Brother Shirts

This set of coordinating brother shirts is for a loyal customer who is expecting her 3rd boy in a few weeks. She's going to have her hands full, but she will enjoy the privilege of being the queen of the castle. Blessings to you and your newest baby boy, Amy!

Baby Gift Sets

As I've mentioned previously, I've been getting lots of orders for baby gift sets. I especially like to coordinate the set with the bedding or nursery theme, and I love it when customers send me photos of the nursery before I start sewing. Of course, bibs and burp cloths don't have to match the baby's nursery but it does show that you've put some thought into personalizing the gift and know that the mom will love the color scheme since she probably agonized over it before choosing it like I did with  my babies!

Pricing depends on the items you choose, and you can mix and match anything.

I am shipping several large, heavy packages today. It's going to be interesting getting them in the door at the post office. Let's hope there's a good Samaritan waiting around nearby!

Name Pillows

The name pillows have been my best selling item for a couple of years now, and I still love them for their uniqueness and personality. However, I'm ready to expand my pillow repertoire and offer something a little different and a little more grown up. Don't worry, the original will still be available as well, but you'll have more design choices to choose from in the future. I'm still experimenting and I don't have a lot of time to sew on anything other than pending orders right now, but I really hope to be able to post some new pillow styles soon. Of course, as soon as I say something like that it never happens, but this time I plan to actually follow through.
I've been sitting at 99 followers now for a little while and would love to see that counter tick over to 3 digits. Anyone want to be the lucky 100th follower? Please?

**update - Thank you so much, Kim, for being my 100th follower! That makes me very happy!

Birthday Dress and Bloomers

I haven't done a custom birthday set in a while so it was fun to pull this pattern back out and sew it up. The customer requested the hot pink houndstooth, and I love how bright and preppy it is! The fabric is actually a flannel, so the winter birthday girl will be warm and cozy for her special first birthday. I tried a new way to make the bows (thanks, Pinterest!) and I'll never make bows any other way. Having 3 girls, I've tried to make my own hairbows before, but just couldn't quite get it without them looking homemade. The tutorial I found is fool-proof and makes big, perfect bows every time. It does require a needle and thread, but I think even a beginner can manage it.
It's been crazy busy around here! Orders are pouring in, and I'm trying to keep up without completely neglecting my family. We just marked a big "to-do" off our list with Ava's spelling bee yesterday. Is there anything more nerve-wracking than watching your child stand alone on a stage and attempt to spell perfectly in front of hundreds of her peers? I almost couldn't take it, but Miss Ice-in-her-veins did beautifully. She was eliminated with "intrigue" but ended in the top 14, so we are all very proud of her. The winner was actually a 5th-grader who beat out all the 6th, 7th and 8th graders! I love it when the underdog wins.
I suspect that I may be having e-mail issues again with my Chocolate Zebra account, so if you've emailed me and haven't heard back, please leave a comment on the blog letting me know you're having trouble reaching me.
Have a great weekend!

Checking In

I know I've been kind of scarce on the blog lately. I'm working on several multi-item gift sets that take longer to put together, plus we're transitioning our play room to a grown-up media room (yes, it makes me a little sad) so things have been busy around here. I'll be back soon!

New Year, New Designs

With the beginning of this new year, I'm wanting to add some new designs and products to The Chocolate Zebra. I'll still have most of my current items to offer, but will hopefully have some newer, fresher designs as well. As my own girls grow and mature, I'm always looking to have some things that they would enjoy as well, since they are the reason I began this little venture in the first place. It's grown more than I ever hoped or dreamed, and I find myself actually need to remember some of those principles I learned earning my business degree many, MANY years ago! I appreciate my wonderful customers so much, especially those of you who keep coming back for repeat business. I hope 2012 is a blessed year for all of you as well!

Personalized Towels

The photography is definitely lacking in these pictures, but I was running out the door to my second of three Christmas parties of the day and needed to get the towels packaged up in a hurry. The Elmo hooded towel was popular for Christmas, and the towel wraps were a hit for tween girls. My favorite is the brown houndstooth initial towel with the red name stitched across it. Perfect for an older boy with a little bit of sophistication.

Boy and Girl Twin Set

I've done several twin sets before, but this was the first boy/girl set I've done. Those onesies are TINY, and I think their names are adorable (and practical) across the front. I went with unisex burp cloths, so mom can just grab one to use without having to make sure it's for the right twin.