My Love Affair with New York City.

My love affair with New York City. When I was a child I would daydream with my cousin about moving to NYC and being fashion designers and having an apartment together. Then the dream became being an actress in NYC. And then there I was…. doing it. The actress thing didn’t quite jive with me. Beating the pavement and constantly being poor just was not for me. I wanted to be past eating Ramón noodles…those were the college days…I was an adult now, right?!?!
I lived in NYC for 5 years. Fell in love with a writer, married him. Had a beautiful baby boy and promptly left. 6 weeks after he was born. Why?
I don’t know, honestly. I had a million excuses at the time. The top one being “I don’t want to raise kids in this city”. Now after living in the ‘burbs outside of Seattle….I realize that the city life would be better in creating a well-rounded child.
We recently did a 2-week tour of the east coast visiting family and friends. And when I go to visit my parents and family in MD, right outside of DC, which is where I lived for 18 years, I never get that nostalgia feeling of “home”. The feeling where you take a deep breath and think to yourself “I’m home” and exhale with a smile on your face. Nope doesn’t happen for me in Oxon Hill. Instead the entire time I am there that song “which one of these things is not like the other” plays repeatedly in my head. I’ve never felt like I belonged. I’ve always felt like the odd (wo)man out. The black sheep of the family, so to speak. And it’s still this way even as an adult with kids. Sometimes when I’m talking to a family member I look at them and realize they are just nodding their head and acting as if they are interested in what I am talking about…maybe if I watched LOST or CSI or any popular TV program I wouldn’t have this problem. Though I doubt that.
So I’m getting to my love affair. We arrive in NYC and we’re in traffic on the BQE…the kids are so over being in the car….and I actually had that moment…the deep breath and exhale and the smile upon my face and the thought “now this is home”. I kid you not in traffic! And I’m the one driving to boot. After 3 days of bouncing around Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn I regretted ever leaving. I jive with this city. I fit in there. It’s me. I wanted to wrap my arms around NYC and give it a huge “I”VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH” hug! Everything about it, I love. The fast paced world…people walk and talk faster there than anywhere I think. I love that in Queens you can walk 1 block and buy a slice of pizza for your 3 year old, 2 iced coffees and a shirt for your hubby to replace the one the 3 year old yacked all over after being car sick. All in one block! I love that you can walk into a store and no one speaks English. After 5 minutes of being out of your apartment (or your best friend’s in my case) you can pass a black man with dreadlocks, a very old Chinese woman, a middle aged Afghan Woman wearing the full head covering where you only see eyes, a Hispanic 8 year old that promptly says “hola momi” when he passes you and a 30 something white girl walking her 2 kids in the city she loves with all of her heart. Oh yeah..that’s me.
The tricky part is I do remember why I left. It’s hard living there. It’s a constant fight to just walk down the street to get to work. I was done with New York at the time. I didn’t have the fight left in me any longer. More than anything after being pregnant in the summer in that city…I was ready to take it easy a little.
And now here I am. Thankful that we did move cross-country just so we can say we did it. And wishing to be in the place where I call “home”.

Swanky Moms Review

Aunt Art Picasso Chalk Mats have been featured on the oh-so-hip SwankyMoms.com.

http://www.swankymoms.com/reviews.html

New Picasso Chalk Mat Prints

I just listed 4 new fun prints for the Picasso Chalk Mat. They make great birthday presents for kids of all ages.
http://www.auntart.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=PicassoChalkMat

Desires

I grow tired of pleasing them. I grow tired of having to play this game…this competition with them…this masquerade. I’m speaking of my in-laws. Who I actually enjoy a lot as people. I have a lot in common with my MIL, to be quite frank. But…they don’t like the idea that we want to move from Seattle to the east coast. And it’s not like they live anywhere near us…AZ to be exact. But it’s the competition that they have created and honestly they are the only people playing. They think if we move to the east coast that my parents or my other in-laws (I’m dealing with a divorced in-law situation) would win. Win what?!?! I don’t get it? This isn’t a game…it’s life. And you know what….if you want to be in someone’s life you have to be present. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend or how many cards you send on random holidays. It’s about being here…being with the kids…making a difference in their lives…sharing moments with them. It’s about making a choice. Jon and I have made a choice. We’re east coasters…it’s honestly that simple. Seattle is great and we have made some remarkable friends but we miss the faster pace of life, the determination living and breathing in every person. I miss the tempo rhythm of conversations…the fast…clip clop…stay in the moment…don’t ask me to repeat myself…why weren’t you listening…keep up…I don’t have time to repeat….tell it like it is…life. When you have kids you think about what you want to give them…values, ideals etc. People you want to be in their lives who can influence them…make them better human beings. Jon and I have so many remarkable people in our lives and I am so thankful for each of them…but….I wish my kids knew the people that we love and hold so close to our hearts…I wish they really knew them. My sister hasn’t even met my 10 month old son…and no one is to blame here…it’s expensive to fly and she’s a single mom with 3 kids…we’re struggling to keep our heads above water financially. But we make do with the situation…and that’s fine for right now…but not forever. My best friend has been dating the same guy for almost 2 years and I have never met him. This is my best friend who I have known for 12 years (jabby don’t you feel old.. me just saying that?!?!), who was at the birth of my first son…who when my world crashes I call first. And once again no one is to blame….$ is always a factor…schedules/time off work etc all play into the equation. And when we do move to the east coast it will be a struggle to make friends and form new bonds but you know what? I’ll be happy knowing that if a crisis arises I can jump in my car, strap the kids in their car seats, fill up the tank with gas and head in whatever direction I need to go to “be there” for the people I love most.
So I’ve digressed…kinda….and I’m sure my in-laws won’t read this…but maybe you will. This isn’t about bashing you, cause honestly I love you guys and enjoy you. But us moving…ISN’T ABOUT YOU. It’s about me, Jon and our children and what we want for our children and what would make us happier and living out life to the fullest…. for us.

The Mommy Brain

The mommy brain. No one ever talks about it. I don’t remember it ever being covered in my childbirth prep class. And once I was pregnant with my second child the mommy brain kicked in in full force. And the brain has yet to go back to normal. I’m doing the classic things that my mother did and I am seeing the other moms I know doing the same thing…calling the kids’ by the wrong name, even the pet’s name, forgetting what day of the week it is, forgetting important dates like the year your child was born. Yesterday I forgot my youngest child’s well doctor visit. Ugh, and I’ll be paying the 50 dollar no-show fee to prove the mommy brain. The sad thing is I have a calendar with important dates and events clearly marked hanging in a central location, so you can’t miss it. I even have the days we need to take the recycling to the curb on the calendar.
So here are the things that no one tells you about when you are having a baby that I wish someone would have spoke up and said something…
1. You will forget important things/dates…you’ll constantly feel like you can’t focus. For someone who could multi-task pre kids this will drive you totally insane. You’ll walk into a room and forget what you came for…what you were doing even though you hold the cleaning solution in your hand.
2. Bleeding. Why doesn’t anyone talk about this? I bleed for 6 weeks after the birth of both of my kids and the first time around I thought something was wrong with me physically that I debated going to the ER when the bleeding continued for the 2nd week. It’s normal and every woman goes through it regardless of whether she had a natural birth or a c-section.
3. Hemorrhoids. Please childbirth teachers of the world…talk about it!!!! I’ll be honest here…never had hemorrhoids before…then I have a baby and now I am counting the fiber in my diet. I have blatantly asked the women I know who have had c-sections (I’ve had 2 natural childbirths) and they told me that they too have the ‘roids. So this is obviously a universal thing amongst childbirth.
4. Shoe Size. Not only do I have the stretch marks on my stomach of bearing 2 ten pound babies…but I went from a 6 ½ shoe size to an 8 after the birth of my second child. Now I will admit that my best friend’s mom warned me of this while having a pedicure and being 8 months pregnant with my first son. My best friend told her and I quote “mom you don’t tell a shoe-a-holic this when she’s pregnant”.

So that’s my top 4….keep the conversations going…ask questions….be bold….find out your own answers! Would love to hear from other moms on their top 4 mommy brain picks.

Ebay Boutique Set

I just listed an adorable Patriotic Set for your little guy this year. He'll make firewirks wherever he goes.

Feed ME! Bibs

Introducing NEW Feed ME! Bibs on AuntArt.com. As my youngest has approached the stage of eating baby food I was inspired to create a bib that can be wiped clean after each feeding. Will lighten your laundry load. More fabric prints coming soon.

AuntArt on Cool Mom PIcks!

My Picasso Chalk Mats were just featured on Cool Mom Picks!
Check it out to read the feature:
http://motherhooduncensored.typepad.com/coolmompicks/

As the warm weather is approaching the pacific northwest I spent a few hours going through the rubbermaid containers of clothing that I have stored away to see if anything will fit Baby Zane. Logan kept asking "what are you doin'?" And I explained that these were his old clothes and now Baby Zane is going to wear them since they don't fit you anymore. Well Logan saw these 2 pairs of pants and is refusing to share them. He takes them out of the room and into our bedroom and then precedes to put them both on. He walks back into the room where I am sorting clothes and declares "they still fit! I try em on!" So I had to snap a picture of him and his pants that still fit. haaahaaa. The bottom pair are the Blue's Clues pants I made for his Blue's Clue's Birthday Party last year and the ones on top are Sesame Street. I guess he'll be sporting the ever so popular three quarter length pants this spring.

I must admit it warms my heart that the ones he picked as his faves were made by me. LOVE THAT!

Spring Cleaning on AuntArt.com

Happy Spring Everyone! I am spring-cleaning on the site and I have decided to discontinue the chenille bibs. So every chenille bib is ON SALE! All the chenille bibs are priced to sell at $5!!! In Stock and ready to ship.

Other big news…check out the NEW Everyday Bib designs.

I’ve also added NEW burp cloths with some funky new prints.

All the best,
Gretchen
www.AuntArt.com

sick kiddos

What a week! Both of my kids had a stomach virus. I have been pooped on and puked on more times than I can count. I don’t remember them covering this topic in my childbirth prep class. Thankfully it seems like they are on the mend. Let’s cross our fingers that hubby and I don’t get it. The last thing we need.
Anyhoo…once again don’t forget to enter the happily Handmade Giveaway…time is almost up!

Happily Handmade Giveaway!

Time is almost up to enter the Happily Handmade Giveaway! Each basket is valued at over 200 bucks!!! Make sure to stop by http://www.AuntArt.com and sign up for my mailing list to enter the drawing. But don't stop there...visit each sponser and enter. Even more chances to win!!!

Relocating

Relocating. Ugh! So we’ve made a list and we’re checking it twice and hopefully come June when we visit these cities we will be able to say where we are moving. My head hurts from all the research. I kid you not. Now I understand why people never leave where they grew up…it’s so freakin’ easy to do that! Talk about a defining character trait. Where you live and how long you have lived there defiantly says something about your personality. Adventurous people relocate or at least go away to college and then come back to the hometown. But the people that stay put….born and bred kinda thing….well…let’s just say I think they may need to push their comfort level a bit. Ok enough of a rant. Back to relocating. So we are looking into a few cities but we are limited on where we would like to live cause we’d like to be somewhere between Washington DC and NYC. Basically because of friends and family and the free babysitting. Of course jobs and school systems play a huge part and we’re totally city people so ideally we would like to be in a city environment. So if you are reading this blog and you love the city you live in…send me a shout tell me why you love your area. Sell me your city.

Should have never left the house.

So I go to the dentist today to pick up my night guard cause I grind my teeth at night. I recently went for the first time at this particular dentist for a cleaning when my mom was in town so she was able to watch the kids for me. So I walk in today and the receptionist asks me “is someone coming here to meet you to watch the kids?”….I’m like “no, I was told this was a quick visit just to make sure the night guard fits”. She then tells me that the kids can’t go back with me. Of course I ask why and she tells me that there are too many things they could get into with the instruments etc. Baby Zane is still in the infant carrier/car seat so he’s not getting into anything and Logan is 2 but very shy so he’s typically right at my legs. I explain to her that Logan will sit quietly in a chair while the dentist does the fitting. That he goes with me to all my other doctor appts and is fine. Nope that won’t do. She tells me that I’ll have to reschedule! I then try to explain to her that I ALWAYS have my kids that I don’t have access to anyone to watch them, that my entire family lives on the east coast and the only way for me to come in here without them is to have my husband take off work which we can’t afford to do. She gives me that “smile of a working mom”…anyone who is a SAHM I’m sure at one point has seen this smile. The smile that says “this is why I go to work everyday” or “pay for a sitter like I do everyday”. That smile. She gives me the smile and says, “I’ll talk to the doctor and see what he says”. So she comes back and says that yes I’ll have to reschedule… at this point I am about to blow. Taking the moment to actually grit my teeth I say to her in a voice as calm as I can muster, “I would like my x-ray films and my $300 dollars back for the night guard and I am taking my business to a dentist that is more accommodating towards families.” This begins the stand off. She tells me that she can’t do that. I repeat myself and then add either I get fitted right now or I get a refund…. it’s that simple. And I give her “the smile” of an ex-NY’er that says “you aren’t Fu*kin’ with me B*tch!” She walks away and returns saying that Logan can stay in the kiddy corner and watch a show on the TV. Yes a dentist office that has a stocked kiddy corner but refuses to let the kids past the front desk. So I explain to Logan that I will be gone for 5 minutes and he will watch a show. He’s thrilled as he is only allowed an hour of TV a day so he thinks this is the greatest deal ever. So I leave… am getting fitted for the night guard with baby Zane in the car seat and I hear Logan screaming. I ask the dentist to hurry up and I rush out of there and find Logan standing in front of the TV crying because this woman…this working mom (I saw the Christmas family picture of her and her husband and kids on her desk)…puts on a soap opera! I can hardly believe it! I want to ream her out …I want to demand all of my films and never return….because now I have to explain to a screaming 2 year old that we are leaving and the show he was promised he won’t be watching. Once in the car the tantrum continues and I just sit there thinking I wish I could act like that when I get mad and frustrated. I don’t feel like I can really say anything to him or get upset because I totally understand why he is crying. He was promised something and then didn’t get it. I’d be pissed off too. So I wait for the tidal wave to cease and we head down the road. Just one of those days where I should have never left the house.
Btw…I’m finding another dentist.

I am so excited about the items I have in store for the jump start of spring...here is the latest that has been added to the site.

Do you have a Picasso in your house? This is the perfect craft mat for your artist-in-residence.
Made from Oilcloth in a bright primary colored crayon print. This fabric is waterproof and protected with a clear finish. Fade, stain, and soil resistant.
Double sided with the same fabric on the reserve side.
Bright red piping that is double stitched around the mat.
Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Perfect for all craft projects to protect your tabletop whether it’s painting, play dough or coloring.
Extra Large Size: 21 inches x 15 inches.

doubt..always ...lurking

well after some time to really think about it I think my main problem right now is my site. When it comes down to it I don't like the way my pictures are etc. No one to blame but myself and I am totally learning as I go. So I have to say that I am proud of what I have accomplished considering I knew nothing before. Anyway I went to different designers sites, the big wigs, and looked at their sites and asked myself "what do I like about this site?" It all came down to pictures. So I brainstormed a bit and figured out how to incorporate my beachy look with my products in the pictures and I'm really excited to get started on that.

So I have promised myself that I would write more in this blog in the New Year. I guess you could say one of my resolutions. Not that I have any other resolutions really. Yesterday I just had my own “clean sweep” of the house. I have reorganized my workspace to make it more conducive for working/getting things done. Basically I divided up the room and I have my sewing section, computer section and shipping center. So everything can get done with ease. I still haven’t found the time to get the burp cloths on the site yet which is frustrating. My to do list seems never ending. Not offering one of a kind items is a lot harder than I thought it would be. As I need to buy a lot of fabric at one time and I really have to plan what I am going to make. Before I just bought fabric that “spoke to me” and then I would let it sit on the shelf until I felt inspired to use it. I have faith that I will find a way to make it all work and a way to be inspired to do it. One of the downfalls of working for yourself is that you have to work even when you aren’t inspired. No one is there like a boss asking what you got done that day. So for me when I don’t feel like sitting at the sewing machine I try and get other things done. Whether it’s organizing my workspace (like yesterday) or editing pictures, researching fairs and markets to attend etc. I’ve also been scrap booking a lot lately during the holidays which is nice because it’s a creative outlet and working with a different textile, paper rather than fabric, is a nice change of pace. While scraping I see different ways to mix colors and it inspires me to make clothes. For example I had this heart fabric and then this other fabric that has planes, trains and the world. Now looking at the fabric you wouldn’t automatically say “oh they totally go together” but I have found a way to incorporate them. I am calling the set “love around the world”. It’s also hard to make a valentine’s set for a boy.

I have added new hats to the site in both the boy and girl hat categories.
Keep in mind I am always happy to do custom orders. For example if there is a hat on the site and you wish it had a flower on it….just pop me an email and we will discuss it.
Happy Holidays to you all!

People often ask...

People often ask, "how can you get all that sewing done with 2 kids." My normal answer is "it's all about time management" or "naps". But here is the truth....sometimes this is what has to happen.

Shows

I have had a wonderful whirlwind of shows. I only sold bibs and burp cloths at the shows and I couldn’t keep the burp cloths in stock. I sold so many and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about it. It’s an easy sell…new moms and moms of 2nd and 3rd and more all need them…babies spit up. And my burp cloths are much more fashionable than the typical white pre-fold cloth diaper. The bibs sold too but not as many. Though I had my sales speech down for the burp cloths cause typically people would look at them and not know what they were right away. Once I told them and said a few tag phrases they were hooked. All of a sudden you could see the wheels in their heads turning …”who do I know that’s pregnant?”. Everything I make is used on my kids first. And the newest addition to our family has reflux and he has put the burp cloths through the utmost tests. So if they work for the reflux baby who throws up everything in large quantities they will work for the little spew most babies exude.