Valentina update and a chance to win a free apron.

The valentina apron is currently being sold at I Heart Handmade in downtown ventura california.
(433 E Main St. Suite #16, Ventura, CA)

 RSVP and be in attendance at the grand opening of "I Heart Handmade boutique" for a chance to win the VALENTINA apron!!

click here to RSVP

 

I heart handmade collection exclusive sketches

freshly sketched today! 

Enjoy :)

Joana K in a boutique!?

GREAT NEWS!
I found an adorable little store that is in Ventura on main street. The store is called "I heart handmade" I had a talk with the owner yesterday and she loved what I do. My items should be in their store by the end of the month.

here is a pic of the store taken from their facebook fan page.

because they are brand spanking new and I want to make sure my items look good in their store I am making an exclusive collection.

Here is a peek at one of the items.

 

I have already named her 

VALENTINA 

I started working on a draft today below is the picture of the UNFINISHED draft. 

The end product will NOT be in this fabric or colors. It will most likely resemble the sketch above.

I still have to add the straps and make the finished pattern to apply to the actual fabric I will be using. 

Stay tuned for more peeks at the exclusive "I heart handmade" collection.

;-D

October recap november update

There is really waay too much going on with me these days lol. Ive neglected my own blog sadly :( sorry guys. But, Im here now and have an update for you.


My apron launch  for the halloween themed aprons was a success I sold out! I am still keeping the items online but am only doing "made to order" since I have some limited supplies but none on hand.

The etsy store I opened is doing good and creating lots of interest for me I am grateful for that.Bellow are the Halloween aprons I launched in October.

www.joanak.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JoanaKDesigns

 

I am also having a sale on all 3 aprons (Wifey, Halloween Hostess and Wiatch apron)

As for my website. I have quite a good balance of ambiance and style going on (if I do say so myself) Im having so much fun with it.

October 31st was my official 3 dress debut and It went well.

Even though my model cancelled last minute and I was on a mad search for a new model I ended up being able to post the dresses for sale on time. Sadly the shoot will have to be pushed back till the next batch of dresses though :(

I did receive lots of positive feedback about the dresses though :) after fixing the glitches on the website I found that It going to be a breeze getting them loaded on there now woohoo!!!

With the model search, sample dress drama, making my neighbors daughters Halloween costume & website issues I still managed to pull it all together meet my deadline and make some bad ass costumes for my husband son and myself for halloween!! hahah.

 I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween. I know I did!.

The morning after halloween I took down all the outdoor and indoor halloween decor and moved on to thanksgiving/holiday preparations. I put up a nice thanksgiving garland and am now working on the Xmas and Chanukah apron.Neither one of these are 100% finished yet. I hope to get them done by next week. :)

 Sorry for the sideways picture bellow of the Chanukah apron.

Im going to catch up on some chores and tidy up so I can work a little bit on the aprons today. Ill catch you guys later <3

apron update

So my adventures in fund raising for my clothing line took off pretty good with the totes and like I mentioned I also decided to add aprons to the mix.

my original idea was to make a huge package deal where you would get
a reversible tote
a reversible apron
a cute headband and
a kitchen towel 
=all for a flat price

My idea was chopped up because I just didnt have the time to work on aprons aaaand totes.

Now that my tote sales had calmed down a bit I decided to go back in and revisit the package idea

monday I actually finished the first reversible apron and pattern.

the actual product will have black also (ill upload those pics when I get a chance)

I decided to go with the bombshell top and slightly full skirt bottom for coverage. When I finished it I actually wanted to make 2 more but for now I dont want to over do it.

here is the pic of me in the apron with the matching headband

I will have more updates as the week progresses. So far day 1 of production was spent writing blogs so I have to try and produce today. which should have been day 2 or production.



I also added a pic of me in the apron (cartoon style) on my website yesterday :)
www.joanak.com (desktop view)

long over due Update

The longer time I spend away the more you know I have going on.
This time Its been more personal stuff than actual work going on :( First it was my husband who got sick from a bug my mother had. Then it was my son having a fever for a week. We originally thought it was the same bug but when he started screaming at the top of his lungs at 3am and his medicine wouldn't bring down that fever we knew it was more serious. Lots of stuff happened but he just got a clean bill of health from the doc today. :) he is back to normal and acting like himself again. This means I have to really go back to work re organizing my office and getting these little "fund raising" projects for my clothing line back on track.


I actually have been contributing to the hautewives blog on and off but I think we have had so many other personal things going on that its also been taking a back seat.Ive changed the logo to a kiss instead of the vintage thingy we had before. I am also working on getting the website up <3 it was 99.9% done at the beginning of this month but I had to push the launch day back because when I did my test launch I realized some of the links and pages weren't working correctly. Even the techs online didn't know what was wrong. Its still being worked on and I'm hoping that we can debut that next month.

 I also had a really successful little TOTE launch in my neighborhood. I have always wanted to make something small to raise funds and this was the perfect item. To my surprise they were a hit and I got about 30 orders in the first 2 days!!  I was so excited that I decided to start working on some aprons and a summer wrap dress to go with the totes. Right when I thought I was going to finish up the apron and dress is when my hubby and son got sick so I had to slow down. I hope to be able to pick back up where I left off and work on all this stuff next week.

The premier of the tv show that I contributed my dress too (perfect destruction) came and went.
 I sadly couldn't attend because I had too many orders of totes to make and deliver. :( it was the saddest day ever knowing I couldn't see my dress on the big screen but the Executive Producer-Director-Writer (Tiffany Ariany) did mention that I would have another chance to see it at the film festival this year. I'm hoping to get back in touch with her soon and get more info.

As far as writing gig I had with society 805(online magazine) ....
well that's complicated to be completely honest I'm not even 100% sure I know what the true issue is or was but, I tried my hardest to rectify it with no luck. I gave many apologies and a tote on my behalf. I hope that she is well with her and I wish her the best. I don't have time to be spending on negative things and thoughts so I have moved onward and upward since then.

I actually updated my website today and added 2 new dresses to my sneak peek section. If you haven't logged on to it recently you will also see a new link "TOTE STORE" which is where I am selling my totes. The wrap dress and apron should be available to buy online really soon so keep an eye out for that :)

THATS ALL FOR NOW FOLKS! 

hopefully Ill be able to write another update soon :)

till then have a good one!

Sassy City Chicks fashion bash event

After speaking to Hautelife Marketing Firm.
I got us (the hautewives fashion group) and 25 lucky followers into a HOT fashion event.

No, its not a fashion show, its even better!.
Its a top designer Sample!! It might as well be a fashion show though.
With a dj, spa,cocktails and swag bags I mean it sounds like a fashion show to me lol

It will be the first time we (The HauteWives Fashion Group) will be known as "Press"
so wish us luck on this one :) <3

P.S Below is your personal invite to this event.
Join us as we clean the racks out! ;-D. Ill more about this soon.
(Click on the ad)

The FIRST 25 fashionistas to enter code 

HAUTEWIVES 

will win a FREE Sassy Tote Ticket. 

***Ticket includes: admission, swag bag, free cocktails, free spa treatments.

Finally Updated my website!! yay!

Got the new logo up on the intro page of my site

and working on the blog and twitter right after this blog.

I decided to keep it simple yet cute.

I usually sign little hearts around my actual signature so I felt it worked perfectly.

I hope you all get a chance to visit my recently updated website from your desktops www.joanak.com

my friend and neighbor Patty Jones is rocking the home page for me <3. I also got a chance to put up all the pix of my most recent work under portfolio.

 

Ive been a little busy with all my Hautewives posts. If you guys haven't checked that out yet you should!!! its awesome. I'm having lots of fun with it.

www.hautewives.blogspot.com  

On another note I had a chat with my mother in law on Easter.

She made alot of good points and left me with some homework.

Since its a rainy day and I'm going to stay in anyways

I figure I might as well get started on that homework....

More on this coming soon stay tuned lol

organization

Every once in a while my mind becomes very clear and re-organization takes place in my office. This morning was one of those days. I managed to edit my collection sketches. I have it down to about 25 pieces now and I'm feeling good about it.

The story line managed to stay in tact even with my cuts. The feeling of the collection is still very much concise and I am now on the journey to create my samples and patterns. :)

Cutting back on projects :( a little bit about my personal life.

The stress of having to write and put together an article while juggling my son, husband, dress line, blog, website, 2 dogs, laundry etc, etc, etc. was really wearing on me. I had to tell the editor of Society 805 that I cannot take on projects via text last night. I felt horrible about it but for now I neeeeeeed to concentrate on my sample dresses.

I am absolutely grateful she is willing to work around my busy life and schedule. As for the Wedding article I was supposed to write up. It might be handed down to someone else on her team.

Trying to explain to someone that doesn’t have kids that my son comes first no matter what. It might make me sound like I’m not serious about my business but, to me it’s not important to “make it big” or “rake in the cash”. I am blessed enough to not have to worry about things like that right now. I have an absolutely wonderful husband who is supportive and loving no matter what I do and a son who is growing up so fast that I would hate to miss a moment of it.

I am one of those women who can’t bare the thought of leaving my only baby to a nanny just so I can pursue a dream (that everyone knows can wait). I am not that selfish. I am contemplating actually hiring my own mother to come and watch my son once or twice a month to give me a full day in my office. I might be a clingy mom but, I don’t EVER plan on having any more babies. So I’m going to enjoy this time in my life to the fullest. It won’t ever happen again and I would hate to miss it.

Having said all of that my mornings are actually pretty hectic. I wake up change and feed my son. Tidy up the mess we left in the living room, Office and kitchen the night before. Some days I tidy up and do laundry. As I’m doing all of that I play games and chat AT my son lol. I let him hang with me in the office as I check my emails and social sites. He loves hanging out in there because that’s usually where my dogs are.

Once or twice a week I go on walks with the dogs and baby. The rest of the week my husband tries to work from home and takes the dogs and my son on those walks. Our lives have no SET schedule as of now. Sometimes I join my husband at work and lend him a hand. He does the same whenever he works from home and watches our son while I try and work. Thankfully our son isn’t too much too handle. But he is only 1 ½ years old so I might be speaking too soon. (Knock on wood)

 I recently realized that my life is virtually stress free. The time I spend in my office creating dresses is like my Spa time. I get to relax and do what I love to do. Even the times when I’m running around the house after my son I cherish so much because in my mind I know I wont ever get to go through it again with another baby of my own. Looking at his reactions to things, teaching him words, and how to do things is amazing to me.

Stress, to me, usually comes from when I try to do too much and I begin to realize I’m ignoring my husband, son, or parents. Now that I know how much is TOO much I can go on with life trying to balance it all.

"Daliah"

 I finally had the chance to work on a dress from my collection today.

This is "Daliah"

and so far she is only 40% Complete. she is being held together with pins only right now but so far I'm loving the shape she is taking on my dress form :)

Ill post new pics later

The sketch is what it will look like once its done.;-D

New pictures of the Heidi dress on the set.

OMG! I would kill to have her body!! lol shes toooooo cute!

Dress for T.V pilot "The Perfect Destruction"

I cant hold off from sharing any longer so here are the pix  I took on Friday of the dress I contributed to the T.V pilot "The Perfect Destruction".

I was so excited the dress fit her :) she has such a tiny little waist I'm so jelly! lol
I'll post more pictures once I get them from the producers.

As you can see in the end I went with the original "Heidi" dress pedal trim. (unreleased Joana k. Collection).