A Little Collaboration

I am so excited about these shoes! A month or so ago, a fellow Artisan shared a picture of my shoes on her business page and mentioned that those shoes would make a good match with the dresses she was having made for her daughter from Heartmade Creations. So, out of curiosity, I checked Heartmade's page out. Oh. My. Gosh. The cuteness. So, I mentioned on Heartmade's wall that someone thought we would make a good match.

To my delight, Cassandra of Heartmade, agreed and actually extended an offer to me to collaborate. Swoon! What fun to work with another designer, especially such a talented one, to make a one of a kind design! I couldn't wait to get started.

Cassandra let me know what fabric she was going to use for her fall line. And can we just say, gorgeous?! I was even MORE excited, and my mind went straight to a remnant I have had for about a year. A sunny yellow lattice design, perfect to compliment such a pretty floral.

So what do you think? Aren't they just a perfect match without being too matchy matchy? I used my favorite silk remnant for the bow, and paper millinery flowers for the center. I usually make all of my flowers by hand, but this pair seemed to call for something a little extra special. While they are paper, they are coated and very sturdy.

They are a little "more" than I usually design. But, this is a perfect occasion for something like that. Something a little extra special. Besides, they have to hold their own paired with the adorable Heartmade Dress they will be worn with in the photographs. I can't wait to show you the results.

Incidentally, I made two pairs of shoes for this project. Along with the yellow, I made a pair in green suede, just in case. Since, the yellow turned out so well, the green pair are without an owner. I have listed them in my Etsy shop and hope they find an owner soon.

 

Holiday Shoes

Repeat customers are awesome. Especially when they are people you love already. It means you made them happy. And if there is anyone you want to make happy, it's people you love.

I told you last year that Mrs. Faber was like a second mom to me through high school. She lived right across the street from us, had a daughter my age who ensured that I was not lonely when we first moved in and she and my mom still are good friends. So it was humbling last year when she ordered holiday shoes for her only grandchild. Here is last year's design.

And I am thrilled that she ordered another pair this year.

She gave me a black and cream color scheme and told me to run with it. What a gift to be given free reign design wise with your favorite color scheme as your only direction. Bliss!

It was hard whittling down all of the ideas and possibilities. This is what I finally landed on. Black linen mary janes with tiny cream colored flowers. I'm so pleased with them, and thankfully so is she!

In fact, she's already put in her order for Easter shoes! My 2013 wait list is filling up so fast! So, what do you think? Perfect little shoes for meeting Santa?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Less than two years ago, I sold my first pair of shoes. In May of that year, I opened shop on Etsy. Since that time I have sold more pairs of shoes than I can remember or count. I find that incredible. When I started out, I was doubtful that people would actually want something that I made with my hands. Boy, have you proved me wrong!

A couple of weeks ago, I temporarily closed up shop for the rest of the year, planning to catch up on my wait list and focus on family traditions and gift giving. I did this last year, no problem. This year, in the two weeks I've been closed, I have received numerous e-mails asking me when I will be taking orders again. So many, that I felt the need to come up with a solution to offer. 

This left me with something of a dilemma though. Given the overwhelming and increasing demand for my shoes, I feel the need to hire a helper in the coming year. This will hopefully enable me to fill more orders a month. It will also, hopefully, enable me to not stay up sewing until 2 in the morning. But in order to hire someone and in order to cover the long hours that I spend working on these one of a kind shoes and designs, I need to raise my pricing.  

Along with that, I have experienced a problem with people asking to be on my wait list, and when I get to them, I either never hear from them again, or they politely tell me they have changed their minds. I have had to turn customers away based on my wait list, only to find that I could have taken the order. That's very frustrating. So, in order to address this, I have a new policy. In order to secure a place on the wait list, a customer will now need to place a $10 non-refundable deposit per pair of shoes ordered. The deposit will go towards the purchase price. And payment in full, as before, will be due before work begins on the shoes.

With raising my prices, I will be offering returning customers a 15% off discount as a way of saying "Thank you so much for supporting me and helping me grow this hobby into an actual business, you are the best!" This offer is good for orders placed through March. Just contact me to place your order, or order a wait list deposit listing and the discount will be applied to the custom listing I send you for the rest of the payment. Unfortunately, I can not extend this discount to gift certificates because of the way that shipping is included in the price of them. 

And speaking of gift certificates, they are now in my shop and ready for the holiday season. There are two amounts available, $55 for baby and child size shoes and $85 for women's sizes. Not only are you giving them the gift of custom designed handmade shoes, but they get the gift of being a part of the design process from start to finish. How fun!

 If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. I thank you again so much for helping me get to this amazing place! I am humbled beyond words.

Another California Gifting

I have gifted shoes to a handful of celebrities. This week I will be shipping another gift of shoes to someone fabulous out in California. Di isn't a celeb in the regular sense of the word, but I have, since I started this business, wanted to use it to bless people who really deserve to be blessed. Normally, I wouldn't mention anything about it, not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing and all that. But, I want you  to know about this amazing woman and her beautiful family, and hopefully be inspired by them. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce you to her.

I met Di years ago when she and her husband moved from Ohio to our little neighborhood. They moved in a few houses down from some good friends, and we all had dinner together and got to know each other better. Di is this fantastic raven haired beautiful woman, married to a very loud almost equally as awesome red haired man. And they were just fun and fascinating people to get to know, all on their own.

But, we met them shortly before their lives were about to forever change. They had been trying for years to have children. When they moved they went through the foster to adopt program, and shortly after we met them they got a phone call offering them, not the one or two children they had signed on for but a sibling set of three, ages 18 months, 3 and 5. Two boys and a girl. They had a very tiny window of time in which to answer the question, "Will we take these kids in, or will we not?" They made the decision that would change the lives of 5 people forever.

Imagine going from having no children to having three of them overnight. Imagine that they are not sweet little innocent and mostly quiet babies, but rather three growing, loud and nearly wild children, who have their whole lives been taught not to trust anyone. Who have been neglected and abused and removed from homes not once, not twice, but three times. Di and JR were overwhelmed, yes, BUT determined to be the ones who CHOSE to love those kids and keep them safe. I watched in amazement as they began to get to know their kids, to find their footing as parents, to fight FOR the kids that they were given. To show them over and over, we are not going anywhere. We will not abandon you. We will not hurt you. And we will not let others hurt you. In short, to teach them the love of God lived out on a daily basis.

It has been a long and incredible journey for this family. They moved to California years ago, and nearly broke my heart. I miss them and their transparent honesty in my life so much. I miss each one of their kids and their distinct and amazing personalities. They each have so much to over come. But, when you see how far they have come. It's a testament to the love of God and faithful hearts. The barriers that have come down around these little hearts. The freedom they walk in compared to what they knew before. It's just so beautiful. It's not perfect, and it's not finished, but it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life. Because the best kind of beauty is hard fought and covered with the marks of imperfection.

My husband and I went through the foster to adopt program. It's hard. It's hard to hear what children sometimes go through. Hard to search yourself and decide whether you have it in you to be what these children need. We ended up getting pregnant before we made it through the program. But, watching the crazy and wonderful Mahon clan, I know how terrifying and beautiful it can be to take in and adopt a foster child. It's still something we're praying about for the future.

So, anyway, Di ordered a pair of shoes from me. We went through the process, and she chose a blue green floral fabric. It was one of those pairs of shoes that I start on somewhat blindly. I didn't really know what I was going to do for a flower, since Di isn't a bow person. (Had I had my way, a navy bow would be sitting on those shoes.) But, it was one of those pairs of shoes that I enjoy so much, because as I meander down the creative process with them, a vision starts to form and I end up happier with the result than I ever would have imagined.

The flowers ended up like little navy pansies, which happen to be one of Di's favorite flowers. I love them bunched up in a little bouquet. And when I was digging through my beads trying to find beads for the center, I found perfect little turquoise ones.

 

So soon they will be winging their way to California. And I hope that the will bless Di a fraction of how much knowing her has blessed my life. I love you, Di!