Our 2014 Simply Memorable Journey

Oak Park High School

  Jamesport with Heavenly Hippo

New Horizon Presbyterian Church Winter Craft show
  Blue Springs Pinterest Event

Our first outdoor festival...Gower Festival

Liberty Fall Fest

Gladfest



Smithville Christian Family Day

It's the time of year that I tend to look back and think about all that has transpired in 2014.  What an amazing year!
We re-started our bag making...with full-time energy and effort this time...what originally was a 30 bags in 30 days goal back in 2010 has become a small business that allows me to truly be WITH my kiddos and help them thrive.
Back in January, when God put this giant leap of faith in front of me, it was daunting and I felt way too much to ask.  We were dealing with so much other stuff...trying to get official diagnoses for Ms. Banana and the help she needed to be able to handle her challenges and fears, watching Ms. Toad becoming a young lady, watching them both be middle schoolers.  But we jumped in with everything we had and did it the three of us together.
  Right before the first house party.

I sewed, all year long, like our lives depended on it.  And was reminded by God over and over and over, that He had us...that He would bring us the buyers for the bags, and that this was to be just a small way He provided for us, not the only way.  Even with Him reminding me of that constantly, I still am the worse boss to work for...I expect way too much out of myself.
We started out with some girls' night, shopping parties, for families and friends. Then as we kept posting what I was making, as I was making it, on facebook, we received amazing likes and supports that kept us trying even as we went through some super tight months.  Then got a sale from the Pinterest page and a bag went to Arizona, followed by an order for a quilted luggage set.  (Bags going to different states is another super fun part of all this!)  Ms. Banana got her diagnoses and began getting the help she needed and I kept sewing around their schedules.  We dipped our toes in the water at the first vendor event I found, and didn't make a single sale, but got invited to participate in our first ever outdoor event, which we loved. And we jumped in with both feet, a bit of fear, and a lot of hope.
Spring, summer, and fall were full of the girls' activities, as well as craft shows and festivals and vendor events.  We participated in as many shows/festivals as I could afford to participate in: from small shows to some big, well-known ones like Liberty Fall Fest and Gladfest on back to back weekends.  We just wrapped up the year with five weekends worth of events in a row this winter, ending with our own Christmas party this past Friday night.
We have probably made 300 bags, of all sizes, this year, and a small handful of the most beautiful/detailed quilts I have ever made.  Far surpassing what I hoped for in January when I set a goal to make one bag of every pattern I owned.  While that goal did not happen, I made far more bags than patterns...making my own bag patterns as I went.  Wallets, cellphone wallet/wristlets, drawstring bags, purses and totes (of almost every size, color, and pattern you can imagine), quilted bags, 3 full size quilted duffle sets, and one small quilted duffle set.  Our best seller being our cellphone wristlets, with probably 150 made and only 40+ on hand right now.  Another constant seller were our drawstring bags, which came close to selling out at every event they went to (as well as being our first special order in our Etsy shop).  Quilted duffles came in as our next most popular items this year.  But the most popular fabric, made into wallets and cellphone bags, would have to be Sock Monkeys...I lost track of how many times I went back to Hobby Lobby for fabric, but there are three people that work there that now know me by sight and greet me excitedly every time I walk in the doors again.  This truly has been so much fun to sew for people that get so excited to see their special-made-for-them bags.
  
But the part of all of this that has been the most fun, has been to meet so many new people, both fellow crafters/vendors, and all the shoppers.  To hear people excited about all the choices.  To make special orders that are exactly what someone imagined it might be.  To watch people come alongside us to get a new sewing machine and keep moving forward.  To hear all the encouragement as we keep walking out life in general and making bags.  And to know that God orchestrated all of this because it's what He knew we needed as a small family.
Wow!  What a year!!!