Oh My Gosh...

I know I've already gone on and on about how much I love feedback. But I can't say enough. Last night...just before I was ready to turn in...I was shutting down the computer and before I closed out my apronsgonewild.etsy.com web site, I checked my feedback. I could tell by the count, that there was a new one. When I opened it and read the text, I actually giggled. Yes...all by myself, sitting in the living room, I giggled. It was the cutest, most adorable comment I've received so far on my Aprons Gone Wild online shop. A customer had purchased one of my handsewn halter tops, fashioned in Amy Butler's Gothic Rose fabric...which is really pretty (pictured here). I had added some beading and a special touch at the back...a bit of fabric "body art."


It's difficult to gauge how a blouse or apron will fit a customer. Each body type is so different. To think that this halter top went to someone whom it fit pefectly and who absolutely loved it, was such a "high" for me that I can't even begin to describe it. Needless to day, I retired to bed with a smile on my face.


Although I am reluctant to be repetitive, I still can't say enough about feedback. Everyone should be effusive with feedback...to one another...to people who do jobs for you...to your children...to your spouse...to your childrens' teachers...to people who just make your life better in small ways. Feedback fuels the energy that makes things happen. It's the most amazing thing. And it doesn't cost a cent! Give feedback!! And, lots of it!!
Check us out at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com

BUSY, BUSY......

Oh, my...busy days. Lots of sunshine here and lots of items on my plate. Shipped several orders this past week which means one thing....I need to sew, sew, sew to beef up my stock. Aprons Gone Wild will not function without lots of neat items for buyers to look at and...hopefully... purchase. I have two aprons on the hooks ready to be photographed as I write this. One is a pretty blue and white print, and the other is a mauve print with contrasting trim and the prettiest buttons I've seen in a long time. Sweet. On the ironing board is a partially constructed blue batik with denim trim. I'll finish that up today in between washing the windows and screens watering the patio plants and hopefully getting a little sun on my face. The apron pictured here is named, "Miss Modern Mauve." After photographing it, I decided to add beading to the trim on the bodice and pocket edge. It now has that little extra "touch."

We're expecting company at the end of next week. Daughter from Vermont and daughter & family from Ohio. So excited to see them and have them here in sunny Florida, even if only for one week. Although their dad is still hobbling around with a back problem, he's excited about their arrival as well. We are all beach bums so a great vacation to us is just sitting on the beach, listening to the waves, talking a blue streak and dozing off now and then. We're very easy to please!

We've been treated to two space launches since we've been here. Last week the shuttle took off right over our heads. It was spectacular. It's still a big deal for folks here on the Space Coast...to see a launch. The absolute awesomeness of the thing never gets old. The beaches are always packed before a launch...folks with portable radios listening to the countdown, sharing the numbers with those close by. And...all at once every neck is craned upward, moving in synchronized form as we watch the bright light in the sky move over the ocean and out of sight. Wow.

Back to the sewing machine and the ironing board. Aprons Gone Wild needs stock!

Check us out at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

Home truly is where the heart is....

We have a screen saver program that continually rotates pictures from our computer picture files. It's great in many ways because we are treated regularly to pictures of our grandchildren and other memorabilia that bring a smile to our faces whenever we pass by the computer. However, we also have rotating photos of our newly remodeled kitchen back home on Cape Cod. Whenever I see them, I long for the crisp new paint and the extra tall dishwasher that are part of the remodel. Our new garbage drawer pulls out right under the counter area where I do most of my prep work when cooking. I just slide or wipe the counter clean right into the garbage can beneath me. It also has a space behind the garbage for a recycle bin. Makes things even easier yet. Then there's the enormous country sink. It's so deep and so wide that I can actually soak a cookie sheet in it. And the beautiful black faucet that goes with it functions so easily and smoothly.
The open shelving is right up my alley. Just a quick reach and you've got whatever plate, bowl, or glass you want. No opening and closing cabinets. (And, best of all...no cabinet doors left open!) I enjoy looking at our mustard colored dishes and bowls that are in plain sight and...although I don't have much...the yelloware pieces I've collected make me happy. Why put them behind doors? Our ancestors had it right. Open shelving works best. At least for me.

The renovation of our old house kitchen was an enormous task as you can see by the "before" pictures. Hubby did it entirely by himself and it took forever. But the end result was well worth the wait.

And so, whenever that screen saver program pops up a photo of our kitchen back home, I pause and smile and think about how much I enjoy just looking at it as well as being in it. Not to take away from our sweet little place here in Florida. It's lovely and we truly enjoy it. But that old house back home on Cape Cod, with its new kitchen toys, is where my heart is.

Fantasy Girl...

Seems like a lot has happened since I last wrote a post. Hubby hurt his back and we spent most of last week running around to doctors. There's a medical facility of some sort on every corner here in Florida. The health of an aging population seems to be a lucrative business. All things medical appear to work well and efficiently.

I did manage to get a new top made over the weekend. I really like this one. It's light and frilly and oh, so pretty. I named it Fantasy Girl. I'm not sure why...it's just the name that came into my head when I looked at it all finished on the mannequin, ready to be photographed. You can check out the details of Fantasy Girl on my etsy online shop at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com

I've just cut a pretty mauve paisley fabric for a full apron. I had a hard time choosing from all the colors and prints in my stock for this one. That big pile of fabric in the corner gets my juices running just looking at it. Some women get excited about clothes...some about shoes or about jewelry. But...I get excited about fabric. To be able to create things out of beautiful fabrics and have people like them and buy them is a fantasy fulfilled. I guess that makes me the actual "real life" Fantasy Girl.

Feedback....
I love feedback. On my etsy online shop, feedback from buyers lets me know if my designs are being well received. On my apronsgonewild blog, feedback in the form of comments, or the traffic feed lets me know if anyone is reading what I write. Feedback is good. It's like a paycheck. When it's complimentary, the check is big. When it's not...well...you can guess. So far, the feedback on my etsy online shop has been all good. But, I still worry, each and every time I ship out an order. People can be very particular sometimes. What one person might love, another might not even like. Clothing of any kind is usually quite specific to the user. Even an apron can be a fashion statement for some folks. And there's an even bigger chance that the peasant tops and halter tops I make might not fit right or be what the buyer had imagined. So, I always worry whenever I ship an order. I nervously wait for the feedback.

So far, my etsy shop feedback has been 100% positive. Last week, I shipped out an adorable lady's apron and a hunky men's apron to the same buyer. It was a big purchase and I wondered how the buyer would feel when she saw the items in person....not just on the computer screen. Turns out, I needn't have worried at all. The buyer's feedback comments were above and beyond what I could have hoped. Matter of fact, she wrote that the lady's "Love Me Tender" apron would be passed down as a family heirloom! Imagine that? And she added that her husband was newly inspired and exceptionally handsome in his "Hot Chocolate For Men" apron. Ah...I love feedback.

Spent this past weekend working on two new blouses for my etsy shop. One is a semi-sheer peasant top I've named "Espresso Latte" because it's a beautiful, rich dark brown with silvery white flowers that just have a hint of color. There's a matching fabric rosette on one side of the neckline. The other is a halter top in Michael Miller's carnival print...a fabric that was suggested by a customer. The latter is not a fabric I would have chosen myself, but now that the top is finished, I rather like it. I wonder what the feedback will be on these two?

Check them out at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/