Market Report

My brain is mush right now. Can someone really take this much visual stimulation, inspiration and creativity in a short 4 days and remain conscious? Quilt Market (and all the activities surrounding it) was an experience that I will never forget... and the thought that I get to do this all over again in just 5 months is making me numb with excitement. :)

Since I have an ungodly amount of photos and I couldn't figure out what to show first, I've decided to do a daily account of events in chronological order, so here it goes...

DAY 1.
Thursday, May 15th, 2008

It's my Birthday! And what a way to celebrate it! I was greeted at the airport by the ever so vibrant Myrinda of Fabric Hound and we soon met up with my pal Eva and her sweet friend Tara. The four of us headed out to our Meet & Greet party, so appropriately named Fabric 2.0, hosted by Caroline of J Caroline Creative and Michael Miller Fabrics at a Spanish tapas restaurant named Oba.

Of course, the first order of events was to get an "MMF Girls" photo:

From left to right: Kathy Miller, Paula Prass, Sandi Henderson, Patty Young

Then we did a little meeting & greeting...

From left to right: Tara, Eva Taylor, Joel Dewberry, Patty Young

Me & Heather Bailey (in case you didn't know) ;)

Me & Melissa Averinos

Me and Daria Muirhead

Outside, waiting for our cabs, we got a little silly...

From top left (clockwise): Megan, Sandi, Eva, Daria and me

And I couldn't resist posting this picture of the fabulous Kathy Miller waiting for her cab to arrive outside of Oba. I felt like paparazzi...

If you'd like to read a full report of this kicking party, check out Caroline's blog... she is the funniest person I've met in a long, long time!

We took a cab to the convention center where a few vendors were still setting up, and I got to experience my first Sample Spree! "OHMYGOD" is all I can say about that! ;)

Back at the hotel, my sweet roomies (Daria, Megan, & Amelia) surprised me with a birthday card and some awesome raspberry truffles. Thanks again, girls! I was so touched! LOVE YA!!!

DAY 2.
Friday, May 16th, 2008

First day of Quilt Market. I was blown away not only by the size of it but also by the immense amount of creativity surrounding me.

Sandi's booth was a breath of fresh air. Every time I came by to visit there were at least a dozen people admiring her fabrics, patterns, decor, pictures, clothing... everything! Here she is with her mom:

And I had the pleasure of being there when they surprised Sandi & team with a wonderful award. They won 2nd Place for Most Creative Double Booth! CONGRATULATIONS, Sandi!!! All your hard work definitely paid off! :)

Sandi Henderson and her husband, Dustin

Chelsea's booth was another breath of fresh air... so colorful and fun! And she was busy, busy, busy all day long selling patterns and chatting with everyone who came by to peek at her fabulous set up.

From left: Lucy, Jona and Chelsea

And I got to spend some quality time with Chelsea's gorgeous and talented aunts, Lucy and Lila.

From left: Lucy, Lila and me

I stopped by Joel's booth for a visit and got another picture with the fabulous designer. His new line is just breathtakingly beautiful.


Here is Eva reknotting the sash on the gorgeous robe she created for Joel's booth. Everyone who came by wanted to try it on because it was so amazingly soft and comfy.


I even got to witness Daria interviewing Joel for her Boutique Cafe podcast!!! WOOOHOOO!


Next to Joel's Booth was the ever so colorful display space of Anna Maria Horner. Her new fabric lines are so bright and fun! Her booth won 1st Place for Most Creative Double Booth. CONGRATS, Anna Maria!!

From left: Paula Prass, Anna Maria Horner and me

Up the way a little bit was probably the most visited designer's booth in the whole Convention Center. Amy Butler was so sweet and fun. Her looks and personality totally match the amazing textiles she designs. I couldn't resist having my picture taken with Amy as I held the fabulous purse my mom designed for me out of her Nigella fabrics. Amy loved it, BTW! :)

And last but not least, I couldn't leave the show without visiting with two other super talented and sweet designers... Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom and Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S

Jennifer Paganelli (Sis Boom)

Liesl Gibson (Oliver + S)

After Market closed that day I went to Fabric Depot with the LimeVine gals and we couldn't resist the photo op...

From left: Emily, Eva, Patty & Amie

And later that evening we met a large group of boutique designers for dessert and wacky fun in downtown Portland.

From top left: Jenn (Fabric Bliss), Em, Amie, Eva, Tara, Patty,
Wendy, Traci, Jona (Fabritopia), Myrinda (Fabric Hound) and Taya (Em's daughter)

DAY 3.
Saturday, May 17, 2008

I was already dead tired by my 3rd day in Portland so I took a small fraction of the pictures I took the prior 2 days. LOL! I spent the day at Market doing the same thing from the day before but with half the energy. Then after Market we headed off to a Vendor Appreciation party being thrown by Fabric Depot. (Yep, I visited that store 2 days in a row... and I still didn't see it all!) This is the only picture I captured from the party... The Elfin Section

Me, Paula Prass and Melissa Averinos

After the Fabric Depot party, the Michael Miller crew (and a few others) headed off to dinner at an awesome Peruvian tapas place. OMG! The music, food & drinks were amazing!!! We had a blast!

Caroline (J Caroline Creative), Me and Michael Steiner (MMF)

DAY 4.
Sunday, May 19, 2008

Market still went on for another full day but my roomies and I decided to take it easy. We had a quiet breakfast back at our hotel room, packed, chatted, looked at pictures and headed to the airport mid morning. I had a loooong flight back to Chicago followed by a loooong drive down to Bloomington, but 8 hrs. later I was home enjoying the company of Jon & the girls. :)

Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently for this report and for all your sweet comments and wishes while I was gone. And to all who I met at Market: it was a true pleasure! I can't wait to do it all over again in 5 months... this time I'll have my own booth! WOOHOOOTY!

Houston or Bust! :)

Portland or Bust!

So this is it. I am heading to Chicago in just a few minutes and flying to Portland for the International Quilt Market. I am still on Cloud 9 and just cannot believe I am actually going! I can't wait to meet all the Fabricnistas (yes, Paula, I stole your term) and catch up with old friends, but most importantly I am so excited about getting to meet the folks at Michael Miller Fabrics face to face. Kathy Miller has been an absolute pleasure to chat with over the phone through this whole design process and Sandi tells me the rest of the crew is just as great so I am just giddy with excitement.

And as a side note, good thing I am -- what my friend Melissa would call -- "elfin," LOL! I was able to fit 6 outfits, 6 pairs of shoes, PJs, my flat iron, my cosmetics & toiletries, my camera, my iPhone, my wallet, 2 design portfolios, a sketchbook, a box of Moo cards and the new purse my mom made me for Mother's Day in this small carry-on suitcase and this weekender bag from Bath & Body Works. At first, when I looked at those diminutive pieces of luggage I thought it was nearly impossible but, again, "good thing I'm elfin" and my shoes & clothes are tiny!!! ;)

So... if you'll be attending the show, I hope to meet up with you. If not, I will be back next Monday with a full report. :) Have a great weekend, everyone!!! I have a feeling Blogland will be a tad quiet for a few days... at least the crafty neighborhood in Blogland. ;)

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!!!

Feeling the "Love"

A sweet customer of mine, the lovely Lovelyn, totally made my day with her wonderful pictures of her 3 girls in their MODKIDs and her description of her shopping experience. It was one of those blog postings that made my mouth smile bigger and bigger with every word I read, so I just had to come here and share with you guys!!!

How sweet is this picture of her two oldest running through a field of wildflowers? She totally captured that childhood innocence that we all crave... not a worry in the world, not posed or contrived, just 2 girls running, being silly and having the time of their life! :)


And here is this super sweet picture of her youngest in her Blüm Collection... eeeek! I just want to squeeze those cheeks!


Click here to check out Lovelyn's awesome blog. It's always such a fun spot to rest upon in the sea of blogs I read because it captures real life in such a casual, unfettered way. Thanks so much, Love! You totally made my day!!!

Urban Jungle

I am hanging out on the bay this week with LimeVine and Friends for our first EVER Guest launch!

To celebrate this event, I have listed this sweet 3-piece custom set. I have been holding on to this amazing Lycra for over a year and I finally found the perfect opportunity to use it! The swim-cover up is made with 100% Organic Bamboo... YUMMY!

Check it out:



Search Boutique LLB on eBay this week to find the other ensembles listed by this AMAZING group of friends!

This item is NOT available in my Etsy store, but if you'd rather shop Etsy than eBay, click HERE to check out what items I have on there. :)

Thanks for looking! :)

Give a MARIELIZ for Mother's Day

My mom finally took the plunge and joined the fabulous Etsy community of indie designers to sell her fabulous handcrafted purses, so I thought I'd come here and promote her shop. She has listed a few favorites and a couple of new designs and has lowered her prices as a Mother's Day special. Check it out!

Etsy Buy Handmade marielizcreations

What an excellent Mother's Day gift one of these purses would make, eh?

Sweet Accessories for the MOD Chick

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you for your super sweet comments on my big announcement. Your warm wishes and words of support just fill me up with joy and remind me of how lucky I am to be working in this industry chock full of wonderful people like yourselves! Oh, and for those of you who took the time to email me and ask if I would still be doing MODKID, I truly appreciate your concern but please rest assured that I will not forget my first love: designing modern children's clothing. As long as you guys are buying, I will be selling! LOL! I mentioned before... oh, it was in this old post (look at #3 and #5)... that I would love to make MODKID clothing out of my own fabrics and that is still my goal. :)

Anywho, as I will be headed to Quilt Market in 3 weeks, I wanted to make myself some practical but stylish accessories to bring with me and I just loved the way they turned out so much that I decided to offer them up (in limited quantities due to my fabric availability) in my etsy store.

This here is a Moo Card Wallet. I have mentioned here and here how much I love my Moo's and now I have a way to tote them around and also show off my design/sewing skills at the Mecca of Design/Sewing. I listed these late last night and they sold immediately, so I have relisted them for you. This Moo Card Wallet holds up to 30 cards (10 in each slot) and it is sturdy and versatile... it has an attached keyring so you can either use it as a key chain or just clip it onto your purse or backpack as a sweet dangling accessory. Check it out!



I also made myself an iPhone/iPod Cozy. After spending a fortune last weekend on my new iPhone I just couldn't fathom spending another $30 -$50 on something to keep it from scratching up in my purse, so I quickly whipped up this sweet little sleeve for it. This will also fit the iPod Touch perfectly and might work for other electronic devices too (see measurements in my listing!).



I also recently listed a few more Blüm Collection separates. Sorry, these have no modeled pictures because they were customer special orders so I just quickly snapped some pictures on the wall before sending them off to their new owners, but you can find them all here.

Thanks, everyone!

My New Title

I've been hinting here and there about a new venture in my life... something that I've been working tirelessly on for the past few months. Sorry to have kept you all in suspense for so long. It's not like me to keep things bottled in but at the same time I wanted to make sure it was "official" before I blurted it all out and made a fool of myself if something went wrong.

But I can finally say it: I am the new fabric designer for MICHAEL MILLER FABRICS. Phew! I actually exhaled as I typed that. The long awaited contract finally arrived yesterday and I ripped open the envelope like a kid at Christmas. Everything has been reviewed, signed and mailed back so I can finally say it's official! WOOOHOOO!

I look forward to sharing tons of sneak peeks with you all in the coming months, but right now it's still a bit premature as we are not sure yet if all my designs will be actually printed or if some will get cut in the process. As usual, I was an over-achiever and produced more than my fair share of designs & colorways, so at some point in the next few weeks we will be reviewing my work and deciding what gets printed.


My new fabric line will debut during the International Quilt Market in Houston, October 25-27, 2008. But as I have mentioned before, I will also be attending the Spring Quilt Market in Portland, which is fast approaching in 3 weeks... gulp...so if any of you will be out there on May 15-18 you might catch a glimpse of my portfolio. :)

Now that the envelope has been opened, it's time for me to express my gratitude to a few people who I owe it all to. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Kathy Miller for taking a chance on me and offering me such a wonderful opportunity with her company. I have been a fan of Michael Miller Fabrics for as long as I have been in this industry and it is truly an honor (and a dream come true) to be working with you guys now! Secondly, I'd like to thank Sandi Henderson for introducing me to Kathy and for putting up with my non-stop blabbering during all those crazy late-night chats. Thanks, sweetie! And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank my wonderful husband, Jon and my girls, Sophie & Sydney, for being so patient with me and allowing me to slack off on my wife/mother/housekeeper duties as I tried my darndest to multi-task for the past few months. I know it hasn't been easy... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Featured!

What a wonderful day this has been! Aside from getting to play with my new super fun toy (more on that later) and getting something in the mail from a certain fabric company that requires my signature (definitely more on that later!), I got word that my Etsy shop was featured on two different blogs today! WOOHOO!

Go check these out. First of all the creators at Eenie Meenie Picks picked my shop and said some super sweet things about it...


Secondly, the creator behind the Rio Oso Designs blog featured my shop on her Monday Minis, a wonderful feature she does every week in which she picks her favorite Etsy shops and shares their "mini" with her readers...


Thank you, ladies! I'm flattered!!

All Shook Up

Mm mm mm, oh, oh, yeah, yeah!

Our bed was shaking, rattling and rolling around 4:30 a.m. today... and NOOOOO! It's not what you think! Get your minds out of the gutter. Sheesh!

We had a 5.2 magnitude earthquake... the first I had felt since we moved to the States from Costa Rica when I was 16!! I thought I had escaped all natural disasters of the earth shattering kind. eeeek!

This one wasn't so bad and as a matter of fact Sophie & Sydney slept right through it. I am the lightest sleeper on the face of the earth so at the first sign of shaking I was literally on my feet screaming "WTH was that?!?" Jon woke up for a split second, checked his watch and said "probably just a plane flying really low" and went back to sleep. I walked around the house for a couple of minutes trying to figure out what had just happened. It's been 20 years since I felt that sensation!!

Eventually I went back to bed and when I woke back up a couple of hours later and checked my email I learned the truth from none other than my soon-to-be "coworker," the fabulous and talented Paula Prass. She sent an email telling me about her eventful morning with the earthquake and I knew that she didn't live too far away from me, so I checked out the news and it was one of those "AHA!" moments!

According to reports, this is the second strongest earthquake that has shaken this region of the country. The strongest being in 1968, so most of the people around here have never felt one this strong. And I could tell... everywhere I went today, people were gathered in groups sharing stories. LOL! And the funniest thing is that everyone's stories were pretty much identical: the wives all said that they got up and checked on the kids and turned on the news while their husbands went back to sleep in total disbelief or apathy. hmmmm. Men!

The Little Mod Dress

I've been busy creating a few new goodies for my Etsy store. These first three I am calling "The Little Mod Dress" ... super soft, comfy and stylish. Perfect for the warm Summer months but also look great layered on top of a long sleeve shirt and tights during the cooler months.

Click on each picture to visit the Etsy listing:







I also made this sweet little dress that I am calling 'The Euro Twirl Dress":



And the matching yoga pants:



If these links come up SOLD for you just click here to go to my Etsy. I will keep relisting them until I run out of fabric (I don't have a lot of the Euro flowers one, just so you know!) :)

Do you Moo?



I know I've shared this picture before but I just wanted to pop in here and publicly thank the folks at Moo for featuring my cards on their most recent MoosLetter that went out yesterday (04/10/08). If you guys get the MoosLetter you may have seen this already. And if you don't you can always sign up to get news, promotions and inspirational photos... or just to see what other Moo-lovers are ding out there. But if you don't get it and don't want to sign up but just wanna take a quick gander at this issue, you can always click here to see the online version of it. :)

I just placed my next order for some more Moo cards that will showcase my Blüm Collection, so I cannot wait to get them. :)

Thanks, Moo!

That Darn Meme

I keep trying to dodge it, but it just keeps coming back... like Freddy! And to quote my dear friend Nic, "I've done the 7 Things Meme a jillion times before." But I will indulge you guys one more time only because I came up with a funny idea this morning. In a small group I belong to, we've been chatting about weird things we've eaten (or regularly eat, in some cases!) and so I thought... "OK, I could do that 7 random thing meme about my weird food tastes, since it seems to be so intriguing to most."

So here it goes... Oh, wait, I'm supposed to link to those who have tagged me. OK... let's see... I've been tagged by Toni, Melissa, Michelle and most recently by Clara (boy, after writing it all down like that I all of a sudden feel popular! HA!) And if I missed anyone... so sorry.

OK, so now here it goes... Seven things that I eat regularly -- or have eaten in the past -- that most Americans wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole:

1. Liver, liver paté and liverwurst. I will take a liverwurst (Braunschwiger) sandwich over pretty much any other sandwich in the world. And I LOVE all sorts of patés... chicken liver, goose liver... even duck liver paté. Oh, and turkey gravy isn't good unless it has chunks of the turkey liver floating in it. YUM!

2. Tripe. If you don't know what it is, look it up. No, I don't go out of my way to eat tripe and it's certainly not my favorite texture, but I have eaten it several times as one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes contains tripe and I don't pick it out of my plate... just consume it with the rest. ;)

3. Octopus. It's much yummier than calamari, especially when sautéed in olive oil and lemon. My girls adore it too.

4. Raw Oysters. If they're on the menu, I get them! And they're an aphrodisiac too... wink, wink.

(I could insert all seafood, cooked or raw, that I love here but then this list would well surpass it's 7-item limit)

5. Condensed Milk. Nope, not as an ingredient in cakes and pies. I eat it straight out of the can... with a spoon... like others would eat ice cream or yogurt.

6. Escargot. Again, if you don't know what it is, look it up. And again, not my favorite, but I have been known to eat it several times before just for shock value. LOL!

7. Sardines. OK, I lied... I had to insert one more seafood item on this list because I just love them so much... especially when they come canned in tomato sauce and spices. I love to eat them with Export Sodas.

I swear this list could go on and on, but I will have mercy on you since I know most of you have already thrown up a little in your mouths. OH, and for those of you who are in my group or have had the "weird food" discussion with me before and are wondering why I didn't include "maggots" in this list, well... I didn't actually consume those maggots. They were in my mouth for a split second and I spit them out as soon as I realized it. So, if you guys hadn't vomited yet, that little tidbit of information outta do the trick. ;)

Oh, and I am NOT tagging anyone because I'm sure pretty much everyone in blogland has done this one once or twice or a jillion times like me. But, if you haven't been tagged by some strange reason and would like to do it, please consider yourself tagged! Oh, and please post a link to your Meme so I can check it out!! :)

Back in business!

I sewed and sewed and sewed, ate some sushi, blogged and sewed some more and VOILA! my orders are almost all finished. If you shopped during my April Fool's SALE, you should be receiving your package sometime this week! All I have left to finish is a couple of orders that I haven't received measurements for yet. So... if you ordered from me but haven't sent me your info yet, please do so and I will get your items out a.s.a.p. :)

This means that my store is back up... YAY! No new items yet, but they'll be coming up soon! I promise. :)

Etsy Buy Handmade modkid

I missed Bernie's 30th Birthday!

My sweet and loyal Bernie turned the big 3-0 on April Fool's Day and I totally forgot to celebrate her. I was too busy playing our little boutique prank and having my 1-day sale and it just escaped me. But I will make it up to her this weekend as we will be spending lots of quality on-on-one time again. Jon took the kids to Chicago so I could catch up on my Etsy orders. Of course I am still allowed a few minutes of computer break every now & then, so I wanted to come here and share what's been going on. First, check out this hilarious message at the bottom of Bernie's sales receipt:

If you can't read it on the picture, it says: In the event of mechanical problems, place the machine in a Greyhound Bus, directing it to Alt's, 335 North Ashland Avenue, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Alt's will pay the cartage both ways and we will not charge anything for a period of five years.

A greyhound bus? WTF?!? Well, my FIL tells me that Bernie has never had to take that fateful bus ride and as long as she's been with me she has never had a malfunction (I have but she hasn't). So I really think Bernie has super powers.

This weekend, actually Bernie will get a bit of a break because I am sewing with knits and will be using Baby for most of the construction. Bernie will only be there for hemming and sewing on the tags, etc.

Want a little peek into my madness? Here's what my studio wall looks like right now. Not very pretty but keeps me organized and focused.


My cutting table looked like this yesterday morning, now they are all packaged and ready to ship.


I received a new shipment of Marimekko fabric yesterday and thought it looked just so sweet all piled together like this. I *heart* fabric so much I could just stare at it all day! LOL! Oh, and for those of you who've been keeping up with my Marimekko clothing designs, YES, that's a new print there (new to me) second from the bottom. It's the KIVET dots in hot pink & white. YUMMY!!! I'll be making some stuff out of this and other coordinates as soon as my pile of work is back to a manageable size.


Now I'll leave you with a fun close-up of some rolled hems. Jon thought this looked like a can-can skirt (It's actually 4 of my KIVET twirl skirts piled on top of one another!):


***adding to my post***

So, this is what $21.75 worth of sushi looks like:


Yes, my family is still in Chicago. This was just for me. I bought this much because I intended to eat half of it tonight for dinner and the other half tomorrow for lunch. But I parked my ass in front of the T.V. and watched an old episode of Project Runway that I had DVR'ed and next thing you know I'm plucking away at an empty take-out container with my chopsticks! Well, there goes my plan to lose 10 lbs. by Quilt Market! pfft

Gotcha!

Thanks for all the emails, convos and phone calls yesterday congratulating us on our merger, new name and new endeavor. All I can say about that is.... APRIL FOOLS!!!!

HA! By now you've probably seen the flashing "April Fools" logo in my previous posting or on all the "LimeJaynes" listings on eBay or even in some discussion boards. But in case you haven't... well, it's true. It was a practical joke we cooked up late last week to add a little fun back into the custom boutique community. It's all been so dark & dreary lately... well since the strike in February. There was a mass exodus -- a few designers left boutique altogether, others went to Etsy or other sites. So we felt we needed to do something wacky & fun to sort of brighten everyone's day.

Hope you enjoyed the prank! Thanks to the fabulous Jaynes for being our "partners in crime." :)

Oh, and my 24-hr sale was a prank too... I want my money back!!! AHAHAH... sometimes I crack myself up (probably too much!). Just kiddin', of course. The sale was real, and OH MY GOODNESS, you guys really took advantage of it! WOOOHOOO! Thanks for all the luv! I *heart* all you guys so much.

So, in order to fulfill all my orders and retain a certain level of sanity (as if that was even possible) I have temporarily closed my Etsy shop until these orders are shipped... probably for a 2 week period or less, depending on how much caffeine my body can take before totally breaking down. ;) I did leave a couple of ready-made items up there, so if anyone is interested in those, you are welcome to purchase them since all I have to do is package & ship. :)

So... thanks again! And since I have a hard time doing a post without pictures, I will leave you now with my very first Blüm customer cutie! Thanks so much Christy! I just adore seeing pictures of Miss Abigail strutting her MODKID! Abigail is sporting the Blüm Appliqued Tee and the Blüm Raspberry Flare Legged Pants. :)



Oh and here she is showing off her navy & cherry banded tank and her navy blue yoga pants:

BIG News, NEW Items and BIG Sale!!

If you don't follow custom boutqiue groups on eBay/Etsy then the next announcement will be completely irrelevant to you, but if you do, then you might be interested to know that 2 of eBay's top groups, Boutique LimeVine and The Not-So-Plain Jaynes, have decided to join forces and form one giant group of talented designers. The new endeavor, starting today is called LimeJaynes and you can now search "LimeJaynes" on both eBay and Etsy to find all the items created by these talented group of ladies.



In honor of our new LimeJaynes group I have created a few new pieces for my Etsy store in a gorgeous new lime green Marimekko pattern I recently acquire. And... to celebrate the new group and the coming of Spring, I am having a 24-HOUR SALE!!! It starts right now (approximately 11 am C.S.T.) and will go on until 11 a.m. CST tomorrow, Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008.

SALE: You will receive 10% OFF YOUR TOTAL ORDER PLUS FREE SHIPPING!! I know, I am feeling generous, so take advantage because once it's over, it's OVER! LOL!!! The prices you see in my store DO NOT REFLECT these discounts. Just check out and pay as you normally would and I will do a partial refund after your PayPal payment comes through ... I promise! :)

If you are paying via Money Order, just convo me after your purchase to get the total from me!

Remember... this is a 24-HOUR SALE, so it is first-come-first-served on some of these limited edition items and the sale will end around 11 a.m. CST on April 2nd, 2008.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade modkid.etsy.com

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Working, working, working...

To the tune of "rolling, rolling, rolling..." (I'm sure that song has a real name but I'm too tired to look it up. ;) So, that's been the tune I've been dancing to for the past few weeks. But don't worry, it hasn't been all work and no play in the MODKID household... we've had our fun times to break up the monotony of work (which, as a matter of fact, it's not very monotonous in my book). We did enjoy 4 days of splashing and gorging out at the Wisconsin Dells, followed 2 weeks later by a few more days of skating, egg hunting and more gorging out (yes, we eat a lot when we travel! LOL!) in dear St. Louis. But now it's time to get back to business.

I've been tagged by two fabulous ladies that I love and admire deeply, Jenn of Take A Bow and Alla of My Little City Girl, to share 7 random facts about myself. Well, I was gonna take the easy (read: lazy) way out and just link you guys to some prior very similar postings, but I decided to turn this little meme into an opportunity to "talk business", so these will be 7 random business-related things. If you are looking for some wacky fun facts, like the weird things I like to consume or the strange places I've visited in my lifetime, check this post or this one out.

So, here we go:

1. All my hard work has finally paid off... I have been offered a fabric contact by a very reputable fabric company that I'd bet every one of you ladies who sew have worked with and all of you who don't sew but buy custom boutique regularly have received things made from their fabric. Oh, and believe me, it is killing me as much as I hope it is killing you to not be able to reveal the full facts, but I just don't know when it's actually safe to do so. I have an email in to my contact there asking when I can share my big news. I am not a secretive person by nature... I wear my emotions on my sleeve and have been accused before of "having a big mouth", so as soon as I am able to share, I will! Promise! :)

2. I will be attending Quilt Market in Portland from May 15th (my b-day!) to May 18th, so if you are in the area and would like to get together or if you are already planning to attend, please leave a comment. We are organizing a HUGE get-together of boutique-related ladies. This will be fun!! The ones I know will be attending for sure are: Daria (Boutique Cafe), Megan (BrassyApple), Chelsea (PinkFig and Vintage Chic), Amie (PrincessPicasso), Sandi (PortabelloPixie), Em (SugarSweetBoutique), Tanya (Bug-N-Belle), Michelle (Boutique Buyers' Blog). I think there are others but I am not sure if they are going or not, so I won't mention them here yet.

3. I would like to continue making my knit pieces and selling them either on Etsy or my own website (if that ever gets finished) even after my fabric line comes out in the Fall. I really, truly enjoy working on my Blüm line... yes, the honeymoon period isn't over yet! Of course, I will design a whole new collection with my new fabric line (which will most likely be printed in 100% Woven Cotton at first) but my next order of business will be to see if I can get a line printed on knits... my new passion!

4. And speaking of my knit pieces, I do have 2 new things up on my Etsy store. Both of these were special orders by sweet customers of mine and they turned out so cute that I decided to offer them to you guys.

The popular "Blüm Banded Tank" was recreated in navy blue / cherry red tones and I thought it turned out fabulous! How cute would this be for an Independence Day picnic, paired up with my Yoga Pants... YUM!! Check it out!


Then, the also popular black & white striped yoga pants were spiced up with a Marimekko applique on one leg and a contrast cherry red waistband with decorative buttons! How sharp is this?!?


5. I still dream of taking MODKID to the next level and get my clothing designs manufactured and sold in stores. Believe me, I lie awake at night thinking of ways and possibilities... did I ever mention that I have a serious case of OCD? Jon came home the other day and said that he spoke to this guy at work that has close connections to the clothing manufacturing industry in India (his birthplace), so of course that got me even more excited and my OCD kicked in again! LOL! Of course, with a child at home full-time and another one in school, it may be kinda hard right now to take off to India to meet with these people and get this thing off its feet, especially when I'm trying to finalize artwork for my fabric line and work on fulfilling my Etsy orders...

6. And speaking of fulfilling my Etsy orders... all paid orders that were placed prior to Friday have been shipped! YAY! I did a short mail run on Friday and a slightly bigger one on Saturday, so now I get to play with a couple of new design ideas! The new orders that were placed this weekend will be created this coming week and I plan to have everything shipped out by Friday if all goes well. Thanks again for all the Blüm love... I'm so glad you guys like them as much as I do!

7. If you are on my mailing list, you will receive a special announcement on Tuesday (can't reveal the specifics yet, but it will be a good one!). If you are not, don't fret, I will post it here on my blog as well. But it may be a good idea to join my mailing list anyway. I send out special promotions at times and offer FREE shipping. :)

OK... PHEW... how was that for an informative random meme?

Blüms and Blossoms

Oh, happy day! The sun came out today in our little corner of the world. It melted the snow and brought warmth to the air. And as a little miracle of Spring all sicknesses were banished at once from the MODKID household. Everyone, including my little Sydney, is healthy and happy today... we even went outside without our coats for the first time in months!

So, to celebrate the coming of Spring I have brought you guys some Blüms and some Blossoms. ;)

First, let's talk about the Blossoms. Today is the start of the Ginger Blossom launch on eBay. 75 custom boutique designers have gathered to honor Sandi and design some super scrumptious pieces with her debut line of fabric, Ginger Blossom.

My contribution to this launch is this One Of A Kind 3-piece set perfect for a 3T princess but may also fit a 2T or a slim 4T. I'd be glad to make some minor alterations to make sure it fits your princess just right... email me to discuss.

I have set up this auction as a 99-cent-NO-reserve listing... this means if you bid 99 cents right now and no one outbids you, you are walking out with an OOAK MODKID design for under a buck! What a deal!!


Click here to visit the auction.

Now on to the Blüms... I've been told by several of you that I needed to add some new Spring tops to go with my line of Yoga pants on Etsy... hmmm... why didn't I think of that? Actually I did, but since I'm a 1-man-shop right now, there is only so much I can do at once. I guess I could have waited until everything was finished to list all at once, but what fun is that? If you haven't noticed already, I am a super impatient person so as soon as I complete any design I just have to list it! LOL!

So... here you go... a few cute Spring tanks and halters for your yoga pants and flare-legged pants. If you see a design you like and would like it made in a different fabric (solid, striped, dotted, any) just convo me and I'd be glad to set up a private listing for you.


Click HERE for the Lime Green Banded Halter Top.

Click HERE for the Lime Green Banded Tank Top.

Click HERE for the Navy Blue Banded Halter.

If any of these designs come up as SOLD, just check my Etsy store. I will relist them for as long as I have fabric available. Oh, and for those of you who were inquiring about the solid raspberry fabric, I got more in today... WOOOOHOOO... so I have relisted the raspberry flare-legged pants and the raspberry tie-strap tank. I only have 2 yards of this fabric (that's all the store had left) so it will be first-come-first-served again. :)

I do have some dresses in the works made from a couple of new Marimekko prints I got in the mail today... those will be listed in a couple of days (I told you I was impatient!). If you want to take advantage of the shipping discounts ($1 each additional item) but still get these items before they sell out, you can go ahead and purchase whatever you want from my Etsy store now but don't pay yet. Then you can see if you want to add a dress to your order later on and then pay all at once. Just convo me to let me know what you are doing. :)

Happy shopping!