The year was 2005, and I was selling my little girl’s dresses, my American Girl doll clothes and machine embroidered baby bibs at my local Farmer’s Market. It was grueling from April till November; being outside under a market umbrella and committing every Saturday from 7:00 in the morning until around 12:00 noon, when you finally were able to pack your things up and head home. It was extremely hot in July and could be freezing in November, but I sold on that parking lot, in the same vendors spot for 10 years. I was a member and had been voted in and actually did very well, but I was tired and it was stressful on my family. If I had a good week and sold 8 or 10 American Girl doll outfits and 2 or 3 little girls dresses and a half dozen bibs, I had to work extra hard through the week just to even get back to where I was. My family got the leftovers of my time.
I was ready for a change and a friend suggested Ebay. It would be nice to just do my selling from my home and even in my jammies if I wanted to. It was a VERY VERY hard decision to give up my spot at Market and I knew once I did, I would never be able to get it back as the waiting list was long to get in.
Once I made the decision to resign, I turned my thoughts toward Ebay but I was scared to give it a try. I studied the in’s and out’s of Ebay from November till February but it wasn’t until I saw someone else successfully selling doll clothes that I really felt I could do this. I decided to buy a Felicity doll and make some Colonial dresses and see what happened. But then the fear set in…. what if I failed? No, that wasn’t what I was afraid of. This is so silly, but I wanted to do my listings differently than anyone else…something that would set them apart. I wanted to tell a little story or give some kind of scenario at the beginning of my listings. For example, “Molly was having trouble with her Spelling words this week but Mother was helping her get “c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-e” down pat…” or Felicity had to go to Tea Lessons but she didn’t want to… she wanted to go ride horses…” or “Addy was nervous because she had been asked to sing a solo in the church choir and she was afraid she would forget the words…” The stories would then tie in with the outfit I had made them.
What I was afraid of, was that I’d run out of IDEAS for my stories…doesn’t that seem silly? I had convinced myself that I only had a limited number of stories I could tell and then I’d be out of ideas and my dresses wouldn’t sell anymore! It was my slightly older (and wiser) sister who convinced me that I had plenty of things I could talk about… just use everyday things… I’d never run out. So I took her advice and started….that was in February of 2006 and I’m still telling stories… guess she was right. I’m so glad I listened to her!
Sometimes even now, I’ll take a finished doll dress and show my hubby and he’ll say, “I think she looks like she’s going to grandma’s house to bake cookies…” How sweet is that?
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
You and Cindy look like you have so much fun together! Which one is you, Jeanne? Oh, I remember seeing your creations back in 2008, or I think it was somewhere around then, and still wish I could have gotten that blue coat you made for Miss Molly! At the time, I felt you must have been a very “high flautin” seamstress that wouldn’t want any business from poor, little old me!
Now look where you are! You gave up your place at the Farmer’s Market and have become an overnight, worldwide sensation, with a heart as good as gold!
Hi Linda,
This picture was a LONG time ago, but I thought my sister would get a kick out of it. I’m on the left in the picture….big glasses behind those 3-D glasses!
I’ll have to look back and see if I can find a picture of the blue coat for Molly…
I don’t know about a worldwide sensation, but I did get a hit off the east coast of Africa a few nights ago… a little island called Reunion, La Possession… 10,070 miles away. That was enough to make my day!
Thanks for being a faithful reader, Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
You are so thoughtful to thank your sister, Cindy. Sometimes we need a little push from a family member to get us to make a change. So glad you did, otherwise none of us would have “met” you. You are a bright spot in internet dolly world, that’s for sure!
Awww Cindy,
Now you’re the sweet one! I hope you have a sister (or brother) who eggs you on… I’ll just put in a plug for you right here… HEY, EVERYONE… go look at Cindy’s designs at:
http://www.cindyricedesigns.com
She knits the tiniest little dresses and embellishes them with the most beautiful handwork you’ve ever seen… Really, you must have a look at them.
Thank you Cindy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m not much of a blogger. I have never written a comment to anything on line, but my wife showed me Jeanne’s post today and I had to laugh. You see my wife is Jeanne’s sister.
Jeanne has a mother and 2 sisters she loves, and a brother they all revere. Her father died when she was 16. The family had walked through difficult times together, but I believe it was through such difficulty that they were refined as silver.
I remember meeting them. I met them at a church I started attending when I went to college. I was immediately struck by the closeness of their family. They loved each other deeply. It was so evident. And as I began dating Jeanne’s sister, I knew I wanted my children to have what this family had. When I asked Cindy to marry me, I told her that if she wouldn’t accept my proposal, maybe one of her sisters, or her mom would. In all my years of marriage, I have never seen anything but kindness, love, and purity from the entire family. When you read Jeanne’s blog, I just want you to know the kind of person she is. She is way more than a gifted seamstress. She could be your best friend.
Tom,
I am floored at what you wrote… you have a way with words! Hey, I know…you should start a blog of your own! No, seriously, what very kind words you have shared about me and our family. I know it’s special and I’m so glad you married Cindy so you could be another special part of it.
Thank you Tom for being my very first “guy” to make a comment! Maybe you should get a prize or something…
Love you, Love Cindy!
Blessings, Jeanne