March check-in

Hey hey, I'm back! Without telling a whole long story about blog fatigue and how I got my groove back, I'll just say that I'm inspired to do some posting here once more with a slightly different format. My goal is to check in about once a month and just post a few updates about what's new. So let's give this a try:

New on Etsy

After a quiet January, things have been flying out of the shop, and I'm super grateful to all my customers for the support. Unfortunately, I did have one mix-up in which I had to cancel an order, which felt absolutely awful 😧but otherwise things have been going smoothly. I'm excited to start listing more spring items in the shop, but in the meantime, I have some great transitional items listed. Here's a few of my current favorites:

Vintage 1980s Prairie Revival long-sleeve cotton dress | $23

New old stock floral print heels | $21

1990s J. Crew floral print boxy cardigan | $24

I will be continuing to add items to my $5 Sale section over the next several weeks, so be sure to check back there for some great clearance bargains (like these burgundy Hush Puppies boots). And here's a peek at a few of the great items that will be listed soon (let me know if you want more info, or if you'd like to reserve anything):

What I'm Making

I honestly don't remember what prompted me to knit my first self-drafted chevron hat, but I remember being obsessed with the idea for a while before I started, and being gleeful when the first one was finally off the needles, as you can see here: 

Just finished this bright zigzag hat, and not a moment too soon! Would love to sell a few of these self drafted lovelies, so let me know if you are interested! #winter #snow #cold #cozy #upstateny #knitting #maker #handmade

A post shared by Emily Popek (@breadandrosesvintage) on Nov 23, 2016 at 9:52am PST

I knit a second one, and I'm now on my third, and I'm still not sure if I've got this particular crafting urge out of my system! Next steps are to try to write up the pattern and see if I can get it placed somewhere (maybe submit it to Knitty? or maybe just put it up on Ravelry). If you're interested in being an informal test knitter if and when I get a real pattern together, please let me know!

I'm also trying to make headway on a quilt that I started ... ugh, I think during the summer? I keep taking long breaks from it and then coming back to it, but I'm almost done with the quilting, and then I just have to figure out how to bind it.

This is my first time putting together a quilt, and it's been an interesting experience. I don't think I have the patience to do this on a large scale, but I am enjoying the technique, so I've been brainstorming about smaller quilted projects.

Finally, I am close to wrapping up a super sekrit embroidery project that I'm really excited about — I can't show it to you here, but here's a look at my planning process, which pretty much says everything about how I like working (i.e. USE ALL THE COLORS).

What's New

A lot has changed since the last time I posted — well, really just one major change. I got a new job! After 13 years (my god I still can't believe it was that long) working at my local newspaper, I started working as a communications specialist for local school districts at the end of July. This has been a really big transition for me, and my family — I could go on and on about it, but I'll just hit some of the highlights.

For starters, I'm working much more regular / predictable hours. I go to work in the morning and I'm usually done by 4 p.m. every day — and then that's it. No rushing to get work done after hours, staying up late, etc. On the other hand, my schedule is a lot less flexible, which was definitely an advantage for us as working parents with a young child.

One of my big hopes about taking this job was that it would help me feel less burned out — and it definitely does. I knew I would really miss writing my newspaper column, so I've been pushing myself to write more (even though it hasn't shown here), and have actually gotten a few bylines as a result! You can follow my "non-fashion / day job" Twitter to see more (hopefully) of my writing.

What's Next

Once I finish this quilt, I'm eager to knock out a few quicker sewing projects (although I still have a few unfinished objects hanging around that I should really tackle instead, but, you know, the lure of the new). For summer, I'd love to make the sleeveless version of this top out of a remnant of vintage silk, with a contrasting fabric for the neck band: 

I'm not 100 percent sure this color combination will work, but I like the idea of pairing a geometric print cotton with the soft botanical print of the silk.

Also on the crafting front, I've been reaching out to a few artist friends about doing some visual art / embroidery collaborations, which I'm really excited about. If you are a visual artist (or if you do any type of lettering / calligraphy, etc.) I would love to talk to you about collaborating! 

One of the things that's great about my new job is that I'm learning a tremendous amount, including things about social media, marketing and strategic planning that I'm hoping to apply to my Etsy shop. I've set myself the goal for this year of creating a marketing plan for Bread & Roses Vintage, and I'm also hoping to help my husband with some marketing strategies for his book business. 

And in April, my Etsy shop is going to mark its fifth birthday, which shocks me on several levels. For one thing, I can't believe I've been doing this for FIVE YEARS. For another thing, I can't believe I got started when my daughter was only a few months old. I took my first-ever product shots on the floor of her nursery while she was napping! 

My daughter and me in 2012

I'm hoping to do a big giveaway (or a series of giveaways?) in April, as well as having some great sales, so I hope to have more on that when I check in next month. If you have an Etsy shop or business and would like to collaborate on a giveaway, please let me know! 

Whew, that was a long check-in! As always, you can stay up to date with me on Instagram (and, to a lesser extent, on Facebook and Twitter). And I would love to hear from you, so drop a line in the comments or get in touch any time! It's good to be back 😊