Oh, The Places You'll Go........

So, I'll be missing in action for a couple weeks.  I'm taking a European vacation!!!!!!!!  Well, mostly vacation.  I have 20 headstrong teenagers (ALL inner-city kids who raised the $$ themselves over 2 years to do this) to chaperone, along with two other teachers.  So here is our itinerary in photographs......  Follow along with me!  I'll have LOADS of photos when I get back, and I'll try to do a blog post about each city over the coarse of the summer...

We fly out for an overnight flight on Friday, landing in Milan on Saturday in the late morning:

Milan Cathedral

Sunday- Venice:

Monday and Tuesday- Florence:

Wednesday- Assisi:

Thursday- Rome:

2nd Friday- Sorrento:  *my personal favorite*

2nd Saturday- Pompeii:

2nd Sunday- Igoumenitsa

2nd Monday- Meteora and Delphi

2nd Tuesday- Epidaurus and Mycenae

2nd Wednesday- Athens

2nd Thursday- 3rd Saturday- A Greek Island cruise!!

So........ there it is!!!!!  I'll be back July 2nd, and I can't WAIT to tell you all about it!!!!!!!!!

♥Rose

Taking the Plunge!

I've finished the school year!!!!!!!  And QUIT!!!  To craft full time!!!!  In the words of Keanu Reeves....."Whoa."

So, in case you've only recently begun reading my blog... here is how it all started- with SewEcological.

Twas a blanket much like this one....

How did SewEcological begin? This is cautionary tale with a happy ending...sometimes, what you do in your free time is what you become! :)

I've always made all my Christmas gifts. One year it was an amateur attempt at bath salts and soaps, another it was a delectable gift basket of designer cookies, candles another. But in 2009 and 2010, I rediscovered my neglected sewing machine.

One of the gifts I made was for myself- I cut up all my mother's old sweaters (which were far too small for me), and made a keepsake blanket out of them. This was the impetus behind my upcycling- a simple blanket. I liked it so much that most of my closest friends received blankets made out of cashmere sweaters I rescued from the local thrift store. Everyone else got gloves made from the remnants of the sweaters.

Those same friends (thank you Kirsten and Rex!) told me to sell these things! They told me all about etsy. So I researched the site, found out that I had a nice little niche, and got to work. Sales were hit and miss for a year or so...and I started a second shop as a fun hobby on the side. Rotifera.etsy.com was the second shop, and it focused on hair accessories, which I didn't feel "fit" in this shop. Probably due to the fact that I finally figured out how to take a decent photo, it seemed that both shops took off at around the same time, in late 2011.

So much so, that I recently made a very scary decision- I resigned from the teaching profession! As of July 2012, I've traded in teaching high school chemistry and biology for full time independent designing.

I adore working for myself, and am so excited to have taken the plunge into making Etsy and designing my full time work. I hope to begin working craft shows this fall- so I'll keep this story up to date with my appearances!!! :)

♥Rose
--Pisces, free spirit, geek at heart, mother of two, and general quack-a-doodle.

The Return of The Weasley Sweater

So.  I used to make these for my etsy store, and the demand was so entirely overwhelming that I had to stop offering them........

Until July, that is!!!!  That's right.  I'm bringing back the Weasley sweater.  I hand embroider them in the old style of Swiss darning/duplicate stitch.  I put any letter on any color sweater... They totally rule, and I love them!

Weasley Sweaters for the whole family!

The only problem I've run into, is that it looks like, due to demand--- I'll have to purchase the sweaters new.  I'll have to purchase a LOT of sweaters, to have multiple sizes and colors on hand.  I think I'll start with three or four colors in M-XL to start.  I plan on ordering some in July, if I can find a supplier that has a reasonable price.  But, with purchasing new, that means the sweater cost will go up, and thus the price.

Soooooooo... Would you like one?  I plan on listing these on etsy beginning mid-July at around $100 US each, depending on the cost of the sweaters.
If you would like to join the waiting list--- please send me a message on etsy at my shop--- SewEcological.etsy.com , leave a comment here with your email address, or email me @ meister_rosemarie@yahoo.com.  I'll add you to the list, and contact you for specific details when I get the sweaters in!  :)

The Classic- Ron's Burgundy/Gold Gryffindor Colors Sweater

I can't wait to start making these again!

And, if you just can't wait for your own piece of HP fun, I do have this sweater in the shop now---

Deathly Hallows Sweater Jacket in XS

♥Rose