Good Things a Comin'

Okay, so there's no photos for this, but I'm so stinking excited I just had to post. Today I just had one of those REALLY good days in regards to my little business I'm trying grow.

I went to Joann's today to see if I could find any more of this one fabric that I'm running out of (and of course they don't have it) and as I went to get a cart to put Claire in, a woman was walking towards me with her cart (she was about to put it away). So I offered to take hers, and then she stopped me and said how much she loved my hair bow (I was wearing one of my favorite Blooms) and well, to make a long story short, it turns out she's a business owner - she started her hair accessory company about 10 years ago. She has a manufacturer, sales reps - the whole sha-bang. She was super nice, super friendly, and she actually took a couple of samples (that I miraculously had in the car) with her because she was on her way to 2 local boutiques that she had accounts with. She was adamit that my Blooms should be in boutiques and that I needed to pursue it right away, etc etc. I was SO encouraged by her words, and her kindess in wanting to help me. So after the 'Holidays' we're going to get together for coffee and discuss 'business' and she's going to allow me to pick her brain on how she's done everything, processes, etc. HOW COOL IS THAT?!??!

And now for my next cool thing...

So I got into this HUGE show this coming spring - crazy how it happened, supposedly an 'invite only' type thing but I got in. Well, they're going to have Celebrity Gift Baskets and guess who get's to be in it! YES, little ol' me! Or should I say, Little Lesiw. Of course I had to pay to be put in, but the competition to be represented is pretty fierce. Again, I was super encouraged by the company that heads up the baskets because they really liked my Blooms as well. One of the owners was telling me that I needed to take my Blooms to BIG retailers, and that I just need to do it, even though it seems hard. So it's been a real boost to see that my Blooms are starting to gather some interest, and people in the 'industry' think that I have potential.

Oh, and Jennifer Gardner will be getting some Blooms in January - SUPER FUN!

Christmas Cards

You know, every year I'm late getting my cards out, and I always think 'Next year I'm going to send them out at the beginning of December...' Well, here we are, almost the middle of December and I just got our pictures done. Oh well. My friend Bree has been my photographer for Little Lesiw and I just adore her work. (visit her website/blog at: breehesterphotography.com) She has been so gracious and kind to put up with my emails that basically say, 'are you available in a couple of days?'.. 'wait, can't do it.. can you do it in a few more days?'... 'wait, can't do that either.'

Anyway, the 3 of us drove to down to her house after dinner the other night and had our own mini photoshoot. I have to say, a 20 month old isn't the easiest thing to take a photo with!

And of course it never fails that each photo you look at usually high-lights one person and the others look bad... but I think we finally settled on one. Here was this year's 'runner up'. I'll probably frame this as a 'family photo' - and the fact that Claire isn't smiling is kind of her 'trademark'. One of these days I'll teach that girl to smile on cue....

The Lesiw Family
(and yes, we really are that good looking in person)

This is why my parents are cool...

So for 5 weekends now, my mom and dad have graciously watched Claire while Bob and I go sell our wares in our Booth in Apple Hill. This past weekend, was our last weekend for the season, and while I'm so glad to have a break and get my life back to 'normal', I'm definitely going to miss it (and my mom's cooking).

This past weekend, was also Sara's birthday weekend, so my parents decided to watch Gwen, Kennedy and Ty as well. So it was full house. There were many fun activities going on, and like always, Claire did not care in the SLIGHTEST if we were gone, or there, because she was so busy with the kids and 'Dean' and 'B'. (Grampa Dean has been shortened to just 'Dean', and Grandma Buzz is now 'B' - I told mom it sounds like she has a new hip-hop name).

One of the funniest/coolest things that Mom and Dad did with the kids, is Mom made 'Gingerbread Men' out of cake (they were these cute mini sized) and Gwen decorated them. They turned out REALLY good, and Kennedy decorated Christmas Trees - also good (but not related to this story). Later that night, my Dad took all the kids and read the story of 'The Little Gingerbread Man' - I'm thinking this is one of the stories that they ALWAYS read with my parents - the kids dig this story. Well, afterwards, Mom takes all four kids, and walks them out the front door, down the steps, and starts to lead them down the dark driveway. Ty gets a bit freaked out, but they're not walking for long...

Meanwhile, Dad takes a tray of the 'Gingerbread Men' and goes out the back door. He then hides behind the cars and waits for Mom and the kids to get ALMOST half way down the driveway. Then he starts yelling out how he's run away from a little old lady and a little old man, a fox, (and all the rest of the things G-man has run away from) and he can run away from them too, (he can, he can). Then Dad takes off running towards the garage. He is then quickly followed by Gwen running full speed ahead - Kennedy and Ty - pretty much neck and neck - and followed up with 'B' running and carrying Claire (who has a HUGE smile on her face). Once they get to the garage, each kid gets to take their 'Gingerbread Man' and eat him how ever they want. I think Kennedy ate the head off first.. but I can't quite remember.

Anyway, it's stuff like this that makes me REALLY appreciate my Mom and Dad, and how they're willing to do some of the silliest stuff for the sake of their grandkids. But honestly, it wasn't that silly, it was actually super cool, and I think all the grandkids will agree that these two Grandparents are really quite awesome.

Thanks Mom & Dad - I love you!

Seriously... a month has gone by?!

So it's kind of hard to believe that I'm writing almost a month after my last post. I guess time really does fly by when you're having fun. Okay, so our life isn't all peachy-keen all the time, but we've had some good times in the past 30 days.

Claire is going to gymnastics (can't remember if I mentioned that or not) and she really enjoys it. They basically do a bunch of obstacle courses, but it gets her energy out and she's learning how to jump. Well... kind of.

We also did our annual 'Moms group goes to the Pumpkin Patch' (okay - so it's only the 2nd time, but it IS going to be a tradition). I got some fun photos, and brought home some sweet tastey treats.

For Halloween I completely failed in doing my dream costume for Claire. I was going to make her 'McDonalds French Fries' but amazingly, it takes far more time to cut foam (thanks Dad) and cover it with felt and cut out a box and cover THAT with felt and attach ribbon for 'straps', than one would imagine. So the night before I rummage through the hall closet and find the spider costume that Claire wore last year. It wasn't TOO dirty, and all I had to buy was a black long sleeved shirt. So that was cool.

Anyway, other than that, nothing much else is going on. Apple Hill is in the final stretch (our last weekend is in 2 weeks) and then I'll be able to relax a little. I'll be doing a super small Christmas craft show to get rid of excess stock, and then once January hits, I'll be in full factory swing again. I got into a huge show in LA, but I'll comment more on that later.

Until next time, here are some photos that will hopefully make you smile.

Halloween - just before trick or treating starts

'Nice Monkey costume. I think it's totally realistic!'

Claire has become a big fan of NOT holding hands when walking down the street.

This girl loves her some lollipops (or 'pops' as she calls them)

Enjoying some treats sans costume (whatcha thinking there Gwen?)

This is how Claire looked half the time we were in the hay jumping area at the pumpkin patch

This is how she looked for the other half

Claire and her friend Matea walking through the Corn Maze

I said, 'Wave hi to daddy!' and this is what we got.

So we've been a little M.I.A. lately...

I can't believe how fast time goes by. But then again, when you're trying to sew and glue things every waking moment, you do sort of lose track of time.

So Apple Hill is in full swing and we've now entered the 'red zone' as it is referred to. (meaning, we've hit peak season) Things have progressively gotten better as the weeks have gone by and I really think we're getting the hang of it. I now know that I should start stocking my inventory in January vs. August, and that you can't go wrong with pink and brown, and moms think anything 'white' will get dirty too fast. Oh yeah, and 'tweens' seem to think my bows are the coolest thing.

Another 'learning lesson' I've had, is that I should have swallowed my pride and took a photo of my booth the first day we were there. IT WAS HORRIBLE. Seriously - like, 'did-you-find-your-stuff-in-a-dumpster' horrible. Okay, so maybe not THAT bad, but it looked pretty darn cheesy. Now, I am happy to say that our table cloths actually cover the tables and hang to the ground, the large photos are printed on a heavy cardstock/board thing (and aren't tied to the tent), and my 'signage' has my logo on it (rather than being paper and cardstock glued together). Fred - the guy in charge of everything was really happy with it this past weekend (I think he felt a bit sorry for me that first day).

Something else that is super fun about Apple Hill is the 'community' of fellow crafters and vendors. I'm serious - I think I look forward to seeing them just as much as I look forward to selling stuff. If we have a little break, or we take a restroom run, Bob and I will take turns making the rounds, and checking in with everyone. A few of our favorites are: Mary - she makes pillow cases that look like big stuffed animals (Claire LOVES her monkey pillow), Lila - she makes little people out of polymer clay, Mike & Molly - Molly makes beautiful jewerly out of some kind of glass. It's not really my style, but I SOOO appreciate it for other people and I respect the work and talent that goes into it. Plus -they're just a super cool couple. Francie - she's not really a crafter, but she works Lynn's booth (who does clever 'sayings' enhanced with cartoonish drawings). Gene does the 'whirlys' - he cuts out various animal shapes from wood and adds these spinner things that go crazy in the wind. And our newest friend Jerome - he's super quiet, but one of the nicest guys you've ever met. I'm sure he has a million and one interesting stories that he could share - so hopefully we'll be able to talk to him more in our next few trips up there. He does pictures on canvas (mom has one of Bodie). Oh, and how can I forget Stephanie! She does 'themed' picture frames, and she also informed me that October is 'off the chain'.

Anyway, it's a great time, there's great food, and obviously the greatest company.


Now onto another sales pitch:

I had a mom come to my booth with her daughter and she saw my red Bloom and said, 'hey look, it's like Kai-lan!'. (I noticed that comment for two reasons: 1) that particular Bloom is not the right shape as Kai-lan's, so she was slightly mistaken and 2) she was 'white' and her daughter was 'white'. I didn't know that people other than Asians embraced the little Chinese Dora - so kudos to her!)

So in honor of the show 'Ni hao, Kai-lan' - I now bring to you, 'Kai-lan inspired Blooms'.

Shameless Plug

Okay, so I think the majority of you guys know that I started a small hair accessory company called 'Little Lesiw'. And yes, it's where we make 'a little bit of flair for your hair'. My business has grown from word of mouth and I'm pretty happy with how things are going. A few months or so ago I launched my 'Bloom Collection' and I've had great feedback on it. Since my first customers were all friends and family, I thought that I'd run a little 'promotion' for you all. So for anyone who read my blog, I'm offering a free solid color Bloom with any purchase of $15 or more from now through Oct. 15th. You can go to: littlelesiw.etsy.com to see all the products I have for sale. (make sure you watch your spelling - it can be a tough one!) Also, I offer free 1st Class shipping - can't beat that, right?! These Blooms normally retail for $12 each - so you can take comfort in knowing that I think our 'relationship' is worth a ten spot and 2 things off of McDonald's Value Menu.

Also, I honestly don't care if you pass this 'deal' off to your friends who DON'T read my blog. You can give them the 'Cliff Notes' version and just say, 'when you make your purchase, leave a note to seller saying you want the Blog Special - and say what color you want'. It saves them time from having to read all this, and you kind of come off as the hero for knowing about a 'secret deal' and letting them in on it.

So I have the colors listed below. And seriously - just leave a note to seller when making your puchase and say you want the 'Blog Special' and say what color you want. I think my Blooms are pretty darn cute and I just want you all to look pretty darn cute as well.

Oh yeah, they're not just for kids. I wear one every day - and it's not just because I make them. Okay, so it's KIND OF because I make them, but I have people - ADULTS - stop me almost daily and ask where I got them. I can HONESTLY say I've never had a 3 year old stop and ask me where I got my Bloom. So there you go.

Hot Pink, Bubble Gum Pink, Light Pink, Yellow, White

Royal Purple, Purple, Lavendar, Light Porcelain Blue, Dark Porcelain Blue

Black, Orange, Red, Green, Brown

Wow. Was that SUPER FUN or what?!?!

Tonight (or rather, late afternoon) I went to see 'Mama Mia' at the movies with Colleen and Sara. I've been talking about this movie with Sara for some time (okay, so maybe a couple of weeks, give or take) and I've really wanted her to see it. She's not an 'Abba' fan, but I told her she didn't have to be to like the movie. It's just a fun movie that puts you in a really good mood when you walk out the door.

So after a few different 'tries', I finally get her to go - to which I'm also nervous that now I've hyped the movie up too much so then she'll be disappointed (which has happened before ). It was weird because we had looked up movie times and kept getting different times, so it was a bit confusing. But we ended up making it to a show only 10 minutes late - and about 5 minutes into the movie.

And to our surprise upon arrival, we discover that when a movie has an 'SI' after it, it means it's the SING ALONG VERSION!!!

NO JOKE! So Sara ended up really enjoying it (I won't be surprised if she posts something on her blog) but I think it had mostly to do with the group of senior citizens that were sitting next her who were singing along THE ENTIRE TIME (and yes, there were MEN in that group!)

Honestly - when you 'got over' the whole 'I feel stupid' bit, it was SO FUN to be able to actually belt out the songs you knew. So the plan is that we MUST go again (after downloading the soundtrack and learning every word as quickly as possible) and we have to have a HUGE group of girls (sorry boys - you gotta sit this one out!).

We've already been making a list of who we think would want to join in - so are there any other volunteers out there ready to have a good time?!