Priceless

Purple Shirt on clearance at Walmart - $1.00

Yellow and white striped pants on clearance at Target - $3.50

Monogram applique by Mommy - FREE

Having the CUTEST Pirate Princess outfit...PRICELESS! :)

ALL BOY!!!

I'm starting to outfit the monkeys for fall, which is quickly approaching...is it just me or did the summer FLY by??? Anyway, I scored a bunch of long-sleeve t's from Walmart in the spring for $1 each and now I have the fun of designing some adorable cold weather outfits.

The perfect shirt for my youngest monkey. Finn LOVES Buzz Lightyear...as soon as he saw this shirt he said, "COOL!!!" (He also grabbed it with his grubby peanut butter hands, but at least that means he likes it!)

Fall preparations also MUST include purple and gold gear for all our little Pirates. Since Jordan was visiting last weekend, he got his done first! :)

I've also been working on some more monogrammed pieces, an NC State shirt, and will be doing my first chair cushions soon! VERY excited about all the projects...and in between I'm trying to start on some Christmas stuff for my own family...it's NEVER too early to start holiday planning! :)

Birthday Bonanza

Our family calendar has been packed with birthday parties the past couple of weeks. It's been lots of fun for our monkeys...and I just LOVE giving a completely unique gift that just SCREAMS that particular child's personality. Here's what I came up with for these special kiddos:

A cowboy hat for Hannah who is completely into Toy Story...I tried to girly it up a little for her mom who wishes she was into princesses. :)

Strawberry Shortcake for Miss Kayleigh...actually this design is a princess, but every time I opened the file I thought, "She looks like Strawberry Shortcake!" SO I changed the color scheme and voila! I've already had a couple of people show interest in ordering this design...they must love the finished product as much as I do! :)

An artist's pallette for Avery...one of Cassidy's best buds, at age 6 this girl is already a gifted artist...seriously, she's amazing!

A pirate "B" for Bennett who loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates...I'm in the process of making matching shirts for my monkeys in ECU Pirate colors. :)

Monograms

Up until this week, I'd only had one monogram order so I was excited when a high school friend who was in town for the week contacted me about monogramming some outfits for her baby girl. I hope she is as pleased with the results as I am.

It's never too early to start planning for the holidays...esp. when there's a good deal to be had! This mom was smart...she found a cute, simple dress on clearance and added a lime green monogram to give it a Christmas touch. The dress was $7 and the monogram was $8, so for $15 she got a beautiful, unique Christmas dress and a precious keepsake.

A gingham jumper with the Juliet Font Monogram

A hooded towel with her daughter's name on the hood in School Girl Font...I absolutely LOVE this font...SO cute!!!

A sweet cotton dress with a single letter monogram in Curlz Font

My business is starting to pick up and I am excited about some projects on the horizon. My goal for this coming school year is to be able to pay Lily's preschool tuition with my profits. It's not much, but it's a realistic goal and I would feel really good about being able to contribute to the family in that way.

First Day of School Shirts

Since I started embroidering last year, I try to celebrate special occasions, holidays, seasons, etc. with a cute shirt for the kids. One of my first attempts last summer was a first day of school shirt...for Lily...Cassidy refused to let me make her one, although I did make her this rest time towel:

Anyway, this year I let the girls choose their own designs and color schemes...funny, even though they both chose ladybugs completely unaware of the other's selection. :) Cassidy, my oldest, started first grade today and here is her adorable shirt to celebrate this milestone:

I LOVE the color scheme she chose...so bright and cheerful!

My sweet girl, all smiles and ready for a great day!

Happy Birthday, Jordan Jacob!

My nephew (my first on my side of the family) celebrated his first birthday while we were vacationing together at Sunset Beach last week. We were SO excited to be with him, my little sister, and my brother-in-law on this very special day. Jordan spent 5 days in the NICU after he was born with breathing issues and an infection. It was a very challenging week for all of us...especially the brand-new parents...and we praised God for our healthy, energetic little man as we ate birthday cake and opened presents.



Aunt Tracey HAD to make sure that Jordan had a good start to his fall wardrobe. I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to stitch this adorable stegasaurus! :)

I LOVE how it turned out with the green plaid fabric!

Jordan's Grandma and Granddaddy (and his dad) are HUGE Carolina fans, so he's got lots of UNC gear. I have to make him some more purple and gold outfits to make sure the Pirate side of the family is well represented! :)

Who knew Mickey Mouse was an ECU fan???

It's amazing...

...how simple color changes...

...can make the same design...

...look completely different...but equally beautiful. :)

Baby FANatics

One of my mom's colleagues, who was at the baby shower for the KU mom (remember the burp cloth?) loved the idea and asked me to make a couple of burp cloths for her friends who have a brand new baby boy. This couple is from Ohio and are Bowling Green alum as well as huge Cleveland Browns fans...funny, these teams even have the same colors! :)

Have I started a trend? Are sports team burp cloths the next big thing? I doubt it, but they are fun to give AND fun to receive! :)

I used my football alphabet applique instead of traditional applique lettering.

This sweet baby boy is ready to follow in Mommy and Daddy's footsteps! :)

School's Out!!!

The school year has ended (or is ending today) for most of us, which means it's time to think about graduation and thank you gifts! I've finished a few such projects this week and am really pleased with the results!

An awesome backpack cooler for Cassidy's teacher, Mrs. Jones. I LOVED this cooler so much...I kind of wanted to keep it! :) Hope she enjoys taking her sweet little boy on picnics with it!

This was my first time embroidering a cooler and it turned out great! A great idea for a personalized gift...OR your child's lunchbox!!!

A personalized towel for Mrs. Collins

This bag is for the niece of a customer who just graduated high school. This is probably my toughest project yet, not because of the design, but because I KNOW how picky teenagers can be about their clothing and accessories. It took me a looooong time to settle on a design I thought she might like...I took my sister's advice and went with the "less is more" theory. :)

Organized Chaos

Summer vacation has officially begun for most of us...and with it much-anticipated trips to the beach! Our family eagerly counts down to our week at Sunset Beach each year...it seems to take FOREVER for departure day (or D-Day as we call it) to arrive and then as soon as our toes touch the sand time goes into fast-forward and all too soon we are saying goodbye to our week of family fun. And boy do we have fun! But with that fun comes the general chaos of packing multiple families and a passel of kids all under one roof. Organization is key to a successful trip, but keeping up with what belongs to who can be a hassle.

My friend, Kristy, has come up with a fun solution to make sure her favorite beach towels return home with her each year...she has them personalized! This way there is NO confusion when sorting through the piles of towels from the 6 families (including 10 kids!) at their cottage. I just finished two towels for her sweet ladybug...and I may be stealing her idea for my own upcoming beach trip! :)

Kristy found both towels on sale at Target for $6...pretty good deal for the middle of June. After the 4th, you might get them for even less!

The flip flop towel is adorable and I relished the opportunity to break out my teal thread for the first time! :)

Since we're on the subject of organization and travel, I have to share my favorite travel organization tip. It has NOTHING to do with embroidery, but it's just too good not to share. About a year ago I quit packing with suitcases. Instead, I use laundry baskets for everything from clothes to sheets, blankets, and towels to diapers, wipes, and toiletries. My husband loves it because it is SO easy to stack the baskets in the back of the van when he packs. Once we've arrived at our destination, it is easier for me to organize and stay organized...I usually have a basket of clothes for the kids and one for me and Joey. We just leave all the clothes in the baskets in stacks and pull them out as needed. I bring a laundry bag (or two) for dirty clothes so we don't have clean and dirty items mingling...if you don't have a cloth laundry bag, you could always use a garbage bag. Anyway, laundry baskets have made travel a million times easier...give it a try and let me know how it worked for you!

On a final note, I wanted to say "thank you" to all of you that read my blog and have showed support for my Facebook page. My desire for the blog is that it continues to be a place where I share what I am doing and learning...it's fun for me to look back and see how I'm evolving! On my Facebook page, my goal is to offer design ideas for the coming season as creative inspiration for those looking for the perfect gift for a loved one or themselves! :)

Thank you again for all your support. I have really been blessed with the design opportunities I've had in the past few months and I am excited as I look to the future! :)

Happy Father's Day!!!

A small token of appreciation for all the twilight baseball games, sleepless nights when I was sick, long drives to take me back to college in a snowstorm, for teaching me God's Word, loving me unconditionally and completely even when I was the most unloveable, and the millions of other things (both big and little) that you have done and continue to do for me.

Now Dad's all set for our beach trip in a couple of weeks!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!! I love you!!!

Babies, Babies, EVERYWHERE!!!

We know so many folks who are having babies or have just had a baby...and fewer and fewer of them seem interested in finding out the sex of the baby before the birth. I guess the surprise factor has become trendy once again. :) More burp cloths below for yet another mommy-to-be that doesn't know if she's having a Dayton or Sandrine, Pheobe or Pheobo. (FRIENDS, anyone???)

According to her registry, this mommy seems to have a safari theme planned...heavy on the giraffes. :)

Giraffes are so cute!

An omage to one of my favorite children's books, Guess How Much I Love You.

We're Ready for the Beach!!!

We're heading to the beach this weekend with our Pirate family. I've been packing off and on all week and in the process I discovered that Lily's beach cover-up no longer fit her. I immediately went to Cassidy's closet to see if I could find a hand-me-down replacement and discovered that she had three cover-ups at her disposal (all hand-me-downs...I certainly would never outfit her with 3 cover-ups!)...one that was kind of see-through (so she can't wear that one with her undies at lunchtime), an Ariel one, and a plain white one.

Cassidy wanted to keep Ariel, so Lily inherited the white one. This, of course, made her cry because who wants a plain, boring, old white cover-up? Mommy to the rescue! She swooped in and added "embroider incredibly cute design on beach cover-up" to her unending pre-beach checklist. Fortunately, Mommy loves a good challenge so she was up to the task.

Lily's finished beach cover-up

I drove her crazy making her look at a million designs and then choose her favorite...and then I didn't like her choice so I talked her into a different one...and then dragged her back into the office to "just see if you like this one better" when I discovered the flip flop applique. Yes, I know...my Most Irritating Mother on the Planet award will be arriving next week.

SO glad "we" changed our minds and went with the flip flops. It's so stinkin' cute!

And it only gets cuter when it's being worn by this little lovie!

She was SO excited. She always says, "I NEVER get anything new! I always get Cassidy's old stuff!" Well, baby, enjoy because today it's your turn! :)

Happy Little Buggie

Summer Monkeys

Summer is upon us. I love this time of year...when we live outside, when a late afternoon dip in the wading pool counts as our evening bath. And as my monkeys morph into the sun-kissed versions of themselves I thought it appropriate to have some new T's to celebrate.

 Matching monkey shirts for my monkeys

 A sunbathing monkey for Miss Grace

The pink t-shirt I had on hand for Cassidy required a softer color palette. I was glad to have the chance to use my new pastels. It works for her...she's soft and sensitive.

I found this design last summer and have been dying to make this shirt for Finny Monkey ever since!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the banana surf board. The font is also brand new...Minya from Jolson's.

Lilybug's Surfer Monkey

These bright colors are new, too. This design FEELS like summer!

Teacher Gifts

The school year is quickly coming to a close. Lily's last day of preschool is next Tuesday...I can't believe how fast time is moving these days. I wanted to do something special for her teacher, Mrs. Beverly, to thank her for all she has done for Lily and the rest of her students. Mrs. Beverly took over Lily's class at the beginning of February when our beloved Mrs. Laura had to leave us. 

We were heartbroken when Mrs. Laura left (pictured above with Lily on her last day)...she had been Cassidy's teacher, too. But, Mrs. Beverly was an answer to prayer. She is gentle and kind and just plain wonderful. Lily adores her and can't leave school in the afternoon without running back into the classroom to give Mrs. Beverly an extra hug good-bye.

 FBC Preschool put together a book in their office with information sheets on all their teachers, including favorite things, kitchen, living room and bathroom colors, etc. It's been SUCH a great resource when trying personalize a gift. Mrs. Beverly's kitchen is done is black, white, and buttercream yellow. I hope this hand towel will be a cute addition to her home and a reminder of our love and appreciation.

 I just purchased this font from Jolsen's Designs. It's called Santa's Sleigh and I've had my eye on it for awhile. I love how it looks on a finished piece!