Birthday Outfit Anyone?

Recently, I received a request for a special order. I love special orders, because they usually are items that I haven't ever made before. This particular one was so much fun to make though. You just gotta check it out!

My First Donation

My husband is a huge hunter. Every year, he attends the Pheasants Forever banquet in McPherson, Kansas.

Last year, he had a wild idea to submit a donation for their silent auction and he wanted me to make something. I had kind of forgotten about it until about a month before the banquet (which was last weekend, February 23).

I had no idea what I was going to make, but I took off to the fabric store and found some fabric. Yep, I was flying by the seat of my pants. When I got home, I was looking through patterns and tutorials I have gathered over the past couple of years and finally decided!

The Pheasants Forever banquet is attended by men and women, so I thought why not make something for women? I decided to go with some kitchen/dining room accessories and a couple bottles of wine from a local vineyard. They had the perfect options for wine!

The best part is that it brought in around $200, which was double the value of the whole gift basket. Check out what I decided on, I think it was perfect.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Well, I am a little bit behind, but I thought I better let you all in on the new adventure.

A few weeks ago I informed you all that we were making some changes to our business. Well, we launched everything on Monday, February 4. We are so very excited.

After much thought, we have decided to branch off our 18 inch doll clothes. We will still have Warm Bouquet on Etsy, but we wanted to have a shop that focused on the doll clothes. The new shop is called Jillibean's Closet. You'll have to check everything out! You can find our doll clothes with the following websites:

www.jillibeanscloset.com

www.etsy.com/shop/jillibeanscloset

www.facebook.com/jillibeanscloset - if you are on FB, I highly recommend liking our page for the most up-to-date information

There you have it, the big news!

We just posted our first listings over in the Closet on Etsy this past Sunday and Monday. We couldn't be more thrilled with the amount of traffic we've seen so far. We are hard at work finishing up some more items and will hopefully have some new things posted very soon! Check back often if you are a doll fanatic or have a doll lover in your family. Each outfit is a one-of-a-kind.

Looking Ahead...

It is with great pleasure that I tell you all that my mom and I will be unveiling a new adventure in the very near future. This year, we have made a commitment to starting a new business and working our rear-ends off to make it something we are proud of and ultimately hope to be able to grow the business to the world, not just the US.

Warm Bouquet on Etsy will still be around, but it will be mostly me (Beth) listing items. Just to give you a small idea, the new adventure will be clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, etc. of a different sort. Something we both enjoy doing. In a number of mediums (sewing, crochet, knitting, jewelry making). We will definitely keep you posted and make an announcement when the time draws closer.

We are both very excited and working hard to bring unique and quality items to the world. Keep an eye out, the official announcement will be coming soon!

Resolutions, Resolutions, Resolutions

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To make them or not to make them? THAT is the question...

I could make some outrageous resolutions and then be super disappointed in myself for not completing/keeping them, but that would just be super silly! Besides, I already know that I won't keep up with them completely, I think I am allergic to New Year's Resolutions once January of the new year is over.

So, what would I be writing this post for if I am not making resolutions? Well, I have some goals or "strive fors" for the new year and wanted to tell all y'all about them.

Numero Uno... Strive to be a healthier family. Eating healthier, getting exercise, and spending quality time together as a family. This one is particularly difficult for me during the school year. No, not the eating and exercise, the family time. I work second shift Monday-Friday, so I do not get to spend as much time as I would like to with my kids. Gosh, I only see my son on Wednesday mornings before I leave to do respite care and then I don't see him until Saturday. Needless to say, quality time rather than quantity of time is very important since I don't get a large quantity of time with my family.

Two... O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.A.T.I.O.N! I don't know what my deal is, but for some terrible reason, I cannot keep things organized to save my life!!! Cleaning seriously is the worst. When a mess gets to me, is when I will lose it and clean it up, but when that happens, I have pretty much snapped and then it becomes a huge cleaning fiasco. As in, on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors, fiasco. I also "hoard" (I use that term loosely, because my house does not look like those on the TV show) fabric. It is out of control! So much so, that my husband has put the Ka-bosh on acquiring anymore unless I have to have something specific for an order. Anyway, the short of it, I need to get things in my house organized, cleaning, crafts, cooking, etc.

Tres... This one involves my husband's assistance... There are a number of things I have been wanting built and he always comes up with this reason or that reason as to why he can't do it. I would build the stuff myself, but alas, I am somewhat clumsy (for heaven's sake, I attempted sewing through my finger earlier this year...or was it last year...I can't remember), so there is no way I am going to attempt using any saws in our garage until I know how to use them while being supervised by him.

There you have it, my "strive for's" or goals for 2013. No resolutions here, I'm allergic remember!?!

Looks a lot like Christmas 'Round Here

Just wanted to share a few pictures of the prettiness around our house.

I'll actually share more pictures when it is day time and my house isn't quite the mess that it is currently.

Girls and Their Dolls Should Have at Least One Outfit that Matches!

We have been busy little bees for the past week and a half. We had an order of 15 doll uniforms that needed to get shipped out to a boutique in South Miami, Florida. They wanted them in time for Christmas shopping. Even though the notice was short, we got them all finished up and shipped out. We sure hope we will get to work with them again, just hope that next time we have a bit more notice. It was like working two full-time jobs in addition to making sure our households were still running efficiently.

They turned out pretty darn cute and I bet any of the little girls that get them will look absolutely adorable with their dolls dressed just like they are.

Here are some pictures of the dress. It will be in the Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/warmbouquet) shop as a made to order only product.