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.

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!

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.

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!

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...

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!?!

Taking for Granted...

I have never really thought about how much I take for granted the fact that my mother taught me something that, in my eyes, seems to be a dying legacy.

Sunday afternoon, I got home from work and went down to my craft room.

My family had gone out to go fishing while I was at work, so I had some free time to myself...

...at least for a little while.

I was sitting in front of the computer trying desperately to figure out how to make some tags for my etsy.com items when my family got home.

My husband hollered down the stairs to me that our neighbor wanted to ask me something.

I was annoyed because I was tight in the middle of something that was very important to me, but figured I can get back to it after I talk to her.

I got upstairs and stepped out on the front step to talk to her.

She stated that her daughter was going to the "Heritage School" in a couple of weeks and she needed a pioneer costume. I thought oh, that's easy.

I started suggesting that she just make a long skirt and have her daughter wear a t-shirt, but she broke in and said I already bought a pattern and all of the fabric for a dress, but I don't know how to sew.

Oh boy!

I really didn't want to make it for her, but she asked me if I would teach her how to do it.

At first I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it, but I figured she's such a good neighbor that I couldn't say no.

Thank goodness, she chose a VERY simple pattern!

At least the dress was anyway. We got the pattern and fabric cut out and the dress sewn together all in a matter of 2 hours. I showed her what she would need to cut and how to piece the fabric together.

First I would sew a seam or make the casing for the elastic and then I would have her sew the other seam or casing.

Now all we have left to make are the apron and the bonnet.

The bonnet will be a bit more difficult (for her), because there is interfacing, but I will coach her on it and her daughter will be a perfect pioneer school girl on the 23rd.

Wow, that is Monday! I may need to make the other stuff for her myself!

So, that is my story.

I taught someone how to sew with a sewing machine and using a pattern.

Quite different from the way I learned.

Sewing machine - Yes. Dress pattern - No.

I learned the very basics before I actually "graduated" to sewing clothing and complicated stuff.

Sadly, I think that sewing is a dying art, thank goodness for ecommerce sites like

etsy! Without them, most people would be buying everything from a retail store.

Thursday Pinterests

There are so many pretty things that a person can make.

These are on the top of my list for this year.

Salt Dough Necklaces and Earrings

These would make awesome gifts for friends and family...

...oh, and my Etsy shop!!!

This is so pretty! I need to find just the right color and yarn.

I L-O-V-E scarves!



What a fancy pillowcase dress/top!

I would make one of these in my size, cuz it is super cute.


I need these, because my family doesn't seem to know how to put the towel back on the oven door!


Wanna make some of these for my girlfriend Lindsay and her hubby's dream (almost reality) job/business. Read about it here.


My biggest and most important goal for this year is to make us Christmas stockings.
We have been using cheap-o felt ones since our son was a baby (11 years).
So, I will be completing 6 - yes 6, we have 2 dogs you know - stockings this year as well as two new tree skirts. Why two skirts? We have two trees.
My husband has a tree for his "man cave" that is all about hunting and fishing.
He's even going to attempt making shotgun shell tree lights with all of his red, spent shells from bird hunting.

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New Items for the Shop Re-opening

The following items will be in the Warm Bouquet Lullaby section of the shop when I re-open.

They will be available for baby boy, baby girl, and neutral colors.

I think they are so cute!

Burp Cloths

Soft and Toasty Blanket

Little Hand Warmers

I am still working on a few more things to add to Warm Bouquet Lullaby.

As I finish things up, I will post them for your viewing pleasure.

These make great gifts. Trust me, I know! I've given them to friends.

The "Studio"

Have I mentioned that I LOVE to sew?

Well, once you see my "studio" you will know that I love to sew and that I am pretty darn good at making a huge mess!

I do clean it up once in a while, but what's the point, I know where everything is located when it looks like this.  When I took these pictures, it was actually not nearly as messy as it is today! I just CAN'T be clean when I am in creative mode.

It would be fantastic if I had a special room just for my sewing, but unfortunately that is not the case. Hopefully at some point I can move into our office, but right now that is not a possibility, the hubs would absolutely go insane if I left a mess like this in the office. I'll have to mend my ways a bit first.

Anyway...

Hope you have a fabulous week!

See you back soon!

Sewing at My Leisure...

Ok, I have been doing a lot of cutting, sewing, and cussing over the past few weeks.

The cutting and sewing has been for the shop....

The cussing has been done at the items I have been attempting to make for myself.

I have gotten them made, but man-o-man, it's been frustrating.

Anyway...

For your "ooo-ing and aw-ing pleasure...

New scrub top for work

Unfortunately, it got made the day after Independence Day.

Nice new handbag to carry my Nook and all of my purse essentials.

P.S. You may see handbags very similar to this one in my etsy shop! Keep checking back!

 Last, but certainly not least, a new sleeve for my NOOK.

I liked my other one, but I found that I didn't leave it in the cover to read it, so I thought a sleeve would be a better option for my NOOK and me.

Check back soon, I'm gonna reveal my mess, er...um, "studio" and the things I am currently working on for the shop.

It Never Seems to Settle Down Around Here...

Lincoln, Nebraska may not be a big city, but it is certainly nice enough for us.

Maybe someday we will get to live on an acreage outside of town, but we are happy with what we have RIGHT NOW! :-)

When swimming lessons were over, I thought, "Finally, I can sit back and go 'gung-ho' on crafting for the summer!"

Boy was I wrong! Even though the kids are done with swimming lessons for a while, we seem to always be doing something. I finally had to just decided on 2 days of the week where I could focus on nothing but sewing and creating. I'm still trying to get into the swing of things for those 2 days of the week. At some point, I would like to make it 3 days a week, but I don't see that happening.

It has actually gotten to the point that I bring fabric and my simple patterns to work and trace and cut things out while things are slow later in the evenings. Honestly, it is very nice to have that option. I can focus on something in particular and get it traced and cut. Then when my 2 days come around, I just have to sit in front of my machine and sew things together.

Did I mention that I am super excited about opening my etsy.com shop?
I am using up A LOT of my fabric stash to bring some fun stuff to the shop.
There may be some unique color and fabric combinations, but I am in love with everything I have made so far! I want to keep one of everything for myself! Unfortunately, if I did that, there wouldn't be some things for all of you.
So...
I am listing everything I have in my shop.

Later in the week, I will give you a sneak peek into what I've been making over the past couple of weeks. For the shop and for my leasure. It's fun stuff - I promise!

Thursday Lovelies - Gonna Be Opening Soon!!!

I've done it, I am finally taking the plunge and opening my etsy.com shop.

(click above to be taken there)

It is all set up and I will be opening on July 15th.

The main focus will be the cute hats that I so LOVE to make (and wear) as well as handbags and clutches.

There will also be a section of miscellany which will be where all of the stuff I make on a "whim" will be posted.

Stay tuned for OPENING DAY!

I am soooo excited, I can barely contain myself!

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What a Find!!!

To start, I am not totally against garage sales, I just don't typically go to them unless I can see from the street that there might be something of interest to me.

That being said...

This last weekend, one of my besties - Jacqui, by name - and her sister were having a garage sale.

Now typically I wouldn't be interested in much, because I just don't do garage sales.

Well, being the fab-tastic friend she is, she called me about something that her sister had that she knew would be of immense interest to me.

I am a hoarder!

Yes, a hoarder! I can't pass up cheap (by cost only) fabric!

Jacqui's sister had a whole tote (I'm talking an 18-20 gallon tote) FULL of different fabrics!

I haven't even had a chance to look through my treasure, but I know there are some awesome fabrics for hats and totes and whatever the heck else I wanna make.

I can't wait until swimming lessons are over this Thursday, because I am gonna be a sewing fiend for the next two weeks (until swimming lessons start up again).

The best part of this find, was that it only cost me $25.00 for the whole "kit-n-kaboodle"!

Seriously, some of the fabric in there was probably about that much for a yard or two alone, so I made out awesome on that deal.

Okay, her sister made some cash to send her girls on an FBLA trip too.

So not only was it worth it for the fabric, but I was helping fund something important to them!

Now I need to find a dresser for the guest bedroom/craft room to store all of the hoards of fabric I have.

Maybe I should rethink my attitude about going to garage sales a little bit!



Pretty Little Clutches

These are not brand new made, but they are a couple of little clutches that I made last summer.
These will be items in my etsy shop whenever I get enough inventory built up to actually open it up!
Right now they are stored away in the closet just waiting to be listed and for someone to give them a home.
I need to start making some more of these!



How about you?
Would this be something you'd carry around?
These particular sizes are relatively small, but would be great for someone that doesn't carry a lot of stuff.

Craftastic May

Yeah, I know I said just a few short weeks ago that I would make dog leashes and collars, but seriously the cost to make them would have been way more than it would have been to buy something. Right now the "fund-age" is actually being saved for something I really want terrible bad - more on that another time though.

Anyway, I have so much fabric that I have "hoarded" over the past few years, that I decided I needed to... go out and buy just 4 short yards more! Yes, BUT I got it at a super awesome price - 2 yards for $2.00 and 2 yards for $4.00.  You can't beat that! I had to have it! OKAY, FINE! I didn't need to have it, but who can pass up such a great price, really?

Onward...

Since I didn't do the stuff for the pups, I decided to use up some scraps of fabric that I had left over from other projects and do a little bit of recycling. Both of our kids just got new bedding, so I kept (shoved under our bed) the thick plastic bags that the bedding came in. I had seen a great idea for luggage tags on-line somewhere (doggone, I can't remember where) and thought "What a fabulous idea! Makes a black suitcase unique and less likely to be grabbed by 'dip-stick' who's in a hurry to get out of the airport."

So, here you have them, luggage tags - lots and lots and lots of luggage tags.
Seriously, they only take 10 minutes from the first cut to the final stitch to finish.

Okay, not lots and lots and lots in these photos, but believe me, I have made more than I know what to do with.



Guess what? You probably won't miss your bag as it comes off of the airplane ever again...
...Unless you take the tag off that is.

Oh, I almost forgot...
Since the tags were such an easy craft for the month, I also made sugar scrub! I never said that the "craft a month" resolution would be specific to sewing. This stuff is so wonderful! It is scented with lemon essential oil and makes your hands absolutely soft and supple and smell fab-tas-tic! Perfect for the kitchen and getting pesky 'smells' off your hands from cooking (i.e. fish, garlic, onion - just to name a few)!

Check back, there may be a tutorial in the near future on this absolutely fabulous stuff!