One of the benefits of having super cool bosses (I’m including myself in here of course) is that I get to travel without worrying about using up too many vacation days. The factory life of having only 5 vacation days for an entire year is over, and now I can basically take off as much time as I can afford to! This summer has been a great example of this perk. I not only went on a family adventure to Alaska at the beginning of the month, but I also just got back from a work trip to London! Eddie was there participating in an Alzheimer’s conference, and I was able to tag along!
Along with the normal sight seeing we accomplished, I also took the time when Eddie was in the conference to go on a bit of a sewing holiday tour of London.
 
Here are a few of my favourites from the trip:
(excuse the blurry photos, I was using my phone!)

Fabrics Galore

Fabrics Galore was another fabric shop that stuck out to me. Their window display was stellar, and I really enjoyed their fabric selection! I love very modern prints, and this store was full of them, especially, their home décor section. I’m just sad I didn’t have any projects in mind that would fit these beautiful fabrics! I love anything cactus, world map, or insect related, and this store had all of those! They also had lots of skull fabrics, and even a sort of cork fabric!
I ended up finding a beautiful cotton chambray with birds on it, and decided that I needed a shirt or a shirt dress out of it.
Or both.

Cloth House Warehouse
 
I found out later in the week that Cloth House had a separate warehouse location that was *gasp* having a huge sale. This second location is going to be closed for renovations this summer (and apparently summer starts in August across the pond, as the sale ended July 28th) so when I visited, prices were ridiculously low in order to move inventory out. I’m talking £2 a metre for 60” wide rolls of cotton or silk fabrics, £5 a metre for wools, and specialty fabrics. It was a very small room full of fabric and several people shopping, each trying to set aside a personal stash of fabric rolls for when they were ready to purchase. And I loved it!! I love a good deal, and I love digging through fabric and seeing other people super excited about sewing too! I bought myself 5 metres, and I think I left that store the most empty-handed of anyone in there. Here’s what I got: 1m blush mesh, 1m black mesh, 1m light grey jersey, and 2m of some sort of blue cotton bottom weight knit. 
 

Needless to say, I had to use an extra carry-on bag to bring home my new prizes. There were so many more stores that I walked past, or stepped inside for a bit. Too many to talk about individually here. I’ve added a few more photos just to give you a taste.
 
Oh, and I absolutely love that in the UK, notions are “haberdashery”. Absolutely brilliant!

I’ve always hated throwing away fabric. Even the little pieces. As you probably know, I have an entire Etsy shop dedicated to reusing fabric remnants! So why in the world it didn’t occur to me to recycle my fabric scraps before… I don’t know! I have no excuse! Except that maybe, just like everyone else, I didn’t really know you could! Oh I knew you could reuse fabric, and I do a lot of that. But I didn’t’ really know you could recycle it. But then I watched this video (if you haven’t seen it yet, it is worth watching!):

And it blew my mind. Zero waste. ZERO.
 
And then I watched True Cost on Netflix. Which is another eye opener. I recommend watching that too. It really got me motivated to do everything I could to lessen my negative impact in the fashion and manufacturing world.  

True Cost is a documentary that came out in 2015, about the impact the fashion industry has on the world. According to the film, there has been a 500% worldwide increase in clothing consumption when you compare it to the 90’s. There is also a huge increase in the amount of clothing that is disposed of every year. The average American wastes 82 lbs of textiles in a single year.
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 85% of post-consumer textile waste ends up in our landfills, and that textile waste makes up almost 5% of all landfill space.
 
But what can I do to help this??
 
I went on a Google spree. I became obsessed! I looked up everything I could on how to recycle fabric in my area. I know that not all of these options are going to hold up everywhere, but these ideas will at least help you get started!

With all the different people and groups I’ve reached out to about fabric scraps, I’ve developed a bit of a system in my apartment. I now have a series of containers where I separate my fabric scraps into large, small, and unusable. Once I fill up my containers, it’s time to pass them along. The unusable scraps go into a trash bag marked “fabric scraps” and get delivered to one of the thrift stores. The larger pieces go to the 4-H and Project Linus groups. And the small pieces go to the kids just learning how to sew! I have a spreadsheet complete with everyone’s contact info, and I rotate who gets the next delivery of fabric goodness.

Let's take a tour of my sewing space!

Here is a big overview of what it looks like. My favorite part of my sewing space is all of the sunlight! I’ve worked in places with no windows before, and I know just how much it can affect my work ethic and general happiness to be without fresh air and sunshine. Plus, the natural light is a big plus for taking photos.

I work alone, but I do share my sewing space with my husband, because my sewing “room” is actually just a part of the living room/dining room. But this is actually a huge improvement from our last apartment, where I had to keep my sewing desk in the bedroom. As an early riser, I like to be able to sew before my husband wakes up!

My layout is mostly dictated by what fits. But I did make sure that I can reach all of my sewing machines by simply turning in a single chair, and all of my sewing notions are kept on one shelf, right next to my desk. The patterns, products, and fabrics are more spread out around the apartment. I’ve learned to optimize every little space in our home. Under the bed, under the couch, and most of the walls are all used as extra storage. I also have a folding table that only comes out when I need it. I try to keep things tidy, and use cute storage solutions, because there is no option to just close the door on my work-space if it looks like a disaster.

I don’t get many clients in my sewing space, but the ones who do see it always notice the wall of fabric that I have. My dad built me this wooden rack that holds several rolls of fabric, so that they can be within easy reach without taking up any floor space.

I’ve recently dedicated a section of my sewing space to be my recycling center. The series of baskets shown above in the reading nook/storage area is where I separate out large and small scraps in order to pass them along to other people like teachers and quilters. Whatever is leftover that can’t be used by other people has it’s own basket. I donate these scraps to Goodwill, who sends them on to a fabric recycler. I will be writing a dedicated post just about fabric recycling soon! I'm becoming obsessed!

The wooden posts you see are actually part of my booth display. I've found ways to use most of my booth props in our apartment. This works great as a way to minimize the amount of stuff we need to keep around for craft shows, but it also sucks because when I do a show, our entire apartment gets torn apart for a few days.

This is my mountain of drawers! Zippers, buttons, webbing, needles, eyes, rivets, tools, it all gets stored in this one area right next  to my desk. Easy access, and everything has a place! The top grey part is an organizer for hardware that I found at goodwill, and the middle section is actually a shoe organizer! And the colorful little baskets inside are kleenex boxes with the top cut out because they are the only thing I could find that were the perfect size!

I have a tendency to decorate  every inch of my walls! This canvas especially makes me happy, because it is a good reminder. My sewing space, like everything else in my business and life, is a work in progress. None of it is perfect, but I still love it!

I hope you've enjoyed this peak into my sewing space!
I'm always open to new storage ideas. Leave a comment if you have a suggestion!

I love new years.
And I love making new years resolutions.
I know, I know, it is a completely arbitrary date, but really, what is so bad about a trigger to help people remember to reflect on their life and inspire change? Who cares if it is arbitrary, really? Not me!

I'm not saying that you have to have a new years resolution, or that if you don't make a change on Jan 1st, you have to wait another year. But there is something to be said for group efforts. When everyone around you is determined to better their life, it can help inspire you to do the same. It does for me.

So as 2016 wraps up, and along with it my busiest season of business to date, I've been reflecting a lot on what this year has brought me, and where I want to go with my business and my life in 2017.

Looking back at my goals for 2016, I've realized that this year was all about growth for me. I've grown in so many different ways, from expanding my knowledge, to growing my audience, to bringing in more sales than I ever have before. I added another self employed day to my week, and I grew my network of like minded creatives for support.  I also grew more confident in myself and my business this year. One big milestone was my interview on the Etsy Conversations Podcast. It took me months to work up the confidence to apply, and even more gumption to actually listen to myself on the podcast (you know it's hard!) but I did, and in the end it was an extremely fulfilling venture outside my comfort zone. Another milestone in comfort was participating in the Yelp's Totally Bazaar. I was extremely intimidated by my fellow vendors (a lot of brick and mortar businesses that are much more established than me) but it ended up being one of the hightlights of my year!

Growing my business in 2016 has meant a growing workload as well, which has really affected the way I've begun thinking of 2017. I've noticed my growing jealousy towards sewers who have a wardrobe full of self made items. Jealousy is not a fun emotion to feel, but for me it's a red flag of what I'm missing in my life. And I've realized that this specific envy is occurring because instead of adding a business into the rest of my life, my business has simply taken over the time I used to take for myself (and then some). My constant focus on growth has lead me to be more and more of a workaholic these last few years. The other day I realized that it had been 3 years since I had sewn a piece of clothing for myself. THREE YEARS. This is not ok. I know that it's a trade joke that "the cobbler's children go unshod" (aka my entire closet needs alterations) but if I keep this up, I'm going to burn out.

 So instead of growth, (although I do still hope to grow) my target in 2017 is going to be FOCUS. Or maybe another good word for it would be INTENTIONAL. I want to take a step back, and make sure that the business that I am building is what I WANT, and not just the path I am swept down on my way to the faster growth. This means choosing where I want my business to go in the long run, and working towards that, with more balance in my life, more me-time, and more long term strategic thinking.

1. Continue Blogging and Emailing Once a Month. This has been working well for me in 2016!

2. Create at least 4 Clothing Sewing Patterns. Sewing patterns (and kits) is the direction I want to take my company. This means I need to really focus on creating more patterns, even though it means months of work before I can start bringing in profit from it. In the long run, these items are evergreen and can be sold forever.

3. Plan Out Patterns for each of my Sewing Level Categories. I have the categories, so now I need to fill them!

4. Sell my DIY Kits in stores. I love love love my kits! They use up discarded fabrics, and my original patterns. So obviously I need to spread the love.

5. Update all my PDF Instructions to include information about my Facebook Pattern Group. No one will know about the group if I don't go back and add it into the instructions! This is a fast goal, but a tedious one I've been putting off.

6. Work towards #FitTheFlux. This is something that has been running around in my brain for a while, and I'm hoping to get it started this year. Patterns that fit, even when your size fluctuates. If you are going to spend all that time on making your own wardrobe, you want to be able to wear it for a long time, even if your body is in flux.

7. Sell My Products in a Store in Fort Wayne, and on Mass Ave. I love being able to reach more customers and I love working with other local business owners.

8. Grow my Facebook Pattern Group. It's a community for people who use my patterns and kits, and want to get tips and share pics.

9. Super Slow Fashion Project. This is a project that I have always wanted to do, and I feel like it may help me to better appreciate my profession, and the professions surrounding me. I want to create a piece of clothing from scratch. As scratch as I can get. This means not only sewing it, but weaving the fabric. And spinning the yarn to create that fabric. And shearing the sheep to get the wool to make that yarn, and so on. I'm not entirely sure how this project would even work, or who I would need to contact to make it happen. But in a world full of super fast fashion, I want to take a time out to really appreciate what creating clothing used to look like. If anyone has any idea who could help me make this happen, I am all ears!

10. Take a Textiles Class. Textiles are my weakness! Especially because I get a lot of hand me down fabrics. I don't always know what fabric I'm working with, or how to take care of it. If I'm going to get serious about these patterns, I need to be able to recommend fabrics to people who use them, and I'd like to be able to help people take care of their finished garments. (once again, if you are going through all the effort to make it, might as well make it last!)

11. Pay Myself a Percentage of Profits Each Month. I've been struggling with how to start paying myself from the business without crippling my business if I have a slow period. I heard on a podcast that another creative business owner gets around this problem by using percentages. You take 20% (or however much) of the profit each month, and that way your business still gets profits as well. And it is a little extra incentive to make more sales to get paid more... I'm happy to say that I'm starting this method this month! :)

12. Give Myself a Raise. Any of you who have read my past blog posts know that I struggle with pricing my items. I made a big effort in 2016 to get my prices to a (mostly) fair point, while being able to pay myself (theoretically) $11 an hour.  But really, as the CEO/CFO/Marketing department/Designer/Seamstress/Customer Service Rep/Blogger/Website Designer/Salesperson/Researcher/Buyer/Social Media Rep of Goheen LLC I think I deserve a raise....

13. Create a Consistant Sizing Chart. If I'm selling clothing patterns, this is a must!

14. Create a Line Sheet. I'm hoping this will streamline my wholesale/consignment pitches.

15. Use Pattern Testers. I can't catch all the mistakes myself. Plus, I've gotta have all the different sizes tested out!

16. Contact 5 Sewing Blogs. Blogs are a great way for people to learn about new patterns, and once I have some new ones, I'm hoping to connect with my fellow online sewers and spread the word.

So, 16 goals is a lot (although 4 fewer than last year. I'm getting better I swear). Some will take me a day, some will take me all year. And I need to make sure that these goals don't crowd out my personal goals for the year (like they did in 2016). It won't be easy, but after reflecting on all this I am refreshed, and I am ready to get started!

I grew up in a family that truly valued a bargain. I learned from an early age that I : 1. Cannot afford everything that I want, so 2. When I do purchase something, it better be a good deal!  Getting a lot of bang for my buck has become something ingrained in me. Most of the things I buy are secondhand (excluding food...), I feel a desperate need to stop at every garage sale I happen to pass, and I am well practiced in the ways of searching for the lowest price possible for anything I may want or need. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I am very proud of being able to give some of the things that I buy a second life, so to speak. But there are times when I do buy new items, and I've found that my attitude towards the price of the things that I purchase has slowly started shifting.

I am now so much more familiar with all the back end work and overhead that goes into a business that I have a million times more respect for people who price their work at a sustainable level. It is not easy to do in a culture that is populated with people (like me) who are always searching for the lowest price. It is not easy in a society full of big chain stores that can sell a product similar to yours for a fraction of your price, simply because the labor is so much cheaper out of the country. I used to think that big chain stores could afford to sell at a lower price because they had found people SO good and SO fast at what they do, and that was the only difference. But I have worked at a factory, and I have seen that no matter how quickly the 30 year sewing veterans could whip out a product, the customers would still find the cost of production too high and instead choose one of the overseas factories. It is a simple matter of the cost of labor.

So now I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma, because in theory, I am a fan of supporting local. I'm a fan of American Made. I'm a fan of supporting small businesses. I say "in theory", because  of course I talk the talk. But do I walk the walk? No. Or, more specifically, not until recently. This past summer, I was confronted with this very dilemma and found that, this time, I couldn't just ignore my conscience.

My husband Eddie is growing out his beard. This is related, I promise. He'd bought some beard oil, and was on the lookout for a beard comb, to help keep it in line. I happened to run across a video on Facebook showing a clever little product called a Beard Bro shaping tool, which is a comb and a helpful shaving tool all in one. Even better, it was a small business out of Florida, and it was manufactured in the US. Awesome right? I decided it was a perfect little surprise for Eddie. So of course I typed "BeardBro" into google and clicked the shopping tab. It seemed to be sold all over the place... and the prices varies, but the lowest price was $1. Great! $1 it is! I go to check how long it takes to ship and see that it is shipping from Hong Kong.... what? It was the exact same product, with the exact same photos, but sold by a different person, from out of the country.

Sadly, you hear about this all the time in the business world. Some competitors will copy your products, and produce them for cheaper. But then some competitors go even further, and not only copy your products, but steal your photography and advertising online, making it extra confusing for your customers. I tracked down the actual website, and found that buying from the original company I wanted to meant paying $15, not including shipping. Old me, pre-business-owning-me, would have been sorely tempted to go with the $1 option. But now, knowing how hard that small business has had to work, knowing why they have to charge so much more, knowing how upset I would be if someone did the same to me, there was no real question. I HAD to put my money where my mouth was, and pay 15x more. My conscience would have kicked my butt otherwise.

I realize that this was only a $15 purchase, and it was a pretty clear case of right and wrong. Not all purchases are this clear, and not all purchases are this cheap. But it felt significant to me. It felt like a turning point. Owning this small business, has made a small change in how I view things, and has made this small purchase a small turning point in my life. But who knows, maybe it will turn into something much much bigger.

How have I not written a blog post about this yet?? I was so busy telling everyone I know in person, and on social media that I forgot to even mention it here on the blog!

Basically, for anyone who missed it, I have had the great honor of being interviewed by Ijeoma for her Etsy Conversations podcast last month! This is a huge thrill for me! I have been listening to this podcast since I first thought of selling on Etsy a few years ago. It has been a truly encouraging, informative and inspiring resource for me as a business owner. I made it my goal for 2016 to contact Ijeoma and offer to be on her podcast, and I did, but I never really thought it would happen! I am so honored to be a part of Etsy Conversations, and I hope that my story helps to pass on some of the same encouragement that I've received!

Head on over to Ijeoma's website, or to Sitcher or Itunes and listen to my episode! #145

Enjoy!

As the summer draws to a close, and we send kids (and husbands) back to school, I can’t help but think about all the amazing things I have be able to do and see in these past few months. We traveled to several places this summer, including Chicago, Toronto,  and New York  City. And in each of these places, I did something I’ve never done before: gone fabric shopping.

What?? How I have I never done this before?? Fabric is my bread and butter. I have been to all these cities before, you would think that I had looked at their sewing shops while I was there! But I haven’t! In my defense, I was quite a bit younger when I visited NYC and Toronto last. But Chicago…. I’m completely guilty. Not only have I been several times, but it is only a few hours away from me.
 
Honestly, the thought of seeking out new fabric stores to shop at has hardly ever crossed my mind. This is because, as most of you know, the majority of the materials I use for my business are second hand. Which means that I don’t usually spend a lot of time shopping for fabric. I tend to order any specific supplies I need online through a wholesale website. Even when I did do more shopping for fabric (like when I had to get supplies for my design classes at ball state) I really only had Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, or Hancock’s (RIP) to shop at. But this summer I have more than made up for my lack of fabric stores. And I wanted to share some of my pictures and experiences with you!

CHICAGO
 
My first trip was to Chicago, with the American Sewing Guild ladies from Indianapolis. We made a day trip out of it, and visited several different stores around town including Vogue Fabrics, Supreme Novelty Fabrics, Fishman’s Fabrics and Textile Discount Outlet.
 
First, here are some pictures of the first three:

Best for last:
 
Textile Discount Outlet is now my favorite fabric store. Ever. Just going into this store is an adventure in and of itself. The main floor starts out being relatively organized, and mostly priced. From there, you spread out into three floors, 13 rooms, and 75,000 sq ft filled with fabric. And I mean FILLED.  Floor to ceiling, and then some. I could have spent the entire day in this one store. Partly because of the size, and partly because the further you go inside the building the more you have to dig. Eventually, you end up in a dusty dirty corner of a dingy warehouse basement, opening random boxes of even more random sewing goods. Which is SO MUCH FUN! From what the other ladies told me, Textile Discount Outlet get a lot of their random assortment of inventory as mill ends, or from factories and stores going out of business. Which means you never quite know what you will find, but the prices tend to be great! I ended up buying some leather and some hardware (for a travel bag pattern I’m working on. It is going to be awesome!!) and there wasn’t even a set price for the hardware. The clerk called over a manager, who just threw out a (super cheap) number. I was in heaven.

TORONTO
 
Eddie and I went to Toronto for an Alzheimer’s conference, since his PHD research is in that field. While he was at the conference, I had a chance to do some exploring! We happened to be at a hotel only about a mile away from a whole street full of fabric shopping. They even had these cute thimble and button statues!

I visited several places, including King Textiles, Leo’s Textiles, Trendy Fabric, Affordable Textiles, Leather & Sewing Supply Depot, WorldSew Inc.
 
King Textiles was a really fun store, with a super cute window display of big yard sticks and vintage machines. I fell in love with a few different fabrics here, but  somehow refrained from buying anything.

Another favorite was the World Sewing Center which was the smallest, most crowded little shop I’ve ever seen. There were a few nooks and crannies that I could barely fit into, and I’m not a large person! I actually witnessed someone climbing on top of a huge pile of fabric rolls to pull something off a shelf.

NEW YORK CITY
 
After Toronto, we took a detour to visit one of my best friends in New York City! Despite a small snafu involving locking ourselves out of her apt in the pouring rain without our phones, we had a blast! We had one day to explore the city, and it was my absolute goal to go to Mood Fabrics. Eddie came with, and made fun of me for my complete mood change from hungry and tired pre-fabric shop and completely jazzed post-fabric shop.

He also informed me that he wanted an entire fabric made out of selvage, because he liked the fuzzy feel on the ends of the fabric rolls! I couldn't seem to explain to him that this wasn't really possible...

I loved the elevator operator, and the doggie mascot, and there was a huge selection of exotic leather, but (despite Eddie’s encouragement) didn’t find anything I HAD to have at Mood.

All in all, I restrained myself surprisingly well when it came down to buying materials this summer. But I suppose, for me, fabric shopping is really more about the inspiration than the need to purchase. I have so many ideas and plans after seeing so much fabric. I feel completely recharged and full of a million ideas! I can’t wait to show you guys some of them!  Stay tuned!

I’ve made patterns before. And I’ve taught sewing classes before. But this past weekend was the first time that I’ve combined the two. After teaching my last class at the Indy Trade School (if you haven’t heard of them, it is definitely worth checking out!) about how to use downloadable patterns, one of my students suggested that I teach how to actually sew one of my Indiana Pillow patterns next.

I thought this class would be more nerve wracking to teach (I am a terrible public speaker) but it was actually so much better! I should have just started with a sewing class instead of the presentation on patterns, which I thought would be easier! Sometimes my tiptoeing nature ends up making things harder on myself. Teaching sewing is much less formal than a presentation, and I felt so much more relaxed this time. Although that may also be because I had some awesome students!

Ann, Lynda, and Steve were so much fun to work with, and I loved seeing their ideas for their Indiana pillows. Re-purposing old pillow stuffing, celebrating Butler, or creating a party decoration, everyone brought their own story to the sewing machine and I found it fascinating and inspiring to see how everyone managed to individualize their creations.


Despite a few machine setbacks, everyone managed to end up with a beautiful pillow in the end!

The biggest challenge (after hauling a carload of sewing tools into the coffee shop: Thank you Steve for your help!) was actually how much time we needed. Because this was my first time teaching this class, I misjudged how much time we would need. Timing myself making a pillow apparently really doesn’t work well as a benchmark since I regularly sew 40 hours a week and I know the pattern backwards and forwards. The class was supposed to be from 3:30 to 5:00, and even with starting a bit early, I didn’t end up leaving until 6:00!

Luckily, Josie, the owner of Rabble Coffee was super nice and willing to stay late to let us keep working. I had never been to Rabble Coffee before this class. The trade school used to be located in the circle city industrial complex, which is where I taught my last class. But I definitely prefer Rabble! Not only do they make a delicious smoothie, but I find it an inspiring place! Josie, who seems to be about my age (although I am a notably terrible judge of these things), has apparently wanted to open a coffee shop since she was a kid, and has had Rabble up and running for almost a year now. A cool girl living out her dream while making a difference in a comeback neighborhood. I don’t know about you but I think this is super inspiring. Maybe it’s the struggling business owner in me.

Basically, count me in for going back to Rabble, and count me in for teaching another Trade School class. It was more fun, and even more inspiring than I had hoped for.

Michelle and I met through Etsy. She has a shop on Etsy and has only recently plunged into the world of brick and mortar business. As she was getting ready to open, she put out a call out for local artists on one of the Etsy forums and I happened to see it. I looked into her shop, and saw that it was right up my alley. Michelle is an upcycling queen! (or should I say goddess…) She takes vintage furniture and repaints it, using environmentally friendly paint that she has developed herself. Every piece in her shop is unique and beautiful; my personal favorites are the trunks.

Alongside her furniture, my re-purposed fabric pillows fit right in! So we decided to work together. My pillows are sold through the junkyard goddess on consignment. This means that I get paid 60% of the purchase price if and when an item sells.  This allows Michelle to stock more of my items, because she doesn’t have to pay my cut upfront.  A 60/40 split is very standard in the consignment business, and really comes into play when I price products. If you want to learn more about my pricing, you should read my blog post “Why Are My Prices Changing??”.

And lucky for me I picked a great retailer! Because even though the store just opened, Michelle has already sold several of my pillows! Speaking of opening, the grand opening party was a great success! Michelle knows how to throw a party. Free food, drinks, massages, and entertainment helped to draw a crowd, and we artists set up in the parking lot for a local pop-up shop. My husband snapped a picture of me putting up my booth. With a wild Rattata of course.

If you are disappointed that you didn’t get a chance to go to the grand opening event, don’t worry, there will be another fun event next month! Aug 28th will be a Girls Night Out at the Junkyard. There will be wine, facials, shopping and more for any ladies who might be interested in coming out. 

The Junkyard Goddess is an amazing new addition to SoBro! Even though it just opened its doors a few months ago, it has already been nominated for Nuvo’s 2016 Best of Indy in the Best Local Home/Gift Store category. You should most definitely check this Eco-Boutique out in person. And, if you feel like voting, head on over to the Nuvo website to cast your ballot.

If you want to check out Michelle's website, go to www.junkyardgoddess.com and right now, you may see a certain someone featured on the homepage ;)