Mommy & Me Paper Dolls

I have been in love with paper dolls ever since I was a little girl!  I used to beg my mom for her old JCPenney catalogs, so that I could cut out the models and design my own clothes for them.  I had tons of paper dolls growing up.  I even had the old "Barbie Fashion Plates" that let you design and pattern your own clothes for "Barbie".  I just loved creating new clothes for my models!  Now that I have a little girl of my own, I was hoping to pass on my love of paper dolls to her.  So, I created my own paper dolls specifically for my daughter Ruby.  I plan on marketing these as a kit that I can customize for each "Mommy & Daughter" that orders them.  I can easily change the hair color/ eye color/ race to suit anyone.  I know these will bring many hours of joy to me and my daughter.  I am hoping they do the same for many more mommys and daughters.  This is my first outfit that I designed for mommy and Ruby.  I have several others waiting to be colored.  I will continue to post them as I finish them.  I am also hoping to get this up on my Etsy page in the near future.  

Bobbled and Bejeweled Dangle Bangles

Creative energy + kickin' garage + cooperative kids + coffee + cool company = 

TWO WHOLE DAYS OF PRODUCTIVITY!!!  

YES!  I hope you are dazzled by my Bobbled and Bejeweled Dangle Bangles!  

Blue Bead Bliss

Say that five times fast!  My creativity was bubbling up today, but with the kids running amuck there is only so much I can manage to do between animal cracker requests, potty runs, and coffee breaks.  So, I pulled out my beads and slowly starting putting together this little bracelet.  An hour and a half later I was finally done and the kiddos were happy too.  Some days the simple things are so satisfying!  That is the way is should be!  Now, off to football practice and a little sunshine and fresh air!  AHHHH!

Floral Feet

Pretty floral shoes complete the outfit!  I just finished painting these little shoes for a friend.  She is planning on giving them to her niece along with a matching skirt/shirt set as a birthday gift.  The colors are vibrant and fun!  Her little niece will be adorable in her matching ensemble!

New Blog Name

As much as I liked my old blog name "I Me Mine Design", I thought it would be easier for people to find me if I just used my name in my blog.  So, here is my new blog address:
hollyhelgeson.blogspot.com


Thanks for checking back!  Your continued support fuels my creativity!  

Pretty Painted Shoes for a Pretty Little Girl!

What a wonderful weekend with family!  My brother, sister-in-law, and their beautiful little girls came up from the cities for a Sunday full of food, fun, and fabulous conversation!  We had a wonderful time visiting and finally got to meet our newest little niece.  Since this was the first time meeting little Zoe, I wanted to put together something special to welcome her into the family.  So, I went to Target and found the most adorable summer outfit (sized for next year).  I knew I could pull the outfit together with a perfect pair of little painted shoes.  Here is the outfit complete with matching shoes.  The colors in the shoes ended up matching the outfit perfectly.

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!

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!

"You just have to see it."

I had some shopping to do on Sunday, nothing fun, just the necessities. I left the kiddos home with the hubby so I could get in and out of the store quickly. On the way home, which is only about a two minute drive, I got a call from my hubby.

"You will never believe what your daughter did." he said.

To which I replied, "Is it bad, like markers on the wall bad?"

"You just have to see it. Don't worry, I will clean it up." he said

"What did she do? Where were you?" I asked

"I tried to stop her, but it was just too funny. So, I let her just have at it." he replied

The more I questioned, the more he just told me I had to see it to believe it. So, this is what I found when I got home. My little two year old the "Hoarder".  She felt so proud of her mess, but did manage to pick everything up...with a little help from Daddy. Sometimes, it is just best to let our children express their creative urges...sometimes. :)  By the way, that 'Toybox' used to be our bathroom.

Happy Shoes

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that just gets your creative juices flowing? I know that kind of sounds weird, but these are mine. Honestly, because of all the cold and snow we have had this winter, these babies have been shelved. But today, I was feeling a little wacky and decided to sport my funky tennies. These are my 'Happy' shoes! They just bring a smile to my face and put a spring in my step when I wear them. It is probably mostly me that puts the spring in them, since they are pretty old and have absolutely NO SUPPORT, but I do feel SPRINGY! Here's hoping you all have a SPRINGY day too!