An abridged autobiography

Hi! Welcome to my blog and welcome to the wonderful world of Camelot's Treasures!

What is Camelot's Treasures and who am I, you ask? Well here goes..

Camelot's Treasures is a store I made to sell my creative articles. At the moment, it features fashionable handmade doll clothes to fit the American Girl and similar dolls. Inspiration from these outfits come from the fashion world around us, while I watch my daughter grow from a Dora the Explorer-loving to a Hannah Montana-loving to whatever comes next. You will find many outfits and fabrics that you might find in your local department store for girls.

I am Guinivere, hence the name of Camelot's Treasures. I have ALWAYS wanted to have some sort of business that featured the name Camelot...I know it's corny, but I think it works. And I like it. But NO ONE except for my grandparents call me that; friends now me as Guin.

Now for a little background on me. I'm a bit of a vagabond, or a wanderer. I've lived in 7 different states and I'm only 28 (at this moment anyway). I've been coast to coast, so if you want to know which coast has the better beaches, I'm the person to ask. Was I a military brat? No, well now I may be considered that, but not at the beginning of my life. My parents were tired of the rat race of California, so we moved to Kentucky when I was 14. Drastic difference, let me tell you!

I have been creative/crafty (not artsy, mind you) all my life. And I've definitely be an oppurtunist, although I never realized that until my freshman english teacher told me. I have always been on the look out for ways to either make others happy, while making money. I'm in my element when I'm in charge, so my ultimate goal was to one day own and operate my own business, and I didn't really care what it was.

I went to college a little later than some do, not right after high school. Life seemed to want to take me on a different direction, so I ended up enlisting in the Navy, getting discharged from the Navy, marrying my Marine boyfriend, having my first child, getting a divorce, then going to college. And all that before I turned 23! I attended Johnson and Wales University in Norfolk, VA, and recieved my associates degree in Culinary Arts. So, technically, I'm a chef by trade, and in my 10 year plans, I would definitely like to have my own restuarant; maybe even my own Bed and Breakfast. But don't ask me what my speciality is, because at the moment it's just Mac & Cheese.

I got married to my current husband, 4 years ago, and became a military spouse again. Shortly after moving to our current duty station in Maine, we had our son, and I became a stay at home mom.

Let me tell you, stay at home mom's deserve a medal or something! Don't get me wrong, I love my children (now 7 and 2), but I am not exactly a person who can be at home all day with the same people day in and day out. And I LOVE productivity. So when push came to shove, and there was no way that I could get a job in the outside world, I started to look for things to do that would fill that hole.

I became an active adult volunteer in the local Girl Scout organization; I am VERY involved with that, sometimes, now that I look back, a bit too much. It can be very overwhelming, albeit a LOT of FUN! But that wasn't enough...I wanted to make a little money on the side...so I started to look at my skills.

Being a personal chef really wasn't an option, because we only had one car. So that was no go. And I can barely stand being around my children f0r any prolonged time, so being a childcare provider was completely out of the question. But then one day my daughter asked me at the store if we could buy her Cabbage Patch Kid some clothes. I was up for it, but then I looked at the selection and the prices and was shocked! I couldnt' believe how much they were charging for almost ugly outfits - one of my daughter's outfits is yellow and brown, straight from the 70's...which is ok, if you like that stuff, but I don't.

I remember back when I was a child that my mother and grandmother both showed me how to use the sewing machine. One summer visit with my grandmother we made a cute little green and white striped short outfit, which now I look at wondering what I was thinking, but I remembered how proud of myself I was after it was completed. And after my daughter was born, I made her a few cute outfits, one that she wore for her 6 months pictures, actually. So I knew I could do it. I just had to convince my husband to take me to the store buy me a sewing machine and get rolling.

And the rest they say is history...

Now I'm looking for anyway to use my craftiness to make cute projects that I can share with others. And it's almost become a family event (sans husband, who isn't into this stuff), where my daughter and I have little "stylist" parties where we make necklaces and bracelets and come up with future outfits. It's a lot of fun, not to mention gratifying that something that I made makes another person happy. I LOVE seeing a girl's doll wearing the outfit that I made!

So that's it for tonight...I know it's a lot...please forgive me, this is my first "blog." Next time it will be shorter and a bit more concise...or let me know what you think you would like for me to share!

Thanks for reading!