“Don’t Undervalue Your Labor”

I picked up a the November issue of  Martha Stewart Living while at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I was drawn in by all the pie on the cover. I am a huge fan of pumpkin and I  am always looking for new ways to eat it.  Sometimes I think that is why I am shaped like one..ha. I did not get a chance to look at it until this morning. I read it pretty much cover to cover. The dog section was so enjoyable,


The one section I enjoyed  the most is called  Follow  Your Art in the Dreamers into Doers-small business section, page 102. How to turn crafts into a career and three women who dared to do it. Since being laid off in June I am very interested in doing my craft full time. Can you imagine crocheting for a living?  I am a sponge for all the knowledge I can get on how to make this happen. Jane D’Arensbourg, one of the featured artists, when asked her best advice answered, Don’t undervalue your labor,

“I want everything to be really great,” she says. “If it takes a long time and has to be expensive, then so be it.”

It goes on to say she offers a range of prices by creating simpler pieces , rather than cutting corners to make items faster and cheaper.

Good for you Jane! I have said this for years. Artists and crafters do not charge enough for labor. I was talking to the girls at Hank of Yarn last week about this very subject. Hank shook her head and sadly agreed that we never get our labor in dollars. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to make hand crafts so expensive they do not sell. I want to get a fair price for what I have created.

In the book “Crocheting For Fun and Profit” I was quoted as saying,

“Customers do not care how many hours it took for you to make your product, and they don’t realize your time is as valuable as your time. Standard formulas do not work for me”

This was true then and sadly it is true now. I think we can change that if we change it together. The next time you buy a handmade product think about what it took to bring that product to market. I have seen items on Etsy and other sites and wanted so badly to email the crafter and ask, “Can you really make a profit selling this low?”  Something to think about.

Classes for my Ornaments

The ladies at Hanks of Yarn (7075 Malco Blvd, Southaven, MS, http://www.hankofyarn.com/.) are preparing for classes on Crocheted Christmas Ornament Covers. How exciting. They will start November 1 at 5:00 and continue each Monday evening through the month. They also have some Saturday classes planned. You can contact the store at 662-349-8883 if you have any questions. The ladies did a class for themselves and proved that beginner crocheters could make the ornaments. Well done!

Fashion and Travel Revelations

Just got back Sunday from a trip to Miami. Alas, I think my traveling is over for awhile. In May we were in New York City, Washington DC a few weeks ago and last week Miami. One thing I did notice in all my trips is the fashion. Now if you were a close friend of mine you would not think that I spend a whole lot of time thinking about fashion. I do, I think about crochet when I look at the fashion on the streets, in magazines and on tv. I am always pointing out crochet to my husband, I'm sure he tunes this out by now. I notice colors and combinations. I love combining colors that are not "normal" go togethers.

While traveling I did realize that what we see on tv and in magazines women actually wear. I know, I was shocked myself. It all clicked in Washington DC. We sat at an outdoor cafe and people poured out of the subway and there they were; dresses, suits and heels, they wore heels to walk everywhere in DC, not just functional heels, 3 inchers.  While shopping in Miami I was hard pressed to find a pair of heels that was not 3 inches.

Now that I am back and settled for a time I can use my travels to inspire me. I will post some awesome Miami photos soon.

Trip to Washington

A few weeks ago I joined my husband in Washington DC. He was there for work and when finished he took a little vacation time. I still can't believe we lived 4 hours from Washington DC for 8 years (?) and never went.

I had the first day to myself so I walked from our hotel in the DuPont Circle area to the White House. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold. Rain was expected so I took an umbrella.

Loved, loved all the cute shops and boutiques. It was early so I planned to stop on my way back.

I came up to Lafayette Square and stopped to take pictures before approaching the White House. It is so pretty, smaller than I thought. I headed for G Street to find the Macy's Store. Every city, I have to look. For some reason I found nothing to buy, can you even imagine? I was also looking  for a fabric store my sister had told me about but when I came out of Macy's it was starting to sprinkle so I headed back to the hotel.

I stopped at a cupcake store and the cutest boutique, lou lou,  at 1601 Connecticut Ave. It was handbags and accessories. I found the most wonderful rhinestone peace sign. It was a find.

The next day it was suppose to rain so we decided to spend the day indoors doing the museums. We started with the Smithsonian -Natural History and on to American History. What fun. Lots of walking and Julia Child's kitchen, what is not to love. After lunch the rain had tapered off so we headed back toward the hotel and Madame Tussuad. I had never been and thought it would be a hoot. It was.

Walking down 12th street toward Tussuads, we passed the Old Post Office. Curious we saw a sign that said there was a tower. 12th floor, intrigued, let's try it. OMG what a trip. These photos are what you see from up there. It was amazing.

Down in the lobby of the building there was this little shop that took photos of us shaking hands with Obama. They looked so real. What fun. On to Tussauds.  Lots of walking this day.

The wax figures gave me the creeps, took me a while to warm up to them, I guess I expected them to speak or something.  Johnny Depp looked so real and of course George Clooney was my favorite.

We did all the tourist stuff for a couple of days. We ate in outside Cafe's and walked for miles. We only had one day of real rain. I can now cross DC off my list for now.

Knit and Crochet Pattern Books

I was browsing through Amazon today, looking for the latest and greatest crochet pattern book. I really don't need another one, but I am a true addict who has to have the latest. I might miss something in the crochet world. My pet peeve: why when you type in crochet do you get 3 books crochet 12 for knitting, then on top of that the books that have both crochet and knit has 2 crochet patterns and again, 12 knit patterns. I am so happy that there are women in this world that can do both, I applaud you, but I am not one of the fortunate ones. I really hate to buy a book that has both. Pick one, do one, don't mix it up. Thanks for letting me vent.

Hank of Yarn, Ms

Took trip out of state on Friday-only 40 minutes from my house, to Hank of Yarn. Kathy had invited me to come down and talk about a class on my ornaments. What a blast! These ladies are really a great group. The store was a buzz with activity and everyone was happy to be in their element. I do enjoy the fact that it is a crochet friendly shop...they speak crochet and knitting, not just knitting. The store was bursting with beautiful yarn, every color every size.

I loved talking about crochet and especially my ornaments. They are going to teach some classes so check with them to see when that might be. They are located at 7075 Malco Blvd, Southaven, MS, www.hankofyarn.com.

From left, Jenni, Kathy, Hank and Cheryl

Back in the blog saddle

Since my last post I have been laid off from my wonderful job at International Paper. It wasn't a surprise, we knew it was coming and they did right by us all. This has freed me up to finish my book while I look for another job. I have even started another book on crochet earrings. I will post some pictures soon.

I have a busy day with a birthday lunch with my BFF's (Happy Birthday Vicky) and then down to a yarn shop in Southaven , MS. They have invited me to stop by and help set up a class to teach how to make my ornaments, how cool. I'll take some photos and post them when I get home.

Planning what to do this year?

I have so many plans in my head that it just might explode.

When I am not in the "Crochet Designer" mode, I have a job outside the home, I am a Sustain Test Planner for International Paper. I love this job to it's very core. It allows me to do what I love best, which is plan and it allows me to be creative. I work with a manager who know how to work with my creativity and let's me run wild. He knows I will get the job done right. He is so open to my ideas and believes in me. What a knock out combo.

Back to the planning. I plan everything, my day, my week, my month and my year. My work at my job is a given, I plan every morning. My life is a bit more complicated because there are so many variables. My family and my business. I want to do it all so I plan in small stages to make sure I can account for all the variables. I don't like to be too constricted to one single plan and not let in any spontaneity. This seems to work for me.

This week I will be planning for the year. I have some great creative ideas for my crochet I will share soon.