So Cherie and I are doing a major push to get The Creative Bungalow off the ground. We have a new kit in our Etsy shop, for instance.

The new Lock 'n' Bolt kit featuring assorted prints from Art Gallery Fabrics.

And we have a couple more kits cut and almost ready to make available...

A whole slew of new fabrics are on order. Oh, and I got a great response to my blog post about pattern-writing and proofing! Thank you for the generous efforts of Michelle, Dawn (First Light Designs) and my mom (who is actually pattern testing with a sample for the upcoming Dorm Room Cots!!).

Our new adventure as of this week is expanding on social media. I have, of course, been blogging off and on over the last few years, and am active on Flickr (though less so recently), Pinterest and Facebook, but with all of these mobile devices the list must expand. I had never logged onto Twitter before yesterday. Well, that's not quite true, but the previous time I did was out of curiosity and didn't go anywhere (and was before I even had a smartphone). Cherie and I have signed up for a series of short classes on using social media as a marketing tool for online business — actually Cherie has signed up for the series, I was only able to make one of the classes, which met this past Wednesday night. In response to the class, both The Creative Bungalow and Surrounded by Scraps now have Twitter profiles, @TCBQuiltStudio and @linda_SbSdesign, respectively. We are still figuring this stuff out and just getting warmed up. So, any of you who may be old-hats at this Twitter thing have suggestions? Or feel like leading by example? Stop on by!

And stay tuned for our Double Shot Star kit and Sessoms kit coming soon!!

This last week of 2012 I spent a fair amount of time in my studio getting prepared for the fresh start of a new year. Part of that is finishing lingering projects (like that flannel quilt mentioned in a previous post), but I also dedicated a couple of solid days to prepping NEW projects. I am hoping to begin the year with a refreshed Etsy shop filled with new inventory, and I decided to start with pot holders.

Over a dozen pairs of pot holders ready to be pieced!

I brought them home with me to work on over the holiday and seem to have gotten a good start, so I will hopefully punch these guys out soon!

Another of my goals for making this transition to a new year is getting some of last year's (or older) quilt tops quilted and bound.

Looks like this little gal might be my first finish of 2013! What projects do you all have out on your sewing tables (or laps, as the case may be) this week? Let's all try to keep each other motivated and excited for the next thing up! I have a good feeling about 2013!