Another reason to wear your baby

When my oldest son was a baby, I used to make slings.  I even thought I would start selling them, but then the CPSIA came along.  While its intentions were good, it made it nearly impossible for a small business, or work-at-home-moms (WAHM) to make and sell children's products.  So while I couldn't sell them, I still enjoyed making some for myself. 

I'm a huge fan of babywearing, and I buy baby carriers the way that some women buy shoes and handbags. OK, so I buy a lot of shoes and handbags too. (I told you I love accessories!)  The other day, I was wearing my little guy in a "Bali Baby Stretch" wrap, which is snug and warm and perfect for New England winters.  We were at "Ring a Ding Sing Thing" at our local library, which involves stories, music, motion, instruments, dancing, and general chaos with toddlers running all over the place while enjoying these things.  The wrap is the perfect solution for keeping my little guy cozy and happy while keeping both hands free so I can chase my toddler.

Another mom commented on my wrap and asked some questions about how to use it.  She asked how old my baby was (3.5 weeks), and then she paid me a lovely compliment by saying I looked fantastic and she couldn't believe that I just had a baby.  I thanked her, but explained that by wearing my baby in front, and covering the rest of my torso with a wrap, I was able to disguise my problem areas.  (And just so you know, I am trying to cut myself some slack, and I know I will bounce back to my pre-pregnancy weight with time, but I have a long way to go.  I've had a few people tell me that I don't look like I just had a baby.  I know I should just take that compliment at face value, but I can't help but wonder if all these people think that I just looked this big all the time?!?!)

May 2008

November 2009

March 2011

So, baby-wearing makes you look thinner -- just another reason to wear your baby!  ;)

P.S.  If you don't understand the term "babywearing," you can learn more here.

Preparing to Reopen

You may have noticed that my Etsy shop has been in vacation mode since late January.  I closed my shop for a mini maternity leave.  My beautiful son was born on February 7th, and we are adjusting to life with a 4-year old and a newborn.  I could dedicate an entire blog post to that alone, but overall, it has been much easier than I thought. 

So now that I'm getting into the swing of things, and even getting a few hours of sleep here and there, I want to reopen my shop.  I need to update some listings and change some of my policies (like turnaround time, which may be longer initially), and of course, list some new pieces.  I'm toying with the idea of a grand reopening sale, once I can get some new pieces designed, completed, and photographed.

I hope to reopen in the next couple of days.  Stay tuned!

My Etsy Shop is Open for Business!

A week or so ago, I hinted that something new and exciting was about to happen.  (By the way, congrats to those who knew that the title of my last blog post was a reference to West Side Story.  You're my favorite followers!  ;)  Have I ever mentioned that I love musicals?)  Today, I am happy to share with you that I have officially opened a shop on Etsy and I couldn't possibly be more excited! 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been very busy designing, researching, making jewelry, and setting up my website.  I'm thankful to have a forum such as Etsy on which to launch my site.  The fact that there is already a shop format and built-in customer base certainly makes things a lot easier for a newbie.  I worked with a fellow Etsian to design a banner/logo and business cards.  You may have noticed the new banner at the top of my blog -- didn't she do a great job?!  She was so great to work with, and she's a great example of why the Etsy community rocks.

Even with all these great resources, it's amazing how much time it takes to work out the details of a shop launch.  Perhaps I'm just a perfectionist, but I wanted to decide exactly how to package an item before listing it for sale, and of course, find the best deal on those supplies, and it's time-consuming to research those things.  Then there's the matter of researching and determining how to price my pieces.  This should have been the easiest part for me, since pricing is what I do for a living, but I found it to be extremely difficult to put a price on my time.  And don't get me started on the time I've spent doing photo shoots.  With an online shop, the photography is so important, as the potential buyer isn't able to touch and feel the jewelry, so I sincerely think it is time well spent.  . 

It has all been very fun and exciting, and I'm happy that the shop is up and running.  I have just a few items listed so far, but I will be adding more in the upcoming weeks.  You can visit my shop here or use the links at the right-hand side of my blog.  I also set up a facebook page so please visit and "like" my page, if you haven't done so already. 

Many thanks to those who have been encouraging me to do this for quite some time.  I truly appreciate your support.