Best Laid Plans, and All That Jazz

November 26, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet Journey, Uncategorized, Works in ProgressAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Basics, Christmas, Conventions, Crochet, Crochet Journey, Patterns, Shameless Self Promotion, Steel City Comic Con, Stuffed Animals, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

When I left work on Wednesday, I was full of high hopes. After all, I had a four day weekend ahead of me. I was not in charge of preparing the Thanksgiving meal, and there were no pressing concerns I had to attend to. It was a chance to get some work in and get pieces ready for Steel City Con (December 7-9, 2018, in Monroeville, PA).

The great thing about this plan – in my mind – was that I knew my daughter would be on board. She likes to sit with me and watch television and color or talk to me while I crochet. My husband would be able to attend to his blog, or have some much needed time to himself, and I could finally get work done and get some of this black cloud away from me as I stress that I will not have enough for the convention.

Pretty much as soon as I got home Wednesday things started to go off the rails. Four months ago, my father had asked me to make him a rainbow sock monkey, like one I made for last Steel City Con. I actually had started the project before leaving for Rhode Island and had made good progress, I just needed to finish it. As fate would have it, Thanksgiving this year also marked his birthday. Because it was his birthday and he had been waiting so long for the sock monkey (he affectionately calls “Bigfoot”), I wanted to work overtime to get this done.

What’s New In Luvvies – 11/16/18

November 16, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet Journey, Works in ProgressAmigurumi, Avengers, Awesome Con, Basics, Crochet, Patterns, Shameless Self Promotion, Steel City Comic Con, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

Things have been super crazy around here lately. In addition to working overtime at my regular job and some fun activities away from the house, I was laid up for about a week with a massive migraine, which really put a damper on my order fulfillment and preparations for the December Steel City Con. My migraine hasn’t fully left, but I have been trying to push through as much as I can.

I get so much joy from crochet, but sometimes I do wonder why I decided to make this into a business. I’m an accountant, but I don’t always have the best business acumen. I’m trying to learn, but sometimes I get swept away and caught in the stress of the business and not the relaxation and joy I get from the craft. I am working to make this a more equitable split.

Once the worst of my migraine (finally!) left, I was able to get caught up on a couple of rush orders….two of which were new patterns/designs and two that were tried and true.

Back to the Grind

October 3, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet JourneyAmigurumi, Christmas, Conventions, Crochet, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Rhode Island Comic Con, Steel City Comic Con, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

keep-calm-back-to-life-back-to-reality

Hello friends! I hope this finds you well. I have been incommunicado for a while because I just spent four days in New Jersey attending a Supernatural (the television show) convention in Secaucus. Leading up to the convention, I was really trying to keep things moving and get orders and some other projects finished so I could enjoy my time. I was attending this convention for fun, and not as part of Lil’ Luvvies (weird, I know).

While I enjoyed being away and spending time with my dear friends, now that I am back home, I find myself in a bit of a frenzy. You see, in about 30 days, Lil’ Luvvies is hitting the road and we are heading to Rhode Island for our first ever Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC). I know this is one of the largest conventions on the east coast, so I am nervous about that. About a month after I return from RICC, I am turning around and participating in my second Steel City Con. Though I am so excited about the possibilities these two conventions can open up for Lil’ Luvvies, I am terrified I won’t have enough stock, I won’t break even, and that I am taking on too much too quickly.

So, while my few days away was nice and relaxing, being back has had me a bundle of nerves, especially now that I am back at my primary job, too. And once I start thinking about all that is to come, I really start to work myself into a frenzy because whether we are ready or not, Christmas is right around the corner. As this is my first Christmas with the shop/Web site, I am not sure what to expect. I might not have any increase in business, or I might be overwhelmed.

With all this said, there could be changes to the blog: Depending upon how I’m feeling, there could be an increase or a significant decrease in posts. If I am just overwhelmed and need to vent – there could be an increase in posts. If I am overwhelmed and there is no spare moment to do anything but crochet – there could be a marked decrease in posts, at least on the Web site. I am sure you will still be able to find pictures and captions on my Instagram account, which I try to post at least one time per day on – unless I’m on a true vacation.

Fingers crossed that everything goes well. Thank you all for your patience in dealing with me, I appreciate it so much.

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisah