Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Quilt Market, Portland

So the weekend before last was the big International Quilt Market here in Portland. Of course, I had all these plans to meet up with people, and of course, I got sick. So my plans were changed a bit, but I still got to attend the show and meet a few people I otherwise would have never been able to meet. I am usually a picture taking freak, but considering that all I wanted to do was sit down and drink water, I barely got any pictures taken at all. Now that the show is over and everyone has gone home, I am bummed at the fact that I could have met so many more people, and I could have so many more photo memories, but what can ya do?

So Thursday I picked up the lovely Amelia from Sweet_Feet_Boutique at the airport, and we did a little shopping (my favorite activity), and I dropped her off at her hotel.

Thursday night my son got terribly sick, so I had to take him in to Urgent Care, breaking plans to meet Emily of Sugar*Sweet*Boutique, and her daughter Taya, for dinner. When I got home Thursday night from the doctors is when it hit me.

Friday I pushed myself to get up, and I took Emily, Taya, and Amie of Princess*Picasso to the Zoo, along with my daughter Sydney. I was so sick at the Zoo that we had to cut it short and leave early.

Saturday I went to Quilt Market with Emily and Amie, and I met Tanya of Bug*N*Belle there to help her pick out fabric. It was so much fun, and I loved all the fabric that Tanya had already picked out. What an experience! While I was there I got to meet Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Heather Ross, and Sandi Henderson! I was star struck! I also got to meet Patty of ModKidBoutique, Chelsea of Vintage.Chic.Boutique, Myrinda of Sweet_Girl_Boutique and Fabric Hound, and Traci of *BloomDesign*.

Sunday evening I went to dinner with Amie, Emily, Taya, and my daughter Sydney.

Monday I took Emily and Taya to Multnomah Falls for some sight seeing and awesome photo opps. And that is where we said our goodbyes. They left on Tuesday morning.

Here are the few decent pictures I got:

Amie of Princess*Picasso and Emily of Sugar*Sweet*Boutique


Emily and Me


Chelsea of Vintage.Chic.Boutique and Me


My Daughter Sydney, and Emily's Daughter Taya

UGH...I Have Been Sick!

Sorry I have not kept up on my blog lately. The weekend before this last one, was Quilt Market here in Portland Oregon. I was sick as a dog, and didn't get to hang out with all the visiting designers as much as I would have liked. Then all last week I was battling this illness, and finally, I think I am over it. I tell ya, I will only get sick at the worst possible moment in my life that I could get sick, and then it will hit me for a week straight. Okay, off to post the few pics I got from Quilt Market.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Featured Auction Of The Day

Today is this darling apron top by Mamapatrice. It ends soon, so get it while you can!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

We Love Mud Auctions Start Today



If you read the clip above, you will see why these auctions are so very important. I love it when the Boutique Community can come together and help a family in need. Remember, all the money raised is going to this very deserving family, so bid high, and bid now! There are so many different things being offered, I can't even begin to list half of them! Below are some of the many cute items I have found. I am bidding on multiple auctions from this launch, and I hope you will too!! My heart goes out to this family, and my prayers are with them. Click Here to go directly to the WELOVEMUD launch.

AllForTheKidds




RadishzNRosez



That*Funky*Boutique



Adorable*Duds




Phoebes*Landing




HBD!




Mimi*Kattini




DandelionAvenue




TakeABowCreations




Pally*Wally ~ A Yummy Pie!




**Raina**




Oli*Beli




Kandy*Kisses*




ACherishedChild ~ Custom Painted Wall Letters

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Featured Auction Of The Day

Isn't this just adorable?!? Perfect for that Summer beach trip!

RenaissanceAngel

Monday, May 5, 2008

Boutique Angels Launch

The Boutique Angels are having a charity launch right now on eBay to benefit the Big Brother Big Sister program. Please check out the listings and see if anything strikes you, and bid away, because 100% of the proceeds goes to this amazing charity that does so much to help underprivileged kids. Click Here to go to this launch, or click the logo on the right. Thanks so much for taking the time to view the auctions! Below are some examples of what you will find.

Key*West*Kids, JZeppelin, Little*Red*Wagon, PBAndJ*Creations



*Pretty*Me*Designs*, Mimi*N*Co, Key*West*Kids




Bellabebeco



Mimi*Kattini


Thursday, May 1, 2008

My Interview With Cree ~ Designer Of The Month


When I thought about starting my monthly designer interviews back up again, I wondered who would be my first interviewee. There are so many people I would like to ask, but one amazing women stood out in my mind. Her designs have been receiving a lot of attention lately, and anyone can see why. They are unique, spirited, lively, colorful, everything that children are, and everything children would love to wear. From her Disney Princess sets, to her fairies, little girls will stand out in the crowd if outfitted in one of Cree's gorgeous designs. Cree is a pioneer in her field. Someone who is not afraid to take chances, someone who thinks outside the box. For these reasons, and many others, Cree is well respected by designers and buyers alike. The first word that comes to my mind when I look at Cree's work, is ART, plain and simple. The next word would be TALENT, and the third word would be BRILLIANT. This is why I have chosen Cree to kick off the re-birth of my designer interviews. First off, I want to say to Cree, congratulations on all your eBay success, and thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to tell us a little about yourself, and what makes you, you :)

Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia.

Where do you live now? I’ve moved around lots and lots but am now right back where I started from.

How many children do you have? Names and ages? I am so lucky to have two children – Loughie who is 9 and Henrietta who is 4.

What are your hobbies (besides designing and sewing)? Um could you rephrase that – ‘besides sewing’, is there such a thing as ‘besides sewing” Tee Hee only kidding. I play netball which is a funny sport played mainly in England, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica. It is a little bit like basketball but you can’t dribble the ball, only pass. Also the court is divided up into three sections and depending on your position you can only go on certain parts of the court – plus you have to wear a bib stating your position – like GS for Goal Shooter, or WA for Wing Attack and you wear funny little pleated skirts.

What is your eBay ID? Bowznstuff_boutique

How did you come up with your ID, is there a story behind it? You know I never really liked the name Bowznstuff and I always thought I would change it but as the years have gone on it really has become ‘my’ name and I couldn’t change it now – I like it after all this time.

Are you a member of a design group? How long have you been a member of that group? I am a member of MeliMelo and have been since the start of this year.

How long have you been selling your designs on eBay? You know I was trying to work this out the other day but couldn’t quite pinpoint. I think I began selling bows around 4 years ago, more as an aside, a little hobby when Hettie was little. I started getting serious about it around 2 years ago.

What got you started? I was browsing Aussie ebay for baby clothes and came across a seller who was reselling some bows she had bought. I was entranced! We used to tie bows for ballet costumes, so I started there. So I started with bows and then dusted off the old Elna and the rest is as they say..history!

Do you remember the first set you sold on eBay? How much did it sell for? One of my very first sets was this one – it sold for 49.99 to a sweet customer who still buys from me today – she has twins so she bought two – I was so excited.


Have you noticed a change in your designs from when you first started? Yes for sure – I used to make many more jackets and hats and 8 piece sets which I make less of now. I think my own style shines through more strongly now than when I started as I have become braver and had the courage to take more risks.

What is the one design that is the most popular...the one that you get repeatedly asked to create? Mmmm all of my Disney Princess designs that’s for sure. And then non Disney would be our of these two:





What is your inspiration for your designs? It can be anything really. Sometimes it is the fabric, sometimes just a sort of image I have in my head. Often it is something I see as I bumble around. So around dance concert season you will see lots of stage inspired designs, or I might drive past a shop window and get inspired to create an outfit in the same style the chair or the curtains or whatever it was in the window that caught my eye.

Is there any other designers you admire? Oh there are lots – the very first person I really remember noticing on ebay was Srann. She doesn’t sell anymore but wow what an inspiration. My friend Nat (smallsomething) for her amazing talent, Susan (little*monkey) for her impeccable detailing, Jamie (jzcustoms) for the way her photos have the power to make me gasp, pbandj*creations for her fabulously funky boys sets and appliqué work and Servanne (monalisaboutique) for her groundbreaking work.

Do you remember your first design that went for the big $$$? How did you feel when you sold that set? It was this one here – it went for $143 and I just thought it was the most amazing thing – I was SO excited – the whole week I kept checking just to see the bid price. It was a dress, apron, hat, coat and stole!





Is there any advice you can give to designers that are wanting to achieve your selling level on eBay? I think the best thing you can do is to try and find your style and develop that. My most successful sets are always the ones with the most of me in them. Sure look at what sells but try and adapt that to your own personal style – I think that the most successful sellers on eBay have all developed there own unique style. Other than that it is just time and patience but it is a roller coaster ride for sure.

Do you notice that you have the same customers that are loyal to you, and give you repeat business, or are you constantly getting new customers? Most of my business comes from repeat customers. I try to look after my customers the very best I can – getting there sets to them as fast as I can and offering lots of fun little games, competitions and special offers for my mailing list customers


What is your favorite design you have created? Now THAT is a hard question. I don’t have one fav but out of my list of top 5 this is one of them


Who is your favorite fabric designer? Mmm whoever designed the range of French poplin dots – that person!
http://www.fabricbliss.com//SearchResults.asp?Search=french+dots&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

What is your favorite custom auction on eBay right now? Oooo fun! Um let me see…well it just finished but it would have to be this one



If you could max out your credit card at one store, what store would that be? mmmm I have very large feet so it would have to be a shoe store that sold funky but large shoes – I think I would have to fly to Germany first and then go shoe shopping!

What can we expect from you in the future? Lots more magical little girl sets, lots more ruffles, lots more twirl and lots more punk – oh and lots and lots of collaborations.


Click Here to see Cree's designs on eBay

Click Here to go to Cree's Etsy Store

***Cree is offering a 10% discount for any purchase through the month of May if you tell her you read her interview on the Boutique Buyers Blog***


Designing Minds Blog Is Back Up...

And running! For all you ladies out there who have missed it, go check it out! Click Here to go directly to this awesome blog!

Featured Auction Of The Day

Here is a cute one from DandelionAvenue!.

Who's At The Top...$$$

1. BowzNStuff_Boutique ~ "Firebird" ~ MeliMelo

2. PBAndJ*Creations ~ "He Says Mickey" ~ ATeam

3. Key*West*Kids ~ "Viking" ~ ATeam, M2MInc

4. Bayoubabe5 ~ "Puppet" ~ ATeam, M2MInc

5. Bellabebeco ~ "World Traveler" ~ StudioE