Happy Halloween!

I must be getting old...  I used to LOVE Halloween and all the festivities that led up to it, trips to the pumpkin patch, making apple cider, finding costumes for the kids, decorating the house and carving pumpkins... Even though the kids are all grown up, I would still do some of this stuff each year...  Oh well, there is always next year huh?

So I am a hunting widow today, trying to decide what to make the guys for dinner and when to drive to town and get MORE Halloween candy.  Yes that's right... more candy.  For some reason I believe that candy thieves came in the night and spirited away the stash I had for trick or treaters tonight.  Hmmm... I wonder who the culprits could be?

Been sewing a lot lately and hoping to get at least 6 to 7 bags completed today for the upcoming event on Thanksgiving weekend.  I have so many ideas swirling through my head that trying to decide what to do first is a little overwhelming!  Roy went out the other day and got me some great raw materials for my booth space.  It's going to be amazing with aspen trees, pickets fences, twinkling lights and lovely little butterflies.  It's going to be almost like a little woodland fairy land with my bags hanging everywhere!  I hope all you locals can stop by and see me that weekend. 

Enough for now, I need to get back to the sewing machine, but have fun this Halloween and be safe tonight with the kiddos :)

Jules

Breast Cancer Awareness...

So we all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so I want to take a minute to talk about something a little near and dear to me.  I have people in my family affected by this disease and although it is one of the more curable cancers, it can be very devastating...  My Aunt JoAnn suffered from this disease many years ago and ended up with a double masectomy.  My great grandmother on my Mom's side passed away from breast cancer.  I myself had a little scare two years ago and although they watch the lump in my breast carefully for changes, I feel as if I have a ticking time bomb in my chest...

I feel it's so important for women (and men) to be educated about breast cancer and show their support for the women, men and families that have endured or conquered this disease.  My wonderful and amazing, friend Brandi has put together a Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the Homewood Suites here in Bozeman on Friday the 29th from 7:00 to 9:00.  She has local vendors involved (myself included) and some great giveaways for the guests.  Homewood Suites by Hilton has donated a “Girls” Weekend package for two to be raffled off as well as Bridger Crossfit has also donated gift certificates for FREE one month memberships.

She has also arranged for some fun treats for us to nosh on through the night.  So come on out, shop, support, enter and win some of those great prizes!

Eclectique Butterfly will be pledging 20% of sales to our local Cancer Support Community and I will be donating a special totebag for one of the prizes that night.  I hope to see everyone from the Bozeman community come out Friday night and show your support!

Where did the month go?

Does anyone else realize that it's less than TWO MONTHS TIL CHRISTMAS???  Where did the month go?  I just can't believe that time is just flying by.  Well that is what happens when you work a "real job" and try to launch a business at the same time.  I just feel a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with all the details of life, and a new business at the same time.  I sometimes wish there were just a few more hours in each day to get things accomplished, like taking pictures of product, sewing more bags, marketing, getting my display done... oh the list goes on forever!  Officially right now my list is 3 pages long...  My mom, bless her heart is here visiting and helping and asked me if I needed to get that whole list accomplished while she was here.  I swear she held her breath when she asked the question!  I think she was very relieved to find out that my list needs to get accomplished over the next month, and not in the next 5 days!

I have so much to share, and I am not sure where to start, so I am just going to blurt out the thing that comes to mind first...

I turned down the wholesale contract at Murdochs.  Sad I know, however with the price they were willing to give me and the cost of the raw materials, I really didn't feel as if I was doing myself any favors.  I may revisit this in the spring once I get some other things in line, I may not.  We will just have to see how it goes...

I got into the Help Center's 33rd Annual Festival of the Arts !!  It's Thanksgiving weekend at the fairgrounds here in Bozeman and I just can't wait!  Well I can, I just hope I am really ready for it by the time it get's here.  I want to have 100 (yes that's 100) booty bags done and maybe 40 or so totebags ready for the show.  I have been planning and scheming on how to get that many done, as well as planning my booth display.  I have some really cool ideas for my booth and I meet tomorrow with my friend Brandi to talk about how to make it all come together!!

I sold  two bags at Capelli's last month, woot woot ;)  I also talked to Nicole at All things Italian today about a possible consignment gig, and got in touch with Sola Cafe about consignment as well. 

I set up a photo shoot with my trusty gal Jenn Claar for my bags :)  I even have a couple of models lined up!  Her daughter Michaela and Anna's daughter Erin are going to graciously model my booty bags and tote bags for my etsy site!  I am so excited, but it's so hard to wait!  Jenn is on a trip to New York right now and won't be home til Saturday so the soonest we can get this accomplished is next week sometime.  I know how important it is to have great photos of your work and I know that Jenn will do an amazing job for me as always.  Honestly the photography is something I have been struggling with for a while now.  It's easy to take pictures of kids, people, animals and scenery, but an inanimate object?  You would think it to be super easy, but when it's the focal point and you know it NEEDS to make a great impression (as opposed to a so so one) it is a little scary in my book!  So I am turning that over to the pro's and letting Jenn handle it!

I do have a couple of photos that I can share.  I took pictures of 7 bags on Friday and honestly, these were the only pics that were good enough to share!  See what I mean?

Well folks, that's all for now...  Got to get back to the sewing machine!

I'm in my first Treasury!!

I have always wanted to be chosen for a Treasury and for all my years of selling scrapbook items and jewelry on Etsy before, it never happened.  Within hours of posting my booty bags on Etsy last night I landed my first Treasury :)  Doing a huge happy dance here!!

Theresa with Paint Impressions featured one of my booty bags in a Treasury called Sing-the-blues along with some other amazing handmade artists.  I think I love the little tree sparrow and the silk oragami butterfly the best :)

I think I am finally happy with my blog (for now) anyway.  Who knows when the whim will hit me to change it again :)  Alrighty then, I am off to sew some more!

Jules

Monday's over :)

Someone please tell me why I thought it would be a good idea to change my blogger template tonight?  All because I wanted "something new".  Well I am not sure if I like the new look or not, I'll betcha I change it again soon :)

I did make it outside with the camera this morning for new pictures of the booty bags!  I love these bags :)  Each one has such character and charm.   Hmmm, I wonder what those jeans could tell us if they could talk!  Every one of them is an original and these pictures are just the tip of the ice berg my friends!  I have already sold around 25 of these handbags locally and to a few friends in WY and WA and have at least that many more in various stages of the design process.  Right now, it's just these three that have actually made it from the beginning to the end and finally onto my etsy shop.

Too see all of the pictures head on over to my  Facebook fan page or to my Etsy shop

Have a great night every one :)

Jules

Good intentions...

So I really did have intentions of getting my booty bags photographed and listed on Etsy.  Something otherwise known as "life" kinda got in the way...  Got up early, had that first cup of coffee with my favorite pumpkin spice creamer, then on to my "real" job.  I spent a couple of hours stuffing statements for Absaroka and remoting in on the computer for some work details, and that's when my well laid plans for the day went by the wayside. 

As I am working on the computer, Roy and the dogs jumped on the bed next to the computer desk and proceeding in causing such a distraction that I truly couldn't get anything done.  Finally when I could take the badgering no longer, I agreed to go for a hike with them.  I went mainly because this week the dogs have been driving me insane and I knew they needed a good exercise run.  Four hours later we are just coming back up the canyon and stop for lunch before heading home.  While driving home Brad calls...  "Whatcha doing?  Can Tasha come play?"  Beings that even though Tasha is of the canine variety, she is still the only grandpup I have and therefore cannot say no.  Of course the bonus is that I get to see the kids as well.  So Brad and Sara hang out all afternoon and then we see a commercial for Kentucky Fried and well now guess what?  Yep, we head to KFC for dinner! 

By the time I finally got home and downloaded the new pictures I had taken today of the totes AND the booty bags, I discover that I had really rushed the booty bag pictures and they didn't turn out very well.  Of course it's dark by this time and my window of opportunity is over for the day...  sigh...  Hence no booty bag pictures, no booty bag listings on etsy and sadly I have to work all day tomorrow and the light will again be gone by the time I get home...  Unless I can take some in the morning, but I am not promising anything!

Hope everyone has a good work week :)

Jules

It's finally launch day!

I DID IT!!!  Eclectique Butterfly is my new shop home :)  For tonight I only have totebags listed but look for booty bags to be listed tomorrow!  Stop by and see me soon...

Jules