Hey.... Remember Me?

Ok, you know its been a long time since I last blogged when I can't remember the blog address or my password.... Now that I have that straightened away I don't remember what I was going to blog about, lol.

Lots of things have been happening since my last posting in April.... to say that business is booming is an understatement.... I started a blog as a fun way to let readers know about the story behind each item I was creating.... now I barely have time to share photos of the completed projects let alone blog about each one. So I am going to attempt to blog biweekly and let you know what is going on in my corner of the world.

Christmas orders are coming in daily and I am really trying to keep up. Earlier in the year I was able to complete orders in a week or so, now I am working on orders 3 or 4 weeks behind (quilts are 6 to 8 weeks)!! I can't believe it, it is exciting and busy all at the same time but I am very greatful for all that has come my way this year.

I have had some new product ideas that I would like to share with you.

This is the new curvy coin purse, it has a loop and a key ring to attach it to your keys, its great for quick trips to the gym, the mall, the grocery store, mailbox, etc.

This is the gadget case, it also has a loop, but with a lobster clip so that it can be clipped to a backpack, purse or key ring. It is interfaced for stiffness and protection and has a zipper closure on it. Its great for blackberrys, iphones, cell phones, GPS units, cameras etc.

This is an eyeglasses case. For some reason I can not rotate the pic (sorry), it is great for eye glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses. It has a very stiff interfacing to give it shape and a magnetic closure to keep those glasses in place.

This is the mini wallet, it is just large enough to hold a few cards, some money and even business cards. It also comes with a key ring to attach it to your keys.

This is the "joanne mini" purse. It is a smaller version of the "Joanne Bag" that I offer. It is a cute size for an evening out or even for a little girls first purse.

I will be participating in 3 shows this fall, the shows are listed on my website and facebook page with more info. I participated in my first show this past Septemeber called "Bella Noche", it was a lot of fun and a great sucess for all involved which encouraged me to sign on for 3 more shows this fall. I have been creating many many items for these shows and can't wait to showcase them.

Best Friends and Giveaways

I can't believe that it has almost been a month since my last blog post. I have been busy as usual with towel and quilt orders. The weather here has been great for the last few weeks so we have been taking advantage of it and spending time outdoors... you never know how long it will last.

Here is a quilt that I have been working on for a friend of mine. We have known each other for 27 years, we met in kindergarten, went to grade school and highschool together and now live about an hour away from one another but still keep in touch regularly. We have seen each other through many stages of our lives including babies!! My friend is expecting twin boys this summer, and I am making her 2 quilts as well as some crib skirts for her nursery. The fabrics used in this set are from the Riley Blake All Star line.

In other news, we have had 2 giveaways for Christine Taylor Quilts in the last month, the first was through the facebook fan page, the winner was Rhianhnon Ross, she was the lucky winner of a $30.00 gift certificate for product. The other winner was Melissa Niedzwiecki, she won a hooded towel through a giveaway on my friends blog. Congrats to both Ladies.

Busy Busy Busy....

It seems like forever since I last blogged... I have been very busy filling orders for my latest product... hooded towels. These towels are great, they are big enough for kids up to age 5. They are trimmed in fabric and come complete with a machine embroidered name of your choosing!! Take a look at 6 out of the 7 orders I filled on the weekend (#7 is for a birthday gift, so no peeking till after the little dudes party).

I also found some time to work on this table runner for myself (wow that never happens, lol). This will be my spring and summer runner. I experimented a little with the quilting pattern and chose a meandering pattern instead of my usual linear quilting style.

hmmmmm.... what else have I been up to... My BFF is having twins this summer so I have been discussing fabrics with her for her crib sets, she has chosen fabrics from this line, they are on their way and I can not wait to get started!

With the weather warming up, I can not help but think about our favorite summer activity, camping. We have been camping for many years, but we certainly do not rough it anymore, we have been gradually upgrading our living quarters over the past few years. We now have a 28 foot travel trailer that we just love. I have been working on a rag quilt for my Sons bunk (the one for my daughter will be made eventually, but she is not yet sleeping in the bunk). Here are the fabrics I have chosen, almost all of them were from my stash, which is exciting.

The camping fabric on the left is no longer in print and I am searching all over for 2.5 more yards to make some pillowcases and have enough fabric to make an identical quilt for my daughter.... so the search continues...

Please don't forget about our facebook contest, you could win a gift certificate!!!

I would love to know if anyone is reading my blog, so if you have a minute, please leave me a comment and let me know that you stopped by.

Happy Spring!!

Contest Announcement and Hushabye Quilt

Here is another cute little quilt custom made for a Client. This one was made using the Hushabye line of fabrics in the pink and brown colorway. The Client wanted her daughters name embroidered on the quilt, so it is located in the bottom corner of this quilt. The back is made using a soft pink flannel and there is a layer of batting in the middle for structure and warmth. As always, the edge is trimmed with a decorative stitch for added detail. This is going to make a great keepsake for little Soleil`s 1st birthday!!





Ok, now onto some fun stuff... I love giveaways!! I am once again running a contest through my facebook fan page, here are the details...

You could win a $20.00 gift certificate to be used towards any product I sell or to cover the shipping costs, there is no cash value.
1. Become a fan of mine on facebook
2. Invite all your friends to be fans
3. If we reach 400 fans by April 5, 2010, I will randomly draw a name from the list of fans and announce the winner on April 6, 2010.

Good Luck:)

Cute little item for travelling

My son loves playing with his hot wheels cars and his road map carpet. Today I got to thinking that it would be great if there was some way for us to take it with us everywhere we go, it sure would keep him quiet!! And so this product was born. I had to rush off to my sewing room and get started on it while I still felt inspired. One little one was napping and the other was happily snacking and watching some tv. So off I went and here is what I came up with... Oh and my little man has been carring it around with him all afternoon asking when we are going somewhere so he can take it with him, too cute.

All folded up

Unfolded ready to race

View of the 4 pockets for keeping the cars

The duck on the pond and the stop light


Another view of the pockets

Come On Summer!!

Is anyone else getting sick of winter? I have had enough of the cold, the snow, the having to bundle up 2 kids every time we leave the house, come on summer!!

I am thinking of warmer weather and one of our favorite summer activities...going to the beach. Our family loves the beach, the kids love the 3 "S's", Sun, Sand and Swimming!!! so I was inspired to add a new product to my expanding lineup... hooded beach towels (also great for the bath, but I am thinking summer remember). As always, the first ones usually go to my kids or my friends kids... so here is one for my little dude, complete with name embroidery!!

This towel measures 30" by 54" with a hood attached. This size is great for kids up to age 5 (and maybe older depending on their size). The hood is embroidered with the underside hidden so that it is not scratching the child's head when its worn. The hood is also trimmed in a cute blue and lime green fabric and stitched with a fun decorative stitch.

My cute little model, fits perfect with lots of room to grow.... now all we need is some sun and sand!!! Come on Summer....

These towels will be available on my website shortly and I am offering free embroidery for a limited time. The towels come in lots of great colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, brown, black. Lots of fabrics to chose from!!

My busy weekend!!

Here is what I was up to this weekend. This cute fabric arrived on Friday and was already reserved for a custom order hooded baby towel and car seat canopy.

These hooded towels are my new favorite baby gift idea. Two of my friends and my daughter have already benefited from this cute little idea. When I originally started to make these I thought that they would be the perfect size for a baby and well into toddlerhood. Well maybe its just me and my oddly tall children, but this size of towel was no good for my 3 1/2 year old!! (they will be better suited to the age of 2). So I put my creative skills to the test and I will soon be offering larger hooded towels for "big kids", I would say 2 years and up. I have purchased the supplies and just need to find the time to whip up two of them (one for each kid of course). With my new sewing machine, I am very excited to be offering free personalization on all of the towels!!

This one is going to be a gift for my Clients Neice, she is not aware of the baby's gender, so this cute little animal print will be perfect!!

This car seat canopy is also a gift for my Clients Neice, I can just imagine how cute these 2 items will be all wrapped up for a shower gift. It had been a little while since I made a car seat canopy, so I made sure I took some extra time to review my notes and make this one perfect. I love sewing but I also love being able to create the embelishments on the tabs, here I used 2 coordinating ribbons (which reminded me of the spots on some of the little animals in this fabric) and 2 lion head buttons in keeping with the animal theme. The whole cover is trimmed with a cute little decorative stitch.

I wish I had been making these covers when I had my kids, I was that lady in the Walmart parking lot scooping a blanket out of the snow and slush after it blew off of my car seat. My daughter was born in the late fall, so she needed something like this to keep the wind out of her face, the blanket just didn't cut it!!