High Five... For the Last Five Fridays

I haven't done a high five post in five whole weeks... so really, this is just going to be one big photo dump. Here we go:

1. Got our rings dipped! We get them rhodium plated about every 8 months. And by we I mean I... hence the reason I'm also wearing Sean's ring in this pic. 2. It's screen porch weather.

3. The garden is in place... and as of today there's a lot of green growing there that wasn't when this picture was taken! 4. We celebrated my mom's birthday in downtown St. Louis at Cielo. 5. Emily got married!

6. My buds keep me company during the work day and make me laugh. 7. It's screen porch NAP weather. 8. Couldn't leave out the pics of Emily dancing with her Dad.

9. I thought blondes weren't supposed to get gray hair this young? Though I don't know if I'm considered blonde anymore. Either way, Sean made me laugh about it. 10. New drapes for our living room! We have a family room and a living room and since the tv isn't in the living room... well, it's just kind of sat there since we moved in. Feeling more like home now. 11. Sean surprised me with flowers when he knew I was having a bad day.

12. Visited this new-ish fabric and quilting shop and fell in love. 13. Really this isn't a high as in "good times," but the water was high from all the rain, and it's actually kinda pretty so I included it. This area is normally a field of grass. 14. This face! Fun to see how content little Nora is with bath time.

15. These faces! It's been nice to meet up a few times with Anna and John while she's been on maternity leave. 16. Finishing up a gallery wall in the dining room. But I've already got plans to change that yellow frame. 17. Tomatoes! Which are now in the ground in the garden you see above. Updated photos to come soon.

18. I found a new favorite tea this Spring. Harney & Sons Dragon Pearl Jasmine, which was actually a favor from Emily's wedding shower back in January. Glad I saved it til Spring! It's very floral and tasty. 19. New scarves in the shop! 20. Feeling good about putting some tricks I taught myself to good use on the ol' serger!

Confession... I am well aware of the fact that I am guilty of over-using the exclamation point. Most times when I write an email or blog I make a point to go back and edit them down to an acceptable level... but this time, I'm leaving 'em. Because really, five weeks of high fives deserves 'em!

Happy Friday, Friends!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth

'Round the Shop

Hi there! I just wanted to stop in and make note of a few things going on in the shop. First, you might have noticed that the fabric department is looking a bit barren these days. Don't worry though, it will be full again soon! I'm switching things up a bit with pricing and batching, and will be adding some new prints over the next few months. So sit tight on that one!

Otherwise, I'd like to point out that I still have a few tea towel calendars on hand, and they are now 50% off. Snatch 'em up now while they're at their best price yet! Keep in mind that even though we're nearing the fourth month of 2013, you can still use the calendars after the year is over as actual towels in your kitchen. They're a lovely linen/cotton blend that only gets softer with time.

Next, you might notice that things are a bit hodge-podge in the handmade department. I've struggled over the past few months with narrowing down what exactly it is that I want to make to sell in my shop. Just because I can make just about anything doesn't mean I should sell everything! I've always loved making purses, bags, and accessories. But as my friends and family experience lots of life changes like weddings and babies, my mind wanders to things I want to make for them as gifts, and then of course, what I can turn into products. So I think I've finally narrowed down a logical product line that encompasses ladies and babies... accessory style. So look forward to new handmade products being added regularly.

Finally, things are starting to pick up in the DIY department. If you head on over there now you'll see my very first non-seasonal pattern available as a digital download. I plan to add many, many more of these patterns for a variety of items so you can sew along with me. Putting patterns online is not a quick or simple process, and it's a bit nerve-wracking as far as intellectual property goes... but you never know what will come of something if you're not willing to put your work out there!

Thanks for reading my shop announcements and being patient as I pull everything together. I'll be back on Friday with some High Fives for the week.

No Sew Fabric Tutorial: Mouse Pad Upgrade

I'm all about the quick DIYs this month. And office projects... since Sean finished building my studio furniture and now the rest is up to me! (I promise I haven't forgotten about posting pics of my studio... the building took a bit longer than we thought and I still have some finishing touches to do with decor and such so stay tuned.)

So for entirely too long, I've been using this ugly, boring, black mouse pad.

And it's seen better days.

Silly. Some day maybe I'll stop living like a college student and realize it's ok to have nice things... especially ridiculously inexpensive things like a mouse pad. But, why buy when you can DIY, amiright? Plus, the part of the mouse pad I had that was damaged was really only the top fabric layer. So I thought, pshhh... I've got tons of fabric! Let's test it out.

First, I peeled off the fabric layer to reveal the equally as ugly (covered in glue remnants) backing.

After disposing of the (disgusting) fabric layer, I got out some other supplies:

I traced the mouse pad onto the Craft Fuse:

And then I cut out and ironed the Craft Fuse to my fabric.

Then I cut out the fabric to the same shape as the Craft Fuse.

My initial idea was to use Wonder Under, or some kind of fusible interfacing that became sticky on both sides when heated to fuse the layers together. But then I realized that my mouse pad backing is rubber... and an iron would likely do some melting on that kind of material. So I stuck with fabric glue:

Spray adhesive would also be a great idea for this project, but I didn't have any on hand so I stuck with what I had in stock. I chose to add a layer of felt to the back of my mouse pad too, because my furniture is white and the black layer was leaving a little mark on the desk top. I just used a little bead around all the edges on both sides of the black backing to adhere the fabric on top and the felt on bottom.

I waited a few minutes to make sure the layers were secure and dry, and then trimmed off the excess felt with my rotary cutter. I also added a little bit of Fray Check to the edges of the fabric layer just in case.

 And that's it! Now my mouse pad is back where it belongs, looking much, much prettier:

And sporting some Clever Betty style in the process.

Now how easy was that? 10 minutes, some scissors, glue, and an iron, and my computer desk is looking quite a bit happier these days.

Organizing Tutorials

Hi there, just a quick note to share the most recent Clever Betty site update. If you're searching for craft and sewing tutorials, you can now view them by category on the tutorials page. There's a link in the right column of this blog as you see circled in the screen shot below:

and if you're browsing from the shop, the link is just under the logo at the top of the page, which you can see in the screenshot below.

Every time I add a tutorial, I'll add it to the collection so it's really easy for you to find! Stay tuned this Wednesday for the next crafty tutorial.

And P.S.... there's just a few of those 2013 calendars left in the shop, and they're 30% off right now...

How I'm Creating My Routine

Last week I made some confessions and realizations when it comes to working from home. So how am I working to commit to my goals and get stuff done? Well... here's a few ways:

The Oh My! Handmade Goodness 2013 Planner. Best $15 I ever spent. I bought it at the very beginning of the year and I only wish I'd printed it out as soon as I bought it instead of three weeks later. I'm getting a late start with it a month into the year, but it's very inspiring and I'd recommend it to any entrepreneur who wants to organize their life. Plan ahead!

Setting a schedule. I had that when worked full time... that whole drive, eat breakfast, catch up on correspondence, work, eat, workout thing. I'm getting better at that at home. I have a weekly marker board where I list to dos, that OMHMG binder is helping a crazy amount, and I have permanent things that always stay on the marker board: run 3 x a week, groceries, laundry, blog. Lots of entrepreneurs work whenever they have time. I have to have separation from work and personal tasks, so I stick to a typical 40 hour work week when I can.

Blocking time wasting websites. Yep. I had to break out the parental controls on myself. I've been searching for something for months that works the way I want, and only in the past few weeks did I discover Leechblock. It's a Firefox add on that you can specify timespan, dates, and locks for.

Facebook, Pinterest, Google Reader, and Gmail are my biggest time sucking guilty pleasures. I block all of them from 9am-12:30pm, and again from 1:30pm to 5pm. When Sean gets home I want to spend time with him, so I end up limiting my time to at most 2 hours/day on all of these sites, (including business related correspondence) once during my morning window, and again for an hour at most in the evening.

I got into a habit of "taking breaks" from my work by checking social media sites the past five years working at desk jobs, and I continued to do that while working at home... but no more! It's quite refreshing, and I've definitely realized that it was a completely mindless, time-wasting habit.

Getting up by 7am every day. From 7am-9am I have to fit in working out, showering, getting dressed/ready for the day, eating breakfast, and checking email. I've already been asked a number of times if I just work in my pajamas all day. I do on occasion, but for the most part, I still put on makeup, do my hair, and get dressed... but I always wear slippers. Which probably makes Sean happy, as my shoe purchasing habits have changed quite a bit for this very reason!

Keeping a list of things I have to do online when I have access to social media sites. Especially personal stuff- have to email a friend about her wedding invites? Do it at 1pm. Figuring out weekend lunch plans? Responding to a Facebook comment?... at the noon hour only. Before it was so easy for something to pop into my head, "Oh, I need to do this right now!" and then it snowballs and I realize, a whole hour later, I'm completely off task just wasting time.

I keep a single notebook right next to my computer so I can jot down lists and reminders to myself for later. I've tried a variety of apps for this purpose as well but I always come back to paper- it's just what works best for me.

Setting aside time for specific things.  I need to blog each week. I need to sketch and design, get out of the house during the workday, watch tutorials, brainstorm, and teach myself new techniques on my sewing equipment each week. A lot of these things can get overlooked otherwise, and I don't want to fall into a routine that doesn't include such a variety.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed I've been taking photos a bit more actively lately. I'm finding that it's a good way to remind myself that I am using my time wisely. I can keep track of all those hours I spend not specifically producing products, but doing the behind the scenes work that leads up to producing products in one way or another. It's a bit of a personal pep talk.

All in all, life is a quite a bit different when I'm not on someone else's clock. And if I do say so myself, I feel like I'm working towards being the best boss I've ever had with these simple tricks to stick to a good routine! What things help you manage your time and work day?

Holiday Shipping Reminder

Hi there! I've been sewing up a storm of stockings this week and wanted to share.

I'd also like to remind you of the holiday shipping deadlines for the Clever Betty shop. Handmade goods- stockings, calendars, accessories- should be ordered (before 11:59 pm CST) by December 16 for orders placed outside the U.S. and by December 18 for domestic U.S. orders. Fabric orders must be placed by December 19.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a special weekend treat!

Small Business Saturday

Are you a Black Friday shopper? I have to admit... I am most definitely not. I worked retail throughout college. Though I've not experienced any of the crazy stories that you might hear about in the media of workers being treated unfairly or customers being trampled, I wouldn't wish a Black Friday shift on anyone. There's an unspoken agreement between retail workers that the "black in Black Friday doesn't really stand for annual profits breaking out of the red... but for the doom that the day can present to those who experience it from behind the scenes.

I remember one year while working at The Children's Place a customer approached me and asked, "Why is the mall so busy today?" In my mind I was thinking wow, have you been living under a rock? But then I recognized that her accent was not American, and I tried my best to explain the ridiculous American tradition that is the biggest shopping day of the year.

Especially now as a web-based small business owner, I avoid any store on Black Friday like the plague. What could be more convenient then shopping from your own home? Thank goodness for Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, amiright?



So if you're anything like me, I hope you'll support small businesses this weekend in lieu of spending hours circling the parking lot and standing in lines only to find out that what you wanted to purchase is already long gone.

You might also notice a few new additions to the shop that will help you with your holiday shopping:

The 2013 Clever Betty Tea Towel Calendar

And for all you DIY fans out there, check out the PDF stocking download!

Happy Thanksgiving!

That's a lovely shade of aloe

Or as I prefer to call it, mint. I saw this on Sherwin William's Pinterest board today and thought I should share with you:

You may have noticed that a green shade similar to "aloe" has become a major part of Clever Betty's branding overhaul. Good thing I'm ahead of the game and painted my office walls that color in 2011! Although, I believe I used Martha Stewart's Lemongrass at the time... very similar.

Speaking of my office, I've been hiding some construction from you! Sean has been building some (amazing) custom furniture for me over the last few months and Phase 1 of 3 is almost complete, with photos to come on the blog very soon. In the meantime, imagine aloe walls with crisp, white furniture to organize all my crafty stuff, and some hints of black and mustard accents.

Clever Betty, A History

Those of you who have been following along from the beginning know that I originally started Clever Betty on Etsy. At the time it was a place for me to sell my handmade products on the side while I also worked a full time job as a graphic designer. I worked for Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine when the whole idea started with a college friend.

The magazine closed its doors for good in October 2008, like many businesses did that year, and I was left unemployed for a month until I started a brief position at a warehouse that oversaw the websites for artists like Mary Engelbreit, Jim Shore, and Debbie Mumm. It was during my time there that what might have been a partnership fizzled, and I started to develop Clever Betty into my own business.

I started sketching ideas for products. I took a few e-courses from business-y bloggers. (Crazily enough, one from someone who later became one of my professors at MICA.) I tossed out the idea to screen print my own fabric in Sean's basement and decided I'd give re-purposed fabrics a shot. I finally opened the shop in early 2010. Obviously I'm nothing if not a planner to have spent that much time prepping before even opening my doors!

I moved on from that warehouse job pretty quickly, but as much as I hate to admit, (let's just say it wouldn't make the top 10 list of favorite jobs I've had in my life...and I've had less than 10) I learned quite a bit about owning an e-commerce business during the short time I spent there. Of course I didn't really see that until after I moved on to working as a designer at a local university, where I stayed for 3 years.

About halfway through that stay I started to get really bored with my job, and realized that I was really enjoying coming home to work with my little Etsy shop. I did a few local craft shows. I got engaged and moved in with my fiance.

We had lots of discussions about the future of my business, and my career. I questioned being a graphic designer all together. I decided Clever Betty was worth continuing to pursue. And being the planner that I am, I knew I wouldn't be comfortable just diving into it full-time.

So I applied to grad school. I got accepted, and went to grad school while still working and planning a wedding. I reevaluated Clever Betty, and found myself drawn back to fabric design... only this time, I cut out the whole "printing it myself" step. (I have my designs printed digitally instead of screen printing by hand...they're very much like any quilting weight fabrics you would find in your local fabric store.) I developed Clever Betty as my future career throughout the program. I wrote a business plan. I earned a Master's degree in BAD. (Check the website if you don't believe me!) And I promptly quit my day job at the same time.

Follow all that? If not... here's a little visual timeline for you:

 So here we are today, just a tiny bit past the "new shop opened" marker on the timeline. The business now has my full attention, and because of that, I found it appropriate to share how I got where I am to begin with. And I couldn't be more excited. The product line is developing, slowly but surely. There's already fabric and some handmade goods available, with plenty more to be added... and DIY options coming soon too! Have you checked it out?

An Announcement

I'm here to interrupt the wedding recap posts for juuuust a moment. No worries, those will resume later today!

If you've visited here in the last day or so you may have noticed a few navigation/aesthetic changes. Those changes were in preparation to launch the new Clever Betty website:

That's right! Secretly behind the scenes, in all that time I've been away from the blog, I've been working on a new business plan. There's lots more to tell you about all that (like how I graduated with my Master's degree, and how I quit my day job!) but for the time being, I just wanted to announce the new logo, site, and shop.

Throughout the month of November I'll be adding the first line of products: printed fabric that's unique to the Clever Betty shop, DIY kits, sewing patterns, and of course, tons of handmade goodies.

On top of that, this blog is going to turn up the volume a bit as I add more regular sewing tutorials. This site has been a labor of love and a long time coming... but I've still got a lot of work to do. I'd be thrilled if you'd check it out, and come back often :)

Custom Purses

I promised I'd share some photos of the giant custom order I'm doing... so here's a few teasers!

I realize that this in no way shows you what it is that I'm making. Though the title of this post and the nature of my business probably should.

We'll just say there's LOTS of them... and I'll be back with more photos throughout the process!

My new sewing machine is calling my name...

Clever Betty

You may have noticed that my Etsy products that usually appear on the right side of this blog aren't there anymore. That's because I've decided to put my shop in vacation mode for a bit while I work on the other million things that are going on in my life right now!

If you're in the St. Louis area and need a little Clever Betty in your life, you can always head down to Cherokee Street to visit Peridot... the remainder of the products that were in my shop are now hanging out with tons of other great handmade items at the shop.

And ALSO! I am still taking custom order requests, which is part of the reason that I put the shop in vacation mode to begin with. I've got a large number to catch up with and will be posting photos for you along the way, but if you're ever interested in a custom order  yourself, please contact me via the button at the bottom of the right hand column to do so!

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