Oh What a Crafty Christmas!!

Does anyone else feel like they are about to lose their sanity right now???
My mom called me Sunday morning and asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I replied "my sanity and patience please"
Somedays I wish that I could go out and buy gifts like most other people...but no I want to make something special and unique to give. (Generally because for most that I usually give to buy what they want and when they want it, so they are very hard to shop for!)
I have been working on 2 quilts, one for each of my brothers. It has been a quest to find the right materials for each one and to figure out how I was going to pattern both of them. My baby brother has been giving me his torn jeans for probably the last 5 years, so that I can make him a jean blanket (but I'm going to use them to back his quilt!).

Then we have the other half of my insanity...
I am very thankful for my family that appreciates handmade or handcrafted gifts because they take thought and time and mean much more! Since just about everyone in my family has a special talent (or craftiness!~my mom crochets, my brother and uncle weld, my Papa does woodwork and another uncle does leatherwork~ just to name a few) we drew names and the limit is $20 on either supplies or purchasing something handmade...Oh and did I mention that there are 19 of us??? This is going to be very interesting!!! I just can't wait for Saturday!

AND back to right now...this week...
I am also finishing up another quilt (that's right number 3~but neither of my brothers' will be done) that a friend ordered for her little cowboy!! It is gonna be awesome! Then a jean quilt to use in the bleachers and maybe the pillowcases for my brothers. Oh and a tote for my aunt for her birthday! Oh my I probably need to be sewing for the next 72 hours--too bad I have to be at the office!!!

Made with Love!

More Ideas for a Baby Shower Gift Part 2

*(Okay I am so sorry I didn't get this up last week!! It was so crazy around here!)

Here are a couple of popular selling items from my boutique. I always receive rave reviews about how these gifts were such hits because of their uniqueness!

The hooded towels are so great because they can grow with the child (my 4 yr old still uses hers so she can be a burrito). The main body is a regular 30X57 bath towel with a 9 in deep hood attached. They can be customized with the color of the towel, the pattern of ribbon and the monogramming. I have made them to match nurseries, personalities, or collegiate alumni choices, along with many themes. (Check out Facebook page for different ideas!)

Another great gift is the infant carrier blanket. These are made specifically for the infant car seat! It is 20"X20" with the name monogrammed on both the polysatin and the soft & comfy material. I use polysatin (feels like satin) so that it is machine washable. I have made many different combos of ribbons and materials: red & black; pink, green, & brown: pink & brown; green & brown; green & black; primary colors; blue & brown; and blue, green, & brown.

These ideas should be very helpful in giving a unique and very thoughtful gift!!

Great Gifts For Baby Showers-Part 1

Ok the secret to giving a great baby gift is by not just picking something off of the registry (granted the registry is there to give you an IDEA of the the new parents need or want). But honestly half of that stuff never gets used. Now if there is an item (like a Boppy Pillow) that you yourself found as a necessity then get it! I am guilty of the crazy scanning while registering but now I know better and I want to help you give the gift that is remembered and that is possibly the hit of the party (because that is a pretty good feeling to have!).

Ok here are a couple of suggestions that are some of the BEST everyday items for a new mommy to use!
1) Swaddling/Receiving Blanket
2) Nursing Cover
I believe that both of these items are now carried in Babies'R'Us, but when I first saw them they were only in boutique stores and cost a fortune, so I looked at patterns and figured out my own tweeked version to make. They are awesome products but the actual products are limited in colors and patterns (so if you need something specific you may have to make it yourself-but that's why I am here-to help you!) Today we will focus on the super simple swaddling blanket!
This blankets start at $18.99 and range up to like $35. However this is an item that will be used day in and day out, so you will want to give at least 2 or 3. (This is why you want to make them so it is much cheaper on you, plus being handmade will give your gift that WOW factor!)

Items you will need: 42-43" X 42- 43" pre-shrunk flannel (1 piece for each blanket) and a coordinating thread.

Fold over a hem of 1/2 inch, then fold again and pin...do this all the way around. You will have to play with the corners (I usually try to fold them at a diagonal line). Then sew your hem all the way around and ta-da! Super Simple, Super Awesome!

Now this project can be as simple or as fancy as you want (you can round the corners, make it double sided, quilt it or even hand sew around the edges). There are numerous ways to add your own flair to this project!

What to look for in the upcoming weeks!!

I have decided to try doing my postsby themes each week! There will be 2-3 posts each week. I plan on these blogs being very helpful and informative to you as followers and to possibly others that you know! I don't plan on giving away all of my secrets but I do plan on helping you be crafty and while saving money.

If anyone has any topics that they would like me to blog about or research, I will be more than happy to try my hand at them!

Watch our for next week's blogs because they will be all about Baby Showers and baby gifts. As a mom that has seen and tried many products lately as well as had several friends who have had babies in the last couple of years, there was always a different but very essential item that one of us received. Then the others would be either making one or going out to buy it. I have learned about some pretty neat things just through my mommy pals! I would rather give a gift of functionality or necessity (possibly one that I couldn't live without) than something random on the shelf.

And the truth is that there are so many cute and very useful items out there that cannot be registered for at Babies R Us or Target. There are many cute boutique shops out there that carry many items created by other moms. But then there are also patterns or tutorials all over the web that can help you create or style your own gifts!

So look for my blog that will be very informative on some of these products next week!

Oh To Do List where art thou?

QUICK PEAK AT ONE OF THE QUILTS I AM MAKING!!

Oh To Do List where art thou???


My brain has been constantly running and calculating....how much material will I need for this? how much for that quilt? how much backing? how much batting? what am I gonna make for this person for her baby shower? what will this person like for Christmas?





I think I am going into overload!! My garage/sewing room looks like a complete diaster and about 10 tornados have hit it!! There are about 10 different projects scattered all over just so I can figure out what materials and supplies that I have and what I need to get to finish them!!





Just off of the top of my head I have at least 2 Baby Showers coming up (and they are both the same weekend!), several 1 or 2 item orders, and a wholesale order to finish up so that I can completely focus on 3 quilts to get finished by Christmas along with several other items!!

Getting Back into the Sewing of Things!

Wow you can really tell that the holidays are coming upon us...Did you realize that Christmas will be here in a little of 2 months??? Man do I have a lot to get done! Time to make that checklist!

1. Bubba's Quilt

2. Tyrell's Quilt

3. Order of 24 Totes (1st wholesale order!!)

4. Towel for Koyt

5. Figure out something for everyone else!!!

And to think that this is only the beginning of my list! I have to do this all along with helping my hubby lay a 700 sq foot Paverstone patio (that is coming along quite nicely), paint a bedroom, finish the leather look on one wall in the dining room, oh and paint the outside of the house! I think I am gonna go crazy because with the madness around our house every evening for the past 2 weeks, it looks like a new tornado hits everyday! I'm ready for the chaos to leave so I can have a halfway clean house!!

But back to the sewing, my awesome mom has been keeping me super busy by selling my insulated totes at every roping she has gone to since Labor Day!! Thanks Mom!! Meanwhile she got the wholesale order for 24 totes!!

And of course I always have too much on my plate but I'd rather have it that way than nothing at all! I still have plenty of sewing to do between baby showers coming up and Christmas, I will probably be up until Midnight sewing every night, but oh well!!

Time to get CrAcKiN'!!

Orders, Orders!! I absolutely love getting them in!!! It makes me very proud to be able to make something personal for others to use or to give as gifts!
Goals to achieve for the Boutique:
1. Get current orders completed and shipped out
2. Build Facebook account with pictures and products
3. Build Etsy.com account with more pictures, products
4. Work on profiles on both Etsy and Facebook

Let's see how far I get on these!!

Next week should be the beginning of a new schedule! Plus no more driving to Lubbock everyday or so to work!! I will be working just 5 minutes from the house for 5 hours a day! This will allow me to dedicate even more time to my family and also to my sewing!!

I have several projects that I would like to work on once I get orders caught, starting with reorganizing my sewing room. I have gotten so much stuff lately that I dont know where to put it all!!!

Well gotta go get some rest!!

Oh WOW!!

Man I got so much accomplished last night!!! I figured how to link my Etsy account to my blog and also to my Facebook Fan Page!! This is way cool!! Now if I could get orders off of Etsy and get this thing rolling! BUT I have to used this patience that God gave me and let Him work his magic! I thank God for awesome Family and Friends who are my biggest fans and supporters!
Oh yeah and I googled my boutique last night and my Facebook page turned up as one of the top searches!! AWESOME!
I think I could stay on the computer for several hours working on Etsy and doing different things, but I better get to sewing that stack of stuff in there piling up by the sewing machine!!

Stay tuned to read about the future of T~N~T!!
Thanks a bunches to all!!

First Week

It has definitely been an interesting week...I have completed 3 orders, precut fabric and have the ribbon on 4 towels to sew...everything is starting to fall together. Have taken several more orders this week and am still working on building my Facebook page and Etsy.com account with pictures and information. This is definitely a learning experience for me and right now I feel like it is not moving too well but I do need to give it some time. It really has only been 1 week since I really started pushing this from being a hobby to possibly being a business for one small town mom...
so stay posted to see where the future of T~N~T is headed down the road...see ya there!! :)

First Attempt :)

So this is my first attempt at this. Today was my last day at my M-F 8-5 job!! I'm still going to work a few hours at my part-time job and that is okay because I will be at home where I want to be! So just I graduated from college in Dec of '09 and have been applying for positions ever since and I can tell you that this was not the time to graduate from college. I keep running into the same wall just about everytime (at least 3-5 years of experience!) But it was still an accomplishment to graduate from college with my Bachelor's Degree considering that I am married to a wonderful man and the mother of two beautiful, energetic little girls! I worked very hard going to school full-time and working 2 part-time jobs to help provide for my family. Many have told me that I am crazy because they could barely handle their full-time job, but when it is what has to be done for your family you don't think about how crazy it is. This is me putting my family's needs before my own.
For the past 2 years I have been tinkering with a couple of items that I started making to give as gifts and others started ordering from me. This is how T~N~T Baby Boutique came to the world. And now I am finally getting to make more time to get this thing off the ground and running!! There has been lots of craziness lately in our household but things are finally working themselves out and stress is running out the door slowly but surely!
Join me as I make this adventure in getting a boutique up and off the ground while taking care of a 3 yr old, 2 yr old and 31 yr old "husband". Because this could be extremely adventurous!!!
Your heart is always with those it loves....