Help Save Handmade!

One of my New Year's resolutions was going to be to put more effort into promoting my handmade items. I truly think that I make something unique that is not only functional but pretty. I have thoroughly enjoyed creating these crafts -- it is relaxing, rewarding, and fun!

After browsing through Etsy this weekend, I realized that my craft is in major trouble! As of February 2009, anyone manufacturing a product that may be utilized by a child under the age of 12 must comply with stringent testing procedures to ensure that their product does not contain lead greater than 600 ppm. No one, including me, wants their children exposed to lead; however, this new law issued by the Consumer Products Safety Information Act, will not allow certification of testing of individual parts of an item -- for example, if I receive a certification that all individual pieces I compile for my hairbow holders are lead free, I still have to have the finished product tested. This testing must be performed on all batches of all designs. So, every one of my completely "unique" hairbow holders, clippies and headbands, must be tested. And, the testing is expensive!

This is not just about me. Thousands of moms and small business owners will be affected. It will even affect the Salvation Army, retail stores, and consignment shops. You will no longer be able to pass along your cribs or strollers or baby toys that do not have this specific certification.

Please help. Several sites and blogs are dedicated to protecting handmade. You can visit the CPSC's site for information.

Thank you!

Baby doll slings!

I was on a hunt for a baby carrier for my 2 year old. Her older sister has one and she HAS to have one. The fighting has begun over toys. "That's mine" echos through our house constantly! So, Santa is bringing Sofija a baby carrier. I found a really cute baby sling on Etsy (of course) and had to buy 2 (so we avoid the fighting). These are from Oh Boy and she offers a lot of pretty colors. Check them out!

A Great Review...

I just got word from Tracey over at The Mama Log that she posted a newsletter on her site with a review of my hairbow holders! So exciting! She has a wonderful site that is full of gift ideas and product reviews for babies and moms. Check it out -- you may even find a deal!

Handmade Christmas

I decided this year that I would purchase as many of my Christmas presents as possible off of my FAVORITE website -- Etsy. Here is the latest purchase that I am so excited about. My girls will love these adorable felt cookies! I think that after Santa eats his cookies that they so lovingly place on a plate by the fireplace, these cookies will be left in return! They are handmade by Posie and Me.

Cutest shirts EVER!!!

.....at least I think so!!!

These are something new at Princess MiMi Designs! I have yet to put them up on my Etsy shop but I tried them out on customers at my open house and they seem to have gone over well.



I am taking the fabric scraps from my hairbow holders, cutting out cutsie shapes and layering them to make the perfect statement on t-shirts and onsesies.

The best part -- the flower is removeable so that the shirt can be washed and/or the "blooms" can be changed to create a whole new outfit.

And, I know they are a hit when my little girls want to wear them! All of those clippies and headbands that I adore making -- they prefer to go without!! Now I just have to figure out how to get a good picture.

5 Big, Tall Wishes to Change the World

I was visiting one of my favorite blogs for great decorating ideas, The Inspired Room, and found the link to Cushions and Umbrellas blog. Cushions and Umbrellas is having a great contest called "5 Big, Tall Christmas Wishes to Change the World". I thought it was such a wonderful and inspiring way to spread some Christmas cheer. Here are my 5 wishes:

1. I wish that my two little girls will have a happy, peaceful and magical Christmas surrounded by family and friends and that the true spirit of Christmas will always be with them.

2. I wish for the children that I treat as a pediatric physical therapist will realize their potential and achieve all of their dreams in life. They are truly an inspiration to me and to all those that work with them.

3. I wish for world stability and peace -- financial, political, racial, religious

4. I wish for the ability to relax and enjoy every moment before it flits by!

5. I wish for everyone that is being affected by corporate cutbacks and closings a new, better, exciting opportunity that will put a smile on their face each day!


As part of the contest, I will tag Carrie from "Buzzings of a Queen Bee" because hers is my other favorite blog to read!

What are your 5 wishes??? I would love to hear!

Neat way to decorate!

It all started with the perfect way to store a mess of clippies and bows...

and then I found this gorgeous, old chair. It was once stained cherry, but a coat (or 5 coats) of white paint with just a hint of pink, and the same gorgeous toile to recover the seat transformed it into something fit for a princess. And then I found the lamp...

with the SAME pink toile and a perfectly painted base -- striped in pale pink and sage green. And I thought...


what a wonderful way to build a pretty, girly room! Don't you think that this would look absolutely precious with a white duvet, a sage gingham bedskirt, and some frilly pink and sage pillows? I thought so! And, I think it would be really fun to put together sets like these for those that may need just a little push in the right direction to create a fun, and definitely royal, room!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been neglecting my blog (and a friend told me so!). Life has taken priority lately. But, I am going to try to get back on and consistently post about what is happening in the world of Princess MiMi Designs. It took awhile for me to recover from playing store at my open house. I have a few new ideas to share and am working on posting all of those clippies and headbands to my Etsy shop. Go and take a look! I have hairbow holders on sale in honor of Black Friday!

Enjoy your family today!

Girly, Twirly Open House

Wow, what a whirlwind! 500+ hairbows, 100's of clippies, several tutus, onesies, candles, headbands, and hairbow holders, all laid out in beautiful displays -- ALL OVER MY HOUSE! It was very stressful planning for my first big sale, but so worth it. I had such fun "playing store" and so many wonderful people came through and were very complimentary.

Now, the question is, do I want to put my house back together? Do I want the 3 baby strollers back in the family room for the 2 girls? Do I want the Dora Explorer kitchen, with the Rubbermaid Containers full of play food and dishes back in my kitchen? Do I want to put my couch pillows back in the dining room where they were the "campground"? ABSOLUTELY!! I loved this experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I miss my girls who were shipped to Nana's for the weekend, and I miss their reminders. The signs that show where they left off and where they will start again next time.

But...before I get to all of that work, here are a few pictures from the Girly, Twirly Open House!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Michelle from Maternal Bliss has won my Bloggy Giveaway.

Michelle will receive a $10 gift certificate to use how she chooses in my Etsy shop. What will you pick??? A pretty headband, cute clippies, or a personalized, and very unique, hairbow holder? HMMMMM.....

Check out Michelle's pretty, new stationary line at Peony Paperie. She has beautiful calling cards and will be expanding soon.

Happy weekend!

$10 gift certificate giveaway!!

I am going to try the Bloggy Giveaway!

Prize: A $10 Princess MiMi Designs gift certificate toward any product! $10 would cover personalization on a custom hairbow holder or buy a cute headband. Even better, hold onto that $10 and give me a chance to photograph all of my new, beautiful clippies and headbands! It is up to you!!

Here's what you need to do:

Visit my Etsy store and post a comment about your favorite hairbow holder and/or a color combination that you would love to see.

Be sure to include a way for me to contact you if you're the winner! You don’t have to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

This contest ends Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 9 a.m. EST. I'll draw one winner at random from all valid entries and will notify the winner by blog or email that they've won. The gift certificate will be sent via email.

Thank you for visiting my blog and shop. I am new at this and am having a lot of fun meeting everyone!

My workspace

This is the space, my space to create. I used to have an area of the floor in the "man room". My husband's self-declared space to watch sports and decorate the walls with pictures of the Buckeyes and the Browns -- I still got to pick the paint color. In "his" space, I could watch television (HGTV most likely), or listen to music, or just close the door. Now, I am smack dab in the middle of the playroom...surrounded by princess clothes, more baby dolls than you can imagine, blocks, books, art supplies, the list goes on. Now, I have to clean up every time I quit for the day so that I can be sure there are no spare staples on the floor to stick in tiny feet. There is no organization in this space no matter how much I try. I have the desk, the bench (with storage inside), the narrow closet on the left. You would think that would be enough. But, I want a pretty space. An inspiring space. A place that when I put everything away, it is all truly put away. Here are some great ideas I found online.

I am not a fan of all of the bright pink, but I love that everything is put away!! This is from HGTV.com.
























This is my kind of organization...the kind I lost about 4 years ago with my firstborn. So neat, so pretty! Found on BHG.com.

Maybe someday!!!!!!!!!

Productive Day

My husband took the girls away from the house today so that I could try to get myself organized for my upcoming open house (see invite below). I had a great day! I was able to cut fabric for hairbow holders, recover a chair cushion, and make all of these clippies. I even had time to go to the gym for a swim, browse through Gymboree, and make my bi-weekly stop for supplies at Jo-Ann Fabrics. It is amazing what can get accomplished without my little "helpers" around! I have to say, I am exhausted!!!

Fro's Bows

I had to blog about Allison...my newest web friend. I have never met her in person, yet we seem so much alike! I wrote to her over a year ago when the idea of personalizing my hairbow holders came about. I found her on the web and saw that she embroidered ribbon. Since that time, Allison has been doing an AMAZING job embroidering ribbons, monogramming hairbow holders, and keeping my girls stocked with beautiful bows and outfits. She is quick, reliable, affordable and perfect! I have never had anything done by her that has not been right. So, if you are looking for an adorable boutique outfit for your little one, hairbows in any size, shape or color or even a lanyard to hold your keys, visit Allison at Fro's Bows but don't forget to come back and get a bowholder to organize everything that you couldn't resist buying!

Headbands!

Every time I complete an order for a hairbow holder, I always make a clippie to match and send it along attached to the bowholder as something a little extra. I have a lot of fun making clippies with ribbon, layered felt flowers, buttons and gems. One night, while trying to fall asleep, I had the idea to turn those clippy creations into headbands. Not only that, but headbands that were completely adjustable. So, I spent the entire night while everyone was asleep, making headbands. I have passed them out to friends and customers to try and, finally, last week, I posted them on my Etsy store. I listed 4 and overnight sold 3. WOW! So exciting. I haven't had time to list anymore -- mainly because I have a very unwilling model in my 4-year-old! I thought I would show them off here though! Let me know what you think.

Balance

I am officially overwhelmed -- unable to find my center, unable to balance all that is happening in my life. I work part-time (20 hours per week) as a pediatric physical therapist. I love my work and LOVE the kids that I work with. Their positive outlook on life and motivation to succeed is contagious! I am a mama!! I have two beautiful girls that are ALL of me. They complete me each in their own little way. I am a wife. I have a supportive husband who loves me to death and picks up everywhere that I leave off. I am a friend, a sister, a daughter and a granddaughter. And now, I am a crafter, a blogger, a mompreneur. I am no different than many mamas out there except that I can't get quite figure out how to balance all of this. The problem -- I can't let any of it go. I am having fun with the crafting even if it is stressing me out more than I ever imagined my "mindless" hobby could. My career pays bills and supports this crazy crafting thing until it can support itself. And the rest -- well, it is what it is -- FAMILY -- it's what's MOST important. My family is my balance and by venting all of this in my blog, maybe I have just had a moment of clarity. The hairbow holders, headbands, and tutus will get done. I am doing the best that I can. For now, I am going to go give my sweet, sleeping girls a kiss on their foreheads and get some shut-eye of my own!

Great graphic designer on Etsy!

I wanted to write about one of my favorite sellers on Etsy. Joan at Bitsy Creations (and Bitsys Greetings) has been wonderful to me! She did the graphic design for the beautiful banner at the top of this page, created gorgeous business cards for me and now, to top it all off, has just sent me this invitation to an Open House I am having to showcase some handmade goods. Joan listened to my ideas and then chipped in her creativity to capture just what I wanted for showcasing my craft. If you need quality, professional business cards, banners, invitations, ANYTHING for your business or if you just need cute little greeting cards, announcements or labels check out Joan's shops. You won't be disappointed!

Organization

That word...it is something I used to be a pro at. A place for everything and everything in it's place. That was before my two princesses entered my now topsy-turvy world! I am a type A personality, a first-born. I like things to be neat and orderly. I think I TRY to clean up 10 times a day! So frustrating. I don't even have time to think let alone be organized. Many of you live that life too! Now that I am blogging, I have realized that I need to be organized to keep track of what blogs I like, what blogs I have posted on in attempt to bring traffic to mine. So, I searched Etsy this afternoon for a pretty journal that I could keep beside the computer to write down the things I find during my computer time -- inspiration, great gifts, recipes, etc. Here are a few that I found that I think are beautiful (I love damask!). We'll see if this helps me on my quest for Martha Stewart quality organization!!!


Kate Black Velvet Cherry Keyhole Journal
Julieboyles Black and White Damask Triple Fold

Blogging 101

My new found obsession is blogging. I used to spend hours after the girls went to bed and after giving my wonderful husband a quick kiss, browsing Etsy. Now, I spend hours and hours trying to learn about blogging -- how to attract people to my blog, how to add links, how to add rings (and what a ring was!!!), etc. Wow!!! What and education I needed. I feel so old, so far behind the times, but I am learning. I have started a list of my favorite blogs. I visit them for inspiration on layout and content. My favorite is Sara Tams' blog. She offers great advice on blogging and business promotion. And, on a side note, she has absolutely gorgeous stationary too! Visit her blog and you will find a link to her new website!

Why hairbow holders???

Many people have asked me how I came up with the idea for the hairbow holders I make. To be honest, it was an attempt to get back to my pre-pregnancy, slightly obsessive-compulsive ability to organize. My firstborn arrived with a head FULL of hair. She was 3 weeks late and took over 3 1/2 hours of pushing to enter the world. The doctor's joked that she was having her hair done and that is what took her so long! Immediately, I was overwhelmed with clippies, bows, headbands, etc. I couldn't keep it all together and certainly couldn't find any two clippies that were alike even though I was positive that they all came in sets of two! And she always needed two to try to tame that head of hair!!!





The idea of the barrette board (as it was originally called) was born! I decided that I wanted to make something functional yet decorative, something that would let me SEE all of those hair accessories all at once. I had so much fun figuring it out. Learning what would work and how to put it all together. The first hairbow holder was rough. It was just a bunch of ribbon wrapped around a board. But, with input from friends and family, it evolved. Eventually friends wanted one, then friends of friends wanted one. I started having more and more fun finding fabrics and fabric combos, finding ribbons, layering ribbons. I figured out how to have them personalized (a great embroiderer and fellow mommy crafter helped -- www.frosbows.com) and found pretty ways to hang them. And now, I think every little girl (and mommy!) should have one!

WELCOME!

I have been struggling with how to take my "kind of a business" craft of making beautiful, decorative and functional hairbow holders to a new level. I have finally decided that it is time to embrace the world of blogging! I will try to post regularly. Please check back often and comment freely. I'd love to hear from you!