A Few Oldies and One New...?

Well I am happy to announce that beginning in February I will be bringing back my old weekly posts. Tuesday will again be the day for the Children's Book Review, Thursday will see a comeback of the Super Hero Set, "The Green Girls - Saving the Planet One Lightbulb at a Time" and Saturday I will again be offering a Weekly Recipe. These are all the "weeklies" I used to do that were quite popular and running two businesses got in the way of them. Since I am no longer going to keep up Mommy's Little Helper in full force, I expect to have the time to devote to these favorite posts.
And as for something new, I am so very excited to announce that I am now listed with some of the finest Children's Shops on Dashin Fashion. Please take a minute and check out that site, they have MANY wonderful children's shops in addition to mine. I'm listed under the handmade tab, but there are so many wonderful places to look on this site. Also, look around the globe and see what other countries are offering in the way of Children's Products. As I've said before be darned the CPSIA I am continuing my business as planned, I WILL NOT let that law scare me out of business!

My Newest Product for Spring

So here they are, a bit earlier than the rest of my spring line 2009, but I couldn't help myself. I just had to go ahead and introduce the "Shabby Chic Skirt" for spring

These skirts are fun, easy and go with tights while its still cold. They'll work well through the summer and are great for play time as well as casual dress up. They come in the fabrics pictured and more are being added all the time. The floral ones are only available as is, the Laura Ashley up-cycle and the Summer Stripes are available in other sizes as requested.

Small, 2/3 is approximately 10" long
Medium, 4/5 is approximately 13" long
Large, 6/6x is approximately 15" long

All styles have elastic waist that is quite liberal in the size child it will fit. If you need more description or dimensions please contact me and I'll be happy to oblige. All items include clothing tag with care instructions and as of the current CPSIA requirements are compliant.

I'm happy to announce that I've already sold one skirt and have been featured in a treasury! These skirts are currently available in my shops on etsy and 1000Markets and will arrive in the America's Handmade Homefront on Hyena Cart very soon. Take some time and check out all that I've been up to and please note that more is coming soon!

Blogging on 1000Markets

Well my 1000Markets shop has a blog as well so I will be doing occasional duplicates when the need arises... and it has arisen. I wanted to share this with all my viewers so I am putting a copy of the post from the 1000Markets Blog here as well. Thanks and enjoy.

OK, well this shop is coming together slower than expected, but it IS coming together. The challanges I've faced are those listed above.

Time, yes time. No its not an excuse, but its all I've got at the moment. Running 5 e-stores, working part time, being a wife and mother and I've just not been able to devote the time to setting up this shop as I'd hoped. That being said, I am still setting up slowly and doing it that way because I want this venue to be fabulous and it will be when I'm done.

CPSIA, yes anyone who is familiar with this issue is aware that we who create products for children have been painfully aware of the "impending doom" that this law will bring. Not so, says I. I am going to move forward cautiously all the while keeping in line with the guidelines that have been set forth to date. I can assure all my current and potential customers one thing for sure, whatever the CPSC decides to set forth in restrictions are for our children's best interest and as such will be adhered to by Maddie & ME with the utmost attention. (ie. I'll follow the rules and all products will be properly labeled).

Production, well with this new year I've decided to make some changes to the way I've done things both in the local boutiques that I work with and on the internet venues. The way this should work is that in every internet venue I'll have the same items offered, the same lead times and occasionally each venue will get a one of a kind special listing that the others don't have just to keep it fresh. I've also been working on producing as much spring stock as possible for my local boutiques to have in February. In the past I've offered a more one of a kind style and came up against a road block of someone always wanting whatever it was I'd produced in a different size. That doesn't bode well with one of a kind work so now I am offering fewer styles in multiple sizes, we'll see how that plays out locally as well as here on the internet venues.

And finally, for those of you who know me you know that I also have Mommy's Little Helper, Bath & Body for the Soul and have announced that I will be closing that shop and moving a select few of the most popular items over to Maddie & ME. That will also happen here on 1000Markets, so please keep your eyes out for some new items in the bath & body collection COMING SOON!

It is Official

Yes, Mommy's Little Helper is getting rather empty. I am planning on closing up shop and transferring some of the most popular items over to 1MaddieAndMe.etsy.com. I have labored over this decision and in the end it is what I have to do for my family and to keep my sanity. Running two shops last year taught me many things and ultimately it taught me that I over extended. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or bulk orders before I close up for good. Thank you and remember that I am still here with the children's clothing.