Sunday, July 17, 2011

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. :)

Thursday, July 7, 2011

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! :)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

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. :)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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! :)

Friday, June 17, 2011

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.

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