The loveliest time of the year

Well, maybe not weather-wise (especially if you live in the Midwest!). But, it is Valentine's Day in just 2 weeks, so I have been inspired to create some fun new shapes for my Silhouette Online store. All of these shapes are currently on sale for just 75-cents, so hurry, because after V-Day they will go back up to full price!

My girls will be giving these adorable bookmarks as gifts to their classmates... and yes, I will be making some blue ones for the boys. ;)

The file comes with 3 of each sentiment and 3 sets of background shapes on a 12" x 12" page, so you can cut it out of one color once then cut it again out of the second color and this will yield 12 total bookmarks, 6 of each sentiment. Layer and glue the bookmarks so that the heart cut out is perfectly aligned, add a pretty ribbon and voila... instant Valentine for your kids!

I've also designed some fun cards and treat boxes for that very special Valentine in your life:

I think this sweet heart ornament would be perfect for a teacher gift. It's pretty easy and fast to make too, so your kids can help with them.

How about these adorable critters?!?! They are holding hearts so you can write your special message on them and give it to your favorite Valentine. How perfect are these for school V-Day party projects? Each file comes with a few shapes to cut and layer (no more than 5 shapes each) so it'll be easy for even the tiniest of fingers to handle.

I also got to play with some 3D shapes this week. I had never made paper flowers before, but the Cameo machine just makes it so darn easy and fun to do! Just cut the layers out, curl the petals around your finger or a pencil and adhere the layers to create these pretty blooms. These are not considered "Valentine themed" so they are full price in the store, but at 99-cents, they are still a steal!

I hope you are loving these as much as I am. Let me know if you guys would like a tutorial on any of these. They are mostly pretty simple to assemble, but if you need extra help with any of them, I'd be more than glad to show the process here. Enjoy!

Modkid Valentines Sale

We searched and gathered all of our favorite Valentine's Day looks to bring out all of the heart eye emoji.  And to kick start your Valentine sewing, we've got a sale to go with it!! Coupon code VDAY2016 gets 35% off your entire purchase in the Etsy store. The code will also work in the paper pattern shop!! The paper pattern sales are rare folks, so take advantage! Sale ends Monday at midnight EST. Be sure to read to the end of the post for additional deals for participation.

The red and pink combination of this Holly Dress is perfect for V-day, but easily outlasts the holiday as well. The Holly pattern is available in paper form and PDF form.

Ivey's pretty hearts and bold stripes make this Frida dress really stand out. 

And, what's not to love about And So I Sew's version of the Maya dress all covered in hearts!

Don't forget the flowers!! Jenny's View A and Andrea's View B of the Avery Dress are way better than a bouquet of roses. The Avery also comes as a paper pattern. 

Heart buttons and applique add a sweet pop to Patty's Rachel Dress.

Stacey of From a Box created a wonderful color blocked version of the Rachel dress in every shade of pink and red. 

Valentine's dresses don't have to stick to the traditional color palette. Choose your own combination, and the Reese dress might be just the thing!

I guarantee the boys don't want to be left out of the Valentines's Day fun! The Keagan shirt has 4 options to customize the looks. Andrea's version (top) and Patty's version (bottom) show perfect examples that boys can wear pink and hearts too!

Let's not leave out date night! The Metro Clutch is a cute way to stash your essentials for the evening. It also comes as a paper or PDF version.

Now, we'd love to see what you create for Valentine's Day with Modkid patterns! Take advantage of the sale, and post pictures of your creation in our Facebook Fan group, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Tag your photos with #modkid and #modkidvalentine by February 15th. We will search for the tags and send out an additional coupon code to use in the future.

SAMPLE SALE!!!

I just listed 2 Sample Sets on eBay. These are ready-made & ready-to-ship and both PERFECT for the Holiday season and chilly weather! :)

The "Owl Sophisticate" set is a tad larger than the "Punky Valentine" one so I have sized it as a 3t/4T, while the V-Day one is more like a 2T/3T size. Measurements are listed under "Description"... but please feel free to email me if you have any questions regarding size or fit.

Oh... and I have added a "Best Offer" option to these auctions... no reasonable offer will be declined! ;)

Click HERE to see my auctions.



***UPDATE*** The "Owl Sophisticate" set has SOLD! :)

***UPDATE*** The "Punky Valentine" set has SOLD too! :) 12/08/07

Modkid Modkified: Cassidy with Piped Heart Pockets

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we have a little heart inspiration for your sewing using the Modkid Cassidy pattern. We took adding a heart to a garment to a whole new level by creating a heart shaped pocket tutorial. We've added piping to ours, but omitting the piping makes for an even simpler sew.

First cut two heart shapes from your fabric for each pocket you plan to sew, 4 total for the Cassidy. I used the Cassidy pocket pattern piece to gauge the size. If you are using thin fabric, you may want to interface one side.

Start pinning your piping right sides together raw edges aligned to one heart shape. I don't pin all the way around. I just adjust the piping as I sew. You can see I started to clip the piping seam allowance where the piping would curve around the top of the heart. Start your stitches about at the pin I show, so you have a 1" tail.

Using a basting stitch and a piping foot or zipper foot on your machine, stitch the piping around the edge of the heart close to the piping stitches. Clip the seam allowance of the piping as you go around the curves.

As you approach the top point of the heart mark where the point will fall at the seam allowance. When your needle hits that point, leave it in the down position, lift the pressure foot, and pivot the heart and piping to turn directions. You will need to push the seam allowance to the side you have already stitched to continue.

Use the same method of marking and pivoting at the bottom of the heart. Clip into the piping seam allowance in at least two places at the point.

As you near the tail, stop with the needle down. Trim your piping so it with overlap the tail about 1". Open up the piping and pull back the seam allowance to expose the cording. You may need to seam rip the piping stitches.

Trim the cording so that it will butt up with the end of the tail cording.

Fold the piping end to the wrong side and wrap it around the loose tail piping enclosing all of the raw edges.

Continue to baste the piping in place overlapping your stitches.

Place the other heart pocket piece right sides together with the piping sandwiched between. Stitch around the heart with the piping or zipper foot on your machine with standard stitch length and stitches just inside the basting stitch line (You can see the basting stitches in the photo below). Be sure to leave a 1-2" opening along one side of the heart for turning.

Trim the seam allowance and clip into the seam allowance around the curves and at the point of the heart. 

Turn the heart right sides out through the opening. Mark two spots toward the top of the heart where you will stitch the pocket to the dress. Topstitch around the top of the heart between those marks for the pocket opening.

Pin the pocket to the dress front in the desired location using the original pocket markings as a guide. Topstitch the pocket in place between the dots along the lower section of the heart.

 Repeat the process for the pocket on the other side of the dress. Now, your dress is all set for Valentine's Day!!

This pocket technique isn't limited to the Cassidy pattern. Try it on the Harper Dress, Katie Skirt or Zoey Shorts as well!!

Happy Birthday, LIMEVINE!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my eBay boutique group, LimeVine. Time sure flies when you're having fun! So, to celebrate this joyous occasion, and kick off the New Year with a bang, I have listed 3 sets on eBay!

First off, I have this adorable sister set that will be perfect for Valentines, Easter, birthday parties or a Spring/Summer wedding! :)



Click HERE to see this auction.

Secondly, I have decided to relist one of last year's most popular items... CORDOBA, a sweet Summer dress. Ready-Made in size 2T/3T...



Click HERE to see this auction.

And last, but certainly not least... a SPRING 2008 COLLECTION set (more coordinating pieces to come from this collection):


Click HERE to see this auction.

My fabulous and super talented group mates have some amazing things listed for this launch, so please hop on over to eBay and check out their listings...Click HERE to see all of LimeVine's JUBILEE listings.

Oh, and before I forget, my mom has listed a bunch of her purses again at some reduced prices, so if you need some Valentine's Day gifts or are shopping early for Mother's Day, here is your chance to own an original MARIELIZ Creations purse.

Click HERE to visit her purse auctions.

Thank you and... HAPPY SHOPPING! :)

Be Mine

I had the absolute pleasure this past couple of weeks of getting to know -- and work with -- the lovely Alla, from My_Little_CityGirl. I have been a fan of her knitted items for who knows how long and I was just ecstatic when we decided to do this "sweet collaboration".

Alla was wonderful to work with and when her sweater arrived in the mail, I was just blown away. The workmanship is unsurpassed, the materials are gorgeous and the colors are so bright and cheery. Sydney fell in love with it as soon as she laid eyes on it too.

So, without much further ado, I present to you... BE MINE, a sweet collaboration.



Once I saw Alla's sweater I knew I had to make something equally as impressive and I hope I accomplished the task at hand. ;) I created a 4-piece set that will be custom-made for sweeties size 12M to 5T.



Click HERE to visit my auction.

My favorite picture of Alla's sweater (Sydney was warm and cozy in the frozen tundra that we call our backyard):



Click HERE to visit Alla's auction.

Oh, and Martha, from sugar.snaps, created a couple of M2M beaded hair clips that are just so adorable. We own a bunch of Martha's snaps and my girls love them ... I even wear them on occasion! ;)

You can find these gorgeous snaps HERE and HERE.

Search "Valentine BE MINE" this week to check out all of our matching pieces.

Thanks so much, Alla and Martha, for collaborating with me. This has been a blast!!! :)

Playful Designs Blog Tour // Crafterhours

I can certainly relate to the premise behind Crafterhours! It's crafting after hours while the kiddos are hopefully asleep. It's going to be fun to see what Susan's children did with Playful Designs while they were awake this time! Head over to the Crafterhours blog to check it all out. Then be sure to follow the rest of the schedule for more fun and giveaways.

Monday, November 10th

Patty Young @ Modkid

Tuesday, November 11th

Susan Yates @ Crafterhours

Wednesday, November 12th

Melissa Mora @ Melly Sews

Thursday, November 13th

Heather Valentine @ The Sewing Loft

Friday, November 14th

Teresa Behr @ Dandelion Drift

Saturday, November 15th

Elizabeth Evans @ Simple Simon and Co

Monday, November 17th

Jenny Fish @ Sew Pretty Dresses

Tuesday, November 18th

Courtney Davis @ Sweeter Than Cupcakes

Nocturnal

• Cats
• Bats
• Owls
• Hedgehogs
• Cockroaches
• ME

What do all those things have in common? They are all "Nocturnal Creatures." Oh, and PUNKS of course! Punks are nocturnal... and I outta know cuz I used to be one back in the day... PUNKS ALWAYS COME OUT AT NIGHT!

Nocturnal is the theme for LimeVine's new launch on eBay, and my contribution to this cool event is this awesome "My Punky Valentine" set which will be recreated only once at this time for punky sweeties aged 12 months - 7 years!



Click HERE to view this auction.

Oh, and if you're into PUNK (and who isn't? LOL!) and you have a BOY, you gotta check out my friend, Chrsistina's (abby*lane), PUNK set as part of this launch! It is way cool!!!

And one last thing... please stay tuned, because tomorrow I will be listing a super cute Hedgehog set as part of a sweet collaboration with some talented ladies from Ivylane. Oh, and Hedgehogs happen to be nocturnal too, so sa-weeeeeeeet! ;)

Feature Me, Feature You

Had a couple spare minutes to do some blog-surfing and found some sites out there featuring either me or my fabric (I'm SO thankful for the exposure!), so I thought I'd share.

• True Up is doing a 2009 Fabric Forecast and they asked a few designers to share their plans for this year. I'm sharing my plans for Spring Quilt Market, so read here to find out what I'm up to. FunQuilts and Amy Butler are also spilling the beans... as if you cared! ;)
  
• A brand new blog for fabric aficionados just started a few days ago! It's called The Fabric Shopper. Bookmark this site right away if you are one of us! Today they are featuring Andalucia and where to buy it online.
• This quilt shop owner did an amazing display for Valentine's Day using all of the Fire & Petal Andalucia fabrics. I'm so amazed by the creativity in this display.... check it out!
  

So, since I'm feeling all warm & fuzzy inside (those of you who follow me on Twitter already know that my heater at home was broken all day, so feeling warm & fuzzy inside is quite a commodity around here), I feel it's my turn to pay it forward and feature some of your products.

[BTW, thanks to everyone who has added their photos to the Andalucia Flickr Group. I'm amazed every day at the talent that surrounds me!]

How cute is this custom-made ModBlooms Earth pinafore from Etsy seller ThreeYellowStarfish? She also has one in Kiwi Flora and one in ModBlooms Petal. So many choices!!!



This Kiwi Flora shoulder bag from Etsy seller BlackBags is oh, so chic... and looks roomy and comfy too! :)



Heather from thepolkadottotspot has listed a set of 3 Cloth Play Blocks. These would make an excellent baby shower or birthday gift for that sweet baby in your life!



I'm loving this skinny scarf from Megan of Brassy Apple. Get yours here!



And how about this Hostess Apron from Etsy seller SimpleThings? It's so flirty and cool!



For the photography aficionados out there I found a few lens cozies & camera strap covers on Etsy.

This one is from SillyJilly.



This one is from SheaLynn.



And this one is from PriddyCreations.


Finally, if you're a Blythe, Pullip or Dal collector, you'll go nuts over these amazingly detailed dresses!

This one is from EuroTrash... check out the details!!



This one is from DollyMolly... so cute and a bargain at that price, if you ask me!



Wish I could feature all of you, but I'll have to do it a little bit at a time (I do want to keep my day job, ya know?!) But if any of you out there are curious to see more items made with Andalucia, just click on THIS LINK to be taken to these wonderful Etsy sellers. And next week, the eBay world will be flooded with Andalucia items during the launch (Jan. 13 - 20). I'll share a link then!

Thanks again to all of you out there making beautiful things with my fabric. You have no idea how much you inspire me and motivate me to design every day!