Dreaming Tree Studio

turn out the lights...

2009-12-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

the party's over...they say all things, come to an end.

Dreaming Tree Studio grew into a reality when two sisters had a dream. A dream to bring the love of handmade to our hometown...A dream to help other creative people like ourselves get their things seen and sold! We loved the idea...I mean who wouldn't!

Our dream came a reality on Nov. 5th 2009 when we opened for business and recieved such a warm welcome from the community. We are SO thankful for the support we have recieved from our customers, fans and fellow downtown business owners. Over the span of 2 months we have gained well over 450 fans on facebook, developed a strong following on our blog and met tons of new people and friends through our brick and mortor shop. It has been AMAZING...

The holiday shopping season was AWESOME...it was SO amazing to see so many people choose handmade for their gift giving...made our hearts feel a little bigger...a little warmer. It was so nice to be able to play a role in so many people's Christmas that way!

Personaly, (meaning me, Desiree!) my goal since I had my baby boy was to find a way to help other mothers like myself fill that creative space they had in their heart...that space that yearned for an outlet...a way to do something just for them that they enjoyed. You know exactly what I mean! I wanted to encourage people to dream big...to reach for the stars...to follow their dreams. I hope that I have achieved that goal through this...

With all this being said it is with a gigantic ball of every emotion that we say "farewell" to our dear friends. The ride has been sweet...but after re-evaluating our priorities and what we can really take on in addition to our full time mommy jobs we have decided to close the doors to our beloved Dreaming Tree Studio. After speaking with our dear friend Sarabeth, she reminded me that we go through seasons in our lives. This was not the season for Dreaming Tree Studio to flourish to its full potential...but we will NEVER stop dreaming big...we promise. And who knows...maybe one day...when the season is right...the Dreaming Tree Studio will bloom again...

We love you all...and we LOVE HANDMADE!!! Keep the revolution strong...take the handmade pledge...and as ALWAYS SHOP LOCAL!!!

Peace

Desiree & DeAndra

P.S. keep an eye out for our dear friends at Dreaming Tree Studio who are dreaming big with their crafts!!! The future is bright for all of them!!!!

Stocking stuffers!!!

2009-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

I mean...you only get to stuff socks once a year right? ;O) So why not stuff them with AWESOME handmade stuff like this...

Backpack Buddies $6.50

Vegan Soaps by Maylee's Garden $6-7

Hair pins by Pandacub

$4-8

Personalized Bracelets by Black Dog Designs

$12-18

Coffee Cozy

$11

Pocket Mirrors $5

painted scrabble tile pendants by Garden Girl Creations $7

the crunch is on...

2009-12-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

can you believe it...only 9 shopping days left until Christmas!!! Holy moly...so crazy!!! Its easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy this time of year...I know!!! I just wanted to take a minute and give your heart a little hot cocoa!!!

Hot cocoa always does the trick ya know...it cures lots of things!!! Brings back lots of memories too...like chilly football games, parades, Christmas, and just cuddling up to the ones you love!!!

Whats your favorite hot cocoa story?

Hi friends!

2009-12-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Its really dreary here today...not sure we will see the sun at all :O( Here's a little sunshine to cheer us all up

http://www.weheartit.com/

It's a fact...we've survived the first month!!! Pretty gracefully too I shall say! Thanks to all out FAB fans, customers, friends, and family!!! I know Thanksgiving has come and gone but its time to tell who we are THANKFUL for here at Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

Frist off our loving husbands and kids who have supported us through this AWESOME venture! WE LOVE YOU...

Our parents for helping out A LOT!!! Like doing stuff like this...

All our awesome artists and crafters, customers, and fans!!! WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!

We are over 450 fans on facebook alone!!! Thank you all sooooooo much!!!

So whats coming up??? Good question! We are getting geared up for our FIRST CRAFTY CLASS in January!!! Our very own Sarabee will be teaching Knitting 101 to two groups of eager crafter!!! YAY!!! We still have a few spots open in our afternoon class...and I do mean FEW (as in 2) so if you are interested PLEASE sign up TODAY!!! The cut off will be this weekend so don't miss out on all the awesomeness that awaits you!!!

We love Sarabee and we know you will too!!!

No pictures please...

2009-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

anytime now the handmade paparazzi will be showing up at our door...I just know it! With all these handmade celebs coming and going through the doors of Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

Like our ultra cool co-owner, crafter, jewelry stampin queen, DeAndra!!! She totally ROCKED the front page of etsy and didn't even know it...thats how cool she is! But thanks to our FAB sarabee for letting us in on this AWESOME flickr page that keeps track of etsy's front pages we found out that Pink Checkers Designs was featured!!! Yup her awesome golfball marker made it!!! We knew it was acting a little cocky after that day but just thought it was having a bad day...come to find out...IT WAS FAMOUS!!! And we didn't even know...not sure how we missed out on that though since I am an etsy.com NUT and am on there...oh...like my whole LIFE!!! We are SUPER pumped that we found out though!!! Thats huge for an artists ya know...H.U.G.E....but like I always say...Thats what you get for Dreaming Big!!! Right D!!! So proud...so happy...so inspired!!! Ok so check out the page!!!

Thats it right there in the second row at the end!!! YAY!!!

Here are som more pics of her AWESOME hand stamped silver jewelry...go ahead...start making your wishlist!!!

plus L-O-T-S more...and don't forget EVERYTHING is custome so just ask yourself...What do I have to say!!! Place orders online through http://www.pinkcheckersdesign.etsy.com/ or locally at Dreaming Tree Studio 72 South Main St. Winchestser, Ky!

See you soon ;O)

It's simply sublime darling...

2009-11-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

Oh yes it is! What you ask...well the fact that Dreaming Tree Studio is now your place for all things Sublime Stitching!!! Ok...so maybe you haven't heard of sublime stitching...and mmmmaybe you have been hiding under a rock! haha j/k j/k All jokes aside...let me introduce to you...your new obession...

Sublime stitching started in Austin, TX in 2001 by a crafty diva named Jenny Hart. (who is currently traveling ALL OVER with her awesome book tour!!! you go girl) So why did she start this biz??? Well grandma cover your ears...got em covered...ok...Because she was tired of the "old" embroidery patterns and desperatly wanted to update the world of stitching!!! And oh boy did she do that!!! Now 8 years later her idea has turned into an AWESOME indie craft business that gals like us drool over!!! But what a story huh...well thats what Jenny gets for Dreaming Big!!!

Check out some of the things we have in the store...

Sexy Librarian Pattern

Plus LOTS and I mean L.O.T.S. more!!!

Hurry down and get your patterns and kits!!! Im so excited to get started!!!

extra extra...

2009-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

read all about Dreaming Tree Studio in the Winchester Sun!!! We were SO excited when Rachel Parsons from The Sun contacted us about doing a feature on handmade holiday decoration and crafts! Of course we JUMPED at the opportunity to share handmade ideas with our awesome town! DeAndra and I started brainstorming pronto! We wanted to show off a cute and new way to decorate for the holidays! Rachel wanted innexpensive and easy craft idea's to share with her readers so we decided quickly on...are you ready???

Yarn and ...

felt!!!

It doesn't get much easier than that!!! So we busted a move and got together this super cute yarn wreath in the theme of our super cool store of course...and this very cute felt ornament!!! These are SUPER cute and SUPER easy ideas for holiday decor!!!

We were tickled to death with the article! A big THANK YOU to Susan Parsons from The Sun and James Mann for the awesome pics!!!

you go girl!!!

2009-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

We want to say a special CONGRATS to our very own Lauren from Olive Tree Textiles for being featured on the front page of ETSY!!! Thats a huge deal and we are SOOOO proud of her!!! Check out some of her awesome handmade creations at Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

We have tons of these cute Charlie Bags!!! Lots of fun prints and fabric to choose from!!! What a great gift idea for the holiday season!!! Come check us out...

I'll be back in a jiff...I gotta run to the supermarket...

2009-11-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Crafty Supermarket that is!!! My sister...co-owner and crafty diva, DeAndra got to go to this AWESOME Indie Craft show in Cincy this Saturday while I manned the store...or shall I say womaned the store!!! I was super jealious when she called and was like..."OMG YOU ARE MISSING IT!!!" But hey, she brought back cool picks...made lots of contacts and got the very cool Crafty Superstar book by Grace Dobush! It's an awesome DIY guide to all things crafts biz related!!! A must read for the crafter who is ready to turn that hobby into a business! We HIGHLY recomend it! Here are a few pics from the show...

DeAndra = LUCKY

http://visualingual.wordpress.com/

cool people...

Kristin from BUZZ

more cool people...

SO AWESOME!! Hopefully next year I will get to go!!!

Sarabee is FAMOUS...

2009-11-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

no kidding!!! She really is...along with her handpainted drop spindle "Seymour Snail"! Why you ask...well because they were featured in the Dec/Jan edition of BUST magazine!!! Yup...totally serious! It's a pretty big deal and just goes to show that Sarabee rocks! (like we didn't already know that before!)

Check out some of the pics from the article on the art of spinning!!!

How cool is that!!! Um...very cool!!!

On to other EXCITING Sarabee news...she has dyed us up an EXCLUSIVE yarn just for our store!!! It's called Dreaming Tree Blossom

Come in and get yours today...only at Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

Don't forget to sign up for knitting 101 with Sarabee!!!

Now on to our cool gift idea of the day!!!

Queen Bee painting by Emily from Phit2bTyed!!!

For the Queeny in your life!!!

when the clock strikes midnight...

2009-11-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

no our carriage won't turn into a pumpkin...BUT we are definatly going to turn into NEW MOON FANATICS!!! Well thats probably already taken place...but we are so excited for the premier of New Moon...I mean I can't even tell you how long we have been waiting for this!!! I just can't!!! Yup we are nerds...but hey we are in good company since BASICALLY all the people we know and love are right there with us! We've even declared the store as a twilight safe zone...meaning you can talk all you want about it with us...we don't mind!!!

Well...we will be sure to let you know ALL about our New Moon night!!! Now on to the gift idea of the day!!!

Journals and Planners by Double Booked!!!

These are so cool and are made out of your favorite old hard back books!!!

She thinks she's all that...

2009-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

now that she was on TV and all! I'm talking about our FAB frosty of course! We were TOTALLY on LEX 18 this morning with Lee Cruse! It was so much fun! I've been anticipating it for a few days now...set my alarm on my phone for 4:45 to go off and yell Yabba Dabba Doo at me.. kept waking up and looking at the clock and EVEN dreamed I was late...so what happened??? Um I was LATE! Yup all the worry and preperation didn't work...at 5:30 a.m. my husband rolled over and said..."You didn't get up!" OH SNAP!!! After throwing on some clothes and smearing a lil makeup on I was out the door!!! My sister was right on time, thank goodness to represent!!! HOLLA!!!

So what is this frosty thing all about??? Good Question...well Dreaming Tree Studio along with 26 other downtown businesses got these cool little snowmen to decorate from the Vocation School in Winchester!!! They will be auctioned off on Dec. 5th right before the Christmas Parade at 5 p.m.!!! Proceeds benefiting Operation Happiness!!! Its a great cause!!! So if you want this crafty diva at your house for the holidays...just swing on by the Clark Co. Court House and place your bid!!!

We weren't the only ones that showed up either! Here are a few pics of some other businesses that woke up early to make it on the news...

Attach of the ROBOTS!!! Captain Cosmos Collectible's Frosty the SNOWBOT!!!

Graham's LR Hopkins (Cally Frosty) and Blugrass Budokai's Frosty

Now on to the featured gift idea of the day...

T's from Rainbow Swirlz

Come by and get your's today!!!

look what I found!!!

2009-11-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's no lie...I spend A LOT of time on the internet...and I do mean A LOT!!! I can sit down to check our email, etsy, facebook, and blog and turn that into an hour of catching up on blogs, whats selling on etsy, and other AWESOMENESS! I love the internet...infact I don't know how we would be this far in our business without it. We have made SO many connections with SO many awesome people thats it's insane! Before we even opened our doors at Dreaming Tree Studio we had over 300 fans!!! How crazy is that...and they all heard about us FOR FREE...yup thats right...we didn't have to pay a pretty penny (that we didn't have) to get those fans! Isn't that awesome. With today's resources online it is so easy and heck, even fun to promote your business! Sure it takes time...which most of us don't have much of BUT the payoff is huge! So if you are out there and trying to drum up some fans...spend some time putting yourself out there on the web! Open an etsy store, BLOG, start a facebook fan page, twitter, and do it often!!!

Now...since I do spend SO much time online and we love our fans...here are some FREE things for you!!! Enjoy!!!

Free Printable Gift Tags from Arian Armstrong

Free Eddie Earthworm Pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls

Free Patterns from Amy Butler

Hopefully you will find one of these a bit usefull!!!

Now on the the gift idea of the day!!!

We were beyond thrilled when this crafting diva let her talent be known last week! Melissa from Black Dog Designs joined our crafty fam with her super awesome Scrabble Tile Bracelts!!! As I said...I spend A LOT of time online keeping up with whats new and hot...and I have never seen these...and they are HOT!!! Check her out at Dreaming Tree Studio and place your custom order today! Do it soon 'cause this crafting diva is already getting swamped with orders!!! We love her...and we know you will too...

So do YOU make all this stuff?

2009-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

We always get different reactions when we tell our visitors that everything in our store is handmade...but the one heard most often is that! And of course we answer with a quick no no no! I WISH we could make all this awesome stuff but its not ever gonna happen. Far too much time, hard work, and coolness has gone into each item in our shop...and even if we crafted non stop for a year we probably couldn't do it! Thats what is soooo stinkin sweet about our shop! We represent over 50 artist, crafters, and cool people!! Check out our artist section on our website to see most of them!!! Its so much fun meeting all our crafters...I love hearing there stories and how they got started...so inspiring! Makes you just want to dream big! I found this video clip on the internet for a documentary coming out called Handmade Nation...watch it here!

So many creative people out there changing the world! So exciting!!!

On to the gift idea of the day...

Pumpkin Scented Vegan Soap by Maylee's Garden!!!
Smells Oh So yummy!!!

Limited supply!!! Come get yours and check out the other great soaps from Maylee's Garden including Hippie Mama, Warm Vanilla Sugar, Night Blooming Jasmine, Mediteranian Fig, Lilac, and Marakeesh

The Frosties have arrived...

2009-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

in Downtown Winchester, Ky!!! Its so much fun strolling downtown and checking out everyone's little snowmen!!! Every year downtown businesses decorate a wooden statue however they wish and then the statues are auctioned off after the Christmas Parade with a portion of proceeds going to charity!!! It's a great idea and so fun!!!

Our snowmen were due to be out and about for display during the Holiday Open House last weekend and some how, despite all the chaos of planning for our grand opening we found time to paint ours!!! I found myself sitting at my parent's house the day before they were to be revealed digging for inspiration...I had scetched out a snowman disquised as a reindeer, a snowman elf, and a craft snowman! Had to scratch the reindeer idea...too much extra parts were needed, same thing for the elf...just couldn't pull it off in such a short time. So we settled on the craft snowman!!! Perfect choice though...right!

After digging through my mother's paint collection, gathering her paintbrushes and drawing the design out in my head I dove right in!!! (Thank goodness for my mother's craft stash that is always available to these crafty sisters!!! Love ya mom!!!)

Check out the end result!!!

She's super crafty!!! I bet she is gonna sign up for knitting 101!!!

So on to the gift idea of the day...

Paper star mobiles!!! These are absolutly beautiful!!! You gotta see them to believe them!!!

Ah sweet Rod Stewart...

2009-11-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

is a normal reaction as people walk through the doors of Dreaming Tree Studio lately!!! Makes me giggle a little...ok a lot!!! So funny how people have such strong memories of musicians and what they mean to them!!! I mean... I know the way it makes me feel every time I hear Blame it on the Rain by Millie Vanilli...Bahahaha...yup takes me back to the days my sister totally rocked out to them! I looked up to her so much I borrowed the cassete tape to play in my little bright red My First Sony!!! Oh yes I did...don't doubt it!!!! Hahaha oh geez...well lets move on the the gift idea of the day...

Awesome recycled items from Retired Records

Soap Dish!

Coasters!

Cuff Bracelets!

Cookbook Easels!

and much much more!!!

Oh...and we still have the record bowl made out of that Rod Stewart Record!!!

We need to say...

2009-11-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

to all our awesome fans and customers who came out for our first Holiday Open House!!! We had a blast and loved every minute of it!!! Our customers and fans ROCK... thats for sure!!! We are already thinking of next year's open house and planning how we are gonna blow everyone away...can we say "HANDMADE HOLIDAY!!!"

Now on to some FAB gift ideas available at Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

Awesome tops by East Meet West! A local clothing designer out of Lexington, Ky!!! These SUPER soft and stretchy shirts are made from all organic bamboo and cotton! Great for layering, yoga, or just kickin it!

Kids ARE super heros ya know...they really are! I bet you were too when you were little...you probably just forgot now that you are all grown up!!! So why not get your little super hero their very own BLANKIE CAPE by Frank & Me!!! Super soft...and super cool...perfect for any super hero!!!

deck the halls...

2009-11-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

with awesome handmade stuff!!! The 3rd day of our Downtown Holiday Open House was AWESOME (in my high pitch singing voice!!!) It was as if the handmade train had made its rounds and picked up every cool customer around and unloaded them at our door!!! We were flooded today...and it rocked! Pretty sure cheesy high fives were exchanged several times between me and my sister!!! WE HAVE DONE IT...we love our store...we love our customers...WE JUST LOVE IT ALL!!! The dreaming big hasn't stopped either...we are bubbling over with so many ideas of what the future holds for Dreaming Tree Studio and heck...for our whole town...who know maybe the whole world!!! haha there is no stopping these two crafty sisters!!!

Downtown Winchester offered it all today!!! We had Christmas Carolers, Horse Drawn Carriages, and great food and fun!!!

We had two in house artists today at our store to share their work!!! Becky, our fabulous aunt from Georgetown, Ky was available for personalization of her BEAUTIFUL handpainted ornaments!!! We love her!!!

Sarabee come in today as promised to demonstrate yarn spinning!!! She had so many interested people stop by and chat with her!!! We had such a great turn out that we are going to add a spinning class to our classes in addition to Knitting 101!!! So awesome!!! We love Sara so much...and love dreaming big with her!!! We are currently signing up people for the Knitting 101 class that will start in January!!!

Now on to the gift idea of the day!!!

Finger Puppets!!! Great stocking stuffers and gifts for little ones!!! These are flying off the shelves!!! Come get yours soon!!!

Time flies...

2009-11-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

when you are having fun! Therefore I apologize for not doing the gift idea of the day in a few days!!! We have been soooooooooooooo super busy opening the store and having a B.L.A.S.T.!!! So lets go on and show 2 yes 2 gift idea's to get caught up!!!

Gift Idea numero uno...

Yes! Those are a set of 4 count em 4 beatles cufflinks!!! A must have for the Beatles fan in your life. Sure a suit says...It's business time...but throw these babies on and you're on a whole new level!!! Great gift idea for the groom and prom...or anyone who rocks out a suit!!! Plus they are super cool to look at!!! These are flying off the shelves so if you are interested...you better skidoodle on in to Dreaming Tree Studio and get your set because they won't last long...they just wont! Im not gonna lie!!!

We also have a nice collections of other cufflinks, money clips, and tie bars, with I dunno...

Rolling Stones

Pin Up Girls

Batman

Star Wars

more Beatles

ect. ect....I think you get the picture!!!

Gift Idea #2!!!

Swirly Hats!!!

I mean come on...have you EVER I mean EVER seen these anywhere before??? Want the little one in your life to look super cute this winter??? Plop a swirly hat on them and MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! My little boy rocks one on a daily basis!!! These are also selling fast...I know you want one!!! Come on in and pick out your swirly hat today!!!

Let the Handmade Revolution begin...

2009-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Wow...what a day!!! Our Grand Opening was AWESOME to say the very least!!! We had a great turn out and a very warm welcome from the local business owners of downtown!!!

The Winchester Opera House came down to welcome us and gave us this beautiful cake!!!

Absolutly amazing right?!!!! We were sooooooooooo thrilled!!! What a great house warming present!!! Justin did an amazing job!!! Can't wait to see more of his work!!!Winchester is gonna eat his designs up...lliterally!!! bahaha!!!

We had a steady stream of visitors all day long and we had a lot of fun!!! It was so exciting to share all of our great hanmade items with our hometown!!! Tonight promises to be even more busy!!! We are so excited!!!The handmade revolution has begun...come take part!!! Shop local...support handmade...Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

Sarabee dropped in to give us flowers!!! We love her!!!

tick tock...

2009-11-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

goes the clock and we are less than 24 hours away from opening our doors for business...for real! Wow...I can't believe it! I mean I really can't...its a very surreal feeling!!! Not gonna lie...I'm a little nervous and so EXCITED I probably wont be able to sleep tonight!!!

We welcomed a new artist today from Lexington! She's a super cool gal who paints rocks and key holders!!! Love em! Sarabee dropped in to put the final touches on her booth and we also welcomed Meredith from Mimi Custom Creations!

So on to today's gift idea!!!

Hand dyed kicks by Mach n Lola!!! A great gift idea for the kids!!! Stop by and check them out tomorrow during our Grand Opening!!!

"Have you ever seen 7 pounds?"

2009-11-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

That's the question I had for Sarah today! She is a super awesome chick who runs an antique letterpress out of Lexington, Ky! We were SO lucky to get her cool letterpress cards into Dreaming Tree Studio today!!! I was amazed at her story and how she got started into running her own letterpress! Check out her website here!!!

So if you haven't guessed already...here is the handmade gift idea of the day!!!

We have these super cute mix-n-match monogram card sets! You choose your colors and initials! What a GREAT gift idea?!?!?! Right?...right!!!

This Christmas season give the gift of handmade!!! Support handmade...buy local...Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

P.S. we open in 2 days!!!!!! Seriously!!!!

Oh and she hasn't seen the movie yet...but wants to!!!

A handmade holiday!!!

2009-11-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

Yes Halloween was just a few days ago but if you have entered ANY store today you probably noticed all the Christmas decor!!! So lets get in the spirit...and start planning what handmade items we want to make or buy for our fab fam!!!

Sew,Mama, Sew is an awesome blog that is featuring GREAT holiday gift ideas DAILY!!! Yup...every day there will be tons of ideas of things to make or buy!!! Can you believe it?! I know its crazy awesome right???

Check out their blog here!

So since Sew,Mama, Sew can do it...I think Dreaming Tree Studio is very capable of doing something just as cool! So everyday until Christmas I will feature one fresh handmade item we have at the store!!!

So whats today's featured item??? Glad you asked!!!

Now presenting...dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnn!!! ;O)

Personalized hand stamped jewelry from Pink Checkers Design!

Available for purchase at Dreaming Tree Studio!!! Come in and place your order for Christmas gifts Thursday Nov. 5th!!!! These are AWESOME gifts...they can say anything you want them to! So...what do you have to say???

Peeling the paper back...

2009-11-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

and revealing our FAB store!!! We had SO many little trick or treaters last night and SO many interested people come by Dreaming Tree Studio last night for Trick or Treat Main-ia in Winchester! It was SO awesome to finally get to show off all our hard work along with the 50 + artist's hard work in our shop!!! Whenever we told people that everything in our store was handmade you could totally see the interest in their eyes... handmade?! Hmmm thats interesting! Yes is it...well its more than interesting...it ROCKS!!!

Only 4 more days until the HANDMADE REVOLUTION!!! Are you ready??? !!!!

A Handmade Birthday!!!

2009-10-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

I know how special it makes me feel to recieve a handmade gift...feels kinda like they are giving me a tiny little piece of them ya know! So when it was getting close to my littlest niece's birthday I started thinking about what I wanted to make her. Now I'll be the first to say that I can't exactly "nail" down one craft or skill that I "do"...I like lots of things and have dabbled in so much. I paint, take pictures, scrapbook, draw, doodle, write...and lots more...

Last year for my birthday I asked for a sewing machine...I wanted to learn how to sew and make BEAUTIFUL things!!! I had big dreams! Of course I was about 7 months pregnant at that time and envisioned myself sewing up lots of things for my baby! That would have been nice but I never cracked the box open... :O( Not even once! Horrible I know!!! I think I was just intimidated by it...I knew if I opened it then I would have to try it. At least if it wasn't open then there was still a chance...some potential!!! Anyway...that sewing maching didn't get opened until we opened Dreaming Tree Studio!!! That machine serves now as our studio sewing machine...there for us when the craft bug bites and we need to make something! It's come in very handy!!!

So once the box was opened what happened??? Of course I didn't touch the thing....but my sister, who is a FABULOUS seamstress took right to it and before I knew they had a great relationship going! Sure I would help with projects...we joked that I would cut and pin and she would sew!!! But a part of me wanted in on that sewing part!

So for Hayden's 2nd Birthday I made a pledge...I was going to sew her SOMETHING!!! I didn't know what but I was going to conquer that machine and make something! So I browsed the web and went to a site my sister always talks about. I bought and downloaded millie monkey and off to Hancock Fabric I went!

I picked out really cute fabric...enough to make oh probably 10 monkies! (big dreams again!) Got home, cut out the pieces, pinned them and started on that machine!!! Now I did remember how to generally operate a sewing machine from the times my mother and sister had assited me, and I did take a class in middle school where we made a simple bag...but it still felt unfamiliar! So anyway...I just dove right in...petal to the metal!!! Needless to say...I hit a few "bumps" along the way...and felt like quiting a few times..BUT I finally finished her! And she was ready to be given to Hayden in time for her birthday party!!! Sure she wasn't perfect...not even close...but MAN I put a lot of work into her.

Sure it took a lot more time to make this little monkey than going to the toy section of the store and picking out something but it was worth it. Do I have all the time in the world to make dolls??? No, absolutly not...but with a little planning I was able to do it by devoting 30 or so minutes a day to the project.

So as for me and the sewing machine...I would say our relationship is growing ;O)

P.S. the pic of Millie IS NOT my finished product!!! Thats a pic of what she SHOULD look like!!!

Have a Happy "Handmade" Birthday!!!

2009-10-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day...It's the 2nd birthday of one of our best creations! She took 9 whole months to make and now she is 2 years old!!! Happy Birthday Hayden Leigh!!!

We are throwing a Yo Gabba Gabba party for this little sweety tonight!!!

We had Ya Gabba Gabba Cupcakes!!! They totally started a party in our tummies!!! You can print these cute cupcake toppers off here!

Check out the handmade character shirts DeAndra whipped up for the kids!!!

Super cute right?! Yeah we know!!!

Happy Birthday Hayden!!!

Hello! Nice to meet you...

2009-10-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today was HUGE for the Dreaming Tree Studio! We moved in 5 artisan's handmade creations!!! It was so awesome meeting these awesome ladies and finally getting to see their work in person for the first time! We can't even begin to explain how exciting this is...we have been dreaming about what its goin to be like for a while now...but this is even better! We get to meet awesome people and see awesome stuff ...its just all over a good deal! I can see HUGE things happening for us and our artisans at the Dreaming Tree Studio. I guess it just goes to prove...when you dream big...big things happen!

Our first artisan today was Heather, a UK student out of Lexington! She brought in beautiful paintings, glass tile mosaics, cool silhouettes and beautiful inkings! She is so talented and awesome!

Next came our fabulous aunt Becky from Georgetown! Another example of how handmade runs in the fam! She brought in beautiful handpainted glass ornaments as well as wash clothes and mop tops!

Our third artisan was Tara from Garden Girl Creations. She bring beautiful hand painted scrabble tile pendants! Each one is so detailed and beautiful!

Then came Ainsley! A super cool chick from Lexington who brough in fabulous belts, handmade journals, and so cute cards that she hand paints!

Our last artisan for the day was Shana from Sew Southern! She brings cute fabric hair clips and magnets!

We can't wait to meet the rest of our artisans this week!

Moving day...

2009-10-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

for Sarabee Designs!!! We were so thrilled to welcome Sarabee and her FABULOUS hand painted and spun yarns, wearables, and notions! I fell in LOVE with her awesome fingerless scarves and hand painted drop spindles. Now...I'm not much of a knitter...well I've never tried it at all...but Sarabee makes me want to! I'm seeing a colorful and bright future for Sarabee and Dreaming Tree Studio!

We are hoping Sarabee will be making an appearance one night of our Christmas Open House to demonstrate how to spin thread!!!

At the end of the day...I learned one thing. Sarabee rocks! Check her out at ...

http://www.sarabee.wordpress.com/

http://www.sarabeedesigns.etsy.com/

and Fan her on facebook!!!

burning the midnight oil...

2009-10-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

that's what we did last night for sure! After the kiddos where alseep and all was quite we snuck out of our homes to go work on the Dreaming Tree Studio! I'm not gonna lie...it's not been easy juggling family and "work" but we have definitely made it work...project runway style! I say "work" because I really wouldn't consider this work ...it's unlike any other "work" or "J.O.B." I've ever had. A far cry from my teaching days, that's for sure. and I'm sure it's tons different than my sister's office job. It's amazing what life throws your way. I would have never dreamed when my sister and I were younger of us owning a store! But I'm so glad it's happening...we are very lucky! Lots of people have said how this is their dream and we feel the same way...like we are living a dream!

So anyway...interesting what Main St. Winchester is like in the late hours of the night...lots of interesting stuff going on. It's a place I never paid much mind to growing up around here but a lot goes on there. The Opera House Gallery was having a fashion show with their Recycled Wearables Show. It looked so cool...and if hadn't been dressed in sweats and covered in paint I would have totally checked it out. I can't wait to be more involved with the downtown scene...and hopefully the downtown scene can't wait to get involved with Dreaming Tree Studio!

We got A LOT done in those wee hours. Our cash register came in and we set that up. I painted kite tails on the walls to go with my vintage fabric kites I made! I also painted "Long before these crowded streets, here stood my dreaming tree..." around the door frame!!! *ahh Dave* Anyway...lots planned for this next week...totally swamped with consigner appointments...new inventory coming in daily...oh yeah, and the Trick or Treat Mania is totally happening next Saturday!!!

2 more weeks...!!!

2009-10-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by...only two more weeks until our grand opening!!! Hard to believe an idea we had a little over a month ago is getting ready to actually be reality! Our little shop is gaining so much personality everyday and its awesome to watch it grow into its own handmade little person! We keep getting new stuff in daily and signing up consigners all the time. Next week is packed with appointments for locals to come and drop off their awesome handmade items! Winchester better be ready for the revolution...the handmade revolution!!!

when it rains...

2009-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

it pours...and thats a good thing when we are talking about getting awesome handmade items in!!! We were soooooooooo thrilled to recieve this ...

. and this... and this...

We have been working hard at getting consigners scheduled to get their awesome stuff in our store! So far we have around 30 crafters and artists consigning at our funky lil shop!!!

I worked on the kites for the shop today and we got our sign!!! We plan on putting that up on the window tomorrow!!! (cross your fingers) I'll post pics when we get that up!

A big thanks to Scott at Hammerhead Signs for getting it ready for us!!!

Check him out at http://www.hammerheadsigns.com/

Brrr...its cold out there!

2009-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's officially winter in Winchester, Ky...not really but man its cold! We found that out the hard way running back and forth to our car today while out thrift store shopping. We found some cool decor for the shop and some awesome vintage fabric! I'm making kites out of that to hang from the ceiling...pics coming soon! Its amazing what you can find at your local goodwill...if we had a truck...we would have left with a whole bunch more!

We are signing up consigners left and right from right here in Central KY!!! So awesome!!! These are a few of the things we are getting in our store! We can't wait to showcase all the local talent! At about 2 and a half weeks away from our grand opening we are starting to get sooooooooooooooo excited!

Oh yeah look what came in the mail today!!! So awesome...

We got several of the Yo Gabba Gabba set and tons more including a UK set!!! These are so fun and would be great stocking stuffers!!!

And we are waiting on these to come in...

It's like Christmas everyday at the Dreaming Tree Studio!!!

It's a wrap!

2009-10-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Never thought we would be saying this BUT we just shot our first commercial! Yeah, thats right a t.v. commercial! Our cute little shop that features only fresh handmade stuff is going to be seen by thousands on WKYT 27! Can you believe it??? Hard to, I know! We are so excited to share our awesome handmade selection with our local t.v. viewers! So keep a lookout between Nov. 1-4...who knows, you might catch it during your fav show!!!

We don't want to get the big head or anything but...take a peek at our awesome displays! Big thanks to our parents for creating our super awesome tree display (they rock at handmade as well...guess thats where we get it!)

Welcome...

2009-10-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Dreaming Tree Studio was super excited to welcome our second in house artist into our studio!!! Emily Hampton of Phit2bTyed dropped by today with awesome creations in tote! She brings so much to the store and we can't wait to watch her items fly off the shelf! Check her out at http://www.phit2btyed.com/ and http://www.phit2btyed.etsy.com/ We love her...and we know you will too!!!

things we dig...

2009-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

We love lots of things...but here is what we are diggin' on lately!

Decorative pillows by joom!

Super cute plush elephants by Ella Bellamay!

Awesome neck warmers by Charis Grace!

and these super fresh purses by Bags by Colette!

All of these handmade must have will be available at our funky little shop! Check us out the first weekend in November!

Mail Time!!!

2009-10-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

We love our mail lady...she brings us cool stuff! Check out what just arrived fresh off the handmade line...

Aprons and matching Pot Holders from My Silly Monkey and Me!!!

An assortment of journals from Journal Junky...

And awesome handpainted lightbulb ornaments by Eve's Julia!!!

another busy day...

2009-10-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today was big for the Dreaming Tree Studio! We spoke with our sign guy and should have that up on the windows shortly.

We started getting in our inventory!!! We picked out our paint color for the inside!! Oh and we scheduled our first commercial!!!

Sarabee, one of our in house artists, came by for a chat! We love her and the awesome yarns and fibers she spins! Check out her blog at http://www.sarabee.wordpress.com/

Holy cow...its starting to really feel real!!! That's what happens when you dream big!!! Come dream with us!

check out more of sarabee at

http://www.sarabeedesigns.etsy.com/

New Wesbite!

2009-10-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Its official! We not only have a home on Main St. in Winchester...the web has also allowed us to call it home! Check out our new website at http://www.dreamingtreestudioky.com/

Find out all the latest on our little shop there!

Logo Madness!!!

2009-10-08T12:13:00.001-07:00

We are soooooooooooooooo super excited to reveal our AWESOME logo!!! Check it out!!!

Pretty awesome...right??? We think so! A big thank you to Sandra Busta at http://www.sandrabusta.etsy.com/ for creating our logo!!!

Dreaming Big...

2009-10-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Wow...these last few weeks have been a whirlwind! We just got the keys to our new place 7 days ago and have gotten SOOOO much accomplished! We have found so many awesome artists and crafters and are so excited to be carrying their works of love!

We are still searching high and low for local artists and crafters to consign their fresh handmade stuff at our store.

If you make what you love and want to make money at it...contact us at dreamingtreestudioky.com to learn how to get your items into our funky little shop!