Wow, this is so surreal being home in Adna for my 25 year class reunion! I was just home a year ago, but it really seems like things have changed since I was here last, or maybe I am just seeing them through new eyes as I remember what things were like 25 years ago :)
We had a smaller turnout than I would have like for the renuion, I missed Peggy, Becky and Becky, Tammy, Chad, Tom, Marcie, Tryna and so many more. But I did get to see several people that I hadn't seen in years including my old sixth grade teacher, Bob Fay! And it really was so good to catch up with the people that did make it. We all met before the game for the tailgate party and then stayed for the game (sadly Adna lost) and then over to McMenamins for drinks and catching up. I also ran into my cousin Dan, his wife Krista and my Aunt Gail as they were there for the Napavine team. Yes they rubbed it in a little after the game :) I am meeting up with Jeanice and Nicole tonight for coffee and going to hang out with my gal Jules tomorrow and then she is taking me to the airport tomorrow night.
Jules and I went shopping yesterday and we were both carrying our purses and at two shops we got some exhuberant compliments on them so I was quick to hand out my business card! My meet with Laura at Murdochs went well. I need to get back to her next week with some more samples as sadly by the time I had seen her I only had THREE purses left from my initial sewing spree! Good and bad as the ones I had were not the best representation of my work. So I will get her some new ones after I get back and then hopefully I will get the go ahead for the first six purses in the Bozeman test market. If that goes well, then she will order for all five stores :) Doing a little happy dance here!
I am still on board to launch my new etsy store on the 19th and I am getting super excited! I just need to sew up a storm after I get back from Adna to have some product to load into the store. I will have nothing but time on my hands though because as soon as I get back my guys are heading off to the backcountry for fall bear hunting. Brad and Roy are heading out Wednesday morning and unless they get a bear right away, won't be back until Sunday. They are a little concerned as there is fresh snow in the mountains now and I know they were hoping for warmer fall weather this early in the season, but mother nature obviously has other plans.
Off to town today to Jeremy's to pick up stuff for salsa making. Planning on canning tomorrow morning and then having Mom and Dad bring it over next month when they come for hunting season.
And last but certainly not least I want to share something very near and dear to me. It was soo good to see everyone last night, but one really stuck out for me. I ran into Kim Stafford (couldn't tell you what her married name is) and she said that life is too short to not tell people what they mean to each other. She went on to tell me that I had made a huge impact in her life in high school. That if it wasn't for me convincing her to try out for cheerleading that she would have never tried out and continued to be a book worm. She said that cheerleading was the best thing that happened to her, that it brought her out of her shell and gave her more confidence and she actually went on to cheer in college and ultimately sent her on her career path of teaching, something she enjoys immensely. All of this because I encouraged her to try out for cheerleading... WOW... I was stunned, I barely even rememer those conversations with her but to know what an impact I made in her life is really humbling. So, it just goes to show you, always be kind and encouraging because you never know how far your words are going to take that other person!
That's all for now, will probably post again once I am home! Have a great weekend everyone :)
Jules
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Is it really September?
Where on earth did summer go? It even already feels like fall in the air as it has been rainy and cloudy here for days. I hope that the weather man is right and it warms up this weekend, I really need a good camping trip to top off the summer!
So the open house.... Well I would like to say that it went wonderfully and was super busy, but alas it was not to be. It went smoothly enough and I learned a great deal from it and I did make some sales and one really great connection, so from that respect I feel that it was profitable enough :)
The farmer's market on Saturday was my best ever and it felt good, real good if you know what I mean! Then I zipped downtown to meet my friend Michelle for lunch at Starkey's and had a blast watching the rain while catching up on girl talk.
This morning I was up early and out the door to Capelli's and had my hair cut by Sherry and dropped off seven bags for consignment!! I am hopeful that they do well there, I guess I will just have to be patient and see what happens this next month.
I still haven't met with Laura from Murdoch's yet. We have rescheduled a couple of times and I think we finally have a date that will work for both of us, next Thursday the 9th at noon! Wish me luck everyone, this could be the big one!!
I also applied for a juried arts and crafts fair put on by our local Help Center. It's Thanksgiving weekend at our fairgrounds for two days. I won't know if I was approved until the first week of October. It's a good thing I have plenty to do between now and then to keep myself busy and my mind off it!!
I also finally have a launch date for my Etsy shop! I will be loading purses, totebags and checkbook covers into my Etsy shop on September 19th!! After my sucessful market last Saturday and dropping off items at Capelli's, I don't have anything left! And with me being gone camping this weekend, and in WA state next weekend for my 25 year (gasp) class reunion, I will have not time until then to get my Etsy shop set up.
That's all for now folks.
Jules
So the open house.... Well I would like to say that it went wonderfully and was super busy, but alas it was not to be. It went smoothly enough and I learned a great deal from it and I did make some sales and one really great connection, so from that respect I feel that it was profitable enough :)
The farmer's market on Saturday was my best ever and it felt good, real good if you know what I mean! Then I zipped downtown to meet my friend Michelle for lunch at Starkey's and had a blast watching the rain while catching up on girl talk.
This morning I was up early and out the door to Capelli's and had my hair cut by Sherry and dropped off seven bags for consignment!! I am hopeful that they do well there, I guess I will just have to be patient and see what happens this next month.
I still haven't met with Laura from Murdoch's yet. We have rescheduled a couple of times and I think we finally have a date that will work for both of us, next Thursday the 9th at noon! Wish me luck everyone, this could be the big one!!
I also applied for a juried arts and crafts fair put on by our local Help Center. It's Thanksgiving weekend at our fairgrounds for two days. I won't know if I was approved until the first week of October. It's a good thing I have plenty to do between now and then to keep myself busy and my mind off it!!
I also finally have a launch date for my Etsy shop! I will be loading purses, totebags and checkbook covers into my Etsy shop on September 19th!! After my sucessful market last Saturday and dropping off items at Capelli's, I don't have anything left! And with me being gone camping this weekend, and in WA state next weekend for my 25 year (gasp) class reunion, I will have not time until then to get my Etsy shop set up.
That's all for now folks.
Jules
Monday, August 23, 2010
Super EXCITED!!!!
I just got word this morning that Capelli's Salon here in Bozeman will be carrying my purses on consignment!! It was so hard to contain myself when I got the phone call :) I also have a meet with the clothing buyer at Murdochs Ranch Store scheduled for later this week for a possible wholesale deal. I can't believe this is happening so fast!
Spent the better part of yesterday sewing new tote bags with some great new fabrics that I had picked up at some local quilt shops last week. They are a little different (a bit more wild) than my normal paisley design, but I do love how the bags are turning out.
I have a good handle on my Etsy store policies and appearance, now I just need to get some purses listed. I don't want to do that until after the open house on Friday night though because I don't want to have to take anything down that may sell at the open house. So hoping that SOON I can list some items!
Happy Monday!
Jules
Spent the better part of yesterday sewing new tote bags with some great new fabrics that I had picked up at some local quilt shops last week. They are a little different (a bit more wild) than my normal paisley design, but I do love how the bags are turning out.
I have a good handle on my Etsy store policies and appearance, now I just need to get some purses listed. I don't want to do that until after the open house on Friday night though because I don't want to have to take anything down that may sell at the open house. So hoping that SOON I can list some items!
Happy Monday!
Jules
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thanks!!
Within hours of posting a link from my blog to facebook last night I was getting an order for two purses! And I don't even have my Etsy shop set up yet!! Gotta love how the web reaches so far :)
So today I should be sewing, but I am on the laptop making final proof changes to my new Etsy header, setting up my shop policies and figuring out shipping prices and policies. I am excited to finally launch Eclectique Butterfly, but first I want to touch a little on me and why I am doing this for all of you that don't know me all that well yet, or know this part of me...
I have always been the "crafty one". My mom swears she doesn't know where I get if from, but secretly I know I take after my dad, we just express our craftiness in different ways. Some things I do get from her, as she is the one that sat me down at a sewing machine when I was just a little girl (although we fought like crazy about it then!) The rest of this comes from my desire to recycle. If something is still usable, I can't stand to throw it away. It makes me crazy to think of all the stuff that ends up in land fills that could have been re-used or recycled. I feel responsibility to make sure our planet is still "green" for our future generations. I feel such great pride that I am doing all that I can to help our planet and keep my "footprint" as small as possible.
So when I decided that I wanted to launch a home based business, I felt that it should reflect my inner cores, such as my craftiness and my desire to recylce. I challenged myself to think of a home based business that I could incorporate and blend these two ideals. I came up with several that sounded appealing, but none of them seemed to blend these two pieces of me "just perfectly" if you know what I mean. Eventually the lightbulb moment came from a store bought gift that my husband got me over three years ago. It was a purse made to look like a pair of jeans complete with a belt and cute handle. I got compliments on that purse everywhere I went and invariably someone would ask if I had made the purse. I thought to myself, why not see if you can take a pair of old jeans and recycle them into a purse like Roy had gotten me. That first one was tough I tell you! It was hard to cut the flare down in the hip part of the jean and make the shape look right. And sewing in the bottom of the purse? Whew, that was a bear, but thankfully I can say that has gotten a whole lot easier with practice. The end result was a super cute purse with a lot of character that came from the jeans and belt themselves.
The next thought of course was, what do I do with the rest of the material left over from making a purse from the "booty" part of the jean. Being a good recycler, you always use whatever you can, and that is how my totebags were born...
So today I should be sewing, but I am on the laptop making final proof changes to my new Etsy header, setting up my shop policies and figuring out shipping prices and policies. I am excited to finally launch Eclectique Butterfly, but first I want to touch a little on me and why I am doing this for all of you that don't know me all that well yet, or know this part of me...
I have always been the "crafty one". My mom swears she doesn't know where I get if from, but secretly I know I take after my dad, we just express our craftiness in different ways. Some things I do get from her, as she is the one that sat me down at a sewing machine when I was just a little girl (although we fought like crazy about it then!) The rest of this comes from my desire to recycle. If something is still usable, I can't stand to throw it away. It makes me crazy to think of all the stuff that ends up in land fills that could have been re-used or recycled. I feel responsibility to make sure our planet is still "green" for our future generations. I feel such great pride that I am doing all that I can to help our planet and keep my "footprint" as small as possible.
So when I decided that I wanted to launch a home based business, I felt that it should reflect my inner cores, such as my craftiness and my desire to recylce. I challenged myself to think of a home based business that I could incorporate and blend these two ideals. I came up with several that sounded appealing, but none of them seemed to blend these two pieces of me "just perfectly" if you know what I mean. Eventually the lightbulb moment came from a store bought gift that my husband got me over three years ago. It was a purse made to look like a pair of jeans complete with a belt and cute handle. I got compliments on that purse everywhere I went and invariably someone would ask if I had made the purse. I thought to myself, why not see if you can take a pair of old jeans and recycle them into a purse like Roy had gotten me. That first one was tough I tell you! It was hard to cut the flare down in the hip part of the jean and make the shape look right. And sewing in the bottom of the purse? Whew, that was a bear, but thankfully I can say that has gotten a whole lot easier with practice. The end result was a super cute purse with a lot of character that came from the jeans and belt themselves.
The next thought of course was, what do I do with the rest of the material left over from making a purse from the "booty" part of the jean. Being a good recycler, you always use whatever you can, and that is how my totebags were born...
I used the leg part of the jean to make the tote bag. The seam you see at the top of the bag is actually the cuff of the jean. Like the "booty bags" they are completely lined and have a double pocket on the inside for your keys and cell phone as well as the pocket on the front of the bag. They are roomy enough to throw a book, bottle of water and your lunch it it as you head out the door to work. I have one gal that uses hers daily as her purse. It warms my heart to think that my efforts to recycle and re-use are making an impact in other's lives, whether it be a more consious awareness about recycling or because the cute, funky creation is a fashion statement for them :)
Enough for now... hopefully my next post will launch my new store!
Jules
Friday, August 20, 2010
Whew!
Things have been insane around here! So far I have done two farmer's markets with some sucess. I think each one of them taught me something different. I do feel that it is important to learn and grow from your experiences and I am grateful to have those "inital" lessons under my belt so to speak.
I had a little hitch in my well thought out and organized life when I came down with a flu bug last weekend, but as of last night I am getting back on track with my timeline for our open house next week! If you haven't seen this on facebook yet, well then get all those pertinent, oh so needed details here :)
What: What Women Want (and of course need!) Open House
When: Friday August 27th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: 158 N Pheasant Dr in Hyalite Foothills Bozeman
Who: Elizabeth Wickland with Mary Kay,
Kristin Horgan with Norwex,
Jessica Sumner with Mia Bella Candles
and Your Own Personal Scrapbooker
and myself with Eclectique Butterfly
What: Products, demos, food, drinks, prize drawings and fun!
This all started when some of us got together and said, let's have an open house. It has really become about helping other women promote our home based businesses. I have to say everyone I talk to about this event is excited about it. They can't wait to see what we have to offer and are hopping up and down about the chance to win some of our cool prizes! Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and I hope to see you there!
And finally.... I know that you all have been dying to see what I have been doing at my sewing machine for the last month or so.....
What you can't see from these pictures is that the bag has a nice flat bottom on it made out of heavy chipboard covered in denim and pieced into the bag. I have added purse feet to the bottoms as well for extra protection from scuffing and wear. It also adds a lot of stability to the bag. Each purse has a magnetic clasp and has a double pocket in the inside liner (look carefully at the bottom of the last picture to see it). All the pockets on the outsides are still fully functional and the only problem you will have is finding your keys or cell phone if you are like me and forget which pocket you put them in! They are really roomy, I can get my wallet, checkbook, sunglasses and at least a dozen other important things thrown into my purse and still have a little room. Everything is very nicely color coordinated and they are all "one of a kind" bags. You will NEVER run across someone else with a purse exactly like yours again :) I will be setting up my Etsy shop in the next few days so look for the link here when I am all done.
Okay that's enough for now, so much to do and so little time. But do drop me a line and let me know what you think of my new venture. I would love to hear from you all :)
Jules
P.S. Thanks so much to my gal Jenn C who took my photos for me!
I had a little hitch in my well thought out and organized life when I came down with a flu bug last weekend, but as of last night I am getting back on track with my timeline for our open house next week! If you haven't seen this on facebook yet, well then get all those pertinent, oh so needed details here :)
What: What Women Want (and of course need!) Open House
When: Friday August 27th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: 158 N Pheasant Dr in Hyalite Foothills Bozeman
Who: Elizabeth Wickland with Mary Kay,
Kristin Horgan with Norwex,
Jessica Sumner with Mia Bella Candles
and Your Own Personal Scrapbooker
and myself with Eclectique Butterfly
What: Products, demos, food, drinks, prize drawings and fun!
This all started when some of us got together and said, let's have an open house. It has really become about helping other women promote our home based businesses. I have to say everyone I talk to about this event is excited about it. They can't wait to see what we have to offer and are hopping up and down about the chance to win some of our cool prizes! Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and I hope to see you there!
And finally.... I know that you all have been dying to see what I have been doing at my sewing machine for the last month or so.....
 |
| The front view of my new upcycled handbags |
 |
| The back view of the handbag |
 |
| The inside liner |
What you can't see from these pictures is that the bag has a nice flat bottom on it made out of heavy chipboard covered in denim and pieced into the bag. I have added purse feet to the bottoms as well for extra protection from scuffing and wear. It also adds a lot of stability to the bag. Each purse has a magnetic clasp and has a double pocket in the inside liner (look carefully at the bottom of the last picture to see it). All the pockets on the outsides are still fully functional and the only problem you will have is finding your keys or cell phone if you are like me and forget which pocket you put them in! They are really roomy, I can get my wallet, checkbook, sunglasses and at least a dozen other important things thrown into my purse and still have a little room. Everything is very nicely color coordinated and they are all "one of a kind" bags. You will NEVER run across someone else with a purse exactly like yours again :) I will be setting up my Etsy shop in the next few days so look for the link here when I am all done.
Okay that's enough for now, so much to do and so little time. But do drop me a line and let me know what you think of my new venture. I would love to hear from you all :)
Jules
P.S. Thanks so much to my gal Jenn C who took my photos for me!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sweet!!
My purse party on Tuesday night went fantastically smooth :) I had a great time with Stephs friends, enjoyed some yummy food and mimosa's all while chatting it up and selling some purses. I thought it went great for my first party. I had a few giveaways, a gift certificate, a totebag and a Mia Bella candle courtesy of my gal Jessica :) I felt I had a great response to the purses and it really encouraged me about selling at the farmer's market as well. Life just couldn't be any better than that for a self made business woman!
Roy dropped of my sewing machine to be serviced yesterday and it's already done so I need to pick it up this afternoon and whip out a few checkbook covers and maybe zip up another tote bag or two. I really want to keep my designs limited to these three basic designs, the booty bag, the tote bag and checkbook covers. They are all different price points and three great products to suit anyone's needs.
I am headed to the farmer's market tomorrow and I am hoping the weather holds. According to http://www.wunderground.com/ we are in for some thunder storms with chance of large hail... Yikes! We have enough hail damage after the last storm at the end of June, I really would not like to see any more golf ball sized hail for quite a while. After the farmer's market, who knows what I will end up doing. I am definately going to try and get some "me" time as well as some couples time with Roy this weekend before I head into the next big push for purses and of course my regular day job. Plus my friend Lisa is up at the lake and I want to get over to see her for a hike.
So what about everyone else? What are your plans?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Is it really August already??
I am pretty sure I don't remember much about July, I think it came and went without me really noticing it at all... Other than the weather finally warmed up :)
Tomorrow night is my first purse party for Eclectique Butterfly! I am so stinking excited, I just can't wait to see everyone, drink some mimosas, eat some yummy food and have some fun. I will be giving away a tote bag, a checkbook cover and a gift certificate for $20 off one of my unique handbags. I am so grateful that Steph offer her house for my party and I hope to book some more parties after this one.
Happy Monday everyone!!
Tomorrow night is my first purse party for Eclectique Butterfly! I am so stinking excited, I just can't wait to see everyone, drink some mimosas, eat some yummy food and have some fun. I will be giving away a tote bag, a checkbook cover and a gift certificate for $20 off one of my unique handbags. I am so grateful that Steph offer her house for my party and I hope to book some more parties after this one.
Happy Monday everyone!!
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