DIYing and also DIEing - pom pom garland

I have my "big" craft show this weekend. It's at my church. Our church is big, and the festival is a pretty big deal.

This entire summer kind of feels like it's been leading up to this weekend. Let me remind you that I didn't know how to sew until June. And since then, it has been non stop every day. I do it because I love it, but it would also be nice to get some extra money in my pocket. I mean I really do love sewing, but like anything else, making the same thing over and over (ie burp cloths) gets tiring and tedious. And tired can't even begin to describe the level of exhaustion I am. 

Anyway, one thing that's awesome about making stuff all the time is that you get to a point that you just "have" supplies. Seeing an awesome DIY on pinterest doesn't seem out of reach when you already have all the supplies sitting on your table. On the flip side, I don't really think it's worth it to do a lot of DIY projects unless you plan to do more stuff in the future. Craft supplies are a huge rip off, and if you starting from square one, you are going to get up spending more than you thought you would have to. Like even if you just need to buy thread and needles, you'll be spending close to $10. 

So my random DIY tonight was fiesta garland to potentially decorate my craft show booth. I see a lot of cool pom pom accents all over pinterest, and I suggest you look around, because they are all super easy to recreate. 

I have always loved this for inspiration...

So today I picked up a multi pack of pom poms at Hobby Lobby and created some pom pom garland.

Eleanor deeply mistrusted my vision and would not comply, so this is the best shot I could get...

If you want to call this a "tutorial," fine. I guess. Buy some pom poms and thread them...

 

Is your mind blown?

Love,

Lauren

I'm back... until the next time I am gone...

So what has happened to me?

After I started making Strolli Cools, which people are still buying and enjoying!, I was like wait... I can make OTHER stuff, too. I told my husband last night how weird it is that when I first started making the Strolli Cools that it didn't even occur to me that I would be able to make/sell other fun things. And now, it's like I dread making Strolli Cools sometimes because it's like old hat at this point.

To be honest, I taught myself to sew at the beginning of the summer. So the Strolli Cool was the first thing I ever made. As far as being the first thing you've ever sewn, it's not exactly an "easy" thing to make. It's not super hard either, but compared to a burp cloth, it's more challenging for sure.

I think I have even impressed myself with how quickly I have picked up sewing. I do think that I have an advantage over the average person because I have a college degree in understanding and assessing apparel. Even though I never used a sewing machine once in college, I took a class where I had to learn every type of stitch, pleat, hem, seam, etc., and how it's done. I also took a science lab where I had to learn just about every single type of fabric and how they work in apparel applications. With that said... I have always known how the clothes are put together, I just had never taken a crack at it with a machine.

So. I have made a lot of shit since the last post. A lot.

5 blankets
20 burp cloths
2 dog beds
30 headbands
4 skirts
2 bathrobes
6 sensory toys
2 pairs of shorts
10 dog bows
5 lovies

Basically, I sew when Henry naps, and I sew as soon as Tom gets home until I go to bed. Recently, I have chilled out a little bit. I am really tired, plus I have been doing a lot of work on the computer with rebranding my etsy store and researching supply vendors for all the wacky ideas I have in my head. And then of course, I am also supposed to be a good wife and a good mom, and keep my dogs alive, and clean the house. And plus PLUS, people keep ordering invitations from me! Which is really great, but it kind of mentally derails me from designing and making things.

The irony of all of this is... I will sew for five hours straight, but I am too lazy to post any of this stuff to etsy to actually sell it. The main reason is, it's REALLY hard for me to take pictures of things. Good pictures have to be taken outside during the day... and with Henry, it's just never feels like a good time. Plus, I also want to get some of the packaging I have had made in my possession before I try to market this stuff.

My new etsy store is called PRINCIE and you can visit it at etsy.com/shop/princiedesigns . Princie was an amazing woman I worked with in Tulsa, and one day I will tell you all about her.

I do not know how often I will be able to blog these days. I would like to be consistent about it, but please just accept that the quality of posts may not be as good. They will probably be more diary-like going forward, and I simply cannot allocate any time to making cool graphics that really serve no purpose other than looking good. Not until this moment in my life have I ever understood the phrase TIME IS MONEY... And girl, this blog has made me about $3 this past year. Speaking of, I got a credit card reader for my iPhone. I have never had the opportunity to use it, but I feel pretty awesome just having it.

The remainder of this post will be pictures from my iPhone that showcase what I have been up to. Everything you see, including Henry's shorts were made by me. There is no time for extra editing or any of that nonsense...

If you follow this blog because you are a stranger on the internet who happens to like reading my posts, your best bet is to follow me on instagram at PRINCIEDESIGNS. For the other 99% of you who know me from real life, you know where to find me. 

Love,

Lauren

PS - OMG I left my laptop at airport security out of state a couple weeks ago and didn't realize until I was mid flight. Because Henry's birth was in 2012, this might have been the most dramatic moment of my life this year. Many phone calls and $108 later, it's back. Safe and sound...

Ummmmm I love y'all!

I need to basically dedicate this post to everyone who has ordered, shared, or promoted my strolli cool! Going into the launch, I really had no idea what kind of response there would be. Would I sell out the first day? Would no one order anything? There was no way to tell. 

The morning of the launch, my husband so eloquently said he didn't want me to be heartbroken if it didn't go so well. Mostly, I just got mad at him for saying that because I am a very reasonable person, and knew there was a chance that the whole thing could bomb. Plus, HELLO, I have a degree in retail merchandising so I know how all this stuff works. 

BUT... Yall DID buy some! And the orders keep coming at a nice and steady pace! Regardless of the extra income, it's very rewarding to have all the time (and money) I spent in production and packaging pay off. For those of you that have ordered one, I hope you are delighted by the comically large manual I included in the packaging. In my mind, they were going to be a lot smaller... but these look like they have been sized for the visually impaired. 

A lot of people seem unsure about the sizing. There is a FULL SIZE strolli cool and an INFANT SIZE. To be clear, the FULL SIZE is made for any/all regular strollers where your child is sitting upright in the seat...

(can you say PHOTOGRAPHYYYYYY!? Nothing says professional like taking iphone pics in my front yard.)

The INFANT SIZE is only to use in a car seat stroller... 

For those of you without kids, a car seat stroller is a stroller that holds the car seat. Before babies can sit up, it's not safe to have them in regular stroller seats. So a lot of stroller companies offer a "car seat adapter" that allows you snap the car seat into the stroller. NEVER EVER EVER USE THE STROLLI COOL IN A CAR SEAT WHILE INSIDE A MOTOR VEHICLE...

I hope that makes sense to everyone, and if you have any other questions, PLEASE just comment or send a message! Here is a good pic of packaging...

Oh yeah, that's a label! Because this is a children's product, I wanted to really cover my bases with safety, so the label serves as a good branding item as well as a warning label on the back side. Basically it says... don't be dumb and let your kids or pets eat the strolli cool. The inside part is safe and non-toxic... but I'm sure if you ate it that you would probably get diarrhea or something fun like that. But I basically get diarrhea every time I go to Target or Lowe's, so it's not a huge concern of mine. 

Also... I made four dog collar accessories last night. The problem with sewing is that it is a really good version of instant gratification. Which means, it becomes slightly addictive. So like last night, I should have just gone to bed at 9:45, but instead I was sweat shop-ing it upstairs until 11:30...

What do we think of the bow? It attaches onto the collar, and I basically love it. It kind of makes Eleanor look like a circus dog. Abbey's black and white peter pan collar freaking kills me, but it needs a lot of work in terms of construction. Down the road, when it's not hot, and people don't need cooling pads, I think I am going to branch out and do stuff like this. Nothing big or that inspiring, just little fun stuff for dogs and kids. Oh, and headbands for moms, too. 

Thanks again to everyone who has placed an order, and if you would like to visit my store, you can always go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/TurqAndGold . 

Love,

Lauren 

Bye bye 2nd trimester... hello double chin...

It feels pretty awesome to know I am now in the home stretch, but 3 more months seems impossible. I can't imagine my belly getting any bigger. My nickname around the house is "humpty" - mostly because I wear a lot of white tshirts that make me resemble an egg.

Overall, I would rate that 2nd trimester as "very tolerable." I still had some weird things happen - like more morning sickness and crazy snoring - but I already regret not being more productive during those months that are relatively "easy."

So here we are, the third trimester. It seems like all of a sudden the baby is crazy active. I have been feeling him for over six weeks now, but this is different. I can tell that he is getting bigger. And stronger. And more pissed about how crowded it is in there. Thomas FINALLY felt the baby kick. It was one of those things that as soon as I would have Thomas touch, the baby would decide to take a nap. Or right when Thomas took his hand off for one second to scratch his nose, the baby would sneak in a jab.

In regards to the double chin, I mean I don't have a permanent one. But there is definitely some extra gobble going on. And it's making me snore which I haven't done since I had my tonsils out 20 years ago. Most mornings I am woken up by the sound of my own snorts.

In order to get some pictures into the post, here is what we've been doing this past week...

My brother and nephew came to town for a visit, and I took my nephew on a movie date to see Madagascar 3...

 The movie was good, not great. I don't really get into animated movies the same way other adults do. If you've seen it, my favorite part was when the lemur and the bear went on a date and "Ave Maria" was playing. After the movies, we went to academy to buy some baseball socks (Avery's request). Of course, they do not make them in 3 year old size, so they became baseball thigh-highs...

The main highlight of the weekend was a wedding for my brother's best friend, Clint. I have known Clint since I was in elementary school and he purposely called me "Laura" for about 8 years. We all had a good time. Here is my broham and mom...

 I tried to do a high bun ala Kourtney Kardashian, but it ended up looking a little more Cinderella-esque than I had planned...

This is for sure the best UT tower cake I've ever seen...

And here I am with mom and my bump. My non maternity dress worked out pretty good, but Thomas thought it was unfair that I told him he had to wear a suit when I ended up wearing sandals...

Meanwhile, at home, Thomas fell asleep watching an instructional golf video...

I spent all day making a red and blue cake (or pink and turquoise because they were out of the regular food coloring), and after icing it for 20 minutes, I knocked it on the floor. Luckily, it landed face up, so don't worry, I WILL STILL EAT IT. But I had to cut off about 20% and it is not quite the masterpiece I was hoping for...

Our firstborn Abbey tends to have anxiety from time to time that is mostly triggered by seeing people she hasn't seen in a while. She just like freaks. the. eff. out. With excitement. So we got her a Thundershirt for when we knew people would be coming over to help her calm down. Well, since buying the thundershirt, she developed an actual fear of thunder. Coincidence? There has been lots of rainless thunder in Texas this week, and the fireworks are helping either...

Happy early 4th of July! So far our only plans are making the dogs wear patriotic bowties for about three minutes. 

Love,

Lauren

Now that you know what happened...

Here is everything that I missed...

Fathers Day.

Happy Fathers Day! I hope you all had a great one! Thomas and I spent ours hanging out with my dad at the hospital, and then having dinner with his parents. Luckily, I arranged all of my husband's gifts pretty far in advance, so I was still able to make it a special Fathers-to-be Day for him.

PRESENTS!...

Thomas got some pretty classic fathers day gifts: socks, boxers, a golf putter thing, etc.. My parents got Thomas (the baby) the stroller as a fathers day slash early birthday gift. The gift being that we don't have to spend money on a stroller. It's the Bumbleride Indie, and after a lot of research, I believe that this stroller rules. Plus, it's all black, which is not as easy to find as you would think. The grand gift finale is a set of tshirts I got for Tom, the dogs, and the baby. Tom has always said that the dogs are his "minions" because, well they are. He has more than established his alpha role with the dogs, and they act accordingly. They still behave for me, but they know mom has a slightly harder time following through when it comes to certain things. So when we found out we were having a baby, Tom then began saying that, like the dogs, the baby would be his minion and follow him around. Time will tell. 

Either way, I had matching tshirts made for all of them with the Dougherty crest and their title...

Washington D.C.

We have had a trip planned for a while to visit my husband's sister and her family in DC. We left the day my dad got out of the hospital, so it was kind of crazy for me to not have any time to decompress after living at the Marriott across from the hospital. Anyway, the trip was really fun and we loved getting to see our family and our niece and nephew. Kids really do grow so fast and it's almost sad when you think about how much they will have changed before we see them again. 

I had already been to DC three times prior to this trip, so it was easy for me to sit out on some of the touristy things due to my gigantic swollen feet and overwhelming sleepiness. Tom got to take a cool bike tour that went all around the national mall, we did go to one museum together, and on Saturday night, we went on a date just the two of us for some good food and to see Abraham Lincoln. The date ended ubruptly when I started to get blisters from my feet spilling out over my sandals... so we got ice cream instead. 

Some highlights...

Two dogs. One cup.

While my dad was in the hospital and my mom was living at the hotel, we (mostly Tom) took care of Reesie, their australian shepherd. We got Reesie aka "Peeper" when I was a senior in high school, so she is also my dog to an extent and we have a special bond. Recently, when Reesie has stayed at our house she has acted very nervous and insecure, with the worst symptom being randomly vomitting. In the dining room, the in the kitchen, IN MY CAR. Sometimes I even take her back over to my parents' house during the day when I feed her just to make sure her food digests properly without it showing up on our carpet in an hour. 

So one night, Tom came and picked me up from the hospital and brought me back to our house. When we arrived we found three huge vomit spots on the carpet. Three spots, but only one actual pile of throw up. We know our dogs all too well, and immediately put it together that our dog, Eleanor, had eaten Reesie's vomit. Sick. With all that had happened with my dad and with how exhausted I was, seeing a ton of vomit to clean up really amped up my crankiness when I finally got home to supposedly "rest." But Tom and I dealt with it, and then it was pretty much time for bed. When we first got into bed, I was already bitching about Tom wanting to watch TV, because all I wanted in the world was to GO THE EFF TO SLEEP. About five minutes later, we hear a weird noise. Shit. More dog vomit. Imagine our surprise when it was not Reesie throwing up, but Eleanor. We jump up, turn the lights on. SO MUCH VOMIT. So that night, we had to clean up the same vomit from two different dogs. Hence, two dogs, one cup. 

Love you, Peeper...

Love,

Lauren