Our Maternity Photo Shoot - Part 2

I'm back with part 2 of our amazing maternity photo shoot. If you missed part 1 you can check it out here. There were just so many incredible images I could not make it one post. Since there was a custom change giving these images a different feel I thought why not... two posts. 

It is a total tie between the above and bellow images as to which is my favorite. I just can't get over how amazingly perfect they are. The are like something straight out of a magazine. I already knew Shana Beiro was awesome, but when I saw these images I was completely blown away. She is one seriously talented lady!

And a few more because... WOW! I made the belly band bellow, but more on that later...

And for those of you here about the sewing, this dress was created using one of my all time favorite patterns. It is the Maggie Mae by Shwin Designs. If you sew, you really should check out her patterns. They are in my top three. I of course made many modifications to the skirt, but the bodice is the same (with the exception of the lace overlay). 

I just love how this little dress turned out. But the best part of all is how much J loves it. The night of the shot, she refused to take it off. She actually SLEPT in it! And now when I let her pick an outfit, she asks to wear "fancy dress" (this one) or her "kingdom dress".

Well I hope you enjoyed a little peek into our family through these images. Up next... Baby B's newborn photos! 

Our Maternity Photo Shoot - Part 1

I can not tell you how IN LOVE with these photos I am! I am so glad that I finally have a chance to share them with you. Our new little princess does not like sleep very much, and it is almost impossible to type with one hand. LOL.

The most amazingly talented Shana Beiro created these fantastic images for us. I am just so in love with how she was able to capture all the love, life, and J's abundant energy. I don't know how she does it. Wait until you see the photos of Brynlee!

I had the absolute hardest time narrowing down which photos to show you guys. There are so many amazing shots! So please excuse all the story boards... I know it is hard to see the details, but I just could not narrow it more than this. I mean look at all of them!

We have no idea why, but Jaycelyn was all about photos that day. I can't believe how animated she was. I love this series of her showing off her ballet moves. She just cracks me up.

Of course most of you are here to hear about the kid clothes. And this dress turned out far better than my imagination. I was originally going to do a pink dress, because we all know how much J loves pink. Well I had picked up this multicolored fabric simply because I loved it. When I was putting together my idea for the dress, it was just begging to become part of it.

I used the Ma Cherie pattern from Snazziedrawers. I just adore her work. Her creations are like something out of a dream. Her patterns are well written. I have many of them. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to try one of the fancier patterns.

I don't know if you noticed the heading of this post, but this is only part one. I decided that since there were just too many amazing shots and we had a costume change in the middle of it, that I would make this two post to keep it from being epic length. So come back tomorrow for part 2!

KCW July 2014: Day 5, 6, and 7 Recap

Well I did complete the challenge, but I don't have much to show for it.

Day 5: I spent an hour trying to figure out what is wrong with my embroidery machine.

No such luck. I will try again soon. I have so many projects just waiting on a properly working machine. I'm more than a little annoyed (which isn't helping the repair process... hehehe).

Day 6: I cut out the fabric for J's new tent.

She loves to sleep in her tent. As much as I hate the fact that my daughter is sleeping on the floor and not in her beautiful bed, I love that fact that she will stay in it all night. Choose your battles right?

KCW July 2014: Day 2, 3, & 4 Recap

I'm still here! I will admit, Day 2 was a bust as far as the challenge goes. But for a really good reason. The girls and I got a semi-surprise visit from my mom and sister. I knew they were coming, but plans changed and they arrived much earlier than anticipated. So instead of getting my hour sewing time in, I spent some awesome quality time with them. So much fun!

Even though I didn't sew on Day 2 I did make my time up on Day 3 and 4. I have had these dresses cut since before I had baby B, but I didn't get a chance to sew them up. So since my self made theme of this challenge is "complete my procrastination", this was a great project for me to finish. 

KCW July 2014: Day 1 Recap

Well actually day 1 and day zero. I started this on Sunday (the day before the challenge started). I worked on this oh so sweet newborn set. I was super excited when I got this order because it was owl themed! And boy do I love how it turned out.

Kids Clothes Week July 2014

Well it's that time again. Kids Clothes Week is back.  And yes, I am attempting it with a three week old! I may be nuts, but I really love the KCW challenge. I am actually much more productive when under a deadline and the challenge lights that same fire under my booty. I am feeling ready to get back into the game full time and this will be a good trial run to see how things go with two little ones aroud.

My plan this go around is to work on some items that have been on my to-do list for far to long. For instance, J walked around with the "pony fabric" I bought for her dress for her last birthday party for days before I made the dress. She called it her blanket. So about a month after her birthday I ordered another yard to make her an actual blanket... Her birthday is in August. You read that right. Yeap, as in a month from now. Maybe I'll make it a gift this year. LOL

I have some other projects for both girls that I would like to get done, but first up I have an order for a sweet little set for a new baby boy that I'm going to make.  So look for that as day one recap tomorrow.

So stick around for a week of seeing my procrastination at it's finest. Here's hoping I do a better job at keeping up with the blog than I did last time ;)

Weddings-a-plenty

I have been getting many request for outfits for cuties involved in weddings lately. So I thought I would share a few of them with you.

You may remember this seersucker beauty from a while back. I posted a pic on Facebook and you all fell in love. It inspired a rainbow of seersucker flutter dresses in my sewing room and I was in love!

Pattern Review - Bay Dress/Top by Brownie-Goose

And my love affair with Brownie-Goose continues. The new Bay dress is indescribable! I mean get a load of that back... swoon! (and that is not even how it is really suppose to look!) I know I say it pretty much every time she release a new pattern, but this really is my favorite. I just don't now how she does it!

When the sneak peak of this dress was released about a week before its release, I literally saved a screen shot on my phone and would look at it every day! I could not wait to get my hands on it and start creating.

I did make a mistake when cutting the bodice (I didn't listen to Ms. Amy... shame on me!) and the top was actually too big. But J would not let me take it off her, so I had the genius idea to put both button holes on one button making the bodice much smaller. It was a quick fix that allowed her to wear it and avoided the fit we would have had if I had taken it off her :) And I think it didn't look half bad either! Although you don't get see that gorgeous curve of the skirt... Here is what the back is suppose to look like. Amazing right?!

Easter 2014

So I have been really bad about keeping up with posting things online these days! Yes I realize that Easter was over a month ago, but I just got the photos added to my computer today. Yeah... I also wanted to share more photos of the two Easter orders I worked on. So here you have it... Easter 2014 over a month late :)

KCW - Day 5, 6, & 7 Recap

So I totally slacked on the remainder of Kid's Clothes week. I did sew on days 5 & 6, but we had the air condition go out on the evening of day 6, so we spent a great deal of day 7 (including any sewing time I had) installing some window AC units so this prego lady could stay cool. So at least is was for a very good reason right?

Day 5 I made these adorable Darby Shorts (pattern from the ever amazing Brownie-Goose) to go with J's FSU Tilly (yet another fabulous Brownie-Goose pattern) that I made a while back for J. We were headed to the Garnet and Gold Game Saturday (day 6) and she has was in serious need of some new bottoms.

KCW - Day 4 Recap

Well I almost reached my goal. I finished the Elsa shirt redo and completed the Anna shirt as well. I got two pairs of shorts made to go with the Elsa mess-up for J and the redo for the order (well almost... I had to add the waistband and buttons this morning. Hence the late post). The only thing I didn't get done is the skirt to go with the Anna shirt. I kinda impressed myself. I haven't done that much sewing in one day since I found out I was prego!

KCW - Day 3 Recap

Day 3 is in the books. We had a busy day running errands, and I had a lot of work to do on the computer (technology is such a time black hole!). But I did manage to get in my sewing time working on my new embroidery machine that my hubby got me for my birthday! (He's just the best!)

I'm still learning, but I am loving it. I did have a few mishaps with this shirt. I caught the back of the shirt with the needle (I knew it was going to happen!). I only looked away from a second and bam! But I was able to save it making only a tiny hole in the back of the shirt. Then I see a teen-tiny little bug crawling on the design. I go to wipe it off and crush it leaving a tiny blood trail. Just perfect! So J gets a new shirt and I get to do the design all over again (which isn't so bad). (I found this and several other super cute princess inspired designs over at Lynnie Pinnie.)

KCW - Day 2 Recap

Hearts and Ladybugs Project

Day 2 went much better then day one! J was in serious need of some new pants. She is still such a skinny mini, but she is getting really tall. So all of her size 2 still fit, but were all 3 inches too short. So last week I had the hubby cut a bunch of pants projects out. Day 2's project... heart pants per J's request.

KCW - Day 1 Recap

Well yesterday did not go quite as planned. You may know that we made a trip to Disney over the weekend. Well between all the unpacking, laundry, and sheer exhaustion from the trip, I wasn't able to get into the sewing room for the hour. My compromise to meet the challenge... hand sewing! Well hand embroidery to be exact.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may remember this photo I posted last week:

It is one of the four campers I am embroidering on the bottom of a skirt for the "Pink" dress J has requested. Hand embroidery is always something I have admired, but didn't think I had the patience for. But I started putting some small embroidery on the back pockets of pants and really enjoyed it. So I thought I would dive in with a big project! 

Kid's Clothes Week - Spring 2014

So if you have been around for a while you may remember this fun challenge that I did last year (if not, you can catch up here). It is called Kid's Clothes Week. It is a challenge to sew for kiddos for at least one hour a day for an entire week. You can learn more about it on their blog. It is a really great challenge and there are some really amazingly talented ladies who take part in it. And they best part is they share their creations in the KCW Community.

They do several challenges a year, but this is the first one I have been able to participate in since the very first one last spring! It is always on a week where we are out of town. So I am very excited to be participating again! I will be doing my blogging the day after just like a did last year, so look out for what I do today (day one) on the blog tomorrow.

Button Storage Improvement

If you been around for a while, you know that I have a love for all things button! And long ago Miss Amy over at Brownie-Goose (you know my favorite pattern designer) posted a picture of all of her buttons lined up by color in these adorable little baby food jars. I mean it was cuteness overload. And then I remembered all of these baby food jars I had my sister in law keep for me that where stashed only god knows where. So after some digging, I find those cute little jars and begin to fill them with all my fun button finds.

Fast forward 2 years and things have gotten majorly out of control. You know that button obsession means that I collect them much faster than they get used (darn JoAnn and their 50% off button sales!). They where literately taking over my ledge behind my sewing machines. Then I get an email from DecorSteals and there are these stacked lazy susans. A light bulb goes off instantly. I rush to the website and guess what... they are sold out of the 3 tier option. Of course! So what little light bulb goes off next... oh I just make my own. So off to Pintrest I go and find these pins:

Why I've been so quiet...

Shirt design by Magic by Marcy

So you may have noticed that things have been very quite here in HootyCutie land. I promise there is a good reason. We are expecting baby girl #2 in June! We are beyond thrilled (well most of us that is... Jaycelyn is coming around. LOL)!! But the real reason things have been so quite is that the first trimester was really hard for me. I was constantly sick and could hardly keep my house in order, let alone stand for hours to cut fabric. You guys just don't know how depressing that was... LOL. So with the holidays and January being a slow month usually, I decided that a nice long break was in order.

I am finally feeling much better and I am so ready to start creating again! However, things are going to be a little different than they have been in the past. I will be doing many more ready to ship (already made) items. It is simply easier and quicker for me to make several of an item at one time than one at a time as orders come in. One of the most important things to me is keeping my turn-around time as short as possible. Having things ready to go out the door means you get them in a few days rather than a few weeks! So keep an eye out on my Facebook page as I will be posting fabric combinations there and taking pre-orders like I did with the sailboat and red dresses last year.