Such a busy time of year!

Fall is in the air FINALLY! It has been a favorite season of mine for quite some time. This year it is super busy for me, pumping out Halloween tutus for all those little princesses. It's been a lot of fun AND very exhausting! I wouldn't have it any other way though. Due to working on Halloween orders I haven't had the time to design much new just yet but as soon as this month is over, my christmas designs will be hitting the store and I am SUPER exicted! Here are a few shots taken recently.

The sweet little bumble bee is courtesy from the owner/designer of http://www.knottybabwear.com/

Her store has so many adorable items in it I could go on and on but I will admit I am addicted to her knotty legs! Check out her store for a HUGE selection of leggings for your little one!!

My "Baby" had her first day at school

Sigh, today was the first day Trinity went to daycare/school. I wasn't so much nervous about how she'd behave or handle it, I was more concerned about her napping. She has only slept in her crib and there they have toddler cots all in the "sleep" room. I couldn't help but worry how in the world they'd get her to sleep in a room with other children on an unconfined bed!
Dad dropped Trinity off late morning...and she ran right in and never looked back. She was greeted by anxious members of her new junior toddler class and was in pure delight to see them as well as all the toys. Daddy picked her up around 5pm and he called out her name and she came running arms open screaming dadadada. When he walked into the room, he naturally spotted our monkey climbing the foam stairs...up and down up and down. Her report for the day said she did great. She played well with the other children, never cried, slept for nearly two hours, ate most of her lunch and all of her snack and her activities included playdoh and puzzles. Whew, what a worry off my shoulders. I was weighing the pros and cons yesterday, feeling like I failed her as a mommy by putting her in daycare a few days a week. As it turns out, I see this just may be the environment she needs to thrive more. She is a very high strung ball of energy and at home she's grown bored. She pushes the limits here because she knows she can. Her toys are old hat, no matter how often we buy new or rotate them in and out and her day here is filled with terrorizing at all costs. She's a rotten one. I think daycare will help the transition to prek and it just may help fix some problems here at home too! She was so exhausted she went to bed early. She never got rowdy or out of control and didn't throw one trantrum all evening. All the while when she was at school, mommy got some much needed time to work on her tutu orders so it was a win win situation. I was able to take time out of "work" this evening to be with my family AND I took a LONG HOT shower this afternoon just because I could. It has been nearly two years since that happened. I ALMOST snuck in a nap too until the phone rang. So far, so good...we'll see how next week goes!

Sock Monkeys and leg warmers

In case you haven't heared of the following etsians yet, you REALLY should. Two of my FAVORITE stores had matching material so how on earth could I resist making a tutu to match? Totally impossible! First, there is Elegant Hobbies. Now, I used to never put a thought into sock monkeys. I imagine I was envisioning monkeys of the past, although cute, they were not very girly. With two daughters who LOVE stuffed goodies, I was delighted to see how adorable her items were AND being a fellow Cafemom Etsy team member I HAD to buy one for Trinity. Check out her store at http://eleganthobbies.etsy.com/, I promise you won't be disappointed.

And secondly comes Knotty Baby Wear...Oh my gosh the selection here is UNBEATABLE, so so so many things to chose from. The little crocheted cowboy booties get me every time. Now if I could just shrink Trinity's BIG feet to fit in a pair hmmm. Realizing my youngest will just continue to grow like my oldest child Caitlin, I guess I will stick with my growing addiction to Knotty Legwarmers. Fall is coming and my squirmy worm is difficult enough to change so these legwarmers will be so much more easy than tights..and when I can no longer put off trying to tackle tights and the Trinster, these leggings will look SO adorable and make her the coolest toddler on the block..and here is the best kept secret (okay so it's no secret really) FREE SHIPPING on knotty legwarmers. Spin by her shop, you'll fall in love http://knottybabywear.etsy.com

Both of these ladies are fantastico to order from, which makes the Etsy experience that much better!!

Super Hero Cape

Trinity was playing in her sisters room (sssshhh... don't tell Caitlin) and she found her boo. Well, she thought it was her boo. Boo is her ghostie friend that Grandma and sissy made her at Build a Bear. The name boo merely comes from the fact that it is indeed a name Trinity can say. This Boo she found was identical to her boo but she was baffled how Boo had a mask and a cape? She was clueless that sissy had a ghostie too but it was dressed up for Halloween. Trinity, being the demanding child she is, insisted sissy's Boo better share that mask so she ripped it off and screamed until mommy put it on her. The mask was way too small, but I laughed and laughed as she walked around the room so proud of herself. Dad realized that his little girl would be one of "those" kids who wore super hero outfits in public. Then, it hit me! Trinity needs her own cape and mask. She LOVES running around with a towel over her shoulders, wrapped snug around her neck. How perfect would it be for her to be Super Trinity! I personally have no sewing abilities so naturally I turned to Etsy. It didn't take me long to find this wonderful cape that could be customized, YES customized to your liking. I got to chose the color of the cape, the emblem and color of the emblem-I chose the crown and also an initial and the color for that as well. So I ordered hers in black and pink to match her birthday theme and HAD to get a matching mask. I anxiously await the arrival of her goodies and my new favorite etsy find of the week. Check out the store at http://babypop.etsy.com/

Hyped up on coffee

The orders keep pouring in ( which is a good thing) and it's keeping me going all hours of the night. I've found a new love for coffee....which I typically hate, but came to find out NEED in order to work until 1-2am. I am astounded at how busy i've become and feel guilty for things I don't get around to anymore such as...housework....my friends....little things with my kids. I never dreamed something so small could turn into something so big in one month. Usually I am so bored that if I have a getaway or vacation coming up it's all I cna think about. Now I'm looking at the date going CRAP I have to leave in a couple of days...two nights left to work on pieces! It's like i've gone mad ha! I am totally looking forward to time with my best friends but dreading coming back to the wordload ahead of me.

So much to do so little time

It has been one chaotic month in our household and my shop but I think we've finally adjusted to the changes that have been taking place. I began my shop on Etsy a month ago and it took off like a bottle rocket so we all scattered to ensure I could hold up to what I promise my customers in terms of service and items. My shop was built in the basement with custom cutting tables and work space, ample storage space and all types of nice touches to help me stay organized. It has truly cut back on time it took to make each piece as now I have everything at hand. To prevent boredom and loneliness I have the companionship of the television and the computer so that I can stay in contact with my customers while I am working.

Last week I was also approved to sell on http://www.lollishops.com/ a new venue due to open late fall so that will be fun to try something new.

LolliShops is a juried, online selling venue for talented artists, collectors of vintage and art supply vendors. LolliShops will appeal to those who love...
Elegant Whimsy
Romantic Inspirations
Fanciful Creations
... artists will enjoy setting up their own, customizable store fronts while LolliShops patrons enjoy feeling like a kid in a Candy Store!

My tutus and dresses are now being sold in six boutiques across the United States and are being used by several photographers. My favorite being Melissa Jones Photography in Columbus Ohio. She takes beautiful pictures, I could get lost in them for days!
http://www.melissajonesphotography.com/

We've also been busy busy with the garden and preparing our veggies for the winter which is always an exhausting venture. It seems most nights we are up until 2am getting work done but it helps us sleep deeply at night!

Caitlin is back in school, fifth grade this year and is already dreading going each morning, I sense a long year in the making.

Trinity is a monkey, climbing everything! We can not keep her off of or out of anything anymore so it's toddler chaos all day long. I wish I had her energy!

I'm looking forward to the weekend as my best friends and I are heading to Pittsburgh to enjoy the long weekend. We plan on doing some shopping at the Strip outdoor mall, a couple of other malls, and then hitting up the zoo on Monday. Kim, Marieta and I have all been working super hard this month so a break is in order! I've been told, no tulle allowed, so I'm not sure how I can handle not making a tutu for a few days. We'll see how that goes!

Craftin' mamas

Recently I began tapping into my crafty side and began selling my home made tutus and dresses. It's been quite the whirlwind of activity and I had no clue just how busy it would keep me. As of lately, it seems I am tied up with taking and making orders, promoting, organizing and shipping. There is no set bed time for a crafting mom. I know for me personally, it's been the wee hours of the morning since I began designing my creations. What I really didn't realize was a very pleasant surprise. There are so many talented mothers who put their heats and souls into their ideas. There are circles and cliques all over the world wide web where mothers, such as myself come together and share ideas and tips and great conversation. The dedication of these mothers is amazing! Some of them have set up shop in their living rooms and some in garages, any nook they can call their own to tap out of mom world and into using their skills. It has enlightened me to the vast variety and uniqueness of items that you can not find in stores. I've found it much more gratifying to purchase something from a fellow artisan knowing her heart went into it, than running into the store to grab a quick gift. So in honor of my fellow beauty makers I am using all homemade crafts for Trinity's birthday party this year. The treat bags will be overflowing with goodies from talented women all over the country. If you need help finding a unique gift please let me know i'll send you in the right direction. Just go to www.etsy.com and in the search engine type in cafemom team....that is an etsy street team I am member of filled with some of the greatest women I've come across with so many different products to chose from!
And of course, if you need a tutu or dress stop by my store for a custom creation at http://mom2twogals.etsy.com