hello & welcome to my first blog post

Hi friend 😊

No matter if you know me personally or not, if you popped by Tiger Lily, we should be friends.

 

Let’s start with introductions. I’ll go first.

This is blog #1.

Might be read only by my mom, and maybe my sister……..but that’s ok.

I’m not above talking (or typing) to myself.

 

I’ve had this Tiger Lily Designs side hustle for just over 10 years. OMG! What’s that, the silver anniversary, right? Time to buy myself a present.

 

Up until now I’ve been a maker. Creating all different textile items. Started with “Save the Sack” – my first sales on Etsy were reusable sandwich bags (over 10 years ago. I was so ahead of the curve). I was going to save the world, one sack at a time. And although I still use my sacks to this day……yes, my teenagers in high school don’t quite appreciate the Disney Princess or Superman sacks of their youth, but too bad. These sacks didn’t engage my deep-down desire to be creative.

 

The next few years were – let’s figure out “my thing”. I dabbled in card making, stamping, clay art, yarn art, jewelry just to name a few. Lots of fun, lots of learning, and HOLY MOLY lots of craft supplies.

 

I bought my first real sewing machine in 2003. I had just moved into my first single family home with my then husband and 1-year old baby boy. Making this builder grade house a home was the mission. I thought curtains are homey – let’s start there. But no, I couldn’t go to Bed & Bath and just buy curtains…..not when I could go to Calico Fabrics and pick out the most gorgeous unique and OMG, I need this fabric in my everyday life. (Little did I know, fabric can be like crack for a color loving creative.) But whoa – sticker shock was an understatement when I had them price out my custom curtains. $25/yd fabric, 3 yards per panel…..ok $75 bucks. How are they charging me 4 times that? That’s when I decided – “Nah! I’ve got this!” A month later, my family room had 8 new custom curtains.

 

Hallelujah!

My “thing” was found!

Fast forward LOTS more years. Now I have 6 sewing machines (including that first Viking) and a fabric stash that is a borderline “Um, maybe we need to call that TV show Hoarders?”

Tiger Lily Designs has involved and changed over these last 10 years, and I’ve loved the journey so far.

 

But now, I’m excited to evolve even more.

Time to come from behind the sewing machine. Out of the sewing studio and into your lives.

 

With 10 years of a sewing side hustle business, comes a vast bucket (probably a cute fabric tub with a fussy cut applique actually) of knowledge – and I want to share! 😊

And that’s where this blog comes in. I’m going to share ALL THE THINGS!

 

Don’t worry. I will keep sewing during the journey. That means new products and tons of fun!

But I’m hoping to walk this journey with some new friends.

 

Most things will be sewing & side hustle related, but to be honest…..I’m a talker. (Thanks mom! I wonder if she read all the way to the end?) I can “squirrel” with the best of them.

Some topics might be:

Mom of teenagers (this could be 2 additional blogs just by themselves. Boys & Girls – holy moly!)

Budgets & Buckets (yup, I’m also a finance junkie!)

Surviving divorce (And coming out more awesome on the other side!)

My over use of “!”  In real life I’m super animated, can you tell? 😊

And tons more “THINGS” that come with being a 44-year-old single mom in Loudoun County, Virginia.

 

Drop me a comment if you are here. (Or if you are shy, that’s ok too. Maybe after a few posts you can wave Hi 😊)

Until next time.

 

XOXO,

Kari aka Tiger Lily

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