And we're back!

Man it's been a stressful few months. Lots of change, endless work, shows a few times a week, work never ends and there are never enough hours in the day for 10 hours workdays. You may or may not have noticed my gradual absence from the blogosphere, and most of it is for the lack of a camera. My 4 year old Nikon D40 that has been acting up for close to a year. At first it was the shutter sticking, and with a little elbow grease it was fixed, requiring weekly maintenance to keep it working, with a tripod mount keeping the camera together, since I had to have access to a gear for greasing it. Last month, during a photo shoot with my mannequin, photographing new work, my camera finally bit it, and died. For good. It was devastating.

As a really small business, I am financially back by my boyfriend, Matt, who works full-time. Before moving to Florida, I bartended part-time, making really good money but at the expense of having less time to work. Now that I'm more than full-time, the money coming in has changed, but with pore output. It's slowly becoming more profitable, but it's always, of course, an up-hill battle. Hard work pays off, but very slowly. 

Almost every penny I make is reinvested into the company, buying supplies, clasps and zippers, repairing sewing machines, stocking up odds and ends for Shelby, booking shows, there's always room for improvement and it adds up. And when it comes to a big expense like a new camera, it is easily pushed to the back burner. 

Matt and I are not big on birthdays. Generally, we take a trip in January, the month of his birthday, mine February 12th, and since our birthdays are a month apart, it covers both of us. A card on each others birthday and something thoughtful or handmade, that's good. I woke up on Wednesday morning, my birthday. Expecting Matt to maybe make breakfast, a trip to the gym, and working all day, I didn't have huge expectations for a gift. We had plans to see Doug Benson in the evening. 

Well Mr. Sneaky brought me a huge bag bright and early, and the first thought in my head, "Awesome, I bet it's a new pair of Toms wedges!" I open the bag and Oh. My. God! It's a brand new Nikon 3200! A BRAND NEW SLR! GARHAKGHLEUNVSILDNF! What!? I started crying tears of joy, and kissed Matt and couldn't have been more thankful! I'm so so so excited about this camera. It has video capabilities and take amazing photos. So be excited. I'm back.

Expect some video sewing lessons soon, new listings in the Etsy shop (I can finally list all my new works) as well as a Kickstarter and OneSpark initiative. Big, HUGE, things coming this spring.

And enjoy the animal photos, and my make-up free helmet hair photo. Zeus is ever regal, and Clem is always getting in my way, soaking up the sunshine. I hope you all have the most amazing Valentine's Day. I know I will. Matt and I are headed to the zoo to shoot the new Tiger exhibit, huge hamster like tunnels around the entire zoo for the tigers to explore and gaze at the other animals, and then we're having a picnic of some sort. 

See you soon!