Friday, July 15, 2011

More Gifts...


After my post yesterday, I decided to go on the hunt for photos.  I LOVE making gifts for people and usually TRY to take pictures of the finished product.  Here are a few pics of previous gifts I have made.





This adorable ensemble was for my little niece Mia.  I handmade the quilt, pillows, and diaper bag from vintage fabrics.  I also sewed a piece of the vintage fabric onto the onesie for a unique touch.  The shoes I hand painted to match the onesie.




This cute set was made for my girlfriend's little girl Sophia.  She was cute as a bug in her hand painted lady bug outfit.  I also handmade the quilt from vintage fabrics and denim scraps I had on hand.  


These "HOT" little shoes were made for my girlfriends little boy.  Her husband is a firefighter, so flame shoes were absolutely perfect for her little man.  (Sorry, wish I had a side view too.)
















These shoes have all been hand painted by me, and are currently awaiting little feet to fill them.  

In my opinion, handmade gifts are the BEST...especially when they come from someone you love!




Thursday, July 14, 2011

Personalized Gift

A dear friend of mine recently had a little girl.  I wanted to give her a gift that was personalized but also something that she could use.  I decided to go shopping for some ideas.  I quickly found an adorable little shirt that I just had to buy.  The design on the shirt was so sweet, and I quickly pulled an outfit together with a tiny coordinating jacket, pair of oh so little jeans, and two different pairs of colored socks.  But the outfit just wasn't personalized.  So, I decided to paint a pair of shoes to match the little shirt.  I LOVE the way they turned out.  Absolutely precious!   Take a look and tell me what you think.



Fabric & Paper

I just can't get enough!!  Just ask my husband!  I have bins, boxes and shelves stock piled full of antique, vintage, retro and inspirational fabrics and papers!  I search out funky retro fabrics on ebay and head for the fabric stashes at antique stores.  I have drawing tablets full of shapes, doodles, and scribbles!  My 'Inspiration File' practically has its own zip code!  I LOVE DESIGN!!

After I graduated high school (20 years ago!!!), I was very blessed to have worked for an amazing woman who encouraged me to follow my artistic roots.  She owned a design studio that created fabrics, wallpaper and artwork for Target, JCPenneys and West Point Stevens to name a few.  I worked with 15+ other amazingly talented women, all with their own unique style.  I frequently look back to those days with fond memories!  It is without a doubt that my passion for fabric, paper and design was born.  Thank you Julie for nurturing and encouraging my artistic spirit!

I have been creating designs for my very own fabric line for as long as I can remember.  I pull inspiration from the outdoors, everyday objects and life in general all the time.  My husband has been so supportive of my dream.  I know how quickly the chapters of one's life pass by, so I have been putting off dedicating much time to my fabric line while my children have been small.  However, sometimes they allow me a few minutes to design and be creative (usually when they are watching a movie...or sleeping soundly).   So, I am making it my goal to have at least one of my fabric designs uploaded to Spoonflower.com by the end of the year.  More than one design would be icing on the cake...but for now, the cake would be GREAT!

I will post the link to my Spoonflower shop at soon as my first design is uploaded!  Stay tuned!