Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Greetings from Kansas

Hello from Kansas! Just a quick update while the garage door openers are being professionally installed...and then I am off to pick-up Schatzi and Garin from the kennel.

MOVING UPDATE: We left West Des Moines early Monday morning, once we knew everything was good for the closing and headed to Kansas. Although we put the majority of our belongings in storage PODS that will be arriving tomorrow and Monday, we had our Jeeps loaded up with necessities, along with a U-Haul trailer - Travis had the trailer and I had both dogs...it was quite the trip! We dropped off the dogs for boarding and spent Monday night in a hotel getting everything in line with our new house and closing Tuesday morning. All of the documentation was taken care of yesterday and we arrived to our new home in the early afternoon. I was able to go to the local post office and get everything set-up for receiving mail - thank goodness for Google Maps - then I spent the afternoon/evening getting the necessities unloaded and unpacked. With the majority of our belongings arriving over the next week, we are trying to get as many odds and ends done before the craziness starts...

BLUE RIBBON DESIGNS UPDATE: I have my business license in Kansas and paperwork has all been filed. YAY! Next Monday, the storage POD with all of my studio and warehouse items will arrive and I will do my best to get everything put away and be somewhat ready for shipping/receiving orders late next week. It is going to be quite the job to build all the warehouse shelving and get things organized, but once that is complete, I will get the website and Etsy shop turned back on. My goal is to ship distributor and shop orders sometime next week. If you are a current client - I will be sending an e-mail to you with details regarding sewing/finishing/quilting orders. Please be patient just a little while longer while I unpack everything and I hope to be up and running by April 22nd (well that is my plan, barring any complications). Thank you again for your patience during this transition - Wifi may not be available in our area for possibly a couple months, so my response time may delayed...I will do my best to keep in touch!

Leaving our Iowa home...bittersweet....

Arriving at our new home in Spring Hill, KS...beautiful day and
green grass (the sod is taking well)....

New front door - the personalized welcome mat was gift from
our realtor (the first personal touch)....

Our backyard backs up to a farmer's fence and field...this is the first
cow to walk up and say hello to me...yep, this is now what I see
out my back windows...we'll see how the dogs like the cows!

Another lovely gift from our realtor - we will have to find a place for it...
and yes, it is laying on my beautiful new hardwood floors...

I want to thank everyone from our old neighborhood that helped with the move (heavy lifting and therapy sessions across the street). I also want to thank everyone who has sent us words of encouragement and kindness - I truly appreciate it. Finally, to those who placed an order for my first Norwex show - THANK YOU SO MUCH! - I had a great show and I appreciate you.

For now - I'm off to pick-up the dogs and get them acclimated to the new house/yard...plus I have a million errands to run - Google Maps is going to be busy today.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

It's All Happening...

Happy Tuesday readers! I am checking in today before the next couple weeks are monopolized by the move. We are set to close on our house in Iowa on Monday (less than a week), then I am headed to Kansas with the dogs to close on our new home next Tuesday...yes, you heard me correctly...in a week, we will be ready to move into our new house. I am finally starting to get a wee bit excited (how could I not be with that view - the red arrow points to our house and shows our fabulous backyard "farm" view)...I was actually in the Kansas City area over the weekend...picking out window coverings and appliances and seeing the Spring Hill area...we drove by the local quilt shop (it's only a couple miles from our house) and stopped at the dog kennel where we will be boarding our fur babies. As a bonus, I made my first trip ever to IKEA (yes, there is an IKEA close by) and made a shopping list of items that we will pick-up in the coming weeks. It was a whirlwind trip, but quite productive. Today, I cleaned the garage and storage shed and packed some of the last boxes - I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel...but I know I will have my work cut out for me unpacking and settling into the new house and area.

I am hoping to have Blue Ribbon Designs back up and running by the end of April...I will be sending an e-mail to my current clients with details as soon as they are available. I will definitely post when I am taking orders and opening my Etsy and website stores...you will only have to be patient a tiny bit longer. I can't wait to get back to work - designing, sewing and filling orders! We spent some time at the new house over the weekend and I have a plan for my office, studio and warehouse.

I personally want to thank those of you who placed an order for my first Norwex party and/or shared about your experiences and favorite products - thanks to you, I am able to start building my collection...a couple more orders and I should be able to reach my goal (a mop - yes, I have hardwood floors, along with lots of tile in the new house - I know it is a lofty goal, but the mop is at the top of my wish list!). I have been so thrilled with the few products I have and I can't wait to try more. The Pet Towel has been a lifesaver during the terrible weather this past Midwest winter and is now saving me with all of the rain...I am so thankful I have one for each dog! My party is still going on for a couple more days, so if you are just seeing this and would like to help me out, you can place an order for my online party and/or view a catalog, by visiting this link:
http://carmenjacobsen.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/party/3651994
I truly appreciate it...and if you have any questions or favorite products to tell me about, please comment below!!

Last but not least - here is the last quilt I completed before I started packing for the move - I titled it "Pineapples and Prickly Pears"...I designed the pattern and made the sample for AccuQuilt a few months ago. It uses the new(er) GO! Pineapple 10" Finished Cutting Die. I really enjoyed designing and creating this quilt and see more pineapple style quilts in my future.




I'm looking forward to getting back to work in a few weeks and creating projects that bring me joy! I have so many lists and ideas, it will be hard to choose where to start...and my beloved sewing machine is finally back from the repair shop (yay!), so I plan to start bonding with her as soon as I can...

For now - I hope you can be patient with me while we travel to Kansas and the dust settles from the big move - I will be back here to visit with you as soon as I can!