Pondering, Projects and Pups

It's been a finishing frenzy in the Blue Ribbon Designs studio the last few weeks. The needlework finishing orders and custom bag orders keeping rolling in, keeping my work queue overflowing (a blessing). I have been working on a variety of creative endeavors, including: needlework finishing, custom sewing, custom quilting, and freelance designing.

Keeping it real - I feel extremely blessed to be creative on a daily basis, but I must admit, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and frustrated - it's hard to believe that something that can bring me so much joy can also leave me feeling empty and unappreciated....I try to always be positive on my blog, but today has been a challenging day. I am going to take a good look at my pricing and my policies and may be making some notable changes. Needlework finishing is extremely time consuming and the materials are costly - I find many don't want to pay for my time or expect my labor to be pennies an hour. So, time to give this all some thought and make some decisions. What do you think is fair to charge for professional/quality needlework finishing? What do you expect from a professional finisher? Do you have an opinion? - if so, leave it in the comments or send me an e-mail - I would love to hear some thoughts on the subject!

Enough pondering for this post... Here is a picture trail of some needlework finishing projects from the last week...again, these are not my designs or stitching - these are just photos of my finishing work...

Lastly, by popular demand, here are several photos of the kids...the last one is a photo taken by the window in my studio...they have definitely become best friends...

February, Finishing, and Friendship

I blinked and February was gone...in fact, the entire last month has been a whirlwind. Things have been humming along in my studio...I've been stitching a couple more new magazine models, doing all sorts of needlework finishing, sewing custom bag orders, and quilting...plus, I designed and created another fun new sample for AccuQuilt last week. My studio is overflowing with creative projects, which is such a blessing!

Although things have been a little hectic here, I am hoping for a little break, as we dropped Garin (our German Shepherd puppy) off for formal training this past weekend - he will be gone at puppy boot camp for the next three months. It is a big mix of emotions, as I  miss him already...but I know his obedience and command training will be stellar upon his return (he is getting the same training Schatzi received as a puppy). Truth be told, I needed some time to get caught up on work deadlines and projects, as Garin seemed to be a full-time job (as any GSD puppy owner will tell you!)....but I am already missing him desperately and will be counting the days until May 19th when he returns home.

I also celebrated my birthday in February and was able to enjoy a lovely lunch with two dear friends. I received some incredible gifts (that I will share in a future post) - lots of creative, stitching, sewing, and quilting gifts - my favorite! To everyone who sent me wishes via mail, e-mail, and social media - thank you - my heart is full.

Today's photo inspiration is a selection of needlework finishing I recently completed for a wonderful friend and customer...she trusts me to finish her pieces however I see fit, so each piece is a joy to work on - I get to be creative and finish each piece as I would my own. Just a note - these images do not depict my stitching or my designs, just my finishing work....

"Be Rich in Good Deeds" by Little House Needleworks 

"F is for Friend" by Heartstring Samplery (Special Club Kit from The Silver Needle)

"Traveling Stitcher" by Little House Needleworks
Pre-made Pouch and Needlebook from Elegant Stitch

 “Be My Friend” by the Scarlett House (Special Club Kit from The Silver Needle)

Finally today - here is the last photo I took of Garin when we dropped him off in Minnesota...but don't worry, we will be receiving weekly updates with photos and videos while he is at puppy training camp!

Time Limits and Tail Waggers

It is a cool, quiet morning and while Garin is having a much needed timeout in his kennel, I thought I would clear my head. Whew! - what a crazy few weeks it has been...I'm actually a little speechless. Garin is a smart, fun, and lovable addition to our family - but WOW - he sure keeps me on my toes - you can't leave him alone...not even for one minute. So, of course (Murphy's law), my husband was informed he has to be out of town for work until Christmas...perfect timing, NOT...did you just hear my deep (VERY deep) sigh...yeah, I'm not thrilled. Trying to balance my workload and daily life chores/events with a very active puppy is quite challenging - I have to work in spurts when he is in the kennel, which for me is not ideal...so there is not a lot of sleep happening here...and let's face it, there is asbolutely no time for me....and preparing for the holidays is basically non-existent. So, last week, I made a simple decision - I'm cancelling Christmas this year - yep, it's not happening - on my calendar, Christmas 2017 doesn't exist. I like to make 95% of my gifts, and well, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Friends and family, you are reading correctly - if I happen to be on your holiday list, your list just got shorter - please take me off...see, I'm helping you out too - your shopping/creating list just got shorter! If you are a good friend or longtime reader of my blog, then you know, I have terrible "gift guilt" - I am not good at receiving gifts if I can't reciprocate - seriously, I am the worst. Right now, I just really want/need to focus on my clients and make sure each and every one is happy and taken care of...and to be honest, even that is a challenge - but it WILL happen! So, in an effort to make my life less stressful, I'm lightening my load - bye, bye Christmas - see you in 2018....and you know what - it feels great to put that out in the universe and cross it off my list.

Now that my load is slightly lighter, let me share what has been happening in the studio when I am not on puppy duty. Last week and this week, I have been on a project bag frenzy - you heard me right - it has been zippers, zippers, and more zippers in the studio....more orders were shipped out today and the piles are starting to almost look manageable - if I have received fabrics from you, your bags are in progress!  I will be busy cutting and preparing the next several bag orders this afternoon during Garin's afternoon kennel session...I am working in the order received...last count, I had seventeen project bag orders left to complete (each with multiple bags)...and my goal is to get as many done this week as absolutely possible. I have also been sneaking in more Stitch Starter Ruler Sleeve Sets for my Etsy shop when time allows (extra special thanks to those who have shared my rulers and sleeves on Flosstube - you helped me sell out quickly and I am busy restocking)...I have a huge pile of ruler sleeves cut and ready to sew, and each time I change thread colors to sew bags, if the color matches any of the sleeves, I sew a few up. Next week is reserved for needlework finishing - I have quite a bit to get done before the holidays - so that will be my focus. Again, thank you to everyone for being patient with my turnaround time during this busy holiday season!

Canines and Creativity

Garin - 10-weeks old - 16 pounds

Where did the last month go?? I usually don't miss an entire month of blogging...but I was preparing for puppy...it's not an excuse, it's just reality. I was trying to accomplish as much of my workload as possible before Garin joined our family. I was doing all sorts of needlework finishing, project bag creating, custom designing, and quilting/sewing...knowing that as soon as this fluffy little GSD joined our household, work time would be limited for a week or two (or twenty!).

My holiday finishing/sewing/quilting deadline passed on October 15th...and I am blessed (and a little overwhelmed) to have tables of work to complete before Christmas. Thank you to all my fabulous, loyal customers! Right now, there are 53 holiday needlework finishing items, over 100 project bags, and a pile of custom sewing/quilting pieces...plus a couple design projects lined up on my studio counter...and all those are the "I need these back before the holiday projects" - there are countless others (a HUGE note of gratitude to my patient clients!), all logged in and dated and needing my attention...yes, I will be keeping busy.

This week has pretty much been a lost cause - my husband is out of town again, so I am on solo puppy duty (I forgot how needy/insane Schatzi was as a puppy!)...plus I have been fighting the annual fall head cold and losing the battle. I get small amounts of time to myself when Garin is in his kennel (as he is right now)...and we are outside every 30-45 minutes for house training. So far, he is learning pretty quickly - but I definitely have my hands full. He is teething and everything (I mean everything) on his level is fair game...I need a new set of eyes in the back of my head - if he is alone for even one minute, he can do some major damage (don't let that cute face fool you!). At night, I set an alarm for four hours after he is in the kennel and I am in bed, so we can venture outside - and so far no messes in the kennel - although, I am definitely not sleeping well. He is getting used to his kennel and the whining/crying is subsiding - thank goodness, as it breaks my heart. Schatzi is being a GREAT big sister - she is playing well and sharing all her "stuff" with the puppy...and Garin is copying everything she does and following her around all day long. Yep - it's all the normal stuff that one can expect when they add a puppy to the household. Luckily, my husband will be home Monday morning and will start dog duties, so I can get in a few solid days of work before his next business trip...and hopefully the head cold will be subsiding by then!

For today's creative eye candy, here are a few images of (just a few) sewing/quilting projects I completed in the last month in my attempt to have a handle on things before Garin arrived...I will share some beautifully stitched needlework finishes in my next post...

I'll be back when I can get another moment of quiet time...I have some really fun cross stitch pieces to share (not my stitching, just my finishing work). Thank you for visiting today and I will "see" you again soon....