RagsReborn loves custom orders!

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts. I've said this before and I'll say it again... please consider shopping local when you're buying your holiday presents. There are so many unique artists in our great state of Oklahoma. I've met a stationery designer, candle & jewelry makers, woodworkers, a glass etcher, clothing designers, etc. Oklahoma crafters make up a wonderful community and we'll all love it if you showed us your support. <3

I'll be selling at a craft show each weekend in November (11/7- Triumph Family Worship, 11/14- PC West, 11/21- Earlywine YMCA & 12/12- The Crown Center). And there are so many more shows that I'm not a part of but I will be visiting as a shopper. (I plan to either hand-make or purchase locally for each of my Christmas gifts this year.) If you can't make it to shop in person, all of the vendors have an Etsy or Facebook page.

One goal that I have for RagsReborn is to specialize in custom orders. I love purchasing shirts to sew into pillows but getting your old shirts and ideas is so much more fun. I can sew pillows & totes from any of your old t-shirts. Or, if you have an idea of what you want, I can purchase the fabric and sew your ideal pillow. Let's brainstorm!

Below are some samples of pillows that I have done. If you are interested in placing an order, please contact me either via Facebook message or email ragsreborngifts@gmail.com

I can stencil with paint or cloth lettering to personalize your pillows. I can also do trim and other flourishes (buttons, patches, ribbon, etc). I work with a variety of fabric types. I made the pillows below as pet pillows...because dogs need love, too. I've done orders for baby showers, wedding gifts and just plain home decor.

One for puppy Athena & one for a friend of mine's dog.

I price depending on size and how much detail you would like on the pillow. I can do pillows in almost any shape & size. I'm open for price discussions and I love trades. If you also craft, I will probably just do a swap instead of actually charging you cash monies. 

 Wedding gift with lace and stencil lettering.

Wedding gift with buttons and stencil lettering. 

 Baby shower gift: small blocks with stencil lettering. Heart was done free-hand.

 A friend requested a pillow and I knew he liked the Juggernaut so I did a free-hand mask.

 This was a coworker's son-in-law's shirt that I sewed into a large pillow for her new grand-baby. 

 A coworker gave me one of her daughter's old high school shirts so I could make a pillow to pass down to her granddaughter. Old shirts from parents or grandparents make great gifts for the younger generation!

Multicolored patch pillow with painted stenciling. 

If you want to see more pictures, I have updates and photo albums on my Facebook page and Instagram. If you've purchased from me on Etsy, please leave a review. Good or bad, I want to hear it all. I want your feedback so I can keep improving. Happy shopping!! :)

Erica is going to be in the Indie Trunk Show!!!

The 2015 spring Indie Trunk Show is this Saturday!! I'm going to be there...I'm going to be both a confident artist and a bundle of nerves. It'll take a lot to successfully pull that off so send me well wishes and better yet, come by and say hello.  \(^_^)/ I will be in booth #148 (booth numbers won't be posted so just look for my RagsRebornGifts signs). I'll be in my official shirt, too! I bought an Indie Trunk Show promotional tee and got my company name screen printed on the back. Snazzy!

I feel like I have a week to finish up a thousand and one things. As of now, I am one frazzled mess O_O  I have to keep passing out fliers and amp up my presence on social media. I plan to post an album on my Facebook business page with all my inventory. Luckily, I'm done with all my sewing. (big sigh of relief here!) I have about 80 pillows and 20 totes. I haven't done a full inventory count but my goal was 100 items and I know I've done at least that. Really, all I need to do is calm my nerves and think positively. Easier said than done. *rolls eyes*

This is my first show...period.  I opened my Etsy store and started this crazy adventure last November (yeah, only seven measly months ago). I'm not quite sure what I got myself into, honestly. My business hasn't even been operational a year, yet I'm going to be in one of the biggest shows in the metro. Was this a mistake? No, no, no. I can't think like that. Even if I fail terribly, it would have been a really good learning experience. On the flip-side, being in a show of this magnitude could be my gateway into a lot more successful ventures in the future.

The Indie Trunk Show has a Facebook page specifically for vendors. It's been a wonderful resource and networking tool. After reading posts and commenting on a few myself, I learned that you really need to start at small local fundraisers or church craft shows. You're not supposed to just jump into a huge show that has over 200 vendors and an expected turn out of a couple thousand shoppers. Ooops. I guess its go big or go home, right? To try to get a handle on things, I have been reading up on blogs and forums about craft shows (here's a really good one: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2008/seller-how-to-craft-fair-tips/).

Here's a fun promotional picture I made. I needed something for a transitional point in this blog post. 

Anyway, since its Monday craft night, I suppose I should share a craft.
Each vendor at the show gets a 10x10 foot block (literally a square on the floor that's taped off) of space for a booth. I have no walls. I have no display structures. But I do have crazy ideas. LOL This weekend, Wes & I built the main structure for my booth. We built it out of cardboard, cloth, craft glue and Velcro. (I know, I know, insert doubt here)

I wanted my pillows on a bed or couch (something that you would normally find pillows on). And I wanted my booth to look comfortable and homey. Remember in The Lego Movie when they had a double decker couch? Well, that's what I settled on making. I'll have other small display structures in my booth but that is what I wanted to be my main fixture. I lacked experience in furniture building but I had my vivid imagination and supportive husband. So off we went...

It was a behemoth task. I had a small breakdown in the middle of making it but I kept the tears to a minimal. Wes was wonderful to work with (man, check out that alliteration!) I ended up spending a lot more money on this than I wanted but I am happy with how it turned out. It's still not as stable as I'd like but I think it'll do the job.

I knew Indie Trunk Show would be really hard work going into it but I never imagined the magnitude of time and effort -emotionally and physically- it would take. Now I know for sure that it takes blood, sweat and tears to get something like this done. For anyone who goes to a craft fair or arts festival and remarks, "Oh, is that considered art?... I can do something like that at home and not pay $20 for it here," I dare you to apply for a show then do all the work and try saying something like that again. Trust me, you won't. Items are priced at a premium for a reason. Shows.are.hard.work! I don't want to sound like I'm complaining (it's really just the nerves talking here and causing all my negative thoughts). I really am glad I'm in a show like this because its really making me reevaluate how much I really want Rags|Reborn. to work out.  And I do. This is a goal I must accomplish. I don't want a day job anymore... I love you Delta Dental, but I have bigger things in mind! I want to be an artist. I want to do shows and make custom pillows and I want my Etsy store to be a real source of income. I can't slack off anymore. Is this a challenge? ...Yes of course but it's one I can steer the course of.  The universe loves to throw shit at you. I've had my fair share of ups and downs but I feel like this is something I can control. I can apply for more craft shows, I can network and I can sew. If I'm going to make my dream a reality, I gotta be serious about it and conquering Indie Craft Show is the first step. Its been quite the journey.  I keep going back and forth between excitement and pessimistic thoughts of crashing and burning. It's driving me crazy!!  Arrgh, can't it just be May 16th already?!?

Erica has awesome amazing news!!

Guess who's in the Indie Trunk Show?  This crafty little blogger right here! Come visit me on Saturday, May 16th. If you forget to save the date, no worries... I plan to promote and advertise in the upcoming months...you'll get a flier ;)

Last December, my friend, Michelle, and I went to the Indie Trunk Show at the State Fair Grounds www.indietrunkshowokc.com It was pretty cool. A ton of local artists and vendors were there. So much unique stuff. I was walking around and thinking,

This is 100 percent without a doubt DEFINITELY what I want to do... I want to have a booth filled with my RagsRebornGifts (pillows and totes). And me in the middle of it all...handing out business cards like a pro and accepting custom orders on the spot. OMG... CUSTOM ORDERS!! Those are my absolute favorite to sew. Just imagine it-- lovely people bringing me used t-shirts and me sewing away; turning them into pillows. Then crowds of those same people happily skipping away with their new reborn t-shirt! (Its cheesy but my musings usually are) The only thing that would be missing is Sadie under my work space.

So here's how it happened... I was checking my Etsy dashboard and all of the sudden, I get this conversation:

I immediately got super excited but then thought it was just another marketing ploy. This lady probably contacted tons of Etsy sellers to get the volume of responses she wants. This lady is a professional in marketing...she knows what she's doing. I decided that I wasn't ready, yet, and my business isn't even a year old. I'll accumulate more inventory and then be in the show for 2016.

Then, a few weeks later, I get this message:

"Wow, she does like my stuff'" I thought.  Like, she likes it more than just as if it was a marketing ploy. I did some research and decided that I can handle this. Sure, I need to definitely make more pillows and totes (I only have about 15 made now). And, I need to advertise. If I want to focus on custom orders sewn on-the-spot, I gotta get my name out there. But, hey, its only February and the show is in May. I can do this...right? I'm an over-thinker and an over-stresser, so I made a little plan out in my head, weighed the pros and cons and then applied. And waited.

Then, I got this email!! 

I'm accepted!! I've never been accepted into anything my entire life. LOL I feel like the cool kid who tried out for the cheer leading team and got head cheerleader. Its kinda a big deal. So, it's off to work for me. This is where you, loyal readers and fans, come in... I need inventory! If you have a used t-shirt that you don't mind parting with, let me know. I'm taking donations.You can get a pretty good idea of what I use by looking at my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts I also plan to hit up thrift shops around Oklahoma City. If you know some good ones or want to go thrifting with me, then let me know. I love adventures and would love to have you with me!

So many pillows to make!!

I sew. I craft. I have big ideas. Great things are coming.

Erica is happy to present rags|reborn. !!!!!

I will be thirty in less than a month. I went through a pretty bad mid-life crisis this past summer.

<OMG, I'm turning 30!>
                   <What have I done in my life?>
          <Is my job a real career?>
 <Why don't I have children, a husband, divorce, house, second marriage, refinanced mortgage, more children and all the other things society tells me thirty-year-olds should have accomplished by now?>
                 <Why can't I fit in and be like everyone else?>
                             This last one is a constant struggle like you wouldn't believe.

I thought and prayed and wrote countless entries in my journal while I was in my depressive cocoon of negativity. And now, through my hard work and creative endeavors, I have become a butterfly. Well, I'm not the butterfly, but I have made something that can be the equivalent of the butterfly.

It started with this blog.  I thought, "Hey, if I have a blog, that's something that's MINE. I did this... I have something that I accomplished and am super proud to show off." The tag line to my Monday Craft Night blog is "I sew. I craft. I have big ideas. Great things are coming."

And great things are here! Over the weekend, I set up my Etsy shop. Its supposed to be stylized rags|reborn. but there's already a shop with that name and I can't use symbols... so my shop is RagsRebornGifts. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts

Here's my work station. Desk, notebook, sewing machine and music on my laptop. Sadie loves her bed but hates the sewing machine.

Please visit my shop. Browse and buy, if you'd like. If you're in the Oklahoma City metro area, message me and we can work out a delivery system so you don't have to pay the shipping fee. Here's a sampling of my pillows.  I do totes, too, but you'll just have to head on over to the Etsy shop to see them.

                                                                 

Here is my beautiful sewing machine. Its a hand-me-down from my mom. 

Erica's first full length tutorial!!

I decided to do the dogs' laundry today. (my allergies are killing me!!) One of Kensington's pillows got destroyed in the dryer and, in my fit of throwing pillow debris into the trash, I accidentally threw away one of Sadie's pillow cases. This is the perfect opportunity to do a real full-length tutorial with pictures because I'll have to make a new pillow and pillow case for the pups.

Puppy pillow tutorial:

Materials you'll need: cloth, something to stuff into the pillow (for some reason, Kensington likes sleeping on harder material instead of soft cotton pillow stuffing. So, I'm using old rags and towels for the "stuffing"), pencil, scissors, ruler, thread & needle or a sewing machine, if you have one.


1. Measure and cut the cloth into the size of the pillow you want (you'll need a piece for the front & one for the back).  My two pieces are 19inches wide x 17inches tall and pictured in the materials photo above.
2. Sew whatever decorations you want on the front of the pillow

I decided to stick with something simple.  

3. Sew the two square pieces together around the edges. Only sew three of the four edges together.

4. Stuff the empty pillow with your stuffing and sew the last edge together. If you are using a sewing machine, I find it easier to pin the last edge in place so no stuffing falls out while you're running it through the sewing machine.

 

 All done and on Kensington's bed. Now for Sadie's...

Puppy pillow case tutorial:

Materials you'll need: pillow, cloth, sewing machine or needle & thread, scissors, ruler and buttons (I used the snap on buttons)

1. Measure and cut the cloth. It should be a little bit bigger than the size of your pillow. (two pieces just like in the project above) Mine is a 20x20 inch square.
2. Sew any embellishments you want to the front piece.

                                                        I'm sticking with the simplicity theme
3. Sew three edges together. Affix the buttons on the last edge (using instructions that came with the buttons.)

4. Put pillow in, button it up and you're all done.

See you guys next week!