Changes Continued

Amidst all the life changes with living in a new area, new home, new place, all with a 5 month old, there are some changes with CreativeMedley and a bit of progress being made!

Still on what I'm essentially calling maternity leave, I'm in the midst of revamping the CM store. Working on rewrites, recreating the look, working on a better logo, taking things a little more seriously and planning ahead before reopening. It's a slow process while also learning to be a mom and caring for a new little life. And also learning how to care for a whole house instead of just our little apartments that we've been in up till now. But that also means more space to create, actual storage for keeping things in stock, and a better environment in general just to tackle having a shop in the middle of real life being a new mom and wife.

It's a fun refresh, and I'm hoping to plan better this time to keep the store open. And with a more permanent living situation I can research better ways of trying to shop for some things local or at least be able to support fellow Etsy shops for materials for my own creations. Dedicating storage for materials and better storage for finished products is in progress. I've narrowed down a new font style to about 25 options instead of the 40 or so I started with! Haha. And I've begun a spreadsheet and list of supplies needed, time it takes to create, and effort to gauge a better price point for myself and shoppers. You know, all those fun details that go on behind the scenes before I can even really tackle the stuff I really enjoy. Although I have cheated and started some fun lists of different and new things to make and things I eventually want to include in the shop like quilts! But that takes much more time and cost, and so I have to reign it in and take baby steps first. Start by bringing back some of my basics like those paper crafts, fun cards made with love and care, knitted things for everyday life, and a few fun pieces of jewelry. Then once those are back I can take on bigger ideas and more fun things to make available! We're getting there. Slowly but surely.

Finding time to plan is a challenge, but I've got the same 24 hours as anyone. (I keep reminding myself!) It's just that now I'm learning to divide that time with a new sweet little girl that is 5 months old and almost crawling! Whew. Time is going fast and she grows and changes so quickly! It's an interesting and fun balancing act to deal with all these changes at once and try and revamp the store. A refresh is needed, and I still have a passion and love for the products I make and want to eventually bring to Creative Medley. And in a world filled with technology and instant access to things and all the manufactured items that come from who knows where, it's fun to be able to offer some hand made items that take time and care. The love and effort put into the items for my shop and in refreshing the shop itself I hope will be reflected in the gifts you get or the fun little happies you might grab for yourself! And that's what I aim for. A little bit of slowing down, taking time to make, putting in the extra effort and love for something handmade that brings a smile to your face.

Still planning on Spring for a reopening date....That is apt to change though. But is a good starting target! I'll be finishing working on the less than fun stuff for a little while longer, but then I'll try and post fun preview pics as I begin to do the more enjoyable part of this refresh and get in some snapshots of items that will be in stock! Or fun little things in progress. Or maybe just ideas and inspiration of what is to come! So just hang tight, fun little handmade things are coming, and spring isn't too far away!


In the meantime, just so you know, this is where most of my time now goes!!!

Sweet little thing! And worth every moment!

Changes Are Coming

It has been three long years since CreativeMedley has been available. Our living conditions were just far too crowded for proper creating, much less storage of the fun handmade products I make for the shop. My creative outlet and extra little bits of income for our family of two were at a halt in our little apartment. I missed creating things, dreaming things, planning things for the shop and was almost ready to abandon it completely. But there is still a glimmer of reopening! There's light at the end of this tunnel!

So much has happened since the shop went on hiatus. Just four short months ago we moved and had our first child! And now there is space. Space to breathe, space to dream, space to create. And clearly, with an extra little one who has grown our family of two to a family of three, there is less time than before. But more space! Have I mentioned that there is more space? So I'm sincerely hoping that these two facts of life will balance out at some point soon. More space and less time, less time and more space. That these will collide in the midst of our newborn, new home, new place chaos and as the dust settles I'll be able to create items for the shop again. And have a space to store them! And then be able to have a grand re-opening and a fresh start. Changes are coming!

In this refresh I am hoping not only to restock and have more options of the existing cards, knitting, and jewelry that I've had for you all to peruse in the past, but to also add some fun new things to the shop! That is, of course, why I came up with this particular name-Creative Medley- so that as I changed and real life intervened, that I would be able to offer a variety, or medley if you will, of handmade creations. To offer little gifts, cards for a special someone, and just little happies to those who would want them. To share what I love to do and make and offer homemade items to those who seek them.

It has been a long rickety journey for this little shop. But changes are coming! A refresh, a breath of new life, and a whole new adventure await. Hopefully things will happen soon, but the reality is, as much as I WANT to reopen in time for Christmas gifts, I think the practical goal of a spring opening is more attainable. We shall see! Daring to dream once again, that this little shop will grow and expand, and be able to share the handmade with those that love the quality and time that goes into each item!!!!

Thank you all for watching and waiting in this crazy process! Changes are on their way!

Hiatus

So, The Creative Medley is on a temporary hiatus. There is just literally no space to keep my items for sale in this tiny apartment! I may reopen and focus mainly on paper crafts and cards since those are more manageable for storage. Creative Medley was intended for a conglomeration of (or a medley of) handmade craft products. A focus on only paper products would shift my intentions for the time being, but would keep The Creative Medley open. 

In short, I'm hoping to reopen with a temporarily narrow focus until life moves us to a place where storage is a feasible option.

Thank you for your interest and time!!

The Shop is Open!!!!...but

Well, I'm so excited to have my Creative Medley shop up and running again!  However there is one more bump in the road. As I was reposting old items and adding on new items my computer battery gave it's little warning message that the battery life was running low. This was odd since I had just plugged it in. Upon further inspection, the cord showed signs of an attack from our adorable little playful cat...who has severed the plug in for my computer. Since this is the SECOND cord he has toyed to death, and it is an $80 replacement, I am afraid my uploads and updates are on hold. I can still access the shop via my phone, but all my photographs of the new shop items are on that computer! -sigh-

So, please enjoy browsing through the few items that did get listed in the shop! Know that there are more that just can't be listed yet until this computer charger cord cat-astrophe is amended. (This may have to be a creative solution as my hours have been cut back at my part time job AND I'm saving up to pay for a bridesmaids dress and eventual trip for my soon-to-be sister-in-law's wedding!)

Life throws curveballs sometimes! Grand re-opening of The Creative Medley Etsy shop wasn't quite as spectacular as I'd hoped...and is still incomplete. But it is still nice to be open again! Stay tuned as technology is bested by my cat, alternative solutions are figured out by my wonderful husband, and the most cost-efficient fix is found! :)

The Grand Re-Opening

Grand Re-Opening will be in June!!

Exciting news! The CreativeMedley will be reopening in June! Official date will be June 3. I'm so very excited to have my shop open again! I can't wait for you all to see the new items...and some of the ones still in progress that won't be out until next month.

I'm still learning about running the shop, so I'm sure there will be some bumps and turns in the road ahead, but The CreativeMedley will be up and running.

Please feel free to let me know of any product suggestions that you would like to see! There are links on the blog to e-mail or message me within the Etsy site.

Thanks, and I can't wait to show you around the new CreativeMedley shop!

Gearing back up

Getting back the mindset and vision to be able to share some of what I love to do with others! 

Since it's time for graduations I am practicing my card-making skills to have some templates to make sets for my little shop! Here's a peek:

One basic and the other a little more fun! Trying to come up with cute options to diversify and bring a broader price range to the shop. 

So, just a quick update and behind the scenes look to give you a glimpse of what's happening. Gearing back up to have that grand re-opening that was postponed!! :)

Postponed

     Since I last wrote, things have changed somewhat. My projected relaunch coincided with my grandmother passing away. And since both of my grandmothers have been such an inspiration to my store and taught me so much of the creative elements that I use with my little Etsy shop, it has been a challenge to get back into planning the relaunch. My projected date was early April, but sadly I had to be back home for a funeral and such things so everything has been postponed and dates moved back a great deal. Sometimes life just intervenes and gets in the way of our plans.

     As of now I don't have a projected date, but am still planning on having a grand re-opening. I'll definitely be posting more in the future as things get closer.

Thanks all!

Tentative Grand Re-Opening!!!

To those who have been reading and anticipating....
YES! Finally planning a Grand Re-Opening of Creative Medley! Official date to be announced as I have a few more things to iron out, but planning to re-open in April. I am quite excited! And finally decided after much debate that having the store open and available is preferable to having a lot in stock. Therefore plans were adjusted accordingly and things are moving forward.

Having fun brainstorming items to add and goals to meet!

Enjoying seeing my funky, fun Swizzle Swirl earrings come together, in quite an array of colors might I add!

Loving feedback and encouragement from friends and acquaintances alike!

Starting to purchase more supplies for my creations from other Etsy sellers!! Which is OH so fun and reminds me of the little Etsy community I am a part of!

Liking the progress that has been made to organize my craft area and the places to store my Creative Medley stock itself!

Looking forward to re-opening!!!!!!!!

Creative Medley is all about being creative and sharing that creativity with others that they could enjoy it or gift it to someone they care for. And that means you! My readers, my friends and acquaintances, each person who scans or looks at or favorites an item. And THAT is why I am excited about re-opening. My audience, the ones with whom I want to share my creations with! To pass along or enjoy, that is the goal.

Now that I've posted those tidbits, I will be getting back to rearranging, organizing, and creating more items for Creative Medley!

Yarn, Stamps, and Earrings Oh My!

        Still working out some kinks before the Grand Re-Opening! Finding a balance of price that is fair to me and the value of my handmade items but is also fair to the buyer is not always an easy task. But enough of the boring number crunching. I'm so excited to be re-opening soon! I've been encouraged so much at my workplace lately. Over the past month I have had many, many compliments on some of my earring designs from friends and random passers through alike. Along with encouragement from another friend that my cards and stationary are quite sellable.

       All of this has encouraged me to re-open soon, and to put more emphasis on some of the smaller, charming items in my shop. Although I love knitting, it does take a great deal of time. So the lovely scarves and dish cloths will be put on hold as I undertake stocking up on the items those around me have complimented and commented on. Expect to see larger quantities of my fun and funky Swizzle Swirl Earrings and some other cute and simple earrings as well. I will be designing more cards and stationary to stamp because I just love the idea of rekindling the lost art of letter writing. Or at least sending fun hand made notes, birthday, and seasonal cards to close friends!

        As soon as I stock up on those items I will be designing some aprons to sew and sell! Some will be based on antique patterns, my own designs, designs from my great (great?) grandmother, and maybe even some movie inspirations. You will have to wait and see!


        I'm trying to brainstorm ideas of how to display my earrings that would be cute and different. I do not wish to use a live model or myself to photograph them because I feel there are some sanitary issues there that I do not want to deal with. I want you to be able to pick out and purchase the perfect compliment to your outfit and not worry about them having been previously worn. So...any cute ideas?! I currently photograph them on the edge of a teacup to just give an idea of size and because they hang there nicely, but other fun suggestions would be welcome!

Coming Soon!

First things first.
Seeing as I use sterling silver posts for all of my handmade earrings, they are now tarnished. This means I will be purchasing a polishing cloth and sprucing up those already created very shortly.
Already completed is a new journal of ideas, inspirations, necessities and lists specifically for Creative Medley. Purchased for protective storage are some great new containers that now only lack labels and handcrafted items to place in stock.









And finally, coming soon are place cards for entertaining and other fun get togethers, stationary and cards, and cute post it note holders!

And again...

I will reiterate my last blog post, not done yet, still crazily trying to balance life with a new job and having friends move nearby (yay!). I am planning on re-opening soon, and as yet have still not worked out the pricing for providing a donation to a good cause yet. Pricing that out will be tricky as I don't want to overcharge but still need to meet my goals as well. You know, all the less fun and exciting parts of having a shop.

However, here is your sneak peek at what will be coming soon!!!
Plan for:
*handmade cards
*place cards for formal (or just fun!) entertaining
*more earrings and jewelry
*and possibly more scarves and knitted items

So that is your sneak peek on what will be coming soon! Give me another week or so to make some of these new items available for you, and the CreativeMedley will be up and running again!

Not Done Yet

So, although it may appear that my Etsy shop has closed down it has NOT! This has just been such a busy time in my life right now that it is on hold and in the 'vacation' mode for a little while longer. Mostly life has just gotten crazier and I've been in and out of town and would not have been able to efficiently place orders. And I would hate for anyone to feel neglected or not get their handmade items! So it has been in a holding pattern for awhile and as things are finally settling down I have a new job. So, in the midst of life and living and new chaos, I am going to try and reopen soon. The plan is to first do some revamping, which I think will be exciting!

I will still be producing, making, and creating my own products but I am hoping to offer more options and have more items in stock and to also make more clear other colors available for products. I am also intending on changing some of the pricing so that I can send some of my earnings on to a better cause! This is where things get fun and more personal. I want to provide a product that is cute and handmade and either a great personal purchase or that perfect gift for someone else. Along with that product I want to make ends meet with cost of supplies to make my cute handmade crafts, but to also have a small profit AND send some money to those who need it more. This involves more calculations and planning on my end and thus the delay in re-opening my shop.

The end goal will be to make my customers happy with their purchase, provide a little extra income for my small family, and make both myself and customers excited that some of the cold hard cash will be going to a great cause! A lot of thought will be going into where the extra funds end up. I'm hoping to have different themes that make sense. For example, if you buy a scarf a donation will be made to clothe children who don't have means for buying clothing or coats. Or if stationary, cards, or bookmarks are purchased a donation to funding education in illiterate countries would be made. And so on.

If you want to check out where I am planning to make these donations, a link can be found here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/
To avoid scams I wanted to send the donations to a place I trusted and knew where the money was going and that it would actually be used for what it claimed. Samaritans Purse is a longstanding and trustworthy organization, and since my husband actually worked for the company and I know others who do as well, I know for a fact that the money will go where it says it will. They also offer options for smaller donations that would be feasible for my little shop to meet.

So to those following the Creative Medley shop, please know that things are still happening Behind the Scenes! Amidst being in and out of the state for multiple weddings and family things I have still been thinking and putting effort into the shop even as it sits dormant and 'on vacation'. Some very cute cards, scarves, and jewelry will be seen again soon! I just have to plan and coordinate some other details before it opens back up. So be thinking of what you'd like to see, leave comments on things you'd like to have available for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or things you yourself want!!

Oh, and here is a pic of the little aprons I made for the bride's bachelorette party:

Eight aprons were made, and they were so much fun! I am currently trying to find a pattern that I could sell that would not infringe on any copyright issues. Or come up with my own pattern that would still look cute! So that is your sneak peek and information on what is to come!!!!

Please stop by the shop to see if it's reopened...likely mid or end of October!

Wondering Where I've Been

Those of you who follow me I'm sure have been wondering where in the world I have been! Well...all over the place actually. From the last post when I asked you to vote for my brother-in-law, I have moved to NJ, visited Italy, visited friends and family back home in NC, come back to NJ, had mine and my hubby's second anniversary, and been preparing and planning for my very dear friend's wedding of which I am the Matron of Honor...as well as the usual long task of job searching. So, whew, life has been topsy turvy and upside down and there has been little time for my poor Etsy shop!

So here we are months later. And I've decided to post photos of what I've been up to lately:

 Here are some things I'm working on making for the bachelorette party and games :) I loved the way my lingerie shower invites came together:

 Here is a pinterest project I am working on for our little apartment:

 Cute quotes to add character and charm to our bookshelves:

 And since I still have not found a job, I have been working on some decorations for our future home that will live in the game room. This combines my love of crafts and my husband's enjoyment of gaming all in one:

 And another pinterest project I attempted.....too bad I found out that our cat likes to chew on my completed project:

 And of course updating our wall of photographs with pictures of our family vacation to ITALY!!!! Here we have photos from Rome, Florence, and Tuscany. *Sigh* I want to go and sit outside a shop sipping a cappuccino with my family again! :) What an awesome graduation gift for my sister-in-law; a family getaway to the destination of her choice!

 And my favorite little project that I put together is my new prayer reminder. I'm always struggling with wanting to pray for EVERYONE in my life and always feeling like I've left someone out or don't have time. Well...here is my solution. The little clothespin prayer requests are immediate needs and concerns, plus my little 'This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" reminder. The little pails have one for each day of the week and popsicle sticks with names on them! Sunday has popsicle sticks for churches and pastors. Monday is for missions and missionaries. Tuesday is for close family. Wednesday is for my Bible study ladies and children. Thursday is for my husband-focusing on him, his health, his job, his character, his growth and wisdom, fruits of the spirit etc. Friday is for FRIENDS! And Saturday includes all the extended family that I didn't get on Tuesday. I am really enjoying having this as a template and a reminder-just having it up on the wall reminds me of special requests and to pray consistently! (More than happy to offer this on my Etsy as special requests!)

 And of course all this time I have been decorating, rearranging, and attempting to make this little apartment feel more like home. (NJ cost of living is MUCH higher than anywhere else we have ever lived...so a little downsizing was in order. However frustrating it may be now to be in a tinier place, it will make us appreciate what we have later in life all the more!)

 ...And I've been nurturing this little orchid back to health. Found REALLY cheap in Lowe's because it was not doing well and looked iffy. It's grown 2 new leaves and is looking great now! And affordable for me :D

 More decorating that has been done over the months :)

 plants and decorations :)

 And this is my lovely friend who is getting married in just a few weeks!!! I got to visit her when I visited NC right after Italy!

 And the more important reason I went to NC immediately after our family trip abroad was my childhood friend getting married and being a bridesmaid in her wedding!!!! Known her since preschool...and we've been in school together ever since :) All the way through college.

 And no trip back home is complete without some wildlife spotting! Mrs. Momma Bear decided to stroll around our driveway to say hello. 

 And then being home again I have had my second anniversary with my wonderful husband. Fancy restaurant in NYC for our anniversary and movies at home. Job searching since then and then have been catching cute poses that my cat has made:

His favorite new place seems to be atop our dresser. :) But he is cute. And his antics are always amusing.

So there you have it....catching up on my crazy life since the move that has been going and going at breakneck speeds in all directions. This is why I have been missing in action for a few months and why my little Etsy shop has been in vacation mode. More photos to come soon of creative things for my dear friend's wedding. And after that my shop shall open once again! Glad you found the blog and hope you will return to see all the new happenings soon!

Please vote!!!

Please vote for my creative and very talented brother-in-law, Alex!! He made this commercial for BMW and the only way to win is through voting. They were given a time constraint for the commercial, and from what I've seen his truly is the most professional looking, however winning is completely reliant on votes. So please let everyone know and get the word out!
 Voting is daily from now until April 9th (And please make sure to click on the blue 'Vote' button not the youtube 'like' button!) Thank you!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/BMWUSA?x=us_showcase2_4985_30

Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of what I've been working on the past couple of weeks!!! There will be some fun things added to my Etsy shop soon!

Stamping is in progress for some fun Christmas cards!

more stamping items!

Most recent creative idea is to take on making a medley of bookmarks to choose from! These could be great little gifts or stocking stuffers, especially if you are already getting someone a book!

 And then the most recent addition to Creative Medley has been fingerless gloves. Custom orders are currently available, but here is a look at gloves in progress:

 So far only one done, but working on it's matching pair!

Also creating cards to use as wall art or for some sort of decoration for your room, desk, or table!

And there you have it! A sneak preview on what's been going on the past few weeks at Creative Medley and all the various designs and little gifts I've been making for you!

Ideas Anyone?

Alright, this post is to see what you think! I am hoping to make Creative Medley more personal and get feedback from current customers, future customers, potential customers and anyone else who wants to voice an opinion.

First however, I want to let you in on how this idea came about. Monday I was out with a dear friend running errands. (It is ALWAYS more fun to do everyday mundane things with good company!) We started bright and early--much TOO early mind you--to make it to the DMV when they opened to get our licenses. Hers needed to be updated to her new married last name and I needed to transfer mine from out of state to our new location in NJ. We spent early morning driving there and getting that done and then proceeded to reward ourselves with coffee and bagels. Yum! After our little treat we went off to get her license plate for her new little car because this was on the way to the pumpkin patch we were headed to to grab us some cute pumpkins! While at the dealership the man helping us noticed my warm and comfy fingerless gloves that I was wearing. He inquired as to where I got them and that his wife would love some like them. What an opportunity!!! I told him that I had made them and happened to have my very last Creative Medley business card to give to him. (Obviously I need to print some more. Now where is that printer cord that got misplaced in our move?...)
   This was quite exciting for me, especially being in a new place with very limited connections to have met someone interested in my knitting. And a product I was planning on putting on the website very soon! So for the next few weeks I will be a knitting fiend to get some stock on the website! Now here is the part where you all come in. I want to offer a product people will want and enjoy and pick as their go-to item to grab as they're heading out the door. My fingerless gloves are first on the list to be offered next. What colors would YOU like to see? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Next I want to hear suggestions of knitwear YOU would want to purchase. Things you would like to see offered. Or gift ideas you would like to see offered for gifts. I have so many things I can do but I want to know what customers would like to see :) More hand knitted scarfs maybe? A specific color of earring? More hand knitted hats? What should I focus on next that YOU would like to see, I want to hear!

Craft Space

   Now that you have read up on how I was inspired to start my own Etsy shop I will share a little more of my personal life.

  My husband was so supportive of me starting up the shop! He helped me brainstorm store names and allowed me to splurge some more on supplies. (Keep in mind that we had been married less than a year at this point, and a newly-wed-just-out-of-college budget is pretty tight!) So I was thrilled and thankful that we had a little extra spending money to start up my little shop. Now let me show you the little desk I had been working on when I first started up:

My old desk

Please note the little tiny white desk at the foot of the twin bed there. This is the same desk I grew up with and brought with me to our first apartment. I had a mere 18" by 33" space to work with. And of course throw in the living room coffee table more than twice that size and all the floor space I wound up using. But it's what I had to work with and I used that space up! Now, the coffee table takeover was not appreciated by either my husband or me. It was cluttered which he can't stand, and it was a pain for me to find a place to stash everything when guests came over.  So we saved our pennies and over the course of a few months I was pleased to hear my husband's approval that we could now go out and find me a new desk! Here is the result of a very happy Ikea visit:

My wonderful new desk has storage cubes that are exposed and encourage me to stay organized, and it has all the desk space I dreamed of!









Now, I am still a clutterbug and this is my response to that:
 

My "Creative Clutter is better than Idle Neatness!" cross stitch

 And now that I have my wonderful new desk and much more crafting space I can focus on more products for my Etsy shop. Now if there were just more hours in the day I'd be set! :)

Birth of a Store

   Now that you know some background of how I began crafting I can share with you the background of my Etsy shop.

   When I was much younger my sister, cousin and I would play all sorts of imaginary and make believe games together. Every Friday night our family would get together for dinner at Meemaw's and spend some time with extended family and enjoy each others company. Of course when I was little I didn't treasure that time together as much as I do now. Back then it was just a fun chance to escape all the 'boring grown up talk' and play games with my little sister and cousin. Pretending to be cats and dogs, princesses in distress with imaginary princes to rescue us-or as a spinoff from that movie stars, and such games were so fun. And then we started playing shop. Those winter months where we were confined indoors and unable to run around inspired new games. 'Shop' was a game where each of us had a store in a different corner of the room and would make things to sell. Mostly drawings or little things out of paper, but it was fun. And of course prices ranged from a couple of cents to two dollars then. Family would indulge us and buy things from our shops, especially our grandparents. And so I began dreaming of one day owning a shop. I loved the idea of having a little shop downstairs with a bay window to display my craft items. A mirrored gallery to display my beaded jewelry. A section to hang my quilts, aprons, and knitted wares. And another area for my cards, paintings, photographs, drawings and other miscellaneous crafts. And so I continue to dream.

   In college I sold some of my knitted items to a lady who owned a shop in the next town. I liked the extra income, but it wasn't my own shop and I wasn't able to see what demographic was purchasing my items or learning how to best present and sell my own wares. But with college classes and studying occupying the majority of my time my focus was on that instead of my crafts. So all worked out as it was. I made a slight profit on my hobby and could still focus on my school and what future lay ahead of me. I graduated with a degree in Health Promotions and a minor in Psychology and was focused on finding some job to help people or communities to be healthier and live a better life. However, the economy had another agenda, as did my boyfriend soon to be fiance. I completed my internship with a senior center which I loved every minute of. And two months later I was getting married to the man of my dreams and moving away from the life, family, friends, and all the connections I had to the foreign state of PA. Now, I had never moved out of the state I was born in. I had never been away from the mountains of NC.
   Being married is enough of a life change but moving 8 hours away from everything I had known was a whole other undertaking I wasn't so sure about. However, I quickly made friends and settled in to our apartment and a new life with a wonderful man. In the meantime I had had two or three close friends mention Etsy to me in college. I had never paid much attention or really looked into what the site was. I had just logged it away in my memory to consider later. And then it was mentioned to me again. And then again through an acquaintance -now close friend- and I decided I should really look into it. I checked out the website and loved the community feel of this craft based buyer/seller website. After a short discussion with my hubby, he encouraged me to go ahead and set up my own shop. I had always intended to pursue that anyway, so why not now? I began brainstorming names and ideas for products. I googled some of the shop names my hubby and I had come up with to see if any were already taken and eliminated a few that way. I stuck with Creative Medley because I have so much variety of handmade items that I love to make that it just made sense. A whole medley of crafted items created for buyers of my own creativity.
   I started the site and was excited to make my first sales (even if they were to my mom and grandmother!). Then reality hit me and I recognized my need for more stock, and the fact that stocking up meant spending money on supplies and materials and that this would be a strain on a newly wed budget. This catch 22 of needing money to buy materials to make some extra cash to spend on my homemade craft store was becoming frustrating. So I gathered things for projects when I could manage to spend some extra, and spent the time working on creating them when I wasn't taking care of the house or my part time job. This has been slow going of course. And then life threw another curve ball. (Funny how that always happens!) My husband was being promoted -hooray!- but that meant we would be moving - sadness -.
   And so I put my store on hold, in 'vacation mode', and proceeded to spend all my extra hours searching for an apartment within our budget in the much higher cost of living state of New Jersey. We had only been in PA for a year and I had only just started feeling like it was truly home. I knew where all the shops were, where my favorite craft stores were, and had started to be able to get around without complete reliance on my GPS. Not to mention the friends that I had made, some of whom I had begun a deeper relationship with and would consider lifelong friends. Phooey. So that brings us to present day in October 2011. Finally finished with the hubbub of finding a place, closing out everything at our old apartment, moving into the new apartment, all the lovely first deposits and expenses of moving, and finally, FINALLY getting everything unpacked and feeling more like a functional home.


   So now my shop is up and running again. Still with only limited items on sale as our budget will allow, and my brainstorming for ideas continues. I want to do so much and offer so many handmade items that I can't (and our budget can't) keep up! Someday, someday, someday all of my ideas will come together and be available for others to enjoy and gift. But today I will be thankful for a desk to work on, the fact that I have a little online shop, and that we are starting to have a little extra for me to spend on craft supplies. So, as I search for yet another job in a new state, I will be creating and adding more and more to my sparse little shop. I am thankful for what I have and where I'm at right now, but I am dreaming big! I hope this gives you a little insight to my shop and the heart behind it. And I look forward to updating and keeping you all in the loop of CreativeMedley!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

   A very good place to start. I was born and raised in North Carolina, grew up near family and was always doing something. I had a passion for arts and crafts that goes back longer than my memory can recollect, back to when I first scribbled black crayon all over the walls of my room in my parents house. My knowledge of arts and crafts stems from my close knit family. I learned so much from family members who taught and inspired and fed my creativity.
   My mother has always been-and continues to be-very creative especially with card making. So I learned all of my card making skills and stamping arts from her. She is also the calligrapher, sewer, cross-stitcher, scrap-booker, and homemaker that inspired me to mimic her skills in those areas as well.
   My grandmother on my dad's side was a seamstress and I learned much of my sewing from her. She used to let me push the sewing machine peddle as she sewed when I was only eye level with the sewing table! So Meemaw, Mom, and some sewing classes I was able to attend during the summer is where I get my sewing background.
   My grandmother on my mom's side is also extremely creative. She sews too, but I mostly remember going over to her house to bake yummy cookies, pancakes, and other goodies and to delve into her craft drawers for acrylic paints and hundreds of wooden figures to paint on. I do wonder how many hours of my childhood were spent at her dining room table surrounded by newspapers spattered with acrylics and wooden figurines. She allowed me to make a complete mess of her house and spend hours upon hours painting, drawing and coloring to my hearts content. Her mother was also a painter. My great grandmother, Nanny, was a wonderful artist and poet. Although my hours at her house were mostly spent running around outdoors, I did admire her paintings greatly.
   My aunt Amy taught me to knit under some very amusing circumstances in 6th grade. My aunt and uncle were visiting from out of town and my family had taken them to eat at one of our favorite and often frequented restaurants. Apparently one of the staff had shown signs of some infection, and all who had eaten there during a certain time frame were requested to get shots at the local health department just to be safe. So amidst this random and inconvenient event, my aunt brought along her knitting to wait in the long line at the health department. I was intrigued and watched her closely for a number of minutes before she pulled out an extra needle and thread and asked if I would like to learn. Of course, at the age of twelve, with nothing else to do or be entertained by in the middle of a health department awaiting a dreaded shot I leaped at the chance of distraction and amusement. So I learned to knit right there and then. I really did enjoy it so I kept it up, practicing on potholders and tiny stuffed animal scarfs until I developed better tension and consistency of stitches. And now, thanks to my wonderful Aunt, I have been knitting for over a decade! Since my Aunt that taught me was from out of town, I later had to rely on my older cousin and Meemaw to teach me other stitches and inspire me to a variety of projects. But that meant more time with family crafting and learning and I loved every minute of it!
   This same cousin and her family would present me with interesting craft kits nearly every Christmas. Some were the crazy kitchen lab experiments that I'm sure my mom dreaded me to perform in her clean kitchen, but were fun and interesting to do. Others were little pan flutes to put together or a pot holder loom kit or other one time DIY for kids kits. But my favorite became the beading kit she and my aunt picked out one year. This opened the door to another creative outlet, and a very thrifty way for me to create as many earrings as I pleased during my years in middle school and high school when fashion first started to have meaning to me. And so beading was added to my list of crafts.

   All of these family members inspired me to be the creative crafter that I am today. And so many memories are wrapped up in each skill I have learned over the years from my family.