thankful

This year I am very thankful.

I hope you are too.

Above is a sneak peek of a new platter, be sure you are on my e-mail list, I will be starting my holiday specials on Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo, Linda

monday, gearing up for the holidays

Monday, and thanksgiving week, oh my! How did it get to be nearly the end of November? Can you tell I'm running in place these days? Well, it feels like that. I've been trying to do a huge shop update for the past week, all while trying to get the last HUGE batch of work, drawn, glazed and bisqued. I have a ton of one of a kind work as well as some favorite patterns in the makings and this will definitely be the LAST batch for 2009. So what am I making? Well, your favorite items of course! Tea cups, platters, vases and ornaments. The platters are taking their good old time drying out so the kiln is slowly being filled. I estimate I have about 6 firings to go before it is all done. For now though, my etsy shop is open and I am shipping quite quickly. In fact I've been up since 6am packing up orders to go out today. I am liking the new ready to ship format and just might stick to it for quite some time. While it is nice to have a stack of orders to make, it can make life a little stressful when things go wrong or run longer than estimated. So while my shelves are slowly being stocked, I am also preparing for Holiday Heap on December 5th, which is my only craft show this holiday season.

In baby news! We are painting her room this week and the crib should be here today!!!

'tis all for this monday morning...

sneaking up

Time keeps sneaking up on me but somehow I've managed to get all of my store orders out in time for holiday shopping (list coming) and I am now caught up on web orders, all I can say about that is ahhhh! I do have a special something that will be going to Art Star next week, I'll share more on that then! So now that the holiday making is a bit insane in the studio, please bare with me as I photograph and upload the new work to my shop. I've had quite a bit going on outside of my little flower world and this year I've scaled back in a big way, my new medium project I mentioned in a previous post just might have to put off until the spring as I no longer have the space to produce it, ah, priorities! But, rest assured, I am still up and running!

preparing

Before the clay becomes anything, it first must be prepped. This involves cutting it up and weighing it out, then balling it up for throwing or rolling out for the hand built pieces. Yesterday was a huge prepping day, above is a glance at where this happens. My wedging table, it took me a few hours to prep a few days worth of clay. I also wrote up my production schedule for the rest of the year and found that this will be my last big throwing week before the holidays, that is unless I somehow get a surge of energy. I'm down to working about 8 hours a day in the studio and maybe 2 hours of biz stuff. I am also caught up, after getting behind, then being super sick, it is so nice to have a moment to breath and not have late orders hanging over my head. So what will I be making? So far it will be the most popular items; cups, vases and platters. And although a little late, there will be ornaments this year. I've mentioned a new medium, oh yes, I do have something new in the works which I'm hoping to reveal in the upcoming weeks. It's taking me a little longer than I thought to finalize things as time has not been on my side. And time has put the clay items first since they need time to dry out. But it's going to be so good!

I'm off to work, work, work. Just me with a cute beagle-ish girl following me around and a baby kicking up a storm in my belly!

sharing!

• the kiln is on
• orders are being packed
• taking a break to share
• won't you become a fan on facebook!!!
• and read my getting ready for baby blog
• lots of things happening
• feeling a whole lot better (but told to not push it)
• things are looking brighter

ahhh!
xo, Linda

my etsy soft launch

Hello! I'm feeling a little better today and decided to take stock of my Little Flower world. Today is the day I am shifting my online sales to etsy only. This is a little scarey for me because my website is my baby, I built it, run it and sell the bulk of my wares through it. But because I do not have inventory control, and I can no longer take on made to order work, or risk my site going wild with sales (it happens!) I am migrating to etsy! The shop is lightly stocked with my wares but look out! I have many wonderful items to add in the coming weeks and throughout the holiday season. Feel free to take a look, shop, or save me to your favorites ( I love hearts - that's etsy talk!) And be sure you are signed up for my e-mail list as I plan to run a special or 2 for the holiday's. xo, Linda

Etsy Buy Handmade littleflowerdesigns

An Exhibition!

One and Only: Gifts Made By Hand

Oct. 25, 2009 – Jan. 17, 2010

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Sheboygan, WI

This year I was invited to submit work to a lovely show all the way in Wisconsin!
From today until January 17th, 2010 you can shop for my wares as well as the wares of some fabulous makers at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

sickly lady and catching up

I'm one sickly lady, but I think, and hope it will be over soon. A virus got me good. I'm hoping that next week I will be working again. Maybe I can rope my mr. into packing orders this weekend? We'll see. I would have hired someone to pack, ship and run errands but being contagious ruined that idea. So I'll work to get the orders out and that last load of overdue wares fired and out the door before the calendar sais November. If I missed anyone that is waiting on their wares when I e-mailed, please forgive me, I truly am sick and it was a daunting task.

With all this in mind, the holiday season should be interesting. I'll be streamlining my line and offering only ready to ship items. So if there is something on my site that you've been eyeing up for the holidays, please order it now. I will be sending out a note to my e-mail list to let everyone know. And with that a cut off date. I already stopped accepting orders from stores. And made to order for the holidays will soon come to an end. Also, please don't hate me, I will not be accepting custom orders. But on the upside, I do have a few new items to debut and a new medium!

Please stay well! It's going to be one tough winter with all the flu's, viruses and other germy problems. xo, Linda

so close, so sick, running my own business

I'm not sure how it got me but I'm sick. It just took me 3 hours to pack 14 pots to go to one location. Sweating, sickly, it had to go out today, well actually a few days ago but I've been so sick. Running my own business is something I LOVE to do. I love having orders to fill, there's nothing more rewarding than shipping the pots off to their new home. I know my customers are not only supporting me, they love my work and that is the greatest feeling. So when things leave late - it kills me. There is no way to put being under the weather into a production schedule. And because I work alone, it's a total shut down. No making, no firing, no packing, no shipping. I should really have a backup plan but how do I even go about forming one when everything is about what I am personally making? There is no way to plan for life events so while I would love to just curl up and take a nap, it's hard when so much needs to be done. My original plan was to work up until the baby comes but now having a horrible virus, I'm humbled. I'm also worn out. I know this is just a part of running my biz and that it won't always be positive. It's just so hard to be behind, then get sick and feel like I'll never get through this when I am so very close. The good news is that I do feel like I am on the upside of this virus, I'm past the I think I might die phase and now feel like maybe another day or 2 of rest and I can slowly get back to work. Apparently that thinking didn't work out too well today but one day soon it will. Please be patient with me, nearly all orders are ready to ship and if things work out, they will be on their merry way by the end of this week, but for now, it's nap time.

one holiday, one show!

This just in! I was just accepted to be a part of the Holiday Heap show!! This is my favorite show and I would have been so sad if I didn't get in. It is also the only show I applied to this year both because I will be huge and because I just can't imagine not doing this show. It is my favorite show to shop and the friendly Charm City Craft Mafia are pro's at putting on a great event. So watch out Baltimore, I've got quite a bit up my sleeve for you!