Thank you all so much for the encouraging comments you left about Jonny’s job situation (or rather, jobless situation?) Surely your kind words and your prayers are keeping me calm! It’s hard not to panic a little in the face of major change and uncertainty, but as things are beginning to settle, we really are doing just fine. I have my moments (currently trying to figure out health insurance) but I have peace about our situation. We have a plan that involves Jonny taking a break for a few months so that he can take a serious look at what he wants to do moving forward (and figure out if he can afford to do what he wants, because that’s pretty important as well.)
Part of our plan involves some home renovations (diy of course). I’ll have to tell you the whole story soon about how we landed in our new house, because I don’t think I ever gave all the details. It’s a beautiful house, but we bought it “as is” and it does need some updates just in case we end up needing to sell it in the new year (we hope not!) It will be fun to share the before and afters as we go. The most important thing to keep in mind is that when I use the word “we” in reference to us working on a house project, that really means, Jonny. 🙂
I do have my own projects, though! Of course I’ve been knitting, and I finished Mabel’s little cardigan! It’s just waiting for buttons (I wonder how many hand knit sweaters are out in the world, waiting for buttons?) But, my big summer project was working with a graphic designer to come up with a logo for my business! I’ve been running my shop for two years now, and earlier this summer I decided it was time to make it a little more official. I was really nervous about the whole process, worried I would hate the designs he came up with (I didn’t) and worried I wouldn’t be able to be honest about my opinions if I wanted changes made. Thankfully, Aaron was incredibly kind and didn’t run the other way when I wrote him a small novel all about my work and what I was hoping he could create for me. I managed to handle the revisions end of things as well, partly because he was so professional about everything, but also because he got it right. I’ve had the concept of “Little Meadows” in my head for some time. I sometimes refer to our new house as “Little Meadows” because our backyard makes me think of a smaller (much smaller) version of Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. Big Meadows is my favorite place, but in recent years it has been harder and harder to find time to visit. And since I can’t visit Big Meadows in my day to day life, I have to look for the Little Meadows. It occurred to me that searching out the Little Meadows, and finding beauty in unlikely places, is akin to the idea of finding beauty in the Small Things. And you know how much I love little spotted fawns, so of course I needed one as part of my logo. I love it, and I think it looks really sweet on my labels, though it’s maybe a little funny to put an image of a fawn on my bars of goat’s milk soap! But, I’m okay with that! I think it works really well everywhere else. If you’ve ordered from my shop in the last couple of weeks, you may have seen the new labels. And they probably didn’t look very good because I was printing with the wrong kind of printer. Oops! Jonny suggested that I have them printed somewhere, but I’ve got it figured out now, and I can do it myself. I’m excited to send out lots of little fawns in the future!
For the past month I have been working on dyeing a big batch of yarn, all of it a wool/silk fingering weight blend from Quince and Co. I dyed in larger dye lots than I typically do, and it was great to realize that I can do that with good results! I dyed six skeins each of sixteen colors, all with natural dyes. This time of year there is so much available to work with. Goldenrod, tickseed sunflowers, black walnuts, and more went into the making of all that brilliant color. I’ll be adding these skeins to my shop on Friday at 12 pm ET.
Thanks, again friends!
p.s. That field of tickseed sunflowers in my photos above is NOT my backyard, though wouldn’t that be amazing? I’ve been scattering seeds…
p.p.s. Some friends over on Instagram asked me to list the photo of the rainbow of yarn in my Etsy shop. Here it is!
Lisa Salvesen says
INSURANCE: You might want to check out Christian Healthcare Ministries, the biblical solution to healthcare costs, for insurance. It is based in Ohio. it is eligible under the healthcare law. Their contact information is: chministries.org/providers or 800.791.6225. We have been with them for about 5 years and are so pleased. You can choose your level of coverage. If you are living a christian/catholic lifestyle and basically healthy, this could work for your family as it has for ours.
S says
Love the logo!
I can’t imagine how stressful and on edge it must feel to navigate such a major change as a job loss, but hopefully it will be a pivot point to something even better even if the journey is a bit precarious at times. You are both so capable and things will unspool as they are supposed to I am sure! Hang on tight for the ride.
Sometimes it can be a bit of a relief to be forced into a decision you were contemplating but perhaps were worried to take with all the responsibilities you share. Best of luck to all of you. Oh and your dad’s advice was so very wise.
Claire says
Ginny, I was thinking about you tonight and your story about the boys’ clothes that landed in your lap just when you needed them! I am hoping that other solutions will land in your laps in this time of uncertainty. My family and I had to evacuate from our home in Wilmington last week for the hurricane and we are STILL not yet home (not many safe routes home due to flooding). We rented a cabin in the mountains, which we really can’t afford, but we had no choice. The difficult situation we found ourselves in has turned out to be a blessing. We have been able to rejuvenate in the cool mountain air, take some time to reevaluate lots of things, and met the kindest and most generous people up here. Sometimes the burdens in life open our life to unnoticed blessings and new opportunities. The rental company for our cabin dropped the rate significantly for us. Such good news. Then, tonight, we had planned to eat bean burritos for dinner (super cheap and healthy and easy), but the power went out in our rental cabin and we had no way to heat our food. So, broke and reluctantly, we went out for pizza. The four younger kids shared a cheese pizza rather than get kids meals to save money, etc. You get the idea. I had to take my 19 month old out for a walk while we waited for the food to be served because she was getting antsy in her high chair. As we strolled outside, we met a nice couple with a dog and chatted with them. They somehow guessed our refugee status and we talked hurricane for a bit. I then had to take multiple kids to the potty (you know the drill) and when I went to sit down for dinner (finally!), my kids said, “Mom that man with the dog just paid for our dinner!” I couldn’t believe it. We had only talked for a couple minutes. He sympathized with our situation and was just generous and thoughtful. Sometimes beautiful little blessings come from difficult situations. Praying for such incidents for your family!
Barbara says
Ginny, I’m praying for you and your beautiful family and acceptance of all that God has in.mind for you. He always knows and wants the best for our lives, even when we don’t understand completely. Trust in Him and ask for the Blessed Mother’s intervention in all things. Blessings,
karen says
love the new logo and name! I hope everything settles sooner than later so you can worry less.
Angela Schmidt says
Definitely! I keep them and pull them out by month to read again. I’ve got issues back to 2009. You might also like “The Simple Things” and “Country Homes and Interiors “. You can usually find those at Barnes & Noble if you want to check them out
Rita says
I have been thinking about your situation all week and I finally thought I have to tell you about my son, Patrick. He lost his job in the Great Recession and needing to support his family he began to use his personal construction skills to remodel homes, room by room for friends and acquaintances. Not having a contractor’s license he had to do only $500 of work for each project, to stay out of trouble. The main thing is he supported his family for TWO years doing this and felt pretty good. He said he realized he could support his family without working for “the man”. He didn’t need a corporate paycheck to do it. Jonny is, no doubt, as construction savvy as my son!
Good luck to you and Jonny. This may end up making you more independent than you’ve ever considered!
Ginny says
That is exactly what Jonny would LOVE to do! Unfortunately, he has a very bad knee, and doesn’t think he could do that sort of work longterm. 🙁 He’s got some ideas, though!!! Thank you!!!
Nicole Spring Frontierdreams says
Ginny I think the name and the image are absolutely perfect. So very YOU. I am excited for you and your new journey but so understand your fears. Kevin has been retired for over a year now and still no job. He is still trying to figure things out and we are trying to scrape by on what money we have coming in… so I know the feeling!! Praying for you all. I have great faith that God will use this for His glory and the good of your family!
SarahR says
I love your labels, and I really like the picture of your wool. I’m a natural dyer too, and I’m in awe of your work. Have you thought of putting that picture and some of your others on redbubble.com so people can order it on stationery etc? Or even getting a printer to produce note or gift cards that you can send out? I would love to have cards with this image on.
Joan says
I look forward to hearing about your house. Good thoughts coming your way.
Joan
Marion says
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers .
Marion
Marilyn says
Hope everything works out for Jonny and his job situation. God Bless.
Marilyn
Pamela R says
Beautiful logo. I’ll be thinking of all of you as you make this transition!
Flo Bowling says
Hi, Ginny! I was wondering if you could tell me which weight of yarn you used to make the “Tess of Dubervilles” shawl a few months back? And also if you would be dying any yard that would work? I’ve been thinking about knitting it for months and unfortunately didn’t buy one of the kits you sold.
Ginny says
Hi Flo! Here are my ravelry notes for the Tess shawl: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/GinnySheller/kays-tess-durbervilles-shawl. I knit that using worsted weight yarn. The shawl that I sold kits for was Andrea’s Shawl. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/GinnySheller/andreas-shawl. I used sport weight yarn for that one. 🙂 I’ll have both sport and worsted weight yarn available in a few weeks! 🙂
Julie Zilkie says
I have a family of 10, and we use Christian Healthcare Ministries. It is AMAZING! The most you can pay for a family is $495 a year, and basically if you submit $500 worth of bills for any one incident, you have NO deductible either. We have had this for 8 years now, and I couldn’t say more about this company. Instead of feeling like I am working with a company that is working hard to NOT pay my bills, I instead feel I am working with an organization that is working hard TO pay my bills. Love, love, love! And even if we could do traditional insurance, we wouldn’t…so much more freedom here. I can go to any doctor and have any test.
Ginny says
We are definitely looking into ??????? sharing programs. Did you mean $495/month? Thanks!
Kim says
Healthcare?
samaritanministries.org
We’ve used them for 9 years now, the last 4 pregnancies and a host of other issues.
It’s worked out great! sooo much better than insurance. I think healthcare is the main scary thing about losing a job. When my husband decided to quit his job to become self employed, since we were already with samaritan we didn’t have that fear of “what are we going to do now?” – as far as that issue, anyway 🙂
Ginny says
I think we’re going with Samaritan 🙂 Several of my friends use them, and I think it’s our best option.
Pamela says
I know how scarey change can be…I recently had to move out of my home of 12 years the owners sold it. I have chickens, rabbits, a garden and now I am in a small apartment in a building. Lost a bit trying to figure out this new world where I have to find something to do to make extra funds. I am on instagram littleducklingdesigns yet things are going well. I have had to cut back and do without to make ends meet. I am with you and understanding the fears and me getting older is not helping. I live alone so it makes it even tougher. Everytime I try to come up with something to do that will bring in just a little bit, it seems everyone is already do it. My poor son, I text him all the time…expressing how lost and depressed I feel its awful to feel this way. I find myself negative a lot lately and don’t like it. Hope things work out for the good. I will keep you in my prayers
sonrie says
I love that you named your home! I recently moved and decided on a name as well – Twin Fawns – because there are twin fawns (and their parents) who spend quite a bit of time in the woods behind our home. They have just outgrown their speckles and are growing up but for me it was a sign of something good.
harknessangels (Angela) says
Love your logo and smiled when I saw it on the soap I just received! I say the “we” about home improvement projects too. LOL!
Ginny says
There has to be a “boss” on every job right? 🙂
Eileen says
Oh Ginny, your pictures are so beautiful! Glad you and Jonny have a plan for the next couple of months, sounds great. Many times when a door is shut, a window is opened for something wonderful!
Love your labels and that yarn looks amazing!
Katie says
The logo and name are just perfect. Hope everything works out for you exactly as you want. ?
Madeleine says
Your new labels are just beautiful, like everything else you make. The yarns are simply stunning. How exciting to be making the next step in your business.
I’m looking forward to reading about your renovations and hope you get to enjoy them for many years to come.
martha kimball says
I so love the label and the shop name! Perfect. I saw it the other day in your shop and got the concept right away, a sign of a good name. (I’m trying to come up with a name for a little etsy shop and I feel like naming is so hard!!) Also, love the label and the little fawn!
I’m excited for all the changes up ahead for you guys and to see what God does as you journey through it. Continuing to think of and pray for you guys often!
xo
Ginny says
It is hard! I guess that’s why it took me two years to come up with something. I had to wait until it came naturally. 🙂
Sue Dow says
Amazing photos?. Your labels are just perfect.
Ginny says
I’m so glad you like them! I’m sooo excited about them!
Angela Schmidt says
Hi Ginny! I was wondering if you were planning on selling the dishcloths again and if so, when?? Mine desperately need replacing, we use them for everything! They are amazing!
Prayers for you and Jonny and the kids, this could be a really great change for y’all but I know it’s scary. Keep the faith, the Lord always takes care of his own.
Ginny says
Hi Angela! I am not sure that we’ll sell them this year as we have in past years, but I do have a few dozen boxed up that I never sold last year and would be thrilled to sell them to you! Let me know how many dozen you’d like and I can send you an invoice. Thanks!
Angela Schmidt says
Have you got 2 dozen?
Ginny says
I do! Email me at ginnysheller@gmail.com with your PayPal address and I’ll invoice you! Thanks!!
Nancy Mosley says
Love the labels and the name!! Yes, it would be lovely to have a backyard filled with wildflowers. 🙂 In case you may be interested — we use Liberty Healthshare (a ministry sharing organization) instead of insurance and we just self-pay. My husband’s job as an environmental inspector on pipelines caused us to look into something on our own because it is like we are self-employed. He is hired for projects and during the time he is hired he’s offered insurance but we didn’t want to be starting/stopping a policy all the time. This was really a great option for us. There are at least 4 different sharing ministries he looked into and we landed on this one. I’ve heard others like some of the other options as well. I was scared of it at first but so far it has been great. Hope that helps.
Tonya says
Just beautiful Ginny! I love your label! I can’t wait to see how things turn out for you and your family and I love that Jonny is considering looking into doing what he truly would like to do.
Ginny says
Thank you! Now I just need to order a stamp like yours!!! 🙂
Emily says
Your backyard! My goodness, such beauty 🙂
Melissa says
❤️ the labels!
Lisa G. says
I like the name! Ginny, about a week ago I emailed you a file with an article from British Country Living magazine, all about dyeing. It may be information you already know, but I thought I’d send it anyway.
Angela Schmidt says
I’ve subscribed to that magazine for years! I love it, so much better that the American version.
Lisa G. says
It’s worth the expense, I think.
Ginny says
Thank you, Lisa! I’ve gotten behind on emails since starting the new school year, but I’ll definitely check that out. Thanks so much for thinking of me and for sharing the article! 🙂
Lisa G. says
Oh, you’re welcome, Ginny – I just mentioned it in case it had gone into your spam.
Andrea says
I love the logo, Ginny! What an exciting step for your shop! And that photo of your yarn is just stunning- the colors! Goodness!
Bindy says
Beautiful labels, Ginny. Also, looking for the “Little Meadows” in life in general – the small moments of joy, laughter, peace, belonging – surely that’s one of the core elements of self-care and gratitude, hey? Great reminder, thanks.
One thought – have you considered having a stamp made with your new logo on it? Then you can stamp it onto whatever paper you need to, and could even have a few different ink pads to stamp in different colours for different products (or just because it took your fancy). Might turn out to be cheaper in the long run than running lots of labels off on the printer…just a thought.
Ginny says
I do want to have a stamp made! I think it would be fun to be able to stamp my packages! 🙂
Angela says
I love your logo!! its beautiful and depicts all you in so many ways. Congratulations Ginny!
Elizabeth says
what lovely labels and I think they are absolutely perfect! praying for you! sending love!
Maria says
Hope everything works out exactly as you and your family need it to! Your new labels are beautiful and the name is lovely. I laughed when I read the part about “we” meaning Jonny- my husband often says that “we” should bake somebody or other a pie or bread or something else- in that case “we ” means me, since I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know how to turn the oven on, haha.