Army Wife, Mom, Entrepreneur

A Few of My Favorite Things...

2011-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

So my blog isn't entirely made up of posts where I recap my to do lists and how much I haven't gotten done, here's some mindless fodder for you :)

Some really cool things:

Logitech Revue, I got this for Christmas. It turns my tv into a computer, so I can check emails on my tv. The girls can also visit spoutonline.com on the tv. Totally frivolous, but totally cool.
Keurig Single Serve Coffee Brewer- Another fabulous Christmas present. Instead of the disposable K cups, I have one of these, so you can use regular ground coffee. Saves money and tastes yummy.

Starbucks Ceramic Coffee Mug by Jonathan Adler- This one was my Valentine's present. Gotta have something to put all that coffee in. Whenever I see it, it makes me smile.

ipad- I am seriously lusting after one of these. I've had 2 generations of iphones, but moving to Alabama and suffering through AT&T and a non-existent 3G network were just too much, and I sold my iphone to someone named Boris in Russia on eBay (seriously, I did!), and now I carry around a non-smart phone and a laptop. When the next generation of ipad comes out I will be seriously tempted, especially if it happens to come out around my birthday.

white sand beaches- We live 90 miles from these beaches and haven't been once in the 3 years we've lived here. Isn't that sad? Planning a short trip for spring break this year.

Well, there you go, a few things that brighten my day, hope yours is a little lighter, too!

Ups and Downs...

2011-02-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

What a year 2011 has been already! So I thought I was headed in one direction with the business, but now a tiny clause in a lease contract has me back tracking a bit. So I guess I'm back where I started, you could say. Problem is, where I started was at a crossroads, lol. I need a new path to trod down, and my GPS seems to malfunctioning, lol.

Geesh, is that cryptic enough for you? Sorry, don't mean for it to be, honest. Basically, I was subletting space that it turns out, can't be subletted. It was an honest mistake, but it sucks. I can't sign a long term lease somewhere because we still don't know what the Army is going to do with us for sure. Its a viscous circle, and I'm smack dab in the middle of it.

{Small side rant on the definition of Army Wife Entrepreneur- I'll write this rant another day, and link it back here}

Weird thing is, I'm not panicking or having a breakdown (yet), just trying to think through all my options. More carefully this time. Any angel investors or millionaires reading this? No? Yeah, didn't think so. Its okay, I'll figure it out!

Aside from that, I actually had good news. There was a business program I wanted to participate in last year, but it was 1200 miles away, and logistically, I just couldn't make it work. Turns out they are going to be offering again in 11 months, and this one? Only 110 miles away from me!!! Its a ways off still, but I couldn't be more thrilled.

Tomorrow I indulge in a little retail therapy. Our small town 30 minutes away from the smaller town where I live just opened a Hobby Lobby, so I am heading that way, 40% off coupon in hand. I will also be trading in one of the girls old car seats at the BRU great trade in event to get JD this new ride and pick up a baby shower gift. And since I am still wearing all my maternity clothes (even though they don't fit and the baby is 9 months old), I have promised my husband I will look for some new clothes, too. Oh, and Starbucks, there will definitely be some Starbucks in there, too.

January in Review/February's To Do List

2011-02-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here was my To Do List for January:

Start Couch to 5K (again) on the 10th I tried this once before, and I think I made it two days, but I'm going to try again. Really, I am.
Um, what the heck was I thinking? It's January! This really wasn't realistic at all. I'm moving this to March, when its warmer, lol.

Sunday Clean Up (~~9th- laundry and guest bath, 16th-kitchen, 23rd-living room,~~ 30-dining room) Since it looks like we will be staying in Alabama awhile longer (knock on wood) I've decided I will go through the house, room by room. Not so much cleaning, cause I hate cleaning, and I'm not really good at it anyway, but re-organizing/de-cluttering/redecorating.
I actually did 3 of the 4 rooms I had planned! I will have to make posts for each room showing what I did, but progress!

~~Order 200 yards interfacing~~ Not as easy as it sounds, trust me, its rather an ordeal, but I need to do it :(
Done! Of coarse it hasn't arrived yet, because of the super blizzard, lol. Even better, the price went down since the last time I ordered.

Left over pre-made inventory I think I have this figured out what to do with most of the pre-made inventory left over from the holiday craft show season, I just need to do it, lol.
Not so much...

~~Catch up on sales rep stuff~~ Seriously, if my sales reps don't mutiny on me. Its a lot of tedious little things, missing key chains, some of them moved, etc. But instead of doing it one by one, I've let it pile up into this mass of to do's labeled "reps". Ugh, not looking forward to this one, but very much looking forward to crossing it off my list and having happy reps for 2011 :)
I hired a new rep coordinator and she's taking over much of these responsibilities for me! I'm very excited for this new direction the business is taking, although a little sad, as I forward all the emails from potential sales reps to Jennifer, thinking, as I hire more people, it creates more layers, and I might not get to know the new reps as well as I have some of the current ones (who are awesome, by the way, and some of the best people, who keep me going everyday).

Scraps Not a huge bunch of them this time, but enough to work with. I'd like to go through them and test out some new designs, make a few things.
{Ducks and hides} under a much larger pile of scraps that keeps growing...

New purses I have 3 new things that I want to get into the pipeline this month- a clutch, a child's purse, and a version of the scoop bag we had pre-mades of this holiday.
Nope :(

Taxes Must. Do. Taxes. Business taxes, ~~get everyone's 1099s out to them~~ , file business taxes and our personal taxes.
Haven't done my taxes, but I did get everyone's 1099s done, and January's commissions done as well.

Sadly, this is where I stopped :( I got none of the other things below done on my list.

Skin Cancer Screening Cause I'm paranoid.

Blog Gonna work on the bells and whistles- changing fonts, sidebars, widgets, the whole shebang. Then actually "promote" this little bloggy of mine, see if anybody's interested in reading it.

Labels Need to revisit the purse labels, see if its time to change them up, or keep them the same, and just order more.

Signature tag for emails Totally embarrassed to say, I don't have one. How sad is that? I just need to make one, will probably take 10 minutes. Been on the to do list for-ev-uh.

Form Emails Gonna revisit these to, just see if they need any spiffing up.

Website Updates Nothing major this time, just a few things I've noticed, like the lining fabric jpgs are out of order, wanna add the shipping discount codes to the description of each item, instead just in the headers, etc.

So February's To Do List looks like this:

Post Information for new rep sign ups
File Taxes
Premade Inventory
Scraps
New Purses
Skin Cancer Screening
Blog
Labels
Signature Tag
Form Emails
Website Updates

I actually do have new stuff to add to the list, but to save myself some embarrassment, I'm not going to post it, yet, lol. I'm not going to beat myself up about not getting more done though, I am just going to try harder for this month! Hope you all reading this have a fabulous, fun and productive February- that's my goal :)

Random, I know...

2011-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Heard this on the radio today. Its been a rough few days, the seriousness and melancholy sort of fit my mood, sadly.

However, not to be a complete downer, I'll post this as well:

This pretty much sums up the Facebook coomments of all my Texas and Oklahoma friends this past week :)

Blaaaahhhh.....

2011-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Still not 100% better, pretty much everyone else has been sick or is sick. What can you do? Trudge on. I'm feeling very determined though, lots to do, like always, but this time I know I will get it all done. Ironically, it was being let down by someone (yet again) that's given me this burst of energy and determination. At first I just wanted to cry, then I wanted to yell, now, I am just ready to move on, and get things accomplished in spite of it all.

I will always be the thing that you can put off doing, I'll never be your priority, I get that now, and its okay. The check's in the mail, right? No, it isn't and it never was and it never will be. But its okay- I'm okay.

Update on Sunday with all the things I accomplished this weekend :)

Off to rough start...

2011-01-14T20:49:00.001-08:00

Well, it hasn't been pretty, folks. We caught some sort of bug/germ/flu thing-y and have been passing it back and forth for a solid week now. It started last Saturday with JD, and by Monday I was ready to take all three kiddos in to the doctor, but when I called to make them an appointment, the receptionist told me the office was closed until Wednesday. Wanna guess why? All the doctors went to watch Auburn play in the National Championship game- duh! That's important right? To close your practice and leave your patients with nothing more than a 1800 nurse line. Since no one was gravely ill, a trip to Urgent Care or the ER wasn't really warranted, so we just sucked it up. By Wednesday, everyone seemed to be doing better, but here it is Friday, and we all still have an ugly little cough, and Sophie has started running a fever again. Ugh! I just want my kiddos all better!!!

The highlight of the week was probably the 4 of us trudging through Walgreens (which was plastered with CDC signs warning of flu pandemic breaking out in Alabama), buying cold medicine, a new thermometer, ice cream and Valentine's peeps, sniffling and coughing, to the sounds of Don't Cry For Me Argentina playing on the sound system. I was so out of it, I wasn't even singing along- now that says a lot about how sick I was!

I haven't really accomplished much on my list yet, but I still have high hopes for the month, so I haven't given up yet on that. I guess we'll see where I'm at this time next week.

I did find a great article of new year's resolutions for your small business:

1. Dare to be different.

Be daring and take steps to ensure your company and your products stand out from the crowd. Look at what you did well in 2010 and what you could have been different. Take bold steps to help your brand stand out in 2011.

2. Have a clear purpose.

Make sure you go into the New Year with a clear and compelling mission and ask if you were living it in 2010. Make sure everyone on your team knows what it is, what business you’re in and what is expected of them. Look for creative ways to bring it to life with your team.

3. Listen and have something compelling to say.

Make a commitment to be a better listener in 2011. Commit to listen and then formulate your response. Actively seek your team’s input and feedback for new ideas. Listen to your consumers and understand what makes them tick. Listen to what they have to say and build a relevant and compelling conversation with them. Remember, if you’re not interesting or relevant, people will ignore you.

4. Pick a fight.

When you’ve got an opponent to beat, it increases your motivation to win, so choose an enemy to fight and rally your team around this battle. Make the enemy a competitor, a trend or an element of your internal culture, and put it up on the wall so your team can find motivation and focus in it.

5. Set a big goal.

Set at least one wild and audacious goal for 2011 -- something you’ve never tried before. Outline the goal, share it with your team and challenge them to play their part in achieving it. Make sure you celebrate the small victories and successes along the journey.

6. Inspire your team.

There’s nothing more important than your people, and there’s nothing more engaging than a team who feels acknowledged. Inspire them with your own attention and regular updates on the business. Also bring in relevant speakers and articles to keep them challenged.

7. Laugh a lot.

One of the best motivators for your team is a great work environment, and one of the best elements of a vibrant team environment is laughter. Next year do small things that make your employees smile. Along with laughter and a light-hearted environment, small gestures or events can make a big difference. And the benefits won’t just stop with your team -- they will show through everything that your brand does.

8. Plan the plan.

Commit to setting time aside to plan your year next year ahead. Set two days aside at the end of November every year to plan for the following year. Then take a day out every quarter to review how you’re doing against the plan and revise it where necessary. Every brand needs a plan. Make a commitment to write one.

9. Make friends.

Chart a “circle of love” and identify brands with similar values that you’d like to partner with in 2011. Assign someone to explore potential relationships and collaborations. You’ll be surprised by the results, even just the initial conversations you’ll have about your own brand.

10. Show your appreciation.

Do what your mother told you! Thanking people goes a long way to create valued and appreciated fans -- internally and externally. This year, find new ways to show you appreciate your team, your customers and your partners, in ways that truly make a difference in their lives. You’ll be surprised and delighted by the results.

I like all of these except #4. I think that deserves a post all its own, so I'll have to do that next week, I have some thoughts rattling around in my head about competitors and competition in general, oh, and depending on the seller's reply, maybe even a funny post about scrabble tiles... we'll see, lol.

Good night world, send get well vibes my way please!!!

Hello 2011 :)

2011-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

I gave up on this blog when JD was born, it just seemed like there wasn't enough time. He is 8 months old now (crazy how time flies), and while I'm certainly not twiddling my thumbs here, bored to death or anything, I feel like its important to make time to blog again. This isn't meant to be an overly personal blog (i.e. not sharing my deepest, darkest secrets here), but instead, an insight into what its like, trying to run a business and a household, with the Army thrown in, ya know, to keep things interesting. I'd also like to use it to hold myself accountable, as far as my "to do" list goes. And if people are actually reading, lol, use it for feedback as the business continues to grow.
So starting off 2011, my to do list is already packed, but I'm very excited. My new planner is already full of what I intend to accomplish this year, all the way up through July. So here's January:

Start Couch to 5K (again) on the 10th I tried this once before, and I think I made it two days, but I'm going to try again. Really, I am.

Sunday Clean Up (9th- laundry and guest bath, 16th-kitchen, 23rd-living room, 30-dining room) Since it looks like we will be staying in Alabama awhile longer (knock on wood) I've decided I will go through the house, room by room. Not so much cleaning, cause I hate cleaning, and I'm not really good at it anyway, but re-organizing/de-cluttering/redecorating.

Order 200 yards interfacing Not as easy as it sounds, trust me, its rather an ordeal, but I need to do it :(

Left over pre-made inventory I think I have this figured out what to do with most of the pre-made inventory left over from the holiday craft show season, I just need to do it, lol.

Catch up on sales rep stuff Seriously, if my sales reps don't mutiny on me. Its a lot of tedious little things, missing key chains, some of them moved, etc. But instead of doing it one by one, I've let it pile up into this mass of to do's labeled "reps". Ugh, not looking forward to this one, but very much looking forward to crossing it off my list and having happy reps for 2011 :)

Scraps Not a huge bunch of them this time, but enough to work with. I'd like to go through them and test out some new designs, make a few things.

New purses I have 3 new things that I want to get into the pipeline this month- a clutch, a child's purse, and a version of the scoop bag we had pre-mades of this holiday.

Taxes Must. Do. Taxes. Business taxes, get everyone's 1099s out to them, file business taxes and our personal taxes.

Skin Cancer Screening Cause I'm paranoid.

Blog Gonna work on the bells and whistles- changing fonts, sidebars, widgets, the whole shebang. Then actually "promote" this little bloggy of mine, see if anybody's interested in reading it.

Labels Need to revisit the purse labels, see if its time to change them up, or keep them the same, and just order more.

Signature tag for emails Totally embarrassed to say, I don't have one. How sad is that? I just need to make one, will probably take 10 minutes. Been on the to do list for-ev-uh.

Form Emails Gonna revisit these to, just see if they need any spiffing up.

Website Updates Nothing major this time, just a few things I've noticed, like the lining fabric jpgs are out of order, wanna add the shipping discount codes to the description of each item, instead just in the headers, etc.

Geesh, that's a lot, Wish me luck!

PS- anybody reading? leave me a comment and introduce yourself, please :)

But I found it on Google...

2010-09-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

I know that I had semi-retired this blog, but I need to say a few things, business related, so this seemed like the best place to put them. Call this my public service announcement about copyrights, intellectual property and just plain common sense (with a bit of conducting business with integrity thrown in). I assume most people already know what I am about to say, but every time I see someone commit this type of theft, they always say the same thing:

"Oh, I didn't know that I couldn't use that image, I found it on Google"

Just because you find an image on Google or elsewhere on the Internet does not mean you are automatically able to use it. Google has even released a new tool that allows you to search specifically for images that are cleared for commercial use. Go to Google Images and use the drop down menu corresponding to "Usage Rights" to select "labeled for commercial re-use". Then enter your search term.

When you find an image on Google, it tells you where the image came from! So the idea that "you didn't know" is insulting. As an example, every single one of my images that appear on Google also include my website:

See, right there in GREEN, plain as day:

heroonmyarm.com

And if you go to heroonmyarm.com, you'll find this:

The name HERO ON MY ARM, stylized cartoon logo, all text and images appearing on this website are property of Polka dot Door Boutique, LLC. They may not be used elsewhere without permission.

(Funny thing is, the image in question is outdated, I know. Its missing several camo patterns! I'm in the middle of a major website update, and this image was on its way out the door anyway, lol.)

As business owners, we all work very hard at what we do. Putting together a website is tedious, and time consuming. The shortcut of stealing work others have already done is just plain wrong. Feigning ignorance about it is just as wrong. Its YOUR responsibility as a business owner to educate yourself and not infringe on the rights of others. That you didn't know isn't an excuse. Neither is that you are a really nice person (which, by the way, the Facebook message I received this morning wasn't nice at all, it was condescending and rude).

So there it is, I'm putting it out there. I'm not a bully, and I'm not a bitch. I am military spouse, wife to a wounded warrior, mom to three beautiful kiddos, and small business owner who believes in playing fair and by the rules, and who runs her business with integrity and expects others to do the same.

{Steps down off soapbox, and washes hands of this whole frustrating ordeal, new day, lots of productive things to get done!}

Priorities...

2010-05-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

This will be my last post here for awhile.

I just have too much going on to be a good blogger. I haven't given up on the idea of blogging altogether, I'll probably (eventually) be back. But for now, the time has come to officially give this one up.

You can still follow what's up with me, on the business blog:

www.heroonmyarm.blogspot.com

That one isn't going any where!

In the meantime, this is what I've been up to for the last 9 months:

And what will be taking up most of my free time for the foreseeable future, lol!

Business is still incredibly busy, seamstresses are forever in short supply (ugh), the girls are incredibly happy to be big sisters to baby J.D. and life in general is very blessed.

The Army continues to challenge/frustrate/exasperate us, but that's to be expected. We hope that the summer brings us some resolution to the limbo we've been in as far as the Army is concerned. (And maybe a change of scenery!)

So, that's all from me for a while. Oh, and Happy Mother's Day!

-Seneca

Still Here...

2010-04-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Just so no one thinks I've given up on blogging...

I am still here!

Just incredibly busy.

That's all for now, lol.

Poof! There went October...

2009-11-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

That was fast! Can't believe October is over already. We attended two fall festivals, baked pumpkin cupcakes, 2 pumpkin shaped cakes (we even got a thank you note from one of the people that won one of them at the cake walk, letting us know how good it was, lol!), took a field trip to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins and sunflowers:

And enjoyed a fun night of trick or treating, too!

Work has kept me super busy- too busy, really, but we are finally at the point where we are able to bring in more staff to help! We have a full time embroidery gal, which is helping a ton, and after my last round of help wanted ads for seamstresses, I am feeling incredibly blessed to have found FIVE new seamstresses, all of them wonderful. There's still a bottleneck with emails and also with cutting here at the studio, but one crisis at a time, I guess. Actually, the email issue should get resolved this week, *crosses fingers*

I am still sick, coughing like a lunatic, but luckily I'm the only one here that caught the bug- go me, lol. Also feeling a lot of sadness about last week's tragedy at Fort Hood. There really aren't words for it, or at least nothing that probably hasn't been said, and said better, but suffice it to say, my heart truly aches right now.

Really do wish I was more prolific at blogging, the new year is going to filled with lots of stuff (good and bad) that I want to be able to talk about, but I know no one's reading if I can't manage to post more than once a month, so I will be working on that.

Happy November everyone!

Fall is in the Air!

2009-10-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

I just love that it is getting cooler. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are my FAVORITE holidays, so this is my favorite time of the year!

We also celebrated Sophie's 3rd birthday!

We are booked solid this entire month with "fall" activities. There's a pumpkin decorating contest, a fall party (must make fall themed refreshments), a fall festival (where Sydney's class is charge of the cake walk, so we must make a fall themed cake), a fall class field trip to pick pumpkins and sunflowers, and the Moonlit Hayride at the Equestrian Center. Oh, and then the actual trick or treating, too!

There is a slight problem. Everything is "fall" themed at school, and not Halloween themed, I guess so as not to offend anyone, but Halloween is so much fun! And the best part- Halloween costumes, yes? Uh, no. There are to be no Halloween costumes. :(

I'm one of those mom's that goes WAY overboard with Halloween costumes, case in point:

So this is a huge bummer. Instead, October 30th is "50's Day" at school. Well, at least Sydney's going to have the poofiest poodle skirt in all of K5!

Not much else going on here, but hop on over to the other blog, actually got several new posts over there, too.

Funny Things...

2009-09-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

...that my children (ages 5 and 2) say:

Sydney: Mama, what's for dinner?

Me: Steak

Sydney: What kinda steak?

Me: Sugar steak (the marinade has brown sugar in it)

Sydney: Okay, well, just don't burn it this time.

***

Me: Hold still, Sydney, you have an eyelash on your cheek. Okay, there, got it! Now make a wish and blow.

Sydney: I wish Mama would just let me do my own thang. (Blows away eyelash)

***

Sophie: Knock, knock

Me: Who's there?

Sophie: Banana pie

Me: Banana pie who?

Sophie: Banana pie POOH POOH! (Laughs hysterically)

***

Sydney: I don't wanna go to that restaurant, mama lost my balloon.

Daddy: That's right, mama let your balloon fly away last time, but you can get a new balloon today, and just hold onto it tightly, okay?

Sydney: Okay

(after dinner)

Daddy: What does that sign say?

Me: I don't know, its raining, roll down my window so I can see.

Sydney: Dada, Dada, roll down my window too!

(Daddy rolls down Sydney's window, Sydney's balloon promptly flies out the window, Sydney breaks down, balling)

Sydney: See, I told you I didn't wanna go to that restaurant!!!!

Random-ness...

2009-08-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have grand illusions (delusions) about being a blogger, but I just haven't gotten into the groove of yet, ya know, posting something every three weeks and all...Oh well, to those of you reading, my apologies for the sparce-ness of posts, and here's one to catch you up! (in no particular order)

Sophie's hair is now long enough for pig tails:

We did a custom order this week for paperback book covers (a la Vera Bradley). I think that they turned out great:

However, this lead to the conversation about how I just don't "get" the whole Vera Bradley trend (when my Mom first pointed them out to me in Ohio, in all seriousness, I thought it was an Amish thing). Is it just a southern thing? Because here, they are EXTREMELY popular, and I mean with everybody- grade schoolers through Grandma. So I went to the local store to try and wrap my brain around the whole vibe:

Then it started raining, ya know, because no one ever tells you, but it rains in Alabama like it does in a rainforest. So I'm stuck in the this store, surrounded by all these bags, and I'm just still not getting it. So someone, please help me out here- explain it too me, or at least tell me that I'm not alone in not feeling the whole quilted paisly look.

We went school supply shopping:

Slightly amused that they tell you what brands to buy (Play Dough NOT Rose art!), but its all right, we are all stocked up!

Sydney started Kindergarten, and thinks it's "great":

I'm sad that she's growing up, but also happy that she's enjoying school and making new friends.

I also celebrated a birthday during my blogging hiatus. My present? New iphone 3G-S:

Anybody know what you do with your old iphone when you get a new one?

I guess that's about it. Lots going on with Hero On My Arm, keeping me busy, but never fear, I have great blogging plans, I just have to get that far down on my to do list. Someday.

Happy August, with your suck-y birthstone and all!

More pictures of my hometown for my one faithful blog reader...

2009-07-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Better?

LOL.

Okay, just kidding, here you go:

So many emails, so little time...

2009-07-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

This post is more than anything, just to let you all know that I am still here, working, lol. I am actually completely caught up on orders, but unfortunately, not completely caught up on emails. I hope to remedy that in the morning though.

In other news, we are t-minus 19 days and counting until Sydney starts Kindergarten!

I took her school shopping, and I would pick something out only to have her look at me, sigh, and say "But, momma, that's so boring". She has very colorful taste. (And I did, for the most part, let her pick out what she wanted.)

My mom is coming again next week to help me out, so I'm very excited to hopefully be able to actually be able to report on some new things we get done, instead of constantly reporting that I'm "almost caught up" with stuff that should have been done last week.

And just in case any one was wondering, the song selections (other than the musicals) are usually just whatever I happen to have heard on the radio recently, lol, there's really not some deep meaning to the choice of song, nor is it meant to necessarily compliment the post. (I'm probably going to do away with the music altogether when "work on blog" comes up on my To Do list.)

I heard "Small Town Saturday Night on the radio this weekend as I was out grocery shopping. I always loved the line:

"Lucy, you know, the world must be flat...

'cause when people leave town, they never come back."

(my hometown)

LOL, life in small town, USA- gotta love it!

Thanks, Mom...

2009-07-01T18:45:00.001-07:00

I have to say a very big THANK YOU to my Mom, who traveled all the way from Louisiana to spend the entire week last week helping me get caught up on orders. By the time the week ended, my mom was a pro on the embroidery machine and over 150 orders were in the mail- it was a very productive week.

Oh, and the purse in the picture, that's the very last one we did for the week- its been on my "to-do" list for quite some time (see here)- hopefully it was worth the wait!

Post-It Note Revelation...

2009-06-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

I figured out that if I put all my "to do's" on post-its, when I get behind, I can just peel and stick them on a later date! Pretty cool, eh? (yeah, I'm easily impressed).

Several people in Hong Kong are still trying to give me money for free, too! What a lucky girl I am...

I am Mr. Patrick K. W. Chan Executive Director & Chief financial Officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, Hong Kong.

I have a lucrative business proposal of mutual interest to share with you; it involves the transfer of a large

sum of money from my bank here in Hong Kong. I got your reference in my search for someone who suits my

proposed business relationship. If you are interested in working with me contact me through my private email

mrpatrick_chan202@yahoo.com.hk for further details.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Patrick Chan

Back to work now, work, work, work...

Emails, Scams, Books, Lack of time, and other bits of randomness...

2009-06-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

WARNING- the song playing over there on the right is not g-rated! If you are easily offended or children can hear, please mute.

Emails will be the death of me! I just realized last night that I've lost several hundred emails over the last few weeks- the perils of having 4 emails and trying to juggle forwarding them when life interrupts business, and someone has to be out of the office. GRRR. I'm stuck emailing everyone with an order today, in the hopes that if they've emailed us, they don't think they are being ignored. Great way to have to waste the day, when I have so much to do in the studio and am *this* close to being all caught up. Ick.

Actual emails, those get lost in cyberspace, but what makes it through? Stuff like this:

Good Day I am MR.SONG LILE, I work with the Hang Seng Bank,I need your assistance in effecting a transaction worth $30.5m I intend to give 30% of the total funds as compensation for your assistance.respond to my private email: songli20@yahoo.com.hk 1. Full names 2. Private phone number 3. Current residential address Kind Regards, Mr Song Lile Email: songli20@yahoo.com.hk

Really? People still fall for this scam? Its annoying that certain members of the human race can be so devoid of ...what? A conscience? A soul? Makes me sick.

In other, unrelated news, I got a brief moment (during the girls gymnastics class) to start a new book.

I'd seen it mentioned somewhere on a milblog, then the ladies at Army WIfe Talk Radio had the author on their show, and I have to confess, the cover looked cool, so I decided to try and find time to read it. So far (and admittedly, I've only made it to page 60 so far) I'm very glad that I did.

On page 15 you find out that the author used to work at the Life Cafe (hence the song playing, lol!)- she's an Army Officer's wife at West Point and she used to work in the Life Cafe- I mean, come on, you have to just know there's a great story there.

So far, its a fabulous read, and the author is incredibly funny, witty, succinct and dead on- her description of the catty way in which Army Wives can sometimes (too often, really) treat each other:

"It's the classic judgment-go-round concealed in camouflage and wrapped in the flag."

I'll have to try and post a review of the entire book when I finish it (someday!). Oh well, back to the emails for me....

Visiting Normandy...

2009-06-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Since today is the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, I thought I'd write a post about visiting there. Especially if you are (or one day find yourself) stationed in Germany, it is a must see. It's just over 300 miles from Paris, so a pretty easy drive, and of coarse, very beautiful.

We took a day trip there from Paris- and just to let you know, the pictures below are not mine, we took video of our trip, which I love, but I doubt you'd want to watch a few hours of it- other people's pics are much better suited for a blog post!

Caution- the drive from Germany, via Paris, has LOTS of tolls.

We visited on December 26th, so it was cold, rainy and very overcast. It seemed strange to be at the beach in the dead of Winter. Even though so much time has passed, its amazing to see how much has not changed.

This is Pointe du Hoc, the craters in the ground were caused by the more than ten kilotons of high explosives that landed here (that's about the same explosive power as the atomic bomb that fell on Hiroshima).

At the end of the war, many of the German Atlantic Wall defenses were dismantled, but some remain, like the bunker above and the battery at Longues-sur-Mer.

In 2004, the French commissioned this sculpture, entitled "The Brave" by French sculptress Anilore Banon. It is a tribute to the Americans who landed on Omaha Beach, and the sculpture rises from the waves at St. Laurent-sur-Mer.

Standing atop Arromanches, you can still see the remnants of "Mulberry B", one of two artificial harbors created for the invasion. It took 20,000 workers almost a year to build using over two million tons of steel and concrete. More than 500,000 tons of equipment were unloaded using the artificial harbor here during the summer of 1944.

The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer:

At the center of the cemetery is a bronze statue, "The Spirit of American Youth Rising From The Waves", and on either side are two enormous maps of the European Theatre of Operations.

The cemetery itself is 172 acres, French soil which has been granted in perpetuity to the United States. 9,386 brave American souls are at rest here. The grass is brilliantly green, the silence deafening, the rows upon rows of perfectly aligned white crosses, which, even if you have seen it before in pictures, will absolutely take your breath away and bring tears to your eyes when you see it in person.

What happened to being nice?

2009-06-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

First, let me say this has NOTHING to do with business, it's just a comment in general.

Okay, so, really, what happened to just being nice? Ya know, pay it forward, do unto others, etc.

How is that hard? Why does everything have to be mean spirited, catty, snarky, condescending, I can't wait to blog about how pathetic you are and for all of my followers to chime in unanimously with how much they agree with me and how my view of things is right and you are wrong, and ha ha ha aren't we all just SO funny in the way that we mercilessly comment on the pathetic lives of others while we continually blog about how perfect we are in comparison to you and take judgmental to an entirely new level???

Empathy- does no one have that anymore?

If you haven't walked in someone else's shoes, how dare you judge them.

Be nice, please. That is all I have to say. For the love of everything that is beautiful and good, would it just kill you to be nice???

Seriously, try it. Niceness. "nice, really nice, you know, on the scale of...niceness". It rocks.

Oh, and OPSEC, OPSEC is good too!

Seriously, June already?

2009-06-01T12:06:00.001-07:00

Why am I always trying to get caught up???

I think I will clear my entire calendar for this month and just use it to catch up on everything. I'd post my to do list, but then I'd just be horribly embarrassed with how much I'm not getting done. Suggestions?

Randomness...

2009-05-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone knows that I'm still here and working, a random blog post for you. Have TONS going on at the moment, am I teeny bit behind (as always), but working hard to get caught up. First a few more pictures from our recent photo shoot:

How cool, right?

And some pictures (finally) of the new design studio are coming soon, I promise!

Hey, anybody know how to get your MAC router to get along with your still running Windows XP computer? Ahhh, if only I had all the answers...

Sometimes...

2009-05-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

...you just have a bad day, that's all. I'm over it now, back to work- more emails, a trip to the pattern maker's this afternoon, packing up orders all evening. It's Friday- its all good!

If...

2009-05-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

If you knew this was your last day on earth, how would you spend it?

I'd spend it with my family- I wouldn't spend it answering emails, and I'd stop apologizing to people- I'm doing the best I can- if its not good enough, get over it and move on, I'm exhausted by everyone else's unrealistic expectations. There, I said it.

So Much to Catch Up On!

2009-05-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Back from you know where:

I've had TONS of stuff going on the past few weeks to fill you all in on, but until I get a free few minutes to do so, here are just a few highlights:

We had our first official Hero On My Arm photo shoot this month with all REAL military spouses (no models!), and it went really well!

Tonight, Monday, May 18th, Hero On My Arm will be featured as the Resource of the Week on the Army Wife Network's Army Wife Talk Radio podcast- be sure to listen in here 8pm Eastern time.

You know an idea is hot when...

2009-04-30T11:26:00.001-07:00

...they make a commercial pattern for it. How neat is that!

The downside is that it won't be long before you see people trying to make these and sell them. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Crazy Busy...

2009-04-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

So you think you want to start a business? Start SMALL. You have no idea how much of your life it will suck away! Seriously, though, I feel like I am never going to get caught up, EVER. My "to-do" has over a hundred things on it- every time I cross something off, four new things get added. Feeling pretty exhausted, kinda down at the moment. I have a ton of work to do this week, so I just wanted to stop in, give an update, and an explanation if I seem MIA for the next few days. If I have to forgo sleep entirely this week, I will- I AM GOING TO GET CAUGHT UP, even if it kills me!

Just a few pics, because I hate to post without pics:

Here are the girls, this is from Sydney's big birthday bash.

This was at the end of a crawdad (is that how you spell that?) fishing excursion, that did not go so well. Apparently you can catch them with bacon? When asked "Did you catch anything?" Sophie replied, "YES! We caught ants."

And lastly, to the stinky pooh pooh swine flu (possible) pandemic, which is threatening to ruin our planned family vacation- really, are the fates conspiring to keep me from ever taking a vacation? It certainly feels that way! Oh well, back to work for me...

The Face of An Angel...

2009-04-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

In case you've missed it...

2009-04-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but

judge with righteous judgment."

Mean, judgmental people suck, but sometimes

Karma rocks.

"today was my second day of being five..."

2009-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

That is what my beautiful baby girl explained to me today (one day after her birthday). Isn't that wonderful? This is how she looked 5 years ago, when we brought her home from the hospital:

What a cutie!!!

We are all still sick here (I spoke much to soon in saying that we were well, lol), and I feel as if I have been cursed here as far as anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong these last few weeks- trying to remedy all that this evening, if I don't go crazy first. Not much else to post, just trying not to make it seem like I've fallen off the face of the earth- I'm still here....working.

Its Good To Be Back!

2009-03-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

I have been sick with the flu for the past 2 weeks, and that was just plain awful. I am feeling much better (finally), and anxious to get back to work. I've replied to all the emails in my inbox, but I still have quite a few calls to return this week. I was having some problems accessing my voicemail earlier, so I'm hoping that the iphone miraculously fixes itself overnight (which it has done before!).

So just some random stuff/thoughts from me:

They STILL are not finished with my studio space. Its driving me crazy! I think when its finally done, I will install one of those signs:

Now, I just have to figure out where to put it...

BRAVO's 6 am episode (yes, I was up packing orders this morning at 6) of the West Wing was Shibboleth. I love this episode. Here's the end, it's really good:

On a slightly less intellectual note, I had the distinct displeasure of discovering (because she linked back to my website, of all things) a rather distasteful and mean blog run by another military spouse. If I had their addresses, I'd send the blogger and all her "followers" a copy of this rather informative book:

Mean people just straight up suck. And you know what else? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, sure, but there's also that sage advice "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything". So if your opinion is belittling, berating, insulting and/or cruel- do the world a favor and keep it to yourself please! Ick, I wish I could wash my brain out from even having read their "opinions".

But on a happier note, its only 5 days until I get to go see Wicked, 14 days until Sydney's birthday, and 40 days until our trip to Disneyworld and the Space Center for the Atlantis Shuttle launch. WooHoo! And I should be all caught up on orders this week, so I'll have next week to decorate the new studios (assuming they are done, lol).

MIA

2009-03-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

It's official- I have the flu. Unfortunately, its not just me, its my entire family. Its been a difficult week, and I don't expect the coming week to be much fun either. Anyways, to those of you that felt I've been MIA this past week, that is why. I'm doing my best to get caught up with emails and phone calls this weekend and get everything shipped this week that was supposed to get mailed last week. It's very difficult when you can't "call in sick"! I can pretty much just push through my own miserableness, but when my girls are sick, they take priority.

Hurry up already!

2009-03-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

Four weeks ago:

And today:

Seriously, they need to hurry up and finish already! I cannot stand not having a place to work. Plus, we are all sick here, so no one is in the best of moods. They were supposed to be finished by Friday- I am still hopeful, by I'm also not betting on it. Ugh....

More Soccer Pics...

2009-03-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy...

Not much to say, but a few more pictures from soccer practice:

Sophie

Sydney

On Becoming a "Soccer Mom"...

2009-03-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was our very first soccer practice.

It was very cold, but otherwise fun. I think we have a future soccer star on our hands, of coarse! The 4 year olds play without a goalie, and they don't have positions. The coach explained it as- the ball is a magnet and all the children are made of metal. Made sense to me. So the goals of the season are to teach the kids:

1-not to use their hands, just their feet

2-go the right direction on the field (i.e. score in the correct goal)

3-pass the ball and score

Seems like it will be a lot of fun!

March 1, 2009

2009-03-01T20:30:00.001-08:00

So being a military family, we have been blessed to call quite a few places "home". Right now, home is Enterprise, Alabama. Two years ago today, an EF4 tornado struck the town at 1:15 pm. The Enterprise High School was directly in the path of the storm- an interior wall and portions of the roof of the high school collapsed, killing 8 students. A total of 20 people died that day in storms in Alabama and Georgia.

They are rebuilding the high school now. There is even a tribute album you can buy here. All the proceeds go to rebuilding the school.

Two years ago today, mother nature sent a tornado- today she sent a snow storm...

Big, light flakes of swirling snow (in March, in Alabama!), it was bitterly cold and windy, and quite a snowstorm, blowing sideways at times. But it was also brief. And then the sun came out. How appropriate.

Big Plans...

2009-02-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

Everything, has its peaks and valleys- life, love, business, politics...everything. Recovering from Christmas and trying to feel inspired was definitely a low point for me, I must admit. Running a business while trying to run a household, raise kids, have a life, deal with the Army- its exhausting! Sometimes you just have to wait for the inspiration to hit, and then....BAM!.... You are back on top of Mount Subasio, just like that!

I HAVE A PLAN!

So what is it, you ask?

Sorry....I can't give that away just yet, lol.

But it's good, I PROMISE. I love it when I can get clarity on something, wrap my brain around it, develop a plan, a to do list, a plan of action.

I promise I'll share lots of hints as it develops. Until then, get up, get loose and get into the groove (courtesy of some old school Madonna, if you turn your speakers up).

Where has February Gone???

2009-02-21T17:42:00.001-08:00

Seriously! The month is almost over, I can hardly believe it. There's definitely still A LOT left on my to do list, but here's a biggie:

So, its not actually something I'm doing, but its happening this month. This is the new Hero On My Arm Studios!!! It will be finished in a few weeks and I can hardly wait. Working in a temp space is hard! Hopefully, I'll get some more things wrapped up in the next few weeks and have more to share with everyone.

You know you had a rough day...

2009-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

...when you fall asleep at the dinner table!

As National Bankruptcy Day Looms...

2009-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

My thoughts have strayed a little on the topic of the CPSIA. Why? Well because, tomorrow, February 10th, the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act goes into effect. If you don't know what this means, read this or take a look here.

So if tomorrow you see an empty toy shelf, books missing from a library, a local boutique closed- maybe a light bulb will go on and you will say "that is what those crazy people have been blogging and tweeting about".

However, my prediction is actually that you won't see much of a change at all. Why? Well, people are confused, for sure, there's a lot of "wait and see" happening. But there's also something else...There are a lot of people saying "I won't get caught"

The CPSIA is bad legislation, its poorly written, its timetables don't allow for the kind of clarification needed, and it has "unintended consequences" so far reaching that tomorrow's been dubbed NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY DAY, for crying out loud. So I can understand people wanting to ignore it- to a point. That's where my slightly veering off topic (but slightly not) point comes in:

in·teg·ri·ty

Pronunciation:

\in-ˈte-grə-tē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English integrite, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French integrité, from Latin integritat-, integritas, from integr-, integer entire

Date:

14th century

1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values

A lot of good people did the right thing as far as the CPSIA is concerned- they had their products tested via XRF guns, they stopped selling children's items all together, they followed the guidelines for creating GCCs. For a lot of people, the right thing (as in abiding by the law) meant closing up shop completely, or at least temporarily, until they could comply with the new law. These people, in my opinion, have integrity- and I can only hope that their honest actions are rewarded in some way.

I feel a lot less good will for those people that plan to continue to operate in defiance of the CPSIA. How can you write up that next sale, knowing your competitor just voluntarily closed their doors and you are reaping the benefits of their honesty and integrity?

I have no idea what the answer to the CPSIA problem is, but I hope someone finds it soon.

I feel old...

2009-02-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

I was making copies of order forms at our local Office Depot and I saw this . I was so sad- I didn't even realize they'd ended the broadway run of Rent. Of coarse, I instantly felt old, too. I saw the show for the first time back in 1998 (when I was 19) at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End in London. Since it had just opened there, it was the original broadway cast performing. Seriously, I can't believe that was MORE than 10 years ago!

This picture was taken later in the day- we took the first train of the morning from Oxford into London, stood in line for 3 hours for the £10 tickets (we got in the second row) to see the matinee show, then after the show we went and saw the evening performance of Les Mis.

Enjoy the sounds of Rent playing over there to the right while I go answer emails and try and forget how old I am...

CPSIA Again...

2009-02-04T11:10:00.001-08:00

Cut and pasted from the Fashion Incubator (b/c Kathleen always says it better than I could!), in response to the question, "What should we be doing to help?" :

1. Call your Senator (switchboard: 202-224-3121).

2. Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the Senator or the staff assistant who follows Commerce issues.

3. Ask him/her to co-sponsor Senator DeMint’s CPSIA Reform Legislation, and tell them if they have questions about the legislation they can contact Tom Jones in Senator DeMint’s DC office at 202-224-6121. Tom’s email address is tom_jonesATcommerceDOTsenateDOTgov

4. Ask them to vote for the CPSIA Reform legislation when it comes to the Senate floor, possibly as an amendment to the stimulus package as has been rumored.

5. Get five friends to do steps 1-4.

6. Tell us how your conversations went. (On the CSPIA public forum, would be a good place, or even the Etsy board on the subject)

Thanks!

Those that live in glass houses...

2009-02-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

...should not throw stones.

Right?

I imagine this might not make sense to most people reading this, but heck, what's a blog for if not to rant occasionally about something that's irking you!

So here goes (and this has nothing to do with me, by the way, just something I happened to read on someone else's blog)...

I think its mean to call someone out if they aren't allowed to defend themselves. I think its doubly mean to then allow other people to post comments, basically ganging up on someone in a very one sided fight. There are two sides to every story, always- two versions, two accounts.

Everyone hates a rank whore, got it. But how are you any better by blogging about one? You aren't. I say you are worse, particularly by creating a public forum to display your moral superiority. Ick.

I just wonder if the said blogger realizes how often her bags are used to do the very thing she's condemning- make others feel inferior...

I Heart Senator Jim DeMint...

2009-02-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved a stay of certain certification and testing requirements under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

“The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA. ”

Senator Jim DeMint (Republican, South Carolina) also introduced legislation to amend the CPSIA. It's detailed HERE.

He is my most favorite person right now, lol!

Unfortunately, there's a lot of gratuitous celebrating going on right now. The problem of the CPSIA did not get "solved" but at least there is progress being made.

Pink Bubbles and Light, oh my...

2009-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

I happen to have been given a book recently for women entrepreneurs. I got to page 15 and about fell out of my chair. This is what it said:

Imagine and place the person who upset you inside a bubble. Surround the bubble with pink light and send the bubble off with love.

This is business advice for women? It makes me want to write a book- a real one. I hope no one actually buys this one, well unless you need a good laugh.

More melancholy songs (blame the winter), and more work to do, but with updates coming soon, so stay tuned!!!

Seneca

My Inbox is empty!

2009-01-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

I actually answered every single one of my emails and there is NOTHING in my inbox (at least until I check it again, lol!). Its a nice feeling... I hate to blog without a picture, so here's one, just for kicks:

There's nothing significant about it, just one of purses I made last month, but it does bring up the point that I haven't added to the flickr gallery in a LONG time...

So here's my to do list before Feb 1st:

Update Flickr Gallery

Do Taxes

Update Website and Blog

Seems easy enough....yeah right!

Hope everyone else is having a good 2009.

Making time in 2009...

2009-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Time for the obligatory new year's post, complete with resolutions, lol!

I'm not really feeling that energized at the moment, but I know it will come, and its important to write down my goals for the year, to keep me honest, so to speak, so here goes... (I don't promise that they won't be boring):

1. No more sodas.2. Break out the Wii fit!

3. Scheduled days- a set schedule for the work week- office hours, emails, home preschool, naps, play time, etc.

4. Smartly expand the business. Lots to improve, lots to update, lots of new things to come, but I can't give away too much...

Okay, that's about it. I told you it would be boring! I have much house cleaning and organizing to do this weekend....

Seneca

Happy New Year!

2008-12-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is making plans for a happy new year. I am tired, exhausted, drained, beat, bleary, dead tired, done in, drained, enervated, frazzled, run-down, wearied, and worn out. I'll see everyone again in 2009, after I have a chance to catch my breath...

As the Year Draws to a Close...

2008-12-08T21:04:00.001-08:00

A few random thoughts...

First, no more blogging after this until every last order is on its way out the door for Christmas!

I am SO tired.

Which leads to the thought in my head that I will be taking the month of January off. Its not for sure yet, but I sure am leaning toward it.

My mom is here for the week to help me! I have ambitious plans for everything I hope to accomplish by Friday.

I am SO frustrated by the lack of people taking the new CPSIA legislation seriously. On Feb. 10th, there will be a big "I told you so" here. I can not begin to express how much I ache for all the people whose businesses this law is going to ruin.

There are only 17 days left until Christmas, wow....

And lastly a pic:

...how far we've come in the past year...there's A LOT more to come....STAY TUNED!

Seneca

National Bankruptcy Day and its Implication for Small Businesses...

2008-12-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

So this is kinda crazy, how something you've never even heard of snowballs into this thing that completely will affect your business in a pretty major way (all you fellow crafters, would be designers and lurking competitors, this blog entry really pertains to you, so pay attention).

For me, I saw CPSIA "stuff" on the internet, but I really didn't pay attention...it's about lead, and phthalates, blah, blah, blah...

Then (the totally awesome) Kathleen Fasenella made a comment to me on the fashion incubator forum, simple enough, it said "Re: toys, are you following the CPSIA news?"

Then I got an email from Amy Shearer from Journal Modiste. Suddenly this darn thing is everywhere! What is it? Here's Amy's email and it sums things up nicely:

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

While we all applauded efforts by the federal government to tighten the safety standards for toys, we all got much more than we bargained for. The law that was passed extends to all products directed to children 12 years of age and younger, and includes such things as clothing & toys and much more, with very few exceptions or exemptions. That wouldn't be so bad, but there are a few requirements that, if left as is, will force most small businesses (and many medium & large sized businesses) out of business....including retailers, and work at home moms.

How this affects retailers and manufactures:

1. Existing Inventory: The law states that any affected product that does not meet the new standard (with the exception of phthalates) cannot be sold from the shelves after February 10th 2009. The problem is that the law includes many new items that have not been under a previous regulation, and have not been tested. To test these items now, on the retail or wholesale level is prohibitively expensive, and/or simply not possible. So it is very difficult to confirm compliance (although most items in most companies would be compliant), and at the same time, penalties for selling anything that doesn't meet the standard are very stiff. The options for anyone with inventory are not pleasant.

2. 3rd Party Testing by SKU: The law will require 3rd party testing in the future for each sku (or style). The large pair of jeans have to be tested separately from the medium size of jeans...even though all materials are the same. This makes testing prohibitively (impossibly) expensive. There are other ways to form a testing regimen and be just as satisfied with the results.

3. Markings: All products manufactured after August 12th, 2009 must have markings on the package and permanent markings on the product indicating where, by whom, and when the product was made. Large corporations can afford purchasing multiple dies to do this. Small companies cannot. European companies with limited sales to the USA likewise cannot.

4. Complexity: The law is extremely complex. Needlessly so. It is requiring companies to hire lawyers just to get a grasp of what is required of them. Also, the requirement of including certificates of compliance of each product shipped, with each product is overly burdensome. Electronic certificates has been approved, and will help, but even then there is a substantial cost to the additional administration---which does very little, if anything, to improve the safety of our toys.

5. Frequency of Testing: We are still trying to get a clear grasp of this. However, it is very possible that each batch must be tested/certified. This is fine for large companies running 10,000 or 100,000 pieces per batch. For small manufacturers, with small runs, it multiplies the enormous cost from point #2, even higher.

What this means is small, innovative companies that typically make niche products, will be forced out of business, or forced to narrow their product range and sell to the mass market. Product availability and selection will diminish. We will be primarily left with imported plastic toys from China. Yes, quite ironic isn't it.

The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection was SUPPOSED to hold an oversight hearing to examine the implementation of the CPSIA on Wednesday, December 10th, but it has been cancelled.

What else can you do? Pass this on in your blogs, your parent groups, your local community lists, among your friends. There is much misinformation in the market, and it is up to us to warn consumers and colleagues of the pending disappearance of the natural & specialty toys we have come to rely on in the recent years. Sign petitions, and pass the link on to friends.

This is a critical time to raise our voices and be heard. Please do not say it can wait until next week, or after Christmas.

What else can you do? If you are a crafter join the Handmade Toy Alliance, join the online community cpsia-central and become informed & involved. Contact the media, discuss this in forums and in your own online communities. It isn't just our businesses that are at risk, it is the very nature of the toys & products our children & grandchildren will have access to in the future.

Please pass this on!

The WAHM Solutions site summed everything up this way:

A partial list of affected businesses starts you thinking about who else these potential closures will impact. If a significant number of the following businesses go under because of these burdensome rules, we will also see related and supporting businesses suffer. Think about how many web designers, copywriters, suppliers, shippers, and other businesses will lose business if all of the little guys and gals go under.

Essentially, anything handmade or one of a kind will become impossible to produce legally. Many other products will just be too expensive to test and will have to go away. Some products that will probably be too costly for individuals to produce under the existing interpretation of the lead rules:

Children’s hair accessories

Baby blankets

Stuffed animals

Felt pretend food

Wooden toys

Knitted or crocheted baby clothes

Boutique dresses

Handmade christening gowns

Flower girl dresses

Adaptive products for special needs kids (often made in very small or one of a kind batches)

Homeschooling books and materials

Kids craft kits - imagine tracking each popsicle stick to its origin and testing it!

Handbound books and journals

Doll clothes

Do a search on Etsy or eBay to get an idea of how many tiny businesses are going to go belly up if this law is applied in this way. Don’t wait to speak out! If it does not affect you today, it may in ways you do not expect tomorrow.

Another website for information is www.nationalbankruptcyday.com

Did you catch the name of that site- National Bankruptcy Day? This is serious. How will affect Hero On My Arm? We won't be able to make anything that's intended for use by children under 12, or could possibly be used by them (teddy bears, burp cloths, etc.) It's really not the end of the world for us, will it change our product line? Yes. Will it drive us out of business? No.

But that's not the case for thousands of other WAHMs and small businesses. Merry Christmas from the United States Congress, thank you very much. If you are reading this, take 10 minutes and call or write to your representative. Here is an excerpt taken from the WAHM solutions blog on speaking to your congressman:

The following information is intended for phone or personal contact, but applies to emails as well. The same information applies even if you are speaking to an aide instead of the member.

A good place to start is by THANKING them for trying to keep kids safe. In the end, that is what this rule is supposed to do. We are not at war with them, we want them to see our side of things and how this law is having potentially devastating side effects. They were trying to keep lead paint away from kids. We have had a problem with lead paint on toys, they solved it, we thank them. “Here is how it is hurting the little guys.”

Keep your comments as brief as possible, but make sure you get your points across. You can also tell them that you are going to email a follow-up so they can have all of your information at hand for review. Don’t let them get away with saying they are busy now and will read later, just let them know you value their time and want to make it easy for them to reference your points.

While different industries are asking for different things, the following are some key points that apply to most small businesses. Feel free to add your own thoughts as you speak.

For most products testing of materials instead of finished products would save millions of dollars in testing fees and make the law less burdonsome on the small business owner.

Explain that as it stands, this part of the law will put thousands of small businesses out of business - hurting our economy and causing even more loan defaults.

Point out that requiring testing of finished products makes it impossible to legally sell handmade products for children. This removes consumer choice as well as devastating businesses that specialize in handmade items.

Explain how offering consumer choices is going to be incredibly expensive - having to test every product over and over even when the materials are the same and only details such as size or fabric print change will make it too expensive for small businesses to carry a broad variety of products.

Explain that you believe there are alternatives that are workable solutions and still protect kids.

Explain that this rule favors those who sell in mass quantity and hurts smaller, more varied businesses. Walmart is going to come out a winner due to the massive amount they sell. Grandma is going to be a felon if she sells baby items at craft fairs.

Let them know that you will be following up after the next hearing to talk further. Let them know that the law is going to hurt YOU as a consumer as well as any businesses you may have.

Offer some alternatives to help them out. No Congressperson is going to want to stand up and say, “Let’s make toys unsafe again!” If you offer them some workable ideas, you will make a lot more progress. Some alternatives that have been suggested:

Exempt products made from materials that are very unlikely to contain lead - fabric, paper, wood, etc.

Exempt categories of items such as books, textiles, or handmade items made in the USA and Canada.

Exempt products that are low risk that are made entirely in compliant countries such as Europe, Canada and the US.

Be sure to thank them for their time.

Sorry everyone, I know this post was long, but it is very important. Forgive me to cutting and pasting so much, its just everyone else said it better than I could have.

Thanks,

Seneca

Happy December Everyone!

2008-12-02T07:40:00.001-08:00

This will be my last post for awhile, this is such a crazy time of the year, there's just not enough hours in the day for everything I want to get accomplished. I realize now that business has grown to the point now where it is just overwhelming, and I will have to make some big changes in the new year. Not really sure exactly what those changes will be, but I know I just can't keep up this hectic pace for another year. Over Thanksgiving break I did get a chance to go fabric shopping at Hobby Lobby (something I haven't been able to do in 11 months!) and I bought quite a few new fabrics. All in small quantities, though, these will used on new product samples for 2009:

We did take an afternoon off to decorate the house for Christmas...

And put up the tree:

This is my Mom's snowman themed tree, she gave to me when they moved...

The crocheted ornaments and snowflakes were made by my Aunt...

I had more pictures, but blogger is being a pain about uploading them, and I've lost my patience. Some old school George Strait, in honor of my mom, who was waiting to see pics of the decorations!

Seneca

What I Am Thankful For...

2008-11-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for...

my wonderful husband, who, while he may have used up "seven of his nine lives" in Iraq, is here with us now

my two beautiful children, who every day exasperate me more than I ever thought possible and then make smile and laugh and forget everything else

my home, and county we live in, God Bless America

my old friends, even though we don't talk as much as we should, who are always there for me- Kate, Karla, Michelle...you are the sisters I never had

my new friends, who are just as dear

my "business" friends, Kelley and all my sales reps, you keep me going each and every day that I just want to quit

my customers, who are so sweet, and constantly remind me why I do this

my business, which is exhausting, which teaches me that I can't do it all, that pushes me, that has given me a purpose

I am truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

I hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving, and if your soldier is deployed, I wish them a safe and speedy return home.

Much Love,

Seneca

PS- The music has no particular meaning, just a sweet song, to make up for my previous mood and song selection, lol.

End of the week frustrations...

2008-11-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Forgive the music playing (It's Idina Menzel, again, singing No Good Deed), that's just how I feel right now, like yelling, so it suited my mood. Its the end of the week and with next week being Thanksgiving, I had so hoped to be caught up right now, but once again I am not. I still have 6 days, but it is just so FRUSTRATING! I have so many NEW things I want to do and so many things on my "to do" list, but until I get caught up on orders, I can't even think about them. Really, I just feel like screaming....

I did at least get quite a few orders in the mail this week. Although sometimes I think my postal carrier must hate me...lol...I just can't win.

I hope you all have a good weekend at least!

Seneca

Craft Show Craziness...

2008-11-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Holidays in the South Bazaar here at Fort Rucker. I am so tired today, but it was a lot of fun!

The great things about the show were:

*location- we were in an old aircraft hanger, which was great, and very fitting, being its the home of Army aviation and all

*traffic- there were tons of people. At one point I went to get a soda and it was hard to even get through the aisles there were so many people

*people- I got to see quite a few friends and make some great new contacts, too.

*the niceness- seriously. All the ladies from the spouses club were so incredibly nice, and I even got to meet one of my "competitors", and she was just so sweet and nice, too.

*the purses- lots of Hero On My Arm bags got new homes yesterday, yeah!

The not so great things about the show were:

*no electricity- there was electricity in the building (duh), but they didn't offer it to the vendors. I would have loved to have taken my embroidery machine with me and personalized on the spot.

*the sauerkraut- for some reason, they served bratwurst and sauerkraut at the show. We got there at 7 am to set up, and by 8, the smell of sauerkraut was just everywhere. By lunchtime I think we had just gotten used to it and it sort of went away, but it was the strangest thing.

Overall, it was a great day. I spent most of today putting everything back (tables, picture frames, etc.) in its right place and packing up what inventory I had left over to send on to the next show. This week will be busy, busy, busy with orders but I hope to have some time off next week for Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating!

You are listening to When Its Christmas Time in Texas from George Strait's Merry Christmas Strait to You, another really great Christmas CD.

Seneca

The Prettiest Girls EVER... (Said the Mom, who isn't the least bit partial)

2008-11-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Since I have a show this weekend, and know I won't have a lot of time to blog (when do I ever?), I thought I would at least leave you all with some pretty pictures, since they will be up for a few days.

And yes, I am a sucker for the matching Gymboree outfits. (These ones were 60% off, too!)

Enjoy the Christmas music, there are only 43 days left until Christmas Day. You are listening to Harry Connick, Jr. When My Heart finds Christmas, from the album with the same name- one of the very best Christmas CD's ever! Seriously, it's that good.

Seneca

And the Craft Show Preparations Go On...

2008-11-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

Hero On My Arm is participating in four craft shows this weekend, and the preparations are very time consuming. I have so much to blog about, I've even created a list, but it will just have to wait until next week, lol.

If you happen to be in Little Rock, Colorado Springs, Killeen or Fort Rucker this weekend, come out and say hi!

You are listening to the movie trailer for Tinkerbelle. We watched it this past weekend- so cute!

Where I Wish I Was...

2008-11-04T15:47:00.001-08:00

Was everyone at the Houston International Quilt Market??? My goodness, catching up on my blog reading it felt like high school all over again, everyone bragging about the party they got to attend, and pooh-pooh to you if you didn't get an invite, lol.

That's okay, I have my own little secret. Wanna know it? Okay, come closer...here goes...

I don't like quilting

Now, before you all start sending me hate mail, I'm not trash talking quilting, I'm just saying that me, personally, I don't really care for it, not very interested in it, don't really get all the cutting things up into teensy little squares and triangles. Its just not my style, that's all.

So where do I wish I could have been last week?

Atlanta. The Fox Theatre. Wicked just wrapped up a run there. *Sigh* I really wish I could have gone, but sadly, it was just not to be. The show will be in Birmingham in April and I am definitely making plans to catch it then!

Until then, you are listening to Defying Gravity, as performed by the original Broadway cast members, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Aren't they just AWESOME !??!

*Sigh*, again.

Election Day!

2008-11-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

I still have a an entire week's worth of work before I am officially caught up, but I will be sooooo excited when that happens!!!

Meanwhile, don't forget that Tuesday is election day. VOTE!

I hope you are enjoying the music. Check out the Hero On My Arm blog to see the video that put this tune in my head on the eve of the election.

Who would I vote for?

Vinick, of coarse! Because we all know...

And if you don't get it, well then, that just means you aren't as big a nerd as me, lol! It's okay though, it takes a lot to beat me in a nerd contest.

Happy voting Everyone!

Seneca

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

So, I know its a carry over from my eBay days, when sellers used to catch all kinds of heck for having outstanding orders, yet still having the time to blog away... but I still can't really bring myself to post here if I have work I should be doing instead...however...I hope you all will forgive me just this once, it is HALLOWEEN, after all...

We started the day off with CANDY...

And yes, that is my OCD coming out, we separated it all into individual bags for the TRICK-OR-TREATERS...

Then we had to carve our PUMPKIN...

I decided to roast the leftover pumpkin seeds, so I googled a recipe...

Don't they look wonderful??? No? Well they tasted really bad too! Ya know those blogs where people post recipes and rave about how wonderful their cooking is? Yeah, that's not me. But, hey, at least I tried...

In the spirit of all things HALLOWEEN, we even dressed up the dog!

And away from the kitchen, and on to something that I actually am good at, lol, I did make both of the girls' COSTUMES...

Sydney requested to be Snow White and Sophie has been repeating for the last several weeks "I be Ariel, with a tail", so she was the little mermaid.

It is somewhat cold here, so we headed out for trick-or-treating rather early, and both girls were extremely happy with their candy loot. After we washed off all the glitter in an extra bubbly bubble bath, they are now fast asleep, and I will be following them soon...

Then tomorrow, back to work!

Seneca

Taking Time off for Business...

2008-09-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

Its always good to be busy. Since moving into the new house and studio I have been too busy. It was time to do something drastic, so I am "unofficially" closing for a few weeks to catch up on existing orders and knock a few pages off my "to do" list. I'll be back on November 1st, so stay tuned...

Seneca

One more post and I am outta here...

2008-09-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

...but just for a week, lol!

I'll be away from the office starting tomorrow, through September 29th, so this is my very last post until then. Of coarse I have more pictures to share!

This first one is for all my sale reps (I love you guys!) so you can see that Lindsay is working on your swatch rings as we speak:

So sometimes you just can't know when inspiration will hit, or where it will come from. My latest inspiration was this newly arrived Michael Miller print. It inspired this adorable drawstring bag (which I am LOVE with),

I snuck it inside this wristlet, its like a colorful surprise as you reach for your phone...

And I used it to spice up our CLAUDIA bag, too:

And the best part is- I still have some left over!!

So I will leave you all with a question. What do you think of the label on the outside:

I always put them on the inside, I think they are less obtrusive (so maybe I'm answering my own question, lol), but what do you think???

Have a great weekend, and good night!
Seneca

Random Pictures

2008-09-19T05:08:00.001-07:00

I can never read blogs without pictures, so I always try and take pictures with the intent that I'll add them to my blog later- problem is, I'm not the best photographer, so the pictures never turn out as fabulous as they are in my head, or like they are on other blogs. Oh well. Here's a few I found when I was cleaning out my camera (I also posted some new purse pictures on the business blog):

This is half of my sewing studio, the machines are on the other half! My desk (with trusty HUGS bear for inspiration), my cutting table and my design boards.

This is Sydney, Sophie and Steven making waffles just after we moved in. We got one of those restaurant style waffle makers and went a little crazy- we had waffles every morning for a week!

So obviously, these aren't in order, lol. I snapped this the morning that we were moving into the new house. I'm in love with all of my windows...

This one made me smile when I found it. Sydney, Sophie and our friend, Hunter, at the strawberry patch from earlier in the summer. We try to embrace wherever the Army sends us (instead of complaining about it- what can you do about it after all?), and this was a fabulous find recommended to us my Hunter's mom- a farmer's market, fruit orchard and strawberry patch, where you can actually go and pick your own berries. It was tons of fun and hopefully a great memory for the girls.

That's all I have for now. Sophie's birthday is next week, so I'll have lots more pictures to share. I really should take a photography class!
Seneca

Wise Words....

2008-09-16T13:35:00.001-07:00

Hi Stalker!

This is for you:

"Whatever you do, don't copy another artist, because originality can lead to success"

The Most Amazing Feeling...

2008-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

When I went outside this morning- a COOL BREEZE!

As in fall is on its way...
Changing leaves...
Football games...
Halloween candy...
Thanksgiving...
Snow...
Christmas...
I LOVE IT!
This is absolutely my most favorite time of the year.

Ummm, Creepy...

2008-09-15T17:08:00.001-07:00

So I guess I have a stalker, lol...
I guess I should look at the positive side- at least I know SOMEONE is reading my blog!
But seriously, and you know who you are, this one's for you:

*Hugs*

Exhausted...

2008-09-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

I am, no joke, just falling down on the floor EXHAUSTED. I am slinking away from the computer tonight (after replying to the 82 messages in my inbox from this weekend, lol), finishing mailing out a *slight* backlog of orders (see above pic) this week, and then taking A DAY OFF. Maybe two. And then I'll be back, refreshed and ready to dazzle everyone with some great new things just in time for the Holidays!

Good night all,
Seneca

Stay Tuned...

2008-08-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long its been since I posted anything, and I can't believe that in my last post I actually thought we were about to move into our new house!! I don't think we will EVER move in- GRRRR!

No actually, we are supposed to move in this Friday, but I am not placing any bets on that. A girl can hope though!

I am officially "closing" after I catch up on emails this evening, and will be off until August 15th. If I have time to blog while we are moving in, I will, and if not, I'll just update everyone as soon as business "reopens". Our household goods have been in storage for more than 200 days, so, unfortunately, I'm afraid I will have lots to share...

See ya in a week and a half!

Seneca

Shipping Purses, Moving, and Yummy Chocolate Lollipop...

2008-07-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

This week is being devoted solely to shipping purses!
I will be a mad woman finishing and shipping orders...BECAUSE....

We will actually, finally be able to move into our house next week!!!!

And just to leave you with some pretty pictures, here's my new purse (after someone used a picture of my old one, I felt like I needed a new one!):

This is small ABIGAIL, I used three fabrics from Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipop collection. Its actually an older collection, she just released her new fabric collection, Garden Party, but this is a fabric that grows on you. Amy, one of my reps, first introduced me to this collection when she commissioned a bag made using it and some of Amy Butler's Moon Dots, so I've had it for a while, and it finally just won me over and I had to use it in my bag:

So what do you think? The Anna Maria Horner fabrics are more expensive that Amy Butler and Michael Miller, but I'm considering adding some of them to the fabric choices- yes, no, maybe???

GASP! I'm Naming Names!!!

2008-07-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

So this is the fourth time this year, that this happened to us, and to be perfectly honest I am just tired of it. Previously, its been our policy to deal with copyright and intellectual property violations privately and as amicably as possible, but apparently its just not working, so I have no problem publicly outing these dishonest sellers.

Here's how it started today: I got this email :

Okay, so I go check it out. The My Space page in question has 9 pictures on it. I recognize one of the pictures as belonging to another purse designer (not me, but also not the person in question), and the last one (the 9th one) is this:

So, hummmm....Look familiar??? I sure think so, since that's not only a purse Hero On My Arm made, it actually my purse, as in me, Seneca, this is the purse I carried around at Ft. Hood for over a year:

Okay, so contact My Space Admin, ask them to please resolve the issue. Then email the person directly, please remove the picture, it's ours, it's a purse we made, its wrong for you to post a picture of it misrepresenting it as your own, thanks for your time, etc. etc. etc.

And this is what I get back:

And then as if that wasn't enough, just one more mean message:

So, obviously I'm not actually going to hand out this dishonest person's name or her website, and I've covered up that information, but if you happen upon her, this is what her profile looks like:

If you know this person, take a minute to let her know that what she's doing is NOT COOL.

Those of us that have been making purses for years and operate our businesses with integrity don't mind if new designers enter the market. Everyone has a different style, a different taste, and can find a designer that suites them. Its a TRUE and GREAT HONOR every time a military spouse entrusts you with their soldier's uniform to create something special. I am gracious for every single customer Hero On My Arm has ever had, and all the customers we will have in the future.

That being said- all you dishonest sellers- PLEASE rethink what you are doing, it is WRONG. There is NO GRAY area, this isn't a designer accusing another of copying a design or a concept (I've NEVER said to anyone "You copied our purses!"), this is about STEALING photos from purse designers and trying to pass them off as your own. It will be my policy from now on, every time that it happens, I will not only document it, I will post it here. It needs to stop.

...Climbing down off my soap box now.

Accomplishments for last week and my schedule for this week

2008-07-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like I got a lot accomplished this past week. On the business side of things, we introduced a new product, the HUGS bear, we added font choices and embroidery designs to the website.

On the non-business side, Sophie learned to tell her left from her right (a pretty big accomplishment for a 21 month old, says the proud mom!), we visited some friends over the weekend, had some GREAT food, an even better time, and the girls had a blast playing with two other girls their ages.

The (business) plan for this week is as follows:
Monday: Cut up uniforms for this weeks orders, return phone calls
Tuesday: Wallet and make up bags (My accessories seamstress is out of town, due to a family illness)
Wednesday: Stuff for the Sales Reps
Thursday-Sunday: mail the next 48 purses ready this week (we'll see if I can get them ALL in the mail by Monday)
It actually a pretty full week, so I will stay off the computer (except for checking emails) and check back in a week, see if I got everything done I have planned!

New things

2008-07-11T21:35:00.001-07:00

So you never know, when you have a new idea, if it is good one or not. As an entrepreneur, you are always coming up with new ideas. The last really big "new" idea that I had was for themed shopping cart covers, like flowers, baseballs, footballs, etc.

I wouldn't say that they were a flop, but they certainly didn't make me famous, lol.

Now comes my next big "new" idea, the HUGS bear:

We've been making purses from military uniforms for almost 4 years now, so we thought that it was time to add something for the kids as well. I've been working on this for so long now, and really I need to get some better pictures (cause it doesn't quite show in the pic, but they are SUPER cute!), but I have been so anxious to reveal this new project that I just couldn't wait any longer! I even designed my own logo:

I'll probably go back and have this professionally done, but it will do for now.

How did this idea start? Well, most people are familiar with the Daddy Dolls, my oldest daughter Sydney even has one. But my youngest daughter, Sophie, was only 3 weeks old when my husband left for Iraq this last time, so the Daddy Doll wasn't something that she really associated with. But she does have a special teddy bear (in fact, she's sleeping with it right now). So somewhere, some how, the two things sort of just merged in my head- a deployment doll and a teddy bear!

Then a mad dash to see if someone else had already thought of it (which I haven't found), and then the real work started- actually designing the bear! I wrestled with plastic eyes and noses forever, before I finally decided that if they ever came off, they'd be a chocking hazard anyway, and so embroidered eyes and noses were best. The final version is bear #6, and our testers have had them for about 4 weeks now, they've been washed, loved, beat up and generally well broken in, so we felt like it was okay to finally introduce them.

I am so anxious to see what everyone thinks? Are they the next "must have" or will they be a flop? You just never know, and that's the exciting part. I suppose if poor copies start popping up on MySpace and Craigslist, then I'll know they are a hit. After all, if they are good enough to copy, they must be a success.

We'll see....

Small things, Random things...

2008-07-09T19:21:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, while trying to adjust the tension on the bobbin case of my embroidery machine, I loosened the screw a teensy bit too much, and it fell out. Well, it is SUPER tiny, see?

(Totally just grabbed this picture off Google, I was too lazy to take one myself!)

I looked and looked, but it was lost! So I wasn't able to run the embroidery machine for 3 days! I'm a little behind now, but I was able to get a replacement screw today and am back in business. Note to all you sewers out there: Next time you are at the sewing shop, consider picking up a spare one of these. They cost about $1, and its really good to have an extra one, just in case!
My husband's birthday is just over 3 weeks away, and I was able to get him a really great present this year, and I am super excited! Plus, its killing him not knowing what it is. I won't say, just in case (out of desperation) he actually reads this (he usually doesn't, but you can't be too careful!).

My birthday is exactly one week after his, and this is what I want:

to replace my iphone that I broke (I know, sigh). It still works when its plugged into the computer, but there's a dent at the top, where the OFF button is, and it tends to turn off and not turn back on. Kinda defeats the purpose of having a cell phone if it only works when you are at home, lol.

I also got to talk with another purse maker on Monday- thanks so much for the call, it was good to chat and "clear the air" so to speak.

And in one last bit of random news for the day, the actress from Top Gun had a birthday today (I heard it on the radio). I was only seven when this movie came out, but weren't 80's movies the best??? Before Tom Crusie went all wacky, and when a movie could be cheesy and cool at the same time...

I just remember she was SO gorgeous!!

I didn't end up with a naval aviator, but my price charming is a sailor turned army aviator...eh, close enough for me!!

Goodnight all...

Pictures from the 4th

2008-07-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some pictures from yesterday. There was a brief thunderstorm, and it was quite humid, but we had a good time. If you don't know, we were at the Freedom Fest at Ft. Rucker! This is Sydney and Sophie posing in front on a static display of an Apache helicopter. We took about 5 pictures, but couldn't get them both to look the same direction at the same time:

Sydney wanted to wear a hat that matched her skirt (and to keep the rain away), so she borrowed one of her daddy's hats:

Sophie sitting in the back of a Blackhawk helicopter. This is her camera pose:

This is Sydney and her friend, with some glasses they were passing out. They looked like 3-D glasses, but they were clear, I'm not sure what they were for, lol:

This was right before the fireworks started.

The fireworks were great (except that they spelled USA backwards, A-S-U), and a good time was had by all.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday as well. And to everyone with a deployed soldier, I hope that they return safely and soon.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Fit For A Princess...

2008-07-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Our builder was kind enough to let me paint a mural in the girls' room now, before we move in. Since it was a four day weekend, Steven watched the girls and I went to paint!

I'm not good enough to free hand onto the wall (its 8 1/2 feet by 13 feet!), so I had to draw it out on paper first:

I didn't bring my camera, so these pictures are from my iphone, so I had to take several, I couldn't get everything in one picture:

So, there it is! Exactly how Sydney requested- she hasn't seen it yet, I can hardly wait to show it to her. What do you think???

The Haircut!

2008-07-03T20:22:00.001-07:00

We took Sydney to get her very first haircut yesterday. Here she is sitting in the chair:

She concentrated very hard on staying still.

Getting styled.

The final result:

Practice Makes Perfect

2008-07-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Designing (whether it be purses or clothes or anything else) is a process. It usually gets better after many revisions. Here is Sydney modeling my flag heart design tee, July 2005:

The proportion on the star fabric and the stripes is a little to large, and this is before I really learned how to make twirl skirts. Here she is modeling the same outfit, July 2006.

I actually really like the rick rack, but it did not wash well. I had stopped designing clothes to focus on purses last year, so there's no picture for July 07, but here is July 08:

The proportion is better on the stars and stripes, and I really favor the simple design. The girls will be wearing these this year, so I'll post a picture of them at the end of the week. I'll be adding this design to the website, in case anyone's interested.

I thought you might enjoy seeing what's behind a design. When you see a product added on the website, its not just something we saw somewhere else, or even something with just thought up, made once, took a picture and then put up for sale. There's a story, a design process, revisions, testing and solicited feedback that goes into each item, before we ever offer it for sale. That way we know our customers will be happy with the product they receive.

Hope everyone has a good 4th of July!

When life gives you lemons....

2008-07-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

MAKE LEMONADE!

I know its cheesy, but its really true. My 4 year old helped me remember this one today. Our household goods have been in storage for almost 6 months now, and seems like everyday, Sydney remembers one of her toys that she doesn't have with her now. Last week it was her toy shopping cart, today it was her dollhouse. But instead of complaining, she proceeded to just make a new one:

She played with this for hours today, and was so PROUD of her handiwork. I just love how creative she is already. She is getting her first haircut tomorrow, so that is why we bought her all the little hair clips, lol!

This is a little boys lounge set that went out yesterday. I am without my serger (household goods, again), so I had to use french seams- more time consuming, but the final product has a more boutique quality that way.

And not to be outdone, while I had the camera out, my youngest had to get in on the action. Her curls are finally starting to grow!

How can you not just love that face?

Rainy Day, Great Day

2008-06-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

It rained all day today, and we even lost power for about an hour, but it was a surprisingly good day. The girls had a blast playing with their flashlights in the dark, and I took some time to clean and organize "my space".

Back in Killeen, I had a small bedroom for my business (100 sq. feet), in the place we are renting now while we wait for our house and the new studio to be finished, I have about 30 sq. feet.

If you can see all the labels, that is a bit of my OCD coming out, but I think everything looks so lovely properly put away and organized. I know, I am big nerd!

Hope you all had a good weekend!

30 days and counting...

2008-06-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

This is where we started back in January:

And this is where we are today:

30 more days and we will actually have a home!

Small Indulgences

2008-06-28T12:57:00.001-07:00

My latest purchase (I know, I am a big spender, lol) one bottle of perfect for summer pedicure polish in See Ya Later, Sailor:

I LOVE it!

I am exhausted!

2008-06-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Steven had a 24 hour staff duty the day before, so I used the opportunity to stay up into the wee hours of the morning updating the website. I am SO tired, but hopefully, it was worth it. I did a lot of updating that was long over due, deleted old items, added new fabrics, new purse styles, new accessories, etc. Anybody out there reading this, I'd love to get your feedback on the site!

This is my new most favorite item:

I love it because I can put my driver's license, ID card and credit cards in it, and it still fits in my pocket!

Good night all!

Hosting photos

2008-06-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

So updating my photos was on my "to-do" list today...

This is a pain to me, because everyone I see lately is using flicker , but its not a photo hosting site, its a photo sharing site. For photo hosting, you have to either use your own website, or you can use a site like Photobucket, which is what I have been using. Since I had my ebay store before my website, I have LOTS of pictures hosted on photobucket. Moving them, or renaming them, breaks the links to them that you have anywhere else (like on eBay or Etsy), so basically it would be one big HUGE mess to even try. So in the end, I just decided to start a flicker account and put copies of all my pictures there. Well, not all, but most all. It isn't perfect, I think a few of the pictures might be on there twice, and the clothes aren't in the best order, but it will do for now.

Here they are, all 662 of them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/heroonmyarm/collections/

I set up 3 collections, the first has all our Hero On My Arm items, the second has Polka dot Door Boutique Clothing, and the last one has shopping cart covers, graphic designs and personal photos.

Enjoy!

To watermark, or not to watermark...

2008-06-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is a tough call for me, adding watermarks to all our pictures. I just can't decide if its even worth it! I don't want it to be distracting, and I feel like if someone is going to be dishonest and use any of our pictures in an inappropriate way, they are going to find a way around the watermark. Plus, it would be SOOO much work to do.
Could I just ask everyone to please be nice, and don't take and post our pictures without our permission?

UPDATE: My husband's advice was to go ahead and watermark all the pictures, so I did. And it didn't take as long as I thought, since I was moving them any way.
Thanks

A Very Personal Project

2008-06-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get this package in the mail today from the Navy Exchange! This is for a personal project of mine, a purse for my mom, inspired by my grandfather's Navy uniform. A vintage Dress Blue jacket for the outside, and I haven't decided on the interior fabric yet. My mom has been waiting on this for almost a year, so I am setting out to get it finished before we move into the new house. I hope.

Thread, thread and more thread...

2008-06-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

This is when you know you've officially graduated from HOBBY to BUSINESS- when you stop buying thread in 200,300 or 500 yard spools, and start buying the 6000 yard spools.
I got an order of thread in this week, its crazy how fast we go through it!

A new pet, maybe

2008-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

There are cat people, and there are dog people.

I am a dog person. But I have fallen in love with this cool kind of cat. They are called Highlanders, and some friends of ours have one, and I just love it. My husband said we could get one for the new house!
Pets will, of coarse, not be allowed in the studio, but since its not on the main level of the house, it won't be a problem.

New House, New Studio!

2008-06-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

We are only 30-40 days away from being able to move into the new house and studio. I am SSSSOOOOO excited, I can hardly stand it. We'll take a new picture again this weekend, things are going very fast now.

I got to pick the color for the new studio, its called Fun in the Sun:

It doesn't look the same on my monitor, as it does in person, but it is cheery and bright.

Cleaning House...or Computer

2008-06-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had set this week aside to get a lot of non-sewing related tasks done, like starting this blog, going through all my pictures, updating my website, etc. But since it is already Friday night, and I am just now getting to the blog, well, you can tell how well that plan went! I will be organizing all of my photographs tommorrow, and will be getting to the all important website updates on Monday, but this also means I had all week to think about what I wanted to post here, hence all the random thoughts I am in the process of posting, lol. Just in case you were wondering...

One of the things that I did get finished already was to clean out the bookmarks on my internet browser. I am a bookmark junkie- I had over 500. The problem is, of coarse, that bookmarks are supposed to make things easier to find, but not when you have so many. So I deleted away! It was a little bit sad, because I had the best of intentions about reading some of them later, but I have to be honest with myself and admit that I just don't have the time.

So here they are, my new, fewer bookmarks (maybe you'll find something interesting to add to your bookmark list!):

First, the basic stuff:
the business blog www.heroonmyarm.blogspot.com, my eBay store http://stores.ebay.com/Polka-dot-Door-Boutique and my website admin page.

I don't get to read a lot of other blogs, but the ones I have bookmarked are:

1. fabric designers, Anna Marie Horner http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/ and Heather Bailey http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/

I love reading the blogs from these super creative women, and the photography is beautiful, too.

2. military spouse blogs from Army Wife Talk Radio http://awtr.blogspot.com/ and Spouse Buzz http://www.spousebuzz.com/

I'll admit, I read these to try and stay "in the loop", but honestly, since they both employ multiple blog writers, I find it hard to stay interested and follow, since each post is written by a different spouse.

3. A few other military spouse entrepreneurs http://www.joyfulabode.com/blog, http://campfollowerbags.blogspot.com/ and http://thepaisleypalmettogirl.blogspot.com/

I got to see Joyful Abode at the Piney Woods Arts Festival this March, and I just love their vintage stuff (plus Mona got to chat with them and said they were SUPER nice). I just love their tag line too- Domesticity by Trial and Error
I love looking at Tia's quilted creations, they are beautiful art pieces. And I just discovered the Paisley Palmetto, I was so excited to read about speech recognition software that she uses, I can't wait to get some too!

4. And a few left overs from my days as an eBay designer http://www.designing-minds.blogspot.com/ and http://ipbyamelia.typepad.com/

The first one is a snapshot of the "custom boutique" world on eBay where I was born as a designer, and the second is a former eBay designer turned photographer, who takes amazing pictures.

So there it is, a peak into my computer!

This is me...

2008-06-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to go ahead and start a separate blog for myself, instead of blogging about personal stuff on the business blog. Not really sure how many people are out there reading, but what the heck!

So this is me, Seneca:

I wanted to use this picture:

But my husband said it looked too "Glamour Shots", (which it is!) so I decided to use the first one instead. We are going to have family pictures taken again in the fall, I'll try and get a newer one of me then.

For anybody that doesn't know me, like I said, my name is Seneca. My husband is an Apache Helicopter pilot in the US Army, and we are stationed at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. We have two beautiful girls, Sydney Claire and Sophie Elizabeth:

I am the owner of the Polka dot Door Boutique, LLC. You can visit our website via any of the following links (they all take you to the same place!):
www.polkadotdoorboutique.com
www.HeroOnMyArm.com
www.HeroOnMyArm.net
www.HeroOnMyArmPurses.com

I began my business making shopping cart covers, then children's clothing on eBay, and now military uniform purses and gifts. I have authored a few sewing eBooks, tried my hand at template designing, and my newest goals are turning our Hero On My Arm purses into a direct sales business and writing a book.

I hope if you are a military spouse (or even if you aren't) juggling being a wife, a mom, and running your own company (or contemplating starting one), that you find my ramblings helpful, maybe even insightful. If you ever want to reach me, my email is:
seneca@polkadotdoorboutique.com