Like I needed one more thing to do with all the time I don't have...

With all the financial challenges, and with my Mr. getting ready to be taking a considerable pay cut, again...I've been trying to make the most of what little time I can find to do things, and do things that are helpful and productive, and possibly will bring in a little extra money.

While, looking through patterns online for something new to put up in the shop, I came across an ad for a transcription company. I have training in medical transcription, and I love to just sit and type, so I looked into it, although, I was of course a little apprehensive, as I usually am when something looks like I may enjoy it and it could be profitable :)

After some research, I decided it could work, I can surely find a few minutes to sit and listen and type, right? Yea yea I can.

I filled out the application, took the test and waited...unexpectedly very anxiously, like I was 16 again hoping that the manager at Friendly's would think I was good enough to be a hostess or server. It was weird.

I passed, and went on to the site, and started doing some little jobs that are available to all the new people, and went through them easily, and got perfect scores, and received an email saying I could access the next tier of jobs, because my work was so accurate and proper. I admittedly was way more excited than I should've been..I took a screenshot of the email, and immediately sent it to my Mr. and said "look, I'm so amazing I get to do the harder jobs!" It was a weird thing to see myself say..but I'll take any little accomplishment these days.

Mostly, I'm still sewing, but this is a nice little way to have a little money pop in on Mondays.

I am actually, working on a test pattern right now as well, for Annelaine Patterns. It's a super cute little dress. I think it's adorable, and it happens to be one of the easiest dresses I've ever made. Well, this particular style is, there is a scallop hem option that is worrying me a bit, so I didn't choose to do that one, I get crazy OCD with hems, and I feel like that would just have been too much for me to deal with, especially on a test. I made the long sleeve option, and it is adorable. I will also add, that if you don't have a serger, and you make clothing, you should seriously consider getting a serger if it is in your budget. I found mine for about $80 on a local facebook marketplace, and have really barely used it to it's full potential I'm sure, but for my bags and clothing...I am just not sure why I didn't try harder to get one sooner. It makes hemming so easy for me, and I love how the inside seams look now on the kids pajama pants and the shirts and dresses for my daughter. Definitely worth the $80.

Well, I think that's all my exciting news for now...I'm going to go get started sewing up some new bags, and hopefully I'll have more to write about soon :)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are all well and happy. Remember, to love your people, check in with those you might have lost touch with, remember everyone needs someone to check in and remind them they are important and loved.

Until next time, keep going, keep loving, keep breathing..one day at time..I will be too <3

I let my son with Tourettes use my sewing machine!

So I have 2 boys with Tourettes.

One is 16 the other just turned 12.

My 16 yr old is a more vocal Tourettes, and the 12 yr old is more physically ticky. So I was a bit nervous when he kept asking to sew. I mean I love him endlessly, but his arms tick a lot and I could only imagine him sewing something and his arm ticks and his finger gets under the needle and I freak out and then he freaks out and then there's blood everywhere and I decide to never let him in the sewing room (garage as it is better known hahaha) again....

But I did it...HE did it...He chose the fabrics, the zipper and decided how he wanted to make it!

He chose this awesome glow in the dark kitty astronaut fabric that I have been hoarding for a couple years now..afraid to cut too much off at once...you fabric crafters/quilters/sewers know exactly what I'm talking about...the rest of you probably think I'm a bit off...you're probably right, but not for this reason :)

He loves green so chose green lining and the only green zipper I had, even though he was notably disappointed that I didn't have a darker green zipper on hand haha...but as always, said "That's ok mama, this one is fine, I was just asking in case you had one because you have so many zippers".
No I do not have a problem hoarding sewing supplies I swear...I am really really good at collecting stuff :)

He wanted to hand sew first. So he did hand sew the zipper in then he top stitched the zipper on the machine, and then he machine stitched around it leaving the gap to turn the bag inside out, remembering to leave the zip half open inside even!

Then he hand sewed the gap in the bottom of his bag lining! He decided the blanket stitch was easier for him to do right now so that's what he did...and it looks fantastic! I'm posting a couple pics, and there's a video on the YouTube channel if you want to see the finished bag, and meet my wonderful boy :)

I am beyond proud. I can't believe how well he did, and how few ticks we saw while he was sewing...I hope you guys enjoy the video if you check it out.

I hope it inspires you to always try new things..no matter what you think makes it something you couldn't do. I learn that from my kids every day...They make me think, Hey I should try that new thing I've been thinking about...of course I end up getting side tracked and distracted into a whole nother project, but that's life right?

I'm gonna keep going, I'm gonna keep breathing, and everyday I'm gonna be thankful for all that I have and everyone that I love. I hope you will be too, because I'm thankful for you <3

See you next time!

Wow another weekend is gone already!!

I cannot believe how fast it seems like time is going this month!

I can't believe it is almost February! It's crazy.

My husband has been working days since he started at LG, after 15 years on 2nd shift with his last company. I really wasn't sure if I would like him being on 1st shift, but maybe that's why time is flying by so quickly.

I have been trying to get work done on designs, stitching up projects, and general life stuff with the kids of course. The weather has been pretty nice for this time of year as well, until yesterday. It rained allll day yesterday. Today we woke up to 30 degrees and some light snow on the ground. Nothing exciting really, just enough to make a mess, as it melts today and tomorrow.

This weekend was exciting in that my hubby came up with a new idea for me to work on for the shop. I mean, yea it's not like I don't have enough to do, but this seems exciting and I really can't wait to share it with you guys!

We were also talking about a Patreon page. I don't really know much about that idea yet, but I will be investigating and I'll post about it this week. I don't know that anyone would want to pay for any of my info/tutorial stuff since there is an entire interweb with soooo much endless free stuff...but my Mr says, hey we could try it, see how it goes...and he usually has really good ideas so I think I'll at least look into it.                                                                                                                           

  I did work up a sleep mask and a new bag design this weekend. I love the purse. I will tweak the strap design a little...maybe make it a cross body bag...and I really want to design some embroidery to liven up the outside. Or maybe I will just find a nice print canvas to use next time. But, hey that's why I stitch up test projects right? The kids are always fighting over everything I take in when I make something new, it's kinda funny.

The sleep mask is pretty spot on for a first run, I don't know if I want to put  them in the shop because I'm not confident about the elastic working for everyone. I cut it to 12.25 inches, and it is perfect for my head, and a just fits my 13 yr old, but I'm worried someone could get one and be unhappy if the elastic isn't tight enough OR too tight..so that will go in the desk drawer for now, I'll revisit that one later.

I love the purse. I love the lining and the pockets, and I even really like the stitch I did, I will do the handle differently, and I will also use some other outer fabrics, but overall I think that one is pretty good as well.

Please excuse the garage mess in the back of the pics, I grabbed some quick pictures while my daughter was out here since I moved my mannequin into the closet! I'm still trying to sort and organize all my stuff since I moved everything out here to give room in the kitchen for a dining table...I'm hoping in the next house I won't have to share my space with anyone/anything else...I might even build a secret door! haha

Let me know what you guys are working on, what kind of things you're doing and have planned for this year, or just say "hi"..I'd love to hear from you and hear how you guys are getting on. I'm here, keeping on, still breathing, and still going...I hope you are too! <3

What a wekend..

I have been holed up in my sewing area for a few days, kind of got lost I think. I started making a purely impulsive bag..no pattern, not for an order...just because. I got stuck at the almost finished state because I don't have the hardware on hand to finish it..probably because I didn't plan it..but whatever it's a great bag and I still think it's gonna be awesome...if I ever finish it.

Is that only me? I had crazy anxiety when I realized I didn't have the right size D rings/sliders to finish it. I kept thinking of ways I could "make it work". Of course, dismissing each of them because that's not what makes it right. So here I am. I've ordered the parts off amazon of course, and it should be here in the next month or so, they weren't on Prime. So that got folded and put on the "To Finish" shelf. A shelf that I'm sure not very many other people even have! I do though. I actually have a shelf that merely holds "recent" UFO's (unfinished objects, for those who may not know) and bins with the rest, randomly stored throughout the garage.  Since I had received 2 orders in the shop for 3 bags, I convinced myself it was ok to let that bag sit until the parts come. I hope I remember where it is when they do :)

I know January is a slow month in general. Even outside of my shop, it has always been the slowest month of the year to me. It's like it seriously never ends..how can the same amount of time seem like soooo much more? I know there are other months with 31 days but January...ugghhh! I am trying to keep myself busy this month and see if I can beat that feeling. This weekend went pretty fast, though, maybe there's a polar shift coming.

My Mr. worked all day Saturday, usually on Saturday if he even has to go in, it's only till after lunch. This time he stayed till a bit after 5, which is kinda good kinda meh..I mean yes any overtime is amazeballs, but until they get his pay scale adjusted, even overtime isn't what it should be. Plus, since he's had so much paid off time for the holidays, some of the overtime wasn't even really OT pay! Apparently, they have to have 40 hours worked, not just 40 hours paid, to get the time and a half pay for over 40 hours.

We were so excited when we first decided to change jobs. I think we are still excited for where it could go..just getting there from here..I'm hoping we aren't homeless before it changes.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have an amazing day! Let me know if your January goes by as slow as mine.

Until next time, even when it seems like things aren't changing, even if you feel like you just can't stand another day, even if it seems like the tears just won't stop....just keep breathing, just keep going, I do <3

A little fun

So I had some requests come in so I've been working on bags galore! So of course I should have expected (not should of expected; that drives me mad when I see it on social media!) that my thread would be running low...and it was definitely low...so I had a little game of thread chicken and posted it up to my fetal YouTube channel...literally my first post...I love YouTube and I have wanted to start uploading for years! 

My son has a channel and I whole heartedly encourage and support him but I've never been able to get anything up because I get too nitpicky and decide no video is ever good enough. 

So this time I just did it! No thinking, no screening or editing...trust me you'll know I'm not faking if you check out the video haha

Hopefully, it will grab a couple views and it will get me rolling with that as well. It's supposed to be tutorials for knitting and sewing/embroidery, so I guess we will see how it goes!

 If you wanna come along for the ride ( be sure to keep your hands in at all times, it may be a bit bumpy, unpredictable, and more than slightly chaotic) please check out my channel here.

If you like video games and want to check out my son's channel you can do that here.

He's 16, has Tourrettes and is thoroughly committed to his channel, so any views/likes/subs really get him totally chuffed!!