Cottage Industry

So while I haven't been able to get much sewing done this summer, I have certainly thought a lot about it. I am going to have my first 'vendor' experience though. I saw in the local pennysaver that a school in my area was having a fundraiser. It's a different autism school from the one that bubs attended, but I figured my first foray into craft selling might be a little easier if I was around my autism peeps. My sister is going to sell her jewelry too, she purchased a table as well. Even if I don't sell anything, it will all be for a good cause. It will be on October 2nd.

I really wanted to do it, not so much to make money because I am learning that it's somewhat impossible to make any doing this. When you purchase materials retail and then spend hours sewing them yourself, it's not really to get rich. For that you need lead paint and sweat shops, I think. For the most part I am doing it for the thrill, for the joy of making things and the even greater joy of people wanting to pay hard earned monies for the stuff I make. So I sent in my check. Then I started to freak out. I have been squeezing in a little creating time as of late and my inner voices are pretty harsh. I find it best to just keep plugging along and trying my best. Then I must leave the projects in the room and go and do something else. When I come back things look better as if little elves came and cut away all the loose threads. Hey, it's not brain surgery and it's not really a big deal if no one buys any of it (although it would be cool if they did). Worse case scenario is that I have a store room of ready made (with love) gifts.

I am excited though. I remember as a little girl I would always try and make stuff to sell to stores. When I was really young I made little miniature food out of clay and I sold them to a local dollhouse store. When I was in high school, I created these little tchotzkes called 'uncannies' where in I took a crushed soda can and painted it to look like a person. I made cheerleaders and football players and I got a local gift store to buy a few. I once went to someones birthday party in high school and someone got them one of my cans as a present. So the entrepreneurial spirit is part of my being. It's more of a 'you like me, you really like me' kind of thing, as opposed to a 'money money give me money' kind of gig.

Maybe it's part of me trying to get my mojo back. I am going to be going back to teaching in some form or another, but this adventure is different. It could be filed under 'personal growth' maybe? I don't know. All I know is right now I have not much to sell and as soon as that bus pulls away on Thursday morning, I will be sewing away like a madwoman. Inventory. I need inventory....

I dabbled in matryoshka dolls. They are very in on the etsy scene. They along with toadstools, gnomes and hedgehogs are the trend for crafty gals. I thought they looked like bowling pin dolls, but I was pleasantly surprised when my husband saw them and said 'they look like those Russian nesting dolls'. So they passed the first test. I haven't decided what the second test will be yet.

This is a little kidlet tote that I made for bubs' friend's graduation party. I thought it came out cute, although it does have it's issues but it was a gift and gifts don't have to be perfect. They are made with love. And love doesn't care if your seams are wonky and your handle was too long and needed to be chopped and sewn back together.

So this is where I am at these days. Maybe I will be so busy sewing that I will forget to eat. Wouldn't that be lovely?