Drumroll, please

Okay -- big news to share today, friends:



After over six years of doing chez-sucre-chez as my only full-time and regular means of income and employment, an opportunity has come up that I cannot refuse. I've been given the chance to pursue my one true other love as a maker -- baking. Come July, I will be the lead baker at a new coffee shop opening up in Flemington, New Jersey.

!!!

I know, right? It's kind of a big deal. At least, it's a big change.

First of all, it means that I'm going to have to move; the commute from here would just be too much - it's well over an hour each way. It's been a wonderful few years here at High Hill Farm and I hate to leave! And, frustratingly, I don't have anything lined up over there yet. Ugh! Any of you have any leads on a little house or apartment in the Flemington/Frenchtown/Lambertville area? Moving to New Jersey... yeah - not psyched on that...(I was born & raised there; I can say that!) I'd happily take a place over the river in Bucks county if I find anything available there. Fingers crossed that something good comes up - soon.

Second of all -- wow - what a change, from being my only boss and working from home, to going to work every day and having someone else really calling the shots! Whew!

FORTUNATELY, that boss is my sister and brother-in-law. They own and run the popular Blue Fish Grill in Flemington, and when, a year-ish ago they said they were planning on opening a coffee shop, my heart did a little flip-flop, as I quickly went to the daydream of being the one who makes the baked goods. I put it out there as almost a joke (but kind of not really a joke), and they went for it! I'm over-the-moon grateful that I come from the family that I do, and that, even without a culinary degree or even commercial kitchen experience, I've got peeps who believe in me and my capabilities.

If you've been following this blog or my instagram for a while, you probably know that baking (cooking in general, but baking especially) is something dear to me. As I've been thinking about it, it's been a cool realization that it is just a part of who I am. At my core, I am a maker -- creating and sharing what I do with others is pretty much what makes me feel most alive (tie with being on a dancefloor with some cocktails and my friends).

So, this is happening!
However, I'm not leaving chez-sucre-chez behind! I love it way too much to even think about doing that. What I am looking forward to, though, is not having to rely on chez-sucre-chez so much as my only paycheck. I do admit, wracking my brain to come up with new products, and seeing the way that the world of small businesses like mine is evolving, was kind of starting to get to me. I think I've taken the business where I've wanted it to go, and without hiring other people, I don't think I can grow it much more than what it is. So --- without changing chez-sucre-chez, it's time for a new challenge for me. I'll be spending lots of hours in the kitchen, but then I'll have my beloved little chez-sucre-chez to come home to. The shop and wholesale business will remain unchanged. I think I may need to adjust for slightly longer turn-around time on custom work, but everything else should remain about the same. I'm actually looking forward to feeling some of the weight off of me, and hoping it'll provide the breathe of fresh air that I'm seeking, allowing me to breathe that into my creative stitch work.

But the next month is going to be nuts! As I'm packing up the studio (!!!), I am finding A LOT of work that is stitched up and ready to go - and really needs to go. Some of it is product left over from shows, like towels, napkins, bowl covers, and some other random products that I'd squirrelled away and forgotten about. The rest of it is stitched work. Friends, I do A LOT of stitching and often it's just for the sake of making a new design. A lot of that work never got put into the shop - but it's there now! I am a packrat and I get so attached to these things I spend such long hours stitching, but I can't take this all with me... I need to lighten the load of what is going with me. Hence, a MEGA SALE. If ever you've wanted a stitched piece by me, now is the time to go for it. Check out the items in the shop, and, if there is anything you want that is not listed, any particular piece that you remember from somewhere or other that I'd done, get in touch -- chances are, I have it but just haven't listed it; seriously.

Kits are also on sale! I'm running the 3-for$30 deal through this Friday only. Then I'll be packing those things up. So stock up now for your summer projects!