Emerson*Rose Designs

Busy busy busy......

2010-03-15T20:40:00.004-04:00

I am absolutely loving my new career! Being at home and sewing full time has been even better than I could have imagined. I do have to say, I'm working harder now than I ever have before though! LOL! I didn't think that was possible, but I've been staying VERY busy, but VERY happy :) The only problem with working from home is I work all the time! I work all day, then I work more at night, but at least I'm working on something I LOVE!

I wanted to share a few of my newest listings on eBay :) Take a peek if you have a moment!!! Just click on the photos to view the auctions :)

This Lil Piggy....

2010-03-03T09:38:00.008-05:00

I just listed the cutest collaboration with my friends Debbie and Melissa on eBay :) You can view the auctions by clicking on the pictures!!

This Lil Piggy with a twist....

Debbie's adorable This Lil Piggy Patchwork Pants set....

Melissa's Little Bows....

Melissa's Big Bows....

Girly Girl is here.....

2010-02-24T21:32:00.004-05:00

My new Spring collection is available online now! Shop on my website by clicking or you can check out my Etsy store by clicking .

The colors in these gorgeous sets are absolutely beautiful for spring! Lots of mix and match pieces for you :) Here are a few pictures from our photo shoot :) Enjoy and Happy Shopping :)

The girls had so much fun playing together! We took them at this beautiful park in a historic area of Tampa called Hyde Park. Absolutely gorgeous houses and a beautiful part of town. Emerson promptly came home and told her Daddy "We were so surprised Daddy, Mommy was so nice to us, she let us play BEFORE and AFTER we took pictures, can you believe it?" LOL! Normally she isn't allowed to do much playing in her customs when we are taking photos! But, hey, the way I figure it, these customs were meant for playing so why not? Emerson much preferred having her photos taken with friends around and the other girls all did fantastic, everyone is already looking forward to the summer collection photo shoot since I'm planning on doing it at the beach!!!

The Countdown....

2010-01-28T22:42:00.002-05:00

I can't believe in one week I will be a WAHM! This is like a dream come true for me. I'm sitting here busily preparing my web site and Etsy shop for my big grand opening in just a couple of weeks and it is totally surreal! Is this really happening?? I just had to share my excitement with you!!!! Just one week to go....

One the other hand, I feel like I am losing some of my very best friends in this world. The ladies and gentleman I have had the honor of working with for the last 7 years have become part of my everyday life and I know I will miss them greatly. It is amazing how much you really do learn about your co-workers and how much a part of your life they become. If you really stop and think about it, when you work a full-time job in a small office like mine, you spend more waking hours each week with your co-workers than you do your own family! This, of course, is one of the main reasons I've worked so hard to be able to quit my job, because I should be able to spend more time with my family!. Unfortunately, we are not at a point financially where I can be a SAHM with no income, but really, both of my dreams have come true. I will be able to spend so much more time with my family, while still pursuing my passion for designing custom boutique clothing!

Sorry, I tend to digress, my point is, I have had the pleasure of working with some truly special people and I just wanted to let each of you know, how much you mean to me and how much I appreciate all the support and well wishes I've received for my new venture! I love you all!!

So, this is it, just one short week to go! I can't wait to share all of the new fantastic designs I've been working on! You'll be getting a whole lotta Emerson Rose Designs here shortly....you'll be able to find us on Etsy, eBay, and our new website www.emersonrosedesigns.com (still under construction....LOL)!!!

To new beginnings :)

Pretty Princess....

2010-01-19T19:30:00.007-05:00

I have a few updates for you this evening!!! First, I just listed these super duper cute sets on eBay :) Just click on the photos to view the auctions!!

Now on to my sweet princess, she is only 4, she's still a baby right??? Apparently not....she's already learned to ride her bike with no training wheels! She got a new big girl bike from Santa this year, but she learned on her smaller one, it was a little easier for her to balance, but already she is riding the big one now too with no one having to run next to her! She can turn and everything!! We still have a little work to do on her stopping abilities on her big bike since her feet can't touch the ground, but we're getting there!!

Thank goodness for my wonderful neighbor Shelley who is in excellent shape (unlike me) and was able to run back and forth about 150 times over the course of about 2 hours or Emerson definitely wouldn't be riding a bike without training wheels!! LOL!
So there it is, my baby is growing up **sniff sniff**.

Fairtytales do come true......

2010-01-13T18:01:00.003-05:00

I just listed these two adorable Fairytale sets on eBay :) Just click on the pictures to view the auctions!!!

How Yummy Are These.....

2010-01-07T20:36:00.003-05:00

Look what the UPS man brought me today.....

A little sneak peek for my first collection that will be offered on Etsy and my web site :)

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T15:45:00.004-05:00

I know I promised it wouldn't be so long this time, but the holiday season was incredibly crazy for us this year! I have so many exciting things to tell you about, but for now I'll just start with a few!

First, we added a new pet to our family.....

I've had Bianca, the kitty, for 11 years.....but Cinderella (Emerson named her, of course) is our newest family pet. Don't even ask me what I was thinking when I caved to her request for a guinea pig, but I find myself loving the little thing! When I fetch her fresh veggies from the fridge, she "popcorns" with happiness (don't ask me why they call it that, I just read it on a web site somewhere that when guinea pigs make this crazy purring noise its called popcorning). I sit on the couch with her and she snuggles up while we watch TV together. Oh yes, and Emerson is enjoying her as well!

I participated in my first craft show the weekend after Thanksgiving, so most of the last few months were in preparation for that event. I definitely learned a great deal from the experience. I don't believe it was the right venue for my items, but I did get a lot of positive feedback and met some fantastic people and made some new friends! So I definitely think I'll be trying this scene again, I just need to look for a bit different clientele.

We went to North Carolina this year to visit my in-laws for the holiday season and just got home a couple days ago. I'm finally getting the chance to catch up on emails, etc. and will hopefully be doing some sewing here in the next couple days! I'm dying to create some fun new goodies!! I have lots more to share about Emerson Rose Designs' future.....but next time, I promise :)

Busy Week!!

2009-11-12T18:06:00.002-05:00

Just listed another new one this evening.....lots more going on, but I'll share later :) For now, here is what I think is what one of the cutest sets we've made! Emerson and I both adore it and hope you do too!!! Just click on the pic to see the auction!

Is this year really almost over???

2009-11-10T17:44:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it is time for Valentine's Day customs?? Well, its a darn good thing it is one of my favorite holidays and I just love making customs for it!! So here are two for you that I just listed today.....one more to come later this week ;) Just click on the pics to view the auction.....

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-01T09:57:00.007-05:00

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!!! We had a blast :) Emerson had two costumes fit for a princess!! Friday for her school party she was "engaged" Cinderella!

In years past, Emerson has begged to carve a pumpkin, but when it came time, she wouldn't put her fingers anywhere near it, so we hit a new milestone this year....she finally stuck her precious little princess fingers inside the pumpkin! I think she thought it was a little yucky though....LOL!!

Here she is on Halloween night :) Beautiful "married" Cinderella!! She looked so beautiful!!! Check out that bling!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, while everyone else in the country is freezing, we are still sweating here in Floriday, today is the first day that we won't be in the 90's, but we're still set to be a balmy 85. I would love if you could send some of that cooler weather our way because we are over this ridiculous heat!!!

Just for Fun

2009-10-29T00:17:00.006-04:00

Just had to share a few cute photos of my baby girl!!

Emerson has always been one of those children that just really never does anything crazy....she never stuck her fingers or toys in light sockets, she never colored on walls, she never tried to drink cleaning supplies......but apparently I forgot to mention that markers aren't for your face! I was shocked when she walked into my sewing room looking like this, but I couldn't help but chuckle, she looks so cute!

Then, just a little sneak peek of Emerson's Halloween costume "Married Cinderella"...

I'm a bad bad blogger :(

2009-10-23T21:33:00.004-04:00

I know, I know...I'm ashamed that I've posted NOTHING new on here recently, but with good reason, I swear! The day of my last post, my poor baby got sick...two sinus infections, a bout of pneumonia and 40 days of antibiotics later, she is finally back to normal!

Between taking of my sick baby, working, sewing, and other general mom and wife duties, I've been working hard to expand Emerson Rose Designs! I can divulge all my secrets just yet, but are definitely some exciting things in the works! So stay tuned....

In the meantime, while searching the net for some fun funts, I came across this web site, the fonts here are to die for! How cute are these fonts??

Hope you have a fantastic weekend :)

Just a quick one....

2009-07-27T00:44:00.007-04:00

Just a quick post to share a few pictures :)

First, a few weeks ago I noticed this green lizard sleeping on a leaf right outside our front door in the bushes. When I tell you this lizard was sound asleep, he was SOUND asleep. I even touched him a little to see if he would move! Lizards are usually very fast and will run if you come anywhere near them. He's not there every night, but I'd say at least twice a week or so for the last month. So my husband finally snapped a picture last night, sorry that they are so awful, but it was hard since it was so dark out! But, I thought it was hysterical, so here he is....sound asleep on the leaf!! Totally unaware that we were taking his picture!

Then, I just had to share this cute picture of my hubby, I was working on embroidering a little poem on a new set I'm working on (I'll be listing it in a couple weeks!) and I needed a little break while it was going, but I was worried that something would go wrong while I was out of the sewing room, so I asked Andy to "keep an eye on it" for me. Well, apparently he took me quite literally because when I walked back into my sewing room, he was sitting with his face about two inches away from the machine REALLY keeping his eye on it! It was so loud he didn't hear me coming. I was able to sneak in, grab my camera real quick, and snap this picture! He is such a sweetheart!! Love you babe!!

Hello Kitty & Friends Go To School!

2009-07-14T23:44:00.005-04:00

Join Hello Kitty, Fifi, and Cathy as they head off to school! This sweet set is chock full of applique and lots of details!! This will be my last eBay listing for a while! My family and I are all in desperate need of a break. So here is my last listing for a little while but don't worry, I'll be back and ready to go in September!!

Been too long...

2009-07-01T21:02:00.006-04:00

I just listed this "Sweet" ready to ship set yesterday, click on the picture to view the auction :)

I'm so sorry I've been neglecting my blog! Once my new computer came, I was just so excited to be sewing and actually listing some new goodies that I forgot to post them here! So, even though these auctions have ended, I wanted to share a few of my most recent creations with you! Any excuse to post pictures of my sweet baby girl!!

I can hardly wait....

2009-07-01T20:54:00.002-04:00

How exciting is this?? I absolutely CAN NOT wait until November!!! I'm sort of late on the Twilight train, but after almost 3 months, I'm still totally obsessed with it! When will this obsession end? My guess, not for many years!! Why you ask? Because, there is still one movie to be released and seen, two movies to be made and then seen, then of course waiting for each of these three movies to come out on DVD, then rereading the books before and after watching said movies on DVD, the list goes on....long story, short....I think that my Twilight obsession is here to stay for a while :) If you haven't seen the trailer, it is AWESOME!! Enjoy :)

Animal News

2009-06-11T19:00:00.003-04:00

We just listed our newest creation today on eBay :) It is so awesome to be back in the swing of things! This is just one of several I have done, so keep a look out! Lots of fun new goodies coming in the next couple weeks....would've had another set to list today if Emerson hadn't leaned her face on the pots we were painting to plant her seeds in, but that is another story **SIGH** it is going to take days to get off, nothing better than a purple paint face....but, for now, enjoy!!

Click on the picture to view the auction!

It's here, it's here!!

2009-06-09T15:21:00.002-04:00

If you hadn't already heard, I've been without a computer for over 3 weeks!!! It has been absolutely and completely miserable!! But, finally, my beautiful new purple laptop has arrived :) I'm thinking it will probably take me days to get it all set up just how I like it!! LOL! But, once I do, I have some fun pics and some new goodies to share with you!!!

I sure have missed my blog and chatting on Facebook and with my eBay friends! So glad to be back!!

A New Adventure...

2009-05-25T10:50:00.003-04:00

Just about the time I think I'm ready to take a break and really slow down, a new challenge and/or a new adventure presents itself. Never one to turn down a new adventure or challenge, I had to accept :) I'm now a proud member of the Polka Dotz Shoppe! The talent in this group is unbelievable and I'm honored to be a part of the family.

With all my computer "issues" (the new laptop has been ordered and continues to show a status of "in production"...ggrrrr...hurry up!!!!) I won't be able to list just yet, as I don't think my hubby's work or my neighbor would appreciate it if I downloaded huge amounts of photo editing software, graphics, templates, embroidery software (you get the gist!), but I'm sewing away and still working on getting a few things ready to list on Etsy and perhaps one or two for eBay.

Happy happy day :)

Animal Planet and other fun pics....

2009-05-20T20:32:00.004-04:00

This is kind of hard to explain, but we have this little "tunnel" for our furry family friend, Bianca. The tunnel is the bane of my husband's existence! It is about 5' long and spring loaded and whenever we take it out, it is a nightmare to put away! It takes two people to squish it all back together and shove it between the wall and our shelf on the back patio. Since Bianca is an indoor only kitty, Emerson LOVES her to come outside and "play" with her while in her tunnel. A few weeks ago, we went outside to play and Emerson wanted to bring Bianca out. I went to go grab the tunnel and was shocked to find a bird nest on top of it! After closer inspection I realized that there were 4 eggs inside. It was amazing how quickly all three of us became attached to the Mommy and Daddy birds who were tending to their nest. We tried to avoid going on the back patio so as not to disturb them, but that was difficult with a child who loves playing outside. Eventually Mommy and Daddy bird realized they could trust us and continued flitting back and forth even when we were sitting just a few feet away from them. It was so exciting each and every day to dash outside and check on the baby birdie eggs. Finally, after a few weeks they hatched! They were so darn cute!! Mommy and Daddy bird brought them yummy grubs, worms, and bugs all day long! I snapped this picture in between "feedings" while the baby birds were taking a nap!

We went out of town this weekend and when we came back Sunday, we all ran outside to check on the baby birds, and they had flown the nest!! We were so proud!! I couldn't believe how sad we all were though to see them gone. What we aren't so pleased about is the mess they left behind! Our back patio is now COVERED in baby bird poop!! Of course, Florida was in the midst of one of the worst droughts in years, but moments after we arrived home Sunday, it started raining and HASN'T STOPPED!! So, cleaning the back patio is on the agenda for this coming weekend **SIGH** at least Bianca will be happy that she can finally use her tunnel again!

We now also have a family of bunnies living under the neighbor's canoe in the backyard. I am amazed at how trusting these bunnies are, they just hop right out and munch on grass and bushes while Emerson is running around playing. It doesn't seem to bother them in the least even when she is only a few feet from them! Let's not forget the family of lizards that live under the tunnel where the bird's nest was or the pack of armadillos that sniff around our yard all day and night!

I also wanted to share a couple pictures I snapped of my baby girl last week. The first was taken while I was in the midst of laundry and other cleaning. She came across some Disney Princess fabric I had purchased to make her some simple twirl dresses to wear to school and asked if she could play with them. I came back in the play room about 20 minutes later to find her "decorating" her chair! She is definitely a budding designer. She had carefully arranged each piece of fabric over her chair to make her own personal Disney Princess Chair cover! It was so cute!!

And lastly, this one was snapped the next day after I found my little super model perched on the bathroom counter painting her finger nails! So sweet!!

Once Upon A Time....

2009-05-19T13:07:00.004-04:00

Just listed a few new goodies on eBay today. These two will be my last eBay listings for a little while, at least for the summer :) I need a little break, but don't worry, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm going to be creating a line of simple everyday boutique wear that will consist of pants, capris, applique tanks and tees, skirts, twirl dresses, knit dresses and leggings, etc and listing them on Etsy with everyday prices :) I'll post here whenever I list something new :)

For now, I have two new ones for you.....Emerson's fabulous birthday dress, of course, this is a one time shot for this dress, it will never be duplicated! Click on the picture to view the auction.

Also, I was so honored to have Kacey of maddie*kate as my guest for IvyLane's Travel Launch. We traveled to the beach!! We also worked with Jen of little*red*wagon and Melissa of thebowvine! You can check out my cute patchy capris by clicking on the picture.

Nothing else new and exciting to report, although we did make a quick run up to Disney again this weekend....we stayed for two nights at the Old Key West Resort. It was our first time staying there. It was nice, but LOUD!!! Most of the time noise in a Disney hotel has never been a problem, but the way these buildings were set up, everything echoed right into our room. Then, this cute Disney magnet I've had on the back of my car for two years was stolen in the parking lot!! Of all the crazy places I have parked in Tampa (which has one of the highest crime statistics for car break-ins and thefts), no one has touched it. How ironic that it would be stolen off my car at a Disney resort!! LOL!! So, I don't think we'll be staying there again anytime soon. We have figured out that of all the Disney resorts we've stayed in, Port Orleans French Quarter is our favorite. The price is right and it is beautiful!

The heat was pretty much unbearable on Sunday when we stopped by Hollywood Studios before heading home. I thought I'd have a heat stroke...95 degrees with 100% humidity. We haven't had rain in months here in Florida, we are in one of the worst droughts in years....well it finally started raining around 4:00 P.M. on Sunday and hasn't stopped!!! It has been raining for 48 hours straight....I swear I can hear our grass sighing with relief and happiness! Or maybe it was Andy I heard sighing with relief and happiness that he won't be forced to lay new St. Augustine sod in the Florida summer heat only to watch it croak again in days due to the extreme heat! LOL!!

Twilight....

2009-05-04T22:38:00.005-04:00

So it took me a little longer than most to finally sit down and read Twilight. I couldn't figure out what all the hype was about, but when I did my perfunctory pick out 3 new books before vacation shopping, I finally decided to grab a copy. I, of course, read my other two books first...I didn't even really want to start reading it. But we all ended up with colds when we came home from Disney and spent our last few days of vacation lying around the house, so after too many Beverly Hills, 90210 reruns I finally decided to start it.

Okay, wow, all I'm going to say is I'm madly in love! Like high school girl crazy crush in love. I want to be Bella, I want Edward to love me! I totally want to be 17 again and fall in love with the hottest guy in school and find out that he is a vampire! I know this all sounds completely insane from a, ahem, 32 year old grown married woman with a child, but I can guarantee if any of you out there have read the book, you will know EXACTLY what I mean!

So, of course, I immediately ran out and bought the other 3 books and read them as quickly as I could, then I watched the movie. I know this sounds absolutely insane, but I have never felt so emotionally attached to characters in a book in my life. I'm slowly but surely coming down from my Edward withdrawals now that reality has set back in and life after vacation has continued to move forward, but somehow I find myself still wishing for more....at least I have "New Moon" the movie to look foward to!

Swoon....how gorgeous is he??? Seriously, if you haven't, read the book! Just be prepared to ignore reality for a few days.....

Birthday Extravaganza

2009-05-02T17:52:00.019-04:00

First let me apologize for not posting in so long! I've been in birthday "heaven" for the 4 weeks!! I think since Emerson is our one and probably our only child, I tend to go a little overboard for her birthday, but hey, you only turn 4 once right?

Now I'll go ahead and apologize for how incredibly long this post is going to be! I have so much to share with you, but just haven't had the time to sit down until now! So if you don't have at least 15 minutes to spare, stop back by later when you do as this one is going to be a long one.........

So, it all started with Emerson's dream dress.....last year she was all about Mickey and Minnie, but this year, she wants nothing to do with them. She is all about the Disney Princesses and insisted that she needed a fancy dress featuring all 6 of the princesses. Whew, I'm feeling exhausted just thinking about it! She also has every theme song from every one of the Princess movies memorized (that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that her sweet Aunt Jodi was kind enough to burn a CD for us that we listen to in the car everywhere we go would it?) so I decided that since she will only turn 4 once that I needed to figure out a way to incorporate all of the Princesses plus their songs. So I spent a solid 2 weeks working on this dress! More on that later.

Her week of parties started on Thursday, the day before her birthday, with a celebration at preschool. Nothing can be easy with my baby because of her food allergies so I had to bake a cake from scratch with this cute little mini heart-shaped cake pan I found, but of course, her school only allows sharing of treats if they are store bought and still packaged, so I had to run to Publix to buy cupcakes for the other children in her class while Emerson snacked on her own little mini-cake! I whipped up this cute little tank and capri set for her to wear to school that day. Oh, and yes, please go ahead and admire my lovely yard art......courtesy of Target's dollar spot. Emerson spotted that flamingo from a mile away and had to have it.....it has since been relocated to a more inconspicuous location to avoid a nasty gram from our homeowner's association kindly reminding us that yard art is not allowed! She is petting the "mommy flamingo" and the "Emmy flamingo" is tagging along right behind.

So Friday morning (April 17th) was the big day! I have to say, all the hours and hours and hours I spent on her Princess dress wore worth seeing that beautiful smile on her face and her sweet exclamation "Oh Mommy, it is so beautiful, thank you SOOOOOO much!" followed by big hugs and kisses. I was able to completely forget about the carpal tunnel I developed, the numbness that still lingered in my right thumb from cutting so many appliques, and the fact that I now look and feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame (my back seriously still isn't the same yet!). Daddy was at work so she was only allowed to open one present, but being the sweetheart that she is, she was totally fine with that! She and I then spent hours in the bathroom getting ready together....she is a true princess at heart! Then she was finally able to put on her dress....fit for a princess! We went outside and she happily twirled around for quite some time before it was time for us to go back inside to work on her 2nd birthday cake. Here are a few pics of her twirling fun.....

I, of course, had to bake another egg-free cake from scratch for her to eat that evening and this time, it had to be milk-free too since her best bud, Owen, was coming over and he is allergic! We had a party for her that evening with family....her Nanny and Poppy (who came all the way from North Carolina), her Gramma (my mom), her Aunt Jodi, her best bud Owen and his mom (poor kid wasn't going to be able to come to her actual birthday party since it was a princesses only party), our family friend Paul, and the 3 of us! We had a blast and I'm not sure I've ever seen a little girl get as many presents as she did for a birthday. Seriously, too many to list....but her very very fave was a special gift from her Aunt Jodi and Aunt Julie (who lives in New York and couldn't be here with us to celebrate). It was something she had asked Santa for, but since Santa had already gone a little overboard by the time she asked for it, she had to wait until her birthday. So the big gift.....her very own pony!!!!

Well, sort of.....a Little Tykes Giddy Up N Go pony. I gotta tell you, it is one of the coolest things I've ever seen and I know I would have adored it when I was her age!!! I can't tell you how many people stopped us in the neighborhood asking where we'd gotten it. I even heard a group of teenage boys riding their bikes talking about it, one said "Wow, don't you wish you had one of those!" All us adults kept talking about how badly we wanted to get on it and ride down the street, but I don't think Emerson would have recovered if we'd broken her precious pony!! We snuck her outside and made her close her eyes before we brought it around the front of the house....look at this sweet little face, eyes closed in anticipation....and the smile after she saw what it was. Honestly, that sweet smile brings tears to my eyes just looking at it. I wish I could have frozen that moment in time and cherished it forever.....

Okay, so on to her party! In the past, I've always hosted her parties at our home and I'm sure everyone can relate to how much work that is! The cleaning and cooking involved and then only hours later your house is trashed! So this year we decided to have her party elsewhere. You may remember one of my previous posts about Sweet & Sassy and their princess themed party.....well it was a blast! We pulled up and literally, the rushed out to the car and took over from there!! It was fabulous :) I think this might be one of the only birthday parties she's ever had where I was actually able to take pictures! In the past I was always too busy! She had 6 of her little friends there and every one of them just loved getting their hair, makeup, and nails done and being crowned a true princess. Here are a few pics from her party....

Okay, so not the best picture, but you try getting 6 princesses to stand still and smile at the same time! This is the only one I was able to get with all the girls together!

Look at this sweet face blowing out the candles.....she gave it all she had!!

And lastly, our week ended with a 5 day trip to Disney World!! We had breakfast with Mary Poppings....dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming....we rode lots of rides including Goofy's Rollercoaster which Emerson was terrified of last year, but this year she quickly explained, "Mommy, I'm 4 now, I'm not scared of rollercoasters anymore!" And you know what, she wasn't! We had so much fun, but I have to say, we were EXHAUSTED, beyond EXHAUSTED....truly I could have slept for a month when we got home. So, overall, I'd say the birthday week was a huge success! I have no idea how we're going to top this birthday :) Emerson wore "the dress" to Magic Kingdom and Mary Poppins loved it so much she made a special trip over to where we were standing just to take a peek. That's what I love about Disney....all the magical moments. Emerson was beside herself that Mary Poppings came over special TO her instead of the usual, us waiting in line to see her.

Emerson spotted this dress in the window of a shop right by Cinderella's castle. It was love at first sight. She begged us to let her try it on, so we did. She truly looked like a princess in it. She stood in front of the mirror admiring herself forever and, again, I can't tell you how many people stopped to tell her how beautiful she looked. I was determined not to buy it since she had just received countless amounts of gifts for her birthday, but she looked so beautiful in it. I did resist at that moment simply because it was raining and I didn't want it to get ruined. I was so proud of her when I told her she'd have to wait until Santa brought it and she said "Okay Mommy, I know I can't have it right now cause its really spensive and there are so many boys and girls who don't have as many toys as me. I just really hope Santa's watching right now cause I want this dress super bad." It melted my heart to hear her say something so big and mature for her age. I immediately decided we would buy it before we left to come home....and we did, the very next night. She calls it her "Married Cinderella" dress and wore it when we had dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming.

So that's it! This has been my life for the last few weeks! I promise I won't wait so long or post so much all at one time next time :) Oh and keep your eyes peeled, I'm still deciding whether I'm masochistic enough or not to offer her beautiful princess dress as a custom on eBay. If I do, it will be a true OOAK as I intend to keep hers forever and would never recreate it more than once. Even Andy says he doesn't want me to sell it when she outgrows it because he thinks it is a work of art. I figure I'll keep it and one day when Emerson has a daughter of her own, she can share it with her. I don't think the Disney Princesses will ever go out of style ;)

Hey Pretty Lady....

2009-04-07T00:06:00.002-04:00

Just listed my M2M Gymboree Ladybug jeans! Seriously, I think this might be one of my cutest! I love how they turned out, I love everything about them....so did Emerson :) Click on the picture to take a peek!!

Sneak Peek....

2009-04-05T23:27:00.004-04:00

I haven't been around much the last few days because I have been busy, busy, busy creating lots of new fun stuff for you!!

My dear friend Melissa of thebowvine picked out this adorable fish fabric and I fell in love with it so I offered to create something special for her boys with it. Once I got started on her boys' sets, I was inspired to create a matching girls set. So here you have it! My first boys listing! Emerson and our neighbor, Owen, had a blast together!! He was so excited to be involved in the picture taking he asked me at least 10 times if I would make him something else so he could have his picture taken again!! So, you never know, I may be inspired to do a few more boys sets in the future, but we'll start with this for now.

Also, I was madly in love with Gymbo's new Pretty Lady line so I had to create something special for Emerson to wear with all her adorable new ladybug tops! Melissa made the adorable matching bowsies! Keep a look out later this week for my new listings :)

Once Upon A Time.....

2009-03-30T23:33:00.005-04:00

Friends and Fun!!

2009-03-29T23:31:00.008-04:00

I'm so sorry it has been a while since I've posted! I've been so busy nursing my sick girl back to health, cleaning, and on a much happier note, visiting with my bestie, Debbie!!

Debbie and I have known each other for almost 2 years through eBay. We quickly became "besties" talking on the phone all the time! Finally last summer we had the chance to meet as Emerson and I drove up to Destin to spend a couple days with her and her family at the beach. Then Emerson and I flew up to TN to spend a few days with her back in January. I was so excited that she and her daughter Rilyn finally came to visit us in Florida!!!

The house was an absolute disaster area so I had to clean all last weekend. Then, of course, Emerson came down with yet ANOTHER cold on Monday, so we shuttled her to the doctor. Of course, it was just a simple cold virus, but her asthma was acting up so we were "supposed" to be back on breathing treatments every 4 hours instead of just once a day. I say "supposed" to be, because of course with all the excitment of Debbie and Rilyn being here, I just couldn't get her to sit still long enough to do more than her usual once a day.

Debbie and Rilyn arrived on Wednesday afternoon and we went non-stop until they left yesterday evening. On Wednesday, we went swimming in the pool, played in the backyard, and went for yummy Marble Slab ice cream.

On Thursday, we had the pleasure of meeting Kacey of maddie*kate and her two sweet little ones, Mallory and Jack. We met up at the playground at International Plaza and it was so sweet how Rilyn and Emerson quickly took to Mallory and the kids ran around together until they kicked us out of the playground for cleaning time. Debbie took a few pictures which I will share with you later as I didn't get a copy of those. We met them around 1:30 p.m. and realized it was 3:00 p.m. before we even went to eat lunch, we were all having too much fun! The kiddos were starving! We ate at the Cheesecake Factory....yummy!! Then we did a little shopping and got home late that evening. We were exhausted! But, no rest for the weary.....

We woke up first thing Friday morning and set off for Disney World where we met Allison, *lula*bee*boutique*, and her absolute sweetheart of a little girl, London. Once again, the girls took to London instantly....they all looked so beautiful in their Minnie wear! We are so lucky to live only about an hour from Disney World so we go all the time. It was only Rilyn and London's second visit so they were so excited!! I have to say, as many times as we have been to Disney, it really was one of my most favorite days there. The girls were so well behaved. As tired as they were and as hot as it was, they never complained, never whined, they just had a blast together! It was so fantastic meeting Allison in person for the first time, she is as sweet as I knew she would be. We also had an alterior motive for meeting up that day as a few of us IvyLane gals are going to be having a Mini Minnie launch tomorrow on eBay, so I'll be sharing a few sneak peeks of my sets in these pictures. Emerson and Rilyn are both wearing my creations and London is wearing Allison's gorgeous patchwork dress. Of course Rilyn and London are modeling Melissa's, thebowvine, fantastic bows!!

We didn't home Friday night until after midnight!! We woke up Saturday and that was the only day we really spent at home. The girls played in the backyard together again, watched movies, and colored. Debbie and I relaxed on the back porch together chatting and playing on our computers! It was so insanely windy here yesterday, things were flying everywhere! The winds were around 25mph with gusts up over 40mph. I have to admit, with all the storms in the Midwest, I was somewhat hoping their flight would get cancelled and they'd be able to stay for another night! I didn't get so lucky :( I know Debbie was missing her little baby boy Jackson bad though, so I was happy she got to home and see him. Before I knew it, we were rushing out the door to take them to the airport.

Emerson was so exhausted, she is still my sweet little girl who requires 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day, she still naps at least 4 days a week, she was struggling to keep up with Rilyn!! She fell asleep in the car about 3 minutes after we pulled out of the driveway and slept all the way to the airport and then all the way back to the restaurant by our house where we met Andy for dinner. She was devasted when she realized her new best friend wasn't in the car anymore. This morning when she woke up, she seemed so out of sorts. She was extra needy and very quiet and reserved today, not her normal talkative and active self. She said once how sad she was that Rilyn and Debbie had gone home, I'll admit I felt the same. It was so quiet around here today and although I got lots of sewing done, it was an empty and lonely feeling having our "besties" gone :(

Hopefully we will be seeing them again soon!! Here are a few pictures of the girls from Disney on Friday. How beautiful do they look and how much fun are they having??? Love the sets their wearing? Make sure you search IvyLane Mouse tomorrow to take a peek at our listings!

Emerson and Rilyn meeting London for the first time!

A little fun in Minnie's house!

We tried to get a picture of the girls together in front of Cinderella's Castle, but apparently the sun was shining in their eyes....LOL! I think this is the cutest picture of all three of them rubbing their eyes. I'm sure they were all thinking "I wish they would stop taking our pictures!!" Being the true models that they are though, none of them said a word!! Poor babies!!

We learned quickly that Melissa's bows are waterproof! The girls had a blast playing in Ariel's Grotto! They were all soaked, but London definitely took the prize for wettest!!

With sweet Princess Belle! We had the pleasure of meeting Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty as well! The girls were star struck!!

So that's all for now! I'll have plenty more to share in the next few weeks as I have lots of fun new sets I'm working on. Emerson's birthday is just 2 1/2 weeks away, ooh, yes, check out these cute invitations I ordered for her party! She hasn't seen them yet, but I know she will LOVE them! Andy's parents are coming to visit for a week and then we are actually headed back to Disney for a week! I can't wait to spend some time there, usually we just go for a day or two, never a whole week, so I am really looking forward to that!! Well, I think that is it for now!!! Thanks for letting me go on and on about our fun week!!

Just had to share my excitement :)

2009-03-17T19:36:00.002-04:00

So I just have to share my excitement with you!!! My bestie Debbie, polkadotsandpigtails, and her sweet little girl Rilyn are coming to visit me next week!!! YEAH!!! As if that wasn't exciting enough, now one of my other eBay BFF's Allison, lula*bee*boutique, and her beautiful little girl London are going to meet us at Disney!!! How exciting is this??? I'm so happy to finally be meeting her in person! I only wish the rest of my eBay BFF's could come too, but the other girls live pretty far away, but I'm confident that we will meet them one day soon as well :)

So I have lots of fun things planned while Debbie and Rilyn are here, so I'll make sure I take lots of pictures of us together to share with you!!

In the Garden......

2009-03-15T21:38:00.004-04:00

Whew, I've been so busy the last couple weeks catching up on customs and listing all of Emerson's outgrown clothes and shoes I haven't had time for anything new recently. Of course, I just couldn't stand it anymore so I whipped up this sweet little set for IvyLane's In the Garden launch.

I wanted to do something a little different this time! I just adore custom boutique as much as the next person, but sometimes a girl's gotta look good AND be comfy, so I dreamed up this darling little set. It includes the knit tank top with a 3-D butterfly applique with lots of bling, the short twirly skirt, and my favorite part....the knit leggings are attached to the skirt! This way Emerson is able to feel like a princess, but crawl around and play like a normal 3 year old (who is almost 4 by the way...sniff sniff).

So here it is! Let me know if you like it because I have quite the collection of knits now and I just think this is so fun for spring and summer, if you'd like to see more of this style, tell me! I've got all sorts of yummy fabrics I could use to make more!! Click on the picture to view the auction:

So, back off to the sewing room for now....I promise, I'll have more to post here in the next few weeks when things finally slow down!!

Party Princess

2009-03-05T12:03:00.005-05:00

So Emerson was agonizing (like a 3 year old can really agonize by the way, but she was!) about where she wanted to have her birthday party this year. I suggested the park, Chuck E. Cheese, My Gym....nope, none of those seemed worthy of her.

So, about 3 days ago, this sweet and fun little magazine arrives at my house called Go Momma Go. Inside is an ad for a Childrens, Tweens, and Teens spa called the Pink Door. I asked her if perhaps she may be interested in doing a party at the Pink Door. Once I told her that it was like the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, she was SOLD! Finally, a party worthy of a princess!

I realized the Pink Door was pretty far away from my house, at least a good hour, so I searched the net for something similar a little closer to home and found it! Sweet & Sassy Salon, here we come. I called the owner for more details and it sounds absolutely fabulous, she was so helpful and just an absolute sweetheart! It makes me wish I was turning 4 all over again!! Emerson, however, insists on still calling it the Pink Door since that was the original ad she saw!

The party starts with the princesses going in to the dressing room and picking out princess dress-up clothes, then they come out and choose 1 of 4 princess hairstyles. After getting their hair done they paint their fingernails and put on light age-appropriate makeup - eyeshadow, a little blush, lipgloss, and a little bling sticker. Once they are properly princessed, the have open play and dance for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, my personal favorite, they have their princess coronation. One at a time, they walk down the red carpet (they are able to watch themselves on a TV) and are officially crowned a princess with a tiara and a sprinkle of fairy dust! The salon also takes a group photo and each princess takes home a copy of the photo, their tiara, and their official princess certificate.

Then we are led to a separate cupcake room where they have decorated for me (my favorite part!!) and we can eat cake and snacks, have a drink, and open presents.
How fantastic does that sound?? I think I may actually be more excited than Emerson at this point, I'm not the only one, my sister-in-law, mother, and mother-in-law all seem very excited as well!!

After last year's party - kids ripping presents out of Emerson's hands and destroying them, blowing out her candles on her cake, absolutely trashing my house, the list goes on - I swore I'd never have another one her parties at home again! Also, by the time you buy all the decorations, balloons, food, rent entertainment of some sort, clean up your house, clean up the mess, etc, you spend quite a bit of money and time! I usually spent an average of $400 to $500 on these at home parties, not including gifts either, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this perfect princess party was only $275 for 8 princesses, not including Emerson. Emerson is free since she is the birthday girl!!

Check out their web site by clicking on the pic below, an example of a cute invitation I can purchase from them for a very reasonable price as well!

The party is in mid-April and I can't wait to share with you how it goes!! Who knew things like this existed!!??!! I have nothing else too exciting to share for now, only that Emerson seems to finally be feeling better. I'm so relieved! The weather is starting to get really warm too! We colored with sidewalk chalk this afternoon for a good hour or so and we were both sweating by the time we came in. I'm enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet, I just put Em down for a nap. I haven't seen her this tired in quite some time. She actually had her eyes closed before I even left her room, quite unusual for her at nap time these days. I'm back to sewing, lots to do in a short amount of time!!

Sweet Little Bunny

2009-03-01T20:26:00.004-05:00

I just listed the sweetest set this evening! This will be my last custom for a few weeks as I desperately need a break already! My friend Debbie of polkadotsandpigtails listed a matching sister set as well :) Click on the pictures to take a peek!!

Busy, busy, busy.....

2009-03-01T15:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around for the last week, when I tell you that I have been busy, that is an understatement!! Some of you may or may not know that I do work outside the home 3 days a week managing an apartment community. Well, once a year our owner's like to visit from California and they expect absolute perfection on the property. Well, let me tell you, when you have an apartment community on over 40 acres that is 25 years old, that is a little tough. So, I've been doing quite a bit of manual labor over the last week and a half. I scrubbed windows, floors, toilets, breezeways...you name it, I've done it! I've ruined at least 1/2 dozen pairs of pants and shirts with bleach stains....and to top it off, I've been EXHAUSTED! I worked 35 hours in 3 days!!

My first day off was Thursday and I couldn't wait to ship Emerson off to her little morning preschool so I could get some sewing done and OF COURSE, she woke up sick as a dog, poor thing. She has horrible allergies and between that and the cold she's been fighting for almost 2 months now, it just finally got the best of her. So off to the doctor we went....she has bronchitis and a sinus infection. So now the poor thing is on Zyrtec, Hydroxine, Singulair, Pulmicort (her usual meds) and they added Augmentin and Nasonex to the mix, oh and lets not forget the two steroid creams we use for her exzema. I was completely frustrated this week, I can't decide if all these medications are worthwhile, is drugging my child half to death working for her? She is still itchy and red, she is still sniffly and snarfy, and she is still wheezing and coughing? I really don't know what to do at this point!! I guess we could move to the desert? This crazy weather isn't helping either, one minute it is 85 and the next day we get a cold front and it is 35!!

Sorry to vent on you about all of this, but I've just about had enough! I feel so badly for her, she just never feels like a normal child, it is always something. I am so grateful that her health problems are so minor in comparison to what other children are going through, but I can't help but be discouraged that her allergies seem to get worse and worse each day. If any of you have children with food and environmental allergies, I'd love some suggestions on other things you may have tried successfully.

So basically, I'm behind, as usual. I've had this cute Easter set done for TWO WEEKS and still haven't taken pictures to list it. But, I'm determined to do it today and list this evening as it is a collaboration with my dear friend Debbie of polkadotsandpigtails. Then, I can honestly say, I think I may take a few weeks off. I've got Debbie and her little girl Rilyn coming to visit at the end of the month, then my in-laws are coming for a week, and then it is Emerson's birthday and we are going to Disney for a week! So we have a lot of fun things coming up too and I just don't want to be too overwhelmed and exhausted! I may try and get a couple OOAK's listed between now and then, but I really want to make Emerson something spectacular to wear for her birthday. We are all about princesses this year. I can't wait to share with you the details of her party....I don't want to say yet because I need to call and get all the information tomorrow, but once I confirm it, I'll share everything with you :)

I hope everyone is doing well!! Please, if anyone has any suggestions about what to do for my poor allergy stricken child, I'd love to hear them :) Have a happy rest of the weekend :)

How Sweet Is This......

2009-02-23T22:27:00.006-05:00

I am so thrilled with how this totally sweet set turned out!!!! Emerson had a blast with it! We just listed it this morning so take a peek if you have a chance!!

Also, check out the IvyLane blog and leave a comment on whose set is your fave and you'll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win these too cute bubblegum bows from Jamie of *jjbb*! Search IvyLane Sweets to see all of your choices for the absolute sweetest sets around!

A little sneak peek......

2009-02-23T01:54:00.003-05:00

This one will be going up tomorrow morning.....ooohhh, I'm so excited, it turned out so Sweet!!!!

It's going to be so Sweet!!

2009-02-19T11:37:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited about IvyLane's upcoming debut launch! I have to say, I'm so happy with my new group as I got the best of both worlds. I've met some of the nicest, sweetest girls who are my new friends yet I'm still with lots of my old friend whom I've known for a while, including my "bestie" Debbie!! LOL!! I learned that cute word from one of my new friends....she learned it from her teenage daughter! I'm determined to keep up on the hip words so I can be a "cool" mom for Emerson!!

Our big launch is Monday, February 23rd so be sure to keep your eyes open that day for some really sweet new listings!!

Because my baby said to.....

2009-02-17T17:52:00.004-05:00

We had a busy day around here! I dropped Emerson off at school and came home to finish up a custom. Got that out in the mail just in time to scoot out the door to pick her up. Then Emerson had her first dentist appointment, which didn't go so well, another story for another day. Then I had to have some blood work done and then I had a doctor's appointment right after that. So we've had a busy day of not-so-fun things to do!!

My somewhat cranky and in desperate need of a nap daughter and I arrived home and she promptly took off for her playroom as she was "really missing" Baby Cinderella, her best friend since Santa brought her at Christmas. I sorted through the mail and picked up a few things around the house and decided I should check on her. I walked into her playroom to see this:

I couldn't help but laugh, Emerson has recently taken to curling up in tight spaces....she loves sitting inside my small storage baskets, burrowing under the clean clothes in laundry baskets, and this weekend she even tried to squeeze inside the oven of her play kitchen!! I tried to kindly explain that the bunk beds were for her baby doll's only and she was way too big to be inside there and then I asked her what in the world had possessed her to climb in there. She looked up at me so sweetly and said as serious as can be "But Mommy, Baby Cinderella told me to do it!"

I just love this age!!

My Bear Friends

2009-02-16T23:19:00.007-05:00

This might be one of my very favorite fabrics ever! I purchased this fabric almost 2years ago and, until now, I didn't dare touch it, I never felt I could do it justice....until now!!! I decided one set just wasn't enough, I wanted a whole collection with this gorgeous fabric! Then I realized that wasn't enough, I wanted to share it with my best friend because I knew how much she loved this fabric too! Then, since no custom set is complete without a fabulous set of bows, Debbie and I had to share with our dear friend Melissa! So, basically, you end up with an absolutely fabulous collaboration with some of the cutest fabric I've ever seen!!

I've created a gorgeous twirl dress with matching applique jeans and a Vida dress, you can view them by clicking on the title of this post:

To view all of our listings search IvyLane Bears on eBay! I hope you'll enjoy my latest creation, I've got so many fun things in the works right now, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart!!

Ooops, I almost forgot! Happy Belated Valentine's Day!! I hope yours was as special as mine!!!

Yummy New Easter Fabric

2009-02-11T22:36:00.003-05:00

The mailman brought me a present today that totally cheered me up :) How adorable is this bunny fabric?? This is so precious I am definitely going to be cutting into it this weekend and creating a FABULOUS Easter set with it!! It is a gorgeous pique, so soft and sweet! I'll post a sneak peek this weekend.....

Do you ever have....

2009-02-10T23:28:00.003-05:00

One of those days where absolutely nothing goes right! Today was one of those days....I won't bore you with the details, but it wasn't pretty! As I sit here, finally alone in peace and quiet, I'm trying to remember that it could be much worse, but of course, that is all relative. And to me, right at this moment, it doesn't feel like it could be. So, I'm forcing myself to go to bed and try to have happy thoughts and happy dreams and pray that I wake up tomorrow with a smile on my face, ready to face what I hope will be a much better day!

Just listed a sweet set on eBay, click here to see it :)

2009-02-09T23:13:00.003-05:00

I just listed one of my all time favorite sets on eBay this evening :) Sorry it is so late, but it was a long day! I'm so glad to be home in my PJ's!! I hope you'll take a moment to peek at my first listing with my fabulous new group, IvyLane.

This set is ready to ship and would be best sized for little one's 2T or 3T. Let me know if you have any questions :)

Sneak Peek :)

2009-02-09T00:30:00.006-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful weekend :) Ours was pretty low key....poor Emerson is sick, yet again. Being a native Floridian, I just love a good cold front, it is such a nice change from our normally sweltering heat. Of course, with the good comes the bad....whenever the cold weather rolls in, so do all the germs! Emerson had a yucky cold/cough/wheezing thing about 2 weeks and no sooner did she take her last day of antibiotics and she was stuffy again. At first we thought it was just her allergies, she is highly allergic to oak and pine which are extremely high right now, but it was pretty obvious after a couple days that it was not just allergies....so, we're back on our breathing treatments and will probably be paying another visit to her doctor soon.

So I wanted to give you just a teeny tiny little sneak peek of what I've been working on! I've spent hours and hours on this sweet set, it is chock full of lots of little details! I've been holding on to this fabric for quite sometimes, just waiting until I could finally decide exactly what I wanted to do with it. Watch for it later this week :) I've also collaborated on this one with my dear friend Debbie, polkadotsandpigtails, so you'll have to check out the matching pieces she'll be offering.

I also wanted to share with you some fabrics that I've been staring at for a few days now. I absolutely love all three of these fabrics and can't decide which one I should use first! Those gorgeous butterflies remind me of a warm spring day! How can I possibly resist those darling little birdies!?! Everyone knows how much I adore strawberries and cherries!! Yikes!!!! How will I ever decide?? So, if you like one of these fabrics more than the other, let me know! I'd love to hear from you, leave me a comment or send me an email and share with me which one you'd love to see me use first!!

Some wonderfully exciting news :)

2009-02-07T21:35:00.004-05:00

I am so thrilled to announce that I have joined the talented ladies of IvyLane on eBay! I'll post my first listing with the group here early next week :) Also, look for our first launch together on February 26th, you're sure to find something sweet!

A Long Time Coming.....

2009-02-07T21:24:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay, so it took me forever to jump on the bandwagon and get this blog going! I've been wanting to! I've thought about it at least a hundred times, I've even sat down at the computer and TRIED to get it going and just couldn't!

So, I figured no time like the present, so here it is! I've spent hours muddling through and trying to figure out this whole "blogging" world. Bear with me as I still have tons more to learn, but I'm trying!

I've gotten so addicted to reading other's blogs....friends, designers I admire, groups, my buyers, etc. and enjoy so much reading their updates and what is going on in their lives so I'm hoping you'll enjoy reading mine!

I'm going to try to post as frequently as possible! You'll be able to hear all about what is going on in our daily life......my new eBay or Etsy listings, group launches, something Emerson says that just makes me laugh out loud or perhaps something she's done that makes me want to cry! That is what I have figured out is fabulous about blogging, you can just talk about anything you want and someone may actually read it and maybe, just maybe enjoy it!!!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my new blog :)