MEMORIAL WEEKEND

Well it's Monday evening and almost the end of Memorial weekend. I hope you were able to get out and enjoy some summer activities. We went to the Long Beach Flea Market. With 800 vendors and everything under the sun for sale, it's always worth the price of admission.We also entertained ourselves at the beach. I love seeing the sheer delight on children's faces as they splash in the water and try to get that sand castle built before the waves knock it down.

We finished up the weekend with a walk to Yogurtland. If you haven't tried it yet, you must. Fabulous frozen yogurt with all the toppings. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Terri

MORE THAN FUZZ

For your viewing pleasure, there's two tiny little beaks sticking out of the top of the nest on the right side. How cute! If I remember correctly from the nest that we had last year, it shouldn't be too long before we start hearing the chirping. Somehow I don't think the chirping will drown out the barking of the neighbor's dog. A girl can dream though...



Terri

ADDING SOME SPARKLE

My daughter added a bit of sparkle and bling to her left hand when her fiance proposed to her at her 25th birthday party. Here's the card that I made them celebrating the "Big Event". Not sure if you can see it in the photo, but there's a Swarovski crystal on the girl's left hand. They've just decided on the reception venue so we are now in full WEDDING PLANNING mode! So many decisions and details. And of course, since I design wedding invitations for a living, I'm feeling the pressure to come up with something pretty spectacular. I love talking weddings with my brides at work, and now it's even more special planning with my own daughter! Dress shopping is the one thing that excites me the most. I can't imagine seeing her in a wedding dress for the first time. It's a moment that I know I will treasure.

Here's to all those treasured moments in life.
Terri

A LITTLE BIT OF FLUFF

I hope you can see this...we now have babies!! If you look very closely, you can see the fluff from the baby birds in the humming bird nest. We noticed it on Saturday and my husband took the photo quickly while the mom was away. Isn't the nest fascinating?! I think I read that the babies stay in the nest about 2 weeks. Can't wait to hear their little chirping noises. What's chirping in your back yard?
Terri

EXPLOSION OF COLOR

I love this time of year with everything really starting to bloom. The smell of jasmine fills the air and the bouganvillea has gone wild. While I'm in my sewing room working on the graduation quilt mentioned in the last post, you can enjoy a walk through my garden. Stay awhile, enjoy the flowers, and listen to the birds. I'll even fix you a glass of lemonade. Have a wonderful day and take time to smell the flowers in YOUR garden.
Terri

QUILT TIME

Back in November (when the thought of starting a business and a blog had never entered my mind), I told my niece I would make her a quilt. At the time I thought I needed a project. Now, I'm quite sure that I DON'T need a project, but I guess that's beside the point. Anyway, we went to the quilt shop and this is the pattern that she picked out. I told her I'd have it done by her graduation. You can guess what's coming next, can't you. That's right. I haven't even started it yet and her graduation party is just over 3 weeks away. If you've ever quilted than you know that a quilt isn't something that you just whip together in an afternoon. I still don't even have all the fabric yet, but here's the start of it.

Yup, there's 12 different fabrics there and I still need 4 more. Maybe a bit more orange. So..I'm off to the fabric store and I'm thinking I need to call in sick tomorrow. Do you think "quilt fever" is an illness? Somehow I don't think my boss will buy it. Wish I liked coffee. I think I have some late nights ahead of me.

Terri

THE BOYS

After browsing my Etsy shop for the first time, my dad wanted to know why I didn't have any hiking or motorcycle boots for the boys. I think he had a hard time spotting the few lonely pairs of boys shoes that I DID have. In his words, "Everything is always for girls." You need to know that my dad is no stranger to "girl stuff" as my mom gave birth to three of us. So Dad, this one is for you!

Since starting All Things for Baby I've really wanted to offer items for boys. I remember when my son was young, how unexciting it was to go shopping for clothes for him. After all, how much could you do with a boy's shirt back in the mid 80's. It either had a collar or it didn't. It either had short sleeves or it had long sleeves and that was about it. With the explosion of "Babyitis" among celebrities and the rest of the world, I gotta admit boy's clothing has come a long way. As a mom of both a boy and a girl, I know that shopping for girl's clothing is oodles more fun. All the pink, and bows, and ruffles! Not to mention the hair accessories, dresses, and just general cuteness of girl stuff. Sorry. Back to the boys...

Here's my first baseball cap for baby boys

I finally got the brim just right. And no, I'm not doing them in "Dad" sizes yet! If I ever do, my dad will get the first one!
Terri

HATS FOR ALL

I spent most of the weekend working on a couple of hat styles and I just listed two of them in my Etsy shop so now we'll wait and see.

I love the tropical floral print. Maybe a cute pair of Mary Janes next.

My black zebra shoes are doing well so it's time for green zebra.

That's it so far. I've been trying to do a baseball cap for the boys, but I'm having trouble finding the right plastic to put in the brim. Good thing I love a challenge!

Stay inspired regardless of YOUR challenges!

Terri

IN OUR LEMON TREE

Here's the view out our dining room window. Isn't it beautiful! This tiny momma hummingbird has chosen our lemon tree for her nest. It's amazing how many hours she spends sitting on her precious eggs.

She sits...

And sits...

Look at these itty, bitty eggs. Two of them to be exact.

Did you know...

A humming bird is 3.3" and can fly 25-30 mph. They are the only birds that can fly forward and backward as well as upside down. A humming bird nest is about 1.5" in diameter and the eggs are about the size of a pea or small jelly bean. Isn't Mother Nature AMAZING!

Terri

HAT INSPIRATION

I've been thinking for a while now about making some hats to sell in my Etsy shop. I figure I've got the baby's feet covered, so now it's time to do something about their heads. I was browsing Etsy tonight and found these beauties. I absolutely love hats, just wish I looked good in them. But really, how could a woman NOT look gorgeous in any of these?

Tickled Pink (my favorite) BKM Hattitude
BKM Hattitude

Satz Designs

WJcrafts

After looking at so many lovely hats, I'm definately inspired to give millinary a try. In miniature, of course.

Do a little something creative every day!

Terri

MORE FROM THE SHOW

More photos of some of the fabulous booths at the Queen Bee Market. First up, Mommy Holly, who had such a cute booth. Being a cardmaker myself, I really admired her work. Next to me was Pumpkin Pie Originals, with environmentally friendly apparel. They had the most adorable appliqued onesies and T-shirts for little people.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Connie from MEG Original. Connie makes the softest blankets, burp clothes, and bibs and it was so much fun talking with her about being in the baby business. Connie's presentation of her products makes them irresistable.

Heidi Devlin Design had these fun stenciled pillows. What a homey, inviting space. I think I need to visit her Etsy shop and see what else she has.

Well, that's a sampling of what you missed if you weren't there. Lucky for you, there's talk of another show in the fall. I'll make sure to pass on the info as soon as I have it. Can't wait to see what the next show will bring.

Here's to the creative life,

Terri

THE SHOW'S OVER

The much anticipated Queen Bee Market took place on Saturday and I have officially declared it a SUCCESS! It was so much fun to meet other vendors and see what they crafted. Everyone was so talented and there were so many pretty things to buy. Below is a photo of my booth. I was located in a corner and could sit on my little stool watching everyone drool over all the goodies. My shoes were well received with lots of "Aren't these adorable" type comments. One woman told me that she had come to the show just to buy my Wild Child Mary Janes for her daughter. She ended up buying an additional pair as well and made my day with her enthusiasm for my shoes! This was part of the view from my little corner. I really loved the tissue paper flowers that Jessica and Mique used for decorating. Tomorrow I'll show photos of some of the other vendors.

I was fortunate to have a great conversation with Canela of Cinnamon Sticks. Canela hand stamps custom jewelry. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of her booth, but check out her Etsy shop. Her jewelry is amazing and so is she. Canela gave me so many great ideas and tips for successfully selling both on the internet and at boutiques. Thanks so much Canela for all your great ideas.

Well, I'm off to do some sewing so I can restock.

Terri

MY DAUGHTER'S SPACE

My daughter just moved in to a new house, and it was no surprise to me when her craft room was the first room the she finished unpacking. She has a real talent for decorating on a budget and as you can see is a fan of orange and pink with a bit of black thrown in. For her birthday, we bought her the shelving unit from Michaels. It's made by Making Memories. They have a great collection of storage solutions for scrapbooking. The orange and pink buckets that store scissors and markers are from the dollar section at Target. Now who doesn't love the dollar section at Target?!! I just noticed that she's not quite finished afterall. She doesn't have a chair! Mmmm...I'm thinking a cute pink or orange chair would be perfect...

Have yourself a creative day!
Terri