Fabulous Girl Clothing

Sweet Success!

2012-02-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

I know this is probably silly, but I was so excited last night when my favorite big brown truck pulled up for another delivery. (Yes, it was again the UPS man. It turns out I actually have several of them.) I've been on the edge of my seat just waiting for what he was carrying up to the door...my very first order of custom buttons! I know, what a dork, right? Like who truly gets excited over buttons? Anyone out there besides me? Here they are!

Am I goofy? I don't really think so, well maybe a little. I really am excited to finally get these little babies in my hands. I had them custom matched to this piece of pink velvet that you see in the background...a perfect match! I just love them. Ah, sweet success with my first order of buttons. You wouldn't believe how many I had to order! Lots and lots and lots, but that's okay, this pink is my signature color for FGC, so it's all good.

I must admit, these fabulous little roundies do have me wondering what this means to me professionally though. Ya know, does this mean I have "arrived" somehow now? Do custom buttons make me official with what I'm doing with my little line? Or does it just mean that I'll be sewing pink buttons on everything for the next umpteen years? I have a great feeling about this...there I go again, silly, silly me! Can custom buttons actually validate a person's efforts?

Speaking of sweet success...remember at the end of my last post I said I had a special little gal that I was going to walk in the sunshine with? Well, here she is in action. My little Liliana:

Sidenote: that is "baby-baby" in the pink pram. Yep, that's her official name per Lili! Original, right? but, it works around here.

Girl, oh girl! am I ever glad I took the time out of my day to be present here. The sunshine was beautiful, the warmth felt so good, I can't even tell you how good! And before you know it, Whitney and little Chloe arrived and joined us...what a fun afternoon filled with some of my favorite youngsters.

All I can say now as I'm looking back at the last week in pics, is this was just the icing on the cake for my day...talk about sweet success!

Should this be my new Mantra?

2012-02-23T13:08:00.000-05:00

So for some reason I continue to be surprised at how busy I am ALL the time and truly how little down time I have. Yesterday I made myself sit down for like 15-20 minutes! I never do that, if you personally know me, you know that is the truth. I mean what do I do all day long that I literally don’t stop moving around until I go to bed? Shouldn’t I at least have the benefit of weighing a whole lot less with all this motion and busyness…no such luck, darn! I have to feed the machine (I hate being hungry, it so stinks!!) I’m constantly busy, trying to fit everything in and get all my stuff done. Don’t get me wrong…I must love it because I just keep doing it, right? I know (just like Brian points it out to me every time I get on this kick) that

I would be so bored, like beyond bored!

if I did things any other way. I know it’s true. He’s right.

However, I do think this little quote below from a Jim Elliot is for now on going to ring true with me. I found it on the lovely Pinterest and I’m not exactly sure who he is/was, but I like the quote. At least that is my goal, my new mantra!

Wherever You Are…

Be All There.

I hope those that know me hold me to it. I’ve been practicing it as of late and it really does feel good. I feel more balanced and the Lord knows I need balance…I mean I am a Libra, ya know! Balance rules my world.

. I think when all is said and done my full presence will be the biggest present of all not only to my children, but especially to myself.

So on that happy little note, I’m signing off as I have a special little gal that I’m going to walk in the sunshine with!

Wherever You Are…

Be All There.

Catching Up in a Hurry!

2012-02-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Good morning, girls! Wow, how time flies when you're totally busy and can barely catch your breath! oh, that's not how the saying goes, is it? Well, that's how my saying goes for right now. I really don't have the time to do this blog post right now, but I just feel like I need to and I want to say "Hi. How are you all doing?" Plus, I thought I'd send out a little picture update. If nothing else, it amuses my girls' grandparents...so that's a win in my book.

So, what I'm going to do is start posting some pics ALL the way from Dec. 2011 and bring this blog up to present day (yes, it seems like I haven't updated since before the dawn of time-lol!) There is just too much going on for me to write about it all, so here you go...

Ready to sing some carols to the neighbors...

Jingle all the way!

Here I have the gang helping me prepare the apples for the pie I always bake for my Daddy. It's a pretty good set up...they typically peel and cut the apples, I add the spices and make the flaky crust and voila! my Dad and Brian have a fresh baked apple pie to share. Yes, Brian loves when my folks visit...he always get a fresh apple pie, at least by default :)

Ahhh, our La La's 6th birthday! I love the missing teeth, so cute!!

Now onto the next celebration, New Year's Eve. The girls LOVED the "pops" of confetti. Nothing like celebrating the New Year at 9:00pm, right?

Oh my, have we ever come a long way...next year a New Year's Eve bash is on the to-do list, just like I used to throw every year...oh, yeah!

And on to New Year's Day with our traditional making wishes and cracking open our Gingerbread house hoping for some extra hidden candies inside...

Our lovely Gracie girl decided to get her hair cut in bob and then donate it. I'm so proud of her! (mental note to mom: time to mail in her hair to the charitable foundation!!) Isn't that a cute cut on her. I have to admit, although I do think it's darling on her, I really do miss doing her long hair. We have lots of girly fun with all of our "hair do's". Gotta love being a girly girl!

You'll never guess where we're off to in the pic below. Here's a clue for you: look at the print on the girls' skirts.

You guessed it! We're on our way to the circus...big, BIG fun!! We were debating on going or not and I'm so glad we took them . We all had a ball! Brian and I both took such delight in their delight, truly. What a treat that was!

Before going into the Savannah Civic Center, we just had to stop and make a wish. So cute (or at least I think so). "A penny for your thoughts", right?

Yep, circus success at it's BEST! Isabella chose the circus hat filled with a huge bag of cotton candy. It lasted all of about 5-10 minutes, I think. It was tasty and took me back. That child loves cotton candy!

Oh, to be a kid again...Did we really pay $12 whole dollars for a snocone? Yes-sir-eEE! we did and not once, but TWICE! It's a really good thing that they're only little once :) We're enJOYing every moment that we can.

At the risk of boring you all completely out of your minds, the picture show must go on...

This pic below is just because I'm so amused at how much Isabella and Liliana look alike! They actually look so much like Brian. It's a good thing he's so cute is what I say!!!:)

Now onto super jammed, fun-filled, party rockin' weekend...

Here as you can see, we took Isabella and Charlotte girl to Charleston to see Mary Poppins. I'm soooo glad we took them as it was absolutely a FANTASTIC performance by all! I think the girls will forever remember going to see it and I'm so happy, truly happy, that we were able to take them their first Broadway show. I always made sure that I took my older kids too, at least once in a while for a big, big treat. Guess what? They all totally remember going and appreciate Broadway shows. I love that! That in itself makes me happy, happy, happy. Now I hope for the same for my little ladies.

I know they loved it, plus we came out of there with a live CD of the musical, an official Mary Poppins umbrella for Charlotte and two Mary Poppins carpet bags for Isabella and Liliana. Yep, it's true. They made out like bandits, but somethings you just can't go back and re-do, so we indulged them greatly that night. We'll keep it low key for a while now, but it was so worth it!

So now we're on to Miss Chloe, my new grandbaby. Here she was helping me with the laundry before her Sip and See baby shower. I gave her her first "basket ride" all wrapped up in warm flannel sheets. She took the best nap ever! She slept right in front of me in the kitchen as I was preparing food for her shower. So sweet, don't you think? She loved it, just like all of the other babes have around this house. I started the "basket rides" when Isabella was a baby...and I'm still doing them!

Here are my good and wonderful girlfriends, Jen and Joanna, holding Chloe a bit later at the Sip and See. I know: cute, cute, cute!

The party weekend continues with our annual Valentine's Par-tay! Brian and I host a Vday party each year for our closest friends and we just have a ball! It's really corny, actually, as I have games and prizes, etc., but we all have a really good time. Oh, yes, let's not forget my rasberry flirtinis that I make every year...they always help to make the party fun. Brian's kegerator just happened to be a big hit with the guys, too. Go figure, right? Okay, so what a lame-O pic of the party. I'm awful of taking pics at parties because I'm always having too much fun and playing hostess, ya know?

The fun continues the next Monday when the girls get a surprise package in the mail from Grandma Marge. More on that later because I think it's going to get a whole post of it's own by month's end...it's super cool is all I'm gonna say. Just look at the anticipation on the girls' faces!

The girls' latest favorite pastime, a good soak in a warm bubble bath. Yep, it's true. They might look more like their Daddy, but they're definitely mine! There's nothing better than a good, relaxing soak in the tub...or should I say a bubble party in the tub in this case?

Oh, let's not forget my latest show. I was in Savannah recently for the "Made in the South" Spring art fair/show. It was a really good show for FGC. I was so happy to see even more of my regulars come out to find me at the show. Thank you ALL! Below is a pic of my booth and one of my new hostess aprons. It's similar to the one I sent to Miss Paula's camp, yes, as in Paula Deen. Come on Miss Paula, CALL ME! Her editor requested some samples from my line some time ago, but I haven't heard back yet. I'm waaiiitttting. I know these things can take several months or even up to a year to come to fruition, but I want to talk to Miss Paula sooo badly. I just love her! She's know in our home officially as "Miss Paula Deena", compliments of Isabella from when she was like two! Anyhoo, I have coordinating dish gloves and ruffled tea towels now. Warning: they're super cute, girls!

Okay, who is bored yet? Is anyone still reading? Did you have to get up and take a break or what? I need to, but I won't. I want to wrap this up as I have much, much to do today.

Now onto St. Valentine's Day. Here is my bunch, minus my boy. I always miss him so at times like this. He did call me though. He's still my valentine, just like when he was little...now, that made my whole day!

Forgive Isabella with the familial "blinking eyes syndrome". She totally gets it from me. Yes, it's true-lol.

Now you're wondering what else made my day? Well, let me show you what Brian surprised me with. Hint: it came in a small box tied with a pretty bow. You wanna know something? As soon as I saw that, I already knew I liked what was inside! Those are always the good presents, that 's my motto (well, one of them anyway).

He gave me a Daa glass heart necklace, a ruby colored one. I LOVE it (how appropriate, I know with it being Valentine's Day and all, but it's true). It's pronounced day-uh. Check out this artist's site HERE. Pretty cool, right?

Now I really, really must sign off as I've spent the last TWO hours blogging and updating my good people. I sincerely hope I haven't bored you to tears! If you had to take a break, I understand. So much for "catching up in a hurry". Maybe I should dub this "power blogging". Just a thought.

I feel like I need a break before I start my work on some custom outfits for a magazine cover that is due in two days....wish me luck and happy sewing!!!

(my apologies for any typos)

Super Cool Giveaway Goin' On!

2012-01-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

Hey, girls! There's super cool giveaway goin' on over at

Forty Toes Photography by Jennifer for

the cutest little shop called

The Snootie Pig

the gal over there makes the most adorable headpieces and accessories!

You must check her out, ladies!!!

P.S. this gorgeous little gal is the daughter of Jennifer from FT...could she be any more adorable???? I can hardly wait for her to model some of my pieces!

1000 + Fans Winner!

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Congratulations

!!!Amber Hewitt!!!

You’re the lucky winner of our

Signature Fabulous Tee!

Please message me the size you’d like,

Ladies small, medium, or large

Thanks for playing along and celebrating with us!!

Rachel@FabulousGirlBoutique.com

Fashionably Late!

2012-01-03T02:04:00.000-05:00

Arrrggh...I'm late in wishing you all a splendid New Year. I feel so bad about that! I did manage to post this pic on facebook as it seemed so appropriate. Living on the islands in SC, this pic seemed just perfect and I love the whole idea of the water washing away the past and starting fresh and clean. 2011 was a good year for me, good for us as a family, but it was just really packed with a LOT going on, ups and downs. I know that's completely normal, but I have to admit that we basically ended on a few really big downs. Bummer, I know all too well!

I won't bore you all to tears with the details of our downers, but I will share with you that I've personally learned a very valuable lesson regarding my health: NOT to take it for granted...

E-V-E-R!!!!!

With the exception of giving natural childbirth, I can honestly say that I've never been in so much physical pain than after I had my back surgery. Thank the Lord, I really am feeling better and stronger every day, but it has been really, really rough and I hit a few lows that I hadn't planned on staring in the face...it was like:

SUPRPRISE!

but in a cruddy way.

So what is the upside you're wondering (believe me I was too for several days, more like a few weeks). I learned that I indeed need to slow down and re-prioritize what I'm doing with my life and my time. Something major, I mean major, has been missing for a few years now, probably longer in truth. I never take time to take care of myself. How awful is that??? I know us women do it all too often. It's like I knew it, but I didn't realize to what extent I wasn't tending to my own needs, big things and the little things. That's not exactly the example I want to set for my girls, either. Or what I had ever planned on doing or being like. Ya know, like recently when I caught a peek of myself in the mirror, I caught myself wondering "who is that girl?" I wanted to say "excuse me, do I know you from somewhere? You look vaguely familiar." Ironically, it seems I get caught up in all my loves, but not myself at all. Oh my gosh, I'm rambling. You get it though, right? It happens all too often and I need to put a stop to it and listen to my body and take better care of myself on all fronts. I know I'll feel so much better. It all goes hand in hand.

All that mumbo jumbo being said, this down time has an upside and has enabled me to wrap my head around my 2012 Spring line...I'm so excited for it all, I must admit. I just know it's really going to be FAB! I'm so addicted to fabric, as you know, and I have to say that I really love what I've come up with so far. If only I could get ahead of schedule, oh! if only I could get that part of all of this figured out, I know I'd be beyond thrilled!!! I've had the bulk of my fabrics since October and it's like when I have mad money burning a hole in my pocket. I just can hardly wait to get to it and whip up some super cute pieces...even if I'm behind schedule and my fashions are a bit late. I think you'll love them just as much as I already do! I have to say they look great on paper and in my head!! Gotta start somewhere, right?

So to "wrap" up this late Holiday post, I hope you're good with me being a bit late in wishing you all a Blessed and Happy 2012!

xxxx's

Oh, What fun it is to Believe!

2011-12-19T20:26:00.001-05:00

Hey, girls! Just checking in to say I'm trying, believe me! I had a little back surgery last week and it's really putting a damper on my usual decorating and Merriment. I'm sure we'll get it together just in the "Nick" of time!! (yes, I know, dorky me. I totally intended the pun, just couldn't resist.) Besides, I have my two favorite elves here helping us out...my mommy and daddy :)!

My mom took over tree duty, which the girls loved. I woke up Sunday morning to the sweet sounds of their merry little voices talking about where to put the next green bulb. So cute! I hope I never forget what their little girl voices sound like!!

Lauren and Owen stopped over to visit with Grandma & Grandpa. My dad was on entertainment duty with Owen. Owen was quite amused with hanging the bubble wand off of their noses! It just so happens that Owen was named after my dad. They share the same middle name, Arthur. Isn't that sweet? It's so fun to see them together. It's actually really fun to see him with any or all of his great-grand parents. What a neat thing for him. He's the first grand baby for us and it's really cool to see the generations gather around like last summer at my Whitney's wedding. What a very lucky little fellow he is!

We've been busy with Snowy, our elf on the shelf...love him. We're having a ball with him! What a great concept. Brian and I enjoy

Snowy as much as our little girls do, I'm sure. Last night after reporting back to Santa, he landed in our Christmas Tree. This morning when the girls woke up the "Snowy Hunt" was on, as it is every morning. They thought it was the funniest thing ever to find him sitting in our Christmas tree! Oh, what fun it is to "BELIEVE"!

It's a Holly Jolly Christmas!

2011-12-10T13:44:00.050-05:00

It's the best time of the year!

Lot's of hustle and bustle, it's so fun & joyous. The excitement is literally in the air...I can feel it. Can you? Doesn't it feel good? There is nothing else like it and it cannot be duplicated any other time of year. Celebrating Jesus' birthday is a wonderful thing.

Oh, ho the mistletoe, hung where you can see...

I love teaching our little girls and reminding our big girls and boy of the real reason 'tis the season. We're thoroughly enjoying our Elf on the Shelf, Snowy! Wow, do I ever wish we would've had a

Snowy when my big kids were little. The wonderment, adventures, anticipation, and excitement are nothing shy of really being

wonder-FULL!

How is this for wonderful? I met a new friend recently, Jennifer, of
Forty Toes Photography and she has offered to help me out by hosting this year's Holiday Apron Giveaway! I'm so excited about this. Her facebook page is awesome and her blog is so cool!! This gal really has it together. Oh, plus she's a mommy of 4 children...hence "Forty Toes"! Isn't that so cute? Her page and blog are so much fun to follow and read...lots of hustle and bustle over there for sure.

So you just saw my Holiday Hoot Apron! What do you think? I love it and think it is so, so cute and fun! I'm not sure if I even have enough to keep one for myself or not, but that is just fine with me. It is so much fun for me to pass on the Joy & the Jolly! Wanna know a little secret? I even have these in child size too, super cute! I'm tellin' ya! They were a big hit at the Holiday Market I went to a few weeks back.
So anyHOOT! What do you say you skip on over to Forty Toes Photography and get in on the fun right HERE! It's fun, it's Fabulous, and it's FREE to the winner!!

(I just had to show you a close up of this Fabulous necklace from Grace and Glory. I treated myself to it this past summer. G &G is a fantasic little boutique here in Beaufort that offers the high quality fashions and gifts. They are so helpful in there, it's really a pleasure to shop there. I'll have to blog about them one of these days, the girls are great in there!)

Oh, by golly

have a holly, jolly Christmas this year!

Hello Fabulous!

2011-11-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

Do ya'll remember this little gal? She is the one who won our first annual "Miss Fabulous" photo contest! On the blog I'll refer to her as Miss A. Isn't she so pretty? She's a natural at this modeling stuff. I figured who better to show off our limited line of super cute ruffle pants than her.

"Hello, Fabulous!" is what comes to mind when I saw her doing this shot. She looks so comfortable in front of the camera, very confident...really fabulous, don't you think? Not to mention, I really love these chevron stripe pants!

Above, she's sporting a bit of a fun and funky pairing of our strawberry stripe ruffles with one of our very versatile pillowcase tops. These little tops are great. They can be layered for when it's cool out or can be worn solo in the warmer seasons. I love that! Besides the cutey factor, that makes it a great value all on it's own. Mama of six here loves that for sure! I'm always thinking like a consumer and trying to find the best value in the items I make and purchase.

Let's not forget that this little top "grows" with your girl, too. The tie is adjustable, which make is very wearable for multiple seasons, yay!

These shots turned out so good of her that I had to show her off with mutliple pics of the same outfit. I hope you like them as much as I do. This shot above shows something that I just love about the ruffle pants: the fludity of the pant leg (it's especially great on my knit ruffle pants, they really flow!). The movement in the ruffle reminds me of a little girls skirt "swishing" as she's playing and skipping about. Have you ever noticed that? I think when I'm out and about with my own girls, it is that swishing that catches so many people's eyes and then the rest of the outfit. What do you think? pay attention and see the next time your little gal dons a pair of these!

Now that she's looking so cool and relaxed, I'm going to sign off . I need to stay cool and relaxed as I have a very packed day. I have some monogramming to get kicked out, steaming, organizing, and packing to do all before I pick my girls up from school today. Tomorrow I hit the "big time" in Columbia at the Jr. League's

Holiday Market

...5 days of shopping bliss. I can hardly wait to check it all out myself. I'll take my camera so I can report back to you here. I'll share all the goodies I find with you:)

Until next time... have a

Fabulous Day!

Merriment is on it's way!

2011-11-26T18:40:00.001-05:00

Okay, so Merriment of the Season is really underway around here. Our lovely neighbors, Jen and Scott, have really just out done themselves and put the pressure on-lol. Their porch and front door look so festive, warm, and welcoming. Lauren, my oldest daughter, announced just a bit ago on Facebook that she has their tree up and decorated! To top it off, another neighbor just drove past our house sporting a freshly cut, real tree! Oh, the pressure...

I know I shouldn't fret as I have yet to miss a Christmas done up in style and to the hilt, but this year just seems so packed and busy already. I used to go crazy with it all, but now have reeled myself in quite a lot so as not to drive myself mad. Do you know what I mean? I'm the kind of girl that can get really wrapped up in the details (and bogged down by them, too). That just isn't always a fun and festive way to feel, right? I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I've come to the conclusion that I don't really, really have to knock myself out to some crazy extent. Maybe becoming a bit older and a lot wiser really is a good thing. Check this: I actually declined baking homemade pies for the teachers this year for Thanksgiving!!! It about killed me to say no, but my plate was just too full this year and I decidecd to be very mature and responsible and do the right thing. And for me and my family, the right thing to do was not bake this year for that occasion. The teachers are wonderful and much appreciated, but I said no and it actually felt good...in the end bringing myself and my own family more merriment! Make sense? Oh, I'm just such a big girl now :)

Yes, indeed, Merriment is on it's way in so many forms. Lots of prep going on here and our ornaments will soon be out and we'll be decking these halls in no time!

Stay tuned as I'll be posting very soon a fun and festive giveaway that you won't want to miss. Just think...a little "Fabulous Merriment" of your very own could soon be yours, so get ready to round up your gal pals and be prepared for a little contest !!

We're off, we're off...

2011-11-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

We're off to make new friends! (just sing along to the Wizard of Oz tune) Very soon we'll be heading over to Columbia,SC to make new friends, meet lots of great gals, and help raise some much needed funds for charity by setting up shop there for a bit. I've been told by so many gals that frequent my booth and shop my collections that this show is a "must do". Quite honestly, it cost a very pretty penny to participate in, so my fingers are crossed really hard that it's a great time and a great show for FGC and everyone that visits the event! There is a lot of excitement around this event, a lot of aniticpation of a really fun time for all.

We're off, We're off, We're off to some Fabulous Shopping!

I think we're going to have a ball over there. My Whitney is going with me to help out. This show is really quite an "event" from what I understand. It's a 5 day deal! It goes from morning 'til night on the first two days. The gals of the Jr. League host a Preview party on night one and a Ladies Night Out on evening two...bar and all. Everyone should be quite Merry indeed! Oh, and on Friday evening, they host PJ's with Santa!! I'm thinking these gals over in Columbia really know how to throw a party and raise some funds $$$ for their cause!

Being in a Merry Mood myself, FGC will be offering

SPECIAL EVENT PRICING ON EVERYTHING!!!

This is our last show and big selling opportunity of the year. I'd like to go out with a "bang" , decorate your Holidays with some beautiful clothing and gifts, and "ring" in the New Year on a Merry note for us all. Be sure to check out our website,

Fabulous Girl Clothing

and catch yourself a merry little sneak peek of what I'll have there. I wish I had the time to put everything on my site to show you, but frankly, I just don't. I'll try to post some other goodies to give you an idea of more FABULOUSNESS to come!

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll!

2011-11-24T11:27:00.001-05:00

Wishing you and yours a Fabulous Thanksgiving! May it be filled with laughter, your favorite people, delicious food, and gratitude for so many wonderful blessings.

Are we there yet?

2011-11-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

I feel like such a little kid...I just keep thinking and asking myself, "Are we there yet?"

Are we "where" you ask...well at the Christmas Made in the South show, of course. This is my first true Holiday show to kick off FGC's Holiday season. So, that being said, I'm super excited. It feels like tomorrow is never going to get here (that's opening day of the Holiday shopping extravaganza!)

Christmas Made in the South

My big goal is to get down there early enough to do some shopping myself. Yep, that's right! I absolutelly love shows like this. I have to set a $ budget for myself or I could just go crazy with it all. This is nothing like hum-drum "mall shopping". These are few of a kind, original pieces. It is such a treat to see all of the artwork and craftmanship. There are so many different medias. It's super fun to see what all other people are skilled at doing and what they think up. I'll for sure let you know how the show goes .

You know it...I'll keep you "posted" and let you know if we're there yet!!

Are We FAMOUS Yet?

2011-11-10T17:52:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm on such a natural high right now! My pieces were just shown on TV for the first time this morning!! They were bragged about on an ABC station out in AZ by a great gal by the name of Valery. I'm pretty sure that if we lived closer, we'd be good friends. She is new for me to work with and I'm really liking her! I'm so excited, I can't even tell you.

These are a few of the aprons that were featured on the segment. I'd show you the Holiday aprons that also made the cut, but I think you've seen them before. Plus, you can see them all on the link below!
Speaking of Holiday aprons...did I tell you I'll be debuting a new Mommy/Daughter apron duo for the Holidays? It has ruffles and is super cute. I've put together a great fabric combo full of such fun colors for you girls to don this coming Holiday season. I'll post those as soon as I can get them photographed, I promise!

Well, my feet are now wet as my sweet Isabella asked me,

"Are we famous yet?"

!Check it out right here!

Do You Hear those "Jingle Bells"?

2011-11-08T21:22:00.000-05:00

We sure do here at Fabublous Girl Clothing as we're preparing for a "Jubilant" Holiday Season.

So much is in the works. I can hardly wait to share it all with you. For right now I'll give you some sneak peeks of "Jubilant" our 2012 Holiday line. Are you loving these pieces as much as I am? I'm really tickled with how these turned out...just like I had envisioned.

Fun, Fresh, & Festive!

Before we know it, we'll all be...

Dashing through the snow

&
Making spirits bright

What fun we'll have as we laugh and sing

on a Festive Holiday night!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way!

These are a few of my favorite things....

2011-11-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

Feeling Merry? We sure are here at Fabulous Girl Clothing. It's 'tis the Season time! Let all the planning, prep, and parties begin with our new Holiday fashions. Do you have a happy little song in your head right now...sing along with us!!

Girls in bright dresses,
What pretty little lasses,
Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
Jubilant fun winters,

That melt into Spring,
These are a few of my favorite things . . .

Jubilant! Is the word that came to mind when I was designing my Holdiay 2011 collection. I'll have these fun pieces ( & more) available on my site very soon. Stay tuned as you won't want to miss your chance to grab these very limited pieces!

Please find us on Facebook! Be sure to "like" us...we LOVE new fans!! Oh, and tell your friends aboout us, too! You could be the lucky winner of our signature "Fabulous Girl Tee"...good luck to all and all a Good Night!

Boo! said our Roaming Gnome...

2011-11-02T16:59:00.001-04:00

Let me just say "thank you" for humoring me by checking out this post. I just couldn't resist. My Liliana was just so funny on Halloween Eve! She absolutley refused to have her picture taken as you can see in the first picture...no cute little gnome with our "China Bride" and Lovely Ladybug. She was definitely MIA and on the run...from the camera that is!

We were much more successful with our Grandbaby Gnome, though. We were certain he wouldn't have a thing to do with sporting the beard, but much to our surprise he actually kept it on long enough for a full round of pics!

So, I'm sure you're asking yourself the burning question of the day:

"Just where is the roaming gnome?" Well, we spotted her in her natural habitat, apparently where she is the merriest little gnome ever,...in the lovely thicket near our home.

Yes, indeed, as night was falling the sweet little gnome made a grand appearance and frolicked about her woods.

We tried our best to be sly and not let her see us watching her, however, she was just too irresistibly cute and charming not to be drawn in by her playfulness.

Yes, our little roaming gnome even went so far as to in turn humor us with a delightful little game of hide and seek!

Peek a Boo!

Hope you all had a gloriously fun Halloween like we did!!

Signature "Fabulous Girl Tee" Up for Grabs!!

2011-11-01T19:24:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's CONTEST TIME!

Hi, Girls! Kicking off a contest to see who can bring us the most new fans to really get my new FB page hoppin' before the Holiday's. If you haven't "liked" my new page yet, then you can come on over and you will count too .You can find the link below.

Here's the scoop:

1. Our signature "Fabulous Girl" tee is up for grabs! It's absolutely FREE & available in girls or ladies sizes, your choice should you win.

2. Tell your friends and family about Fabulous Girl Clothing.

3. Ask them to "like" our page and have them leave a comment with your name, so I know who sent them over.

4. The winner must refer a minimum of 10 friends.

5. Contest ends this Sunday, November 6th. The winner will be announced Sunday evening.

You can see how easy it is to be Fabulously cute in one of these tees or tanks~ the perfect piece for girls of all ages!

See you all over at Fabulous Girl Clothing.
Good Luck and have fun spreadin' the love of Fab!

Happy Fall Y'All!

2011-10-28T12:35:00.002-04:00

Yikes! I've been away for a long time this time...sorry! I've been busy, busy per my ususal. Lots always going on here. Thought I'd bring you up to date with some pics of our happenings. EnJOY!

We had to have our annual visit to the church's pumpkin patch. Does everyone come home with a trunk load of pumpkins and such or is it just me? Now that we moved, I actually have two porches to decorate and my littles to buy for. So, before I know it, I've spent a small fortune on pumpkins!

The good news about that is that I can use them to decorate with for the entire Fall season, not just Halloween. Pumpkins have become so cool to me for some reason. I think it's that as I get a bit older, I'm appreciating each season more and more. It used to be that I was strictly and Spring and Summer gal, with Spring being my absolute fave because of all the beautiful Spring flowers blooming.

However, now I've learned to love the color orange, just like my Whitney has for e-v-e-r. Aren't all the shades of Autumn and textures so pretty and interesting? I really think SO. Speaking of Whitney, here she is below on her 21st birthday surrounded by all of her sisters wishing her a grand birthday. Ah, all my girls together at one time...I love it! If only my boy had been here for the pic, too, right? Good news!!! He's actaully here this weekend for Halloween and guess what??? Yep, I'm gettin' myself a snapshot for this year's Christmas card with ALL my babies in it!!! I'm so excited, you have no idea. I'm happiest when they are all here. Yes, it can get totally crazy, like what you might see in a movie sometimes, but it's my life and I love it!

Sneak Peek below: you guessed it! The self proclaimed

"Spray Paint Queen" is at it again. I'll keep you posted on that hot mess soon. Decorating is always in the works around here...at least in my mind, anyway-ha!

Remember I said we have two front porches, one is around the corner on the other side of the house. Funny when we get company or deliveries, we never know which door to answer! It's kind of funny to watch the girls in motion. So here is our main front door, "Harvest Ready", Sept. thru Nov. More pumpkins and urns, & mums are on the other set of steps and set up a little bit differently, but coordinates, of course! I so wish I was a better photographer and yes, we have lots more pumpkins now that have filled in on the steps after a few hayrides out to the local farms for field trips.

Oh, but here is a great shot of my grandbaby. Now just how cute is that little face??? He was actually sitting on my lap just before I blew out my birthday candles. (Yep! we're still celebrating our Fall windstorm of family birthdays!) I wasn't so cute in this particular pic, but he sure was so I just used my handy dandy little cropping tool...and voila! you only have to see his cuteness!!

I hope you've enjoyed my long update. I'll try to stay in touch more with fun stuff for you. I can promise you this: my Holiday shoot is scheduled this next week. You know what that means, right? Yep, lots of eye candy for you to look at! Then I'll get it all posted on my site and it'll be ready for orders :) I have some super cute, like yummy cute!, pieces that are both traditional and non-traditional for the Holidays. I'll have to post a little sneak peek on Facebook soon. In the meantime, Happy Fall Y'All!

Fun, Festive, and Fabulous!

2011-09-23T13:25:00.001-04:00

Just a quick "hello" and "how are you all doin' today?" before I scoot our of here to volunteer at my girls' school book fair. I wanted to share with you a little peek of what I'm working on for a very limited line for the Holidays.

I'm playing with some non traditional patterns for the Holdiays that will transition very nicely into another "mini- line" (hey, is that such a thing or did I just make that up? Either way, I like that: mini-line! I'll have to remember that one). The colors are perfect for the Fall and the Holidays. I found some sister fabs that I think are really fun and fresh for St. Valentine's Day, too. Sidenote: Does anyone else still call Feb. 14th St. Valentine's Day or is it just me? I try to call it that so I can better explain the tradition of sharing the love to my little ladies. Ahhhh, yes it's true, I'm a hopeless romantic at heart!
Anyhoo, I'm lucky enough to be working with Susan DeLoach again. Have you seen her work lately? She shot my daughtger's wedding last month (totally awesome!) and then I came across the sweetest, sweetest baby pic in Beaufort Lifestyle Magazine by her.

Am I right or am I right? That is a fantastic pic of that adorable baby, isn't it? What a moment to capture! Photography has become so cool. I wish I had shots like that of my sweet babes in the worst way. They are that little for such a very short time, it just goes by so fast no matter how hard you try to take it all in, doesn't it? It is a true time of marvel, sweet holiness, and perfection at it's best. Susan definitely captured it right there in that picture, swoon.

Look her up for your next special occasion or just because it's time to capture this special time in your children's or family's life. It's too easy to get caugt in daily life and let these times go undocumented. I swear there are moments that I'd nearly give my eye teeth for if I could have captured them in some way! We often forget to stop and smell the roses...Miss Susan can help you do that again and again each time you look at one of her fabulous portraits...a very easy way to "go back in time" and remember all of the fun, festive, and faboulous moments of your life and legacy!
p.s. I apologize for being so mushy about this! That baby is just beautiful perfection and I'm happy for the mommy & daddy who will forever get to remember exactly how cute and chubby his elbows and fingers were right then in that moment of time!

A Pocket Full of Pretties!

2011-09-16T23:25:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd share with you today my pocket full of pretties... Beautiful things that I'm blessed to be surrounded by every day that I never want to take for granted.

We'll start off with this gorgeous flower. I picked up this bouquet on the cheap at the grocery store. These babies lasted for over 3 weeks! Now that was $5 well spent. I believe money is never wasted on fresh flowers. They bring such joy and cheer, always.

Oh, here are some pockets on some of my pretties. I opened up my kitchen closet to don an apron and found myself wondering just how long it had been since I'd laundered them...according to all the spots on them, it's been a while, yikes! So, I decided to throw them all in the wash and Voila! I now have a cute mess that's needs just a little help from my iron. Aren't they cute? I wear them a lot. Would you all like for me to do another Holiday Apron Giveaway? That was fun last year.

Here's a pic of the one that Miss Stephanie won last year:

"Instant Cute" is what I call my fashion forward aprons. They really are fun to wear! It's like you suddenly feel even cuter than you already are and the next thing you know, you've totally got it goin' on in the kitchen and you know it because you look so darn extra cute! It's true, you should try one out. Maybe try one on the next time you see me at a show or if you come over to do a little shopping.

And here are some of my other little pretties...pretty curly sue's, that is. Our amusement with sponge curlers is never ending, I swear. Anyone love sponge curlers as much as us? I fondly remember my mama rolling my baby fine, pin straight hair on pink ones. That's the only color they came in when I was little, but now we have a package deal that has three different sizes and are pink, blue, yellow, and green...a real rainbow to choose from :). Yes, instant bliss when we can "trick" our hair into being curly! With the exception of my Charlotte, all of us girls suffer terribly from what we call "curl envy" It's a serious thing!

Don't those curls just make you want to pull one nearly straight and then let go only to say "Boing!"? I'm easily amused, what can I say? My curl obsession started with my baby cousin, Dawn. Ah, now there is true love. Long story, tell you more later, but for now let's just say I was completely enamored with her and her glorious curls--in love! I think I thought I was her mother hen. Just ask her, she'll vouch for me on this :)

Here's a pretty little something that I made for my Liliana. It's her nap mat cover for nursery school. I used some of my fabric scraps. It was too long to show you the full length of it and the pattern, but I was happy with how it turned out. This little project has me thinking about doing this patchwork look for I & C's bedroom. Hmmm...I'll have to give that some thought. I don't see that project getting tackled until after the Holidays...more to come on that note.

Now that my pocket is about to really runneth over, I'll share with you my first born (she's so proud of her birth order, cracks me up, she's takes it very seriously-ha!) pretty, Lauren. Here we are celebrating her 22nd birthday with a homemade cake (yeah, right out of the Betty Crocker box) all aflame with many candles. I thought I was just so funny to actually put 22 candles on there. Turns out the funniest part of the whole thing was my amusement with myself! Lauren found it only slightly funny, but it just cracked me up. That's getting to be a lot of flames, honey!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAUREN!
oh, such a full pocket of pretties...more birthdays, celebrations, and sneak peeks at pretties to come though.

PartyVille!

2011-09-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

Have I ever told you that it seems that we are always celebrating something or the other around here? Well, we are! We just celebrated Owen's (my grandbaby's) 2nd birthday just a few weekends ago and now today we'll be celebrating our Liliana's 3rd birthday. You know what that means...yep we are par-tay people.

Above are Isabella and Charlotte having a "kodak moment" with the birthday boy. My daughter, Lauren, chose a farm theme for Owen (loved it, super cute for him), so here are my girls each putting their best foot forward as little country girls-Ha! They had a grand time and were quite amused with their long braids.

Now here is a picture of our two littles: Liliana and Owen, having a quiet moment together. It was the funniest thing...here there was this super busy party going on around them, kids running everywhere, loud chatter from all of the adult conversation, etc. and here these two took a moment to chat and have a little drink! Yes, they were really talking about something, wish I had it on video--bad!

Yum, yum fruit salad compliments of Lauren, the hostess with the mostess as you can see. This was her first party to host and I'd say it was quite a success for her. Not quite as many folks showed up that said they would, but in the end we were all so relieved...is that terrible? I think not :). It just gets so busy so fast with a bunch of little ones. It was jusssst right!

Oh, now below here is Owen. Could he be any cuter? No, I think not yet again. Cute, cute, cute little farmer that he is!! He was quite amused with his cake, party, and all the attention. Who wouldn't be, right?

Sweet faces of party success:

Fast forward a about 1 1/2 weeks and we now have more yum, yum chocolate swirls in prep for Liliana's birthday cake. I had to take a pic of this...I never pass up chocolate-ever.

My three lovely helpers. Yes, they are chocolate lovers, too. You see, it is a prereq to be one of mine-LOL! Choc and I just go together, hand in hand. Sounds grand until my pants are too tight, but I'll deal with that at another time!

And here it is Liliana's 3rd birthday cake. It certainly did not turn out like I'd hoped, but a little improv and Voila! the girls think it is the greatest...don't you just love that??

Apparently making a very big wish....

You've gotta love that blowing bubbles brings such joy and awe (do you see the look on Isabella's face?). Way to go daddy, a perfect gift for all to enjoy! Yes~more pure childhood sweetness is Parytville.

The Queen of Spray Paint!

2011-09-03T16:02:00.003-04:00

Have I ever told you how much I LOVE spray paint??? Well, I really do, it's awesome! What's not to love about it? It comes in a great range of colors, is super easy to use, barely even messy at all, only costs about $3, and it gets the job done F-A-S-T. See? You gotta love the stuff.

Here are a few pics of my latest spray paint project: the pink chandelier.

I picked up this little treasure from the Restore store, it helps to support our local Habitat for Humanity here in Beaufort, SC. Oh, how I love to go there! My girls, big and little, love to go with me too. We have a real love for repurposing things. I'm really into that now and have been ever since we bought our big ol' beauty of a house back in Michigan. (Wish I had digital pics of that to share with you. I could barely turn on the computer 5 years ago, so no pics is no surprise. I'll have to ask my girls if they have any.) Restore offers so much room for some great creativity, which equals big fun for me!

Here is my little Liliana "blow drying" her chandelier. Isn't that a hoot? She is so funny! Hey, it did work though, we were ready in no time for another even coat of that glorious watermelon paint. After drying, I handed it over to my Mr. Wonderful, he hung it for me, I draped some beaded pearls from it, and Voila! a darling "new" hot pink chandelier! Now how fun is that? Do you love it?

I'm really diggin' it against the background of the blue wall. I have lots and lots of decorating to do in the girls' rooms still. Of course, I'll be blogging about that, too, so stay tuned.

Here's a handy little link for you to see all of the fabulous color ways available thru Valspar...they have the best color selection, in my humble opinion, that is. What about the best "sprayer"? (now that 's a little technical talk for ya-ha!), I'd definitely go with Krylon. With the Krylon can you are able to hold the can at any angle, yep ANY angle, and it still sprays beautifully and very even. Not all cans are created equal, ya know? The trick is that you just have to get your rhythm down just so, but I'm sure you all can do it, too. It's so much fun...you get almost instant gratification and results, that's the best part!

I'll leave you today with a little eye candy below of some other pieces of art that others have created with nothing but a vision & little ol' can of spray paint.

Just look at the transformation from one chair to the next. Just a little paint can make a total transformation...a good one, too!

I'm lovin' the blue dresser. The lines of it are great and the color to die for!! I have a little table here that I painted in a similar color. That shade of blue is really a hot color right now and just simply makes me feel happy. Speaking of happy...check out this little lovely below: ahhhh, right? I know. Happy, happy!

Here's to wishing you a happy weekend!

Are you convinced yet? Do you now love spray paint too? If you have some fun projects that you've done, I would absolutely love to see them, so please share!
Now do tell: do you have a burning desire to rush out to buy your own can of fun?

Oh, I have a grand idea. Let's have a little contest. Here's how it will work: leave a comment here telling me why/how color makes you happy or how it "moves" you. I'll pick one winner whose story "moves" me as color does, and you'll be the lucky gal to win a Fabulous Girl Tee!
Winner to be announced Friday, Sept. 9th...good luck :)

Wedding Prep!

2011-08-22T23:46:00.000-04:00

Just a few fun pics of our adventures in the "Wedding Prep" department. Here we're trying on some flower girl dresses...turns out we had a lot of fun with these even though they aren't the ones we went with. We loved the "pouf" factor: fun! fun! and oh, so girly!

Just look at my very own barbi doll cakes! Isn't that just what they look like? Here's my Isabella cake...

and here's my Charlotte cake. They love these pics too and thought they were fun to take!

Oh, it's just so much fun being a girl!

Now here is the bride to be, Whitney, in a gown that she had her heart set on until....she tried on the very next one.

This little number is pretty sassy, but the bells just didn't quite go off for her when she donned this one. The "ding, ding ding! We have a winner dress!" is coming soon, so stay tuned.

Better Luck Next Time!

2011-08-22T18:22:00.000-04:00

Did I make it to five blogs in one week? NOPE, but I gave it a good whirl! It is really, really time consuming, surprisingly so. Maybe I'm just not a wiz at it yet, not sure.

So in the spirit of moving on with my "blog list", here we go to Isabella getting her ears pierced. This was quite the under taking, although I must say she had her heart set on getting this done!

Here she is holding onto my hand for dear life and the gal at Claire's is only making the placement marks on her sweet, little ears....maybe it was the little gal who went before her who screamed her head off (it's allowed, I figured, as it turns out she was only three and I'm convinced her mom "talked" her into it).

Now just look at how cute her first earrings are! Hello Kitty! I mean, come on already!! There were a lot of choices this time around. I remember when I had it done (just a few years ago when I was 13, yeah right-LOL!) they only had the "gold balls". Remember those? Classic I suppose, but these Hello Kitty starter earrings are just too cute. She knew it was a no brainer choice to get big sisie's approval from Whitney. They both think anything Hello Kitty is the best! Funny how these things keep coming back around, huh? HK was cool when I was a tween, but not so much when Whitney and Lauren were tweens, but now it's back to Big Love for Hello Kitty. Actually, when Lauren was 13, I distinctly remember Lauren basically being mortified that Santa brought her a pink HK TV for her bedroom. Here my mom and I thought it was the bomb and she was like "what's that about?" She soon realized HK or not, it was pretty darn cool to have a tv in her bedroom! Now on that note, lesson learned by me: "round two" will NOT have tv's in their bedrooms-EVER. 'Nough said about that. Oh dear, I'm rambling about my mommy lessons learned and teenagers basically locking themseleves in each of their rooms watching 3 different shows. Last thought about this, I promise: I love the FAMILY room for the tv!

Now how about her too cute "loot" bag? Pretty cute and hip is what I say that is. She was so proud to be carrying that pink bag around at the mall with her cleaning solution in it. Oh, the Glory Days, right?!!?

Anyhoo, today is the one week anniversary of when I posted my intention of trying to blog five time in one week. I say to myself "better luck next time!"

You Spicy!

2011-08-18T23:30:00.001-04:00

Look what I found...

"You spicy, Gwandma!"

Here are my mom and Liliana, my mom's 12th grandbaby, playing around. I love this pic and I love her even more!! I just had to post the pic below one more time. It just says it all about my little Lili, fits here to a tee!

Who else has a "Spicy" little one???

Ya know, it just ocurred to me that I haven't done a give away in a long time. I'll have to think up a little something for you very soon:) BTW, wedding blog coming soon, so many pics to weed thru. I was looking thru our snapshots and there are just so many I want to share with you, but then it might actually bore you to sleep. I need to be very selective or I'll end up with the single longest blog in history! Anyhoo, until next blog for this week, have a great night!

Keeping my word...day 2

2011-08-16T16:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, day two here and happy to be keeping my word to you to blog at least 5 times this week. There's so much to bring you up to date on, not even sure where to start! I think the easiest and best thing to do is start with our most recent happenings and just go in reverse order. I'm hoping by the end of the week that I'll be all up to date here and back on track.

Here's my list of upcoming topics to keep me on the straight and narrow:

1. Back to School & being featured in Posh Little's Back to School Gift Guide AND One Week Kids Boutique

2. Isabella getting here ears pierced!!

3. Whitney and Robert's Wedding Weekend

4. Isabella getting her tonsils removed

5. We moved...again!

6. End of School Year 2010-2011

Okay, so here goes. I hope you enjoy this little display of my picture sharing of my little Loomis ladies (that's what I call them very often, my little Loomis ladies, it makes it easier to gather them up when we're at a gathering).

Their last "Hurrah!" the night before officially becoming a 2nd grader, a Kindergartner, and off to The Little Brown School for some great fun with other toddlers.

All set and ready to go!

And now we're off...the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round...

Here's our proud and excited big girl, Isabella, going into the 2nd grade. Already? Really? the 2nd grade? So hard to believe.

Our little LaLa, aka Charlotte, setting off for the big K! Wow, is this ever hard to let her go. I thought it would get easier, but no such luck...it's getting harder with each one as I'm realizing they're growing up every bit as fast or maybe even faster than my "lovely round one". Oh, but our little Charlotte was full of anticpation to go as she should've been. I really wouldn't want it any other way, right? It would be sooo hard to have a crying one not wanting to take that leap! She just looks so little still...isn't she still a baby? Maybe just to me.

Speaking of babies...here's a "spicy" one for ya! Our Miss Liliana is something else, I'll tell ya. She is the funniest little cat! When my folks were here recently for Whitney's wedding her and my mom were playing when Lili took it upon herself to take my moms face in her little hands, get nose to nose with her and then proceed to tell my mom that she is "spicy". What a hoot that was! She gets it honestly, that's for sure. My mom is our original spicy one, then it skipped to my daughter Whitney (THE queen of spicy) and now onto Lili. She was trying to think of the word "fiesty"as she's been referred to, fyi. Isn't that a hoot? I sure think so-LOL! I enjoy my little "spicy" one immensely. She's got some real gumption, which I really, really admire.

Now that I've recovered from starting off on another school year and letting go just a bit of another baby of mine...onto a bit of fun news for Fabulous Girl Clothing. We've been selected to be featured in Posh Little's Back to School Guide 2011. They've got some really cool stuff showcased over there! I'm glad to be a part of their special picks. Our "Smart Girls Rock!" tee and Ruffled Uniform School Pants were the items they selected to feature. Check out this link:

You can also find several of my "So Cool for Back to School" pieces ready to go at the One Week Kids Boutique Sale in Beaufort. Just click on the link above for all the info on times and location, etc. Speaking of the Sale...I must run straight there. I've got work to do! Pricing, hanging, arranging, tagging new dresses (you'll love them!) etc.

Hope to see you there!

I O U

2011-08-15T10:12:00.001-04:00

Yep, something has been on my mind. A lot has been on my mind, acutally, but one thing in particular...the yummy salad recipe waaaay back from Easter! Can you believe I've been so sidetracked? Ridiculous, I say!

Doesn't it look so good? It really is so yummy, the flavor combos are delicious. However, I have to give a shout out to my girlfriend, Kate, this is her recipe that she was so nice to share with me.

Here ya go: Spinach Salad by Kate Wallace

3/4 C sugar

1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
3/4 C olive oil
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 C vinegar
3 Tbs poppy seed
3 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
1 lb fresh spinach leaves
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
4 medium bananas, sliced
1 C chopped walnuts, toasted

Process sugar, paprika, dry mustard, worchestershire sauce, olive oil, onion, vinegar, poppy & sesame seeds until thick. Layer spinach, strawberries, bananas,walnuts on a large platter. Drizzle dressing onto each layer as you build the salad.

Now brace yourself...I'm telling you this is so good. The toasted walnuts and sesame seeds just really pull this recipe together with the sweet of the dressing and fruit. It's the perfect balance!

I wish I had a handy pic of Kate to share with you. She is a dear!! She's always so supportive and thoughtful. Ya know, her and her family recently moved up to Charleston (we really miss her down here in Beaufort!) and her and her husband came down for the evening to be at my daughter's wedding. They have three little ones to juggle, it's an 1 1/2 drive just one way, too. Isn't that so sweet of them. Ed, her hubby is a sweetheart, too. He was so cute, getting everyone a drink to get the party started...so Ed of him!

Anyhoo, I should have some cute pics from the wedding to share with you soon. This summer has been the biggest whirlwind for me yet...and let me tell you, that is REALLY saying something! Besides just a great recipe, I O U a lot of catching up, too.

I'm hoping for no typo's, but I'm on the fly this morning. My girls are officially back in school (my Charlotte went off to the big K~pics of that coming soon) and I have so much catching up to do. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and EnJOY your prettty salad!

Just a quick pic here of a my girls enjoying our swing and porch on a hot summer day :)

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something! I've set a new blogging goal for myself this week: blog a minimum of 5 times to help me get you caught up to date on our whirlwind summer. Much to share!!

A little behind the scenes looky loo!

2011-06-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to say "hi" as it has been a bit since I have had time to blog. I thought you might enjoy or at least find it mildly amusing to take a little looky loo behind the scenes at our photo shoot for the school uniform pieces.

That's the amazing Ms. Susan behind the camera, the real camera, that is. You can totally tell which pics are mine on this post. Ya know the out of focus, discolored, not centered ones...yes, those are my little snap shots. Just a little reminder as to why Susan is so important!!!

Oh, and above here is the lovely Miss D. This little girl is just the cutest little thing ever. She has the prettiest hair, too. Total gorgeousness!!! Below is her fabulous mommy and baby sister with Ms. Alison and her daughter. Ms. Alison is the director of Riverview Charter School, aka, one busy lady! She was so nice and easy to work with for getting this fundraiser going. She stayed late so we could do our shoot right in Riverview. We wanted it to be authentic. Authentic it was...Ms. Alison told us about each of the bulletin board backdrops that we used. They were really meaningful, too. The teachers and kids work so hard. There is just such a special atmosphere at RCS~love it!

Oh, yes, and here I am with my little fabulous girls from the shoot. This was the last picture of the day. I thought it would be fun to have a pic with them, although, I hated having my picture taken. The girls were all so easy and then it turns out that I was the fussy one: are my bangs ok? what about this? what about that? Oh, wait! I think I blinked....geeeeess, I really made Susan work! The girls made it look like a piece of cake. Maybe I'm just not a natural in front of the camera like they all are.

Anyhoo...I hope you've enjoyed your little looky loo. Did any of you savvy mommies "spy" anything new in the pics that I haven't offered before? Well, more on that later. For now I hope to see a good number of girls tomorrow and Sat. at the "try on" at the Battery Point Marina Store/Clubhouse. Remember 10% of the proceeds from this event will be donated to Riverview Charter School. I'll say it again: Rah~Rah! Riverview!

Try On is Scheduled!

2011-06-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

Time to get your "Fab" tried on and ordered for next school year, girls! I'll be hosting a "try on" very soon for some super cute, comfy, and fashion forward shcool uniform ruffled pants and skirts. Here's the scoop:

Battery Point Sub, Marina Store

Friday, June 17th from 10-4

Saturday, June 18th from10-3

This will be your chance to try before you buy. Sizes 4 thru 12 will be offered, khaki and navy. I must tell you that these little ruffled pants are a big hit with the girls and mommies alike! Right now I'm offering a full skirt with a ruffled hem, but my big hope and plan is also to offer a drop waist, twirl skirt as well, so excited for that! I will be taking orders on the dates above and then the pieces will be made over summer break so you'll have them in time for back to school 2011-2012

Miss G above thinks it's never too soon to plan ahead to look fabulous for school and have fun doing it!!

Let me know if you have any questions:

Rachel@FabulousGirlBoutique.com

See you there :)

FABULOUS FUNDRAISING EVENT!

2011-06-07T07:06:00.001-04:00

It's on! That is a Fabulous Fundraising Event on behalf of

Riverview Charter School...

Please fill out the order form on the back of this postcard all you RCS mommies. You just need send it back to school by tomorrow to place your order for some super fab and comfy back to school pieces for Fall 2011-2012. These designs are an easy fit and super comfy for many shapes and sizes. Yep, that's right! I know, school isn't even officially out just yet, but these pieces will be made over summer break and be ready for pick up before you know it.

Oh, I almost forgot! Special Fabulous Fundraising Event pricing:

any two clothing items for $50.

Although my new tee, "Smart Girls Rock" isn't offically part of the uniform, it sure is cute and makes a great statement! It will be available for purchase at time of pick up. This tee is available in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, & 12. This tee will make a great gift too! What do you think??? It's fun and a little edgy, right?

I'll also have sashes and headbands available too if you'd like to add some color and print to your look. These little accessory pieces were a big hit with my fabulous girls that you see here, they had fun with them. School uniforms don't have to be the same ole', same ole' any more! My designs are fun to wear, fashion forward, and still very school appropriate, wouldn't you say?

Fun, smart, comfortable, and super cute....that goes for the clothing and my fabulolus girls, too! Won't you join the fun???

Miss D is showing off a smart pair of capris above...cute, cute, cute! Just look at that little face~you can tell she's having fun and loving it!

****I will post very soon when and where I will be hosting the

"try on", should you want to see, feel, & try on pieces before placing your order. You can turn in your order form then as well....so, STAY TUNED!****

Fresh Look!

2011-06-01T22:07:00.000-04:00

Today was a fun day of long anticipated deliveries, indeed. Check out the new car door magnets...pretty cute, huh? and how about the little rugrats, too? Nothing like having a full day of play hard and harder ALL day long, right? My littles were excited for the magnets, too. Ahhh... the simple things in life are so great!

Oh, and my new labels arrived, too. I'm telling you...it was so exciting around here today. You should see and hear the glee on a fabric delivery day! Whoa, now that is really big excitement and instant happiness, too.

I'm off to bed so I can do this all over again tomorrow. BTW, today was a good work day, progress was made in a few different areas. I'm always learning. Today I gained a bit more knowledge regarding patterns. Who knew, but pattern perfection and proper fit is a huge, huge deal and not easy at all...rocket science, I tell you!! LOL.

Wishing you sweet dreams :).

So Cool for Back to School!

2011-05-30T09:24:00.087-04:00

It's ironic, I know, since the school year hasn't let out just yet, but here is a preview of a few of the pieces that Fabulous Girl Clothing will be offering as fashionable choices for school uniforms, still very age appropriate and modest.

I've studied and studied the current dress code policy for the Beaufort County School District and these bottoms fall within their requirements with no problems. I'm looking forward to partnering with some of the local schools very soon to do some fundraising with them! So far, I've talked with Riverview Charter School (they're on board!), Coosa, and Lady's Island Elementary (waiting to hear back from them, although I think they are definitely interested). ****Very important: if you'd like for these pieces (& more) to be available for your daughter and raise $$$ for her school at the time, PLEASE let your PTO and principal know ASAP. Sounds silly, but I have to get this underway this week or next for production purposes. Hence the "ironic" earlier, but in order for me to get the pieces to you in time for back to school this needs to happen NOW :). I'll tell you that I'm not lying or exaggerating one bit that my Isabella feels so much better and happier when she can wear cute and fun clothes to school. I'll never forget her saying to me last year when she was in Kindergarten, " Mom, you need to jazz this up a bit", referring to her uniform purchased at the department store. Oh, and just a little fyi, I will keep my prices as reasonable as possible so these pieces can be available to all students. We're even considering offering some "scholarship" pieces based on need. What do you think of that idea?

Above is a sneak peek of my newest tee. How cute is it? I love how it turned out. I LOVE instilling confidence in girls!! These will be available in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, & 12. These are not officially part of the school uniform pieces, but will be available to purchase at time of the fundraising event while supplies last. Oh, and just so you know, these are really nice quality tees, not your run of the mill cheapy tees. I think I'm allergic to those-lol. I've never liked dressing my children in those tees that they get from playing soccer, etc. Let me know what you think!

Here is a fun, little ruffled skirt, great for twirling! Now all of us mommies know that twirling is important, right? My girls love to twirl and I'm sure yours do too! This "must have" piece is fun to wear and easy care for mom.

Be on the look out for more pics and pieces and accessories. I'm hoping to add some layering pieces, like ruffled leggings, and trimmed out biker shorts, too. I'll be posting more later. Susan DeLoach (the totally FAB photographer that I'm so lucky to work with) is putting together a super cute postcard for the upcoming fundraising events. ***If you think your school would be interested in partnering with Fabulous Girl Clothing to raise some funds for your school then please email me at Rachel@FabulousGirlBoutique.com!!

***Fabulous Photos by Susan DeLoach Photography***

2011-05-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

BIG, BIG, BIG news and lots of changes goin' on around here! All good stuff, though. Actually great stuff...FABULOUS stuff!

Clue: the new logo. What do you think? Do you love it or

LOVE it??? I LOVE it! Not only is it cute, but it reveals the biggest news of all: the new name of my business!!

So what do you think about that? I think it is more fitting as my little girls line of clothing has kind of taken center stage. I still love my aprons, yep! I'm still an apron girl, but dressing my little girls in adorable, fun, girly clothing is too irresistible . I love sharing my love of doing that with all of you. I find it to be such an honor to dress my little ladies! Do you? I think soooooOOOOO

You know I'll be doing some fun giveaways, Fabulous debuts, making announcements, venting, sharing, connecting, and growing in so many ways. Won't you please join me? Let's embrace our girlyhoods together!!

There's a party going on!

2011-05-10T14:41:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's right...there IS a party going on! Check out the link below for some really fabulous giveaways. A fellow designer, by the name of Joyce, is hosting a giveaway in honor of celebrating her one year anniversary in business. The name of her company is

Baby's Breath Handmade. She is the gal who designed and made all the awesome hair accessories for my "Flock Together" Spring line 2011. Remember those? I'll post a few pics so you can take a look.

Anyhoo...she has enlisted a great group of designers/boutiqes to donate a product or service in honor of her anniversary. All the details are on her blog (click on the link). Have a great time checking out all the goodies!

Warning: they're FAB- u-LOUS!!

CLICK HERE: Parisian Giveaway at Baby's Breath Handmade

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-08T08:48:00.001-04:00

Wishing all you Fabulous mommies a wonderful and very

Happy Mother's Day!!

So I sat out on what turned out to be a bit of a challenge this mornging...finding a picture of me with each of my babies. I'm ususally the one behind the camera taking the snap shots of life's moments, the big momentous ones, as well as, the sweet little ones that we never want to forget. The picture above was taken by me this past Thanksgiving (2010). I'm always beyond thrilled to have all my little chicken gathered up! It doesn't happen too often, but I do really treasure it.

Below is a sneak peek into our lives with some random pics. I hope you enjoy them...maybe you'll find the age range and different phases in life that they each are at as amusing as I still do. For instance, in the first pic you'll see me and my oldest, Lauren, celebrating her 21st birthday. Just moments later her and a gaggle of girlfriends were off to Hilton Head to really celebrate. Yes, she humored me by letting me toast her with her friends gathered around here at the house.

In this pic below, Whitney and I are celebrating her wedding engagement, just the two of us starting the initally planning over a nice lunch downtown. I know this will be a special time for us both. I want to be sure to capture as much of her as I can before she officially leaves the nest!! She'll be my first one to get married...

Oh, here is my boy! My one and only, Kyle. This picture was taken over Thanksgiving weekend. It was really a great mommy weekend for me as all my babies were here at home! Let me tell you for certain, that all of us girls go ga-ga for Kyle when he visits :)

Oh, my little Gracie (Isabella is her first name), is such a light in our lives, too. Here she is with me just after her first stage performance for the first grade production of "Nuts". Can you guess what role she played? Give up??? She was a cloud! The cutest little cloud I've ever seen :) I love that she's missing her two front teeth, yet another milestone.

Now here is my Charlotte Rose, so sweet and gentle, she is. Here we are celebrating after her Holiday performance at nursery school. Her and her classmates were all just adorable. They sang to us. Oh, their little voices were heavenly. So, so sweet!

And last, but certainly not least is my lovely Liliana. This picture is a bit dated, but it was super hard to find one of just the two of us. Miss Liliana is really something else...the best surprise of my entire life!!!! She is the baby of the family, that's for sure. She's just so fun and S-P-U-N-K-Y! I tell her she's "little, but mighty" and that she certainly is. I've been told that she'll keep me young....I sure hope so.

Cheers to all of us mommies and the lights of our lives! Best wishes, again, to you all for a blessed and

Happy, Happy Mothers's Day!

Celebrations A Plenty!

2011-04-26T09:44:00.002-04:00

So, on April 13th a whole nine years ago my Mr. Loomis and I said our "I do's" and I became his Mrs. Loomis. Wow, has time really flown by. It's just like they say: "Time flies when you're having fun". I can vouch for that saying a million times over :)!

Here we are above on our hot anniversary date at a fantastic restaurant by the name of Southern Graces. If you're ever in Beaufort, SC this is a must for a great Southern dining experience! Celebtation #1 for April.

Celebration #2 for April is right here, my Miss Lauren. I was working a show a few weeks back and she stopped by the house to drop off her Mr. Handsome (aka, my grandbaby) before starting her first day of work at her first job at a salon. My Mr. Wonderful was on baby/girl duty ALL DAY LONG with four little ones. He's such a trooper, isn't he?!!!

You see, I have documented ALL the milestones in my children's lives with pictures. Just ask them how many times I've embarrassed them as I've jumped out of the bushes with my camera in hand to catch all the action! Just kidding, but it's almost that bad. Brian took several pictures of her for me, a real step by step per my ususal documentation. You know, I have over 50 photo albums of my children all in chronological order...did you know that? The real kicker is is that I'm now about 3 years behind, arrgghhh! That drives me crazy like you wouldn't believe. That's on my to-do list: getting caught up on my photos and books. I'm scared of what that will cost once I decide to sit down and really do it--yikes!!

And... She's off! Away she goes to fulfill her dreams :) Happy! Happy!

Celebration #3: Easter! Beautiful eggs, good family times, beautiful colors and flowers all around...

My mother in law and myself here, peeling eggs for our own deviled egg recipes. Did you know I only have one complaint about how she raised Brian? It's very serious, too. Just kidding!! I make my deviled eggs with Miracle Whip, which he will NOT eat because his mom never served it to him or cooked with it, my mom did. I can eat either Miracle Whip or mayo in/on most things, but not my deviled eggs! He feels the same way about his deviled eggs, too. So...Marge and I both made separate plates of eggs: perfect, the whole bunch loved them and was happy :)
Sidenote#1: It would be a dream come true if my children's spouses only had one complaint/concern about how I raised them. Can you imagine that??? None of my own children are married yet, of course, but the praying has begun on my part for great choices in spouses in all regards. Marge (and Chet, my father in law) did a marvelous job with bringing up Brian. Yep, it's so true! I've said it before and you'll hear me say it again. So, mayo....no problem!
Sidenote #2: Isn't my hair special? LOL I obvioiusly wasn't dressed for dinner yet, but that hair is something else. Don't fret though, I'm going to see Amy this Thursday for a "cut and do". I bet I know what you're thinking: Oh, please. It can't happen soon enough. Am I right? :)? I know, that's why I gave you all a break with a smaller picture for this shot, for real. I don't want to advertise that mess!

Now here is not only my major Easter project, but celebration #4: Hot Cross Buns from scratch!

I hope these step by step pics don't bore you out of your mind, but it is a real process when making yeast breads.

Patience is a must as there are several steps involved. It's not really hard to do, but I just have to have enough peace and quiet to really concentrate on this particular endeavor.

Why this endeavor you ask? See below. My little Isabella is all about hot cross buns these days (for like the last two years). This was my first time to make them from scratch. I thought her and Charlotte would be amused and like to help out. I was right :) We had a good time together baking. Oh, we forgot their little aprons, tisk, tisk.

They're looking pretty good here. Or is it more like looking very homemade? yes, homemade it is.

Oh, look~ They have risen just like Jesus! Hence the celebration. You never know about yeast breads as they're a little temperamental. Success. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, traditionally hot cross buns are a sweet bread, but I decided just to butter them and leave out the cinnamon and sugar as we had lots of sweets in the house already. These were delicious, I must say. Nothing like warm bread straight out of the oven with butter on it, right? Yummy indeed!

Here is my little "Hostess with the Mostess in training", aka Charlottte Rose. She cracks me up. She had already made name cards for the kiddie table and taped them to the back of the chairs. In this picture below she is arranging the napkins, which was totally her idea. For real, I had totally forgotten about napkins all together. I've become such a slacker on these things! I'll have to share with you my entertaining ideas and goals one of these days, later. So my Charlotte does a good job with the little details that always matter. Some people say they don't, but I really believe they do. I always notice the details!!!!

Here is a delicious salad I made. Isn't it pretty? The recipe is compliments from my friend Kate. It is soooo yummy, I promise. I'll share the recipe one of these days with you if you're interested in it. Lots of great flavors working together in this one for sure.

Oh, yes, and here are the prized deviled eggs. Paprika ones are compliments of Marge and mine are the ones below. They were all eaten right up. That's what happens when you only serve them about twice a year. That way they are a real treat for everyone, right?

Now I think we're up to celebration #5 for this month, Isabella's 7th birthday. Now this deserves a BIG WOW!! I thought perhaps time would slow down a bit with my round two of babies, but it's going just as fast, if not faster. It just amazes me. Isabella is such a sweet and good girl, with a lot of spunk. We enjoy her immensely!

Here is proof that she is definitely my daughter: a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Yep, that is proof right there! We love our chocolate for sure:)

This cake is reason enough to celebrate! Would any of you like to come over for a piece of cake, cup of coffee, and a good chat? Now how fun would that be????
Wishing you a fabulous day!

Drum Roll Please!

2011-04-15T20:11:00.000-04:00

Here she is...Miss Fabulous Girl, Spring 2011

Congratulations, little Miss A!

Welcome to the Finds! family. We'll be seeing you soon:)

Yippee!

2011-04-14T22:34:00.000-04:00

Yippee! I've finally decided upon my "Fabulous Girl". I feel so much better now that my decision has been made, you don't even know. It was a much tougher decision than I thought it was going to be. I didn't think it was going to necessarily be easy, but man, I really had to give this a lot of thought.

I want to say that I truly think all the girls are very special little gals! Cuteness Galore is what we had at Susan's studio for the day of the shoot, ALL-DAY-LONG.

Thank you to all the mommies (& daddies)

for sharing your little girls with us. Everyone did a fantastic job. This was our "first rodeo" per Miss Iris (Susan's assistant) and we couldn't be any happier with the turn out.

I'll make my announcement tomorrow evening Friday, April 14, some time between 6 and 9.

See you then :)

Oh, I almost forgot! Although I can only pick one official

"Fabulous Girl",

later on I'll be inviting some new faces to join us for our next photo shoot, too! I have lots in the works for Fall, Back to School, and Holiday~Yipppee!!

It's Show Time!

2011-04-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

Show time it is! I've done three big shows in the last three weeks!

Sigh.

They've been fun and a lot of work. Thank God for my husband. He helps me soooo much!

Here are some pics of me and my daughter, Whitney, at the Flowertown Festival is Summerville. Now that WAS a festival! My goodness, there were oodles of people there. It was so hard for me not to just take off and go shopping. I'm in love with handmade goods. I have such an appreciation for them! I just love seeing all the different pieces by different artisans. It's very interesting to see what people think of and come up with.

Yes, you guessed it, Whitney is a bit sassy :)! She can be a real handfull, but she can be oodles of fun, too. Silly, but we took turns taking each other's pics. A little lipstick/gloss would've been nice for me, don't you think?

Flowertown Fest was a really good show for Finds! I met some really great gals...I'll definitely go back next year.

On to my next weekend. Raleigh, NC to the Southern Women's Show. This was a super fun weekend for a few reasons. Reason #1 is below. Emma and Jeffrey...my niece and nephew. They live in the area, so it was a no brainer to try this show. The kids had a BALL playing all weekend. Plus we got to visit with my husband's sister, Kim, and her husband, Alen. Oh! Super fun: Gamenight!! We haven't done that in ages, so fun. You really must do it soon. I think I need to set up a game night here with some friends. Nothing like a little inspiration!

Here's my booth. It looks pretty good, don't you think? I was right across from the main stage of the entire event, it was the "fashion stage".

See the little gal in my knickers? Her name is Grace, she's on her way to NYC for modeling!

Finds! was lucky enough to have her don a few of my outfits and "grace" the stage in them-lol. She did a Fabulous job!

Below you can see her exiting the stage with all the other models and actors. They put on a really cool show. I had the best seat in the house! I got to see all the good shows all weekend long.

I must sign off for now. Perhaps I'll treat myself to a little bike ride on Pearl. Have I told you all about Pearl? I'll have to do that some time.

Wishing Grace the best of luck when she travels to NYC soon. I'm pretty sure this little gal is going to return home with a modeling contract! Grace, it's showtime for you :)

Oh, My!

2011-04-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

Oh, my! I hope today gets better. Would you believe me if I told you that I've lost/misplaced an entire batch of khaki capri pants? It's true and I'm so frustrated! How did this happen? I had to call and cancel a pick up for an order because I can't find the capris in my studio OR anywhere in my entire house! It's so upsetting. I've actually had my two oldest girls stop by and look with me. You know, I wanted to make sure I wasn't staring right at them and didn't realize that they're right in front of me. No luck though. I have one last hope. Yep, my Mr. Loomis. Maybe he can spy them when he gets home from work.

My fingers are crossed, but I know this is not looking good over here. I'm really quite organized. Do you think I already unpacked them and put them on my invetory shelves? I sure hope so. I've never wanted to be as blind as a bat, but today I'm kind of hoping that I am in regards to these britches. I have three mommies waiting to get their hands on these pants for their girls and I can't deliver--arrghhh. Wish me luck because I think I'm going to need it.

Now on a happy note: above is the youngest little gal that came out for our photo contest. Isn't she adorable??? What a perfect fit this skirt and tank are on her.

Maybe I stand corrected this cute little red head was a young one too. This little gal here caught my attention when I was dropping off some papers to a friend of mine. She caught my attention, like: ALERT! ALERT! Darling red head on mommy's hip. Her mom was walking to the car, she was parked right in front of me. I went ahead and put on my seat belt all ready to pull away, but then....I quickly hopped out of my car and introduced myself to her mommy and told her about our photo contest. Yes, it was a little awkward. Afterall, this mommy didn't know me at all. I didn't want her to think I was some weirdo! Turns out this little girl attends my friends daycare where I had dropped off the papers, so in the end we had a connection there. In the meantime, I even more quickly hopped back into my car thinking that mommy probably thinks I AM a real wierdo and then on about my business I went!

Well, low and behold, they actually showed up!!! My friend, Shelley (the daycare owner), had personally called the mommy (which I didn't even know about until after the shoot) to tell her that I was a friend of hers and that I was raving about a little, sweet red head that I had seen out in front of her place. Shelley knew exactly which little girl I was talking about. So nice of Shelley to vouch for me, huh, and invite her to the shoot on my behalf? I was thrilled when they walked in. I just think she has such beautiful coloring and is so sweet, too.

Oh, my! Just so much cuteness around here :)!!

Wishing you all fabulous day!

More & More Fabulous Girls!

2011-04-11T21:35:00.002-04:00

Wow! Here are some more pics for you:) I'm just very "bloggy" today, I guess. Is "bloggy" a word? Most likely not, but enjoy these sweet little ladies anyway!

Okay, I can hardly stand how cute these three sisters are in matching dresses. I think I'd just die if I happened across them while out and about. Oh, what fun that would be!

Sidenote: One day last Fall my husband, Brian, took our girls to Chick fil A for a quick lunch and he saw a girl there that we didn't know in one of my skirts and tops. He noticed my pieces from across the parking lot! It was so cute that he was so excited to see some of my pieces "out and about". I guess it's kind of like a little affirmation. Does that make sense?

Lots of cuties here!

So you can probably see what huge trouble I'm having here with deciding about this contest. It's soooo hard! They all are just so cute and in their own unique ways, too!!

Haven't the girls all done such a good job modeling my pieces? Just look at these poses below!

Hhhmmmmmmm?????

Girls, Girls, Girls! All FABULOUS Girls!

2011-04-11T16:31:00.002-04:00

Okay, so here are the rest of the girls who came out for our photo contest. Well, actually, I'm missing one little gal (she's cute as a button, but I haven't heard back from her mommy if it's okay to share her pictures or not. I'm sure I'll hear from her and when I do, I'll then share the pics with you.).

So you can see that we have a very nice age range and "coloring" to choose from. I really need to finalize my Fall/Holiday fabric selections so I can coordinate the girls with the new line that the new "Fabulous Girl" would be modeling. That might be helpful in narrowing this down.

Just how am I supposed to decide???? Maybe I should have given that more thought before starting the contest...maybe not.

Now just how cute are these little gal pals? All of their mommies are childhood friends/cousins. I love that! They came to the photo contest to kick off a birthday weekend with us. What fun!

Oh, and I love this pic below. Probably because I have such a hearty laugh myself (so I've been told).

This gal below did such a great job. Man, when it was time to focus, she did just that. I love how her and her mom layered the two headbands. Isn't that cute? It looks like one great headband, doesn't it?

How groovy is the little chic below? She was fun to work with :) I could never look that naturally cool!

A little sweet and a big sweet!

Miss C is totally wearing the knot top and ruffle shorts just how it should be worn :) This was a great outfit for her.

What else can I say, but aren't they all Fabulous Girls?

I'll post a decision soon, I promise!

The pics are in and the contest is ON!

2011-04-06T15:50:00.000-04:00

Brace yourselves...there is some serious cuteness coming your way!

I just love this pic below. This little gal did a fabulous job, love how she's holding the skirt, soooo girly!!

Yep, being fabulous just comes naturally to some of us :)

Ahhhh, just look at all that "sister love"! What do you think, are they best friends or what???? I can tell it's true love, just like with all my girls~I LOVE it!

This is little Miss C: big fun & super cute :).

Double Ahhhh! More "sister love". Too sweet for words!

Adorable....didn't I warn you?

Sister Love again!

Cuteness abounds here at Finds!

More pics coming your way, so stay tuned ladies! These pics are in NO particular order.

Okay, on a serious note: I just previewed this post before actually posting it and guess what? I teared up. It's true. These little gals are just beautiful! I can't believe they are all wearing my pieces, what a moment I'm having. Silly? Did you all know that I'm a cry-er (sp?)? Yes, that is true, too. I have such a tough job ahead of me. This is decision is going to be super hard. I still have other pics to share with you all before the first official "Fabulous Girl" is announced, but still I'm just in a little bit of disbelief that all of this is really coming to fruition for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you all you mommies and Miss Susan:).

WoooHooo! First Photos of some Super Fabulous Girls!

2011-04-01T22:35:00.000-04:00

Now here are some cute, cute girls. Am I right or am I right???

Susan has been a busy little bee editing pics like crazy.

This is going to be such a hard decision and this is only round number one.

What cutie patooties!! I can hardly wait to see the next round of pictures. I'll share them with you as they are sent to me.

Susan is sending them to me in no particular order...oh, what fun!!!

I promise to keep you posted, girls. Stay tuned :).

Beautiful Craziness Abounds!

2011-03-31T07:19:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, how pretty are these pom-poms? I'm just in love with them! How silly is that?? very, I know, but they are just fun, fluffy, and just simply beautiful to me. Above is a picture of my staircase after unloading from the photo contest and trunk show from this past weekend. We had to put the pom-poms behind the gate so my Lili (she's 2, that should say it all!) wouldn't get into them. Silly me, I thought that I get them hanged in my girls' rooms first thing Monday morning: WRONG! So far I have just 9 of these babies hanging while the rest are still in a lovely heap although not on the stairs, but now upstairs in the hallway.

I've just been too busy prepping for my next show which I just happen to be really excited for. It's supposed to be the bomb (who hears me on that note? anyone else still say that at least once in a while? If my big kids happen to read this post-yeah right!- they'd be so embarrassed :) We'll be at the Summerville, SC Flowertown Festival this coming weekend, April 1-3.

I was really thrilled when I found out that we were accepted into the show. Man, this was a tough one to get into. For you show and festival goers, this festival really is supposed to be a big deal. I was told that about 200,000 go thru this town in a three day period! Isn't that a crazy number to move in and out in such a short period of time? You know what that means for me? Yup~big fun! I have a ball meeting new folks and introducing them to my line. The very best thing is when I can just tell how happy and excited someone new is to "find" my line! Now that is cool.

Lots going on here at Finds! I'm staying busy beyond belief, which is good, but it does get a little crazy. I think the hardest part is finding that perfect balance between my work and family. I just seem to run out of time every-single-day. Why and how is that? I so wish I could master that whole thing. Good news though: I'm loving this craziness and I'm finding the rewards of sharing my love of dressing little girls like little girls to be a beautiful thing!!!

Yes, indeed, beauty abounds amidst all this craziness :)

Do these yummy pom-poms not sum all of that up? Are these pom-poms not like delicious confections? I think so. That's why they'll be hanging around here for a while. I'm just not ready to part with them. Besides, they are a momento from my 1st photo contest for Finds! I bet you all are wondering what's happening with that, huh? Well, would you believe that I still haven't seen the pics yet???

Yup, it's true. Miss Susan is still working on them. We had a lot of girls show up and believe me, Susan took a lot of pictures! Oh, so many cute, cute girls and fun persoanlities!! What am I going to do???? I'll have to choose one little gal as our "Fabulous Girl" and it is really going to be a tough, tough call. I promise that as soon as I know something that I'll clue you all in. The suspense is killing me!

Can we say Fab-U-Lous!?

2011-03-22T11:58:00.000-04:00

Yes, we can! Is it just me or are these girls and photos delicious?

It makes me feel so good to see such happy girls and sunny personalities. Our photo shoots are a TON of work, but as you can see, Susan makes them look effortless and fun.

The girls always have such a good time. It's like they get to play dress up and be just a little famous (at least in their own circle and minds). They are so funny! You should here some of their conversations. They really crack me up.

I'll tell ya, between this great group of gals, Susan, and Iris...

I think they are making me look pretty darn good, maybe. I do know for sure that they are making me very proud.

I'm getting a really great response to our photo contest and trunk show, which pleases me to no end!

Do you have a girl that is simply too Fabulous not to join us this upcoming weekend for our photo contest & trunk show?

Let me know! I'd really love to hear from you. We have a few time slots left. Please call 843-470-1646 to join us girls for a

Fab-U-Lous time this coming weekend.

Be there or be square!

(hey, does anyone even say that anymore?-lol)

It's Getting Exciting Around Here!

2011-03-14T10:41:00.000-04:00

So I was working with Susan again this weekend and look what we came up with for our postcards...okay, well she really came up with it, but I did have some input.

Maybe she is a mind reader. She came over with her computer and above is what she had to show me. This is exactly what I wanted! My damask print in the background with her picture and the info on top of it. Oh! and I love how she "married" our two brands. Below is the flip side of the postcard with the "scoop".

So not only does Susan take awesome photos, but she's a little wiz on the computer, too...Genius, I tell you!

Susan continues to impress me imensely with all her talents and her patience. Did I ever tell you I'm a bit fussy??? Yep, I'm one of those who knows exactly what I want AND what I don't want. I call it having "visions". Actually, my husband dubbed it that after dealing with me for a time. I'm nice and all, but I'm just a gal who knows what I like and how I want things to turn out , especially if my name is going to be put on it :o) Who else can relate to this "vision" thing? I know you're out there! So, if Susan keeps up all of this awesomeness, she might get promoted to Sainthood pretty soon~lol.

This is some pretty exciting stuff for me, let me tell you!

Please help us spread the word about our photo contest with all your friends, sisters, daughters, moms, grandmas...everybody!!

Call Susan today to reserve a spot for your special little gal,

843-470-1646

The Model Search in ON!

2011-03-12T16:01:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's right! The big search is on for Finds! 1st official "Fabulous Girl"!

How exciting is that? I think pretty exciting!!

Here's the scoop:

Do you have a Fabulous Girl? I just bet you do! We'd love have

you join us for a FREE photoshoot!

Saturday, March 26th is bound to be a day full of excitement and good, girly fun and photos! Don't delay and call Susan today at 843-470-1646 and reserve your Fabulous Girl's spot for her very own FREE photoshoot.

This event is just in time for Easter, too. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only have your daughter entered into the model search/photo contest, but also to take advantage of NO sitting fee (that's a $120 savings) to have your Fabulous Girl professionally photographed by the one and only Susan DeLoach! There's no obligation to purchase anything, but Susan is offering a really, really great price on a portrait package. Also, I'll be offering a special discount on my boutique clothing the day of the shoot.

Please check it out and join us for all the fun!

Limited spots available, reserve your spot today!

"Finding" more Yum-Yum's from Peekaboo Photography

2011-02-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

How delicious is this skirt? My girls absolutely LOVE their's! This skirt offers oodles of twirling fun!! It is packed with yards (literally) of fabric, making it extra full and fluffy. This piece is so easy to mix and match with so many different tops. Works great with a solid tank and would look super cute with one of my "I'm a Fabulous Girl!" tanks (coming soon to my website!).

Ahh, showing some sister love of their own in this pic. How sweet! These little girls are the daughters of the photograher who did this particular shoot, Katie Moss. I think they've done this a time or two before, don't you? What little naturals they are!

I personally love these little britches! I think these little knickers are just the cutest ever and the perfect transition piece from Winter to Spring. These look fantastic with so many tops that I offer: the aqua tank, light pink tank, the short sleeve pink tee, the long sleeve light pink tee or even the pastel damask peasant top that I have. You can check it out here: Fabulous Damask Peasant Top

Oh, and the little pocket on the bum? my fave detail...Yum-Yum!!

Fabulous Britches!

Sister LOVE!

2011-02-15T17:00:00.004-05:00

So here is to debuting my

Lovebirds Knot Dress

on my blog,

with lots of sister LOVE.

I personally do not have any sisters. I'm the baby of my family.

I must admit that I've always relished in my birth order and place in the family...

Daddy's girl to the hilt!

Doted on like crazy by my mamma (we all were- she's a nurturer by nature, but I am the baby which had it's perks, I'm sure).

I had two big brothers~great guys~ to look after me (just fought and fussed with them a bit).

Once I "caught on" to what my birth order/gender meant as my place in the family I really did think I had it pretty darrrrn good! That's because I did. I didn't have to share all my "girl stuff" with anyone, didn't have to deal with any hand-me-downs, I always had my own room, etc. Yep, I had it pretty darn good, don't you think?

However, as a mamma of five girls, I can see what I in fact have missed out on! Wow! how cool would it be to have a sister or even sisters????!?!?? As I'm getting older (just a bit, mind you-wink, wink), I can really see and appreciate what a special relationship and bond that sisters have.

I swear, even though my older girls fuss with each other at times (as do my little girls) and I can't believe the things they say to each other in anger over something so utterly important as a hair straightener and the like, I don't think they could actually live without each other! Do you know what I saying? They are so interesting to watch and so completely dependent upon each other.

I've been so blessed with a large family and lots of babies, 5 of my 6 happen to be girls. I'm thankful that I get to witness all this Sister LOVE!

Let the RAVING begin!

2011-02-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Rave #1...So let the RAVING begin about Susan DeLoach Photography! Here is a shot that we did at the very end of the shoot. Just a little spur of the moment thing....I LOVE it! Susan was such a good sport about it when I asked her to do it. I'm sure she was exhausted, too. She is so easy to work with, which I really appreciate. I just wish all my girls would've been there with me at that time. Susan really caught a great moment of us, don't you think? So, now I think I will have to do this with each shoot for now on. Mental note: I need to take a look in the mirror first before getting in front of the camera. Whew, I certainly could've used some "touching up"! That's what I get for being a working girl these days, right? I will really cherish this photo for years to come. So "Thank You, Susan"!!

Rave #2...So this is a big weekend for me and Finds! I'll be down in Savannah at the convention center at the Southern Women's Show. If you live near, you gotta come down and check it all out. I'll be in booth #946. I'd love for you to stop by and say "hi". Oh, click here, COUPONS, to go directly my Finds! page on their site and you can see my special coupons just for this show. EnJOY! There are some great pics there too once you click on the coupon links.

Rave #3...Oh, and guess what? My second oldest daughter, Whitney, it getting in on the Finds! action.

Yay! She's joining me on Sat. at the show to help out and be with me. This will be her first time to join me as her work schedule has always interfered before. It should be a good time with her. I LOVE being with my girls! I've got to remember to take my camera and actually use it at this next show. You see, what happens is I get so busy that I forget to take picutes of my booth,etc. But I definitely want to get a pic of her down there with me. I'm pretty sure I have one of Lauren with me at my last big show in Savannah. That was her first time to do the Finds! thing with me. I'll have to find that.

Rave #4...How about these "I'm a Fabulous Girl!" tees and tanks ? Oh, I LOVE how great these turned out. I'm so happy, happy about this. These are my first screen printed pieces and I just love them. What a grand statement they make. I hope everyone else loves them as much as I do. I especially hope that all the little girls will feel so good about themselves wearing them and just happy being themselves. They will be available in sizes 2 thru Ladies!! Isn't that fabulous news? Who would like one? Maybe that would make a great giveaway....

Stay tuned for more great pics by Susan of Flock Together. I must run now as my van is waiting to be loaded up for the big show. Wish me luck!!

Wow, What a High!

2011-02-01T11:40:00.000-05:00

So here is our first little model of the shoot...our Fabulous Miss M and her Fabulous mommy, Miss C. There will be some great pics of her coming soon. C let me in on a little secret...Miss M loves marshmallows! done deal~I brought a whole bag for her. Not that many were needed, but I was prepared if necessary! I really think Susan got some super cute shots of her.

Below are a few pics of our "hair station" and make shift changing room at the studio. Oh, I should have snapped a shot of my oldest daughter, Lauren, doing hair. Dang! I didn't take as many pics as I had wanted to because I just got too busy. Anyway, she was actually part of the shoot, too. She modeled my new Ladies Tee and a few of my Hostess Aprons. I can't wait to see those shots either...I stayed back and gave her her space to do her "thang" without mom looking over her shoulder. Get this: I thought that is what she would like...a little mommy space. Turns out she was a little bummed that I wasn't right there like I was with my little girls! Sometimes I just don't know what my girls want from me. Being a mommy is the best, but man is it really hard at the same time, right? Glad I finally got my Lauren in the mix here! Okay, now I will re-focus: It got a little messy by the end of the shoot, but that's okay. You can't tell from the pic directly below, but I had a friend and fellow crafter custom make some hair accessories just for my "Flock Together" line. Oh, they were just perfect! Her name is Joyce of Baby's Breath Handmade , that is her facebook link and here is where you can find her on ETSY. Check out her work, she's so talented and puts out really high quality pieces. Let me know how much you like them and I'll be sure to order more from her. I'm sure she'd love that!

Above is obviously a rack full of the Spring pieces...wish I was a photographer too so these little snap shots did my clothes justice. Maybe you get the picture though...LOL! I love corny jokes. Yep! The cornier, the better with me. They are so my speed and make me laugh real, hearty belly laughs.

Oh, here is one of the headbands made by Joyce. My little Miss Charlotte smiled perfectly here. I hope she did this for Susan, too.

A litte playtime towards the end of the shoot. Here you can get a little peek of my first screen printed tee. I have to say...not only do I love them, but I really do think they are worthy of being dubbed "Fabulous!"

Here's a gorgeous basket full of flowers I picked....yeah, right from the shelves of the store-ha! Aren't they pretty though? I love all of those colors. I know they looked great with the clothing.

I've always been IN love with the colors and scents of Spring. It's so happy and refreshing, don't you think?

Wow, it was a full day of fun and photos. Here is a fun little pic of me, Susan (in the red, she's the photography genius), and Miss Iris (Susan's lovely assistant, a real Miss Helpy-Helperton!). This shoot was a lot of work, but even more fun..I can hardly wait to get the proofs in my hot little hands. I can't tell you how much fun it is to see my work (months and months of my work) all come together and then be photographed so beautifully by Susan with such darling and yes, FABULOUS, little girls donning them and doing them justice. It just feels so right and makes me so HAPPY! What a high that is for me!!

p.s. thanks for reading :o)

I'm in Love!

2011-01-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh! Can you hear the choir singing? I sure can!!

That's what happens when I'm tickeled pink and just so happy when a vision of mine turns out JUST like I want it to. That doesn't always happen, ya know? Does that ever happen to you?

I'm sure it happens to all of us and that is why if feels so good when "the choir sings". I just received these images from Katie Moss of Peekaboo Photography. Aren't these photos just fabulous? If you think so let me know~I'd really love to hear from you.

There are a few more images from this photoshoot, but I just wanted to give you gals a little peek before I start my day. My girls' school schedules are calling, but I just couldn't resist not sharing these right away. These are pieces from my "Birds of a Feather... Collection". I'm so excited to share them with you! She has such a great take on her work. Yes, it's true....I'm in LOVE!

Stay tuned, gals...BOF's sister collection, ...Flock Together, will be debuting very soon. Believe me! It is Delicious! Yes, that is with a capital "D".

More Great News with just one little problem!

2011-01-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

So my Spring show schedule is shaping up very nicely! I got the news this week that Finds! has been accepted to participate as a vendor at the Southern Women's Show in Savannah. Sara, the gal I spoke with there seemed quite excited about my clothing and thought my product line would fit in very nicely with their show. Perfectly perfect!, I thought...it'll be a win-win for us both. Here's the problem: Before I fully committed myself and Finds! to the event, I figured it was in my best interest to even more thoroughly check out their website, read little tidbits, and look at all of the pictures from last years Savannah show. Guess what???? Yes, it solidified my decision to want to participate in the show, but now I want to go for my own shopping pleasure and girly fun!! Oh, what is a girl to do?

Fashion shows, beauty and spa treatments, food demos, health info and products...the list goes on and on! I think I might have to have a friend go with so I can scoot out of my booth for a bit to enjoy the show, too. Yeah, maybe that is my ticket to the show!

Check it out~it really looks Fab-U-lous!

I'll be posting my Spring/Summer show schedule soon, so stay tuned ladies!!

Oh, yes! and here is a little sneak peek of a sundress for you:

Now H.C.I.T.?

Elvis Rocks!

2011-01-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

If when you logged on you weren't lucky enough to land on one of the Elvis tunes....

Check out the playlist below and click on #'s 18 or 19 for a little Elvis to get you up and moving! He was the coolest! Great music to sew to. This is going to get me really kickin' out lots pieces this weekend. Busy, busy weekend ahead. The countdown is on to the Spring photoshoot!! So much to do yet. I wish it was already done, but that just isn't the case. There is so much build up to a photoshoot, you wouldn't believe it. Maybe it will get easier as I go or maybe I'll figure out what I'm doing at this level and then I'll just make things more elaborate. Yeah, knowing me, that's what I'll end up doing. Enjoy the music! Wishing you all a Fabulous, Fun, and Happy-Happy weekend!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...I received the best news today. I, meaning Finds!, was accepted into the Flowertown Festival in Summerville, SC. I've not participated in it before, but they draw and HUGE crowd, like 200,000 plus. Wow! now that's a big crowd. I'm so excited to show my goods there~ It will be a new audience for me! I'm thinking this is a very good sign for me. I've applied to other shows for the Spring/Summer, so maybe this first acceptance will set me on a wave of acceptance letters. Again....wish me luck as I hit the beat :o)!

Looking Back and Gearing Up!

2011-01-11T12:14:00.003-05:00

Here is my Mr. Loomis. Yes, it's true this show, being Finds! would not go on without him and his support...Ahhhh.

Here I am posing for a quick snap shot as we just finished setting up the night before the show.

So I'm just looking back through some pics from last year. Wow! It makes me feel so much better because I can see how far we've come. Some times (acutally often) I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I know we all have those days, but it seems I have sooo many at certain times. It kind of comes and goes in waves. Anyway, check out those displays and racks-ha! You've gotta start somewhere, right? These pictures are from my very first "big" show, which was down in Savannah for an early Spring art show. Not bad for my first crack at this show business. Finds! was well received and I met lots and lots of great gals! I now have much, much nicer clothing racks and displays. The only problem is they are so big--didn't think that would be the an issue. Just a little one actually. We are always messing around with the displays. Now that I'm thinking about it, every single show that I've done we've set up the displays differently. I wish I could say we have it all figured out, but I don't think we do just yet. It is definitely a learning process and TONS of work! Yes, TONS to do even one show. I'm not even talking about all the sewing that goes into the inventory, but just figuring out the logistics and making it all work with the girls' schedule and all. There just so much to think about. I won't bore you with the list. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about as far as trying to juggle everything, make sure everyone is taken care of, and happy. Yes, HAPPY, that's very important around here! I'm happy to report that so far it has worked out just fine-n-dandy for us. Going to a big show is always full of excitement and anticipation~big fun.

Oh, I LOVE and miss that apron. I should have kept one of those for me!

So a few weeks ago I was very busy filling out applications for strictly juried art shows for Finds! to participate in. I'd like to get into them all, but there are a few that I really have my fingers crossed for...wish me luck! Needless to say, I'm definitely gearing up for a busy and happy Spring/Summer for Finds! I can hardly wait to show and share "Flock Together", the Spring 2011, line with you all. I think it is simply

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Promise Delivered and Good Luck Needed!

2011-01-05T14:41:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I promised you gals a little sneak peek and here it is: an unfinished sundress, a few skirts, and a bit of fabric that is used throughout my Srping 2011 Collection. Oh, the name....Flock Together.

This Spring collection is a follow-up line to my Birds of a Feather Collection that debuted last Fall. All of these pieces are great for layering (or not), mixing, and matching.

I think you'll find this line to be full of FABULOUSLY Fun pieces to skip around in!

Oh, yes, excuse the messy studio! This is what it really looks like in the midst of my creativity and getting all of this together and done. A clean up is on the way, but not for a few weeks yet. The photoshoot for Spring is just around the corner and I have TONS to sew and do before that can even happen.

Oh! and this package???? Well, let me tell you about this! This little (actually medium sized box) had my nerves all jittery yesterday. Why you ask? With great reason, so I think. I've recently discovered a photographer by the name of Kate Moss. She's based in Utah and well known in the photography & boutique fashion worlds. You might know her by her business name: Peekaboo Photograhpy. She does what I will deem truly fabulous work. Take a peek at her blog! But I'm warning you...you must brace yourself because you're about to fall in love, I promise. Anyhoo, I sent her a little email, feeling very sheepish of course, and inquired if she'd be interested in possibly photographing a few of my pieces. Honestly, I didn't expect to hear back from her. She is one busy gal, you know, with a lot of work and in high demand. Well low and behold...she emailed me back: "Just looked at your outfits and they are adorable!" I nearly fell out of my chair!! for real. I haven't really shown my work to many others outside my immediate circle (short of doing a couple of shows down in Savannah).

Believe me, I am so thrilled that she likes my goods and is looking forward to shooting them!! So, all of that leads me up to this box. It was packed full of Fabulous Goodies and shipped out to Kate to be photographed--yippee! I found that when it was actually time to ship it I was really nervous. Is that silly of me? I'm talking butterflies in my stomach! What's up with that? It's like I was so excited and nervous at the same time. Believe me, I haven't had that feeling in a long, long time. I didn't realize before that moment that it had been so long since I'd felt that. I do think it was a good thing, though. What do you think it means? Really somebody tell me, please. A bit of success for me perhaps as I'm trying so hard to spread the word about my little business? Or maybe just nervous for my pieces to be seen on the other side of our country? who knows, right?

She should have the package by the end of this week. I can hardly wait for her to get it so I can find out what she really thinks once she sees and feels my pieces in person--I'm so excited. Wish me luck!!!

What a fantastic way to kick off 2011 for Finds!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and FABULOUS New Year!

Merry, Merry!

2010-12-25T21:29:00.004-05:00

So, I wish I could report that I've had the best Christmas day ever, but unfortunately that is not the case because I've come down with STREP-YUCK!! I've been in bed for the last 24 hours, which I've decided is not my thing at all. Oh, I did get up long enough this morning to go down stairs to watch the kids open their goodies from Santa~always fun and a true joy. OMGosh, I'm bored out of my mind like you wouldn't believe! We even had to miss church which made me so sad. I so love to go and sing Christmas carols. The good news: I was quite prepared for the big day with all of the shopping done (except for just a few small items which I was able to pick up yesterday morning before I was down for the count). Let me just add that I have the most fantastic elf, yes, Brian. Poor guy. He had to prepare for Santa all by himself. We all know that it is such fun to do so, but a ton of work at the same time. So....instead of gabbing about my woes, here are a handful of pics of our preparations starting the week before Christmas. Much anticipation and joy as you will see.Letters to Santa!

Build a Bear: compliments of Grandma and Grandpa...wow, have these ever been a big hit!!

Fresh haircuts and new Christmas dresses, all ready to....stay home, as it turns out.

Wishing you all love and joy. Merry, Merry!

Hugs to you all!

Spring sneak peeks coming soon!

Drum Roll, Please! We have a Lucky Winner!

2010-12-17T22:16:00.004-05:00

This post will be short, but very sweet for one lucky gal.

The "Magic Hat" makes an appearance and is filled with names.

Now for the "stirring up" as Isabella dubbed this detail. The anticipation is building! Just look at the excitement on Charlotte's little face.
......and the lucky winner of the Holiday Hostess Apron is...

Yippee! Oh, you're going to look sooo cute in this. You must send me a pic! Email me, Stephanie L., and we'll make arrangements to get the apron to you. I hope you enJOY wearing one of my aprons as much as I do. Congrats!
Rachel@FindsoftheFabulousKind.com
Thank you to all of you who humored me by playing along and sharing. Your stories were so fun, entertaining, touching and warm. I'm sure we all enjoyed reading them. Looks like I'll just have to do another giveaway!

Whew! What a busy, busy day!

2010-12-17T21:11:00.004-05:00

I may not blog like this for a while, we'll see. I have so much work to do, it's not even funny. The girls were sick again this last week-yuck. Of course, they come first and my work and social life are the first things to be put on hold. Now I'm behind on the schedule I've mapped out for myself. I have lots of prep for Spring 2011 that I need to get to, get done, and then relax for this Holiday break. Will that actually happen? Probably not. Anyway, today was super, super busy. I was just on fire this morning and so effecient with my time. I even bathed the girls, got them all dolled up in clothing of their choice-happy, happy Loomis Ladies, let me tell you! Isabella really appreciates "uniform free Fridays". Lots and lots on my morning to do list: like baking cupcakes. I have never baked and iced (homemade) a batch of cupcakes so fast in all my life. Now granted, they certainly aren't my prettiest ones, but the 4 year olds they were served to didn't seem to notice-whew, that was a close call-lol! I actually almost impressed myself, almost...That is until I accidentally locked my keys in the house-ouch! So yeah, Me, the baby, and the cupcakes were all outside ready to go and feeling fine just sitting in my car with no keys for the car or the house. I was actually on time-miracle! I won't lie. As soon as I figured out what had happened, it got a bit ugly there for a minute. I realized that when I went back into the house to get Lili some milk my keys must have fallen out of my pocket. I unknowingly skipped merrily out the locked door (still so proud of myself for baking at such high speed and actually being on time). So during my "ugly moment" I analyzed the pockets of this super cute jacket that I broke out of the closet just for today. Guess what I discovered: very shallow pockets, certainly not big enough for my big and stylish keychain. MENTAL NOTE TAKEN. So, this little snaffoo not only caused me great stress, but caused a painful unproductive loss of time for me. I was actually late getting cupcakes to Charlotte's nursery school. I felt so bad because I know her teachers had their moring mapped out as well. OOOPS! What's a girl to do? It all turned out just fine, other than my wasted time waiting and waiting for my house to be unlocked. Anyhoo, the show went on as it must as you can see. How familiar does all of this look to you all? Very, I'm assuming, but we love these crazy, full, busy lives with our kiddos, don't we? Yep, I'm sure of it!

So on tomorrow's to do list: get a spare house key made!

My Most Romantic Holiday Memory

2010-12-15T16:25:00.021-05:00

For those of you who don't exactly know me yet, probably don't know that one of my very, very favorite things in life is a surprise, the good kind...the really good kind! Well my hubby, aka: Mr. Loomis (I actually call him that a lot, not in a formal kind of way, but with affection and he likes it--just another little tidbit for you. Too personal? Hope not!) surprises me once in a while with the best things ever. I'm not talking about the ones money can buy....you'll see. Follow along on this picture story. Oh, first things first: the blond puffy face girl you're going to see is me just a few days after giving birth to my 5th sweet, sweet baby. Little did I know at that time in my life that I'd be kissing away my former "skinny life", but priorities change as we go along, ie: I'm not interested in being hungry at this point in my life--LOL! but it is true. Anyway, her name is Charlotte Rose. She was our Holiday blessing in late December of 2005. We had a house full of company and we were loving it! Our home was full of family, love, excitement, and warmth.
Both my parents and Brian's parents had made the trip to Michigan (that's where we lived until just a few years ago) for Christmas and Charlotte's arrival.
I knew Brian was up to something because I was under strict orders to stay inside and no peeking out of the windows! Brian, Marge (my mother-in-law, you'll see her in just a minute), and my only son, Kyle, were scurrying around doing "something" outside in the front yard. For me the SUSPENSE was building!

We had brought Charlotte home earlier that day and I couldn't imagine what they were up to. I decided to stay inside where I was nice and cozy in my fleecy pj's (you'll see those lovely things, too, sorry! but I was all about comfort at that point) and nurse my beautiful newborn baby in our parlor.

We had just bought the most comfortable rocking chair ever, which looked like it just belonged in that old parlor. I still use that very same rocking chair for our little Liliana. Oh, sorry, I digress! So by the time Miss Charlotte was finished up with her "nursey, nursey", I was beckoned outside, with a blind fold over my eyes! I couldn't imagine what was going on...so out I went with my trusty guide, Brian.
Just look at the gift that was revealed to me!

Is that the sweetest surprise EVER!

He had even snuck (is that a real word--Marge will know!) into my paints for his little project. To this day we still have Charlotte's sign that Brian painted which we will one day give to her. The snowman did not last, but the memory sure has and we have this beautiful painting (that would be the sign-it's beautiful to me!) to remind us of what a joyous and special occasion our Charlotte's Holiday homecoming was--ahhhhhh!

And so now you might be wondering exactly where is the romance in all of this? Well, just look at the expression on my husband's face as he sees my pure delight in the surprise he made for me!!! Need I say more?

So now, below is the LOVELY MARGE. She's the one who documents everything, every happening, just every -everything for the family. I'm so glad she did, too, because now I'm able to share my little romantic memory with you all. Let's here it for Marge: YAY, Marge!

And in this last picture are two partners in crime, so to speak, Brian and Kyle, standing with me and Mr. Snowman. Do you love my garb or what? I had forgotten all about my snow boots! Yep, now that's a goooood look -yikes!

Blessings, Love, and Romance abound!

The End.

Yippeee! It's HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY time!!

2010-12-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

Okay, lady friends, here it is: this Fabulous Holiday Arpon could be yours!

All you need to do is answer this burning question:

What is your most romantic Holiday memory with your sweetheart?

Just leave your answer in the comments below and Good Luck to all!

All official blog followers will automatically get their name put in the hat once just for being a "follower". So to up your chances of winning this FABULOUS and FLIRTY piece, please join if you haven't already. For those of you who are already with me on my blog, PLEASE leave a comment so you have better odds of winning (this means that your name will be put in the hat TWICE). I promise this is a super fun piece to wear and your Sweetheart will definitely notice how extra cute you're looking!!! (It never fails me...trust me on this, girls-wink, wink :o)

Oh, you Sweethearts (our men) are welcome to enter also by leaving a comment if you'd like a chance of winning this Fabulous apron for your favorite girl.

The super sophisticated hat drawing will take place on Friday, December 17th.

Please tell your friends and help me spread the word about how FABULOUS

Finds of the Fabulous Kind! is.

P.S. you can also check out my fan page on FB:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1729102642#!/pages/Finds-of-the-Fabulous-Kind/134328929945099

True Magic and Delight!

2010-12-09T16:28:00.003-05:00

I had to post this picture of Charlotte. She came back into the kitchen to do "magic tricks" with the hat, maagic wand (aka, play wooden spoon), and her pink bunny (if you guessed that she is under the big hat, you're right on!). I couldn't resist sharing this moment with you. Seeing the sheer delight on her face and twinkle in her eyes is truly magic for me as her mama! I love capturing these priceless moments~she's so tickled with herself here that it just cracks me up. And get a load of this...she stayed home sick today from nursery school. I think she's alllllll better :o).

Ahhhhh. It's so gooood to 4 years old, isn't it?

Tickled Pink!

2010-12-09T11:33:00.005-05:00

I'm tickled pink, ya'll! I'm so happy that I now have a good handful of followers. What a great surprise to get up this morning to find that I not only hit my very modest target of talking 20 of you fabulous ladies into "following Finds!", but I managed to get 21 followers. Happy, Happy Me! Thank you all for humoring me, really!! My wish is that you all enJOY my journey as much as I do. I'm glad to be able to share it with others! Won't you please help me spread the word about Finds!? I'd love more fans on FB and more blog followers. I can make it worth your while for sure. I would really, really love enough gals gathered around my efforts and business to justify more giveaways! I now feel like I'm definetely off to a FABULOUS start!

Thank you!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finds-of-the-Fabulous-Kind/134328929945099

Now I can get organized with my Holiday Giveaway that I've promised for you. I'm excited! To be honest, I really don't know the best way to do it other than revert back to my "old shcool ways". Do you know what that means? Well, for me that means that I'm going to literally write each of your names on a piece of paper, put them in this "magician hat" (as my Charlotte likes to call it), and draw out the lucky winner's name. Yep, that's right, I'm super sophisticated! We'll see how that giveaway goes and maybe I'll do another one, hmmmmm...

First things first, though: I think this old hat needs a good dusting!

**I must tell you that this lovely old (and very dusty) hat was my husband's Grandpa's hat. His name was Laddy and apparently he had an extensive hat collection that Brian always admired and found very amusing as a child. He was lucky enough to receive a few of the hats that were passed down through his dad a few years back. Now you can see that our girls are amused with it as well. A little silly tidbit for you, but pretty neat at the same time :o).

Festivities!

2010-12-06T22:00:00.005-05:00

Whew! Sorry, it's taken me so long to get back to my blog. I have been one busy girl! Lots going on for us all, I know, at this time of year. Tonight I thought I'd just post a handful of fun pics of the latest happenings and festivities around here. I hope you enjoy our moments as much as we did having them!

Here is our sweet Gracie girl (Isabella, Grace is her middle name) making her stage debut in the play by the name of "Nuts". It was the cutest production I've seen in a long, long time. I was so proud of all the kids and staff at Riverview. Their performance actually brought tears to my eyes. They were all so courageous, sweet, innocent, and of course, entertaining.

Cute! Cute! Cute!
Can you guess what she might be????

Yes, that is me standing next to her after the show. Can you guess what I am? Yep, her proud mama! Is the suspense killing you? Okay, you give? Isabella is a fabulous and fluffy cloud!
H.C.I.T.?
How cute is this?

And who do we have here in the pic above? My babies: my youngest, Liliana, and my Grandbaby boy, Owen (aka: Charles, per me). It's been a few months since we've had both of their car seats in my bug and I missed taking their pic the last time, so this time I was sure to capture them having a good time with the top down.
Now this cute guy would be my husband, Brian, for those of you who might not know him yet. Can you guess what he has in those lovely pink bags? I think I'll see if anyone is acutally reading my blog and have a little contest here. Okay: leave your guess in the comments below. If you guess correctly what the blue stuff/thing is in the bag then you'll win a FREE pair of Holiday Diva Dish gloves. Here are a few hints:
1. they were purchased in downtown Beaufort
2. they are party favor gifts for our little Charlotte's 5th Birthday party that is soon approaching

And last but not least, is the happy~schmappy couple. You can see that I'm just tickled pink at my "find" for Charlotte's party (now I don't have to sew a whole bunch of ****'s) and Mr. Loomis....well, I think he is astonished that he not only just spent about a million bucks on a few bags of goodies, but he probably can't believe that he actually posed with pink bags for a quick pic for me and is now realizing in this very moment that it will definitely be posted on my BLOG! Oh, yes! he is right alright:o) What a good, good daddy he is!!!
Happy Schmappy!

Oh, just one last quick pic of me and my Beaufort girlfriends. We were celebrating Kate's bday at dinner downtown a bit earlier this evening. Starting on the left: Kate, aka the special birthday girl, in the tan jacket, Joanna is next to her and then there is Miss Jen with her precious newborn baby boy, next is Cynthia and then here I am again in the hat. Have I shared with you all yet that I love hats (wish I'd wear them more often) and also houndstooth?
Fun pieces, fun friends, fun festivities!

All My Chickens are home and in a row!

2010-11-26T12:12:00.008-05:00

I'm just as happy as a lark! All my chickens (children) are home and I just couldn't be any happier!! This doesn't happen too often. My Mom and Dad are here visiting with us for Thanksgiving weekend, too. This has been a weekend filled with family, feasting, and fun times! We have so many blessings in our lives to be ever so thankful for. Thank you, Jesus! My parents and son all were granted safe travel, may they be as fortunate on their return trips home as well!

We started off the long family weekend by celebrating my Dad's birthday. It has been a long tradition that I bake him an apple pie, completely from scratch. He loves my apple pies and even brags about them. Even my extended family in the hills of Missouri know all about my apple pies, which is the funniest thing because it all happened quite by accident almost 20 years ago. Let me add that my Mom and her older sisters are great country cooks like you wouldn't even believe!!! I was so nervous that they'd want my to bake them one and then perhaps suffer terribly by comarison~yikes! Sidenote: they're very sweet, of course, and it turns out that I have baked an apple pie for them and I passed the test with flying colors...Uncle Howard approved! So.... I honestly can't remember the very first apple pie I ever made, but I do remember making one when my parents came up to Michigan for a Holiday visit and I happened to whip one up....the rest is history and a bit of a mystery. Well, it used to be a mystery how Iwas able to apparently make a delicious apple pie, including yummy flaky crust. My goodness, when I was learning how to cook years ago it was just scary sometimes! Can anyone relate to this?

Above I'm rolling out homemade egg noodles. Again, a long time tradition with my Mom's family~gotta have homemade noodles. I make them just three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

So, below are some pics of me and my family preparing for our big feast. I truly believe that I must spent no less than 10 hours cooking and baking! Wow, that is a long time to spend on my feet and in the kitchen, but I have to admit that I LOVED every minute of! I truly love to cook for my children, makes me feel so good!

Fast forward 20 years: my three little ones are all but completely grown up, I've been blessed with a wonderful husband & three more beautiful babies, my parents are in good health and continue to visit and believe it or not...I can actually "hold my own" in the kitchen! If I want my kids to come running home, all I have to do is tell them that I'm cooking and here they come...all gathered around our kitchen table feasting, safe and sound, and all in a row~
HAPPY, HAPPY ME!!!!!

My babies: Lauren (21), Whitney (20), Kyle (17), Isabella (6), Charlotte (4), and Liliana (2)

Wow! Good luck and fortune are on my side.

2010-11-24T07:14:00.007-05:00

Wow! The Holiday show in Savannah was great for Finds! I'm so happy to report the good news. I was lucky enough to have a good number of customers stop by my booth. Oh, the best part is I had repeaters seek me out again!! WoooHooo! for Finds! That makes me feel great and I'm thankful for that. However, I should have taken some pictures so I could share them with you....arrrrhhhhgg! So irritated that I didn't remember to do that. I had a camera, but I just got too busy and forgot. My set up keeps evolving with each show that I do. I'm determined to get it just right. I think we're getting close. The "we" being my husband, Brian, and I. I so couldn't do this these shows without him! Well, I could but I just really wouldn't want to. I'd probably be finished getting set up about three days after the show is over! They are so much fun, but just as exhausting. Brian makes my life so much nicer and easier, truly. I know I'm so lucky that he is supportive and helpful with yet another venture of mine. And, yes, he's been with me on a handful of them by now, but Finds! is the biggest one yet. I'll say it again as I have many times before: Brian is my good fortune and always on my side. I'm a lucky, lucky girl!

Buttons and Bows...Oh, My!

2010-11-16T18:47:00.004-05:00

So I haven't posted in several days. I'm finding this is a lot to keep up with, but I do like to blog. Didn't think I would, but turns out that I do. So...I've been up to my eyeballs is buttons and bows this week. All my vests are now completed and ready for show time starting tomorrow a.m. I'll be at the Made in the South Holiday Art Fair in Savannah all weekend. It is a big really big show for me, my biggest all year. I'm now thinking that I should have made arrangements for someone to come down and man my booth with me.....hmmmm. Maybe my daughter, Lauren, will want to spend some time with her mama this weekend! We'll see, she probably "has plans". That's the response I get these days from my big girls, nice huh?

I can remember when my Charlotte was just 2 1/2 (she's now almost 5) and when I'd ask her to do a little something, like "...hand mommy that toy, please", her response for the longest time was "I can't. I busy. Things to do." How funny is that? and she meant it too.

So here is a bit of eye candy for you. These are some more fashion combinations that you could put together from my Birds of a Feather Collection. Scroll on down....

Cute.

Cute, again.

Ah, the grey damask double ruffle pants :o) These have been a big hit!

Gotta love the mango knit ruffle pants~oh, so comfy and even more cute. This is the greatest color for Fall. I'm not even an orange girl, not at all! However, I must confess: I'm totally loving this particular shade of mango, it's like a heather mango....delicious and goes with so many other pieces!

...and now the beloved reversible vest. This piece is so versatile and can be worn in the Fall and again in the Spring. Of course, it's a great mix and match piece, too.

Ta Dah! It's all the in the details: buttons and bows have all come together. Oh, my! How Fabulous!