The Lucja Day Bag Giveaway!

I've participated in many giveaways this summer, and although I have not won a thing, I think it's still nice to give back! So now you, my lovely blog readers, will have a chance to win the wonderful Lucja Day Bag! This bag is made from Michael Miller fabric, lined in black cotton, interfaced with heavyweight interfacing and closes with a magnetic snap. It's a great bag for day/night transitions. Here is how to enter:

• Leave a comment about a like and/or dislike about my shop or a particular item in my shop.
• Remember to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you if you win!
  

To get bonus entries you can do one or more of the following:

• Add yourself as a facebook fan and post another comment saying that you did
  
• Follow me on twitter and post another comment with your user name
  
• Tweet about this post with @nitelily3 and post another comment saying that you did
  
• Blog about this post and post another comment with the link of the post
• Heart my shop on etsy and leave a comment with your username
  

This is open to anyone in the world :) I how how much it sucked to be abroad and not be able to enter contests! The giveaway ends July 27th and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Sample Sales and Clearance

Maybe you've wondered what sample sales were and if clearance means the item is bad/defective/etc. Maybe you know exactly what it is and take a jump at the great deals you can find! Either way, I'll explain what each is and what they entail.

Sample sales are usually with clothing, shoes and accessories. They are when a designer makes one or two of a particular item and sells them at a deeply discounted price because they were the 'firsts' that were made. They usually do not have blemishes or anything of the sort, they were just made and the creator decides that they want to change the design a bit or improve on something. That is the case with me. Sometimes I'll make something and decide that I want it a little bigger or smaller, to add or take out a snap or to add more interfacing in some places. That's what happened with the July Day Bag and the Dorota Bag.

Clearance is when something has been around a little bit in a shop or a whole new style of that item came out and the designer wants to get rid of it quickly to make room for the new version. It's not that it's bad, just that a pocket that may have trademarked an item was moved and now it is the new style of the season like my Jane All Day Tote.

My advice is if you see Sample Sale or Clearance anywhere, go shop there first! You could find exactly what you are looking for at great prices!

A real business?

I have finished one online class and am now on my second one. Got an A in the first class, but this second one, the professor seems to be a stickler. But we'll see...

So, I really need to get my business going and start marketing and promoting it. I have to write a real business plan and get things in gear. I'd love it if I could have a steady source of income, even if it wouldn't be enough to pay the bills, but at least pay for my etsy addiction lol. Anyone have advice on this or some tips? I have the summer to do this, so it'd really be the perfect time to get the ball rolling for real!

Blog Giveaways!

There are so many blog giveaways this summer...

One is here: http://jennalou.typepad.com/jenna_lou_loves_you/2009/05/free-fabric-giveaway-amy-butlers-midwest-modern.html

I love reading jennalous's blog and looking at her new bags... there was this one messenger style bag with scooters on them that I just adore! Good luck to all who enter!

School's [not] out for summer!

Although the official school year is out, I'm still taking two summer courses so that I can graduate on time and not have to take 18 credits a semester.

I'm in VA, but still can't find a summer job... though I guess being home and having dinner and dessert made for when Shane gets home is not bad at all, I feel so guilty not working. I applied for about 10 jobs here in VA beach, but no luck, so now i'm going to be going out to a mall and see if I can get anything there.

I have been doing a little bit of sewing so expect to see some new stuff in the shop as well!

Being poor sucks!

So, being back in the US for a few months now, I finally had to buy a car. You need a car here... it's not like in Europe where you can take a tram/bus/walk to where ever you need to go. So Last week I finally bought one... a 2008 Scion tc. And I love it. But now I'm in debt to my parents (they were pretty awesome of loaning me a butt load of money!)

And then I decided, since I have a car, and am 23, I want my own apartment. I convinced my parents of this and then they actually thought it was a good idea lol. So yesterday I signed the lease to my first apartment (and by first, I mean, I'll be the only one living there.) So now I have visions of decorating, sewing up a storm and shopping my heart out at target and other places that have awesome home stuff. I wish Ikea was closer!

So because of this car and apartment (had to put a deposit on the apartment and borrow money from my parents), and my student loans, I am one of the poorest (but some how well off) people I know. Because of this.... I have been going trade crazy on Etsy. I will be shipping out all the stuff people traded me for today, and I can't wait to get all my stuff! Trading is such an awesome thing to do when you need retail therapy but don't have the money for it! When I get all my stuff in, I shall post pictures! Now stop reading this and go trade!

I'm still here!

I know, I know... I have not been updating my blog. School got incredibly busy and it just gets put on the back burner. I promise though, this summer I shall be updating more often and posting some new goodies in my shop. I will also be taking more custom orders.

This summer I will be taking two classes and working, so things will also be busy, I will make sure I have time for some sewing. Next semester I have 3 clinicals to go teach in schools so I will probably be just as exhausted, if not more, than I am now. But I will definitely try my best to keep my blog and shop updated. I will also be getting my own apartment this fall, so towards the end of the summer I will be busy moving and getting settled in before school.