Helping Women Entrepreneurs Soar!

This year has been wonderful for me personally and professionally. When I quit my full-time a year ago to pursue my passion, it was an uncertain time, and in many ways it still is! But success has come with lots of hard work and I owe it all to you for purchasing my creations, spreading the word, and offering praise.

I want to to continue the cycle and help other women entrepreneurs by micro-lending. I am happy to say that two women I chose to help are now fully funded. Ifeyinwa (left) of Nigeria, is 30 years old and a fashion designer. She sews very well and a lot people patronize her business. She has been sewing for four years. "I love my business and I love seeing people in fine wears," she says. She sustains and supports her family with her business. She hopes to expand her business in the future and add sarongs and tailoring material to sell.

Elise (right) ASSOGBA was born on February 11, 1975, in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. She's married to Alim ADECHI and the mother of one school-attending child. For five years, Elise has been living with her child and her husband in the Avotrou neighborhood in Cotonou. She supports the family on her own and she never attended school. For about four years, she's been selling fabrics by the distribution system. Elise is also a hairdresser who sells hair extensions. She gets her supplies in Dantokpa, an international market in Benin.

If you are interested in helping women soar, contact Kiva.org.

We can all be great with a little support! I'll keep you posted on their success.

Circle Garland

I love paper and found a project that my 4 year son could share his expertise. He punches the circles out of paper and I sew them together. We put them in cute little metal tins. We also use paper beads and glass beads in between the circles for a shimmery effect. Absolutely cute!

Earnshaw’s is the premier media resource serving the children’s market, including apparel, juvenile products and gifts. With more than 90 years of experience, the magazine is the established voice of the industry. Earnshaw’s magazine features fashion events and informed on the latest trends, and keep their assortments fresh.

We are pleased that our Fortune Tootsies is featured in their "Pampered - Baby Products & News" section. Below is a link to the article.

http://earnshaws.epubxpress.com/link/earn/2009/jul/18?s=0

In the News

From A to Z: Moscow woman's Scrabble tile necklaces offer something for everyone

Moscow woman's Scrabble tile necklaces offer something for everyone. Julene Ewert is one of five generations of Scrabble enthusiasts.
Her grandfather handcrafted his own Scrabble board out of wood when he couldn't afford to buy one in 1955.
More than 50 years later, Ewert has turned her love of the popular board game into a creative art form.
The Moscow resident and former University of Idaho graphic designer creates necklaces and earrings using Scrabble tiles and images she creates out of colorful paper and cuts out of random books and magazines. She scans and manipulates the images with computer programs and applies a clear coating that gives the pieces a glossy finish.
Ewert sells the tiles at the Moscow Food Co-op, Prichard Art Gallery, Wild Ivy and locations in Alaska, Oregon and Montana. She also attends fairs and trade shows across the country, selling her tiles and getting feedback from potential customers. The necklaces are the top seller for Ewert's business, Present by Design. She also sells socks for babies, handmade cards and other creations.
Ewert started the business four years ago after creating a few necklaces to sell online. "We made a few to put on the Web and it really took off," she said.
As sales increased, Ewert quit her job at the UI to pursue her venture on a full-time basis and take care of her 4-year-old son. Ewert has always been drawn to crafts. Her first endeavor came when she was a child, selling her crocheted creations at her grandmother's yard sale. She once dreamed of creating cards for Hallmark.
Today, Ewert creates her handmade cards and jewelry pieces at a studio in her home. She collects Scrabble tiles from old games she finds in thrift stores and online, as well as tiles that have been donated to her. Every product she uses is environmentally friendly, from the clear finish to the recycled cardboard she uses to package the earrings.
The Scrabble tiles depict a wide array of images including flowers, animals and patterns, as well as more quirky and random designs like nuns, a man shaving, a toaster and a brain.
"I didn't realize that a tile I had created was of a carcass beetle until my dad asked me why I had a tile of a carcass beetle," she said with a laugh. "Some of my tiles are so random, and people choose the craziest things. One woman had to have the toaster because she said she loves toast."
She said she gets a lot of ideas for tiles from customers, and she recently returned from a trip to Japan, where she drew inspiration from the unique paper she found.
Ewert is working on an order of necklaces with skull tiles to sell at a specialty shop in Spokane called Boo Radley's.
"I went in and within 10 minutes I had an order," she said.
She is thrilled to see the Scrabble tiles take off the way they have.
"A lot of people love the Scrabble concept, and it's a pieces of art," she said.
"It's great to work from home and create something, and make a living following my passion," she said.

Written by: Omie Drawhorn
Photo Credit: Moscow/Pullman Daily News

Makes me smile

I love getting notes from happy customers. Here is one I just had to share.

"I just want to thank you for such a beautiful piece of jewelry. It arrived yesterday (so quickly!) and was as lovely as it was pictured on your web site! I especially love the little box it came in too. I was so excited about it that I took it to work today to show everyone how beautifully made it is and how nicely you packaged it, and showed them your very nice business card as well, and suggested they go to your web site, and I know many of them will. Thanks again, from someone who will definitely be a repeat customer!"

We made the "A" list baby!

MUM modern urban mom

An inspiring honest parenting magazine which is absolutely beautiful. A pure joy to read, so sophisticated and elegant. I love that MUM has a lot for the mom, and not just how to get your baby to sleep through the night. But great articles about stress, exercise and sweet stuff you will want! Our Fortune Tootsies made the "A" list!

Words of Wisdom

"I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion"

By Dawna Markova

My dear friend Cindy gave this book to me for my birthday. It moved me. How many times do we just go blindly through our life and wake up one day, realizing that the years have gone by and we don't remember a THING! The poem below are words to live by daily and hourly.

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

— Dawna markova

Baby's Little Log Book

I recently received this book, "Baby's Little Log Book" by Alexis Ahrens. It's packed with tons of pages to keep track of all those things, feeding, naps, doctor appt., diapers, medication, and on and on. This book is such a helper when you are so sleep deprived and doing a zillion things. You have it all in one place! Plus as a bonus, you can keep this and look back and remember those special, early moments with your baby।
http://littlelogbook.com/index.html