How amazing is this? One of our super sweet customers sent us a photo from her family reunion weekend. She grabbed up 5 sets of party banners to welcome her cousins. I love that we helped, in a tiny way, to make some lasting memories.
Do you have a Modern June Moment to share? Send us a photo to Kelly@modernjune.com
Here are a few of the photos that I took at the first Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. This first round of photos are of our booth and our great customers!! Don't worry, I have more for later in the week.
Above are the sweet ladies that bought up all of our oilcloth cart liners!! The woman in the chevron shirt, loved her cart liner so much that she walked these other ladies over so they could buy liners too. I was tickled when I learned that these 4 woman didn't even know one another. Country Living Fair goers are like that, kind and generous!! Not to mention, hardcore shoppers!!
Here is another great story, the woman on the right came in and bought a tote, then an hour later, she brought her friend back so she could get one too. I asked if they were sisters and they just roared with laughter, mentioning that it would be dangerous if they were. I love that they come in groups: mothers and daughters, a couple of life-time friends and in big groups of gals. It's special, they make it a weekend to remember!!
How sweet is this pretty little one? She preferred the aqua chevron!!
I'm totally into Instagram these days, just ask my family, see how they roll their eyes. Recently my cute hubby gave me an iphone for our 18th wedding anniversary and I'm now totally addicted to my little gadget of love. I had Instagram on my Android phone but it's just not the same, it didn't take great photos and it wasn't as easy to use. But now, I'm a picture taking and sharing fool.
I thought I'd try something new, a weekly wrap up every Wednesday of my favorite photos. Please, if you are Instagram, let me know. Follow me so I can follow you!! My handle (user name) is "The Modern June"
My favorite house in the fan, the porch is always stunningly presentable. Totally jealous!
I bought this super cool cart!!
M. and I went to Feathernesters, it was a nice mother/daughter afternoon.
My son and I had a great date night! This was our dinner. : )
I picked flowers by the studio dumpster. Dumpster flowers? Yep, that's my new name for Sweet Peas.
We went to Bob's for the Friday night neighborhood movie!
I cleaned up the #MJHQ studio cuz it was a hot mess!
I realized that my garden is a hot mess too!
Meet up with Farmer Darryl and bought some yummy food.
Hit the RVA Street Foodies night at the Virginia Historical Society with my cute hubby!!
How wonderful are these Oilcloth Fair Flags that we made for the Rhinebeck Country Living Fair? I know that's it's rude to boast but I'm just so darn proud!
Back in February I got a call from the two gents that do the fair decor for the Country Living Magazine. Robert and Ed are so wonderful, they've been such great Modern June supporters since we all meet in Ohio back in 2010. Thanks to them I get to do all those demos at the fairs. When they called this time they had the idea of taking our oilcloth banners and making them GIANT SIZED! Robert had been inspired by traditional prayer flags and was looking for a hard wearing, rain-proof option for the NY Fair.
We spent the next few weeks going back and forth with prototypes until we found the right size and shape. You know that I had goosebumps when we pulled into the fair grounds to set up. I was beyond tickled pink!!
The Oilcloth Fair Flags were a real hit!! They held up to pouring rain and the bright sunshine. Most importantly, they made everyone very happy.
Here are the impressive stats! There were 678 flags in total. If strung from end to end, the 48 banners would cover 26 football fields. WOW, that was a fun order!!
I have been totally off my blogging game, haven't I? Well, let me tell you what I've been up to!
This winter and spring I wrote my second sewing book. Writing a book is hard. Silly me, I thought that the second book would be so much easier. Ha! Writing patterns in word form is hard for me, I'm so right-brained. In the past, I never read patterns--I can just look at a pattern piece and know instantly how it all fits together. Visual to a fault I guess. If I could do sewing "picture book" I'd be golden!
Writing a book while homechooling your kids is super hard. Thankfully, my hubby took the reins and kept the ball rolling in my absence from our normal life. My kids are now doing school through the summer in order for us to catch up; flexibility is one of the perks of schooling at home. They don't seem to mind, it's just our way of doing things. Trust me, they have had plenty of down time.
Writing a book while running a rapidly growing business would have been impossible if it weren't for my super team of Junies!! As I got busier and busier with the book, the Junies took on more and more. There were some growing pains along the way, but things have worked out well.
Kathie became our Studio Manager, which is funny, since she works from home 90% of the time. Kathie is my sanity and my company's brain. Geneva is the Oilcloth Addict and Modern June cutter and chief tablecloth maker. She's right out of the VCU Fashion department and a real hard worker!! And then there's Nicole, who's been with me the longest. I'm grateful that she continues to make room in her own company's development to come and sew for me several times a week.
These ladies are awesome, and I could not have done this book without them. We are really building a strong Modern June together!
So, back to the book. Originally it was slated to have 30 patterns, but that has been slimmed down due to page count (which is okay with me, that leaves me with some patterns for the next project). I can't wait to share more as the publishing date grows near. So what I can tell you? Well, I can tell you that this book is not just about oilcloth! And April 2014 seems so far away.
On top of writing and editing, all of the photos were taken at my home. That was a nightmare!! There I was finishing up patterns, making samples AND worrying about the scratched up baseboards. Prepping for a home for a photo shoot is work enough!! I swear, I didn't sleep the whole month. It was a real shame that it all had to happen at the same time. I would have really enjoyed styling the photos for this book more if it was the only job I had to do. In the end, the editors where very happy. It was nice to receive a gushing email from my editors the day after I sent in Meghan's lovely photos.
You'll notice that this post is photo-free; trust me, it pains me to hold out on you, but it's all top secret for now.
For your visual entertainment, I invite you to check out my favorite new passtime, Instagram! Follow me, The Modern June, and I'll follow you back.
And come back tomorrow for lots of pretty pictures from the very first Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY.
Years and years ago I sent my MIL out on an hunt for a new Danish Modern table. It took her a few months to find one that I could afford. Can you see why I could afford it? It was a hot mess from the get go. Shaky and scratched. After some haggling I think that I paid a $100 for it. As bad as it was so much better than the battered oval IKEA table that I had had for years. Since I know a thing or two about tablecloths, it's served my family well.
One of the projects for book 2 needs to be photographed a nice tabletop so I grabbed a pint of paint and primer and I am good to go. I'm so excited, I think it looks great.
Wow, the first coat of primer really made the scared surface obvious.
I love my freshened up dining room! Gone is the wood on wood with wood effect. Yuck! I love painted wood, it think that I would paint my mother white if she was made of wood.
Remember my hunt for new chairs? Well I went with a mod chair in peacock!! I found them at Target.com at $40 each they were a total bargain!!
It
always amuses me how we can take pretty pictures when we are surrounded
by a mess. Let me just say that I didn't intend for us to shoot in my
dining room on Tuesday. So there it it folks, what my house really looks
like while I'm writing a book. MESSY!!
Here's Meghan McSweeney
shooting really detailed how-to shots for my second book. She grabbed a
piece of junk mail off the hubbies desk to use as a tiny bounce.
I am totally excited to be going to the newest Country Living Fair in New York's Hudson River Valley. You'll have to come and check out it out too.
Our BIG news is that Modern June will be adorning the fair with a new oilcloth bunting that is going to be a great BIG fun project for us!! (I mean BIG!)
We'll be there selling our wares and fabrics and I'll be on the main stage doing a demo. This years demo is using our slick fabrics for outdoor fun! Date and time TBA!
I have just turned in the manuscript for my 2nd book and I am just as thrilled/relieved as I could be! You know those big deadline dates, don't ya, how the mess with your head? I've know that my manuscript was due on April 1st since sometime in October. What is that, 5-6 months? It always seems so far away, yet right around the corner. For months now, I've written checks at the grocery store and ask for the date and all I could think of was how close my big deadline was. It's crazy. Time can move so fast and so darn slow when there it a big deadline looming.
I have to go on record and say that I couldn't have done this book with out the help of a few good people! My family has helped take care of me and themselves along the way, I am so thankful that my kids have been stepping it up and have been so responsible. (Most of the time!) I could not have written this particular book when they were any younger.
My hubby is totally awesome!! During the last 6 months he's become a better teacher, cook, cleaner and all around good guy. I love him with all my heart. It's hard for him to be the full time provider and pseudo-single parent all the time. The kids are at an age where they couldn't care less to even come out of their rooms for food, but he still misses me and that's pretty intense.
My biggest thanks (sorry, hubby) goes to my cracker-jack team of Junies!! I am not lying when I tell you that Kathie, Nicole, and Geneva are running the show at MJ and OCA!! Honestly, this is such a big book I couldn't have written it without their help in the studio, without them we would have had to shut down at least one of the shops so I could write, plot and plan.
Now, don't think it's over yet!! No I'm hoping from the frying pan and into the flame. My friend and photographer, Meghan McSweeney and I have a lot of pretty photos to take. Which means I need to paint, clean, and declutter my home. Oh, and make a whole lot of samples! Don't feel too bad for me, once it's all done on May 1st I'm going to have one very lovely home. All this hard work and stress will be worth it soon.
I'm not even going to think about the editing process that will soon be upon me!! La-la, la-la-la. Nope, I'm not thinking about that...
My family spent the last few days attending the Virginia Homschoolers Conference. It's my annual homeschooling booster shot. It always comes around just as I'm running low on steam and filled with doubt. Thankfully, I leave feeling energized and self-assured. The conference makes me confident that our eclectic/unschooling style of homeschooling will not render our kids ignorant and destitute. (Thank goodness!!)
It was also my second year of hosting the teen party. OMG!! 52 homeschool teenagers is a lot of wonderful and crazy energy!! I finished up Friday night by serving about 200 people ice cream and cake, I haven't been that physically tired and mentally fried since Country Living Fair!
Every year I pick up a few pearls of wisdom to help guide me through another year and this year was no different.
#1: Do what you love and do what your good at!
#2: Our main job as homeschooling teachers is to teach the kids how to learn.
#3: Are you doing what it important or what is URGENT? (Yikes!)
#4: There are no educational emergencies!
I always go to the feel good sessions, sessions like Unschooling Unzipped and a Homeschool Mom Looks back by Jeanne Faulconer. Meanwhile, my hubby went to a few sessions that were more technical. Oh course, it's that ying and yang thing again! He went to sessions on real world math and teaching aps!
After the conference Don and I went out to pick up dinner alone and compared notes. My take away from his sessions are great as well.
#1. Mathalicious
#2. Evernote, I am so excited about this! Man, I hope it finally gets me on top of it all. PLEASE!!
At the end of the day I was part of a panel of working/homeschooling parents. The panel and the room was filled with a working moms and dads that are or are planning to work while homeschooling. I loved it, they are my people, a bunch of fellow crazy people that are willing to conquer it all! I'll be back tomorrow with more.
In an attempt to spend some time with my son, and to be able to stay wake so I would log in a few more hours of work, I took a short power walk. I was happy to have brought along my Instagram gizmo -- otherwise known as a cell phone.
Isn't spring is coming along nicely here in Richmond, VA? I am glad that last weeks snow didn't dampen the mood.
Well, it cost me 5 pounds and aged me 5 years but the first draft is done. All kidding aside, this book thing is hard!! The best/worst thing is is that it's far from over. Next up, it the big scary package date, sample making and then photography time.
Oh no? Photos? Photos in my house!! Whose dumb idea was that? Oh ya, that was mine. You know what that means don't you? My entire home has to be photo ready in a matter of weeks. OK...
So, I out of the frying pan and into the fire. It's hard work being crazy!!
I am seriously rolling in the deep, in the weeds, shattered, and slammed!! We've never been busier in the shops, MJ.com is in development and I am 8 days away from my a massive deadline. So this is just a quick note to share some of my new found wisdom!
Delegating is awesome.
I don't have to touch everything that we send out.
I have a dreamy set of Junies. (I've known this all along!)
Sleep really helps when caffeine and double stuffed cookies fail you.
I am off to write, pattern and sew!! Not to mention, ignore my hubby and neglect my kids for just a little while longer.
A few years ago my son had a math homework melt down and as a result he took his pencil
and rammed -- it lead first -- into one of my favorite laminated cotton
tablecloths and pierced it. Needless to say I was NOT happy.
Amazingly enough, the hole never grew larger. I used that tablecloth for
another 6 months straight till a new laminated cotton fabric caught my fancy and I still
circulate that tablecloth in every now and then. I'm still amazed
that the hole have never ripped or tore though so many wipe downs and heavy
use.
Please note that we don't live in a big fancy house, we only have one
table so that table gets a lot of use!! School, work, game
nights, craft time and every meal happen at the table. We live at that table!
I've used oilcloth and laminated cotton on my tables for almost 7 years
now I can honestly say that laminated cotton is just as strong and hard
wearing as the oilcloth.
