Friday, June 27, 2008

Share the love CONTEST

It's time to share the love!




Grab a designing minds banner and put it on your me page, blog, or website and then come back here and post a link to where you put it.


On July 15th, Designer Y will draw a name from the entries and the winning entrant will win a $25.00 gift certificate to Starbucks!


Designer Y is feeling the love
...are you?

Just in from Adagio Bleu Studios




Harajuku Heaven! A collaboration with a Japanese influence

Dates: July 7-14th

Search ABSD on ebay

Don't miss it!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Family-Friendly 4th of July Activities

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for fun things to do with my kids, especially for holidays. Designer Y has scanned the web and gathered up a bunch of fun activities and crafty ideas for you to do with your little ones for this fast approaching holiday weekend. Some of these are great for neighborhood activities too!




Hand Print Flag:
You Will Need
Large piece of mural or butcher paper
Non-Toxic, washable paints in red, white and blue

Directions: Lay out the piece of paper on a large flat surface such as a picnic table or sidewalk. Paint a large blue square in the upper left corner and allow to dry.
When dry, gently place children's hands in white paint and allow them to make handprint stars in the blue section. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, dry hands. Next allow children to take turns making red and white handprints in vertical lines to represent the stripes on the flag (don't forget, there are 50 stars and 13 stripes!). Allow mural to dry and then hang to display. (Children can also offer their "artist signatures" on the back or bottom right corner, add the date and you have a wonderful memory to cherish).

Fun with construction paper
To keep kids busy while Mom and Dad are busy grilling or for a quiet time break after swimming, break out the glue sticks and construction paper and let them go to work on this fun craft idea:

Red, White & Blue Windsock
You Will need:
Red, white and blue construction Paper
Glue Sticks
Red, and white crepe paper streamers
Star cookie cutter

Have child bend piece of blue construction paper into a circular tube and glue along the side to stick together. Trace stars using the cookie cutter shape onto white paper. Cut Star Shapes out and glue onto blue tube. Tear lengths of red and white crepe paper streamers and glue to inside bottom of the blue tube. Use a longer piece of streamer as a hanger (glue to inside top). Allow to dry and then enjoy!


Fun & Games
Patriotic Parade

Have a bike parade! Allow kids to decorate their bikes with red, white, and blue streamers and other patriotic decorations and then play some march music on a boom box and voila! you've got your own kiddie parade. Think about giving a prize for the most creatively decorated!


Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest

Place a piece of duct tape on the sidewalk and have kids stand in line with their watermelon in hand. When they approach the line, have them take a big bite and keep one seed in their mouth. Have a couple of adults at varying points on the sidewalk to watch how far the seed goes when spit. Measure with a tape measure. Give prizes for the longest, shortest and funniest seed spitter!

Ice Cream Eating Contest

Go to your local hardware or garden center and buy a new, plastic flower window box (about 2 1/2 feet long), Wash and dry carefully. Next fill with LOTS of ice cream and sundae making treats such as whipped cream, caramel, hot fudge, and cherries. Have two teams of kids (or families) and have contestants stand with their hands behind their backs. Blow a whistle to begin and watch the sloppy but delicous contest begin! The first team done wins. (Pepto Bismol might be a good idea following this one!)

Did you enjoy these ideas?
Would you like to see more of this type of "Mom" content on the Designing Minds Blog?

Did You Know. . .



Did you know there's a FREE section at You Can Make This?

FREE FREE FREE



Caught Designer Y's Eye


This one caught Designer Y's eye! Have you ever seen a cuter bunch of kids?

Ruffle Capri Sets

Ooh La La Mom!

The annual Hearts at Home conference is taking place in the mid-west this fall and it's time to reserve your tickets!
Hearts at home have been celebrating moms for 15 years! This organization encourages, educates and equips women in the profession of motherhood. This awesome conference focuses on encouraging stay at home moms to be the very best they can be. There are 200-300 workshops to choose from (depending on the location you attend).







Great Lakes Regional Conference
Grand Rapids, Michigan
October 3-4, 2008

North Central Regional Conference
Rochester, Minnesota
November 7-8, 2008

National Conference
Normal, Illinois
March 13-14, 2009

Moms Day International
Budapest, Hungary
Wiesbaden, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Spring 2009

Check out their blog and if you're planning on attending, be sure to enter the contest for the free lodging!

Selling on Etsy Tip

If you have an etsy shop, and are looking for sales, an awesome way to find people looking for what you make and sell is the Etsy ALCHEMY area.



Buyers can post requests for custom handmade items, and then sellers bid on the opportunity to make the goods. Please check out the Alchemy overview help guide and the rules for Alchemy before getting started.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Posh Paws

"Okay, I try to be a modest person but I'm pretty proud to be considered a "local celebrity". Check out the link, all the info is on the website. I'm at the bottom! This was alot of fun to be part of. We'll see how much $$$ my puppy brings in for the auction."
-Maria of The Pink Lemon


Click Here for Posh Paws


Congratulations!We're proud of you too!
We hope you pull in the big bucks for this good cause!

From 0 to 415 in 3 hours!

We're not talking about a race car...
We're talking about a design your own set offered by Servane
Barrau, (insert trademark symbol here aka the artist formerly known as monalisaboutique).

It started at ONE dollar and less than 3 hours later it's at $415. 00

Did I mention it's a two piece set?


CHECK IT OUT

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Photo Editing 101

Photo Editing 101
What NOT to do




Click on the picture to go to the listing that wins the photo shop "what not to do" with your paint brush tool award.

And to think some people work so hard on our photo editing...maybe they don't have to and it's really just a big waste of our time?

Lets Get To Know. . .

Let's get to know Linda from Allegro Fabrics!


Hi to all! I am excited to be here on Designing Minds! I am Linda, owner of a new on line fabric shop, AllegroFabrics. I live in Woodinville, a small city right outside Seattle, Washington. I live with my husband. We have 4 grown children; the oldest graduated from college and has a real job. Our three daughters are all in colleges in places with warm weather. We find many excuses to visit them.

I am the designer of LilyandEbony girls boutique clothing and a member of WisteriaLane Design Group.



How did AllegroFabrics come to be & What types of Fabric do you carry?

My love of designer fabrics and a desire to have collections readily available led me to atttend a regional fabric expo last Fall. I met with local representatives from the major fabric manufacturing companies. They provide sample swatches and let me spread them out so I can see the total palate. It is so difficult to make choices. By late December the first orders from the Expo came in. The selections were from Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, Robert Kaufman, Free Spirit designers like Heather Ross, Joel Dewberry, Dena Fishbein, Heather Bailey, Tina Givens, Jennifer Paganelli, and from Amy Butler, and MODA. It was like a second Christmas at my house!

I still didn't have a real website. In January I commissioned Timi Carl of Cinnamon Girl Studio to create my AllegroFabrics website. Timi designed all of the graphics in addition to setting up everything. It's a work of art; so beautiful and easy to navigate. A unique feature of the website is the inclusion of pictures of models wearing boutique handmade clothing by well known Etsy and Ebay designers. So many fabric shoppers have told me that these examples give them ideas and inspire creativity.


How do you order fabrics and how long does it take for fabrics to arrive after they are ordered?

I order well in advance of seasons. I placed orders for fall of 2008 in February. I make certain all new collections are shipped out just as soon as they are available, so customers can purchase them right away. I list them in AllegroFabrics and on Ebay under my ID *Allegro*, the same day the bolts arrive on my doorstep. I ship to my customers within 24 hours of their purchase.


What types of fabrics do you carry? Do you have any favorites and How do you learn about new lines coming in?

Most of the fabrics I carry are perfect for boutique fashion seamstresses. They are all cotton and of the highest quality. Since I buy so many different collections, it is really hard to say which are my favorites! It really changes all the time. I am drawn to the artistry and creativity of fabric designers from Free Spirit. They have new designers coming on board with fresh ideas. Sandi Henderson is one example. I spend quite a bit of time reading the websites and blogs of designers to learn about their new lines. It is so exciting to watch the trends and read about what inspires them.


Do you attend quilt market?

I drove from Seattle to Portland, Oregon for quilt market in May. Meeting the designers in person and seeing their new lines, booth displays and talking to them drew me closer to understanding their art.


Do you carry other items such as patterns and notions?

My main goal at quilt market last month was to find patterns to add to AllegroFabrics. I was successful! Next month I will have 4 or 5 fabulous pattern collections available. Look for the Apron Lady, Portabello Pixie, Oliver and S, Tina Givens Patterns, and Bananafana as well as a few others. I am busy sewing LilyandEbony examples of them to photograph. I think it will be a wonderful presentation of exciting styles with beautiful fabrics, expert sewing and amazing photography. I will be adding a new pattern collection every week in July.


Do you have any new products in you'd like to tell readers about?

I have new things added every 3 or 4 days. Last week I got Chloe's Imagination from Tina Givens, Clowning Around and Over the Rainbow from Robert Kaufman, and several Christmas items from Michael Miller. This week I have more Christmas items arriving, as well as Annabella (cute love birds!) from Tina Givens, and right after that is Sandi Henderson's new line, Farmer's Market. I ordered over 20 bolts of that one! In July a wonderful collection from Heather Ross called Mendocino (mermaids!) will arrive.


Do you have any sales or coupons or special offers currently available?

My customers receive email newsletters when new fabric collections and other items arrive. I have a Guest Book on AllegroFabrics web site. Anyone who signs it will receive the newsletter. New members who sign the guest book will get a personal email message with a special discount voucher for the next purchase. For your protection, I don't share email addresses with anyone...


Many thanks to all of my customers who continue to support AllegroFabrics and to Designing Minds for this interview opportunity.


Sincerely,
Linda Edson

When the cat's away....



The mice will **PLAY!!**

Designer X has packed up her catnip mouse and ball of yarn! She's hit the highway for her summer of doing shows at festivals and fairs.

So. . .Designer Y will be in the house for the summer!

Woot!

Buckle your seatbelts ladies, this should be a fun couple of months!

Monday, June 23, 2008

I am going on the Road

Be sure to keep checking back as I document my trip to Summerfest in Milwaukee I will check in with photos and tales of the festival,.
Designer Y will be taking the helm at the blog for Your basic blogging goods!
TTYSOON!!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Saturday, June 21, 2008

listing with .......


Cute,creative, and very well sewn.
AWESOME

Great use of Fabric

I love the vintage, patriotic look of this bag.
Made by
Seamsbycyndijo

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Not too early for Halloween

With a 4-5 week lead time on most sets
that brings us almost into Fall
"I didn't say that did I?
summer just started!"

Find the cutest set here

How it all began

I was so curious to find out how the SISBOOM launch got it's beginnnings I asked Heather of Adiago Bleu studios what the particulars were and this was her response.

Shelly asked me to write up a little blurb about how the Sis Boom Celebration came to be so I happily obliged!

Back in November of 2007, I was writing a series of articles for the Adagio Bleu Blog with a focus on textile designing. In the series of stories, I did interviews with Jennifer Paganelli and Joel Dewberry. You can read the original interview with Jennifer HERE.

The thing that most impresses me about Jennifer is her humble attitude and gratefulness. She has been so appreciative and she is so down to earth. A friend of mine was able to meet her at quilt market in Portland in May and said the same thing about Jennifer. She's always been easy to reach and cooperative to work with. The thing that I adore about her fabrics are the way she incorporates color, none of her lines are drab by any means, I think of Sis Boom and I think BOLD colors and prints.

During the course of our email exchanges I was honored as I got to know Jennifer and we stayed in touch through emails and blogging in the months following the interview.

When she told me about her new line of fabrics (bell bottoms) I asked if she would be interested in doing a launch showcasing her fabrics. So many people I know just adore her fabric lines (carried by free spirit) and although I don't sew, I know excellent quality and beauty when I see it!

Rather than just focusing on the new line of fabrics, I thought it would be fun to celebrate all of her fabric lines, and that we did. Jennifer and I talked about her actually participating in the launch and she jumped at the chance, she had a beautiful dress she designed from the Mod Girls line and sent it to me and told me to donate whatever it brought at auction to charity. It was then that I introduced her to my favorite charity, The Wounded Warrior Project. Jennifer loved the idea and even came and joined us on the guest board to say hello and thank everyone.
The auction is still running and you can view it here by clicking on the picture





Every cent goes to the wounded warrior project so please, stop by and take a peek.

It's such a pretty dress. It was modeled by the lovely Mallory with the wonderful pictures taken by her Mommy, Kacey of Maddie*Kate. They generously donated their time and talent to make this charity auction happen and we couldn't have done it without their help. (Thank you!!)

Throughout the launch, Jennifer has been so supportive and gracious. It's been a pleasure working with her on this launch and I've LOVED watching all of the talented boutique designers guesting with us create so many unique and different things from a variety of Sis Boom fabrics.

We'll be launching part deux of the Sis Boom Celebration on etsy on Thursday, June 12th, if you're an etsy fan, please search ABSD Sisboom in titles and tags for even more wonderful custom accessories and clothing created from all things Sis boom.

A fellow designer is in need

From OOH wee boutique

As many of you know I have a teenage handicap child, fortunately I have be able to care for her myself her entire life, but it may not always be that way. I may in the future need the services of a facility like Rosewood. I in fact have a family member whom resides there currently. So all I am asking is that you please take a moment of your time, to sign this petition to save Rosewood. Imagine if you need this type of assistance and it was no longer available!!

Save ROSEWOOD.com

If you can not access the website you are more than welcome to call Governor O’Malley at 1-800-811-8336 and tell him

DON’T CLOSE ROSEWOOD

DON’T PUSH THE MOST VULNERABLE OUT THE DOOR TO UNSAFE FACILITIES AND INAPPROPRIATE COMMNITIES

THE DECISION TO CLOSE ROSEWOOD WAS BASED ON BAD ADVICE!! LISTEN TO THE FAMILIES WHOSE LOVED ONES LIVE AT ROSEWOOD!!

Thankyou

Getting lucky on a resell


Painted piggies


Brings you this Great summer set
Picnics, fruits and ants
In your favorite picnic color

Need a buyers guide on Boutique clothing

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

6 digit resell

Gotta Love that "bidding process"

Won't read this in the classifieds


Ebay sellers from across the community
coming together with deep discounts
Be sure this is the Garage sale of the summer
YOU DON'T miss!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Daisies "flourish"


On this very summery
Black and Yellow set
click here

Graciebelldesigns is offering


Free Hair bow designs
to highest Bidder
But you must tell her
YOU saw it ON
"The Mind"
click here

Birdsongbows....

Do not kill the messenger

A READER ASKED!!
PollPub.com Vote
Deco jeans
still in on the way OUT OUT

View Results

Poll powered by PollPub.com Free Polls

Monday, June 09, 2008

Starts June 8th




Just listed for the Roxy & Rocco "Picnic in the
Park" Launch! Custom Sizes.

Please click on the picture
to visit the auction.

Looks Delicious!!!
Find this yummy set here!

Saturday, June 07, 2008

p tigerlily

Here
and
HERE

FREE shipping when you tell her YOU saw them on
"The Mind"

Friday, June 06, 2008

sis Boom keeps on keepin' on




Thursday, June 05, 2008

what would you like

to see in novelty prints?? for kids.
desingingminds want to know

do YOU really care...

when one of your groupies get NAR'ud
or does it secretly fill you with glee!!!

surprise, surprise!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

First Kiss

another beautiful trinket


for SisBoom
catch it here from
Dream'N'color

Sunday, June 01, 2008

WHO IS Jennifer Paganelli

" Jennifer Paganelli has a charmed memory of her childhood in the sparkling blue Caribbean, a successful background in commercial textile sales in New York City, and a love for all things beautiful, vintage and playful. Her twin brother nicknamed her "Sis Boom" as a child, and when it came time for Jennifer to turn fancy and ability into a business, Sis Boom was created- a baublelicious collection of home and personal accessories. Sis Boom is regularly featured in Country Living Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day and numerous other publications.Jennifer has been a featured guest on television decorating shows, has conducted workshops -most recently for ABC Carpet & Home in NYC, and her vintage-ornament Christmas wreaths have graced the window of the American Folk Art Museum in NYC. She has also contributed to special events, style shoots, weddings and parties with custom-designed Sis Boom products."
AND NOW???
she joins Adiago Bleu studios as Guest Designer

It's ALL about SIS Boom this week!!!


Find it here!!
Brought to YOU by The Gumdrop*shop
If you need accessories...... LOOK NO FARTHER

than

Daisy Head Maisy
available here

"THE" Jennifer Paganelli Dress

is now listed, It was designed by
Jennifer Paganelli herself..
.it's up and y'all should go bid on it

because I've seen it up close,
and TOUCHED it and it's AMAZING!!!

...RUNNNNNNNNNNN, don't walk........RUNNNNNNNNNNN!!

LOL!!! It's only $.99 w/NR too!!




PLEASE check out this wonderful dress,
it's a charity listing with
100% benefitting Wounded Warrior Project!!

Need a personal MOM for the day??


So, what about this?
It just keeps getting weirder on ebay doesn't it?


Does your child need a new wardrobe?

Here's 2 recent successful auctions for wardrobes


Country*Chick*Boutique 9 boutique sets, 18pcs for fall sold for $450.00



RenaissanceAngel, 18 pieces for best offer of $550

What do you think about wardrobe auctions?

It's custom BOUTIQUE....made by DesigningMINDS
NO fluff, NO interviews, NO ADS...JUST the Facts...the way it was intended............