Exciting New: Now Live!

Guys, I just bought a lot of yarn.  Like...a lot.  As in, an entire store's worth of yarn.

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS!  I'm now the proud owner of the Itsy-Bitsy Yarn Store in Whitehorse, Yukon!

That is totally the face of a serious and experienced shop owner, right there.  

I officially took over the business this morning, and opened the doors to chaos and confusion as the former owner ran out the door to catch her flight about 3 seconds after we signed all the final documents, and I was left with a float all over the coffee table, paperwork all over the couch, yarn strewn everywhere, a crowd of tourists pushing to get in, and no debit/credit machine to be found.  It was a glorious!

Luckily I've been actually working in the store all week so I wasn't completely in the dark, and everyone were so patient and understanding.  I even charmed a slightly grumpy lady from Chicago, who left the shop smiling despite the hassle of not being able to accept credit cards.  GO ME!

How did this happen, you ask?  Well, back in February, I was facing my government job running out in June and trying to decide if I should apply for more jobs I'm capable and very competent for but not necessarily qualified for or retraining.  (As it turns out, there's just not a demand for less-experienced geos who aren't willing to relocate.)  Then an email from the LYS owners landed in my email.  And there might've been some hyperventilating after reading that they were looking for a buyer, because YES OMG YES.  A VERY immediate response, a whole whack of meetings, and months and months of business plan writing and some last minute panicking yielded this!

Guys, it's been SO HARD to keep this under wraps, and it's entirely the reason behind all of the 'ZOMG SO BUSY' comments here and there.  Holding down a full-time and very mentally exhausting job while also trying to plan for purchasing a business is HARD holy cow.  I've nearly spilled the beans so many times, but it's been a bit tenuous and uncertain and I didn't want to jinx it!

Don't worry, this won't become a store blog.  I'll be posting just as irregularly as usual about all the stuff I make (and I've really got to get some rock posts up here - the title is starting to become false-advertising), they just might host better lit pictures within the shop, and possibly some comments about being a store owner.  

I will be starting up a separate store blog though (still hammering out what I want it to be), but I'll let you know when that goes live in case you want to follow along. 

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I'm so excited about this adventure.  I've wanted something like this since I was a kid, but never thought it could become a reality! It's only starting to sink in that it's real, and while the panic I sort of expected is present, I feel so much at home at the store and like it's exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Granted, that doesn't mean I'm not feeling a little crazy right now!

Look what Sophie, the former owner left me!  (She's the one for whom I made the little going-away gift.) She said she got it when they first opened up in their original 138 sq foot location (can't really get more itsy-bitsy than that) as a blessing for the shop, and she decided to pass it on to me to keep up the blessing. That little banner is hanging up on the tiny storage closet behind a screen, and it's going to stay there for as long as I'm in that space! Isn't it lovely?

Anyways, I'm not sure how to end this. My heart is so full right now, and I feel so thankful to have this opportunity. I'm looking forward to the hard work it's going to take to keep this adorable little shop going, and I can't wait to give back to the community like Sophie and her husband did before me.

Wish me luck, folks! I'm going to need it.

That Personalized Touch

I love the fact that I can sew, that I've developed the kind of skills where I can put a personalized touch on a gift relatively quickly if needed.

A good friend of mine is leaving the territory on Monday, and I put together a little gift basket for her.  But it was feeling pretty impersonal, despite finding a few of her favourite treats and adding a thermos that I knew she'd probably use (and probably lose, but that's alright).

So last night I whipped up a little knitting project bag out of a fabric I know she'll love...in about 20 minutes.  And it only took that long because I had to thread the drawstring and couldn't find the one safety pin I've managed to keep from the pack of 50 I bought a while back (like hair clips, apparently I only get to keep one of those no matter how many I buy, and that one becomes Precious and desperately coveted).

Now the little gift is absolutely perfect, and I'm happy to send her off with a little something made from my own hands, even if I'm not happy to see her go.

I'm so thankful for the skills I've learned over the years, precisely for moments like this.  Do you ever add a little personalized touch to your gifts?

Pending: Exciting News...

I haven't been around here much lately - either blogging nor commenting, but there's a pretty exciting reason for that.  Which I'm not going to tell you yet because I'm a cruel woman, and also not a little bit afraid of jinxing myself.

It's a big change in my life though, and I'm equal parts excited and terrified.  Some of you may know (and if you do, please ssshhh!  :D), but I promise to tell you about it on Monday when it's official!

Oh man, this is a cruel post.  I probably shouldn't post it, but it's my blog and I can tease if I want to!

In other news, I'm really looking forward to having some time to focus on projects again (both knitting and sewing - especially in my newly reorganized sewing room!).  Things can't calm down soon enough.  <3

I hope the rest of your week is calmer than mine!

Adventuring in Haines (and a good old garage sale find)

I adore Haines, Alaska - it's quickly becoming one of my favourite places.  Between the gorgeous drive (you can see part of the scenery and some of the town in this post; ETA: way to forget the link, Heather), the adorable town, and the friendly people, I'd probably happily move there!  If I could find a job.  And if it weren't another country.  Though a large chunk of the Yukon agree that Haines and Skagway and other nearby towns might as well be part of the Yukon - we're basically the same people, so we might have to plot stealing those areas back or something. 

Don't worry folks, we'll let you keep your flag - you're obviously fond of it if the presence of one on every single house is anything to go by.  We'll just stick a leaf on it or something!  ;)

(I am just kidding - please don't take this as a serious plot to invade or anything!  Though if you're not using those towns, we'll happy trade you them for some poutine and a Zamboni or something.)

Anyways, as you can probably guess, I had a good time in Haines this past weekend.  We went down for the Haines Beerfest (my first time going!) and had a blast.  The weather was extremely warm and I killed my ankles and feet by walking all over town in flip flops, but the beer was good and I made lots of friends by sharing my ginormous bag of popcorn with everyone.

BTW, three separate people stated "you must be Canadian" after I offered them popcorn.  Weird.

What does this have to do with "Things I Make"?  Well, not a lot.  Unless you count this fantastic find I stumbled across at a garage sale there.

It's a Singer 99K in pretty good condition!  The shellac is starting to peel, but she appears to run well and the lightbulb works.  I haven't actually tried sewing with her yet, since I need to find some time somewhere to give her a good cleaning and probably not a small amount of oil.  Not bad for $20 USD (probably about $26 or so CAD)!

I'm pretty stoked though.  Poor...everyone in Haines.  I crowed about my find to absolutely everyone who made the mistake of making eye contact with me! 

 

 

It came with some goodies under the machine.  I'm pretty sure all of those weird feet are rufflers.  Who ever used to own her must've been a serious ruffle-addict!

There was also some buttonhole templates, but sadly no buttonholer.  I'm going to see if I can't find one for this machine - though my Kenmore does buttonholes just fine.  Maybe I'll track down some other feet for it too.

Pretty sweet find, eh?  I need to figure out a name for her soon.  Any suggestions?