Linkety-link-links

1. I'm so happy to announce that I'm official!!. Yep, as of yesterday, Andalucia is on the Michael Miller Fabrics website, along with a fun banner featuring some of my fave pictures & projects from my sample sewers! You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see this page come to fruition. WOOOHOOO!

*****

2. And speaking of Michael Miller, have you guys checked out Kathy Miller's blog, Making It Fun? She's got a great Quilt Market recap on there right now, even showing some great photos that I failed to capture! I adore the picture of the crew receiving our award for 2nd place on the Multiple Booths category... it was such a fun and proud moment after 2 whole days of painstaking set-up!

*****

3. My Andalucia ribbons are up for purchase at the J. Caroline Creative website! Wish you could see these in person! They are super soft and the stitching is perfection (and I'm a tough judge!) There are 16 designs total that mix & match beautifully with each other and with the fabric! Go check them out!

*****

4. And speaking of J. Caroline, they got mentioned on Decor8's blog (thanks to my blog reader, Carole, for pointing this out late last night!!) and I think their exact phrase was: "I’m quite smitten with the Andalucia Ribbons by Patty Young too, I mean how cute for craft projects and little girls dresses!" (**blush**) And kudos to my buddy, Melissa Averinos, for the fabulous mention in the same article! From now until November 21, 2008, you can get 20% off anything in J. Caroline Creative by mentioning code, Decor8. Yes, that includes the ribbons! Happy shopping!!

*****

5. I'm ON TV! Quilter's TV, that is! Jon just emailed me this link... I actually can't see it on my Mac but he can see it on his PC. (I wonder if it's a Mac thing or a Firefox thing!? UGH!) Please let me know if you can view this video:
Video:
Patty Young, Designer for Michael Miller, has only been in the fabric market for about 6 months and shows us her new collection. Shares her inspiration for this new collection.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid301927734/bclid742939973/bctid1906919326

*****

6. In case you missed it before, check out my interview in Quilter's Buzz. I met Gina Halladay in person several times at Market and she was such a joy! Hope to see her again at the next show. I also got to meet the sweet Jocelyn from The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber blog! Look for a Patty Young interview on there soon! :)

*****

7. So where can you buy Andalucia? Well, it has not officially arrived in stores yet, and it probably won't for at least 2 - 4 more weeks (or so Ive been told) but I have spotted a few online stores with Andalucia in their "Pre-Order" or "Coming Soon" screens. Here's what I've seen so far:

• Hancocks of Paducah, has 11 of the 24 prints plus a Fat Quarter Bundle up for pre-order, expected ship date 11/21/08.
  
  
• HipFabric has 10 different Andalucia prints in their "Coming Soon" section.

(I know this list is short right now, but if you own a fabric store and have Andalucia in your Pre-Order or Coming Soon screens right now, please email me at info@modkidboutique.com and I'll add you to this list!)

*****

8. And, where can you find Andalucia goodies? Christmas is fast approaching... ;)

• My mom has a few ready-made bags for sale in her Marieliz Creations etsy shop.
  
  
• Heather Kaeb is getting ready to list a few ready-made fabric balls in her Etsy shop, thepolkadottotspot, so look for those this weekend!
  
  
• I'll be closing my MODGREETINGS store just prior to the Holidays in order to concentrate on other creative endeavors (more on that soon!). All of the greeting cards have been priced at clearance prices (AKA wholesale price!) so stock up for Birthday, Christmas, Valentines, Graduation or any other event you might have coming up! The Variety-10 Packs make great stocking stuffers & teacher gifts! ;)
  
  
• Purchase quilt patterns for Miss Molly and Now & Forever at the Abbey Lane Quilts website
  
  
• Purchase quilt patterns for Spring Up on the Lizzy Anne Originals website.

*****

8. And, last but not least, if you Flickr and are a fan of Andalucia, please join my Andalucia Flickr group. I'd love to see what kind of goodies you create with it, and you can peruse what others have been creating so far and get some fun ideas!

*****

9. OK... now for some fun miscellaneous pictures:

I just adore this photo I spotted on Kathy's blog! I didn't get my own version of it so I am snagging it to share with all of you. This was snapped right after we received the award for 2nd place in Best Multiple Booth category.


(L to R: Patty Young, Benjamin Rubin, Christine Osmers, Sandi Henderson, Kathy Miller, Deb Buchanan, Paula Prass, Becky Bennett, Terri Hempfling, Susan Day.)

More from Fabric 2.0 Party:

Market Prep, Part 4.

I told you guys it'd be a teeny break. I want to thank everyone for your well wishes. Your comments, emails & phone calls warmed my heart more than you will ever know. It is just amazing to me to see the strong connections I've made with people I've never even met face to face. I love you guys!

But enough of the mushy-mushy stuff. I am feeling much better now after 3 days of lounging around the house doing nothing at all. I guess I needed the break. So now it's BACK TO BUSINESS!

It just dawned on me that we leave for Houston in exactly 4 weeks! Man, I have SO MUCH TO DO STILL! I've only just scratched the surface of my Market preparation. But, I just found out today that I will get all my Andalucia sample yardage from Michael Miller on Wednesday. YIPPEE!! So, I guess I should enjoy my last 36 hrs. or so of sanity because once that fabric gets here I will not have a minute to myself.

Luckily I have some amazingly talented women helping me make samples for Quilt Market so I feel I am in great hands. Oh, and I should mention that I truly appreciate all the offers that I've received lately to sew samples. Believe me, if I had a whole aisle of display area I would gladly take you all up on it. WOW, what a booth that would be, eh? But, unfortunately all I have is a tiny 10' x 10' booth area to work with and as it is, I will have to cram everything in there. Maybe next time, right?! :)

While I was lounging around at home I received 2 packages in the mail. I was so excited to see both of these items... at first. The first one was my second shipment of bookmarks. I quickly assembled a couple of them to see how they would look. Check them out... I just love them!



My second box contained my Andalucia MOO cards. Well... I was excited to get these at first until Jon got a hold of one of them, turned it around and said, "Whose phone number is this?!" Yep, you guessed it... I wrote the wrong number on the back of my cards! WAAAAAAH! Just when I thought I had one thing finished that didn't actually require manual labor!



I like this photo better because it doesn't show my big screw up! Oh, and whose foot is that on the upper right corner, you ask?



Well, that lovely foot belongs to none other than my new assistant! She is always there and always has an opinion on the matter. She is so used to being in front of the camera that she gets quite jealous when she's replaced... especially by some dumb cards...



I finally have something to put in my vintage-camera-photo-holder...



So, I should mention now that since my fabric is getting here on Wednesday, I will be closing my etsy store sooner than anticipated. So, I am announcing now a 48-HOUR CLOSEOUT SALE!! For the next 48 hrs. (so, until about 8 pm CST on Wednesday, Sept. 24th) everything in both my Etsy stores is 20% off. Write the code "GO ANDALUCIA!" at check-out and receive a 20% refund via Paypal after payment receipt. This sale is valid for both my MODKID store and my MODGREETINGS store and expires at 8 pm CST on Wednesday, Sept. 24th.

Oh, I also just listed a few samples and shoes on eBay... mostly teeny stuff. Just trying to declutter before the madness begins. ;)

Market Prep, Part 2.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You guys said you wanted to follow me behind the scenes as I prepare for Quilt Market. Well, ask and you shall receive... but just be warned that it's not all wine & roses around here. There are some, shall we say, less glamorous tasks that I feel I need to show in order for you to get the full scope of it.

I wish all I had to do was make pretty pillows and floral arrangements... that would definitely fall into "THE GOOD" category. But sadly that's not the case.

I've spent the past couple of days working on my Andalucia bookmarks (giveaways for the show) and the greeting cards. If I had unlimited funds I would've paid a company to do all this for me, but alas I don't so here's what I've been doing:



1. I had my bookmarks cut down to size at Jon's company.
2. I used a corner rounder to punch out those lovely rounded edges.
3. I used an 1/8" hole punch to drill the tiny hole at the top.
4. I attached metal grommet with my grommet tool.
5. I inserted and tied the ribbon.

And yes, of course, I did this in steps... all the rounding first, then all the hole-punching next, and so on and so forth. I had to do this to 200 bookmarks, so that means I punched out 800 corners by hand... OUCH! And the worst part is that this is just half the order, I have another 200 coming my way in a couple of days... different Andalucia design on the front... kill me now!



In between bookmark assembly steps I gave my fingers a bit of a rest by switching gears and working on my greeting card assembly. This one is not as hard on the fingers... just monotonous as heck! The steps on this one are just:

1. Fold greeting card in half (they come pre-scored so it's a breeze!)
2. Match up with colored envelope
3. Insert in cello sleeve
4. Put in stack with same-style cards



That's just a small fraction of the cards in that picture. I still need to assemble about 200 more. eeek! I plan to offer these at Quilt Market... retail & wholesale. So, if you are coming to the show look me up!


By the way, if you can't make it to Quilt Market, the bookmarks and greeting cards are available in my Etsy store and everything is 10% off the advertised price for a limited time. Just write the discount code "Go Andalucia!" at check-out and I will refund you 10% off your total order via PayPal after payment receipt. :)

So there you have it...

THE BAD: having to punch out hundreds of corners and holes with my bare hands.
THE UGLY: the way my bare hands looked after punching out hundreds of corners and holes.

I actually had to soak my fingers in ice cold water to alleviate the redness & swelling... yep, not a pretty sight!

Needless to say, I was in no shape or mood to cook dinner last night , so Jon picked up food from our favorite Chinese restaurant (mmmm... they have the best egg drop soup and pork egg foo young I've ever tasted!)

This was my fortune:



I think I need to take this as leeway to get my manicure and pedicure once this is all done and over.

Or maybe I just need to finally take a shower.

Market Prep

Quilt Market is less than 7 weeks away and I am feeling the pressure to work on everything and anything I can for my fabric debut. Andalucia yardage won't be here for another 2 - 3 weeks, but there are still lots of things I can do to get prepared in the meantime. So, it occurred to me that since a lot of you cannot attend Market, I should do a "virtual tour" right here on my blog... kinda like a "behind the scenes"on-going report. I hope you are all into that sort of thing. In the next few weeks I will chronicle my crazy journey towards Fall Quilt Market... Houston or Bust!

I already started with the patchwork pillow I designed a couple of days ago. This was my first Andalucia project and will be showcased in my booth, probably on one of my upholstered chairs or on the floor with a few friends. I may do another similar pillow this weekend with the softer shades of the collection... since they are kinda feeling left out at the moment.

Next, I decided to try my hand at floral arrangements. This is not my kind of craft. My mom is really great at this sort of stuff, but I am a mere novice. I found this great base (which is actually a utensil holder) at Target the other day and picked up these gorgeous flowers at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I wanted a modern arrangement... something clean & sleek with not a lot of stuff shooting up at the top. I had a visual in my mind and I think I came pretty close to accomplishing it, except being the novice that I am, I didn't purchase enough flowers so there are a few gaps I need to fill. But you get the gist, right?





After completing this arrangement, I spotted an article on Apartment Therapy (one of my all-time favorite design blogs) about this new trend of using baby pineapples in floral arrangements. WHAT?!?! How perfect would that be?! I have pineapples in one of my Andalucia prints, Birdie Damask (yes, it also has some birds in it). I want those baby pineapples on a stick for my booth so badly I can taste it! I'm thinking I need to call some local florists in Houston to see if they can procure me some of these for the show. I LOVE THEM!!!



Note: if any of you local Houston peeps know where I can get some of these fabulous pineapples, please let me know. I would be forever indebted to you and, as a a matter of fact, you can have them after the show since I can't very well bring them back with me. :)

Next up was purchasing some dress forms to display my MODKID dress designs made with Andalucia. I can't even begin to describe how giddy the whole idea makes me... to design clothing with fabric designed by ME?!? Heaven! I bought these 2 dress forms off a display company in California and they arrived yesterday just as I returned from Hobby Lobby. One is a size Sydney (3/4) and the other one is a size Sophie (6/7). The girls LOVE THEM and have already named them. Sophie named her new friend, "Sara," and Sydney named hers "Walleena." Since I cannot bring Sophie & Sydney into the show to model my original MODKID/Andalucia dresses, Sara & Walleena will have to do the job.





Oh, and speaking of MODKID, I think I mentioned before (although I can't find the actual post where I did) that I would be closing the etsy shop soon to concentrate on all of these other time-gobbling projects. Well, the time is fast approaching. As soon as my sample yardage gets here in a couple of weeks, the store is history. This is not to say that I won't ever reopen. I am seriously considering a different spin on MODKID, maybe something where I would offer some limited-edition handmade originals (some for baby, some for mommy) made with my fabrics. We'll see how I feel about this idea after the show. I'll keep you posted. ;)

In the meantime, my store has been depleted of most items and I have left in there mostly some ready-made items. From now until the shop closes, I will offer my dear blog readers 10% off anything in the store. This will be given as a paypal refund after payment. If you purchase any item between now & then, just write "GO, ANDALUCIA!" in the notes section and you will receive your paypal refund a.s.a.p. This discount code also applies to my MODGREETINGS store.

This is it for now. Stay tuned for more Market Prep in the upcoming posts.

Non-Etsy Orders ... and other things

First, I wanted to thank you all again for the overflowing support on my ModGreetings venture. It was just a test at first to see if there was interest, but I am so glad to see it has been so well received. And thanks to some much-appreciated press courtesy of Daria at Boutique Cafe and Bowie at Print & Pattern, I have gotten a much wider exposure than I had ever imagined and it has opened new possibilities for related projects in the near future. (I feel so "connected," heeehehe)

But what brings me to this posting tonight is that several people have contacted me wondering if they can purchase the greeting cards directly through me because they do not have an Etsy account. So, I wanted to come here and mention this as an option to any of you who do not want to bother with opening an Etsy account. If you are interested in purchasing some cards (or anything else for that matter) "off-Etsy" just shoot me an email with your complete order at sales@modkidboutique.com. I will email you a invoice through Paypal and ship your package immediately after payment receipt. Since the transaction is done through Paypal we have buyer/seller protection, plus since all packages are sent with delivery confirmation, we are able to track their whereabouts at all times. Cool eh? The only thing that is different is that you cannot leave feedback for me, but that is OK... just email me. I'd love to hear from ya! ;)

Same thing goes for wholesale inquiries.

Soon, you guys should be able to order directly through the website. That has been in the works for a long, long time. But these things take time (or so Jon keeps telling me). I hope to have everything ready by October, before Quilt Market. And there should be a lot more fun goodies over there to choose from. :)

And while I'm here, I wanted to update you on the I don't wanna be a naked bridesmaid challenge. I slacked off a bit on the diet/work-out last week and when I stepped on the scale this morning I was shocked to find out that I had only shed 1 pound. I got my game face on immediately! Grabbed the kids, put on some work-out clothes and headed out to tour the top 3 health clubs in our town. I found one I really liked, signed up, dropped the kids off at their play area and proceeded to do a full work-out routine. I am on a mission right now. I had a light dinner consisting of a salad with a sprinkling of crab meat on top and I feel good... achy & sweaty, but good. I sweated a lot more than I was comfortable with, but what is it that they say... no sweat no gain? or is it no pain no gain? Well, regardless, I will fit into that dress!

P.S. The Favor Box Tutorial will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!

print & pattern feature

I've been subscribing to print & pattern's feed for about as long as I've been blogsurfing. Bowie Style, creator of the Print & Pattern blog in the UK, always finds the coolest stuff out there related to fabric, wallpaper, cards, gift wrap, stationery & ceramics. Her blog is pure eye candy 100% of the time.


So, I am sure you can imagine what I felt when I saw my designs featured on Print & Pattern this morning!! I didn't even know it was there at first. I just went to check my Stat Counter as I usually do every morning and I had 3 dozen or so click-throughs from her blog, so I knew something was up. When I clicked on one of them to be directed to Bowie's blog, my jaw dropped. Not only did she have an amazing write up on Andalucia, she had featured just about every photo I have shown here on my blog regarding my Andalucia designs and ModGreetings.

Thank you, Bowie! What a fabulous way to start the week off! And since I am feeling super excited this morning I am offering a 10% discount on my modgreetings store to anyone who puts the code "Print&Pattern" at check out. The 10% discount will come as a PayPal refund after payment is received and the offer is valid for 1 week (August 4 - August 11, 2008.)

So, go check out Print & Pattern... and go shop! :)

***P.S. If you don't know what "subscribing to a blog's feed" means, let me tell you that Bloglines has saved me so much time! After signing up for BlogLines (which is FREE) you are able to subscribe to a blog's feed and then all you have to do is check out your "feed list" on bloglines to see which ones have been updated. No more wasted time searching through all your favorite blogs to see which has new content! If you are like me and have an amazing amount of blogs you like to check every day, this will save you tons of time!

best surprise ever!!

I was just about to jump off the computer and make dinner tonight as I had heard Jon come through the door, when an email popped up from the beautiful, talented and always fabulous Daria of Boutique Cafe and it was titled, SURPRISE Patty!! XOXO. Well, how could I not open and email like that?! Especially when it comes with hugs AND kisses right on the subject line. To my utter surprise and amazement, Daria had featured my ModGreetings website on her weekly podcast today! WOOOHOOO! How sweet is that?! I love you, Daria!

Pop on over to Boutique Cafe when you get a chance and listen to the podcast and leave a comment in the show notes to be entered to win a Variety 10-Pack from my store.



On another note, thank you all for all the encouraging comments and weight loss suggestions. It's so funny to see how everyone's got a different method that works for them. Many of you suggested Atkins or South Beach, but I gotta tell you right now that it ain't gonna happen. Anyone or anything that makes me not eat bread for longer than a few hours is not a friend of Patty. I am Hispanic... bread is in my blood. I know it's not the best for me but I just cannot cut something like that out of my diet. I would be be a major "crabby patty." ;)

I am happy to report though that I've taken up walking on the treadmill and I don't totally hate it. I walked for 30 minutes last night while watching Project Runway on my DVR. I burned 162 calories and felt great afterwards. I plan to increase my time & speed on the treadmill every day until I can do 1 hr. without dying. I've also been forcing myself to drink more water. You may remember the i hate water post from a few weeks back. Well, lots of lemon & lime slices (and occasionally cucumbers too) are making water drinkable for me right now -- still not up to the 8-glasses-a-day level... that would be a Patty Record for sure, but I'm probably guzzling down about 3 or 4. Baby steps, right?

Also, I did not forget about the favor boxes template/tutorial. I am working on it. I took a ton of pictures of the step-by-step process so I need to cut them down to a manageable amount and edit them and put together the whole tutorial thingy. It'll be up in a couple of days. Thanks to all who commented on it. :)

Now, go, go, go listen to that podcast.

modgreetings

Greetings, my mod friends! Remember my "little side project" I've been hinting about for a couple of weeks? Well, this is it! It's not so little after all and it was a lot more time-consuming than I anticipated, but I am so excited to finally unveil my new division of MODKID, LLC... MODGREETINGS.



Andalucia is now available as a set of 10 beautiful greeting cards. Enjoy the rich palettes and deep textures of this collection inspired by the beauty and splendor of the South of Spain. Greeting cards are printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper and are blank inside. Matching color envelopes with stylish European inspired pointed flaps are included with each card. Cards can be purchased individually or in sets of 3 or 10 and they come inside resealable cellophane sleeves for their protection.



I created MODGREETINGS to showcase my designs in a different medium that everyone can enjoy even if they don't sew or partake in crafty projects. ;)

I have a new website that showcases the designs, and my goal is to be able to sell these straight off the site eventually, but if you'd like to purchase these right now, head on over to my new Etsy shop where all 10 designs are available for immediate purchase in limited quantities. And just a few minutes after I set up my shop, I received a convo from a fellow Etsy member letting me know that my "Happy Birthday" card had been chosen for her Treasury... WOW! That was fast! I'm so flattered. Check out this awesome Treasury featuring items from the "undiscovered" section on Etsy.



And if you live in the Central Illinois area and would like to check these out in person, my entire greeting cards collection is available for purchase at:

bug-a-boo baby, inc.
112 Boeykens Place
Suite 1B
Normal, IL 61761
309-862-BUGS
www.bugaboobaby.com

And, of course I have not forgotten about my little contest & giveaway. Thank you all for participating. You guys have given me tons of new ideas for future projects and even though that was not the original intent for this contest I am so glad I did it! ;) I've perused your guesses from the comments on this post and this post and even though no one actually guessed "greeting cards," two people came pretty darn close to the real thing.

First of all, Kristen guessed "notecards" and a little later on ArtsieGirl said "stationery" so since I am feeling pretty happy and generous on this beautiful Monday morning I will reward the two of you for coming pretty darn close on your guesses. Ladies, email me at sales@modkidboutique.com to claim your prize! Congrats!!!

So, that's it! I love it when a big project comes to fruition... such a great sense of accomplishment. I'd love to hear what you think of modgreetings and if you are encountering any problems with the website or the etsy store (even something as minor as a typo) please let me know! I was working on these in the wee hours of the morning. :)



Oh, and I will have these cards with me at Fall Quilt Market available for wholesale purchase, in case any of you store owners want to offer these to your customers. I only printed a small amount this time just to see if there was any interest in them, but if they do well, I'll be doing a much larger print run next time... keeping my fingers & toes crossed! ;)