Get dosed!

Have I mentioned that Lilla Barn was asked to be a part of the Dose Market in Chicago on April 14?

What is Dose? Good question. Here's the answer (from their site).

MARKET INFO

“A beautiful setting full of happy people” – Penny Pollack, Dining Editor, Chicago Magazine

Dose is a year-round market featuring the finest selection of vendors under one roof: the modern, lofted halls of the River East Art Center. Join us once a month to celebrate Chicago’s most dynamic gathering of food, fashion and unexpected delights. There’s no better way to spend a Sunday!

It's going to be awesome! My mama is coming next week so we can sew up a storm. Plus Liv will be joining us in Chicago for the actual market. Watch out!

This made my day

If you didn't know already, my mama, sister, and I started an Etsy store about a year ago. It's called Lilla Barn (which means little child in Swedish). We make super cool things for mamas and kids. It's great fun. Really. Our growth on Etsy has been slow, but steady. Each month we get more and more purchases, which is super fabulous. 

We've taken care to make every detail matter -- from our logo to our product photos to the craftsmanship we put into each item including how we package and send things.

Today I got this message from a customer in Europe:

My order arrived this morning. I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! Thank you so much, seriously. I'm not an expert in sewing but the pants (both) are very well made. The fabric is excellent quality so it will hold many washes to came with a VERY active 8 month old.  

I'm no expert, but I notice the details: The eco-friendly biodegradable package; the pants came carefully (and lovely) wrapped in purple smooth paper like you meant it to be a gift to your customers! 

If this is your dream, seriously in reality you make things that are full of care and love. Thank you again for sharing your talent, creativity and good quality materials with all of us. See you soon (I promise).

I smiled as soon as I read it. It was a pretty big smile. I'm having so much fun with Lilla Barn that I don't really need validation to keep going, but damn, it felt good.

My little model baby

Just a few shots from the most recent Lilla Barn photo shoot.

She's a natural.

Fabric-addict

I may have a problem with buying fabric. I can't stop. I keep finding lovely little patterns that I must have. Like this one by Creative Thursday (part of their brand new Ric Rac Rabbits Collection):

Have I mentioned that I love Hawthorne Threads? It's a small little online fabric store with super cute stuff. One really cool thing about Hawthorne is they have a section for each fabric where people can upload listings of handmade items using that specific fabric. It's perfect for those of us on Etsy and a fun way to see what other folks are making.

Seersucker for girls!

Apparently Jo wasn't very happy about modeling my new seersucker dress for LillaBarn yesterday.

She don't care

Yes, we have hopped on the honey badger wagon. Jo is our little honey badger. She don't care. She don't give a s%*&!

I saw this patch in the Oksmalls shop on Etsy and had to have it. I will be making our little honey badger a cute little bag that will have this cute little honey badger patch on it. She better love it!

Genius

Ok, at first glance, I was like, "These onesies are kind of cute." Then I read the So Rad product description. Genius. They are also on Etsy, which is awesome!

Here's the deal:

• Bamboo and cotton make for a super soft onesie.
• Long sleeves can be pushed up.
• Tighter sleeves mean you can get a sweater on with no problem. No bunching!! Bunching is so annoying. 
• Flap snaps in the front for easy access and extra hip-ness.
• Made in Canada. Cool.
• Their product descriptions are cleverly written.
• Do check out their kimono onesies too. Easy on, easy off.

Also on the mini social today.

Getting my groove back

After months of feeling like I've been flailing around, I think I'm finally in the swing of things. It feels good. I'm used to running around in a bunch of different directions. I thrive on that. During my pregnancy I couldn't do this. I certainly couldn't balance everything once Jo was born. I could barely handle just being a mama for quite a while.

But now I think I've found my groove. Don't get me wrong, it's still hard. Being a mama is one of the hardest things I've ever done, and so is trying to balance being a mama and being a woman/artist/wife/friend at the same time. But I'm happy. I'm having fun. I feel good. I wish I had more time to do it all, but I'll take the time that I have. 

Here's what I'm up to:

Lilla Barn - I'm so proud of the work that my mama, sister, and I have put in to get this shop up and running on Etsy. I'm still working away. I love picking out new fabrics (you should see my stash) and I have a pile of sewing projects I can't wait to tackle.

Akvavit - This is my theatre company. We do Nordic theatre. It's awesome. Things are really cooking this year. We have a new website about to launch, a new expanded artistic ensemble, and lots of productions happening this year. I'm up to my elbows in grant writing, which I'm actually enjoying, and I'm cast in the summer production of Kokkola. Rock and roll!

Other things - So I'm working on this side project. Actually it is very much in the *idea* phase. It was born one night at my ladies-reading-ladies book club. It involves Alan Rickman. And awesomeness. More info soon.

Nick and I are getting our place ready to sell. Anyone want a 2bedroom/1bath in Andersonville?

And yes, I'm still working at GasPedal and SocialMedia.org, but from home. I love this job.

I still find time to walk to the Swedish Bakery almost every day for a treat. Yay!

Etsy Love

In the process of getting our Etsy store up and running, it's been fun to see what others are doing. I've certainly been building my favorites. Here are a  few:

My friend, Kirstin, hand appliques custom onesies, shirts, and other clothes at The Happy Hoot.

Corrabelle at The Mayberry Sparrow makes super adorable little rubber stamps like this one. His name is Rolf.

Honeycup has illustrations, cards, and prints that are perfect for kids and babies with just the right amount of quirk.

 micielomicielo sells onesies infused with pop culture like this one:

Support small business, people! In many cases Etsy shop owners are mamas or families - kind of like us!

Model Baby

From our Lilla Barn photo shoot today. She's a natural.

So batty

Ok people, I love these hats from Bats in the Belfry! With names like Crazy Horse and Psycho Bunny, you will too.

Bats in the Belfry was started by a mama getting ready for her baby. She just kept sewing hats -- and now she sells them. Cool, right?

You know what? They're also on Etsy.

They're here!!!

The tags. For Lilla Barn. Are Here! This means that we can list items for sale! Woohoo. I'm so excited.

Jo is too. She just told me so.

Lilla Barn Photo Shoot

Jo and I did a photo shoot today with some new pieces for our Lilla Barn shop on Etsy. She did really great and didn't puke on anything, although I make two outfits just in case (one for Jo and one for the shop). She actually preferred to nibble on her kimono top. Yummy. She was probably jealous since we made delicious cinnamon muffins earlier that she couldn't have.

Did I mention that she weighed in at 18lbs, 8oz yesterday at the doctor's office? Yeah, that's the size of a ninth month old. Maybe she's sneaking muffins behind my back?

Getting ready for Etsy

Mom, Liv, and I have been busy working on getting our Etsy store up and running. We have a name! We have an Etsy store! We have inspiration! We have materials! We have a model:

Raw materials

I just got these fabrics from FabricWorm. They will be turned into magical baby-wear for our soon to be finished Etsy store. Yippee! I love it when I can't wait to get started on a project. Be on the lookout for some new ninja pants and kimonos!

Happy New Year!

This year is going to be awesome! I'm looking forward to having fun with Nick, watching Jo grow, making lots of cool things, and opening a store on Etsy.

May your upcoming year be filled with love, life, and laughing!