I made my first t-shirt quilt in 2017, right before my son graduated from High School in June of 2018.  As a young Stay - At - Home - Mom in the trenches of motherhood, I began collecting team t-shirts and sticking them in the back of the closet.  They began to take up some significant real estate in their closets so I started to think of what I could do with them.  

Somehow and someway I strung a thought together and figured I could make a t-shirt quilt for each child.  I was excited to get all the final t-shirts from his senior year and begin cutting it.  I didn't have the proper tool, so as you know t-shirts are stretchy in all the directions.  I did my best to make them all a 12x12 square.  

I bought a twin flannel sheet for the backing, added the stabilizer and the batting as the middle layers.  Because it's the first one, it is in no way perfect.  I can point out every single flaw.  But it is my favorite blanket.  He uses it on his couch in his bedroom.  When I sit in his room to chat with him I grab his blanket and use it.  It's so cozy, like a the favorite t-shirts that it is. 

I also made a second quilt for a friends daughter, also graduating in 2018.  For this quilt I splurged and bought the rotating cutting mat. This was the game changer for sure and I am so glad I didn't wait any longer.  

A couple weeks ago, I finished my 3rd t-shirt quilt and it's even better.  

Making a t-shirt quilt is pretty simple.  You can easily do it also, there's plenty of tutorials.  Or you can hire me to make your t-shirt quilt.  They are so much fun to make.  Click here for more details, it will take you to my Etsy shop for prices and sizes.  

Just like there isn’t a manual when we bring our bundle of joy home from the hospital, there isn’t a manual on how to guide a new high school graduate. I was expecting my son’s first day of work to be like his first day of young 5’s. I was anxiously waiting at home for his car to pull into the driveway, for him to bop in with a smile and say he had the greatest day ever. Instead, he walked in, gave a groan, fell on the cool tiled kitchen floor and took a nap.
Six days after graduation, our son got a job as a welder. My son had his welding helmet and protective gear in his car in order to take the necessary welding test. After taking the test he was sent to the temp service to do all the paperwork for the job.
He was hired! 
He started his new job working the morning shift, 7am-3pm, 5 days a week. One thing that you can’t do after graduation…….call the school office! It’s all them. But here are a few things that my husband and I have learned to do to help our son transition into the work force.

1. Your teen will be completely overwhelmed on his first couple days of his new skilled job.
At age 12, our son had a job working with my husband at the shop. He eased into new responsibilities as he aged but that’s not how it worked for his job six days after graduation. He was put on the robotic welder and was trained. He would text us explaining he didn’t know if he could handle it and worried that it was a job for 30 year olds. One of my texts to him during his 2nd day of work was to talk to his boss after his shift and explain how he was feeling.

His boss was very kind to him and said that he was putting too much pressure on himself. We also took him to dinner that night and talked it out with him. At the end of dinner, he agreed to give himself two weeks to re-evaluate how he felt at the end of that period. Each day slowly got better, he learned what he was to do, and he became comfortable with the people he was working with.
2. Your teen will need to find his voice and learn to speak up at work.
As he walked through the buildings with the welding supervisor before he was hired, he was told he would get a $1/hour raise after his first 90 days. However, when the time came, that $1/hour raise wasn’t showing up on his paychecks. After it didn’t show up on the first check, I encouraged my son to talk to someone in Human Resources about the raise he was supposed to receive. This went on for a couple of weeks. My husband and I would coach him on who to talk to, what to say and how to say it professionally. His $1 an hour raise finally showed up in his paycheck a few weeks later.
3. Our son had to learn that he had control over his working situation.
My son was on morning shift since he was initially hired and though his supervisor mentioned a couple of times about putting him on afternoons, his boss never followed through. My son had decided he wanted to go to community college to take some more welding classes and get certified. He signed up for 8 credit hours and the classes conflicted with the afternoon work schedule his supervisor was now getting around to requiring. He would have to tell his supervisor about his classes ask to leave early on those days.
My son at first felt powerless to change the situation but, over time, we helped him see that there was a solution that would work for both sides. After my son met with his supervisor and explained his desire to better his skills in order to excel at his job, the supervisor offered him a work schedule that would allow him to take his credits.
4. Your teen will have to learn how to say “Let me think about it and get back to you.”
During the period that it took for my son to work his schedule around his classes, we have encouraged him not to speak quickly. We told him to resist the urge to give a quick answer simply because a supervisor asked a question.We have told our son to use the phrase, “Let me think about it and I will get back to you in a day or two.” His supervisor has respected that. Our son comes home and we talk it over with him. In the end we ask the question, “What do you want to do?” This makes it his choice after we have discussed different scenarios and options.

One year later.  

​Zak's first job was a great learning experience for him.  He gained many skills along the way.  After deciding he wanted to enroll in college to get his certification in welding, he went on midnights for a short period of time.  He discovered he hates working midnights and knows even though there was a pay raise, it was hard.  Zak also learned the proper way to quit a job with integrity and good character.  He put in his 2 week notice to pursue  college classes & a part time job while the sun was still in the sky.  He discovered that upper management might treat you terrible when you put in your 2 week notice & at the time you get to see someones true character as well.  

All along the way we have guided him and have helped him to see what options are available to him and to help him see the big picture & how short term choices can effect the big picture.

The original writing was picked up by the popular blog Grown & Flown of June 2018. 

I loved my kitchen.  I wasn't looking for an update.

But then the husband tried to open a cupboard & the rubber stopper that was more sticky than anything, was a little difficult to open & that was what started the whole renovation conversation! 

He threw the idea out of painting the cabinets & new countertops.  A little shocked about the idea, I said "Yes! And I want a backsplash & hardware on the cabinets!"  I just thought I would put my "most wanted" list out there too! 

I thought my requests were practical because the painted wall behind the stove was splattered from 17 years of cooking.  "THEY" said it was washable but I strongly disagree.  I hated that wall because of past dinners that lived on that wall!  We have been in the house for 17 years & we never put hardware on the drawers or cabinets.  I have snapped many fingernails over the years & have cursed the cabinets for making my nails uneven.  One year the husband even bought me the jig for the hardware which meant hardware is coming soon.  I'm not sure why I never followed through.  I think because it's such an expense & I couldn't decide.  Whatever the reason was then, it wasn't going to happen this time! 

My other request was "I'm not painting the cabinets, because I am not having a Pinterest fail for all my friends & family to see every time someone comes over!"  He agreed.  So we hired an interior designer, whom my husband went to school with so long ago!  Katey came over & she had great ideas.  Before she came I knew what tile I wanted.  Arabesque.  I love the shape & it's different.  She suggested dark grout to off set the white tile we wanted & my heart skipped a beat!  We went with white tile to tie in with the white appliances.  Neither of us wanted to switch out the appliances for a couple reasons.  The frig is fairly new, my sink is beautiful & big, the stove is perfect & I didn't want stainless steel.  Once we took out the dishwasher, husband suggested we get a new one because it was 17 years old & he just had a feeling that it was going to go as soon as he hooked it back up!  I never deny a new appliance.  

The granite was the first to be installed.  The granite guys came and measured on a Thursday & on Monday they were installed.  Those were freaky fast.  I lived without countertops for 2 days & it was long enough to be just an inconvenience.  Tile was next.  They installed on a Monday & Tuesday the following week & that Thursday the painters were here taping up the kitchen & disassembling the kitchen.  I emptied all my cabinets on Wednesday and cleaned them out & pitched a bunch of a things I no longer needed or used.  

We left for Spring Break on Sunday & thankfully my parents came over Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday to let the painters in & stay while they worked.  Bless their hearts.  

It's moments like these that make me realize what a control freak I am.  I like to know what is going on and ask questions to make sure everything is going right.  

We arrived home Thursday afternoon & the cabinets were all painted, walls were getting the final touches.  They came back on Saturday to install the doors & drawers.  It was just how I pictured it.  Bright & fresh!  

I am so happy & in love with it.  

A couple facts about the process: 
The paint that they used was oil base.  It's more durable than water based paint.  It does take longer to dry which is why the doors were hung.  Yes I was worried about the holes but they were placed where they aren't showing when doors were hung!  I was impressed!  

The hardware was purchased from amazon!  Katey suggested have large handles on top & smaller on bottom.  She also sent pictures over showing 3 types of hardware in 1 kitchen.  I loved the idea & worked to incorporate that in!  The top handles are 5 inches, I would have gone bigger but it wasn't available, the bottom is 4 inches & then I have the cup pulls on the desk drawers.  I initially wanted the cup handles on all the drawers but the idea made the husband start to itch & rub his neck.  So I compromised & suggested just the desk area & he agreed!  
​

Tips I learned through the process:

First thing I did was empty my dining room which is right next to the kitchen.  I moved my dining room table & chairs to the front living room.  I then had my kids bring the two 6 foot tables up from the basement.  I sat those up in the dining room.  I emptied my desk area but didn't empty the rest of the kitchen until I knew when they were coming to do the cabinets.  I had about 2 days to empty the cabinets.  

Emptying the cabinets was great because I was able to get rid of a lot of things I no longer used or needed. Because the sanded the cabinets & walls  before spraying (the cabinets) & painting the walls, there was a lot of dust everywhere.  I am really glad I emptied everything.  I probably wiped the cabinets out 3 times throughout the process.  

If you decide to paint your cabinets, find out of you (or they, if you hire someone) should use oil base paint or water base paint.  There's a huge difference in dry time.  

We saved some money by taking the countertops out ourself.  We took them out on Saturday & new granite was installed Monday.  My husband & youngest took out the counters, while my oldest & I were at the FIRST Robotics competition.  They had some fun writing messages on the counters.  Husband has a sink in the garage with some counter space so I used that for my coffee pot & to do the dishes.  We also saved money by pre drilling the cabinets for the hardware before they were painted.  We found the hardware pulls on Amazon & spend $160 for all them.  Because they were sold in 10's we have a few extra of each.  The cup pulls were sold in 5's, which is exactly what I needed.  

The painter said he would be done Tuesday, but I did it in my head & had a feeling it might be longer.  It was & that was okay.  

Saturday the cabinet doors were installed back in & my guys were gone for the night.  I turned on Apple Music & got to work, alternating between putting everything away & putting the hardware on the doors.  And once again, I pitched more stuff away!  I reconfigured where things should go.  Not too much changed but a few things did. 

If you have good cabinets, painting them is a great way to update with out a total renovation.  

​

I loved my old kitchen, and I really love the updated kitchen.  

Dear Embroidery Machine......I love you! 

Embroidering anything is one of my favorite things to do.  Maybe because I never had anything personalized growing up because my name ended with a "y".  And a name that was always mistaken for "Kathy".  Or maybe because I have Souther Bell blood flowing through my veins that makes my heart skip a beat when I see a monogram!  But I think those are a few of the reasons why I love my embroidery machine!  

Another reason I love my embroider machine is because of these cute little bunnies!  This is my 3rd Easter selling these cuties!  It's the simple addition to the already perfect Easter Basket or Baby Shower gift.  

I have received several emails explaining the love that a small child has for their new favorite stuffed animal. Mom or Grandma is usually including in the email another order for a new bunny because the other is worn out or they are preparing for a back up in case the current one gets lost.  

​These are currently listed in the shop & I am hoping to get more in for the Easter Season!  

Christmas is upon us......I am not sure how this happens so quickly every year!  Once again, I am asking the boys what gifts they would like for Christmas.  One of them knows exactly what he wants + the other one is still thinking!

They get 3.  

Yes.....3 gifts under the tree. 

Plus stockings, but I didn't do stocking stuffers until the past couple years. 

Please don't think my kids are deprived of anything. They are not!  Please don't assume I am cheap. I am not + the husband will agree. 

When I was newly married, we were with friends, they are "one step ahead" of us in parents.  Their children were school age when I had none.  It was the Christmas season and the wife and I were chatting and she said that her kids get 3 gifts.  Her simple statement behind it was, "That's what they Wise Men brought to Jesus!"  They don't assume they are getting everything they circle in the catalog or see on TV.  They think really hard about what they want + make sure that they really want it!  

That simple statement stuck with me!  

It stuck with me so much that we are approaching our 16th year of this tradition!  For Zak's 1st Christmas, Dec 1999, we lived with Rich's parents while we built our home.  Zak was 2 months old.  I'll admit, it was VERY easy to buy only 3 gifts.  We were limited on space + he was fresh from the womb! 

The boys are 16 + 13 this year, and you can bet they are thinking long and hard on what they want.  Do they complain? No they don't.  They have never spent Christmas morning with another family + seen their overflowing tree of gifts, so maybe they just think that is the allowed limit!  

I will admit, I am so glad we started this tradition 16 years ago......because their 3 gifts are more expensive than what they use to be.  And that's okay.  It's what they really, really, really want!  

Oh and you may be wondering about the big man in the red suit.  He was never the hero on Christmas morning.  He usually brought a board game or a movie for the two of them to share.  They also found out early that he wasn't real! 

The Essential Oil Case has been a huge hit for well over a year. I've made over 400.....myself. I'm always trying to keep fabric choices fresh, so fabrics are always limited due to limited supply purchase.

This week I made a smaller size. It holds 4 oils. It's perfect for a few oils for baby, toddler or Mom. Along with holding 4 of your favorite essential oils, there's room for cotton etc.

Hop, skip or jump over to the shop for pricing and fabric choices!

January was a great month for lil' alice Etsy shop!  Let me very clear....it's was the best January that lil' alice has every had since 2010 on Etsy!  The first month of the new year is usually slow for many handmade shops and handmade lovers usually embrace the lull in activity.  I know  I have in years past.  

But this January started off with a wholesale order.....(did you know lil' alice takes wholesale order?)!  Once that order was processed and paid for, I had already reached my best January!  As the month went on, the orders came in.  On the last day of the month, I received another wholesale order from a repeat customer!  

What did I do to make January 2015 the best January?  

Here are a few things I did......
1. I wrote a pitch
2. Introduced a new item
3. Continue branding + keeping things fresh

First, I hopped on my Google Doc account and wrote a personal, yet prewritten pitch about my most popular product. 

 I contacted popular blogs that use oils and might be interested in my product and copied my pitch to them.  

Guess what? Every single one responded!  


Sitting in the sewing room isn't what it's all about.  It doesn't sell itself.  It takes a little PR + since I don't have a PR department.....it's all me.  

I set aside time during the day, an hour or so, and get to work networking with others online.  

The next thing I did to make January a successful month, I introduced a new product. 

The next item on my list was to introduce a new product, I had to invest in a new embroidery machine for the shop....plus all the supplies!  It was a Cyber Monday flash deal on Amazon!  

It's been a lot of fun teaching myself how to run the machine.  I have had a lot of successful items that just melt my heart, but I have also had a few "Oops!" along the way!  

The last thing is to keep things fresh but to carry the brand of lil' alice similar in my packaging and shipping.  Having a shop, I am always buying supplies.  I am always buying poly bags, tissue paper, stickers, business cards etc.  I get very bored with the same look and I look forward to creating new business cards as they begin to run low. I wrap my products in tissue paper and close it with a sticker.  I also put a sticker on the poly mailers so then everyone from the lady at the post office who weighs the package to the mail man/woman who delivers it sees the shop name. This time around I ran out of stickers, address labels and business cards.  I took advantage of sales on Shutterfly for the stickers and *FREE* thank you cards + I bought the business cards from Vistaprint! Keeping colors + pictures the same carry the brand cohesive!

I took this picture of a sewing machine that I bought along with 16 others that are the same from a school auction.  I love the pic, it defines lil' alice + I was able to use it on my new stickers, thank you cards, business cards + address labels so it all flows seamlessly.  And it's fresh + new! 

What are you doing to be successful?  Leave a note in the comments.  

The most popular item for 2014 was The Essential Oil Zip Pouch!  I roughly counted + came up with 367 (April 2014-December 2014)!  Whoa!  That's a lot!  

And January isn't starting off too bad either!  I just shipped 20 to Florida this afternoon!  

This little bag has been a huge hit + I am blown away.  It wasn't my idea.  See, a lady came up to me after service in March or April + she told me that she had some oils and she needed something to keep them in + then she pulled out the humbled ziplock baggie.  Yeah, we can do cute.  So I told her I would figure something out and bring it back the following week. 

I had already nailed making zip pouches in all different sizes.  This would just need a little altering.  Oh + I had a spool of elastic for baby crib sheets + I could use that to hold the oils + I had a piece of laminated cotton that I could use for the outer fabric, this was waterproof + would give extra security to the buyer.....and so the thought process began.  After two attempts I had come up with a design.  

You just never know where an idea (either yours or someone else's that they share with you) will take you!  But there's a risk + you have to be willing to jump in the deep in.  

Being a part of the handmade community is something special + something that is built over time.  One creative gal connecting with another creative gal, one social connection at a time.  Usually, these relationships are not built in real life but instead through social sites such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram + Pinterest.

One of the creative gals that I have connected with is Lindsay of Pen & Paint.   I believe I follow Lindsay on every site possible.  Why?  Not because I am a stalker, but because she is always showing behind the scene pics that makes my mouth water.  She shows pics of her drawings, as she is drawing them with a caption about what is inspiring her to draw in that moment!  And she draws/paints sewing machines (SWOON!)

Here are my two latest prints from Lindsay!   Thank you so much for the prints Lindsay, I love them! 

I love this quote!  It's simple but so powerful in a house where we choose to speak kindly to one another.  Some days human natures will get the best of us + something not so kind will over flow from our most powerful muscle in our body, the tongue. 

This sits in our living room as a simple reminder that our words matter + they hold weight.  

Choose Joy!  This has been my inner dialogue for several years now.  When I am doing something, I choose to do it with joy!  If I have said "Yes" to something, I better do it with joy or else I should have said "No"

I say this to my family when complaining begins + there is something else they would rather be doing.  

Lindsay's work is beautiful + it's perfection at it's finest.  You will not find a flaw in her drawings ever!  Here are her links so you can join her + see her behind the scenes creativeness.  

Connect with Lindsay:
Blog
Etsy
Facebook

Are a consumer or a producer?  You could be both if you are in the handmade marketplace at any level.  Or you could just be a consumer and you only purchase products and services.  

Either way, I am going to cover why it's good to give a review and why it's good to receive reviews and a few ways that I have found to be helpful.  

First, I am a consumer.  I shop. A lot.  I shop on Amazon for groceries, yes, that's true.  I shop for sales online at my favorite stores, once I know my size for their clothing.  And we stay at hotels.  I also leave reviews.  The top reason I leave a review is because they have asked.  I get an email in my box asking me how my product & how my transaction went.  It has to be easy for me & I have to be reminded.  So a few simple clicks on my part, leave my review, click publish & they have a new review.  

I believe that it's important to leave facts about a product or service.  Adding emotions is okay but leaving facts is a plus.  For example, at a recent hotel stay, their coffee was terrible.  It was old peoples coffee.  Amongst the positive things that I enjoyed about my stay at their hotel, I also made note that their coffee bar, or lack there of, needed some attention.  Most people don't like powdered creamer.  Just sayin' folks!  

Leaving a review for Amazon is much different than leaving a review for a handmade shop from Etsy.  There's a lot of people involved in an Amazon transaction & it's not an emotional transaction either.  Leaving a review for an Etsy shop is going to be ready by the person that thought up the product, shopped for the supplies, carefully created the product, packaged the product, took it to the post office and sent you a notice that it was on it's way.  One. Person. Did. That. For. You!  

I have had a couple customers of mine contact me about an issue with the product they received from me.  One in particular sent a picture and said that there was a jam.  In the picture, it was a few threads that needed to be trimmed from the back stitch.  I emailed her back that she just needed to snip them.  She was relieved and so was I.  I also thanked her for contacting me privately so I could guide her and let her know that her product was okay and that it in fact wasn't flawed & it wouldn't unravel at the seam.  I was thankful that she didn't leave a nasty review saying how terribly made the product was and that it was jammed, but instead we came to a solution through messaging each other and the picture she sent me.  

Next, I am an Etsy shop owner in the handmade marketplace.  I am always learning.  I read non stop about how to improve and grow my business.  My latest endeavor is focusing on how to get reviews.    I can wish & hope that they will just do it on their own.  But remember, I have to be reminded to leave a review, I am sure I am not the only one that needs a reminder or an incentive.  I took action on how to get more reviews & it's working.  

On my Etsy site, when an item is purchased the customer gets a Thank You note with a link to my lil' alice FB page to connect with me there.  The consumer receives another note after I have stopped at the post office to ship them their package.  In that note, I ask them to write a review once they receive their product.  Once a receive a review from them, I write them a personal note saying thanks for the review along with a coupon code off of their next lil' alice purchase!  

Simply ask for a review, then when they respond to your request, give them an incentive to come back. 

We are all consumers.  We are often thrilled with our purchases, but sometimes, there's disappointment too.  We are so quick to leave negative feedback and we forget to let them know that we fell in love with our other purchases.  Good or bad, leave a review.  An honest one. You never know, you might get a coupon code for your next purchase!