I tend to be a pushover to inertia; when I'm working, I keep working and find it difficult to stop. And when I'm not working... well, I tend to have a really hard time overcoming that inertia hump and starting back up again.
calling to me...
Of course, I love my work and have a visceral need to be creative, but I also really needed that break. Sure, my shop is still up and I've been slowly working on some readymade things to fill it (and I still have some very delinquent things to finish for some very gracious and forgiving friends) but it's really my custom work that sells. And so I really haven't sold anything. And, it turns out, I can't make any money hanging out with my kids and organizing my house.
I am not really a fan of money. I wish we could all barter for what we need and not have to think about money. But, alas, there are bills to pay and children to feed and clothe and deck out in silly bands and the silly band peddler isn't interested in my work.
The mister and I have been thinking a lot about how we can live well with little money. We're firm believers in the idea of right livelihood (which I talked about a little bit
here), doing and making as much for ourselves as we can and "working" (for money) only as much as we need to, doing things that we love and care about or at least don't hate. Skye is really starting to feel burnt out on carpentry (mostly physically, but also a bit psychologically) and I've been feeling more and more determined to actively contribute to our family's income.
Priorities.
So it's time for me to get back to work.
Seriously. I'm ready to jump right in but I'll have to take it slow at first. I don't have much time with the kids home for the summer but I'll make it work. Thinking about starting up custom orders again has me thinking more about money and the sustainability of my business and I realize I really need to rethink my prices and make sure I am charging enough. The reality is that I have been charging far too little for some of my work (even though it can seem like a lot, I know!).
I'm working on a system of pricing that will make things more manageable for me and fair for all. It's based on lots of choices and hopefully there will be something for everyone and options that everyone can afford.
The idea is this: Books will be priced according to their length, the complexity of the images on each page, embroidery and cover style. There is a base price for each book length and then everything else is รก la carte. This actually doesn't change book prices too drastically--in fact there will now be some even more affordable options--it will simply mean that the more complicated images that take so much time to make (but are so cool!) will be priced accordingly.
I'll be back on Friday with some concrete numbers for all of this and will spend the weekend listing some custom options in the shop. Stay tuned!
even without a baby to give this to I couldn't pass this up
I love to find old bits of patchwork!
pretty blue enameled bowl
old school ice cream scoop
too funny to pass by
makes me want to bake, even in this heat
some special little touches
I've been wanting something pink for our home so I painted this stool for my workspace
Goofing around with Trixie on Monday
Though this heat is making me consider relocating to Northern Canada our near daily trips to the lake have helped us cope.
Rainwater + paint roller + lawn furniture = hours of fun on Wednesday
Nothing like a cleaned up sewing space to inspire me.
Friday night sleepover!
After considering this piece on our last several visits to our local junk shop I finally fell in love and brought it home on Saturday.
never used and super cute
building our musicals collection
we can never have enough of these babies, especially at 10¢ a piece
a good pile of these comes in handy when the epic birthday parties roll around each year
I'm developing a thing for hex signs
that little framed piece is no larger than 3" square
Roscoe, Lyric and Trixie snack time on Monday
an overnight at Grammy's on Tuesday (while I did some major paper-purging)
some cuddle time with my favorite boy on Wednesday
bubble blowing after errands on Thursday
picking up the girl at camp on Friday--she didn't want to leave!
some sweet treasures found thrifting on Saturday
our big monthly cleaning day on Sunday (Lyric would rather read)
Simple: These are straighforward images composed of 2 or less pieces and easy to cut and sew.
Medium: These are images that are composed of 3 or more pieces or are more intricate to cut and sew.
Complex: These are either super custom images or very intricate images with lots of detail and/or embroidery.
for the kids
to stay hydrated
some pretty things I couldn't pass up ;)
calling to me...
I am not really a fan of money. I wish we could all barter for what we need and not have to think about money. But, alas, there are bills to pay and children to feed and clothe and deck out in silly bands and the silly band peddler isn't interested in my work.
The mister and I have been thinking a lot about how we can live well with little money. We're firm believers in the idea of right livelihood (which I talked about a little bit here), doing and making as much for ourselves as we can and "working" (for money) only as much as we need to, doing things that we love and care about or at least don't hate. Skye is really starting to feel burnt out on carpentry (mostly physically, but also a bit psychologically) and I've been feeling more and more determined to actively contribute to our family's income.
Priorities.
I'm working on a system of pricing that will make things more manageable for me and fair for all. It's based on lots of choices and hopefully there will be something for everyone and options that everyone can afford.
I'll be back on Friday with some concrete numbers for all of this and will spend the weekend listing some custom options in the shop. Stay tuned!
On Monday I painted some thrifted pieces to add to our home, including this side table and sweet little shelf.
On Tuesday my friend Oli brought over this amazing piece of his work in trade for watching his dog, Mia. She's selling more pieces here.
On Wednesday I finished the kid room re-do. I painted the walls white and the top portion of the brick bright green and Skye built Lyric a real bed.
The kids came home on Wednesday night and on Thursday we spent a good spell at the local water hole in a vain attempt to escape from the heat.
...and Friday, too.
Saturday morning was spent thrifting and in the afternoon we got everything ready for Lil to go to sleep away camp.
Here she is at camp on Sunday! The camp looks AWESOME and she's with a bunch of her friends, but she was still really sad to see us go. I can't wait to hear all about it on Friday!
