My very own Cinderella!

My daughter graduated from middle school on Tuesday, June 24th, and on Wednesday the class had their 8th grade dance, which was held on cruise boat off the south shore of Long Island. It was not supposed to be dressy, but we suspected a lot of the girls would dress up anyway. This was an opportunity for her to have her first cocktail dress and high heeled shoes. So, I took her shopping at the local department stores, and pretty quickly, she found two dresses she liked. We took both home to decide which she preferred, and even enlisted friends in the decision making. Between coral and blue-green, most chose the coral, so that became the one. When the day came, she had her hair curled and her nails done, and when she donned that dress, she became a beautiful princess. Of course, in my opinion, she was the most beautiful young girl there! She and her friends had a great time, despite the rain, and I think it will be a night to remember! In September, she's is off to high school, and many more adventures!

HERE COME THE BRIDES!

It's June and wedding season is upon us, so I decided to make some cards featuring brides. This one is particularly cute because she's holding a Coca Cola bottle and the sentiment reads "Cherish true love". But, does this refer to the marriage or the drink? It depends on the giver, and can mean whatever they wish to express to the recipient!

Queen of the Yard Sale!

Last weekend, on a beautiful sunny Saturday, my seven year old daughter and I went to a local church yard sale. We browsed around from table table, until she was able to find some books that she liked. She's a new reader, and she's building her library of books.

At one table I saw a old wire egg basket, the kind where the handles fold down, and the rim fold down like petals. At the same table I spotted an old game from 1960 called "The Barbie Game: Queen of the Prom". The colors are vivid, and the graphics have a sketchy quality, so typical of the period. The playing cards depict beautiful party dresses and evening gowns, handsome boyfriends named Ken and Poindexter, with crew cuts and thick glasses, and club activities like drama and scholarship. You could land on "He criticizes your hair-do, go to beauty shop" if you're not lucky, or "He asks you to go steady" if you are. I couldn't resist buying it for $8.00, plus the egg basket for $1.00. I hope to incorporate it into some of my work.

Well, this started our season of yard sale cruising, and you never know what great treasures we may unearth. Keep you posted!

You're never too old to make new friends!

I made a new friend today, and it's an interesting story!

Not long after I opened my shop on Etsy last October, I was browsing the feature that allows you to find other sellers in your area. I found one located here in Northport, a stay-at-home mom with young kids who was also trying to turn her creative passion into a business. I contacted her and we e-mailed several times. She was wondering if I had any tips on getting that first sale on Etsy. I shared what I thought was helpful, and shortly thereafter we lost touch.

On May 13th, I started this blog, and contacted as many people I could think of to share my stories, and hopefully, draw a following. Yesterday, I gained my 5th follower, and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was my long lost friend, Vera! She had kept our e-mails, and checked in to see how my shop was doing, and that's when she found my blog address.

To make a long story short, it turns out we live within walking distance, and our kids attend the same elementary school. We spoke on the phone for an hour, and I think we have a lot in common. We both became moms later in life, love gardening, cooking and baking. I've traveled her street many times, and know a lot of her neighbors. She house hunted near my home, and as soon as I mentioned the barn in my yard, she knew exactly where I lived. And of course, we share the same dream, of turning our creative passions into a business, which would allow us to remain home with our kids. The next step is to meet, and that will be another blog post!

So no, we are never to old to make new friends. They just might be right around the corner!

Please visit Vera's blog: Emily Lane Studio on my blog list.

Boys and Bucking Broncos!

Yesterday, I featured little girls in my work, and today it's the boys turn! I created two new cards for Etsy with a cowboy/western theme! Aren't they cute?

These cards are available on Etsy.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

For the last fourteen years, my life has been about little girls. So naturally, I'm drawn to beautiful vintage images of litte girls that I use in my work. Here are some of my girls!

These gift tags are available on Etsy.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS UNITE!

Country Living Magazine's
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS SEMINAR

I'm back from Chicago and ready to report my findings!

First, let me tell about my trip. Using hotels.com I located what I thought was a reasonably priced room for Chicago, $108 per night, having stayed downtown for more. The description was for an older hotel from the roaring twenties, set in a neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and more. It got good ratings from visitors, so I booked. What I didn't know was that Oak Park was a little further from downtown than I had stayed before.

The Write Inn Hotel is set in the historic district of Oak Park, Illinois. It was built in 1926 as a SRO (short residency occupancy), and eventually evolved into the 65 room hotel of today. Oak Park has some of the finest examples of Frank Lloyd Wright designs in the country, as well as Victorian and Prairie style homes. Ernest Hemingway's birthplace is nearby and the Hemingway Museum is directly across the street from the hotel.

As I rode in the airport van I had hired for the round trip, I began to get nervous as we seemed to be getting farther and farther from the city. But, as soon as we turned onto N. Oak Park Ave., and I saw the "L" train, I began to relax. The description also said that the train was a short ride and about 9 miles to the Navy Pier, where the WE Seminar was to be held.

My first night, I took a short walk to the Avenue Lake Plaza District. I visited their beautiful new library, browsed in book stores, stopped in The Paper Source, a great stationary chain that we don't have here in NY, and had a bite at one of my favorite eateries, Panera Bread.

The next morning I grabbed a quick chai tea and muffin, and jumped on the green line heading for downtown. The very nice woman at the front desk gave me the directions to the Navy Pier, which involved one train, one bus and the free trolley, all for only $5 round trip. Time consuming, but a great buy for the money.

Country Living Magazine really puts on a fantastic seminar for women entrepreneurs. The Navy Pier was a new venue for the event, since attendance keeps growing each year by about 200, and there must have been 700 women, or more! They come from all over the country, all different backgrounds and all types of businesses, and all are there to launch a business, or take what they've started to the next level. I was lucky enough to meet three Chicago natives, Janet, Vicki and Mary, immediately after arriving, and we enjoyed the seminar together. I hope to stay in touch with these terrific ladies, and watch them "bank on their bliss"!

The guest speakers and panelists were interviewed by the editor-in-chief and other editors. Some of the speakers included: Rosanna Bowles, owner of an international tableware company; Margaret Josephs, founder of The Macbeth Collection, a designer and manufacturer of home and office accessories, desired by the likes of Oprah and Jennifer Anitston; and Mary Liz Curtin, writer, speaker and consultant specializing in the gift and home industries, just to name a few. To close the event, five of the women entrepreneurs featured in the June 2009 issue, spoke about the struggles and triumphs of starting their businesses, and inspired all of the attendees to keep at it as well.

When I leave this event, I'm always motivated to continue on my journey, to see where the road takes me, and to inspire others along the way! If you made it through this post, I hope it inspired you too!