Someone Slap Me!

Seriously. I'm freaking out.

I broke a molar on my birthday (Did I mention I turned 31 a few days ago? It sucked.). It broke badly enough that it needs to be removed. So, it's supposed to be pulled tomorrow morning and I was planning to get "laughing gas". I've never had it before so I just was looking up info. on how it works etc. and guess what...hallucinations are a side effect! Just the thought of going through that again is making me crazy (if you're new here, I had a freak reaction to a med last year that resulted in three months of horrible night time hallucinations). So, apparently I can't have nitrous gas after all. I need to decide whether I'm woman enough to just get local anesthetic (along with some anti anxiety meds taken in the parking lot before my appointment:) ) or weeny enough to pay $215 for general anesthesia. Arrrrgh!

For the record, I had lots of teeth pulled as a youth and never had anything other than local anesthetic. I'm getting crazier and more anxious with age though.

ETA: I made it out alive. And I decided to be put completely under. The nurse said quite a few people opt to be totally out since it's not terribly expensive. And with my anxiety issues, she thought it was definitely a good idea to be asleep. I was still so freakin worked up though that my blood pressure was too high! So, we had to chat about stupid stuff like kid names until my blood pressure came down enough for anesthesia. The doctor said, "Ok sweetie, start dreaming about Hawaii." I said, "No, I'll do Alaska." He said, "Alaska it is" and then I woke up to a mouth full of blood and gauze and missing a tooth. I'm still tired and goofy and was going to take a picture of my puffy face but I think that would require too much energy right now. Someone eat some pizza and Panda Express for me today.

Adios!

For now.

I think.

We accepted an offer on our house today. Much lower than what we had hoped for, but we're so ready to move on and tired of feeling like we're in limbo. We're supposed to close escrow in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! One more time...two freakin weeks! We wrote the deal to allow up to three weeks but the buyer wants to get in as soon as possible and is paying with cash so we can wrap this puppy up quickly. We found a great rental house today and are hoping to get the approval soon.

So, it looks like we need to start packing. Of course there's a chance the buyer could cancel when she finds out that we temporarily had a tree house but we're trying to think positively. By next Monday, we should know whether she's happy with the inspection report, and we can put down a deposit on our cute new rental. It's an old 1950's house with tons of charm and a room perfect for play and sewing.

Keep your fingers crossed that the next few weeks go smoothly and the deal doesn't fall through. I'm going to leave my shop open for the next week or so but won't be listing anything new. I have a few custom orders that I'll get finished up asap but otherwise, Crafty Mama will be Moving Mama for the next few weeks.

***I'll offer 20% off current listings with the code "moving" in the notes to seller field.

Girly Girl

I've been overtaken with custom orders lately which means I've been ordering a lot of special request fabrics. And so I don't feel left out, I always order a few for myself. Not the best idea for my business budget. I've promised myself that after yesterday's delivery, I'm going to simmer down now on the fabric purchasing.

Which means, I'll have to hold off on ordering more prints from this new Girly Girl collection by Patricia Bravo...

Isn't it fabulous?! Reminds me of how colorful and feminine Amy Butler use to be (yep, I said it). I bought a few of the prints and they're even prettier in person. Like vibrant scrapbook paper but fabric. I love the way they look when transformed into a bag.

I also got Tatey's purplicious quilt fabric in the mail yesterday. I'm attempting to make up my own (very easy) pattern which seems like a terrible idea since I don't have the budget for a redo on this project. Hopefully I can post some progress pictures this weekend.

Fingers Crossed

Just got a phone call that our house is being shown this afternoon for the FOURTH time to the same lady. Please, please, please cross your fingers that she makes an offer, we open escrow, and in 30 days we've all moved on with our lives. I'm tired of keeping the house clean all the time. I'm tired of having strangers in my home. I'm tired of putting off decorating and organization projects because we're not living here much longer. I'm tired of driving into town and back 3 times a day. Mostly, I'm just tired and can't have a lazy day.

Odd Etsy Finds

I know, I haven't listed anything new in several days. I've been consumed with custom orders and wasting far too much time looking at the newly listed items on Etsy. Here are some of my more interesting finds...

1. Vampire Girl Barbie face necklace. Why?
2. Severed Fingers, 8 Pack. It doesn't say what they're made from so I have to assume they're real.
3. Fortune Teller Mug. I'm scared she'd bite me or something if she gets that close to my face.
4. Pink Crochet Cowgirl Hat. Lovely crochet work, but I'm going to need to see this on a real person please.
5. Layered Dress. It's great for shoplifting.

I'm off to nurse my headache before heading into work tonight. Hoping to list something new tomorrow.

Dilemma

I was going to post today about a dilemma regarding Matea's Christmas quilt. In all honesty, after finishing Bella's pink quilt, I totally forgot about making Matea's. Yesterday, I was working on a bag for my shop and thinking about the fact that Christmas is just about three months away. Then it occurred to me that I hadn't even thought about the quilt I need to make for my baby girl.

So, here was the dilemma. When I went through my scraps a few months ago, I made a pile of pink for Bella and a pile of red for Matea. I know full well that Tatey likes purple, not red, but since she's three, I was thinking I could just convince her to like red. But then I started thinking about the fairness in Bella getting a quilt that's her favorite color and Tatey getting something that she really doesn't like. And I also thought about my Christmas budget. Last year, we went WAY over our holiday budget. Like double:( This year, we've created a Christmas account at our bank with automatic deposits. We'll get that money in November and have agreed not to spend anything more. There is absolutely no way I can fit a $100+ quilt into the budget. No way at all.

So, I was going to post here asking for advice. I feel like it's the battle our little family is constantly facing...sticking to our tight budget vs. splurging and spoiling. I decided to splurge. I was ordering bag supplies and stumbled across some purple designer fabrics for $5/yard. I bought three yards and one yard of a full price splurge fabric. I just couldn't stand the thought of Tatey unwrapping her quilt on Christmas morning and saying, "But I like purple, not red." And I know I could use it as a lesson about gratefulness but sometimes you just want your kid to be overjoyed. Living on such a tight budget and having to work nights and weekends sucks and I don't want to have to think about that on Christmas. I just want to see both girls insanely happy and in love with their (few) gifts.

So, of course, now I need to find the money to finish the quilt. I'm thinking of ideas for my Etsy shop like personalized ornaments or stockings that might sell well. Something like the freakin trick or treat bags (I hate so much) that provided some nice extra income for my family the last few years. Any other ideas?

My name is Kelci...

and I've become addicted to expensive, well-made shoes. It's my mother's fault. Seriously. She has to wear nice, expensive shoes because she has a funky heel and bad knee. She loves Naots and was all excited to find them in a shop in Morro Bay last time she visited. And she made me try one on. Totally irresponsible parenting. She should have known how I'd react.

They're about $120-200 but I've made stalking Ebay a full-time job and have gotten three brand new pairs for the price of one in the last two weeks!

I just got these in steel blue...

and these toffee...

and these in the green...

Crafty Papa said I should be buying more expensive, nice shoes which I took to mean that I should immediately convert my entire shoe collection, even if the children have to go without meals for a few days. It's important to have your priorities straight. They really are very comfortable shoes and I totally recommend them.


Oh, and apparently the threat of an ass whoopin was all the universe needed for my snaps to arrive. They got here today and I'm working on a super funky and bright Mama Bag right now.

Almost As Cute As She Thinks She Is

Another peasant dress. In my opinion, even more fabulous than the last. Cute baby girl is dying to keep this dress. I asked her if she has $30. Hey, Mama has fabric bills to pay.

Size 3T/4T, click on the pics for the listing.

And new bags are coming soon. I ordered snaps over 4 weeks ago and they still haven't arrived! I sent the seller an etsy convo and got a very "simmer down now" response. I think it was due to the language barrier but if my snaps aren't here this week, I'm going to hand out ass whoopins, crafty style.

My Wilton Face

Seriously though, I don't know why I'm doing that. I remember being really excited about getting a semi rose looking rose on my first try and insisting he photograph it. I was in my kinda (ok, very) see through pj's so I had to keep telling Crafty Papa to shoot from the neck up only. Maybe that's supposed to be my sexy face for him or something. Not very appealing.

Anyhow, I've been talking about signing up for Michael's Wilton cake decorating class for several years and finally started classes this month. Our instructor is kooky with a capital K. Knowledgeable, nice, and high energy, but definitely kooky. I have to take a frosted cake ready for decorating this week so I decided to do a practice run over the weekend. Let me tell you, this was the best cake I've ever had. Really, the best. Lemon cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. I made a double batch of frosting to save for this Wednesday's cake and I just want to eat it for dinner tonight instead. It is fabulous.

"It feels good"

That's what Matea said when I put her in this dress for pictures. And I didn't even have to pay her. I mean, I did pay her exactly two jelly beans in exchange for putting on the dress and standing semi-still. But I didn't pay her for feedback and certainly didn't coach her for positive comments. So, I guess when I say in the listing that the dress is comfortable, I now have proof, courtesy of my 3 year old.

Apparently, she's been attending the Bella Green Gonzalez school o' posing. She kept saying things like, "Look how I'm bending my knees for the picture" and, "No, I think I should stand like this." I guess this particular model is a bit of a diva but she sure is cute.

I'm really loving this dress with the sash and will definitely have to make a few more for my shop. I got some beautiful bright blue fabric from Jona's store and I think it'll be perfect for another peasant dress.

Don't Forget

That the Labor Day Sale ends today. 15% off your entire purchase. See details in my shop when you check out some of these new listings...

The Winner

Laura from Bella Lu and Me:) Email me at craftymamacreations@gmail.com and your bag will go out on Tuesday.

Last Chance

To sign up for the fabulous bag giveaway here.

I'll post the winner tonight around 8:00 my time. "My time" is beautiful California beach time. Don't hate me.

Wanna give me a bunch of money?

I think it's been established several times that I'm obsessive. It's the reason for my insomnia and persistent night time anxiety. It's also what allows me to day dream about things like having my own fabric shop. For reals (I had a friend in high school who used to say "for reals" and I think about him whenever I say that).

I can't stop. I even asked Crafty Papa last week what he thought about the idea and he thought I was kidding. I told him I was serious and he just gave me the crazy eyes. I think he was beyond responding when I told him I had started looking at commercial rentals on Craigslist. When I went to the movies with my friend, Kristi, and in the middle of the movie she shrieked, "I just had the BEST idea! We should go into business together!", I resisted the urge to vomit all the details of my plan.

So, here's my plan. First, I somehow get a large chunk of money (maybe $10,000?). I get retail space on Grand Avenue, maybe next to Taco Rico because not only is it a great location, I can have them bring me lunch everyday. The name of my shop is Green Girl Fabrics & Crafts. "Green" after my grandpa and girls (it's their middle name) and because we'd feature lots of environmentally friendly projects like reusable snack and grocery bags, and handmade, non-lead-and plastic ridden gifts...that kind of thing.

I'll only carry fun and funky fabrics. Nothing shabby chic or romantic or sweet. All young and modern. Lots of Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, Sandi Henderson, Heather Bailey. My target customer will be young moms like me who feel totally out of place in the local quilt shops who seem to cater to a much older, retired crowd. The kidlets will be welcome and will even have their own little area to work on crafts while mom shops. I'll have lots of classes and the goal will be to actually create and try new things instead of hoard fabric. I'll serve coffee out of fiesta ware mugs. And play Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson. The walls will be celery green with brown accents. My friend, Alissa will do graphic design and help me write exclusive patterns for the shop. Kristi H. will work there part time. I'll also sell online to help off set the overhead of a brick and mortar shop. I'll have my sewing machine, laptop and cash register at the front table. And I'll have a different handmade apron to wear for every day of the week.

So, I'm hoping I'll find several thousand dollars in the street somewhere soon. That's totally a possibility, right? I'm mostly just obsessively daydreaming but there's a part of me that has set this dream as my 5 year goal. Crafty Papa and I agree that we'd love for me to never go back to a traditional full-time job. I love to sew and craft and I have my degree in Business. I'm a young mom. I think I've daydreamed up the perfect plan. Seriously.

Too Much Cuteness

Oh, the capes are cute too.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE

Friday-Monday
Enjoy 15% off your entire order
Check back, as I will be listing new items
Just enter "laborday" in the notes to seller field at checkout

www.craftymamacreations.etsy.com

What's on the horizon?

-Personalized super hero capes:) Perfecting the pattern today and getting feedback from my little super hero.

-Halloween dolls for your decorating pleasure.

-Purse frame pouches.

-And lots more bags.

You should think about winning this

Here's how:

1. Post about the give away on your blog, including a link back to this post. (If you don't have a blog, you can post on your Facebook wall)
2. Leave a comment on this post which includes a link to your post on your blog regarding the giveaway.
3. Tune in on Sunday to see if you won. (winner picked at random)