Three Pink Ducks

Monogram Monday: parenthesis

2012-02-06T13:17:00.001-08:00

Bias bound t-shirt neckline

2012-01-29T10:32:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to figure out the best/easiest way to achieve this. Any suggestions?

Monogram Monday: Cosmetic Bags

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

This isn't really about cosmetic bags. I mean, I'll show you a picture of some, and they are monogrammed...but really this is about PD#1's SEVENTH birthday party! SEVEN!

Long ago she decided she wanted a Paris Spa party. We set our colors: Light and Hot Pink, and Black. I created the invitations and had them printed, and then we used glitter glue and glitter to embellish them.

The information is on the other side and is written in...wait for it...French Script! Ha! I wanted to try some of those silver platter chalkboards that you see all over Pinterest, so we used black envelopes and white pen to tie into that idea.

We were just having it at our house this year, so I took everything out of our playroom (and hid it in our locked master bedroom) and turned it into a Parisian Cafe! This started with the awnings - tutorial coming soon. Once I had those done we used some really cute Eiffel tower fabric to cover the tables, covered family pictures with Eiffel Towers, painted up some chalkboard silver platters and had a great time.

I made this boa wreath with two boas, and some plumbing insulation from Home Depot.

Two of my friends, Brooke from Strands Salon in the Westwood area, and Karen from Stem in Merriam came and did hair and nails for the girls. I provided flip flops, but grossly underestimated the size of First Grade Feet! The fabulous "Nanny Aimee" as we like to call her, (my husbands cousin) came and taught French (in the L'ecole - School area) and how to sing Happy Birthday in French (which was Greta's idea!).

I also made this taffy garland by simply stringing taffy on fishing line using a tapestry needle. I ordered the taffy, and the chocolate candies I *was* going to cover the cake with, but we ate anyway, from The Candy Store at Crown Center. I worked with Pat and she was so very helpful and even gave me a discount. I highly recommend them.

We made fruit and yogurt smoothies, to tie into the "Spa" element (thank you so much Aunt Leslie for running that station!), and I made these monogrammed tumblers for the girls. Each girl also got a monogrammed cosmetic bag in the party colors and they used these to collect their pinata loot. (I really, really, really wanted to buy an Eiffel Tower Pinata from Etsy, but by the time Greta told me she wanted a pinata I would have had to rush it, and I was just not going to pay $63 for a pinata, and $45 for shipping for something that was going to be destroyed. So the pinata, and the centerpieces are from birthdayexpress.com)

I also made this fruit dip mask - inspired by this Mexican Dip mask on Pinterest.

I just used fruit dip and followed the same idea, using kiwi for the cucumbers, and strawberries for the lips.
And custom water bottle lables I designed and printed from Creative Label Studio.

The girls relaxed with cucumbers on their eyes while they were waiting, and even Daisy got in on the action!

I had big intentions of making a fabulous square, three-tiered, pink cake covered with m&m's...and it just didn't work. So Daddy got one from the local grocery (tears people, I cried TEARS when I had to pitch my cake) and had them write Happy Birthday on it in French. Just as good. No one cared.

I made Greta's shirt and pants - the pants with ruffle fabric so they are like cha-cha pants -so fun!

And her Beaded Silver Eiffel Tower headband is from This Etsy Shop - only I asked for a child size.

Happy Birthday Greta!!

If you like any of the personalized items please let me know and we can do a special order at onepinkduck@onepinkduck.com

Monogram Monday!

2012-01-16T07:51:00.001-08:00

I frequently get requests to make shirts for babies of fans of various colleges. In order to personalize, and make something different than you can already buy I put a fun spin on and am inspired by the logos.

Miss America!

2012-01-14T16:12:00.001-08:00

Getting ready for Miss America - a cheap, easy, quick snack - cut out pie crust, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar! (We did "America" shapes for Miss America!)

Valentine's Collection!

2012-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

I am loving the collection this year. It is simple, classic shapes, filled with fun, non-traditional valentine's fabrics! A little bit punk with the black and lime green thrown in there!

Visit One Pink Duck to purchase! Thank you!

Monogram Monday: Happy Birthday B!

2012-01-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

One of my friends just celebrated her daughter Bridget's first birthday with a super cute Bee theme. She came to me with an idea and a sketch and we made this cute onesie for under her tutu!

I'm always happy to work with you to design whatever you need for your little one. Or yourself!

Sewing for Myself

2012-01-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

With all the sewing I do for One Pink Duck, and my little Three Pink Ducks, I rarely make time to make anything for myself. I have gotten two garments made in about the past year though, both from the same pattern. Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 2584. I love this pattern. I can't say enough good things about it. The instructions are very easy to follow and the garment fits great!

The first time I made the C length, and the B sleeves. And no zipper! The neck opening is so deep (which didn't bother me) that I didn't need a zipper. I made it out of a non-traditional fabric for a tunic - some winter white corduroy.

The second time I used some fabric I had purchased from Fabric.com for a total of $8.98. Yay! It is a little on the fallish side, but I've been wearing it a ton with tight jeans and tall brown boots. It is seriously the perfect length! I made B length, and sleeves, but didn't put the elastic in, and left off the decorative placket and tuck near the hem, because it was such a busy fabric.

I have a great grey cotton with a fine texture that I want to try next to wear with black leggings, and a dark red and white linen that I want to do with flat felled seams as a dress. We'll see!

Torn fabric banner tutorial!

2012-01-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is a tutorial I've promised since PD#3's birthday back in July. It is so easy to do! It is actually for the torn fabric banner in the top picture.

I used 2 yards of a pale yellow Voile fabric, purchased on clearance at Fabric.com in the $1.95 section...so a total of $3.90. At the top edge I made cuts every 1.5 inches or so. (Some pictures are of gingham fabric.)

Then

Tear, tear, tear.

Then...tie, tie, tie. Just tie the ends together like you would shoelaces. Cute, shabby, torn fabric banner. (shown here also with a sewn paper banner.)

The Real Santa Claus. I'm not kidding.

2011-12-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

So, we decided to play it a little "lower-key" this year as far as Santa. Since Greta's first Christmas we have done breakfast with Santa. We've done The Hotel Phillips, Nordstrom, Powell Gardens (It blizzard-ed on our way there - totally felt like we were driving to the North Pole!), Christmas in Crestwood, and Renee Kelly's at Caenen Castle (twice!).

This year though, we thought it would be fun to go to Crown Center, play at the Crayola Holiday Display and eat at the Crayola Cafe. No. What happened was, lines, lines, lines everywhere. We arrived, waited for a while and ended up eating at Fritz's because the line for Crayola Cafe was 30-45 minutes. Then B. took the Big girls to watch all the goings on at Crown Center, like Fudge Making, a Harpist, coloring at the Crayola Store, etc. while Daisy and I waited in line for TWO HOURS!!!!!!!! So long she actually fell asleep!

Then we made it to the entrance to Crayola Holiday land, and the girls went in to play, while I waited in line for another 20 minutes!

We finally got to see Santa, and of course, Daisy screamed!

The girls had a good time talking to him though, and giving him their lists. I was wrapping up the talking, when we mentioned that Santa's Elf has been at our house.

Sneaking our Ice Cream

Painting Red Noses on the Glass of Pictures

Parachuting in the Playroom

Leaving M&M Messages

Without missing a beat, or any prompting from me, Santa said "oh, has he been leaving messages on your mirror?" THAT VERY MORNING we had had a very naughty elf who had written Merry Christmas in Mommy's lipstick. (And Mommy's handwriting, for that matter.) So, not that it ever wavered, but the girls have renewed faith in both Santa, and Elfy.

Monogram Monday: Door-naments

2011-12-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Initially I wanted to do this project the same way as these pumpkins. An ornament with a monogram...but it turns out Hobby Lobby doesn't sell perfectly round canvas, only oval. (Just wait for Easter!)

I was wandering around and walked past the cake aisle when I had the perfect idea! I could use those little round cardboard cake circles! Way cheaper than canvas, and VERY kid friendly.

Pin It

These are 10" cake support circles, that were $1.99 at Hobby Lobby. I also bought gemstones for the girls to glue on, because who doesn't love a little sparkle??? Another little tip I have? I try to always get at least one paper sack when I go to the grocery store. They make great "drop cloths" for painting, good fire starters if you have a real fireplace, and a fun project I will show you next week!

I set up Maren's area with everything she needed and she went to town.

Then I hot glued ribbon I already had to the back, tacked it with thumbtacks to the top of my door, and used an additional piece to tie a bow around the ribbon hanger at the top of the ornament. Cute, kid friendly, cheap Door-naments!

Monogram Monday: Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't list these turkey shirts this year, because I was going gangbusters for Christmas! (Remember, the deadline for Christmas orders is this Friday!!!!)

But, I had a special request from a friend and crafted these shirts for her. The raw edge is so trendy right now, so I did raw-edge-feathery-feathers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And don't forget to visit ONE PINK DUCK to get some Christmas Shirts. Here is a darling Brother/Sister Example I just love!

Monogram Monday: Come visit me!

2011-11-14T14:14:00.001-08:00

One Pink Duck will be at the Johnson County Young Matrons Boutique this Tuesday and Wednesday at The Lodge at Ironwoods. Admission is free, so stop in and see us! I'll be clearing out some Stephen Joseph merchandise and have several samples and some "show-only" items.

And remember- next Friday, November 25 is the last day to place online orders. Get those holiday orders placed soon!

Www.onepinkduck.com

Monogram Monday: Holiday Shirts

2011-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

All shirts available for purchase at www.onepinkduck.com

Too late for Monogram Monday - But our Holiday Shirts are up!

2011-10-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Please visit One Pink Duck to see all our Holiday Shirts! Just click on the picture when you get there and it will take you straight to that category.

Please take a second to answer this poll about the Sugarplum Shirt!

2011-10-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, these are very rough versions of a fun shirt I am working on for Christmas. So many people ordered the Trick Or Treat shirt like this for Halloween that I thought it would be good to do a Holiday version as well. I'm pretty set on everything, except the ribbon will be lavender Satin and I may change the color of the sparkles on the Sugarplum itself (or add some more...I mean, you can never have too many sparkles.) But I'm just not sure what to do with the lettering. I originally had all three words different colors,

I've also added these three choices:

(This is a lovely photoshop version of how all purple might look.)

Monogram Monday: New line

2011-10-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ooohhhhhh I am so excited! I have gotten my first samples from a new line I'm going to be carrying. This is a dress for PD#3 - a gorgeous, classic, red corduroy with white monogram. So darling! I can't wait to try applique with the bigger girls samples. A red corduroy swing top for PD#1 and jumper for PD#2.

If anyone needs a christmas dress let me know!

Kids clothing week challenge

2011-10-11T20:05:00.001-07:00

I'm updating from my phone again, so please excuse any spelling errors and my lack of great photos and links.

Here is the website for the origin of KCWC- http://www.elsiemarley.com/category/kids-clothes-week-challenge

She makes a heck of a lot more in one hour than I do! I still need to work on the blanket from yesterday, but that is going to have to wait for an hour when I am not so tired!

Tonight I whipped up a very easy headband out of white minky that i might use for our christmas photo shoot. This pattern was courtesy of www.lilblueboo.com.

Everyone is asleep, so we will see if it fits in the morning!

Monogram Monday: Monogram Blanket

2011-10-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

It's monogram Monday and it's also Kids Clothing Week Challenge over at Elsie Marley. (it's my first blog post from my phone so I'm not quite sure how to link yet.)

Anyway, it's not clothing, but it's a blanket I've been working on for a while. I f i n a l l y finished up the satin binding (close to 3 yards!) and I hope to finish the batting and minky backing tomorrow!

Monogram Monday: Canvas Pumpkins

2011-10-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween! I will sing it from the dark and scary mountain tops! Halloween is my favorite, favorite, favorite holiday.

I was walking through Hobby Lobby's Art Supply section one day and spied these oval canvas's (?) and at some random moment later I had a lightbulb idea - Pumpkins!

These are so easy - I bought the $11.99 size Canvas - and it was 40% off, so approximately $7. Plus some green satin ribbon from another store, approximately $2 - and a can of orange spray paint (for outdoor durability and gloss)(although it didn't cover as easily as I think craft paint would have...it took about 4 coats) $4 and I already had black paint. If you had a silhouette that would be even easier to either cut a stencil to paint with for your features, OR cut some vinyl.

They also had different size canvas' at Hobby Lobby - you could make your own pumpkin patch!

First Step: Paint the canvas orange
Second Step: Add black monogram, initials, jack o lantern features, etc. (If you want - you can also leave it plain.)

Third Step: Make a lime green ribbon bow.
Fourth Step: Attach bow - I actually attched mine with a straight pin for these photos, but you could use glue, or a safety pin.
Fifth Step: Hang anywhere!

Monogram Monday: Stitch Font

2011-09-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

A cute new font I am trying out - it looks like little hand stitches. I love that!

Don't forget to check out www.onepinkduck.com to purchase halloween items!

How to pack a cupcake.

2011-09-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need a little bribery. I like to call this Positive Reinforcement.

PD#2 was a little sad that her friend wasn't staying all day at Pre-school today...so I packed a cupcake in her lunch. I do not have one of those cute little cupcake containers, because NORMALLY we do not take that kind of stuff in our lunchboxes. So I improvised. I took another silver liner, turned it upside down, and tied them both together with a colorful ribbon. So fun- and perfect in a lunchbox!

Tonight only! www.onepinkduck.com - when you purchase any halloween goodies and pay with Paypal TONIGHT - September 14, you will recieve 31% of your total purchase on your One Pink Duck account as a credit to use the next time you shop! Good forever! (you must log in with a One Pink Duck account, and be logged in to use your credit.)

Monogram Monday: People can be letters!

2011-09-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

So many people are thinking about Halloween already. If you are crafty, you have to! You have to get a jump start on getting your holiday decorations ready. And right after Halloween is Thanksgiving, and right after Thanksgiving is Christmas! So, today I'm sharing our Christmas card from last year. You could incorporate this into any kind of card, with any kind of word!

I still trying to think of a good Christmas Card idea for this year. I have gotten a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. If you like, you can follow me there!

Some Halloween Samples!

2011-09-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

As much as I'd love for everyone to visit me at www.onepinkduck.com I'm going to post some of the Halloween Pictures here! I had so much fun coming up with these applique designs, and I can't wait to get started on Christmas! Please visit www.onepinkduck.com to buy!

(Feel free to add any of these to Pinterest, Pin It Or follow Three Pink Ducks/One Pink Duck on here.)

Halloween Is Up!

2011-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween is up on the website. So cute! There is a great slideshow, and then just hit Embroidery and Monogramming and then Halloween to see all our selections.

Fabric Barbie Bucket, Rainbow Scrappy and Trick or Treat

2011-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard, oh so hard, to get Halloween designs tested and samples made, coordinate a photo shoot (tomorrow night!) and to finish the sleeveless wrap dress I'm making myself (because pretty quick it's going to not be warm enough!). I don't have a lot of pictures to share of all these things (although One Pink Duck Facebook Friends DO get sneak peeks of the Halloween goodies), but I thought I'd show you a little project I made earlier in the year.

This fabric bucket was REALLY easy to make. I could have lined it with a stiffer stabilizer...but I kind of like the slouchy-ness of it. I appliqued a "Barbie"-esque silhouette on the side, and it is i n t e n d e d for PD#1 to keep all her Barbie and Barbie-related-teeny-tiny-parts away from PD#3.

Also - I listed this Rainbow Scrappy T-shirt on Etsy. It's fun to get so many cute fabrics on a shirt.

And -in Merry Berry Stationery's shop I also listed this Trick or Treat Photo Print. You can't tell from the pictures, but the Metallic paper is SO COOL! One Pink Duck Facebook Friends also recieved a coupon code to save 31% off this print!

Some fun display ideas:

We've been seeing lots of EMPTY frames on doors...but this is a fun twist on an actual photo/print IN a frame. I just looped the ribbon through the hanging hook and then tied a bow and hung it on my wreath nail.

Monogram Monday: A different kind of monogram

2011-08-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

On Facebook a while back (Follow One Pink Duck here!) I promised a Flower Initial Wreath Tutorial.

When I started this process I looked around on the internet, and saw a lot of people searching for a tutorial...but not really one out there. Now, this is not a fresh flower tutorial, and maybe that's what all those brides want, but it is a tutorial to get MY finished product:

This really couldn't be any easier, and pretty affordable as well. The first step is to gather your materials. I used:

A large sheet of white styrafoam $6

12 packets of CHEAP daisies from Hobby Lobby $1.99 each, half off so $12

Glitter Glue $2.29 also half off at the time, so $1.15

Ribbon and hot glue that I already had, for a Grand Total of less than $20!!!

I found the cheaper flowers to be more conducive to this project. What you want is pretty simple construction, so that when you take them apart they don't FALL apart. You want the center to go all the way through the petals and have (for lack of a better term) a "poke-y" thing on the back.

If the front of the flowers isn't 100% to your liking, doll it up! I used yellow glitter glue to add some sparkle to the center.

Decide what kind of font you want for your initial and either freehand it, like I did, or print it to size on your printer, tape the pages together, cut it out and trace it. Trust me, even if you think you can't draw, the first way is easier. It is going to be covered...so it doesn't have to be perfect!

Cut out your letter (a serrated knife works best...pardon the misspell on the photo!). Just like carving a pumpkin, I would start with the small openings/delicate pieces first, while the styrafoam is sturdiest. Then you can cut out the larger pieces. IF IT BREAKS - don't freak out. A little hot glue and some toothpicks are your friend. After all, it is going to be completely covered!

Now comes the fun part! Starting in one corner of your letter, place a drop of hot glut about half an inch in from the top and side. Remember, we are poking the center in, and your flower has petals that stick out. You don't want to lose the shape of your letter, so we need to take (for these daisies) about 1/2" in on the side and top. Push the center/stem down into the glue and firmly into the styrafoam. Move to the next spot, and leave more room that just putting them right next to each other, because you don't want the petals to smush up and out, you want them to lay nicely next to each other.

Repeat until you have covered your entire letter, and do the sides as well. I just hot glued the ribbon to the back to hang the letter up.

Ta da!

Stamped Initial Family Photo Print

2011-08-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that the listing for this print, in an 11x14 (which is quite a nice size unmatted and a statement piece matted), is up on Merry Berry Stationery's Etsy site.

The nice thing about these prints, is that they are printed on photographic paper, so not only are they archival up to 100 years, but you can handle them the same way you would a photograph. And, they have a great linen texture to them.

This one is hanging in our Master Bath, so the lighting is not the greatest.

Monogram Monday: Haloooowwwweeeennnnn!!!!

2011-08-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

I'd thought I'd start this Monogram Monday off by letting you know, if you are a One Pink Duck friend on Facebook - you get to see sneak peeks of our new Halloween shirts!!!!!!!! (Halloween is THE One Pink Duck FAVORITE holiday!)

Also - you can follow One Pink Duck on . You can follow all my pages if you want...I have one for each girl, one for parties, one for ME, one for just great kid ideas (Three Pink Ducks), and one for Merry Berry Stationery.

So head on over HERE and be my friend please. You get a Monogram Monday reminder, every Monday, AND other fun goodies. Once I hit 300 Friends on my One Pink Duck account I'm giving a 30% discount on one of my favorite OPD items!

Also - New gift sets are listed in my Merry Berry Stationery Etsy Shop. The price is SO LOW...you are practically getting the print for free! The 5x5 size with a monogram is my FAVE.

Here are some samples:

Pin It

I would LOVE it if you liked these if you would Pin them!

Also! PD#1 had her first day of First Grade. She is not a breakfast eater, so I made the rainbow pancakes to hopefully get her to eat. The lunch was a group effort - I got some of the ideas from Pinterest, some from her, and some from my own little self!

Happy Birthday Pink Duck #2

2011-08-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

And now for the pictures of PD#2's 4 year old birthday party!

Maren had a Maren in Wonderland themed party.

I made her Summer-themed-Alice dress with some Dobby Voile in Pastry Stripes from Anna Maria Horner, and followed a vintage pattern.

I set up the tea party on the back patio, and besides forgetting my cardinal rule of always having custom labeled water bottles, it went really well! The girls had a lot of fun. I made the card garland by simply sewing two packages of playing cards ($1 each) together on the sewing machine. I also made the poms - 3 $.97 packs of tissue, and $2.50 of fishing line. The mushrooms were Hobby Lobby clearance for the end of the summer, and while you can't really tell, I glitter glued them so they sparkled!

The party favors were embroidered aprons. So easy! I had designed them in my mind of how I thought would be best to construct them, and when I googled some tutorials and found this one, I felt confident in my theory!

Eat Me Cakes...made the same way you make a cake pop, and then hand dipped in molding chocolate. I snipped the corner off a sandwich baggy to pipe the words on.

Maren, myself, and my MIL had gone thrift/antique store shopping for teacups and saucers. The Drink Me tags were so easy! I designed them in photoshop and then emailed them to Kinkos for printing on cardstock. I got 4 on a page. Then I used a corner clipper to angle the corners, and tied them on with black satin ribbon.

After seeing it on Pinterest, I wanted to try spray painting the handles of thrift store fancy silverware. They turned out so cute! I used this tutorial. (Only I forgot the metal primer...but they worked fine, and seem to be holding up through 2 dishwasher runs.)

The banners on all the chairs were made basically the same way as the Drink Me Tags.

The cake was modeled after the invitation, and I made Alice, Rabbit and Cheshire Cat silhouettes out of molding chocolate, and the hearts as well. Maren specifically asked for Red Roses on top, because the if the Roses aren't red, it's off with your head!

The girls painted roses red, and also made shrinky dink charms for bracelets or necklaces. You know, because Alice shrinks!

Happy Birthday Pink Duck #2

2011-08-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it was recently PD#2's birthday. And while I'd love to show you all the pictures from her gorgeous Alice in Wonderland Tea Party birthday...I realized I never posted the pictures from LAST YEAR's 3rd birthday. Probably because I had a two week old, so I know you all will forgive me.

So I'm posting some pics from last year, and then next week I will update with the current pictures.

Her 3rd birthday was an ice cream party. We had a lot of different toppings, decorated our own ice cream, and had ice cream shaped cupcakes. We also had an ice cream pinata, a gorgeous name banner, and awesome party favors! If you like these party favors, contact me at One Pink Duck to arrange a custom order.

Monogram Monday: Grab Bag - Open to the public!

2011-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

I've done private Grab Bag's in the past - a chance for people to get items at a discounted price, in order for me to choose the color combination, so that I can get pictures of a lot of different options. Well, this time, in order to launch our new company - Merry Berry Stationary - I've opened up a Grab Bag to the public!

Visit our website at www.onepinkduck.com and click the link to go to the grab bag!

You can also visit us on Etsy!

Happy Birtthday Pink Duck #3!

2011-07-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, So her official birthday was last week...but our last baby isn't a baby anymore - she is ONE!

Since her nickname is Daisy I initially thought of having a Daisy-themed party...but the end combination was more of

{(Adelaide+Lemonade)+(Daisy+Garden Party)}*{(Yellow)}

Birthday Girl

I used Target brand Frappucino Bottles for the milk

Yellow Paper Straws are from The Sugar Diva

Mason Jars for the Lemonade

I will have some tutorials coming up for these banners - so easy!

Table Set Up

Williams Sonoma Daisy Egg Ring

Centerpieces were spray-painted Mason Jars with Gerbera's (Our wedding flowers) in them.

The idea was originally from Here.

Party Scene.

Daisy Shaped Cake

Party Favors - Adelaide's Lemonade Mix

Monogram Monday: New Burp Fonts

2011-06-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

In getting ready for our new business venture, I've been playing around with different fonts. I decided to try a few with embroidery!

The Vintage Flower Burp has fun, fancy parenthesis around the name,

the orange font is a modern/contemporary I've seen a couple places,

and the blue Polka Dot font is so fun! (Playing off the fabric accent of the orange font burp. I always make a set look like a set!)

Keep watching - when I return from Vaca (July 11) I hope to have the new store up and running on Etsy, as well as some combo deals on One Pink Duck.

I'm lucky

2011-06-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

that my kids eat so good! They love their veggies. I just had to share our delicious dinner tonight. Butternut squash ravioli that comes with a seasoning and parm cheese packet, with grape tomatos, broccoli and yellow pepper.

Add a little Ken's Northern Italian dressing, and
Delish!

Monogram Monday: Burp and Bib Sets

2011-06-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been MIA the past couple weeks. Family issues. Exhausting. So it is nice to be back to my regular routine of Monogram Monday!

One of my absolute favorite stores is The Little House in the Crestwood Shops here in Kansas City. I simply ADORE the owner, Katy (Daisy's future Mother-In-Law) and the previous owner, Angela, and I have been monogramming for them for probably 5 years now. They were our first wholesale customer!

Something I do for them pretty frequently are bib and burp cloth sets. I don't currently have them on our website, as I only sell the burp cloths in sets, but you can always go to The Little House and order them. I believe the set is $30.

Here is a sample!

Also - I am so excited to tell you about this! I am debuting a new line of personalized/monogrammed prints and canvasas. The prints are suitable for framing, and will come in a variety of sizes, and are so cute! Wouldn't it be darling to do a matching 5x5 framed monogramming and matching baby onesie?

Here are a couple samples I'm working on right now. The store will most likely start as an etsy store, so keep watching for our debut!

EARLY Monogram Monday: The Secret Project

2011-05-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I told you about a secret project I made. Well, actually I didn't tell you about it. That was the secret! I had entered it in the Kojo Designs Color your Summer contest. Unfortunately, i didn't win...but I thought I'd show you the pictures here!

These are SOOOOO easy to make. Cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon to go around your child's wrist and overlap about 1/2 an inch. Using a snap-kit and some pearl snaps, attach one snap to each side of the ribbon. Voila! Cute pearl snap grosgrain ribbon bracelets. In any color! I think it would be darling to use wider ribbon too...and maybe put two snaps on...like a grosgrain cuff! These would be cute party favors, eh? (I would only do these for over age 3)

Also, Greta recently had her last day of kindergarten. Helooooo! She has grown! Look at that dress. Above the knee now! (Granted, it is Tea, and that shrinks a lot...but look at the face shape changes.)

And the girls had their spring dance recital. A little 80's entertainment!

Monogram Monday: Bright Name Banner

2011-05-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

I love these name banners! They are so fun. I have a listing in my etsy shop. Of course, they can be customized any way you want! Colors, letters, themes...we all know I love a theme!

Monogram Monday: Super Robby!

2011-05-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

Having three girls, most of the stuff I make is girly. And most of the parties we go to are for girls. And I always have people ask me for more boy stuff. So when PD#2 got invited to a party for her friend Robby we were so excited! The theme was a costume party and in the spirit of dressing up we created this Super-Robby t-shirt. This has a raw edge, so as the shirt is washed the edges will fray a little bit - giving it an edgier, vintage-ish look. Something I think Robby's mommy would be happy with!

Is this something you boy mom's would be interested in seeing on the website? Let me know here, or on One Pink Duck's Facebook Page.

The pants are finished!

2011-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yay! I made the petal hem a little too wide, but other than that they turned out exactly as I imagined! This is the outfit I had planned to wear them with as well. I think they might be cute with some buttons too!

A close up:

Not the greatest photo, but a better look at how the pants drape.

Kids Sewing Week Challenge: Day Two

2011-05-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I re-drafted my pants pattern because when I tried it, wow...it was way off! I traced some of G's Lilly jeans, but obviously not correctly. :)

Using this tutorial I cut out the petal shapes. I'm skipping the piping, because I've never done it before, and I don't want any contrasting colors on these pants anywy. I got all my shapes cut out,. and one set for one side sewn together, clipped, and top-stitched. Looking good!

Monogram Monday: Cosmetic Bag Party Favors

2011-05-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Again, I LOVE party favors! Here are some cosmetic bags - but they don't have to be, they could go in your beach bag to hold your sunscreen, your purse to hold some diapers, etc.

Aren't they cute?

I'm also participating in Kids Clothing Week Challenge - One hour of sewing dedicated to your kids each night. As my lovely MIL reminded me, there are more useful things I could be doing for one dedicated hour every day -but I'm doing this at 9:00 at night - I'd only rather be watching trash tv at that time. :)

Last night was my first night - The first thing I did was a SECRET project! I can't show you yet - but it was really easy and fun. I'm going to take pictures tomorrow and submit it to Kojodesigns Color My Summer competition. Wish me luck! (No really...leave a comment and wish me luck.)

The second thing I did was to repair a dress of Greta's. She had cut a hole (accidentally or on purpose...I'm not sure) in the front and it was a knit dress. (Tea. She can't cut the cheap clothes?)

I zig zagged the dress from the front, and then used iron-on-adhesive and a piece of scrap knit on the back.

The third thing I did was to draft a pattern for a pair of red-pique-petal-hem-capri-pants I hope to make for Greta this week. I'm planning to cut the fabric and do a test fit tonight, and maybe work on the petal hem.

We also have baby bunnies in our front yard! We haven't seen the bunnies yet, but we've seen the nest (and mowed around it) and we watch the mama hang out in our yard...nearby, but not too close. So sweet.

Monogram Monday - Flower Applique Monogram

2011-05-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Love this new applique! It is a fun flower, with two colors of fabric, and either a name, monogram or initial in the center. It looks cute on a onesie, t-shirt, OR tank top. And on older girls it looks cute in the front corner of a tee or tank. A little more contemporary!

Royal Wedding Week: We are ready!

2011-04-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

The girls helped set the table and put out their glitter glue hats for tomorrow. Scones are in the oven. Can't Wait!!!

Royal Wedding Week: Union Jack (Boden-y) Raw Edge Applique T-Shirt

2011-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Whew- That is a heck of a title! I was trying to think of a fun thing to make for the girls, and of course, all the usual crown ideas came to mind, but then I happened to think of the Union Jack Flag. What fun it would be to make some Boden/Royal Wedding inspired t-shirts for the girls. And why stop at the girls? Shouldn't OPD- the One Pink Duck mascot get one too?

I don't usually do thrift-store refashions. In fact, thrift stores make me feel icky and want to shower. However, I needed to get right on the ball for this and didn't have time to order knit fabric. Sooooo I went to the Thrift Store and grabbed a few kids t-shirts to cut up for this project. My total for 5 shirts was $4.02. I already had the white t-shirts in my One Pink Duck stash. If you don't, you can visit any clothing store and pickup a white t-shirt.

The Union Jack flag has increadibly precise dimensions and plans for how the pattern is laid out. However, the beauty of this project is that you don't have to be precise! You don't have to be precise in your cutting OR your sewing, because you are going for a raggedy, vintage look.

First decide how large you want your flag to be, and cut a square from the darker of your two colors of t-shirt.

Then cut another square from your other color. There is a miniscule amount of waste, but I (an art, not a math major) found this to be the easiest way to calculate. My squares ended up being 6 inches tall x 10 inches wide.

The next part is just putting together a puzzle. Fold the pink fabric in half lengthwise and (if using my dimensions) cut a 3" wide x 1.5" tall rectangle out of each corner. Unfolded this should give you a cross shape. This is the center of the flag. Cut four rectangles from the darker color, but 2.5" wide x 1.5" tall. Then cut 2 of these pieces on the diagonal from the top right corner to the bottom left, and two from the top left to the bottom right. From the remainig pink (lighter) fabric, cut four strips .25" wide x approximately 3" long. You can easily trim.

I personally like to use this Quilting Basting Spray to figure out my piece placement. It is easy to move around, but the pieces stick nicely to the t-shirt and don't fall off even when you are wrangling it into your sewing machine.

Spray the backs of all your pieces and arrange your puzzle, like so!

Stitch close to the edge (maybe 1/8" away?) on the triangle pieces and the center cross, and then I just did a straight line down the middle of each skinny strip. You want the knit to curl up when you wash, so if you get bumps, or catch part or don't catch the right part, it really doesn't matter!

I ran Maren out back to take some pictures and while balancing the baby on one hip my point and shoot camara was not cutting it. A little later this morning I should have some better pictures of ALL the shirts!

Royal Wedding Week at Three Pink Ducks

2011-04-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Soooo we are really excited about the Royal Wedding here at Three Pink Ducks. This afternoon we are jazzing up some clearance Easter Hats with glitter glue, fabric, ribbon, silk flowers, paper butterflies, etc. Check back on Friday to see the finished chapeau's!

Monogram Monday: A Poll

2011-04-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have a little poll for everyone this Monogram Monday.

It is something that I have to deal with over at One Pink Duck from time to time - Ideal Placement VS Intact Product. Anything I monogram has an Ideal Placement. This is the optimum placement for best visual effect, or a standard provided by the garment industry, etc. Also, there is the desire to maintain all funcionality of the product. For example, I cannot monogram ON a shirt pocket, without sewing through the pocket...so if you want to maintain functionality of the pocket, I need to put your logo in the area above the pocket. This is an example of Intact Product.

These ADORABLE Stephen Joseph Lunch Boxes are another item where IP vs IP comes into play. The lunchbox on the left, Sara, is an example of Intact Product. While it is still cute, and the embroidery work is still great (toot horn here), I would have preferred to put the name on it's side and fill up the verticle lavender space at the left side. However, due to the dimensions of the lunchbox pocket, and my desire to have the name larger, I would never have been able to get the name to look this good in that space without sewing THROUGH the outer pocket - and while it would still unzip and (really, what do you keep in a tiny flat pocket on a lunchbox anyway other than a napkin or a straw?) mostly work, it would not be 100% functional the way it was intended.

So, I propose a poll to you. Which is more important to you?

Ideal Placement

Intact Product?

------> See poll in sidebar at right.

Thanks!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

Maren's shirt! I had this t-shirt, and the apparel glue (from the previously mentioned beauty pageant post), so all I had to buy were the buttons. The bag of 280 were $2.29 AND I got to use a 40% off coupon!

Don't they go together nicely?

Monogram Monday: Like a Rhinestone Carrot

2011-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

I had a ton of Orange Swarovski Rhinestones left over from our (embarassing) Halloween pageant that we entered. I kept wondering what to do with them, and last night at 10 I had an ah-ha moment!

Carrots! I'll make Greta a Rhinestone Carrot T-shirt to wear this week for Easter! I sewed some ribbon to the t-shirt to make the stem, and set the rhinestones in the carrot shape. I hope she'll wear it tomorrow - and I hope to show a different Easter shirt for Maren tomorrow!

Egg Hunt Cookies Recipie!

2011-04-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of baking at our house. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am NOT a good cook...but baking with kids is fun, and I always make it crafty cooking. :) These are a fun cookie to make with kids - they like to roll the balls, smush the balls, spread the frosting*, color the coconut, sprinkle it on, and pick out the eggs.

I was originally inspired by a blog post I saw that used green oatmeal cookies with M&M's. I personally am not a fan of oatmeal in cookies, nor for that matter, of carrots in cake. Using the dyed green coconut was a must, and I was trying to figure out what would go best with coconut...and it wasn't sounding like sugar cookies and buttercream frosting. To me, coconut sounds good with caramel and chocolate...sort of a German Chocolate Cake combination. On that note I altered a recipie from here to be a little deeper, darker, richer, almost flourless-chocolate-cake-ish. (Less sugar is always good for my kids, although in this case it is probably a moot point.)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Remember how I said I was not a good cook? I'm not. I don't follow directions well. So, I'm sure you are supposed to mix the dry, or the wet, or the whatever seperately, but I dump everything in and mix it up all at once. It turned out fine.

This makes a kind of dry, very stiff dough. Roll the ball into walnut-ish size balls and place on your cookie sheet.

Smush balls to about 1/4" to 1/2" thickness. I like a thick, soft cookie. We smushed our cookie balls to the circumfrence of our glass. Daddy's beer glass makes a perfect smusher. Make sure to dip it in flour first, so it doesn't stick to your cookies. If it leaves a little flour on your cookies it is no big deal, it will be absorbed by the baking cookie. If it leaves a lot you can brush it off with a paper towel or a pastry brush.

You may get 3 dozen cookies. We got 2 1/2 dozen...but we eat a lot of cookie dough at our house.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Then cool on a rack.

Grab a cute baby to help you in the kitchen.

Now you can start on your toppings, which are the fun part. Add about 1/2 a cup of coconut to a ziploc bag and 3-6 drops of food coloring.

Seal and mush. We dress for the kitchen. Doesn't everyone bake in a tutu?

Dump into a bowl.

Frost your cookie with pre-made Coconut Pecan (aka German Chocolate Cake) Frosting. *The first time we made these I made caramel from sweetened condensed milk, but then I had to spread it on because it was hot and the kids coudn't do that part and it ended up not having a lot of German Chocolate Taste...so in the interest of taste, easy-ness, and child-involvement we went with pre-made frosting.

You may have to dip your eggs in the frosting to get them to stick on top of the coconut.

Voila! Egg Hunt Cookies!

Sewists! Have you seen these patterns?

2011-04-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

They are adorable! I was at Joanns last night getting fabric and hunting for a good Shift Dress Pattern (which I STILL haven't found one I like) to use for my Pink Duck Knockoff Lilly Pulitzer Horses Dress. (More about that later, I hope.) Anywho - I saw these Lisette Patterns!

So cute! Now I just need a $.99 Simplicity Pattern sale to happen!

Then I was reading on No Big Dill (one of my favorite websites) that they are designed by Liesl, the one and the same of Oliver & S - of which I have this in my stash to make for Greta:

I hope to be able to show samples of my work from these, and other patterns, in the coming weeks.

Monogram Monday: Party Favors!

2011-04-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I love it is party favors! These are the ones we did for PD#2's most recent birthday:

They are such a fun addition to a party if done right. I'm not talking about wimpy plastic bags filled with candy and cheap toys.... I'm talking nice, re-usable, and MONOGRAMMED party favors! So I was thrilled when one of my favorite party planners, and all around fabulous girl, Jennifer E. called me to monogram some painting smocks for her daughter's painting birthday party! (Now she picked these smocks up herself, but One Pink Duck can also get canvas aprons!)

She picked hot pink, orange, and red from the theme of the party. Happy Birthday Girls!

Spring has sprung at the Duck household!

2011-04-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for spring, and for Easter! Stay tuned for a post on how to make the delicious Spring/Easter Cookies you see at the top of this page!

Monoram Monday: One Pink Duck supports Childrens Center for the Visually Impaired Trolley Run!

2011-04-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

One Pink Duck is the Official Embroiderer of the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired Trolley Run! Check it out!

Monogram Monday: Train Applique Monogram

2011-03-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

Another custom order, this time for my good friend Katie. I created this super cute, fun BOY shirt! A train applique with the monogram on the side.

Always ask if you don't see something you like. There is no way I could possibly list all the possibilities as I can create anything you would want!

Monogram Monday: Hooded Towels

2011-03-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Next to our Initial Shirts our Hooded Towels are our best seller. They are perfect for new babies - up through...well, Greta is 6 and still uses hers. And they are also great for the pool in the summer. With the hood on the towel is easily wrapped around a toddler on up, and they can carry the sides and there are no long, dragging beach towels to trip over.

They make GREAT baby gifts! If the new parents aren't sharing, we can always put a cute saying across the top.

I am trying, oh I am trying, to get some new ribbon and color schemes updated online. If you ever want a color scheme that I don't have up just email me. I am happy to custom create one for you!

This is a custom order, and I adore this ribbon. It comes in so many colors and can look athletic or preppy depending on the combination.

(The ribbon is not shiny like that in real life.)

And the winner of a $5 credit to One Pink Duck is....

drum roll please...

Becky!!!!

Congrats Becky!

Rufled Bib Front Shirt Tutorial

2011-03-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

On a whim I decided to make a shirt for Daisy for St. Patricks Day. It actually turned out - but I tend to have beginners luck on things, and the second time around I totally fail. So, I tried again, so I could take pictures and do a tutorial for my friend Becky. It turned out again!!! That must be a good sign.

I do apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures. I was just so overjoyed that it was working that I didn't care about lighting or editing or anything.

The first thing to do is find a curve that is as close as possible to the curve of the shirt you want to use. The best shirts are shirts with an OVER bound edge...which is why I have used a onesie and a tank top. Regualar t-shirts with a ribbed neckline don't provide enough of a ridge to butt your bib up against.

Both the onesie and the tank top worked well with this baby bowl.

Cut out a bib shape - a little wider and taller than you want your finished product to be. Find the center and if you want, place a pin-tuck on either side by folding the fabric under, all the way down, pinning, and then sewing the tuck in place.

The process of pin-tucking shrinks your fabric...so NOW trace your top piece and cut it out to get your botom piece.

Cut a strip of fabric for the ruffle, longer than the circumfrence of your curved edge. My curved edge was approximately 11", so I cut my strip 14"x2".

Fold it together lengthwise (wrong sides together - we don't have to turn this) and sew with a gathering stitch -a straight stitch set to a long length. I personally like to backstitch at the beginning and not at the end and pull from the end - but however you like to gather is up to you.

Make a sandwich, with the pintuck piece, the gathered strip and the backing, the sewn edge out, and the folded edge of the ruffle facing in, and the right sides of the front and back together. Pin all the way around and sew.

Clip around the curve and turn right side out. You should see the ruffle sticking out around the dge, and the pintucks in the center.

Now match up the curve of your shirt with your bowl template, trace and trim your bib arounds the curve.

Now comes the tricky part. You need the pin the curved edge of your bib, agains the curved neckline of your shirt, with the bib facing the shirt, AND upside down, AND put the pins in on the inside of the shirt. This is because when you sew, you want to sew from the back to the front, so there isn't a seam on the front of the shirt, and to have the bib lay correctly on the front it needs to be in the correct position when it is folded down, right side out.

Once you have it all the way pinned, turn the shirt inside out, and sew so that *hopefully* your seam is just to the side of the neck binding.

Take the pins out, turn the shirt right side out, fold the bib over/down to the front of the shirt, pin in place, and stitch in the ditch between the bib and the ruffle. I also like to stitch along the neckline, just on the ruffle, to help hold it in place/hide the underseam on the ruffle.

Voila! A ruffled bib front to an already made shirt! Easy, right?

Add some buttons, and a cute kid - and you have got one fabulous creation.

Monogram Monday 2: Burp Cloth Set

2011-03-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

This burp cloth set was ordered by one of our best customers! She has a signature baby gift that she likes to give- a set of One Pink Duck burp cloths. (Thank you Molly!) I tried out a couple new designs, and I'd love to hear your feedback.

A- Circle Script
B- Dottee Circle with French Initial
C- Full Name in Jandles
D- Initial Applique
E- Loop The Loop with French Initial *NEW*
F- Backpack Frame Applique with Monogram in Serif *NEW*

Please leave a comment with the burp cloths in the order you like them BEST! (For example: B, C, E, A, F, D.)

Next Monogram Monday I will draw a winner from the comments, and you will recieve a $5 credit to One Pink Duck! Good on anything!

Monogram Monday (on Tuesday!)

2011-03-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Easter is late this year, which is so nice, as it allows it to be a little warmer for egg hunting! However, if you need a little modesty under your dress, or a diaper cover, or just some extra sweet cuteness - try out these pantaloons! They are also nice because they can extend the life of a too-short dress.

We can personalize them however you like!

Monogram Monday - Wreath monogram, Monogram Dress and Hop Hop

2011-03-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

I finally got to see my good friend and her adorable baby, and give her the goodies I made her. So, I can finally share this new monogram I created just for her! This wreath monogram is simple, sweet, and refined.

Also -happy Mardi Gras tomorrow! With Mardi Gras comes Ash Wednesday and the start of the Easter season. If you are looking for something unique for your little girls this Easter, check out our monogrammed dress on Etsy.

For the more casual set the Hop Hop bunny silhouette Onsie or T-shirt is a nice choice.

Monogram...errr...Wednesday?

2011-02-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a little late, but I have a great item to show! This was my first Etsy sale, and it was a customer idea. She wanted a birthday banner with changeable numbers. The age flags velcro to the back of the hanging tape/fabric, so you can change them out year by year!

Monogram Monday! (And PD#1's 6th Birthday!)

2011-02-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since we've had a Monogram Monday, but we are back! Part of that is because we were preparing for Pink Duck #1's 6th Birthday. SIX. I can't even believe it. She wanted a Princess Party, and what better place to have one than with the real Cinderella, and at a real castle?

She had very specific instructions on how she wanted her outfit to look...not like the real Cinderella, because we had invited her, and Greta did not want people to think SHE was the REAL Cinderella. OBVIOUSLY THAT COULD HAPPEN. Mamma Mia. I added the Cinderella-esque sleeves to her t-shirt using this tutorial, only I first had to take apart the long sleeve and then reattach it when I sewed. It was very easy.

I also made this pettiskirt, and when I added the chiffon to the satin waistband I also sewed in some large versions of the above facing down, to make the Cinderella swooshes on the sides of the skirt.

When each guest arrived we took their picture with Greta and Cinderella, and my fabulous SIL ran out during the party and had them processed so we could give them out in these little frames:

I also made the girls a "Magic Wand Kit" party favor. This was a pretzel stick with pink white chocolate stars at the end, a cake pop dipped in blue with a white chocolate tiara piped on, and a yellow rock candy stick. The tag says, "In Case of Fairy Godmother Emergency, open for a Sweet Ending."

All of that was easy. The cake, not so much. Not in all my years (6 now) of making cakes for my kids parties have I had this much trouble. And it wasn't even with the castle part because I caved and used plastic...it was with the basic-ness of the cake. I was going to make it white to match the plastic, but my hubby hates "real" decorator frosting...(the kind made with Crisco), so I made real buttercream. It yellowed. It looked horrible next to the plastic. So then I decided to make pink and cover it. Well, I didn't have enough lefts...so now the cake just looked like it was melting. THEN I had to fill in the gap at the bottom. Finally, I just started dumping on edible glitter faster than you can say edible glitter. :) And of course, my husband, who thinks I am a crazy person, drove like he was in a Nascar race on the way that morning, while I was perched in the back of our SUV holding on to the cake for dear life...so the top tower is a leeetle wobbly. BUT! When I set it down in front of Greta, one little girl, her friend E. said "That's Beeeautiful" in a tiny, sweet, breathy 5 year old voice. Ta Dah! Mommy One. Cake Zero.

One Pink Duck also had our first Etsy sale. Click to visit our shop. It's small...I keep it that way because it's not just all our embroidery...it is more expensive and more "handmade" items.

And finally, the monogram of Monogram Monday. A request was made for something Big Brother for a boy who likes pirates. How great is this? Pirate-y without a skull and crossbones or knives, etc. :)

Monogram Monday!

2011-01-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time deciding what to post for Monogram Monday today. I designed a darling monogram for a good friends new baby, and really wanted to show it...but my website needs a lot of redesigning before I can add new monogram options and so I am on the fence about showing any new monogram options.

Instead I've decided to show the prototype for PD#1 (Pink Duck #1) 's school auction donation. I always make a sample of something to see how it turns out, and there are a few things I need to tweak to this before we sew out the real thing. Hopefully my blank sweatshirts will arrive during the snowstorm today and I can get the donation turned in this week.

14% off Valentine Initial Shirts this week only! www.onepinkduck.com

2011-01-04T05:58:00.001-08:00

Monogram Monday!

2011-01-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

It's Monogram Monday again, and I have to kick off the new year with a good post. It's Valentine's Time!

This Monogram Monday is dedicated to Valentine's Day.

We have three different versions of initial shirts, but what I'm excited about are these:

I've listed these on the website, and I'd love any and all feedback about this type of listing. I listed the monogram...and then gave options for you to put it on something. So, you can order this on bloomers, a shirt, or a burp cloth. It's sort of the opposite of a usual listing, but it would be so very difficult to list ALL our embroidery options...there are too many. Plus, I can pretty much draw/design anything anyone would want anyway...and there isn't a way to list that! I'm crafty like that. Ha!

Speaking of crafty...I made that shirt Greta is wearing in the picture. It is a regular T-shirt and then I added the Peter Pan Collar to it. I'm not loving the opening in front, which is required when I added the collar, because the straight stitching wouldn't allow the neckline to stretch. So...I'm wondering if I could just make a...collar-let? A faux collar? Just two little Peter Pan curves in the front, that only go back to the shoulder line. So the back edge is still stretchy enough to go over little heads. I need some more T-shirts, but I'm going to test my theory.

P.S. I had a darrrrling set of pictures I took of Greta, and for the life of me I can't get it to upload to my website...or to this blog...but I did get it on Facebook. So if you are a friend, check it out...if not, become one!

Monogram Monday! There's Snow shirt, like this shirt!

2010-12-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Another special request, (I love those!) This is a shirt for a little girl's birthday party, but without the red bow this snow man face could be perfect for a little boy too.

Happy Holidays!

Monogram Monday...Custom work and gift sets.

2010-11-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

Today's Monogram Monday post features one of my favorite things...customization. You call me and I do what you want! Sometimes customers are very specific, and sometimes they say, here's what I want, you do what works best. Either way is fine, and we come up with some great things together!

We can also work with you to combine products and make gift sets that go together. I love a theme...just check out our birthday party posts here, here, here and here for proof.

My dear friend Katy, owner of The Little House, requested some Thanksgiving themed items for her little boy, and this is what we came up with:

One orange trimmed bib with circle monogram in orange and brown.
One Turkey Burp Cloth with raw edge feathers
One Acorn Burp Cloth with T initial monogram
One White Long-Sleeve Onesie with brown Name embroidery

So if you don't see what you want on our website, give me a call or email...I will happily work with you!

Monogramless Monday - Gymboree Shirt/Dress Refashion

2010-11-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

So, in honor of the very short week of school time (aka Mommy Time), we are going to have a special sort of sewing post for Monogram Monday.

We visited my 2nd favorite store (after One Pink Duck, of course!) and did a little "Thanksgiving Program" shopping. We couldn't find anything! Greta needed brown/red/orange something clothing, and wanted a dress. She is just on the cusp of moving from Little Girl to Big Girl size ranges and all we could find were Little Girl things. All of a sudden she brings over a very cute, sleek brown and hot pink striped dress, with a cowl turtleneck, gold buttons on the wrists and some cute pockets. When I start to try it on her I realized it was actually a size 10 shirt!

So, being somewhat of a sew-er, and inspired by a lot of the blogs I read, I decided we could totally make it into a dress for her. The length was perfect, it was just that because it was a cowl neck it was a little too large around the neck, and the sleeves were just a bit too long.

I took it home, and I won't lie to you...I didn't do it right the first time. I thought I was being all professional and took the turtle neck apart at the back seam, clipped it to the right size and resewed it. However, the changing of the neckline pulled the shoulder seams in too tight and made it look funny. So...I took the new seam out and sewed in triangle shapes ^ with the point facing the middle of the turtleneck. This allowed the neckline to stay the same, but the fabric got narrower at the points, so that the middle of the turtleneck was narrower, and would stay closer in to her neck. (Making sense at all?)

Then, I just measured where the sleeves needed to go and sewed them shorter, using a stretchable stitch (#15 on my Brother CS-6000) and voila!!!!!!!! A dress! (The turtleneck does look really good, even thought she is holding the picture in front of it.)

In keeping with the theme Maren is wearing a size 5 shirt, but I didn't have to do anything to it, because it was a 3/4 sleeve shirt, and didn't have a cowl neck.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!!!!!!!!!

And the winner #3 is...

2010-11-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sarah M-H!

Congratulations! I'll just include this with your order!

Happy Birthday Month to ourselves, at One Pink Duck. And remember, next Wednesday is the last day to order for the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monogram Monday!

2010-11-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

A super fun shirt for the holidays...Peace, Love, and Santa!

This will be up for sale tomorrow! And remember, the deadline for Holiday orders is next Wednesday, November 24. But don't fret...we will be giving away a Peace, Love and Santa shirt!

Several ways to enter...

1) Sign up for the One Pink Duck Mailing List
2) Become a fan of One Pink Duck on Facebook
3) Leave a comment on our One Pink Duck Facebook Page
4) Leave a comment on THIS post!

Good luck!

And the winner #2 is...

2010-11-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

Then winner of our second giveaway, the red and white seersucker Mint! bag is...
Amy E.
who won by signing up for our Mailing List.

Stay tuned for our final giveaway this coming Monday. Happy 5th Birthday One Pink Duck!

P.S. Thanks to all the Alpha Sig's for the great show Tuesday evening. The house looked great, it was wonderful to see you all, and thank you for taking such good care of Daisy!

Monogram Monday!

2010-11-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. The big girls went to see Megamind with Daddy, while I worked on some items for a Trunk Show at my old sorority house. In honor of that big show, I present to you the Monogram for Monogram Monday:

The Mint! Cosmetic Bag. Shown here in Red and White Seersucker (I know it's not Seersucker Season, but who can resist Seersucker? Plus, they have a lot of other options if you follow theose rules.)

We can monogram it on the front, or the back, or both! Greek Letters on the back with a name on the front is a good choice for doing both.

This weeks giveaway is for a Red and White Seersucker Cosmetic Bag by Mint!, monogrammed with your choice of fonts/names/threads/etc. There are FOUR ways to enter this giveaway:

1) Become a Fan of One Pink Duck on Facebook

2) Post a comment on One Pink Duck's Facebook Wall

3) Sign up to recieve One Pink Duck's Newsletter (on the lower left)

4) Visit One Pink Duck, decide which Cosmetic Bag Color Scheme you like best and leave a comment on this blog telling me!

The deadline for entries is Thursday, November 11 at midnight. Winner will be announced Friday morning at 9:00 am, central time.

And the winner is...

2010-11-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

With all the entry options counted we had 43 entries into the contest! Thank you so much! Please stay tuned on Monday, for another Monogram Monday entry, and another giveaway to celebrate One Pink Duck's 5th Birthday!

The winner of an acorn or ornament shirt is....

Julie SW!!! who won by becoming a fan of One Pink Duck on Facebook!

Thanks Julie! I'll be sending you a message to get your order.

Monogram Monday, continued! and a giveaway!

2010-11-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I just had to get this out today, as we have a much earlier deadline for Holiday orders this year. The last day to place orders for Christmas delivery is Wednesday, November 24, 2010. This is the day before Thanksgiving!

Our next little model is sporting a darling ornament initial shirt. We have so many fabrics to mix and match...so when you order let us know your color preferences.

At the end of this week we will also be giving away your choice of an acorn shirt OR an ornament shirt. There are several ways to enter...

1) Leave a comment in any Three Pink Ducks post this week.
2) Become a fan of One Pink Duck on Facebook.
3) Post a comment on One Pink Duck's Wall telling us which shirt your prefer, acorn or ornament.
4) Upload a picture of your kids in One Pink Duck garb on the One Pink Duck Wall.
5) Sign up for One Pink Duck's Newsletter on our website.
6) Post a link to either Three Pink Ducks, the blog, OR One Pink Duck the website on your blog and mention the giveaway. Please let me know you have done this.

You may sign up all 6 of the ways, but only one time per way.

Contest ends at 11:59 pm, Friday, November 5, 2010. (Central time)

The winner will be drawn Saturday, November 6, at 11:00 am.

Monogram Monday!

2010-11-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate our November Birthday...(One Pink Duck turns FIVE this month!) I've decided to commit to more posts on our blog. We're kicking off with a new feature called Monogram Monday. Every Monday I'll feature a great monogram option for our One Pink Duck merchandise.

Today it is this great acorn applique, complete with a matching grosgrain bow around the stem. What a great shirt for fall...and wouldn't matching shirts for the whole family look so cute for Thanksgiving? I did Greta's in a muted color palatte on a brown long sleeve t-shirt, but there are a lot of different color options that would look great, for girls, as well as boys. With no bow of course!

This shirt should be on the website today, and possibly in our Etsy shop as well.

To celebrate our birthday we will also be hosting a giveaway...stay tuned!

Picture People - Dickerson, Carrie

2010-04-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Picture People - Dickerson, Carrie

Happy Birthday Duck #1

2010-01-29T13:32:00.001-08:00

The original Pink Ducks birthday was in January, and for an entire year now she has been telling me she wanted a Butterfly/Gymnastics party. So of course I obliged! First we decorated butterfly wings (purchased at Halloween for $1 a piece at The Dollar Tree!).

Then the girls went upstairs to do some gymnastics for an hour.

Maren held her own!

After that, they came back downstairs to a beautiful butterfly table. Each guest recieved a water bottle (gymnastics makes you thirsty!) in a Stephen Joseph water bottle holder. These are butterflies, but the same principal as the mermaid ones from Maren's party in August.

Don't forget to check One Pink Duck to see all the Stephen Joseph goodies that we carry. We can also special order!

Next, Greta was invited to an "Around the World" birthday party for one of her friends. At first she wanted to be from Colorado...haha...and then when we looked up costumes she really gravitated towards the asian costumes. So...she was sort of a mix...Japanese Kimono made from Vietnamese fabric. I cannot take the credit for this creation - my fabulous MIL made this for her. She even stopped and got the chopsticks...all I did was her hair!

So for the above birthday party we gave one of One Pink Duck's latest creations. They should be on the website shortly - Mee Tee's! They look just like you! We'll have some more examples online, and options for 3-d bows, applique names, etc.

A birthday scarf from cousins Scott, Kendra and Baron. Thank you!

And a big One Pink Duck welcome to our new Nephew/Cousin in Indianapolis!

WELCOME OWEN!

(Incidentally, Owen is the new One Pink Duck mascot, as his initials are OPD!)

Wow! A lot has happened since our last post!

2010-01-18T11:04:00.001-08:00

In October I was super busy crafting and embroidering for Halloween, and for a pageant that I entered the girls into. Embarrassing? Yes. Eye-opening? Yes. A teensy bit fun? Yes. Will we do it again? No. It was a halloween themed pageant, so I liked to look at it more as a glorified costume contest. The girls competed totally natural, not even lip gloss. But, Maren took home every side award except one in her age division, and Greta won overall Halloween wear! Yay!

Right before Halloween my computer crashed. I lost EVERYTHING. Back up your files people! Luckily we had already completed our Halloween costumes. Totally out of the ordinary to be done ahead of time! Maren wanted to be a monkey, so Greta was a Pitt State Cheerleader. Monkeys/Gorilla's....it all works out when you are 4 and 2.

Finally I got my computer back on Monday, November 2. On Tuesday, November 3, we found out we were expecting baby #3! We don't know if we will become Three Pink Ducks, or Two Pink Ducks and a Blue Goose!

Thanksgiving was a great time - our theme this year was Turkeys and Tepee's. The boys built a tepee and then we deep fried a turkey. We had beautiful weather to be outdoors!

Then it was Leslie's Baby Shower. Nanny Aimee, as she is fondly known, and I planned the shower and it was a great time! We may go into the party planning business. :)

I worked on Christmas orders as best I good, being exhausted and nauseaus. Great! I had a huge order for 63 keychains! This was so much fun to do, and here is proof that it can be done! Need keychains for your staff? Girlfriends? Kids teachers? Sorority sisters?

I also created some really cute ruffle-fluff initial shirts. I had so much fun sewing the Halloween and Pageant Pettiskirts, that I had to find something else to do with that nylon chiffon! These are available on the website, only under the Christmas section right now, but we will have a general section up soon.

We saw Santa!

Had a great Christmas!

And celebrated New Years Eve!

Sorry for being absent for so long...and don't worry - Greta's 5 Birthday is on Wednesday, and we will have pictures of that to show!

Fan us!

2009-09-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to become a fan of One Pink Duck on facebook - check our sidebar - you can click to become a fan right here!

All fans will be entered into a drawing tomorrow for a Halloween Wine Bottle Koozie! Yay!

Slideshow down

2009-09-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

Go to www.onepinkduck.com to check out the halloween slideshow!

Carrie is in the news!

2009-09-15T13:00:00.001-07:00

The Kansas City Star, that is.

A little blurb about our number shirts, which are just like our initial shirts, only with numbers - great for birthdays!

The text is:

Personalized tee

Mission designer Carrie Dickerson embroiders kids T-shirts with names and ages to order. The turnaround time is 7 to 10 days.

From $25 at The Little House, 335 E. 55th St., 816-363-1544

(You can also order them at http://www.onepinkduck.com/)

Or you can read the article on the Star's website here.

Happy Birthday to Pink Duck #2!

2009-08-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Maren's Golden birthday - she turned 2 on the 2nd of August. This year was an outdoor pool party at our local pool with a mermaid theme.

With Pink Duck #1 all our friends had boys, so we always had very neutral themes for birthday parties. Yay for all Maren's friends! They are all girls! So we could have a girl-y mermaid theme.

Birthday girl!

Big sister!

I tried to get a close up of the texture of the sand. It looked great! It was tan/brown frosting covered with the very finest dusting of crushed Vanilla Wafers. Perfect!

Oyster with pearl cookies. (Totally stolen out of a waiting room magazine!)

Personalized water bottle labels!

Party Favors were Stephen Joseph Bottle Buddies and One Pink Duck hooded towels.

Getting sung to and blowing out her candles.

Opening presents. We usually ask for no gifts from friends, (coming to the party is present enough), Mommy, Daddy and Greta got all mermaid themed gifts for Maren. Mermaid sheets for her big girl bed, a mermaid doll, sea life jammies and Greta picked out a special Mermaid Cookbook for her sister.

Loving her Blabla Mermaid Doll

Modeling their Stephen Joseph Mermaid Bottle Buddies! Caroline and Maggie. (Psst! Stephen Joseph Backpacks and Lunchboxes are available on our website - http://www.onepinkduck.com/co m/)

Almost the whole gang...

Clara, Maren, Maggie, Emma and Caroline.

Thanks for looking!

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

Wow! What a great site this is! She gives away free stuff all the time, and is so inspiring. Plus - kudos to anyone who makes up their own patterns. And, these tops would fit Greta and Maren perfectly!

It came and went.

2009-05-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well, my birthday came and went last Thursday. It was pretty much a regular old Thursday. Although I got a lovely gift card for J. Crew (yay!) from my wonderful BIL and SIL, Craig and Leslie. Greta got me a Snuggie - it matches the one I got for Mother's Day. :) And the girls made me a birthday cake.

The girls planted some flowers.

And we added Koozies to our website!

A whole lot of ducky going on.

2009-05-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since we've posted! In the meantime, here's what's been going on. Carrie repainted the playroom and the bathroom, Brian re-landscaped the backyard, we held a 40th Anniversary party for Brian's parents with his Brother and Wife (Craig and Leslie), Greta got her ears pierced, Carrie is adding a ton of new products, and Maren is babbling away.

Several things - #1 We have the most awesome new coolers.

If you sign up for our mailing list http://www.onepinkduck.com
(in the toolbar to the left), by May 14th (Carrie's Birthday) you will be entered to win a cooler and other assorted goodies. Even if you were on the old email list, you need to sign up for this one as we have switched companies.

#2 Greta got her ears pierced! I know! She is working on sleeping in her bed and this is the reward she chose. She did an awesome job! In the photos you see before, during, and after.

#3 Maren is as cute as ever.

#4 We now carry Steven Joseph Quilted Backpacks on our website and are adding more items from this line.

#5 Raw Edge T's!

We promise to post more now, and add new products and new giveaways.

And the winner is...

2009-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Julie! Number 9, as selected by the random number generator. Congratulations! You can contact us at onepinkduck @ onepinkduck dot com to give us your address and claim your prize!

Keep watching the blog, because we have more fabulous prizes to give away. :)

Thank you Uncle Craig and Aunt Leslie!

2009-01-22T10:15:00.001-08:00

Happy Duckday to you! Happy Duckday to you!

2009-01-17T16:27:00.001-08:00

It was the original Pink Duck's 4th birthday party today! Wow. I cannot believe that she is 4. She is such a wonderful little girl, and she is getting so grown up. Apparently that doesn't come without its hurdles, as we had a few outbursts at her party. However, she is still a darling and I'm sure she will overcome the tantrums of 4.

I was planning on having a Wizard of Oz party...since we had accumulated so much stuff during the planning/execution of Halloween. One day, out of the blue, Greta mentioned she wanted to have a Snow Party. And she stuck with it- so a Snow Party she would have! It all started with the invitations...so cute! I ordered these blank from KT Original and printed them myself.

It was so fun to play on the word snow. If you can't read in the picture, it says "There's SNOW party like Greta's 4th Birthday Party!" And at the bottom, for RSVP, it says "Can you make it? Let us SNOW!"

A quick family portrait.

Rockin' the snowman shirt and red tutu. Also, please notice the sparkly silver tights and SILVER high tops!

Diva with the cake.

The cake somewhat matches the invitations, except we made her into a snowgirl, or, as Greta liked to call her - a SnowGreta.

White chocolate snowflakes. SO easy to make! I just melted those (fake, but still) white chocolate candy melts from the candy store and then piped them in an icing bag onto wax paper. A little pop in the fridge, and they peel right off.

The snowflakes went onto cupcakes. Greta was very specific in her requests...she wanted a snowman (or girl) (or Greta) cake, and snowflake cupcakes. This was such a easy way to make snowflake cupcakes that looked really cute.

Our first activity was to make snowmen out of marshmallows, frosting, pretzel sticks and a TON of candy.

Mid-Snowman making, with McKenzie and Luke.

A mommy-made snowman. Not as easy as it looks, but the kids really seemed to have fun. We then had a spoon race, only with Jumbo Cotton Balls, so we called it a snowball race. This was really more of free for all, kids roaming the living room and generally taking turns very nicely. (Except mine, of course.)

Our next game was Pin-The-Accessories-On-The-Snowman.

Singing Happy Birthday!

A happy picture...McKenzie, Sam, Greta and Delaney.

Party Favors - Snow hats with the kids names embroidered on them...filled with a goody bag to make your own foam snowman, hot chocolate, snowman candies, and snowman stickers.

And a Ducky New Year!

2009-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hopefully all of you out there had a fabulous holiday season and are well on your way to having a ducky new year. This new year brings plans for many more blog posts, as well as a lot of exciting new embroitdery on our embroidery website, www.onepinkduck.com

Be watching the blog for some contest opportunities!

Merry Duckmas!

2008-12-15T10:23:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dancing Ducks!

2008-12-15T09:40:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A duck visits with Santa.

2008-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

December 5 was our little city's festivus. We lit a tree, lit some marshmallows on fire, and poured an entire bottle of sprinkles on one tiny, lonely cupcake. We also saw Santa!

A photographer from the Kansas City Star Community Faces took these pictures. I love how festive and photogenic Santa is, no matter what is going on.

Happy Duckoween!

2008-11-03T20:01:00.001-08:00

A little late, but better than never! We have some FABULOUS pics from halloween, if I do say so myself. I ended up taking the girls to have some pictures taken at the mall, because I had coupons I had to use. And since their costumes did turn out pretty good (yay me!) I thought I needed photographic proof.

Although, they have a watermark over them, since they are not owned by me. But try and look through that to the gorgeous kids underneath.

Here are some pics from Greta's school party, and from halloween night. Can you guess who mommy is?

All in all halloween was the wonderful, joyous holiday I love it to be. The bad thing is, Greta painted herself green again today. And it takes a while to come off. And she has school pictures on Thursday.

Ducky Crack Corn

2008-10-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy since our last post! We enjoyed an afternoon out at a Kansas City Royals Baseball Game.

Greta learned to write her name. Although, apparently it is poor form to teach her to write with all capitals.

We all attended our friend Dylan's 4th Birthday Party at Pump It Up.

Even Maren got in on the action!

What an adventure! Sir and Ma-ah took us to a friends home where we were able to search out, pluck, shear and take home our own fresh popcorn! Greta was quite the pop-corn girl, and Maren enjoyed riding on Daddy's shoulders. Of course there are no pictures of Mommy...because I am always holding the camera.

Artsy picture of a bramble.

Greta worked hard to get the corn off!

Corn.

Laden with ears!

A comfy ride out of the field.

The shucking machine. Greta got to turn the handle and feed the corn cobs in.

Pourin' Corn.

Greta stuck her hand in to get a feel.

And came out with some corn! And a rather determined look on her face, as well.

Ready to pop!

Plaza Art Fair

2008-09-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today my MIL, GG, Maren and I went to the Plaza Art Fair and walked around. We did peek into Gymboree, and got a ton of cute things on sale for the girls. Brian, Sir and Greta went to a car show. The purchase of this Mustang has been very advantageous for the mommy. Greta LOOOOVES to do car things now.

These were some of my favorite artists/pieces that I am coveting now. Of course, with no art budget, and two very rambunctios children I am not really in any place to be buying any of this. But I can have a wish list, right?

Christ Dalquist - who I believe is a grad of the Kansas City Art Institute, and of whom we own one of her photo-emulsion transfers of a rubber duck - from 2004 maybe? It hangs in Maren's Nursery.

I love this Pink Floyd linocut from Kreg Yingst. It reminds me of my dad, who loves Pink Floyd. And really, at $45 I could totally afford this.

We stopped and chatted with Bruce Peeso - whose print Fielder's Choice I gave Brian for Father's Day.

Aletha Jones paintings totally remind me of older (and less naked!) Juan Medina's I saw in the Bryant Gallery in the New Orleans French Quarter. This artist, while I dont' remember seeing this piece, also reminds me of those older Juan Medina's...with books floating in libraries and such.

Also keen is this style of resin jewelry. They almost look like pots of flat, untouched watercolors. There are a couple artists doing this kind of work. One of them is Sadie Wang.

The whole group LOVED these ceramic installations by Michael Baxley. I could totally see one of the flower pieces in one of the girls rooms.

The yellow tree and blue sky in this piece are just bursting with color. I also love the swirly-ness of the tree. This is definately up there on my wish list. I really like all of these pieces.

For the MIL's laundry room we are going to try and recreate this white shirt picture. These hand colored images were gorgeous!

I have too many of these X-Ray Photographs that I want to even show them. I love the tulips for myself, and the sea creatures for Maren's big girl room (someday!). You MUST check these out.

Have a Ducky Halloween!

2008-09-14T18:35:00.001-07:00

Ducky Dinner Plates

2008-09-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Lara from La Plates while doing a trunk show at The Little House in Crestwood. She is darling, and I love her plates! I would have ordered a hundred, but I started out with two; one for each duck.

Check out her website:

http://www.laplates.com/

Thank you Uncle Craig and Aunt Leslie!

2008-09-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Greta (and I) would just like to give a (belated) Thank You to Uncle Craig and Aunt Leslie for the wonderful Pre-school package they sent to Greta to start her year off. She loved it, especially the glitter markers (of course)!

Thank you!

First Day of School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today was Greta's first day of Pre-school and boy was she excited. The entire way there she kept saying, "Mom - check your watch," "Mom, I don't see my school yet," etc. She knew several kids from Kids Day Out last year, and they all had a tea party today. She won't start the full morning until next week, but she can't wait.

Oh, and those brown shoes...are SPARKLY!