I'm a Social Media Failure

Fail Whale by iadornu.etsy.com

I'm finally ready to admit it. I suck at social media.

It's true that you can find me on twitter almost every day, either tweeting with friends or sharing a new listing on Etsy, but that only takes 30 seconds and 140 characters - or less! Of course I then spend the next hour scrolling back in time reading new posts. But I get my own tweets in, I make connections, and I even generate a sale on occasion. Twitter works. It's everything else that I have a problem with.

The Oh So Retro Facebook page is sadly neglected and my Flickr page has seen better days. Even my new Tumblr has already been abandoned, and we all know how often I update my blog. My poor blog... thought of often, written in never.

It's not that I don't want to participate in social media. I like it. I'm with it. I know how to do all this stuff... I just don't and I'm not sure why. As soon as I sit down on the computer I find myself in a cycle bouncing from one webpage to the next, reading and looking for things but not actually accomplishing anything. I can spend half an hour reading about The Kinks or vintage magazines or girls who look like Justin Bieber but can't find the time to upload pictures to Flickr or post a link on my fan site.

I see many women who have shops full of fresh items and blogs full of content and I think - why can't that be me? It's not like they have an extra pair of hands or an extra hour in the day that I don't have. They just sit down and work instead of sitting down with the idea of maybe working and oh hey look pictures of kittens in sweaters!

At the beginning of the year Randy asked me "How is this year going to be different from the last?" and I ask myself this when I am thinking of where I am and where I want to be. How am I going to make sure that this year is successful? What can I do to make Oh So Retro better?

I have a few social media goals that I want to start working on every day, just an hour during my lunch break that would usually be spent wasting time online. My list includes twitter, facebook, flickr, tumblr and of course blogger. How much time to you spend working on your social media/web presence? Do you find it makes a difference? I'm going to get serious about it for a few months to see if it helps. It can't hurt, even if it just helps me break my addiction to blogs about texting errors and animals wearing hats.

Trying Something New - Vintage Inspired Clutches

I've been doing a little more designing and experimenting with my shop. Nothing too drastic of course, I'm not a terribly fashion forward kind of gal. In fact I usually joke that I'm "fashion backwards" because my style is so firmly rooted in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Last month one of Randys coworkers asked me to come up with a gift for her 6 bridesmaids. She wanted something using her wedding colours and she wanted each item to be personalized. Oh and I had a really strict budget. Panic! I had no idea what I was going to do. I took a day to think about it and came up with the perfect idea that night while I was falling asleep - which is incidentally the time when I do my best designing.

The next morning I got up & excitedly emailed my idea to her - 6 simple clutches done up in navy blue with blush pink lining, each with it's own special button. She loved the idea and I started drafting a few different patterns to find the best shape. I also got hooked on clutches and have now made 10 of them, these little purses are addictive!

The final clutch design, one of the bridesmaid gifts.

These are my first two patterns. I love how both of them turned out and am really pleased to be able to offer some new bags to my shop. I've got a few more to be listed in the next few days, including solid coloured bags for those of you who aren't as pattern obsessed as I am!

Yoko Japanese Fabric Clutch

Ida Vintage Barkcloth Clutch

DIY Hang Tags (on a budget!)

I have been brainstorming ideas for making professional looking hang tags to use locally during the upcoming craft show season. Up until now I had been using a business card with a regular hole punch, but the cards are big and get in the way and it just seemed a bit too amateur. Using items I already had, a little graphic design work & elbow grease I was able to come up with a classy hang tag that I think looks pretty sweet!



You will need two craft punches for making your hang tags. I used the "Extra Jumbo Marvy" 1.5" scalloped circle for the tag and a quarter sized hole punch for the string. Both were purchased from Michaels using the weekly 50% off coupons. These go on sale all the time too - don't pay full price for them! You can use whatever shape or size you like as long as it is no bigger than 1.75" wide and 2" tall.


Here's where the graphic design comes in. I used Vista Print and waited for a premium business card sale with free uploads. Trust me, if you sign up for their mailing list you won't have to wait very long! I get multiple free offers from them every week.

I used the "design your own business card" option, uploaded the background image from my blog and laid out the text boxes so I had two identical graphics on each side of the card. You will need to play around with this a bit - and it helps to have a business card in front of you with the holes punched out so you will have an idea where your borders will be. I was a bit worried that my 6 pt font would be too small to read but it turned out beautifully.

Of course you can use any printing company that you like but you can't go wrong with 250 cards for free + $10 shipping. That's 500 hang tags! Just be careful during your check out that you don't select any of their optional add ons. It ends up being cheaper to wait and order more items from their next promotional email.


And then the elbow grease. This is the least fun part of making your own hang tags but it's also kind of satisfying. I removed the plastic bottom from my Marvy stamp at first so I could make sure I was punching each card in the correct spot. After a while I was able to tell just by looking at the side of the stamp if the card was lined up in the correct spot.


Once my cards were stamped out I used my mini hole punch on them. A regular sized punch would work too but the smaller size looks cleaner to me.

Finally, I used embroidery floss to hang the tags from my purses. Floss comes in hundreds of colors so you can pick out the perfect shade to compliment your hang tags or your items.

I'm still not sure yet if I'm going to attach them to the inside of my purses with little safety pins or if I should just loop them around the buttons and snaps of my items. What do you think?

I'd love to see your tags if you try this method - if you already use the method - or if you purchase premade tags!

Thank You Thank You Thank You

Last month I was one of the lucky winners of The Rik Rak Studios Eco Week Giveaways! I won a beautiful hand woven recycled rug from the extremely talented Pegg of Five Forty.

This was exciting for a number of reasons, one of which was the fact that Pegg is also from Northern Ontario. There's a special connection between everyone I've ever met from the Lake Superior region, I think it has to do with the water and trees and rocks. Being far away now it's always nice to find a little bit of home. Pegg has a beautiful shop full of hand woven rugs and handmade jewelry.

Mr Boots especially enjoys the new rug!





Thanks so much to both Pegg, for the beautiful rug, and RikRak Studio for hosting such fun giveaways. Be sure to visit both of their shops to look at all the eco lovelies they have for sale!

Welcome to the new Oh So Retro Accessories! It will be very much like the old Oh So Retro except it will be updated regularly and kept organized. At least that's the plan.

You might have noticed that I've dropped the "Design" and replaced it with "Accessories". This is because I have renewed my business license and realized that my work is less about design and more about .. accessories. Less fashion & more function, as it were. I'm also hoping to do more local shows and thought that Oh So Retro Accessories was a better way to describe myself.

While working on my blog I went through my old photos to find an image for my header. I was really struck with how abruptly my photos stopped in the spring of 2008. There's still pictures but they're not the same, there's no flowers or trees or artsy fartsy macro shots. This is also around the time that I stopped sewing anything new - I'm still selling the same items in the same fabrics as I was in the spring of 2008. I was always aware of my depression, it was kind of a low level static that hung over me like gauze but I had no idea how deep it went.

I feel in a way as if I'm picking up where I left off. I won't ever be able to get those two years back but at least I can move forward from here. I don't ever want another year to go by with no pictures to add to the photo album. Or no money in my pocket, as is the case of not doing my sewing! It's all uphill from here & it feels good to finally be looking up.

Finally, Facebook Fans

Randy & I had both been saying that we needed to make Fan pages for our respective businesses so we sat down together on Saturday afternoon and got to work. It was much simpler than I anticipated and I really feel organized now, especially since I had stopped using Flickr last year when my pro account ran out and had no where to store my pictures. At one time I would have said that Flickr was your best promotion online but now I think Facebook is the necessity.

One thing I noticed when uploading my photos is that I haven't made anything new in ages.. Really it's almost been a full year since I did any real work besides wholesale orders. No wonder my store has stagnated! On one hand I'm mad at myself for getting lazy and falling so far behind but on the other I think maybe I just needed the break. It feels good to feel good again & be excited about something. But I still need to kick my bum when I'm feeling lazy!

My next project is to redo my blog template to make it more personalized. I don't think I'm going to get too crazy with it, mostly because I don't have the skills. I have an idea of what I want in my head and hopefully I'll be able to make it appear on the screen! I see so many beautiful customized blogs and I know I need something prettier and less default template. Wish me luck!

If you'd like to become an Oh So Retro fan on Facebook you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/OhSoRetroAccessories
& if you want to check out Randys art he's at http://facebook.com/randyortizDTD

Spring Cleaning

I have fallen sadly behind on the shop front scene. I really got thrown off by our move (which was in Decemeber and is no longer a valid excuse!!) and I think now would be a great time to do an Oh So Retro overhaul. There's so much that I need to do, clean, organize, revamp, etc that I usually just put it off because it's so overwhelming. I only had 1 sale in March and that was for a $2.00 fabric destash so I know I need to pull up my socks now or else my business is going to be sunk. It's like starting over from scratch almost.

I didn't want to admit it but I had lost the passion for sewing/selling/everything. The thought of sitting down to work almost felt like torture to me and I did anything I could to avoid it. Everyone close to me has expressed concern about it, Randy because I wasn't working or making money, my mom because I appeared depressed. When friends would ask me how my work was going I'd say it was slow because it was easier to blame Etsy than admit that I'd given up. I can't compete, I'd say. It's too hard. There's too much. (Followed by: I'm overwhelmed. I'm going to bed.)

Slowly though I've been getting back into it. I started a new ideas binder that I've been saving fashion pictures in, which is fun and reminds me of being a teenager. I've got a whole line of patterns planned out and my first one completed. I've got some new supplies to inspire me, some new headbands and totes to make and maybe I'll do a couple skirts this summer too. Just for me.

It's hard work and a big commitment to make but I'm ready to get back into the long days and longer nights of being a one woman sewing empire. I need a little help & motivation though in the form of a public to do list.

The Great Oh So Retro Accessories Revival of Spring 2010

- Create new logo & Etsy banner
- Customize blog with new logo, colours, etc
- Re-do website with new designs
- Incorporate shopping cart into website (or look into big cartel?)
- Create and list at least 1 new pattern per month
- Sell off old stock
- Photograph and list all completed items in storage
- Destash excess fabric and supplies
- Relaunch monthly mailing list
- Create a Facebook fan page
- Sew every day, even if just for an hour


I'll probably have more things to add to this list as I think of them. There's nothing that motivates me more than crossing off an item on my to-do list so hopefully this list will be the little push I need to get back to work.

Introducing Patterns from Oh So Retro

I am very excited to introduce my newest product, Oh So Retro Accessories Patterns!

The first pattern released is Simple Cases: learn to sew a Card Case, Gadget Case and Glasses Case for beginner to intermediate sewers. Instructions are included for customizing your own templates and installing a snap, hook and loop tape (aka velcro) and an elastic loop and button closure.

I'm also happy to provide free email support with this pattern so that I can help you walk through any problems you might run into. I remember what it was like learning how to read a pattern and tried to explain things in an easy to follow way, including a page of Tips, Tricks & Techniques.

This 17 page pattern includes 3 full size templates that are ready for printing as well as detailed illustrations to guide you through the creation of your cases.

This was the first project that Randy and I worked on together and I'm so proud of how it's turned out! I know it might be a little basic for some of you with more advanced sewing skills but I wanted to start with the basics. My next pattern will be for a summer clutch and will be released next month.

As a special Thank You, I'm going to be offering Simple Cases to my blog readers at a special discounted price of $7.50 until April 3rd, 2010. Simply purchase through the paypal link provided in this entry & you will receive the pattern through email within several hours!

Restructuring

I Know I Can I Be What I Want To Be by PhotoDu.de

I spent a lot of time thinking this winter.

Actually that's not true. As much as I hate to admit it, I spent a lot of time sleeping and feeling depressed this winter. I thought moving would help, but it's true what they say about running away from your problems. I thought a bigger window and more sunlight would help. I thought being back in my old neighbourhood would help. I even thought having a dishwasher would help. And it did, at first.

But it's not where I was physically that was the problem. It's where I was mentally. Where I am mentally. I was bored and unhappy with my life. I had to admit something to myself. I didn't want to sew anymore. I was completely burnt out and exhausted. I just couldn't do it anymore.

Once I decided to quit sewing I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. And oddly enough I wanted to sew again. So I started planning out some new wallets, thought about spring craft shows. I was almost euphoric with relief! I felt like myself again.

One day while drawing out a bill fold wallet, complete with sewing instructions, I realized that I loved the planning more than the sewing. I played around with this idea a bit, thought up some ideas & talked to Randy when he got home. We had a brain storming session and it was decided. I'm going to start making & selling my own patterns, fully illustrated by Randy!

It's at least a year since I've been really excited about my work. This first pattern will be 3 in 1 Simple Cases; card case, gadget case & glasses case. It's a beginner level pattern with learn to sew tips & techniques in it. I'm really pleased so far & can't wait to show you guys what I've been up to these past couple weeks. I have so many ideas that I've got my next 10 patterns already planned out!

I'm hoping to have it listed by Thursday, so if all goes well check back then for a free giveaway on my blog. :)

Fashion Friday #4

So I lied! Last week I said I was going to put together a list of end-of-summer Sale items but then I saw "Let's Dance" by Mnemosyn on the front page during the week and I knew I had to do a feature on the amazing handmade skirts on Etsy.

The skirt wearing season in Winnipeg is very short so I try to wear one as often as possible. Usually I wear a long wrap or patchwork skirt around the house and when I go out I love to wear knee length aline skirts with bright patterns, lots of flowers and lots of yellow. I have a very favourite bubble skirt in simple grey that I wear often too. You can see some of them on Flickr in my product shots.

Here's some of my favs off Etsy, all handmade, that I would love to add to my collection one day:

Seven Stunning Handmade Skirts:


Let's Dance by mnemosynedesigns $152.00
The skirt that inspired this entry. Beautiful hemp fabric, fully lined, pin tuck detailing. Size 6.

Less Is More in beige by idea2lifestyle $40.00
This gorgeous and simple cotton linen skirt is made to order in your size and is available in several different colour schemes. At $40 it's a steal and is at the top of my must-own list.

Full and Flowered by littleocean $39.00
This one of a kind vintage inspired skirt has a playful contrast waistband and can be worn high or low. 30" waist.

I'll Try Not To Forget You by zacobe $148.00
Super full party skirt made from pretty sateen fabric. Made to order in your size.

Liquid Blues Aqua Patch by randompatch $35.00
No matter what your style is every girl should have at least one patchwork skirt in their closet. You can't help feel beautiful and feminine when you're wearing one. This one is sweet and simple with an elastic waist to fit 28" - 44".

Picnic Skirt by favoritestyle $38.00
This is an adorable wrap skirt in large gingham print. One-size-fits-all. Also on my must-own list.

Puffy Plaid Taffeta Skirt by couvert $135.00
This gorgeous bubble skirt done in plaid taffeta would be perfect for winter wearing, paired up with leotard tights and knee high riding boots. I love the bow placed on the hips and the texture that the plaid pleats create. Truly a piece de resistance!

Fashion Friday #3

I've developed a strange fascination this season with rainbow sandals. It started innocently enough while hunting for a simple two strap flat, you know the kind from the 80s with the little buckles and padded insole. Since I'm a size 10 my vintage shoe options are extremely limited but I found the perfect pair on eBay, in perfect shape, in perfect primary colours and best of all, in my size. They were the kind of shoes you dream about and think that somehow owning them will make your life more fun. And they probably would have, if I hadn't been outbid at the last second. Now I search the internet for a second pair and think about the summer in rainbow sandals that could have been...

6 Pairs of Amazing Rainbow Sandals

Vintage Multi Color Ankle Strap Knotted Sandals from VintageShenanigans $20.00
These are the same shoes but in size 7. I'd consider chopping off my toes to wear them. This pair is in gorgeous condition too.


80s Rainbow Sandals from DewBerryVintage $16.00
These are quite possibly the sexiest rainbow shoes ever made, and at $16.00 I would actually chop off my toes to wear them. Size 7.


1960s Sandals Kitten Heel Shoes from SmallEarthVintage $28.00
Not quite rainbow, this color scheme reminds me of plastic patio lanterns shaped like owls. They are a size 10 and "vintage deadstock" which are two of my favourite words put together.


70s CORK WEDGE rainbow stripe SANDALS from 28Crash $42.00
There are no shoes more comfortable than cork wedges and they look hot too. This pair is in amazing condition. Size 6.


1970s COBBIES Cork Wedge Leather Sandal from Nuttinover20Vintage $17.00
I love Cobbies & this is a great pair although I wonder if they realized they used the Mercedes Benz logo on the heel? Size 8.5. Nuttinover20Vintage's shop has tons of really fun stuff and, like the name, nothing is over $20. Sweet.


70s Rainbow Woven Platform Wedge Sandals from OrnamentVintage $10.00
These adorable rainbow striped platform wedges are from Sears and in immaculate shape. Size 6.


Next week I'm going to put together an end-of-summer-sale list featuring some sweet homemade and vintage items!

Fashion Friday #2

How is it Friday again already? I'm sorry for not blogging this week, or tweeting very much either. I've been very busy getting the apartment ready for Randy to move in! This involved a lot of emptying closets, sorting junk, making piles (to keep, to donate) and then shoving everything back into the closets, only in neater piles. Will it keep? Lets hope so. Today Randy moves in and my workload doubles, as we attempt to share 500 square feet of basement apartment with no dishwasher! Wish us luck.

But more of that later - today I want to celebrate fashion because it's Friday and what better way to start the day than by shopping for summer clothes. This week I'm sharing some handmade sun hats to go with the vintage sun dresses from last week. A great dress is only made better with a great hat. (and great sandals, but that's next week!)

5 Fabulous Floppy Handmade Hats

Cape Hatter in indigo cotton denim by terrygraziano $120.00
Terry Graziano makes hats; really cool, multifunctional, vintage inspired hats. Her designs are very hip without being silly, her fabrics are beautiful and her whole shop is very aesthetically pleasing. This is Hat Art.


Gidget by Chiahats $48.00
Anyone who knows me knows that I love vintage floral fabric so it should be no surprise that I LOVE this hat. The bold yellow flowers are adorable and the button flap is a nice touch too. Chiahats has several of these hats in different fabrics.


Vintage Hanky Flower Hat by softshelterhats $75
This girlie hat was made with vintage floral handkerchiefs and buttons and is adorned with an oversized rose. I love the soft shape and colours of this hat. As a bonus, softshelterhats donates 10% from every sale to animal shelter programs in their community. Mr Boots approves.


Carmen by HatsbyDenise $50
This is quite possibly the cutest sun hat on Etsy. I love the bright colours and sweet floral pattern with the contrasting twill tape. This would be a great beach hat. Denise has many classic designs in her shop, it was hard to pick just one!


Retro Fabric Hat by pinksequin $45
Not quite a floppy hat, this wide brimmed hat will still keep the sun out of your eyes in style. I love the vintage fabric, especially that shade of green, and hand drawn flowers get me every time. Check out Pink Sequins shop for more of her sweet vintage style.

Third Time Is The Charm.

Hello again blog world.. I've decided to make another attempt at regular blogging. I used to be quite the avid blogged back in the day (when my life was more.. exciting) but had since found myself with little to say. Who wants to read about an agoraphobic girl and her cat? I've noticed a big increase in my tweeting though so I think I'm finally feeling like talking again. Being quiet for too long isn't good.

I've wanted to blog for a while now but wasn't sure what theme to take on, if it should have some kind of greater purpose, like featuring indie sellers or fashion or gluten free cooking or if it should just be a personal blog with a bit of everything. I've decided not to have a theme because I have a lot of different things to talk about - agoraphobic, celiac disease, sewing, starting my life with Randy, etc. The emphasis in my life is on self improvement and finding happiness and that's what I'm going to share.

There's lots of exciting things happening this year - I'm 30 now and I love it. LOVE it. Everything has finally come together for me. I struggled for years with anxiety and depression, stomach issues and agoraphobia. It's been very difficult. It wasn't just an issue of facing my fears and desensitizing myself to panic attacks, I had chronic stomach issues that triggered the panic and I knew if I could figure out what was making me sick I could finally find the end of the cycle I was stuck in. It took 15 years (I had a housebound period for about 6 of those 15) but finally I've been diagnosed properly with celiac disease and after two months on my gluten free diet I can go to more places than I have in years. (Can you believe there was a time not too long ago when I couldn't go into the fabric store? Sadness!) Every day is a challenge, and I don't want to fall back into old habits and become complacent with just getting by so this is my promise to myself, that I will keep trying until I reach my goal of being free of agoraphobia, getting my drivers license and living a "normal" life.

I'm getting ready for another big change too, Randy is moving in with me in three weeks. This will be the third time (the charm, we hope) and will signify the start of our "adult" life. (Better late than never..) We were waiting for him to graduate school and he has and is now working downtown at an architectural firm. We were going to get married but I think we're just going to sign the common law papers for now. You can file for common law status in Manitoba and you then have the same rights as a married couple, can change your last name, etc. One of the reasons is that I don't feel ready for a wedding - not a marriage, I feel totally ready to be married to Randy - but I have a lot of anxiety about having a wedding ceremony. It's silly I know but the thought of having a panic attack during my wedding makes me sad.

It's nice to be honest with myself, for once. I'm happy to be writing again, more for myself than an audience but it's always nice to find kindred spirits who are living through the same situations. It makes this life a lot more enjoyable, and that's the one thing my life has been missing.

My Etsy Christmas List

After spending too much time online this morning and incessantly tweeting Etsy finds to my followers, who I am sure are sick of me already and it's not even noon, I decided to put together a little list of Etsy finds that I wouldn't mind finding under my Christmas tree this year. This will also serve as a not so subtle hint to my boyfriend who once gave me an unwrapped VCR the day after Christmas (that he purchased at a Boxing Day sale) with a plastic bag of used VHS tapes... oh yes it gets worse.. one of the tapes was a Gallagher special. I know it's the thought that counts but really, a used Gallagher VHS is the kind of thought I can do without.


My Etsy Christmas Wish List:



1. Small Bunny Vase by prettyrandomobjects

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I almost can't stand it! I have a few ceramic bunnies that this would look great grouped with on my desk. It's such a sweet and simple design, I don't know what girl wouldn't love it.


2. Botanical Still II Print by stephanielevy

Stephanie Levy is an American artist living in Germany who creates beautiful illustrations of everyday things like living rooms and window sills with a modern design element to them. These would look great in a grouping of 3 or more down a hallway or above a table. I would love any of her Botanical prints, or better yet all of them.



3. iPhone and iPod Touch Cozy (Sir Hamilton) by annamatic

This is one of the most clever iPod holder designs I have seen, although I would probably giggle to myself everytime I put my iPod up Sir Hamiltons bottom. Nevermind the fact that I don't even have an iPod touch (yet) but this might be all the incentive I need.



4. Hogweed - Coptic bound journal in dark teal by paperiaarre

I've been journalling since my 12th birthday when I received a 5 year diary complete with a lock and key. The majority of them have been destroyed (believe me, no one needed to read about my teen years) but now that I am all grown up I love to pick out the perfect new journal, one that I will keep on the shelves and be drawn to fill with musing every evening. This is one of those books. I want two, one in teal and one in linen.



5. Prairie Hoody 2-Way Zip Hoody Jacket Dress by SelenaEon

I've had this jacket dress on my favourites for ever - it's one of those items I go and look at now and then to see if it's sold or if I can still hold out hope. I love the design, the chest and back detailing, the ruffle skirt, the gathered sleeves and pockets, the color.. a lot of work went into this dress. I might just have to save up my Christmas money and buy it for myself.

Own The Hour

If you haven't heard of Own The Hour yet you will soon. OTH is an independent promotion website for Etsy sellers offering 12 spots each hour in a treasury like format. It's very simple, it's very cheap and best of all it works! I've used it a few times already, at 50 cents a pop it's basically pocket change.

My results; an average increase of 30-50 views, a whole bunch of new hearts (thanks guys!) and 1 sale. Not too shabby for a website that just launched this month. Own The Hour is already selling out daily - more proof that social media marketing works (and works fast!)

Here's a tip: Buy midnight. That's when the next days time slots open up so you're guaranteed to get a ton of traffic! Noon is good (think lunch break) and of course the coveted evening spots - but be quick, they sell out very fast.

We've come a long way baby.

Somehow or other my 3 year Etsy-versary is coming up. It's shocking, I know - where did all that time go? Have I really made over 1000 things? No wonder my fingers are so sore. I'm thankful for that time though because it's allowed me to learn and grow not only as a seamstress but as a business owner, marketer, graphic designer and photographer.

I've been looking back at my first sold items - and cringing. I decided to re-do my first big seller, the check book cover in Alexander Henrys Light Bright fabric. Version 2 has a few upgrades, a pen holder, bigger pockets and a snap for extra security.

Mod Dots Check Book Cover in Light Bright Natural

And here's the original listing. I am still using this check book holder by the way. It was so cute I had to keep one for myself. (I won't even tell you how many wristlets I have kept over the years.)

The Original Mod Dots Check Book Cover

What a difference 3 years make! This not only goes to show my own evolution, but just how far the online marketplace has come. Your image is important but your key to success? Your customers actually being able to see those images.

Isobelle in Amy Butler

Isobelle in Amy Butler Lotus Fabric
Originally uploaded by ohsoretro

I've been tempted by Amy Butler fabric for years - who couldn't be, with their bold patterns and coordinating colour schemes, it's like a candy store for seamstresses. But I was steadfast, mostly because "everyone else is doing it" (not a good reason!) and because I felt a silly loyalty to Robert Kaufman, my first love. Well, I finally broke down and bought two yards from her Blue Lotus collection... it was calling me, I hearted it on Etsy and would look at it every day until I could decide which one to get.

Can I just say WOW? I didn't know what I was missing! I know I'm preaching to the choir here but the quality of this fabric is amazing, the weight is perfect, the bias are threads and absolutely perfect. It's one of those fabrics that just sews beautifully, crisp ironed edges and steady straight top stitching. I'm a convert. I get it now. (Why didn't someone tell me this sooner?)

Here is my first (and definitely not my last) Amy Butler purse done in my Isobelle pattern without the flap. I made two and might have to keep one for myself!