Staying Busy [Festival Prep & Product Launch]

{MumFest at New Bern Farmer's Market}

I have been sewing like crazy getting product ready for Mum Fest this weekend in New Bern, NC as well as prepping SoChick's new Fall items, which will start launching this weekend, too!!

{via}

SoChick! will have a booth at the New Bern Farmer's Market for the two days of Mum Fest!! We will be there Saturday, from 8am-6:30pm, and Sunday, from 10:30am - 5pm... whoa, two long days of festival fun!

I am so excited to have some new Fall bags and accessories at the festival... if you are in the New Bern, NC area this weekend, be sure to visit MumFest downtown and come by the New Bern Farmer's Market, on S. Front Street, to say "Hi!".

{Fall Products & New Ordering Info}
  This weekend I will also begin listing SoChick's Fall Products!  Due to popular demand and customer feedback, I am excited to announce that SoChick! Handbags is introducing "Made to Order" items as a way to improve your buying experience and to ensure that everyone has a shot at the original SoChick! Handbag or Accessory that they love!

{What is "Made to Order"}
  Now, when you purchase a SoChick! Handbag or Accessory that is listed as "Made to Order", your bag will be cut and sewn as your order is received.  Your bag or accessory will then ship within 15 business days from date of purchase, fresh off the sewing machine!

{Why?!}
  I have come to realize that many SoChick! styles and fabric combinations that are very popular with my customers, and when the original sells out, you are left wanting more.  With "Made to Order" I can ensure everyone gets the SoChick! Handbag or Accessory that they love, while maintaining quality (as each is still individually cut and sewn by me) and uniqueness (fabric placement varies by cutting, thus giving each item a unique quality).  This also allows a more "customozed" SoChick! shopping experience as you will also be able to choose from a few color selections for many "Made to Order" products! How awesome, right?!?


{What about One Of A Kind bags?!}
  Because the placement of fabric patterns will vary due to cutting, each SoChick! Handbag will remain unique... However... I am bound to come across small cuts of fabric that I can't possibly pass up (you do know I have a slight addiction to fabric, right?)... So, there will be bags and accessories here and there that are truly One Of A Kind, meaning: it will not be duplicated, there is one an only of that item, once it's sold... it's sold.  These One Of A Kind aka OOAK items will be listed as such in the Shop.

I really think this will help to streamline workflow while maintaining a better inventory to allow everyone to be "Everyday Chic, Everyday Chicks!"


XxOo~ Melissa

Guest Post: Garden Organization [Gardening/DIY]

I don't have a huge yard, but I love the gardens I do have! I was super happy when Tina from OutdoorLiving.com contacted me about doing a Garden Organizing Guest Post... um, yes, please!

Here are some tips from Tina:

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Keeping Your Plants Organized

It’s a dilemma every gardener has come across at some point. You purchase a new plant, get it planted where you want, and then one day you look and realize you’ve lost the name marker that came with it! It’s really not that surprising, since they’re often made of light plastic or paper and can easily blow away if they’re not in the soil securely. If you don’t have a marker for your plant and you don’t have the name of it committed to memory, you can be in for some problems. Today, we’re going to look at an easy way to keep your plants organized by using homemade plant markers.

When you make your own plant markers, the only limit really is your creativity. Whether they’re small or large, old fashioned or modern, the choice is up to you. Here’s a look at a few of the most popular ways to make your own:

Wood Fence Board – Have an old board from your fence that’s taking up space in the garage? Then this is a perfect project to put it to use. First, take your old board and remove any nails. Cut it down to an appropriate size for your garden – something that won’t take away from the plants but still makes it easy to see what they are. When it’s cut and the edges are sanded down, give it a fresh coat of paint and then paint the name of the plant over that. Make sure you use a paint that can hold up through constant outdoor exposure so you don’t have to repaint it regularly.

Source: twobluehouses.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Tongue Depressors – Essentially a scaled down version of the wood fence board, the tongue depressor makes a quick and easy way to have a plant marker. You can get a box full for cheap at any arts and crafts store, and from there it’s just up to you to decorate them. Some prefer to leave them plain, just writing the plant name on them, while others prefer a more colorful look. These are a great choice if you have a small garden with only a few of each plant or a set of planters on your patio that you want to keep organized.

Source: curiousbird.typepad.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Aluminum – For a sleeker look, try using some aluminum for your plant marker. Look for aluminum that’s about the same gauge as what you’d get in a soda can or a baking sheet, something malleable enough to be embossed. Once you’ve got your material, decide the shape you want your markers to be and cut them out. To get the plant name on the aluminum, start by writing the name on a piece of paper with a marker. Turn your paper over and trace the name with a pen or pencil so you have it written backwards. Now, use this as a guide to emboss the name backwards on the backside of your aluminum material. When done, you’ll have a plant marker with a name that pops out on the front and will hold up well through all sorts of weather.

Source: pinandpaper.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: auntpeaches.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Keeping your plants organized is paramount for having a great garden. You’ve got to know what’s what so you know which needs more sunlight, which needs special nutrients, and other things like that. With a set of homemade plant markers, you’ll never have to worry about losing those paper markers that come with your plants again!

About The Author – Tina Foreman is a writer with Outdoor Living and a green living enthusiast. She enjoys outdoor decorating, running, and reading. For more on products like patio heaters, planters, rain barrels, and wind chimes, visit OutdoorLiving.com.

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Super info!  Thank you Tina!! 

I went a little pin-crazy and added these ideas as well for DIY Garden Markers:

{Wine Corks}

Source: greenupgrader.com via Melissa on Pinterest

{Old Silverware}

Source: mossymossy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

{Paint Stirrers}

Source: eabdesigns.typepad.com via Melissa on Pinterest

{Twigs}

Source: marthastewart.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Okie Dokie... I think that'll do....

So, now that the weather is cooler, get out and mark some plants!  *wink*


P.S.~ Did you notice that all of the items for these ideas are probably things your have around your home/yard?  Yep... free!




XxOo~ Melissa

Check It Out! {Sponsor Love}

Now that it's October, I guess I better introduce you to the lovely ladies who's ads have graced my sidebar for the past month!  These gals have great shops, I'd love for you to visit them and leave a comment!

{Sponsor Love: Check them out!}

My name is Chrissy and I blog over at Hoot Designs and I also have a photography blog called Hoot Photography.  I'm a fairly new blogger and have enjoyed getting to know all the crafty and talented artists out there in blog land. I enjoy all kinds of crafts and I'm always jumping from one craft to the next.  After mentioned my crazy all over the place self I learned there were others like me so we started a blog called Scatter Girls.  We blog about all things handmade with tutorials, fun Wednesday linky's and we love to have our friends guest post for us to share their talents.

                                                                   I have a shop on Etsy with a few things for sale.  

The key chains listed are by real "Indie" business and if your interested just send me a note and let me know you came through Melissa with SoChick Handbags and I'll ship for free!!Come visit Hoot designs, I'd love to meet you!

~Chrissy


Hoot Designs on Facebook  |  Blog: www.hootdesigns.com  |  Twitter: @Chrissy217

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Hello everyone! My name is Tara and I blog over at The Small Town Mom and am also the owner of June. The Shop. I am currently living in a small town just south of the Twin Cities, Minnesota with my husband of 3 years and my 20 month old daughter. And let me tell you, it is fun! I've always pictured myself as a stay-at-home-mom and although everyday isn't easy, I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I am inspired by so many things, it can be the gathering of a dress, or the pop of color on a wall! The support of my family and friends is always an inspiration to me and I am always looking for inspiration in the things that surround me. My go to place is the ever addicting, Pinterest!

When I'm not singing off key toddler songs or hanging out with The Hubs, I love to craft. I'm a fan of anything DIY and enjoy creating for others! And when the weather is right (I'm one who pretty much hibernates during the winter months) I also love to sight see around Minnesota! 

Tara


Website: thesmalltownmom.com  |  Shop: junetheshop.etsy.com  | Twitter: @MNTara

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Hey there!  

I'm Dawn from Eventually Cottage, where you can usually find me crafting my heart out or working on frugal home decorating projects.  My Prince Charming {partner in crime} and I bought his childhood home about 7 years ago.  It was formerly the carriage house for a large estate.  We have been working non-stop turning it into a cozy home for our two teenagers, three rescue dogs, and two rescue kitties!  When I'm not hard at work on our home or in my Eventually Cottage shop, I can be found answering 911 calls for our county's Department of Emergency Services.  It's a crazy life, but I wouldn't change one thing about it!  <3


Website: EventuallyCottage.com  |  Shop  | Twitter: @EventuallyDawn


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Jana is the chick behind Giggles, Glitz and Glam, where she talks about crafting, hosts a Tuesday Glam Party, and makes adorable little tutus and accessories... which is perfect since she and he hubby are expecting a little girl very soon!  Lean more about Jana, HERE.

Blog: gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com  |  Twitter: @giggleglitzglam

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Be sure to check these gals out, and sure, you can tell them SoChick! sent you!

If you would like to become a Sponsor or work with me, be sure to check out my Networking page for more info!

XxOo~ Melissa

DIY Halloween "Wreath" & Decor (No Sew, No Glue) [Inspiration Workshop]

I really love Halloween... growing up in Sleepy Hollow, NY, with legends and stories, it's almost impossible not to get excited about this time of year...

So, yesterday, my little chick and I went out to get some supplies to make a Halloween & Fall wreath.

I bought a wreath for Fall and was going to use it for Halloween as well... but, I found this broom at the Dollar store... how perfect, right?!

{Supplies Needed}

Halloween Spray Decor {$2.50}

Straw Broom {$1}

Foam "Haunting Season" Sign {$1}

Black Puff Paint {Already had}

Ribbon {Splurge $8}...

 (I'll have plenty of ribbon left over for other projects)

Total {$12.50}

First, let's decorate the foam sign with puff paint... 

Remember to protect your table! 

I simply dotted paint around the letters... 

Filled in the bat...

And the Spider...

The best part of Puff Paint is that it adds that 3D effect to your project!

Set your foam aside to dry.

Now, we'll cut the ribbon for some bows...

my ribbon is pretty wide so I folded it down some:

Then, I tied the pieces, alternately, on my broom handle...

trimming to size: 

Next, I bent the stem of my Halloween spray 

and stuck it into the base of the broom 'handle': 

Fluff and arrange the spray: 

Finish off with a small cut of ribbon, folded...

And pinned (see, no glue here),

to the center of the spray's 'bow'...

Which I think looks like spider legs, 

just not as creepy.

I also added a final tie of ribbon for the streamers at the base of the broom! 

Once the Puff Paint had dried to the 'Haunting Season' foam

I took a Kabob skewer and stuck it up the middle of 

my sign to make a 'stake':

Which I then used to Stake 'Haunting Season' 

into my new mums: 

Here's my finished DIY Halloween 'Wreath' and porch display!

Ta-da!

I am linking up with Gussy Sews' Inspiration Workshop and Scatter Girls today!

XxOo~ Melissa

Coming Soon [Fall Collection 2011]

The SoChick!Newsletter went out last week... have you signed up yet? On the right side-bar there is a little Subscribe button... get on it! *wink*

Newsletter subscribers also get special discount codes and savings!

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SoChick! Fall Collection

is Coming!

October 2011

"Everyday Chic for Everyday Chicks."

This Fall, SoChick! will be featuring 100% cotton prints from the 'Heirloom' Collection by Joel Dewberry for Westminster/Free Spirit Fabrics.  You may recognize the 'Citirine' colorway from a past Fabulous Fabric Friday post I did... I. ♥. this. fabric!  

These prints will be great as accents to the lush velvet and micro-suede fabrics that will be the base for SoChick!'s larger bags this fall... think smokey gray, rich chocolate and caramel colors!

Smaller SoChick! accessories will still boast fun and fresh all-over print fabrics, with a new product (or two) thrown into the mix...

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey a few weeks ago... I love your input and feedback!!

XxOo~ Melissa

The Fire [Keeping my head up...]

I'm not one to give-in.  I aim to please.  I don't settle for mediocre. I'm a plan-for-the-worst-hope-for-the-best kind of gal... because if you are prepared for worst case scenario, anything but is a step up, right?  Probably that is why I have a hard time accepting that I need to step back when things happen that are out of our control...

{Hurricane Irene}
The girls, pups and I, followed by my Dad and Stepmom, went to my in-laws house in GA to stay safe during the Hurricane.  We anxiously watched the weather channel and news updates to see how the coast was faring through the storm.  That Sunday we made our way back to NC, so blessed to not have had any major damage to our homes, others were not so fortunate... the major headache at our house was that the power was out, the least of some folks' worries.

Sleeping that Sunday night was miserably hot; we were all tired and cranky trying to get as comfortable as possible in our living room where it seemed coolest the least miserable.  Needless to say, a good nights rest was had by none.  Monday morning I took the girls and dogs down to my Dad's place so we could all stay cool... my friend called me later in the afternoon to tell me the power had come back on. *Woo Hoo!*


{The Fire}
Happy to have air conditioning, a running refrigerator (though empty due to everything spoiling while the power was out for 3 days), and clean laundry, we all went to bed for the night... ready to get a well deserved good night's sleep.

About an hour after going to bed, my husband and I woke up to such loud beeping which we realized was the smoke detectors in our bedroom and upstairs hall.  In a daze we went downstairs trying to figure out why... we didn't see or smell smoke, yet.

It happened so fast after that... realizing our dryer had burned (was still burning), my husband going to get a fire extinguisher from our neighbor, me running up to get our girls out of bed while grabbing the phone to call 911 when we got outside.  Honestly, it didn't seem that bad... until I had my 2 year old in my arms while trying to walk my sleepy 8 year old down the stairs and we walked into a wall of smoke.... the only way we could see out of the house was by following the glow of the front porch light through the smoke and out the door. [Yes, scary.]

Once outside I called 911... then my dogs... Conrad came from the back of the house and sat at my feet, thinking back, I am so amazed at how he knew what to do.  Our smallest dog, Marilyn, was still in the house and ended up being rescued by a firefighter ~my hero!~.

I am so thankful we were all safe!  Aside from smoke damage to the downstairs of our house and the loss of our laundry room, everything in the home is okay.  After the fact, I was also so grateful that the door to my studio was closed and all of my fabrics, my machines, etc. were neatly put in the closet... after all, I had prepared for the worst from the Hurricane; doing whatever I could before heading out of town to ensure that our valuables, including my business, would be safe should anything major (like broken windows, leaking roof, etc) were to happen.

My hubby turned the dryer on before heading to bed so that we'd have clean, dry, clothes in the morning after the crazy weekend... I can't tell you how many times we have done this, that I have done it!  Never again.

{Gotta keep my head up}
I have been doing my darnedest to maintain a normal flow for everything, my family, my business, etc.. but it's starting to catch up to me as I prepare to ship custom orders, deal with the Insurance company, prep for fall product launch, Farmer's Market & festivals; schedule contractors to do repairs, blog, tweet, email, bring my chickie to gymnastics, and drive our laundry to my Dad's house for the next few weeks.

After talking to my hubby about it (mostly for some reassurance that everyone won't think i'm a failure), I have decided to take a break from my blog and the Farmer's Market while dealing with repairs to the house;  to allow myself time to focus on my current orders and build inventory.  I feel that by narrowing the things I have to focus on, the more I can ensure quality in my work without feeling stretched too thin... like I've always said, "quality outweighs quantity".

~I have some posts already scheduled for the blog, so you won't be completely lonely while I recoup. *wink*


~I will not be at the New Bern Farmer's Market this weekend, but will return for Mum Fest, October 8 & 9, with new products in tow!

~Fall product launch is scheduled for the weekend of October 8th!

I really feel that this is going to help me to better distribute my time and energy to keep us all happy.  I thank you, my customers and readers, for your understanding.

"Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again.
And it's a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around again."






XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop [Family Room]

I took a few weeks off, but today I'm back to linking with Gussy over at Gussy Sews for this week's installment of Inspiration Workshop.

The Prompt {Family Room}

This prompt couldn't have come at a better time since we are currently in the process of re-doing the downstairs of our Townhouse, thanks to the fire in our laundry room.

Our home isn't huge, but it works for us.  Our Living Room IS our Family Room.  We have two little chicks, two dogs and a cat, so space as well as functionality is big for us.  It's also important that we are able to tidy up the day's chaos to allow ourselves to relax in the evening... here are some of my most recent Pinterest Pins with my family room inspiration.

Gray walls with white trim & slipcovers 

(which I plan to make for our sectional):

Source: bhg.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I love the navy thrown in the mix here...

with the casual, yet crisp, feel of this room:

Source: houzz.com via Melissa on Pinterest

We have a living room wall that has a funny angle b/c of the stairway;

I plan to make it a Gallery wall:

Source: bhg.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Love the dark, but not too dark, wood floors in this room...

just like what I've been looking at:

Source: danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Also, would love to add fun items, like this subway board,

to add more casual-ness to the gray/white scheme:

Source: asaltbox.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Finally, this is my fabric inspiration for the Family Room/Living room:
(the plan is to make roman shades with this Amy Butler fabric, flanked by white/ivory linen drapes)

Source: fabric.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I really love Pinterest for making this whole re-model thing a little bit easier!

XxOo~ Melissa