Mini Mob

Hiatus Over

2012-10-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Mini Mob is back. We have started to restock the store and have a whopping 5 dresses up and running. Check it out!

I know the selection isn't huge but it's a start. Slowly we'll be adding more dresses and gift items and i'm thinking towel sets and potentially even baby blankets. Is there anything you'd like to see?

Day of the Dead Dress - Size 5T - find it here

Hiatus

2012-05-17T10:19:00.002-07:00

Well that was a long hiatus! I didn't plan for it to be that long but life got ahead of me. I feel like my free time has slipped through my fingers and with summer just around the corner I need to hustle and get to sewing!

I've been working in the sewing room as much as I can recently and I have a few new things to post and a few ideas i've been kicking around for some new products. That is all fine and dandy but I need to get on the ball and produce.

But Mini Mob is still here. The hiatus is almost over and slowly but surely I'll have some new stock to post.

New Dresses

2012-01-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

I've finally added a few new dresses to the shop. It's about time huh? One of the dresses i've already posted about but just recently added to the shop, this dress here.

I posted a nearly identical dress as well but in red, a size larger and with an adorable ruffled hem.

New: Size 5T View it here

I love the dress below. The simple, bold red & white stripes. Classic A-Line style and adorable ruffles at the shoulders!!!! I would wear this paired with some black tights and boots and I would be good to go.

New Size 2T View it here

I haven't listed the dress below. It's more of a sample so the finishing is a bit rough. I put it together to determine how the style and size looked. It's totally wearable its just the finishing isn't where I'd want it to be for a sale. Maybe I could list it as a sample? I could keep it for my daughter but she has enough clothes as it is.

Square neck dress. Size 3T. Sample

Looking back at 2011

2012-01-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

The new year is upon us and I hope everyone had a fantastic end to 2011. As I look back on the past year I have so much to be grateful for. All the memories I have made and all the opportunities I have been given. It's been a fulfilling year for me one that has been extremely different then past years.

2011 has been a year of big changes for me. In a nutshell:

Prior to 2011 I never had the opportunity to sew as much as I do now. In college I sewed for myself and for my husband (he was my boyfriend then). I experimented with crazy halloween costumes and I had fun doing it and when I sewed for myself I made dresses, lots of dresses and bags. But 2011 gave me the chance to dive back into this hobby and I love it so much. With the birth of my daughter in 2009 I got to jump head first into the world of children's clothes. Nothing I gave much thought to, even though growing up my mother made much of my clothes - and I hope to continue doing this for my little girl and my boys if they allow me to.

2011 I launched Mini Mob. An outlet of sorts. I was sewing so much for Crash that I needed "someone" else to sew for thus Mini Mob was born. I still love it. I'm not as varied in sizes and styles as I'd like to be but I do what I can. I don't want to turn my lovely hobby into a chore, that would just be so sad for me.

2011 I also launched Troika Bazaar. This allowed me to turn my love of vintage, of collectibles, of antiques into something I can share with others. Troika is still on winter break and should be back in business very soon.

2011 gave me more time than I ever imagined with my kids. I have turned into their nearly full time care giver. My boys are a bit older and in elementary school and it has been my pleasure giving them kisses at the school bus in the morning and giant hugs after school. I have been able to give them the gift of after school activities, fun things that allows them to expand their ever growing mind.

2011 gave me the opportunity to take my daughter out of full time daycare. She still goes twice a week but I get to spend time with her all day 3 days a week. It's been fun watching her grow from a baby to a little girl. We've spent this past year making new friends, taking swimming class together and dance class together. In the past, I did not have this opportunity with my boys and to do this now has been wonderful.

No longer working full time has required major sacrifice as you can imagine. Scaling down from two paychecks to one paycheck has been a bumpy ride and yes I've questioned my choice. But to give up everything I've been able to do this year is not favorable. Life has changed in 2011 and I look forward to everything 2012 has in store for me.

All the best to everyone in 2012!

Winter Break

2011-12-29T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here at Mini Mob we're stil in holiday mode. Many of our dresses were sold and although the intention was to restock the shop winter break rolled up on us which meant the kids were at home. Which led to less sewing and more kid entertaining.

So we are on a self-imposed break.

Next week sewing resumes and the store restocked - im sure it'll be a slow process as I get my bearings back on track because the holiday can be quite the time to slow down, relax and get out of the hormal hustle and bustle of life.

Hope everyone had a super Christmas and All the Best in the New Year!

New Dress - The Flutter Sleeve

2011-12-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't even posted this to the shop yet but decided to post a sneak peek here. This gorgeous Flutter Sleeve dress is a size 4T and the fabric is bright, fun and very mod. The bodice is a very minimal flower pattern while the skirted half is a multicolored chevron. These days chevron and stripes are totally the new black.

Enjoy!

Flutter Sleeve Dress Size 4T Will be posted later this evening.

Just Listed - Creamsicle Colored Jumbo Collar Dress

2011-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Remember that cream & orange jumbo collar dress I posted the other day? Well its finally added to the Mini Mob etsy store, you can read the details here.

What are you waiting for? Go visit the shop.

Organizing Love

2011-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Sewing within an chaotic mess is frustrating. I hate having to dig around looking for elastic or bias tape. On my other blog I posted about getting my notions organized, if you haven't read it I've added it below or you can click over to my personal blog and read from there. As I noted I bought all my bins from Storables here in Portland, I was surprised by the wide selection and fantastic prices!
My sewing tools, fabrics, notions etc were starting to look crazy messy. Things were thrown in containers with no rhyme or reason. There was no organization. You'd think I would be able to keep threads with threads and maybe zippers and buttons all together. At one point it was that way but then as I used items and left them about I got lazy and just started piling things into whatever container was most handy to me at that moment, or wasn't crowded with other things or if I had a bunch of stuff to put away and a majority of them were going in the same bin then I would just dump everything into that bin.

It got to the point that I was lucky if I could find 3 things I needed for any given project. To make matters worse, my mom came for a visit and brought all her left over sewing notions, fabrics and tools. I already, didn't have enough room for my own things what was I going to do with the items she was bringing over. I was intimidated with the bag of goodies she brought over. So much so that for over a month I left everything in the giant, travel duffle bag she packed it in. Rather than sorting, haphazardly, I just dug through the bag whenever I needed something or wanted to look at the fabrics enclosed. When I found what I was looking for I just stuffed everything back in, worse then the time before! Yeah, I know, bad, bad, bad.
Then one day I couldn't take it anymore and I had to get my act together and ORGANIZE.

Step 1

Sorting & purging notions
organizing

Step 2

Sorting Fabrics & scraps
storage

Step 3

Creating my sewing space

Let's tackle Step 1!

The sorting and purging was the easy part. I actually enjoy that part, a lot, its easy for me since I don't easily attach myself to my stuff. I had so many things that needed to go, like bobbins that don't fit my new sewing machine. Anyway once I got the pile-o-stuff down I headed to the one place I knew I could find some killer organization thangs....Storables. Here in Portland we have a few of them, I went to the one in Pearl since its closest to my home.

One of the items I needed was a container to hold all the threads for my serger. These threads are a about 4 inches tall and a sort of cone shape, no easy feat to find something to hold these oddly shapen items. Storables did not disappoint.

"DVD Storage Box" used for Serger Thread ONLY $5.95

I also picked up a box to hold my various notions. These were originally thrown about and stuffed into any old container I could find. I sorted out my notions by type and used Ziplock sandwich bags to group similar items. I didn't want to buy a bunch of small containers to store them, since that would defeat the purpose. Luckily I found this fantastic stackable double bin by Snapware. There are two well sized compartments that spans one on top of the other and has a convenient handle so you can tote them around, easily.

Roomy, space saving bin from Storable $7.95

One of the last storage bins I needed was for my essential items, like, scissors, rotary cutter, pins, measuring tape etc. I needed to be able to transport it easily, to lock and to have a few smaller compartments to keep smaller items tangled free. Again, Storable did not disappoint. They had a fantastic, translucent toolbox that was exactly what I was looking for. I like that the box is clear and i'm easily able to identify if the tool I need is still in the box or if I took it out and let it on my cutting table.

Medium Toolbox from Storables only $7.95

Storables is one of those stores that you go into to find items you need and find items you didn't know you needed. The organizing possibilities are endless and I feel like I need to go back, there are so many things I can use and so many items I can't figure out how I lived without. If you're in Portland like me then you can find a Storables in The Pearl and in Tigard (new Washington Square Mall) and while I was in the store I noticed a great deal offered to our fine educators, teachers receive 20% off their purchases!!!!!! That is so awesome because being a volunteer in my kids classrooms I've seen first hand how a store like Storables can be extra helpful.

You can find Storables in The Pearl at:

105 NW 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
Phone: 503.221.4500

And in Tigard at:

9140 SW Hall Blvd. at Greenburg Rd.
Tigard, OR 97223
Phone: 503.624.9500

Or Online at:

http://www.storables.com

Stay tuned for Installment 2 of my Sewing organization bonanza

Jumbo Collar - Custom Order

2011-12-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

I finished a second custom order today. This time for the Jumbo Collar dress. I love this dress so much. That jumbo sized, peter pan collar is simply adorable, especially when done up in contrasting fabric.

Mini Mob's Jumbo Collar Dress - SOLD

Supplies & Dresses

2011-12-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

I bought some adorable fabric early last week and made two dresses for the store. I've uploaded one of the dresses and need to upload the second today.

You can view all items for purchase at the Mini Mob Etsy store

New Fabric bought early last week

Mini Mob Dress size 3T

Mini Mob 'Little Miss' Dress Size 4T - Not yet in the store

Then later in the week I bought more fabric! I can't wait to sew with these.

Received a custom order for this combo, we'll see what's left when I've
completed the dress.

Just completed a custom order for this combo. Not much contrasting fabric left
I may have enough of the leaf fabric for a dress.

Mini Mob 'Flutter Sleeve' Dress. SOLD - Custom Order

Furiously Sewing

2011-12-06T06:55:00.001-08:00

I've soooo slacked with the store and now i'm going full force into sewing mode. I've been selling dresses pretty steadily these last couple of weeks and now i'm down to about 6 dresses and 4 decorative towels.

I bought some great new fabric, one of which is totally adorbs and has owls on it - i'll post pics later this morning.

Check out the store and then check again in a day and I'm sure there will be some new items. Let me know you're reading the blog and enter MINIMOBBLOG at checkout and receive 20% Off your total purchase.

Christmas Shopping

2011-12-03T16:55:00.001-08:00

Did you participate in the Black Friday fiasco? I have never in my life gotten up at 12am, 1am, 2am; I just don't see the point. I remember back in the day when Black Friday just started getting big the list of items any store had for sale was a big secret. Slowly websites started popping up alluding what may be on sale for Black Friday. These days the stores just put it all out there weeks in advance. Consumers are able to compre the goods from each store and that sale frenzy starts building in each and every person.

I'll admit i'll skim the sale papers and see what's out there. But it may have to take an extraordinary event for me to actually hall my butt out to wait in line, in the middle of the night to get a flat panel tv for $25! Like I said its not ever going to happen. I did buy something on Black Friday, but I bought it online. it was something that 2 of my kids asked for and that was it.

I like the idea of buying a handmade item or better yet making something for someone else. Outside of a few items for my own kids all my other kids will be handmade/homemade. I'm making some cute outfits, some home goods and some baked goods for friends and families. There's something special when you receive a handmade item. You know you received something that was thought out just for you and that person put in their time to create the item. The extra TLC, so to speak.

For my kids teachers I'll be making them each a homemade item straight from my kitchen. I mean, who doesn't love candied spiced nuts and a nice bottle of wine? The kids are excited that their teachers will be receiving an item, made with love from out home and not from a store. I've instilled in my kids that love of uniqueness, something that cannot be bought from a big box store, something that was crafted/sewn/baked with your own two hands. So much so that my boys are always thinking, inventing and creating their own goods and they desperately want to share it with the world.

This holiday season visit the many crafters on etsy, we all work hard making all that we have. We do it with love and for me, I love what I do! The big stores out there they'll always have the hot new toy that everyone will have but how about giving your child, your friend, your child's teacher something unique and special.

Mini Mob has been M.I.A.

2011-11-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

Yes its been a very, very long time since I've posted. Life's been busy. With school starting up, I had a burst of sewing than had to pull back and get some posting down for Troika, and geesh.....before I know it its been an eternity since any new updates have been made.

I sold a bunch of dress earlier in the fall, had a few custom orders, and even added some great decorative towels to the site which I feel would make great gifts. Have you checked the shop out lately?

Here's are some newer items

Native American print - size 5T

Stripes & Ladybugs - Size 5T

Typographical Chic Dress - Size 3T

Red Plaid Dress - Size 3T

Day of the Dead Twirl Dress - Sizes 4T and 5T

I need to get back in there and get some sewing action handled. It's been far to long!

For My Inner Graphics Geekiness

2011-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Who says girls don't love cars, planes and buses? My little girl is fascinated with them and gets so excited when she spots a jet flying over head, or a fire truck driving by. The excitement on her face is priceless.

Little girls don't just love baby dolls and flowers.

Let her wear her love of all things fun with our new Planes, Trains and Automobiles dress. Body of dress is covered with a very modern color palette of graphic goodness, while the puffed sleeves are a navy and white stripe.

Size 4T @ Mini Mob

Close up of fabric

Stripes

2011-09-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Super cute and sophisticated, and lets not so hip black and cream striped dress.

Yes, its new.

Yes, its now in the shop.

Yes, your little girl would look awesome in it.

Size 4T @ Mini Mob

Hiatus - Officially Over

2011-09-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Much to my chagrin I had to take a summer hiatus with Mini Mob. My two, elementary school aged boys, were home with me the entire summer. Between shuttling them between activities and camps, doing the usual day to day stuff and entertaining them when they weren't at camp proved to be a very time consuming, maybe even all consuming full time job!

So the store went barren, with no updates and barely even checking etsy activity. Cest la vis.

But we're back. I wanted to wait to post dresses but I can't. I'm excited I have a few dresses completely finished. And I want to post them. That being said, photography is happening today and if I can't complete that in a reasonable amount of time I may be able to post the 7 completed dresses today! Yay!!!!!!

Sizes are 3T - 5T (although only 1 5T for now, but I promise there will be more).

Hopefully we'll have double the inventory by the end of next week. We've been busy here at Mini Mob so I have faith it can be done.

Back from Hiatus

2011-08-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, an entire season has flown by with absolutely no updates. Apologies to all but a break was much needed when my own personal mob was home for the summer.

I can't say nothing was accomplished though, lots of fresh ideas have been swirling around and there was time to put pen to paper and when the mob returns to school time will be mine!

I've been doing some thinking and many of Mini Mob's sizes started at 18-months and I feel there may have been some hesitation buying sizes that small. I had requests for diaper covers, something we don't do, and that may have been an issue. Also, I know some people may have a larger child whom may not walk and maybe a dress/skirt is not ideal. I know I wasn't a fan of putting dresses on my littlest mobster while she was crawling. So going forward efforts will be focused on sizes 3T-5T or 6T only. I'm hoping to include more skirts in the larger sizes as well as a few other items for those younger than 3T.

The shop is pretty sparse now, maybe there are a few aprons listed but once my own kids return back to school I can start hammering out some new products for Mini Mob.

Check back in a couple of weeks for some freshly stocked goods!

WE ARE MINI MOB!

A Boy & His Shoes

2011-05-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

The middle child has about 20 pairs of shoes. A lot for a 5 year old! Vintage Chuck Taylor high tops, creepers, vans, chukka boots, nike high tops, doc martens, etc..... I asked him what was up with the shoe collection. Response, "I can't help it. shoes are AWESOME!" I couldn't respond. I just smiled.

I got it. I totally got it. They are awesome.

He dresses himself, and honestly he's got pretty great style. The last thing he normally decides on are his shoes. He thoughtfully goes through his bin, unloading and digging through his shoes to find just the right pair. He never disappoints. both me and my husband are always amazed and what he throws on his body.

The kid has a self made style. A hybrid hipster-skater thing going on. its amazing. He knows what he likes and goes for it. His classmates would tease his creepers but he didn't care because he thought they were awesome. color doesn't scare him at all. he even wanted hot pink and red checked vans but they didn't have his size.

confidence. that's what it is. confidence in himself - an amazing quality for anyone of any age. a child showing this independence and not caring what others think are great. if he picked this up from either me or his dad - im happy we were able to instill this in him. no, im ecstatic we were able to instill this in him. this trait can take you far in life.

he's a great kid who makes me proud. i do my best to set a positive example for my kids, not just the traditional "rules" but showing that you can do whatever you put your mind to with persistence and faith. don't be afraid of failure because if you don't try you would never know what could happen. i try to show the kid that failure isn't a bad thing, no way! failure teaches you that you just go back to the drawing board and you make some tweaks and follow your mind, your heart, your passion. don't give up. believe. be confident. be self made and don't let anybody stand in your way!

New Products 2

2011-05-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Some of the spiffy new aprons have been posted to the shop, please, take a moment to check it out if you haven't. I have a few more to post but am taking it all in stride.

Remember that photo I posted of that black and white umbrella? ...No? Let me refresh your memory, it was here. The gist of it was how the stripes reminded me so much of the Mini Mob style and of course revisiting that post I couldn't help to think of the newest apron that was posted:

More Details Here

Seriously, it remind me of the umbrella.

To say we are obsessed with stripes is an understatement. Stripes are the new black. The go with everything. They are bold. They are classic. We love them. Some may even say we love them to much. Oh well!

Kid Style

2011-05-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

I have two older boys who are 17-months apart. I remember when they were toddler and could finally wear things other than onesies and leggings I was so excited to shop for them. To get them the "fun clothes." I was always became frustrated. The boys section is 1/16th of the girls and everything was so lame. Occasionally Target would have something cool (and inexpensive) and I would buy it because I really didn't have any options. And of course every boy in school also had the same thing. See what happens when you have no options.

I started shopping at various kids boutique's around L.A. finding them some fun clothes that not everyone at school would have (my complex that I have for them).

As the boys got older it has become easier to shop for them. They have their own individual styles which is so awesome to see unfold everyday.

At 5 and 6 years old they express themselves everyday through their clothes. My oldest definitely goes for comfort first. He loves his sweats and for me its tough knowing he wants to and would wear sweats everyday and I have become a permanent stalker of sweats that look like regular pants. He loves crazy printed shirts that are super worn in. Soft-comfort is his style.

The younger boy is such the style hound. He loves his jeans and the skinnier the better. He has a bunch of brightly colored, over dyed skinny Levi's that he loves to death and wears often. He often pairs it with a skateboarding T or a random striped long sleeved shirt.

While my older boys love comfortable shoes and is perfectly happy wearing his Stride Rite Slingshots everyday the younger boy loves to change it up from checkered vans one day, to white creepers, to chukka boots and Nike high tops. The shoes change to match the outfits and its so friggin awesome.

I love that they don't need mommy to dress them everyday. The are perfectly capable at pulling their own look together. Something they like and they are comfortable and proud of. When I think back at those early years of worrying what my kids were going to wear I laugh. Maybe that was the growing pains of being a new parent, having the bestest and newest. Now I buy what they like or is their style. If they don't like it they tell me and I return it.

When did you notice when your child started defining their own sense of style? Did their style sync with yours or was it the complete opposite?

New Product

2011-05-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

We made a bunch of new items for the Mini Mob shop. So far only one has been posted (bloody internet is running sloooowww!) Hopefully the remainder will be posted tonight.

Our mob of kiddos love, love, love cooking & baking. And its just as exciting for them to have their own aprons, I mean what kid doesn't love a "uniform" so to speak. If you enjoy working with your kids in the kitchen then these new items are for you. We have some fun aprons ready to be listed.

We have used some vintage fabrics and some fun retro fabrics so hopefully there will be something for everyone.

Here's a peek:

For more information visit our shop

Limited Time Sale

2011-05-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

We are preparing to upload a bunch of new items to the shop. In preparation we're having a limited time sale.

Use coupon code "3DAY052011" for 20% off your purchase.

Everyone loves a sale!

Working Hard

2011-05-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

I checked my views today and the dresses are getting a lot of action. Yay! However, I'm thinking of running a very short sale and will post a coupon code for it. Keep an eye out.

New stock is being created today. Hoping to throw some boy stuff into the mix as well. No sneak peaks today but know magic is being made and this week i'm hoping to add up to 10 new items, available in S (2-3), M (4-6) and L (7-8).

Matchy

2011-04-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here in PDX we get lots of rain. Not massively heavy down pour, but some form of sprinkle/hail/windy, sideways rain what have you. That being said this little diddy would go awesomely with some of our dresses, don't you think?

Go here for more info on this LOVELY umbrella

Short Break

2011-04-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of updates to the shop. Things are working itself out right now and I've got a bunch of items in the works. So hopefully next week we'll be back in the swing of things!

In the meantime here's our shop again.

Follow us on Twitter @weareminimob

Troika Bazaar is also fun for vintage goodies - stock still being added!