Look! They are FINALLY in the shop!

I know, I know. I keep promising to list the new dresses in the shop, and then I go and take a break from blogging that is WAY too long! Eeeeek. But, they are finally listed in the shop. So, go take a look. I have been sewing like a mad woman; 6 dresses this week!

Go look here! (please.)

Sunshine and Seashells

Today, I am taking a break. A well deserved break. School is out for summer, my 2 year reign as PTA President has ended, and Sister Sue Designs is off and running after it's first year! What better time to take a vacation? Before all of our summer commitments get underway, we took off for the sunshine and seashells of Sanibel Island, FL. If you've never been here, you must visit soon.

Our family loves this place. It has a wonderful "small town" feel. There is no McDonalds, you support the local economy dining at wonderful family owned eateries and shopping at lovely local shops. There are more seashells on the white sand beaches than I can begin to describe. Really, it's heaven.

When I return home, Sister Sue Designs will debut at a very unique shop. It is Emily's flowers in Leawood, KS. Not just any flower shop. Emily is so talented and her flower designs are truly a piece of art! She carries other gifts in her shop; all very unique and lots of small business owners. Some of our items will carry over next door to Trendz Market, also a unique shopping experience. So, if you are local; go shop there. But not 'til next week, when my stuff arrives! OK?

Please.

and thank you.

Last, but not least, the Shelbie Sundress and Modern Megan Frock will be listed in the shop. Finally. Just wanted to wait until I returned from vacation; as I have high hopes that I will be busy making lots of these dresses!! So, spread the word....

Perfect pair

Today, I had a nice overcast day to shoot some pictures of more Shelbie Sundresses. When I look at this picture, it's as if I almost see two little girls with their arms around each other. The perfect pair. They just look so happy together, hanging there in the late spring breeze.

More to sew. Can't wait to launch them in the shop.

The face behind the name....

Meet Shelbie, the face behind the Shelbie Sundress. Isn't she a doll?! She is wearing one of the sundresses that I have been BUSY sewing these days. This prototype happens to be a tad long on her, but I have seen her in it in person - she's yummy in it. In later edits of the dress, I have shortened it up to be a few inches below the knee. More of a "tea length" sundress.

For those of you who have inquired, the dress is coming soon! Keep checking back for more cute clothes in the works...

Sew much to do.

Ok, so I have had one of the best days ever. Really. It all started when I dropped my son off at preschool this morning, with test dress #2 for a classmate's little sister. It is the same design as the dress pictured here, but in glorious pink fabrics by Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner. My friend Amie was so excited, she immediately dressed little Shelbie - and it was SO CUTE. I had 3 people ask to order dresses. I haven't even listed them in the shop yet! Can you feel me *smiling*?

The blue dress is being tested and modeled by Jamaya, my other friend (and amazing hairdresser) Amy's beautiful daughter. Wow. Look at that pout. She is destined for the runway! This dress is going to be great for spring and summer. It is elastic around the chest, with adjustable straps that tie in a bow in back. Complete with ruffle at the bottom for that added "girly" touch.

The other exciting pieces of news fit nicely together! Today, I met with a local retailer about selling Sister Sue Design items in her shop - and she loved my stuff! *Sigh* Sometimes I feel so lucky. Our goal is to have inventory in the store June 1. Anyway, the Kansas City Star Magazine had contacted me about featuring Sister Sue in an article once I had a local presence. SO, guess what?! We're going to be in the paper! Not sure when, but I'll keep you posted.

Ahhh....I'm *smiling* again.

Let me know what you think of the dress. I'm hoping to get a few more done this week and posted in my shop. I'm off to sew....

A place to lay your head

I feel as though I am always looking for a unique and different gift idea for my kids to give at birthday parties. One of our all time favorites is to give a pillowcase. Not your run of the mill, plain jane pillowcase - but a KIDcase PILLOWcase from Sister Sue Designs! Kids LOVE them because they are bright and fun; parents LOVE them because it is a practical gift with a twist! We generally give them paired with a book, so kids can kick back and relax. I LOVE to give books, as we are big readers at our house!

There are so many occasions you could gift a KIDcase PILLOWcase! Celebrate birthdays, accomplishments, vacations, sleepovers, transition to a "big bed" or make a hospital stay special and memorable. I am sure you can think of other great ways to give one! Boys and girls alike love to receive them. This weekend, I made 7 of them to fill local orders! Whew! Happy moms everywhere as kids want to chill out and read a book - maybe they will sneak in a nap too! Always good when the kids want to LAY DOWN and be quiet; or look forward to going to bed.

So, try one - your kids will LOVE them!

Hollywood, here we come...

I received this photo today from Style Cafe Moms that our Original Diaper Tote and Cloth Play Blocks have been packaged into the gift basket for Rebecca Romijn's twins! Can you spot the Sister Sue items? I feel like they got such a prominent place, smack in the middle of the picture! They also included a press release that will be sent out as well.
I am so excited, and can't wait to hear any feedback they receive from Rebecca and Jerry. Coming up next should be the photo and press release for Gwen Stefani's swag for her son Zuma. Oh, I am smiling! ....movie stars, swimming pools....

Sweet mother of mine...

Today is my mom's 61st birthday. Happy Birthday, mom! I am so grateful to my mom for more things than I could ever list here. But, without her, I would not have learned to sew; nor would I have started Sister Sue Designs. She is my best friend, my rock and support, and one of the most beautiful people I know - inside and out! I can only hope that I have enough of her genes, to age as gracefully as she has!

My daughter and I made this sweet pincushion for her birthday. Isn't it just yummy looking?! A very easy pattern by Cindy Taylor Oates. I highly recommend making these for anyone who loves to sew.

Happy Birthday, mom! Here's to many more cupcakes....

Houston, we have a problem...

Just to "keep it real" following my post that introduced all of you to my work space. I promised you it doesn't always look that clean. I didn't lie.

As you can see, my son's "space guys and space monkeys" have landed in my studio. Not to be outdone, my daughter's horse stable has also set up camp. It is starting to feel smaller in my studio as the toys migrate to where I am. *Sigh*

I tell myself to step over the horses and astronauts, and remember that before I know it the toys won't be there. Before I know it, my kids will be grown and I will long for them to play in my studio. I will want to step over their toys and not just my own mess.

So, really, it isn't always clean. *Laugh* The funny thing is that I seem to thrive in clutter! I was so productive this weekend as I worked around the toy obstacle.

Like I said, just keeping it real.

New look

I am so excited to unveil my "new look" to all of you! As my business has grown over the past year, it was time for my image to grow also. Maybe "grow up" is a better way to say it. In the beginning of Sister Sue, I loved the flower. But it was time to lose it and find my own identity. My good friend Beth, at Ruby & Roja, designed my new Sister Sue logo (she also designed my blog. Love it. Keepin' the flower here). Don't you love the font that looks like I sewed it? *Sigh* Love at first sight.

Next step was to take my new logo to my local MO girl, Julie, of Stockwell Designs. Folks, she does incredible work! Just look at it, that is my business card! So, for all of my Etsy friends looking for help with their look, she's your magician. I told her thoughts I had and what I definitely didn't want; and she made it very difficult to narrow down my options! She is the Art Director, Creative Designs at a big company; but is spinning up her own company on the side. She doesn't have her own website yet, but if you are interested in her contact info, let me know. She also designed awesome stickers, tags, and letterhead. I have letterhead! So, someone request that I send you and letter, m'kay? Then order something from my shop, so that I can send you something with a sticker on the box and a lovely new tag. I love stickers. Guess I'll eternally be a 6 yr. old sticker collector.

So, go now and check out the new look at my shop (Julie designed my banner too)! Go. Now. Please....

Isn't it divine? *Sigh. LOVE.

Sister Sue Studio - Part 2

So, on the last post, I realized I posted my pictures backwards from how I planned for you to see them! I guess you walked backwards through my studio. Ha, Ha!

I also couldn't post all of the pictures I planned to show. That's why there's a part 2. Out of my ignorance of Blogger.

One of the other best things about the space is the closet. It's....well, GIANT. At our last home, I had all of my fabrics stored in plastic storage bins. Now, they are folded neatly (for now) on lovely shelves; where I can see ALL of them.

You may be thinking how amazingly clean and organized the studio looks right now. But, alas, I cleaned and put everything in it's place for the pictures. Anyone who knows me will agree that it won't stay this pristine for long. Creativity thrives in clutter - in my opinion!

And the last picture turned out dark because when I look out of my studio on a beautiful day, I can see the sunshine in the backyard. I love that.

Come on in...

I always think it's fun and interesting to see where people live, and work, and play. I thought it might be interesting to you to see my new studio!

Back in September, we moved to a new home. I love it. We have lived in several homes since we've been married (14 years), but they've always had a "time limit" of sorts. The "first house" when we got married was a "fixer upper" and we got our fill of fixin'. Then the "grown up" house in Colorado that reminded us of the one's we grew up in. It was 4 bedrooms, two stories; the one we planned to start our family in - and did. Then was the "transfer - brand new home" back to Kansas - unexpectedly, due to my husband's promotion. That's when we decided a brand new house that was quickly finished; required a lot of fixin' too! But it was our "10 year plan"; great neighborhood, close to schools and everything else. Our son was born while we lived in this home. But, we gradually neared 10 years (without realizing it) and slowly outgrew the space.

This summer we happened upon this house and instantly knew it would be our next home. This is "the one." This is the house we will raise our children in, they will grow up here and bring their friends here. We will grow old here.

All along our plan was to finish the basement and give me the studio I always wanted. My own space. I am a lucky girl. The construction was finished in November, but my studio continues to "evolve". I tried to do my homework and really make sure the bones of the space were work friendly to me and that everything flows. Most everything is unpacked. I am still working on the "stuff" and decorating it exactly how I want it. But it's fun to have my own area that is everything I love. It is LOVE.

Everything has a place in my studio. I love that. It is right in my basement! All I have to do is "go downstairs" and BAM, I'm at work. I love that. I just bought the chair at my writing/laptop desk; it is green! I love that. It's from here, and I love this store. Last, but not least are all of the little things on my shelves above the work stations. Birds. I love birds!

I gotta go to work. I love that.

Mailed Away

Today is a big day for Sister Sue Designs! I shipped the Original Diaper Totes and Cloth Play Blocks for the celebrity gift baskets they will be a part of. I promised to share pictures with you of my final fabric choices - so here they are!

For little Zuma (Gwen Stefani's son), I chose red, black and gold as my color palette. I love these fabrics together and I hope they love them as well. I named this color combination "Rock On" in their honor and will list it in my Etsy shop for sale.

Dolly and Charlie (Rebecca Romajin's twin daughters) will receive the Blue Daisy color combination. I think it is so femanine, happy and really screams "SPRING." This colorway is currently available in my shop. Blue Daisies + baby girls = LOVE.

I look forward to hearing feedback from Style Cafe Moms. They will photograph my items in the basket before it is sent and send me any correspondence they receive. I will be sure to share with you!

Growing up

It is hard to believe that Sister Sue Designs has been open for almost a year! As that happens, it means my "customers" are growing up. All of those precious babies that needed burp cloths and booties are now needing bigger bibs and cloth play blocks. My original bib design fits 0-9 months, which presents a problem for all of these little darlings.

I am proud to introduce the new "toddler bib." Designed for 9+ months, it has some of the great things you love about Sister Sue and lots of new features. The toddler bib is still reversible with a resin snap; no scratchy velcro to tire out! It is also still made from 100% cotton fabrics, that continue to be fun and stylish. A great new feature of the toddler bib is the bamboo core. Bamboo is the "new cotton" these days, and growing in popularity for organic trends. It is naturally more absorbant than cotton, smooth, breathable and naturally antibacterial. So, it's a great fit for toddlers!

As for the toddler bib style, you'll notice that it has changed too. Instead of wrestling your toddler to get the bib fastened behind their neck, this one easily and quickly snaps at their shoulder.

Sister Sue Designs will continue to "grow up" and expand to fit the toddler world; while keeping stylish, original designs for the new siblings that will soon join many of these lovely families!

Blue and Whimsy

I've decided I'm done with winter! DONE, DONE, DONE. Do you hear me? I am ready for spring flowers, green, kids playing outside, and the sun.

But, since I can't change the weather (although my 4 yr old says he can make a "weather changer machine"), I will have to settle for creating with new spring fabrics. These new items that I just posted in my store scream SPRING to me. The colors, flowers and darling birds are just what I need to lift my spirits on a 30 degree day.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do - I don't think they will stick around for long!

Celebrity Baby Gear

I am SO excited to announce that Sister Sue Designs has been invited to participate in celebrity gift giving hosted by Style Cafe Moms. Our Diaper Tote and Cloth Play Blocks will be included in baskets for Gwen Stefani's new baby boy, Zumma and Rebecca Romijn's twin girls, Dolly and Charlie.

WOW! How cool is that?

I am so excited to be included in this unique and amazing opportunity! Now comes the question - what is the perfect fabric for these trendy babies? I want the stuff to get noticed, so I am going to have to do my homework and figure out what will fit with their mom's style. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I will keep you posted on what I select!

An Amazing Day

Change has come to America, and if you ask me, it's about freakin' time! It was so awesome to watch the inauguration today and see our nation unite. My 3 year old watched with me and I asked him who "that guy" is; he said "it's Barack Obama, mom! Duh!" So, I asked him, "why are so many people there to watch him?" My son's response, "because he won somethin'." Simply stated, and I agreed. My 9 year old daughter witnessed it at school and she said, "it was cool." She said she was glad she wasn't there; "too many people! Think of the lines at the bathroom..." Ahhh, that's my girl. None the less, history made. We are looking forward to the next 4 years.