a bit of a backstory...

okay, so who is themerryhomemaker and what is mix? long story short(ish), about two years ago i started selling on etsy.com. {i love etsy!} after buying on etsy for a few years, i took the plunge and opened our childrens shop FlutterBerryStudio.etsy.com! we make items for tea time, play time, party time and baby time. i say 'we' because for about a year now my mom and sister have joined in on the fun by filling orders, helping me come up with new products, shipping and so on.

here are some of the products that we enjoy making and have offered on flutterberry...

 i say 'i took the plunge' but really i struggled with the shops concept, name {my daughter helped me with the name} and the items i wanted to sell on it for almost a year before i actually decided to go forward with the venture. about two months after making it official with flutterberry, the idea of themerryhomemaker.etsy.com literally just popped into my head! clear as day was the concept, the name and the goodies i wanted to sell in my shop. the two words 'retro red'  became a bit of an obsession. i like to think it was kind of gift from my grandma jo who has passed and whom i love and miss very much. that night i opened the shop and within a few weeks i made my first sale. 

i sell handmade, vintage and repurposed housewares like these..

merry little housewares that i could imagine a 1950's homemaker would want to use in her clean and tidy kitchen. p.s. i am NOT themerryhomemaker. my kitchen is rarely tidy! though it is filled with vintage Pyrex, fun mason/ball jars and cute towels like i am sure themerryhomemaker has in her well organized cooking spot!

i found this fun little retro baker graphic from karen at thegraphicsfairy.blogspot.com. take note of her fun little hand held mixer ;)

there is the story behind themerryhomemaker. now for mix...

mix is the store front and creative work studio for our etsy shops! can you belive it?! we went brick and mortar! my mom and my sister AND i have moved the crowded work/shipping spaces OUT of our homes into a new space! the masses of fabric, product and other supplies for our etsy shops went along as well. they are right at home living in our shop that is housed in an old brick building on the main steet of my little oregon town. the building was built in 1912 as a bank! and yes, the vault is still there! we use it for our kid's playroom! lol!

when we moved our supplies, we also started selling them to all of our local friends and of course on etsy. we offer quilt quality bright, playful cottons that all have a hint of vintage/retro fun to them from companies by riley blake and lakehouse dry goods.

we are having fun decorating mix in the same way. bright and playful with lots of vintagey, retro touches. many of grandma jo's knick knacks and such live there, which makes us feel comfy and cozy in our new space. here is a little sneak peak of it. with more to come soon, i promise!

wishing you many merry hours of sewing, crafting and vintage fun finding!

til we meet again! ~alanna