The Carry On Campaign is Official!

I am officially a registered participant of the Carry On Campaign! I am pledging that by the Concert for Life next March I will raise at least $100 through my Lamaworks sales. Throughout the next 12 months I'd like to focus some of my posts on campaign and some of the great things that the American Cancer Society is doing for our community. I'll also keep you updated on my sales and my progress towards my goal!

The website is still under construction, but you can track the project at:
Carry on Campaign

To help the cause check out my store for new products!! I will be teaming up with my good friend Melissa in the upcoming weeks to come up with some stationary and bracelets for the ACS! Stay tuned!

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

For a good cause ... coming soon!

Last evening I had the joy of attending a concert up in Gurnee by my good friend Matt Wessel. Matt's father passed away from a brain tumor when he was in high school. He worked through his grief by writing music. A large portion of his music is liturgical and has become music that we sang with our church groups in college and is now officially being published by GIA in hymnals across the country.

9 years ago Kate, a girl from his high school, was also battling cancer. Students and staff of Warren Township High School decided that they wanted to support Kate and not only raise money for the American Cancer Society, but also to show her that she wasn't alone in this. The Concert for Life was born. While Matt does other concerts throughout the year, this annual Concert for Life is by far his biggest fundraiser. While Kate and his father are no longer with us, our fight for everyone with cancer still goes on. At this concert we honor those that we've lost, those that have won, and those that are still fighting with cancer. I was so touched last night as I sat next to my dear friend Melissa, as she stood to be recognized as a cancer fighter, and a high school student came over and brought her a daffodil.

I have become good friends with Matt and his musicians over the years. We have played in many church groups together, weddings and other events at Marquette. They still do a few concerts every year including a rally in DC for the ACS in 2006. They never take any money for the shows, but donate all of the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Together they have raised over $230,000 over the last 9 years and that number keeps on growing.

Last night Matt announced a new project - The Carry On Campaign. He challenged each one of us to come back to the show next year having raised $100 over the year. Just $100. If each of us brought back $100, we could raise over $100,000. It's not about our own money though. He wanted us to find creative ways to encourage those around us to help the ACS.

So I've decided to take that challenge, to stand up and make a difference. As soon as I get the paperwork and logistics set up, I will have my very own Carry On Campaign website which will be linked to my sales in Lamaworks. I will be donating a portion of every sale to this great cause. I haven't decided yet if this will be a percentage of each sale or just a flat rate per sale so details will be coming over the next few weeks.

For more information about the Campaign you can go to the website:
Carry On Campaign

For more information about Matt, his music and his cause you can go to:
Matt Wessel Music
Take a listen to his music, buy a CD, look for a concert near you!

For more information about the wonderful things the American Cancer Society is doing:
ACS

Thank you to everyone for your support!! Take the challenge and make a difference!
Until the next time,
The girl behind the lama ...
~LMM

New Twilight Set

As I have had a lot of down time in rehearsals lately, you should start to see a lot of new items coming into Lamaworks in the next few weeks. Let me tell you how much knitting can get done when you have a 10 hour tech rehearsal ...


The first set that I'd like to introduce you to was inspired by a pattern I found for Bella's mittens. If you aren't familiar with who Bella is, she is the star of the book series and movie Twilight. They are these fantastic elbow length mittens that are super warm and super cute either slouched down or pulled up high with a long sleeve shirt and vest.


I found a great pattern for them, but decided to add my own twist to it. I replaced the suggested inward cable pattern below with my own cable pattern that happens to match a hat I was knitting at the time. Not a huge difference, but enough to make it my own and make it match one of my favorite hats.


Here are the old and new versions:

Old

New

To go along with that I am going to pair it with the cable knit hat and one of my short curly scarflettes, for what I think is a very elegant set. The mittens are on sale now! The rest of the set is coming in the next few days so stay tuned!!

What do you think?


Until next time,
the girl behind the lama

~LMM

Welcome to March Madness!!

I am a HUGE fan of March Madness (maybe because I really just like filling in all of the brackets and trying to beat my husband every year ...)

I've got today and tomorrow off of work to do nothing but sit at home and watch basketball! YAY! I do also have to go to a wine tasting for an event that I am planning for the WCE, but that happens to be scheduled during the dinner time break :)

GO MARQUETTE!!!

~LMM

New Sock Plan!

So needless to say I haven't exactly put a lot of time into promoting the shop much since Christmas, but things are slow but moving if that makes any sense! I’ve had 12 sales since Christmas which is huge! 7 of those have been sock orders so instead of making new things for the store I’ve been making tons of custom socks! Because of that I’m starting a new sock policy.


Since I’d like to do a craft show this fall, I should be stocking up on things right? So on that note, I am going to offer two types of socks – custom socks that will be priced a little higher, and ready made socks priced a bit lower. I’m going to make standard S, M, L sized socks. If I have it already made and in stock you get it cheaper. If you absolutely have to have it fit for you specifically or I don’t have something in stock, the custom order will cost a bit more. I think this is a great way for me to both have products that are ready for me to ship and to give me more time to create new things and not always feel behind.

Through all the sock orders I’ve also found a great new sock yarn that I will be switching to, probably exclusively! It’s one of my favorite knitting websites: KnitPicks. I got their modular needle set awhile back and got the smallest DPN set for socks for Christmas. I needed black sock yarn for a custom order so decided to try theirs out and I loved it so much! It’s a merino wool/nylon blend and it comes in such great colors, even really fun striped patterns! I also picked up a sampler of their other wools and have really enjoyed those as well. They are very reasonably priced and all orders over $50 have free shipping!


Here are some of the new additions to my collection:


What do you think??

Until the next time. ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

I'm still here I swear!!!

Oh my gosh, it's been well over a month since my last blog ... horrible I know

But I'm back! I just finished up with the Woman's Club Benefit Show and I had a fantastic time! Even my husband had a great time backstage on stage crew! I spent the last 2 and a half months singing and dancing with late nights at the club. I think there was one week where I was at the Club for some rehearsal, social function or meeting 6 days straight!

But we did it! We just finished our 6th show on Saturday and yes it was sad to see things end. I was kind of getting used to someone doing my makeup every day! I had a few friends come along to see the show and they absolutely loved it. There's nothing better than silly musical comedy that actually includes not only some very talented singers and dancers, but also great musicians, writers and directors. I can't tell you how proud I am to be part of such a talented group of women who band together to raise so much money for a great cause.

So here are some snippets from what I've been up to!

I'm definitely going to miss getting glammed out in leather for a spin off of the Lion King in "I Just Can't Wait to Wear Bling!"

Bring on all the diamonds!
Bring on all the feathers!
Bring on all the bright gowns!
Bring on all the leather!

Oh I just can't wait to wear bling!!

It's been quite some time since I've been a dancer of any kind, but being in a hip hop number was definitely new to me. I've grown up a lot since my dancing days so I had no problem just letting lose and letting my dance club side out in "Flossing" ... yes a song about how women are always hogging the bathrooms at the club Brushing and Flossing to look hot for the men at the club. It was by far one of my favorite numbers.

How about some "Swimming at the Y" to the Beach Boys tune "Surfing' USA"?? We all got together for this all cast number to celebrate our beneficiary the Evanston YWCA Flying Fish Swim Team!

Last but certainly not least ... what girl doesn't love to be a Disney Princess?? I got to dress up in Cinderella (sadly I don't have any pictures with my wig ...) in the number "Disney Chicks" to the Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack ... a number where we lament about how Disney is turning to tween queens and we are all feeling old and neglected.

You must understand that we’re . . . not temperamental
But Brit and Lindsay aren’t your friends
We were your first loves and feel sentimental
‘Bout those Halloweens before you all were sassy tweens.

Truth be told, we’re getting old
And we just can’t keep track of the trends.
Hanna Montana, we’re not a big fan-of
She’s a ho and not your friend.

So that's where I've been! Congrats to all WCE cast and crew!

Until the next time,
The girl behind the lama...
~LMM

I'm back!!

So it’s been quite awhile since I’ve done any updating. It’s been crazy busy around here lately.

So first off – date night with the cooking class was a lot of fun! I’m officially a huge fan of making crème brulee and can’t wait to get my own torch! My husband also got to start our cognac sauce on fire so that was definitely cool. But we met a few new friends and had a great time cooking!

Rehearsals for the Woman’s Club Benefit Show are moving right along! I’ve got rehearsals 3 nights a week now so it’s getting pretty busy. I’m still trying to throw together different pieces of my costumes and learning all of my dance routines.

Work is busy too. We just got done submitting a proposal to teach a course on gait analysis in children with spina bifida at a conference in AZ this fall. We have taught it the past few years, so hopefully we’ll make it in again. Lots of cute kids to see at work and a few that I can’t wait to send home :)

I also took part in a yarn swap with the EtsyKnitters group and got a big box of glittery, colorful mohair and acrylic blend. I’ve been busy knitting up some very lacy and delicate drop stitch scarves because I think the yarn just lends itself beautifully to the pattern. Look for those to be coming out soon!

With having so many sales this month I decided to splurge on one some new display options which should come in handy not only for pictures, but for craft shows as well. I found a great dress form on a wooden stand and some mannequin feet both on eBay that should be arriving in the next few days, so keep an eye out for new pictures and new products as well!!

Have a great weekend!

Until the next time ..
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Featured ETTeam Member: Juneshin

Today we have a double feature from the ETTeam! I am featuring Juneshin here and she is featuring me on her blog, so make sure you check that out at: http://www.juneshindesigns.blogspot.com/




What’s the story behind your store, where did it all start?

A few years ago, I wanted to take a jewelry/metalsmithing class, because I wanted something to do in my spare time and thought it would be fun. I signed up for classes at the 92nd St. Y in NYC with a friend. I had no idea how labor intensive it would be, but I enjoyed it. When I moved to Atlanta, I taught myself how to make jewelry using bead and wire and thought that I could make a little money on the side selling my designs. I received compliments, so that encouraged me to start selling my pieces.


What can we find in your store?

I personally prefer delicate, classic pieces of jewelry, so I think that's what you'll find in my store. When silver and gold prices were rising astronomically, I began experimenting with less expensive materials such as brass and copper, which has developed into it's own collection of bolder pieces.


Do you have any favorite items?

My Golden Circles earrings are my favorite. I wear the large version with Green Amethyst and peridot, but also love the Garnet version. I also really like the Silver Disc earrings. They go with everything and are very affordable.


Where do you get ideas for your products?

Mainly from my supplies. It's almost like a puzzle. How can I put together these pieces so they look beautiful? I've always been analytical, so it makes sense that I approach art in this way.


What has been your biggest store challenge?

I would say promoting and selling. I much prefer to create and do the back end part of the business, and would love to have someone promote, market and sell for me.


Do you have any advice to other store owners, especially newbies?

I'm no expert and am still trying to figure stuff out, but here are some that I think are important. If you're going to sell online, take awesome pictures. I'm constantly working on improving mine. Provide excellent customer service and you'll have customers that come back.


So make sure you check out both her blog and store, both are fantastic. Thanks for the interview!!

Ahhh the weekend

I am thoroughly enjoying a wonderful 4 day weekend! Yes 4 glorious days to stay at home and do anything that I want! So what am I doing? Lots and lots of knitting!! Why??? Because I've had 6 sales in the last 7 days!! So I'm knitting socks like a maniac and trying to knit up some new things for the store too. I've been using Google Analyst of late to track how many hits my store is getting and where they are coming from and it looks like I had another item make it to the front page last week that I didn't even know about!

My Eco Friendly Sunset Cable Knit Hat made it as an alternate. It must have been up at some point because the store had double the usual number of hits that day. Yay! I absolutely love the yarn I used for that hat. I'm getting some more colors in and will be making up some more hats and scarves in the near future. It's a soy/wool blend. 75% wool and 25% soy. It's thick and chunky and really warm like wool, but the soy adds a bit of a shine to it that makes details like a cable pattern really stand out. It's also pretty affordable which helps me keep costs down.

I am also super excited that I took part in a yarn swap with some other members of the Etsy Knitters Team. I got my box earlier this week and it was full of a beautiful mohair blend that has beautiful colors and shimmering glitter to it. I whipped up a lace scarf with it some of it and should have it posted soon as part of a new luxury line.

Other plans for the weekend? I had a great night out with the girls last night for a drink and to see Bride Wars. It brought back lots of memories of my own wedding planning and how much fun it was to plan with my best friend who got married just 2 weeks after we did. Date night tonight with my hubby ... we're actually taking a French Cooking class together. I'm excited to make some French Onion soup and he's excited because he gets to play with a torch to make some creme brulee :)

So far, it's been a great weekend and great sales! I hope you enjoy yours too!!

Until next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Featured ETTeam Member: Brownbunnybyiris

It's Thursday again and time to feature another ETTeam member. This week we have Brownbunnybyiris. You just have to check out all of the super cute hats she has! Here's more about Iris!

What’s the story behind your store, where did it all start?

I'm actually a painter who likes to paint huge formats and needs a lot of space! On the other hand I'm very often on tour with my husband going from movie set to movie set. I can travel only with a suitcase and my art suffers. This are the times when I miss being creative!It was on one of these movie sets that I started creating my first hat. I got some fabric from the grip guys on the set, a material that is used mostly for blocking light. It is soft and black and makes actually nice hats!! It was not difficult for me since I've graduated from a fashion design school in Vienna, but for some reason always ignored this talent!But I have to add that I was always fascinated by hats. I really think hats are magical things. Wearing hats makes oneself feel in a very special way - it's a great way to express oneself by choosing this or that design.

What can we find in your store?

You find all sorts of hats. Ones you can easily wear everyday and then the others you just want to have to look very special for certain occasions,like parties, artist exhibitions, etc.I choose a different hat for every single day and enjoy it immensely. But I also see hats as protecting one, and not only from the elements.

Do you have any favorite items?

I actually love all my hats. But I love not only my hats. I'm just in love with hats in general!

Let me pick some favorites!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17062660http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18225917http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16915632

Where do you get ideas for your products?

I draw inspiration from everything that surrounds me and makes an impression on me. That can be colors, sounds, textures, music, you name it! Then there's the constant wish to change, to surprise, having fun! Of course finding new pieces of vintage fabric or ribbons inspires me a lot. And not to forget all the people who can't wait to see my next creation. That's a thrill for me!!!

What has been your biggest store challenge?

My biggest challenge is that it takes so much time out of my life!!

Do you have any advice to other store owners, especially newbies?

First create only things you really enjoy. Do your best and let it be a magical act! Others will feel it! Forget about who might be your costumer. The right one will come and buy from you! But be patient! It might take longer than you think!!

So check out Brownbunnybyiris today and let her know what you think!

Until next time ...

The girl behind the lama

~LMM