My Designer's Corner

Next Stocking ~ Feb 2nd at Wonderful World

This stocking promises to be special!  We're celebrating our namesake, the Louis Armstrong song, It's a Wonderful World! I will be stocking some medium and large trim fitteds as well as an amazing assortment of minkee and bamboo velour mama cloth.  And what about my Twilight Canoe Nighttime Fitteds?  Customers have been asking if and when I will be stocking these, there will be a few available too!  I am excited to be stocking with my fellow WAHMs, you do not want to miss this!

Here are a few previews, all with be available for purchase at Wonderful World on February 2nd at 8pm!

 

HC Spotlight ~ Elemental Muse

If you are a work at home mom like me (or dad) you know there are a million things you need to figure out and set up before opening up an online store.  It's never easy, and most go about it through trial and error.  Some are lucky to have online communities who can help, with forums and specific topics concerning opening up shop, but I've come across a work at home business that goes above and beyond!

Michelle at Elemental Muse just blows me away with what she has to offer for the budding WAHM and experienced business mama.  Just look at what she has to offer!  Her main focus is her hosting and design business.  I've experienced first hand some of Michelle's great customer service when I purchased a domain name with her help, and she set it up for me in less than a day :) .  I'm not computer savvy and it was sooo nice to have her set it up for me!

Michelle also chats and writes in her inspirational blog , here you'll find great ideas and lots of help for setting up and running your own business.  What's better than learning from a mom who's been there already?  Need more specific help?  Check this out, Michelle offers so much info and products here from setting up your own Hyenacart to managing your business newsletter (I'm so getting this one when I get the chance!).

What I love most is that she also blogs about Hyenacart, my personal favorite forum online :) .  Here she spotlights great work at home moms and gives helpful tips about our HC home.

Finally, this particular website calls to me and I cannot wait to read more.  Cleaning your home naturally can sometimes be tough, especially when we are surrounded by harsh chemical products lining up shelves after shelves in the supermarket.  We never really know which to choose (and most of the time we have this nagging feeling in the back of our mind warning us that maybe it's not such a good idea introducing another chemical into our home).  Yet we don't really know about the alternatives.  This website has it all!  Want to clean up rust stains?  Use baking soda and half a lemon.  Need to spruce up your dingy looking sink?  Just mix up ½ cup baking soda, ½ cup coarsely ground sage leaves, and ¼ cup ground rosemary leaves!  Seriously, how how can it be, just use what you have at home in your cupboards!

I'm personally thankful that Michelle is an active member on the HC boards as I can learn some pretty cool tips and tricks from her, and she's always there to help if ever we have a problem with our carts and whatnot.  I'm off to read more from her blog!

Custom order for 3 Élégance Classique Fitted Diapers

This custom order was truly a pleasure to work on, the mama who ordered is a sweetheart, I hope to work again with her in the future!  She requested 3 large fitted diapers with bamboo velour inner and outer, and 3 elegant decorative stitching designs.  Here they are!

I hope she will love these diapers!

In business news, my long awaited roll of organic bamboo cotton fleece arrived today.  The downside; It wasn't organic bamboo cotton but just regular organic cotton!  SO, called the company and they have shipped the right roll today, and I will be receiving it very early next week!  A mild delay but I do not have any orders waiting on this particular fabric that are supposed to be started this week.  A good thing to do is to plan for these situations so customers aren't kept waiting, which I am glad I did!

Customers have been asking me when I will be stocking next.  I am SUPER excited to say that my congo Wonderful World is having a very special stocking February 2nd at 8pm.  We are stocking with a theme this month, with the song What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.  Look for some AMAZING items from the talented women who are a apart of this congo, you do not want to miss this

I will also be stocking my own store The Cloth Canoe at the end of February.  It has already been a year since I started selling in my own cart on HC and I am ready to celebrate!  I will be collaborating with amazingly talented WAHMs.  Look for lotteries, deals and wonderful products!

More Twilights than you can stuff in a canoe!

I've been crazy busy with working on custom orders this past week!  I was lucky enough to have both kids take a nice long nap on Saturday, and on Sunday their grandparents took them for the day (thank you!!).  So, here is what I've been working on!

For Diane, we did a trade, I received an amazing pair of little felted mittens with matching hat, and she is getting a large Twlight Canoe with purple varigated Bikes stitching.

For a wonderful customer from the board Diaper Swappers a medium Lilypad Twilight, a Large purple camper vans Twilight, a natural bamboo velour Trim fitted with varigated green leaves stitching, and a half dozen each of minkee liners and heavy pads!

For Robin, a custom Twilight with simple leaves decorative stitching...

And for Teresa, a custom Premium Minkee bamboo velour prefold...

It's been a very busy weekend indeed!  There are a few surprises not listed too :) .

After the new year I've been meaning to get right back into it, but haven't had the chance much with my husband working so much away from home.  Now that he had a few days off and the inlaws took the chance to visit with the kids, I got to hide in my studio, listening to MY music for a change and rocking at the sound of my sewing machine purring away.  Knock on wood but WOW did it ever perform well (for what I paid for it it darn well should too!).  And the serger did not hiccup and act up either, hehee.  Hurray for a wonderful weekend sewing and getting these custom orders to my customers earlier than planned!

Stocking 1 Valentine's fitted diaper tonight!

When it comes to diapers, I am not one to make anything holiday related, like Valentine's Day or Canada Day or even Easter.  But this knit print was calling to me, I had to make a few fitteds with it!  The medium fitted is a slight second due to me not being 100% satisfied with the stitching on one wing, but it does not affect function, and I'm sure this diaper will serve a child this Valentine's Day.  I am stocking it tonight Thursday on my Hyenacart, it has been reduced accordingly.  Maybe it'll be an addition to your stash?

 

HC Highlight ~ The Felted Sheep

Wow, talk about some awesome woolies!!  I'm partial to wool, as we use it for covers over our fitted diapers, and since I started knitting I am always on the lookout for yarn & accessories.

Check out The Felted Sheep, doesn't she make wonderful items??  I love her felted purses, as well as her felted brooches.  Kelsey lives in Alaska, and loves working at home while taking care of her son, even if she used to to work as an Architectural Drafter.  She now spins and dyes her own yarn.

  Look at this yarn!!

Kelsey also sells on Etsy and blogs here.  This mama's got talent, anyone who can spin their own yarn and make such wonderful art get my vote :) .

The first diapers of 2008!

I'm back to work full-time after the holiday season!  Here are 2 matching fitteds I've made today, using Heather Ross' Gnomes on Blue & Super Dots Red & Orange

I've got to say my fave is the Super Dots!

Inner of both fitteds ~ Bamboo Velour with organic bamboo cotton, and extra soaker backed with matching Heather Ross print.

  How fun are these prints??  Of course, I like anything in pairs and had to make 2 to match :) .

Welcome 2008!

To start off the new year, a wonderful group of WAHMs (work at home moms) and I have put together a list of stores from Hyenacart, and we will be featuring 1-2 stores per week in our blogs.  This gives us a chance to feature amazing products and the moms/dads behind them!  There is so much talent on Hyenacart, I cannot wait to start sharing the artisans with you! 

This week, I'm happy to share a few items with you from Teri at www.hyenacart.com/TheEnchantedNursery!  Teri started her business in the year 2002, and she has customers all over the world, including Canada, Australia and the UK.  I just love what she offers, one being cloth diapers of all kinds (this one is my fave of hers instock)

...As well as organic herbs for teas and baths, mama cloth, and a new product of hers ~ Night Owls wool nighttime diapers.  Love her choice of colors!

Teri sells her wares on her own HC (link above) as well as at www.yinia.com, www.necessitae.com and a few boutiques.  I encourage you to check out her store, I for one will be buying some organic lavender buds from her soon, I have been looking everywhere for some and am so glad to see Teri is offering these on her HC!