Sewing Up a Storm

Lately I have been addicted to sewing and designing new garments from pieces of different patterns and my own ideas mixed together.

I attribute it mostly to my new sewing machine

my new Janome mc 6600p <3 it has been amazing, even better than I expected!

Here are some new dresses I made

Handmade Sweetheart Dress, Mint Ribbons & Bows w/ Fish Tail Hem, Pink Satin Bow

Handmade Sweetheart Dress, Brown with Red Floral & Fish Tail Hem, Size Extra Small

Handmade Pink & Stripes Dress with Contrast Detail and Pencil Skirt, Size Small, 100% Cotton

Handmade Purple Floral Dress with Contrast Detail & Pencil Skirt, Size Medium, 100% Cotton

Handmade Black Floral Dress with Contrast Detail & Pencil Skirt, Size XS/S, 100% Cotton

i am sure there will be plenty more to come

<3

maria taylor

officially addicted to Maria Taylor's new album Overlook.  Predictable to say the least, since I love everything about every song she has ever written.   Azure Ray was very important to me growin up.

AND she is really adorable and multi-talented.  When I saw her live the first time in NYC, she was singing, then playing guitar, then playing drums... love her.

overcoming dissatisfied customers.

When you think about it, being agitated with a transaction or confused at customer service in a walmart, grocery store, or anywhere else is something we have grown accustomed to.  Especially in terms of corporations, it seems each individuals' troubles with their service has nothing to do with the success of the business.

But let's get real,
for a small, tiny, miniscule business owner like me, one dissatisfied customer really brings me down.   Especially on online storefronts, such as etsy.

Search "Negative Feedback" in all the forum discussions and you will find over 100 different stories of sad, unmotivated, depressed sellers who received their first negative feedback.

And I am going to say it.  Today I became one of them. And now I fear for my shop and for my success.

It is like a punch in the gut.  I always refresh my activity feed and my shop at least a dozen times daily, and check new feedback.  Tonight was an unpleasant discovery.


The dark red color and the words on a page seem so much more painful than if someone was to pass judgement by word of mouth.

I am trying to find reasons to let it go and move on, but I am scared, sad, depressed, and unmotivated.  Trying not to be.  But I am.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring better things.
On a lighter note, I began a new dress today that is inspired by one of my designs for my Fashion Design class last semester.  It is a little less edgy than the original, I will post photos when it is complete!

<3 sweet dreams

Chelsa

be brave.

In the past few months I have learned to be brave.

I have been brave in so many ways all of my life, I have stepped out on a limb for love, I have pushed my mother's boundaries growing up, and I have gone after what I want.  But the kind of bravery I am talking about is in how I present myself.  I never really appreciated the person I am.  I never even really thought about it too much until I moved to Iowa.

Maybe it is the heartland that did it to me, but I also think being in this place where everything is so humdrum and slow paced, it has given me the opportunity to be really express myself and feel like an individual.  Growing up in New Jersey, and traveling to Philly and NYC all the time put me in this world where I wasn't very unique.  Yes, I dressed differently, but there was a whole herd of people that dressed "differently".  There is a sort of charming thing about going into somewhere around here and asking for vegetarian options, & confusing the hell out of people.

In this place I did, I must admit, fall into a wear-sweats-to-the-store or don't-dress-up-ever or never-wear-makeup kinda lull for a while.  While it is totally acceptable to be that way, I am not happy that way.  I don't know when it started, or how, but I am really opening up in Iowa, finding my own way, and developing my adult fashion taste.  I think that is probably an important thing to do for an aspiring designer.

It all comes down to one thing.  Was I going to allow myself to wear the things I like without worrying about the discretion of others.  I am slowly wading into that mindset.  For example, I used to think I wasn't skinny enough to wear high heels..so what! who says.
I also never saw myself being able to pull off short blouses.   How ridiculous is that! now that I have gotten over myself, I am finding a love for clothes I never would have even considered before.  As my views of myself change, I can see that my taste is growing and expanding.

that is all I have to say for tonight, tomorrow is Monday and I have to wake up bright n early for classes!
<3 Chelsa

My Fall Fashion Resolutions

Well where to begin? I am making so many subtle changes to my wardrobe that my head is spinning.

1) heels, heels, and more heels!

okay, so i know they are so so so bad or our feet and health...but I have recently fallen in love with the feeling of being high up.  Well maybe it is the confident posture I am forced to have when I stand on my toes, but I love it.  I feel like it is part of me crossing from teendom into adulthood, which I do feel as though I am doing in a much more graceful way wearing my heels (a good disguise ;) ) except when the occasional ankle falls into a sidewalk crack or my black pumps slip off my heel mid walking motion.

anywho, here are two of my recent additions to my high heel family (who sit gracefully on my desk in my bedroom at all times)

The first is a pair of Aldo boots ( find them here http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/women/boots/knee-high-boots/84841455-beckerle/20 ) that I got in NYC when I was visiting my parents and siblings in August.  Heck, I got the other pair when I was out there visiting too, in Menlo Park Mall, in NJ.  They are Kimchi Blue Black Linen pumps that I got on sale for 20 dollars (a surprise at the register, as I was set to buy them at 49 dollars ).  At Urban Outfitters of course.

This is my first pair of boots with heels, and I wanted to get something elegant but casual, since most the places I go call for casual.  They are so cute with skinny jeans but I have recently worn them with tights and dresses, or knee high socks.  SO CUTE.  I love them, and they are comfy.  The girl at the store told me to get a size that feels tight because they will stretch.  I am so glad I listened even though I was skeptical, because after wearing them 3 times they now fit perfectly!

The black pumps are simple but have that matte, textured linen look which makes them casual and or elegant, which I said is important because I wear them mostly to classes and out and about.  I pondered wearing them around NYC but it was a day after I got them and I wasn't so sure I was ready to brave hours and hours of walking wearing them!

2)  Figure out how the heck to wear socks with heels/sandals

This is such a difficult thing to do! there is a fine line between nerdy chic and just plain geeky.   I have tried on all my ankle socks with a pair of black almost-wedged wide strappy sandals I have, but I just haven't "felt" the match yet.  Maybe it is women's intuition, but I have this sort of "feeling" system for how I dress.  I can just tell when something doesn't look right together, it is a feeling similar to that of dropping a glass cup and breaking it by accident.  That is the best way I can explain it.  But when it is right, oh you just see yourself walking down a manhattan sidewalk parting the crowds of people with your hair blown back by a fan as it bounces perfectly with your every step.  You know that feeling.  I have a really great imagination, thanks to my upbringing!

3) Blouses

Yes, I consider myself a connoisseur of dresses, of the vintage and new variety.  I have enough dresses (but still not nearly enough) to move onto other things.  What I don't have a lot of is stand up blouses.  And I am working on that.

My favorites that I am finding this Fall are the loose almost cropped dressy T-Shirts, and the loose sweaters with tighter sleeves to roll up and fold unevenly.  Unfortunately my two favorites I purchased were from h&m and they do not have an online store to find them in... and I don't quite have a camera to photograph them (or do them justice at least)

The sweater I love is similar to this one, without the pocket, and in mustard yellow.  It also has a bit of a boatneck which works better on my bustier figure.  It is a good way to hide those extra pounds I am working on losing and still look chic.  It is also super soft and cozy!  

My other shirt that I bought is short-sleeved ends at the waist and is a camel brown with two wide black stripes.  It is made out of Viscose, and it is super cozy and drapes super nicely.  Just don't get it wet, it stiffens it and makes it look lighter where the water hits it. It is great with my skinnies and my black Kimchi Blue pumps.

That is all I have for now! Off to work on my Etsy Shop so I can make some $$$ and buy more clothes!!!!

(and pay some bills)

<3 Chelsa Molloy

a list of ten things to do when i'm blue

i have been meaning to start a meaningful blog for a year, yet I have not figured out the basis of it.   i don't have tales of little children, or a lot of grown-up things (or at least, i don't think so)

i suppose one thing i know is the challenges and triumphs of starting a very small business from scratch and growing from there.

i also know what it is to love someone with all my heart,

and sometimes, raising my puppy feels like raising a child.

being younger than i look and feel is sometimes difficult, i find myself in this world of big decisions and actions and i find myself making many, many, many mistakes.  i am, in my head, a grown-up, but i am still separating myself from those teenage habits, some are tougher than others to break (for example, spending all of a paycheck impulsively, and then struggling to pay rent)

oh, the woes, which leads me to the point of this particular post...

i find myself blue today after a long working day in Des Moines at the East Village Bazaar

i was quietly disappointed with my lack of sales and as the day went on i was feeling more and more blue, and i think i may have done the rest to myself.

a.k.a. gave up

i.e. sat with a semi-pout on my face and left behind all good salesmanship (and heck, my last name is Salesman! done the family wrong!)

i so regret it!  I have compiled a list to get me through those lulls and financial woes that chase me.

1.  first, recognize the issue.  write it down, spell it out, think it through.

2.  write down ways to fix it.  or, ways to get on your way to fixing it.

3.  on a separate paper, write down something that made you smile last.

4.  remind yourself of something you feel or have that is greater than anything else ( for me, my beau, my dog Béla, and my kitties.  also, designing/sewing clothing and hugging my mom. :) )

5.  think again of what is bothering you.  still smiling about what you wrote down in step 3 and 4? hopefully. i am!

6.  re-evaluate the issue with your now more positive mindset.

7.  walk away and have a cup of tea, a piece of chocolate, a play sesh with the kitty, hug your puppy, listen to your favorite song.

8.  come back to both your papers and reread them both

9.  rip up the negative paper into as many pieces as humanly possible. 

10. get to work fixing the issue! or accepting it! whichever is the necessary step for you. 

11. adopt a kitten and name her after my favorite band when i was in 8th grade.

TILLY!

step 11 is optional :)

good luck! crosses fingers

<3

Chelsa Molloy