buzz

A few weeks ago I was buzzing around online, seeing what everyone was up to and I ended up drooling over all my favorite designer friends' Zazzle shops. Have you heard about this? You can upload your own artwork and they will print it on all sorts of surfaces, from shoes to bumper stickers. I think Heather got the ball rolling but before you knew it Tula, Melissa and Bari had their own cool shops too. So, since I succumb to peer pressure easily (and apparently I don't have anything better to occupy my time), I went ahead and started designing some shoes. I bought myself a pair of Hive lo-tops (cause I wanted to check out the goods before blabbing on about 'em) and OH EM GEEE they are so friggin' cool! I seriously have not stopped wearing these since the day they came in the mail!!!



I *heart* everything about them down to the hot pink topstitching throughout, which of course matches the hot pink laces and the little hot pink tab in the back. heeheee, I'm such a girl! You can get your own pair here. And if bees don't strike your fancy, no worries. I also have fishies, birdies, flowers and all sorts of other fun motifs to choose from.

So what else is buzzing around here, you ask?

Well, in case you've missed my tweets and FaceBook posts today, you really need to head on over to Sew Retro's blog, like NOW, because she is having an awesome giveaway in celebration of her brand new self-titled book. She has posted an interview with Kathy Miller (everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask!) and is giving away a signed copy of her new book, Sew Retro, and 5 (count them... FIVE) yards of any Michael Miller fabric you choose!

To enter to win this awesome giveaway, click HERE and leave a comment. Pick your favorite fabric (I know that's hard to do, but that's part of the game) and while you're at it give Judy Ketteler a shout out for the gorgeous book.

I know after reading the above, my little teeny giveaway will pale in comparison, but just in case you're feeling lucky, don't forget there's still time to enter your name to win a fat bag of knits scraps. Leave a comment and I'll pick some winners in a couple of days.

So, that's about all, folks. Oh, wait... while I was outside taking photos of my cool new shoes I noticed that most of my garden is dying a slow death but there were a few flowers still buzzing with life and hanging on to the the last drops of Summer. I figured it's only a matter of days before they join the others and even though I absolutely cannot wait for Autumn to arrive I wanted to capture a little bit of life today...









So what's buzzing in your neck of the woods?

Ears!

To cure the cabin fever we've all been experiencing lately (well, maybe mostly me) the girls and I went for a little retail therapy at our local mall. The plan was to have lunch at the food court, then swing by B&BW for some yummy smelling stuff, then go redeem that VS gift certificate that had been burning a hole in my wallet since V-Day, then maybe go check out the sales at ON. Well, let's just say that we had an unexpected detour when Sophie spotted a little girl getting her ears pierced and decided right there on the spot that she wanted to go next. I was thrilled mostly because my Sophie is NOT the spontaneous type... she is a planner to the MAX. So for her to make an impromptu decision like that was incredibly surprising and needed to be supported and celebrated.

(of course, all I had with me to document this momentous event was my iPhone)

Here she is sitting pretty in the piercing chair...



X marks the spot...



A little pinch...



YAY, it's done!



Then, to my utter surprise, Sydney got brave enough to do it too!

So we sat pretty again...



Marked the spot...



Felt a little pinch...



And VOILA!



Proud mama...



I walked in with my two babies and left with two big girls... who knew!

(Happy Easter, everyone!)

Plusing

I mentioned plusing in my last post and now feel like I need to expand on it since I've been experiencing lots of it lately. The word is a common industry term that is not found in the dictionary because it is considered "jargon," but I did find this great definition of it while doing a Google search:

Plusing n. the act of continuously improving something; adding detail and tweaks to something already satisfactory. Also plus-ing, plussing.

I thought that pretty much summed it up! :) Well, a great example of plusing happened to me just recently with my Frida pattern. One of my testers suggested I add a different option to the sleeves to make them more "capped" instead of "flared". I experimented with her suggestion and VOILA! Love it!

Check out the new capped sleeves on VIEW C of Frida. Oh, I love how different this view looks from A & B and believe it or not it uses all the same pattern pieces! And that's what it's all about... having different options to play with so you can keep re-using the patterns and get a different outcome each time. :)

Since I was in an experimenting mode, I decided to try out some different fabrics too. I did the bodice in a really soft baby-wale corduroy and lined the whole thing with a coordinating voile. Turned out great and is perfect for layering during the cooler months! Plus I had fun adding a trim to the skirt ruffle. Here is a close-up showing the Flora Petal ribbon in 7/8" width. I could totally see this done with ric-rac, vintage lace, pom-pom trim.... oooh, the possibilities are endless.

Frida is now off to the testers for one final look and should be going into production soon.

Update on the other patterns: Lil' Chef is back from the testers, has been edited and is ready for production! WOOHOO! Kyoko is still in development but should be ready to test soon! You should see how cute the short-sleeved version turned out! I'll photograph it this week for you all to see. Pattern #4 should be ready for a sneak peek here in the next couple of weeks.

To all who have asked when these will be available, I wish I could give you a concrete date. I hope to have them up for pre-order a few weeks before Quilt Market (so, maybe sometime in late March-April?) but at the latest I'll have them ready for the show in May, and for ordering through my website soon after. If you are a retailer or a distributor and would like to be added to the pre-order contact list, please email me at info@modkidboutique.com

I've been working non-stop on these and have had very little to no time to play lately. But, since all work an no play makes Patty a dull girl (heeheee), I decided to take a personal day on Saturday. Ohhhh, it was so much fun!

First we went out to lunch, then we caught a matinee of Coraline. If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend it. I think this movie would especially appeal to anyone in the crafting, sewing, artsy industry as every aspect and every detail of the movie set was handmade... from the hand-painted popcorn that doubled as cherry blossoms to the minuscule hand-knitted gloves and hand-sewn PJs that Coraline wore. It was AMAZING to say the least! I'd seriously watch that movie over an over again. :)

Then we went to Old Navy so I could pick up some jeans for the girls. They had kids' denim on sale for $9.99, what a deal! I plan to embellish them with some of my woven ribbons. :)

Then we headed off to Bath & Body Works to pick up some yummy smelling stuff for the house. I especially love these and these.

And finally, since it was getting dark and we had no groceries back at the house, we went out to dinner. I was craving buffalo wings for some strange reason. LOL!

I haven't had a day like that in ages so I felt so spoiled... movies, shopping and dinner all in one day?!?! I was almost tricked into believing I had a life.

Another excuse to buy fabric...

...as if you needed one, right? The nice folks at Fabric.com emailed me yesterday to thank me for linking to their online store and were sweet enough to offer me a $5 coupon code to post on my blog for my readers to use... that's YOU! The coupon is valid for a one-time purchase per user and does not expire until the end of year.

Here ya go:



Here's a few guidelines to remember when using the coupon:

• To receive the discount, you MUST type the Code into the Coupon or Promotional Code box of the Order Form. Discount can not be applied if not entered at time order is placed.
• There is a limit of one coupon per order.
• Coupons can not be applied to retroactively to previously placed orders.

Hey, you may even want to use it to get yourself some Andalucia! They do carry 12 prints from the collection! ;) Click here to view their Andalucia selection and ... HAPPY SHOPPING!

***OH AND THIS JUST IN!***

Lanie Jane Fabrics is having a 20% SALE on all Andalucia fabrics. Click here to shop their site (they carry the entire collection!) and click here to check out a fun contest on their blog.

Andalucia goodies

I apologize for my bloggy absence. It's not like me to be gone from here for so many days, but I have a good excuse. I'm working on 3 different big projects that will soon be revealed and the deadlines were all around the same time... as a matter of fact, I am still working on 2 of them, due next week, so I'd better get back to it.

Anyway, first I wanted to thank everyone for your wonderful comments on Sophie's b-day party. It was a TON of work but so worth it! The girls had a blast and it gave me the push to finish and perfect the Lil' Chef sewing pattern (since I had to make 5 prototypes! LOL!)

So, since I can't really post any sneak peeks at this moment of what I'm working on (believe me, I'd love to, but it's just waaaay too soon!) I thought I'd post a few beauties that I've found online while browsing some of my favorite sites.

Get your Holiday shopping done!!!

These absolutely striking camera straps can be found at My Funky Camera. I actually gasped when I first came upon this picture truly by chance!



This adorable, and purely retro, apron can be found on Etsy at Boojiboo:



And another, totally different take on an apron, but just as fun is this one by boutiqueolliegirl:



Also on Etsy, I found this sweet little Bib & Burp set from Upsiedoodle:



This sweet girly skirt from kbellabambino:



And this decoupaged removable camera strap from PriddyCreations:
(Amy is offering $5.00 off these camera straps -- she's got more than 1 style -- if you mention you saw it here!)



There are just so many pretties out there, I'm just having a blast checking them all out. If you have anything made from Andalucia, please, please, please add your photo to my ANDALUCIA FLICKR GROUP so I can better find you! And thanks to all of you who have joined the group and added your photos so far... so much talent out there, I'm blown away!

OH, and if you would like to get yor hands on some Andalucia fabric and ribbon to make your own goodies, check out my updated link on my sidebar >>>>>>>>>>
(stores, let me know when you get them in so I can add your link too!)

OK, I'd better get back to work now! My goal is to finish all my project by end of next week so I can have a nice, quiet Christmas with my family... we'll see how all that goes! ;)

Going out for Sex...

...And The City movie that is! I am giddy with excitement. I don't know if there are any SATC fans out there but I literally sobbed out loud during the last episode and when I heard about the movie coming out I got chills. I am such a HUGE fan of the show so I hope the movie doesn't disappoint.

I was gonna go with Jon (yup, he's an SATC fan too, hard to believe!) but then my friend Dawn called today and asked if I wanted to join a group of girls for cosmos (of course!) at Swingers and the movie and I just couldn't say no. How could I pass this up? This is the kind of movie you should go see with a group of fabulous 30-somethings, right? Not with your hubby. You go see movies like this or this or this with your hubby. Or in my case you get stuck seeing this movie on date night. Yah, niiiiice. ;)

So what am I wearing tonight? I picked up this gorgeous dress (in coral) a couple of weeks ago to wear to Fall Quilt Market (I know, I plan waaaaaaay ahead of time!) because I thought it personified Andalucia perfectly. But I just can't stand seeing it hanging there in my closet, so sweet and lonely... it beckons me! So alas, it is going out with me tonight. Do you all think it would be highly uncool if I wear it again for my big fabric debut? hmmmm... And of course, I can't go see Mz Parker in all her glory without wearing this.

Oh, and before I go, did you guys see the latest posting on the Marimekko blog, Always Mod? Looks like some awesome Marimekko curtains have a little cameo appearance in the movie and they are asking their readers to report back to them if you saw it. So, I'll be reporting here and there tomorrow with all the juicy details.

toodooloo!

Happiness is...

... sleeping in on Mother's Day then waking up to the sweet scent of homemade Belgian Waffles being made by none other than your handsome flour-covered husband!


... seeing the glowing face on your 3-year-old as you open up a paper bag containing a half-dead flower in a hand-painted clay pot that she planted by herself 2 days prior at her toddler class. (it's gotten plenty of water, sunlight and TLC since then, so I think it'll make it) :)


... seeing the proud look on your 6-year-old's face as she hands you the beautiful oversized cards that she so meticulously made for you while you slept.


... going shopping without any distractions (read: without kids or husbands tagging along asking you how much longer) and finding the perfect pair of jeans to take on your upcoming trip to Quilt Market. :)


... going to your favorite Sushi restaurant with your most favorite people in the whole world and having them behave all the way through dinner and actually have fun!

(above photos taken with my iPhone)

... knowing that in just 3 short days you will be flying half-way across the country to meet up with some of the most amazing and inspiring women you have ever come across in your professional career. :)

***Special Addendum***

Happiness is... finishing a blog posting just to be surprised by yet another amazing handcrafted gift... this time from your own mother! Thanks so much mom! My new Marieliz purse is absolutely divine! I can't wait to show it off!!! LOVE YOU!!!

Pre-Owned MODKIDs

Seems this is the season for resells. If you want to catch a great deal on an E.U.C. MODKID, better head on over to eBay right now while they're still up. :)

The lovely Lisa, from bumble*bumble, is reselling her Andalucia 2-pc. set, her Felicity 2-pc. set and her Cordoba dress... all in size 18M and seen below modeled by the adorable Ava...


Click here for Andalucia.
Click here for Felicity.
Click here for Cordoba.

And for the "bigger girls" how about this Berry Parfait 2-pc. set in size 3T offered by Angie, of simply*sophia, among a few other custom boutique resells? Her lovely daughter, Sophie, did a fabulous job modeling her MODKID...


Click here for Berry Parfait.

But if these resells won't work for you, don't forget I still have 2 totally custom auctions running. One ends in less than 24 hrs. and the other one ends in a couple of days. Click HERE to view all MODKID auctions.

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas...

Are you singing along yet? I've had that tune in my head for the past 4 or 5 days so I figured the rest of you could stand to be annoyed with me. LOL!

This past Friday we had the first real snowfall of the season. Up until now, we had just had a few flurries here & there, but nothing to write home about (or in my case, blog about) ;) But, on Friday a soft blanket of snow, about 3 or 4 inches deep, covered the ground and by mid-afternoon, when I picked Sophie up from school, there was enough moisture in it to stick together and give way to the the perfect snowball fight. The girls and I had a blast...

But as the weekend progressed, that soft blanket of snow turned into a hard frozen mess on the ground and the trees were covered with a layer of ice about an inch thick. We had an ice storm on Saturday night, which made it virtually impossible to do anything fun outside, but it did yield some pretty amazing pictures...

So, needless to say, we hung out inside all day Sunday, which was perfectly OK by us since the Christmas spirit has permeated our house too. Our tree is up and I find myself staring at it, just lost in thought all the time... I just love seeing the glow of the lights as they reflect off the walls, the ceiling, the furniture... ahhhh... so pretty. I just can't wait to see all the wrapped presents gathered around it... one of my favorite childhood memories that I still enjoy profusely as an adult.


Our otherwise modern and uncluttered hearth has received a sudden transformation as more and more Christmas decorations keep landing on top of it. Just as I thought I was finished with it, the girls would find yet another item that they thought needed to be properly displayed or keep the others company. "How 'bout we put this pretty snowglobe on there..." OK, OK. "Oh, and what about my Christmas Barbie... she can keep my picture company." Alright.

So now it looks like this...


Cuteness abounds...

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, yes, I DID take the handmade pledge, so I will go ahead and proudly display my badge:



It'll be a "partial pledge" as there are some members of my extended family that have some pretty specific things on their wish lists that definitely cannot fall into this category, but I think, as it looks now it'll be about a 60/40 split which is not bad compared to how it used to be. But I am just so excited about making a few things and seeing some other handmade beauties up-close.

I am making a couple of things myself but I will also be spending an ungodly amount of my Paypal $$$ on Etsy. I'll be buying those things that I cannot make myself, like jewelry. Some of my current favorite jewelry gals are Ash, Erin and Ann. And how 'bout those cute little handmade felt creatures that I keep seeing everywhere? Anyone else just as in love with those are I am??? Well, I just did spend a small fortune at this etsy store. OMG! I just love Irma's work and she was so sweet to deal with... highly recommended. I can't wait to see my girls and niece's faces as they open their presents! Weeee!

UGH... which reminds me, I'd better go get the rest of my orders in before it's too late.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, everyone! :)