{my story of Blissdom}

It's been over 24 hours and I feel like I'm rested enough to type out the awesome-ness from the weekend. I'm back from BlissDom, back from all the fun of finally meeting some incredibly great blog friends.

Zack was a true Prince Charming and picked me up from the airport. You see, I took the Light Rail {Minneapolis' electric train} to the airport Thursday morning. He decided I deserved to get picked up from the airport this time around. And it was soooooooooooo nice :)

Once we were done jumping up and down in excitement over my trip, he asked, So, how was it?!


The following is a recap of what I shared with Z...

***

I walked off the plane and into the Nashville airport and listened to some voice-mails from my roommates: Let us know when you get here; can't wait to meet you!

I knew immediately we were going to have a great time. First off, they had southern accents and when they said "Gussy" it was all I could do but fall to their feet and listen ask they spoke. Just kidding. Sort of {they really did have southern accents}! Really, the real reason I knew we'd have a great time is because they were so welcoming!

I met two at the airport, the third at the hotel. After we had dropped our bags off in our room we went down to register for the conference.

Guess who I saw?!

Nester, Emily @ Chatting at the Sky, Melissa @ The Inspired Room. And MckMama. And Lisa Leonard. And, and, and. So many great women!!!

I walked right up to all of them with a big smile on my face and said, Hi! I'm Gussy! And then we all hugged. And it was so great. Amen.




I could have gone home right then.
Kidding!
Kind of.

The evening continued on with a Cocktail Party and "more meeting and greeting". It was sooo fantastic. I loved having a mental list of people I wanted to meet. And, I have to admit, I loved that a few people sought me out and introduced themselves to me.

I can't even explain how awesome that felt.

Friday morning started with breakfast with the team of (in)courage writers and contributors. Ahhhh, bliss! A few of the girls knew I was coming {*cough* Nester and Lindsey), but it was a huge, successful surprise.

They all seemed to love the Gussy/(in)courage bags :)

The team of (in)courage writers and contributors.

Me and Nester

The Keynote speaker blew away my ruffles {almost}. Kevin Carroll spoke of his Red Rubber Ball and "Re-Discovering Play: Bringing Fun and Passion to Your Word…and Life."

Talk about crying, laughing, and being inspired. When his speech was over, I wanted him to keep talking, it was that GREAT! It became very concrete that sewing is my passion. It never seems like work, never ever. I love to sew {play} and Kevin's lesson on playing meant a lot.

The rest of the weekend winds around meeting even more great women, lots of great sessions, and hanging with my roommates/meeting new gals :)

Oh, and have I mentioned that I gathered up some courage to ask a question at two of the sessions?! Yes, yes I did. {Insert stomach twisting here.} I thought to myself, I can't go to BlissDom and not ask a single question. I have to make my hubby and family proud! Hah :)

This session I peeped-up in was on Leveraging Social Media to Build Your Business. I asked, I have a full-time job in addition to sewing. What's a good way to divide my time to make sure I'm building-up my social media? Or something similar ;)

And then they answered my question.

But the second question... Oh... You are going to like this...

This particular session was on niche blogging. I wanted to ask The Experts if they had any tips for dividing up my blog posts between Gussy as a person and Gussy as a sewer girl.

As soon as the mic was handed to me I was like "GUSSY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I wanted to sit back down so badly. Then I started asking my question. Then The Nester said something like, Oh, tell us who you are...? {wink}

I had to say it out loud...

I am Gussy.

And then my brain can hardly remember what happened next. In fact, just typing it is making me a little nervous. Nester started talking directly to me. Then Rachel Matthews did. Then Sommer Poquette gave me some tips. Then The Nester did, again. Then Jennifer Schmidt spoke to me.

And somewhere in between all of that "private", yet publicly-discussed conversation, someone in the audience {hello, room of 200 people!} said, Ohhhh, you're Gussy?! What's your blog?!

And soon enough I found myself saying into the mic, Hello. Yes, I'm Gussy {blushing}. My blog is www.maggiewhitley.com --- W-H-I-T-L-E-Y.

The panelists keep talking and I keep thinking, Remember what they're saying, remember what they're saying. And I so did not, but thankfully Nester repeated it to me later. Thankfully :)

And as I'm sharing all this with Zack in the car, then later at home, he kept saying, OH MY GOSH pretty much as loud as he can. Yet we're in the car so it was super loud. And I was so tired from waking up at 4 am Sunday to meet him in Minneapolis by 10:30 am... But he was just soooooo excited for me, and I love him so much for being excited with me :) Yeow!

So the mic was handed back, I sat down, and the conference went on...



Friday night there was an (in)courage beach party. Met some more fabulous women there.

Saturday afternoon I met a blog reader, Bailey. She lives near Nashville so she drove over to the hotel and we hugged, talked, and then took a quick pic:



Saturday night I ate dinner with some new friends, including a blogger from my home town!!!

Then, late Saturday night, while I should have been sleeping, I was talking. Darn Gussy, talkin' away with her roomies. I couldn't fall asleep, and we were having so much fun... :)

Most of the time I was at BlissDom felt like a dream.


{End re-cap of my trip to Zack.}

***

I left for BlissDom with a small list of goals. While I didn't reach them all, and let's be honest, that is OK!, I did come home with a handful of ideas/advice and lots of new friends. I had so much fun that I took three naps yesterday when I came home. Plus, I slept a full-nights rest. Plus, I am ready for bed right now. Hah! :)

Aside from personal business goals, I was blessed to meet {in person!} my friend Lindsey with The Pleated Poppy. We both love to sew and yes, we both make ruffled zipped pouches. But we also make many other items that are unique from one another. Most importantly we share a common understanding to just be friends and support each other.

It's just so cool :)

I'm very much looking forward to this week where I can really focus on some of the ideas I jotted down while at the conference.

One point, shared by Melissa at The Inspired Room, was that I needed to change my Twitter handle from @maggiewhitley to @GussySews. It's pretty clear that at least a handful of people have heard of Gussy by now. So by changing it, I'm allowing more people to connect with me.

*If you already follow me on Twitter, this name change won't affect you at all. But if you're looking for me, be sure to visit me at www.twitter.com/gussysews -- my old Twitter handle doesn't exist anymore.

Someone at the conference asked me, What's your blog? and it just clicked {with Melissa's help} that no one knows that Maggie Whitley is the girl behind Gussy. They mostly know me as Gussy.

So for repetition purposes, you can type www.gussysews.com and that will bring you to my blog, but you can still find me by typing www.maggiewhitley.com :)

the crazy amazing Opryland hotel + my lovely ruffle laptop bag :)

Everyone at Blissdom received a Lands End tote bag with the Blissdom logo embroidered on it. Inside was PACKED FULL of amazing things, like a water bottle, Cover Girl make-up, chocolate, and a special necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs {see the above photo!}.


I feel like the most exciting/impacting events of Blissdom were from meeting the people that were there. I really do. It was so soul-soothing to meet my blog friends. I loved it. Gussy loved it.

Yeow ;)

I can't stop taking naps...
So a big, fat, fun BlissDom post is coming soon!
xo.

{Bliss-to-the-dom}

I am having such an amazzzzzzzzzzzing time at Blissdom. This hotel is amazing, the food is delish -- plus I'm hugging my blog buds: The Nester, The Inspired Room, Kimba - A Soft Place To Land, Lisa Leonard, The Pleated Poppy. AND MORE. Ahh, I'm in love!

Some times it's hard being here, though -- I've spent months talking to these women but to actually stop them and introduce myself? Very strange. Guys, Gussy gets a little nervous some times.

What kind of a story do I have that's worth sharing?! I'm just a Gussy girl who sews.

I'm having such a spectacular time, though. Even though I'm a little self-conscious to be here... even though there are a ton of women everywhere and I feel like I blend in with the wall... Whatever, not going there :)

Thank you though for the sweet comments left on my previous post.
yeow -- lovin' this!

xo.

PS. all my roomates have accents and when they say, "Gussy" it melts my heart.

{Special Project: (in)courage laptop bags}

Hi friends!

Today is a unique day, a special day. Unique because there will not be a Featured Artist post; special because this post reveals a truly incredible project I've been working on for about one month.

Some of you may be familiar with the website (in)courage. If not, here's a little background info for you: (in)courage is an inspirational/encouraging (hence (in)courage) blog where you can read posts authored/contributed by about 30 different Christian women. The site is supported by DaySpring, the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark, and it's super fantastic. It really is.



Back in December, I was contacted by (in)courage to sew up something special for the Blissdom conference {which I'm at right now!!!!!!}. The request was to sew 18 Gussy laptop bags for those (in)courage authors and contributors attending the conference.

Immediately I thought, Wow God, you are incredible! Really, you're giving me this opportunity?!



And He said, Yes!

So I said, OK, time to bust a move in the Sweat Shop ;)

I cranked up my radio player and got right to work. Ahhhh, I so {sew} did!!!



We were in Michigan for Christmas when I received the request, so when we returned home I spent some major hours picking out fabric, consulting with Stephanie, cutting, ironing, sewing, sewing, and sewing up these bags.

This project is by far my largest project to-date. But boy! It's also my most favorite project :)



Up until today this project has been a surprise. Only very few people knew of it. I wanted to share the news right away but I knew that wasn't possible. So instead I teased you with some photos :) Do you forgive me yet?!

Something else completely incredible about this project is that some of my most favorite blog writers are a part of the team of (in)courage authors and contributors. People like The Nester, Emily at Chatting at the Sky {Nester's sister}, Angie with Bring the Rain, Lisa Leonard, and Lindsey with The Pleated Poppy.


HOLY GOODNESS, they're going to be carrying around a Gussy?!?!?!?!?

Yeowwwwwwwwww!




Aside from this project, I've been so blessed to be connected with the above-mentioned women. Some of them have been incredible mentors to me as I've had the true pleasure to speak to some of them on the telephone-o. These women have invested their personal time into Gussy -- I'm incredibly grateful for their help in bringing Gussy to where it's at currently.

I kid you not, Gussy is the true result of a girl having a dream yet the ability to reach out to others to help her run with it. You know that saying, a city can't be build in a day. {I hope I have that right...} The story of Gussy is very similar... Yeah, I'm the gal behind the sewing machine, but without the help of my family and blog friends I wouldn't be where I'm sitting today. And I write this with goosebumps on my arms.

This entire (in)courage project is just an uplifting and utterly amazing project/story for Gussy. It's phenomenal and it makes me so happy.




And!!! To add to the phenomenal-ness of it all, I've just finished having breakfast with the (in)courage authors and contributors.

Ummm, yeah.



I hope no one noticed I was way more excited than I ever thought possible. Whatever, I'm sure they didn't notice. Or maybe they did? Or didn't? Hmmm, not sure. Hah!


I owe another huge Thank You to Mel, who sews my Gussy twill tags. She made the (in)courage tags and they are so beautiful. I'm very, very happy with them. Besides, now the tags match and that is just darling :)



If you're at Blissdom and you see these bags, well... now you know the story behind them.

***

The excitement that is inside me... the nervousness of this putting a face to the bags... the inspiration from this story -- I can't put the right words to what I'm feeling right now. I'm Gussy, a girl with an unexpected desire to sew. That about sums up my story.

xo.

***

***

***

{Gus is on her way!}

[photo credit]

Right now {if you're reading this in the AM}, I'm en-route to the airport. Me and my suitcase. But no tutu... dang.

I'm walking to the Light Rail {Minneapolis' electric train}, taking the LR to the airport shuttle. Taking the airport shuttle to the airport. Taking another shuttle/fast-walky-conveyor-belt-thing to my terminal.

And then I'm going to sit and try to be a patient Gus until it's time to board the plane. Uhhhh, we'll see how long that lasts! If you are one to pray, please pray for safe travels. Thanks in advance :)


OH MY GOSH, I'M GOING TO BLISSDOM!!! :) I'll be Tweeting when I can if you'd like to follow my trip -- @maggiewhitley.

I've got my Poken set up {thanks, Blissdom!}. Got my business cards, some sample Gussies, some Gussies for sale. And my very own unique personality, right Mom? ;)

I've got my fingernails painted.
What?!

I've got my excitement, my nervousness, and my sheer happiness right here, settling close to my heart. I'm ready!!! Bring on the bliss :) This is so exciting to be meeting my blog friends -- even some of my blog/Gussy mentors!


But... I'm going to miss this guy!


Hubbs, try not to have too much fun NOT making the bed, NOT putting your clothes in the hamper. Whatever, I don't even want to know what's going on while I'm away... hah :)


Stay tuned, tomorrow morning I'm revealing a super BIG surprise! :)

{I heart...}

It's pretty drab in Minneapolis. The weather is drab, I mean. I've found some pretties to share with you, things that make me happy just by looking at them. I'm tired of looking at the snow here. And my winter coat. I hear Minneapolis gets most of it's snow in February and March. Ahhh... hubby we moved to the wrong state ;)

I am a very visual person. If it makes my heart flutter, I instantly heart it.

Aren't the camera necklace and typewriter necklace just darling?! Ohhhh, swoon. All of these items are found on Etsy.

I know I haven't updated much on my shop there... but I still heart Etsy! I'm trying to find my balance, and to keep balance I must constantly shift a little. Here and there. Every other day. Stay with me... :)

Do you have a list {on paper or on your computer} of things you love? If you do {or had a list}, what would be on it?

{me and my lip-gloss.}

Yesterday I had a hair appointment. I love getting my hair cut. The oil/scalp massage, the shampoo on a high-top table {yes, a table!}, and then the constant combing/playing with hair... ahhh... blissful :)

I slipped out on my lunch break to enjoy all this, but before I went into Juut I went to Target.

Again I say, ahhh...

This Target is super cool. It's in downtown Minneapolis, it's two stories, and it has a gorgeous glass store-front. I heart it. The first picture on the left is of Target.

Why did I go into Target? Well, I needed to do something really important for Zack. {I needed to buy him some deodorant.} And then I decided I needed to fine my pink lip-gloss.

You see, I went to Target yesterday after work. During that trip, I bought a few essentials for Blissdom. But once I got home I realized I forgot my lip-gloss in the cart. At Target. In. The. Cart.

Gussy wanted new lip-gloss -- I can't believe I forgot it!!!!

I was crushed. Seriously, I was.

You know when you want to pick up a little something for yourself {less than $5, too!}? Remember how excited you get? Yeah, that was me. And then I left it in the darn cart. Sigh...

I sure hope I don't leave anything behind on my trip to Blissdom. Like my pajamas, my mousse, or the handful of Gussies I plan on bringing. Or my mascara. Or my warm boots.

But, I suppose it's OK if I leave any of those things at home here. Because no matter what I'm going to have an incredible time. I can't wait to share all the little surprises I have up my sleeve. Yes, surprises :)

While I'm at it, I feel like I may shove my gloss up my sleeve, too, {some-what resembling a great-great-grandma and her tissues} just to ensure I remember to bring it.


What?!
I have to have my new lip-gloss on.


xo.
♥

{counting down...}

woo hoo :)

Is there anyone special you want me to hug for you? Chat with? Etc.

Let me know...
I plan on being a big Gussy!

{sewing tutorial: recovering purse handles}

I'm so excited! This is my very first ever Gussy tutorial! yeow! Are you ready? OK, good. Me too :)

I have had this yellow purse for a few years now -- maybe 3 or 4 {back when we were dating}. Zack gave it to me for my birthday and I loooove it tons. There is kind of a funny story behind this, though :) I saw the purse in a magazine on a weekend home to visit his family. I had circled the purse in the magazine and stuffed it in his basket of clean laundry.

Didn't want him to forget I liked it! ;)

Of course Zack came through and did buy it for me... but it just shows how much I wanted it and still love it. There have only been a few gift ideas I've shared with him where I circle its picture ten times and stick it somewhere I know he'll see it!

So... because of the materials the purse is made from, the handles have gotten a little scraggly most recently. The handles were flaking and felt yucky whenever I carried it. I decided to Gussy it up a bit and put some colored fabric over the handles and bring it back to life :) And my shoulder.




Maybe you have a purse you'd like to fix up?

For this tutorial, you need a rotary cutter/mat, scissors, enough fabric for whatever you are re-covering, an iron and a sewing machine + matching thread.

Measure the width of your fabric, then double that amount so you can cover both sides of the strap. Give yourself a .25" seam allowance. Cut your fabric and iron, pressing the edges so they lay flat and are hidden on the inside.



Carefully place your outer seam of fabric over the purse handles so the edge of the fabric lines up with the edge of the handle. Once you have everything in place, sew on the fabric, remembering to back stitch when you start and finish.



Repeat on the other side of the fabric {same handle, though}, giving your strap a symmetrical look to the stitch. Then repeat for the other handle.


Pretty!!! Don't you think? I love how this turned out. The purple plaid is a nice contrast to the yellow and the star quilted pattern on the purse. Oh yes, this purse is quilted with stars :)





Looks brand new, but with a touch of Gus.



Even Paul Frank loves it. And Burt.




I'm already making a list of other fun tutorials to share with you guys. Hope you loved this! xoxo

PS. If you have any tutorial ideas feel free to leave a comment and share your idea.

{15%-off sale}

-- Gussy sale --
today only!


use code "Twitter15" for 15%-off your order
just because :)

order by February 5 to ensure on-time delivery
{within the US} for Valentine's Day ♥

{hmm...}

...another sneaky photo :)


Any idea what this project is for?
I'll reveal the answer Friday!
♥

I'll be back later this afternoon with my first sewing tutorial.

{something new coming soon}

I'll be sharing my very first tutorial SOON!

:)
yayyyy.
I mean, yeowwww!

{sale items now in shop!}

There are a few items in the sale section of my shop.

These items are from my summer collection but are just
as Gussified as the rest! :)
And, they're available at a super savvy price.

xo.

PS. I'd like to welcome b's {blog} boutique as a new blog sponsor! :)
check out her site... cute stuff!

{4 custom orders, done!}

Saturday I was able to complete a huge task from my to-do list: sew custom orders! I had four to do for January and I just HAD to get them done this past weekend, especially because I'm going out of town this coming weekend. Also because January is almost over and SERIOUSLY Gus, get. some. work. done.


I can only photograph my Gussy products on weekends, so you can imagine how difficult it can be to schedule everything I want to do each weekend. Maybe if I didn't schedule 2.1 million activities?! hah. I basically have from 1-4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays to shoot.

Some day, if my dream comes true, I'll have allllllllll the time in the world to work on Gussy. A girl can dream, right? :)




Some times Custom Orders can take a lot of extra work, but I really feel that with all the orders I've received lately {hence all the experience I'm gaining running this business} I'm able to enjoy them so much more. I know that might not make any sense, but hey, it makes sense inside my brain :)

And! To make it really fun, you guys come up with some seriously cute ideas! :)

Hello?! Why didn't I think of a double ruffle?!



Talk about sassy!

If you'd like a custom Gussy, just type me an email. We can work something out!

Also, if you're thinking of ordering a Gussy {new shop or Etsy} for Valentine's Day, please order by Friday, February 5 to ensure on-time delivery within the US ♥

{my very own darlings}

Ya know what? I have a lot to say today and I'm not going to even apologize ;) I know it's early on Monday, but... I worked in the Sweat Shop over the weekend and was soooo productive that I had a million dollar fantastic day on Saturday. So, naturally I've got a lot to say today.

OK -- so this weekend I finally made myself something for Blissdom. Remember how it's this Thursday and I'm already going "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" as I scramble to get ready?! Yeah. It's true. I'm kind of acting like a teenager. I love it.

Poor Zack, hah! :(

Back to Blissdom.

Here's the darlings I'll be carrying this coming weekend:


I looooooooove them.

My very own Gussy laptop bag + matching zipped pouch. These items are items #3 and #4 that I've made for myself. I suppose it's good I have such awesome self-control over my Gussy products.

Right? :)






OK, this concludes post #1 for Monday. I'll be back with many more.

Trust me, hah! :)


PS. The Lemon + Betsy Featured Artist giveaway goes to Jacky @ The Sweetest Petunia :)