The Blue Ladybug :: Children's Boutique

Long time no see...

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Did you think we disappeared?
It's been awhile since we've posted on here. My family has been battling sinus infections, and ear infections, and stomach flus. You know, all the wonderful illnesses that come with the cold weather. It's been quite a holiday season for us. It was a challenge to finish Christmas orders and complete all my handmade gifts. But we are finally feeling better this week. Hooray! So my New Years Resolution is to really get into the blog here. I love sharing projects, ideas, funny stories and other thoughts. I'm looking forward to lots of new and fun things with you all in 2011. Marybeth and I are dividing and conquering in the business world here a bit. I (Laura) will be taking on most of the blogging, with occasional posts from Marybeth. And Marybeth has taken on our new newsletter. Which, you will definitely want to receive, because there is a 10% coupon code inside for your next order from The Blue Ladybug or the Bowtique. Just send us an email to blueladybugboutique@gmail.com.

So now I've been anxiously waiting to share with you our newest addition to the Brother Sister Sets. You've seen our Black and White Damask Pillowcase dress, right? Well we had quite a few customer order requests for a matching tie for this dress, so we decided it was time to make it part of the family. Meet the classy and sophisticated Black and White Damask Brother Sister Set!

I love how the two black and white fabrics are different but look so great together!

And of course there is a matching bow!

Be watching for this brand new set to be listed on January 1st!!! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter at blueladybugboutique@gmail.com and get 10% off on this newest set!

Be watching in the following weeks, as we've got some new fabrics coming our way to introduce to you this winter.

Cyber Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Now that Thanksgiving is past, you've been to the stores, fought with the crowds and lines (if you're that brave); it's time for a little Cyber Monday. This is a special day for online stores! That's us! We've got something really special planned for Monday!!! Are you ready for this?!?!

We are offering our Brother Sister Sets at our lowest price ever! $29.99!

Wow! If you've been wanting a bro sis set for a while, this is the day to get one.

But here's the catch....

Each set will only be listed one time at that low price. After it sells, it will be relisted at its regular price. This sale starts at 8:00am on Monday morning. So get your typing fingers ready!

Win Shop Credit!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:15:00 +0000

We are pretty excited today, to be featured on my sweet friends blog, Mandie's Mumblings! We are offering $10 shop credit on her blog. So skip on over and enter my friends!

She's been doing some great features on there all week, of lots of super cute Etsy shops! Be sure to look around, you might find some super amazing and unique Christmas gifts for that person that is so hard to buy for on your list.

Actually, Mandie blogged about us yesterday, but Marybeth and I were both traveling....with sick and exhausted children. Blah. So I didn't even catch the post until this afternoon (sorry about that Mandie). But don't worry, you still have time to head over to her blog and enter to win the giveaway.

Happy Thanksgiving & Black Friday Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have the opportunity to laugh and share with family and friends today. Fill your bellies full of delicious turkey dinner. Ponder and give thanks for all that God has blessed you with in your lives.

Photo Credit

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is "Black Friday". It sort of started out as a silly game with my family, years ago. We'd get in line at all the stores to receive the free gifts they handed out to the first customers. I know, I gave up sleep for THAT! Now days, we earnestly search for good deals, and snag some awesome Christmas gifts! I'm seriously obsessed with finding great sales, and I'm willing to fight the crowds and stand in lines for hours.

I'm so excited this year to be offering our very first Black Friday sale, here on the Blue Ladybug! The best part is, you don't have to brave the crowds of people, in the freezing cold, during the wee hours of the morning. No standing in lines with angry customers. Just you, in your pajamas, with your coffee, at your computer! Does it get any better than that!?!

Here's the scoop:

*Sale starts Friday morning, November 26th, at 5am (if you feel like getting up that early).

*Prices will be marked down in the store.

*Facebook fans and blog readers receive an extra 10% discount by typing in the the discount code "BlackFri10" at checkout.

*Previous customers receive an even better discount. So be sure to check your email! Your discount code is being sent to your email address connected to your Etsy account. (If you have purchased from us before, but have not received an email, please drop us a line at blueladybugboutique@gmail.com).

*Every hairbow order placed Friday through Sunday, will receive a FREE Christmas clip!

*Sale ends Sunday, November 28th, at 10pm.

We will be having an exciting Cyber Monday deal happening too. So be watching for details on that this weekend.

One Year Old! Celebration Discount

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Our babies are 1 today (and tomorrow)!!!

Perhaps you've heard the story before, but if you're just joining us, I'll fill you in quickly. Titus, Marybeth's son was born November 4th, on Elissa's due date. Elissa, my daughter, was born the day after on November 5th. We knew each other through a mutual friend and had heard about each other's pregnancies through our friend. The events of a this day a year ago, are swarming through my head today. I remember hearing that Marybeth was in labor. I won't lie, I was slightly...okay...alot jealous. I was miserable (who isn't at the end of pregnancy) and I wanted to meet my daughter. But I was anxiously waiting, to hear of when her first child would be born, and if she had given birth to a boy or girl, since they had kept it a surprise. Little did I know, that Elissa was coming the very next day! If it weren't for these two little bundles of joy, there would be no Blue Ladybug. They are our inspiration. They are the reason we are here right now!

Look at this sweet photo of newborn little Titus! I love this photo of him.

And here's a newborn photo of Elissa. My little angel.

I try so hard not to get emotional when I look at their photos. But I think the first birthday is always so bittersweet. It's so amazing to see these photos taken just about a year ago, and then to look at them now.... I can hardly believe they have grown and changed so much in such a short time. I long to snuggle that newborn sweetness for just a moment longer (it always goes by too quickly), and yet, I can't help but smile at all the new things they are learning and developing, how they're personalities are breaking through. One is so much fun!

I love how Titus and Elissa are always so excited to see each other. To hear their giggles, you'd think they'd been friends since before the womb. They have a special connection.

We're celebrating these two little ones all weekend long. They are such a gift and joy from the Lord. So in honor of their birthdays we're offering 10% off EVERYTHING today through Sunday. So run over the The Blue Ladybug Children's Boutique and the The Blue Ladybug Bowtique and grab your favorites.

Just enter code: "1birthday" when checking out, in the Notes section and we'll refund you your 10% off via paypal in 24-48 hours.

Happy Birthday Titus Remington and Elissa Lorraine!

~Laura

A Few New Things & Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:50:00 +0000

Happy Monday! Monday is a little hard to see come today though. I had such a wonderful weekend with my family. We didn't do anything special. We just enjoyed being home together, playing and talking.

But I am so so so so excited to announce the giveaway winner today! Jacobs Family is the winner of one of our new Christmas Brother Sister Sets! Jacobs Family said, "I'm having a hard time deciding which set is my fave! So to narrow it down... I think my kids would probably look best in... the brown dots one, or the paisley, or the gingerbread... That's the best I can do!" I hope she'll be able to pick out a favorite. :) Congratulations!

And for the rest of you, we want you to feel like a winner today as well! So we're doing free shipping on all of our Christmas outfits, TODAY ONLY! Just enter the code "FREESHIP" in the notes to seller when checking out, and you'll be refunded for your shipping through paypal in 24hours or less. And if you don't want or need a Christmas Brother Sister Set, you can always ask us to set up a special listing for you with just a dress or tie shirt, a brother set, or a sister set. Anyway you need, it's free shipping for today! So hurry on over and order. You're Christmas outfits should arrive just in time to take pictures for your Christmas cards this year!

And now, to show you the very last Christmas set that we have for this holiday season.

Ornaments Christmas Brother Sister Set

I love the red and greens in this set! It's so cute! And this fabric! I have got to tell you how soft and satiny feeling this fabric is. I just love it! This set should be listed in the shop sometime today. And hopefully soon, we'll have photos of our 3 newest sets on some models as well.

And now, I would like to introduce you to something else new. It's not for Christmas, but it matches one of my favorite skirts! Please meet The Lorraine Top!

Elissa is wearing The Lorraine Top in Bliss here. We can make this top to match any of our skirts or pants. It's a beautiful bib style top, with lace detail around the edge and matching, handmade buttons. Just gorgeous! I want one in my size!

Hope you all have a great week, and get a jump start on your Christmas shopping!

Christmas Brother Sister Sets and Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:39:00 +0000

***This Giveaway is now CLOSED!***

Whew, I know I have been promising this post today, but it has just been one of those wild and crazy days. Nothing really went as planned; the kids didn't nap, Elissa was fussy and wanted to be held all day. Some days are just like that with young kids, and you just have to roll with it. So here is the big giveaway post you've been waiting for all day. Better late than never; right?!

This morning we had the photo shoot for The Blue Ladybug's Christmas Collection. MaryBeth's very talented husband, Tim took the photos for us. If you live in the Grand Rapids, MI area, you should definitely check out Pastoral Impressions Photography. Elissa was cranky and fussy during the photo shoot, but Tim did an amazing job, and somehow managed to capture a smile here and there from Elissa. And he made the Brother Sister Sets look absolutely amazing! Check out all the photos from our shoot this morning here. Thanks again Tim!

So let me introduce to you some of our Christmas collection. AND ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN A BROTHER SISTER SET!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!! I'm so excited! I'll explain the details on how to enter after you see all these great photos.

The Gingerbread Men Brother Sister Set

I LOVE this set! I never knew Gingerbread men could be so cute!

Blue Snowflakes Brother Sister Set

I think this set is perfect for all of winter as well. If you live in the Midwest, like us, you know that snow is flying clear into March most years.

Christmas Paisley Brother Sister Set

And if you looking for something that doesn't scream CHRISTMAS! This is it. Such an elegant set. With a black satin ribbon on the dress. So classy!

Christmas Trees and Candy Cane Stripes Brother Sister Set

Christmas Trees and Candy Cane Stripes with optional coordinating Christmas Trees tie in red.

This Christmas Trees and Candy Cane Stripes set is just pure, classic Christmas!

Sparkle All the Way Christmas Brother Sister Set

This set is just beautiful...and fun! The Brown shirt features the same Christmas tree fabric as the dress, but in blue, instead of the pink. And I love the red and pink snow dot trim and tie on the dress. So girly!

Brown Snow Dots Christmas Brother Sister Set

This set is so cool! The tie shirt is made from the same brown snowflake dots as the trim and tie on the dress. The brown gives it such an earthy feel. Something a little different for Christmas besides your usual red and green color combo.

I love how you can dress up these sets if you prefer more formal Christmas photos, or slip on some jeans, if casual is more your style. Did you notice all the matching hairbows? Oh yes, you'll be seeing those starting to be listed in the bow shop. There's lots more than what you see here. We also have a few more shirts and dresses, and 2 more Brother Sister sets that we're just waiting on fabric to arrive.

So, now for the giveaway details. (Can you believe we're giving away a Brother Sister Set!?!?!)
Here's how to enter:
1. Follow our blog publicly or by reader. You'll see places in the upper left side of our blog to follow us.
2. Become a Facebook fan here.
3. Leave a comment at the end of this blog post stating that you have done steps 1 and 2.
4. Be entered a second time by leaving another comment, telling us what your favorite Christmas set is.

We'll be closing the giveaway on Friday, October 22nd, at 8pm. We'll use random.org to choose the winner. Merry Christmas and Good Luck!

Can't wait for the giveaway to end? Then head right over to shop right now and purchase your favorite set!

Thanks to all, for you being apart of our adventure.
~Laura & MaryBeth

Time to Eat: Pizza English Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I'm certainly not the greatest cook. In fact, I rather dislike cooking most of the time. I'm not even a huge fan of baking. But something about the fall weather brings out the Martha Stewart in me. Haha! Every year, around this time, I get in the cooking/baking mood. My husband puts the grill away for the season, and I start digging through all my recipe books looking for long lost recipes. I think something about being indoors more, watching the trees change color, the cooler days and nights, gives me that desire to nest a bit. I crave the hearty soups, warm biscuits, and yummy tastes of fall. As Christmas nears, that brings a whole new avenue of cooking/baking.

Even though, I certainly enjoy being in my kitchen more at this time of year, I still have a very defined style of cooking. I steer away from recipes that have more than 6 or 7 ingredients. If I can't pronounce the name of a food, I quickly turn the page. I like quick, simple, uncomplicated cooking for the most part.

Now, I hear that MaryBeth and her husband are quite the adventurous cooks! And that they are pretty good at it too. So I hope she'll be sharing some of her tasty recipes here too. From me, you'll see my favorite "stand by meals", and lots of kid friendly meals too. Which brings us too....

I have a picky eater. My 2 1/2 year old, would eat peanut butter and jelly everyday, for every meal if I let him. I am searching for something healthy, but good enough for Cameron's standards, errr...taste buds. I have invested in quite a few children's recipe books. Today, my Pizza English Muffins (aka. Mini Pizzas) is a combination from my friend Karrie and Taste of Home's Cooking for Kids

Photo credit

The ingredients for this recipe are :

Whole Wheat English Muffins. My friend Karrie uses biscuit dough from a can (ie. Pillsbury) I didn't have any on hand the day I made this so we went with English muffins.

Pizza sauce of your choice

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of your choice

Open up the English muffins and lay them open side up on a baking sheet.

If you are using the dough biscuits, lay them on the baking sheet and press them flat with the palm of your hand.

Then using a spoon, spread the sauce over the pizza.

Next is Cameron's favorite part to help with. Putting the cheese on top. This is such an easy way for kids to help with cooking and get involved in the kitchen. Cameron loves to be in the kitchen stirring, or dumping or whatever else you can do to help! And I believe that, picky eaters especially, are more willing to eat what they helped make.

Aunt Stacy joined us for lunch today too. You are welcome to add whatever you want to the top off the pizzas at this point. Cameron likes his plain, but I added pepperoni to Stacy's and I's. Then pop them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Cameron loved his!

And so did Elissa!

If you try out this recipe, let us know how it turned out and if your kids enjoyed it!

~Laura

Wowza! My New Sewing Space!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Hugs and kisses to my husband for creating this space for me!

Isn't it beautiful!!!! Well, it would look even better if it wasn't in my basement, and I had a sunny, well lit, spare bedroom on the main floor in my house (a girl can dream right). Truly though, I feel so grateful for this space that I do have.

I'm love love loving my cutting table! This is my very favorite feature! We used two ClosetMaid shelves and my husband put a wood top on it for a work surface. This first side is where I keep partially finished orders, getting ready to ship, and all my shipping supplies. I even have left-over space to fill up! I love the chocolate brown, aqua and pink totes. It's like my little girly space!

The work surface/cutting table is so handy. I am beyond thankful for this feature. Previously I was spending an hour or so, crouched on my cold cement floor, cutting patterns each night. (Can I get a sympathy "awwww"). I can now easily lay out all my fabric and quickly cut, pin, and package items for shipping. My cutting mat fits perfectly on here. And I stained the wood a pretty pink! Love it!!!

This is the sewing table my husband built for me. We used a skinny door and table legs. Again we stained them in a be-a-u-tiful shade of pink! I would suggest NOT using a hollow door for any one that wants to make something similar. It gets a little bouncy when I'm sewing. But I love how it is long and skinny. There's plenty of room for both of my machines. Before, I had a small desk, that was too deep, and I was having trouble reaching my foot pedals. I also didn't have enough room to have both machines out. I had to slide whichever machine I need to use at the moment to the front, leaving only a few inches to work with the fabric. Yikes!

There's enough space over here, to have my iron in the area too. No more jogging across the basement, back and forth from my machine to the iron.

I also bought a shelf to help store all of my fabric! I used this tutorial from Ucreate to make mini bolts to wrap my fabric. It works fabulously! I love how neat and organized it is....well, almost. I have a few more bolts to wrap looks like.

This is the other shelf on the cutting table. I keep current projects, patterns, elastic, velcro, thread and any other frequently used sewing necessities on this side, so they are easy to reach. I feel extremely blessed to have found a carpet remnant to help "warm" the space. It really just ties it all together.

I feel so much more efficient and productive my new sewing space. It's such a pleasure to be down there sewing and crafting. I can feel the inspiration coming to me as I work in it.

Thanks again to my husband for all his hard work in creating this space for me!

~Laura

Fall Fun Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 20:38:00 +0000

This past Saturday, we went to the farm! One of my new favorite new traditions as a family. Our first farm visit was Cameron's first fall in '08. It was warm and windy, and Cameron was clearly terrified of the pumpkins. Hmmm....must have been the strange texture and bright orange color.

I love that sweater he is wearing, by the way. I wish he could still fit in it!

Cameron's first year in the pumpkin patch.

The following year our friends joined us in the fun. I looked like I had a pumpkin in my belly, because I was weeks away from giving birth to Elissa. It was definitely freezing cold last year. We were bundled up tight in our winter coats and hats. Brrrrr. Cameron was definitely more OK with the pumpkins this time.

Cameron's 2nd year in the pumpkin patch

This year, we tried a new farm and had a wonderful time. Our friends joined us again, as is our new tradition. It was extremely warm, which made it feel not very "fallish". We still had a blast choosing our pumpkins, petting the animals, playing on the playground and walking through the apple orchard. Elissa' seemed intrigued by the pumpkins, even thought her face doesn't show it here in this photo.

Elissa's first year in the pumpkin patch

And Cameron thoroughly enjoyed picking out the pumpkins to adorn our front porch and later to be carved.

Cameron's Third year in the pumpkin patch

I made the kids matching appliquéd pumpkins shirts. This was one of my first attempts at really truly appliquéing. I definitely learned from some of my mistakes....like the importance of using a tearaway stabilizer in the back, and be patient and wait until you can get to the store to buy orange thread. All in all, it was a fun new project for me, and I see many more appliquéing projects in my

future....maybe even a few to be listed in the shop!

The Petting Farm

We ended the day, purchasing some delicious apple cider and donuts and headed to our friends house for a fun dinner and conversation together.

Having fun playing, at Lewis Farms

I love the memories that were making with the kids on days like this. And I'm looking forward to lots more this fall season as well; carving our pumpkins, making fall treats, Trick-or-Treating, and Thanksgiving. What special things/traditions do you do or make with your family this time of year?

~Laura

Google knows everything!

timandmarybeth@gmail.com (Mary Beth) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:38:00 +0000

I never say, "I can't." Instead, I make a decision to find out how... because if I don't know, Google does.

This is a status from Jennifer Labit (creator of BumGenius cloth diapers, and founder of Cotton Babies). It was ironically inspiring and also self-revealing to me. I realize I think like this (as, I'm sure, many people in this internet generation do as well) and I approach my business with this mindset! I don't know very much, or have much experience in the crafting/business world, and I'm not always very creative. But I got to where I am in our business because I've put aside the "I can't" attitude, and I try to look at every hurdle as a chance to learn!

And, boy, am I thankful for Google! :)

How about you? What have you recently searched the Internet to learn?

The Blue Ladybug Beginnings- Part 2: Mary Beth’s Story

timandmarybeth@gmail.com (Mary Beth) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:50:00 +0000

I’m Mary Beth, the other half of The Blue Ladybug team, and mother to an 11 month old little boy. My husband, Tim, and I have been married for 3 ½ years, and he is an associate pastor here in Michigan. Besides taking care of Titus and my Blue Ladybug work, I am also involved with the youth at my church, ladies Bible studies, and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).

My first recollections of sewing were from a young age. My mom had a beast of sewing machine, that she would haul out and set up when she worked on mending clothes or small sewing projects. She wanted my sisters and I to know how to sew, and I remember learning a couple different times in my growing up years. The first project I ever remember working on was a white and navy striped apron that we made for my Grandpa’s birthday for when he grilled out! My mom would set the machine up and get everything ready, and then my sister and I would take turns sitting at the machine, pressing the foot, and feeding the fabric through. In high school, my home school coop held a sewing class one semester. Of course, I’d already forgotten what little I knew about sewing. All the girls decided to make pajama pants and, along with the help of a few moms, we successfully completed them. However, the only thing I remember having come away from that class with was a pair of sparkly star print pajama pants!

Fast forward to 2007… it was my first Christmas married, and we were spending it with my parents out east. I was looking forward to a “big” gift from my parents that everyone had been telling me I’d love! When I finally opened it, I was surprised to find my very own sewing machine! I wasn’t super excited about it at first, but I thought it was, as my mom told me, a good gift to get me as a newly married woman. It seemed sensible to have one as I would eventually need it to mend clothes and work on small projects just like my mom, I was sure. But I was going to have to finally learn! After I got it home, it sat for a few weeks before I finally dared to take it out and play around with it. We had recently moved to MI and were renting a house with lots of large windows. My mother-in-law told me of all the creative ways we could make curtains and I was excited. So we bought flat red bed sheets, and I had HER make the curtains for my kitchen. After that first Christmas, I gathered my courage and decided to practice sewing by making curtains for my living room, inspired by my mother-in-law’s ideas and ingenuity. I was still too nervous to do it alone, so I waited till my mother-in-law could come help me. We bought a few curtain panels and altered them but we didn’t get it all done in one sitting, so when she left, I still had to finish them. Following her instructions, I sewed up the last of the curtains alone and hung them! What a sense of pride to see my handiwork, something I’d made and completed! After that, I became interested in a lot of different crafts, and became more brave and adventurous in trying them.

(My first sewing machine!)

When I got pregnant in early 2009, a whole other world opened up to me! As I did lots of online research on pregnancy, birth options, baby gear and baby care, I started finding blogs of other crafting mothers! They would give tutorials and tips on their crafting projects! When I’d see baby gear or accessories I liked, I’d think, “I wonder if I could make that?” and I’d go looking for a tutorial. I became interested in cloth diapering and decided to make my own cloth wipes! Through that experience, I learned so much about my machine and sewing in general! We wanted our baby’s gender to be a surprise, so I looked at both boys’ and girls’ items. There were SO many cute and creative girls things out there, but not much for boys. I was really hoping to make some cute accessories for my baby when he or she came, but if I had a boy (like my husband was praying for), what would I be able to make for him? Unbeknownst to me that I would actually have a boy, I began to search all over for ideas of cute things for baby boys. I didn’t really find much and so I put the search aside… for a while.

So, we had our little boy, Titus, in November of 2009. We brought him home to his adorable green and brown nursery, with handmade and painted stenciled walls, handmade curtains, and little monkeys peeking out from all corners of the room. We loved our new little family of three, and took a few months to adjust to all the changes. My crafting and sewing machine sat unused over the winter, as I cared for my baby and husband every day. During this time, I had been feeling the need to help out my family financially, but didn’t know what I could do as we were committed to me staying home with Titus. I heard from a mutual friend that Laura was beginning to make hair bows for her baby girl, and was thinking about selling them. I began praying that the Lord would provide some way for me to help my family with finances, and I kept thinking about crafting of some sort, but I didn’t have any ideas or direction. So I just kept praying… Spring came and soon after that, warmer weather! Now that Titus didn’t have to be bundled up so much, I thought about what kinds of cute things I could make for him! After a little more online research, I made him a Tie Onesie, that turned out adorably! I also had been looking for a pacifier clip since I was SO tired of him constantly dropping his pacifier and then having to wash it off! The stores had basically nothing, so I read a couple tutorials online, and came up with my own! I was so proud of my work, both cute and practical, that I posted pictures on Facebook that drew the attention of Laura, who had just open her Etsy shop, The Blue Ladybug Children’s Boutique, featuring tutus, hairbows and leggings. She commented that she would love to start offering my items in her shop! So we talked it over and decided to join forces! It was the answer to prayer that I’d been waiting for all those months!

(My first tie onesie and my adorable model!)

Now, six months later, I never would have dared to hope that our shop would be as successful as it is right now! The Lord has blessed us both SO much in our commitment to stay home with our kids, yet still being able to financially help our families! Laura and I both have so many ideas of products that we’d love to offer in the future, and ways that we’d love to grow our little shop. But we’re just trusting God’s timing in it all. He’s directed us this far!

“She makes and sells linen garments…” Proverbs 31:24

The Blue Ladybug Beginnings: Two-Part Series Part 1 Laura's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:44:00 +0000

We've been wanting to start this series for a while now. To give you a glimpse into how we ended up here, at The Blue Ladybug. I love to hear how other crafters/sewers became interested in their hobby, how they learned it, and what they've done with it. The blog world has opened so many new doors for me. I love what I have learned, what others have taken the time to offer on their blogs, to enrich my life, and I hope to be able to do the same for others.

Well as MaryBeth talked about, in the last post, we did have a common bond through cloth diapers and many others things, but I'm going to start even further back in my life, mostly because I love to see how God has instilled this business in me from the time I was just a little girl. Okay, I'll try to make it quick, so it's not the world's longest post. Here goes...

I would say that my passion and experience in all things crafts and sewing comes straight from my mother. My mom had a tiny sewing space in our basement where she worked on a variety of crafts and sewed the cutest little dresses for me and my sister. She used her talents to bless us and loved to give them as gifts.

I think when I was around 14 or 15, my parents bought me my first sewing machine for Christmas. I had a desire to be like my mom and sew. The first thing I ever made on my sewing machine was a white hair scrunchy! Haha! Remember those!?!? But I never really made anything else. I had dreamed of making a purse and skirt, but my fear of ruining the fabric always held me back. So my sewing machine sat, unused... until I got married.

My husband and I lived in a teeny tiny apartment (I kid you not) the first year we were married. We knew we wouldn't be there long, but the burning desire to nest and create our little space into a home was so great for me. I started to get crafty. I actually landed a job at the local JoAnn Fabrics store (for a few weeks until I began working in my education field), and I believe it was there, at the cutting counter, cutting beautiful autumn fabrics for customers, that I began think..."I can do this too." I got out my sewing machine and made a couch cover for our strange-sized, garage sale couch, covers for the pillows and bedroom curtains. It was fun and frustrating. But I learned alot. Throughout the years, my sewing machine has always found a home on a table, but has sat unused. I just wasn't sure what to make or how to go about it. If something needed mending, I actually made my husband do it, because he could remember better than I, how to set the thing up.

Fast forward to almost a year ago, November 2009. I'm giving birth to our daughter (sorry if this gets to be a bit TMI), the doctor is telling me, I'm sure as motivation to continue pushing, that she has hair! LOTS of hair. I remember him saying, " You could probably put one of those little Velcro hair bows in her hair. That did it, one more push and she was out! I was pumped to see all that hair. I always knew I'd dress my little girl all up, but the thought of hair bows hadn't really occurred to me at such young age. I love hair bows! I loved them as a child. My mom used to make my hair bows, and I remember her curling my hair in sponge rollers, and feeling so pretty!

A weekish later, I'm sitting home, holding my sweet little girl and thinking about hair bows. I started searching Etsy, and was amazed by what I saw!!!! And then I saw how much they were. Now my husband had lost his job a few months before that, so I was in money saving mode (one major reason I started to cloth diaper our two children). I wanted those bows bad! So I taught myself how to make them! And I had extra ribbon, so I made some for friends. And I began to think, "this would be really fun to make and sell myself."

Going forward a few more months, I learn that I am also going to be losing my part time job. Yikes! But the Lord shows me this is the time to start the Hair bow shop I've been dreaming of doing. While I'm in the beginning, a friend asks if I know how to make pillowcase dresses. I google it, and learn that there are TONS of sewing and craft blogs. I have learned so many sewing techniques and patterns just from blogs. The visual tutorials have been the perfect way for me to learn. So I teach myself to sew...again! And this time I have a cute little girl to sew clothes for!

THEN....I see MaryBeth, on facebook, who's a friend through a friend, making these cute little tie onesies for her son. I had thought they would be fun to make for my shop too. I half joking, half for real, say, "you should join me in The Blue Ladybug" and she did!

We've come along way, and fast! Our most popular item is our Brother Sister Sets! We have two shops, clothing and hair bows. I love making both. I love the new clothing items we started offering. But most of all I love seeing how God has grown and blessed this little business of two mothers. He's completely provided the income my family needed when I lost my job, and I'm just thrilled to see where he takes us next.

Now I can't wait to hear all about how MaryBeth got started now!

Cloth Diapering for a Modern Era?

timandmarybeth@gmail.com (Mary Beth) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Laura and I (the women behind The Blue Ladybug) are going to be working hard in the coming weeks to open up our lives and let you get to know us better! We each have a story that brought us to the place we are at now as working-at-home-moms! We have unique challenges and joys in our lives, but we also have found that we have alot in common. And it was those commonalities that drew us together to do this business!

We were pregnant at the same time and gave birth to our little ones just one day apart, without realizing how those two little lives would bring us together on this exciting journey of starting an online business! Not only did we both (separately) begin our future crafting careers by making cute things for our new babes, but we were both looking for ways to save money! And one huge way we did that was when we both discovered the wonderful world of modern cloth diapering! Here's the brief version of my decision to cloth diaper:

I was pregnant with my first, and was doing LOTS of online research on all things pregnancy and baby! When I first approached the subject to my husband, Tim, it was kindof jokingly. I had read of women still cloth diapering, but all we could think about was diaper pins and plastic covers that leaked everywhere. As I learned about all the benefits to cloth diapering and was encouraged my a friend of mine who also cloth diapered, Tim and I talked seriously about it. We were so impressed with how far cloth diapers had come from the days our parents and grandparents did it. We were primarily convinced based on the amount of money that we would save. We crunched the numbers and figured that we would save approx. $1200 in the 2 1/2 -3 years we would be diapering our first child. (Plus we figured we would also end up diapering two children at the same time eventually) But financial savings weren't the only factor that swayed us. They are also environmentally responsible! Environmental issues were never a real concern to me until I learned that billions of pounds of landfill waste are created every year just from disposable diapers alone! Cloth diapers are also healthier, with no risk of chemical reaction and less risk for diaper rash and dryness. Cloth diapers are also EASY- easy to use, easy to care for! Many of them are designed like disposables! Everything I do when changing a cloth diaper is the same as when I change a disposable. All that's different is I toss any solids into the toilet and then toss the used diaper in the diaper pail. When its time to wash them, I just take the pail liner downstairs to my washing machine and throw it all in! And I can't forget to mention how CUTE cloth diapers are! They come in a variety of colors and prints!

There are SO many different brands and styles of cloth diapers, but the ones we finally settled on and love are BumGenius made by Cotton Babies. (You'll have to hear from Laura about her experience with other Cotton Babies products.) So now I've been doing this for 8 months, and I'm loving it (if that's not too weird to say about diapering choices!). It's way easier than I thought it would be, it's saving a couple tons of landfill waste, and keeping a lot more money in our pockets!

cloth vs disposable facts

Top Ten cloth diapering myths

Top Ten reasons to cloth diaper

New Logo- What do you think!

timandmarybeth@gmail.com (Mary Beth) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:30:00 +0000

We are so excited today to be revealing our brand new logo! It's something we (along with our amazing husbands) have been working on for a couple months, so it's exciting to finally be able to show everyone! Check out our facebook page and etsy shop as we reveal throughout the day and please leave comments on what you think of the new logo! We'd love to hear from you!

Some exciting new blog entries are coming your way soon, as well!

Interchangeable Headband ~ A Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:44:00 +0000

I have thinking of a few fun tutorials that I can share with you. I am a frequent browser of crafty blogs, and I so appreciate their amazing tutorials. I would love to give back, and help others dig into their crafty side as well. And I am so excited to share my very first tutorial with you. If you own a glue gun you can do this! What I'm about to show you isn't something new. You can find a few of these tutorials out in internet land. But I thought I'd share with you how I make mine. These headbands are fantastic for babes without much hair. I'm so thankful some smart person out there thought these up, because I don't know what I would do if I had to wait until Elissa had enough hair to be able to put hairbows on her. These headbands are my best friend!

I thought I'd start off, by showing you a quick photo of my current workspace.

Ugh. I know, not very pretty. I've been sentenced to our unfinished basement. But there's lots of space for all that ribbon. So this is the Hairbow making station! I'm daydreaming of some beautiful and inspiring workspace in the future. But that will have to wait until our basement can be finished, and we have something besides brick walls! But this will give you some explanation as to why the photos are so horrible. Basement lighting = awful lighting for photos. Sorry.

Anyways, on with the tutorial! This is what you'll need to get started.

*A headband (I found a package of 2 for $1 at Joann Fabrics by their checkout in their little dollar spot. But you can find all kinds of fabric headbands at Meijer or Walmart)

*Ribbon (either contrasting, or matching works best)

*Scissors

*Hot glue gun (my very best friend)

*A heat sealer (ie. candle, lighter, or a wood burner)

The first step, cut a piece of ribbon 2" long (you can use whatever width ribbon you like, but either 3/8 or 5/8 works the best.

Once your ribbon is cut, you need to heat seal the ends so they don't fray. Since I work with ribbon a lot, I use a wood burner. It's fast, easy and gives the ribbon a really good seal. But a lighter or candle will do the trick too. Just hold the end of the ribbon in the end of the flame just long enough for it to slightly melt. Don't hold it there too long, or it will blacken. Do this to both ends of your ribbon.

Now, open up the headband to the back side. I like to place my ribbon right over the seam of the headband, so once I've created my interchangeable loop, you can't see the seam anymore. Place a small dab of glue onto the end of the ribbon and place it on to the headband.

Once that's dry, turn the headband over, and pull the ribbon of to the front. Squish up the headband to create a few creases. You are NOT going to place any glue on this side. You want to be able to slide your alligator hairbow through this part once you're done.

Now turn your headband back to the back side, while keeping it squashed up, place another dab of glue on the end of the ribbon that's already been glued on.

And then place the other end of the ribbon, over the glue.

Turn your headband back to the front, and you're finished!

Slide in a favorite bow, and plunk it on your little sweetie!

So easy and so quick! Warning: it could get addictive to make these.

A quick note: this headband just barely fit Elissa. It's perfect for 9 + month babies. I would recommend either elastic or the crochet headbands for younger babies, since their heads are still so tiny.

*Please feel free to leave me any feedback about this tutorial, if you find it confusing, or if you have any questions. This was my first tutorial, and it's always a learning experience trying something new. And if you make a headband, let me know. I'd love to see a photo of your craftiness! Good luck and have fun!

I Heart Ruffles

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:50:00 +0000

The Blue Ladybug is coming out with lots new things for you this fall. We are so excited! It's opening up a whole new world to us in sewing and new fabrics. We think you're going to love it.

The first item to hit the web, is not necessarily a "fall" item. But rather something that I have been waiting in anticipation to add to our shop for a while now. For those of you with babies, you know the necessity of a diaper cover to be under the dress, or else you get a lovely shot of the diaper. It just seems to ruin the whole effect. So we decided it was time to make the Ruffled Diaper Cover.

I just love to see that sweet little bum all covered in ruffles!!!

So as you can see, these frilly little covers not only work under our dresses, but look absolutely adorable all by themselves. They look awesome with a onesie or under a tutu for a really poofy effect.

We ran outside for an impromptu little photo shoot here.

And it just made for the sweetest little shots of her tushy! I love these ruffles!

Can you just imagine your little girls next photo shoot.....her newborn shots, all curled up in a little ball with her little ruffled bum sticking up. Or, your new crawler (which we are personally beginning to experience here), crawling away from you, with her little ruffles bouncing along behind her. Or maybe your celebrating a first birthday! These would look adorable her in birthday cake photos!

We love custom orders at The Blue Ladybug and we welcome your ideas to create the perfect ruffled cover for your little one. Or maybe you'd like it without ruffles. We can do that too. Or, you'd like it to match one of our other dresses. We'll gladly do that for you!

Big News!!! Lots of Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:16:00 +0000

The Blue Ladybug has been growing by leaps and bounds since MaryBeth Shaw joined our forces a few months ago. She brought with her her; adorable tie onesies and handy dandy pacifier clips. Since she's been on board, she's added her burp cloth and pacifier sets, and toddler tie tees. Just recently we have launched our popular Brother Sister sets, that are the tie shirts with matching or coordinating pillowcase dresses! They are so cute and fun! Add that into our hairbow collection, tutus, and ladybug legs and you've got one full shop!

The dilemma: Etsy only allows 10 section categories. So all of our hairbows were stuck in one shop section, all the shop sections were taken, and we've got other items that we hope to introduce down the road.

The solution: Another Etsy shop just for the hairbows. There are soooo many different types, styles and colors of hairbows. We want to make your shopping experience with us fun and easy. So over the next month or so, we'll slowly be adding BRAND NEW, never before seen hairbows and headbands and flower clips into the new Blue Ladybug Bowtique. And we'll slowly be moving all the hairbows that are currently listed in The Blue Ladybug Children's Boutique. over to the new shop.

Here's the really good news for you! Are you ready?
All the hairbows that are currently for sale in The Blue Ladybug Children's Boutique are HALF OFF!!!!!!! And some even more than that!!!!! But don't wait, because once a bow sells at that low sale price, it's gone! Some will be re-listed at their original price in the The Blue Ladybug Bowtique, and some will be forever ban into bow heaven. Or where ever bows go that have passed their expiration. There are 2 headbands available for as low as $1 a piece! Clippies for .75, Medium sized bow packages for less than $1.50 a piece! What are doing still reading this. Head on over to www.theblueladybug.etsy.com and buy yourself some bows at these amazing prices, and then head on over to www.blueladybugbowtique.etsy.com and mark it in favorites, and check back often, as we'll be listing lots of new bows over the next month!

New to the Shop: Burp Rag and Pacifier Clip Gift Sets

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:26:00 +0000

The Ladybug is growing. We are always introducing new items to our little Etsy store. The latest item we've just introduced is a burp rag and pacifier clip set. The burp rag is a quality cloth diaper, that has a simple grosgrain ribbon appliquéd and stitched to bottom. The ribbon matches the same ribbon used to make the pacifier clip. And you can even find some of these ribbons, made into bows in our shop too. What a perfect gift set. If you have a baby shower coming up anytime soon, you'll want to keep these in mind.

From a mom's point of view, I love have fun, colorful burp rags. Who wants just a boring ole' white one. That's why I really love these burp rags. They are just so adorable. Now you can atleast be a little bit stylin' with that rag draped over your shoulder. :)

You can find all the newest Gift sets in our shop at The Blue Ladybug.

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:08:00 +0000

Hi from The Blue Ladybug. We are a children's boutique. We specialize in all sorts of children's items. We have clothing, hair bows, accessories, and baby items. You can shop with us on Etsy at TheBlueLadybug.etsy.com

In this blog you'll meet the ladies/mommies behind The Blue Ladybug, be the first to hear about new items coming to our shop, participate in giveaways, get special discounts for "following" us, and maybe we'll get to do a few tutorials for you in the future!

We're so excited about this new avenue of sharing our hobby and business with you. We hope you'll join us for a little fun!