Closed for Summer
Fifteen Days and Counting
Things have been crazy busy around here with the school year coming to an end. I love that summer is so close we can taste it, but we have to survive the end of the year madness before we can reach the promised land of swimming, sleeping late, camps, and a more relaxed schedule. Tatum had a bad cough last Friday and had to miss "Dress Up as your Favorite Book Character Day" at school so we dressed her up at home and took pictures. Can you guess who she is?
Remember Gentry's big Christmas gift this past year? She has absolutely loved learning to play the guitar and has picked it up quickly. I never have to ask her to practice (something I could never say about her and the piano) and she challenges herself to play harder and harder pieces. Her teacher laughingly calls her the next Taylor Swift and had her play one of Taylor's songs for recital.
Performing at the recital. She was so nervous but did great. Guitar is a more boy-oriented instrument, I guess. She was one of only 3 girls to play. Nothing like my piano recital days where the boys were in the minority.
She earned a gold medal for making a 100 on her theory test!
Me and Miss Middle.
Mother's Day was all it should be -- laundry-free and family-full. My favorite gifts are anything with a hand-drawn portrait or homemade craft from my girls. Their teachers must have kept them busy the week before having them create several masterpieces to give for Mother's Day. I treasure these special gifts, and the store-bought kind don't hurt either! I felt appreciated and honored to have the privilege of raising these 3 amazing young people who call me mom.
Ava was disappointed we didn't have time for her to cook a special breakfast before church, so we had breakfast for dinner instead. She made everything herself - sweet potato pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast with Nutella, and bacon. I could get used to this.
This is me enjoying my decadent breakfast/dinner, sporting my 2 mom badges and ignoring the complete chaos behind me. I wore those badges to church and throughout the entire day. Tatum made sure to repin them after my wardrobe change.
Gentry's birthday is in the summer and she gets short-changed on a class party unless we cheat and celebrate it during the school year. Having a summer birthday myself, I'm always vigilant to make sure her friends get to celebrate her at school. We took cupcakes to her class today and they got cuh-razy singing/cha-cha-ing to her. Tye was able to be there for the first time since he was WatchDog at their school all day. Don't let her teacher's apparent silliness fool you. That lady is all business in the classroom and has cultivated and nurtured Gentry into academic excellence.
Happy almost-birthday, Gentry Olivia!!
I know this post was very Gentry-intensive. I'll try to share the child spotlight in future posts. That's us in a nutshell. I'll be back to post lots more items soon. My last day to accept orders is next Monday, May 21!
Name Pillows
One of my regular customers sent me this photo of her precious baby boy with the name pillow she ordered for him. His nursery is very stylish and hip with lots of animal prints, brown and orange. Hudson is boy #3 for her, so she's got this boy thing down. I asked her permission before I posted his picture, so we can all ooh and aah to our hearts' content. I want to squeeze those sweet cheeks!
And here are some more pillows I've finished recently.
Custom Shirts
I've been busy making lots of shirts -- birthday shirts, school spirit shirts, personalized shirts. This first one was for a teacher we have been blessed to have 2 years in a row, but not this year. We miss her! She's already put dibs on getting Tatum in 3 years. We love you, Mrs B!
Audrey's mom requested a special Elmo birthday shirt for her big day and ordered one for big sister Stella too. Audrey calls her big sis "Sissy" so we added that to her shirt as well.
Ella's mom had ordered a whimsical bird shirt for her little girl several months ago, but her washing machine ate it. She ordered a replacement shirt...
an applique name shirt for Ella...
and a shirt for big brother Mike too.
These 2 lucky brothers share a birthday month, so their smart mom planned a joint party utilizing a construction theme with dump trucks, diggers, etc. She requested yellow shirts and bright, bold colors with their initials on the front (all their kids have the same initials, by the way!)...
and their birthdates on the back.
She even ordered a custom shirt for herself.
She requested this word across the back to show her appreciation for the blessings in her life.
I have a sickie at home with me today so my priorities got rearranged, but I hope to get some sewing done while she's in a vegetative state in front of the TV. I've been to the post office to ship packages every day this week and the kind clerk has taken to calling me "The Zebra Lady". He's very helpful in finding me the best shipping rate so I won't hold it against him. I'm pushing to get through my orders list next week and then close shop to catch up and prepare for the craziness of summer. Have a great weekend!
Name Pillows
I'm still taking orders and working through a lengthy pending list. However, I will close up shop in a few weeks when my girls are out for the summer because we have a crazy busy schedule for June with all of us going in different directions and I know I won't even see the inside of my sewing room for a while. I won't be gone all summer, though, so please let me know if you will need something for later and I'll get you in the schedule.
Beach Towels
Summer is almost here, and the school year is winding down. Monogrammed beach towels are a great gift idea for teachers, graduating seniors and all those summer birthday parties your kids will attend. Check out Pinterest for some very cute custom gift sets using beach towels. I just stocked up on lots of new towels, but I learned from experience last summer that the cutest styles disappear quickly and they don't come back. Availability is limited, so let me know ASAP if you want to grab one or more of these. See here for some of last year's styles.
Monogrammed beach towels - $25
Monogrammed beach towels - $25
For Sale: Orange Damask Peasant Dress
I bought this adorable peasant dress for Tatum online a few weeks ago. I love it, and it's very well-made, but unfortunately, it's too small for my chunky monkey. It's a size 6X, and the elastic in the arms is just a little too snug to be comfortable for her. When it arrived in the mail, in my haste to cut it open, I accidentally cut a small "V" in the fabric of the skirt (I know - such a rookie error!). I treated the cut with Fray Check and ironed stabilizer to the back side so it won't deteriorate, and you can't even tell where it is. I paid $40 brand new and am asking $25 plus shipping. This is such a cute print, the dress has a great twirl factor, and it's never been worn. Doesn't it need to come live at your house? Leave me a comment or email me if you're interested.
Small cut in fabric in lower front panel.
Cut on underside of dress
Sister Set
My internet connection and email has been sketchy this week and it's driving me insane! Between that and my dryer biting the dust this weekend, prompting the unexpected purchase of a brand new washer and dryer set, I'm done with things not working in my house. Why does everything seem to fall apart at the same time?
A sweet friend of mine is expecting a second little girl in a few weeks. Maci is SO excited to be a big sister to baby Molly. I made them this coordinating sister set, the first of many they will wear, I'm sure! The baby leggings are genius. If they had been around when my girls were babies, they would have worn them constantly to make diaper changes a snap and protect their little knees from carpet burn. (I didn't make the leggings - I found them at Hobby Lobby.)
I tried monogramming a swimsuit for the first time and I didn't ruin it! I think the monogram adds a nice little pop to an already-adorable 2-piece.
Hurry up, Miss Molly! Your big sister can't wait to meet you.
A sweet friend of mine is expecting a second little girl in a few weeks. Maci is SO excited to be a big sister to baby Molly. I made them this coordinating sister set, the first of many they will wear, I'm sure! The baby leggings are genius. If they had been around when my girls were babies, they would have worn them constantly to make diaper changes a snap and protect their little knees from carpet burn. (I didn't make the leggings - I found them at Hobby Lobby.)
