Tah Dah!!! The Local Collection in Faneuil Hall finally opened and here are some opening night photos. It was Friday night - and I took the rest of the weekend off from sewing and what not to take in all the fun and sun with my family for all my hard work :)

Me and my momma mia whom was a super big help to get the show on the road!

The Hubs also came to show his support :)

And the Sis... the other men stayed home to watch the kiddies since it was a late night (they'll be able to see it in due time)

Some Aunties....

Some Friends.... (Laura from Life on Northwood is front and center)

Hope to get back in touch here soon, and I have a cruise coming up next week so I'll be out of touch again!!! So dont forget about me!!!!

xoxo

Krissy

Fancy Nancy meets Carrie Bradshaw

Yesterday Laura and I got some fantastic shots of the kids modeling for us! Mostly I should say my niece Gracie. She was a natural! Camryn was not into it much until later because she had to go “potty” and there was no where to go so she stood around miserable for a bit crossing her legs until my mom who tagged along for the day took her to pee outside near the car, REAL CLASSY, I know!!!!



Here are just a few of the natural Diva, Laura has a ton Im not going to be able to choose from for my LookBook, but I can’t wait to go through them and play around with them. Gracie’s Mommy, my sister, is away in Mexico this week so said she was in tears when I sent her these pics of her Gracie to look at and now can’t wait to get home to print and frame a bunch of them for the house. (I sooooo wish Camryn was playing along better, but I guess she was having an off day) We plan to do another photo shoot down in the near future again.

COBEMAN PLAYED ALONG FOR A BIT TOO

EVEN AMBER A.K.A. Gooey, was a bit helpful I'll try to find a suitable one of Cam to post even though she looks miserable in all of them :(

And now for one of my favorites….

Who could tell the difference in what Era these girls were from??? Were they on Sex in the City? (they sure could have been!) Struttin’ their stuff down the street and in Auntie Issy’s and Auntie Laura’s boots with tutus….

Man, did they put on a show for the crowds in NOHO yesterday, and we loved every second of it as we almost peed our pants trying to keep straight faces and played along.

This is why I say Fancy Nancy meets Carrie from Sex in the City!

If you'd like to see some more great shots from the shoot, stop by Laura's Blog at Life on Northwood. She should be posting some within the next day and she's got the super incredible photos too!

Some updates and Sentiment today...

I wasn't expecting this, but I am completely having a very sentimental day. These days just creep up on me sometimes, but for some reason I assuming its stemming from the news of Layla Grace yesterday. Every song I've been hearing this morning has been bringing tears to my eyes, which I am also laughing about, because its just one of those days. Some of the songs that have choked me up are Smile by Uncle Cracker (no idea why!), Grown Men Don't Cry by, When the stars go blue, Live like you were dying all by Tim McGraw, Guess Im having a thing for that guy today :) (I have a soft spot for guys in cowboy hats that can play the guitar!, yes Zack knows haha) Our wedding song was It's your Love by T.M. as well.

Last night I invited everyone over for dinner (my parents, my sister's family, and my aunt, whom lost her husband a few weeks ago to cancer, who brought her grandkids over too). It was chaotic, as it usually is with six kids running around crazy while we're trying to prepare and eat dinner, but I just felt completely lucky and blessed for the family I have yesterday. We are very close and always there for eachother, just how family should be. So... Zack got a call a work from me yesterday saying when you stop home for lunch, take out more chicken, everyone's coming over :) (he didn't mind in the least) So what does he do, he sends out an email to everyone giving everyone 3 options for dinner in a menu format (how much do I love him :)):

1. Chicken cooked in a Lemon and Pinot Grigio sauce, garnished with
parsley and Rice

2. Chicken Madeira with baby portobella mushrooms and farfalle pasta

3. BBQ Chicken on the grill with Sweet Baby Rays, steamed corn on the
cob,and rice

All 3 meals to be served with a side Caesar salad

We ended up BBQing because its been a fantastic week weather wise in the Northeast!

Here are a few pictures my mom sent to me this morning of her dropping Camryn off at school, isn't she a doll!

And I guess this is what her and Jacoby are up to today after they dropped her off at school.

Now Some updates:

I got the fabric in the mail two days ago so I plan to start her dress finally this weekend and I will try to document the process for a possible tutorial :) My mom asked me last night, "when are you going to find the time to make it." The thought crossed my mind, but its high up on my laundry list.

I was in contact again with the Local Collection, which I first mentioned HERE. The application is complete, and now Im waiting to see if I will be able to sell my merchandise there or what! The store is suppose to open in Fanuel Hall (Boston) in April. I am still keeping my fingers crossed that this going to be an open door in my "venture."

Speaking of my "venture," (which I began ranting about here) I am completely enthralling my energy towards it right now. I told Zack the other night, "you know when you were younger and had no idea what you wanted to do with your life, well I finally realized what I want to do." I still have a lot of work, but extreme motivation to make it happen.

Happy Hump Day,

Kristyn

New Tutus coming

Brand new tutu's!

I am finally out of my holiday rutt :)

Pictured is a white tutu I made with a red satin waste band and with simple but charming white ribbon containing red dashes.

I guess creating this one was getting out of the holiday spirit, so it is definitely ready to be worn for Valentines Day on all those charming little ladies out there! Also my modeling niece Amber found the left over Santa hat laying around my house and I couldn't help but snag a few cute pictures of her in it. I suppose it doesn't help sell the Tutu for Valentine's Day but it was so cute I needed to share and hoped all would see beyond the Santa hat and realize its a versatile tutu, as all are!

If I was a young girl again, I'd be wearing a Tutu everyday, especially if Mommy made them hehe.

Enjoy, I should have another Valentines Day style posted soon, Red with White felt hearts throughout!

Good Day All,

Kristyn

First Snow Day of the year

The wreath I made for my front door for the holidays above

Home from work with the kids for the first snow day of the year. So far so good besides Jacoby refuses to nap and he's very very cranky. We're on our 3rd Strawberry Shortcake movie, made lunch, made brownies, have bread cooking in the bread machine and a nice festive candle lit making it so homey and comfy for a great snowy day home. Took out some chicken to make a good yummy meal later and hoping to go out for a drive to see christmas lights in the area :)

I ended up bringing some merchandise down to a local gift shop which had they're grand opening this past weekend. I was told they already sold one of my ornamental holiday wreaths. This is such a great opportunity for me and it feels good to have some good news for once. We've had a few family members and close friends of the family diagnosed with cancer recently which has left that a touchy subject. As well Zack's Godfather passed away this weekend also who was still only in his 50's. Any good news is great and the new shop venue is wonderful. Etsy sometimes seems to be particularly slow certain times of the year especially depending on what you sell. I've been searching for ways to make my etsy shop stand out more and become more viewed, but there's only so much you can do for free!

Anyone else having a wonderful snow day as well??? the only thing we're missing is being able to go out and make a snowman because it started sleeting.

Busy Beginnings of Busy time of Year

MOLLY ANN 8.6 lbs 22" long 11-29-09

Over the passed week I've decorated, celebrated Thanksgiving, my 10 year high school reunion, my daughters 4th Bday (weep weep), one my best friend's new baby Molly born the 29th (congrats Kelli and Rob!) and was contacted by a nearby shop interested in carrying some of my work. Its been busy but exciting all within a weeks time. This doesn't include all of lifes other crazy and wonderful demanding needs and activities :)

Funny how much can happen within a small amount of time and how little can happen over a span of time. I've decorated the rest of the house. We brought Camryn out to the American Girl Store near Boston to shop for her actual Birthday, did I mention how crazy that store is! But I loved it, although my husband Zack said that would be his one and only time going haha. Jacoby has a very runny and yucky nose but I am hoping thats as far as it goes. Poor little guy, he's too cute and sweet to be sick :)

I am hoping to make my way over to the shop this week on my free day if all works out well and hoping this for a good opportunity for another selling venue on top of Etsy. I will post the outcome of what happens with that.

Slowly but surely things are coming along and one more month of 2009, crazy! I'll be hoping for a positive 2010 to all those moms working as hard as I am to raise their family and make a living and enjoy it all at the same time!

Hunting for Burberry style ribbon

I woke up this morning with a super stuffy nose, headache, watery eyes, all the natural things to go along with your typical head cold. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for when at the fabric store yesterday so today I am trying to find some good places to shop for supplies and whatnot. I list some once I find some. One is http://www.bbcrafts.com/. They have good tulle there that I found for a great price with a good assortment of colors. They have some good ribbon to pick from too, lots of your standards in all sizes at a good price too. Recently I've been into the polka dots and really want to do another Minnie Mouse inspired Tutu dress. I found some regular cotton fabric designs that I'd love to try.

I also saw this Burberry style ribbon that gave me another inspiration for a tutu dress I just can't remember which online source I saw it and am trying to find it again desperately since I didnt find it yesterday at the fabric store!

So I do a google search on burberry plaid ribbon and nothing comes up for just a roll of ribbon. Only purses, belts, watches, and dog collars pop up. So I will be back tracking my previous online viewing sites to find it again, which seems so ridiculous I didnt save it in the first place.

I finished the Irish tutu last night and came out very cute and I am dying to see my daughter try it on to fix anything final flaws it has. What i really need is a mini dress mannequin, for a daily basis, which may be my next investment if I can find a good price on one.

HMmmmmmm

Weeks half over, little time, lots of motivation

Today I am going to be going to this fabric shop that has tons of different stuff, so I am super excited to get some great finds. My only problem is I hope not to get lost in there so I can get my daughter to dance class on time! :)

Last night I finished working on a custom tutu made for an super Irish fan. It was made as a double layered tutu, orange/green on the bottom, and white on the top with lots of coordinating ribbons (I hope to find a few shamrock items to add to at the store today while I am there) that has made it look wonderfully Irishful and festive. My only problem is I need a way to get pictures on here for all to see soon.

This weekend though I will be busy getting some new creations done because I have a showcase on Etsy next Weds. that hopefully will bring more traffic around. So I need to increase my item listings.

My friend Laura and I are in full swing on planning out craft fair plan aswell. We've been fishing around for a nice one to start with but not one that may be overwhelming for the first time. The Old Deerfield Craft Fair http://www.deerfield-craft.org/sampler.htm and CastleBerry Craft fair http://www.castleberryfairs.com/index.php are our aspirations but we need to look for smaller for the first, maybe we can organized for those in the months to come.

I saw this fabric today too while fishing around online and loved it and I am looking for find something or someone to make me something from it. I saw the Vespa's and fell in love with it instantly! See pic above.

Have a great afternoon :)

A Boost of Confidence

So my ideas were flowing this past weekend and after having a rough week last week with guilt being away from my kids all day long all week long I started reading this book my mom passed along to me. (we have the same creative mind and passion to move foward with our ideas).

The book really gave me a boost and perspective of things I need to look into and start doing to help my success:

1. Somehow patton a name asap (we'll see how soon that comes along, as $$$ is involved)



2. I have already started a pretty lenghty business plan, so that was good (my college degree came in hand with that one since I'd did plenty of them throughout my college days).



3. I need my products to have a niche, something more unique about them on why they are different from the rest of the market. The niche was created for the shop idea, just not my products yet, and I'd certainly hate to just be a plain old copy cat! So I have been brainstorming that one and have a few ideas that will need some practice first.



4. Don't be bashful or ashamed of what you are doing. I am a very modest person and hates to brag about what I love (besides my awesome kids!), so practiced that already by trying to be more confident when my friends and family asked about my venture this passed weekend.

So I gained all this insight just from a reading the beginning of this book while driving home from my 9 to 5 while carpooling with my brother inlaw.

So then I didn't have much time to work on any products this weekend between showers, kids, cleaning, kids, cooking, kids, husband lol, kids, rest, kids, ahhh and its Monday again! But I was able to keep up with online correspondence and was asked to by a few people to create tutus for gifts, which got my creative juices flowing.

1. a tutu for a "scary" ballerina - will be my first real black tutu

2. a special tutu for a birthday girl who's family is very into their Irish heritage, which I actually began last night while trying to appease my husband by watching a movie with him at the same time.

3. a purple tutu dress for a possible etsy sale I am looking forward to

4. There was one request I seen too for a tutu design needed for a marathon runner, which I thought would be super exciting to make and it to be seen by all the runners and spectators, so I made a bid and am hoping for the best :)

Some more confidence came from my husband telling me he'd take the kids out one night this week leaving me with the free time to actually get some good work done. That is a long cry from him before being upset with the money I have spent so far to get things going, so that helped!

And again all I want is to do things I love, one see my kids grow up first hand and be apart of it and make things I love for great people in my life and others.

I see this by opening a cute boutique with my friend Laura whom should be having kids soon and will be in the same predicament. Have the ability to work and create on our own time/working time within the shop, have my little "cobeman" (Jacoby) running around where he pleases in there under my supervision :) while I can come and go to bring my "monster" (Camryn) to school, dancing, soccer etc whenever she needs to or be home when they're sick like Camryn is today who is at home being nursed by Grandma and not me :(.

In end today, I've convinced myself and Laura to register for our first craft fair! We'll see which one we pick and where it goes from there :)