One of the hardest parts of running a business for me is trying to figure out all of the behind the scenes stuff. Making lingerie is the easy part! Figuring out how to get it out to the world is hard.
I’m also terrible at outsourcing jobs that are really above my pay grade… So, I end up DIY-ing almost everything… To be honest, I like a lot of the odds and ends I get to do! The only downside is that sometimes it takes me a while to really figure it out, like the currency change I made yesterday.
This morning I worked a bit behind the scenes to streamline the download process for my free patterns. Previously, you had to go through a checkout process even for my free items which I know was super annoying. You no longer have to do this. On each free product page there are download links provided so you can simply download my free patterns and templates without checking out or creating an account. I hope this makes it easier for you to access!
I’m really trying to streamline my websites a little better. Right now everything is kind of disjointed. So that is one of my projects over the coming weeks.
Last week I finally got around to checking this off my to do list:
I’ve finally listed my floral honeybee set! I was feeling in a bit of a slump a while back and started writing back and forth to Nichola from Knickerocker. Both of us were feeling the pinch on Etsy and feeling like we were having a hard time standing out. We decided to take on a bit of a creative challenge. We picked a theme (bees) and each designed a lingerie set around it. It was a super fun project! I decided to create a custom fabric using antique floral images and little honey bees on a polkadot background. It seemed natural to pair it with black lace. I absolutely love how this print turned out.
This shade of yellow is one that I love but never felt I could wear well. But, I felt great in this set!
You can shop all of the ‘Honey‘ pieces on Etsy (and remember, my prices are now in Canadian, not USD, so they may look a little different than what you are used to!).
I’ve been mulling this over for a while and I have decided to switch currencies in my Etsy shops, as well as my standalone shops, from US dollar to Canadian.
This won’t be a big change for most of you. It may look like my prices have increased, but they’re roughly the same. They are just in CAD instead of USD. In a few instances, prices have lowered, but for the most part I’ve tried to keep them within $0.25, mostly due to rounding. If you are a shopper on Etsy, you may not even notice much of a difference since Etsy is set up to automatically show you prices in your currency.
If you are a US customer, this will likely work in your benefit as the Canadian dollar fluctuates. For my Canadian customers, the total price you are paying will stay the same, you just won’t have to worry about any exchange rate.
I understand this can be confusing at first and I apologize for any potential sticker shock if it looks like my prices have jumped by a few dollars! They haven’t… it is just the currency difference. I promise!
I’m hoping this will make life easier as far as bookkeeping goes for me!
I’ve been working behind the scenes on a standalone (non-Etsy) shop for my Lingerie for months now, but wasn’t sure in what direction I wanted to take it.
For a few years now, I’ve had the goal of having a ready made line of lingerie that was at a slightly lower price point. I originally had the goal of creating a factory produced line that I could sell to retailers, but I still am struggling to find a Canada-based producer that will work with my relatively low quantities… not to mention I still haven’t actually wrapped my head around how I’d do it.
So, I’m still not there yet…
But, over the last several weeks I’ve worked on creating a selection of pieces that are ready to ship, but in limited sizes. The bralettes I’ve created are light support and great for lounging, but they aren’t the made to measure bras you’ll currently find in my Etsy shop. The bras in my Etsy shop are customized for your cup size and shape, whereas the ones in my ready made collection are a few sizes fit most. This, and my fabric choices (which are mostly solids), are how I am creating my lower price points. That being said, they are still super cute and comfortable pieces. They are all styles that I love wearing myself!
Currently, I’ve got my Etsy shop and Ready Made collection separated, but I think I will eventually work on migrating the items from my Etsy shop over to this new storefront. The truth is, I’m having a hard time standing behind Etsy ever since they broadened their definition of “handmade” to include factory made items(yes, even items in factories are made “by hand”, but I don’t think when customers buy something that is marketed on a “handmade platform” as “handmade”, that they will assume it comes from a factory. It’s just sketchy marketing if you ask me). Recently, they’ve changed search ranks to favour sellers with free shipping and short turn around times… which for me is hard since shipping (with tracking) in Canada is expensive! Seriously, I spend an arm and a leg on shipping Free shipping on every order is not something I can’t afford to do… Secondly, because I customize the fit on all of my bras and panties, offer custom designed items, and because of the amount of orders in queue, I can’t ship made to order items out in a day or two. Not to mention they’ve just upped their fees. I just can’t compete on that platform anymore, and I have some moral objections to the way the company is running now… So I’ve been looking for my escape for a while.
I’ve dabbled with ready-made items in the past but have never stuck with it. So, I’m going to see how these items do and if they do well, I’ll keep it up…! I still have more pieces to add but was excited to get these few things off the ground… especially my limited Halloween items!
I’ll be working on migrating over scrunchies and sleep masks this weekend and into next week, and maybe a few made to order items as well. I really like the navigation of my new shop, as well as the the order processing and fulfilment methods.
Something you may not know about me is that I am obsessed with the creepier side of life… although I’m a skeptic, I just love ghost stories and the like. I also love history, specifically women’s history.
As an aside, my favourite movie as a kid was Beetlejuice and I basically styled myself after Lydia Deets (which is now my cats name, you’ll see her in the video).
These interests have been with me for as long as I can remember. As a teenager it led me into learning about wicca and the history of (western) witchcraft. It’s all fascinating stuff. More recently, I’ve become obsessed with Victorian Spiritualism. Spectral photography, spirit boards, table tipping… it’s all so eerily beautiful.
I think about how witchcraft was used as a tool to silence women who dared to step outside the confines of what was deemed “appropriate behaviour.” It’s a sad, scary, fascinating part of our history. It serves as a metaphor for so many instances throughout history and our lives.
I also love the meaning we imbue on objects, like a certain type of flower or crystal or card. I don’t believe a chunk of rock intrinsically has any power, but the meaning we place in it is a powerful thing.
One of the things that draws me to these topics, I think, is my weird obsession of death. It scares me. Terrifies me. I’m not really a spiritual person myself. I don’t actually believe in an afterlife, but I wish I did. The thing that draws me to spiritualism and magick is the possibility of something else. We all want that don’t we?
Loss and death is what a lot of my anxiety tends to revolve around. I know I’m getting better because I spend a lot less time thinking about it than I used to. Now I think of it in a, “It’s interesting how people used to be drawn to Spiritualism as a way to deal with the ever present threat of death,” instead of just being terrifyingly aware of my own, and everyone around me, mortality.
I have to laugh a bit because this post makes me seem pretty dark. I’m not. These are just the things that interest me. They always have. I’ve always been a weird woman! It’s actually something I really like about myself. And I know if it were 500 years ago, I’d probably be burned at the stake (HA!).
In my personal life, I tend to thrive on a bit of a low-key routine. Creatively, I like to push my boundaries and try new things. I enjoy the physical process of learning a new skill or technique. I also like the adrenaline rush when I put something “new” out into the world. I’m feeling that with this post and the little teaser video I made. It’s so strange to see myself, moving and looking back at me! But I like how it came together, and I wanted to show how my pieces move and look in as close to “real life” as I can get over a computer. I feel slightly scared, and a little excited. It’s basically my favourite combination of feelings!
You’ll be seeing new items pop up in my shop over the next day or two. I’ll be releasing some of these pieces as sewing patterns as well, so stay tuned!
You can see some more of what’s been inspiring me over on Pinterest. I always make a little “inspiration” board when I’m working on new things.
I’ll be contributing a couple times a month and have so many ideas about topics I’d like to cover. If there is anything specific you would ever like me to cover, please let me know in the comments for via email! I can’t always reply to every message I get, but I do read every single one.
Nothing will change over here! I’ll still be bringing you new tutorials, hacks and inspiration through my own blog, but Craftsy will be a great sewers resource!
Ugh… I’m sick! Isabel came down with a cold late last week and I seem to have gotten it. In a way, it’s good timing to be laid up with a sore throat and aches and pains since I have a lot of computer work to do on the couch…
I posted a new video on my YouTube Channel last week with some Ohhh Lulu related updates. I’ll be finishing up most of what I talked about here over the next couple of days…
Summertime tends to be a little quieter work wise, which is nice because life tends to be a little busier around that time of year. Dan had a couple of weeks vacation. We didn’t really do much, just a few day trips and did some work around the house.
When I first saw our house I fell in love right away… You know how when you first start dating someone, you see all of their wonderful aspects, but it’s not until you’ve been dating for a while that you start to see their flaws? That happened with this house (ha!). I saw all of the wonderful bones of the house and some how didn’t notice until I moved in that the exterior was only half painted. Every single wall was half painted. It was like someone started painting all of the easy bits, then when the job got too high to reach, they stopped.In my defence, I was juggling a 1 year old, a business, and a pending nervous breakdown (only semi-joking). The side entry and kitchen also had some water damage, which was repaired by the seller prior to closing. Big mistake. The person who did the repair did a really crappy job. We’ve stayed dry, but the drywall job in the side entry was terrible. There were huge gaps between the door frame, baseboards and milk door that no one bothered filling and the side entry was left three different colours. It took me a good portion of a morning to fill and patch that area and we ended getting the painters who did the exterior of our house to paint this area white. The ceiling in this area was super high and would have been difficult to do on my own.
So many things went wrong with the closing of this house that I’m still irritated about. Our lawyer totally screwed up our closing and was unhelpful, the house was filthy (like disgusting filthy… like a pile of rotting food in the backyard, a tampon under the stove filthy), there was junk left everywhere despite stipulations in our purchase agreement… We ended up renting a dumpster over the summer to get rid of all of the previous owners old junk which cost us almost $400. SO frustrating! I think what upsets me more than the additional expenses we incurred, was the TIME it took to address all of the things went wrong… I wish I had’ve been in a better mental state when we first moved in because I should have sued to cover the extra costs we encounter… However, I’m super happy with the house now. I just am having a hard time letting go.
We had the exterior of the house painted white (actually a very very pale grey), and used a darker grey on the shutters. The wood shutters were in pretty rough condition, but with a little TLC, a lot of caulking and fresh paint they have a little more life left in them! I also painted the front door bright blue for a pop of colour. I love how it looks, fresh and modern colours on a traditional storybook cottage base. We also put up a new, more modern light fixture. We’re supposed to be having new soffit and fascia installed as ours is in very rough shape but I haven’t heard boo from the company we hired for a little while… So hopefully that is still happening!
Our poor shutters pre-painting.
Painted and pretty!
Isabel started at a new daycare this month. I was so sad to hear that her previous daycare provider was going back to work for a local school board. We had such a great connection with her and the kids there! But we were lucky to find someone else who is close by, and happens to have some chickens, which (aside from horses and dogs) are Isabel’s favourite animal (a frequently heard phrase in our house is “Mom, let’s talk about chickens.”). Isabel is a pretty amazing kid. She is so easy going and flexible as far as changes go. She’s adapted so well to the new daycare. I, on the other hand, have a hard time adjusting to changes like these and find myself missing the old daycare! Mostly, my morning chats with her provider…
We’ve also started a few other things this month. Isabel went for her first swimming lesson two weeks ago, and is starting gymnastics at the end of the month. I’m loving this stage of parenthood. She is developing her own interests and her personality is really coming out. She is sweet and funny, loves horses and dancing, but also likes to fix things with her dad and get dirty in the garden. I’m amazed every day by how smart and well spoken she is for an almost-three-year-old. She just is the light of my life.
Practicing her dance moves.
This summer I’ve made time for some fun crafty things too. I made little owl “good bye” gifts for the daycare kids, as well as an owl costume for Isabel. I also made up a whole bunch of dress up items, like butterfly wings, unicorn and deer headbands and crowns for Isabel and a friend of hers. I love making these little things.
Lastly, I’ve got a new obsession… a dollhouse! This dollhouse was made by my uncle for my cousin Amanda years ago (like 20 years or so). After he passed away, it got stored at my parents house where it had a bit of an accident (got knocked over). I couldn’t bare to see it go to waste so I stored it in my attic for another 5 years. A few weeks ago I dragged it downstairs, got out some glue and started putting it back together. I took off the gingerbread trim, added a plain fascia and fresh paint. I did a bit of “landscaping,” made the first floor open concept, and am waiting on new flooring to arrive. I look forward to working on this every day! It has been so much fun and a nice change of pace from lingerie.
So, it’s been a busy summer. I’m looking forward to cooler weather and longer nights.
When I first started making lingerie about 8 or 9 years ago, nice knits were really hard to find. So I was determined to develop some patterns that would let me use all of those pretty, printed woven fabrics in lingerie.
The Jane Pattern was first released in 2013. It’s a simple bikini cut that never goes out of style. The best thing about this pattern is that it can be sewn in nearly any woven fabric… but my favourites are silk charmeuse and chiffon.
I’ve just updated the Jane Pattern to include additional sizes, more in depth instructions, and a few different ways to sew them!
The new instructions will walk you through how to add a ruffle ot the hip, how to add a keyhole cut out to the back with bias ties or a simple bound edge. With this pattern, my goal is to teach you techniques so you can apply these design ideas in different ways to this pattern, and other patterns you may already own!
I’ve felt super inspired by this pattern. It’s a great base for adding lace overlays, appliques, or any number of embellishments… or leave ’em plain and let the fabric do the talking.
I’ve added a few new videos to my YouTube Channel to walk you through some of the more complicated aspects of this pattern.
I’ve been revisiting some of my very first patterns. It’s been a fun exercise! I’ve been flexing my creative muscles to come up with new ways to style some of these basics.
The Lola fits like a cheeky boy short. It is designed to be sewn with a simple hemmed legline, but can also be trimmed in lace.
The newest variation will walk you through how to sew these with a cut out over the hip.
This pattern walks you through 4 basic variations, but you could combine techniques to truly customize your style! My goal with all of my patterns is to teach you the techniques so that you can create really unique styles. I know that’s what I want when I buy a pattern!
In addition to the updated instruction and style variations, I’ve also graded the pattern up to an XXL.
These look similar to the Claudia Panties, but the fit is quite different. First, it has a two piece back which is quite cheeky. The Claudia has front seams, whereas the Lola has back seams. Lastly, the Lola can be sewn with a simple turned hem, whereas the Claudia needs elastic around the leg.
You can purchase the Lola Pattern HERE or through my Etsy Shop. If you have previously purchased the pattern and would like the update, please contact me with your order number and I’ll provide you with the update!
Annnnd…. If you check out my YouTube Channel, I’ve just posted a pretty in-depth video all about how to sew these cheeky undies!
I’ve been so inspired lately, there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything I done that I want to do!
This has been on my To-Do list for a while now: a re-vamp of the Ava Panties Pattern (Grace, Bambi & Lola are next on my re-vamp list). I’ve added an additional size and more indepth instructions, including multiple variations!
With the Updated Ava Pattern, I’ll walk you through how to finis the waist and legs in fold over elastic, how to add an optional scalloped lace overlay, and how to sew the panties with cutouts and adjustable strap waist.
I just uploaded a video to my YouTube Channel, walking through how to sew a basic pair of Ava Panties.
I also have released these items in my Made to Order collection. I have a very limited amount of this fabric, so don’t want if you want it! You can find this set in my Etsy Shop by clicking HERE.
You can purchase the Ava pattern on my website, or Etsy. If you have already purchased the pattern and would like an updated copy, please send me an email or message me on Etsy.
Video is a medium I am not so familiar with, but I’ve been learning fast and really enjoying it! So please subscribe to my channel. I plan on adding a lot of new videos over the coming months. If there is anything specific you’d like to see, please let me know!
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