Staggering Statistics - One in Ten

NPR quoted as saying One in Ten Americans are out of a job.
My Husband is one of those people.
I was laid off from my job in November of 2008. I found a job in February of 2009.
Five weeks after our wedding and three months after I found a new job.....Kyle was let go from his job in May of 2009.
I can say 2009 was quite a tumultuous year.
So now we are contributing to a national statistic and we have had to severely adjust.

Obviously lack of jobs are taking a toll on society and the general population. People are becoming more aware of what they can and cannot live without.

I havent had my nails done in over 10 years. I do them myself. I go to a friend to cut and perm my hair when it needs it. I buy styles of clothes that dont go out of style. I use coupons.
I am not trendy. I am me. I keep thing simple.
It has been quite the lifestyle change for us, even though I never was an excessive spender. I saw a lot of views on my blog when I posted about stacking coupons at Jo-Anns or making my own envelopes.
I have decided that this blog will not only be sneak peeks and inside information on Red Marionette; I will try my best to share insight regarding business practices or frugal spending habits related to crafting and art. And of course if I have a great personal tip I shall share if it arises.
So, onward and upward.
If you follow my blog regularly you know I am on a Spending Hiatus right now.
It sounds serious.... I promise, it isnt.
It is a little self-imposed contest. I decide to use what I have around the house for my projects. I always overbuy supplies thinking I will use them up. I normally do but eventually I will stock up on something so much that I need to call a time out. Like now.
I make a challenge with myself to see how long I can go without spending money on my craft. It has quite the staying power when the sales dip a bit in the spring and I dont use as many supplies. It also forces me to think outside my "ol' standby's" for products. I am forced to use what I have and be even more creative.
Another incentive I have is the ability to sock away money into my savings account. Kyle and I would dearly love to own a home. Every penny I can save will be used on that wonderful purchase someday years from now. Savings accounts dont just pop up on their own, so even my ten dollars a week make it grow.
Make a nice goal for yourself to keep you motivated.
Even if you go a week on a Spending Hiatus it helps. Eventually you can work up to three weeks... a month... three months. Etc. Your wallet will thank you and I promise you will have a great sense of self-satisfaction knowing that you accomplished something wonderful.
And the moral of the story is: Keep your chin up in tough times and have goals. Think outside the box.

Upcycling Old Books

Todays Project! Upcycling old books!

Excuse the photo - It was taken with my cell phone today.

I am upcycling old books to make them in to envelopes!

I always loved sending fun envelopes with doodads or letter inside. I searched estate/garage sales and always find fun books for pennies.

You tear out the pages (the hardest part for me because I LOVE books) and then trim them down and clean up the edges to the envelope size you like!
You can find envelope patterns in google image search or click HERE
I am so used to making them I dont use patterns anymore. I then fold and use elmers glue to attach them. I choose to use Double Sided sticky tape to secure them closed. If the Elmers glue is handy I also have used that to close up the envelope before sending.
Most of the time the patterns I select are too bold or busy to write the addresses on so I use sticker Address labels that I have on hand.
It definitely is more fun to get a decorative envelope in the mail with a hand written note.
Enjoy!

Mr. Red Marionette - Back to School

As some of you know Mr. Red Marionette has been unemployed for a while now. He has decided to go back to school.
Firefighter school to be exact!
He went through a rigorous obstacle course and multiple tests. We found out recently he was accepted to start March 8th!
It is a five month course and Florida (Orange County, Specifically) are known for their stringent testing so he should be able to excel no matter where he gets a job upon completing the classes. We are rooting for a job locally in Orange County or Seminole County.
So we would love for you all to keep fingers crossed for a successful hiring after school!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Spending Hiatus - Update 2

As some of you know I have been working the night shift in January. Today through Friday of this week the schedule abruptly turns to days. So forgive the disjointed blog post but, darn it, I have obligations to update you on the Spending Hiatus Venture on which I seem hell bent on subjecting myself and my budget. :)

By the way, Good Morning. This is my motivational poster for the day. :)

I havent spent anything.

There.
You are updated.

But seriously, though. I come to you all saying in all honesty I havent purchased anything. YAY!
BUT... I do have some clutch/wallet patterns I have been eyeballing that would allow me to use up some of the smaller scraps I have accumulated. I havent purchased the patterns yet and this is sort of like a confessional. Do I do it now, or keep on with some of my other million and one projects and then purchase them in another month? Another two weeks? Tomorrow?
Can you all help me decide as it isnt like I have run out of projects to work on!?
Happy Hump Day!

Yum Yum Quilt Finished!!

An early morning photo of me peeking out from behind the quilt front I finished last night!
The Yum Yum Quilt I had mentioned several posts back and the front is finally assembled!
I will be using a vintage bedsheet for the back. It is a nice buttery/lemony yellow with big orange flowers on the top of it.

I am proud of this project as I decided to use up all of the little pieces I had laying around. Only a few key pieces of fabric were cut from larger yardage that I had. Most of it is scrap from other projects that I held on to hoping someday to have a place to use them.
A while ago I had purchased a grab bag(box) of vintage linen scraps from an Etsy Seller and they had come with some nice larger pieces with which I make the wallets in my shop. There were also a LOT of smaller pieces in the box that I couldnt use unless they were quilted together. I still have plenty left over so I intend to dig in to that realm of quilting some vintage bed linen wallets to use up more of the fabric. It was a great purchase.
I decided I will try my hand at machine quilting it in geometrics. I will be following the strips and squares on the front and then the back will just look tiled, sort of. Thats the plan anyway! I like to think it will last longer in our family if stitched with the machine instead of quilting with little "tufts" of floss and tied. Im not sure the term for that but thats the only way I have quilted before.

Any tips on quilting I would love to hear! This is my first endeavor with machine quilting!

Personal Project

This is a creature I have been working on for a while. She is inspired by Ants, Humans, Spiders and Crabs!
I am in the painting phase.

These were taken with my cell phone so please forgive the photo!

Quite different than my other projects, I am sure you can tell.
She is made from sculpey, a polymer clay. I make my little small critters in my shop out of this material.

She is being painted in the colors of a Gulf Coast Fiddler Crab.




The base coats are applied so hopefully tonight I can start finessing!
I love my job as I can do this stuff at work!

Sneak Peek of New Critters for 2010!

YAY! Sketches of new critters!

This is the sneak peek of the prototypes I will be working on tonight.
I also have a peacock and a cardinal not pictured I will be working on.
Pendleton the Pig will have a slightly unkinked tail as he is an electrician. He once got shocked and it slightly straightened his tail, oddly enough.


Doyle the Goat. Alastair the Beaver. Sasha the Peacock. Lydia the Chicken and Jasper the Cardinal.














The bumble bee was a custom request for a friend. I havent sold myself on a name yet but I was thinking of Graham the Bumblebee.


I also will be introducing family sets of ornaments this year. Bears, Bunnies, owls, moose, and many more will be available for purchase as a Mom, Dad and Baby animal ornaments.

Spending Hiatus - Update 1

I did my Joanns trip on Friday night as Saturday marked the beginning of my spending hiatus for an indefinite amount of time.
I shopped wisely ( at least I feel like I did) nearly saving 40% off of my total with combined coupons.
I feel like so many of us are in the same boat with the economy and tightening our belts I wanted to share how I get good discounts at the store. Perhaps this will be a regular thing with the Spending Hiatus updates, tips on how I do things to make it through! :)

I shall tell you exactly what I do to be a spendthrift with crafting.

1. Before you even start shopping, make a list and stick to it. Stick to it!! Even write down quantities so you dont go overboard.

2. Be sure to investigate online and in wholesale accounts to see if you can find items cheaper. Sometimes with ordering multiples and the discount you receive even including shipping you can get items cheaper elsewhere!

3. Joanns is the only one that I know of that offers the coupon stacking. Joanns has mailed out flyers, Coupons in the Newspaper and coupons you can print through email online. Sign up for these! Michaels also offers coupons in the newspaper and coupons online. Joanns accepts Michaels coupons as long as they each are from a different source like I just mentioned. SO you can go in there with FIVE coupons for your purchases!
On top of that I have the Preferred Customer as I am an educator and business owner. That gives me 10% off the total purchase. I also have filed for Tax Exempt on all Joanns purchases so they are tax exempt at the store. You see how stacking can make for a great deal?

4. Combine trips to save gas. Make your list for a while, hold out til the last possible minute and watch sales to make the trip. Not only does it help with your wallet to watch sales, it saves a lot of time only making one trip occasionally than running several times a month.

I hope this helps all of you out with your crafting! Keep me updated on how you are doing!

My smile for the day....

I love this song. His jabbering is adorable!

Spending Hiatus

Savings.
That is the word of the day... YAY! (I miss pee-wee Herman)
For those of you who have read my blog for a while you know that occasionally I go on a supply spending Hiatus.
None. Nada. Zip. No new goodies!
Its hard. I complain, I whine. I check in so I feel accountable. :)

I am reinstating a spending Hiatus for Red Marionette starting Saturday the 16th. Why Saturday the 16th you ask? I like to round things to the weekend.
Plus I need to go to joanns Friday evening to get some batting for the quilt I am working on. Shhh!
THEN, I shall start my spending hiatus. I have so much fabric and goodies left over from last year it is my intention to use it up.

How long will this one last? Well, that is a good question. This will be my first open ended one. It is a challenge to see how long I can last.
My goal - is through the end of March.
If I go longer then that would be stellar. 2010 is the year for saving money and being creative with what I already have.
Wish me luck! Ill check in regularly!

New Spring Items!

Yay! I am ready for Spring!
I have new wallets in the shop in bright colors ready to chase the cold away!
www.redmarionette.com

New key rings, new sculpted ornaments in the sale section and now new wallets!

Fresh Start to 2010!

New Year Resolutions and Goals

I know I am a little late with the New Years Resolutions this year but I have been trying really hard to decide on how hard to push things this year. I have high hopes to keep Red Marionette going as a business to suppliment our income.
2009 had a lot of ups and downs on the personal level and I would like to push myself this year to top last years goals despite setbacks with the economy.

The main goal I have decided on for 2010 will be to make it to 800 sales on Etsy. I am at 569 right now. That gives me 231 sales to make before December 31st.

I am going to try to maintain over 80 items in my shop throughout the year. It normally fluxes between 60 and 100 so I am going to try to maintain a steadier selection.

Another goal I have is to introduce tote bags and wallets / clutch purses in the shop throughout the year. I want to be able to keep steadier sales throughout the year and not just the Holidays. These items will be interesting color combinations and not all of them will have critters stitched on them. Also catering to those who do not necessarily like the animals on the bags but love the fabrics and designs that Red Marionette offers.

Pretty simple sounding but it also means a lot more work for the upcoming year.
Happy New Year a little late and heres to positive and forward thinking in 2010!

Two Year Etsy-versary

Hello out there!
I just realized that tomorrow is my two year anniversary for being on Etsy!
My Etsy-versary!
Goodness how time flies!
To honor the second year I am offering free shipping for purchases made through midnight Eastern time on Sunday!
Weee!
Thank you all so much for supporting Handmade and for supporting Red Marionette!

The following is something I wrote up for viewers, sellers and people thinking about starting an Etsy shop.

Etsy has become a lifestyle for me. A major change in who I am and what I do. I love it. I crave it! It has made me more aware, more fulfilled and more stressed.
I have some blunt and honest confessions for my love of Etsy and how it has been for two years.

It takes WAY more time than you ever imagine. It really does. Hours drain away with photographs, clever descriptions, and shopping for supplies. Always be prepared to spend more time than you ever expect to maintain a shop.

Ebb and Flow. Try as I might I do not have steady sales. Sales have always been the fickle creature that come in a torrential downpour or a dry drought. It has always been this way, it is realistic to expect it will continue as such.

Happiness. I have found more happiness within myself and the creating for a purpose. Not for sales, but for the look in the shoppers eye when they find their doppelganger, the smile I get from my Husband when I make something funny looking. The sense of pride I have in myself for making something from scratch. I value myself more.

Education. I have learned more from trial and error and mentors on Etsy that I ever would have left to my own devices. I feel competition, community and friendship due to Etsy. I push myself and help others. I learn from others. I am a businesswoman...No, a business owner. Thank you, Etsy, for the platform to do that.

Yum Yum Quilt

Ta DA!
This is the first project I have made for myself in a long time.
I am calling it the Yum Yum Quilt. I have compiled a ton of vintage linen scraps, bits and pieces from my sewing projects (vintage and new) and combined them all in to one crazy quilt.
The photos show some of the basic colors and a small portion of the stack I have ready to stitch together into bigger strips.




All of the colors clash. I have tried hard to put colors next to each other that dont necessarily go. But when viewed overall it makes for a nice busy color explosion. I call it the yum yum quilt cause it looks like the bins of candies in a huge candy store like Mr. Bulkys.... Textures, shapes and colors all mishmashed into one.

I will be working on it til I run out of scraps. It may be CLOSE to a full sized bed quilt when finished. I dont have exact measurements yet. I am letting my creative juices flow. To quilt it when finished I will be using multi colors of floss to tuft and capture the layers. No machine quilting for me on this one. Lots more to Iron and Lots more to sew, I hope to be done with it by the end of January so I can get on to some spring items for Etsy.
Have a wonderful and warm week!