Hearts and Home

Business Card Help

2010-03-03T12:14:00.004-06:00

This one?

Or this One?

Funky Finds: Coming Together... Sorta

2010-03-01T07:35:00.003-06:00

I went and picked up hangers, dress forms and a few other items Monday at American Fixture store in Dallas and ordered the dress form I really wanted that was not in stock. Thursday my dress form arrived and I am very happy with it! Saturday morning we had an Etsy Fort Worth Meeting to wrap up any loose ends for the Funky Finds. That afternoon I picked up my table, I got a six foot table that will be used for my machines when the FF is over. All was going well and falling into place until I woke up around 3:00 am Sunday morning with tons of stuff racing in my head: accepting credit cards, accepting checks, how much change do I need, what about my business cards, I still need more stock, what about walls, the tablecloth still needs made and yes, I DID still need a sign.

I crawled out of bed quietly and went into my studio and tried to figure some stuff out. I made of list of the items I most want to get made and included color and sizes, I decided no checks, credit cards I am checking with my bank today to see what they offer. I thought about paypal but they do not offer a credit card scanner and I am not sure about writing down all the info and then entering it in later. I looked at my business card again and made a few more changes and now feel ready to get them printed today, I should be able to get same day service if not Wednesday at the latest. Around 8:00 Sunday morning I came up with a great idea for a sign and it is almost done! I am so excited about it!!!! It will be reusable if I decided to do more shows later and can be changed quickly plus it is making use of a frame I have had sitting in the laundry room for years. I got part of the inspiration from a fellow Etsy Fort Worth Member, Original Youth.

Some of the things in my set-up needed some minor repairs and I needed to buy some "stuff" for my sign so off to Home-Depot we went. The next few hours were spent off and on working on my display and sign then the after a much needed nap I got to sewing again. I finished 22 headbands and one dress and bloomers set. I got 5 bonnets and 10 aprons half done before Ray convinced me to take a break and watch Monk on DVD with him. By 11:00 pm I was more than ready to fall asleep. I am not sure if it was just being physically tired or having some things finished but I slept pretty well and feel much calmer today. I am ready for a great week!

Bib Apron Giveaway

2010-02-24T20:58:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I got a message via Etsy from Sandhya stating she had featured my bib apron on her blog. I must say I was very excited; it feels so good when someone likes your stuff enough to share it with others! Of course it is also one of my favorite items and one of the last ones my daughter modeled for me before leaving for college so I love the photo too!

Anyways, after looking around on her blog and noticing she was in the market for an apron I offered to give her an apron to giveaway and one to keep for herself.

Sanhya has several ways for you to enter the giveaway so head on over to her blog for all the details.

Funky Finds

2010-02-16T20:50:00.006-06:00

I can hardly believe the Funky Finds spring fling in LESS than a month away. I feel so unprepared! This will be my first "show" and I am more than a little nervous! I have some things made but not nearly enough compared to what had wanted to have done. My goal is 200 items and I am not nearly there, I will not say what I have but it is fair to say it is probably less than half that.

I still need to make my clothing tags to put the prices on and I need to set up my display area and figure out exactly how I plan to set everything up in my little space. I have bought a clothing rack, I have two dress forms but still need to get at least one child size mannequin or dress form and I would like to get a banner or nice sign but that is not a big must. I do have my cricut and some vinyl so most likely what will happen is a few days before hand I will panic and make a sign that will do. Oh.... do I know myself too well or what? I guess that is good because at least I will not be surprised when the panic hits huh? I could save myself the grief and work on one now but that would take away from making clothes and ..... writing this post.

I do have some cool new "everyday" styles for spring and summer that I am very excited about showing especially since a few of them are made with my own patterns. They keep with a modest girly look that I think is very important but are fun and cute at the same time. I have no idea where the notion came to try and make girls look so cheap, especially little ones who have no say in how they dress. I want to cry when I see these little girls dressed to look like Hollywood divas. They just look sad!I have two new historical outfits I am working on also that I plan to take in a couple of sizes and then hopefully take orders for others.

My biggest goal for this show is to get my name out and bring an awareness to our website. E-bay is making some more big changes and of course it means higher cost to sellers and they are doing away with stores so I need to get as much traffic going to my website before that happens as I can. Also I would not mind making some money at the show but that is not my main focus this year.

Have any of you been to shows before? Any tips you can give a newbie? Anything to watch out for or be sure to do/take?

Daily Bread

2010-02-15T20:18:00.002-06:00

If you enjoy making bread and are looking for new recipes or want to start making bread be sure to stop by my other blog. This week I will be featuring a new bread recipe everyday. I just added day two, Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread

Self-Employed: Not For the Faint at Heart

2010-02-12T19:06:00.011-06:00

I am sorry I have avoided this blog and my other one. We have just had so much going on here at home I have not had the time or energy to put together much.

My husband like myself is self-employed and with the economy lately that has had more downs than ups. In November he went six weeks without work and then for the last four he has not had any work. We have gone round and round about what to do and tried to have faith that God was in control, and He is, but it still has been tough!

We finally made the decision he would look for regular work with a company and at the same time if any jobs came up he would do those. I know the idea of giving up his company was not easy for my husband and I am thankful he is willing to do so. He has had some interviews, all promising to let him know something in the coming weeks. He does have a job that will take 4-6 weeks starting Monday and we hope that by the time it ends someone will call him about full time work.

I can tell you that over the last 6 years that we have both been self-employed off and on I have learned somethings that I think can make a big difference for any self-employed person. In no particular order here are my top tips:

1. Have a good support group. When things get hard this will make all the difference. For me it is God, my family and friends.
2. Save money during the times of plenty and do not touch it.
3. Check out Dave Ramsey! Paying our house off a little over a year ago has made a HUGE difference for us along with his other principles.
4. Live within your means; I honestly believe you should live far below them but within them at the very least.
5. If you use a credit card pay it off every month. You never know what the next month may bring. I think a debit card is best but I know that is not always practical.
6. Keep good records
7. Keep your personal and business money separate
8. Keep up with your taxes, Keep up with your taxes, keep up with your taxes!
9. Network and get your name out there.
10. Do not let your business take over your life, you need to make time for your family and for yourself
11. Believe in yourself and do not give up
12. Know when to walk away. I know this may seem like it contradicts number 11 but there does come a time when you know you have to do something else. It may not be for financial reasons but you need to know how to recognize it and even have somethings already written down as signs for you.

I have written a little more about what is going on from a more emotional view point on my other blog if you are interested.

Etsy Treasury

2010-02-09T20:55:00.002-06:00

I think this monkey is too cute. I know it is for kids but I want to get it for our lab Cisco. He would love swinging it around. I can just see the legs slapping him in the head! He loves stuff like this!

This monkey and a few other items from Etsy Fort Worth can be found in this treasury.

Decorative Couture Piecing

2010-02-08T10:36:00.003-06:00

Threads Magazine has a cool technique that I thought some of you may want to try. It involves piecing fabric without disrupting the flow of the lightweight fabric.

I have never tried anything like this but definetly want to once I get some free time.

A little Behind

2010-02-06T15:40:00.002-06:00

I know I promised some post on marketing and have yet to deliver them but right now we have some stuff going on that needs my attention. I hope things will resolve quickly and I can get back to posting and other things.

For those of you who read blog and pray we would appreciate your prayers.

Valentine's Day Gift

2010-02-04T22:31:00.004-06:00

If you are looking for a cute Valentines day gift check out the find I posted about on my other blog. It is a darling bracelet!

Looking for a card? Etsy again has you covered. Susan a dear sweet lady I know in real life has a card shop with beautiful cards and other paper crafting items plus she does custom work!

If you have never been to Etsy you are missing some very cool and unique gifts!

Cat Attack

2010-02-04T22:14:00.004-06:00

No this not a formal post more of a blurb or unloading of sorts.

You see I had some great quotes marked in a book to share in a post and a few minutes ago when I went and grabbed the book from my nightstand I found all the little post it flags out of the book and on the floor with kitty teeth marks on them!

Can I scream? Silly me for thinking I could leave a book out. All too often I forget that she thinks the entire house and all the contents in it belong to her.

Branding part 2

2010-02-01T18:04:00.003-06:00

What is branding and should you even bother? First branding is why Starbucks can charge more for a cup of coffee than most places and it is why when you think coffee shop you usually think Starbucks. That in itself should help you understand that every business should consider branding. Also keep in mind that whether you try to brand yourself or not, you will. Your customers will develop an opinion about your business. I for one want to try to control how I am branded.

What does branding do for your company? Branding builds equity and that equity has inherent value. In other words it a well-established brand makes you think up front that it has more value than a lesser known product. Take my skirts for example, you see one of mine and one made by Old Navy, instantly you will assume the Old Navy one is better. Why, because The Old Navy name and label carry equity that Hearts & Home does not.

I want it now! Keep in mind you can build up your name or label but it takes time. Over time an image begins to exist in your customers mind about your product and you decided rather it is positive or negative. Customers will define your product by its quality, reliability, price, durability and many other factors that you may have never thought of. What we want is for customers to choose our product over similar ones in the marketplace. It is important to understand that before you can build your brand you must understand it.

As you come up with your strategy some things to keep in mind are:

1. What do you want customers to associate with you?
Quality
Service
Value

2. What is your brands personality?
Friendly
Easy to work with
Good terms

3. Who is your target audience?
4. Who is your competition?
5. What attributes does it have?
6. How does it compare to similar products on the market?
7. What are your brands strength and weaknesses?
8. How far do you want to take your product?

Cleaning Up the Site

2010-01-30T21:51:00.004-06:00

I am sure you cannot tell but tonight I have been working on cleaning up this blog and adding some things. For starters I got rid of the affiliate links, old adds and outdated banners. I switched my archives to go backwards and best of all I have added a cool gadget!

Scroll down and look on my right side column.... there it is Google connect! Go ahead and click on it so we can connect!

Branding

2010-01-30T19:01:00.006-06:00

What happens when you see golden arches, an apple with a bite out of it, initials hp, or a cow named Elsie? You pretty much instantly know the product. Why is that? It is because of successful branding. These companies spent/spend millions to make sure we know who they are without even reading their names. What mom hasn't been in the car and drove past McDonald's and heard their child cry out "I want McDonald's". Is it because their two year old is a genius and can read, no it is because of branding!

While these companies can afford it what is a small business or a cottage industry to do? While I may not have millions or even thousands to spend on marketing with a little creativity and work I can still brand myself and so can every other home based business.

Hearts & Home has been open for about 6 years but it was only within the last 2.5 years that I began trying to build up our name and develop a repeat customer base. In that time I have found some things that really work and I have found other things that were expensive and offered almost no return.

Monday I will share a little more about getting started on marketing including some quick, simple and almost free ways to get your name out. Wednesday I will share a tutorial that most cottage businesses that have a physical product will want to be sure to stop back by for. Friday I will share some for keeping track of customers and how to encourage repeat business from them.

I am Featured!

2010-01-24T19:43:00.003-06:00

I am so excited; one of the hardest things about trying to "make it" selling your wares is exposure. Like most crafters I have a very limited marketing budget (read that to say almost 0). So free exposure is always great and to be honest it makes ya feel good to get noticed!

In case you have not noticed the Funky Finds buttons on my side bar and the notice on our shops front page Hearts & Home will be at the 2010 Funky Finds Spring Fling that is being held in Fort Worth on March 13th. This will be my first time to actually set-up and sale in a physical location and I am very excited but even more nervous!

I am trying to get lots of stuff sewed up but every time I get something made it sells off our site or e-bay. I know this is good problem but I am worried I will not have enough stuff to fill my booth. My mom stopped by this evening and showed me some of the stuff she is working on for me and the doll dresses she is making are wonderful! I am very thankful she agreed to help me! My mom did craft shows while I was growing up so I am sure she will be a big help as I get ready!

I have so much about Hearts & Home I want to share with you but I need to work on our menu for next week and on a cute dress I am making!

By the way, the pretty young lady wearing the bib apron that is featured above is my daughter.

Homemade Spray Starch

2010-01-12T09:33:00.003-06:00

Do you have any idea what spray starch is made of? Well I did not until a week or so ago. It is made from water and cornstarch; basically that is it. I have been out for a few months and just cannot seem to remember to buy it or when I do the cost is crazy and I do not have a coupon on me. Another reason I hate buying it is the aerosol cans always clog up on me. Alas…. what's a girl to do; make her own of course. Which is precisely what I did last week and I have to say I am pretty impressed with the results it is giving me!

Homemade Spray Starch Recipe

Ingredients
1-3 tbsp. corn starch
2 cups of cold water
Plastic spray bottle

1. Pour 1 cup of water into a sauce pan and turn on medium heat

2. Add 1 tbsp. cornstarch to the other cup of water. Stir well and add to the sauce pan. Heat until dissolved but do not allow it to boil!

3. Once it cools completely pour it into a plastic spray bottle. One that sprays with a fine mist works best for this.

4. Shake well before each use. Spray onto clothes and iron. Add more corn starch-up to 3 tablespoons-for a harder starched effect.

Fireplace Drama

2010-01-11T21:04:00.004-06:00

Well I woke up Saturday morning and the house felt cold but I figured it was just because it was cold outside so I turned the thermostat up and went about my morning routine. A few hours later Ray mentioned being cold and then Scott said that he had not heard the heater turn on lately. Thermostat read 65 degrees despite being set to run until 70 degrees. I turned it off and then back on, nothing. Being the great heater repairman I am I announced that heater was just tired and probably needed a break. Scott quickly informed me that they do not work that way and that we would need to call our repair service.

I call them up only to find out it will be mid afternoon before anyone can get to us. I decided the best thing to do would be to go about my morning just knowing that by early evening all would be fine.

I tried to sew Saturday morning while we waited but my hands just could not function with the house now at 55 degrees. He arrived around 1:00 or so and told us the blower motor had gone out but he had the part on his truck, yeah!!! He starts putting it in and finds that another part was also damaged and it was not in stock and could not be gotten until Monday, yuck!

Thankfully we have a fireplace so we all spent the day pretty much piled out in the front room by it. That night we slept out there and around 1:45 am a log rolled out of the fireplace and landed on Vincents blanket. We heard it rolling and within seconds I was yelling and Vincent was jumping up. He was fine and other than a small mess of embers to clean up nothing happened to anyone or anything. I have to tell you though after that I had a very hard time going back to sleep!

Sunday morning the house was 5o degrees and we were all cold, achy and tired. We stayed home from church in order to keep the fire going in the fireplace, we were worried about the house getting colder and the pipes freezing plus we were all just too achy to do much. The one thing that still causes my back to ache is the cold.

My mom did bring us two little portable heaters Sunday afternoon that she uses when she goes camping and they made Sunday night much more comfortable. However Sunday night would not be without incident either. Scott and I made Vincent sleep further away from the fireplace, put smaller logs in the fireplace and then off to sleep we all went. I am not sure what time it was but I heard Scott put another log on and then heard him sweeping the hearth like he always does when he puts one it. Well I guess he hit an ember and did not notice it; he hung the little broom back up and laid back down. He said he kept smelling something burning but thought it was just the wood and knowing he had to work today kept trying to fall back to sleep. Suddenly I heard him jump up and I noticed that smoke was pouring out of the broom, he had caught it on fire! Praise God again other that needing a new broom nothing was damaged and no one got hurt!

I could hardly wait for the repair man to arrive today! Our house is now warm and toasty, no fire in the fireplace to worry about and we will all be able to snuggle into our beds and get a good nights sleep!

Away For a Short Time

2010-01-09T21:17:00.001-06:00

I will be on a short unavoidable blogging break.

This last week has been busy trying to get the new bedroom and sewing studio in order and then this morning our heater broke down and the part will not be in until Monday. My computer is located in the coldest room of our house so I will probably not be on until Monday afternoon.

Never fear though I am getting ready to go sit by the fireplace with our laptop and work on some post however it does not have wifi and we took the connection port out of the front room last week because I said it was not needed. Alas I will type and dream of being online.

Have a great rest of your week-end!

New Years Eve

2009-12-31T14:33:00.002-06:00

So.. you got any big plans? We are going to stay home, eat homemade pizza and watch movies. Then tomorrow the WORK begins! We will be spending the holiday running network cables for my sewing room, painting our bedroom and moving lots of stuff around. I am very excited but I know it is going to be a lot of work!

It was funny someone that Sydney had worked with asked me if I had my sewing stuff in Syd's old room yet and I said yeah for now but we plan to move things around. She quickly laughed and asked if having a sewing room was worth my daughter going to college? Ummm.... NO! I would gladly give up the room to see her big smile each morning but I know she has to grow up and follow what God has for her and that does please me. However let me be perfectly clear..... I MISS HER and wish the Missouri was not so far away!

Anyways I will be posting progress notes and pictures on my other blog as I am able and will try to post here if I am able.

God Provides for the Need

2009-12-29T21:03:00.006-06:00

Our former preacher once told us God always provides for the need before we even know the need. When he first said that I truly doubted it but over the last few years I have come to believe it and even count on it!

You know you get a rebate check or your insurance goes down and you get excited, who doesn't like extra money? Then a few weeks later your cars needs a new battery. Your upset and wondering why God is not providing; well he did a few weeks back when you got the rebate check. One that we often have is I get lots of sewing orders but then work slows down for Scott. My extra orders even out his missed work or I find lots of great deals on groceries and toiletries allowing us to reduce or grocery bill or stock up for the leaner times. The week before Christmas Scott got overtime that covered the two days he did not work over the holiday. God is always watching out for us!

Well a few weeks back our kitten jumped over a candle and singed some of her leg fur. It did not do any skin damage, not even any redness so I did not worry about it. Then over the last few days we have noticed more and more fur falling off. I got worried because she goes outside thinking that maybe she had picked something up, my biggest fear was mange! Of course I knew that was unlikely because she still has no redness and no sores, just hair loss but who wants to take chances like that?

So I went to bed praying last night that she would be ok and asking God to provide for the cost of the vet and that it would be nothing serious. Around 3:00 this morning God answered part of my prayer, I woke up and remembered that I had seen this free pet exam offer. I instantly started thanking God; you see he had me stumble across that knowing Izzy would need to go to the vet today. He met a very real and serious need before I even knew it existed! Then when we took her to the vet she told us that Izzy was just stressing out over the incident and her licking the area is what was causing the hair to fall out. She gave her some medication to help calm her and keep her from licking and wants to see her back in 2 weeks just to make sure the fur is growing back. There was the rest of my prayer, she was fine just a little stressed! I know to some a sick pet is nothing but our pets are part of our family and God knows my love for them and need to take care of them.

You see God is a God that delights in meeting our genuine needs and answering our prayers. He loves his children and wants to provide for them! One thing that helped me see this in a very real way over the last year is a blessings journal, I kept a little notebook and every time I saw God provide for a need I tried to write it down. It gave me a real and tangible way to see how he met our needs. Without writing them down it is easy, at least for me, to forget all the great things he does on a daily basis for us.

My goal this year is to keep the notebook out and on my desk and try to write in it daily. How do you keep track of all the great things God has done for you?

New Blog, New Challenge

2009-12-28T18:14:00.003-06:00

Well.... I was going to wait until the first of the year to tell you about my other blog but I signed up for a pantry challenge and wanted to keep track of it on my other blog. So head on over there and check it out.

It is new and has very little up but I am excited about all that I have planned for it and the changes that will be happening here on this one!

Last Week of the Year

2009-12-27T20:45:00.004-06:00

Can you believe this is the last week of the month and of the year? Where did 2009 go?

I hope each of you had a great Christmas, I know we did. I got to talk to Sydney late that night and had to cut it short because of phone issues but I got to talk to her and that was wonderful. The boys liked everything they got, we had a yummy dinner and enjoyed watching some new movies that Ray got Scott for Christmas. I even got to spend several hours with mom!

So.... any plans yet for the new year? I have some exciting things coming up that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks that I hope you will all enjoy.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T19:38:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from The Smith Family

My Grandma

2009-12-24T22:04:00.004-06:00

This spring my grandmother passed away and my mom mentioned she did not have any pictures of her mom other than snap shots. While we were in Ohio for the funeral I got to make a collage for the memorial service. We pulled out lots of photos from a trunk and as we did I took pictures of them.

When I got home I decided to work on some for my mom. I got some lace from some things of my grandmas and a silk scarf of her to use for the mat. I cropped the picture and tried my best to get rid of some stains that were on it, all in all I think it came out great and I am sure my mom will love it.

I did not get a picture of it once it was mounted on the scarf and framed before wrapping it but I think you can get an idea from the above picture. If I think about it tomorrow I will take a picture of it when she opens it.

Have a safe and happy Christmas Eve.

We Have Snow

2009-12-24T22:00:00.002-06:00

I am so very excited, this afternoon it started snowing and it is actually sticking. The boys went out in it for a few minutes as did the dog. Izzy our cat stayed far from the door!

I ran to the grocery store this morning for some last minute items and then this afternoon before it got icky we went to Whataburger and enjoyed using our free whataburger coupons.

I finish up my last two gifts today and am ready for a break from sewing and crafting.