March coming in like a Lion!

In 30 minutes it will be March! Where did February go??? Don't get me wrong...I wasn't sitting around peeling grapes and fanning "Menehune Man". This kid has been busy! Are you ready for the February tally??? (drum roll please...) With the help of my wonderful husband...I made 101 bags and 43 key fobs in February! (thank you thank you *as the crowd goes wild!*) What a great start I am having to 2009!

When I lived on the mainland, in a wintry climate, we always went by the saying that if March came in like a lion, it would go out like a lamb! It referred to the weather. If it was snowy and miserable out on the first of March...it should be nice and warmer by the end of March....BUT...if it were nice on the first of March, be prepared for another few snow storms to shovel your way out of!

Well, My March orders are coming in like a lion. We will see how the month pans out. Today Earl was cutting out bags for me and I was making linings assembly line style. I only finished 4 totes but have 17 linings ready to pop into some coffee bags.

I am still working on a big order for Kauai Coffee but am hung up waiting for supplies from the mainland. Have you ever ordered from JMK??? It is a wholesale company. I placed my order 4 weeks ago and they haven't even mailed it yet!!! They said that they hope to mail it by the beginning of next week! Next WEEK??? I really need the rope cording to finish my Kukio style bags for Kauai!

I must admit, though, that there are times when I crave a day to just be able to be creative and sew whatever I would like to....to come up with some new designs and sit back admiring my work....sipping a lemonade...but then reality hits. Right now I have over 60 bags on order from my amazing customers (who haven't been told that we are having a recession...Shhhhh! Its our secret!) I have to write everything down...all requests and special orders so that I can fill them in the order I received them.

I have so many bags inside of my head that I want to make. I need to schedule a day or two a week so that I can bring these gals into the world. Janet Lipps up at the former Paole Gallery in Holualoa has shut down for a couple of weeks so that she can revamp the space and paint... and stage all the beautiful items in her gallery. It is a special gallery with a warm inviting atmosphere. I am honored that Janet has selected some of my divas to fill a space in her new Pacific Islands Design gallery and I will be attending the preview opening on March 7th for artists and their families. I am yearning to make some fresh new Divas to fill her shelves. I have a bin full of exotic and luxurious silks that call to me. Some of these fabrics are from my trips to Thailand and Japan a few years ago. But most days I find myself up to the eyebrows in burlap....It makes me wonder if peoples tastes will change when the economy changes. Most of my customers are into the recycle/reuse movement! When prosperity returns, will they still want burlap bags??? Time will tell.

But what time is telling me right now is that it is bedtime so that I can get up early and make my way to the sweat shop! I am feeling very blessed right now. Life is good. Tomorrow is a new day...and a new month.

a hui hou