Guest Posting on Me Sew Crazy

Do you remember this little sewing project?

I'm over at Me Sew Crazy today showing you how to make the Maxi Bustle Skirt for yourself! So head on over there and enjoy the tutorial!

Romantic Tweeds

Oh my gosh. Do you remember how I said a pair of shoes I made had a major malfunction and were basically trash? Well, I remade them for my incredibly gracious and patient customer and it could not have worked out better. The new pair have had several improvements and she is getting a way better shoe. She is getting my favorite shoe I have ever made.

I made a new pattern for my women's shoes and I love the shape of them so much!

It's subtle but the toe curves a little more. I also received a new insole material that makes my product that much more professional in quality. Yay!

But, mostly I love the look of them. I love the tweed with the new lace flower. They're romantic in every way that is good.

It looks like, somewhere in the midst of my ever increasing orders I need to find the time to make myself a pair. Thank you, Kellie! You were such a joy to work with.

Another Little Peep

This weekend was my birthday. The night before my birthday, since I knew I was going to get to sleep in, I stayed up until three in the morning finishing a rush order on a pair of shoes. I didn't necessarily need to stay up that late, my customer had agreed to pay for expedited shipping. But, I knew that if I got them shipped on Saturday they would get there a day early via Priority Mail, saving her $20. That's the kind of service I give when I can. And it so happened, I could. So I did. Coffee helped. Ha.

She wanted them for a photo shoot for her daughter this week. In exchange for the rushing, we have agreed that I get a pic from the shoot to use. I am so excited about this, because the idea for the shoot, the styling, is so adorable! I truly hope it works out.

They were made to match a ruffled romper she had also bought from Etsy. What a lucky little girl!

They are made from cream silk dupioni and my favorite turquoise silk fabric for the flowers. I will be so sad when that fabric finally runs out.

Hopefully, the next time we see them, they will be in an adorable photograph!

A Little Something Different

I had hoped to show you two pairs of shoes today. I was working on one pair for a client and since she is the same size as I am, I thought it would be a great time to try out a design I had been ruminating. But, last night, after three night's worth of work (and fours hours of working last night), after I put the soles on the shoes for my client, I saw that the fabric was pulling away at the seam. All of that hard work, fruitless! Apparently the tweed I was using, (and I was so in love with it) had a loose weave and just couldn't hold it together when the shoes were turned. Heartache.

However, the other shoe design I was working on turned out fine, and I have it to share with you today. I'm nervous, though. It's a departure, that's for sure. They're inspired by a lovely pair of heels I saw the other day. Oh boy, I should just get to it, huh? Here goes.

What do you think?

Simple, right? And conservative. But, then they don't have to be. You could wear them like this:

Definitely more dramatic. And this style would be adorable for a little girl. Very similar to a pair that I made a while ago and never showed you. (Because like a bad blogger, I forgot to take pics before I mailed them.) Luckily I have a snapshot of them on the little girl they were made for.

So, a design that can be worn two ways depending on the length of your ribbon and your mood. What do you think? Is it a keeper?

Sweet Sophistication

I have had a few requests for pink and purple shoes as I am sure you can imagine. Every time I get one, this is the design that pops into my head. I have yet t make them, until now. One of my dearest friends (I mean, seriously she is one of the most wonderful women that the Lord has blessed me with knowing and it literally kills me that we can't live in the same town and share some tea while our broods run around together) has a beautiful daughter, named Charis, who is having a birthday next month. Debbie's gift to her is a pair of shoes designed especially for her, and I am so honored to be able to create something beautiful for this daughter who shares the same lovely spirit her mother has.

I love the fabric these shoes are made from. It's a silk linen, it is SO soft. I used it years ago in my senior collection in college. For these shoes I willingly cut into the jacket I had made all of those years ago. You have to agree, it was the right choice.

The flower is made from a beautiful ribbon, pink with a cream stripe, that reminds me of a carnival, and all that is bright and lovely and innocent about childhood.

I think the two together create a shoe that is sophisticated without being overly serious or mature.

And for good measure there is a little matching flower for her hair.

I hope that she loves them, and I wish, how I wish, she knew better the woman who made them with love for her. Happy Birthday, Charis!

What (Tries) to Hinder You?

I warn you, I am about to get very real here. Not gross real, just real real.

As my business begins to really grow, I have a little something that tries to hinder me. It tries to steal my comfort, my energy, my drive, my peace, my joy. It makes me want to curl up in a little ball and bawl.

I can't let it, obviously. I have three little ones who need me to be a good mommy. I have a husband who needs me to be his partner in all things. I have a house that needs...well, some serious help. I have customers who need cute shoes. And I have an innate need in myself to create with my hands.

Nevertheless, it is relentless in its pursuit of me. Its name is pain. I have struggled for years with FMS. Periodically, pain will steal over my whole body and remain for the day. It's not as severe as it is for some people I know, and for that I am thankful. And I did have some years of reprieve for which I am incredibly grateful. It all but went away after my first child, did not return after my second. But after my third, it decided the time had come.

So here I am. Fighting to bring life to my dreams. Working to prove to my children that it is never too late to do what you love. Trying to be all that I must to the people I who are my life. And I will not let the reason stealing comfort thief known as pain be anything more than an inconvenience.

How about you? Is there anything in your life that would try to keep you from realizing your dreams?

The Sweetness of Purple

This has truly been quite a few weeks for Good Little Things. So many new opportunities and experiences have come my way, that I am truly overwhelmed by it all. In a good way, of course.

Along with it all I have gained some new customers. Yay! My first new customer is Laura. I introduce you to her because she too has a beautiful shop on Etsy that you need to check out here. She too, is a member of the wonderful Artisan Group, so you can be assured that her work is top rate. I mean, just have a peek at what she offers.

Only a couple of days after I joined the Artisan Group, Laura commissioned me to make a pair of shoes for her niece's 3rd birthday. The party just happens to be on my birthday. How could I resist that? The little lovie's favorite color is purple, so we ran with it.

I have fallen for them. They're so girly, but not overly sweet.

They're playful and fresh and modern.

I hope that she loves them, and as always that they make her feel so very special when she wears them, knowing they were designed and made just for her!