Krista Lund Photography = Adorable

I just had to share these pictures I just received from Krista Lund Photography!  Her work is so great.  I was totally taken by her work when I stumbled across it several months ago. 

Anyhow, I emailed her to see if she would be interested in working with SLD...and lucky for me she said yes! :)  I love looking at her Facebook page and seeing what she's up to. :)

I've always struggled taking good pictures of my 2-bit trousers.  It's so hard to show how they fit (I call them yoga pant like...but how would you describe them?) and Krista just did a great job capturing her little cutie in these patchwork pants.

I also love love love this photo of her little girl twirling around in a Prairie Dress.  It's the exact carefree feel that I think matches SLD. :)

Thanks Krista for sharing your amazing talents with me!!

xo,
Shari

Ups and Downs......

No, it's not that dramatic, nothing major going on here!  Ups and downs usually become major though.  But these "ups and downs" are about my absolute dreaded topics....

PRICING.

There, I said it.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a business, and not have to think about pricing?  Yeah, only in my dreams :)

A lot of people have been advising me to raise my pricing.  I went to a workshop for artisans a few weeks ago, and the point was reiterated over and over, that artisans have to remember to pay themselves (really!?).  Then others tell me to  just go ahead and do it, and that I don't need to announce it.

I'm having a hard time doing that.  I respect each of my customers so much.  Yes, YOU. :)  I love that I know your kids names, or what you ate for dinner last week via our friendships we've formed on facebook and via email.  I love that I know if your child has sensory issues, so I ensure to use the smallest amount of Fray Check possible on your dress.  Or that your daughter is taller than most other three year old's so I can add an extra inch to your dress if you need it.  I love these friendships and relationships, and wouldn't want to just raise pricing without explaining it to you.  It just wouldn't feel right.  Nor does it feel right to not let you know that this is a bigger struggle than you can imagine for me.

Fact is, I have a small business not just to create cute, fun clothes, but to also earn a living for myself, and my employees.  I am so grateful to have Ellen working at SLD full time, and two other part time seamstresses in town who help me gear up for big projects like my upcoming Zulily event (eeeek!) or my craft fairs.  These folks need to make a living too.  And, we all happen to live in a glorious place called Jackson Hole, WY, where living doesn't come too cheap ;)

Anyhow, I'll spare you the details.  But, after a lot of deliberation and number crunching, and telling my bookeeper to leave me alone for several months because my brain could not handle the whole "cost of goods" numbers I was seeing..... I decided that the time has come....  in order to keep SLD going pricing will have to increase by small amounts. 

It's been an internal struggle, because I want to create accessible clothing for kids.  I want to make stuff that any Mum out there can just buy.  But my realization is that these pieces are not mass produced in countries with small living wages, and also the limited edition nature of SLD does not make 'production' very cost effective.

So, over the coming days and weeks you will notice prices starting to go up.  I'm hoping that you still can get on board and remember the quality and unique styling of SLD, and the individuals behind the clothing that you support. :)

Now, you wanna hear about the Down part of "Ups and Downs?"  Since Up is about my prices increasing...the Down will be about prices Decreasing!  A Black Friday sale at SLD.  Stay tuned to find out more.....

Stay tuned.....

xo,
shari

Two Years Ago.....

Two years ago I wrote this guest blog post on the Lil Blue Boo blog.  It was one of my first blog posts, and it was about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  More importantly, it was about recognizing our failures or shortcomings and taking them as stepping stones to paths of greatness.  One of the last lines reads: "...let’s take a moment and give a standing ovation to our failed projects. Without them, how could we appreciate all the beauty we otherwise create?"

Now, two years later, I had no idea how true that would ring.  Ashley is now battling cancer, and can't do the things she typically could in the time frames she is used to.  She needs more rest, something she is not that used to doing.  She's got a new scar and tiny skeleton hands (see her blog posts here ) and you know what?  She's as beautiful as ever.  

I think that while many people have always loved her, without even knowing her, now even MORE people love her.  They can see through her recent struggles, the greatness that lies within her.  She's not just a crafting guide to so many, she is a wife, a mother, a friend, a sister, a daughter.....  And now she has chosen to share her recent 'shortcomings' with the world in order for others to learn and grow from their own struggles.  If she helps just one person, she's helped give them the standing ovation that they need to get through a hard time.  It's more than most people can give in a lifetime.

Today, oddly enough, a local magazine is having a photo shoot at my house.   They are shooting "Art and objects in a home that inspire."  You know what I suggested to them for one of my objects?  The same bricks that I wrote about in that blog post two years ago this week.  

Funny how things come full circle.  Old houses are demolished, but we maintain a piece of it with us for the rest of our lives.  Ashley's body was practically trampled in surgery, but she maintains her high spirits.  Our failed projects, our losses, and our disadvantages, do not equal defeat.  They equal a path to greatness.  


xo,
Shari

Moments to remember.....

It's been a week full of ups and downs.  In a nut shell, I have been taught a valuable lesson just by watching the strength of my friend as she battles cancer. 

What it's taught me is the absolute most basic lesson.  Life is short.  That's it.  You just never know what's around the corner.  I didn't really need a reminder, I should already know that.  But I got the reminder loud and clear this weekend.  So after working all day Saturday I knew I had to make some changes in my life. 

I know you all are wonderful parents, and I think that I am a pretty good parent myself.  But at the same time, there are so many times I say "one minute sweetie" to Finley.  Over and over during the day because something else might be pulling my attention away from her.

So I pushed everything else aside, and made time for my family this weekend.  Forget the fact that I work three jobs.   My family needs to be number one priority amidst a long list of other items that remain on the "To Do" list.  And they need to know that.

So I had the most amazing weekend amidst the tears and fears for the life of a friend.

Saturday night we roasted s'mores in the backyard.

Sunday morning Finley and I built a fort in the living room and pretended the carpets were lava.

Sunday afternoon the family carved pumpkins outside.

We enjoyed a popscicle on an unusually warm October day.

We saw pure joy on Finley's face as she flew her first kite in the front yard.

Life is short.  Enjoy each moment to the fullest.

xo,
shari

Sun Valley Road Trip

I know, I've been a  lousy blogger.  You know, I take all these pictures with my camera planning blog posts around them and then wind up with too much on my plate and my little ol' blog suffers dramatically.  The last thing I should be doing right now is blogging.  But I prefer it to packing the car for tomorrow's art fair so I think I'll just add this teeny weeny post now so that I can postpone the packing ;)

So Sun Valley in a nutshell?  I LOVED it!  Not only is it the coolest mountain town, but the vibe, the people, and the adventures were out of this world! :) 

It all started just an hour out of Jackson on our Road Trip (Sun Valley is about 5.5 hours away).  We came across this abandoned house that I have wondered about for so many years.  About 20 minutes before approaching the gravel road that goes to it, I started telling Ellen all about it.  I was really hinting that I wanted to stop there.  As we approached the turn Ellen yelled "let's go see it!" and so we did. 

Isn't it the coolest?

 There was some graffiti on the walls, but I only saw one beer bottle in the whole place.  The hardwood floors have held up remarkably well.  I couldn't get a good shot, but there was a birds nest in the wall with teeny weeny baby birds squawking.

 You have to wonder about the people who lived here.  With this view, why would they ever leave?

After a few more hours of driving, we drove through Arco, apparently the first American city to be entirely powered by nuclear energy.  We just had to stop at the Pickle Place.  I mean, the giant green rocking chair out front was just calling our name! :)

 And any place that serves breakfast until 11:34am is my kind of pace.  Yup, that's right, 11:34am, and we made the cut off! 

I'm not sure what happened to my photo of the deep fried pickles we ordered.  It was not what Ellen nor I expected, that's for sure, but we did actually finish the plate ;)

It seemed to be the weekend of big Chairs and other items....

I felt like a pixie in this great big chair.   And apparently the people of Sun Valley also like their Bikes big :)

Then we were onto the small adventures.  Like spotting this guy walking across the street at nightfall.  There was no way Ellen was going to let this ferret get run over on our watch!  So the chase was on!  While I pulled over and stressed about the art fair starting in the morning...Ellen was chasing this guy through backstreets and utility structures!  But she caught him, and he was obviously friendly.  :)  Someone's pet for sure, and he even had a tattoo on his ear!

Having never handled a ferret before, we marveled at his long and completely strange body!  This guy had abs of steel!! :)

Ellen wasn't quite sure at first if he liked her.....

 But sure enough he came to love spending time in her lap.....

 I think he even went in for a kiss :)

After calling the police and having officer Tony come see us, he sadly told us that he is only allowed to handle dogs and that we would need to bring him to a Community Service Officer in the morning.  In the meantime, here we are in Sun Valley, renting a condo, and needing to find someplace for a ferret for the night!!  Officer Tony was kind enough to give us a small crate, which became Terry's (of course we named him!) home for the night.

If you've never had a ferret before, you will be surprised to hear that they let off some kind of musky scent.  Yeah, I just hope I get my condo cleaning deposit back ;)

The next morning was the first day of the art fair, and also our moment to find Terry's home!  We woke up bright and early to meet with a Community Service Officer, who seriously did not service his community well :(  He refused to accept Terry and sent us to the only animal Clinic in town that was open at 8am on a Friday. 

I cannot thank the St. Francis Animal Clinic of Ketchum enough!  Although they too are not supposed to accept exotic pets, the nearest shelter that would was too far away, and we had an art fair to set up!  So they happily welcomed Terry into their home and told us they would help find his owners.  I sure hope they have :)

And then, who would have known, but one of the artists at the fair, Julie Sola of Fat Crow Press, had a series of linocuts called "Possum Dreams" that so reminded Ellen and I of our adventures with Terry.  Needless to say, there is now a "Possum Dreams" piece hanging in Ellen's home :)

 This is the one I bought for Ellen:

So in a small town of 15,000, we then welcomed over 11,000 people to the art fair!  SLD flew off the racks.  In fact, I had an SLD spotting while driving down the Street on Saturday morning, right after the first day of the art fair!  I had to stop and roll down my window.  The two girls slept in their SLD :)

I had SO much fun at this last art fair.  And getting ready for the last one of the season tomorrow.  As much as I've enjoyed these adventures, I can't wait to snuggle into bed with Finley in the evening and read books to her.  I miss her so much when I am away.  She starts Kindergarten at the end of this month and I am shaking my head in disbelief.  Where does the time go??  Here she is getting her Mommy Manicure while reading an US Magazine and marveling at the dresses.....

 And here my baby is striking a pose yesterday morning for me.  When did this all happen!!?

OK, well, time for me to get packing.  Just so glad to finally get all this down to 'paper.'  :)

xo,
shari