the Etsy shop is now OPEN!!!

I'm very pleased to announce that my Etsy shop has now re-opened! And there are coupons (see bottom of post)!!!

When JT and I left for Costa Rica at the end of April, I closed down my Etsy shop temporarily. I knew that I wouldn't be able to fill orders while we were gone, but more importantly, I wanted to use the R & R time to brainstorm. HoneyBee Quilt Co wasn't taking off like I had hoped.

The projects were big - time consuming and expensive. It was difficult to manage alongside my full-time job. I also quickly discovered that quilts (custom or not) are difficult to sell because of a limited market. Most people love quilts...at thrift store prices. The main group of people who understand the cost and worth of a quilt are, well, quilters. And what quilter is going to buy a quilt that they could just make themselves...am I right?

Quilting will always be a part of what I do. Whether it remains a hobby or someday becomes a source of income, I will never stop loving the process of designing, piecing and finishing a quilt. However, in order to establish a career - or at least extra cash flow - I desperately needed to find products that I would enjoy making, but would also sell.

After a few pool-side planning sessions with JT, I decided to order my first round of FOE (fold over elastic) for hair ties and headbands, and enough supplies for a large batch of fabric keychains. Once we returned to North Carolina I tried to motivate myself - working on hair ties and organizing my studio. However, I still struggled with time management as my job got busier and we slaved away at home preparing for our yard sale.

Another little hitch in my plans was that my sewing machine was down and out - and still is by the way. So what little time I had to work was spent tying elastic, which is not exactly fulfilling to my creative brain. Once we found out about our move to Colorado, all my sewing stuff was packed up until this week, when I finally got it all organized in our small but cozy bedroom (shout out to my awesome hubby for letting me take up the entire dresser with sewing supplies).

We drove to Denver this week to drop my sewing machine off, and hopefully by this time next week I will have a simple and inexpensive diagnosis. Also, please note that I still consider myself a beginner...but experts don't always know what they're talking about either. I've been told by two different quilt shops to use two different bobbins. The nice woman at the shop in Denver informed me that I have to use a special bobbin because I have an older model machine. Gee whiz! Maybe that's my problem!

Enough rambling. What I'm trying to tell you all is that my Etsy shop is now open once again!!!  At the moment you will only find no crease/FOE hair ties. These make fantastic gifts for party favors, stocking stuffers (in August? I don't even know), and even bridesmaid gifts. If you are interested in a custom order to coordinate with your party, wedding, etc, please message me on Etsy or email me at honeybeequiltco@live.com

And now for the best part...COUPON CODES!!!

valid through August 30, 2015

NEWNAME for 10% off your purchase of $10 or more.
NEWLOGO for 20% off your purchase of $20 or more.
NEWSTYLE for FREE SHIPPING with your purchase of $30 or more.

Please shop responsibly!

LB

settling in

I can't believe we've been here 2 weeks...

This place is incredible. It's perfect. Ok maybe not perfect...but pretty darn close.

Don't get me wrong, we loved our time in North Carolina. The relationships we built there will always mean so much to us. We were blessed with time spent helping my parents move up and get settled. We adopted our 2 pups and made lots of wonderful memories.

However, Boone never felt quite like home to us. There was always something, or somethings, missing. Now we're here in Colorado and it already feels like home. I know that new places always seem exciting at first, but I'm a big believer of "when you know, you know" and this place is for us.

JT is really enjoying his new job. It challenges him in new and exciting ways as he learns the ropes of the store and the products. This weekend he will be working a sale event in Vail, which I know he's excited for.

I've spent my days exploring, "nesting" and trying to keep Luna under control. Last week we moved into a lovely little townhouse which we share with another couple. It's so nice to finally be able to sit down and have a meal together (this is the first place we've had with a kitchen table. SCORE!). We also have an on-suite bath and two porches for the dogs. Our room is a little small, but since we only moved out here with what fit in our two cars, we haven't had a problem. The room also serves as my workspace...I spent the majority of the day yesterday setting up my desk and organizing.

On that note, my sewing machine is still out of order. I'm hoping to drive over to Denver in the next week to get it looked at so that I can start putting together inventory for my Etsy relaunch!

Other things I've been doing...

Free yoga class

Farmer's markets

Nesting

Puppy walking

Gondola riding

Hiking

Thrift stores and rummage sales

Stand up paddle board demos

Bike riding

Stay tuned for more details on our life here in sunny Colorado! :)

LB

the move to Colorado

what a whirlwind our life has been lately

On July 6th we got a phone call that would change the trajectory of...well everything. JT had been selected for a management position with a retail store owned by Vail resorts. We were instantly thrilled and terrified when we realized that in two short weeks we would be living in Dillon, Colorado.

Thankfully we had already sold almost everything at our yard sale, and purchased some of the major things needed for the van conversion. We worked day and night putting up walls, ceiling, lights, and the bed frame in the van, packing up our few belongings, and tying up all the loose ends. Finally, on July 20th, we left North Carolina for our new home.

After a quick detour to pick up our travel buddies in GA, we made way to central Missouri for our first night of camping. There we enjoyed a good night's sleep and a hot shower. Then we set our sights for Dillon, CO with only Kansas standing in our way.

About 2 hours from Colorado, on I-70 in Kansas, we blew a tire on the van. JT and Hayden checked it out, only to discover that somehow the tread had completely come off, wrapping itself around the brake line and severing it.

We put on the spare and managed to limp along without brakes to a small mechanic 5 minutes down the road, where they gave us brake fluid, welded the line shut, and sent us on to Denver, where we planned to spend the night. A nasty storm gave way to a beautiful double rainbow, and we finally made it to the city.

The next morning we managed to make it the rest of the way to Dillon with three brakes. Although the Mercedes dealership had quoted $650 for repairs, JT and Hayden were able to replace one part for just $17 and a little elbow grease. Dave the van lives on and we are in love with our new home!

I'll be sure to keep you posted on our adventures here in beautiful Colorado!

LB