Hibiscus Flowers (aren't they gorgeous?)

If you haven’t already heard, my family and I have recently (3 weeks ago) moved from Idaho to North Carolina. You must understand that I have NEVER been to the East Coast…ever. I’m a Pacific Northwest girl…Washington, Oregon, Idaho. Those are my digs. I didn’t even get the opportunity to visit NC to check the place out before packing up everything and and having to move quickly, due to a job opportunity offered to my husband. To say that I’m a “fish out of water” would be an understatement, and a cruel irony, considering the extreme heat we’re currently experiencing.

View of Sandpoint, ID from Schweitzer

Not only is the climate a polar opposite from what I’m used to, but we’re from the small, artsy fartsy (in a good way) town of Sandpoint, ID. The very same Sandpoint that just got named the “most beautiful small town in the US” by Rand-McNally today. This, I already know, as I lived there for over 9 years. I have to tell you, moving from a town of around 8,000 people to a town of 35,000 is very strange. We chose to live in Apex, North Carolina, a town that is both large and small…as in, the town is very spread out, but it has a small historic downtown that gives it a certain small town “feel” to the locals. And, at first, all the highways scared me, but I’m slowly learning how they connect and I am VERY grateful to Honda for incorporating GPS into my car

Raleigh Farmer's Market

Today, we ventured out to not just ANY farmer’s market, but a NC State Farmer’s Market in Raleigh, NC (about 15 min. from home). This is, by far, the largest farmer’s market I’ve ever seen! The flowers were absolutely gorgeous…did you know you can grow Hibiscus flowers here?! And they’re HUGE (see first photo). The market was quite an experience and, although I loved all the fresh produce and beautiful plants (who knew there were so many different colors of peppers?), a part of me missed the tiny farmer’s market in Sandpoint that everyone biked or walked to, where the local musicians sang, and where the people would just buy their baked goods and plop down in the grass with the kids to enjoy the shade and music.

I admit it. I miss Sandpoint. I miss my friends. I miss the hippie atmosphere.

I also admit that a potential exists to also enjoy Apex, NC. I like the sun. I like the people. I like the convenience. I’ll get there…everyone “adapts” and who knows where adaptation can take you

It has been a little over a month since we set up shop at Happy Delusions, in Renton, WA, sharing this unique venue with many other talented artisans.  Mary Clymer is the very charming owner and operator of this thriving little gift shop in downtown Renton, which features many “one of a kind”, handmade designs from an array of arts and crafts.  We would like to share with you a few of our items, along with some artisan favorites, although there are too many to show here.  We hope that if you visit downtown Renton that you stop in, and check it out for yourself.  Our local festival, Renton River Days is coming soon!

• Pookasplace
• Happy Delusions
• AnnaMaries Accessories

And here’s a little preview of our items…TLC Inspirations

We are experiencing many changes this year, most of them positive.  Rachel has moved to North Carolina (due to hubby’s job) which has brought a slew of challenges for her and her family.  It was an 8 day journey with a moving truck trying to avoid floods and tornados, but they made it!  They are currently getting settled in their new home, and new community.  Since they have never been anywhere on the east coast, there should be a lot to learn and explore.  I miss them, but sometimes moms just need to let go, and let live.  We have many ways to stay connected, and continue our TLC Inspirations partnership, thanks to technology.

Since we closed down our online shops temporarily, we have been expanding our crafting into new directions.  Rachel has been learning how to machine and needle felt, and she has created some adorable and unique handbags.  I, on the other hand, have become more interested in machine embroidery, and trying to implement that beautiful craft into some of my bag designs.  We hope to have some of these new creations available to our customers online soon.  We will keep you posted.

On another note, we started a YouTube channel a couple of months ago, and will be creating tutorials, so that we can share our experiences, ideas, and knowledge.  We hope that you will watch for upcoming tutorials, and visit our YouTube Channel, and subscribe as we add more content.

Find us on FB, Twitter, YouTube, and of course, here on our blog.

Bonnie & Rachel

Much needed evolution has arrived for us, here at TLC Inspirations!  We are going through some “growing pains” and, after much brainstorming and chaos, we have reached some major decisions regarding our creative process, our desired product lines, and the venues in which we sell our unique handmade gifts and accessories. We needed change.

A New Venue!

A couple of months ago, we were fortunate to make contact with Mary, of Happy Delusions gift shop, in Renton, WA (which happens to be where I live), and given the opportunity to be part of this amazing little gift shop.  We will be setting up a small space within her shop with our newly created felted bags, fabric wallet purses, string art earrings, among other creative products.  We decided to temporarily close our online Etsy and Artfire shops, while we feverishly work on inventory for our new venture, and our online shops.  We are thrilled with the new changes we are making!  Our product lines are becoming more defined as we gear up for this new experience.  Our products will be available in Happy Delusions beginning June 1st.  We will post photos of our new digs, once we’re set up.  If you live in the area, or visit, we hope you will stop by Happy Delusions, and explore the creations of many local artisans. It’s an adorable, unique gift shop where you can find that one little item that’s just what you’re looking for.

Evolving to Meet Our Customers’ Needs

W’ve also made some changes to this blog, making it more user-friendly, and deciding to focus more on tutorials and topics relating to Handmade that are both informative and interesting, such as product tutorials, reviews, sewing, crocheting, maching embroidery, felting, and crafts in general.  We have just recently set up our YouTube Channel, and will be posting more video tutorials in the coming weeks.  Subscribe and you’ll be notified when our next one is up and running.

I can’t believe Fall is here already, but I see definite signs the season is changing. I love it, but it also adds stress, knowing the holidays are around the corner…Yikes!

If you have been following us, you know it has been a very crazy summer for us and our family. It has been hard to stay in touch with our fellow artisans and crafters with so much going on, but family comes before our business, and the last half of July and August were a blur for us, as our little baby Jackson (my grandson, Rachel’s nephew) was born, and he had a fight to survive his first 3 weeks of his life.  Read about it here, Faith and Hope Became the Destination. I am happy to report he is home from hospital and doing well.

We are happy to announce the opening of a second shop on Etsy, The Pinhead, which features Rachel’s cute and zany pinback buttons. So far it’s proving to be a wise decision. Thank you “link love” for finding your way to The Pinhead FB page.

In the last couple of month, we were pleasantly surprised, and honored to have several of our Artfire listings featured in Artfire Collections. Thank you to all the Artfire shops that chose our creations.  By the way, did you know Artfire is currently running a “Group Deal” for $5.95 a month. You only have until Oct 1 to opt in and secure this LOW fee. We have opted in for “The Pinhead” so our pinback buttons will soon be on Artfire too!

We have wanted to be part of an Etsy team ever since we joined Etsy but couldn’t find a team that seemed right for us.  HAFteam found us on twitter, and we have decided to join. We are looking forward to exploring all this team has to offer, and sharing our venture with other handmade artists. We have added their badge to this blog, if you want to check them out.

We are continuing to work on our skills and our creations, and will be adding new listings soon.  We hope everyone is doing well, thank each and every one of you for following us on our InspireWire blog, FB page or twitter.  :D

The last thing I want to bring to your attention is an upcoming giveaway. We don’t have the details worked out yet or the date, but will be posting soon. Last year we did a giveaway, where the winner could choose whatever they wanted from our shops. Hmmm, maybe we will do that again. Whatever it is, it will be worth watching for, we promise!

Bonnie & Rachel

So, it was the usual “casual” Mother’s Day…I get somewhat catered to, spend time with my hubby and two girls, and a card, gift and/or flowers in the late afternoon.

I was served fluffy pancakes and to-die-for bacon as the sun decided to grace us with its presence. We all decided it would be great to go for a bike ride or do some work out in the yard, but the weather had ulterior motives. During the hail storm, we settled in for a game of Scrabble, which I lost to my husband by 3 points. Let me just say, I *almost* always win…oh nooo, but not on Mother’s Day! Congrats, dh ツ

So, we thought our outdoor recreation ideas were ruined, but then the sun came out a SECOND time. Unfortunately, my hubby denied me the fun of playing in the yard (didn’t want to go flower shopping), which caused a minor disagreement…which progressed into us leaving the girls behind to go drive around town for 30 minutes. Sometimes, we just need a drive. All was better by the time we got back home.

They made me dinner…shrimp ceviche tacos, no less…and then served up an angel food cake that rivaled my grandmother’s, which is no easy task. That woman is some kind of crazy prodigy in the kitchen. She could have nothing in her refrigerator and STILL make a luscious casserole.

So, after all of this, we sit down to watch an old 80s flick and before we start it (I’ll spare you the title), my two girls offer me a token of their sweet love. My oldest daughter, 14, has put together a collage…no ordinary collage, but a work of art using little trinkets she has saved over time. Things that meant something to her…and now mean even more to me. So much thought went into it…and time. She was so precise in the way she applied every item. She painted the board it was on. She arranged. She glued. She expressed. What a treasure!

My youngest, 11 years old, took what may be perceived as the easier route and made me a card. The thing is that she wrote things like, “When you smile, I feel happy” and “When I think of you, I think of sunshine shining all over the world.” Teary-eyed, I was.

For me, as a mother, all the thanks I need lives in a piece of paper and a cut of wood. Life is so simple, if we just allow it to be.