Hey Friends! Remember our new little shop we just opened? Well, we have seen the actual 12″ x 12″ prints up close and personal, and they are gorgeous! I’m planning a mad uploading session that involves more dinosaurs (Dino-Shores) and more jungle animals (Jungle Jazz). What’s on the horizon for Space Monkey? Well, Zany Monsters, Rag Dolls, and Teddy Bears!
And don’t worry, MumsTheWurd! is not going to turn into the Space Monkey Blog (Space Monkey’s got one of those…), but I’m just excited about this venture into our own business…so, I’ll talk about it from time to time, and also tell you when we’re having sales (like the one going on right now- 15% off with the coupon code “BLASTOFF”).
We’ve also had a bit of publicity already, which is very exciting…BabyLuxe {daily} will review the Jazzy Giraffes in August, but they loved us so much, they put up a special post on Sunday! Wasn’t that sweet? And we also got a mention in NBC DFW’s “Around Town” section.
Since we’ve already told you about Bethany’s awesome store, I thought MumsTheWurd! could instead help spread the word about Bethany’s latest undertaking-adopting a new child! Baby Luxe is sponsoring a raffle on behalf of the Balsis family, who is preparing to go to Russia to meet the newest member of their family-a little girl, Addison.
Bethany & her husband have been very busy lately, preparing for their trip to Russia, to meet their future little girl, Addison; a Down Syndrome orphan whom she and her family are adopting in the coming weeks. The Balsis’ already have two biological children, a little boy Mason & a little girl Payton. Payton also has Down Syndrome, so the Balsis’ are well versed in the special care that Addison will require.
As many of you know, adoption is a very expensive process, and the costs to bring home their new little girl will likely be high. On top of that, Addison’s initial medical expenses will likely be high.
To help with this wonderful cause, BabyLuxe is proud to be co-hosting a major fund-raising event for the Balsis family, which is taking place on The Mom Crowd. They will be selling raffle tickets for $5 each, and 100% of the proceeds will go directly towards the adoption of Addison.
Many of the designers that are donating to the raffle include: Serena & Lily, Bella Tunno, SaraBear Baskets, Baby Rock Apparel, SlickSugar, Ellie Bellie Kids, Made by Angie, Wet Happened? Wet Bags, Georgie Tees, Baby K’tan, JP Lizzy, Ribbies Clippies, Paperluxe Studio and more!
The Balsis’ are chronicling their adoption journey on their blog, Dreaming on an Angel. Go support them with a comment, or a contribution!
You can show your support by click the “Buy Now” PayPal button below. Donating just $5 will get you a raffle ticket to enter to win prizes listed over at The Mom Crowd. If you do not have PayPal, you can mail a check and include a note with your contact information to:
Balsis Family Adoption Fund
Raffle Tickets
PO Box 61
Washington, Virginia 22747
*Mailed entries must be received before Sept. 24th
We are excited to tell you a little more about the beautiful Ashlee Allen. Since she was unable to podcast with us a few weeks ago, we sent her a couple of questions. Here’s a little info about the Nest mama:
MTW: What inspired you to start nest?
Ashlee: I had always planned to wear my baby but when Xavier was born unexpectedly at 28 weeks I knew babywearing and kangaroo care would be critical. Through our journey I discovered that while there were many carriers I adored, I couldn’t find *the one*, so I made it! Nest as a business evolved from there.
MTW: What did you do before you became a “mompreneur”? How did you get started?
Ashlee: I’ve dabbled in many carrers other than mom – photography, psychology, advertising, yoga instructor, nanny and of course mama. After making slings for many friends and people I’d run into all over the place I realized my life would be easier if I had a place to send people. So after much research, I started designing and thanks to my sewing and my husband’s design skills nest was hatched.
MTW: Without giving away any of your “secrets”, where/how do you find the items for your store?
Ashlee: I lauch new collections in the spring and fall and am always on the look out new styles and fabric. One of my favorite things to do is scout out random fabric shops in person and online and I, of course, pay attention to the current fashion scene for inspiration.
MTW: What are some of your favorite items?
Ashlee: Our limited edition slings are always my favorite, the Heart Nouveau being my current favorite. The hatchlings are super cute and we actually have some items in production that I can’t wait to launch- I’m in love! ***I am too! This is why we’re waiting to tell you about E$’s Sling!!!***
MTW: Tell us more about Project X.
Ashlee: Project X provides person to person support to NICU familes. As I mentioned before our son Xavier was born at 28 weeks and spent 6 weeks in NICU. It was a really terrifying time for us and the biggest help was talking to other people who had been there. We do a lot of one on one work, but our biggest event is Project Christmas, provinding a traditional Christmas dinner to all of the local NICU’s. We spent Xavier’s first Christmas in the hospital and having just a hint of normalcy would have made all the difference. Since our first year in 2006 we’ve had several sister programs launch in cities nationwide. 10% off all nest profits are donated directly to Project X.
MTW: Tell us a bit about you and your family!
Ashlee: I get to spend my days with my amazing 2 (going on 17) year old X and my super cool, artist husband David. When David’s not tattooing, I’m not sewing or blogging and X isn’t napping you’ll likely find us up to our eyebrows in paint or building some killer lego cities.
Lark and Loon is one of those boutiques that we really, really dig. Why? Because of the soft simplicity of their apparel and their conscious effort to support a great cause: art. The whimsical art found on articles of clothing at Lark and Loon are designed by eleven or so commissioned artists. Check out their site to learn more about the artists who really bring Lark and Loon apparel to life.
At their online boutique, you will find drops (long-sleeve, short-sleeve and tank), pants (long and capri) and tees (cap, long and short). Laura posted a review earlier this year, which you can read HERE. There you’ll see Noel’s “invincible” long-sleeve tee and Hailey’s long-sleeve “little gathering” drop (also pictured below), which is by far one of my favorite pieces of apparel in her closet. Lark and Loon apparel is made of pure cotton in the U.S.A. and the designs are water-based screen-printing, which makes the artwork just as soft as the clothing.
Of course, we love to boast about boutiques that are giving back. 5% of Lark and Loon’s proceeds are donated to americans for the art:
“americans for the arts is the nation’s leading non-profit and non-partisan organization for advancing the arts in america. it works with the public and private sectors to generate more resources for the arts and art education.”
Gretchen and Priscilla, boutique owners also blog at their “all aflutter blog” where you will get an even more in depth view of Lark and Loon apparel and the artists involved.
Right now, until July 15th get a generous 25% discount off your entire order.
*Edit: Congratulations to Jenni! She’s the winner of our Fairy Princess Clothing giveaway. Jenni has been notified via email. Thanks to all of you for entering!
From tutu’s to accessories for the mama, you will be tickled pink after you finish browsing Fairy Princess Clothing’s online store. This all-girlie boutique offers quite an extensive range of brands and fashions and believe me when I say, I have been drooling over the adorableness of all that is flowery and frilly ever since I clicked into the store.
I absolutely have to feature The Stackable Tutus made by Pickled Hippo (MSRP: $23). I can’t wait to see my toddler bouncing around in one of these colorful tutus! You can easily stack up to four single tutus comfortably for a fuller look. What you’ll have then is a tutu with a gorgeous color combination.
I had a chat over the phone with Katrina, Fairy Princess Clothing boutique owner, and she answered some of our burning questions:
MTW: Why did you decide to create Fairy Princess Clothing?
Katrina: My neighbor and good friend one day commented that my daughters had so many clothes that I should start a boutique. That sparked the idea. But my true inspiration came from my three girls. They love to dress up and adore “girly” things. It is gratifying to help other mothers find just the right thing…..from a first birthday dress to the perfect Halloween costume.
MTW: What kind of background do you have?
Katrina: Believe it or not, the only retail experience I had was my “shopping therapy” (albeit extensive!). I have taught myself this business from the ground up, from the retail perspective and the technical perspective.
MTW: Why did you choose to open an online store, rather than a physical store?
Katrina: My choice to open an online boutique rather than an actual store front came naturally. My husband has a background in information technology and I knew I had all the resources I needed to launch it. At the time I had (and still do have) small children at home. Our children are the very center of our lives and I did not want this venture to take me away from them. When I work my girls are always with me. For better or worse, that is why so often my customers hear them in the background!
MTW: Which item(s) that you carry did you just “have to have” for your own child(ren)?
Katrina: Oh my goodness…just about everything that arrives! I love the quality and workmanship of Sarah Louise dresses; the trendy and hip styles of Greggy Girl, My Vintage Baby and Luna Luna; the cute and funky designs from Frilli Lilli; and the sweet and timeless designs from Victoria Kids. Honestly, all of it has an appealing quality to it.
I hand select every single item in our boutique. When ordering I imagine how my daughters or other little girls would respond to such an item. So many of the baby items make me long to have another one (only momentarily!) so I can dress them in these darling outfits.
Katrina: Oh, I’ve had to painfully learn my way around html and other techie stuff that I don’t even know what it’s called. Really, my knight in shining armor is my beloved and handsome husband. He is my “computer geek” as I like to call him. He works on the site daily. After his own job he comes home and spends hours working on mine! No kidding. I could not have even considered starting Fairy Princess Clothing without his help and support.
MTW: Give us an interesting fact about yourself.
Katrina: My oldest and youngest daughters are 16 years apart. With my oldest just graduating from high school and my youngest only 2, I’ve seen every stage of growth and development for a little girl.
MTW: Where are you “physically” located?
Katrina: Tampa, FL
MTW: Any special promotions going on right now?
Katrina: MTW10 – 10% discount for MTW, and free shipping on all orders over $100 (US addresses only)
MTW: Email address for our readers to get in touch:
Katrina: info [at] fairyprincessclothing [dot] com
At Fairy Princess Clothing, you will find personalized items, diaper bags and totes, furniture and just an array of other assorted items and gifts. This is boutique is a fantastic hangout for mum’s of little princesses…I know this first hand.
*Spend $100 at Fairy Princess Clothing and get FREE shipping. Click HERE for specifics.
*MTW readers can take advantage of an extra 10% off of their entire FPC order by entering code “MTW10” at checkout.
*I also want to point you in the direction of FPC’s sale items HERE.
Visit Fairy Princess Clothing’s site and leave a comment on this post letting us know which one of the items listed under the Fairy Princess Exclusives is your favorite. Your comment on this post will be considered your entry.
A winner will be chosen at random (not based upon comment) on Friday, June 13th and announced here on Saturday. Bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to enter.
Good luck!
This contest is open to residents of the continental U.S.
Click below to listen to our first BlogTalkRadio show with Katja from Skimbaco! My mom called in at the very end of the show, isn’t she sweet?
We will have a short follow-up Q&A with Katja posted here soon, featuring some of the products from her store. In the meantime, you can check out our review of Skimbaco from last June.
Laura on July 21st, 2009
Hey Friends! Remember our new little shop we just opened? Well, we have seen the actual 12″ x 12″ prints up close and personal, and they are gorgeous! I’m planning a mad uploading session that involves more dinosaurs (Dino-Shores) and more jungle animals (Jungle Jazz). What’s on the horizon for Space Monkey? Well, Zany Monsters, Rag Dolls, and Teddy Bears!
