Confessions of a Fabricaholic

Yes, I know I should be sewing or cleaning or doing something productive but I just can't help myself.

I love to look at (and buy) fabric ~ lots and lots of fabric.

I spend a LOT of time on the internet "doing research" (that's what I call it so I don't feel bad about wasting time).

I really look forward to my visits with the fabric sales rep ~ just to be able to see up close and personal all the upcoming fabric lines. To look at the new color schemes and to touch the gorgeous fabrics is a dream come true. I am in awe of the patterns and colors the designers use to create fabric. Here is a sample of one of the new lines arriving soon at http://www.cottagebellesfabric.etsy.com/

BOGO was NO GO

Some of you may have read my posting yesterday (I've since modified it and you'll understand why) about wanting to make room for more fabric. I had a BRILLIANT idea ~ have a BOGO Sale in my Etsy fabric shop. Simple concept.....Everyone knows what BOGO is (Buy One Get One)......Shouldn't be a problem.......right??!!

So I put an announcement at the top of my shop (with a link to the Sale Section) and I posted an ad with a photo of rows and rows of my sale fabric bolts (about 150 bolts in the pic). In the ad I explained that my Sale fabrics were now Buy One Yard Get One Yard Free. I even included a link to the Sale Section of my shop to make it super easy to see and buy the Sale fabrics.

Sounds good so far, right?? Well, let me tell you it didn't go as planned. Such a simple idea should have resulted in many people getting great deals on fabric and me getting more room in my Cottage.

I was bombarded with question after question after question. Everyone was confused.

It really went down the tubes when one nice lady bought the listing that was the ad for the BOGO Sale!?! I have no idea what fabric she thought she was buying since there were over 100 bolts in the photo but I guess she liked what she saw.

Stay tuned ~ I'll be trying the BOGO Sale again next week as soon as I figure out how to make it hassle free for both my customers and me!

New Shelving for Fabric Bolts

I just added 30 more linear feet of shelving to my cottage (thank you Samantha for installing all those brackets!). You would think that would be plenty of additional room since it provides space for about 200 bolts of fabric. But guess what?? ~ I've already filled the shelves and more fabric is due to arrive soon!
Where in the world am I going to put all the new bolts???!!??

Maybe you would like to help me free up some space by visiting my Etsy fabric shop
http://www.cottagebellesfabric.etsy.com/
Please give a new home to a few yards of fabric so my cottage can stay looking neat and organized.

Check back soon to see all the gorgeous new fabrics due to arrive in the next couple months.

Life is Good

The month of April has been a good one from start to finish ~

On April 1st one of my Toddler Bedding Sets was among the featured items on my favorite fabric designers blog ~

http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/eden-revisited.html

I was absolutely thrilled when I saw that Lila Tueller had included one of my handmade items while showcasing her magnificent fabrics. (I know you will enjoy viewing all her patterns and new collection of fabrics too)

I’m ending this month on another high note with more of my handmade items featured in this months Give Away on this wonderful blog ~
http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/2010/04/cottage-belles-reusable-lunchsnack-bags.html

You will love perusing all the great ideas and resources for moms this extraordinary lady has on her blog. Be sure to enter one or more of her Give Aways.

I’ve been having so much fun this month spending time with my daughter and granddaughter ~ story time at the library, going to estate sales, building another deck, and planning a baby shower. I am so blessed to be able to spend time with all of my family.

I’ll be off to visit my sister and her husband in Massachusetts soon and I’ve promised myself that when I return I’m going to get back to creating new handmade items with all the lovely fabric in my Cottage. So check back to see my “re-stocked” shops in May.

Springtime in Texas

Where oh where did February go?

I don’t know what happened ~ I blinked my eyes and here it is the middle of March! It is so nice to finally have all the rain behind us ~ I thought I was living in Seattle or London there for a while! The beautiful sunny blue skies Texas is known for are back and it feels good!

Gorgeous Spring fabrics have been arriving and they inspired me to transform the outside of my home. I was able to spend yesterday working on my yard and adding a little color by planting snapdragons, dianthus, gardenias, alyssum, and lantanas. Now the search is on to find the perfect clematis vine to grow on my new arbor.

My backyard’s crowning jewel right now is my Bradford pear tree. It is in full bloom and the clusters of delicate white flowers are breathtaking. My Lady Banks rose bush has a million yellow buds and it should be bursting with blossoms later this week.

If you live in an area where Spring has not yet arrived, you may want to bring some color into your life by taking home a few yards of the wonderful fabrics I have in my shop.

I’m not known for doing things ahead of time (yes, I am a procrastinator) but I don’t think I can wait for several months to do my Spring cleaning in my Cottage. The new collections of gorgeous fabrics that I ordered last Fall are starting to arrive and I need to make room for all the bolts.

I’ve been sorting through all the fabric bolts and deciding and re-deciding (is that even a word?) which ones I can part with.

After looking around and seeing that I had created piles everywhere, I decided to just bite the bullet and put some of the fabric on sale.

Piles and piles of bolts everywhere - what a mess!

♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥ ~ ~ ♥
Since February is my birth month I’ll be celebrating with a
- Fabulous February Sale - in my Etsy shop
http://www.cottagebellesfabric.etsy.com/

I hope that you will stop by, browse around and take a few yards of fabric home with you
(Especially since earilier today I ordered more fabric that is due to arrive next month)

~ ♥ Coming in March ♥ ~

Hunky Dory by Chez Moi

New Fabric Arriving!

The New Year is here and with it arrives NEW fabric from Moda! We really enjoyed our first trip to the International Quilt Market Trade Show and being able to see all the new upcoming fabric collections. Well, they are starting to arrive this month and I am SO excited!!

- Eden by Lila Tueller -

I fell in love with this fabric collection and just had to buy it all!

- Boutique by Chez Moi -

My daughter and I especially enjoyed visiting with the reps at the Riley Blake booth. They were so friendly and helpful. I think we were a little overwhelmed when viewing all their beautiful fabrics. I absolutley LOVED all of their collections and had a hard time deciding which ones to order for my shop. Keep watching my Etsy shop to see the great fabrics from Riley Blake.

2009 International Quilt Market Trade Show

I was on Cloud Nine last Saturday! My daughter, Samantha and I took a trip to Houston to explore the International Quilt Market Trade Show. It was held in the George R. Brown Convention Center with over 2000 vendor booths. I know we walked many miles that day but we were so excited that I'm sure we were floating around!

We were able to preview all the new lines of fabric, place orders, and meet a few of our favorite designers. I especially enjoyed meeting Lila Tueller and seeing her new Eden fabric collection. I fell in love with this collection and I look forward to having it available in my Etsy fabric shop (www.CottageBellesFabric.etsy.com).