I sure wish that I could fit into this dress!!!

My girlfriends are incredibly supportive of my work- like I said in my last post this business would all be nothing without them! My dear friend"C" is one that I think may be more passionate that I am about my work. When I tell her I have an event she will move mountains to be there! I don't know anyone as busy as she is but there is not ONE thing that I have done that she has not rearranged her life to be at and support me. I get really shy about selling my stuff too and she is always right there to bolster me up and get me talking about it....or even better, I let her talk for me :). She is amazing and I love, love, LOVE her!!

She has three beautiful, kind hearted children and her one little girl, "J", is an exquisite, little clone of her mother. "J" drew me a picture the very first time I met her (I still have it) and I've been smitten with her ever since. She is wonderful to my children and loves to play "mommy" when she is around my baby- it's hysterical. She's sharp as a tack and I love spending time with her.

When I saw this fabric at the recent quilting expo (heaven!!!) it stopped me in my tracks because I knew it was perfect for "J"'s Easter dress. I'm so excited that I had to post this but as soon as I get pictures of her IN the dress you will see what I mean when I say this dress screams "J"!!

"J" and "C"- you know how much I care about you!! XOXOXO.

My dresses really range between $45 and $70 depending on the type of fabric and how many ruffles are added. One exactly like this, in this fabric, would be $68. Many other fabric choices will be between $55 and $60.

A convertible strap purse for Lara!! Learning something new every day!

Once again, I get a new request that gives me a little epiphany on what I can do with handbags! When I was going over Lara's "old (pre-Laci Jean)" purse with her and getting her feedback on what she loves and what she would change about it she told me the most important thing was having two different lengths for her straps. One had to be long enough to use as a crossover and then one that she could just yank over her shoulder. Hallelujah! I had never thought about that myself. When it turned out undeniable cute I was even more thrilled!!

The fabric she chose rocks too- I was only going to use it on aprons but it has a great retro-modern thing going on when I used it on this purse.

I was so excited that Lara ordered a bag from me (secretly hoping we could trade services because my kids will love me if they get more KidzClub trips!!!) because I respect her so much for all that she does for her community and local moms. I participated in the KidzClub Holiday Market Night in December TOTALLY at the last minute....I truly was a mini disaster and asked Lara if I could get in on it I think the day before the event. Then I couldn't drop my stuff off at the appropriate time and I even arrived late but not once did she seem annoyed or make me feel unwelcome. She is always warm, helpful and totally supportive. I am sure she understands that running your own business while raising children is like climbing Mount Everest backwards but man, she makes running hers AND helping others at the same time look easy!!

You are a great source of inspiration Lara! Thank you for everything-I truly loved making this for you!!!

Lara's purse is $42 without the crossover handle and $45 with the addition of the extra handle.

Seriously classic- seriously functional- SUPER gorgeous.

I started this business by gift making- really- I made gifts for my girlfriends and it spiraled into a word of mouth, heaven of a job for me. I can remember several years of praying that I would be able to somehow use my creativity and still be able to stay home with my children and watching my answer unfold is amazing to me!!

The way that I approach each order is as if I am still making a friend a gift.....a little bit of her- a little bit of me- and hopefully something perfect for that person in the end.

This is not a purse that I would have probably put together on my own which makes me love it even more when I look at it- it's absolutely gorgeous!! Whenever I emailed "J" I felt like she was right in my living room because we worked so closely together on every detail. I got so excited about her being involved in the process that I got into taking "in progress" photos of the pieces that I was working on at the time (bear with me if in the next weeks I show how I make one....probably boring to most of you but nonetheless thrilling to me!). Because of "J"'s requests- this bag is 100% hers. The only pattern of it is right here in my little house- clearly, there will be no mass production as long as I have three kids under the age of 5- and I hope that makes it extra special to her! I had a hard time with the lighting so I didn't get good photos of the inside- which has 6 pockets (I think) and a divider down the middle. The outside of the bag is a little decieving as to what this thing has going on in the inside! I definitely have to name this bag after "J" but honestly, my brain is fried right now so my creativity is used up and I have no good ideas for the name. When I come up with one I will update the blog. If anyone has any ideas- feel free to send them to me!

"J"- you were wonderful to work with! I loved your attention to every detail and the energy that you brought into it all. I LOOOOOOVE how beautiful it turned out and it's SO you! Thank you so much and I look forward to picking your brain for more projects :).

Jenn A.'s shoulder bag is $48

Preview for "M"!!

A purse especially for "M" who was so sweet and undemanding as I fumbled my way through sick kids and sewing these past couple of weeks! This fabric looks AMAZING with this style- how gorgeous is that graphic-trellis thing that is going on in the print?! I'm looking forward to delivering it to her soon. For now, this is your preview! Thank you so much "M"!!!

This is my Miss Karen's Multi-tasker- price is $42.

Oooo- a waterproof purse!! (Carolyn's carry-all)

If you live at all in the sewing world you will recognize this recently released laminated fabric from Amy Butler- it's gorgeous and the possibilities are endless. It's completely wipeable and water resistant. I'm working on a bib made from it as well that I'll write about shortly.

My great friend, Miss Jenn, had a perfect thought to make a waterproof purse for her mother in law, Carolyn, for her birthday!! One of my favorite qualities about Jenn is that she really does focus when you are having a conversation and she picks gifts based on what she has picked up on in discussions with her. Whenever she asks me to make something for a friend she can recall a laundry list of reasons why that person could use the item. She is so darn sweet.

Carolyn works as a water therapist (I know that's probably not her exact title but you get the gist) and if you met her you would know immediately that she does something nurturing as a job. She is SUPER comforting and kind. Every time she comes to visit I am pregnant or with a newborn and she always lends a hand to help me even though she has her own grandchildren vying for her attention. She is a DREAM of a mother in law and I know that Jenn loves her like crazy. I get excited for Jenn every time I know that she is on her way to visit- they are terrific friends and her grandchildren are bonkers for her!!!

If I remember correctly, Carolyn is quite a successful seamstress herself so I surely hope she thinks I did an OK job :)! Jenn is hoping this will be the perfect tote for her to carry to the poolside while she works and she will not have to worry about it getting ruined. It has ample pockets inside, one large, easily accessed pocket on the outside and would also make a glorious beach bag.

I have to say- most things that I make I really want to keep! This one.....I want to keep it BAD.

Happy birthday Carolyn!! and I love you Jenn!

Oh yah- these will cost $46.

Easter dresses for two of the sweetest little ladies in my life

Before I talk about the dresses I'll talk about the girls!! The little one, "K" usually spends a lot of time with me and we are good buddies. I love it when she comes to me instead of her mom and her mother gets slightly jealous....is it OK that I like that kind of attention?? I can't help it and I'm totally enamoured with her. My daughter also kicks me to the curb for her mother so I guess it's even.

The older girl ,"A" is also a little angel and doesn't have a nasty bone in her body. That works out great since her and my daughter are incredibly close and they play wonderfully together. "A" shares better than any child that I have ever met in my life and every day since it happened I think about the time we were making cookies together a few weeks ago and she looked up at me and said "I wuv you Miss Holly". It totally warmed my heart. I wuv you too "A"- a LOT!

These little girls are amazing and I'm so blessed to be a part of their lives!!

That all being said- I obviously like to make things for them, so here are my dresses (that work out beautiful for Easter this year!!) that I added a few more touches to so they would be extra special. I just can't stand how cute the ruffles are- the more the merrier!!

You can always add on matching bloomers and purses if you are interested. I only make these for custom orders.

I could look at these photos all day long, they are so darn cute. "A" and "K"- thanks for posing, hope you enjoyed your lollipop!

$62 each.

Make-up bags and more Mommyista.....

I am having a Mary Kay party soon......which I have never done before. So I had to come up with a way to tempt my girlfriends to come- other than the make up and my company of course!

My solution- handmade makeup bags to fit each of their amazing personalities. I think I had more fun deciding which fabric fits each girl than I even had constructing them. I have to say that I thank God for my friends often and always and I truly love making things for them!!!

The girls from Mommyista asked me to raffle one for their event that just passed this week (it was great!! The speaker is a coupon guru and did a wonderful job. I can't wait to use my newly honed coupon skills this weekend. I think you can find her at I Heart Coupons on Facebook.).

So this is the one that I brought. It can also be a wristlet if you just want to throw a few essentials in it instead of taking your entire bag along with you.

When I finish the bags for the party I will most certainly post them so I can share how adorable they all are. The price is $18 for those of you interested in one.