made it monday {custom orders}

I'm sure you've seen by now that we LOVE to do custom work! When you get a request for custom work, it means that someone likes your skills/product enough that they trust you to make exactly what they need. For me as a crafter it provides a good challenge. It is surprising how challenging it can be sometimes, to make a customer happy! Normally when I sew I use fabrics and things that I am drawn too, when it's custom, anything goes!

The Garaging Mavens have had quite a few opportunities to do custom work, and I'd love to share them with you!

A woman contacted us and wanted some sports themed baby stuff. After a quick conversation we settled on a handful of items. I love them!

I adore these bibs!

This is one of my favorites! A friend emailed me a picture, and asked if we could make her something like it. I'm pretty sure we delivered!

This was a direct result of a request from a friend. I love it, and I'm sure she does too!

This was a fun request, a Velata themed apron for a silent auction! Here it is on the lucky bidder!

And this is just the beginning! We can do custom colors on almost every single thing we have in the shop (pillows, aprons, towels, blankies, etc.), and we can also add monograms or other types of personalization. All you have to do is ask!

We do have a small customization fee, just to help with cost of extra fabrics and things. I know that for me I sew with fabrics that I can find on sale, I love a good bargain, and sometimes when you need something specific and right away, it may not be on sale. We have tried to keep these fees as low as possible! For items $20 and under it's an additional 20% for the first item, and then 10% for each additional item. For items over $20 it's a flat $5. 

I hope the next time you need something special, you will think of us!

8 Tips to Running a Successful Business

I've been a consultant for a successful direct sales company for 7 years. Within that time I was fortunate 

enough to reach the top title in the company,  but that wasn't without a lot of hard work or determination. Many may say that when you become successful it's because of luck. "oh, she got lucky she got in on a ground floor opportunity." or "he was at the right place or time." And their hard work is often discounted. Many want a get rich quick idea, but I'm here to tell you that there's no such thing. Even lottery winners have to wait patiently, usually for many years, working jobs they may not like and hoping that one day they will win AND if they do win, it's not always an easy process of holding onto that money. But that's a topic for another day. Back to the main point, today I would like to share with you the top 8 tips I have learned in growing my business and how you can apply these tips into running your own business.

1. Know Your Market

Before starting any business, whether direct sales or your own small business, know the people you are going to sell it too. Really think hard of who you want to target. Say you came up with a fabulous idea for children.  One would assume your target market would be kids but think narrower. Do you want to target children between the ages of 3 and 7 or 15 and 18? Would this idea interest parents of those children?  Knowing your market allows you to know how to spend your time and money on advertising.  If the idea is for younger children, you probably would not want to put an ad in a local magazine that caters to the teenage crowd.  Or if you are into craft shows, know your surroundings.  If your product is pricier, doing a craft show in a city where the median income is lower than $60k might not get you the results you are looking for.

2. Branding

Now that you have decided on your market and your product, you need to start branding. If you are a consultant for a direct sales company, they already have a brand, so this means you must begin branding yourself.  Don't be afraid to be known as the "cooking lady" or the "make up lady." Make sure everyone you know, knows what you do. This is true for a start up business. You are the brand until it grows and becomes a household name. Know your stuff, act professional, and don't be afraid to learn and grow. No one became successful without a learning curve.

    Next on branding, is creating your logo. In creating the Garaging Mavens, we knew it was very important to start off with our brand already in motion. If you are really serious about making your business successful, you must have a logo. If you don't know how to create one yourself, you can usually find someone that can create one for you pretty inexpensively. Then, when labeling any of your products, make sure your logo, or rather your business, is represented. If anyone picks up something that you created or you sell it needs to have your information on it. Very successful companies have a logo and it's all part of their branding. For example, our logo is on EVERYTHING! From the cloth labels we sew into our goodies, sign in the shop, or the price tags on our items. You can be sure that we do not want you to forget our name or logo. Also, be sure that you have your contact information in as many places as you can so that people can find you!

3. Social Media

Whether you want to or not, social media is important in growing your business. Many successful companies I know have exclusively grown their business through social media. It's super cheap, because it's free! It can also target that amazing market of teenagers and mommies! Plus, it allows you to stay in front of your market on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. Posting tips, tricks, or new fun items you have to offer is a great way to share with your customers and share your brand. Sometimes we may post pictures of our kiddos or what we may be doing, but that adds to the brand in allowing others to get to know us. Also, utilize hash tags. For some, you may be asking, "what the heck is a hash tag and what good is it for?" Well let me tell you that a hash tag can be whatever you want it to be. You can have a hash tag for your business or a random made up one. To me, hash tags are like what parentheses used to be, or even fine print. But the actual pound sign in the hash tag has allowed us to connect to millions of people. For example, on Twitter or Instagram you can find new followers by hash tagging anything and everything. So your product is targeting stay at home moms. Use the hash tag stay at home mom or #sahm after you type the description. When someone wants to view other pictures with that same tag they can then have the possibility of seeing your picture, go to your profile,  learn more and then begin following you. It's really quite ingenious!

4. Work It!

No matter the business, ground floor or not,  you must never discount how hard you need to work to get your business to grow. It's not an easy process, even if others tell you it is, they're lying. Look at anyone you know that is successful, has lots of money and all they could ever dream about.  They had to start somewhere and that means they had to start at the bottom and work hard to get to the top. The grass is always greener so be sure to never discount that they worked their tails off, and probably still are, because to be successful means to work, and work hard. You may have the most amazing products out there but if you don't work to share them with everyone you know, they won't sell. If people don't know who you are or what you do, how will they know that they can buy from you! You don't have to be obnoxious and call people 10 times a day to see if they have changed their minds about purchasing from you, but branding yourself allows them to know that if they ever need anything from you, they know where to get it. Like I said, social media can play a great roll in this, but don't rely too heavily on it. Get outside the house. Learn SEO for your website. Become part of your local chamber of commerce, join networking groups, do as many shows or fairs that your budget will allow. Work hard and you can reap the rewards, later.

5. Budget

I can't tell you how important a budget is to your business. Try to never grow your business with a boat load of debt. Some companies may require you to purchase a kit, but try to have a party or orders ready from the start to make that money back from the beginning. If it's a new start up, you might have to have a loan to get started. Whatever the cost, try to have a plan to make that money back as soon as possible. Then with whatever money you do earn, make sure you know where it needs to go and how it needs to be spent. Many successful companies have failed because they did not manage their money properly.  Use a spread sheet to keep track of your budget or programs like youneedabudget.com. 

6. Have a Business Plan

This leads me into my next step, which is to have a business plan. Know exactly the purpose of your business. Have goals for your first three months, 6 months, first year, where you see the business in 5 years. All of these are super important to help you stay on track. Know how much you want to sell, expand, etc. Let your business plan be your treasure map. If you have a solid plan, it will lead you to your treasure.  It’s also important to have a business plan so that it is a legitimate business in the eyes of the government, if they were to ever ask for your business plan.  You can find an example of a business plan or how to write one by using the wonderful world of Google.  Also, remember to reevaluate your plan once a year to see if any changes need to be made. 

7. Keep Amazing Records

I can't stress to you enough how important it is to keep amazing records. When it comes to taxes, it's even more important. Having amazing records of how much you sell, how much your product costs, how much your shipping charges cost, knowing the exact amount of sales tax your charged, etc. can make it easier to keep track of year over year numbers and it will make tax time super easy.  It’s also important to have a really great CPA.  Make sure you have someone that knows either small business or direct sales.  Some know both, some don’t know either, and some only know one or the other.  For example, direct sales business owners have different tax deductions than small business owners.  So if your CPA does not have a full knowledge of which deductions you can take advantage on, than you my friend will be paying a lot more money OR not receiving as much money back as you should be. 

8.  Know Your Why

Last but not least, know your why.  We use this term a lot in direct sales because it’s super easy to invest $100, forget your why and quit.  However, remembering your why can keep you going year after year.  If you own your own business, it’s really important to remember your why so that when the tough gets going you can easily remember the reason you are working so hard to grow your business.  Have a dream board in an area that you can see everyday.  Put up inspirational quotes around your home or work space.  When those whys change, create new boards and new inspirational signs.  Never forget why you are doing what you are doing.  If you find yourself in a rut then reevaluate your why.  Reevaluate the way you are running your business and figure out what’s working and what isn’t.  Our business will grow and change and so will our whys.  We must be flexible and remember that this will happen and remember to be willing to change. 

Never forget how amazing you are and can be!!  You have an inner strength within you that you made need to draw on from time to time but you can be successful!!  You can work hard!!  And you can have all that you want or need!  Do get out there and get going!

Much love!

Shellie

Managing Your Mommy Time - Part 2

At the beginning of the month, I gave y'all the first installment of Managing Your Mommy Time.  Since then I have thought of a few more ways that I have been able to save time and I would LOVE to share them with you.

Managing the Map
I am a super visual person.  Whenever I leave the house, I see a map in my head.  My brain had a GPS in it before GPS was created. :)  That being said, I have a hard time just lazily driving around.  I plan my errands around the "map."  When looking at the errands that need to be run AND the appointments that are made that week, or sometimes the next week, I will plan when I go somewhere.  For example, if I know I have an appointment on Thursday near the bank, than I will wait until Thursday to go to the bank.  Or if I need to go to Ikea, which for us is over an hour away, I will plan my trip around a lunch date I will have with a colleague.  But usually, we have more than 1 errand that needs to be run, so I plan out my errands in a circle or straight line.  And of course I will make a list of places I will go, which ones come first on my way from point A to point B.  One thing to take into consideration is the amount of time each stop will take.  If you know that the post office will only take 10 minutes then going on the way to your appointment might work, but the grocery store usually takes longer than that.  Add that to the list after your appointment.  My grocery store is in my neighborhood so I would end up adding it to the end of the list.

Get a Babysitter
I highly recommend hiring a babysitter.  I do almost all of my business on Thursdays, and have a business meeting for my other business.  So I need a babysitter.  Instead of only hiring her to come just for the time my meeting is, I tack on a few more hours so that I can run around town getting all of those little things done.  This not only helps me have a little bit of alone time but also allows me to have the desire to run into those stores that I absolutely hate taking kiddos to.   If you don't want to hire a babysitter, utilize your spouse or grandparents.  Pick 1 or 2 nights a month that you want to get out and do things for your business OR 1 or 2 nights that you might want alone time in order to get projects done.  Never feel bad for leaving your kiddos for a couple of hours so that you can accomplish tasks.  I guarantee that 2 - 4 hours a week is much better than 40 hours a week in daycare.  Being a work at home mom is hard but finding time for your business is essential. 

Keep a Notebook
As women we come up with brilliant ideas but often times we will end up forgetting them!  This makes me so frustrated.  I am sure I could have been a millionaire by now if I had written down some of those great ideas that came to me, right before a child interrupted my thoughts.  This is why I write things down.  I used to keep a mini notebook for these ideas but recently I upgraded to using my phone.  Within my notes section on my phone, I can organize my lists/ideas within folders.  I have a Business, Personal, and Church folder and within those folders are many different lists.  When I think of something new, I either add it to an existing list or I make a new one.   Then whenever I need inspiration or a reminder, I know just where to find it. 

I hope you like this part 2.  As I come up with more ideas, and make a list of them, I will add more parts.  I really hope they do help you find new ways to find time for all that is important in your life. Now I am off to meet the teacher night!  Woohoo!
Much love!
Shellie

made it monday

Lots of fun items headed to our shop this week. Some weeks we get in the groove and can really crank out fun items, some weeks are more slow. You will see this week we were able to make a bunch of fun new holiday and seasonal items, as well as restocking some old favorites!

Adorable Halloween themed hoops! 4" skull hoops {$8}, 3" spider hoop {$6}

Autumn hoops! 8.5" Give thanks {$15}, 6.5" autumn wreath {$10}

Sweet Christmas hoops, 4' ornament hoop {$8}, 12" Merry Christmas {$20}

12" Happy Halloween {$20}

4" hand embroidered, Oh, Dear! {$17}

snap closure, chenille backed, star bib {$8}

chevron and floral burp set {$12} LOVE this color combo!

Sweet silhouette extra large swaddle blankie. This one has a small stain from a crafting mishap with paint so it is discounted! {$22}

Stain is hardly noticeable unless you are looking for it! It doesn't detract from the cuteness of the blanket in the slightest, but you get a steal of a deal!

Got Paper?

I have a love for paper. Let's be real, I love anything I can craft with but I do love paper! However, I'm never really sure what to do with it. Going to the craft store you can find these beautiful packs of paper that all correspond together. The vibrant colors or embossed paper (sigh), the possibilities are endless! This being said, I have a ton of paper that sometimes goes unnoticed.  In the last year, I found this great idea that came from a friend of mine. You take decorative cardstock paper, cut it into strips and put it on twine.  I love playing with the ends and either using scissors to create an inverted triangle or even using one of those decorative trim punches.

In realizing that my paper stack was seriously becoming large, I decided to pass the fun onto all of you. Each paper banner is made with thick cardstock in many decorative varieties such as girl or boy theme, halloween or fall and I even made one for your barbecue!  It's something so simple but can add some fun flair to your decor.  

Here's some fun examples of the halloween, fall, and Christmas banners.  Each of these were strung on brown twine and are approximately 3 feet long. 

The top row can be used for your kitchen or a little boys room.  I love the top right, it's made with multi-colored chevron and airplane paper.  The middle is perfect for your kitchen, party or even your living room.  This one is the longest at 5 feet long.  The last 2 will be perfect for your little girls room!  All of these are strung on different colored bakers twine.

This is one of the Shorties.  The Shorties are about 2 ft long and feature many of the versions of paper as the larger banners.

I was busy this week making over 30 paper banners!  They were super fun to make and range in price from $3 to $6.50, depending on length.  I hope yall enjoy them as much as I do!

~Shellie

made it monday

The Garaging Mavens booth in Wishes and Dreams is having an end-of-summer blowout sale where everything is an incredible 25% off! (That's a lot for handmade goods, especially ones that are already fair priced.) All that to say, we aren't putting as many new items in the shop this week, but we still have a few new goodies to share with you. These will be added to the booth next week, but are available for online purchase today!

These little coin purses are absolutely perfect for back-to-school! A great place to tuck lunch money, or extra quarters for pencils. You can bet that my daughter is going to have one of these tucked into her backpack. Tons of colors and patterns to choose from!

tiny heart coin purse {$5}

look at this sweet stitching detail! It's the little things that make it special.

Finally another set of a favorite material pairing in the shop. Love these classic burp cloths, they make a perfect baby gift.

bold and modern burp cloth set {$12}

Here is another new addition to the booth. Cute little cork boards sets with three matching fabric covered tacks. The perfect size for lockers or that odd little space on your wall you've been looking to fill. Keep an eye out for more color combos, or request your own. This set doesn't have magnets, but future sets will have magnets hidden behind the felt layer.

2 7in. fabric covered cork boards with 3 matching fabric covered button tacks. {$12}

It's all about the finishing details. Small ribbon loop makes these ready to hang where ever you please!

And just because I can't resist, here is a little sneak peek of the upcoming holiday season. Lots of fun fall and holiday themed items will be headed to the booth starting September 1st.

holiday hoops, coming soon!

And as always, remember we LOVE to do custom work! If you see something you like, but want a different color, please feel free to email us at thegaragingmavens@gmail.com or message us on facebook via our page.

Crafty Couponing

Many of us are familiar with couponing to lower our grocery bills but how many are familiar with couponing to lower your crafting bill?  We LOVE to craft, clearly, but what we love even more is to get a great deal!  I hate to pay full price for anything because I know I can usually find a better deal somewhere else.  So today I would love to give some tips and tricks we use to save on our crafting budget.

Know Your Stores
First, it's important to know your crafting stores.  Depending on where you live will depend on what stores are available to you.  If you are fortunate enough to live near at least 2 craft stores, than get to know them.  Don't be shy about walking around, knowing what product they carry, the prices, etc.  We are super fortunate that we have Hobby Lobby, Joanns, Hancocks and Michaels within a 30 mile radius of each other.  Each store may carry many similar items but they each have their unique products that they focus on.  If I am primarily looking for fabric I will head to Joanns, but if I need wood products my focus would be Hobby Lobby or Michaels for Scrapbooking.  And Hancocks would be for more specialty fabric.

Coupons
Next, make sure you are on their mailing list, if they have one.  Joanns will mail you their flyer every week which is usually loaded with at least 3 coupons.  They also run Coupon Commotion a few times  a year where their flyer is loaded with 2 full pages of coupons!!  Let's say you make it all the way to the store and you forget your coupons...not to worry!  Download their app and they will all be available at the touch of a finger.  Joanns and Michaels will not only accept their own coupons but those from other companies, like Hobby Lobby.  Last but not least, you can also have coupons texted to you, usually weekly or bi-monthly.  Sometimes you can even stack coupons.  Let's say you have 40% off one regular priced item coupon, everything else you are buying is already on sale AND you have a 15% off your total purchase coupon!  SHUT UP!  Most stores will not allow you to do that with sale or other coupons but Joanns and Michaels will let you do that.  Hobby Lobby will not honor other stores coupons but you can also find their coupon on online.

Pay Attention to Sales
Thanks to technology we can find out in an instant if what we are looking for is on sale.  Before taking that trek to the store look at the sale ad first.  Most of the time I plan my visits around what's on sale and when my coupons can be used.  If what I am looking for is not on sale this week, chances are it will be next week.  If my coupons will be better utilized next week, like I have a percent off of my total purchase, I will most likely wait and purchase my items the following week.

Internet
Last but not least, the internet can be your most valuable tool.  If you need to buy in bulk, search online for your item first before going out and buying 10 little bags of the item you need.  Make sure that your price will be cheaper than that of buying from the box stores.  Also, never hesitate to search for a coupon to that website before checking out.  Retailmenot.com is a great resource for looking for any coupon to any online store.

Remember, NEVER pay full price unless you absolutely have to!  There's nothing better than seeing that you saved way more than you spent.
Happy shopping!
~Shellie

The Fall is Coming!

Since we are new at this type of business we failed to remember that when the seasons change, we must be ready for them! We have been reminded that we need to begin putting in fall and winter decor into our shop. It took my brain a few days to wrap my head around this concept.  My littles haven't even started school, but I've already begun preparing for Halloween!  Ahhh!

This got me thinking,  how prepared am I? For the fall, winter? For the zombie wars? For whatever comes my way? I admit I am not as prepared as I should be, for any of it (unless there's a 24 hour craft-a-thon, then I'm pretty sure I have enough supplies for that).  But lucky for us we can always start now.

A few of us here at GM have begun using an amazing new budgeting tool called youneedabudget.com.  I heard of it last year and decided to give it a try. We were chronic checkers of the online bank account but we never remembered that this bill would come out or that we had written this check. YNAB has solved most of those problems.  And the great thing about it is that you can have it on your phone too!  I only update my budget/register once a week(mainly 'cause I'm lazy) but you can do what works best for you and your family.  I think the best thing it has done, for our family, is to show us where our money goes, maybe where it shouldn't go, and where it can go. This in turn allows us to be prepared for those moments that sneak up on us.

Anytime I can save money, I'm all over it! When my grandma came home with a ton of shopping bags saying "there was a sale!" My grandpa would reply "oh great, we're saving money to go into debt." Very wise words.  This taught me that we should only spend money when we have it. But what about when we need to buy something,  like food or clothes. Do we always shop around or do we do what's convenient.  In working on my budget I've seen a trend that helped us cut back on our grocery bill. How many of us forgot that we needed a gallon of milk and sent our spouse to get it? This has happened to us many a time but what I didn't realize was that those late night runs were costing us hundreds of dollars because of the extras we inevitably bring home.  This got me thinking, again, on where we spend money when it's not needed.  I quickly found that culprit too! It's those dang big box stores like Target or Walmart!  Now, I love me some Target! But why do I need to buy 3 new beach towels, an outfit, a pillow, and a new lamp when I came in for 5 grocery items! I know that yall know what I'm talking about! So for this reason,  I avoid it like the plague! It's hard but shopping at my local grocery store, Aldi, or even the Walmart Market has saved us a ton of money. I try and limit my big box store runs to once a month and then I watch my budget as I head to the checkout.

Ok so moving on, let's talk food. How much do you have in excess? Do you have enough food for a week, a month, a year? Whether or not you're a believer in food storage,  I believe that everyone should have about a months supply of groceries on hand. Whether or not the apocalypse happens, we all know that getting sick, injured, lazy, busy, etc. happens. This is why having extra on hand is great for those times we didn't make it to the store. We will then spend less money eating out and more on saving for a new car,  vacation,  house, etc.  However,  if you are into food storage,  I recommend Shelf Reliance. They work with your budget and ship it to you. You don't even have to remember to buy it! I love it! Find a local rep in your area to learn more.

I hope you've enjoyed this weekly installment of deep thought.  I hope this has helped give you ideas on how you can better be prepared for your path ahead. And if you have a great idea that has worked well for you, please share it with us!  We would love to hear from you!

To prepared success!
~Shellie

made it monday

A few old favorites, and something new and exciting are headed to the shop. I hope you enjoy these pretties as much as I do! 

Adorable mustard and purple burp cloth set {$12}

Double flannel extra large swaddle/snuggle blanket. {$25}

Double flannel extra large swaddle/snuggle blanket. {$25}

 I saved the best for last! Check out these amazing garlands! Perfect for any party, little girls room, wrapped on a Christmas tree, the possibilities are endless. Currently in three color combinations (mustard/hotpink, teal, and teal/hotpink), but keep an eye out for more choices, or contact us via Facebook or email, we would love to make a custom garland for you!

Adorable pom pom garlands! approximately 9ft, and positively jam packed with poms!

so cute!

Managing Your Mommy Time

For the last 7 years I have had the wonderful opportunity to work from home.  Within those 7 years we began having children and have added 3 beautiful girls to our family and we are excited to be expecting our first boy in January!!  Children bring great joy but having to balance work and family has been a great and wonderful learning experience.  I would love to share with you what I have learned and hope that it can help you better balance your time between what matters most and what needs to be done.

1 - Balance Your Time Budget
Just like in your finances you balance your checkbook, you keep a budget, you save money for the future, etc. you must also do this with your time.  As we add on more and more to our, sometimes already overflowing, plates we must look at where we are spending our time.  If you knew that you were spending $100 per month on something that you didn't really need nor did you use it, would you keep spending that money?  Probably not.  When we look at how we spend our time we usually just say we don't have enough of it, when in reality it's just not being used properly.  I probably sound like I budget every minute of every day, but that just isn't possible and that would be too annoying for my carefree attitude.  Instead, I make a list of what needs to be done that day, and what I have going on the rest of the week and sometimes the rest of the month.  I can then gauge what I absolutely need to do that day and what can wait until the next day.  For example, if I know my weekend is pretty open and that nothing is too pressing than I will know that I can have an extra couple of hours of time to do with as I choose.  However, if I know that my weekend is packed, that every night I have something going on, it usually means that I get one hour of fun time (while I am eating my lunch) and then I must multitask the rest of the few hours I will have, while my kids are in "quiet time."  This usually means that I will have to fold laundry, work on a project for the shop, or clean while I am watching my shows (which I LOVE tv, especially any and all Real Housewives!).

2 - Finding Time Wasters
Now we must look into what is wasting our time.  I hate to say it but social media plays a big role in this.  I LOVE social media!  One could spend all day on Facebook or that evil but oh so wonderful pinterest but if we don't have the time, we just can't!!  If you are unsure of where your time wasters are keep a log of what you do with your time for a week.  I can guarantee you that you will be able to see pretty quickly where you can find just a little bit more time.  Another place I find time is putting my phone away.  I love my phone so very much!  It's almost like my 5th child but when I am on a deadline and have to get something done OR I just want to spend some quality time with my family, the phone must be put away.

3 - Multitasking
Dave Crenshaw has an amazing book out called The Myth of Multitasking.  It truly narrows down what great multitasking is and what it isn't.  For me, I do a lot of background multitasking (which I think most women are great at) which means I can get 10 loads of laundry done, make a crockpot meal, water the lawn with the sprinkler, listen to a training call, etc. all in one day!  All things that I can have going on while I am doing something else is background multitasking.  Sometimes one might forget to put in the first load of laundry until 5pm...oopsies.  But that's when I started making my list of 'to dos' around what I need to do first, then what you do after all of that.  Another great way to multitask is to always have an "on the go" project.  For those of you who craft, blog, are in school, there are so many things that you can bring with you to your child's ballet or soccer practices.  I always have a bag of things that I can take with me to get done.  There's no better time waster than sitting for 2 hours watching your sweet little girl practice the same ballet move over and over.  Bring something with you...always!
 I know I just told you to cut out on your social media but there are great ways to add it back in.  Adding to the multitasking is a multitasker DON'T!  As I mentioned earlier, your phone is a great resource but trying to read your fb while playing with your kids or talking to your husband/friend is NOT great multitasking.  Try not to do it.  :)  Which brings me to:

4 - Finding Balance
I don't think you will ever find true balance, but you can come pretty close.  For example, in my art of multitasking I limit my pinterest time to only when I am using the bathroom.  This may sound completely and utterly disgusting but we all know that we all do this (and I do wash my hands and phone each time)! Sometimes bathroom time is our only escape from our children (unless you were me last week when I had to read a book to my very insistent 2 year old).  But not only was I able to use my 15 minutes wisely but I also limited myself to only 15 minutes of pinterest time.   This can work in all aspects of your life.  Buy yourself a timer and give yourself 20 minutes or 1 hour of whatever time it is that you want.  I have recently joined the genealogy band wagon but I don't have a ton of time in my week to fit it in.  So I decided that I could take 1 hour out of my Sunday nap (it's been rough) to work on my genealogy.  I also have a goal to read a book by the end of the year.  This probably disgusts most of you but that was one of the things that I was wasting a lot of time on before that I had cut out.  So I am dedicating 1 hour a week to reading.  It's giving up one tv show a week or one nap or one hour of chatting to a friend.   Look to see what you want to add into your life.  For some it's trying to work from home but feeling guilty that you aren't spending time with your kiddos.  Set a timer that you will work 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon.  Show your children that it's important to work hard but that work isn't everything.

I hope that I was able to help show you, in someway, how you can find time in your week to do all that you need to accomplish.  Sometimes it will be super hard and you will want to pull your hair out, but remember NO is a good word to use sometimes, don't compare yourself to others and what you think they do, and remember what's most important to you.  Life is great and we should enjoy it!  Have fun and conquer your week!
~ Shellie

It's Pom Pom Time!

So for some reason I have a TON of yarn! Call me a craft hoarder or crazy but nonetheless I still have a ton of yarn.  I think it stems from the idea "it's on sale, so buy ALL of it!"  Anywho, just in case you missed it the first time, I have a lot of yarn.  So what should one do with all of this yarn?  Most would crochet or knit with it but that's WAY too simple(said with as much sarcasm as you can muster).  Plus, my crocheting level is still at a 1 and therefore should never be seen by anyone but me.  In pondering all of this, I decided to make some pom pom balls!  It's completely the perfect craft to take with you on the go!  These garlands have taken me about 2 months to finish.  This is due in large part because I hate not having something to do when I go somewhere, knowing that I will be sitting there for a long time and have nothing to do.  So I would leave this project to the side knowing that I would need it for those very instances.  AND the other reason is due to my arthritic hands.  Being 28 and having arthritis can be rather irritating (thanks grandma for passing that on!), but I just take long breaks in between using scissors for long periods of time.

Here's a sneak peek!  Aren't they so cute!  It reminds me of Truffula Trees from the Lorax!  How can they not make you smile!

I just love how they turned out!  I made them approximately 9 feet long so you can really get some use out of them! Using striped bakers twine was the perfect element to tie the different colors together.  Creating is so much fun, especially when you get to see the finished product.  More pics will be added on our Made it Monday post.  Keep your eye out!
~Shellie

made it monday

This week it's all about the hoops! We love using embroidery hoops to make art. They are such a versatile medium, and make an instant frame that can be embellished in a multitude of ways! This time we've got a little something for everyone, in a range of shapes and sizes!


Giant 18x26" inspirational hoop. Mustard frame with navy and coral letters. $47




Petite 5x7" spunky word art. Bright multicolored fabric wrapped frame with hot pink chevron and shiny letters! $15



Large 12" hoop. Embellished with a butter yellow rosette and large hot pink rick rac. Comes with two mini clothespins to hang art or a photo of your choice! $30



Medium 10" hoop.Sweet butter yellow rosette and lace detailing and scrabble tile family embellishment. $20



The beauty is in the details! Each hoop is finished nicely with a coordinating ribbon to ensure your art doesn't fall apart!

Man, I am just in love with these hoops! Don't forget to stop by our booth inside Wishes and Dreams on Park Row and Bowen in Arlington if you're local. If you aren't, don't fret! We will ship almost anything, and only for the actual cost of shipping and supplies. Follow us on facebook to see more of what we have up for sale.

{made it monday}

So we are going to start a new little feature here on the blog! Every Monday I will share some of our new products we've made during the week, and also spotlight some old favorites! Having a shop that is ready to buy rather than made to order means that we are making things, and making things often! Some days I feel like I hardly come out of my crafting space, but that provides me other days where I can rest easy knowing I've worked hard! How do you find a balance between getting your craft on as much as you want/need and spending your other "free" time doing other unpleasant things like cleaning and stuff? I'd love ideas!

Here are some of my favorite products headed to the shop this week. Every Monday new merchandise goes to our booth at Wishes and Dreams in Arlington, TX, which means Tuesday is the day to shop shop shop! And don't forget, we will ship almost anything we make, and we love to do custom orders (which reminds me, we should showcase some of our custom stuff....putting it on the list!).

I am absolutely in love with the fabric pairings on these new burp cloth sets. Made with 100% cotton prefold cloth diapers, these are super absorbent, and durable. Bound to last through many machine wash and dry cycles! Only $12 a set, and most will have a matching diaper and wipes cozy next week!

These whales are so sweet, and I always love the lime and bright blue combo for boys or girls!

 Adorable sock monkeys. I can't even handle it. I wish I had this fabric when my littlest was still in need of burp cloths! As it is, I think my purse needs a diaper cozy with this fabric!

 Pretty little owls paired with a dainty floral. Love these!

 Some fun new hanging towels in a variety of colors. I hate using any other kind of towel now! Drives me insane when I constantly have a pile of towels at the base of my stove or towels randomly shoved into the stove handle (you know what I'm talking about!) from multiple child uses. These eliminate that problem! Only $5 per towel, and they have a snap closure for durability.

 And last, but not least, these bright ruffled accent pillows. Each pillow measures approximately 12 x 16 and is perfect for a bed, couch, or chair! The flat ruffle means it will never fray or lose it's shape, and the case is made in the envelope style for easy removal. We love making things that will last, and the ability to wash the cases to keep them clean is a major plus! $20 each.

Hope you enjoyed this little peek at some of our new products. We have almost all of our things for sale listed on our facebook page, we'd love for you to follow us there! www.facebook.com/thegaragingmavens

Until next week!

xoxo
Shannon