have yourself a merry little Christmas....

Merry Christmas!  in the midst of all the madness of preparing for this special day, i wanted to take the time to wish my readers a very happy Christmas!  i hope everyone has a blessed day with family and friends. 

other thoughts...Judy Garland's version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is the most beautiful, hauntingly sad Christmas song ever.  it's my favorite this season.  "someday soon, we all will be together if the fates allow...until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow...."  gives me chills.  and makes my eyes well up.  i realize the words are the same whomever sings it, but the emotion and pain in her voice is almost palpable.  sounds depressing...and i guess it is, really.  but beautiful anyway.

hmm, in happier thoughts...i received an extremely nice anonymous gift this week.  6 bags of groceries on my porch, along with a Max Lucado book, some lotion, notepads, candle, etc.  so incredibly kind and amazing, and what a blessing!  i don't know who would buy me groceries and leave them secretly on my porch...i'm perplexed, but seriously grateful!  i'm sure there are people who really need a gift like that more than me, but saving me from a trip to WalMart increased my chances of staying sane.  so, if my secret friend is a blog-reader...thank you thank you!  and may God bless you this Christmas too!

well, i must be off to wrap presents, make sweet potato casserole, and get to Mom's house for family fun!
Happy Christmas!

a little inspiration....

so, a little tidbit about me...i'm slightly obsessed with quotes.  i've been collecting inspirational & impactful quotes that i've read for, probably, 10 years.  they're scattered throughout my notebooks, journals, & planners...stuck randomly on walls, in my wallet...saved in various documents on my trusty old laptop.  i love these brilliant (or sometimes incredibly simple) thoughts people have had that have been re-spoken, re-written, and passed on and on.  i often spend much too much time reading these things and thinking about how inspired i am...and then take no action.  but in the vain of being an active blogger again, and at the very least re-telling a fantastic thought - here's a little something i came across tonight:

“If you're going to be passionate about something, be passionate about learning. If you're going to fight something, fight for those in need. If you're going to question something, question authority. If you're going to lose something, lose your inhibitions. If you're going to gain something, gain respect and confidence. And if you're going to hate something, hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams.” - Daniel Golston

do you have chills?  inspired to be confident, take action, and make your life?

me too!

jingle bells...

yes, it's already Christmas time, and the last time i posted was at Thanksgiving.  shameful!  but rest assured i have been a busy busy Gypsy Bird!  the Deluxe show was fantastic!  i have pics of my booth that i will post later.  i sold some bags, got some great feedback, and then i crashed!  but it was truly a successful event!  i'm so so pleased and grateful for all of my fabulous customers and visitors at the show!  you were all fantastic, and i'm sorry i haven't been posting more or getting my etsy site prepared.  i need about 10 more hours in every day, you know.  i've been filling custom orders since the show, and attempting to prepare all of my own Christmas gifts.  it's quickly approaching and i have so much left to do!  ack! 
so, more later.  for now, i must cut more bags, sew more bags, make matryoshka dolls for my niece, and maybe get a couple hours of sleep?

i promise i will be a real, active, organized, caught-up business owner & blogger soon.  stay tuned!

bags, turkey, more bags, birthdays, and more bags....

it's definitely crunch time in Gypsy Bird land!  thank God for this four day weekend...my mini sweat shop has been in full effect!  i've been a busy little bee, and it feels great to get some things accomplished.  but there is still alot to be done before Deluxe.  this list that's accumulating in my head (because i'm too scared to write it all down) is pretty daunting.  but it will all get done...exactly how is a mystery.....

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  i was blessed to have a wonderful day with my family.  there was so much deliciousness!  i've been seriously limiting my food intake for the past few months (trying to watch the figure), and i'm pretty sure with that one meal i nearly un-did all the stomach-shrinking-starvation i've done.  but it was totally worth it!  i have to say, i have so much to be thankful for.  even on this weekend of Thanksgiving i don't know if i've really thought about how lucky i am.  so if i may, let me tell you a few things i'm thankful for:  God's love and forgiveness; my amazing, loving, supportive family; my smart, funny, trustworthy, fabulous friends; the gift of creativity and general artsyness; a real job to pay the bills (mostly) and provide healthcare; a home for me, my kitties, and my sewing machine; and quite honestly, a million other things, but i won't go on and on.  it's just nice to take a step back and take note that despite the everyday stresses and crap that life throws at you, the big picture is pretty great. 

in other family fun time, we had a birthday party for my wonderful, brilliant, hilarious, beautiful niece today.  (too many adjectives?  i'm a big fan of descriptives tonight, apparently.)  i can't believe she is turning 2 this week!  she is just the best.  my Dad's birthday is today, although we celebrated his last week so little one could be in the spotlight today.  can't have too many celebrations! 

let me see....try to get back on track here.  yes, other than Thanksgiving, i sewed and sewed and sewed, and cut and cut and cut (fabric) this weekend.  my sweet, helpful Mom came over and help me cut out 20-something bags on Friday, and i spent Saturday and today doing the rest of the prep work and sewing!  it's all such a time-consuming process.  i'm sure there are easier ways to do things, but i've got a process and i stick to it!  oh well...i got several bags made this weekend, and plenty more to complete in the next 2 weeks!  wish me luck. 

here's a slightly clustered snapshot of some of the new bags i've done:

here's the stack of pieces that are cut out for more bags:

and a pile of even more fabrics that still need to be cut out:

i'd upload a pic of my chaotic, messy house and studio (fabric and scissors everywhere), but it's just too frightening.  plus, there's probably a layer of cat hair on everything because i haven't taken time to clean!

well, it's back to Sock land tomorrow.  blah...real work, real world.  and more deadlines this week.  but i must keep the sewing momentum.  i'm excited for a productive week.  hopefully i can wake up on time in the morning!

snap stealer

to the person who is buying every single magnetic snap from every store around the OKC metro...you are making my life so difficult!  i have been scouring the Hancocks, Hobby Lobbys, Michaels & JoAnns of Oklahoma City, Midwest City & Edmond all week, in search of stupid 14mm magnetic snaps for my clutches.  there are literally none to be found.  anywhere.  not on the shelves, not in the stock rooms...well, that's the only 2 places they would be i suppose, but they aren't there!

but it's okay...i've been directed to an online craft store...you can't buy them out of stock, fellow magnetic snap seeker!  they have thousands and thousands.  i've placed my order, and i'm not sharing the site until i get all that i need!  haha...bested you!

well, that's quite enough of my crazy rant.  i'm making more bags on this beautiful, chilly Saturday afternoon.  and desperately fighting the urge to go take a nap.  better get back to the ironing board (haha) before i write myself into a coma.

Monday randomness

so it's Monday and i've been on the phone for the past 2 1/2 hours since i got off work...considering i've spent my evening blabbing away, i figured i might as well blab via type as well.  the thoughts going through my head are crazy, as usual...but here's a peek:  it's 33 days until the Deluxe show...call me a procrastinator, but i've always worked better under pressure!  my goal is to make 1 bag a day from now until December 11.  i'll be able to make more on the weekends, so it should all even out and i'll have some inventory!  also, my wonderful Mom is going to help out by cutting out the many pieces that go into each bag.  what a lady, what a mom, what a pal!  ;)

i got to spend time with the fam this weekend, which always makes life better!  delicious dinners, triple-layer chocolate cake, petite syrah, my amazing niece and (almost) nephew, my hilarious, beautiful, loving & entertaining family who are pulling teeth to get me out of my anti-social funk...i was finally in my happy place!  didn't make as many bags as i should have, but whatever....gotta live sometimes!

speaking of triple-layer chocolate cake...who knew that the word "stressed" is "desserts" spelled backwards???  feel free to double-check!  i did a few times...and it's right!  am i totally out of touch for not knowing this before?  is this why stress and chocolate go so well together?  so many questions!  and...it's sad that i learned this from a Sonic commercial.

a Wednesday in the life

it's been another fabu day in Shea-land!  facetious, me?  no!  ha...but i can't complain..i'm sitting on the couch with my kitties snuggled up close, watching a Thunder game, having a cold beer, and listening to the roomie snore away...life isn't so bad!  i could do without the snoring though.  ;)

so after working until 7.30 tonight, my evening is quickly escaping me!  10.30 already?  i need to run off to snuggle up in my down-encompassed bed.  but before i doze, i'll share what i was working on at Sock Land so late.  i was developing the color palette i'll use for Fall 2011 socks.  even in socks, you gotta keep up with the ever-revolving fashion trends and colors!  my trend research shows that these are going to be the colors to use.  (well, for kids' socks, that is!)

oy, inserting pictures into this blog is about the most difficult thing i've done all day!  argh, frustration!  the pirate in me is coming out....

in the vain of saving what's left of my sanity, i'll skip posting any more photos for the night!  watch for my Fall 2011 trend boards next time!