A Lot of Trim

For a lot of dresses. Getting ready for the American Craft Council show in Baltimore has been keeping me quiet and busy. And working with so much color is keeping me bright and cheery. Pepita catches a glimpse of what I've been up to every now and then. She gasps and announces "Oh, I liiiiike this, mom! Is it mine?" So I know I'm on the right track here.

Wham on My Mind

The preschool set is just too crazy about this song. Pepita thinks they're singing 'twiddle bug'. The video raised a bunch of questions, though, I have to say.


"Why is he wearing that?" she wants to know. I don't have an answer. I don't think anyone does.

Happy Bidding!

Bid on one of our Pixie Hats and a bunch of other super cute stuff for kids at the Haiti Relief Fundraiser Auction!

Remember... 100% of the proceeds from this silent auction will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund! Thanks!

The Business Part of Life

The business side of craft is my own personal nightmare. I want to just sew and draw and design. But in order to make a living, I have to be this other person, too. This August, I'll have been running my own business for 3 years. And there is still so so much I have yet to learn, but I'm learning.

I'm really happy to have found friends and blogs and books to help me along the way. Lord knows, I need it. Most recently, I started reading Megan Auman's Crafting an MBA and I have to say, it has some of the most pertinent information available for a small indie crafter out there. Sometimes (OK, a lot of the times) the Internet is really awesome.


And I think we're raising an artist, so I'm hoping that some of the information I'm learning will still be relevant in twenty years so that I have something good I can pass along to her. Hopefully.

We Can Do This, At Least

I cannot begin to imagine the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. I cannot imagine the lost, the fear, the pain. I know I'm not alone, because so many small (micro, really) businesses are doing what they can to help.


Items that have been donated by indie crafters, artists and designers are up for auction on the online blog Indie Fixx. There is a new auction every day! You will be able to see everyone's bids and rebid if you get outbid. The highest bidder will win the item and pledges the amount bid towards the Red Cross International Response Fund. The item will then be sent out in the mail to you from the artist, crafter or designer who donated it.

The following is a list of local businesses that are donating a percentage of sales to organizations dedicated to helping the survivors...

10% of sales this week will go to the Red Cross International
Response Fund- yummyandcompany

25% of sales this week will go to the Red Cross International
Response Fund- jenmenkhaus

10% of each sale for one week to Doctors Without Borders/
Médecins Sans Frontières- AtelierAdornments

$5 from each sale this week will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund- thebrokenplate

10% of sales now through 1/20 to American Red
Cross- sweetpepita

10% of sales now through 1/20 to American Red Cross- galla15

10% of all sales until the end of January will be donated to the
American Red Cross to support relief efforts in Haiti- lolamiren

10% of sales now through 1/20 to American Red Cross- dandelionblu

$5 from every sale through the end of January to Doctors Without Borders- tarabu

$5 of every sale till the end of January to Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation- jennyjen42

10% of sales now through 1/20 to American Red Cross- Namoo

You can also give directly to the Red Cross on their website here or donate $10 to Haiti relief by texting “Haiti” to 90999. Thank you.

The First of Many

I've been meaning to make Spot-on, Dottie! skirts for adults for some time now. From the moment my little Dottie dresses made their first appearance, I've heard request after request for adult sizes. So, here it starts...


These are a combination of recycled fabric and organic cotton. I'm excited to make more. I have a friend to thank for kicking me in the butt to bite the bullet and start making these skirts. You know who you are. Thanks.

Happy Birthday Elvis!

I have to live with this plaster craft bust of The King. Seriously. Ugh.

Making it Happen

Part of getting ready for the new year is gearing myself up to jump out of my comfort zone. My nights are filled with manic note taking, sketching and planning. I got big plans. And I don't want to forget anything.

This February, you'll find Sweet Pepita at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore. I'll be there for the show's entirety, the wholesale and the retail days and I couldn't be more excited and honored to be selected to participate. This feels like such a huge step. I know it's a huge accomplishment.



And see, I'm learning so much. I'm learning something new every day and it's exciting. It is exciting. It's also overwhelming and intimidating and hard. But then I watch my daughter conquer her days. I ask her how she does it and she tells me, "You just put the ball down and you roll it and you let it go," and I know she's got it just right.

Happy New Year!

Hello, 2010. We've been waiting for you!



I hope I'm prepared for all the rapid changes ahead. It hit my husband and me yesterday that just our Pepita's drawings have evolved dramatically. How did that happen? We didn't even get a warning.

We're growing for sure in so many ways. I think we're ready.