Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I'm picking a winner a day!

This is the week I'm picking a name a day to win a free epattern.

So far my winners are:
Monday - Colette
Tuesday - Pam

Thanks ladies for your quick replies :)

Tomorrow evening (I HOPE) I will pick my winner for the cupcake doll plus Weds. free pattern. I'm spending the day shopping in Lancaster and then back to the dentist so if I forget it'll be Thursday for sure!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Exciting news to share!

I have been dying to share this really exciting and FUN news with you all!

I am sooooo excited!

Guess who's scheduled for the August and October issues of Create and Decorate magazine???

ME! *pinching myself* yes, me! Homespun from the Heart will have 2 published patterns in a National Magazine this year. LIFE is good :)

I want to say a special thank you to Susan Burd, she kept encouraging me to just submit some ideas. Susan owns www.countrycrocksbysusan.com and has been a tremendous support and inspiration to me!! XOXO!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Anniversary contest begins!

April will mark my 5th year online, since Homespun from the Heart opened. So I am celebrating with a few fun prizes to give away!

For the subscribers on my Homespun from the Heart products list, I am giving away a Cupcake Doll :) The original doll, Cupcakes - complete with her cupcake and scent. I'll pay shipping to wherever the winner is so make sure you on my mailing list! I will draw one lucky winner on/about April 1st and notify you by email. You have 3 days to respond or I will pick another winner.

For the subscribers on my patterns mailing list, I'm giving away an e-pattern a day from March 30th until April 5th. You get to pick the pattern. Each day, I will randomly select a name and email that person... you have to email me back tho within 48 hours, so make sure you check every day!

If you are not yet on my mailing list (either one), be sure to go sign up - there's time to join and be entered to win. To sign up on my mailing list, go on over to my website and go to the section, Are you a member of the mailing list yet?

Good luck to everyone!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Cupcake Dolls are ready!

I just finished listing the #2's for the Cupcake Dolls :)
http://www.homespunfromtheheart.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=TheCupcakeDolls

Hope you like them! I'll be posting on Friday for my first anniversary contest so please check back.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Come and see my new LOOK!

I'm so excited to show off my new look at http://www.homespunfromtheheart.com
Kim of www.craftisangraphics.com made me a new webset along with some set up changes. I love how it looks! It's like she went right in my head and made it real :)

I hope you like it too!

I'll be working on some new things this week, including announcing my anniversary contests - yes contests as in more than one. I'm going to be giving away quite a few prizes!!

Please be sure to visit me this week!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Getting ready to celebrate!

I meant to post some info on my anniversary celebration last week but.... I have a teething baby and my own root canal later, it just didn't happen.

So I am going to work on the details of things over the weekend and will be back real soon to post my big anniversary celebrations!

In the meantime, I did manage to list a few new things on my website including 2 new patterns! And some new mouse projects. Those critters are everywhere (hubby made me take them to the garage Teehee!).

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Firsts

Okay well to talk about where Homespun from the Heart (and ME) has come from... I think it's only fair to show some pictures of my first work. Okay just so ya know, this makes me want to laugh, then cry. HAHA!

These are some of my first rag dolls. The first one is from a Little Missy Primitives pattern, the rest I was trying to do my own designs/patterns. YIKES.





















These are some of my 'dolls' I tried to make. Anyone know where the tea stain is????? HAHA!





















Yes, people did buy those. I don't know WHY??? Okay enough picking on me.

But, I do think it's important to acknowledge where we started from, as artists. We all started somewhere on this journey! With practice, trying new things, time and patience you can grow into anything if you put your mind to it.

Homespun from the Heart trip down memory lane...

This April, Homespun from the Heart will be 5 years old! Can you believe that? I am amazed at how quickly the time has gone by. I have to take a little trip down 'memory lane' about my crafting and where it started... I hope you will indulge me for a few minutes :)

I have been sewing for a long time, I started way back in the Girl Scouts around 10 years old. My goal was to get that badge on my sash (which I did and I still have that sash believe it or not!). I didn't pick up sewing again until after college, when my dad & stepmom bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Carol is a quilter and sewer so I started getting interested in what she was doing. I also had started crafting with a friend of mine - making things like Eucalyptus swags, wreaths, little odds and ends to decorate with.

When I got my sewing machine well, let's just say I fell in love with sewing. I made Christmas tree skirts, stockings, table runners, curtains - things to decorate with mostly. I turned my dining room in my apartment into a craft room! You couldn't eat on that table because it was covered in 'stuff'. When I moved to my own house, I made sure I had an extra room just for my sewing and crafts.

I started selling my work, having home craft parties and those went over really well. Through word of mouth, I sold lots of my work. I branched out and created some baby and kids things too, which were a great hit. All the while, I kept thinking .... okay if Martha Stewart can make a living with her crafting, why can't I??? I wasn't making enough for that and I needed my corporate job to pay the bills.

Soon, I met my husband-to-be. Mike and I got engaged, I sold my home and moved to PA (and was laid off in the process from my big corporate job). He kept telling me.... take your time, figure out what you want to do. I didn't really know? I thought I wanted to just do a career change and work in education somehow. I love education - I have a master's degree in Adult Learning and spent alot of my corporate career in some type of learning job. I had a little voice tell me... what about creating/crafting??? I kept telling it to be quiet! I was practical, how could I make a living with that?

Well, time passed and practically speaking I needed a good job with health benefits so I accepted a position at LCCC, a local community college. I met some amazing people, many of them I am friends with still today! But... the job wasn't for me. It was a job as a Retention Advisor, trying to convince the students in trouble to stay at college; well it was a losing battle. I felt like a truancy officer and just did not agree with the concept philosphically.

So that little voice kept talking to me about creating/crafting. I started to listen. I started searching for ways to start a website. I peeked around on eBay and saw lots of neat things being made. I stumbled onto a primitive rag doll - WOW I loved it. Then I bought some patterns and started making dolls. I did this on the weekends or at night; I started coming home from that job and would run for my sewing room :)

I bought a pattern from someone who had a website with Prim Mart. What's that? So I clicked on it. WOW I could have my own website for $20/month?? NO need to know programming or complicated things? I'm IN! So I registered my domain name in early January and signed up for my website shortly after that. I worked alot of hours for a while to stock my site, keep up with shipping, etc. It was VERY slow the first few months.

But I didn't give up. I was so motivated to get OUT of there so I did alot of investing in advertising, promotions, and product. Eventually it paid off and I was able to leave my job and do this full time.

It was hard work but worth it. Now I can stay at home to raise my little girl and also do what I love and help support our family while I do it.

Okay so now you know how we got our humble beginnings! I am rambling but i have some more things to share so I will get to it in another post :)
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