Our Homeschool

Homeschooling is not what I expected to be doing.  Pretty much ever.  But, here we are in the thick of it.  Our journey so far has been hilly, rocky, tumultuous, scary, and wonderful.  This year has been a constant work in progress.  I'm trying to blend a classical education with a Waldorf philosophy. Don't laugh, it can be done.  Maybe not by me, but someone.

I recently started reading "Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children" by
Sharifa Oppenheimer.  It's the only parenting book that didn't make me feel like I am doing everything wrong.  It has been such a joy to read so far because it emphasizes what I've been doing in our home already. Especially the idea of having rhythms in your everyday routine.  That is definitely something that I've been striving for.    In this book Sharifa Oppenheimer illustrates how to raise young children within the framework of the Waldorf Philosophy. 

I became interested in Waldorf education back when my little Chickadee was, well, little. I really became hooked when I learned that they teach knitting in school.  First or second grade I believe.  That discovery led me, all these years later, to research some more (it had been awhile), mostly so that I could use some or all of this way of educating in our own homeschool. 

In the beginning of "Heaven on Earth" Oppenheimer suggests keeping a journal so that you can see progress as you journey through her ideas and suggestions, following the Waldorf tradition.  I plan to post here every Saturday in lieu of a handwritten journal.   I think it'll be fun.

Homeschool

Homeschooling with his busy box.

Early April Fools' Day?

Seriously people, this was the view from my back door on Tuesday. 

Isn't this March?  Springtime?  END of March even?  Why the face?  I can't believe that it's still cold enough for snow. At least I can look at my lovely pile of fabrics to cheer me up. 

Anna Maria Horner Voile, oh, so buttery soft!

See? Don't you feel better now too? 

At least the snow is all melted again today.  It's still frigid outside, but it's sunny and bright, reminding me that good days are coming.  Promise!

Working From Home

I am in love with fabric.  That's probably not news.  Lately I've been dreaming about making quilts with it.  Lots and lots of beautiful quilts.  There are so many wonderful new fabric lines that are calling my name.  But.  What has been taking up all of my time these days is my tiny little Etsy shop.

It started very slowly.  It took over two months before I had my first order, but suddenly I feel like it's exploding.  Well, if you can call a few orders a week exploding.  I feel like it's busy because my stock is so low in the shop and my sewing time is so limited nowadays. I've also been selling outside of Etsy which is wonderful.  

Of course, it's not just the making that makes running an Etsy shop so busy.  As any small business owner can tell you it's the paperwork, the bookkeeping, the marketing, the ordering and setting up that eats away at your day.  Combined with working from home (while homeschooling), it can be pretty crazy around here.  And I tend to feel a bit overwhelmed a good bit of the time.  I feel like I'm always behind on something, the housework is neglected more often, the laundry piles up, schoolwork needs to be done and graded, and there is never enough time to sew.  Or take a break.  Although sewing would be a break....

All in all, I feel lucky to be able to have a little shop while still at home with the kids.  As a former owner of a brick and mortar yarn shop, I can say that there's certainly less commitment and less risk with an online store.  There's virtually no overhead cost.  We have to pay the rent anyway.  I already had all the equipment that I need.  My only start-up costs were the initial Etsy fees and a few supplies.  Not too bad for a burgeoning business. 

So, what am I making these days to sell?  My original goal was and still is, to sell quilty things,  quilts of all sizes, pillows, maybe some cute little dresses.  What I'm actually selling is g-tube covers and belly bands.  These are not things I ever thought about making.  Heck, I didn't even know what those were until my sister-in-law asked if I could make them for my niece.  Here, take a look.







My aim is to make something that is comfortable, useful and beautiful for the people who need them. I only sell the things I have already made.  I will take special orders, but I don't want to run my shop that way.  It's much less stressful for me to just package up an order and drop it in the mail that it would be for me to struggle to find time to sew on busy days or during especially hectic weeks.  I like this flexibility.  

The income isn't great.  I'm still at the point where every dollar I make goes back into the business.  I'll never get rich with this Etsy store or buy a fancy house.  Eventually, I am hopeful that I can bring in a little extra for my family.  Maybe save up for that trip to Paris for Chickadee's 16th birthday, still far enough away that it's not terrifying.  And between now and then, if I can make things that help out just a bit, that's pretty satisfying.

~A

Sooo. . .

Finally!  I finally got a new card reader for the new camera.  Now I can share all of the crafty things!  Yay!

This post is picture heavy, so prepare yourself.  Seriously.  Go get a cup of coffee, tea, wine whatever and settle in.

Okay, ready?

H's Monster

C's Monster


R's Hat


Chickadee's Hat


Gnome Houses.


I's Duffers.


A's Bitty Bump Sweater.



S's Camo Hat.

All of these gifts were made between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  YIKES!  That was some crazy knitting time.  There are a few things that aren't here yet but only because I haven't had time to take more pictures.  

Thanks for spending some time with me today.  I hope that your holidays were simply wonderful, and wonderfully simple.

~A

Handmade Christmas

Every year I make a list of Christmas gifts to give, full of wonderful handmade things.  I make this list thinking that time will magically stop around December 1st and only restart when my projects are all done.  Right.  I think you know how the rest of this story goes.  You would think that I would learn my lesson.  Nope.  What can I say, I'm pretty stubborn.  One of these years my plan will work.  Maybe even this year. . .except for, you know, that whole part about time stopping.

I've been working diligently on my handmade gifts this year and I think that I just might have everything accomplished by December 24th.  I wanted to start posting my progress so that I can have a more visual of what I have done and what needs to be done.  

 First the lists:

Chickadee: 
Doll clothes
Animal families (owls, mice, hedgehogs)
Felted tree house
Tiny hammock
Sewing kit (pincushion, needle wallet, fancy pins)

Danger:
 Knit monster
Knit octopus
 Tiny felted village
Animal families (hedgehogs, gnomes)
 Matching game
 Pillow
Juice
Candy

Hubbo: 
Knit socks
 Pillow
 Hankies

Everyone Else: (in no particular order)
 Norway Hat (R.S.)
Wallet (4)
Slippers (2)
Kitchen Set (3)
Monster (3)
Hat (4)
Fish Wind Chime (3)
Scarf (3) (1)
Covers/Belly Band 
Dress (1)
Pajamas (1)


Wow, it looks like I have plenty to finish. . .  Luckily, I have some of the things not crossed of in various stages of completion.  Not all of them, but hopefully enough.  I'll start posting pictures of the finished products soon!

Wish me luck getting my list done, and good luck to you on yours!!

~A

Goals

At the beginning of 2013 I made a list of goals that I hoped to accomplish this year.  I know that it's not quite the end of the year yet but I already have a new set of goals for 2014.  First, I wanted to revisit the old list to see what worked out and what didn't.

 #1. Blog better.  I want to be more consistent, have better content and a snappier look. - Umm, since this is my first post in some number of months, I'll call this one a fail. . .

#2. Make more!!  This means that I want to sew every day.  Even if it's only for a few minutes. - This I actually did, even if I didn't blog about it.

 

#3. Design more!  I have tons of ideas floating around, it's time to not only put them down on paper but to make them as well. - A wash.  I did manage to put loads of ideas on paper, now I just have to make them.

 

#4. Submit at least one project to a magazine. - Nope.

 

#5. Open an Etsy shop.  I'm a little bit terrified of this one. . . -  Yay!  I did it!  My shop is The Peppered Goat on Etsy.  I think it looks really cute!  And I'm so excited that I accomplished this goal.

#6. Get in shape. - Another win.  Kind of.  I started running at our new gym.  They have an awesome daycare so I don't feel guilty about dropping the kiddos off.  I usually run when Chickadee is at her Homeschool Gym Class.  Yes, we are official homeschoolers this year.  YIKES!!

#7. Be Debt Free. This year I'll be on a strict fabric and yarn diet as I try to follow Dave Ramsey's plan and to be completely debt free.  - I can't call this a failure because we're still mostly on track.  We're just not all the way there yet.

 

#8. Sell the house. We're moving again, this time up to Virginia.  So, I'll be working like crazy to get the house ready to sell.  Wish me luck! - Nope.  We still own our house in NC.  We had a renter for a couple of months but now, not so much.  

The New List:

 

#1. Blog more and blog better. For realsies this time.

#2. Make more.  Sew all the time.

#3. Sell some things in my Etsy shop.  Now that it's open it's time to make some sales!

#4.  Open a second Etsy shop.  Since the first one was so fun.

#5. Submit at least one project to a magazine.  

#6. Make my own deadlines and stick to them. I'm hoping that by blogging more, I will be more accountable.

#7. Be debt free.  

#8. Be more organized.

 

Can you tell that I'm already looking forward to the new year?  And just because I feel like every post needs a picture, here is a picture of the first thing I listed in my Etsy shop.  A rainbow minky quilt.  I love it!

 

  ~A

Happy Birthday

To me! Not only is it my birthday today, but I was also chosen as a finalist in Rachel's latest mosaic contest, Sweet Contrary. Here is my entry: 

What do you think? I think you should go vote for me, it is my birthday after all ;-). Even though I totally voted for myself, there is a mosaic I like better.  I won't tell you which one until the voting is closed.  I mean, we're talking about free fabric here.  Free fabric is amazing any day!  

I'm off to make some scrumptious strawberry cupcakes for myself.  Maybe I'll remember to take a picture or two before they're gone. . .

~A