"Got A Blog, Need Some Followers" Giveaway

So I broke down and made a business blog, even though I can hardly be bothered to update my personal blog. Time to consolidate my efforts!

I will be doing a monthly giveaway of various items in my shop. This month I'm giving away a handy keychain wallet, in gorgeous Heather Bailey fabrics. This has been my lifesaver. I am prone to losing things. Credit cards, ID, phone, keys. I am on my third set of keys since the babies were born, much to my husband's annoyance. I have NO idea what happens to them! The babies must be putting them in the garbage, I swear. After paying for something I (stupidly) tuck a credit card into my pants pocket and then have to suffer the embarassment of having no way to pay the next time I am in a store.

So was born my keychain wallet. I'm much more likely to put my cards back in here when I am holding the keychain anyway. And I am much less likely to let my kids play with my keys when my wallet and all my credit cards are attached to it.



This month, simply become a follower of my blog and you will be entered to win. The giveaway will end on March 7th and a winner will be announced.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to make your on keychain wallet, for the sewing inclined. Next project? A keychain wallet CELL PHONE holder. Now, where is my darn cell phone?

Product Photography

I am so done with this winter. DONE!!! For one thing, I have 2 toddlers who are at that "let's empty every drawer and cabinet we come into contact with" stage (and they go in separate directions so it's needless to say I can't clean fast enough to keep up with them) and a 3 year who's little life revolves around picking on his twin siblings. Being stuck inside is not doing nice things to my mental state :)

For another, I need to get pictures of my dresses ON my daughter! I have a Canon Rebel XT (digital SLR) and I am definitely still learning how to use it. I can take okay product pictures in my basement workroom. But, dresses just look better on a child than on a hanger. And sometimes the lighting in there is just plain bad. But I stink at taking indoor pictures of my kids and it's just too cold and gray to take her outside in a sundress. Besides the fact that there is mud and snow everywhere and my children attract dirt like magnets.

My plan was to create a sort of studio in my garage. That way, I can open up the door and let in all the natural light. The trick I've learned from scouring photogaphy forums, is to hang a piece of pretty designer weight fabric (less wrinkles) from some clips. Then, you attach a piece of baseboard to the bottom and set up a square of vinyl wood flooring in front of it. That way, it looks like your kid is in a room with beautiful wallpaper and flooring. I happen to have all of these things fom my husband creating my workspace in the basement. I, however, lack the child free time to create this setup. By the time I get around to it, it will likely be warm enough to just take her outside for pics. I will surely get to it by next winter! (sarcasm, as I know this project will be put on the backburner)

In the meantime, I am trying to be crafty with the clothespins and straight pins sticking in my wall (don't tell my husband I am putting holes in the new walls).

Joel Dewberry halter dress (I love this fabric and think my next new item will be matching mommy and daughter shirts, not because I want a new shirt or anything :) ):



Summery halter dress, using my limited and favorite Momo Odyssea fabric:

Rolling in Fabric

I am a self proclaimed fabric addict. I.LOVE.FABRIC. It's a problem. Or not, if you love the fabric variety I offer, I suppose. I recently put in a rather large fabric order and told myself NO MORE FABRIC. And I am STILL having a hard time not drooling over the fabric shops on etsy. I just love a well coordinated bundle of designer fabrics.

Here's a dress I made out of the beautiful line of Heather Bailey Nicey Jane:

And I have some beautiful Joel Dewberry burning a hole in my closet. I've got a halter dress cut out, I just need a little breather in orders before I can put it together. Totally unrelated, but I recently found out my husband went to school with and played soccer with Joel Dewberry. And they're facebook friends, isn't that crazy? The hubs saw the Joel Dewberry website open on my laptop late one night and just HAD to wake me up to tell me. Also? His mom is Donna Dewberry. Might not mean anything to you unless you are a craft-it-all like me and frequent Michaels. Anyway, here's what I've got, yummy:

Last but not least, one of my other favorite fabric designers, Riley Blake. His designs are a little more childlike, without sacrificing the modern feel. I love using them for my children's clothing. I've got a LOT of this coming, so hopefully I'm not the only one who likes it :) They are new lines so will be here around April...

(sucker for gray and yellow)