Last Days to Win FREE Advertising!!!

Today and tomorrow are the last two days you can enter to win on of three FREE month long advertising spots that we will be giving away. Please click HERE for more info.

Other giveaways on The Downtown Boutique:

Necklace from Lula Boutique

Custom made "Bridget" dress from Bridget and Co.

Sundays in the Sewing Room -- Featuring Bridget and Co.

Good evening, and welcome to "Sundays in the Sewing Room". This is a new segment on The Downtown Boutique, where we will be focusing on sewing businesses. We will be featuring makers of clothing, baby items, plushies, and more.

Today, we are featuring Debbie, of

"Bridget and Co. Children's Couture Clothing".

Debbie, please tell us about yourself, your family life (with 6 children!), and your business.
Well, where to start. I guess I'll start with what inspires me to do what I do. I used to have a corporate job prior to children and it was after the birth of my son that I decided to stay home and find a way to be home with my children. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have 6 children! They are Bryce who is almost 17 yr, Brandon is 13y, Brock is 10y, Bridget is 9y, Bryan is 5y and Broderick is 2y.

When I'm out with all the kids the standard questions are: Are they all yours? Are you Catholic? Were you trying for a girl? Are you having any more? My kids are almost always with me and when they aren't and I go some where where people know me, I always get asked "Where are the kids?". My most common answer is "I'm not sure, I lost them again!" We are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. My oldest play soccer so I'm always going from one soccer game to the other.

Tell us about your sewing experience.
I have been sewing since I took a sewing class in Junior High and I've been hooked ever since. I really started to sew when my oldest needed a Halloween costume in Kindergarten. I made him a Cow costume and also one for his little brother. Once Bridget was born, I really started to sew consistently and even taught myself to smock. I love classic clothing and the boys always had matching outfits for the holidays and of course Bridget always had a special dress. I did sew for neighbors and did an occasional craft show, but never really thought of doing it as a business.

Tell us about your experience on Ebay and on Etsy.com.
Our family went through a bit of a difficult time and I would pray for answers. When I ended up in West Virginia, I said, "Well, I'm not sure this is the answer I've been looking for, but I'll go with it". As it turned out I met a woman who invested in my business and it took off from there. I started selling little chenille coats on ebay and then discovered the world of custom boutique on ebay. I have been selling there for 6 years. I have found that the ebay market is different from the Etsy market and I love selling on both sites. Ebay allows me to really be out there with designs while Etsy allows me to think outside the box. I would love to offer more classic lines and will occasionally make a set that is true to my style which is classic.

Tell us about what you do when you're not sewing.

When I'm not sewing, I like to bake. I wish I had time to learn how to decorate cakes. I've always wanted to and have tried, but I'm not good at it at all. I'm too impatient when it comes to cake decorating. I also have taken up exercising. I have really started to enjoy running on my treadmill and have recently worked up to a 3 mile run and then 2 additional miles. I wish I had more time to exercise, but there are only so many hours in the day.

Tell us about your dreams, your inspirations, and your typical day.
We recently moved and I took over the living room for my sewing studio and also put my treadmill in there, so I can't ignore it! I did put my formal furniture in there as well, so it looks a little strange, but it is a nice space. I have shelves with my fabric so that I'm constantly inspired. I also have my cutting table right behind my sewing, so that is really convenient. Behind me is also my ironing board. I wish I had room to move my embroidery machine closer, but it is across the room. It works fine as I don't embroider that much, but I like to have specific machines. I have all Baby Lock equipment and just love my machines. I have thought about upgrading to industrial machines, but I like "pretty" machines, so not sure if that would work. Weird I know!


I would love for my other business venture to really take off and I'm working on making it a success. It is www.Cherrytreeavenue.com and it is a combined effort of many great designers that I met through selling on ebay. We are currently working on our Spring 09 Season and it is going to be one heck of a season! We have picked some fabulous fabrics and are really working to give our customers the ability to design their own clothing. People can order though our website or a trunk show. I would love to have our trunk shows really grown over the next year.

Monday morning update: Love these skirts you see above? Well, Debbie is going to be giving one away on her blog! So be sure to head over there and enter. You can earn extra entries, but you'll have to check out her blog to see how!

Tell us what you would like to be when you "grow up", or what you dreamed you'd be.
I would have to say that I never ever thought I would actually sew and make money doing it. I'm reluctant to call myself a Designer and someday I'll be comfortable with that title. I look at some of the things I've created and think "wow, I did that". I can't say that there is any other job that I've ever like to have. I love being a mother most of all and I enjoy being home with my children.

Tell us something about yourself that you wouldn't normally divulge.

The one thing I don't often let people know about me is that while I appear very self confident, I am actually pretty shy. As I've gotten older (over 40 now), that shyness is going away. I've actually spoke in front of a group at school, not once, but twice in the past month! That was not an easy task.

Tell us about how you juggle family life and your business.
As for juggling my home and business, I couldn't do it without the support of my children. My kids are the best. The oldest help with the little ones when I need to sew and even help with the housework. My kids are my pride and joy!

I work very hard to balance it all and have found that my housework really suffers. I don't clean nearly as often as I should. The laundry is always done, but not always put away and sometimes we're searching for lost belts before we head to school, but we do seem to always find what we need.

Anything else you want to add, Debbie?
I try to keep my blog updated! www.bridgetandco.blogspot.com

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Thanks Debbie, for letting us in on such a wonderful glimpse of your life. Debbie has graciously offered one of her signature "Bridget" dresses, for a giveaway!

And guess what? She will custom make it for you, in the size you need, and in the colors and patterns that she has for you to choose from, from her fabric stash.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment about your favorite item from Debbie's Etsy shop: Bridget and Co.

PLEASE make sure your comment includes an email address, or that your Blogger account has an email address. If there is no way to get ahold of you, your comment will be deleted. I hate to have to do this, but it's only fair!

To earn two extra entries, please do both of these things, and let me know about it in a separate comment:

1. Add us to your blogroll, or add our button to your blog.

2. In a post of at least 50 words, please creatively blog about this new segment and the wonderful giveaway from Bridget and Co.

Deadline to enter is Saturday, September 13th at Midnight PST.

This giveaway is open worldwide.

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Please don't forget to scroll down and enter to win your choice of necklace from Lula Boutique. Deadline to enter for the necklace is Thursday, Sept. 11.

Have a wonderful week!

Angie

The Emergency Room, Nursemaid's Elbow, and a Tired Sunday

Good morning. Well, I guess it's no longer morning, is it? I slept in pretty late today, because I was up really late/early last night, because we were in the ER. My husband and 14 year old were out of town on a weekend hunting trip, and I was putting our 22 month old to bed last night a little before 9:00. We normally have this ritual every night, where I swing him by his arms, up onto my bed. And then I pick him up and let him fall down onto the bed again and again and again. We all swing our kids, right?

Well, after doing this for months, last night it ended a little differently...with him crying. He didn't scream right away, but instead gradually built up to a full-blown cry. I bent his wrist and elbow to make sure everything was ok, because this wasn't like him. Normally he would be giggling. I bent his fingers to make sure they were ok too. I tried to sing a little song with him to calm him down, and even tried the clapping part, and the part where we raise our hands, but all he wanted to do was cry. He wouldn't lift his arm at all!

So I started crying and praying at that point. There was no swelling, no discoloration, no popping sound when it happened, yet he still cried. I felt AWFUL!!! My hubby wasn't home, and I was feeling a little panicky. I gave him a dose of Children's Tylenol, thinking maybe we sprained something. Then I put ice on his arm, and put in a soothing music DVD that we have. I rocked him and held him, singing to him, but he still cried.

I called the advice nurse and felt horrible that I had hurt my little boy. I cried on the phone with the advice nurse. She said that he needed to be seen at a certain hospital that is like 3 little cities away...not the one that is in our little city. Now mind you, we live in the Bay Area of California, so three towns isn't very far away, but I wasn't sure if I remembered how to get to this hospital, and my level-headed hubby wasn't home!

So, I called my best friend, and she headed right over and took us to said hospital. We ended up on the back side of the hospital at a completely different entrance from the ER, because where we thought parking was, there weren't spaces. We realized later, that there was an overflow lot for ER, but it was AFTER we walked through the entire building, passing ER North (where we eventually ended up!!!), and finally getting to the main ER.

The nurses and doctor were really good there, reassuring me that this is something that happens all the time, and that I'm not a bad parent. In fact, they had just had another case of this, just 10 minutes before we got there. Still, with the little guy SCREAMING at the top of his very good and healthy set of lungs by this time, because the whole hospital scene was scaring him, it was hard for me to feel ok about all of this.

Well, apparently our little guy got a case of "nursemaid's elbow", which is a very frequent occurrence in small children, because they have a joint that isn't fully developed yet, and so it is easy to pop out of place when swung or twisted in play. WHEW! I'm so glad my best friend was there with me. She filled out every bit of paperwork, and even had the presence of mind (and a camera) to take pictures of the little guy's first visit to the ER!!! I know, we're crazy. But my hubby took my little purse size camera on the hunting trip, so he could tuck it in his vest easily. I'm kinda glad she had the camera, because there are some moments we don't want to miss, right? Don't worry, she took the pictures after the doctor had come in and popped our little guy's elbow joint back into place.

It was just amazing to see how quickly he started using his arm and hand again after that little pop! He reached for his little book that I tucked in my purse (the one I got from Janine King Designs...it's big enough for EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink!), and he was turning pages, and lifting the peek-a-boo flaps and just acting completely normal.

YAY!!!! We didn't get home until about midnight, but we're rested, and he is 100% ok! Thank you God!

Isn't This Just the Sweetest Thing?

I was in the forums at Etsy.com and just reading "random" posts. I found this seller in there, and clicked in to her shop to see what she had. This photo just jumped out at me, because it is SO darling! What a sweet little baby, and what a sweet little blankie too! The blanket is made from Amy Butler's "Wallflower" fabric. The shop is "Peanut Butter and Ella".

Friday Feature No. 24 -- Featuring Lula Boutique

Good morning, and happy Friday! I have my big guy off to school, and my little guy down for a nap. Hubby's at work, and it's QUIET here! YAY! That means I get to get things done.

I wanted to congratulate Maja, for winning the $25 gift certificate from Hullabaloo Boutique. Thank you all for your comments and entries. Thank you Nicci, for giving away such a great prize, and for being willing to be featured here on The Downtown Boutique.

Awhile back, I posted in the Etsy forums about looking for people to feature on The Downtown Boutique. The response was great! My very first responder is being featured today. "KK" from Lula Boutique has asked to be featured, so now it's her turn. KK's Etsy shop is full of wonderful vintage inspired "luxe" (jewelry). My favorites are the Jadite Crush earrings, and the "Sweet Love" Necklace (and it's being given away here on The Downtown Boutique!) KK also has a blog that you can visit: http://www.lulaboutique.blogspot.com/.

TDB: What is a typical day in your life look like?

KK: Everyday for me is completely different.but most days are filled with Etsy and making jewelry for Lula Boutique. Trying new techniques at taking photographs, marketing, and shipping my creations off to their new homes. Oh, and I absolutely love every minute of it too!

TDB: When did you get started making jewelry?

KK: I’ve been making jewelry since I was 7 years old. Every summer during my childhood, my sister and I would vacation with my grandparents at their home in Rhode Island for a couple of weeks. Every summer they would take us shopping in Providence and one of my favorites shops was “Beauty and the Beads.” The first time I stepped foot into that fabulous bead shop I was hooked!

TDB: What or who was your most positive influence growing up, and why?

KK: Without a doubt, my Mom!!! She is a talented artist who works in several mediums and has been creating handmade goodness her entire life! She sews, sketches, and paints with watercolor. Looking back, some of my favorite possessions were all handmade by my Mom. She made me dresses, bags, hats and even stuffed animals. My Mom has always encouraged and supported my creative habits like making jewelry and I thank her for that.

TDB: What do you do when you're not crafting?

KK: When am I not crafting? I don’t even know how to answer this question. ;) Actually, I have another “job” working in Real Estate sales, so that takes a chunk of my time away from crafting. Besides that, I am fortunate to live in a gorgeous town that I love and so I try to take advantage of it as much as possible. Going downtown to take in and admire the historic architecture, art galleries, restaurants, and picnics on the beach and spending time with my husband and fabulous friends. That’s how I like to spend my time!

TDB: What's your best selling item?

KK: The “Lily & Swallow Necklace.” It’s a vintage inspired piece with an asymmetrical design that features both a swallow charm and a pink flower pendant.

TDB: What is your best advice for someone who is just starting to sell their "wares" online?

KK: I think that the best advice I can give is to love what you do. Have a passion for it! I would suggest being active with your business everyday. If you keep your shop stocked with new inventory, your customers will have a variety of choices and will be more likely to find something they adore.

TDB: If someone were to describe you, what would they say?

KK: I would love to tell you that they would describe me as being a city girl who is completely adventurous and much of the risk taker who lives life without a care in the world…But in all actuality, they would most likely say I am a small town kind of girl who is quite reserved, a little quirky at times, and a “homebody” at heart who loves life and lives it to the fullest! Oh, and they would definitely say I am “girlie-girl!”

Boy, I can sure relate to being "a small town kind of girl who is...a little quirky at times, a homebody at heart, who loves life and lives it to the fullest!" KK, thank you for sharing about yourself with our readers.

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KK has generously offered up your choice of these two necklaces for her giveaway. Winner gets to choose which one they want! How cool is that?!

To Enter: Please go to KK's shop on Etsy, Lula Boutique, and look around. Come back here and let us know what your favorite item is.

PLEASE leave a valid email address or your Etsy shop ID when you comment. You do not have to have a Blogger account, as long as you leave me a good way to get ahold of you. If you have a Blogger account, please make sure that your email is included in your account.

If there is not a way to get ahold of you, I will delete your comment. I hate to do that, but it needs to be a fair playing field for those who do this right.

Deadline to enter is Thursday, September 11th at Midnight PST.

This giveaway is open worldwide.

To earn an extra entry, you can blog about this giveaway. Please leave your blog URL in a separate comment.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Angie

Wordless Wednesday Featuring Pearly Grey

Newbie Tuesday

I've started a new segment! It's called "Newbie Tuesday", and each Tuesday I will feature shops that have not had any sales yet. Maybe they opened shop awhile ago, and haven't had sales, or maybe they just opened and haven't had sales. I know that I would have loved this when I was a newbie, so I want to help other newbies get their first sales. Let's show these newbies the love by encouraging and supporting them with their new shops!!!









Little Towheads has a store opening sale, where the first three buyers can buy one, get one free on any listing!!!


Be sure to let them know you found them on The Downtown Boutique.
Angie

A Little Bit of Dress-Up Fun!

Pssst....don't tell anyone, but I am a girl who still loves dress-up. I love going to plays and musicals, if for nothing else, for the costumes! I love costumes! I don't currently own any myself, but I do have a 14 year old who even loves dress-up. No, there's nothing wrong with him...he has simply retained an innocence that many children lose much earlier in life. He thinks it's cool to dress up like a pirate, or a ninja, or someone from the book we are currently reading: The Ranger's Apprentice (we're on the 2nd book now). (I'm thinking of doing a review of the book soon, along with a book giveaway!)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. As I was searching for my "theme" for the EtsyMinis over there to the right, I decided upon fairies. Then, seeing how many gorgeous fairy costumes there are on Etsy, I decided to look at costumes. Because we all know that Halloween is coming soon, I decided to show you some of the costumes on Etsy that really caught my attention.

From Viva Design: "Dame Alienor" Renaissance Costume

From Tinkerella Creations: Beautiful Belle Ballgown

and

"Snow White Prince Set"

(I'm loving all the CUTE Disney inspired costumes by Tinkerella Creations!!! She has a LOT!!)

From Blue Bottle Designs: "Dorothy" Wizard of Oz Dress Set

From Discovery Denim: Little Hero Cape

From Nifty Kidstuff: Firefighter Dress Up Set

From The Reality Deviant: Civil War Medici Style Ballgown

Some other great shops with costumes, or costume accessories:

Syndi's Creations

Faeryspell Creations

Trinity's Tutus

Archeress

Who Couldn't Use $1000 or a Caribbean Cruise?

I know I could! Well, I prefer getting the $1000. We can't take off on a cruise right now, because we are awaiting the finalization of the adoption of our little guy, which probably will happen in early 2009. So the $1000 would come in VERY handy! We could even use it to pay for the adoption fees!

You're probably asking, "where do I enter?".......well, I'm not giving away this prize. I definitely can't afford to do that kind of thing...YET! Metropolitan Mama, in conjunction with Protect-a-Bed, is giving away this fabulous prize! You can read more about it at Metropolitan Mama's blog. Protect-a-Bed mattress covers would come in very handy in our home. We use those Huggies nighttime diapers, but occasionally, the little one will SOAK his sheet, blankets, and mattress pad in his crib. We'd love to get on board with Protect-a-Bed, and get one of their mattress covers.

You MUST hurry, because this giveaway expires on September 1st! Sorry, but I JUST heard about it today, otherwise I would've let you know sooner.

Have fun!

Angie

I Can't Get Enough of Children's Art!

There are some very talented artists out there, but right now, I am just loving artwork for children's rooms. I guess it's because I now have a 21 month old, whom we are hoping to adopt. I also have a niece, who is one year old today. I see things much differently now...not just looking at things for a teenager! Here are some of my favorites:

"Roasty Dragon" from Stick Nymph

"Happy Bear" from John W. Golden

"Blast Off" from Gumball Grenade

"Snack Time" from Fort Awesome Studios (cyberhadji)

"Amelia" from Little Beanz