Gettin' Crafty.

The urge to create has been hitting me big time lately. As if creating new children's boutique clothing wasn't time-consuming enough, I often find myself incredibly distracted trying to come up with side projects... which end up getting connected back to the children's clothing one way or another. A perfect example are these dollies:

I made a couple for my girls and they loved them. So then I decided that a sweet repeat customer of mine needed one for her little sweetie to match her newest boutique outfit. Then, it ballooned into EVERY customer of mine MUST have one. Jon thinks I'm crazy, and maybe I am, but it puts a smile on my face when I get the amazed comments from satisfied customers. So, if you've purchased from me in the past 3 - 4 weeks... you're gettin' one! LOL! Don't they look so cute on top of their matching outfit? Here's one I sent out last week...

I've also being going yoyo crazy, thanks to a nifty little tutorial on Heather's blog. They are just so much fun to make and I can make them while hanging out with the kids or watching TV or talking on the phone. I made these 4 yesterday while talking to my mom on the phone during lunch... They are made with my new favorite Amy Butler LOTUS fabric and adorned with some gorgeous vintage pearlized buttons from my huge stash of vintage stuff...

Then I decided to mount them on pinbacks so they could easily be attached to any part of your clothing and detached when ready to wash. I used a small piece of coordinating grosgrain ribbon and secured it to the back with some good ol' hand stitching...

Next (probably tonight) I will be making some larger ones with other vintage butt ons and attaching them to alligator clips to be worn on the hair... these will be offered on eBay as OOAKs since I only have two of these fabulous vintage buttons.

Look for these hairflowers probably on Thursday, when I list the coordinating set for the Designer's Notion "Spring Fashion Event" launch.

Seven-year itch? Nah!

Jon & I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary quietly at home tonight. Since we are going to see Cirque Du Soleil on Friday, we decided that we should just stay home tonight and take it easy. But since I am a sneaky snake, I snuck out this afternoon and visited our local world food market and Jon's favorite liquor store, Friar Tuck's. What resulted from my little excursion was a delectable Middle-Eastern feast topped off with a buffet of his favorite imported beers. We had lemon hummus with pita bread, spinach pies, Greek AND Bulgarian feta cheese (the Bulgarian one was way tastier!) and finished off with a selection of Lebanese baklava that was too die for!


Of course, what put a HUGE smile on his face was the libations. He even took a picture of one of the bottles with his camera phone just so he could email it to his friend, Todd, who is also a beer enthusiast. The girls and I decorated the table with fresh flowers, candles and colorful place mats. The beautiful sunset shining through the kitchen nook window provided the most perfect backdrop for this anniversary celebration.

OK, so sue me!

I broke my own promise. I promised I would write one new post every day and here I am ... 4 days late! Shame on me! But I have a good excuse: I've been busy! Yes, I know, we all are. That's no excuse.

But I've been really busy! I completed a custom for a client and mailed it out. I did a monster photo shoot for Baby Gassy Gooma -- 17 pieces of clothing modeled in many different ways by Sydney which turned into over 400 photos edited down to 96 good ones... WHEW! I completed an auction template for the Designers Notion "Spring Fashion Event". I completed about 75% of a brand new design for the above mentioned launch (which, BTW, it starts this Thursday, March 1st, so please check it out!) I hung out with the family and visited with friends. Did I get any sleep this weekend?... not really. But I accomplished everything I set out to do, so I feel good.

Right now, I'm feeling energized because a new shipment of fabric just came in (you know, during my 4-day hiatus). We're talking... Fresh Cut by Heather Bailey, Lotus by Amy Butler, Dandy Damasks by Michael Miller. Yards and yards and yards of glorious fabric! Oh yeah! I am literally drooling here looking at all this stuff. And the set I almost completed this weekend is made with my favorite of the Lotus prints... this one! I will share tomorrow. I have no energy to take pictures right now.

Off to bed.

Busy Bee

I can't recall the last time I was THIS busy. Well, actually I can. It was around Sophia's b-day last year and I had so much on my plate that I almost had a breakdown. So I guess this isn't so bad since I don't have a b-day party to plan as well. But I do have a vacation to get ready for. But I can handle it!

In addition to the customs I already had to sew, I sold 2 new pieces yesterday, unexpectedly... those are the best kind! First, a nice lady I met recently at a kids expo came over to check out my sewing studio and she ended up ordering Petit Jardin for her 13-month old super cute baby girl. I can't wait to make this one... it will be by far the smallest outfit I have ever made... HOW FUN! Then, just a few minutes after she left, I get an email from a random ebayer asking me if I could set up a private Buy It Now auction for La Dolce Vita. She apparently was "watching" it and forgot to bid at the end and now "had to have it" hee hee. SOLD!

In addition to the customs and new orders, I also received a HUGE (and let me repeat: HUGE) box of samples from Baby Gassy Gooma for Sydney to model. 17 pieces altogether including a pair of super cute euro boots. WHOA! It was like X-Mas time here when we were taking everything out of the box. It's gonna take me forever to photograph it all, but I am so excited. Their Winter 2007 collection is TDF and I'm just so thrilled to get a sneak peek at it. Wish I could share here, but I can't... I'm under contract! ;)

Oh, and I almost forgot: I also have to design 2 logos and get at least one full outfit sewn, photographed and listed before I leave for Florida on March 6th. I am the leader of the Designers' Notion "Spring Fashion Event" launch that starts March 1st... so I HAVE to list something, right? What kind of example would I be setting if I didn't? LOL! It's a wonder I even have time to come here and write this, but I promised myself I would do at least one entry a day, so here it is! Gotta go work now!!! Until tomorrow...

PS... sorry no photos on this post. I know, I'm a visual person and love seeing pretty pictures too, but I haven't had time to download any photos from my camera today... promise tomorrow I'll show something pretty! Keep checking!!

TAG... I'm it!

My good friend and fellow colleague in the custom boutique community, Sandi (portabellopixie), has tagged me! It's my first time being tagged (well, since 5th grade!) so I'm rather excited. She says, "The rule is it has to be something you have created, and it must be your favorite." Well, that wasn't hard for me. My favorite design is usually my newest design (or whatever I am currently working on). I am currently working on 3 different new sets and none of them are anywhere near showing condition, so I will share with you my current MOST FAVORITE completed set.


I made this about a month ago, but am just now getting around to listing it on eBay. It is titled "Playtime" and it is my favorite design for one simple reason: it is the kind of clothes kids actually want to wear. Most boutique sets out there are really made for mommy to enjoy, not really for the kid. This one has everything a kid likes:
1. It's super comfy (Sydney did not want to take it off after this photo session)
2. It's got every color in the rainbow (as Sophia so cleverly pointed out)
3. It has a fun reversible smock for all of her art projects with lots of pockets to carry all her treasures.
4. AND, the most fun part: it comes with a matching dolly, and you even get to pick out her hair color... how fun is that!?

So, until my next creation is ready to show, this is My Favorite. Thanks, Sandi, for tagging me. This was so much fun. OK, so it's my turn... I will tag Megan, Gyl and Dayna. TAG... you're it!

A Winter Wonderland!

Yes, I still do miss Florida but when I look outside my window and see this, I just can't help but smile. We were homebound for 3 days during the awful storm that struck half the country, so that was no fun, but afterwards it was just beautiful! The weather is gorgeous right now. I had to trek in knee-deep snow just to capture these shots but it was so worth it!!!

I just love how the sun peeks through the tree branches and rests on that soft blanket of snow. The shadows are so ethereal. This one to the right is a view from my backyard, looking right towards the neighbors' yard.

This next one is looking left towards our other neighbors' yard.



And this is the back of our house. Check out how high the snow is piling up on our back porch! It almost swallowed me whole when I came out to take these pictures! LOL!


We're supposed to be getting a box-full of sets from Baby Gassy Gooma this week for Sydney to model, so we should be able to get some pretty shots... luckily it's for their Winter 2007 collection so it'll be warm stuff (coats, boots, etc.) Cant wait!!

WOOHOO! I've been "Hand Picked" ...

... by the YaYas! The fabulous group of eBay custom boutique designers, The YaYas, are having a Spring-themed guest launch and they've decided to title it "Hand Picked" because they said they hand picked all their guests... ain't that sweet? They even came up with this nifty little logo showing all of our id's on the petals of the flower (check out modkidboutique right at the top of the flower):




For this awesome launch I've created a special little 2-piece ensemble that is ready-made and ready to ship in size 2T / 3T.



Now, I know some of you ladies are thinking, why not a "custom"? Well, it's not because I don't have enough fabric or I don't want to re-make it. It's simple: see, by the time this auction ends and I receive payment and measurements from the winning bidder, I will be leaving for a 7-day vacation to my beloved Florida, so I didn't want to disappoint the winning bidder by being extremely late on their custom order. So, here's what I'll do: If you fall in love with this set and you must have it in another size than what's listed, I will gladly set up a custom auction for you when I return from my vacation. Just email me and we'll get all the details squared away! Deal? Deal!



Oh, I almost forgot! Here's the eBay auction link: click here

A Peek Inside...

...my sewing studio! I've been asked before to share pictures, but it was always too messy to show... hee hee! So I took a couple of hours this weekend and cleaned it up for you guys (ain't I nice?).

What's that funky pattern covering up the window, you ask? Well, I was getting a ton of glare from the sun peeking in and I just couldn't get anything done, so in order to block out all light I took a large piece of cardboard, cut it to size and covered it with this funky vintage fabric from the 70's. Yes, I am in a dark dungeon now, but at least it's a pretty, colorful, psychedelic dungeon! ;)

And just so the fabric wouldn't get lonely, I paired it up with a lava lamp. The problem is... the only two outlets under my desk are taken up by my sewing machine & serger. Guess I gotta go invest in an extension cord.

Here's a fun game for ya: how many things can you spot from the store IKEA? Yes, I'm a big fan of affordable minimalist furniture! OK, I'll help ya out: the table and chair are from there, as well as these (they're spice jars but don't they look better as button jars?):
Oh, and this too:
Of course, no sewing room is complete without "the stash":


And the fruits of my labor:


Well, that's the end of the tour! Hope you enjoyed it! Come back anytime.

My Ten Most Favorite Things in the Whole World
(well, besides my children and my husband and peace and love and freedom... yada yada yada)

1. Lindemans Lambic
A delicious fruity beer from my favorite European country... Belgium! I've been infatuated with it for about 15 years now... and in my mid-20's I was actually quoted at a party saying "My doctor said My Lambic!" ... yah, dorky! My favorite flavors are Framboise (raspberry), Cassis (currant) and Kriek (cherry).

2. Philosophy 3-in-1 Shower Gels
Well, if I can't eat it I might as well bathe in it, right? I discovered them about 2 years ago while shopping at Sephora in Orlando and my bathing experience has never been the same... hee hee. These 4 pictured to the right are my favorite flavors, I mean, scents.

3. The KONE
Ohmygosh, what an invention! I got it for Christmas from my mom and haven't stopped using it (or staring at it) since! It's a mini-vac that looks like modern art! It's the epitome of "functional art"...LOVE IT!

4. My iPod
No, it's not one of those fancy-schmancy new ones. It's just that plain old mini that came out like 3 years ago, but I LOVE IT! It goes with me wherever I go and lets me tune out the rest of the world... with some sweet tunes! ;)

5. My Bernina
Of course, I could not leave my sewing machine out of this list. It has been my best buddy for so long now! Yes it is old and a bit worn out, but heck, so am I. But it is a workhorse, and heck, so am I. We are perfect together. What a sweet inheritance from my MIL... RIP.

6. My Pentax SLR
I take all my pictures with it... well, except for this one (it would have to be a pretty amazing camera if it could take pictures of itself!). It was a b-day gift from Jon last year... hmmm... I wonder how he'll top that this year?!

7. My Mac
Another one of my "best buddies". It's slim and slick and oh, so fast. And that 21-inch flat panel is not too shabby either! And YES! That's what it looks like, baby remote on the side and all!!!

8. Nana Thai
It's this little Thai restaurant in Bloomington that I have become totally addicted to. Since we don't go in there too often (cause it's a royal pain with the kids!) we do take-out and oh what a treat it is when Jon shows up with two Nana Thai brown bags!! They make the BEST Yum Nua ... YUM!

9. Iced Mocha
If not available, I'll take a Starbucks' Frapuccino, or a Barney's Coffee Cooler... just mix some chocolate & coffee together and throw them on ice and I'm good to go.

10. The Office
No, not my physical office, but the NBC show! I fell in love with the original BBC show and when we borrowed the complete DVD set from a friend, Jon & I watched them marathon-style one weekend. We just couldn't stop. And I hadn't laughed that hard in ages. When they decided to make an American version we were both very skeptical... but alas, here we are! BIG FANS!