The Mint Sweater

06/07/2026

Got brave today to try out making mugs for the first time!

They turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

Here’s your official…

New product alert! New mugs just hit the floor.

(I can do customization to already existing designs per requests).

These cuties pair so well with the outfits and accessories in the summer collection for all the upcoming memories to be made this season!

🤗❤️

06/03/2026

A little shop owner honesty today.

I haven’t been posting. I haven’t been on top of my marketing. And the guilt and the feeling of failure has been eating me up.

The truth is, I’ve been going through an extremely difficult time. And when life gets hard, I retreat. I pull inward, I get quiet, I do what I need to survive what I’m going through. Without a storefront, you can disappear for a little while when you need to and it goes unnoticed. But now, going quiet has consequences. And I hate that.

When life gets heavy, the amount I can handle decreases. Things have to come off the plate just to cope. Just to get through. And right now, that’s where I am. I’m trying my best with what I’m capable of, and right now, that’s not a lot.

I’m behind on the summer collection. Behind on merchandising. Behind on everything. And I don’t have it in me to do what I normally do, let alone take on the added pressure of “more.” It’s hard. I hate disappointing my customers. I hate feeling like I’m overworking myself just to keep things afloat and still falling short.

But I’m here. I’m trying. And showing up for this shop, even imperfectly, is part of how I get through the hard seasons.

The first summer drops are already on the floor and waiting for you. I’m working on getting the rest there.

And here is your soft reminder, to show up for your community. For your friends. For your small businesses. We are all just trying to get through this thing called life, one day at a time.

And with that all that said, swipe through for a few highlights from the shop lately, some little bits of what’s been going on inside these walls.❤️

05/16/2026

❤️❤️❤️ Thank you guys for the love & support! ❤️❤️❤️

Official 2026 Community Voting Awards Platform for Newport News, VA. Where the community votes for their favorites every year.

05/14/2026

NEXT WEEK, FRIENDS!!!

Mark your calendars, save the date, set your alarms, make a plan and come see me the The Bodacious Bazaar

05/14/2026

🌸 📣 Consider this your warning!! Spring is wrapping up at The Mint Sweater, and I mean that literally.⁠
⁠
If you’ve been eyeing anything in the shop, this is your last week to grab it before it heads to The Bodacious Bazaar with me. Whatever goes to market is gone for good, we’re not restocking spring. Once it’s out the door, we’re moving straight into summer, and there’s no coming back for it.⁠
⁠
And speaking of the market.. Here’s what you’re in for, and you’ll totes want to make a day of it.⁠
⁠
The Bodacious Bazaar is a spring shopping event with 200+ vendors spanning fashion, handmade art, home décor, gourmet finds, and everything in between. ⁠
⁠
It’s become a home for The Mint Sweater every spring, and for good reason, this market is a once-a-year opportunity that makes shopping small businesses easy, enjoyable, and completely doable. It’s indoors, there’s food, and you can visit dozens of small businesses under one roof in a single day. Come for an hour, or two, or make a whole day of it.⁠
⁠
And if you’re already thinking ahead, so am I, friend...⁠
⁠
I’ll be debuting the first drop of the summer collection at this market: new clothes, jewelry, accessories, and more hitting the floor for the very first time. If you want a taste of summer and first dibs on brand new arrivals before anyone else, this is exactly where you’ll want to be.⁠

⁠The Bodacious Bazaar⁠:

🗓️ Friday May 22, 2026 I 10 am - 7 pm⁠
🗓️ Saturday May 23, 2026 I 10 am - 7 pm⁠
🗓️ Sunday May 24, 2026 I 10 am - 6 pm⁠
⁠
📍 Hampton Roads Convention Center⁠
1610 Coliseum Dr.⁠
Hampton, VA 23666⁠
⁠
🎟️ Tickets & info: https://www.bodaciousbazaar.com/spring/⁠
⁠
Come find me there! Whether you’re grabbing the last of spring or getting first pick of summer, it’s all happening at this market.⁠
⁠
Will I see you there?

05/08/2026

Spring in the shop, twenty twenty-six edition. ⁠💫
⁠
This year’s collection was built around a theme, “On the other side of winter. For when we thaw, we bloom.”⁠🪻
⁠
And that’s exactly what walking through these doors feels like right now. Handmade pieces full of vintage touches, sweet florals, soft colors, and warmth. ⁠
⁠
In-house designs carrying the message of this season- inspiration, hope, the breath of fresh air that says you will get through this. ⁠
⁠
Dresses that take you from wedding ceremonies to garden strolls to Hilton Village afternoons, lace details for the moments that turn into memories, and playful combinations of skirts, shorts, tops, and sweaters for every mood this transitional season brings.⁠
⁠
All of it put together to mean something. ⁠💛
⁠
To symbolize the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. The quiet promise that winter always makes way.⁠
⁠
Spring is almost coming to an end, enjoy it in the shop before it too, like winter, says goodbye.⁠
⁠
Come in to see our spring collection before the pieces and the season slip away. 🍃

04/29/2026

Not everything in my shop is handmade by me.. and here’s the honest truth about why…
⁠
Come follow along with me as I make 32 bow keychains for my shop, because I want you to see what handmaking something actually looks like from start to finish. ⁠
⁠
the learning, the fabric hunting, fabric selecting, fabric curating, the cutting, the ironing, the sewing, the stuffing, the finishing... every single step. It takes longer than you think and costs more than you’d expect, not including my time.⁠
⁠
and these little bows? they’re part of something bigger. ⁠
⁠
A full spring collection I’ve been quietly building, curated down to every color and every detail so it all feels like it belongs together. ⁠
⁠
There’s so much more to share, and I cannot wait.⁠
⁠
If you want to see more handmade from me, support the handmade. *cough* buuy the handmade *cough*... ⁠
⁠
That’s really how this works. ❤️⁠
⁠
Save this one, share it with a small shop supporter, and stay tuned.. more spring collection behind the scenes coming soon.⁠
⁠
And drop a 🎀 below if you want to see more behind the scenes like this in the future.

04/15/2026

I’ve been meaning to share a life/shop update for a while… just not this one.

By now you’ve probably seen, Painted Tree Boutiques has closed all locations and ceased all operations effective immediately.

This means my Virginia Beach space, where The Mint Sweater has been for nearly four years, is now officially closed. As of yesterday, that location is no longer open for shopping.

To my Southside customers, I’m so sorry. I know so many of you shopped with me there, and I’m really grateful for all the support that space brought over the years.

Once things settle a bit, I’ll be working on finding a new home for The Mint Sweater on the Southside.

In the meantime, my Newport News location is still open and running, and all Virginia Beach inventory will be moved there. I’ll also be hosting a sale soon, more details coming.

Please know I’m thinking of all the other vendors affected, the staff, and the small business community.

I wish I knew the right thing to say right now. I don’t quite have the right words yet. I’m still processing, still in shock, and still trying to catch my breath from it all. I still feeling like I cannot believe what just happened, well, happened.

This is not the first lost I’ve had to go through this year, and I’m honestly one loss more than I can handle right now.

I’m still processing everything, so thank you for your patience while I figure out next steps. And as always, thank you for continuing to support The Mint Sweater, it truly means a lot.

Xo