Those Greathouse Women

A new branch!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Introducing Vintage Fig, a place for all things vintage and new things created from old things. We have been working on this for several weeks (along with boosting High Pie - from 13 items for sale to over 170!)... Vintage Fig is finally here and we are working like crazy to keep the listings coming. Check out a few of the treasures you might find there:

Treasury Tuesday - a tribute to my supply shop

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:51:00 +0000

High Pie Supply was lucky to be featured in today's treasuries. Check out my glass slippers and lion beads!

A handmade monster themed birthday party!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Kids have always had a love/hate relationship with monsters. As an adult, I find that I have a love/hate relationship with birthdays! Don't let the stress of planning the perfect birthday party get under your skin. A monster theme works for girls or boys, and is appropriate for first birthdays and sweet sixteens alike! Adding a touch of scary will add just the right amount of excitement to your party :)

Start by sending the perfect invitations. I love these gender neutral ones from Pink Pickle Studios, where you can also get bag toppers and cute stickers to match!

Don't forget to crown the birthday queen or king! Those Greathouse Women can also make custom birthday crowns with enough notice...

Dress the part with this shirt from The Rocking Pony.

When your guests depart filled with cake and memories, don't forget to send home a little monster happiness. We love these soft handmade finger puppets by Wee Knit.

There is much more monstery goodness to be had on Etsy. Enjoy!

Treasury Tuesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Jack Frost was here.

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:49:00 +0000

As my kids say, he came upon a winter's night and painted all my windows white. It was a nice morning to remember the Waldorf school we left behind when we moved here, and to share in some sparkly morning magic.

Children are quiet sometimes, too.

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:03:00 +0000

linen pant by scandeez

I have three kids. I work in the children's retail market. I've seen my fair share of brightly colored loud children's items. I've enjoyed many loud moments with my children (who have often been described as "loud" by family and friends). But sometimes, sometimes, all is quiet. Can you hear that? No? It's beautiful this silence, softness.

As a visual artist, my mind sometimes craves quietude. My eyes enjoy a place to rest. In this spirit, I gave myself a challenge.

felted baby shoes by thecleverkitty

My challenge: Create a quiet children's treasury to promote EtsyKids. You may know that I am a member of an Etsy team (a community of artists with similar products or interests) called the EtsyKids Team. I find it necessary and inspiring to be part of a community of artists dedicated to creating things just for children, but I find it tiresome to be bombarded with pop POW "zing!" - sometimes I want to celebrate the quiet.

There are many wonderful kids' items created by my team members, and it was difficult to choose just the right level of "noise." I loved the process of making a treasury. Items that I snatched up right away slowly got shoved to the back as I found a new direction. I am pleased. I hope you love what I have created here - may your eyes find some rest.

To find handmade items just for kids, search for the term "etsykids" using Etsy's search engine and you will see thousands of options.

Treasury Tuesday - Blue is the color of the week!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:42:00 +0000

Shades of blue bring me peace. It's also my daughter's favorite color at the moment. Apparently, many other Etsyians are thinking about blue right now, as every new treasury featuring me this week centered around blue. Enjoy these beautiful, peaceful collections!

And so it begins. 2011, that is.

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:20:00 +0000

a place for everything, and everything in its place

There is something about this time of year that makes me want to clear my mind and clear my work space. During the rush of the holiday season, my mind is cluttered with shipping deadlines, product stock, custom orders, and lots and lots of emails. In past years, I have woken up after this chaos to a mountain of fabric scraps, shipping label sticker backs, and a very fuzz-filled sewing machine.

This year is different: my first professional holiday season living near my mom. She is a great studio manager, and takes care of those things that I often put off; She refolds fabric after cutting it (what?), sweeps nearly every day after she is finished working (what is that?), and organizes all those little trinkets that my children like to mix up. Best of all, she keeps me company and makes "going to work everyday" something to which I really look forward. Unfortunately, she left last weekend for Key West, where she will live on a sailboat for a good part of the winter. Aghh! What's a girl to do?

Well, I'm working. Hard. Usually January brings with it a slower pace. Sales slow down, special orders are not as urgent, and people are generally calm and less chatty. This year, however, something is in the air! I received a wholesale order last week that I'm rushing to finish and ship to Australia. The Mississippi Children's Museum has me working on some new goodies. I've been asked to make some adjustments to several felt crowns so they will fit adults (who knew?), and Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect asked me to run a special promotion this month for their readers (bring on the sales, people). No breaks for me!

Sooo.... my resolutions this January:
Remember to sweep.
Remember to sleep.
Remember to call my mother.

Pinky Pink Birthday Party - A new variety just for the girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:19:00 +0000

This new assortment of Ultimate Party Favors is just what every little girl wants to give to her guests at an over-the-top birthday party. The parents will thank you, too. Psst: Don't forget to give your princess a crown!

Treasury Tuesday: for teachers and for spring

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:15:00 +0000

It looks like buyers are beginning to think about spring! We've been thinking about spring here in the workshop for weeks, and we are ready! Today as I post this, there are 13 turkeys outside my window scratching around in the leftover snow. I think they are ready for spring, too.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Wishing all of our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you to our loyal customers, new and returning, for making 2010 a fabulous year :)

This farmhouse is where we, Those Greathouse Women, create. The studio is on the left, with the little stairway leading up to it. This is the house where I grew up, where my mother has always created, and where my children can now be inspired to create. Merry Christmas!

Sharing Awesome Collections just got a lot easier!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:17:00 +0000

Etsy is cool. Yes, most of us know that, but really it cannot be said enough. One of those neat things that makes Etsy unique is a feature called the Treasuries. The creation and execution of a treasury has morphed over the years, but the anatomy remains the same: member-curated collections of awesomeness. Treasuries used to be hard to create, as there were only allowed to be a limited number at any given time. Back in those days, it was very exciting to learn that one of your items was featured - equaling free advertising and exposure. These days, there is an unlimited number of Treasuries (meaning your chances are improved of having an item chosen to share space in one), but I still get excited when it happens to me :)

A website called CraftCult has now made it easy for me to share with you every time I am featured in a treasury. They create a pretty little linkable widget that I can post in my blog to share with my readers! Thank you to CraftCult, an incredibly useful site for Etsy sellers.

CraftCult reports that Those Greathouse Women has an item featured in 81 treasuries at the moment. Enjoy the few I have shared with you here, and have a very Merry Christmas this weekend!

So many ideas, so little time!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:31:00 +0000

I come up with about 10 new ideas every day, but only a few make it all the way to the end of the production line... Here are a few of the lucky ones:

A beautiful butterfly! Inspired by the fabric and beginning to think about spring, my mom and I collaborated to create this stunning 3D insect! The wings are sewn, turned, quilted, and securely sewn to the base of the window. Don't worry (safety first!), the window is a separate sewing stage, so the integrity of the window is intact (no matter how hard your child pulls on the wings). I love this new design! Check out the butterfly listing on Etsy to see more photos.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed! This cute little grey squirrel has been in my mind for weeks. He has an extra large viewing window and is really soft. I made the pattern awhile ago, but I couldn't find the right fabric. I'm not sure the grey is perfect (a little boring?), but I knew he needed to be fully realized whether I had it all figured out or not. I'll keep my eye out for the right fabric next time. Squirrels are very often brown where I come from (southern Indiana), but in Michigan (where I lived for many years until recently) they were often black. I know that grey squirrels are pretty common elsewhere.... maybe I should make mine pink or something just to cover all my bases? You can see more pictures of my little grey squirrel here on Etsy.

Sly cuddly fox! Isn't he cute? The tail is an appliqued piece of ivory fleece, and I free-styled with my machine the embroidery for his head and face. Perhaps I will make his nose a bit smaller on the next version, but I'm pretty happy overall. I've had this particular fabric for years - it took awhile to speak to me (thanks, mom!).

Hoot owls! One in brights, the other in naturals (well, if you consider plaid natural). I've sold a couple of pink owls so far, and have it listed again on Etsy. The original plaid owl sold, and I haven't yet remade it because I think the pattern needs some tweaking. Don't you think he would be cuter a little fatter? Oh yes. Fat is naturally cuter than skinny. Did I just say that? Hoot!

Last but not least - this clever little lady bug inspired by a dear friend's request for her ladybug birthday girl. The wings completely open to reveal the viewing window underneath. She even has little legs sewn into the seams. I have yet to make another one, but I'm sure I'll get around to it before spring is in full swing. Until then, you can see more pictures of it by viewing the sold listing on Etsy.

What is in the works, you ask? Well, I'm working out the kinks on a turtle for spring, and of course my pink and chocolate bunnies will be reappearing as we near Easter in just a few short months...

The Mississippi Children's Museum - revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0000

The past 8 weeks have been filled with red fleece. My sewing machine is literally stained pink! Why? The story begins several years ago when the Mississippi Children's Museum approached me about designing a custom I Spy Bag as a fundraising tool. I happily obliged by creating an incredible rocket ship modeled after the museum's logo. The label was customized with their information and each trinket inside represented a different exhibit at the museum. After several years of planning and development, the museum has become a reality and will be celebrating its grand opening this fall! The museum ordered enough I Spy Bags to present one to every guest at their grand opening reception this week. What an honor, and what a relief to have such a large order under my belt and out the door.

A very special thanks to the Mississippi Children's Museum!

And Miles To Go Before I Sleep.

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:46:00 +0000

I often think of this poem by Robert Frost as I sew into the late hours long after my children have snuggled into bed. This time of year is especially filled with large wholesale orders and custom requests, and I tire of sewing the same thing over and over and over again. My machine catches and I realize that once again my thread has run out and I wonder how many miles my needle has traveled across the fabric.

Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:26:00 +0000

I, Jaime of Those Greathouse Women, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

Waiting... and the blackbirds have arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 00:29:00 +0000

Agh! I'm still waiting to receive a new cord for my camera so that I can download pictures to my computer. I can't list anything new! Since Halloween is upon us, I decided to use my iPhone to take photographs of my blackbird I Spy Bags so they could go ahead and make an appearance. The photographs have been edited to an inch within their lives in Photoshop, but I think it gets the idea across. As soon as my new cord arrives, I'll take new beautiful pictures, I promise!

In the meantime, check 'em out! Any thoughts?

Now we're cookin'!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Those Greathouse Women's studio is in full swing! Dedicated shipping area, check. Dedicated photographing area, check. Dedicated sewing table, check. Dedicated cutting table, check! There is even a dedicated counter for sorting trinkets and a computer desk. Wow! It sounds bigger and better than it actually is, but my mom and I have made creative use of the space and left no area unused. We probably won't be featured in Where Women Create, but at least we will be able to get A LOT of work done and have some elbow room to dance around if we wish. You never know when the fancy might strike.

Unfortunately, I am unable at the moment to find the cable that connects my camera to my computer, so we are out of luck on pictures. Hmph.

Coming along slowly but still moving

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:48:00 +0000

I'm up to FIVE items posted now. The best news is they are actually out of the box and ready to ship to you. I had a sale yesterday. It blows my mind that I already had a sale literally hours after my shop re-opened, and I didn't even "relist" to get to the top of the pile! Today, I reactivated a few that were about to expire, so I went ahead and relisted them. POW! I've already had views and more hearts on those items. Etsy has better traffic than I remember... has something changed? Whatever it is, I am thrilled and it motivates me to keep moving and unpacking.

Three boxes made it to the unpacking floor today. It was mostly fabric that went straight into my refinished shelves, but I did find some more trinkets (I have more?) and some vintage flowers. I suspect the flowers will make their way to eBay shortly... Maybe a few on Etsy, but they seem to sell better on eBay. I also found my lightbox (yippee!), but my dedicated photographing space is filled up with boxes right now... Another day, another day...

Not exactly a grand entrance, but present none-the-less!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:08:00 +0000

So. I have moved. Ah, life on the farm. The kids are enjoying it (as am I), but my studio is a crazy assortment of half-packed boxes, homeless design books and freshly painted shelving to house my yet-unpacked fabric. I am here... finding my way!

I officially re-opened the shop today. I have a whole TWO items listed right now. I know I have about 20 or so designs made, but not knowing what box they are in makes me nervous! Tonight my sewing machine will come out of its hiding place and land front and center on a cleared off sewing table. It is calling to me! Yesterday I found my thread, and my mom came over to help unpack trinkets. Finally, the new space is coming together and I can finally start production of my new fall line.

Stay tuned!

NEWS BREAK!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:48:00 +0000

My husband is being transferred to Indiana in June! Although we have been waiting for this transfer for many years, the news is still a bit bittersweet as we say goodbye to the friends we've made here in Metro Detroit.

This is especially exciting news for Those Greathouse Women since I will finally be able to share a studio space with my mother – be prepared for the creative juices to really start flowing!

I won't be listing anything new until we have settled after the move, but check out the shop for my last remaining stock!

Look for a fresh new line of fall products to appear near the end of summer!

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and support through this especially hectic time…

The Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:05:00 +0000

The end of last year had me drowning in business, and I lost a bit of the thrill of making things. Over Christmas, my mom had a great idea to challenge me each week with a surprise artifact/miniature/antique. I'm scaling back a bit to enjoy more time with my family, keep things interesting, and liven up my creative side. I sincerely appreciate all of my customers in 2009, but I need a break!

My mom (so clever) sent me a box filled with tiny wrapped and numbered packages. She enclosed this card: The Challenge: Open one box every Friday. Create a story animal by the next Thursday.

Item #1 is a tiny pencil. Tiny and red - the lead is only about 1 mm thick (the entire pencil is only about an inch long!). I've had bunnies on the brain with Easter coming up, so a rabbit is likely... Check back on Friday to see what I have made!

Seasons Round Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:39:00 +0000

Last year, I was introduced to Waldorf education and fell in love with their preschool. With two children enrolled this year, I knew it was time to start a nature table. I had never heard of a nature table before, but the concept was not new to me. We already had a little nature bowl set aside where the kids could put their outdoor treasures (leaves, sticks, pine cones, acorns). A Waldorf nature table just goes a bit beyond that by adding tiny woolen people and felt animals to signify the changing of the seasons. Like a tiny seasonal scene that depicts what might be happening outdoors. Here are some great examples:

A few months ago, I was thrilled to stumble across this website (actually a blog) called Seasons Round Exchange. Each season, an exchange of 3-5 nature table items is organized between 100 participants. At least one of the items must be handmade, and the others can be from nature, a piece of artwork, or store bought. Somehow I remembered to sign up on the right day and secured a spot in the Autumn exchange! In July, I was paired with my mate, Grace, who uses the Waldorf curriculum to homeschool her three young children. We exchanged friendly welcoming emails to each other, and I was reminded that the internet is truly amazing! I was connected with another mother from across the country with similar interests, and she was going to help me get started on my very own nature table.

I started doing a needle felted tree for her, but soon decided that it was too labor intensive for me to get it done in time. I ended up making one of my little gnomie guys - a stump man with a toadstool hat. He was one of the first things I made when I joined the Handwork Group, and I was known as the toadstool lady for awhile (I had an obsession with toadstools!). He paired nicely with a cardinal I made earlier in the summer, and I felt both were true reflections of me. I cut a simple leaf shape for them to sit on, and added a nut ball for dimension and texture. My kids threw in a hand-picked acorn at the last minute! I was happy with how it turned out, and I really hope that she liked it. I can't wait to see what I receive in the exchange.

Grace keeps two wonderful blogs - I especially loved reading/viewing her blog, near:far. I encourage you to check out her beautiful photos and thoughts on motherhood.

It pays to be nice!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Once or twice a month I receive a convo on Etsy asking me for advice about one thing or another. What promotions work for me? How did I get started? What kind of camera do I have? How do I organize my shipping? Could I critique their shop? I guess having over 1000 sales makes me some sort of expert (boy, do I have them fooled!). Sometimes I still feel like a newbie myself. There are always new things to learn, other ways of doing things, new points of view, -- "whatever works" seems to be my life's mantra.

I always respond to those emails. No matter how busy, how tired, how overwhelmed. I've been there. Sometimes I still feel like I'm there.

Early last week, my inbox was overflowing with these types of emails. I thought "Whoa! What's going on?" It turns out that I was mentioned as an Etsy mentor in a recent online article. Etsy's blog, The Storque, runs a series called "Quit Your Day Job" and featured a shop called Little Sapling Toys. I actually wrote up a little blog post about them back in February. Thank you to Nick and Kimber, for crediting me as your first Etsy mentor!

See, sometimes it pays to be nice. And for the record, I sincerely answered every one of those emails I received. Here's to you, newbies!

Guest Blogger on "Beaver Island"

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:56:00 +0000

My friend Trish, who makes those adorable pigs in our Handwork Group, shared this story with me recently, and I thought it was so great that I wanted to pass it on to you. With her permission, of course, I've reprinted the email she sent me:

This year we wanted to try something a little more remote than our usual camping in Michigan State Parks, so we went to Beaver Island, the most remote inhabited island in the Great Lakes and a 2-hour ferry ride from Charlevoix.

As we set up camp, black flies attacked my ankles. Uh-oh. “I hadn’t thought about black flies,” I said out loud. “How could you forget the black flies!?” snapped my husband as he swatted at his ankles. Later, we heard there’d been no black flies until our arrival.

The next day, it poured, but we were dry in our kitchen tent, along with lots of black flies.

Later, we went swimming but I was like "Hey, who put the ice cubes in Lake Michigan?!" The kids plunged right in. I hopped back to shore.

The next night, it rained, but we felt snug and dry listening to it drumming on our tent. My husband had done a good job of rustling up cots and air mattresses for the four of us for our first tent camping experience in eight years. However, there wasn't one extra square inch of space in the tent once we were all zipped into our sleeping bags. So if you had to make a midnight bathroom run, you first had to find your shoes which were somewhere underneath our daughter’s air mattress by the door while balancing over her and being careful not to fall on her, then lean over and unzip two zippers inside and then the outside zipper. By the end of the week, we didn’t bother with the shoes.

Meanwhile, our neighbors had all the most modern conveniences in camping equipment– two spacious tents, two shower tents and their own personal boat toilet. What a compound! They even had pitched a screened tent on the beach because as they told me "When you're at Lake Michigan, you can count on black flies, right?" Er, right. But the item I envied most was this huge inner tube which seemed to me the key to swimming in Lake Michigan because it kept you OUT of it.

The next day it rained again. This time, my pillow wicked in the water, and I had a dampish sleeping bag. That night, it was so cold that around 2 a.m., my husband went to the car and got the wool blanket to put over the kids’ sleeping bags. I had to give him credit; I would have kept it! We put our winter hats on to get through the rest of the night; it's amazing how much better you feel with a warm head. The next night, we went to bed with our hats on and had to pull them off in the middle of the night because we were roasting. Cold one night, warm the next.

The next day, the wind died, and the mosquitoes moved in. Was this Beaver Island or Mosquito Island? When we got home, we counted our mosquito bites; we each had fifty a piece! It seemed like we’d dealt with every Old Testament pestilence. Where were the locusts?!

But on the "up" side, we saw an osprey pair on their nest, a beaver swimming back and forth in his pond (they really are "busy"), the tails of two snakes as they slithered away, lots of monarch butterflies drifting about, swans bobbing up and down on Lake Michigan, a male turkey, a female one with her brood, deer and toads. The kids found some great old trees to climb. There was spongy moss everywhere– kind of like you’d find in a Hansel and Gretel woods.

I was so skanky by our fourth day that I finally plunged into Lake Michigan (after tiptoeing through all the ice cubes) and really found it refreshing. The next day, I took another dip and felt completely human again. Why had I waited so long? I wished I'd gotten the hang of swimming in glacial water sooner.

We had a bonfire on the beach the night before we left. As the fire died down, all the stars came into focus. Are there really that many stars? My son saw his first shooting star. He said after he saw his first shooting star, he would go to bed because he was tired. Smart kid. My daughter stayed up with her dad and saw eight more.

As we passed by a restaurant the next day on the way to the ferry, we heard live Irish music on their front deck. A father sat playing music with his four children as they waited for their lunch to be served, his face beaming with pleasure. The other diners were captivated. His daughter danced a jig, sang and played the tin-penny flute. His other three children played the fiddle, guitar and Irish drum. Many of Beaver Island’s 600 year-round inhabitants are of Irish descent. This family had visited the island to perform that week.

On the way home, we stopped at a rest area on I-75 and made macaroni and cheese for dinner. How remarkably easy to be able to walk in the restroom and turn on the water!. Amazing the way the water flowed right out of the faucet!

As we passed through the downtown area near our metro Detroit home, my seven-year-old son said "Boy, it's really noisy here! I'm going to have to get used to this!" My children took showers and marveled at how they could just go to the next room to go to the bathroom. So, we returned home with a new appreciation of home.