New Years clean up---day one

By golly I am going to start the New Year with a lovely and clean house! Here's what I did today...

• Clean out the fridge, inside and out!
• De-clutter those kitchen hot spots, basically this is every flat surface in the room.
  
• De-clutter back of stove and give it a good wipedown.
• Cull any old spices from the spice cabinet and make a shopping list for fresh jars.
  
• Wash up the oilcloth cat mat and give that part of the floor a good scrub.
• Take down all the notes, numbers, and recipes, file them away.
• Re-cure the cast iron skillet that Christy lovingly saved for me!
  

I took some time to repurpose the Christmas flowers, I weeded out the old tired ones and put them in some new containers. The red carnations are in a new and fantastic milk glass vase from Janet. It is a really great addition to the collection! Thanks Janet, I love it. The other flowers (I have no idea what they are) are in a recycled pizza sauce can I used for Maddie's 11th birthday party last week. I just had to buy that sauce because of the bright, colorful label, Don Pepino's Pizza Sauce, and the great illustration on the brightly painted label! Perfection. Don had put his clipping of a passion flower vine in it a few days ago, I added the pretty white flowers to spruce it up a bit.

I could spend a whole week in the kitchen but honestly that ain't happenin'. Maybe I will do some fly lady stuff later but for now I have other rooms to get to!


After a long lunch I got to it again! This time I hit the dining room from hell. Clutter, holiday dishes, and Legos EVERYWHERE! Yikes. At least Don was kind enough, or fed up enough, to remove the leaves from the table. That is a big help.

• Dishes, time to pack up all those fun holiday dishes that I love so much.
  
• Aidan moved all the Lego's to his room!
  
• Finally put way all the birthday banners and decorations from Maddie's B-day.
• Maddie was supposed to wipe down all the chairs but my TWEEN coped some "tude." I'll get her to do it tomorrow instead of skate boarding all afternoon. Hee, hee.
  
• Cleared off the counter top that separates the dining room and kitchen--that's a real treat!
  
• Grab paper bag and colect all the recycling laying about the house from presents.
  
• Finished dumping out my oilcloth owl tote that has been all over the dining room table for days. I filed all the receipts into my "file pile."
  
• Cleared off the dining room desk and tided up the drawers a bit.
  
• Dusted like a mad woman.
  
• Vacuumed floors and baseboards.
  

I left up the holiday display on the ledges because I love them so very much. The ornaments on the wall are from my childhood, the white garland is from Ikea (I regret not buying tons of it), the ornaments in my fab punch bowl are from here there and everywhere and are all vintage.

Next up was the living room!

• Bag Attack, take two bags, one for recycling and one for trash, and don't leave the room until all the crap is gone!
  
• Kid pile up--put all the kid stuff on their side's of the couch to go upstairs, and don't allow any PS2 gaming (Cute Hubby brought out his "mistress" to share alongside our Gamecube as a way to delay the inevitable Wii purchase) until all of it is put away in their rooms.
  
• De-clutter the hot spots.
  
• Dust and Vacuum.
  
• I took off the couch's slip cover and shook it off outside, then put it back on all nice and straight!
  

And I save the worst for last, the front hall. This is where all the real junk ends up. All the piddly stuff that needs to go up stairs but never seems to make it there.

• Remove all the Christmas cards from garland (hugh difference!).
• Take 500 trips up the stairs (good exercise).
  
• Tidy up bookshelves.
  
• Put Beth's tablecloths in my van so she actually gets them someday.
• Vacuum hall and steps.
  

Now I am off to get pretty(ish) for out New Years Eve tradition, Bowling! Silly and fun.

Happy New Years everyone!

Calendar Year

So every August and January I get the urge to simplify my life and get organized. Today, I have been considering a Day Planner. I like the two page per day pages from Day Runner, they also had a really cute red planner that is really tempting. But... it is all so expensive. I thought that there has to be a cheaper way, and lo and behold there is! Maddie and I ran off to Target and found this cute Blue Sky "RingFolio," $25. It is better than I could have hoped for, with a built in calculator, a small expanding file section. and zipper pocket. Score!

Now what to do about those cool calendar pages? I would love to find them on-line and just print it all out here at home, but I had to wait until the next day to get them at the office store. I had a coupon, so that helped save $10 bucks. I hate to spend a lot of money on all this since I never use all this darn planning stuff : ) (this is the year, I promise)! I just CANNOT have another chaotic year. I opted for the undated version of the two page per day sheets because it only cost $8.00 for a two month supply. I love them!

To defray the cost of the super cool daily planners, I set out on quest for free printable calendars. I found this fun vertical calendar for the computer monitor. Love it! I hate having to open i-cal every time I need to see a simple date, especially when I am not at my computer. For my "month at a glance pages" I went to my homeschool chart standby, Chart Jungle. I also needed a single page 12 month calendar that was vertical, and I found that on this site.

So all and all, I saved about $65.00 by putting together my own planner. Now that is a sweet deal! Happy organizing!

Legal!

Back in September I switched Modern June from a sole proprietorship to an LLC, I have wanted to do this ever since we (Dawn, Nicole, and I) attended a S.C.O.R.E. presentation about a year ago. Well, this week I finally wrapped up all the other details that needed doing. I have a new EIN number, State Tax ID Number and a NEW business license! Dawn and I both needed to hit City Hall so she got a shot of me walking out of the office all "legaled" up! I am legit... city, state, and country. And we took the kids up to the fabulous observation deck while we were there.

It's funny and sad. I have been worrying about all this for five long months and in the end it only took me about 2 1/2 hours to complete the last leg of the project. I'm sure if you added up all the time I spent worrying about this legal stuff, it would equal a lot more than the 2 hours it took me to actually do it.

My only New Years Resolution for 2009 is to do things right away. Don't just worry and procrastinate about it all... JUST DO IT! If applied to every aspect of life, one could really kick it!

A special thanks for my buddy in crafty biz, Dawn, for supporting me and gently nudging me along the way! Your the best!

CSPIA

For weeks I have been trying to figure out just what I wanted to say about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). I have worked my way through shock, denial, and now I am forced to face the facts, and depression. This is gonna be bad. So, after spending days and days reading and re-reading all the information I can find, I just can't say it better than this concise statement from the "Craft" blog:

Crafters are up in arms over a seemingly disastrous unintended consequence of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which will require lab certification that lead and phthalates are not present in toys or clothes -- sounds good, but crafters warn that this means that "a toymaker... who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA." The law takes effect on February 10th and the toymakers and small clothing designers are getting very worried indeed.

Please read:

1. An open letter from the Etsy Administration.
2. If you are in the Children's Apparel Industry this is a must read; Fashion Incubator's Kathleen always tells it like it is! I really dig her and trust her information and advise.

Please watch:
CPSIA-Central has many informative videos on the subject. My favorite is cpsia--Mr. Sun, the little boy is playing house in an apron. That apron maker and I will never be able to sell our aprons under the restraint of the new testing.

Please act:

1. This site offers a quick and easy way to ask our government to be more specific and protect small business.
2. Petition for Children’s Apparel Industry support.
   

First and foremost, I am a Mom. I know that no one wants lead in our children's toys, garments, and supplies, but this law is just too broad, effecting a whole range products made from non-contaminated materials. The testing is outrageously expensive and totally out of reach for many, if not all, small businesses. For some of the companies that only make children's items (close friends included), their business will go under because the testing fees and requirements are just too expensive. I know my own business will take a severe turn for the worse. Some in the crafting community are calling it National Bankruptcy Day. We all want safety, but we don't want to see handmade children's items become a thing of the past.

In the past year, the handmade toy community has grown as consumers have turned to handmade goods in order to avoid lead contaminated, mass produced, toys from China. Yet, this new ban will ultimately limit your toy purchases to the same big-box retailers this law was meant to monitor, as it eliminates the small law abiding US business person. Please, I beg you, take some time to educate yourselves on this issue and do what you can to support our cause, because it is your cause.

To give you an idea of what this means for Modern June... if I want to make baby bibs any longer (I happen to have over 60 cut and ready to sew up) I will have to pay a minimum of $900.00 for testing each color combination (I currently have over 12 combos). I would have to pay this for every batch I make, regardless if they are made of oilcloth, cotton, or polyester. I currently make them in batches of six. So, that is $900.00 x 12 = $10,800 for 72 bibs. Well actually I would only have 66 to sell since I would have to send one from each batch to the lab for testing. Current retail price for seventy two bibs is $900.00, after testing I would need to charge $162.50 per bib. What can I say? That is just insane.

Needless to say, I will be unable to comply with this law. And since I don't want a $100,000 fine or to go to jail (it's a Federal offense to break this law) my children's line will be done after February 1o, 2009.

ten to do's

Dawn, Lark Studio, posted this on to the RCM blog Off the Record last week...

It's that time of the year when most of us with art/craft businesses are wound down - taking a break from a (hopefully) busy holiday season. Here is a great, short, motivational podcast from Alyson B. Stanfield, author of the Art Biz Blog, on how best to utilize this down time and prepare for success in the new year.

If you have a Crafty Biz you too have to check it out. Here is my check off list for the top ten list for clearing out the old and setting up the new!

__Done!!!__ TASK LIST

• Completed:
• new State tax number for LLC
• new EIN for LLC
• Gathered up everything I need for completing new LLC Business License with the city.
• new business license taken care of! Yah!!!

__NEVER DONE!__ STUDIO (working on that now! )
Changes---

• Switched out my inventory rack for a handed down rack that has a top shelf.
• Booked and labeled all my bulk bias and rick rack that just came in before the holidays.
• Throughly cleaned out the ironing room!
• Found the floor in front of the sewing machines.
  
• Packed up all holiday fabrics for attic storage.
  
• Cleaned out all those drawers and caddies.

__DONE__ FILING

• I have started making a central pile for filing
• get files into system FAST
• I filed my little heart out!
  

____ MAILING LIST

• listen to her class
• add more to the list!

____ Art Work

• list all those ONE OF'S on to etsy
• Create SALE section!
  

__Done__ CORRESPONDENCE

• Wrote letter for wholesale clients about CPSIA.

____ COMPUTER (fix laptop or buy new one)

• Don backed up both computers
• finish on line clean up of all those dang photos
• tidy up this dang blogety blog!
  

____ SUPPLIES
Bought:

• two galvanized trash cans for all those oilcloth bolts
• Wrist support to use at the computer
• calendar/day planner, there is a post coming on that!
• Tape
• label tape refill
• Cotton fabric
• needles
• bobbins
• tailors chalk
• Oilcloth re-order

Still need...
Shredder, accordion files and clear show boxs..

VISTA PRINT ORDER

1. biz cards for MJ and OCA
2. post cards for MJ and OCA

Hang tags and labels

1. New tags for tablecloths
   
2. hang tags
3. sew in labels MUST ORDER ASAP
4. Size labels?
5. Care, labels or tags?
   

____ PERSONAL SPACE

• working on it!
• Main Floor complete
• My Bedroom
  

__DONE!!!!__ ERRANDS

• City Hall
• Girl Doctor
• New scripts for the new year
• Made Dentist appointments for the entire family
• DMV, finally renewed my drivers license

Ok, I am motivated!!! Care to join me?

UPDATE 1-5-09
I am still crossing things off this list. I hope to be done soon! Dawn, how you doin?

My Christmas Table

Hi all, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa was good to you! I wanted to share my holiday table with you (no, the photo above is not it). For DAYS I let this photo linger in my email--I had it open on it's own page, back behind everything, so I could think on it both consciously and subconsciously. What I love about the photo is the linen--tablecloth (or fabric) is to die for! I'm a sucker for candy stripes.

As we went out doing our last minute shopping, I looked everywhere for a great new tablecloth. Yeah, I know I make tablecloths but not like the one in the picture, plus I used all the red lace oilcloth on my orders so my original idea went right out the window.


I borrowed a lovely white linen tablecloth from my MIL but it was way too short, not to mention oval. So, at the last minute I simply cut a length of the red oilcloth polka dots, the only red and white oilcloth I had left, (the tree skirts were very popular). I curved off the corners to make it look less thrown together. I would have loved to have made a proper Oilcloth Tablecloth, but at 6 PM on the Eve of Christmas you got to do what you got to do! I layered the table with some inexpensive ribbon that I picked up at the craft store earlier this week--I picked it with the "Martha" table in mind. I had planned to layer the ribbon with some grosgrain dots and stripes--that would have really brought in those candy stripes, but unfortunately, I didn't have enough on hand! URG, maybe next year!!!


The place cards turned out nicely. Maddie and I made Martha's ribbon candy ornaments to use as place card stands. This also fulfilled our annual "make a handmade ornament" tradition, everyone got to take one home! Don whipped out a super cute name tag for us, and we were set!


Check out these cool red glass trees, my daughter got them for me for Christmas--she found them at our neighborhood's new up-scale thrift store (name and link coming later). Everyone loves them, they aren't vintage but who can tell, right?

In hindsight I wish I had looked at the photo one more time, I would have gathered all my pillar candles and adorned them with the left over ribbon--I'll have to whip those up for the Richmond Craft Mafia Holiday Party that is coming up on New Years Day. I'm doing that right now! It's still so pretty, why not keep going, right?

I hope you all had a lovely holiday. If you have photos of your holiday feast please share a link with us in the comment section!

Merry Christmas and lots of love, Kelly

Photo Friday!

Photo Friday

Isn't this is the most gorgeous display? Feathernesters always out does themselves! My Modern June tree skirts look so pretty with in the festive scene! The tree skirts were an incredible hit this year, thank you everyone that supports Modern June, Merry Christmas!

HMMMM, I wonder if they still have on of those signs, I might need that! Yes I am still decorating, see I never finished the tree and I haven't even touched the dining room. Today is the very last day I worry about June for this year, so after the kids get a fun-filled outing I will wrap up the decoration and start baking. Yah, I am finally able to deal with my own holiday!


Happy Holidays, ya'll! Don't forget to have fun in this last minute rush.

freak out!

Can I just say out loud that I am totally and completely freaked out about Christmas and Birthdays.

I have done nothing for our extended families! Well I did do some good trading for my sisters family but the other 4 nephews I got zilch, nada, notten! OMG! I planned to have the kids make pocket pets for thier cousins, when is that gonna happen?

To make things worse I just realized I missed my best friends freaking birthday yesterday. I suck!

To make things really, really terrible, I have no plans what so ever for my DD 11th Birthday that is 6 days away! HOLY MOLY! I am such a bad mommy and friend.

Time to make amends and get busy, when all I want to do is sit and veg. Crap!

Last Day!

Well the 17th is finally here! Today is the last day to shop Modern June! So hurry on over and get what's left! For all blog readers....FREE SHIPPING. Just place your order and don't pay, leave me a note that simply says BLOG and I will send you an invoice sans shipping.

I can not tell you how blessed I feel having the fun little cottage industry. I could never have imagined this 3 years ago. Thanks for you support!

Love ya!

fatigue and photos

I am so bone achingly tired. Last week I thought I was just about as tired as I could be, but no I was wrong! This weekends show was so totally killer, but it kicked my booty something fierce. Here are a few photos that I took, and a few that I have stolen from my friends!

Cute stuff and cute mamma--Hershey is my Baby!

The Cupcakery-- also super cute!

It is really bad that I really want this guy? Like I need it, honestly am I 8? Yes, as a matter of fact I must be! Dang it, he is just so cute!

I wish I had noticed the glasses, I would really have liked to have gotten those. But that killer orange number kept dazzling me!

The Divine Miss Pickles in her doggie glory!

My corner booth. There were so many people that this is the best photo I could get all day.
We honestly had the best customers ever!
There was steady flow from open to close both days. It was amazing!

Dawn and her funky note pads. LLCool J? Oh yah!

One super cute and silly couple! Ono is too darn funny!

Next time girl you HAVE to dance on the balcony for me!

Check out the cards I am sending them out for my very small holiday list. For some reason I just hate sending cards, I bet it is because they are so important to my mom and mil. I am such a rebel. I will gleefully send out Miss pickels christmas cards, not doubt! Who knows may I will actually get into the tradition. (Sexy mama card maker!)

Another good shot of Miss Pickles! Pugs rock!!!!!!!
The kids and I want one really, really bad.

too fun, right?

Ok that is enough for now....sleep must sleep!
The shop is only open two more days and I can not wait for a nice long vacation. I will need two extra days to get out the last few orders and then I can sit around with my poor neglected kids. Yah!

Shop Local Virginia!

Check it out! Gift Ideas: Shop Local Virginia with backwoodsophisticate!!!

Preview Party Secret Code!

Psst, since you are a friend of the Richmond Craft Mafia, we wanted to let you in on an insider tip:

You can get Tickets to the Handmade Holiday Preview Party on
Friday, December 12th from 7 - 10 pm for a steal of a price!

Instead of the advertised price ($20 in advance) - we pulled some strings and our friends are getting a break. To redeem your discount on the Friday Preview Party - The Boss says you have to give them a call at (804) 353-0094. Use the promo code "ROSEBUD" to get the discounted price of $10 in advance for the Preview Party Tickets! If you wait until the last minute, then entrance to the Preview Party will be $15 at the door.

Inside you will find wine, cheese, appetizers, music and most importantly: FIRST DIBS on the handmade goods. Tickets Sales for the Preview Party benefit the Visual Art Center of Richmond :)

Christmas Quiz

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I am totally a wrapping paper girl but on some of those late on Christmas Eve's I sing a different tune!

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? Fake, and the faker the better! Last year I bought my dream tree, silver tinsel.

3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Before Modern June it was the day after thanksgiving. Don would run around shopping all day and I would decorate. It was great if I needed lights I would just call him and he would pick up everything I needed. Now, we do it all in shifts it takes days. I hate it, I like to do it all at once get the house all messy for one day and then bam done!

4. When do you take the tree down? I like it up for at least a week, we try to have a new years day party and I like it up for that!

5. Like eggnog? No way!

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, which is really funny since we so not religious people. The kids love-love-love it, they spend hours playing with it. This year it has faux fur serving as snow. I didn't remind them that it has never snowed in Jerusalem. LOL

7. Favorite gift received as a child? Well this one is easy, when I was 10 I woke up in a brand new canopy bed with kittens all over the bedding. It was magical, Santa did it all! It was the last year I truly believed. It might have been waking up as my father carried me from room to room that did it. : ) Even still, it was the best gift I ever got!

8. Hardest person to buy for? My in-laws, hands down. They want for nothing. How many gift cards can a girl buy?

9. Easiest person to buy for? Me of course! I am only kind of kidding. When the fourth (out of six) grandchild came along we all decided to stop buying adult gifts. So I started buying myself something that was really fun. I hardly ever go shopping anywhere other than Target and craft shows so I find all kinds of stuff I never knew I needed. So now I spend 50.00 on myself or I stuff my stocking, I have to say I am really easy to shop for!

10. Worst Christmas gift? Another easy one. I got the weirdest bronze 3D framed statue from me biological father the year I met him (age 25). It has a birds nest and a mommy and daddy bird feeding their young. It is totally bazaar, and pretty inappropriate coming from someone I never knew as a father. Needless to say it is hanging on a nail in the scary attic.

11. Mail or email a Christmas card? Mail, but I am so horrible this is a tradition I am hit or miss with. I mean to every year but often skip it. I am just not a card kinda girl.


12. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas and Holiday Inn. Favorite holiday special...Olive the other Reindeer.

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Peanut Butter Balls!

16. Lights on tree? NOPE, not on the silver tinsel tree! I am getting a color wheel this year!

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Santa Baby!

18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home? STAY HOME! We made that a rule when the kids were young. That we never travel to see my family in Missouri at Christmas.


19. Can you name Santa's reindeer's? blitzen, donner, Rudolf, comet. Alright, that's it!

20. Angel or Star on Tree top? An angle for Maddie and Aidan.

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? The kids get to open two presents on Christmas Eve, they get new jammies and a new book every year. The rest are opened on Christmas Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Being so busy and not really enjoying the joy of the season, you know when the fun stuff becomes a chore. That is not cool!

23. Favorite ornament? I have tons of favorites. Vintage ornaments make me giddy, the older the better! I got this one last year at TorMan in the bottom, I just could not resist!

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My bathtub refinished, after 80 years it is just needs to happen! I know it won't happen but a girl can dream, can't see?

I saw this on someone's blog and I could not resist filling it out too! If you do it too, please let me know I want to see yours too!

candlelight and childhood ornaments

My wonderful Mother sent me a HUGH box of her ornaments, the ornaments of my childhood. The ornaments she coveted and would not let little hands touch. They are all mine now! I am thrilled to take the afternoon and hang them up on my mantle.

An old iron gate and a ironing cabinet door make up the mantle display this year. My alley is killer for funky-junk finds. I love my hood, I love my Mommy and I almost love Christmas! Give me a couple of days to get the house straight I too will be "christmas sick" as my sweet little dude says.

The Fawn Shop!

coming to 201 w broad street - very, very soon, is a chance to support local artists and shop local for the holiday season. grand opening will be first friday - come out and see what we've been working hard to create...

• opening night: Friday, Dec 5, 11am-10pm
• Saturday, Dec 6, 2-5pm
• Sunday, Dec 7, closed
• Monday, Dec 8-Friday Dec 12 11am-7pm
• Saturday, December 13, 11am-5pm

holiday weekend in photos

Day break, Wednesday morning

Divide and Conquer---show stock, Nicola Floral, Strawberry fields and the Fawn Shop.
We had a contractor in the house replacing a window sill, when he saw this his eyes bulged out and asked what in the world did I did for a living? I told him that my kitchen did not usually look this way. Holiday madness is taking over the house! My poor family!

One awesome way to spend a day off, Thanksgiving was so peaceful!

The kids cake! They just love to bake and decorate. I spent the day by alternating looking at a magazines and cooking with the kids. Heaven! I am so middle aged. : )

My MIL's table-scape!

Look at those profiles, you can tell who belongs to who!

Isn't this T-shirt the best? Every crafty boyfriend and hubby should own one!

Don totally surprised me with it! Here, he flashes it a the dinner table.


Friday kicked off a two day tablecloth-making-palloza, it think I made a total of 8 tablecloths Here is an order for a great guy in California, I just love the great colors!
I bet his kitchen is fun, fun, fun!


After finishing up the tablecloths (Saturday) I headed out for coffee with my Richmond Craft Mafia posse, a well deserved break with my crafty chica's!

When I got home at dusk my whole family was just beginning to decorate the crazy tree's.
I joined in and we all had the time of our lives,
the kids enjoyed the cool night air and giggled endlessly!

On Sunday between sewing and shipping prep I joined "The Fawn Shop"
decorating party, more one this later!

Just a little bit goin' on! I need a vacation! Only 17 more days until
Modern June closes up shop for the holidays!