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TGIF!!!

So happy it's Friday. I'm not so sure I've fully recouped since last weekend so I'm looking forward to possibly sleeping in on Sunday...I hope. Thanksgiving dinner turned out wonderful and we were surround by loved ones......who can ask for anything more? It's crunch time now folks. Christmas is around the corner and we have little shopping time left. The husband and I will head out tonight to shop for the kids. Wish us luck.

Below are some pictures of my Thanksgiving dessert table and what I need to work off. I wonder if I attach some weights to my ankles while shopping tonight?! Just kidding...I was a good girl and only had two sm pieces of cake.

LOVE this Turkey!! It was just as much fun to make as it is to look at.

We couldn't forget Cooper on Thanksgiving. Fresh out of the oven on Turkey Day Cooper was treated with apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies.

Well that's it from me today. This weekend will be full of Christmas shopping, sewing, a birthday party, dinner at our cousin's house, an attempt at completing our Christmas card photo, dance class for the little one...let's see I think I'm forgetting something....oh yeah, did I say I wanted to sleep in? LOL...fat chance!

xoxo Michelle

Holiday 2011

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

How darling is this Christmas Kimono?! Just listed today on Etsy. I can also accommodate matching big/little brother items (please contact me for details).


On the first day of Christmas my momma gave to me an outfit of a partridge in a pear tree.....

Loving this hooded dress and leggings set made in knit jersey. Another newly listed holiday item on Etsy. Shop the etsy mini to your right :)

xoxo Michelle

Happy Friday

Finally...it's Friday! Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween. It was raining here in NC so our little kiddo's didn't get to go on our annual trick-or-treating hayride :( When all was said and done they were able to visit a few houses in the cul-de-sac and have all the candy we purchased divided up between them. Their pop-pop felt bad and also gave each grandchild $10 a piece....score!

Today I shipped out 58 dresses to our State Rep for DAG.....wow! My neighbor and I each completed 29 amazing pillowcase dresses.

We really had a great time sharing this experience together and look forward to sewing more for this cause throughout the upcoming year. Next year we will focus some on our boys and neighbors have started slowly but surely bringing us some items to start sewing.
This coming week I will continue to get Holiday items ready for the store. I'm looking forward to getting those items completed and photographed soon.

Lastly, our giveaway winner Jamie Adkins shared some pictures with us....yeah! Check out her adorable little girl Charlotte in her very own, one of a kind peasant dress. Congrats Jamie and Charlotte!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

xoxo Michelle

TGIF!!!

It doesn't matter who you are or what you are doing, everyone just seems to be in a great mood on Friday (well most everyone anyway). I'm so excited to announce that I finally completed the 29 dresses I've been working on for DAG. They are ready to be photographed and shipped out. This group is headed to Uganda I believe. Pictures coming soon.

Fall is in the air here in the Carolina's. The temps are cool and the leaves have been turning for a couple of weeks now. I will say I'm a tad disappointed we don't have more color this year. The last few years have been pretty drab on color. Fall happens to be my favorite time of year. I love everything about it from the weather to the food (Mmmm....I can smell the aroma of pumpkin coming from the oven and if I think hard enough I can almost taste it) and Halloween!!.

Halloween is fun for the young and the  *slightly* older ;) Each year my husband and I dress up with the kids, but this year I'm a little slack. I may need to repeat what I have saved from last year or several years ago. I haven't made it to the costume shop and NO....I'm not going to sew my own costume. I should for what they charge and how horribly constructed they are, but time.....who has it?! It's bad enough I had to repair my 4 yr olds costume when it came. Are you dressing up? What will you be this year?? How about your little goblins? I was thinking back (and now I'm going to age myself) to the costumes I had when I was a wee one. They all had those plastic masks that were secured with elastic around your head. Do they sell those anywhere anymore?? I'm looking forward to seeing all the little ones running around in their costumes. It's going to be a chilly one here this year. I need to remember to bring a blanket for our hayride.

As mentioned last week I will be adding the Kimono on Etsy today. I'm really excited about this style. It's so adorable/stylish/sassy/you name it and easy to get on and off the kids. Starting this weekend I'll be in the shop working on Christmas.

New Items in the Store

Happy Friday everyone!! I have two new items to share that are now available in the on-line stores.

Introducing the Kimono Dress new to SewShellz. I'm LOVING this style on the little girly girls. This particular Kimono was made with 100% cotton fabric from the Patty Young Playdate line and features gummy bears and lollipops. What girl is not going to go crazy for this yummy treats in this whimsy color combination.

I only have enough fabric left to make one additional kimono exactly like this one and right now I have it available to my current fans and followers to grab up before I post this for the rest of the World to see on Etsy. You can order your Kimono on the Facebook store. If you are not sure how to make the purchase, please contact me and I can walk you through. This dress will only be available in size 2T, 3T or 4T.

Gobble Gobble Gobble.....that's right, it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving! Custom orders take up to 2 weeks before they are ready for shipment. Keep that in mind when placing your order if needed by a certain date. The Turkey shirt and skirt set (pictured below) are available both on Etsy, as well as, facebook. Available in 24M, 2T and 4T, this set was created for the girl who refuses to wear anything but pink.

And the Winner is.......

you've waited 25 long days and now it's time to find out who the lucky winner is. I will not drag this out with a crazy long post. I just want to thank everyone who entered. Now that you are connected and following my blog/facebook, you'll receive notification on future giveaways. Hope to see you back.

Drum roll please.................................................

Congratulations Jamie Adkins you won the Peasant Dress. I will be reaching out to you shortly to find out the details on your dress.

xoxo Michelle

Happy Friday :)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday. I know you are all anxiously waiting the winner annoucement for the peasant dress giveaway and I wanted to let you know that I will announce the winner some time this evening. My children love to play a part in the name drawing and would be devistated if I did it without them. I'm excited myself....I cannot wait to see where my dress will go. Stay tuned and enjoy the day!

 

xoxo Michelle  

Giveaway ends tomorrow!!!

We did it! We reached 100 likes on the FB page and the giveaway will end tomorrow at 11:59 PM EST. I will announce the winner on Friday. Good luck to those who entered.

****GIVEAWAY****GIVEAWAY****GIVEAWAY****GIVEAWAY****

I've promised and now it's time to deliver.....and deliver big! Up for grabs is an original Sew Shellz 3/4 sleeve peasant dress for your little girl (retail value $34.00). I will custom make this dress from sizes 18M through 6 for the winner with fabric of my choice. The winner may chose empire waist or not (see picture). How exciting is this!? As with any giveaway you have to follow the entry rules....boooo! I promise this isn't too hard and it's totally worth it for a free dress, right? This giveaway is open to everyone.

This is not the dress that you will win, but this is the exact style. The dress pictured above will be for sale soon in the FB store (first) and then over to Etsy soon afterwards. The dress above has the empire waist (it looks cute with or without...your choice).

How to Enter

1st Entry
Like the Sew Shellz Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/sewshellz and leave a comment here on the blog telling me that you've done so or that you already do like the page. Be sure to include your email address in your comment. I cannot contact the winner without an email address. Use the (at) (dot)com format to protect your account.

2nd Entry
For a 2nd entry follow the Sew Shellz blog or tell me that you already do.

3rd Entry
Blog about this giveaway or post it on your facebook page and let me know that you've done so. I need a link for this one :)

That's all she wrote folks! So, when is the big day that we all find out who the lucky winner is? That would be when the SewShellz facebook page reaches 100 likes. Spread the word and this could move a lot quicker. Good luck to the entrants and I look forward to making something special for your little girl.

xxoo Michelle

New Items in Shop for Fall

Just listed new items in the shop that are Fall ready. They are ready to ship items in sizes ranging from 18M - 4T. I will list all my items on Facebook first (found here) to give my FB fans first dibs (click on the  Shop Now on the left menu). You have to be quick though, b/c they will move over to Etsy soon.

               The 3/4 Sleeve Fall Peasant Top

This top looks great with a pair of jeans or leggings. Very easy to get on and off and comfortable to wear.


      The 3/4 Sleeve Peasant Set

Whoooooo's not going to fall in love with this owl peasant?! It's so darling to pair with boots or shoes.

New Items Completed for the Shop

I've recently finished a couple of darling peasant dresses (3/4 sleeve) for the shop and one 3/4 sleeve peasant top. All are in the same fabric. Love the brightness these colors will bring to the fall. They are not posted in the shop yet, but should be soon. If interested, please let me know. All three items are in size 2/2T and ready to ship!!

Here is the dress. Right now I have one of them up for auction on the Izzy B Designs Facebook Page. I also put up one of my Halloween skirts for auction. There are a lot of vendors putting up auctions. Go check it out and have fun!!

HUGE Giveaway!!

So behind on this one. I would have loved to have participated. Run over quickly b/c the giveaway is only open until 8pm this evening and you have lots to do.

The Princess and the Pea Boutique AND NattieCakesDecor are sponsoring a HUGE giveaway with a total of 83 vendors giving away items.83 can you believe that?!

Head over to http://princessandthepeaboutique.blogspot.com/ for rules on entering.

UPDATE on Etsy Store

So excited to announce that the store launched today and I've already received our first two orders :)Stop by the store www.sewshellz.etsy.com to check it out. Hurry and order before 9/9/11 to receive a 10% discount. Use GRAND10 coupon code at checkout.

Would love to hear your feedback. Tell me what you think.

XXOO Michelle

Exciting News!!!!

After much debate and persuasion I’ve decided to open a shop on Etsy. Exciting news, yes?! Now you’ll have the option of purchasing Sew Shellz items. Stay tuned for details. I’m working on inventory and setting up the shop. I’m hopeful that the shop will be ready to open within a month. More details as we get closer to opening day J

and I think to myself........

Pictures are back from Haiti!! I was overwhelmed with joy at the first pictures that came in from the DAG Haiti trip. it was humbling to see how they live and yet how grateful they are for everything....even the smallest of things.

I must give a shout out to my neighbors who have brought fabric and pillowcases for me to continue making dresses for these girls and a HUGE shout out to my co-worker in NY who sent bags and bags of fabric and pillowcases by reaching out to her church and friends. I cannot thank her enough for all that she collected. I'm sure I'll be sewing for the next several months.

I'm in dire need of grosgrain ribbon to make straps for these dresses. If anyone would like to help donate ribbon I would be ever so grateful. Please stay for a moment longer and check out the pictures back from Haiti.

Been a Long Time!

Wow, it's been way too long since my last post. I have been busy around the house, visiting with family, a bout of not feeling well :( and some sewing in between.

So proud to announce that my first batch of 17 dresses completed for DAG is heading to Haiti on the 16th!!!!

I was really just going to do straight pillowcase dresses with no frills....really I was! I figured get more completed faster....the faster I go, the more I can do. Problem was I looked down around me and saw all this extra scrap (which we have from sewing) and I couldn't let that go to waste. Then I decided to paint a little and add some felt appliques. I had lots of fun and very happy with the result.

I also made a little bag for my mom from the Ty Pennington line. My sister confirmed my concern that it's not mom....now what?! Not sure what I'm going to do with this lovely bag just yet. Any suggestions? I actually have another one to make since I cut fabric for 2 bags (no waste!). I may just have her peek at it to see if she would want it (no hurt feelings). The bag is wonderful and soooo SUMMER! My mom is more plane Jane and I knew it going into the bag. Guess I thought it could work, but I'm not so sure....

It really is a pretty bag, yes?!

For now I'm off to sewing more for DAG thanks to my wonderful neighbors and friends collecting pillowcases and fabric for me. I also have new fabric on order and stopped by JoAnns last night. Found some really great Fall fabric. Next week is a big week for sales at JoAnn's I believe....$2 off a yd on calico. I noticed some new prints and I'm ready to get my hands on some. Also 50% off the notions wall...

xxoo Michelle 

Dress a Girl Around the World

When I was looking through all the blogs I follow this morning I came across a post that just lured me in. Hope 4 Women is a wonderful charity which helps women who are suffering from poverty, disease and low self-worth to become self-sufficient with businesses of their own and to raise their dignity through tea parties, day spas and celebrating women. How wonderful is that?

They are asking for our help in their thoughts for every little girl to own at least one dress. If you didn't know about this like me then I'm glad that I brought this to your attention. I've already started putting dresses together and have reached out to my neighbors for gently used clothing, pillowcases, sheets, etc. that I can refashion into dresses.

The charity would like pillowcase dresses.....cannot be more simple. follow the link here to Little Big Girl Studio blog where you'll find an easy step by step tutorial on how to make one.

Big shout out and thank you to Louise from Sew Scrumptious who brought this to my attention!!!
Sew Scrumptious Blog. Louise is over the in UK and is determined to gather up her goal of 100 dresses. If you live over her way, please help her out. She is almost there!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there!

A picture of me, my brother and father from back in the day. Happy Father's Day daddy. Love you dearly and missing you bunches.

                                                                                     AND

Happy Father's Day to my husband. You're the best!!

Its been a while.....

                                                               and I've been busy!

                             Way cute new clutch! I'm loving the combo of this fabric together.

The sweet treats hostess apron! 

The reversible hostess apron. Love reds and blues together. It's not used enough in custom work so I had to throw something together using the colors.

Made a dozen of these reversible headbands. They are adorable on adults and children. The best part is that they are so easy to whip up. Would make a great gift for a little girl to make her up a handful of these guys. These were made with scraps that I had around. Another great use for those scraps ladies!

Travel size tissue pouches. I did it! In fact made about 15 of them....be careful they are addictive! Tried the tute on them and I LOVE these little guys. Extremely easy and again great for girls big and small. Best part is you can use scraps to make this. Never ever throw scraps away....there is so much you can do with them.

And last, but not least the no sew tutu! soooooo simple to make and looks amazing!! Turns out that my daughter has her very first princess birthday party to attend and they must arrive in princess attire. I made Isabella a shirt to go with this tutu for the party. Now I have to find where I put the tiara that she wore in my brother's wedding. Princess party outfit......done!!

I've also completed 4th of July outfits for the children. I'll post pics of them after the 4th. Right now I'm working on Isabella's birthday outfit and a birthday gift for the princess party girl. Lots to do and as always so little time.

Side Note: This morning when I went to drop off my daughter at day care the director screamed out my name from down the hall. I turned around to see his little girl (who is just learning to walk) walking towards me with an MZ original on. Yes.....she was wearing my gift to the family for the new baby. It was amazing to see something I made on someone other than my children. Don't get me wrong...I love to see what I do on my kiddo's but.....this was me out there, ya know?! I wish I had more time to really spread the love. This prompted me to go ahead and not purchase a gift for the next party we are going to, but make the girl a dress to wear.