out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year! Well, I guess I should have said that a few weeks ago seeing as how it's almost February and I've been absent on the blog for quite a while. A LOT has happened in the 6 weeks since I've last blogged.

Here's a run down of the craziness:

We moved.
We decided to not renew our lease at our apartment. The house we were renting before the move to L.A. last year came back on the market and we couldn't pass us getting back into it. My parents own the house so they love when we live there (we take good care of the place!) and we get a great deal on an otherwise expensive house in a nice area. The only stipulation is that we only had a few weeks to pack up and move. 24/7 packing and moving = no time for blogging (plus no internet!). During this short time frame we also had to complete some minor renovations/painting in the new place (i'll share more on that later).

Changing up the blog/shop.
During the break from moving I thought a lot about the blog and my etsy shop. I've been thinking about how both have evolved since I started them, what I want them to be, and how my style, thoughts, and life are expressed here on the blog. I'll talk more about what I plan to do in another post, but lets just say there will be changes coming...

More babies.
Travis and I are beginning to talk about expanding out family with another child this year. We all know this is exciting (and kinda freaking me out!), it's going to be a lot more work, and just another change that 2012 will bring. A lot of my time lately has also been focused on throwing my BFF a baby shower for her 2nd child. Baby D is due in just a few short weeks, and the shower is right around the corner, and we all know how party planning can suck you into it's detailed death grip.

Apologies...
I dropped the ball on sharing with you what I received from my CHWH partner. Ugh, I feel so bad, but the timing was just...not good. I had everything out to photograph her great package and the next day it was all packed up. Sorry Lisa!

So this is where we're at. Another year gone by, but a new fresh start for 2012. I'm looking forward to this year!

boy bow tie bibs

So, I've mentioned recently that i've been sewing a TON for a boutique in town. I've been so extremely blessed that I've been given the opportunity to not only sell some of my Abstract Grace goods in the store, but collaborate with the store owner on some new items as well. 

I don't do a ton of sewing for boys, but my "Little Mr. Mustache Bibs" were a huge success in my Etsy shop, so I decided to work on a new design featuring bow ties! These babies aren't for Etsy though, they're exclusive right now to the retail shop The Bag Lady here in town, but I thought I'd share a few pics (sorry about the crummy iPhone photos) of them while I was finishing up the order. They turned out SO SO SO darling! I loved mismatching plaids with stripes, polka dots, and other fun boy patterns. 

It also got me thinking about how excited I am that my BFF who is preggers with her second child is having a BOY! I can sew boy things while living vicariously through her! Yay for little boys!

{play crowns!!!}

Often for me new projects come out of necessity. I'm constantly sewing for my little one, gifts for others, myself, for friends little ones, etc. I often try new ideas and try to put my own spin on classics. These play crowns came from the need for a birthday gift for a special soon to be 3 year old. I thought that she'd enjoy dressing up and pretend playing while wearing a unique accessory. The response I got was so sweet, I was encouraged to put a few up in the shop (HERE is the listing). So, if your little one wants a sweet dress up/imaginative play item they can have one too! 

Don't fret, boy crowns coming soon! 

Ella is modeling it here, but it has a nice cased elastic at the back so it's sure to fit them for years. Size wise, I'd say it fits 12 months to adult. (I can stretch it over my head). If you'd like to see a few other angles you can check out more pics of it HERE.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

{sew busy}

This picture says it all. And let me be quite frank, filling all my recent Etsy orders in a 900 sqft apartment, with a now crawling 8 month old is quite the task! None the less, i'm thankful for the business, and am slowly finding a rhythm to my sewing and filling orders in this new {and uber tiny} environment. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have this room back!

{where the boys are}

My "Little Mr. Mustache Bib" was featured in another Etsy Treasury. It's a great mix of items for boys, and is titled "Where the Boys Are". Check it out!

Top row, last item on the right. :)

Here's a picture that a customer sent in with her son wearing the 

"Little Mr. Mustache Bib". He's adorable in it!

{treasury!}

Just thought I'd share a recent Etsy treasury I was featured in...lots of my favorite things in this one...Anchors!

Second row, last item on the Right.

It's the Hello Sailor! Pink Striped Hair Clip! Yay!

{black friday coupon code}

Get a head start on your Black Friday Christmas shopping by using our coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10 at checkout for 15% off your total purchase from Abstract Grace! This coupon code is good starting today and running through the weekend (11/22-11/28). Don't wait, get started now!


CLICK HERE - Abstract Grace Store

{cowboy birthday part 1: invitations}

This is the first post in a series dedicated to the cowboy themed birthday party. A friend of mine mentioned that she is thinking about doing a western/cowboy theme for her son's first birthday, and I couldn't help but do some digging into some fun themed party items. Hopefully this gets the ideas flowing, so here we go! First off we'll do invitations. Here are the top three I liked:

Custom Cowboy Invitations by lillebarntoo

Cowboy Personalized Invitation by noahsmom0918

Western Cowboy or Rodeo Birthday Party Invitation by andersruff

Fun stuff huh? My fav is number 3. I think its the faux bois background {I just love anything faux bois}. Next up I'll be sharing my finds for items related to food, yum!

{cachabons & vintage}

I've been waiting patiently for nearly a month for a small package to arrive. These little cachabons are all the way from China, and aren't they amazing! The muted but vivid colors, the size {they're so tiny tiny}, they're just perfect! I got them from this amazing Etsy shop. Seriously this shop has the BEST stuff for jewelry and hair clip making ever, plus they are reasonably priced. The only negative, the turnaround time is rather long, but hey...it's coming from overseas after all.

I'll be adding these little beauties to some clips with other vintage trims, and bows. Remember my recent score at the thrift store? I have plans for those vintage notions, big plans. When i'm done I'll have 6 pairs of the cutest clips ever. I wont be posting them in the shop until after my boutique in November. So whatever {if anything} is left I'll put them up for sale then. And of course I'll be sharing the finished product with you all when they're completed!

{business cards...finally!}

Sooo...I ordered some business cards. I've been meaning to do it for quite a while now. I tried to get someone professional to do it for me, but the "gotta have it now" in me just couldn't wait. See, I have a boutique coming up next month and need some form of card to hand out. Plus, I'm always being asked about my site and store, but never have any thing to give anyone. You'd think someone with a masters degree in business would know the first step in self promotion! I just took my current logo and slapped it on, changed up the colors a bit, added my info and ordered them. They'll have to do for a first run. I used an online company and got 250 single sided cards made for less than $10.00, and that's INCLUDING shipping! I couldn't pass up such a great deal.

{giveaway!}

Some fun and exciting news for you all! Abstract Grace has teamed up with the fabulous blog Rags To Stitches Boutique for AG's first ever giveaway! Rags To Stitches Boutique is hosting the giveaway for us so be sure to check out all the lovely things there have over there as well. The giveaway runs Today {9/8} thru next Tuesday {9/14}. There are a variety of ways to enter and the winner gets a set of personalized name bead hair clips made by yours truly! Head on over to Rags To Stitches Boutique for all the details! Good Luck!

You could win these....{personalized of course!}

{manic sewing & baby legs}

I'm on a roll, a serious sewing kick. It's rather disturbing people, seriously. In the last week i've made about half a dozen baby dresses, nearly a dozen boutique burpies sets, and dozens of felt hair clips. I'm trying to build a decent stock for the shop, and hope that my endless sewing pays off...literally. I also have a few important meetings this week with some Southern California stores who will be stocking AG items {yay!}, so i'm feeling the pressure to sew and craft big time.

In addition to all the AG sewing i've made about 10 or so pairs of baby legs. They are made from adult socks, and every time i'm anywhere I end up buying a pair - they're always on sale! The prints they make for socks are perfect for cute little chubby baby legs. I even scored 4 pairs of Paul Frank socks {on sale!} that will be undoubtedly be my favorite of the bunch {no pics of them below, but I'll be sure to post some}.

Baby legs are quite possibly the cutest and easiest things to make for little ones. I think I enjoy this project so much because you can enjoy them on your child for quite a while. Anything that Ella doesn't grow out of in 6 weeks is a plus!

I've debated putting some of them up in the shop as well, but am not sure if I should. I feel like I have such a variety of items already that I may need to scale back a little on my selection. Hm, we'll see. Ella can't possibly wear all the pairs i've made her. Oh, and another great thing about baby legs is that both genders can enjoy them. The 3 blue pairs were a gift for a friend's darling little boy.

{Happy Thursday + Exciting News!}

I hope everyone is having a great Thursday. I know I am. I'm anxiously awaiting for the mailman, er...mail-person, to deliver a certain smart phone. (Yay iPhone!). I'll be tinkering around with my new toy the rest of the evening i'm sure, of course that's between feedings and dirty diapers.

On another note...I wanted to share with you all some great news! Abstract Grace currently sells items on Etsy, but soon we'll be available via retail store! The Seasons Gift Store in Diamond Bar, California is going to be stocking limited edition items. The Seasons Gift Store is located inside the Calvary Chapel Golden Springs building at 22324 Golden Springs Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. We're also working on selling items in a few other select retail stores in the Southern California area. We're verrrrrry excited about being able to sell via storefront!

If you don't live in the greater Los Angeles area, don't worry, you can always get your items via Etsy.

We also have some great things in store for you for September and October...I'll give you all a hint. "Giveaway." Stay tuned and Happy Thursday!

Abstract Grace on Etsy!!!

Ok, so this I am suuuuuuper excited to announce! Abstract Grace now (finally) has items in theEtsy store! And they are super adorable. I've been working hard to get them finished, and with a newborn in the house it took a little longer than expected, but I think you'll find that it was worth the wait. All items are handmade for women, children, and baby. You'll find hair accessories, baby goods, and items for most everyone! Check it out!

You can also find us on Facebook, Here.

{Etsy. Etsy, Etsy!}

I am soooooo excited about this next post.

I officially have an Etsy store! I'll be selling handmade items for women, children and baby. Over the next few weeks i'll be getting the store up and running, but you can still check it out in the meantime. Hopefully this new endeavor will result in more frequent blogging and an upsurge in my creative juices. Please visit the Abstract Grace Etsy Store (so excited to be typing that!) and in the meantime keep reading the blog and drool over this fine Etsy item from June Designs, I know I have...

Golden Heart Necklace