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.

Sad, Sad Week for Our Family

Last Wednesday, a beloved family member passed into the arms of God. He was loved by all of us and many of our friends and extended family. It's just not the same without him following me around each and every day, taking naps with me, and begging for lots and lots of lovin's.

The Great Gladiator Maximus came into our family nearly 10 years ago (January 2003) and passed away from a very aggressive form of cancer that just suddenly made him weak and lethargic on December 5, 2012. He is already dearly missed by us all. His "brother" Nickel doesn't really know how to deal with it, we can tell that he is quite depressed and now he seems to think he and I can be buddies. We sort of had/have a "love/hate" relationship, but this has sort of brought us together a bit.

RIP my dear sweet Maxi-boy, life won't be quite the same without you!

Winter Wonderland Craft Show

We will be found at this craft show in two days.

After the very first show we did a couple months ago, we found that there were some things we needed to do to improve our booth a bit.

For starters, matching table cloths were a must have!

Mom went through her fabric stash and found enough of the same fabric to cover 3 tables and cut it and hemmed the edges that needed to be hemmed.

A better set up...

We found that we didn't have nearly enough space for everything, so we went in search of another long table to make a "U" shaped booth for this time around.

How will people know who we are without a sign? 

That was a simple solution, I bought a piece of foamcore posterboard and used a Cricut to cut out our name and then put it together. A super simple design was best for the time being. We will eventually purchase a banner, but since this is just our 3rd show, we didn't want to get too ambitious too quickly.

Those are just a few of the improvements we have made for this time around. We have some a few other things that we want to get done (i.e. doll clothing racks), but they will have to wait until the next show. This time of year is just way to crazy busy with the holidays.

Since the flyer above doesn't have all of the pertinent information, I also wanted to include the "Save the Date" below, since it has the exact address on it. If you are in the Lincoln/Omaha, Nebraska area, we would absolutely LOVE to see you at the show.

Crazy How Things Just Fall into Place

This week, the Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/warmbouquet) has been visited by quite a few people. I guess the holidays get people out and into the cyber-world to do some of their shopping. I know that I did a bunch of our shopping online from a few choice sites.

Anyway, we were fortunate enough to have an individual come across our shop and inquire about making 18" doll dresses to match her local schools uniforms. Naturally, we said "No problem. When do you hope to have them in your shop?" After a few emails back and forth, we will start out with 15 dresses to be shipped ASAP. Sure, it's quite the order, but there are two of us doing the sewing and I will be cutting all of the fabric so that after this Saturday's craft show, we can pick a day and sit down at both of our machines and sew assembly line style (maybe). The best part is that this may just be the beginning with this particular boutique owner.

The dress sample turned out super cute! It needs to be tweaked a little bit, but I think mom really hit a home run when she altered a one of her patterns to get this just right. What do you think, did we get it (no, this is just the sample, the actual dresses will be in burgundy)?

The first photo is our 18" doll version and the second is the original uniform.

Partners in Crime...

I would like to officially introduce you all to my beautiful mother and partner in Warm Bouquet.

I will still be the one that does all of the posting, but she will definitely be part of many of those posts! She's the hands (and brains) behind all of the knitted items as well as some of the crocheted items that we offer in our shop.

Without further ado... Meet my mother, my friend, my partner in "crime"...

Connie Hansmeyer

Wowsa!!!

It has certainly been a long time since anything has been posted, so I thought it was time to get down to business and give you some updates on what's been happening with Warm Bouquet.

As you are aware, my mom and I have partnered up to bring you all our beautiful (yes I AM biased) handcrafted works of art, a.k.a 18" doll clothes, "washers and dryers", infant items, and of course the totally awesome wine cork trivets.

We have been busy little bees! Slowly getting more and more traffic to the Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/Warmbouquet) shop and a few people have even found us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WarmBouquet). Just a little note, if you "Like" us on Facebook, you will be the first to know about some of the Facebook/Twitter exclusive coupons we are offering.

Since the holidays are right around the corner, we currently have a coupon code for the remainder of the month of November that you can use when you checkout on Etsy.

NOVEMBER10

With that, I will give you a little peek at our first ever craft show that we attended. Of course, we have learned a thing or two, so this next one we are hoping will go much better than the last couple. We are definitely being optimistic about it anyway!

With that, here you go! Hope you had a safe and fun Thanksgiving holiday and we hope that the remainder of 2012 is full of joy and family time!

Game Day...

There is no place like Nebraska,

Dear old Nebraska U.

Where the girls are the fairest,

The boys are the squarest,

Of any old place that I knew.

There is no place like Nebraska,

Where they're all true blue.

We'll all stick together,

In all types of weather,

For good old Nebraska U.

GO BIG RED!!!

Yep, you guessed it!

Football season in Nebraska has officially started!

We kicked off the first game with some friends and family on Saturday, September 1.

I thoroughly enjoy having people over to our house to watch the games.

My problem is that we serve the same things every time.

If this is going to be a regular occurrence this year, I need to mix things up a bit!

I will totally admit that I am NOT the cook in our house, but I do like to try new things.

Luckily for me, I have a fabulous friend (who also happens to be a blogger) that is a tremendous cook!

She comes up with some of the tastiest recipes!

You have seriously got to check out her blog!

www.thecinderellamom.com

Not only does she post tailgating recipes, she posts recipes EVERY DAY, 5-days a week!

She has everything from breakfast to dinner and everything in between!

She goes through the weekly ads for our area and posts the best deals for "Wallet Watchin' Wednesdays."

There is even a place to print off coupons!

Seriously, you have got to go check it out.

www.thecinderellamom.com

You know the best part of the kick-off game for the HUSKERS...

They started off the season than with a WIN!

Huskers 49-Southern Miss 20

GO BIG RED!!!

Monday Musings



Attention Omaha/Council Bluffs Area

Over the next month, I will be hard at work in front of my sewing machine...
"Why is that?" you ask. Well, my beautiful mother and I have comitted to a Craft/Art Show on September 22, 2012, in Omaha, Nebraska. I have to say, I am super excited about this show, but I am a little bit nervous at the same time. We requested a booth that will be 8ft by 8ft. The reason I am a bit nervous? I don't know if we are going to get our booth filled up!

I am constantly cutting fabric for baby blankets, burp cloths, 18" doll clothes, hot pads, dish towels, and bags of all sizes. I have also been stringing trivets like there is no tomorrow and am running VERY LOW on wine corks. Yes, I am going into this craft/art show with high expectations! I want to sell out of EVERYTHING. Will I? Who knows, but there is no reason not to have those expectations. The individual that is organizing this show, is going to start marketing "the heck" out of it and she's already gotten the information in a bunch of public calendars for the area. My guess is that this is going to be HUGE and very busy!

For any of you readers that might be interested in attending the show, the information is in the flyer below.

I also wanted to give you a quick peek at a few of the items that will also be at the show. My mother is a fabulous knitter and sews beautiful things. Today, I am just going to give you a quick peek at a few of the infant hats she has made. Later, I will be sure to get you a quick peek at some of the 18" (American Girl sized) doll clothes she will be taking to the show too. 

Aren't these just the cutest things?

It's just too bad we don't have a baby in the family to use as our model though...

Monday Musings



School has Started...

...and this momma's got a plan for around the house!

Since we moved into our house 5 years ago, my husband has been ironing his clothes for work in our bedroom. Do I have a problem with this? Well, no...

The problem I do have is that our ironing board and iron NEVER get put away!

This is what I hope to do, but also add a shelf up above for the iron.

(we do not have a door in the spot that I want to put this)

Oh, and get us a new ironing board. Can you believe the metal broke!?! Seriously???



Since I had my goal of getting the house cleaned and in order before the start of school, I thought it would be a great idea to have chore check-offs for the kids to complete every day after they get home (yes, mom and dad too). I found this idea here.

Of course, I am making them more appropriate for our family and then will have them laminated to be used over and over and over and...well, you get the idea. Hopefully this will mean a clean house every day and less for mommy to do before she has to head to work in the afternoon.

Ok, we have a realatively large house...5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, and two livingroom areas. Our bathrooms however, are not all that big (especially the master bathroom).

I found this idea and thought it would be perfect in our master bathroom and one of our guest bathrooms. The master bathroom especially, since there is virtually no storage in there.

hmmm.... this could work in our walk-in closet too...

The kids bathroom is in serious need of redecorating.

When we moved in, I thought it would be fun to make the bathroom more child-like and fun.

Now, I am ready to make it a little bit more grown up.

Not completely sophisticated or anything, just not the cartoon fish, turtles, and octopus's any more.

I also want the kids to be reminded of these 4 little things that they, for some odd reason, keep forgetting to do!

That shower curtain is kind of cute, but I won't subject my son to something quite that frilly.

There are so many projects I want to get done now that the kids are both in school.

I guess to prove I have actually completed anything, I will just have to prove it and take photos along the way...

If I actually get them done...

Just kidding, I will eventually get them done, it just may not all be done immediately.

I do have to adjust to the fact that I am home all by my lonesome during the day now.

A Fabulous Giveaway for You

Okay, I am brand new to this giveaway thing...

I honestly don't know what I should do!

So, here goes...

YOU could be the winner of a fabulous set of 2 repurposed Wine Cork Trivets from my shop.

See, aren't they totally awesome?!?

I seriously LOVE using them in our kitchen and at our dining table.

We never run out of hotpads now that we have these "bad boys (or girls)" whatever you want to call them. The best part, there are no sharp edges that can scratch up your counter or tabletop!

To Enter:
*Mandatory* - You must be a Warm Bouquet Blog follower through the Google Friends icon "thingy" (I know, I am so technical with words and internet stuff).
Leave a comment on something fun that you have REPURPOSED.

Additional Entries (Please leave comment for each):

"Like" Warm Bouquet on Facebook

Follow Warm Bouquet on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway,

"check out the giveaway I just entered @warmbouquet http://warmbouquet.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-fabulous-giveaway-for-you.html"
**I'm sorry, but this give-a-way is only for those in the continental US.**

Must post your comments no later than August 30, 2012
***Winner will be announced on September 1, 2012*** 

Monday Musings



Seriously...



Don't you just hate it when you are in the middle of a project and realize you need something else for it and it's Sunday!?!