I wish we had a home with an ACTUAL spare bedroom that we’ve been saving as a nursery, but the truth is we have a 2 bedroom condo with the second bedroom until now serving as a sewing room/office/guest room.

YEAH.

That’s three different room functions we need to now “relocate” elsewhere in our small abode. Turning this room into a nursery is further complicated by the built-in desk that when we initially bought the place we thought was awesome and a major selling point. Now, it just kind of gets in the way and takes away from the room’s potential “nursery” feel . We’ve chosen to keep it for now, because why give up valuable storage? Plus maybe it’ll give our baby his/her (it’s going to be a surprise!) first intro into being a CEO.

Before we get to painting and moving the rest of the furniture out, I wanted to share with you some “before” pics. I like to tell myself it’s in the “it gets worse before it gets better” stage of decluttering. This weekend we’ll (as in Dad & company) put some new paint up and will hopefully have all the sewing stuff moved out to my new space in the living room.

The "before" chaos

We decided to go with a gray and yellow theme, and I’m hoping to throw a bit of chevron in there with maybe a new carpet or curtains. Some inspiration for you:

The shore was one of the first things that changed my impression of NJ. It’s not all full of fist-pumping, hair slicked back Jersey Shore types either. There are fabulous shops, restaurants, people, and scenery up and down the whole coast. Last summer my husband and I did a “mini-tour” of the shore, tring to hit up as many different beaches as we could. Each one had its own distinct vibe and thing going on. Korean taco stand? Asbury Park. Best mini-golf? Point Pleasant. Adorable shops? Long Beach Island.

Visiting the shore is also one my mom’s favorite activities when she visits. Here are some pics from a trip last year.

Thanks to my mom for the photos!

It breaks my heart to see pictures across the Northeast of people’s homes completely wiped out, and it feels surreal to see the same roller coaster we rode this summer sticking upright in the ocean. To help the victims of Hurricane Sandy across both NY and NJ, I’m donating 10% of all sales in November and December to The American Red Cross. Now, your Plaid Cupcake luggage tag will do more than just help you find your suitcase. 

Leaving a full-time 9-5 gig is a liberating experience. You wake up without a schedule, an agenda, or meetings to attend. You wonder how you’ll ever fill up an entire day until all of the sudden it’s 6 p.m. and you have nothing done. You spend the rest of the evening “making up for it” by half-working and half vegging out in front of the TV because dang it, you’re tired and it’s almost nine o’clock. You tell yourself that you’ll wake up early the next morning and put in twice the amount of effort you’re able to  muster up now. The alarm goes off the next morning and without a boss to notice you stumbling in late, you tell yourself that some Today and a long hot shower won’t matter (and you’re right!)

This, my friends, is a dangerous routine to fall into. Even when I manage to snap myself out of it, I find myself with earned free time at night and don’t know what to do with it. Sew? No, I just did that for hours on end. Read? Maybe, but the second I get into anything I start to feel guilty for not being “productive.”

One big advantage of a 9-5 gig is a boss to tell you that you’ve earned time off, that you deserve a vacation, and that you shouldn’t even bother looking at your e-mail while you’re sitting on the beach. In order to maintain some sanity and restore “relaxation” back into my life, I’ve made up a little poster to hang up that include my “Rules of the Road.” I think adults, like kids, thrive on routine and some general “house rules.”

What house rules do you have for yourself?

Big Luggage Tag Orders!

When I was working at the regular day job, I wasn’t really able to take on large orders for showers, weddings, etc. Now it’s much easier to bang out 20, 40 luggage tags at a time. Last month I finished off 20 “Dr. Seuss” tags for a kids camp, and right now I’m in the midst of 40 for a bridal shower. I also finally figured out, after, er, um, only 1.5 years of doing this, how to cut out two fabrics at once for the tags. Can I get a “heck yeah” for efficiency?

New Fabrics!

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure…. I was able to take some fabric off the hands of my friend Samantha at Boboloo! Kids. Lots of chevron as well as some geometric patterns and forest scenery. We have very similar tastes in fabric so she should send me almost anything from her stash and I’d be a happy camper.

New Items!

You may have seen a few wristlets up in the shop, but I’ve also been busy doing custom laptop cases and I’m currently at work on sewing up a few lunch bags for a friend. I’ll see how they come out and if she digs them I’ll try to get them up before the new school year starts.

A wristlet for all of those Summer "essentials"

Guest Posts!

In case you didn’t catch it, Tiffany from Innov8ive Knits wrote up a great profile of my biz, and starting today you can enter a giveaway for a luggage tag and passport sleeve over on the When I Grow Up Coach. Interested in having me guest post on your own blog? Send me a tweet/facebook/message/email/smoke signal!

Wedding Photo Booth Fun!

Have to take a moment to say Happy 4 Year Anniversary to my husband, a.ka. “Mr. Plaid Cupcake.” There’s no way I’d be here doing what I’m doing without his love, encouragement, and delicious chocolate chip pie (YES I found one who can cook!)

Our wedding was traditional in the sense that we got hitched in a church, I wore a white gown, and had a bridal party. It was UNtraditional in the sense that instead of dancing, we encouraged everyone to jump in the lake where we had our reception. We swam the day away and munched on BBQ, cupcakes, and downed a few dark and stormies (our fave drink.) I remember feeling sad the next day because it was such a good time, and when else in life do you get all of your friends and family together for such a happy occasion? I always say I want to do it all over again, especially now with the advent of Pinterest (actually, maybe that’s not such a great idea, I’d be glued to the computer 24-7.)

This year we’ll mark the day with a picnic in Central Park, followed by a “one night only” special screening of “Singing in the Rain” that I thought would be fun.

Here’s a little YouTube video/picture compilation that my bro-law put together of some highlights. Enjoy!

Are you feeling stuck in your 9-5 grind? Do you feel like your current gig has just sapped all of your creative energy right out of you?  Or maybe, if you’re like me, you still don’t quite know what you want to be when you grow up – you just know it’s not what you do now. I’ll be the first to admit that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to make the leap that I did back in February without the guidance of creative career coach Michelle Ward and her “amazeballs” assortment of exercises, operation groups, and clubhouse goodness. I’m not one to promote something unless I really think other people would benefit from it, but I think the evidence is there. A common theme when I get together with friends is that we feel “stuck” and unsure of how to move on to something different, bigger, or better given all of our obligations to family, work, etc.

So what’a gal (or guy!) to do? Why, join the Clubhouse! As Michelle puts it:

A lack of understanding from The World At Large and feelings of overwhelm, confusion and is-there-something-wrong-with-me-ness among creative types during their career transitions are exactly why The When I Grow Up Coach Clubhouse was created.

I recently got turned onto the Lifetime Show “The Conversation.” It’s my new fave show to watch on Hulu while I iron out new luggage tags and sew on coffee cozy buttons. I’m not too familiar with the host, Amanda De Cadenet, but I feel like I’d love to have her over for a drink and a good old fashioned chat.

It’s not your typical ET/Extra/Hollywood Live interview – Amanda instead asks questions about how women such as Ariana Huffington manage their time, how Sarah Silverman battles against depression, and what Diane Von Furtstenberg (love her!) has against the term “self esteem.” No matter who her subject is, there’s three questions she always asks:

1) What advice would you give your 14 year old self

2) What’s your vice

3) What’s your favorite sexual position (told you it wasn’t your typical show!)

Because I’d like to keep this blog rated G (okay maybe PG), I’ll pass on #3, but here’s how I would answer #1 and #2.

To my 14 year-old-self: RELAX. Things aren’t going to go the way you’re planning them right now, but that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to embrace what makes you happy.

My Vice: McDonald’s hot fudge sundaes. And no, this doesn’t mean hot fudge sundaes in general. I want all of the delicious artificial ingredients that McDonalds serves up to me with the little packet of crushed peanuts. It’s the perfect serving size to satisfy a chocolate craving AND it’s cheap. I’m embarrassed to admit how many of these I ate during my last job.

What would you tell your 14 year old self? What’s your vice?

An article I read about bunnies that pretty much sums it up: Dogs have masters. Cats have owners. Bunnies have staff. With that said, we already love them to death. They’ve been a riot to watch and interact with and have very distinct personalities, likes, and dislikes. Chili is all about being loved and petted as long as you have a treat. Cinnamon, on the other hand, has better things to do like hop into his cardboard box of a bunny house and redecorate the walls by chewing bigger windows.

Lots of bloggers have pictures of their cute kids to post. But where else can you come to find adorable pictures of bunnies?!

Chili, COO & Cinnamon, CMO

When I was in college, I had a summer job selling yellow page advertising in Boston. It was pretty horrible. I pounded the pavement, in heels, day after day asking stores if they wanted to purchase space. Most of the time, I got a big fat no. But, I knew eventually some store would give me the big fat “yes.” I wound up being fairly successful, and when people asked me what my secret was I told them it was just determination.

Why, then, was it was so easy for me to ask a pizza shop to buy ad space in a phone book, but yet it’s so intimidating for me to walk into a coffee shop to see if they’d like to sell my cozies. The one I have hanging up is from the lovely Jessica Swift who loved the idea so much that she made her own version of it to share with her blog readers. I love all the colors and different fonts!

Here’s to 100 NO’S!

The series focuses on getting back to the basics of living an eco-friendly life. It’s not about radically changing your life overnight, rather it focuses on making small changes here and there that lead to a more natural, holistic life that’s better for you and the earth.

Check out my own guest post on the virtues of buying handmade. With many more fabulous ladies coming up all the way through June 1st, keep on coming back to see what other tips and tricks you can pick up. And, of course, a big thanks to Gabriella for having me over!