Website is Up and Running!

I have been thinking about it and wanting it for a while, - and now it's a reality: my website offering model - and ghost - stitching services is up and running!

Love of Stitching

This site is a natural - progression? - of my stitching bug that just can't keep quiet and keep itself at home, and wants to go out and find work. :)

My DH Joe has been so supportive through time - and not just about this site, but about my every interest. I remember some ten years ago, when we both had full time jobs, I said jokingly how I would love to get paid for my stitching - that way my office would be at home... He answered, "Go for it!" I smirked and said something like, "right, there are so many people out there just dying to pay me for sitting in the chair and making pretty pictures with thread." To which he said, "You'd be surprised!"
So I found Etsy web site and opened my store. Although I do not make a lot from it - definitely not enough to support a family - yet, working on projects for people who appreciate my craft is its own reward. Getting paid for it is an additional thrill. :P.
I do hope that this new venture will be successful and that I will be able to meet more people that share my interests - passions, when it comes to stitching. Keeping my fingers crossed - and, please, you do the same for me... and then go and visit my page and let me know what you think.. and, of course, if you know anyone who may be in need of a ghost stitcher - let them know that I exist and am very happy to help.

Stitching my Way to Happiness

The Way to Happiness is the name of a 5-week long Stitch-a-long project that was finished - oh, some time ago... but I finished it just yesterday. Here it is.

As one can plainly see, the only thing one has to do to be happy is to become a saint. That's all that is required. Sarcasm aside, I did enjoy stitching this piece - very easy flowing, pleasant, with enough details not to get boring, yet, at the same time, without excessive number of threads or frequent changes... In short - perfect SAL!
Usually I do not make changes to original patterns, but this time I felt daring (is that the word?). Originally, the house had empty windows and door, and it looked to me a bit fake, like a cardboard box with a drawing. Same could be said about the table cloth- originally the "cloth" area was empty. So, I changed it: filled in the door, put in windows, and - filled in the table cloth.

When working on the windows, I was watching Harry Potter movies - can you see the influence? :)
The cloth looks a bit "ruffled" after the modification.
The pattern was borrowed from a wonderful website www.jardinprive.com - it's a great source of free patterns, and this particular project is available in several languages.
On another note, one thing I did not enjoy in this process was taking pictures of the finished work - because of frustrations with my camera. The more I use it, the more I get lost in all the options. I think maybe I need to start looking for something less advanced, without quite as many buttons, just a machine that can focus and use flash.
Almost forgot- I wanted to show another finished project called "Blueberry Dessert" by a wonderful Russian designer Valeria Antonova of NeoCraft. I finished this kit about a month ago, and I still have two more kits to complete.

"Blueberry Dessert"

I love stitching. It's what I do best, it's what I'd rather do with most of my (free) time. If I could turn it into a full time work, I would do it in a heartbeat. This is why  I decided it was time to get my own webpage offering my stitching services to those interested. My husband, who, among many things, is a web designer, offered to help me with setting it up. I finally picked the template, chose the pictures, and now the only thing I have left is to write an About page. What could be easier? Ah, no... somehow whatever I think of writing does not seem... professional enough. "I am a wife, mother, and stitcher"? " I like cross stitch, how about you?" I don't know, everything just becomes a mess in my head and comes out... wrong.

Business-like thoughts

At the beginning of the school year my daughters came home from school with "exciting" news: their field trips are no longer sponsored through school, they can only go if they collect enough money - through fundraising. Fundraising is not my favorite activity: I firmly believe that children go to school to prepare for college, not to acquire rudimentary selling skills. So, fundraising was a "no."
Instead, I made a different deal with my children: for every item I sell on Etsy (at my online store), I donate $1 to their class, cash. That way, everything I gave to school would actually go to the classroom, and, additionally, it would not put a squeeze on our already overstretched budget - since the money comes out of the profits.
Well, it's time to pay up. As of today, I have made my 11th sale on Etsy. In addition to that, I have sold some items on Tophatter - an auction site for anything and everything, handmade and not. My children have earned about $20 - fair and square.
Of course, for many people out there 20 sales is not much. I see shops on Etsy that have hundreds and thousands of sales. But - for me it's a milestone. A good start. Something to hope for. And - a way to contribute to my kids' classrooms without having to buy things I don't need. In the times of financial strain, every (seemingly) little thing makes a big difference.

For the Love of Stitching is still developing and taking shape. It will be a while before I can call a business in the official way. But every new visit, every new sale, every suggestion brings it closer to the goal. Please visit and let me know what you think. All feedback is appreciated, and constructive criticism is welcome.

Blankets and Biscornus

Happy Sunday to all! And not just a Sunday - a Hermit Stitching Sunday Weekend, as I found out from Chris't post. Makes me think of hot tea and sweet pastries... and stitching, of course!

As for stitching - I have been doing a lot of it lately, and even selling some, thanks to online auctions. Here's the new biscornu I stitched just the other day.

Starting a business (if what I am doing can even be called that) proves interesting, but very different from what they show in movies or even teach in business classes. When they talk of "business" in class, I imagine an office with computers, printers, and office workers. Business plans, advertisements, lawyers...

I think, though, this idea is based on the experience of an employee, someone who comes to work at already established place. Any new business starts with you knowing how to make something. Then, after making it for a while, you say, "I can make it really well! I wonder if I can do it for ____ (insert anything of value, essentially - not for free)". Then you try to find some people that might buy the thing you make- through social outlets, web sites, acquaintances, friends, family... anyone and anything that is available.

Advertisement campaign is just a fancy name for a person going from one place to another - be it physical or virtual - asking: "Want to buy what I made?" So, that's what I do now. Thanks to Internet, I don't actually have to go door to door, but just post my pictures online, and thanks to online auctions, occasionally I make a little money. Is that how other business people start? I think so, although I do not have any definite proof. Well, maybe I do - there's a story I heard on the radio about a man who had to borrow $25 a week from his secretary and who was always broke - until his idea became famous and popular. Once it did, he made his dreams come true and married that secretary, and they lived happily ever after. His name was Walt Disney.

One day my dreams will come true. In a way, they already are - I am making something real, something that will leave a memory of me. That brings comfort to my heart.

Speaking of comfort.... 

Nothing brings comfort like a crochet blanket.

No Coffee, No Company...

Over the past three weeks, I have been working near the town center. In the afternoon, during my lunch hour, I usually go to Rite Aid, pick up something to eat, and then go over to the coffee shop for a cup of hot cider or tea. My schedule is always the same, day in and day out, and I find particular comfort in its predictability.
However, today was different. After making my usual stop at the Rite Aid, I went over to the coffee shop. No sooner did I find a seat, the barrista asked me if I wanted anything. I said not just yet, and opened my snack. No more than a minute later another gentleman came up from behind the coffee counter and asked me if I wanted anything. When I once again said "not now, thanks," he announced to me that what they had here was a place of business, and if I did not plan to buy anything, I should not be sitting there.
Ironically, the name of the coffee shop is "Coffee and Company." It seems that, if you don't pay for their coffee, they don't want your company...
Later in the day, after work, I witnessed the same attitude from a coffee stand owner at the library, this time towards somebody else. A young boy was standing by the counter looking at drinks and sandwiches. The owner asked him if he wanted to buy anything. When he said no, she told him not to stand there.
While I understand that we all have to make a living, I can't stop thinking that the attitude of all these sales people is just plain rude! Nothing, not even financial stress and poor economy, can excuse this rude behavior. Besides, it is during the harder times when one's true colors show. It turns out that behind these barristas' friendly smiles, behind all the comfy and cozy decor there is nothing but commercial interest.
Merry Christmas!  

A Dollar a Stitch? Or not...

It looks like my dreams are starting to come true (oh-oh, beware what you wish for :) . Often I used to say, " I wish I could find a job that would pay me for sitting in my chair and cross-stitching." Well, I went on Etsy Alchemy recently, placed some bids on the embroidery and cross stitch work that needed to be done, and.... (take a deep breath) two of my offers were accepted! I have been paid to stitch - now that's exciting, it may even signal a career turn for me... well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, says my other, less excitable half of the brain. We'll see what happens.

On the other hand, Headstart just informed me that they are cutting down on expenses and use their substitutes "only when absolutely necessary," so that just may be an opportunity to make a name for myself in stitching and embroidery. Who knows? As my cousin told me, "today you make six bucks - tomorrow it may be six hundred..." All in good time.

Speaking of bucks (these green pieces of paper that make all of our lives so interesting), they come up in my mind when I place my bids. Somebody told me that I have to calculate how much my time is worth, how long it would take me to complete a project, and set my price based on that. But, I thought, if they did not pay me anything, I would be stitching at home for free - it's what I do... The only difference is - now I do it for someone else other than myself. So, right now I am just making sure that I do not put out any extra expenses - as long as the shipping and supplies are covered, I look for "what's fair" and always try to put "price is negotiable." I mean, if I wanted a custom item made, I would not be able to pay 100+ dollars for it, even if it took an artisan two whole days to make it.

So, for now I've got my "stitching orders" and am ready to start. I hope that there will be more opportunities like that in the future...