Patience is genius...

...as French naturalist Comte de Buffon once said.

While I'm patiently waiting for my fabrics (at this point I even welcome a letter from customs!) I have been sorting through old sketches and developing new designs. I aim to add a tunic to my shop collection soon, well as soon as fabrics arrive.
I made a summer top for myself in vivid colours. I made the drawstring tunnel with a bit of satin I had left over. I like the versatility of this top - dress it down with jeans or cargo pants; or up with a cropped black jacket and slim skirt.

I used this same pattern albeit with a feather light cotton eyelet to create my snow white pajama set, which was featured recently in my bloggy friend Kristin's treasury. Note the new wig for my mannequin :)

I have known Kristin for over two years and I am constantly amazed at how she effortlessly juggles work and family and consistently creates art even while moving from one city to another! One of my favourite items in her shop is this vase:

Meanwhile our comfy couch for the reading room has arrived. As many of my readers have requested pics I hope to post some really soon!

Take care everybody,

Why I joined Etsy

print by the olive bird on Etsy

Recent changes on my new selling venue Etsy have led to animated discussions in the forums. Some of my readers will know that Etsy is rolling out individual homepages for UK, Germany, France and Netherlands. I have mixed feelings about this, because part of the attraction of joining Etsy was the international flair the site presented and the feeling of being part of a huge global, crafty community.
I also liked the fact that everyone everywhere saw the same frontpage - always a topic of conversation between me, my international friends and customers. Moreover, my stats show that 70% of visitors to my shop are from USA. Followed by UK, Canada and Australia. Italy and Germany tie in fifth place.
I tested the local (Germany) homepage, and the front page items on there is made up of just a handful of European sellers (not me) over and over again picked by admin. Sounds a lot like DaWanda to me (where I am gradually phasing out my stuff), where favouritism is the order of the day! Plus the German version of the Storque (blog) leads out of Etsy altogether! On the flipside there are US sellers who market to Europe extensively, and will most likely become invisible once European buyers set their language and homepage preference. Most of my teammates feel exactly as I do. We've put in our two cents hoping that we will be heard by the powers that be over there in Brooklyn, NY. I'm just glad I've built a strong connection to my US customers and the USA in general via my blog! Here's hoping I won't fade into obscurity...

Back to (regular) work & how to deal with the customs office

Hi all!

after a short break of soaking up the sun - hurray for spring - I was summoned to the customs office to pick up a much awaited fabric parcel. That's the downside to importing things from outside the EU - you never know if and when any of the stuff you order is going to arrive safely at your doorstep or is destined for a spot check. The letter mentioned specific opening times as well as what documents to bring along. Here are a few pointers for anyone else having to deal with customs:

► be punctual, as there will be an onslaught of people as soon as the doors open
► take along a copy of the invoice, description of items in the parcel, proof of payment and your ID
► bring along $$$
► take along a large pair of scissors (or craft knife), since you will need to open the parcel for inspection
► remain friendly regardless of how...intellectually challenged the officer may be

I went home with only one parcel and am wondering as to the whereabouts of the others. Time will tell, I guess. Well, after pre-washing/drying the fabrics I set to work immediately. Here are a few shots of the work in progress. If you wish to see a small section of my work space take a look at the blog of Etsy Germany Street Team where I'm featured on today.

Check out the finished item here.