girlymama

because i love you guys!

I have some special deals for my beloved Girlymama Readers!!!!

Have you been dreaming of a new blog design? Need a blog button or want to get a blog business card? I'm offering you all 30% off  at Eliza Grace Design! Just mention in your order that you're from Girlymama to get the discount!

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Ann Clark Ltd: The Cookie Cutter People from Vermont: Their contemporary cookie cutters would be make wonderfully unique teacher or hostess gifts! And for only $5, you can stock up and save them for when you forget last minute gifts. The Kids in the Kitchen gift set would make any little chef happy and my train-obsessed son would be thrilled with the All Aboard gift set. They also sell adorable children's cookbooks. Ann Clark Ltd is offering Girlymama readers 10% off your purchases from now until the end of the year! Use coupon code BLGA4 at checkout. (If you buy four or more items, you get free shipping, so go crazy!)

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Felix Doolittle stationary has ADORABLE stationary and accessories for men, women and kids, and is the perfect place for easy, online holiday shopping for almost anyone on the gift list. Their stuff is just too cute for words. And now through November 30, they are offering Girlymama readers 15% off anything in the Doolittle Junior (check out the Play Date Cards!) line or the Seasonal collection, which features the brand new Correspondence Seals (LOVE these!)!! Use coupon code DoolittleJr when checking out.

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Amenity Home has tons of eco-friendly products for thoughtful modern living. I'm in love with this Baby Alpaca Throw in Mocha - how gorgeous! And I could design an entire room around this birdseye flat print on organic cotton. Amenity House is offering Girlymama readers a generous 20% off site-wide (Muir Collection excluded).  Just use the discount code fall20.

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Go forth and shop!!

vegas, baby

Can you guess the celebrity I spotted last night?

Our hotel is amazing! We're staying at the Hilton Grand at the Flamingo  Resort. Our 'room' is actually a one-bedroom villa that is about the size of our first apartment. Only much, much nicer. (Do you think they would notice if I packed up the kitchen in my suitcase and brought it home with me?)

Last night, we went out on the town and I saw what felt like most of the strip. My poor feet. We went to the Flamingo, MGM Grand, New York New York, Planet Hollywood Casino, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, and Luxor. I saw so many 'classic' Vegas stops, like the fountain show at the Bellagio. So cool. 

And people watching here can't be beat. We were absolutly hysterical last night. You see anything and everything here! Not to mentin there was some kind of stripper convention going on at one of the casinos, so you can only imagine the outfits. Ahem!

I think that Mandalay Bay was my favorite casino. It was so gorgeous inside. We had an amazing dinner there at Lupo by Wolfgang Puck. My husband had a pasta with the absolute best sauce I've ever tasted in my entire life. And the drinks! There was a pear martini that was positively dangerous. And our waiter got the bartender to make me an off-menu wildberry cosmo that was fantastic. 

(We also had drinks and an appetizer earlier that night at the Bellagio at Noodle that was wonderful. We were tempted to order dinner there too, but it was only like 4pm. We may be old, but we're not ready to eat dinner that early!)

Today we're heading over to the resort. If its half as nice as this, I'll be a happy gal!

good gracious, i can barely lift my arms

As of today, our house is officially off the market.

Allelujah, Amen. Kids, go make a mess. Go nuts.

It was still on because the man we were buying the new house from was waiting for us to sell. But as interest rates (and monthly payments) were rising and our house was NOT SELLING, we realized that maybe we needed to walk away. It was a hard decision but we're feeling peaceful about deciding to stay here.

Anyway, we had rented out a storage unit to empty out the house a bit and stage it properly. So we had until today to empty the storage place and somehow manage to fit everything back into our house. So, being the responsible people we are, we picked up a van load and brought it home. Then on Sunday morning, while fixing the seat in the van, Husband hurt his back.

Perfect timing. I mean, Poor baby. (No, he actually really hurt himself and could barely walk. He wasn't faking. Really.)

So that meant that I had to empty the storage place. And get everything back into the house, clean out the attic and crawl space, and reorganize things. Me. Alone. Crud.

But, its done. And I can barely. move. My arms and legs are so sore, its ridiculous. Even with all my strength training and 'shredding' I apparently am still a huge wimp. But our house is back to normal (read: messy) and I'm feeling great after a good purge of all the unnecessary junk that was laying around here. I just love getting rid of stuff!

And my shop is back open! After closing it while we  pretended we were going to move but were actually just kidding were busy, its back in business. And things are flying out of the store! Apparently people were waiting for us to reopen or something. Who knew? Not everything is in there yet, but enjoy!!

a call to action

If you haven't heard about these upsetting new laws, that, if put into action on February 10, 2009, will have devastating repercussions to both large and small businesses and basically end the handmade goods industry, please read!!!
In summary, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) "bans lead and phthalates in toys {obviously a good thing} but it mandates enormously expensive third-party testing and certification for all products intended for children under the age of 12. It's the ridiculous expense of the third-party testing and certification that will close businesses and make it illegal for work-at-home moms and dads to sell their handmade goods." {excerpt from 5 Minutes for Mom}

 

I urge you to take a few minutes to read the excerpt below from Cool Mom Picks, this Etsy open letter, to send out emails, letters to congress, post on your blogs, please sign this petition, visit Change.org and log your support- if it gets enough votes, it will be shown to President Obama in January.

Please do your part to insure that this law is amended so that the hundreds of creative businesses out there are not forced to shut down, surrounding our kids only with what is mass-produced by big companies!

From Cool Mom Picks:

We're all for strengthening the safety standards of mass-produced toys, clothes, and accessories made in China, and banning toxins like phthalates and lead. But this year, congress passed the ill-conceived Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, a law which goes into effect in two months and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust. The very same ones that we often feature here and in our yearly special edition gift guides.

With this act going into effect February 10 2009 so many people we love will be affected: Moms who sew beautiful handmade waldorf dolls out of home, artists who have spent decades hand-carving trucks and cars out of natural woods, that guy at the craft show who sold you the cute handmade puzzle--even larger US companies who employ local workers and have not once had any sort of safety issue will no longer be able to sell their goods. Not without investing tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single toxic chemical in them still don't have a single toxic chemical in them.

How to Get Involved -- it only takes 5 minutes of your time!

-Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here.
Particularly if they serve on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection or theHouse Committee on Small Business.

-Send an email directly to the CPSC or contact chairperson Nancy Nord at 301-504-7923

-Vote for amending the law on Change.org, digg style: With enough votes it will be presented to President Obama in January!

-Place the Save Handmade! button on your blog or website to help spread the word to everyone you know who cares about protecting the little guy and preserving beautiful items made with love for our children.

THANKS!!

 

i am just so excited about this....

Eliza Grace Design items are now available at the incredibly hip online baby boutique go kye.

 

finally got time to sew!

Good thing too, since the custom orders have been rolling in lately! My new machine is AWESOME!!

And - for the new niece - a totally adorable quilt. And the girls helped me make a matching mini-quilt for the big sister to use for her beloved baby doll. Now she can be just like mama.

 

 

Also new to for fall: changing mats! (This one is for my niece too, but they'll be more coming!!)

 

 

And, finally, a new modern crib quilt design. Now up in the shop!!

clearance and new collections

There is a big clearance sale going on in my shop starting today, so if you want to stock up for any upcoming baby arrivals, go nuts!! Tons of blankets and gift sets have been marked down to make room for all the new products coming very soon.

I've also added a few previews of new goodies coming out this fall.

now in the shop

eliza grace onesies

give me time without children...

...my creativity clicks on. Seirously. 7 quilts later....

I have to share what is new to Eliza Grace Design: the modern crib quilt

More coming soon!!

small preview

making clothes is REALLY fun...