Happy 8th Birthday, Robbie!

Five years ago, Robbie asked for a skateboard. We told him that three years old isn't old enough to have a skateboard and that you need to be eight years old. He never forgot this and has let us know on every birthday (and many other times during the year) how many more birthdays he has left until his eighth one. Last night, his wish of five years finally came true. Eight years old seemed so far away when Rob and I made this promise to our little three year old. Somehow we thought that this day would take forever to get here and now it feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. It was definitely a happy (and tear inducing!) moment to see his excitement when he opened this long-awaited gift.

For my first post of the new year, I'm going to tell you a little (long) story called "Love at Second Sight" about the night I met Rob, 10 years ago today! Ten years. Wow. Hard to believe! That's a whole decade, people!

I was 22 years old (that's 22 year old me to the left!) and loving' life. My roommate and I went out every Saturday night dancing. Just us girls. No boys allowed! We often went with my sister and sometimes she would bring a friend too. One of our favorite places on Saturdays was a country dance bar called…oh this is embarrassing… Mama's Country Showcase. No joke. It was a fun place to be with a younger, less pushy crowd than some of the other clubs we liked to go to. It was also one of the only clubs in the Atlanta area that allowed 18 years old in… important if you want to bring along your 18 year old sister.

On this night, 10 years ago, Atlanta had an ice storm. Most Atlantans stay home on nights like these. Not us! We were determined to go out and even though I know it sounds cheesy… I knew I needed to go that night. I even told the girls this and they thought I was crazy!

So, we're sitting at a table and a guy walks up to my sister and says "Hey… that's our table!". He is with a friend and the two of them start chatting us up. Guy #1 (who's mom, by the way, works at the post office I frequent now) doesn't believe Laura (my sis) is my sister and asks to see our ID. I am 100% positive that he just wanted to see how old she was. lol Their friend, guy #3, walks over and says "Is he carding you?". The very first words Rob ever said to me. Romantic, huh?

A slow song came on and it just happened to be Kenny Chesney "You Had Me From Hello". Rob asked me to dance and the group of us split into pairs. After the song ended, a fast song came on and we drifted around a bit… Rob didn't seem interested in me and I was not interested in picking up a guy at a bar so I kept dancing and he went and sat down with a beer. Amazed by Lonestar* came on and I thought "What the heck, I like this song. I'll ask this guy to dance again". He said "Yes" and the rest, as they say, is history. We've been together ever since!

*we danced to this song at our wedding for our First Dance.

***I'm adding this note for Rob's benefit since his story defers from mine. He thought I blew him off after the first song and I must have been one of *those* girls who dances with everyone. When I asked him to dance, he turned to the guy next to him and said "I'll be right back". Little did he know! 

So this whole blogging thing is pretty difficult for me… as you may have guessed by the embarrassingly few posts here. I always have things to talk about and posts in my head to write but it takes me So. Long. to write them! Because it takes me so long… I end up not writing anything at all! Not exactly the plan I had for this little space on my website. So, in an effort to get this ball rolling, I am going to do my best to get in the habit of writing at least a few short posts a week… hopefully I won't bore you too much as I practice putting my thoughts to "paper".

By the way... I meant to post this last week! Eeek! lol

I will only have two more shop updates before Christmas: Friday, November 20th and Wednesday, November 25th. I'm not sure how big these updates will be, but there will be a few new things each of these days. In the past, I have updated my shop up until the last possible minute for Christmas but have found that this is very stressful and I don't have the time to do all of my favorite Christmas-y things like baking, crafting with the kids and making gifts.

So that I can truly enjoy Christmas with my family (and because we are going on vacation mid-December) I will not be doing any sewing for my shop after Thanksgiving. I am working around the clock to get things finished but I cannot make any promises for new patterns or for certain types of dolls to be made available. I have been working on the Piper Pony pattern but have run into a few snags so that it why it is taking me so long to get her finished. Custom orders are at the top of my To Do list and once I finish them, I will get back to work on patterns/ dolls.

Thank you for all of your support!

What a busy end to summer I am having! We had a great family vacation and had a great visit with my youngest sister. Rob started his new job and while this is very exciting for him and our family, I also don't have him around to help me out as much. As you know, he is my biggest helper! I've been getting the kids ready for school with school shopping and school review. I've been sewing some clothes for Abby since she is a dress wearing type of girl and it is near impossible to find a decent dress for a 6 year old in stores. grrrrr Needless to say, lots and lots going on on the home front for the last few weeks!

I've also been spending every spare moment I can find adding stock to my shop. I have decided to go down my pattern list in alphabetical order and make dolls that way instead of choosing willy nilly. I thought this would be a great way to get some dolls in my shop that I usually don't make and stock my shop for Christmas (yes, I said Chistmas!!!). While working away making dolls for my shop, I also got a wholesale order which I am very excited about! I'll share pictures and more information once the order is completed. :) I've also got a few patterns drafted that need to be completed so those will be coming soon! 

So, if you do not see me around much on Twitter or Facebook it is because I am sitting in my dining room, drinking cups and cups of coffee, sewing away while watching Lord of The Rings on my laptop.

Rob is starting a new job on August 3rd and just finished his last day at his old job on Friday. This means that for one whole week there are no conference calls or work emails! To celebrate and to have a real vacation, we are driving to Washington D.C. on Monday! We are so excited for a quick family trip to our nation's capitol. If anyone is from the area, I'd love any "insider" tips and restaurant (kid friendly! lol) recommendations.

I will be putting my Etsy shop on vacation but will not be emptying my shop. If you get the sewing bug and want a new pattern, don't forget that my website has instant digital download. :)

p.s. That is a picture of Rob and I from eight years ago!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for participating in my Christmas in July giveaway! What a lot of fun it has been and I am blown away by the comments, blog posts and retweets! Y'all are awesome! I will definitely be doing this again in the future!

After a random drawing, we have our winners! Here are the winners and the comments they posted!

Giveaway Day One:
Tweeted this as SeeMommySew
July 21, 2009 Kristin

Giveaway Day Two:
Such a pretty selection. I think they'd make a cute little doll tucked into a patchwork purse for a little girl to tote around.
Thanks for the giveaways!
~Jenny~
July 21, 2009 Jenny

Giveaway Day Three:
oh! darling! eeek!!!! i would most definitely keep this little sweet gal for me because my girls already each have doodle girls that i scooped up from your shop. then i could play together with them with my sweet doll!!! ;D awesome. thank you heaps kindly!!! you are totally great!
July 22, 2009 little t jane

Giveaway Day Four:
I would give this to my son to love on.
July 23, 2009 Stephanie

Giveaway Day Five:
I LOVE the baby boy doll! He is SO sweet!! The fabric pictures totally remind me of my son!! Especially the boy with the crayon!! My son decided that he needed to decorate our wall tonight :) I would love to snuggle up with them both(my son & the doll :))! These are adorable!! Thanks so much!!
July 24, 2009 Nichole

Congratulations to all of the winners! Please send me an email at bitofwhimsydolls@gmail.com!

Today is the fifth and last day of my Christmas in July giveaway!

Today's prize is a sweet little Butterbean doll! The winner will be able to choose either the little boy or the little girl doll. They are both made of soft flannel so they are definitely made for cuddling! Butterbean is one of my most popular designs and I could honestly spend all day making them because I love them too!

You can have a total of 3 entries! One entry for leaving a comment on my post (let me know which doll you would want to win), one entry for tweeting about my giveaway on Twitter (just leave a second comment with your Twitter ID) and one entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog (just leave a comment with your blog link)! If you choose to write a blog post, this will get you an entry for everyday of the giveaway... no need to write more than one post, just put the link in the comments everyday. The giveaway will go through Friday, July 24th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25th.

Please leave me your Twitter ID if you tweet and your blog link if you posted!

The drawings will be closed at midnight eastern on July 24th and the winners for all five giveaways will be announced on Saturday, July 25th!

Update on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 8:40AM by Sarah

This giveaway has ended, thank you everyone for entering!

Today is day four of my Christmas in July giveaway!

Today's prize is this sweet little owl doll! This little guy is almost 9" tall and is ready to be loved. He (or she!) would make a great friend for your little one or would make a nice companion on a shelf in your studio. Check out more pictures of this little owl and the other dolls available in my store! www.bitofwhimsydolls.com/dolls

You can have a total of 3 entries! One entry for leaving a comment on my post (let me know where this little owl will be perched), one entry for tweeting about my giveaway on Twitter (just leave a second comment with your Twitter ID) and one entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog (just leave a comment with your blog link)! If you choose to write a blog post, this will get you an entry for everyday of the giveaway... no need to write more than one post, just put the link in the comments everyday. If you are sweet enough to write a blog post, may I request that you use the full name "Bit of Whimsy Dolls"? I'd greatly appreciate it! :) The giveaway will go through Friday, July 24th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25th.

Check back tomorrow for the last prize!

Please leave me your Twitter ID if you tweet and your blog link if you posted!

Update on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 8:42AM by Sarah

This giveaway has ended, thank you everyone for entering!

Today is day three of my Christmas in July giveaway!

Today's prize is a kit to make my all-time favorite Doodle Girl! This girl is so sweet and is made from a discontinued and very hard to find Heather Ross print with cute little gnomes. You'll receive the gnome print, stripe and polka dot fabrics, cream chenille, a swatch of craft velour and wool felt, embroidery floss, and the Doodle Girl pattern. How awesome is that?

You can have a total of 3 entries! One entry for leaving a comment on my post (let me know who would be getting this girl if you won, p.s. I would keep her!), one entry for tweeting about my giveaway on Twitter (just leave a second comment with your Twitter ID) and one entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog (just leave a comment with your blog link)! If you choose to write a blog post, this will get you an entry for everyday of the giveaway... no need to write more than one post, just put the link in the comments everyday. The giveaway will go through Friday, July 24th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25th.

Check back tomorrow for a new prize!

Please leave me your Twitter ID if you tweet and your blog link if you posted!

***If you are the winner and have a little boy to sew for, I would be happy to substitute more boyish stripes and polka dots and the Buddy Boy pattern instead.***

Update on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 8:42AM by Sarah

This giveaway has ended, thank you everyone for entering!

Today is day two in my Christmas in July giveaway!

Today's prize is a set of six fat quarters from Moda's Aviary line by Three Sisters. A fat quarter is approximately 18" x 22" and is the perfect size for doll making! This is a beautiful, soft, feminine collection and would make lovely little lambs, monkeys, Doodle Girls or even some Pretty Peasant Dresses. Let me know in the comments what you would like to make with them! In sewing terms, Christmas is just around the corner! ;)

You can have a total of 3 entries! One entry for leaving a comment on my post (let me know what you would make with the fabric), one entry for tweeting about my giveaway on Twitter (just leave a second comment with your Twitter ID) and one entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog (just leave a comment with your blog link)! If you choose to write a blog post, this will get you an entry for everyday of the giveaway... no need to write more than one post, just put the link in the comments everyday. The giveaway will go through Friday, July 24th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25th.

Check back tomorrow for a new prize!

Please leave me your Twitter ID if you tweet and your blog link if you posted!

Today is day one in my Christmas in July giveaway!

Today's prize is 3 patterns of the winner's choice! All of my patterns have step by step photos and detailed instructions making them easy to make. Never tried out one of my patterns? Check out the two free patterns I have in my store! Let me know in the comments which patterns are your favorites and who you would make them for! It's not too early to start sewing for Christmas gifts. ;)

You can have a total of 3 entries! One entry for leaving a comment on my post (with the name(s) of your favorite patterns), one entry for tweeting about my giveaway on Twitter (just leave a second comment with your Twitter ID) and one entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog (just leave a comment with your blog link)! If you choose to write a blog post, this will get you an entry for everyday of the giveaway... no need to write more than one post, just put the link in the comments everyday. The giveaway will go through Friday, July 24th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25th.

Check back tomorrow for a new prize!

Update on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 8:43AM by Sarah

This giveaway has ended, thank you everyone for entering!

It is time for a giveaway over here on Bit of Whimsy Dolls! Every day this week, I will have something new available for you to win! The drawings will be held on Saturday July 25th... of course. ;)  Check back tomorrow for more details! Ho,ho,ho... Merry Christmas!

Five years ago, Rob and I took on the ambitious project of painting Robbie's room. We weren't going to just paint the walls, we were going to create a playful environment for him and base it on his love of farms and tractors. We actually achieved the look we wanted by ourselves even with our very limited skills. Robbie loved his room! We painted Abby's room lavender and left it at that thinking we would let her choose what she wanted as she grew old enough to tell us (and she did tell us: princess, princess, princess!).

Billy came along and our three bedroom home was suddenly too small. Abby was too little to share a room with Robbie and Billy needed to move out of the bassinet in our bedroom. We ended up putting the crib in our room. This was a pretty good solution since Billy, our little screamer, could sleep in a room across the house from the other two kids. This is very important when the other two kids are 18 months and three years old! This worked out great for about a year and then it was time to get Billy out of his crib (and out of our bedroom!) and into a bed. He was still too little to share a room with the bigger kids so poor Abby got ousted out of her pretty purple princess room. It was a bit traumatic! To help her feel better about the move, we added a pretty purple unicorn to the farm mural to make it a little more girly for her. We added a few flowers here and there and Voila! it was a Magical Enchanted Forest/ Farm bedroom and everyone was happy.

Fast forward another year or so and Abby and Robbie were getting to be too old to share a room together. Well, shoot! We bribed Abby back over to the princess room with a "diamond" chandelier. Abby is such a girl! Now we have both boys in the same room but poor Billy sleeps under the pretty purple unicorn. Again... shoot! It is time once again to create a playful environment and this time it will be for two boys. Very soon we will be sanding and priming the walls in Robbie and Billy's bedroom to repaint it. The new theme? Retro outer space! It will be just perfect for our two space-loving boys!

While this is very exciting and I am looking forward to another creative, ambitious project with Rob, I will probably cry the first time I roll primer over these walls.

Want to see more pictures of the room? http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitofwhimsy/sets/72157621514605803/