Walk the Line - Balancing Business and Baby

So right now my head is swirling with ideas, priorities, obligations....and strained carrots.

Baby Jack turns 6 months old tomorrow, how the heck did that happen? I'm so thankful my husband takes a million plus photographs of Jack and our adventures. The days seem to race by, I can hardly keep up...and he's almost crawling, oh my.

This past weekend Quiltish set up shop at the Crafty Mamas Bazaar at Milagros Boutique in the Alberta District of Portland. Though the record 102 degree heat seemed to keep most folks indoors, it was a learning & growing experience for my little business. I love to hear all the praise given about my bags & baby items, it keeps me thinking of new designs & inspires me when I sometimes get discouraged.

Today, Jack and I scouted little shops in our area, looking for potential markets for my Quiltish collection. These type of business steps are both exciting & nerve-wracking. I've found some really helpful books though that outline many necessary processes in starting a business; Craft Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco is very informative and Martha Rules by Martha Stewart provides some interesting insight. I've also heard a lot of positive feedback about Guerrilla Marketing- I'll have to check that out next. Perhaps after Jack's next "baby book club" at the library....

Wide Open Spaces

Well, here it goes. My first blog entry. This page has been sitting here for awhile, nice & open...and blank. Just waiting for me to come along.

So here I am. Though I'm hesitant about most technology- I don't like to feel hooked or trapped or sucked into anything- writing down my thoughts seems kind of refreshing right now. My life has changed dramatically in the last year and it seems important to record that somewhere.

Over a year ago I found out my husband & I were having a baby.

A year ago, I said goodbye to the classroom which I loved, the very same one I still think of as my own, parted with my amazing students, and left the teaching profession behind- at least for now.

Soon after, I drove cross country with our cat from Boston to Portland while my husband settled down the homestead back in my home state of Oregon.

Just about 6 months ago, on January 1st, my life really began. Little Jack was born and the world got a whole lot brighter.

A few months later, I was itchin' to sew again & rekindled the flame of my fledgling handbag business, Quiltish, and opened a shop on Etsy.

And now, here I am. With a baby, a bunch of bibs, blankets, bags, and a blog.

Through this blog I hope to capture these moments, these changes, this direction my life has taken. From a teacher to a mama. From small fry to small business. From husband and wife to family. From the past to now, to the wide open spaces.