Mustache Bash

                     This Saturday was my husbands 29th birthday. He is such a great guy, and does so much for me and our children yet he is always behind the scenes and not really getting acknowledged. SO, this year I decided to do little parties for my children and a BIG party for my husband. I decided the theme of the party should be the super popular mustache. I will say after throwing this party and all of the planning that went into it, I would be happy to never see another mustache in my life. It was fun though and made some fun memories. So, here are the pictures from the bash.

Here is my handsome husband getting ready to blow out his candles.

                
 Me getting stached with a chocolate mustache-like my party shirt?

The set up complete with mustache sugar cookies, chocolate candy mustaches, and big red cake face with a chocolate face.

My little Cutie getting stached.

 One of our games, Guess that stash.

 Our second game, pin the stashe on 1970's Burt Reynolds

Sampling the party treats

My husband putting up some fierce competition.

Friends with mustaches

 Photo booth with wrapping paper backdrop and friends with mustaches.

My wedding picture got stached for the party.

Our winner of the best mustache competition. As the winner he received a pack of Christmas oreos,
and got to wear tag with the title master mustache.

A fierce game of guess that stash, actually pretty challenging-

 

And that was the party, what do you think? Do you want to have a mustache bash now?

Chevron Tunic, skirt, and a sailor dress

Today I listed 3 new items in my shop which was amazing considering I have also been preparing for a big party we are having at our house tomorrow for my husbands birthday. My shop was also on fire today as I made 7 sales all throughout the day. At lunchtime I also got out all of my records, and did all of my bookkeeping for August. That was pretty amazing to actually see how much I spend verses revenue. I really feel like God is answering my prayer to become more business minded.

So, here are my new listings, starting with the Chevron. I was not planning on doing this with this fabric, but as I was prepping all my fabric I had it laying next to some red broadcloth, and thought it was too stunning not to put it together. This is also going to be party shirt for tomorrow night.

 Next.....The sailor dress. I am married to a sailor so these types of clothes are always getting put together by me. I just adore this fabric by Michael Miller. The red fabric has little sailboats, and the trim at the bottom has a white nautical rope. I debated on whether this fabric was too childish, but it is too neat not to make something for myself in it. Especially being a sailor wife.

 I need to add some more close up photos from my shop of the details on the fabric. It has a very vintage look to that I adore.

 The third item I added was a grey and white Chevron skirt. This is how I would actually wear this outfit except I would add black boots, and un tuck the shirt. Possibly button the sweater.

 You can tell from this picture that it has two layers. This keeps the skirt from getting too shapeless. It also has 1/2 inch elastic which is new for me to use. I usually use 1/4 inch on everything. I actually very much like the look of 2 inch elastic,  and may add some skirts with that soon.

So, what are your thoughts on my new clothing?

Reversible little girl dresses!!

So, I invested in a little e-book on photographing children, and read through it. I really need to take the time to learn more about my camera, but I only have so much time. I think my ambition calls for about 48 hours in a day. I did get several ideas for things I am going to do in the future though. I tried taking some pictures in AV mode with some other settings the book recommended, but it did not really work out. These new photos were taken in full auto mode, and I think they turned out pretty good. This is a new dress I just listed in my shop. I adore it. It is a reversible dress with no buttons or snaps, it just slips over the head. I would love to make this dress for women as well. My first dress in this pattern in yellow with a red damask applique heart on the one side and retro red gingham on the other. I also made this adorable little hat in white with red braids and a pretty little red heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 Of course, I also listed another owl hat. I made this one for my baby who is modeling it here. I just love these adorable hats.

I plan on really taking the time to learn to use my camera, which is a very nice Cannon Rebel. I also have ambitions to start taking my photo shoots on locations to the beach and pretty spots. I am also "tossing" around the idea of getting fixed up for my pictures. This will include make-up and fancy hair. Whatever I do, it is will be honest and authentic..That is the only way that I do things...

What are your thoughts of my new products? Reversible dress, heart hat?? I will soon be adding Chevrons to my shop which I am really excited about!

Going's On's.

            Lately, I have been kept pretty busy with getting orders out for my shop, making new items, and enjoying the holidays with my family. Next week is a big week over here with our mustache bash on Saturday. My girls also have pre team tryouts for gymnastics on Saturday, and Thursday is going to be packed full with recitals for both ballet, and chorus. I am also excited that I made my first international sale to Australia since re-opening my shop about one month ago. Australia has always been my number one international customer, followed by Canada.  More news with my shop is that I am actually this time going to sit down with a accountant to go over how to take care of the "giant monster beast"-I mean taxes for my shop. I think the tax issue with small business is way more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, that last time we tried to file taxes for our business I received a bill from the IRS for $7000 (which I corrected, but scary anyway). I think the initial investment in hiring an accountant is going to save me from the IRS coming and knocking on my door with big bills because I did something wrong.  Not my favorite part of being a business owner.

On a happy note I quickly listed this little Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer hat just in time for Christmas!

 

That's all the going's on's that I have going on for now. I hope everyone has a great day!

modeling is dangerous, and a new dress

 

 I was able to put out a new dress today with some of my pretty new fabric from Free Spirit. My husband was not home to snap some pictures for me, and my Cannon Rebel has proven way to heavy for my children to snap pictures with. I was left to set my camera on a trusty grill, and take some pictures with the continuous setting. During one of my "pose in front of camera moves" I swiped my hand on the fence and got a splinter in my middle finger. The funny thing is that it was all caught on camera, so being the laugh at myself type of person that I am I will now share them with you...

First are the ones that made the cut...

 

And here is where the fatal splinter was caught on camera...
 This was the moment before the pain sensor told my brain I got a splinter

  

And this is the moment that the pain hit.

 

And, actually the dress looked good in this picture, but it was of me nursing my wounds (totally forgetting that the camera was still shooting....

Oh well, so about my new purple dress....what do you think?

New Crochet animal hats!

After getting so many hits on my shop that was closed, I decided to take it out of vacation mode again. That 3 day break though was very nice. I am selling my crochet animal hats in a local children's boutique, and the hats that I listed today I dropped off in the boutique this afternoon. My children do not need any more hats, as they all have about 3 each, so from now on when I make new designs I will take pictures of them to list them on Etsy, and then drop them off in the local boutique to sell. I am also excited to start making some dresses to drop off there as well. I will probably make several peasant and pillow case dresses, as I think those would do well here.

With that said, I made this hat for my children's piano teacher who ordered a neutral color owl hat for a contest he is going to be holding at their piano recital. I liked it so much I decided I would make 2 one for him and one for the children's boutique...

Here it is listed in my store..

Also, don't forget to head over to my facebook page to enter the crochet owl hat giveaway pinned to the top of my page!!

Old Friends, New Friends, A Giveaway, And A Break.

                       I have decided to put my shop into vacation mode for one week, and will reopen on November 23. I had a heart to heart with my daughter (5) the other night and she told me that she didn't get to spend that much time with me and then started crying. That prompted me to close my shop up for a week to focus more on the things that my children love and want to learn more about. We made a list of of things that each of them would like to learn and we are going to be spending the next week pursuing those interests. Last  night they wanted to learn how to do origami, so I looked up some simple kid origami and we made swords, and pianos. I am intentionally trying to have special bonding time with my children at home so for the last couple of nights we have all gathered on the sectional sofa like a passel of cats, as I read from the Little House on The Prairie series before bed. I plan on doing this every night until we read the whole series. We read about 2-3 chapters a night, and after that we will find another wholesome and classic series to read...Any suggestions on a good one? It can be a series or a book.

My ship of learners.

                            Also the weekly owl hat giveaway is going great, and I am having people entering the contest from all over the world. I did not specify that it had to be from the US, and I am perfectly fine with shipping overseas, as I have done that several times in the past. I was kind of dreaming up something as an instrument of blessing from my shop too via my facebook page...I would like to host some type of giveaway for a needy and deserving little girl. Like, people would enter the giveaway on behalf of that child, and the child would receive a beautiful custom dress made just for her. I would want children represented who have lost a parent or sibling, who is sick, in foster care, or just overall in need to be told, that YES YOU are a princess, and so special that someone has made a beautiful dress just for YOU. It could be overseas, or stateside....I am not sure of how I would go about all of that but in the meantime I will continue to hold the owl hat giveaway's every Friday until Christmas, so make you sure you sign up for that on my facebook page to enter the contest.

                            Yesterday was an exciting day. A friend of mine started a playgroup that meets once a month in our town. We had planned to get together outside, but it was pretty cold, so I offered to host it at my house..I am always up for a big party. My house is not big, but it is very child friendly. It was a bit of a large crowd, and I saw a lot of old friends, and met some new ones as well! It kind gave me a feel for what the Mustache Bash is going to be like that  I am hosting later this year for my husband in which 19 families have RSVP'd to come.


Play group starter on the right, who is due any day with #2!



old friends



new friends

The mommies posing

                                             

The playgroup's player's

 

 

 

That is all that I have for now, if you have any ideas for a good series to read my children, or a good way to go about the princess giveaway, please share in the comments below. Thanks!