Marcey Max's dining room has turned into a "sweatshop." Her nails haven't seen a salon in months. And her allotment of downtime has dwindled to a measly one or two hours a week.

But the Ellicott City wife, mother of two teens and full-time sales rep doesn't regret adding entrepreneurship responsibilities to her overflowing plate. She's excited about the future of her business, mitt-minders, which produces fashion accessories that help prevent glove loss.

"It's exciting," Max said. "We're saving the world's gloves one pair at a time."

The "mompreneur" launched mitt-minders with her New Jersey-based sister, Cheryl Max, last summer. In late 2007, the siblings had a casual conversation about the frustration and ease of losing gloves, especially expensive ones.

By early 2008, they devised a prototype. And after months of Internet research and development, they got their first account.

Now, they have mitt-minders for sale in 24 stores in seven states. Two county retailers offer them, Abbington Home in Columbia and Parcel Plus in Dorsey's Search Village Center.

Mitt-minders look like miniature suspenders. One end clips onto your sleeve. The other clips onto a glove or mitten. Similar products for children exist; but the patent-pending mitt-minders are the first such products for "fashionable women," according to Max.

Currently, they're marketed mainly toward women, because of their rhinestone rivets. Max hopes to add a unisex line containing grommets instead of rhinestones in the near future. And she thinks the $14.95 pair pay for themselves in the long-run.

"This isn't a luxury item," Max said. "You're buying glove insurance."

Pairs can also be purchased at www.mittminders.com.

Production of the current line took place at Baltimore's The League for People with Disabilities Inc., which provides vocational training and employment to those with physical and mental disabilities. Max's living room doubles as the packing and shipping facility for retail and Web orders. Her 14-year old, Trevor, regularly serenades her with his acoustic guitar while she works in the evenings.

Her sister is in charge of procuring material from New York City's Garment District.

Though her evenings and weekends now consist of working on prototypes, visiting retailers and taking care of Web orders, Max still fulfills her regular mom duties. In between her day job and her side job, she still makes blueberry pancakes for sick ones in her household and shows up to all of her sons' sporting events. Attending her Centennial freshman's and senior's games actually gives her rare moments of rest.

"It's the only time I'm sitting still," she said.

Max and her sister have sold about 700 pairs of mitt-minders and were contacted by Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon's office to be a vendor at one of the city's holiday craft shows in December. Max was also featured on a local TV station as part of a series on local "mompreneurs."

Publicity-wise, she and her sister shot for the stars, literally. They sent Oprah a couple pairs of mitt-minders in November, along with the star's favorite tulips. They contacted one of her regular Chicago-area florists to place the order. They're still waiting for a reply from the "queen of daytime."

Max's business goal for this year? Get more national exposure by contacting gift guide editors and high-circulation magazines, such as "Redbook" and "Glamour." She hopes mitt-minders become a nationwide hit and that her business branches out to other areas.

"I'm hopeful," Max said. "And, it would be nice to have something to leave the kids."

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