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This past year all of the major holidays seem to have snuck up on me and I was not able to make cute shirts for my girls or my nieces and nephew. This year, one of my new years resolutions is to make sure they all have cute shirts for the holidays! So, I went ahead and made my nieces their Valentines Day shirts!

I took this opportunity to try out my new (to me) technique of making the shirts with tear away/wash away stabilizer and I am still very happy with the end results!

Here is the back of the hoop after the design is all stitched out! I am really impress with how well it all holds together considering it's tear away stabilizer. I kept expecting to turn it over and see it all shredded or starting to pull apart, but it wasn't.

Here is Sara's sweet tweet shirt! I love this little birdie!

And her is Em's!

Savannah and Scarlett will be getting sweet tweet shirts of their own also, but it will have to wait until after we get back from another little trip to see family.

The bird applique is from Embroidery Boutique and the font is Madison from 8CAAP

And the results are....

I am very happy! I took a few pics to show what the shirt I did looked like after I did the embroidery. The first one is the back of the shirt after pulling what tear away stabilizer I could off.

This one is the shirt flipped back right.

This is after running it through the washer and dryer and then doing a light press.

It turned out really nice!

And here is Miss Scarlett wearing her new snowflake shirt!! It fit her so much better than the minnie shirt because the design contoured with her body and wasn't stiff!

I am excited to try a few more shirts this way!

And as per a few comments on my previous post, I will be trying the poly mesh stabilizer as well and see how that turns out!

I LOVE seeing other peoples creations and learning new tips and tricks so if you happen to come across my blog or already follow and have a site/store of your own, I would love for you to share!!

The snowflake is from Planet Applique and the font is Bella from 8CAAP

Trial and Error

I haven't been embroidering for all that long, less than a year actually even though I have had my machine for over a year. Everything I have read, when you are doing appliques on items such as shirts, you are suppose to use cut away stabilizer, so I have. While the finished product looks awesome, one wash and the design is wrinkled. I hate this. I don't know if it's the type of stabilizer I am using or what but after getting Scarlett a shirt form Carter's and seeing that it's an applique on a shirt with NO stabilizer on the back I am doing a little experiment! I just stitched out an applique snowflake with her name across it on tear away stabilizer. I ended up hooping 2 layers of the tear away and then pinning the shirt to it like I normally would. It stitched out great! I tore away the stabilizer and the shirt is currently going through the washer and dryer to see how it holds up and comes out! I am really hoping it does well because, at least with Scarlett, having the stiff stabilizer behind the design looks strange on her because she is so small and chubby! lol

I'll post pics and update when it's done!

If anyone has had any experience with this I would love your thoughts on using tear away vs. cut away on shirts!

Snowman Shirts

Here are 2 shirts I just did for my niece and nephew! I am loving doing the snowman appliques!

Applique is from Planet Applique and the font is Casual from GG Designs

Applique is from Planet Applique and the font is Bella from 8CAAP

Winter Shirts

I have recently become addicted to putting Christmas appliques on black shirts!! I just love the way the colors "pop!" I am so, so happy with the way these two shirts turned out!! I wanted to send my nieces Christmas shirts, but time slipped away from me so I decided to send them "winter" themed shirts for Christmas. The snowman and the "foam" on the cup are both white Minky dot and the rest of the applique fabric is Riley Blake's Colorful Christmas! I really like the way the shirts coordinate! The appliques are from Planet Applique and the font is "Bella" from 8 Claws and a Paw!

New Logo!

Here is the newest (and hopefully long lasting) logo for Crafty Mom Creations!! Having been in Dallas the past 10 days and having grandparents to help with my girls at night, I was able to play around (quite obsessively) with trying to create a banner. With the input of my friend Mary this is what I came up with! I think it's quite cute! =)

Need a "Logo"

So, I really need to go ahead and decide on a design for Crafty Mom Creations. I need to buy cards and set up an etsy store, but not before I have a cute design. I have looked on etsy at their premade etsy designs and have found a few that I really like, but I wanted to see if any of the people who follow/read this can suggest someone to help me design a logo! If you can suggest someone please let me know!

Thanks! =)

Turkey Dress

Being addicted to embroidery I am CONSTANTLY on the look out for things I can embroider.

A few weeks ago while shopping at Target I came across these super cute, simple corduroy dresses. My mind immediately went to...how cute would that be for thanksgiving with a turkey on it! Well thanks to Lynnie Pinnie and her super cute girly turkey design I was able to make a cute dress for Savannah for Thanksgiving!

Savannah has a Thanksgiving Feast at school on Friday and I can't wait for her to wear the dress to it! I am going to be making Scarlett one too, but I am not sure what fabric I will use yet!

Taking a break....

While this time of year I should be cranking out all the super cute holiday designs I have, I am afraid I just don't have the time. I have an extremely high energy 4 year old daughter and a now sneaky crawling 9 month old daughter. For those of you who don't know, I am in a wheelchair. Taking care of 2 is hard enough, now think about doing it from a wheelchair....yeah...it's difficult at times! lol! So with all this being said, I am going to take custom orders up until November 19th and then I am going to be done for the year. Between Thanksgiving (possibly traveling), a craft show Dec. 4th, and a trip to Dallas early December, and trying to get christmas present made, I just don't think I will have time to accept any more orders after the 19th.

In stock items will still be offered, but custom orders will have to wait until the first of the year.

I apologize for any inconvenience! I do, however, have another option for all your personalization needs! My friend Mary over at Banana Bear Boutique does AWESOME work! You can visit her Etsy shop and see what all she has to offer!

Thank you so much for understanding! =)

TuTu Tote

I really love when customers have special requests! I usually don't have enough hours in the day to be creative and make new things, let alone just do my "regular" projects. I was asked to make a TuTu Tote for a little girl for her birthday and I was instantly excited about the project! I thought it out very carefully for a day or so before I began and all of my careful planning paid off and the bag came together without a hitch! I think it turned out really cute and I look forward to making more!

I ended up using the tulle on a roll and OH MY GOSH it was so much easier to use than using the by the yard stuff! Plus it stores so much easier! Here is the bag with the tulle sewn into place. At this point I could also just add a ribbon around it and be done, but the customer wanted a fabric overlay....

So I broke out my new ruffler foot for my new(er) brother sewing machine and ruffled a strip of fabric. I will attempt to ruffle it a bit more for my next one and make the fabric about an inch longer. (This was my first one so there are always kinks to work out!)

Then I added a ribbon and bow and TADA!! It's done!

The possibilities and color combinations are endless! I think I am going to make a few Huskers totes for my craft fair in Dec!

The font is Andrea from 8CAAP

Mickey's Rockin' Road Show

I have been guilty for too long about not making stuff for my girls! I get too caught up in customer orders that I wasn't making time for my own girlies, but that has changed! I am trying to do better about making S and S shirts!

On Saturday we had tickets to take the girls to see Mickey's Rockin' Road Show! Of course I had to make Minnie Mouse shirts for the occasion! I have been wanting to do this design for a while so I was thrilled with how cute it turned out!

*Design is: Frou Frou by Heathersue and the font is: Walt by 8 Claws and a Paw*

Miss Scarlett was not so happy about the shirt at first! She kept pulling on the design trying to get it off.

Savannah showing off her matching bow.

Savannah enjoying her $10 bucket of popcorn! Expensive YES good ABSOLUTELY!

Over all we had a great time at the show!

Halloween Tote

I was contacted by a customer who asked if I could monogram her kids halloween totes. Usually I am cautious about embroidering on peoples items because I am still learning about embroidery and not so confident that I won't screw up their items, but I said yes and I am glad I did! These are the two bags she had...HOW CUTE ARE THEY!?? I used the Bonz font from 8 Claws and a Paw. I think they are just adorable!

Whew....

Wow, it's been over a month since my last blog post! Well I have been super busy!! Between a teething almost 8 month old, a wild and crazy 4 year old and a sale that was very successful, I didn't have much time to blog.

Yesterday I did my first craft fair here in Nebraska! It was at my daughter's school. I knew about the festival a few weeks ago and was put on the waiting list, well I got a call about 2 weeks out saying they had 2 spots left and they emailed me the application and everything. Before I was even able to print the application and get it in the mail, I got an email saying it had filled up. I was a little disappointed, but also sorta relieved because I didn't have a lot of "stock" items and still had sale orders to complete. That being said, I got a call last Saturday from the church saying there was a cancellation and I could still participate if I wanted.....I said yes! I was working like a crazy woman all week trying to get customer orders done and make stock items! My poor family was kinda neglected for the week.

Well, for the festival being at a little church and only lasting 6 hours, I was VERY successful! It was indoors (new concept for me!) and the set up was great! I got to use my display I bought from JoAnn's and it worked out awesome! Shawn and the girls were up there with me most of the time and we took turns selling and wrangling! lol! My hubby is the best and was totally talking to customers and trying to sell! =)

I am signed up to do another craft show in December at the YMCA in Papillion. I am kinda worried about doing one in December because of the possibility of the weather being bad. Last year the snow was ridiculous! Oh well, I guess we'll just have to see. I am hoping to be a little better prepared for the one in December since I have way more than a weeks notice! =)

Coming soon....

I have an endless "to do" list of projects. I am constantly coming across new things that I want to try my hand at but can't seem to find the time. Well a few of those items I have been requested to do, and other I am just making a priority to do. Here is the list of items that I will be trying over the next few weeks!

1. Ruffle pants! I will also offer ruffle capris.

2. Flannel pajama/lounge pants! I have been wanting to do these forever for my little girl and will be trying them out this next week! I will also make sets with matching applique/embroidered tops! Will be great since fall/winter is quickly approaching!

3. A new type of A-line dress that will offer the ability to use multiple fabrics as well as embroider without being reversible. I no longer do reversible dresses because something about making the bottoms of the dresses line up perfectly was stressing me out so I won't do them anymore. lol. Strange I know, but hey..that's me!

4. A-line tops to go with the ruffle pants/capris, or just by themselves with jeans/shorts/skirts!

That's all I can think of at the moment!

SALE!

SALE!! Sept 1st - 15th!!

20% off select items!

CMC

* A Line Dresses: Regular $24, Sale $19.20 (Reversible dresses no longer available)

* Kitchen Towels: (Colors Available are Green, Tan, and White)

-Single letter: $6 Sale $4.80

-Single letter and fabric: $8 Sale $6.40

-Stacked Monogram: $8 Sale $6.40

-Stacked and Fabric: 10

-Applique letter: $8 Sale $6.40

-Applique letter and name: $10 Sale $10

-Applique letter, name, and fabric: $12 Sale $9.60

* Set of 3 Zipper Bags: Single letter monogram (on one or all 3) included in price.

Regular: $30 Sale: $24

* Embroidered Onesie: Regular $15 Sale $12

* Embroidered Shirts: Regular $15 Sale $12

* Skirts: Regular $15 Sale $12

* Quilted Boutique Bags: Regular $15 Sale $12

* Totes: Regular $15 Sale $12

Email your orders or questions to craftymomcreations@me.com!

Ribbon Onesie

So, after seeing pictures of my craft room and the insane amount of stuff I have, it should not surprise anyone that I go in there and end up cleaning/organizing/looking through stuff more than I actually craft. I have so many projects I want to do that I must of started 4 today and moved on for one reason or another. Finally I settled on this....it was not the intended project but it is something that I have been wanting to try. For my first attempt I am quite happy!

The bow is on a pin so it can be placed where ever you want and removed before washing!

This is a Gerber 3-6 month which is WAY too small for my Scarlett so I will eventually sell it as a sample item on Etsy. I fully plan on making Scarlett and Savannah both ribbon T's for Halloween, Christmas, and whenever!

I do have to wonder if this can be washed as well as dried and how the ribbon that is attached to the shirt will come out. If any other crafters have done this and know I would love for you to share! I will probably run this one through the wash and see how it comes out.

Moooooooo....

A few weeks ago my daughter was nosing around in my craft room and saw my cow flannel. Now, most of you know I have a 6 month old little girl named Scarlett, what you probably don't know is that somewhere along these 6 months Scarlett has picked up the nick name "Moo Moo. " Yes it's a little strange but that's who she is...our Moo Moo!

Anyways, Savannah wanted me to make Scarlett a blanket but that isn't in the cards right now. Instead I decided to use to use my mini burpie design, added some ribbons, and tada...Moo Moo's very own cow ribbon toy!

Lil Monkey

Being a mommy to two little girls I tend to fall victim of not making things for boys. I actually LOVE making boy stuff! Blue and browns, greens and browns, trucks, dinosaurs, rockets...all that stuff is so much fun! Well here is a bundle that was recently ordered for a baby boy. The blanket was the hardest part because it's a double sided minky (a pain to work with!!!) with embroidery on both sides! I ended up including a blue and brown paci clip after I snapped a pic.

I think it turned out super cute!

I love being able to make coordinating baby bundles!

Bundle Includes: 30X30 Blanket, Onesie, Bib, 2 Burp Cloths

The insanity that is ME!

Hello! And welcome to my craft room! Before we begin our tour I want to confess something...I am a fabric buying whore!! I seriously, seriously have a problem. Ok, enough about that, lets get started:

Upon entering my craft room this is the first thing you will see. Book shelves just weren't cutting it anymore so we had to go out and buy industrial wire shelving. We will start from the top and work our way down. Blue and purple boxes house my "overflow" ribbons. You know, the ones I HAD TO HAVE only to get home and realize I already have a spool...or 3. Next to the boxes is Savannah's BFF's birthday present that needs to be sent! Next shelf down is my Minky! I love minky! It's so soft and stretchy and is just the perfect fabric for making all kinds of cute baby things! The large white piece in the middle is iron on fleece..I bought that because..because...actually I am not sure why I have it or so much of it for that matter. Moving on..next shelf down is just a bunch of fabric. Down one more...the green bin has blanks in it, next to that are some ribbon boxes with ribbon in them, and the rest on that shelf is fabric. The last shelf contains totes. These totes contain items such as zippers, D rings, buttons, minky remnants, fabric remnants, bow holders, lined clippies, craft show hardware, and other odds and ends. There are also random piece of fabric and some more blanks on that shelf. Whew..that's a lota crap...and that's only the beginning!

My crafty table!! I LOVE my craft table. This was given to me by my inlaws! It's from Ikea and it's so sturdy and roomy! So much better than my previous craft table which was actually our old kitchen countertops my husband had attached legs to! lol! Alright, top of table from right to left: Thread spools with my embroidery thread, Wii remote charger with one remote and my laptop in front of the thread, brother embroidery machine, Ott light, serger in the corner, brother sewing machine, little bins and baskets stacked on top of the sewing machine that contains ribbons and bows I am currently working on, small tiered drawers that have all sortsa crap in 'em, divided containers on top of tiered drawers containing embelishments like flowers, jewels and whatnot, ironing board and iron, 2 boxes of tissues (not sure why 2), small blue container has my daughters colored pencils in it waiting to be sharpened, then at the very end is my hot glue gun, cutting mat that I use to make bows, a dress I recently made, and a shirt of my husbands that I need to fix.

Now for the bottom of the table from right to left: Drawers containing blanks such as onesies, bibs and burp cloths, priority boxes, trash can, grey tote full of blanks shirts, containers on top are embroidery machine tools/parts and bows, another set of drawers that have long sleeve blank shirts, dress templates, and..not sure what else, in front of that is my cut away and tear away stabilizer, and the last set of drawers contains more blanks! haha! Totes, aprons, and towels!

Oh what? You thought one industrial wire shelf was enough?? Ha! Not even. The top of this one has a bunch of non craft stuff on it. Next shelf down is all flannel! What? That's a lot you say? Well, it's not even half! Yeah I know...anywho, the next two shelves are all fabric! The pink basket has all my holiday ribbon ready to be made into bows and the box it's sitting on is all satin ribbon. I don't actually use satin ribbon but it was in the $1 bin at Micheals so I bought it. (insane..remember..) And next to those two are some brown and green t's I got at children's place for like a buck that I am going to embroider for Savannah, they are on top of a few small tote bags. Worn out yet? Ready to stop? Yeah me neither..lets keep going! The bottom shelf is a mess! From left to right: Basket containing small piece of fabric and fat quarters, container with blue lid has non sewing crafts in it and a lot of stuff I did for my husband while he was deployed, the rest of the stuff in the corner is a basket of bows, a container of holiday fabric, and some other stuff. And as you can see there on the floor is a stack of flannel fabric that I just washed and a stack of halloween fabric that was just washed.

This is my ribbon cart! It's on wheels so I can move it around.

I kinda have a problem with remnants. This is my stack that has yet to be washed. Beside them is my singer futura sewing/embroidery machine. It's kinda broke. The feed dogs won't come back up. I need to take it somewhere and get it fixed, then might sell it.

So I had a great idea to hang up all my flannels, but after getting a fraction of them hung up I realized I had WAY too many to fit, so I just left these ones up.

My brother box and mickey occupy the top shelf, boutique bags, totes containing flowers and headbands, more minky, and I am not sure what's in the target bag. Hanging up are random things I have made. At the bottom is one of my scrapbook totes and a bed skirt I need to hem.

This is my embroidery machine. When the darn thing is not acting goofy I LOVE IT! I feel like I have the most temperamental machine ever! I haven't had any issues with my last few projects so maybe it was operator error?? Nah..it's the machine!

My Ott lite! We got this light on clearance at michael's. I always complain about lighting but would never in a million years fork out the money for one of these full price, but if I had, it would of been worth every penny! It's awesome!

I really, really, REALLY hate this iron! My previous iron was leaving residue on anything I ironed so it was time to upgrade. I got this. As far as irons go it works great! Get's nice and hot, steam gets all the wrinkles out, but the damn thing starts beeping and then turns it's self off after 8 min of not being used!! If you are ironing clothes and that's all your doing this probably wouldn't be a problem, but if you are using it as a craft iron it's a big problem, at least it is for me! When I am doing a project I use my iron a lot, but it irritates the mess out of me when I go to use it and realize it's turned off and cooled down!! I have to lay it down and set it back up which resets it and then it starts to heat up...SO ANNOYING!! But I am too cheap to go buy another iron that doesn't have this feature, so I guess I will deal....

Last but not least my newest sewing machine! After my singer messed up I went and got this! I love it! It stitches great and is very easy to operate, plus....IT'S PINK! =)

So there you have it, a peek into my craft room where all the magic happens. And based on everything you have just seen I bet you are thinking...."Man, her husband must really love her!" and yes..he does! =)