Spirit and Sparkle

I made some shirts for a team of very fun teachers several months ago, so I was flattered when they returned for some new shirts for the start of the school year. Their one request was that they have some "bling", so I ventured into new territory by attaching rhinestones here and there to the lettering. Very sparkly and fun. I think if my 4th grade teacher had worn a little bling I wouldn't have associated school with a penitentiary as much.

The rhinestones add a little extra to my cost (and time), so these shirts are a little more:

Blingy spirit shirts - $25

We've Got Spirit

With the start of a new school year, my sewing machine has been cranking out spirit shirts like crazy. This customer requested short-sleeved tees, but I had no luck finding the right size anywhere, since most stores have already transitioned into fall apparel, regardless of the triple-digit temps.

My favorite season is autumn, and I love decorating my home with pumpkins, orange, green and brown, and burning my favorite pumpkin spice scented candle. Tye's favorite tradition to enjoy with the girls is taking them to watch high school football games on Friday nights during football season. I love the peace and quiet it affords me, but mostly it does my heart good to see them bond over one of his favorite pastimes. Come on, September!

Pink, Brown and Green Baby Girl Set

I know I said you wouldn't see any more of the pink/brown/green fabric, but I forgot I had one more post with it. Now it's all gone.

I love the name Charlie for a little girl. Almost enough to make me want to have another baby girl just to name her Charlie. It's a family name and everything, so it makes perfect sense. Of course, we would probably have a sweet baby boy, who would have no name and an attic full of pink hand-me-downs. I guess I should start thinking of boy names too...

Brown Corduroy Pillow

Hawaiian Print

This summer the Hawaiian print was very popular. I made several tie onesies and tees, and even a name pillow that coordinates with a similar Pottery Barn bedding set. As cute as it is, I'm ready to put away the tropical prints in favor of some cooler-climate themes. I took a picture of the temperature reading in my car yesterday because you just don't see 122 degrees very often.

I Love This Dress!

I found this pattern online several months ago and intended to make it for Tatum. Of course, I just didn't find the time until finally a customer requested a "knot" dress and I got to try it out. It went together easily, but I'm not as efficient as I would like to be in turning it around quickly. Hopefully with a little more practice it will get faster. I scraped together the last of my favorite pink, brown and green fabric for the bodice so you won't see it again, but I love it with the brown dot and green zebra prints. This little dress has a great "twirl" factor, and works in all seasons with a long-sleeved tee and leggings. Size 12 month to 5T.

Knot dress - $40.00

Striped Boy Set

PTA Shirts

Cheer Mom Spirit Shirt

With the start of another school year, I've been busy making lots of PTA and school spirit shirts. This was my first order for a "Cheer Mom" shirt (see the little megaphone?). The school mascot is on the back. It's a fun way to support your school/team and be a little different than everyone else.

Spirit shirt - $20

Pillows

I had no idea these pillows would be such a hit when I made my first one as a birthday gift for a friend of Ava's. They have been popular for baby shower gifts because they are so personal, practical (they can't be outgrown!) and unique. Just this week I had 2 customers send me pictures of their pillows with the teeny tiny babies they were made for. I didn't ask permission to share them or I would post them for you to see how completely adorable they are. I have many more pillow orders in the line-up so I'll post them as they are completed.

We are finally home to stay after a last-minute trip to see some dear friends, so I'll be posting new items more regularly. This is our last weekend before the madness of school starts so we're doing haircuts, meet-the-teacher gifts and general back-t0-school preparation hysteria. Have a great weekend!

Blue and Brown Name Pillow

The chenille on the front of this pillow is a light blue, and the minky back is a chocolate brown. The colors don't always translate well to photographs, and sometimes when I see the photo of an item on my monitor I realize it's not a very accurate representation. I try very hard to match and coordinate fabric colors, so if you see something and think, "Why did she put THOSE colors together?" please realize it may actually match in person, just not on your computer screen.

I'm back to work with a wait list again (will I ever be completely caught up?!) and trying to coordinate my work schedule with last minute summer activities for the next 10 days before school starts. Hopefully after that my productivity will increase and I can actually go to bed before 2 a.m.

Have a blessed day!

Black and Pink Polka Dot

I added several new fonts to my embroidery repertoire this summer and this is one of them. It's a wider stitch and makes for a more substantial monogram. The bib is backed with an ultra-soft minky, and I love how the hot pink pops against the black and white polka dot.

Initial Onesie

Initial Onesie - $15

Monogram Pillow

I made this pillow as a wedding gift for my brother and his wife for 2 reasons. First, as a way to celebrate their unity as a married couple. I think every bride enjoys seeing her new monogram displayed in her home. And second, to annoy my big brother every day when he sees it. Apparently, he believes the guy's initial should be first in the traditional monogram format, followed by the girl's. I don't think he's trying to be chauvinistic, he just thinks that's the right way, and it bugs him to see it otherwise. So hopefully he'll think of me fondly each time he sees this pillow, and remember to put his wife first. Love you, Jon! Oh, and just so you know, they each had one honor attendant in the wedding, a junior bridesmaid and EIGHT flower girls because he wanted all of his little nieces included. You've never seen so many petals strewn down the aisle. So see, he really is a nice guy.

I tried a new technique with this one. I used a pillow insert, and made an opening in the pillowcase back so it can be removed for washing. It costs me a little more to make it this way, but if you'd prefer your pillowcase with removable insert, let me know.

Technical Difficulties

I was all set to come back strong after my break, but my computer has decided to take an extended vacation. It crashed last week, and after a brief tune-up (or whatever they do to your hard drive when this happens) it was back up and running - for exactly 24 hours, when it seemed to contract some sort of virus. I can post from the laptop, but don't have access to my photo folder or memory card on my camera. Ugh! I'm sorry for the delay. I am taking orders, so feel free to email me, but I can't post new items until my computer is fixed (again!).

We're gearing up for school around here, and I'm actually ready for a routine again. It's going to be painful to break the sleeping-in-until-9 a.m. habit, but we always seem to manage it without a tardy the first week of school. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and hopefully I'll be back soon to show you some fun new items I've been working on!