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Monday, May 21, 2012

how it began

Here I begin
this blogs' first post.

I've had a blog for many years that has been mainly about my kids' activities.
Since starting my little handmade business, I have tried to incorporate
it into the blog I already had, but it just hasn't worked out well.
Not the way I wanted it to, anyway.
So, now I am starting this blog and calling it Aidie's Hideaway,
with the idea that giving it that name will help me keep that the focus.
Although I do promise warn you, you will for sure hear about my kids, my family,
my friends, ideas, frustrations, and passions,
right here along with all my creative endeavors.

I thought a good place to start
would be to share what Aidie's Hideaway is, how it
first came to be, and a little about the two years since it began.


My grandpa actually emailed me yesterday asking me,
"What's this Aidie's Hideaway thing I saw on your Facebook wall?"
Yes, my 85 year old grandpa is on Facebook.
Here I go getting off topic... something you 
should get used to if you plan to stick around.

For as far back as I can recall, I've been labeled a "creative" or "crafty" person.
When I was young I'd rearrange my room and create new decor weekly.
If you were to ask my husband, he'd tell you I still do that now!
He may be right.
I remember taking great time to wrap gifts with cute details, even as a young girl.

Fast forward many years...
 I am blessed with my own little girl.
She gave new direction to my creative hobbies.
I had been a mom to a boy for over three years once my daughter came. 
Having a daughter is a quick road to being exposed to all things girly.
Whether you like pink or not - its forced on you.
For me, it was a tad bit overwhelming.
I was content with my boy and all things baseball themed.
I have always been a fan of blues, greens, and neutrals.
I had no idea there were so many shades of pink!

After being given many girly gifts and shopping in several
frilly and overpriced boutiques, I felt the need to
exercise my do-it-yourself muscle.
So, I decided to try crafting up my own girly accessories.
That way I could choose just how girly, or not girly, I wanted them!

The first thing I worked with were ribbons.
April 2010





My little Avery... her hair was so short and she looks so small.


Ribbon, although cute, 
wasn't giving me the results I had imagined.


Then I tried playing with fabric.
July 2010


Right away... I loved making fabric flowers.
I quickly began fabric shopping, button hunting, and it was fun!
I was addicted.

My supportive husband was nice enough to buy me a sewing machine.
Because at this point I also wanted to teach myself to sew.


Sewing dresses was fun.
Well, I'm not so sure it was fun.
I enjoyed the end result and felt satisfaction from being able to do it,
but sewing an entire dress from start to finish... is a lot of work!
I think my main problem is that I just don't have the patience 
or attention span to work on one thing for so long.


I still loved creating new hair "pretties" though.
I was trying new types of materials and new ideas daily.



In the early fall of 2010 my sweet and encouraging 
sister-in-law told me I should try being a vendor 
at a MOPS boutique she was planning.
And... so I did.



The boutique was at a private school that 
had blues and golds for their uniform colors.
I saw the opportunity and decided to make 
many items that would be uniform friendly!





I came up with a few other items to sell too...


felt coffee cozies


big felt bow hair clips


crayon rolls


During this time of preparing for my first boutique 
I realized I needed a name.  A label of sorts.
I did not want my actual name in it though.  I truly had zero ideas.  
Creating names and labels isn't one of the areas that I am creatively gifted in.

With help from others I came up with the name Aidie's Hideaway.
At this time Avery was two years old and when you asked 
her what her name was she would clearly tell you, "Aid-EE".
Just as many nick names begin, this is how hers did.  
She quickly became know as, and called "Aidie" by family and friends.
Since Avery, or Aidie, was my main inspiration for this business trial run
we decided to use Aidie in the name.  Then we just needed to choose
a second part to it... collection, closet, chest, attic???
I settled on Hideaway because this really was like 
a get-a-way or a hideaway for me.
Creating things is something that I 
completely love and truly could not just give up doing.
Creating things helps keep me focused, balanced, and even sane, 
on those days when life doesn't feel any of those things.

That first boutique that my sister-in-law encouraged me to do, 
in the Fall of 2010, was a success.
I almost sold out of items and had many shoppers ask if they could find me on Etsy.
So, just a few short weeks after that first boutique I opened an Etsy shop.
Just a few months after that, an owner from a local boutique asked if I 
would want to sell my handmade items in their store.  I didn't feel
totally prepared for that next step but I didn't want to pass on the opportunity.
So, naturally... I just went for it.


My very first display in The Hope Chest Boutique. 
Located in the Old Towne Orange area.
February of 2011


In just a few months it evolved into this


During the Summer of 2011 I was a vendor at a really 
adorable event called Pixies In The Park.
This was fun and a very successful day for me.  
I am currently preparing for the same event this year.


What I have loved about my little business the most is how naturally it has grown.
For Avery's third birthday, in August of 2011, we went with a princess theme.
I made her a big felt crown with a lace flower and a "3" on it.  
I also made felt crowns for all the girls at the party to wear and take home.
This immediately turned into a new item for me 
to make and sell because they were such a hit!
And just like that, my product line and
display in the local Old Towne Orange boutique continued to grow.


Another natural addition to my products have been garlands.
I made a Christmas garland for my home decor this past Christmas.
Friends and family would come over and tell me they'd buy these if I made them.
So when Valentine's Day was coming up I decided 
to try them out and put them in my Etsy shop.
They sold great!  So, naturally I just keep on making them.






The most recent and fun new thing we have done... 
we had our very first photo shoot.


More on this adorable shoot and 
these gorgeous models in a later blog post.




It truly has been such great fun to turn something I enjoy doing 
into something that I can share with others, 
and even contribute a little financially to our family.
I feel very blessed by the opportunities I've been given, the large amount 
of support from friends and family, for the positive response, the new friends I've made,
and the simple fact that things that I make with my own two hands... actually sell.
Although my little business is just that, little... 
it is big to me  
and I am very thankful for it.



*to help me get this blog up and running I'd love and appreciate you to add yourself as a follower of this blog... only if you like it, that is.  the first 50 followers will be entered into a drawing to win $35 in their choice of Aidie's Hideaway product.

1 comment:

  1. Very cute. It has been fun to watch your business grow!

    ReplyDelete