Gifts for sweet baby "C"

My husband has a good friend of his that he has known since elementary school- his name is "T" and he is married to a very sweet girl named "K". They welcomed their first child, a baby boy named "C" a few weeks ago. I have been working on things for mommy and baby for the past month or so and had a very enjoyable time making it all. I stuffed her bag full of clothes and things that my husband picked out for the baby and this little owl that I made that will match baby C's room.

I head over heels LOVE making things for babies and moms! If a friend of mine has a baby I spend an insane amount of time thinking about all of the things that I can make for him or her. My friend Karen is due with her son soon and I'm ready to throw my other responsibilities to the wind so I can make at least one hundred things for him!

So, if you would like anything made that goes along with a nursery theme or want to stuff a hand made diaper bag with wonderfully cute burp cloths, bibs or a nursing cover that are all made JUST for mommy and baby just let me know! I will offer a discount if you buy an expecting mom more than two items.

Congrats again "T" and "K"- we think about you all of the time!! xo- holly

Diaper bags are $65

Stuffed animals are $25

Preview for "J"!! and gushing about Rainbow's End Quilt Shoppe

Forgive me for these dark photos- the sky has been grey here all day!

The Yvette New York sling is hot, hot, hot for me right now! I'm super in love with this one- made for "J" who I found out happens to live right next to the owners of my FAVORITE fabric store, Rainbow's End in Dunedin! They just launched a new, stunningly gorgeous website and you can even order online now (http://rainbowsendquiltshoppe.com/). As beautiful as the website is- there is nothing for fabric addicts like walking through their store......so, so pretty, well placed and organized but still totally appealing to creative people who need all of the aesthetic bells and whistles and huge punch of color to get us inspired. I could blog about Rainbows End for a long time- it's amazing! I told "J" that my hubby takes the debit card from me when I visit because once I walk through those doors....I'm done. Please open a store in Tampa Rainbow's End owners!! I promise I will spend my kids college fund in there each month!!

I just got this sling out in the mail to "J" this afternoon (hopefully no one I knew spotted me in the post office because I was not happy with how my kids were behaving ;)) but I wanted to post a preview for her. She has been a great client and was adorable as she decided what fabric to go with. She is getting ready to go on a vacation soon and I hope this sling carries everything for her nicely.

Remember that the sling has a front panel of pockets and a little hidden cell phone pocket inside one of them. You can see all of the specs on the Yvette New York sling post.

Hope you love it "J"!!

Yvette New York Slings are $55

The Sharon shoulder bag

Sharon is a really special lady who attends the same bible study that I go to. She has a very comforting vibe and I always enjoy being around her. She was in my "group" when I first got pregnant with my youngest (16 months old now- mmmmmm, turning into a toddler no longer a baby.....it goes by too fast). I got pregnant just a few weeks after the year started.

I went from feeling great one day and then about 4 days after I got pregnant I plummeted fast into throw up hell (forgive me for my language but there is no other way to describe it). I still pulled myself off of my floor every Thursday to get to bible study- no doubt more for my children than for me because their children's program rocks (!!) and I had a hard time staying focused since I only wanted to puke the entire time. I went on medicine.....it made me sleepy and I did keep food down but it didn't touch the nausea. I'm telling you all of this because I was a MESS at bible study. If you met me that year, I probably didn't seem like that cool of a person.....boring, miserable, complaining, I have asthma and was wheezing all of the time, falling asleep during the lecture because I was so drugged up on top of being pregnant- pretty much a loser. But Sharon didn't care! She always asked me how I was. Always smiled at me and made me feel good. I could tell she didn't judge me in the slightest even though I was totally not myself......and my heart will be soft for Sharon forever because of that!

I was thrilled when she asked me to make a purse for her and more thrilled when she picked out these great, lively fabrics.

The Sharon shoulder bag is an average size, not bulky but not small. It is very sturdy and closes with a zipper. The reason that I'm so in love with it is because you can mix fabrics like crazy on it to make something really unique!!

Super, super cute- just like Sharon!!

xo,

Holly

Sharon shoulder bag is $52

Lunch box for little lady "K"

I have a client named "A" who I just love working with!! She has two little girls- a baby girl and an elementary aged daughter named "K". When you have a conversation with "A" you can tell she is head-over-heels NUTS about her children! She sent me the cutest picture ever of her baby who had crawled inside the diaper bag that I made- it was precious and I adored it!!

"A" wanted to get her daughter "K" a special treat for the new school year so handmade lunch box it is!! "K" loves pink, brown and leopard and this lunch bag will compliment her pink leopard backpack that she got from the Justice store......seriously, how cute does that sound? Hopefully "A" will order outfits for me to make her as well because if she carries around a pink leopard backpack in elementary school- she is already my fashion soul mate!

The lunch box is roughly 12 inches wide, 9 inches high and 5 inches across. It is roomy and should fit her lunch beautifully. I made the strap just long enough that if she wants to throw it over her shoulder it will be possible. It is thoroughly lined with thermal lining that will keep colds-cold and hots-hot! I'm anxious to hear how "K" responds when she gets it!

"A"- thanks for being amazing to work with- you are so sweet!!

"K"'s lunch box is $32

A new purse for Miss Jenn!!

My friend Jenn is my go to girl for most things- she is super empathetic, a wonderful listener and has a great knack for problem solving so when I get stressed I call my mom....or Jenn ;). She has been a huge supporter of my business and has given me the confidence and encouragement to do things that would typically scare the panties off of me (my use of the word panties being somewhat of an inside joke).

My usual birthday present for my close friends is designing a purse for them since it is the only thing that I know how to do (the only bad thing is that most of my friends have birthdays in the summer!!! Goodness gracious! get ready for more mushy friend posts this month). I have been waiting to make this one for Jenn for months now- eyeing down the purse that I made for her last year.....her stuff popping out of it but still totally devoted to using it even though she needed something bigger (is that a good friend or what?). So every time I see her I am taking a mental list of the specifics that her new birthday purse MUST have.

It needed to be bigger but she thinks that she doesn't need a big purse so I made it longer but skinnier so it didn't feel bulky. She needs outside pockets for sure and she needed a way for it to close that would still allow easy access- I thought a zipper would be too cumbersome so I chose this flap. It has inside pockets as well, of course! It has a great length strap that is easy to sling over her shoulder and great for toting stuff around for her two kids (that I love to absolute pieces).

It seriously took me hours of pouring over fabric just to find the right one for her. Her style is more classic than mine but she loves rich, vibrant colors she leans towards structured patterns.......I guess pretty, classic, tailored are words to describe it. I was thrilled with how this combination turned out after nearly frying my brain trying to find the perfect one!

This style of bag is really in between a tote and a purse- super utilitarian but I dare say gorgeous as well.

I love you like crazy Jenn!! You are such a rock in my life. The love that you have for your family, friends and your amazing faith make you a dream girlfriend to all of us who are blessed enough to have you in our lives honey-XOXO!!

Miss Jenn's Tailored Tote is $52

Backpacks for "C" and "K"!!

I had a fantastic client named "D" ask me to do a purse party last month. She teaches at an elementary school near me and she has a wonderful sense of style (her mom says she was born to shop ;)) and always looks super cute and pulled together (next to my "I have three young children" look with unwashed hair and random bits of thread covering me at all times, it can be intimidating but always inspiring!). Her teacher friends were very kind and I loved spending a few hours with them!

Two of the girls at the party are in college and ordered backpacks (hallelujah!) in their school colors. Both girls are absolutely adorable, very smart and surely unstoppable! I don't find myself around college kids that often and just loved working with them-thank you "C" and "K"!!

Each pack is lined, has two small pockets on each side, adjustable straps and a large zippered pocket on the front. It zips open on the top as well.

I've gone off the deep end being excited about these so I'm in the process of making at least 7 for my own kids and my friend's kids.....can we say obsessed?? If you see me trotting around with my own backpack soon, listening to Fugazi and wearing blue nail polish, I'm OK.....just feeling a little nostalgic for college!

On that note, my big guy starts Kindergarten this week......where on earth does the time go??

xoxo,

holly

Adult backpacks are $62

Child backpacks are $58