Ladybug choices

I have a friend whose little girl is turning One in less than a month! She requested a birthday shirt that coordinates with the party theme. Here are a few choices - nothing is stuck or sewn down yet so you can move pieces around as you like...

A

B

C

D

E

F

Dinosaur

Last week, Ayden pulled out his dinosaur that I made for him before Spencer was around. Poor little Spencer, he saw it and he came up to me with the most pitiful look on his face and the saddest sounding voice, "I don't have dinosaur....You need to make me green dinosaur" Well, who could ignore a special request like that?!?

So, I had to find some green material that a) I didn't mind looking at since Dinosaur will probably be accompanying us everywhere we go for a while and b) doesn't look too Christmas-y because that is about all the green I have, since it is probably one of my least favorite colors....yet my children love it....hmmm... I ended up pulling a green t-shirt out of the scrap box and I found some rainbow-ish blanket binding to make the "plates" out of. (My oldest son Ayden corrected me when I said spikes ;p smarty pants... )

Here is Spencer with Dinosaur - we tried to get him to name him something else, but he insists Dinosaur is his name ;)

I think Dinosaur turned out pretty cute...for a dinosaur...

(not very good pics, but maybe you can get the idea)

PIllowcase dresses!

A couple of weeks ago, Spencer and I had a playdate with "Miss" Mindy and Caroline. Mindy and I were chatting about my Etsy shop and she asked me if I had ever tried making pillowcase dresses. I hadn't because I didn't have any little girls to sew for, so we went over to my fabric stash and Mindy picked out a piece of pink and orange polka-dot fabric and the rest is history, as they say!

I posted it to Bug's Hugs page on Facebook just to give Mindy and Caroline a preview, and the response has been great! Thanks to all of my followers who have placed orders! I will make some more out of my stash and post them on etsy soon. If you haven't seen your color yet, just let me know what you would like to see, and I will accomodate!

Save the Earth! No more plastic bags!

With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22), I have seen so much buzz on TV and the internet. It seems as if everyone is going green these days. One of the simplest ways to go green, in my opinion, is to bring reusable fabric bags instead of paper, or worse, plastic.

Go here to see an interesting perspective on the life of a plastic bag. It is a long video, but even if you just watch a couple of minutes, you will get the gist. When you have had your fill, come back and check out the new fabric grocery bag listings in my etsy shop!

A Little Late...

...but I just had to show you a pic of one of my sweethearts!
The "messages" are fabric paint, but the whole time I was writing, I was thinking, "Gee, how handy an embroidery machine would be!" (The yellow one in the middle says "I *heart* U")

Maybe one of these days I will catch up on blogging and actually post pics of what I made for Christmas gifts!

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney with Care.......

A couple of months ago, I got an email from a friend at church asking if I could make Christmas stockings. I eagerly sent back my reply, "Sure!" I had wanted to make some for my family anyway, and this would just get me started on down that path. See, she had ordered a set of stockings for her family in the 2008 Christmas season, and she LOVED them! Then, in January, they got a special delivery - they were able to adopt another little baby boy! When my friend started pulling out the Christmas decorations, she realized poor little Graham didn't have a stocking!

She sent me this pic from the site where she bought them and said she would bring me the ones she had so that I could make some more to match, since this particular style had been discontinued. She brought me the felt and everything, even some little pom poms for the tips. I managed to get a couple of them done before Christmas, with just enough time to take it across town to get Graham's name monogrammed so he could hang it up for Santa ;)
I finally got around to the last one today. (She wanted extras to have one hand, just in case....) I really like the way this last one turned out - maybe I will get ours done sometime this year....

Old News

This post is just to show an example of a name applique.


FYI the eye and mouth were fabric paint, not embroidery ;)

Trick-or-Treat!

Usually around the end of summer, we start talking about Halloween costumes. That's also about the time of my husband's birthday. (side note: my oldest son LOVES to plan parties of all types, so everybody (Mama, Daddy, grandparents.....) gets a "theme" party, no matter how old or young. This year, my husband's party was themed "Batman meets Scooby Doo". Thus, about the same time, my oldest son decided on Batman as his Halloween costume, and he also decided that his little brother had to be his sidekick, Robin. (We like matchy costumes around here- 2007 Lion and Lamb, 2008 Penguin and Polar Bear, 2009 Batman and Robin)

Anyway, I bought Batman t-shirts for both boys at Target for the Batman party, and I had made the Batman cape last year when my nephew was into Batman (and picked up the Bat-mask at Wal-mart somewhere along the way), so all I had to do for this costume was make a yellow belt and construct some gray pants to match the shirt. Do you know how hard it is to find plain pants for little boys?!?! Especially in this small town.... Anyway, I went to Roses (a discount store chain, but not sure how wide-reaching it is) and I bought a 3XL men's T-shirt in almost the same shade of gray to cut up into a 5T boy's pajama pants.

Robin's costume was a little more involved, meaning I had to start basically from scratch. He is almost 2.5 yrs old, but he only wears 18-24 mo clothes, so I was lucky to find a plain red onesie at Roses, although it was a turtleneck. I also found a green Land's End T-shirt (men's Small, also at Roses) that I used to make Robin's pants and sleeves, so they are super soft! For the cape, I had a remnant of yellow satin that just happened to be the right shade, and I just used the pattern from the Batman cape and a collar from one of his everyday polo type shirts. It turned out very well if I do say so myself! I finished up the last touches with just hours to spare - the belt and the "R" monogram patch.

But, since I had a few hours to spare, I decided to get crackin' on those Scooby Doo PJs I had promised ever since we bought a piece of SD fabric to use at their Daddy's birthday party. So that was their treat that they received when they rang my doorbell, supposedly for a photo op.

I also threw in a Ty Scooby beanie and some Mickey crayons and coloring book, and of course, self-charging flashlight that requires no batteries! Here they are all packaged up in Halloween treat bags, that I never got listed on Etsy....

Deadlines

Why is it that I work best when faced with a deadline? I have known about this baby shower that I went to last night for a month, yet what was I doing in the last possible minutes? Sewing, of course!

This baby shower is kind of unique, though. In our Whispers of Hope group (a part of Women on Mission, or WMU in prior terminology) at church, there were something like a dozen or so babies due during this year, the first of which was born in July, most of the babies are second or third in the families, but a few first timers. Anyway, there was a shower for the first 3 babies of this group back in June, to which I brought each a ribbon ball. Then there were the twins who came 2 months early for a first-time Mommy who got her own shower on my son's birthday (and I will get my gifts to you soon, April, I promise!) Then last night's shower was for the 2nd set of 3 mamas. Man, that makes me dizzy just thinking about it!

I don't know why I didn't get around to making these gifts earlier with plenty of time to spare, except that I just couldn't decide on an idea and stick to it.

So, here is what I finally came up with in the eleventh hour:

-for a little baby boy who is being born into a University of Florida fanatic family (his mommy has already requested a similar one for big brother, who didn't want to let go of this one!)
-for a little baby girl who will have 2 older brothers
-for another little baby girl who will also have 2 older brothers!
Maybe I will be better prepared for the next shower, but knowing me, probably not!

I hope to have some of these in my Etsy shop soon!

Finally!

This blanket has been on my to-do list for a while. I finally finished it Monday just before we went to pick up my son from school, so I had it in his seat waiting for him. I had hoped to get it done by his 5th birthday, which was the 11th, but like most of my intentions, it just didn't happen, because there simply aren't enough hours in the day to carry out all the things I have on my mind!

Anyway, this was a specific request by my son. He wanted a John Deere blanket, and he chose the backing (which I forgot to take a picture of) - green satin, and he said that he wanted those ribbons on the edge, even though I tried to convince him that it would look better without them, but he wanted them b/c his little brother's blanket has them. You know, what one has, they both have to have....sigh...

In case you are having a hard time figuring out what all those ribbons are in the brown minky dot "field", I tried to represent peanuts, mostly due to the fact that my son is absolutely glued together with peanut butter (he has to have a PB&J at least once a day). The "sky" is blue flannel, and I cut out the tractor from some fleece fabric scraps lying around here (I know, I took a shortcut, but like I said, I was hoping to get it done sorta close to his birthday, and I missed it anyway.... ) I wanted the blanket to be big enough to last him a few years, so I added a border of John Deere fabric all the way around, and I really like how it "frames" it.

Hope he has many cozy memories with his John Deere blanket!

Don't Forget! It's Fall Y'All Sale!

It's Finally Here! The 3rd Annual GA Etsy Street Team's:

It's Fall Y'All Sale

This weekend Oct 9-11th, shop from our great list of participating stores or search "all items" for GAetsyteam or Itsfallyall.

Handmade is never mass produced, so each item is special and unique! Give yourself and your friends the gift of handmade!


List of Participating Shops:

Amber's Aromatherapy
http://ambersaromatherapy.etsy.com/
Handmade soaps, lotions, lip balm, milk bath and custom blended teas
20% all orders

Amelia's Soap Co.
http://amelias.etsy.com/
Handmade Soap Products
15% discount on soaps

April's Afghans
http://aprilsafghans.etsy.com/
Afghans and other crocheted household items
Free U.S. shipping

Artistspirit - A Reflection of Mind
http://www.artistspirit.etsy.com/
Glass fusion jewelry, plates and coasters
15% off any item

Beautiful Tree Huggers
http://beautifultreehuggers.etsy.com/
Homemade all natural soap, lotion, etc.
Everything in the store 20% off

Be Inspired Designs
http://beinspireddesigns.etsy.com/
Scrabble Tile Pendant Jewelry & Accessories
Buy 2, Get 1 FREE plus FREE SHIPPING

Bewhiskered
http://bewhiskered.etsy.com/
(stuffed) animal skin loveys
Free U.S. shipping, $5 off shipping everywhere else!

Bug's Hugs
http://bugshugs.etsy.com/
Unique handmade creations for anyone that could use a hug!
Free shipping (U.S. only) plus 10% off all orders

Cocoa Dreams
http://cocoadreams.etsy.com/
Personalizable baby bibs, blankets, burp cloths and aprons
Free domestic shipping on everything in shop

Crafters Crossing
http://crafterscrossing.etsy.com/
Handmade Swarovski crystal and wire jewelry
10% off merchandise orders totaling up to $99.99
15% off merchandise orders totaling $100 or over

The Crafty Coop
http://lilcoop1.etsy.com/

Handmade resin jewelry with glitter
All necklaces 20% off

Debidesigns
http://debidesigns.etsy.com/
embrodiery,dolls,quilted items
20% off section

Deb's Pane In The Glass
http://sunnya.etsy.com/
Anything Stained Glass from sun catchers, ceiling fan pull chains to business card holders and holiday items
Free USA and International Shipping!

Deuce Goods
http://panash.etsy.com/
Be original this Fall with one of a kind accessories & gifts
15% off All Hats and Scarves

Everyday May
http://everydaymay.etsy.com/
toddler items and women's accessories
FREE shipping to U.S. on all items

FerntreeStudio
http://ferntreestudio.etsy.com/
Adorable Art for Children, Babies and Fun Grownups!
Free worldwide shipping, plus 10% off storewide -all refunded via paypal

Fluffy Flowers
http://fluffyflowers.etsy.com/
cute Creatures & pretty Pouches
FREE shipping to ANYWHERE in the world

The Goddess Within You
http://thegoddesswithinyou.etsy.com/
Artisian Jewelry
Free shipping

Jenjie's Stuff
http://jenjie.etsy.com/
Beautiful and Fun Handmade Items
Free U.S. Shipping and 10% off all items

JoyAnna - all things beautiful
http://joyanna.etsy.com/
Purses, pillows, scrapbook covers, tissue holders etc
FREE SHIPPING within the Continental USA on everything in the shop.

Kartu Graphics
http://www.kartu.etsy.com/
Designer of our fabulous sale graphic

15% OFF

K. Berlin Metalsmith
http://kberlin.etsy.com/
Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry - Precious Metals and gems
Free Shipping on All items

Madame Monogram
http://madamemonogram.etsy.com/
Personalized intems for Bridal, Baby, Child and Home
FREE pair of luggage tags with any purchase, a $12.00 value

Maria Luna
http://marialuna.etsy.com/
Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry and Fine Art Photography
15% OFF excluding items that are already on sale

mod momME
http://modmomme.etsy.com/
Accessories for mom and baby
10% off your total order. Use promo code "fallyall" Money refunded via PayPal.

Nicolita Love
http://nicolitalove.etsy.com/
Handmade and Vintage Jewelry and Accessories
Free Shipping on orders over $20 & Free Nola Brooch with purchase

Nipurnascreation
http://nipurnascreation.etsy.com/
Unique Handmade Jewelry
Buy one get second one half off (BoGo)Sale

Princess Ciarra Raye’s Designs
http://Princessciarraraye.etsy.com
Jewelry for the little girl inside you
Free Shipping

The Print Duchess Studio
http://tlhprints.etsy.com/
Custom Stationery & Personal and Promo Designs
20% off Rectangular Address Labels

PrissDesigns
http://prissdesigns.etsy.com/
Original Mixed Media Art
15% off everything!

Rachelsilk
http://rachelsilk.etsy.com/
Handmade Silk Scarves and Gifts
Sale Items 15% off with Free Shipping

ribbits
http://ribbits.etsy.com/
Kids wear and more
Free shipping

Smelly Rhino Studio
http://smellyrhino.etsy.com/
Art with a little Humor! Original paintings and Prints
10% off and free shipping!

Sweet Pea Boutique
http://happygrandma402905.etsy.com/
Colorful hairbows and clips for girls of all ages!
Buy any hairbow or clip set and get one HALF PRICE, with FREE SHIPPING for orders $10 and up

Worthy Soy Candles & Crochet
http://worthysoycandles.etsy.com/
Soy Candles & Unique Crochet Creations
10% Off Everything!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

*** Special thanks to Rebecca Salcedo (smellyrhinostudio) who painted our ad backdrop of the falling leaves and to Maria Allen (Kartu Graphics) who layered the graphics

Ribbon Tree Blankie

It has taken me a while, but I finally managed to get around to translating one of those ideas I have in my head into an actual product!

I was looking for a way to decorate a blankie with ribbons that stick out beyond the edge, but not have "tags" in the outer seam. And here it is!

I sketched out my design a few weeks ago, and then one day I cut out a pattern, and then another day, I cut out the tree....anyway, you get the picture....I finally just sat down this morning and made it. A lot of the ideas I have get pushed down further and further down the list when there's no particular deadline associated with it, because no knows it's there except me.

I like this blue swirly sky background fabric because it makes me think that there is a little wintry nip in the air, even though all visible signs are of autumn. I used "fall" colors, so the overall scheme is vibrant enough for a baby, but still accurate enough to portray a tree!

SALE!!! It's Fall Y'all!!!!

Bug's Hugs is participating in the 3rd Annual "It's Fall Y'All" sale,
which is hosted by the Georgia Etsy Team during Oct. 9-11.
For those of you followers who don't know, the Georgia Etsy Team
is a group of Etsy shops owned by folks from Georgia, and we've
joined together to help promote each other's businesses.

For this special sale weekend, Bug's Hugs is offering 10% off all
orders plus free U.S. shipping (be sure to mention FALLYALL
code in "notes to seller" at checkout; your discounts will be
refunded via paypal).

There are many shops participating in the sale;
 you can always find items from our team members
anytime by searching for "GaEtsyTeam" or "ItsFallYall".

Check back later this week for a complete listing of shops to check out!

Happy Shopping!

I'm featured on the 60th Georgia Blog Carnival!

Go here to check out all the bloggy happenings around Georgia!

Go Green! Buy Locally! Eat your Vegetables!

If you have been around my mother and me at all or if you have browsed our websites (check out the sidebar to the right), you have seen lots of farm-related items and especially lots of bee-themed stuff from last year (bees kinda go well with our shop name too ;) ) We have a special place in our hearts for farm stuff because we grew up on the farm. My grandparents have always been active in the local Farm Bureau as far back as I can remember, and now Daddy is an officer in the county group, and Mama is now the Chairwoman for the Women's Committee in her county and district.

All across the country, the Farm Bureau sponsors a program called Ag In the Classroom. In Georgia however, the Farm Bureau does another unique program as well (at least, as far as we know, no other state does this.) Every year, the Georgia Farm Bureau Women's Committee chooses a different commodity to promote. This year, it is vegetables, with an emphasis on being green and buying locally! Last year, the commodity was honeybees and the various products (honey, beeswax) and processes that they perform (pollination of so many crops!) The year before that featured chicken and eggs.

Even though I am not personally involved in our local county group, I get involved by default behind the scenes just by hanging around my mother ;). Actually, I enjoy these yearly promotions because I learn a lot more about whatever we end up promoting. We do quite a bit of research while making our displays, and of course, have lots of fun coming up with creative ways to feature the chosen commodity. The best part for us is giving us a "challenge" to work toward in terms of our crafting goals!

When we found out about this year's choice of vegetables, our wheels started turning. We started searching high and low for crafty ideas with vegetables, and we couldn't find much. So, necessity being the mother of invention, we developed our own patterns for appliques and "stuffed" vegetables to make some eye-catching displays for meetings and conferences.

Everyone at those meetings were so impressed with the displays that they asked where we found the patterns. Of course, my mother had to confess that the "patterns" were scribbled on the back of scratch paper, or in some cases, not even sketched at all, but just made "on the fly." She had several folks ask her to collect those ideas and put them together for the group.

And now, we have that pattern for sale in our Etsy shop! The appliqued towels and "green" grocery bags aren't listed yet, but coming soon!

Tags, Tags, and more Tags

I recently got a request from a friend to make a tag blankie. She didn't realize that she was opening such a "can of worms" with me. Just a simple square with ribbons around the edges - easy, right? Yes, actually, the idea is so simple that it's worth millions of dollars.

You might wonder, "If it's so easy, why don't you have these listed in your Etsy shop?" Well, the simple answer is, I used to have something similar. I say similar, because I took that idea and expanded on it, or so I thought, to make it my own. My blankets were not just the ordinary square, but mine incorporated ribbons into the appliqued design, which I thought was much cuter, IMHO, plus it was more of a practical blanket size, not just a lovey.

But Etsy deactivated my listings for those blankets because they received some complaints from a Large Corporation That Shall Remain Nameless (because I don't even want any of their internet traffic, much less a paltry portion of their sales, as if a single person could compete with something like that) that owns a patent concerning ribbons sewn in a seam. It seems that this company is infamous among Etsy sellers for doing this very thing that happened to me. I did a lot of internet searching and then a lot of soul searching. I got some advice from family members. And then I basically did nothing. I can't decide whether to pursue it (I would really like to prove to them that I am not infringing on their patent or copyright or whatever, but unfortunately I don't have the means or the time) or more realistically, just get over it and figure out something better to make.

The thing is, I know that it really is a favorite among babies and toddlers, from my own personal experience. My youngest son (currently 26 months) has a blanket that I made with my own two hands, and it is his most beloved security object, aside from his favorite sippy cup, but that's another story for another time. He even has a particular ribbon that is his favorite, that he goes to, even if you hand him the blanket from the complete opposite corner.

At the risk of someone stealing my idea, I have thought of continuing in my applique designs with ribbons incorporated like before, just leaving off the ribbons from the seam/ edge.

Ideas, thoughts? Anyone?

But, in the meantime, if you were to be looking for one of these blankies, just drop me a note, I think I might be able to find one or two, I just can't tell you where they came from....

Gosh, I hate being so negative, but now it's out there. Maybe the next post will be more positive....

Moving Day

No, we're not moving...yet. I have my dream house ideas that I have yet to put to paper, but that won't be anytime soon. And it won't be that far away either, just into the next county.

But tomorrow my sister-in-law and her family are going to be flying to their new island home of Cuba. Her husband is returning to the Navy after a year plus of civilian life. They were here visiting this weekend for a last time before their new adventure (and our house was on the way to the base and it's cheaper than a hotel. :D )

Anyway, they were trying to pack as much stuff in their suitcases as they could last night, and they realized they needed one more piece of luggage. So my brother-in-law ran up to the big box "W" superstore this morning, and I figured they might need a luggage tag to go with their new luggage. So I dug into my fabric scraps and quickly whipped out a couple of tags in a matter of minutes while they were stuffing those last few items in. She liked them a lot and suggested I put some on Etsy. I think I will do just that after I perfect my pattern!

Bon Voyage, J, B, Z & K!

A Fresh Canvas

This is the time of year that everyone starts thinking about a clean slate with the new school year starting. This year my cousin Jenna is starting college and she wanted some decor for her drab dorm room walls. So she found a deal on canvases at HobbyLobby and asked me to personalize them and coordinate with the bedding that she and her roommate chose. She wanted to surprise her new roomie with a "dorm-warming" present too.

Here they are - hope they inspire lots of studying!