*Pricing*

I think I have the final pricing for each of the dress styles I've made so far...

For sizes 0-3 months through 3T
Yoke dress $36
Jumper $34
Pillowcase dress $26
Short sleeve peasant $30
3/4 length/ long sleeve peasant $34
Bell sleeve $36

Felt rose pin $4

4T-5T sizes are an additional $3 each
6-8 sizes are an additional $4 each

I'm going to try to lower the shipping to $4 and see if I can make that work, as I like to keep shipping as low as possible.  Probably $1.50-$2 for each additional dress.  It may go up to $4.50 once I start shipping more of them, and I see how much it actually costs me for materials and to ship.

*June and Lindley- your prices are what I quoted before. :)

More Dress Options

As I've mentioned to a few of you that have ordered dresses (thank you!), with the peasant dresses, there are 4 options within each style of dress, and there are 5 styles of dresses.  I've only posted 2 styles- the short sleeve with elastic and the 3/4 length sleeve with no elastic (even though it's really longer than 3/4 length).  There is also a bell sleeve (elastic mid-way); a long sleeve with elastic mid-length; and a short sleeve with no elastic on the arms.  For each style, there are 4 options regarding fabric:

(1) All one fabric (like the aqua damask one posted previously);
(2) Main fabric bodice/sleeves with a contrasting band at the bottom (like the yoke dresses);
(3) Main fabric bodice/bottom with sleeves in a contrasting fabric; OR
(4) Main fabric bodice with contrasting band AND contrasting sleeves.

Here is an example of option #4 in the short sleeve with elastic style in size 18-24 months (red & white seersucker with navy & white polka dot sleeves and band)...



This photo shows the seersucker closer up...


Here is another example of option #4 in the 3/4 length sleeve without elastic style (bird with bright pink & white polka dot)...


Here is an example of option #2 in size 12-18 months...



This also shows a style I haven't previously posted- the bell sleeve with elastic mid-way. You can see the adorable sleeves better in these photos...

Gluten Loves Me- CD Update

Well, you won't believe this.  I had the CD bloodwork panel redone last week, and it came back NEGATIVE this time!  WTF?  Granted it was at the high end of normal, but my GI said looking at these results in a vacuum, he would say I *don't* have Celiac Disease!  The problem is that he said my original test was bad.  Very high.  Very positive.  He says it doesn't make sense.  I reminded him that I hadn't been eating gluten for 2.5 months (although I did eat gluten the weekend before I got retested).  He thinks the test still should have been positive with only 2.5 months of being GF (I disagree based on what I've read on the CD forum site, which is why I ate gluten the weekend before getting retested).  However, he said that if it was long enough to clear me up, eating gluten just the weekend before the test wouldn't really make a difference.  Soooooo, I'm now doing the "gluten challenge" where you have to eat the equivalent of 2 slices of bread a day for 6 weeks, and then get tested again.  SIGN ME UP.  Here is the list of what I would like to eat please:

 *pancakes, cupcakes, sandwiches, girl scout cookies (the first year ever in my life I didn't eat GS cookies, and now it's too late!), a twix, battered and fried anything, white bread, pasta, pasta, pasta...ooh this is going to be fun!

New Dress Styles!

I've been sewing away in preparation for the Spring Boutique in my development (open to all!) on April 9th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  I have new dress styles (and even more to come!).  I'm in love with the peasant dress, which is such a great dress because it can be worn as a dress then a tunic then a shirt.

I happen to love the long sleeves big and bell-like and slightly shorter than full length (as shown in the following two samples), but the long sleeves can also be full length with elasticized wrists (like the neckline) if you prefer.  I take custom orders!  Remember that ALL my fabrics are interchangeable and can be made in any style!


As you can see, I'm going to making my felt roses on pins for purchase separately...they look super cute on the dresses! Here is an 18-24 month size on E (she just woke up which is why she looks a bit raggedy)...

Seriously, do you not just love this fabric...

This shows how cute they look with leggings (btw, this dress is a 12-18 month size so you see they can be worn forever since Ella never fits in 12-18 mos. anymore)...


This is the short sleeve version (I happen to love it with the red felt rose pin!)...


As you can see, it can be worn to fetch the paper or just play! ;)


Here is another yoke dress, in a fabric combo I love. Note- I am likely going to be discontinuing the yoke dress style soon, however, I will be making this adorable black/white damask with red trim in a peasant dress style soon.

This size is too small for Ella, but you'll remember it looks really cute on...


I finally got some photos of Ella in the correct size jumper...I think it looks ADORABLE! Jumpers are a style that I prefer to be above the knee. You'll note that we start out happy happy...

But we end up very mad at mama...

Every time I say, "will you try on a dress for mama?", Ella vehemently shakes her head "NO" and runs to Gary. I may have lost my favorite model.

**If anyone knows a photographer who would like to practice taking product shots (for free!) and let me list them on my site and give FULL credit to the photographer on Etsy (free advertising!), please let me know! Or even someone that would let me use their studio to take them myself. I just cannot get the correct lighting for the photos, which means the colors never come out quite right.

I actually don't sew every minute of the weekend...we did have a really fun playdate on Friday afternoon, and we went out to dinner with friends on Saturday night while daddy was at the March Madness games. :)

I Hate This Time of Year...Wanna Know Why?

It's "friends and family" discount time, and since I have some sort of disorder that produces a chemical in my brain which triggers a Pavlovian-type response to sales, I am unable to prevent myself from making purchases online at each and every retailer that offers such a discount. 

Therefore, Ella now has a full summer wardrobe, which would outfit approximately six children from Old Navy, Gap, Target (yes, even Target did a 20% off your entire clothing purchase deal online...Target never does additional off so obviously that one doesn't even count), Crazy 8 (theirs is going on until 3/27 if anyone wants to get it on it, and if you have a girl, you will definitely want to pick up a pair of the geometric damask cuffed shorts- adorable in person), Macy's and my newest discovery, Next Direct, a British company who got a hold of my address and sent me a catalog stocked full of their very adorable yet very reasonably priced children's clothing.  Damn them.

In Ella news, we have reached the height of the BALLOON OBSESSION phase.  All you parents know what I'm talking about because I'm fairly certain every child goes through it.  The kid can point out the balloon in a 3x5" picture 100 feet away..."balloon!" "balloon!" "balloon!"  I think she's crazy until I put on my glasses and realize she's pointing to a picture that I can't even see.  We almost had balloon crisis 2011 when the balloon she got at Red Robin got loose from the string in the car so I had to retrieve the awol balloon and quickly re-tie it before we reached meltdown.  But at least I know where she gets it...like father like daughter...

How Dare She (and once again we are THOSE people)...

I admit it, when we go out to dinner, after we eat and Ella starts to get antsy, we let her walk around the restaurant (we are with her).  She is exceptionally (too?) social, and this is the only way to keep her happy.  However, this means that she runs up to every single table, waves and says "hi" to the people at the table, often taps on their legs and too often requests that they pick her up!  Should we allow her to do this?  Probably not.  But would you rather have a happy social butterfly possibly interrupt you while you're eating or a whining mess at the table next to you?  I *always* apologize when she runs up to someone, touches them or even just bothers them by saying "hi" because I know not everyone wants a toddler interrupting their meal.  But honestly, not one single person has ever been anything but happy to see her, they always say "it's no problem" and half the time they pick her up and she joins their table for a few minutes.

That all changed last night.  We went out to dinner with friends (to a non-fancy Mexican place), and Ella did her typical rounds to every table.  She was having a great time, everyone seemed to love her, and I met some really nice people!  Until she ran up to a table with a couple probably in their late 20's or early 30's.  Ella barely touched the girl on the side of the leg, and I said, "I'm so sorry", and I immediately picked her up (for some reason I sensed that these people were sourpuss' because usually I don't pick her up).  Instead of a normal human response like, "oh no problem", the girl ROLLED HER EYES at me!!!!  Who does that?!  I get that they probably thought we were awful parents letting our baby run around a restaurant, and again, I get that it is not the ideal situation, but come on people, it's not like we were at Mastros, and what kind of person could possibly roll their eyes at my adorable child?! ;)~

Anyhoo...it was still a really fun time, and Ella gave Logan his first kiss!

We were cracking up as we left because instead of having a martini spilled on her shoe, S had a puff stuck to the front of her fancy boots!!!!  Oh how times have changed...

It's a Jeans Type of Day

I just had to get a photo of Ella with her rosette sweater, dark wash jeans and patent red shoes.  Dressing her up is my favorite thing to do!

Mas Dresses

I sewed 3 more dresses this weekend...

I'm trying to have at least 1 dress in each fabric done before the April 9th Spring Boutique I'm participating in so I can take orders.  To make my life more difficult, I bought a bunch of new fabrics today!  This combo may be my new favorite...

The colors are much more rich and vibrant in person.  Love it.  They only had 3 yards left so I need to search for more because I think it will be a big seller on Etsy!