Life in Kansas...

Greetings friends - happy Tuesday! I needed a little break from the studio this afternoon and thought I would stop by for a visit. I am starting to feel a little more settled in Kansas and I thought I would share just a bit of what I have been up to the last few weeks.

Creatively - I have been sewing daily - working on customer orders and items for my Etsy shop (all of the bags you see have been listed and some are still available), client finishing (photos will be in a future post) and model stitching new cross stitch designs in the evenings. The creativity is keeping me in my happy place while I adjust to the move.

The sewing room is unpacked and mostly organized - still a work in progress - I have a sewing studio upstairs and a warehouse, cutting room, supply storage and shipping area in the basement. My new sewing room has a nice walk-in closet, of which I am taking full advantage - the shelving is great for supplies and bolts of fabrics/fusibles/stabilizers/batting (I also have additional shelving for these in the basement)...and I found a great new way to store my abundance of zippers by utilizing the clothing bars, loose leaf rings and binder clips - it works wonderfully! Plus, we now live near an IKEA (bonus!) and I finally have my first RÅSKOG Utility Cart, which I adore - I only *need* a few dozen more (a girl can dream).

I also made a trip to the local quilt shop in our new small town of Spring Hill called The Quilted Sunflower - and what a wonderful trip it was! The LQS is located on historic Main Street, which has a nice assortment of quaint shops (reminds me of a smaller Valley Junction). The owner is incredibly friendly and upbeat and made me feel at home immediately...and the shop has a lovely assortment of current fabrics, projects and ideas - it is definitely a positive and inspiring environment. I can't wait until things are a bit more settled here, so I can spend more time there - right now, I am still trying to find a balance.

Quite a few things have happened on the new house front...

We FINALLY have Internet service - who knew how much we would miss it...and it will make my job so much easier!

The new shades (upstairs) and shutter blinds (main floor) have at long last arrived and been installed - wow...having window treatments sure makes a difference - I am so happy with our choices - the shutter blinds are fabulous. I wanted classic window treatments without cords or cables that would be easy to operate and let in tons of light...and they are PERFECT.

I just *had to* to spruce up the front of the house, so I built a couple black rockers and added a couple of my quilted pillows...got a small matching table...and potted a bunch of geraniums (my favorite potted flower). I also planted quite a few perennials in the front flower beds - including: Lavender (my favorite perennial), Sedum, Bee Balm, Astilbe, and Carex - these are a great addition to what was already there - sorry - I don't have a photo to share in this post (look for one in the future).

Our backyard fence has been installed - and although a water leak in the new construction next door currently has our backyard a swamp (complete with frogs!) 😒, the dogs did get to enjoy it for a few weeks (the leak was fixed a couple days ago and hopefully it will start to dry out soon - fingers crossed)...the dogs can't run back there for a few more days, but the baby birds are sure enjoying the fence while they learn to fly...

Shutter blinds in the dining room....

House before porch decoration...

Happy kids after running in the backyard...

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I also decided to take an adult cooking class put on by the Spring Hill Recreation Commission. I enjoy cooking and really didn't need to take a class, but I thought it might help me meet a few people in the area. It was a Cajun cooking class - perfect for me - and we made Shrimp Étouffée. It was a full class of fifteen students, but only six work stations, so it wasn't everything I wanted it to be...but the dish turned out wonderful, I enjoyed a good dinner, and I got out of the house - so, I consider it a win. I may or may not take another class in the future (they teach one a month)...we'll see...

That's just a glimpse of what has been going on here...I'm starting to adjust to Kansas and find my way around. We did make a trip back to Iowa last weekend for a good friend's 50th birthday party - and that helped with my homesickness - I miss "my people" so much...but I know in time I will build some relationships here.

After months of craziness, we are finally taking a long overdue beach vacation next week...and I need it desperately! I am hoping a week out of the country in the sun and sand without an itinerary or cell phone service will refresh and replenish my spirit...

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.

Sew Happy

As we get closer to the actual move, I am starting to get a little more excited - truth be told, this born and raised Iowa girl really didn't want to move...but all of the waiting, unknown, complications and stress have taken a toll and now I just want to get moved and settled into our new home. Things have finally started to fall into place and we will finalizing even more details this coming weekend (window treatments and appliances). Some great news we received a couple days ago - our sod is in place - YAY! - which means we can have the fence installed as soon as we close on the house. Also exciting - thanks to a stitching friend - we have found what looks to be a fantastic kennel to board our dogs...and it is close to our new house. The next stress is finding a new hair stylist - yeah, I'm somewhat nervous about that...I can handle a completely new area and leaving my home in Iowa, but I can't handle bad hair....and with the stress of the last few months, the gray is coming in a bit faster.😄 It all started to feel real last week when I ordered "we're moving" postcards and a self-inking stamp with our new address. April 12th will be here soon!!

Oh, and one more quick thing before I get to the needlework pretties...

I am fairly new to Norwex cleaning products - in fact, I just tried them a few months ago for the first time (and although I was skeptical, I was quite impressed). I was looking for cleaning products that were environmentally (and dog) friendly and Norwex checked all my boxes. With the new home on the horizon, I have quite a wish list...I happened to mention this to a dear friend and she suggested I have an online party - I am not a big fan of this and hate to solicit family and friends, but I was assured it would help me grow my extremely small collection. So, if you happen to need any Norwex products - I would be thrilled if you placed an order...or if you would like to learn more about them - I am happy to help!!

To place an order for my online party and/or view a catalog, visit:
http://carmenjacobsen.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/party/3651994
(when you review your cart, it should show my name and details (Belinda's Starting Fresh & Green in KC - Host: Belinda Nace)
Okay - that is all on that subject - and I appreciate you listening and possibly placing an order.💓 Now on to the creativity portion of this post...

I can't wait to get settled into a new studio...but for now, here are some needlework gifts and needlework finishing photos I haven't had a chance to share with you yet. The lovely sewing bird in the upper right corner ("Sew Happy" by All Through The Night) was a birthday gift from my very dear friend Robin - I can't wait to hang it in my new studio - isn't it FABULOUS?! Next up a couple finishing photos - that were done for a customer...

Flat finishes for placing in a basket...
Fronts
Designer information unknown.

Flat finishes for placing in a basket...
Backs

Flat finish ornaments - "Blue and Silver Christmas" by Misty Hill Studio

Flat finish ornaments - "Blue and Silver Christmas" by Misty Hill Studio
Backs

The next few photos are small pieces I have stitched while my studio has been packed for the move...the first is a Christmas ornament I stitched and finished as a holiday gift for a friend. The other two are personal stitches that I will finish after we are settled...

"Christmas Biscornu" by Just Nan

"Christmas Biscornu" by Just Nan

"Noel Squared" by Lizzie Kate

"Red Santa" - Birds of a Feather

These last photos are all exquisite gifts I recently received (yes, I am blessed!). I am so *in love* with these little cross stitch sled ornaments (designed by Foxwood Crossings) - my incredible friend Robin has made me one each year since 2014 and she signs/dates the back...2014 was the squirrel, 2015 was the quilt, 2016 was the monogram, 2017 was the red bird with green background...and for 2018, she stitched the cardinal with the blue background...aren’t they AMAZING?!

...and since we all know how much I love squirrels, check out these spectacular cross stitch ornaments and fabrics, along with a needle minder and keeping bag (pen and ink pieces by one of my favorite artists Michelle Palmer!)...all of these gifts made my heart swoon!

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today! I am looking forward to getting back to work and sharing fun new ideas with you. For now, I am off to do a little cross stitching - a very thoughtful friend sent me a surprise kit in the mail and I am itching to start it...

Pretty Prints and Projects

Good evening friends! I know, I know - I should be packing up my "warehouse" (the last area of our home to pack), but truth be told, I am exhausted and emotionally spent - I just need a little time away from "all things house"...so here I am...

Before things got completely out of control this past fall, I made a trip to Lake Summerset, IL to visit my mommy and her husband - I snapped this photo of the breakfast tray my mom prepared for me...I just thought it looked photogenic (and delicious). We were eating breakfast at the window seat overlooking the lake and bird watching...oh how I long for another quiet, relaxing moment with my mom...but for now, it will have to wait...

Today, I am sharing a handful of project bags and zippered pouches I whipped up before the holidays (this is just a small assortment)...these were all made with client supplied fabrics. Getting to play with all sorts of lovely materials is one of my favorite things about custom sewing/quilting...it is always fun to open up a package from one of my customers and see the beautiful prints they have chosen for their bags...

I still have a lot of creative projects to share with you - several quilts, more fabulous needlework finishing, more project bags, and a few personal stitching projects...so the next time I *need* a break, I will be back to visit with you...