Heirloom Monograms Blog

A New Season

2013-04-17T14:57:00.001-04:00

As the leaves changed last fall, I didn't quite know what I was in for-- but I knew that I was entering a different season of my life. Like I'd hoped, as spring brought renewal to the trees and flowers in our neighborhood, my body, too, has been restored. After a diagnosis of breast cancer last October, I went through sixteen weeks of chemo followed by surgery, and I am now nearing the completion of my healing process-- cancer free and with no further treatment needed! With the support of a fabulous medical team, family, and friends, I fared very well, and I am eager to get back to normal!

I think I'm ready to do a little monogramming! I still need a pretty big nap most days and have lingering appointments from time to time. (I may or may not be writing this while waiting on a doctor in an exam room...) So for now, I may limit how many things I can take at once, and I think I'd like to keep it simple for myself. No appliqués just yet, but I look forward to adding a name or monogram to something special for your little ones.

I hope you're enjoying the arrival of spring-- a brand new season in so many ways, and I look forward to catching up with you and your precious, growing children!

A Change of Season

2012-10-11T04:40:00.001-04:00

I am often reminded of a sweet friend who, as I held a tiny newborn girl, shared with me her outlook on seasons of life. This fall, as the air turns crisp and cool and the trees take on beautiful hues of red and gold, I will be entering a new season of my life. For now, I’m not going to be taking on any new monogramming projects. While I do have a few things I’m finishing up and some Christmas pajamas that are arriving any day, I’m not going to start anything else. But like the cold air that is marching closer to Washington everyday, this too shall pass. And I hope that as the barren trees begin to bud in the spring, I’ll be back here again, showing off precious projects for all your kiddos.

It’s all in the presentation…

2012-09-14T04:39:00.000-04:00

Just before I headed out to the beach for a week of fun and sun, I finished these off and got them to a friend of mine. I was delighted to find this picture in my email a few days later. I thought the gifts were adorable when I gave them to her, but look what she did with them! A simple cellophane bag and some curly ribbon made all the difference—these look like they came straight from a spendy baby boutique!

Lots of Love

2012-09-13T04:21:00.000-04:00

Admittedly, I didn’t do tons of monogramming over the summer. But it seems that I did more than my normal share of wedding gifts. I loved doing this set (and hence took the time to snap a few photos!) for a few reasons. This was a gift for a fun couple who used the image of their initials etched into a tree as part of their wedding invitation. What fun to use something even more personal to them than a monogram! Red was her wedding color, but we also talked about how the bride could use these with red napkins at a large dinner party, or even with green or a lovely holiday print at Christmas. But I have to admit, I really loved the motivation of the giver—I had made her a set for her wedding just a few months earlier, and she enjoyed her monogrammed napkins so much that she wanted to give some to her dear friend.

This set turned out so well I couldn’t resist tying it up with this simple little red ribbon—perfectly ready for gift giving!

Summer Fun

2012-09-11T04:44:00.000-04:00

Summer is over, but I wanted to share this set that I made during my blogging hiatus. This set of kiddos was headed to the beach, and I think these sea horses were a a perfect homage to their time by the sea. Since they’re all getting bigger, we decided just to do the biggest sea horse we could and omit the names on the girls’ shirts. Since this big boy is a little past a giant sea horse applique, we added a little silhouette of a seahorse to his initials to make it feel more grown up, while still letting him coordinate with the girls.

Back in Action

2012-09-05T20:41:00.001-04:00

The kids are back to school. But this year, I have two elementary schoolers. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what that means for me. Am I living the dream, will I become a lady who lunches? Probably not. Will I make more of my monogramming business, try to grow it? Probably not. I’m comfortable with what I’ve been doing. Right now, I’ve got a full slate of back to school appointments, things that I’ve let slide while I’ve been busy with the kids over the summer. I’m sure I’ll be spending some time in the classrooms of my kiddos, and there are probably a few fun projects that I’d love to try in my found time. So tomorrow, I’m going to head back to the sewing machine and do a little monogramming, return a phone call or two, and send out some emails. I don’t have a set fall schedule, but am ready to start helping out with fun fall projects.

And a word of caution: when your child is so accustomed to having monogrammed and custom everything, they may start making demands. While I had aspirations of buying a special new outfit for the first day of school, my third grader insisted that she needed a “third grade” tee, so she did most of the design work on this one. But I am thrilled that more than three years later, she still loves the pettiskirt. I guess it was worth all the blood, sweat, and tears after all!

Model Monday: Last Call

2012-07-22T20:37:00.001-04:00

Thought you might enjoy a sneak peek of how adorable your little one could look this December! Last call on Christmas pjs—see last week’s post for details. I’ll need all the details by Tuesday so that I can place the order.

Christmas in July

2012-07-12T15:52:00.001-04:00

We just got our postcard for the Christmas in July sale in the Old Town Boutique District in Alexandria, and my daughter is eager to meet her first real fashion designer at Zoe Boutique! Ironically, at the same time a new embroidery blanks supplier I’ve found is starting pre-orders for Christmas pjs. I’m not ordering a bunch of these to keep on hand—that’s way too much to keep track of! But if you want to get some for your kiddos, let me know. Note that the greens don’t match, so I probably wouldn’t use them to coordinate. They’ll be $40 with either a name or monogram. I won’t be offering appliques on these this year. I’ll need to have your order by July 22 so that I can get the order in. There may be a possibility of getting more (probably at a higher cost) later, but as this is a new business, she can’t guarantee availability after the preorder period is over. Please see the size chart at the bottom, and let me know if you’re interested. Stay cool and enjoy your summer!

Summer Schedule

2012-06-14T10:52:00.001-04:00

A quick post, with no picture, either. Sorry! Just needed to update my summer schedule a bit. I’m no longer taking new orders until after July 4. And for the remainder of July, life will be keeping me pretty busy, so scheduling a consultation time might be a bit tricky. In general, I’d prefer earlier in the mornings so that I can still have the day for fun stuff with the kiddos. If you’ve got any summer birthdays or are waiting on the arrival of a summer baby, let me know now. I may have to limit what I can take in the summer to be sure that I stay caught up, so make sure I’m including you in my master plan! In the past, I’ve taken off August entirely, and I don’t think I’ll need to do that this year, but the more lead time I have on a project, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to do it for you. Have a great summer!

Double Booked

2012-05-23T22:17:00.001-04:00

I know I’ve been a bit lax with blogging lately. For a moment this evening, I thought that I had triple booked myself for tomorrow night, two events that I should attend and a third that I actually wanted to attend. What a relief to discover that I was only double booked! I remember clearly feeling this way once before. Incidentally, it was right around the time of my daughter’s preschool graduation. And now that this little (big) guy is preparing to head to kindergarten in the fall, I’m again feeling like I need to soak up every moment. I need to soak up every moment of productivity while the kiddos are still in school before summer break. I need to soak up time on my own; with friends, with all the appointments that are better done sans children, and with no one but me. And finally, I need to soak up time with these kiddos. I’m reminded every day of how fast they grow, and I realize that just as they have outgrown their training wheels, they may outgrow their desire to build, play, and cuddle with me every moment of the day.

I’m keeping up with monogramming right now, but as soon as I’m finished, there are a few (dozen) other things needing my attention, so making sure the light is just right for the pictures so that I can blog every project hasn’t been top priority. I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to put it back into my regular schedule, but it might be fall before I start back with daily posts. Who am I kidding? It will most certainly be fall.

*I should mention that this is a limited edition tee I made for my little Jedi in training. I was so relieved that his sister is keeping her love for Star Wars on the down low and didn’t want a matching tee—it took forever to sew out!

Something old, something new…

2012-05-10T21:52:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, a friend forwarded me a request from the MONA listserv, someone was hoping to mark a family heirloom—a baptismal gown—with the initials of those who’d worn it. As it turns out, several friends replied to the thread giving her my name and shortly thereafter, I heard from her. She brought me a silk gown hand made for her mother, who wore it for her baptism in 1948. We discussed options and decided to sew a tag into the hem of the slip for each child who’d worn it, featuring their initials and their baptismal dates.

Sewing in individual tags for each child makes it easy to add another whenever the gown is worn again. And putting them in at the hem ensures there won’t be any “scratchy” issues that might bother the little one wearing the gown. The subtle, light pink signifies that each child who has worn it has been a girl, and should a little boy wear it in the future, we’ll do that tag in a light blue.

Any time someone entrusts me with a treasured heirloom, I am equal parts honored and nervous. Taking on such a special project carries with it a pretty hefty responsibility, but that makes the reward of the finished project so much sweeter. Listening to the delighted mom tell me how much she looks forward to showing her sister and her mother what we came up with was definitely sweet.

Model Monday

2012-04-30T04:29:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe this special girl has been a big sister for almost a year now! I’m so glad she still loves the shirt I made her, and that it still fits!

Here comes the bride…

2012-04-20T09:54:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine is getting married this weekend. But as she and her fiancé both have established their own homes, they’ve opted not to register for lots of “stuff,” noting that they’re already looking for places to “display” many of his treasured items, and that she has full sets of china and silver from her family. I think these napkins with their new monogram will really complete their table when they pull out all that china and silver to host their first dinner party as Mr. and Mrs. Congratulations to the happy couple!

(I feel pretty confident that she’s not a regular blog reader, and that checking to see if I’ve posted won’t be top of her to-do list the day before her wedding. But in case you recognize the monogram and are headed to a wedding tomorrow, too, don’t ruin the surprise!)

Welcome, Baby Julian!

2012-03-27T04:24:00.000-04:00

I can’t imagine how fun it was for Baby Julian’s mom to open this gift set at her shower. What expectant mom can resist seeing her precious baby’s name with such fun little critters? And I still swoon at the image of a teeny little baby wearing a monogrammed gown and hat in the hospital. I’m betting Julian’s mom is swooning, too.

Model Mondays: Peep!

2012-03-26T04:35:00.000-04:00

Ellie’s mom is so good about sending pictures right away. (Thanks!) We used her design specifications to make this shirt, and I’d say from the smile on her face, it’s all she’d hoped for!

Peep!

2012-03-22T21:57:00.001-04:00

Long an iconic symbol of Easter, I can’t believe I’ve never thought to make a “Peep” shirt! I was really hoping to make it using a yellow gingham or yellow minky fabric, but we went with the other classic Peep color to please Ellie. This adorable three year old knew just what she wanted, and quickly chose gingham over polka dots. I believe she told her mommy that “I like polka dots, but gingham is my favorite!”

Awaiting Baby Evelyn

2012-03-21T04:25:00.000-04:00

Like most moms eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new little one, Evelyn’s mom is in preparation mode. Evelyn’s parents chose her name early, so I had the privilege of making her some special things that will be ready and waiting when she makes her grand entrance. And this lovely set will certainly make any entrance a little more grand.

Every bag has a purpose…

2012-03-20T04:04:00.000-04:00

I love bags. Purses, big tote bags, smaller tote bags. For some reason, I really like having a bag that’s just the right size for its purpose. This bag has a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s just what Katelyn needs going back and forth to practices and competitions for her competitive cheer team. I don’t monogram a lot of things for teenagers, so I wanted to be sure and show this bag off.

I feel like using a unique, whimsical font and a contrasting color will really make Katelyn’s bag stand out, even if other girls on her team have the same bag.

Model Monday: An American Girl

2012-03-19T04:52:00.000-04:00

While American Girl makes some matching clothes for girls and their dolls, I’ve never been too crazy about them. Besides the pajamas, they never really look like they fit the big girls in the catalogs, and we all know that clothes usually look much better in catalogs than in real life! Last week, I was talking to a friend who shared my opinions, saying that the outfit her daughter had didn’t fare so well in the wash. And of course, they’re super spendy. But it turns out that there are alternatives to the great American Girl empire. This argyle tee and skirt set came from Michael’s, and the tee was easy enough to replicate with an argyle applique for the big girl. Years ago, I monogrammed plain white tees (another set at Michael’s is a white tee and jeans) for a girl and her doll, and it was super cute, too.

I love that this outfit is a little more unique—it’s not something that every girl and her mother has seen in the AG catalog. And what’s better than a smile like this?

A Present for Poppy

2012-03-15T04:32:00.000-04:00

Poppy’s a new little baby, so it will be a while before she heads to the kitchen to “help” mommy. But since she’s not the first baby in the family, she already has a lot of what she’ll need, and her aunt thought an apron would make a great gift, one that will be treasured for years to come.

Playing on the flower theme of her name, I surround her name with some whimsical white flowers. Her name and the outlines of the flowers are aqua, even though they don’t really look all that aqua in this photo. Somehow, I took about twenty-five pictures, and these were the best two. And it still looks like it’s all white. I guess I need to learn a few more photography tricks!

A gift for my husband.

2012-03-13T04:08:00.000-04:00

Of course, since I make the baby gifts at our house, I can see how finding a gift for a friend of my husband falls onto me. But I’m betting that even if you don’t make it, acquiring such a gift falls on you, too. So after I made sure I had the baby’s name (and double checked all the spelling), I decided on a relatively safe set. Even though I don’t know the parents well, what mom wouldn’t love a couple of burp cloths with her new little one’s name?

Dinner for Twelve

2012-03-09T04:22:00.000-05:00

I don’t feel like it’s all that common, but when we sit down to dinner at our house, we use cloth napkins instead of paper. I really love the icy blue-green and brown color combination in the kitchen towels, and adding the big, bold, modern “B” to the napkins makes them special without feeling too fussy. With a husband whose job frequently makes it tough to get home in time for dinner, I like the idea of anything simple that helps remind us that there is something special about a dinner shared with family. (Maybe I need to go napkin shopping!)

Welcome baby Lauren!

2012-03-08T04:07:00.000-05:00

Can you guess where Lauren’s mommy went to college? I even ordered a new spool of thread to make sure that I had the right “Tennessee orange” for that burp cloth. But, while mommy cheers on her Vols, little Lauren is still a baby girl and needs her share of pink pretties, so we were sure to include some of those in this gift set, too.

Easter: Something New

2012-03-07T04:53:00.000-05:00

As I was writing yesterday’s post, I remembered that I did, in fact, have something Easter-y waiting to be monogrammed. But I wanted to get out the reminder post right away, so I decided to post something old and then I’d finish these up and post when they were finished. These adorable bunny hand towels are from Home Goods, and they will make a great springtime addition the these sisters’ bathroom. (Without tell-tale eggs, I think these bunnies can hang out in the bathroom all spring, even after Easter has passed.) And I was thrilled to try out this new, fun font.

Easter Reminder

2012-03-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

Faithful readers might notice that they’ve seen these pictures before. I wanted to remind everyone that Easter is just over a month away, and I haven’t monogrammed any Easter things yet this year! As usual, the week before Easter is spring break for my kiddos, so I won’t be doing any monogramming that week. Please head to Michael’s or PBK and grab those baskets if you’re going to want me to add a name, and if you don’t have special Easter Sunday clothes for you kiddos, you probably better start looking now. I’ve been fairly busy lately and will have a hard time accommodating rush requests as we draw near to Easter.