Bread Bags!

What I was talking about in this post is now a reality! Under my Tree Studio has some of my bread bags on consignment. The rest is posted in my new shop section. And the rest is still in this form.

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I still want to post about so many things but now is the time to take Shuko out for a nice long walk so posting about everything else happening will have to wait.

I will mention briefly that you should all buy a really nice Fleur de Pixie bag, especially now that I am donating part of my profits to Just Another Hill’s fundraising for cancer research! Yep, the boyfriend and I have embarked on yet another crazy project!! Support us and support Fleur de Pixie all in one shot! You’ll feel really good about yourself, I swear.

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Shukoterlude

I keep wanting to post and get things moving in Fleur de Pixie world but things are stuck in molasses right now. While my man is away, I walk Shuko, I go to work, I walk Shuko, I pick up her poop, I sleep, I crash in front of the TV, I try to get motivated for necessary chores that ensure I don’t feel like I live in a dog-hair covered pig-sty, I eat healthy dinners of garlic bread, chocolate and wine (ok, that was just tonight but it’s bound to happen again), I play with and pet Shuko, I feed her, I walk her. I shuffle all these and repeat, trying to add a few fun things I actually want to do to feel productive in my personal life (because feeling productive about my personal life is relaxing to me, believe it or not). I spent the most relaxing, romantic and amazing Easter weekend with my boyfriend in Tampa, a weekend which included a visit to Jo-Ann’s. I want to post about it but to really do it justice I need more time. I don’t feel like I have time right now. So in an effort to feel like Fleur de Pixie has not completely stalled, please enjoy this Shukoterlude (that’s a word sandwich from Shuko and Interlude)DSC_0547

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Things Are Happening

Big things are happening! Fleur de Pixie designs will be on consignment in a studio in a couple of months!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted through my dad’s shop. Under my Tree studio in Shediac, New Brunswick wanted to have his art on consignment. After a few emails, we decided to meet. It was fortunate that the jewelry maker who started and runs the studio was visiting her daughter in Montreal. So last weekend, we all met at a coffee shop to discuss options.

For my dad, this is ideal. He loves to create stained glass but doesn’t necessarily want to do it all day every day. He’s not trying to make a living out of it. He just wants to do what he loves and not have the results pile up in his home. By putting about 12 pieces on consignment at Under my Tree at a time, he can keep that relaxed pace and liven up the homes of tourists or locals.

As manager of my dad’s online business, I was present at the meeting. But I was mostly there to look out for my own interests. So once I have more inventory, Under my Tree will have 6 Fleur de Pixie designs on display! But before that, I will start a new endeavour: bread bags. She was telling us there is a new French bakery in Shediac that is very popular and that there was a demand for bags since they just hand you the loaf of bread to take with you. When she brought up the idea I wasn’t very excited. I thought “bread bags. urgh boring”. But the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. Bread bags don’t have to be boring! And I could actually use some at home too for the bread I make from time to time and wouldn’t it be nice to know that people bought something well made and functional from me? So that will be the start of my business on consignment. I’m really excited to get a chance to expand beyond the online spere!

Normally I would have told her I would have had things ready within a week or two but my sense of time has changed a bit. We have officially adopted Shuko. Yay! Having never had a dog, I’m still adjusting to the demands though (which is why I’m using my lunch hour to post. I rarely seem to find the time when I get home). We don’t have many issues to deal with, especially considering she’s a rescue. But she does suffer from separation anxiety, enough that we have to address it sooner rather than later. This means that over the next months, the bulk of the work will be to get her to start feeling comfortable and relaxed while she’s alone. So short departures it is! The work started this weekend where I would just through the routine of putting my coat and boots on and getting out the door and coming right back and repeating that, walking away from the house a few steps more each time. There was a change in her by the 4th time so we’re hopeful but still that means that on weekends, instead of spending most of my time in the workshop, I will be going in and out the door for no reason but to get Shuko comfortable with being alone. And since my boyfriend is leaving for 3 months for work this week [insert sad face], I’ll have to go at it alone. So I see the next months as eat, sleep, take care of Shuko and watch 2 sec of TV before falling asleep in front of it (not necessarily in that order). So I was upfront and said that I was really interested in starting the bread bags and making more purses to display at the studio but realistically I couldn’t really have the first bags ready before March, maybe the middle of March even. I know I will find time, I always do, but I wanted to give myself a chance to adjust to a ‘Shuko and I only’ routine first before I making any big commitments in the craft world.

So big things are happening! Really, really slowly but they’re still happening and that is all that matters!

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Patience…Patience….

…is something I’m still learning.

Turns out it’s hard to take really good product pictures! I tried my best in this new listing but turns out I’m not quite patient enough to wait until I’ve really understood everything about my new camera. But I think the listing looks good anyways and I can always go back and update the pictures.

I chucked the light box. It was problematic for storage and I hadn’t made it high enough for all the kinds of bags I make. Instead I decided to go with this kind of setup:
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I think it will work better for my space but still, I have to be completely honest: taking pictures is my least favourite part of this whole endeavour. Maybe someday I’ll have enough revenue to hire a photographer!

Here’s to hoping.

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Fleur de Pixie on Hold again….

…but not for long!

I’ve been wanting to learn all the tricks my new camera can do and take awesome product shots of everything I have in inventory and revamp the Etsy store and finish a purse I started that only needs a handle. BUT I’ve been distracted by a new addition to the family (on trial) this week.

This will (might) be the only time I talk about ‘life’ things instead of ‘craft things’ on this blog but I can’t help it! I’ve fallen in love with her:

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Her name is Shuko. The shelter had named her Chuko and told us it was the japanese word for hope. When we looked it up, we couldn’t find anything about Chuko meaning anything of the sort. Shuko on the other hand is a Japanese first name for a girl AND it’s a ninja weapon too. So we’re going with Shuko. We find it ridiculously hilarious to associate her with a ninja weapon. She’s an attention junkie who whimpers a lot and rarely barks. So not menacing!

We have her on trial for another week so in that time we’re trying to figure her out, until we make it official. So far, we’re figured out she likes us, she likes our walks, she likes to sniff things a lot and she loves to do this:

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We don’t know much of her history other than she was rescued from a puppy mill a couple of months ago. She’s clearly had a litter (or more) but she’s also had some house training. She was already used to a crate, she can manage stairs well, she sits, she waits before you take her outside. She walks well on a leash. In all, you couldn’t ask for a better dog to adopt.

I’m glad she’s smarter than this dog. Having always wanted a dog but never had one (or any other pet other than fish growing up), I didn’t know how I would adjust. Shuko makes it easy! And she makes it hard to leave her behind. When I was putting my boots on to go to swim practice, she sat next to me and would put her paw on my hand so I would stop tying my laces. So sweet! I wish I could bring her to work with me but oh well. Instead I post about her on my lunch hour. I’ve wanted to post about Fleur de Pixie being on a tiny temporary hold due to beagle/basset hound mix cuteness but when I get home I just get distracted.

Also I’m tired. I walk a whole lot more then I used to and it’s tiring. My long distance hiking days are long over and I’ve gotten used to the office lazy life. I’m happy to have a reason to walk about much more but it’ll take a bit before I’m energized by it instead of exhausted by it. It’s also an adjustment to wake up an hour and a half earlier but it’s so nice to have a good reason to get out of bed in the morning. Get out of bed to drag yourself to work or get out of bed because there’s an excited furry creature dying to see you and go outside to explore the neighbourhood with you? I’ll take the second reason over the first any day!

So there you are. This explains the brief stall in my plans to take over the world with my crafts.

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