on and pay bills, 2) I was getting ready for a debut craft show, 3) college boy came home for the weekend.

Anyway, here goes.  This includes a 1st quarter bonus and an extra check.  Our bonuses could come again or completely go away, we NEVER know until it gets deposited.  That is the way the oil industry is and we learned that lesson very early in our marriage.  We do not depend on it, so now it goes straight to debt, and in the future, it will probably go toward the mortgage pay down, then retirement.

Debts:

401(k) loan for land
October 2017 Start - $42,627
Current -  $0

CC#1
October 2017 Start - $30,400.81
Current - $0

CC#2
October 2017 Start - $13,943.95
Current - $0

CC#3
October 2017 Start - $17,279.17
Current -$0

CC#4
October 2017 Start  - $32,855.22
Current - $9,487.45

CC#5
October 2017 Start - $0
Current - $26,476.00

Truck
October 2017 Start - $21,753.52
Current -$19,856.20

Car
October 2017 Start - $7,013.68
Current -$6,503.01

Mortgage
October 2017 Start - $332,480.00
Current - $328,568.82

Total Non-Mortgage
October 2017 Start - $165, 874.09
Current - $62,322.66

Total Debt
October 2017 Start - $498,354.09
Current - $390,891.48




OK, so all this means is we are down $20,169.88 since ending January.  This is a 1 time deal - our monthly payoff is between $3,000 and $4,000 depending on what all is due that month - meaning - if we have college tuition due or homeowners association dues, etc, not as much gets paid down.  Some of it is in our hands and some is not.  We were told to get our yard up to standard by the HOA (we only have 3 months per the regulations, but they gave us 6 due the long winter).  So, this month, we will not be able to put quite as much away as I would like because we need to buy some sod and a few plants. 


DH is putting up the fence now and is almost done.  He has the posts and rails in, he just needs to put up the pickets.  It is looking good - I may go snap a picture today since we have some sun!  YEAH!


As for the show, it was a wash.  Not my crowd at all.  I sold 7 hand sanitizer fobs and possibly a few quilts.  We will see. 


College boy is bringing home a girl this summer - oh, I am not ready for this!  Both my older boys are in serious relationships.  Let's hope they both date a nice, long time!  I am not quite ready to be a grandmother (one girl has a child already).  Who am I kidding?  I have not even met the boy and I already made him a hooded towel and bought him a sheet set for Christmas.


I need to get going and grade the kids work this morning, we are going slow - all of us. 


Things to do today:


1. Grade their work
2. Plan out the next 6 weeks of school work
3. Make the winner of the giveaway items
4. Make the donation awareness fobs
5. Order more stabilizer
6. Set out sausage for dinner (we are having rotini pasta with sausage and veggies - so good!)
7. Wash fabric for quilts
8.  Wash our clothes
9. Iron interfacing to shirts of one quilt
10. Organize office after show
11. Start brainstorming session for fall show
12. Make dino eggs and teddy eggs (I will tell you soon)
13. Go for a walk
14. Make banana bread with kids
15.  Stretch for my back that is not doing well.

I think I will leave it at that. I hope you all have a very fruitful day!