Why Duvet?

What is a duvet cover? A Duvet (do-vay) cover is like a big pillowcase for a blanket. Usually duvets cover a down comforter, or an old comforter, and sometimes a quilt, or nothing at all.

I have a passion for duvets! Why??? Here are just a couple of the conveniences:

1. It is easier to clean a duvet than an entire comforter. After removed from the comforter, it is approximately the same wash load weight as a sheet set. This makes your normal cleaning much easier.

2. They can accomodate all seasons! In winter, a down comforter or regular comforter, work fantastic. What about in Spring? Or Summer? A duvet can be filled with quilts as well, or left empty and used as a coverlet! This is a great benefit to duvets, that you can keep your decor no matter what time of year.

3. From a business standpoint, you can pay less on shipping since the whole set fits in a small boz, instead of a huge bag.

For these reasons, I have used a duvet for years, and have created them for my shoppe. I hope you all love them, and see how wonderful they are!!

Please come visit Bubba & Rye at Etsy.com to see the new sets as they come.

www.bubbarye.etsy.com

Where the Crafting Began

My mom will say art skipped a generation with her. My grandmother was a painter, and I have interest as varied as fashion design to candlemaking to drawing. But my mother is wrong. She developed me and my love for creating more than she gives herself credit for.

I remember my mother sewed my first communion dress. It was many layers of lace and satin. I remember feeling special, beautiful, and like a princess. She sewed several halloween costumes, drapes in nearly every home I remember, and even recovering furniture. I remember going to craft stores with her, and picking out fabrics. I remember her teaching me to sew!

My mom not only introduced me to sewing, but she helped me discover selling of crafts. I remember going through that awkward stage around 11 or 12, when my mom probably felt me drifting away. You know that age where your daughter starts to stray to friends homes and that bond, that relationship seems ever so fragile. I remember her starting something where we would go to a different craft mall every other Saturday.

This was mind blowing! I remember seeing had sewn items, hand painted items, and all sort of handmade wares at many craft malls in the Dallas metroplex. It was amazing....you mean, someone will buy what someone makes! Little did I know how relevant that would be years later.

I grew older taking home economics in middle school, graphic design, and fashion design in highschool. Then eventually moved on to study Fashion Design at college. I had dreams of being the next Watters & Watters (a trendy, fresh, fashionable formal gown design house in Dallas). I loved sketching, I loved designing, and loved pulling it all together, and seeing how people felt about something that was all my creation.

Granted life took its turns since then, I actually ended up with a degree in Fashion Merchandising, and moved on to work in a buying office. But then a year ago, I found Etsy. I re-discovered all those lessons learned while growing up, and re-found my passion for creating. And my biggest cheerleader has been my mom!

Mom, Happy Mother's Day! You are an inspiration, and yes, I am like you....creativity and all! Thank you for teaching me this thing I love!

Buy 1, Get 1 FREE!

For those of you that don't know....I am moving to Hawaii in 8 weeks. I will bestaying home full time after the move (I work full time now). With that, I planto turn my concentration on to my Etsy shops. However they are evolving.

Lilac Ave may not change much, it will still be a wonderful smelling shop of soycandles, with unique containers, and my signature sunflower shaped tarts. I amchomping at the bit to get back to making candles and getting that shop back up.I have tons of supplies to be able to re-open in June.

On the other hand, Bubba & Rye will be changing. When I first started BubbaRyeover a year ago, it was going to be a baby bedding shop. Well, it didn't workout that way, and it ended up being a card shop. A card shop that was fairlysuccessful up until January.I've made the decision to move over BubbaRye to home decor. It still won't bebaby bedding, but a lot of bedroom coordinates, and also some officeorganization, pillows, etc. I am so excited to get that off the ground.

So you may be asking, thanks for your life story, but what's up with the title?Well, to clear out BubbaRye of all my cards, I am having a buy one, get one free sale. Shipping is a flat BUCK. So please just take a look and see if anything grabs ya!

www.bubbarye.etsy.com

Pent Up Creativity

So here we are 11 weeks out from our big move from Virginia to Hawaii. This move has had a huge impact on my business.

1. I closed down Lilac Ave after realizing we cannot move candles in a container on the water in June, without ruined candles. I had a huge and succefful blow out sale, and now only have a couple of candles that are listed in Bubba & Rye.

2. I'm scared to participate in Craft Fairs, in fear of building up inventories that I cannot move through prior to June.

3. I am too busy to appropriately promote and "get out there".

All of the above I can deal with. However, here is the biggie....PENT UP CREATIVITY! It is hard to believe I've only had these businesses for a year...what did I do before then?!?! I will be doing my business full time after the move, and am thinking 24/7 about new products, ways to expand, ways to promote, and other selling outlets. I'm writing in journals, pre-buying supplies, and crossing my fingers I remember it all.

This is when you know it is right. When you have dreams of your future, when you love it, when you can't stop thinking of things you WANT to do. I can't wait to see what type of business I can grow, and see all the pathways and opprotunities in front of me.

I hope you all stay tuned to see what is to come. There are big ideas ahead! All to be experienced in this adventure to Hawaii...a new page in our life!

A Creative Renaissance

So for years and years, I dreamt of making kids bedroom decor. I wanted to make things that weren't pastels and baby, but were fun and unique. I had 2 small kids and no time to sew (of course an affinity for fabric buying, though), and worked full time. How could I find the time?

Well years later, after a very difficult road with my recently diagnosed son with autism; I decided to leave work. NOW I also had the time for my dream. This was a year ago today, that my new journey began!

Oh how things come full circle. I found out quickly, I have become intolerant, and impatient to sewing. I did do some handpainted wall decor and boxes. I had also made cards for co-workers upon leaving, and thought I'd make some of those for my Etsy shop as well.

Well, as time started to tell, cards were selling ahndpainted items were not. I thought maybe that was the direction of my business. Over time, I learned the ropes on Etsy, and even opened a 2nd shop for candles, Lilac Ave.

Last Fall I had to go back to work due to financial issues, and still worked my 2 beloved Etsy shops, and even recently opened an Artfire shop. I thought this could work, working, and having these shops, and raising the kids, and supporting my military and consistently at sea husband, and take care of myself, and take care of the house...you get my point. IT DIDN'T WORK!

Well, here we are with the news of a move to Hawaii. A place about family, about dreams, and about living life a little slower! So as soon as I touch ground I am back to Family First, and living my dreams of being a creative business owner.

So now the balls are jiving I'm thinking of what do I want to do, what do I want these stores to say and represent? I think I decided I want to add some of those original dreams back to the mix. It will start with some handpainted items, and move on maybe to sewing, if I have recovered from sewing burnout of a fashion design major.

I guess the point is, the creativity is limitless!!! Why be just a card shop, or just a candle shop, when my creativity and ideas go beyond that? So I am going to live in the spirit of Hawaii, and just be laid back, and fulfill my dreams.

See the prototype mixed shop at (sorry no candles til we hit the island):

http://www.lilacave.artfire.com/

See the original shop...the one that started it all:

http://www.bubbarye.etsy.com/

Not to be forgotten, but closed for now:

http://www.lilacave.etsy.com/

Mahalo!

~Deb

ALOHA!

The Move
Well such is life in the Navy, staying one place too long is not natural. We have been in Virginia for 5 years, and now it is time to move on. We are moving to Hawaii! A couple of interesting thoughts for this move:

1. Our pack out date is EXACTLY 10 yrs from our last pack out day for Hawaii!

2. We are shipping our Honda Civic....guess what kind of car we shipped last time?? You got it a Honda Civic (and we actually have had different cars than a Honda Civic in that 10 yrs).

So here we are full circle. We moved to Hawaii a week after we got married, 1 car, no furniture, no money, nothing, but us! This time we move with a house full of furniture, 2 kids, a dog, a cat, a car, and for me 2 small businesses.

So What's the Plan Stan?

Unfortunately we cannot ship candles to Hawaii (the container in the summer time will melt the wax). So I am trying to sell off my inventory as much as I can, so I can feasibly ship the rest by air. I welcome you to take advantage of the sale.

Save $2 when you Buy $10 worth of items

Save $5 when you Buy $15 worth of items

Save $10 when you buy $25 worth of items

www.lilacave.etsy.com
This sale will continue until inventory is low enough to ship.

Paradise Means Candlemaking and Cardmaking Full Time

I am very thankful to say that I get to quit my day job when we get to Hawaii, and will be making candles and cards full time after we get settled. This is a dream of mine and I have a few years to get it off the ground.

Plus having a home business gives me an opprotunity to get my family settled in and really breathe in and enjoy life! Or maybe breathe in and enjoy the smell of a plumeria soy candle?!? LOL!

My Healthy Not Really Burritios, Not Really Enchiladas Dinner

Well if you are wondering.... the suggestion to blog the recipe happened after the fact, hence the empty dish from our scrumptious dinner!
So I make this chicken with salsa, that I LOVE, but thought....mmmmm burrito!!! Well, as is half of America, I am avoiding starchy carbs...so here are my burritos!
This was a best guess recipe made from my mind, wanting to combine that great chicken, and yum...GUACAMOLE!!! I am Texan, afterall!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
A jar of Salsa
2 Avacados
6 Corn Tortillas
Light Sour Cream
Lemon juice
Lime Juice
Garlic Salt
Shredded 2% Cheddar
Foil

1. Take the 2 Chicken Breasts, put it in oven safe dish, and cover with foil. Cook on 325degrees for 1 hour. After it is done, the chicken should pull apart when stabbed with a fork. Pull apart into chunks.
2. Make guacamole- I cut the avacados in half, pull out the pit, spoon out the green, and put it in a dish. Then add a teaspoon of lime juice, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt. Take a fork, and mash up the avacado and mixings. Keep doing this until in a slightly smooth, slightly clumpy consistency.
3. Heat up Corn tortilla (I microwave in a tortilla warmer slightly wet for 35 sec...you can do this in between 2 plates...top one turned upside down).
4. Now assemble. I had corn tortilla, with a layer of guacamole, a little daisy light sour cream, a little dusting of 2% cheddar cheese, and then some chicken with salsa spooned into the center.
5. Fold up and Eat it!

I also had some Snyders Multigrain Tortilla Chips with a spponful of guacamole. This could go great with a lime cactus Michelob Ultra. Not a perfect South Beach meal, but one that is healthy, tasty, and not deprived!!!