4th week at new location

What perfect weather we are having....time to light up some candles!! And tonight I am testing a newbie I am about to add to my new boutique..frosted cupcakes..yummy!!

Ladies, I just wanted to thank you to each of you that have visited my new little shop in Athens. I was so excited about opening that I thought I had a plan on decorating...well it's all changed now. I love the beautiful comments that I received, but so many were just seeing the baby and little girl stuff that the ladies' glamorous jewelry was being overlooked.  So, I called in some help. The store is completely re-decorated. So, if you saw it before, you need to come back and see it again.

I have added more beautiful jewelry, glittered scarves, fabulous knit hats, leopard "french" style hats, home decor items and some elegant Jessica McClintock animal print throws...they are gorgeous!! And won't last long, I only have 2 left in the store.

I took a few pictures to share....and of course posting this while I watch the Rangers!!!

Check out my new sign...coming soon!! Love it!!

New boutique in Athens, TX

It's been a fun, exciting~yet tiring few weeks and there seems to be little time to relax. But, that's what it's all about when you are trying to achieve your dream. The last 3 years looking for employment has finally showed me that it's time to throw in the towel, wasting gas and time on something that just isn't going to happen. However, this time was spent making stuff on the peanuts that I managed to gather along the way.

The space I maintained in Mesquite is no longer available and the items are now at the new boutique. Everything was great until everybody decided to carry the same items, gas increased, it was way too hot and the drive was just too much for me to handle.

So, while preparing for school I stumbled upon an opportunity that I just couldn't resist. I feel like I've just gambled my life away~but I think it will be okay....just one day at a time. Anything is better than NO income and surviving on child support for the next 8 years and it decreasing as each turns 18.

I officially opened last Friday (Sept 23) and have already met some wonderful people. I am still waiting on the signs...and people are having a hard time finding the shop.  It is located just before Super 8 on Hwy 175 and directly across the street from the TVEC facility. The building is a small beige building and in between The Escape and the Uncommon Salon..

The shop has debuted with my fabulous candles, melts, girly gifts, jewelry for all aged girls and women, hand-made cards and gift tags. We also specialize in hats and scarves for the upcoming winter season...colorful array of styles and designs. There are many treasures to be found in this store and have so many plans for fun stuff in the future and for the holidays.

If you are in the Athens area, please feel free to stop by and see what we have...

New boutique

I've been searching high and low for a place closer to home to sell my items. The 1+year wait for the area of Canton has just about exhausted me to death. Perhaps they don't want my items there~anyway, I give up on returning to Canton as a vendor.

My Mesquite booth has been too difficult to maintain because of the distance. All year I have been designing stuff and stock piling waiting for an affordable place in Athens. And it's really scary, since so many places have closed around here in the last month. But, I am ready and have found a new location that is affordable for me to start over with and see what happens...stay tuned for more details.

I am officially a hooker now....LOL!

Yes, I can actually say that I am now a hooker!! Thanks to my grandmother and mom, I have joined the knitters club. HaHa!! had you going for a minute...

For many years my grandmother has crocheted and knitted so many adorable items as gifts for the family. It wasn't until a few years ago that we decided to sell her hats and scarves along with my stuff. I sold a few here and there and just last Fall they really started to sell and we got many orders. Unfortunately, I had to turn down wholesale orders since I only had my grandmother knitting and couldn't fill the items requested alone.

But, now I am on board and I can say I am an addict. I just started a week ago, and can't seem to get anything done around my house!! My average is 2-3 hats per day~and just can't stop! Like I need more projects. Oh well...the mess will have to wait because it's also a great stress reliever.

I am now going to start advertising for wholesale to gift shops or individuals looking to sell them. My funky, cute, artsy self has added my own personal touch to make mine a bit different from the competition.

Thanks for looking and help to spread the word if anyone wants them for their shops!!!

Have a great day!!!

Baby Hats

Here are a few more baby hats that we have just completed. I plan on searching through my many tubs and see if there is anything else I can add to sell before we wrap up hat sales this season. My grandmother, Nittin' Nannie, makes hats all year long. So if you are interested in buying them for next season, feel free to send me a message.

The hats shown are for either baby boys or girls ages 3 to 6 months~we are getting lots of requests for boys lately and can take an order. We have been so busy with adult and toddler hats this year, the boys have taken a back seat. And I have boys!! New to the boy line are footballs~we shall see what else pops up soon....

Additional sizes may be ordered on the hats shown below.

Pink Chic~shabby chic hat and scarf

Oh, the fun I am having taking pictures of all my hats and scarves with my new models. I just wish I had a better camera and longer hours in the day! Ladies, I have around 6 tubs full of goodies that no one has even seen yet. The bulk of my inventory is baby and toddler hats~and still looking for the right baby dolls to model them with or if anyone wants to donate some, I would appreciate it!

Here is today's picture....I hope you enjoy! And yes, my favorite color!!

Lots of new things going on around here...

Whew, I am so glad this week is almost over!! Last Sunday was crazy picking up the house a little bit from the kids being home on Friday's snow day. Then, hopped in the car to head to Mesquite to re-stock my booth, shop and pick up kids to watch the Superbowl. My son wanted to stay at my mom's until half-time and then head home.  It was a fast hour drive home to finish watching the exciting game. Although, I wasn't really all that impressed with the commercials for this year.

Monday was my day to clean my grandmother's house (as I do every 2 weeks). As soon as I finished, I had to purchase my cleaning supplies for the week for my household. Somehow, I managed a 2 hour nap very late that afternoon~I was very tired for some reason. After checking all my regular sites, I totally forgot to check my e-mail and suprisingly I had an Etsy order. Yeah!! I really haven't put alot of my time adding ALL my stuff, because I haven't had any luck at all for years with a regular website. I believe people want to see it, feel it, smell it...in order to buy something. So, I processed the order and got it ready to ship before more bad weather was to hit again on Wednesday.  Later in the evening, I got another order~yeah again!!!!!

So, Tuesday was to be a busy day! Get these orders out, cause you never know what is going to happen with the weather in Texas. And wouldn't you know, I was out of bubble wrap and had to search several stores in Athens to find some. Then it was off to the grocery store, since I didn't go over the weekend. When I got home, I learned we had lots of hat orders to fill!! Yeah, again!! The school bus drivers went nuts over the maroon and white hats in this cold weather. They are really warm, fuzzy and truly protect your head~I get really hot wearing mine. And with the scarf, I am on fire!! Anyway, my grandmother knocks at my door and hands me a black bag and said look inside. Fearing for what's inside, I hesitated! It was 6 mannequin heads from the beauty school~thank the Lord!! I have needed some hat models, now I have plenty!! But they are scaring the kids!!

Wednesday, guess what folks? We were passed up again on the weather~kids in school, but Dallas got some more ice. I think there is a bubble around Athens, cause we don't get anything around here. But, more good news~more hat orders!! When it's this cold, the word has finally gotten out where to get some great hats and scarves.

Thursday, I spent cleaning and organizing...not that it does much good. Then it's back to the store~still trying to replenish all the things I lost when I moved over a year ago. $$, easy come, easy go!!! Hello Subway for dinner~I am worn out!!

Yesterday I decided to get out and shop a bit since the kids are home this weekend. I visited my friend at her new boutique and got some materials for a newborn hat order. No nap today! Around 4, I started taking lots of pictures with my new models. I spent about an hour cropping and loading them to my Etsy shop. And after the kids got home, it got even more crazy!! A bunch of teenagers showed up and as of now (Saturday night) they are still here!!  They managed to let us get just a few hours of sleep and they were back. I truly feel like I am about to just collapse of a heart attack. Don't people understand I am a single mom? Why are you sending your kids to my house 24/7~I already have 4!! God is really testing me and my patience tonight.

And after all this, I still didn't mention that there is a sale going on in my booth!!! 25% off everything thru Valentines Day!! There are still a few valentines candles left.

Sorry, I rambled and hope you understand that I am alone in this city and have no one to talk to for relief. Therefore, you had to suffer and read my crazy week~and I didn't even mention everything!! LOL!!!

Enjoy one of my new models....her name is Mary.

New Booth Pictures

Thank you to my customers for your support through the Holiday season and all the changes I made for improvements. I was able to move to a bigger space at the antique mall and I couldn't be more excited about the results!! More traffic, sales and can focus on bringing you more items while they sell themselves.

It has always been a dream to own another store, but at this point in my life...I also really enjoy shopping too!!! There are so many places I want to visit and not able to if I am in a store 5 or 6 days a week. I have met so many new good people that are in business for themselves and run it pretty much all the time and they are exhausted!! I am already exhausted and don't need any additional stress to add to my life being a single mom. My kids are my #1 priority and what I do now enables us the best lifestyle at this time.

I did get a call about my wait for the space I want in Canton...but the spaces available were a bit too large for me at this time. So many of my friends already have spots out there and didn't want to expand to another location. In the meantime, I will wait for the perfect opportunity for me and remain at The Antique Gallery of Mesquite~I am happy with being there. And I finally took some pictures this week of just a small bit of what I have to offer my customers.

Stay warm in this bitterly cold weather!!

Saturday Night....blues~or not?

You never know what plans might change around my house~with 4 kids, life is crazy!! The antique mall where I sell my stuff is at was having a vendor Christmas party tonight (right now as a matter of fact). And I am really bummed out that I couldn't be there. And being a single mom, I was really wishing to be apart of the gift exchange. After all, it will probably be the only "real" gift I receive..but it's okay, I will live.

We have Christmas in the Park tonight at the Cain Center. My daughter is there singing in the choir and my grandmother couldn't make it cause one of my kiddo's gave her the stomach virus that is going around....Yuck!! My grandfather was working today to look out after my other kids and since I can't clone myself to be in multiple places at the same time...I went back to work on my hat and jewelry pictures. Maybe, I can sell some of these lovely pieces before Christmas.

I am trying to have a last minute holiday sale at my house next Saturday, so if you are in East Texas~stay tuned for more details. I just got a few special orders and learned of a needy single mom and 2 girls that I need help with Christmas gifts this year. Since I have lots of stuff...it does my heart good to know I can help out. This family is up north and I am glad....cause I have lots of hats and scarves to spare. Here are a few more designs that are going to be taken to my booth next week.

Stay warm tonight and grab some hot cocoa!!!

Simply wonderfully scented candles

Like I promised, I am frantically trying to take pictures in time for Christmas gifts! My candle inventory has been reduced to only the best sellers. At one time, I had over 200 fragrances to select from when I had my store in Rowlett. That was very hard to keep up with and juggle a family and be a single mom at the same time.

I have added some really awesome fragrances and if you haven't tried them....well, you are missing out!! With over 11 years experience I have totally mastered the art of candles! They are truly house warmers, more affordable, have the ability to make custom colors, offer them wholesale and for fundraisers! I have helped so many organizations raise lot of $$$. My new 9 oz jar retails for $ 8.00

The latest fragrances are: Victoria Secrets' Love Spell, Pink Sugar, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Apple Jack & Peel, Tuscan Garden, Lollipop and Red Door.

Fabulous newborn hats

The projects never cease to end around here...and the Christmas decorations are still scattered all over the house waiting to be put "somewhere". And the laundry is really pilled up high today...but I also am taking pictures of all the new stuff I have for sale!!

My booth in Mesquite is packed and so is my house and would really LOVE to sell these adorable items!! I am taking a break from the decorating to get items posted to my Etsy shop. This morning I posted a few candles, lots of domino necklaces and a few hats for newborns and toddlers~the hats are tooooo cute!!

Please feel free to help out my family this year and spread the word about my affordable, cute handmade items!! Moving to a new city last year has really been difficult getting new neighbors interested~you are really missing out on the best candles you will ever burn!!

The newborn hats are hand~made by my grandmother and I decorate them in my own funky way...hope you enjoy them.

Happy Sunday

~Alisa~

Athens Christmas in the Park

I am a proud mother to announce that my daughter and grandmother will be participants in this years' event singing in the choir...Blessings to All!!




Christmas in the Park is a community event in Athens put on collectively by the Athens Community Churches working together to share with all of Henderson County the story of the Nativity.  It will be held at Cain Center Park for the second year on December 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. There will be several nightly performances for all ages. A special handicap accessible performance will be available each night.
Last year we had over 3,000 people from our community experience Christmas in the Park featuring a community choir and orchestra, petting zoo, camels and dramatic experience of soldiers and shepherds.  This year we are adding more to the experience and making many new improvements.  Come be a part of Christmas in the Park Athens.  For more information or to help sponsor the event, you may contact us at www.AthensChristmas.com or by calling Steven Patterson at            903-675-5135       ext. 136.