Christmas in July

Mini stockings: white, red
Pillow covers: top, middle, bottom

I don't talk about it much on the blog, but I still have an Etsy shop filled with lovely Marimekko pillow covers. Around Christmas, I also stock mini Christmas stockings. Since it's currently Christmas in July, I thought I would bring back the mini stockings and have a sale! You can get 20% off through Sunday July 27 using the coupon code "CHRISTMASINJULY20"

Ho ho ho!
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A Great (Woman's) Day!

Pop quiz: What do Paula Deen and I have in common?

We're both in the February 2013 issue of Woman's Day!!! And by we, I mean Paula and one of my pillow covers....eeeek!

I was contacted by a Woman's Day editor in November 2012 about the possibility of including one of my pillow covers in the February 2013 issue. I never heard one way or the other if my pillow cover would be included in the magazine.

Flash forward to this past week. I saw the February 2013 issue on the newsstand and I decided to take a quick flip through it to see if I was included. There has been an uptick in traffic in my shop, so thought it was a possibility.

Lo and behold, what do I see staring back at me in the table of contents? See that polka dotted beauty? That's my pillow cover!!!

After a quick flip to page 42, I see the perfect feature for my pillow cover:

Bedroom fixups under $50 by Shawn Gauthier. Is that fiscally chic or what?

Tip #1 is to "liven up linens" by swapping in a colorful toss pillow or throw blanket. And page 44 includes one of my pillow covers (!!!) next to the likes of West Elm, Ikea, and PB Teen. Please pinch me now.

John and I promptly high-fived in the gas station in central Illinois and purchased the magazine. The lady working the cash register was only mildly impressed, if at all.

Thanks again to Woman's Day for including my Marimekko pillow cover in this feature!

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A June Weekend Update

Hi, there! Did you have a relaxing weekend? Mine was part busy and part relaxing. Busy since I was sewing lots of pillow covers! My green ombre pillow cover was featured in an Etsy Finds email last week, so there were orders to fill and inventory to replenish. Especially because I'm having a giveaway on Jillian's blog, Cornflake Dreams! Please swing by for all the details!

As for relaxing, we tried a few new beers. One being New Beligium's Tart Lychee sour beer as part of their Lips of Faith series. Some of my favorite things about craft beer are the bottles and labels. And the Lips of Faith beers don't let me down. Even better that their beers are tasty. This one was a little sweet, a little sour, and had a hint of cinnamon at the end.

In the effort to keep a semi-clean house (I'm not Martha Stewart or minimalist), I keep a bag in my closet for donations. I don't have a strict one-in-one-out policy, but when I'm looking for something in my closet or dresser, I might find something I don't wear anymore. My bag was pretty full, so I asked John if there was anything else he wanted to give away. Between some of his items and a few other randoms from around the house, I donated two full bags to Goodwill. Hello, tax deduction!

Finally, I was feeling a little crafty on Sunday. But you'll have to wait for the details until next time ;)

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More Etsy Awesome Sauce-ness

Hi friends! Do you mind if I toot my own horn for a hot little minute? I know this blog is way to share informative and entertaining things with you, but it's also a way for me to remember things.

You see, over the weekend, a buyer from Canada purchased three of my 18x18 in. Marimekko green ombre pillow covers. Just like this guy:

That in and of itself is pretty cool. What's even better is how the buyer found me. He sent me this note:

You may be interested to know that I became aware of your Marimekko ombre green pillow covers in a feature in our national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. The Saturday edition includes a Style section.

The pillow covers are going to complement a very large piece of glass, a bowl by Canadian glass artist, Mariel Waddell. 

Wait....what?!?! My pillow cover was featured in one of the largest newspapers in Canada???

After a quick search I found it.

The Globe and Mail's story about adding a dash of ombre to your home.

Do you see it? It's my pillow cover!!

Since the story didn't list my shop specifically, and I'm in Chicago, I probably wouldn't have learned about the feature unless somebody had told me.

I'm OK with that. I'm growing my business slowly and organically. If I had a huge rush in sales, I would be busy out of my mind. I'd rather have a balance between my personal and business life, especially since I have a full time job.

A feature like this is the cherry on top of a job well done :)
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Fun Things for Friday

Hurray for Friday! My brain is looking for a break, especially after writing that epic post about blogging and taxes, so how about a little recap of what's new, what I'm loving, etc?

Budgets are Sexy shirt, navy Toms, Loft striped sweater jacket, Gap jeans

First up is something that's at the top of my birthday list. So what if my birthday isn't until May 1. It gives you plenty of time to talk amongst yourselves and figure out who will get me a Budgets are Sexy's t-shirt. I'm thinking a ladies size medium in white. Or maybe pink. I'm sure you'll all figure it out. And yes, I will proudly wear this shirt as it's the epitome of fiscally chic :)

It's one of the last Fridays in Lent and this discovery couldn't come any sooner. We're loving Trader Joe's chicken-less tenders! They really do taste like chicken. And the mandarin "chicken" nuggets were perfect with stir fry veggies. Bonus points go to the dark chocolate almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar.

Remember how I was all excited that our rose plants were starting to sprout? Well, spring is definitely here! Look how big they're getting! And our oregano plant somehow managed to survive the winter, which means we've already added fresh oregano to pizza and salads.

Meet the latest addition to our homebrewing arsenal...fresh hops! We planted Cascade and Chinook hop vines and they've already started to pop up. Growing hops seems to be the cool thing to do these days as one of our favorite STL breweries, Urban Chestnut, also planted a mini hop farm this spring.

Last, but certainly not least, one of my pillow covers was on Etsy's front page on Tuesday! There was some major "happy dance" action in my cubical that day :) And don't forget you can get 10% off through 3/31/12 using coupon code LUCKY10.

What are you up to this weekend? Anything big going on? We're going to see a school musical with friends on Saturday.

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Billiken Pride

Jess LC FLEA striped earrings, SLU sweatshirt, Gap jeans, J. Crew striped ballet flats

Admittedly, I'm not a huge basketball fan. So when my alma mater, Saint Louis University, made it to the NCAA tournament this year, I was totally hopping on the bandwagon.

I swam in high school and college and that was always the same season as basketball. So the newspaper and athletic departments always favored basketball. To make matters worse, LeBron James was in high school the same time as me, and the Cleveland media looooved him!

Regardless, I'm still proud of the way the Billikens played this year. They made it to the third round of the tourney, the furthest they've been since 1998.

So what is a Billiken??

A Billiken is a symbol of good luck who represents "things as they ought to be." In the early 1900's there was a huge trend in the United States around the Billiken.

Per SLU's website, "Before [the Billiken] was Saint Louis University's mascot, he was a national sensation, a figure who was turned into dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and glass bottles. Though they look a little different in each version, Billikens always possess cheery personalities, broad smiles and rotund bellies." To buy a Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to have one given would be better luck.

One more exciting thing! This morning I reached 50 sales on Etsy! To celebrate, I'm offering 10% off all purchases through March 31, 2012. Just use coupon code LUCKY10. And don't forget that 10% of sales are being donated to the Appalachia Service Project through April 8, 2012.

Have a great weekend!

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It Takes Two to Tangerine Tango

Vera Wang Lavender Label orange snake flats, Fiscally Chic tangerine striped pillow cover, CB2 clock,
Gap ruffle top, EcoShag KNOTS cotton jersey scarf necklace

Happy Friday! If you're curious to read more about our refinance, you'll have to wait until next week. My brain and calculator need to take a break.

Plus, I've been waiting to pull together this post! In honor of the 2012 Pantone Color of the Year, this week's Friday's Fancies post is all about Tangerine Tango. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear an outfit devoted to orange, so I picked a few pieces I might use to jazz up an outfit or around the house.

In other news, I picked up some new tangerine hued fabric that I'm deciding how to use. The likely answer is pillow covers, but should the stripes be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal? Or do I piece it together to make a "V" pattern?

What do you have going on this weekend? We're all out of homebrew, so that means it's time to brew something new!

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A Friendly Christmas Reminder

If you're looking to give the gift of Fiscally Chic for Christmas, today (December 15) is the cut-off for US orders shipped via USPS First Class! Priority shipping is also available. Order by December 17 if you're using USPS Priority mail.

If you'd rather have your loved one pick out their perfect present, gift certificates are also available!

Happy shopping!
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Fiscally Chic Goes Global

Hi, friends! Can you believe it's almost December? I'm not sure where November went. And with the long weekend around Thanksgiving, my days are all jumbled. Did you enjoy all sorts of turkey, stuffing, and pie? I was a rebel and baked a lemon meringue pie for Thanksgiving. It was a refreshing end to a tasty meal.

Since we stayed in Chicago for Thanksgiving, we had an opportunity to paint the back/TV room. John wanted to paint it green, so green it is. A little bit like this:

Or like this, with a little photo-editing:

You'll have to trust me on this one. And wait for better pictures.

The blue artwork in that pin reminds me of our blueprints, so they might go in that room. Plus, it refers to the navy in the front room. Fortunately, the curtains still work with the green. Now we have to hang art and get a few more things to tie everything together.

I had a pretty busy weekend with Fiscally Chic pillow cover sales, which was really exciting! I'm pleasantly surprised by the success of my little shop. Especially since I only work on it during nights and weekends. I opened in September 2011 and have already sold 25 pillow covers and 1 knit alpaca hat. That's gross revenue of almost $600 (yay!). And none to family or friends. I had multiple orders over the weekend, including one to Harvard and three international! Japan, Australia, and Canada! The big winner was the silver and gold polka dot one. It was featured in the Etsy Finds email on Sunday!!!

Due to the success of the polka dot pillow cover, I ordered some additional fabric, but at a slight premium. Which means the price of that pillow cover went up $1. If you're itching to get your hands on one, they're scheduled to be shipped out Monday December 5. Provided I receive the fabric in the next few days.

Speaking of the business, I opened a business checking account and signed up for a business credit card. I'm also in the process of registering my DBA with Cook County. Previously, I had only registered it with the IL Dept. of Revenue. I found out you have to do both.

Things are definitely chugging along with the biz. John likes to joke that my pillow covers are taking over the world :)
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Black Friday Bargain Hunting

Gap long and lean jeans, Lululemon Dip Dye Scuba hoodie, New Balance 556 retro shoes

Happy Black Friday('s Fancies)! While I love a good sale, I also really enjoy my sleep. And a little peace and quiet. Therefore, I didn't fight the crowds for the best deal at midnight. Though John went to Ashley Furniture to get an entertainment center for our basement. Ashley opened at a "late" 7am, so no lost sleep there.

Blue/Silver pillow cover, Mod Red/Green pillow cover,
Black/Cream alpaca scarf, Green/Gold pillow cover

Other than that, I might get a few sewing supplies at Joann Fabrics. And manage the Shop's first Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday weekend extravaganza! I woke up to an order from someone in Japan! How cool is that?!?!

If you've been eyeing some Marimekko pillow covers or alpaca products, now's your chance to get 15% off! Use coupon code "WEEKEND15" for 15% off the entire Shop through Monday November 28, 2011. More products will be added throughout the weekend.

Anybody brave the crowds this morning? Or would you rather wear comfy clothes and shop online?
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How Bazaar: Tips from my first craft show

Hello, hello! How was your weekend? We had a great time with my Mom and the bazaar was pretty successful. I didn't really know what to expect since this was my first time selling at a craft show. Sure, I've been to plenty of craft fairs, art fairs, and farmer's markets, but never to this exact event. I didn't sell any pillow covers, but my Mom sold some scarves, hats, and yarn. Some people also put in special orders for hats and scarves. She'll be knitting those items over the next few days or week. On the plus side, I sold two pillow covers on Etsy over the weekend!

I'd love to sell at another craft show, so here are a few notes for next time or for anyone thinking about selling at a fair:

Our first sale!

Know your audience
I didn't attend this particular holiday bazaar last year, so I had no idea about the products, prices, or customers. Fortunately, we had a wide variety of products and price ranges. The least expensive item was a knit baby hat for $10, while a chunky scarf was at a discounted $50. These all included sales tax. Next time, I would create some smaller, less expensive items that could be stocking stuffers. Or attend a different event that reaches more of my target audience.

Be friendly
I made a point to say, "Hi" to everyone that walked past our booth. That person may or may not have stopped to browse, but it created a happy atmosphere. We also encouraged people to feel the alpaca products. They're extremely soft and cozy, so allowing someone to experience the product is more beneficial than telling them about it.

Draw your customers in
In addition to being friendly, we had a digital picture frame showing pictures of my parents' alpacas. People would be interested in the pictures and then look at the yarn or hat. My Mom was also knitting during downtimes, so people could see how she made the scarves and hats.

Create an interesting table or booth
Since I had never been to this event, I wasn't sure how we were going to stage our products. So we brought lots of props and had John bring things from home a few times. (The perk of being at a craft show close to home). We ended up using two tables for horizontal space, storage cubes for vertical space, and the basket to add a little interest. This was where the alpaca products shined.

The pillow covers didn't do quite as well. First, I didn't have an abundance of pillow covers available for sale since I kept selling them online during the weeks leading up to the show (a great problem to have). Second, I didn't have lots of space to show the pillow covers on pillow forms. Therefore, one guy asked me if they were placemats.

Overall, I thought we did well with arranging items by color and making our booth seem more like a boutique than a typical craft table.

Have some sort of promotion
As I said, sales tax was included in the price. And we didn't mark up the price to account for sales tax. That meant the consumer was getting almost a 10% discount off the bat. We also sold the hats at a discounted price. I would also recommend selling items in sets or offering a reduced price if multiple items were sold.

Making the sale
We were fortunate that everyone had cash or checks for their purchases. Plus, my Mom brought extra cash to make change. We tried for credit card processing, but had a few issues. First, my Mom signed up for Square, but the card reader didn't come in time. It works with Apple and Android products and we had an iPod Touch. Unfortunately, there wasn't wi fi at the school. My Mom has a Blackberry and Square doesn't work those. I'm still in the 20th century with my feature phone.

So she signed up for Intuit's GoPayment credit card processing since it was compatible with her Blackberry. But the app never quite worked with her Blackberry. We tested GoPayment with the iPod Touch at home and it worked just fine. But we didn't use it at the bazaar because there wasn't wi fi.

Make it easy for people to contact you
Both my Mom and I had business cards available. We included our cards with each purchase. Plus, people took business cards if they wanted to contact us or purchase from us later. One guy asked if I could make him custom Dallas Cowboys pillows and/or placemats. He also asked if I could help set up a Facebook page for his business. We swapped business cards and I'll be getting in touch with him.

In the end, I would do it again! We covered the cost of the registration fee (and then some) and had fun interacting with everyone.

Have you had a booth at a craft fair? Any tips to share?
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A Furry Friday

Trina Turk faux fur vest, Gap long-sleeve tee, Kate Spade curling ribbon earrings and ring,
J. Crew cafe capri, Christian Louboutin measuring tape sandal

Happy Friday's Fancies! I've been dying to work these Christian Louboutin's into a budgetless outfit and this is the perfect week. My measuring tape has been close at hand as I've been sewing away and prepping for the Holiday Bazaar!

I'll let you know how it goes next week!

Have a great weekend!

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Holiday Bazaar this Saturday!

Looking to make a dent in your Christmas shopping? Stop by the Holiday Bazaar on Saturday November 19 from 10am to 3pm at St. Louise de Marillac School in La Grange Park, IL. More details can be found here.

My Mom is driving in from Cleveland so we can work our booth together. We'll have Marimekko pillow covers, alpaca scarves and hats, alpaca yarn, felted soap, and other goodies. We're both super excited!

If you can't make it to the Bazaar, you can still get 10% off orders at the Shop through November 20, 2011 using coupon code "BAZAAR10". A portion of the proceeds from the Bazaar and Etsy sales through November 20, 2011 will be given to the parish's Appalachian Service Project. A group will be going to Appalachia this summer to build homes and relationships. 

Hope to see you there!
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Weekend Update

Hi, friends! Long time, no chat! What's new? I'm still trying to figure out my new routine and rhythm with the new job, so things might be a little slow for the next few weeks. By the way, it's going really well! They job is really interesting and my coworkers are beyond friendly and helpful.

Other than that, I've been keeping busy with a little of this:

Stephanie picked the winner of her giveaway, so I shipped Lauren her pair of berry ombre pillow covers. Plus I had a recent sale to fill (yay!)

Also, I registered for my first craft fair! I'm going to be at the Holiday Bazaar on Saturday November 19 from 10am to 3pm at St. Louise de Marillac School in La Grange Park, IL. More details can be found here. The pillow covers will be in full force, in addition to the alpaca scarves and hats knit by my Mom. Which means I need to increase my inventory big time.

John and I also decided to paint our bedroom over the weekend.

More updates to come once the room is back in order.

How did you spend the extra hour from Daylight Savings? Sleeping? Hanging out? Catching up on life?
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New Things and Good News

Hey friends! What's new with you? Have you dropped your name in the hat for the $50 gift certificate to One Sydney Road??? Time is running out and the giveaway closes tonight! As of Wednesday night there were only 23 entries, so the odds are in your favor.

What's new with me? I thought you'd never ask! This chair, for one. Actually it's old, but new to us. I rescued it from the curb last week, and can't wait to pick out fabric for a new cushion and paint or stain the frame.

I also registered as a sole proprietor* in Illinois last night! Why? Because I opened up The Fiscally Chic Etsy Shop! You might have noticed the shop link on my homepage about a week ago.

The Shop is another creative outlet and place to share items lovingly created by myself or my family. I made friendship bracelets in grade school and sewed purses for friends in high school. So why not share these things with you? Right now, I have listings for a few pillow covers and am slowly increasing my inventory. I also hope to add scarves and/or hats knit by my Mom from fleece from our alpacas.

I even shipped out my first order earlier this week! And I'm really enjoying crunching the numbers in my spreadsheets.

Yes, the pillow in the first picture is for sale and ready to find a new home. It's made from Marimekko fabric :)

What else is new with you?

*Yes, we can debate business formation, but I wanted to keep things simple. This is just a hobby for now.
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Pillow Fight!

Before I jump into some recent weekend excitement, I thought I'd share a short recap of the St. Louis half marathon. As I said before, this race was just for fun and to motivate me to stay active during the winter and my busy time at work. The time wasn't spectacular for me (2:11:33), but we had fun and were able to see friends and family. The race course in St. Louis is still hillier than I remember or maybe it felt that way because Chicago is pretty flat. John and I ran (and walked) the whole race together, which made things interesting. He wanted to go faster while I was struggling to keep up. We fell into a rhythm around mile 10 and even picked up the pace at the end. That's us after we recovered after finishing. A big thanks to everyone that volunteered and cheered for the runners!

Another plus of seeing my parents in St. Louis was that my Mom brought her sewing machine for me. With the new house (we've been cleared to close!), we'll need drapery and other nesting-type things. I'm excited for more pillows, but John would rather have me focus on drapes or a shower curtain for our second bathroom. We'll see...

While John was having a dude's day on Saturday, I decided to take a field trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics. It may have been a while since I looked at fabric, or maybe I wasn't looking hard the last time, but seriously....their fabric selection has vastly improved! No more stuffy, boring fabric! I wanted to buy the whole store! I only walked out with 5 yards (plus 4 yards from Crate and Barrel Outlet), some zippers, and supplies. Maybe the sewing machine was a bad idea...haha.

I haven't used any of the new fabric yet, but I did sew a pillow I've been meaning to make for about a year. Here she is! With a zipper! And you'll see that she nicely coordinates with a pillow I made from Orla Kiely fabric.

 

 
And what will I be doing with those 9 yards of fabric? Some might be used in the new house. I'm also considering whipping up a few pillow covers and selling them on Etsy. John's definitely hoping for option two. Though maybe I can convince him otherwise if there'll be a giant pillow fight :)

Where are you on the pillow fight continuum? Necessary or superfluous?
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