I Have Been Blessedly Busy!

So I've noticed that I haven't put a post up for a month now! WOW and Oops! I would like to introduce a few of my newest items; Bibs for boys and girls with some super cute bug bibs!

Gift sets available for boy and girl or gender neutral and although not pictured baby bonnets are available! Please take a minute and check out the newest items at the etsy shop (coming soon to Hyena Cart, 1000Markets and Artfire)

Designs Etcetera now has a BLOG

This is my mom's business and blog. She will be offering interior design tips and hints, recipes (hey, who do you think taught me to cook?) and local restaurant reviews. Please take a moment and check it out. Feel free to comment on either blog as we'd love the feedback!

Newest Items!

First I must apologize for not posting my recipe today, things just didn't flow in the right direction for that to happen, I'll do a real doosie next Sataturday to make up for it.

Now, drum roll please (parumtumtumtutmtutmtutmtum)
I have finally made a boy item. For all of you who have been asking me for the past year when am I going to come up with something for the boys? Well, here it is! The first of many (ok, well lets be realistic I'm only one person so the first of several boy styles). Let me know what you think, I thought the fossilized dinosaur was pretty cool personally.
The puppy onesie is a 0-3 month that was a local custom order.
It is SO tiny!

Also, here is another of the other items I do, an up-cycled shirt dress. I take a shirt and make a dress out of it, it really is as simple as that. Some have a matching appliqué as my Christmas one did and others seem to look best without. I just take my cue from the shirt and fabric that I'm using as to how to do it. Some have a drop waist and others empire. If you would like me to make one of these custom shirt dresses, just drop me a line and I'll give you a quote.

Easter Toile Dress

I am just so very proud of this one that I wanted to blog about it. It has been rolling around in my head since early January, and its SO nice when it turns out just like I envisioned it. Thanks for looking and for checking out my blog. Recipe will be up Saturday in the afternoon in case anyone was needing idea's of what to make for Valentine's Day dinner.

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!

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.

Where is "Maddie & ME" going now?

Pack up the kids, the pets and the clothes Maddie & ME, Children's Handcrafted Couture is expanding on to some new venues!

Maddie & ME is setting up on 1000Markets and Artfire! Both are slated to open January 1, 2009 in conjunction with the revamping of the Maddie & ME on Etsy and Hyena Cart. Please keep your eyes peeled for all the great and wonderful changes that we are undergoing.

Oh, and a side note... Mommy's Little Helper was just featured on the Front Page of etsy! Love that Cleopatra's Milk Bath!

Maddie & ME to under go some changes

Regardless of the impending government regulations that could restrict my ability to make and sell children's clothing I am going to go ahead with the planned changes for Maddie & ME, Children's Handcrafted Couture.

I started Maddie & ME locally and off line in August of 2007. Sales were good and people seemed to like my one of a kind way of doing things here in the area. I originally started with the idea of making items for child and mother in coordinating styles and fabrics, hence the name Maddie & ME. Then I realized that was NOT feesable since it would be near impossible to guess what size the mother and what size the daughter might possibly be so although I will still make the sets on custom order request its not something I list and sell regularly. So then I opened the etsy site trying to keep with the idea of one of a kind. Maddie & ME just celebrated our first year on etsy Dec. 10, 2008. Its been a wild and wonderful year and through the process I've learned a lot.

I've decided to clean out my shop and revamp it. The reason for this is because what I seem to come across is almost every item I make I hear "Love it, but can you make it in ___ size?" This means that my one of a kind items, though useful in our small town where shopping is limited is NOT the way to go on etsy. What I plan to do is to offer several (I'm thinking 7) different styles and with those styles fabric selections. Instead of getting small quantities of fabric and making one of a kind items I plan to order larger quantities of fabric and make items to order. The quality and attention to detail will remain the same. The availability for custom sizing will also remain a constant in my shop as will custom orders for the hard to fit child.

I also feel that by making these changes I will be able to devote more time to my family and duties as a mother and wife (in addition to being an employee to my own mother and business owner of two businesses myself). I just feel like I've been spinning my wheels making all these items that everyone seems to want in a different size so I am emptying out my shop of ALL stock items and am selling at 25% off and also willing to take trade from other sellers.

Uh OH! Is the Government Going to Regulate Me Right Out of Business?

I am now more afraid than ever. First I heard of this FDA Globalization Act of 2008 and possibly implementing a large yearly registration fee and mounds of paperwork for all bath and beauty manufacturers. Now the "Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act" looks to regulate me right out of the Children's Clothing business. The following quote is take from the Handmade Toy Alliance

"For small American, Canadian, and European toy makers, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.

• A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
• A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
• A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
• And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.

If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered."

Does the government really need to regulate what we are making right here in America when the problem products were mostly imports from Asia (mostly China)? Is the American government really that interested in putting me and thousands like me out of business only then have to pay welfare or some other government support program in order to supplement the income I am bringing into my household?

So what now? Medical expenses are almost 100% unreasonable, Health Insurance is almost completely unattainable, Prescription Medication is out of reach for many American's, food prices went up as a result of fuel cost increase - except fuel is now less than $1.50 a gal. here so when will they lower the food prices? NOW they are going to impose such expensive testing procedures and regulate all children's toys and clothing! How much will that increase the cost from the manufacturer (even if its not me) so that our children won't have clothes or toys?

And on that subject... are they going to send some sort of government official to confiscate all the toys and clothes that are in my child's possession? You know, the ones that were produced before this law? How will they deal with the resale shops, free-cycle, the toy swaps that so many parents are involved in, what about garage sales - lots of people sell toys, clothes and children's items right out of their own home... HOW DARE THEY BREAK THE LAW? (said with much sarcasm).

All we can do is spread the word, contact our government officials and express our outrage at this absolutely ridiculous waste of government time and money. There just HAS to be a better way to protect our children without implementing such a blanket law that makes absolutely no sense for the small businesses making Handmade, American Made products. Please, all my readers PLEASE take a few minutes and help us out!

For the next 4 hours I am offering a super special sale in Maddie & ME, Children's Handcrafted Couture! Free Shipping on all Stock items and I've just decided if you purchase any dress, set or vest between 11:00am and 3:00 pm est you'll get an additional 10% off (AND FREE SHIPPING).

Check out all the adorable girls holiday outfits at Maddie & ME!

Black Friday Sale

I am having a sale in both my shops on both Etsy and Hyena Cart starting "Black Friday" and lasting through midnight "Cyber Monday." In both locations Mommy's Little Helper will have BUY 2 GET THE 3RD HALF OFF and Maddie & ME will have FREE SHIPPING FOR STOCK ITEMS.

Please note that Maddie & ME is no longer taking custom orders until after the holidays.

IF YOU ARE HAVING SALES IN YOUR SHOPS, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND A LINK SO MY MOST WONDERFUL AND FAITHFUL READERS KNOW!

NEW SERVICE OFFERED!

I am now offering Gift Wrapping and Drop Ship Service in both Maddie & ME and Mommy's Little Helper on both etsy and Hyena Cart. Here is a description of what I will do for you, my wonderful customer, to make your holiday's easier even if just by a bit!

I will gift wrap any purchase and ship it to the desired recipient for a small packaging fee. This is a standard service that I offer that I am upgrading for the Holiday Season.

Although I prefer kraft paper with beautiful ribbon I will also offer a small selection of gift wrap (photos of selection to be added). I will be using hand tied wire ribbon bows tied by me (as taught by my mother, and her by her mother) in either red, green, white or light blue as you select. Additionally I will even hand write a gift tag with any small (10 words or less) note for no extra charge.

I will be sure that all prices are removed off of all tags and corresponding paperwork. Attached I've shown pictures of the packaging styles I will use to gift wrap your very special Mommy's Little Helper gift or Maddie & ME dress / set for your very special Princess.

This package will be enclosed in a box or shipping envelope as required for shipping and I can and will even write "Do Not Open Until Christmas (or ____ day of Hanukkah)" on the outside if requested. This is a new offering for me and I'd love to accommodate my customers as much as possible. Please feel free to contact me with any requests and I'll do my best to fulfill them.

** Please note that for each gift wrap / drop ship even if going to the same location a separate listing must be purchased.

I've Been Featured!

Maddie & ME has been featured on the America's Handmade Homefront site. Please take a moment and read the lovely interview that was put together by our wonderful and fearless leader, Emily of EllaBearBowtique. Thanks!

Hand & Body Cream Release

The newest product to be unveiled by Mommy's Little Helper will be released for purchase on Hyena Cart at NOON today, November 10th, 2008! Mommy's Little Helper will also release the same product for purchase on etsy later the same day. Please come to Hyena Cart to get the first available as it is first come first served. Once the first batch is sold out it will be about 5 days before the second release.

HAVE YOU ENTERED?

My friend, Smokey Mountain Scents is having a featured seller and give away on her blog! Since I'm not currently
giving anything away I thought I'd promote hers.

Go check it out at Smokey Mountain Scents and enter to win!
And since you're on my site looking I thought I'd show you a few
of my favorite items that "Smokey" makes.
Links provided, just click on the pictures!

Hope you've enjoyed this little interlude. Since I haven't anything else worked up to blog about at this time it seemed reasonable to promote her work. After all she IS a friend.

HAND & BODY CREAM

"Intensive Therapy, Hardcore Moisture"

ALL NATURAL!

I don't need to say too much about how fabulous this new product is; I'll let my product testers tell you in their own words.

ArmyWifeWYO says: The hand cream was great it soaked right into my hands which is great for me, as it is so dry here in Wyoming. After about a hour I didn't have to reapply like I do other lotions which is great! I also like the fact that you didn't have to use very much to rub all over onto my hands! As for anything I don't like? ... nothing, this lotion is great!! And the best lotion I have had in a long time to help my rough dry hands!

TannerCustomCraft says: The healing hand and body lotion felt so good and creamy putting it on and smelled so refreshingly minty. It even reminded me of Doublemint gum!

TulipTreeBaby says: This has a very nice scent and is very moisturizing. My only complaint is that it has a slight greasy feel on my ultra dry finger tips. I am not sure how to accurately describe why this is, I think I would just like it a bit smoother. But it goes on much better after a shower or washing hands. It definitely makes a great night cream. I think I am going to try using the rest of it up by using it more frequently. I think part of my problem is washing my hands too many times during the day and not always putting lotion back on, because I haven't found a lotion yet that ever really heals the deep cracks. Based on that I would say that my review of your lotion is not as accurate as it could be. Other than that, I am really liking the lotion more and more as I use it. The smell is so refreshing and feels good on my upper hands and arms.

SMOX says: The lotion- LOVE it! You may want to let people know that it takes a little while for your skin to soak it all in... took about 5 minutes for me... but once it did... i was amazed. I have extremely dry skin, especially my hands. I often suffer from cracked knuckles and cuticles which is extremely painful, and even more difficult to combat! Within 5 minutes of using Mommy's Little Helper's Healing Hand and Body Cream my hands were supple and soft. I used it a couple times each day for the next couple days and saw marked improvement in my skin, even after washing a whole sink full of dishes! I may never go back to store brand lotion ever again!

GingerlyDressed says: Lovely hand cream! I love the scent, it's not too overpowering, yet lingers in a subtle way. A little greasy when first applied, but you'll notice you don't need to re-apply lots of times throughout the day. The oils settle in to give you a nice soft, moisturized feeling all day. And, even better, when we purchase we are supporting a military family, and a hard-working mother! That is worth the purchase in itself!

EllaBearBowtique says: A little bit of this goes such a long way! I truly love the smell and it keeps my hands super soft and moisturized for so long. Not only is it great on hands that are dried out but feet and heels as well. I started using it on my feet as soon as the weather turned colder and it has worked wonders for me.

Ali of Designs Etcetera says: I have used this for some time now. Sometimes once a day, sometimes twice a day. I like the way it makes my hands feel, smooth and silky. It is a little greasy at first but if you rub it in a bit more it will not be greasy for long. It also leaves a nice shine on my hands. I will definitely continue to use this through the winter.

I was asked by a friend HomemadeZen about it spoiling. Here is our discussion:
"Mommy, nice new item! Just wondering, does the cream spoil easily since it is all natural? Creams in an open jar usually goes bad pretty quickly in my experience (starting to smell funky)."
My response:
"Zen, I've kept my personal stash in an open ramekin for the past month and had no issues as of yet. I don't know how long it might take to spoil, but being left in the bathroom for a month with the steam, etc and it's still just as good as day one."

The container pictured is a 2 oz. and will be sold for $5 plus shipping. Each container will be labeled with the Mommy's Little Helper label as well as the basic product description. All of the hand creams are sealed with an inner seal for your protection as well as shrink wrapped.

Basic Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Bees Wax, Almond Oil, Spearmint and Lavender Essential Oils.

This product is set for release in my shops on both etsy and Hyena Cart on November 10th. I will take pre-orders (which is helpful to know how much product to make and have ready to ship on the release date). Please contact me at Mommy's Little Helper to place a pre-order.

Please note that these responses have only been edited for grammar and spelling, not content!

Twitter?

OK, I'm officially signed up with Twitter. I'm still figuring this out so if anyone has any advice please leave it in the comments. You can find me on Twitter at 1MaddieAndMommy (same as here). And a couple pictures for good measure...

In the sunflowers before the Pumpkin Patch and Halloween Costumes. She was a cowgirl and her best friend was a horse. Totally unplanned too!

And Yet Again!

This time though its Maddie & ME, children's handcrafted couture! It is a lovely interview on Izzy-IT which is a site dedicated to introducing etsy shops. If you leave a comment you will then be in the drawing for a feature of your own! Please check it out and enjoy.

WOW! I've Been Featured Again!

Can you believe it? I have been featured again. This time on Lucky Girl Trading Company - Make Every Day Your Lucky Day!
She has done a fabulous feature on my 2 in 1 loofah and my Cinnamon - Irish Oatmeal Soap.

She has also put my We 3 Kings Plus on her wish list so if any of you are wondering what to get her for a gift, it seems that would be a good choice. Also if you read her feature and the comments you'll find a promo code in there to get a discount in Mommy's Little Helper.

Thanks to all my loyal readers and customers,
"Mommy" of Mommy's Little Helper