Katie Orse

Getting down to business

 

Got my cute shipment of Washi tapes in the mail yesterday! Happy Dance!

: : :

There's a lot of things going on behind the scenes too. So much to do and so little time. Here's my list:

 

1. Finish painting my studio craft table

2. Marketing follow-ups

3. Finish the last batch of sewing samples

4. Write an introduction media sheet

5. Photography session

6. Edit, edit, edit ebook

7. Find storage solutions for craft table

8. Project Life

9. Paint/Journal

10. Laundry

 

Really no particular order, but I guess I should prioritize them. Right now my list of items is just off my brain!

 

Updates + more

I've been waiting for a few days to update everyone that I've moved my store from ETSY to ----> Bigcartel...once again. But this time it looks to be permanent and ♥♥♥ at last.

 

 

  

And my goodness...I had a great deal of anguish over the thought of moving away from Etsy. I love the community feeling of it, but my sales were so much better at Bigcartel. We do much better marketing on our own v.s. having my business appear in the Etsy search engines. Possibly because there are too many distractions from other sellers on Etsy.

I spent a lot of time researching and comparing my numbers, and really feel that this is going to be better for the future. I don't know about you, but I much prefer a website look to my shop v.s. a generic shop that pretty much looks like every other seller, except for the change in banner. 

So, I'll be at Bigcartel and yes, expect to see some design changes with my shop format. I absolutely love that I can add codes to liven up my shop...on my own terms. 

I can't wait to share with you my new Spring/Summer 2012 release soon! It will be in the new Bigcartel shop and with a discount code to start off the celebration.

Be sure to join my community at Facebook or Twitter so you can get a first glimpse of my release.

Thank you for your support! 

Handmade Hugs,

 

NEW Fall 2011 Products available + Discount!

I'm excited to share this with you!

Please visit my Shop here and check out the newest products

I'm unveiling today! There's a lot more, so hop over & see.

But that's not all I'm sharing...

All my Facebook friends will receive

an exclusive 20% OFF their ENTIRE purchase

this weekend ONLY! {Discount ends Sunday, Oct.2nd/Midnight.}

You can join my Facebook here for the discount code.

Share this post with your friends!

My Swatch Book

Project organization in my studio begins now! Lately I've been frustrated with myself for forgetting which fabric is what and where I purchased it. Usually I have swatches organized in a section of my business binder, but that system was lacking.

So I'm trying something new here. Found some pretty fabric scraps and canvas backing. I made a nice 6x9 swatch book and stitched cardstock right onto the fabric. Yes, I know, I stitched right on it. I think next time I may use grommets or eyelets so I can refill the cardstock. But for now I'm playing to see if this system will work. 

Now to get all my fabrics cut and labeled. 

Wish me luck!

If you sew, what have you used for organizing swatches?

A Husband + A Wife = Home Business

So, this clever guy is my husband, Paul. He is working on his Ph.D. Which means he's often sitting at his desk writing papers. I really love him and even though he is working hard to finish his degree, he puts in his time towards the kids as well as spend time with me. That's not easy!

I'm in LOVE...

 When he's not studying, he's taking the kids out for some movie time fun, helping them with their projects, and other things. Our date nights are special and this week he mentioned taking me to the beach at sunset. I often wonder how blessed I am to have met him. But that's not all I wanted to share. This guy helps me with my business. He is clever with designing things and is helping me with the Summer Edition in the shop. I know my business has my name on it, but it's actually OUR business. 

He can sew!

The picture below is Paul helping me sew. Yes, he knows how to sew and use a sewing machine. Better than me! All of our kids actually do too. We made it a fun effort to teach them. My 14 year old son will sew his own scouting badges and it's a neat feeling to see him do that.  

Back to what I was trying to say. I wanted to share with you that our home business is made from love, from two loving people...a husband and wife team. Each item created is made from love and if there's any issue or concerns, please feel free to let us know. Don't hesitate. We want you to be happy. 

We love receiving your feedback and would love to share them on our website! So drop us an email to customerservice@katieorse.com

Hugs!!!

XO, Katie 

My Shop Update + more

Lots of new projects underway for my shop and I can't wait to share them with you. For now, here's a little sample. 

This little adorable notebook measures 4"x6" and perfect for taking along. All my notebook sleeves have natural organic batting that I personally feel gives extra durability to my books. The charm just adds a touch of whimsy that I also love! This little gem is not featured in my shop...yet, but coming REAL soon!

I'm also currently looking for outsourcing and manufacturing resources. It's a lot of work but I'm motivated and excited to see the end results. I'm coordinating with potential buyers and media marketing too. It's bringing back old-school business lessons for me. I'm learning a lot on the way and trying to be careful. So there you go! So much going on in my life. 

Busy is good, but taking breaks is even better! It helps to have a lot of chocolate and yummy desserts on hand too!

My Sewing To-Do Box

Okay, this may sound odd for some of you, but I organize my work into groups. Let me explain. When I worked as an accountant, my supervisor had me organize incoming invoices and outgoing invoices in boxes. They were basically office trays. I had two of those on my desk and every day she would walk by and toss in the company bills into my inbox. When I paid the company bills, I had to move them to the outbox and take them for data entry into our computer. Once those were entered, I filed them away. Hang in there, it gets better.

So, about a month ago, I got this idea of using those same inbox/outbox method for my sewing business. I already did it for my scrapbooking business, but it took awhile for the light to come on for sewing.

Anyways, I made an inbox for all my pre-cut fabric and batting. Ready to put together.

 

 The box I got at Target in the Itso department. They have various sizes and colors now too. You can find them in the organizing and plastic bin section at any Target. I think the white may be discontinued, but they have a clear white tray that you can use. The size is about 13x13 and perfect for my scrapbooking papers. See what I mean...why didn't I see this use for my ongoing fabric projects? 

So this is basically what  I do. I cut my fabric all at once. Then, I cut the batting to size as well, all at once. Last, I pin my fabric and batting pieces together, ready to sew. 

Once I'm finished with my notebook sleeve, I fit them into each book and place them in the outbox. This is where they wait.

When my sewing inbox is completely empty, then I move the books that were in the outbox, back to the inbox. Have I lost anyone here yet?

Now, my inbox is filled with completed notebooks and sleeves, except they are now ready for decorating and designing. That's where I begin to look at each book and go by the flow. I'll use embellishments or maybe not even a thing. But once the decorating and embellising is complete, they get moved to the outbox for final inspection and out to ship.

Sound complicated? Well, it may to you or may not, but it's a system that works for me. It actually gets my work production going because I like to see that inbox/outbox empty. 

Hopefully I'll get to share some more organizing ideas with you at a later date. Have a great weekend!

Katie

Fabric organization

 

Photo credit

I'm in love with these colors right now. I love that they are bright and cheerful colors. My other favorite color is green, and it's more like an olive green color. Very warm and relaxing. So, you can say that I pick the colors that fit my mood. One day it might be bright and cheerful, the next it might be warm and relaxed. 

Besides color, I'm also interested in organization. So far what I've been using for fabric organization is my ikea expedit shelves. I know that I'll probably run out of room. My expedit unit is storing a lot of my other craft items too. Like the scrapbooking and cardmaking items I have, plus, now that I have this sewing business, I created a section for threads, bobbins, fabric, and other useful tools that I need. 

I'm also finding out that it's really difficult to keep three areas cleaned and organized. Right now there is my computer/writing area, then scrapbooking/craft area, and finally my sewing area. The sewing seems to take up a lot of room (iron, cutting mat, sewing machines- I have two I'm currently using, and my serger. I wish I had more space in my work area, such as like the one pictured below.

 

Photo credit

 Awesome organization method that is quite frankly simple. One end of the table is computer work, the other is sewing. How's that for a possible inspiration for my next craft room? I'd love to utilize all the space I can get and fit in. Until then, I'll keep gathering my inspirational photos and dream away...

A few updates from me

I've decided to schedule a MAJOR blog overhaul. Hang in there because it's going to be a rollercoaster ride. I have found the need to really update and consolidate things online. I don't know how long it will actually take, but you'll notice the small differences here and there. 

Changes I need to make:

* Refine my passions and get them organized neatly on my blog. Right now I am thinking of a sewing and scrapbooking blog, but I am also working on my writing, so there you go...that's 3 areas.

* New graphics and header changes

* Add new shopping cart buttons, links, and more!

That's just what I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll be brainstorming & writing them all down in my business journal! So much to do.

Besides all this, I am still working my scrapbooking business. I have some club projects I need to work on. I'll be posting those first. 

Also, need your help. I really need to tackle my fabric organization. Since I'm new in the sewing business, how do you ladies who sew organize your fabrics? I really need some ideas. Feel free to share. I'd love to hear them!

 Hope everyone will have a great weekend! Talk to you later!

 

Spring Break has arrived!

It's spring break here in Florida! That means I'm taking a break from 

my blog, twitter, facebook, you name it. 

I'll be back soon with some fresh new ideas!

XOXO Katie