Mar

11


A Vision of the CBD Woman

Since the rains have come (again) and the weather has decided it will stay nasty just a bit longer, doing anything outside is an annoyance at best. During this time I’ve been doing a lot of pattern cutting and sewing, and reading. Mostly, I’ve been reading articles about running a business in a slow economy, and just… running a business anyway.

One of the articles that really struck me talked about having a clear mission in your mind of what you want your business to be.
Now, by my very nature, I tend to meander along the creative road. I make jewelry, I paint, I am a photographer by trade, I sew, I design, in essence, I create whatever my heart desires for me to create on any given day. This is not conducive, however, to having a clear vision of what I want my business to be, other than “successful”. I use quotations with the word successful, because it is relative to each individuals ideal of what success really is.
So, as I’m reading these articles and really thinking about what I want my vision to be, I think about the things that have impacted my life profoundly and how I can incorporate them into my business model in order to effect change in my world.  Then, I had to go prom dress shopping with my daughter.
Now, I have to tell you this about myself… and about most of the women in my family. You may find it completely shocking to realize that we are not all super models.  Yes, I know… shocking.
In reality, I reached my full height of 5′-0″ by the time I was in sixth grade. However I did not reach my full weight until about 30 years later ::laugh::. I am built in such a way that makes finding pretty clothes, that are comfortable, and fit well, and are affordable – a near impossibility. Unfortunately, my daughter suffers the same fate.
As we were shopping for her prom dress, we looked through racks and racks of stunningly beautiful gowns, and with each possibility, we were sorely disappointed to find that the gowns only went up to a JUNIOR size 12. Seriously? a JUNIOR?  You know that’s like.. a kids size large, right? Finally, in the last shop, just as they were beginning to close, we rushed in and asked where they kept the WOMEN’s FORMAL wear. We were directed up stairs and I have to say, my heart sank, and I got a little bit angry when I saw the so-called choices for plus sized formal wear.
Everything looked so old, and so dowdy. Everything looked as if it were made for a night at the Opera or a funeral – definitely NOT a prom dress.  My daughter looked at me with pain in her eyes and I felt so bad for her. I remember being in situations where the wardrobe called for something young and fun and flirty and all I could find was my grandmother’s Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes.
Eventually we found a purple gown that she sort of liked and we found it in her size, so she took it. I was upset to say the least. I felt it was so unfair for my beautiful daughter – who is by no means fat or obese or horrifically mal-formed, to be forced to settle on a dress that she “sort of liked” simply because designers and society see beauty in ONE FORM – BONE SKINNY. Now before I go much further and possibly insult a large portion of the population, I want to say that I have nothing against thin people. I appreciate the beauty in ALL people. But for years and years, designers have consistantly kept larger women in the proverbial dark recesses of fashion.
With this thought in mind, I sat down and wrote out several rough drafts of what I want to achieve with my talent and skills. Finally, I came up with a clear mission statement.
I want to give the world the Cecil Bobby Design Woman. She is bold, she is confident. She is not a size 2 or even a size 6. She is any size and any nationality. She may be five feet tall or six feet tall. Whatever she is, she is beautiful. I want to design clothes that bring real women real fashion. Colorful, forward thinking, comfortable, and tailored to fit the non-model woman.
Welcome to the world of Cecil Bobby Design.

March 11, 2010 | Filed Under: Daily Blog, Givin' It The Biz, Important Stuff | Leave a Comment

Mar

9


I know.. I know..

I know, I keep promising to post the Tunics and other goodies and I swear I’m going to this week, but life just keeps getting in the way. Isn’t that just the way it is sometimes? Ugh…

And now the weatherman is forecasting rain… again. Looks like 2010 is going to turn out to be just as wet as 2009 was. But hey, in the mean time.. wanna see some new goodies?

This is one of the Tunics in a beautiful Icey Blue silkessence (synthetic silk) fabric, as it was being created. This image shows the neckline, but the sleeves and side seams weren’t sewn yet so its hanging a bit low on my dress form.

Icey blue Salwar Tunic

This next image shows the detail stitching on the neckline, in a tone on tone thread color.

Click the image to see it in a larger view

I’ll also have tunics of this style in a sort of sagey green silkessense as well as an amazingly beautiful white Tissue Linen and a burgundy cotton that is just to die for.

The tunics will be available in the shop on Thursday morning, starting at $45.00 each. The sizes are cut a bit larger in a women’s size so they hang beautifully on the body without being too constricting. I designed these with the hot days of summer in mind.

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under: Daily Blog, Invent-ory | Leave a Comment

Mar

5


Can You Guess????

Guess what’s coming Monday? Can you? Do you dare to venture? Well, here’s a hint….

Pinks and turquoises and blues and greens and purples and sheered fabric and more. MMMMmwwaaahhahahhahhahahhah (maniacal evil laugh).

Okay okay… you twisted my arm. So here ya go…

Sundresses!!! Gauzy Tunics! Wrap pants! OOOhhhh My!

And be sure to watch Monday morning on FB and Twitter for a SPECIAL announcement just for my fans!

Sundresses! heheheheh

March 5, 2010 | Filed Under: Important Stuff | Leave a Comment

Mar

1


Monday Monday… turns out that way….

Hello bloggies! Isn’t it a glorious day? Isn’t it a perfectly beautiful amazingly glorious day? Okay…. maybe not, but we can pretend, right?

Today is the big I” day around here. NO, not a day all about me… ha.. I wish. Instead today is INVENTORY day. WOO HOO.

I never thought, when I started all of this that it would end up actually being a business, you know? Like.. with inventory and a budget and advertising; and yet here I am.

I distinctly remember on New Years Eve, standing under the blue moon with my love and saying “2009 was a horridly retched year and I believe 2010 will be a lot better.  Little did I know.

Little did I know that within a span of 15 days my dad’s only living sister would die, I’d end up going to Arkansas, I’d have to rush home because my husband had a stroke, and that after he was released by doctors to go back to work, he’d loose his job. Little did I know that one week later I’d have to go to Missouri to say goodbye to my Grandmother, and that when I returned I’d find that our house was in foreclosure and I am now the sole breadwinner for our family.

So much for 2010 getting off to a rockin’ good start huh? But really, I’m not letting it get me down.

I’m finding ways to cope. I’m learning new ways to conduct business and new ways to see what I do as a business because until New Years it was considered by most of my family to be a simple, sideline hobby.

So, today is inventory day. I’ve never really inventoried what I have in the way of supplies so this will be quite interesting. Thank goodness I save all of my receipts so I can calculate the costs of everything.

Aside from the inventory, the boy has math and spelling and other school work today. Did I mention that we homeschool our son? Yup, we do. It was a decision we made after several instances of near violence in his school and the realization that – at a sixth grade level, he’d not had one speck of history, geography, or real literature. He did not know how to write a book report. This was unacceptable to us. SO, lets see.. what hats do I wear now? Hmm… entrepreneur of course, bread winner, wife, mother, chauffeur, basketball coach, exercise instructor and teacher… just to  name a few LOL.

So bloggies, how’s your Monday shaping up?

March 1, 2010 | Filed Under: Daily Blog | Leave a Comment

Feb

28


Do You Remember When Sunday Was a Day of Rest?

It just occured to me, just now this very moment that I have not had a single day to just “get some rest” since probably back in August when our daughter and four grand children moved in.

Since then its been one thing after another after another. And aside from personal stuff, there’s been work stuff too.

And as I’m sitting here with my eyes starting to slam shut, I realized that I NEED REST.

I’m not talking about sleep actually. I’m talking about just rest. A day of doing absolutely NOTHING but laying in bed, watching movies, maybe reading a few blogs. But certainly not worrying about shop inventory or marketing strategies or website updates or even what’s for dinner. I just need some serious downtime.

So, with that in mind my lovelies, I’ll see you all.. TOMORROW!

February 28, 2010 | Filed Under: Daily Blog | Leave a Comment


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