Journal Modiste - Designer of the Week!

It is finally here! My interview on Journal Modiste is now live! If you have a second, click on over to Journal Modiste and read my interview. You can even leave a comment at the end (as long as it is nice). LOL.

A special thanks to Amy who runs JM for selecting me as the Designer of the Week. It truly is a honor.

On another note, I can't believe how fast spring and summer is approaching! I'm frantically trying to get my Fall 2008 line out. Believe it or not, even though it is only April I am LATE getting my line sheets out to boutiques compared to other designers. But, I'm just going to do what I can and see what happens. I'm praying there are a few boutiques left that haven't blown their budget for the fall. If they have, then I will just produce a limited edition line that will be available on my website. That is the beauty of growing my business slowly. I don't have a huge business loan or $40,000 in production costs to be worrying about. My manufacturer has been amazing about allowing me to produce small runs on my designs. This gives me the flexibility to grow at my own comfort.

But with all the rush of producing a line MONTHS in advance of the selling season, it makes me wonder when do "moms" want to buy their kids clothes? Do you wait until June to buy a summer dress. Or are you the mom who buys summer dresses starting in February? I would love to hear from you whether you are a mom, boutique owner or anyone in between. How far in advance to you plan your purchases?

I'm feeling a little Sentimental..........

As most of you know, I'm a member of an amazing design group called Bijou & Co. This week we are celebrating our one year anniversary!!! Our launch, Sentiments, started today with a rather impressive guest list. Each of us invited an outside designer that inspired us. Which really means, a designer that we tend to stalk because we love what they do! LOL. O-kay, not as creepy as it sounds. But we all have our favorite designers!

So, our challenge was to design something that made us Sentimental. My first dress was based on this sweet polka dot dress I had as a little girl. I loved this dress! I felt like a million bucks when I wore it. It was just a white knit fabric with polka dots. If I remember correctly, my mom bought it for me for a wedding we were going to. As a little girl, new dresses were few and far between. Hand-me-downs were the norm. But this dress came from a little boutique in our small town. I will never forget buying that dress.

So I came up with a design that will hopefully make some little girl feel just as special. The auction started today, but make sure to check back throughout the week as I list the matching little sister set, hair accessories and my first set that arrived from the manufacturer!! Let me tell you, it is pure heaven to open a box FULL of dresses that I did not spend hours making. LOL. They are gorgeous. Every stitch is perfect. And they are ready to ship! :) Stay tuned for photos...............


Click HERE to view my current ebay listing:

Dreaming in Color

I often have customers ask me how I come up with my designs. They are usually surprised at my answer, or look at me a little crazy. LOL. I would say 80% of my designs come from my dreams. I will have a detailed dream about a design and wake up and sketch as fast as I can. I'm always afraid that I'm going to forget some detail. Now, I'm not the best artist in the world so my sketches are definitely rough, but they make sense to me. And as long as I can make them come to life in my design world, that is really all that matters.

But I also think that many of my dreams come from some kind of inspiration I saw the day before. I love looking through fashion magazines, vintage designs, fashion color forecasts, etc. I will see something that catches my eye and then instantly think of a children's design that could play off that silhouette, color, style, etc. Many designers give themselves a creative block by forcing themselves to come up with a design no one has ever seen before. The reality is, it is very rare that something you come up with is truly 100% original. It may have the same lines or feel as something from the 1800's, or the 1980's :) My point is, designers shouldn't stress themselves out coming up with a new look over and over. Find a silhouette that you love and play off of it. Change the neckline, sleeve, hemline or the details. And before you know it, you will have something that is uniquely yours!

Here is a sneak peek from one of my recent dreams. Yes, I'm using all these colors. How will it turn out? What will it look like? Stay tuned! You will see it revealed on April 15th as part of Bijou & Co.'s birthday launch, Sentiments.

Until then, sweet dreams!