Halloween = Princess Time

When I was growing up, Halloween meant witches, vampires & monsters... the scariest & goriest, the better! So, either times have changed drastically or my girls are way more girlie-girls than I ever was.

Both of them wanted to be princesses for Halloween, go figure! But since I was a little busy these past few weeks, I didn't have time to make the costumes. Well, Sophie & Sydney didn't mind one bit... they were happy as could be in these darling costumes from Princess Time Toys.

We got Rapunzel & Ariel a few weeks back as part of a modeling assignment...





And a few days before Halloween, we got Cinderella & Belle...





The girls even wore them to their school parade! How fun!



I'll keep trying to convince them to wear something a tad scarier next year, but I can't promise anything! ;)

(more Quilt Market Report to come, that I can promise!)

bliss

The girls are back from Florida, safe and sound in my arms. Two weeks was too long but oddly necessary for me to accomplish all that I accomplished. I was able to proof my strike-offs without any interruptions, work on Etsy orders, send & receive care packages, work on my little side project (which will be unveiled next week!) and even have some much needed grown-up fun in between. All of those things would have been virtually impossible with the kids around, but nevertheless, as the days passed I started longing for the smell of their hair, and the sound of their pitter-patter and the feel of their soft bellies.

But alas, they're here and we had such fun today getting silly with the camera.







We surprised them with a new desk from IKEA for each of their bedrooms. Sophie's desk displays her collection of Disney snowglobes and a few other favorite knick-knacks. And of course, some books, sketch pads and a new journal for her to jot down all those big thoughts in that silly head of hers.



Sydney's desk holds her favorite stuffies, small toys and books. These will also serve as homework and reading stations this coming year. Not to mention adding some much needed storage space and a pop of color to their rooms. :)



Then we got even sillier...





Such fun.

I've also had such a great time today reading through all your sweet comments regarding my Andalucia debut. I am thrilled that you all like it as much as I do! I just cannot wait to see what you guys make with it. As soon as the fabric is out in stores, I will open a Flickr group so you guys can share your Andalucia goodies. :)

And while I am in the topic of blogging, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to a few bloggers who have taken time out of their busy schedules to blog about Andalucia. You all have touched me deeply and I cannot thank you enough. Please take a moment to visit these wonderful blogs:

Bug A Boo Baby
By Dana

Fabric Hound
by Myrinda

The Domestic Diva
by Lisa

(adding to the list...)

J. Caroline Creative Blog
by Caroline

True Up
by Kim

Vintage Chic
by Chelsea

Thanks again, girls!! And if I've missed anyone, please post a link here in the comments. I'd love to take a peek and mention you here. I've been looking around blogland a bit, but now that the kids are here I will have a lot less free time. ;)

I will leave you now with a few pictures I took of the house before the kids came back. It will probably never look this clean again, LOL! But I don't care... my babies are back! :)

Fun, Fun, Fun

School's out... AAAAAAAHHH! Hmmm... what to do? what to do? We've been trying to keep busy since school let out last week... enjoying the nice temperatures and having fun with friends. Here are a few pictures of a "picnic at the park" we had last week to celebrate the end of the school year. Check out how much taller Sophia is than all the other girls! LOL! And there is my little Sydney peeking out in the middle (she was so excited to be hanging out with the "big kids")


Then, yesterday, we headed out to our local Children's Discovery Museum for a fun exhibit titled "Japan and Nature: Spirits of the Season". Sophie & Sydney had a blast checking out all the Japanese exhibits and playing with their friends, Jordan & Trenton. Of course, my girls were all decked out in their MODKID originals! ;)


Sophia was so excited to get a chance to dress up in some traditional kid's kimonos. They even had the shoes and parasols to complete the look:

Hmmmm... that's quite a fancy outfit to be going "bug hunting" in...


Even Sydney enjoyed herself at the oversized LEGO table...


That's it for now! Check back tomorrow as I will be listing some super cool Summer outfits that are both, comfy & stylish! :)

My Latest Boutique Finds

Just because I'm a children's boutique designer, it doesn't mean that nothing else enters my kids' closets but my own creations. Every now & then I can be spotted at the mall, but not very often at all, and even less often I do splurge a little on some boutique wear from my favorite eBay designers. Case in point, I wanted to share my two latest purchases. Sophia is sporting a sweet little summer dress that Sandi from PortabelloPixie created especially for her. Sophia loves her new dress so much that she has already worn it twice to school ... and we've only had it for 2 weeks! Sydney looks adorable in her new my*unbirthday creation. When I saw that Dayna had made an OOAK in Sydney's size and sooo adorable to boot, I could not control myself. I bid and won and couldn't be happier!





Also, since I'm on the topic of boutique purchases, this is a gorgeous little 2-piece set that I won a few months back from Aida of annabella*designs. Her work is impeccable and I just LOVE those Euro fabrics! Sophia was the center of attention at the local kids fair in her new boutique set. Sydney was wearing one of my own creations... La Dolce Vita. Yes, it was the middle of Winter when I took these 2 pictures, thus the long sleeves and heavy tights... and they have their shoes off because they were getting ready to go into a bouncy castle. And... UGH! when I look at pictures of Sydney with her pacifier, it just makes me cringe! LOL! glad that's over!


Believe it or not, those are the ONLY boutique items I have ever bought for my children. I usually do make most of their clothes, plus we receive a lot of modeling samples, so it's very rare that this seller becomes a buyer. ;) Oh, wait, I did just buy a sweet little skirt from Dena, of LotoBlu, but it has not arrived yet, so I cannot share. :)

Happy Days

Every year around this time I get showered with gifts and attention, because it is not only Mother's Day, but also my birthday. I was born on May 15th so if it doesn't fall right ON Mother's Day, it is usually 1 or 2 days after. This year was no different. Sunday was a treat for me... super relaxing! I got served breakfast in bed. Then got to open some great gifts from the family and Jon took care of all the "mommy chores": diaper changing, feeding the kids, cleaning the house, etc. I got to sit around, take naps, talk on the phone & surf the web. Of course, I also did one of my favorite activities: take pictures! First, I photographed these gorgeous pink tulips that I bought for myself. LOL! Yes, I buy my own flowers. Don't get me wrong -- Jon is a very generous gift-giver but he is all about practical gifts... he prefers to spend his money on things where he can see a return on investment (ROI), like a new lens for my digital SLR or a new sewing machine. Hey, I'm not complaining! ;)

I also had a blast watching the girls frolic around in their little kiddie pool. These kids are so easily amused! It was finally warm enough for them to do this so we took advantage. I love this picture because they are both standing in almost the exact pose in anticipation of a big water stream coming from their daddy's hose...


WHOOSH! Sophie got it on the head as Sydney screams in excitement...


It's just too fun to splash Sophie...


But Sydney got her turn too...


It was the perfect Mother's Day! Sunny skies. Sweet family. Beautiful scenery. Relaxing day. Now, I am waiting in anticipation because Jon said he would take a late lunch break and come home so he could give me my special birthday gift... I can't wait to see what it is! He usually doesn't get this excited about things. hmmmmm...

Two Birds with One Stone

This will be a multi-purpose posting. I wanted to share a few more pictures from our FL vacation. But these also just happen to be sneak peeks of two custom sets that I will be listing next week on eBay (March 22nd, to be exact, for the Beatlemania launch).

We had a blast at Animal Kingdom last week and of course the girls were the center of attention in their MODKID. I had never had that many people come up to me in one single day to ask "where I buy my kids' clothes at"... "well, let me tell ya!" LOL! Thank goodness I came loaded with business cards. Since we've returned, I have had a dozen or so new subscriptions to my mailing list, so I'd like to think it was my Disney fans. :)

The set Sydney is wearing (above, below and to the right) has got to be the most playful set I've ever designed. The skirt is a "poof" style (or is it a "puff"?). It has a drop waist (it doesn't show in any of these pictures, but it's there) and it is slightly gathered at the bottom to create that fun "poofy" look. It is made with this cool European circus fabric that features a parade of hand drawn whimsical characters (wizards, clowns, circus animals. etc.)... very unique. The shirred top is light, airy and fun... the black fabric you see is a Robert Kaufman crepe gauze so it is not too heavy and can be worn comfortably all through the Summer. And as you may have noticed already, I am just wild about dots this season... they just look so adorable on the girls! :)

Now, let me talk for a bit about Sophia's set (to the left). About a week or so before our vacation, she came to me and out of the blue asked me if I would make her a pretty dress to wear to Disney. THUNK! (that was the sound my butt made as I fell off my sewing chair). Of course, I immediately grabbed her hand and we ran together to my fabric stash (I think I was actually skipping!). She had already eyed what she wanted... she didn't hesitate one bit. "I want the one that looks like Sailor Moon, mommy." It was this gorgeous Alexander Henry "japanimation" fabric that I had received in the mail a few days prior. Now, let's pick a coordinating fabric. Of course, she went for the Pink Ta Dots, being that red and pink are her "favorite colors in the whole wide world". And, guess what? I just found out that Michael Miller has finally retired the Pink Ta Dot, so now it will be in high demand (the girl has expensive taste, I tell ya!) Next, we sat down together at my cutting table and I sketched out a few rough ideas until she pointed and smiled at one. A Sophia Creation was born! (she loved it so much that she wore it to both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom... ahhhh, makes a mommy proud!)

Now, how do these relate to Beatlemania, you ask? Yes, I know you've been wondering. Well, Sydney's Euro circus set represents the song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", which happens to be one of my all time favorite Beatles' songs. Sophia's japanimation set is a tribute to Yoko Ono. Look for these next Thursday, March 22nd, on eBay. The search term will be "theFab4".